Wanderlust Tales - Diwali utsav pardes main.... :)

Right after a fabulous celebration of Durga Puja back home in Bangalore, I was suppose to go on a official tour to Atlanta,USA.

These official tours somehow bore me a lot, mainly due to lack of good friends to hang around with and to top it, you also have to work late hours.But of course it comes with the perks of staying lavishly in your very own room in the hotel and finding it crystal clean when you return no matter in what state you have leave it in.The weather is a bonus.And of course, the all time favorite for me is indulging in the best of ice-creams,chocolates and cakes here. Absolute bliss! Fooooood........

It is a good time to spend time on your own,out of the social bondage - doing things you like. And for a change doing NOTHING,is also a change from the rote.

Things that happen occasionally at home become a regular like reading books or interesting articles or listening to your favorite music, jogging.You experiment with food.You meet new people and make friends.

This break is the much needed one as I share my room back in India. So the privacy constraints stay. :|

This visit, I got to witness something out of the ordinary.No parks or factory outlest or museums but - a Temple!

Being a festive season, I was pretty upset that I would have to celebrate Diwali - doing nothing. Then some Indian friends I met during my stay there,suggested about going for the Diwali Utsav in a temple located about 30 miles from my hotel.At first I was highly reluctant to visit a temple all the way in the States. 

But when I visited this place, I was stunned by its mesmerizing architecture and make. It would have been a mistake, if I would have missed this.

It is apparently the biggest temple outside our country. 

The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir as they call it,was inaugurated in August 2007 after only 17 months of construction time utilizing 1.3 million volunteer hours. The Mandir is compromised of 3 types of stones(Turkish limestone,Italian marble and Indian pink sandstone). More than 34,000 individual pieces were carved by hand in India,shipped to the USA,and assembled in Lilburn like a giant 3-D puzzle.

The temple sits over 30 acres of land,and is a beauty in its own.As you enter the premises you see the temple and it is gorgeous built - the pond right in front, the beautifully carved pillars in white. The white color adds to the more heavenly look - straight from the heaven. WOW!

The Diwali Utsav was being celebrated here. And during the time, they have fantastic fireworks show which lasts for about 15-20 minutes.

It is just spell bounding affair. I was left dumbstruck by the firework show - the music,the lighting and the fireworks all in sync, which made the sight worth seeing. Just stunning! 

The place was bustling with Indians, who had come all the way to have a glimpse of the fireworks. :)

They sky were speaking more than a thousand words, literally! :)

I am attaching few pictures of the temple and the Diwali Utsav celebrations:

Entrance



Pond



Find the moon! :P

They had number of food stalls serving dishes varying from pav bhaji,chole bature,khichdi,chai,various farsans etc. Apart from food stalls - they had the books stalls, stalls selling decor items for house.

What surprised me was  they were serving prasad at the exit which was beautifully and cleanly packed with a sweet and some farsan items. They were giving along calendar too.

In all I would conclude by saying one well coordinated event which definitely is worthwhile.

Reaching there was no big hurdle, GPS makes your  life very easy to commute. For parking cars, they had a separate place near the temple premises where you can park,and the shuttles plying would pick and drop you, to and fro the temple. I was at residence inn,north point so it took approximately 45 minutes to reach the temple.

I didn't expect such fanfare, but I am happy I didn't miss the event. :) :)

Cheers to life!!

~Journey  of a thousand miles begins with a single step! :)

P.S.All the above photos have been clicked by me. :D

Art conglomeration : Pencil Sketches

• 

  Tiger

Scenic beauty



Bear with her kids :)

 

 

Cheers to life!!

 

~Believe in yourself always!!

P.S These sketches are not my original idea, it is just a humble attempt to replicate some of the beautiful pictures found in blogs/sites in the world of web. 

 

Art conglomeration : Paintings and sketches

Paintings done by me:

 

Jamini Roy - Maa Durga

Abstract art

Love birds

 

Cheers to life!!

~Believe in yourself always!

P.S These sketches are not my original idea,it is just a humble attempt to replicate some of the beautiful pictures found in blogs/sites.

Art conglomeration : Sketches

Ganapati Bappa Morya






Radha's Gopies






Fizzy Moon Greeting card

Cheers to life!!

~Believe in yourself always!

P.S These sketches are not my original idea,it is just a humble attempt to replicate some of the beautiful pictures found in blogs/sites.

 

Wanderlust Tales - Road trip from Bangalore to Sripuram

With our busy chaotic life, road trips are an excellent way of spending some quality time with family along with refreshing one self.

Last month, we went on a road trip from Bangalore to Sripuram, which houses the famous golden Lakshmi temple. 

Picking few lines from wikipedia:

"The temple is located on 100 acres of land and has been constructed by Vellore based Sri Narayani Peedam, headed by spiritual leader Sri Sakthi Amma also known as Narayani Amma. The temple with gold covering, has intricate work done by artisans specializing in temple art using gold. Every single detail was manually created, including converting the gold chunks into gold foils and then mounting the foils on copper. Gold foil from 9 layers to 0 layers has been mounted on the etched copper plates. Every single detail in the temple art has significance from the Vedas."

Image from Google

We started from JP Nagar, Bangalore at around 09:30 and reached the temple by 1330. It took us approximately 4 hours to reach there in the wee hours of traffic. But yes this was without any break on the way.

It was pleasant drive till the destination via the national highways.

The Google maps can be of great help to reach there. More or less it is a straight road once you hit the highway. And if you follow the hoardings right, you will not face much difficulties to reach there. Even the people are very helpful and will not hesitate to assist you with routes.

The main highlights for the roads, I would put it as below:

• Drive till the silk board signal and then take a right from there towards NH 7 
• Drive towards Electronic City - Hosur road 
• Continue till you see the Toll road. We collected toll passes to reach Krishnagiri, and asked for both way tolls since it was cheaper. It was priced at Rs.40/-. 
• From there you must drive straight. You will cross around 2-3 flyovers and before the last flyover there will be a diversion, you need to drive left since there is construction work going on. Drive on from here, till you reach Krishnagiri. You will come across another toll plaza, priced at Rs.90/- for both ways. 
• From here it is a drive of 116 kms straight on the highway. 
• You will come across two more tolls at Natranpalli priced at Rs.105/- for both ways and another one at Pallikandan which is Rs.110/- for both ways. 
• From the last toll gate at Pallikandan, after a drive of 2 kms, you need to take a right for the diversion to Sripuram.Please keep a watch on the right, so as to not miss the diversion. Then drive straight along the directions given, and bang on you will be there. 

Rocky mountains

On the way you will come across many petrol pumps, dhabas, food joints, engineering colleges, factories. So you can be tension free for food, water, petrol or car malfunctions.The roads are on either sides are just filled with lots and lots of coconut trees plantation. You can feel the greenery throughout. It made our journey quite scenic. It was just an awesome drive though nature.
We also passed some local markets in the small cities which were bustling with people. You can find all hoardings of all Tamil movies in these local markets.
There were lot of heavy vehicles plying on these roads. So everyone please drive safe, avoid rash driving and ensure everyone's safety. :) 

After the last diversion taken for reaching Sripuram, you will pass through a beautiful village.

It is a pure delight to witness it. The road is beautifully shadowed with trees. It is an awesome ride where you would see everything from the bullock carts to local buses moving at slow pace. The kachha ghar, people sitting on the open veranda outside their houses gossiping away or just drying spices or clothes. There you would find everything ranging from small shops and tapris to farms, local men busy in their day to day chores.

Just awesome!! :)

View from the parking lot

Once you reach the temple, you would see a huge gate. It is grand welcome for one and all. :)

There is a provision to park your car, priced at Rs.50/-. No camera, phones are allowed inside, so you would be required to deposit everything at the counter. Although not advisable, we left our belongings in the car itself.

The entrance itself gives you feel of the incredibility of the temple, which is spread over many acres of land.

As soon you enter the temple, they have chambers with specified number of occupants allowed in each one. The devotees in a single room are released in batches for darshan, which keeps the crowd and rush at bay. They have a provision for special darshan priced at Rs.250/- per head, which is the quick darshan avoiding the queues and waiting in the rooms. They also have other denominations of darshan coupons of Rs.1000/- , Rs.1500/- and on.

From the chamber to the temple, it is a lovely walk of around 3 km. With the beautiful gardens around, the numerous lovely messages put up throughout the place, and the brilliant architecture, it was all a sight to catch. 
Don't be in a hurry for darshan, everyone gets a chance for darshan. You must enjoy every bit of the view during your walk till the temple.

Mid way, if you happen to get tired they do have water, milk and prasad stalls, for you to have a quick bite. 
The seating arrangements throughout the way, is a great relief for elderly people, so they can cover the distance at their own convenience.

Once you are nearing the temple, you will be simply mesmerized by its beauty, architecture, structure. A golden temple in middle of a small man made pond. It is just a treat to your eyes. Just being there brings immense peace to your mind and soul.Feels heavenly. Beauty at its best!

The thing that I disliked, only the people who had opted for the high values darshan coupons could go for darshan near the Thakur -they could sit, chant the mantras and spend some peaceful time in the temple - near the Thakur.
Others like us, just got a chance for a quick darshan,and had to take a detour.

On your way out, they have the provision of prasadam. They serve piping hot south Indian  - rice, sambhar, rasam, sabji. The Prasad is served on banana leaves which ensures cleanliness and hygiene.

It was a superb experience all together. 
On our way back, with the onset of rains it made our return all the more enthralling.

Enjoy your trip! Bon Voyage!! :)

Fair

    

Cheers to life!!

~Journey  of a thousand miles begins with a single step! :)

P.S.All the above photos have been clicked by me. :D

Outlook : Sometimes I wonder...

Sometimes I wonder,wouldn't it have been better if I was not born a GIRL?!

I could have enjoyed the perks of life better-restriction free.

On the eve of 68 years of independence,social networking sites are flooded with captions about, what makes one feel independent after 68 years?!

Pondering on the question,I came to a conclusion that nothing makes me feel that I am independent.In a country where women have achieved such heights, I am ashamed to say - "As a woman of this country, I DO NOT FEEL INDEPENDENT." 

Well, to begin with,I am currently working in a multi-national company. I come from a well to do family, earn good enough to lead a lavish lifestyle, but still somewhere it doesn't qualify me to say that I am an independent girl. Why so?!

If you would google the word "Independent", you would find these meanings:

independent

adjective

1. 1.

   free from outside control; not subject to another's authority.

   "an independent nuclear deterrent"

   synonyms:

   freethinking, individualistic, unconventional, maverick; More

   • 
     

     
     
2. 2.

   not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence.

   "I wanted to remain independent in old age"

   synonyms:

   self-sufficient, self-supporting, self-sustaining, self-reliant, self-standing, able to stand on one's own two feet; More
3. 
   
4. 
   

   • 
     

noun

1. 1.

   an independent person or body.

   "one of the few independents left in the music business"

So here you you have the answer. Probably I am not dependent on my Dad, for my survival,livelihood or subsistence, but I am still subject to another's authority.

And why I am still subject to another's authority ,it is simply because I am a GIRL!

Each time I step out of the house, I am suppose to inform my parents.Let them know once I return home,so that they can have a sound sleep knowing that their daughter is safe.

Each time I travel abroad, my dad's life becomes chaotic. No matter which part of the world and at what time zone he is in, he will make it a point to call me and check about my whereabouts- if I reached safe or not?!

He always has my entire itinerary handy, to track me.

Each time I travel to Mumbai from Pune, my parents call me numerous times, to make sure I am ok. They take down every details of the car and driver.In their own way they try to take all the safety measure possible. And why is that, it is simply because I am a GIRL!
Well, obviously these things have never been spelled out to me, but one can definitely understand the extra concern all the time.

As a matter of fact,my parents did everything in their capacity to make me independent. They always treated me at par with my brother, gave me the best of education,best of amenities. They always treated me as an equal, never did anything that would differentiate me from my brother. I was allowed to do everything that my brother could. In fact, being the first child of the house, I was always encouraged to do many more things than my brother. There was never any bifurcation based on my gender.And I am sure this holds true for many girls out there.

But the same ME,the minute I step out of  the house,the society plays a pivotal role in making me realize that I am a GIRL.
Does any of this qualify me to call myself independent? And the part of my independence that I have,comes with a price of my parents being worried about me,when ever I step out of the house.

If a girl is treated like a princess at home, she is forced to wear n-number of restrictions once she is out of her nest.

But who forces our loved ones to subject such authority on us? Is it that by their will they are doing this?No,the answer is simple,it is the society that we live in, that forces them to impose these restrictions on us.

Would a guy ever be subjected to such behavior from their parents, NEVER-EVER.

GENDER-BIASING!

After 68 years of INDEPENDENCE, we have still failed to achieve one thing- respect women!

Each day, you open the newspaper or listen to news,you find at least two rape cases covered. And these are just the cases, which have been covered and reported.There would be so many such cases happening in the country, which go unreported, so many victims who have been just silenced under pressure, or many who have been blackmailed with dire consequences.

These heinous acts at such rates by the men in our society forces women/girls to be always subjected to authority. These acts forces parents to be extra cautious about their girl child.

We maybe independent from the British Raj, but we are still living in a country driven by the male chauvinism,where few men ruin the society with their acts.These men feel they can commit such acts,and can go unnoticed. And to add it, they even justify their acts.

When few of the rape accused were interrogated on why did they commit such crimes,they came up with answers like "We wanted to punish the girl, because she was roaming around with a guy so late in the night." 

Really?! Who gives a man the right to punish a girl?Who gives the man the right to decide what she can do,and what she can't?
Tracking the root is easy,the cause being men in our country still fail to respect women,treat them as an equal. Somehow men always tend to feel superior to women, and think she is their way to vent out any sort of frustration or anger. And EQUALITY takes a side track here.

We call ourselves a part of independent INDIA. But are the women of India really independent?

For me,in true sense,India would be independent when women of all cadre,caste,creed can live,breathe and stay freely-without the fear of being molested,sexually assaulted,eve-teased or raped.
When women can do what they want.
When the women in our country can walk with their heads high,without being subject to any authority and be damn-care.
When women can feel secured in all circumstances.
When all the parents having girl child, can be in peace, even after knowing that their daughter is outside home.
When such heinous acts would be made stringently punishable by law.
When the men in our society can stand up for the wrong that is being inflicted on the women.
When the men and women are allowed to stay,think and live in equality across all cadres,caste and creeds.
When the men in our country will start respecting each and every woman.

It is such a shame and an irony, that India is the country where we pray to numerous female deities but on the other hand women are treated with such atrocities.

The country needs  the awakening of men,much more than awakening of women.

So that every girl or woman can say "I am INDEPENDENT" in literal terms.

Cheers to life!!

~Believe in yourself always!

Outlook : Crazy football....

The most awaited 20th FIFA World Cup is finally over with a total of 64 matches being played and GERMANY emerging as the winning team to take the World Cup home.

With it, came an end to all the fun, the late night planning's to see the matches, cheering up for a particular team, whom my friends were dead against.;) The watching of some really long chased matches with no goals being scored till the 90th minute, and some where, goals would be scored within 15 minutes of the start. There even came a point, where me of all people went crazy enough to stream the game online and watch it.

This World Cup season gave me so crazy instances to remember. The typical me falling asleep during almost all the important matches by 2 a.m. or 2:30 a.m. and getting up by the cheers or the shouts of my friends, whenever a goal was scored or was missed. The crazy technical discussions, where it would be adjudged whether it was offside or not, or whether a yellow card or a red card should have been given. Or maybe how a terribly missed goal could have been saved or how beautifully the goals were being scored by the players. I am definitely going to miss all these.



Watching the finale between Germany and Argentina was the ultimate treat. I was supporting Germany amidst group of bongs, who were die hard Messi fans. You could have imagined my plea if at all Argentina would have won. I would have been outnumbered, cornered, booed and just shooed away...just kidding. ;) It was a sight to see, with all eyes in the room glued on Messi. It was as if he was a magician with a wand, and people were just waiting for the moment when he would cast his spells and the goal would be scored. On an all, Germany played really well and dodged the ball so beautifully that they did not give Messi much of a chance to score. There were times during the match, where Messi couldn't even be seen. Messi-Messi, he played well but the loss, broke many hearts and sadly enough he didn't live up to the expectations of numerous people. Even his disappointment after the game was clearly visible. When he was awarded the Golden Ball, there was not even a smile on his face. High hopes were pinned on him after the semi-finals but alas.
Anyway from my perspective, everything should be taken in good spirit, being disheartened never helps. The lessons learnt from the game, would be useful in future games. :)

Not being much of sport fanatic, the game of cricket was still tolerable to me, that too the 20-20 matches. Football had always been a game which tested my patience, probably owing to my ignorance towards the game and also the lack of good company.

I still remember the first complete football match that I saw, was around two years back. It was on insistence by a close good friend, who is a die hard Chelsea fan. I remember it was a match between Chelsea and some other team, and some "xyz" league was going on. I can still recall the pain it was to watch the 90 minute long match all alone, just looking blindly at the screen waiting for a goal to be scored.

But this season, I would definitely say I had awesome fun watching the matches. I guess watching any sport is more entertaining when there are group of friends to watch along. But when in a group or maybe otherwise as well, if you follow any game, the game does get personal. Somewhere at the back of your head, you are just wishing and praying, the team that you are supporting should be the one winning the matches.

Even I supported couple of teams through the phases of the World Cup, but sadly they got eliminated. But from all the teams that I supported, I so wished that Netherlands would win the World Cup.

At the end of this World Cup, the one good thing is that I can write so much about my experience of watching the game, where once, ONCE UPON A TIME ,more or less I detested the game. :P

In one way it also strikes off one of the must do things in life, which you can find in abundance, published all over the net. ;)

Although not an adept at understanding the game, but as always something is better than nothing. There would be a time where I would understand the nuances of the game better.

Finally the vote of thanks. :P I owe this all to my Bong friends, who created the right ambiance and the enthusiasm for watching the game which eventually also increased my affinity towards the game. :)

Cheers to life!!

~Believe in yourself always!!

Art Conglomeration : Painting and Sketches

Innocence Personified

My first attempt at Glass Painting:

Dancing girls

 

Cheers to life!!

~Believe in yourself always!!

P.S These sketches are not my original idea, it is just a humble attempt to replicate some of the beautiful pictures found in blogs/sites.

Art Conglomeration : Painting and Sketches

 

Radha Krishna eternal love

 

 

Cheers to life!!

~Believe in yourself always!!

P.S These sketches are not my original idea, it is just a humble attempt to replicate some of the beautiful pictures found in blogs/sites.