ADHVAGATI

Wrapped up 2009 with a big salute to the genius of the Chalukyas, who at the peak of their power, ruled over a vast tract of the Deccan peninsula stretching from the Narmada valley to the Kaveri Basin. The heart of this empire ,that lasted merely two centuries( 6th. to 8th. AD), was on the bank of River Malaprabha, in present day Uttara Karnataka . And to that heartland we took a train on 27th. December, for a 3- day gaping-fest ! Gadag . The only associations this name used to evoke in me were the "Gadag- seeri" ( a variety of fine, durable handloom sarees) and "Gadugina Bharata"( the classical Kannada Mahabharata). Discovered a whole lot more about this place during the visit. Officially the town is called Gadag -Betageri , conjoined twin towns with a common municipality in Gadag District. The district, rather backward and under developed to begin with, was one of the worst hit during the recent floods. The land is sort of arid, but Sunflower, j...

26th. December evokes two distinct memories. One from the early years of 1980s. when we were residing in Lagos, Nigeria. We had traveled to Jos , during Christmas break, partly on holiday, partly for the husband to keep an appointment there on the 27th. When we enquired about what X'mas festivities we could expect in Jos, the capital city Plateau State, we were told that "Boxing Day", on the 26th., would be the most exciting event of the season. Thats when, for the first time, I heard about "Boxing Day" . 'Boxing ? Probably a traditional sporting event' i thought, remembering the Wrestling shows put up by the Pehlwans of the famous traditional Garadis ( akhadas) during Dasara in Mysore. An uneducated wild guess it turned out to be ; way off the mark ! I learnt that the "Boxing" in Boxing Day denoted a regular box used for collecting monetary gifts. This boxing custom apparently originated in Victorian England and had spread to its ...

Just the other day, after seeing off a guest at the Bus Station, i wondered for the n th. time why there's no train connectivity between Bangalore and Pondicherry . There are only bus services. One train line was tried out but has ceased operating. Considering the huge volume of traffic regularly heading to Pondi, thanks to JIPMER (Jawaharlal Institute of Post-Graduate Medical Education and Research) and The Aurobindo Ashram, one would think that an intercity train would work out well. Pondicherry or Puducheri is a lovely destination for a weekend getaway. Perfect mix of the exotic and the familiar. Right from my childhood days, i've had great fascination for this town, primarily because its frenchiness both amused and fascinated. The endearing hybrid ethos was quite strong in those days: The flower seller, in "kandangi" saree, betel mashing mouth, forehead adorned with a traffic signal's worth of red, white and amber markings, would look up from her st...

Gods were created by men. So say some. I have no quarrel with anyone claiming that or the contrary. But it's always a privilege to get to watch "Gods" being created by men. In Swamimalai. One of the Six Holy Forts ( Padai Veedu in Tamil) of Lord Murugan, Swamimalai is a small town buzzing around an ancient temple dedicated to the Divine Child known here as His Father's Preceptor ( Swami-nathan or Thagappan-swami). The town is equally well known for its bronzes . A handful of workshops here turn out exquisite bronze and Panchaloha ( 5 Metal Alloy) artefacts using processes that have remained unchanged for ages . The art of bronze casting here was kept exclusively within a small knot of artisan-families who trace their lineage to the Divine Craftsman, Vishwakarma. But now, "outsiders" can also get training from them. There's also a government run school which takes in not more than 20 pupils for each course that runs two years. The workshops where the s...

Small communities of expatriate Indians , living in far flung small towns in alien land, are always thrilled to seize upon any excuse to have a jingoistic bash where they can wallow in nostalgia and longing for "home", with over- the- top exhibitions of Desi-ness. Hyper-Desi sentiments, Uber-Desi attire, Ultra-Desi feasts . Diwali is one such excuse and a grand one at that. In the ghetto of the factory -campus in a smaller- than -small town of Indonesia, where we once lived, Diwali was always a Big Fat Desi Affaire par Excellence - yeah, Bollywood dances religiously included ! The Party was usually held not on actual Diwali day, but on the Saturday night nearest to it. Since Fireworks were prohibited, a few anaemic chinese flare sticks were burnt for "tradition's" sake. But the rest of the party was great fun. Women turned out in bridal finery, men togged up like residual royalty, children stumbled around in cumbersome "ethnic" wear. Dark ...

Unprecedented deluge in Karnataka and Andhrapradesh. And just the other day, the lament was about Drought. As they say in vernacular : "Athivrishti - Anaavrishti". The usual post crisis finger pointings are going on , full steam. "Avoidable tragedy" is the unanimous verdict. We do have Disaster Prevention and Management committees. Also, pertinently, Disaster Relief Funds......Even marmosets learn, at least by pavlovian reflex. We never learn. It was quite eerie to see images of the Tunga flooding the shrine in Mantralayam. Never have i seen the river there being anything more than a thin, sluggish stream, coursing well away from the bank . One always had to cross expanses of hot rocks to get the mandatory holy sprinkle. * .....Now I think of a little girl - is she safe ? Sadly, "Hungry and shelterless" may not be a new situation for her..... * All pilgrims to the Saint's Brindavana in Mantralaya are expected to visit the cave where he meditat...

Was saddened by reports and pictures of the Samoan Tsunami and the Indonesian quake. Natural disasters have started becoming regular features in the News. A strong pointer ,perhaps, to the fact that we are not taking as much care as we should of our home planet. Whenever the subject of Tsunami comes up, I think of the Pichavaram Mangrove Jungle. When the terrible tidal wave devastated the Nagapattinam coast in 2004, this small haven, a green David, put up a brave fight against the Goliath and lived to tell its tale . Having quickly mended its minor bruises, it is still standing there, a proud eco-warrior,luxuriant and full of wisdom to be shared with anyone who cares to lend an ear. Having visited Pichavaram many times, I am yet to become immune to its verdant charms. Pichavaram is the second largest mangrove biotope in Asia ( after Bengal's Sundarbans), ranking among the healthiest of wetland vegetations in the world. Spread across 1400 hectares ( still growing), i...