Welcoming...

In the deep blue sky are millions of stars,And on this green land are only a few stars,
To know more about the twinklin star,we all gape using a telescope,
To know more about this shinning star. All you have is my blogspot in your scope

Welcome to the ROMANTIC brackets of { Vinuthan }

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Scouting

Today, as I was cleaning my house and documents, found a certificate/award that I got more than a decade ago...hmmmm.....in my 10th grade...."The Rastrapathi Scout" award.

I have many interesting moments to share which I consider as one of the best moments of my childhood. well why did I join scouts?  Now my wife would hit if I reveal the truth...let me take some courage..."because of Guides :)"...Our school had so many good looking girls in guides..I guess it was a trend then...hence i too joined...well those days these were the means of social networking....but good news to my wife is that I was not much successful in doing any social networking then....ha ha

Well this was a picture that was published in Udayavani paper in 1993 when we got the Rastrapathi Scout award representing our school MJC Manipal. 


Any guesses on my photo among the scouties and dudes of my batch. Couple of them studied with me right from 1st Std. I am still in touch with couple of them (names marked in bold). Let me try to remember the names now..
1)Ashish 2)Deepak 3)Ganesh 4)Gary 5)Jason 6)Keneth 7)Krishna 8)Santhosh Palan9) Santhosh Shetty10)Shridhar11)Sudarshan12)Newton13)14)15)16) Don't know.. sad that i ain't  know any girls :)

Awesome to still remember many names. It was fun participating in the National Jamborate held in Kolar. I still remember names of some pretty girls who came from mangalore and manipal...Seema, Kushnuma, Kshama, Reena..Jahnavi....ha ha...i am sure some names will refresh memories of people reading this...

Anyways, on some serious note...let me tell few things about scout..The tutor who guided us in our school was PG Pandit..he was an awesome person. I still remember his cute little face.

The Boy Scout Movement  took  a start  in the  United Kingdom when   Lord  Baden   Powell    organised a  Scout  Camp  at   Brown sea  Island on 1907 and the 'Scouting for Boys' was published in 1908. Scouting was officially founded in British India in 1909, first starting at the Bishop Cotton's Boys School in Bangalore.

The mission of the scout movement was 
"The mission of Scouting is to contribute to the education of young people, through a value system based on the Scout Promise and Law to help build a better world where people are self-fulfilled as individuals and play a constructive role in society"

I feel great that at an young age I did play a role in contributing to the society (In some small ways). We did some gardening, planting trees, cycling, cooking, trekking, camping, helping people and many more..

I still can remember the scout promise and can tell it without any guide..
                    On my honour I promise that I will do my best
                    To do my duty to God and the my Country
                    To help other people at all times and
                    To obey the Scout Law
The promise by holding the hand upwards like this


I still remember the scout salute..


and Flag song
  
“Bharat Scout Guide Ka Jhanda Uncha Sada Rahega
Uncha Sada Rahega Jhanda Uncha Sada Rahega
Neela Rang Gagan Ka Visrit Bhratru Bhav Phailata
Tridal Kamal Nit Teen Pratignaon Ki Yaad Dilata
Aur Chakra Kehta Hai Pratpal Age Kadam Badega
Uncha Sada Rahega Jhanda Uncha Sada Rahega”

and the various knots we had to tie with the special rope..
  • a) Reef Knot
  • b) Sheet Bend
  • c) Clove hitch
  • d) Sheep Shank
  • e) Bowline
  • f) Fisherman Bend

and Republic day parade
    It was fun practicing drills and doing march past on the R day @ 7.30 AM. Last year, I went to my school after about 14 years for a flashback. I was happy that my tutors still remember me. Even today we have a republic day parade done @ 7.30 AM. We used always get the Best Parade award. Many others groups who participate in march past are guides, NCC cadets, bank employees, HM guys, Medical students, Engineering students and many others. Post march past we got sweets to eat (chocolates and ladoos) and coke to drink. We then used have a football or cricket match between colonies like AnanthNagar versus MIt etc as we used have holiday for rest of the day

Camping and certification experience too were awesome. We had to cook ourselves with the woods in the forest. We had to call few guests and would get a grade based on how best we cooked..luckily we had a scout who knew to cook well in 8th grade itself, his name is Deepak Rao and is a good friend of mine.

I am feeling really nice to write this experience...I can go on for pages...It was such a nice experience. I wish all kids get an opportunity to have such a wonderful experience. Thanks to my parents...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Why I think I should be a Rich Poor

It is February and we are moving from winter to summer and parliament is busy with budget...Today after a long time I was watching the Doordashan channel for the budget 2010...It is so pathetic to see our politicians discuss matters of high concern in front of millions in such a manner (the way they fight)...anyways...as long the people are silent, it is going to remain the same...and we are going to remain silent for some more decades to come.

Anyways....as I watched the budget session, I could not understand many jargons. The only thing that was interesting was their fights. As i was listening to the conversion, I told to myself "ENOUGH...Let me not listen to what i do not understand". Common things spoken were the price rice in common commodities. Now i thought, why the price was so high when the production was good enough in many (if not all)  and thus started doing a Digg.

Let us now take the price of petrol. The average price of petrol in India is around Rs 48.24 per Ltr. Many people in Bangalore would now feel that the information is wrong as that is not what I/You pay...In Bangalore avg price is around rs 52/lt (at peak it was around Rs 58)...That is Rs 4 more...The Highest petrol price is in Hyderabad However. In US, the petrol price is around rs 16.62/lt...OOPS...i.e. 62 % more than India..


Why do we pay so much.........

One of the primary reason I though was interesting was because of "The percentage of people paying tax"...well I was wondering...why the hell is this a reason.....come on....I am paying tax....all people around me are paying tax...my dad was paying tax...people around him payed tax....this data must be wrong....but the facts are as follows

Out of India's population of a billion people only 20 million pay tax, that is just 2%.

Income earned from farms in India, for example, is exempt from income tax. A large number of rich farmers who earn much more than salaried employees in cities, get away with paying no tax at all.

On top of it, the tax is not paid faithfully from the high income sections of society - doctors, lawyers, designers - and other independent, self-employed professionals whose tax is not deducted at source.

The matter is further complicated by the fact that the government offers various rebates to taxpayers who invest in a range of insurance and savings schemes, housing loans and equity and mutual funds.

The amount India collects in income tax has risen to more than one trillion rupees ($22bn) today. 
Income tax rates in India have come down over the years - from a peak of 60% 25 years ago.
But rates remain among the most irrational and highest in the world, critics say...

Coming to the Petrol Rates, the prices are high because we pay approximately 52 % tax on petrol. (duties, taxes like customs, excise, sales tax, VAT, dealer commission) and 31 per cent on diesel. It is too high comparing income that we get against the one in developed countries.

I am not sure, what these politicians are discussing. I feel a lot of economics in India must be revisited...A simple math tells that the government should expand and widen the tax net. It should also formulate some mechanism where the big fish too pay taxes promptly instead of squeezing the medium fish (I am not considering the small fish)...For this all the parties should sit and come at a common decision rather thinking on vote bank and blame games...




In the current context, however i would rather be a rich poor rather than a software engineer who works for more than 16 hrs and end up paying more than X percent in tax. The same analogy can be further applied on other commodities too. 


Some more interesting information
1 barrel = 42 US gallons = 158.99 litres. Assuming we buy at 74 $ / Barrel. i.e. Basic Price is 21.87. Then the break up is as following-




A Total of Rs 51.84. So for a Rs 22 liter petrol at pumps we people pay Rs 30 tax extra. Now I know, why the middle class people are like a JAM between BREAD. Happy reading..


Disclaimer: The Information is based on information shared in various articles that I found searching @ google. Only the thought process is mine.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Yakshagaana

Today, I have written many articles for my blog. I was not glued to the TV today....let me write one last for the day....hmmmm....what to write. Well let me share some info on one of our cultural dance/drama forms. Any guesses? Well India is so rich in culture that it would be tough to guess...well let me take one of the art forms of Karnataka...Karnataka itself has many art forms...Baratnatyam / Huli Vesha (Tiger Dance) / Kola / Yakshagana...and many more..

Yes, it is Yakshagana, one of best art forms from South Canara, Karnataka. Let me write some articles on others forms in next few days and share my experiences there as well. I am keen in writing this first as I played a small role in one of the acts. In-fact even my sister and mother were in the act. My mom did a lot of act when she was working. She was part of the Syndicate bank Yakshagana club. Surprisingly, the troop consisted women's only. All were bank employees and kids of these employees too participated in some small part. It was just their interest that motivated them to do post work. Let me share a picture now...I played the role of a monkey in this called "Lanka Dahana". An story taken from Ramayana. 


Can you recognize me....the one in the right side...to your left is my sister and Jambav is my dear mom. The only thing we had to do was jump around, eat all the fruits in Ashoka Vana (fruit garden) and destroy the Vana (garden). The garden was created in the stage (Rangasthala) and all sorts of fruits were kept in the artificial trees. What a role to play..to display our true behavior....ha ha...My mom mostly did the comedian part......she made the crowd laugh aloud and go crazy...In few cases would have her own dialogs created instantly. It was a treat to watch.

Well let me take you into some history....(collated by doing some googling)

Yakshagana also called as Aataa in Tulu and Kannada, is a dance drama popular in coastal and Malenadu regions of Karnataka, India. Yaksha-gana literally means the song (gana) of a Yaksha. Yakshas were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India. It has drawn comparisons to the Western tradition of opera.   

Actors wear costumes and enact various roles. The costumes worn by them are classy that it takes you back to the krishna and rama yuga.

Yakshagana consists of a Himmela (background musicians) and a Mummela (dance and dialog group) which together perform a Yakshaga Prasanga. Himmela consisting of Bhagawata who is also the facilitator (singer), Maddale, Harmonium for drone (Pungi was used earlier) and Chande (loud drums).

                                 

The music is based on pre-Karnataka Sangeetha Ragas characterised by melodic patterns called Mattu and Yakshagana Tala. Yakshagana Talas are believed to be based on the groves which later have evolved into Karnataka Sangeetha Talas. Both Yakshagana Raga and Yakshagana Tala have some folk influence. 

The actors wear resplendent costumes, head-dresses, and face paints which they paint themselves. A performance usually depicts a story from the Hindu epics and puranas. It consists of a narrator (Baghawatha) who either narrates the story by singing or sings precomposed dialogs of a character, backed by musicians playing on traditional musical instruments as the actors dance to the music, with actions that portray the story as it is being narrated. 

According to noted theater artist and writer B.V Karanth, classical dance forms like Barathanatya originated from Yakshagana. Yakshagana, like many other forms, defies neat classification into categories like folk, classical, rural. 

Experts have placed the origin of Yakshagana from the 11th century to the 16th century. Earliest limit is fixed by a finding by Vidwan Bannanje Govindacharya who says a legend goes to show that Sage Narahari Thirtha (c, 1300) started a Dasavathara Ata performance and a troupe in Udupi and later this spread to other places and grew into what we call Yakshagana today

Variations
Badagutittu
The Badagutittu style, as its name indicates, is prevalent in Northern parts of South Canara.
Tenkutittu
The second variation, the Tenkutittu style, is prevalent in Southern areas of South Canara

Some common Prasanga's are 
  • Gadhayuddha
  • Krishna sandhana
  • Basmasura Mohini
  • Ratnavati Kalyana
  • Bhishma Vijaya
  • Chandrahasa Charitre
  • Abhimanyu Kalaya
  • Sudhanva Kalaga
  • Sugreeva Vijayam
  • Devi Mahatme (This generally is done all through the night...It is believed that god comes in the body of person who enacts it)

Generally these plays are played for an hour to entire night. In summer vacation, when I was a kid we (cousins) used to go the fields and watch the Aataa at grandpa's village . A huge crowd gathered and watched sitting on the field. We used to buy groundnuts when watching the play. I used to feel damn afraid when the Rakshasas (the villain or demons) used to come in the play and would get relieved when only when the Gods killed them.

I really miss those previous moments..recently there was an aataa organized at my cousins reception in Bangalore. the idea was to promote our culture..it was nice....

Wish i get another opportunity to play the monkey role and eat some nice fruits.


Bread Masala (Upkari)

I have never eaten a bread upkari prepared by anyone other than my MOM. Not sure how she found to do this....But i like it very much..and even i too know to prepare this.....this is one thing that my wife is not aware of :)

Ingredients                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

  • Milk Bread : 1 (for 2 people)
  • Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup (Optional)
  • Sugar - 4-5 tbsp
  • Chili Powder - 2 tpsp
  • Ghee
  • Salt
  • Turmeric
      
      For Tadka
  • Coconut oil
  • Curry Leaves 3-4
  • Mustard Seed : 1-2
  • Urad dal
  • Red Chillies roasted - 1
  • Onion - 2 onions
  • Coriander leaves for garnishing


How do I do?                                                                                                                                       

  • Tear the bread into bite size pieces (If required remove the crust from the bread). The pieces can be uneven, sprinkle salt, sugar toss well and keep aside.
  • TadkaPut coconut oil (3-4 teaspoon) in a Pan and heat the oil. 
  • Add mustard seed, Red Chili, chopped Curry leaves, chopped Coriander leaves and Urad daal and fry till it crackles. Add onion and fry till it changes to brown color. Add turmeric too.
  • Then add the bread pieces into the pan and stir. Then add ghee, chilli powder, coconut, salt and sugar. Continue stir for another 15 min till the bread turns brown.
  • The bread upkari is done

Enjoy the breakfast with Tea.

Turnaround Time : 15 min

In combination with

It is a nice breakfast. A hot tea along with it is a must.

Health Info

Just need to eat it and enjoy


Thimare Chutney


This is one chutney I like the most among the many dishes my mom used to cook. My dad and mom knows so many kind of chutney's. Not sure whether all are aware about it or are forgetting. Well I thought to pen down some good traditional cookeries that we have...I have not personally done this...i asked my wife and mom in writing this up....but have eaten this from my childhood...hence i guess i am so brainy :)...well these are the green leaves which can be grown in the pots too.
This is also commonly know as Brahmi in English, Timare in Tulu & Ondelaga in Kannada. I have not seen this chutney being prepared in any other part of India. It is very common in Mangalore and Udupi District of Karnataka. India.

Ingredients                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

  • Thimare Leaves along with root- 2 cups
  • Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
  • Ginger
  • Little Tamarind (soaked in water)  / Lemon - 1 lemon
  • Salt 
  • Curd - 1/2 tbsp
  • hing
      
      For Tadka
  • Coconut oil
  • Curry Leaves 3-4
  • Mustard Seed : 1-2
  • Urad dal
  • Red Chillies roasted - 1


How do I do?

  • Wash Thimare leaves. If the roots are added, it would add more flavor.
  • Put coconut oil (3-4 teaspoon) in Kadai and fry the Thimare Leaves for about 10 min
  • Transfer the fried leaves into a mixie, add grated cocunut, tamarind, hing, salt, curd, ginger and make a paste. Add some water if required
  • Tadka: Put coconut oil (3-4 teaspoon) in kadai again and heat the oil, now add Mustard seed and once it starts to crackle, add chopped red chili, Urad dal, chopped curry leaves and fry
  • Add the tadka to the paste prepared earlier.

I was searching for these leaves in Bangalore market and couldn't't find one. But we do get the Powder in any Mangalore or Udupi stores.

Now you have a wonderful yummy chutney....

Turnaround Time : 15 min

In combination with

It is very tasty with hot rice and should be the first item combination that you eat the rice with. One can additionally have papad with it.

Health Info

Brahmi has gain world wide fame as a memory booster and mind alertness promoter. It is widely used as antioxidant and in improving the brain cell functions. It helps in relieving nervous congestion and strain from them, as it possesses ushan virya potency; thereby it reduces vata dosha, which is main culprit in causing such problems. Due to presence of tickt rasa, brahmi easily penetrates into the tissues thus giving soothing feel

Gotu Kola comprises a rich amount of vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 (niacin), and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). The principal bio-active chemical constituent of gotu kola is saponin. It is believed that this herb improves brain function and the mental ability as well as improves memory and learning performance. The herb heals chronic wounds, varicose vein, stomach ulcers, skin disorders i.e. eczema, psoriasis or leprosy, dreaded viral infections i.e. hepatitis and syphilis.

  • It improves intelligence level and mind alertness.
  • It helps in maintaining mental calmness and has an appetite for stress.
  • It helps in improving mental performance and increasing learning capacity.
  • It is helpful in increasing mental concentration level.
  • It has good effects on patients suffering from insomnia.
  • It helps in relieving them with all their stress and makes them feel good and relaxed.
  • It is also very effective in depression related problems.
  • It helps in rejuvenating there lost energies and makes them feel good and relaxed.
  • It helps in maintaining lowering blood pressure to the normal level.
  • It is very useful in maintaining normal body temperature thus relieving body from hyperthermia and fevers.
  • It is also very effective in treating menstrual disorders and painful menses.
  • Brahmi also finds its application in cough and cold related problem.
  • It is used to attain long life while having energy just like a youth. Brahmi works as an antioxidant and retards aging thus keep the person young and youthful.

A few side effects can be induced by the brahmi, the herbal remedy can cause temporary hearing loss in women, especially those who are affected by problems of excess production of estrogen in the body or even those women under estrogen replacement therapy and those on regular courses of contraceptives. Temporary hearing loss in such women may result by an interaction between the hormone estrogen and the increased levels of GABA brought on by the brahmi supplement.

Also i guess this plant need to be grown in clean environment. The plant get's affected by the water in which it grows...

Pudina Chutney



Ingredients                                                                                                                                           

  • Pudina Leaves- 2 cups
  • Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
  • Ginger
  • Little Tamarind (soaked in water)  / Lemon - 1 lemon
  • Salt 
  • Curd - 1/2 tbsp
  • hing
  • Jaggery

      For Tadka

  • Coconut oil
  • Curry Leaves 3-4
  • Mustard Seed : 1-2
  • Urad dal
  • Red Chillies roasted - 1


How do I do?


  • Wash Pudina leaves
  • Put coconut oil (3-4 teaspoon) in Kadai and fry the Pudina Leaves for about 10 min
  • Transfer the fried leaves into a mixie, add grated cocunut, tamarind, hing, salt, curd, ginger, jaggery and make a paste. Add some water if required
  • Tadka: Put coconut oil (3-4 teaspoon) in kadai again and heat the oil, now add Mustard seed and once it starts to crackle, add chopped red chili, Urad dal, chopped curry leaves and fry
  • Add the tadka to the paste prepared earlier.

Now you have a wonderful yummy chutney....

Turnaround Time : 1/2 hr

In combination with

Both fresh and dried mint is used. Mint is used in a variety of dishes such as vegetable curries,mint recipe for chutney, fruit salads, vegetable salads, salad dressings, soups, desserts, juices, etc. Peppermint is used to flavour toothpaste, mouth fresheners and chewing gum. 

I like to eat it in combination with Plain rice, Idly, Dosa and Vada's

Health Info

Pudina also know as Mint, comes in many varieties such as spearmint, peppermint, pennyroyal, etc, each with distinct flavor. Mint is refreshing, stimulative, diaphoretic, stomachic, and antispasmodic. It helps in colds, flu, fever, poor digestion, motion sickness, food poisoning, rheumatism, hiccups, stings, ear aches, flatulence and for throat and sinus ailments.


Nutritional Values of Mint (Pudina)

Parameters

Value per 100g
 Moisture 
 Protein 
 Fat 
 Minerals 
 Fibre 
 Carbohydrates 
 Energy 
 Calcium 
 Phosphorus 
 Iron
84.900 gm   
4.800 gm   
0.600 gm   
1.900 gm   
2.000 gm   
5.800 gm   
48.000 K cal
200.000 mg   
62.000 mg   
15.600 mg   
Vitamins
 Carotene 
 Thiamine 
 Riboflavin 
 Niacin 
 
Folic Acid (Free) 
 
Folic Acid (Total) 
 Vitamin C
1620.000 µg    
0.050 mg   
0.260 mg   
1.000 mg   
9.700 µg    
114.000 µg    
27.000 mg   
Minerals & Trace Elements
 Magnesium 
 Copper 
 Manganese 
 Zinc 
 Chromium 
 S 
 Cl 
 Oxalic Acid 
 
Phytin Phosphorus
60.000 mg   
0.180 mg   
0.570 mg   
0.440 mg   
0.008 mg   
84.000 mg   
34.000 mg   
33.000 mg   
4.000 mg



Saturday, February 20, 2010

Yugapurusha

I was waiting to write an article on our press called "Yugapursusha". It was tough for me to write "our" press...as my contribution to it is very very minimal...but my parents (Ramakrishna Bhat and Padmakshi Bhat) contribution to it was immense. Not much in terms of articles published but more it terms of making my grandpa's dream come true....

I would mix this article with my childhood memories @Yugapursha and pen down some achievements and history...This is a tough one to write as the achievements are immense...

Yugapurusha was born on  October 15th 1947. Much before I was born..It was founded by my grandpa Late. Mr. Kodathur Anatha Padmanabha Udupa. It is located in Kinnigoli, a town in near Mangalore/Kateel. The Udupa family is a well know family around Mangalore and Udupi. May in the family has a touch of greatness in their own field. Be it in literature,  science and technology and in medicine. Yugapurusha is the magazine name. Yugapurusha Prakatanalaya is the press name. It is a monthly magazine that contains Kannada literary work by writers, poets and many others.

My grandpa was an eminent person in Kinnigoli. He was born on January 5th of 1925 to Mr. Tammiah and Gangamma. He did his primary studies in Kateel Durgaparameshwari temple and did 5 years of Sanskrit study at Udupi Sanskrit college.  In 1944, 1945 he studied for Kannada “Kava” and “Jana” certification. He earned his Sanskrit Shiromani degree in 1947 and capped it with Kannada Vidwaan degree from Madras University in 1950. By 1954 he had passed Hindi Praveen and Pracharak.

He was a great public speaker, a great teacher and a man who wanted to do something. The way he read the mantra's was pleasant to hear.

I loved to go to my grandpa's house in summer vacation..the reason was that i could play with my cousin's in the  field. We would have the bat made from the coconut leaf. I also loved to travel with my grandpa in his car...he used to travel a lot as he was a literate. We loved to go to the press..The press was a huge building in Kinnigoli then. Behind the scene, it was my dad's dream to have a complex like thingy. Amazing isn't it...that too at that time....There was library, shops, kalyana mantap and now we also have the ragavendra mutt.

Let me put my snap now with my grandpa


In the pre-computer age, I remember how people used to work hard to form the words. The machines in the press where huge.

The 
There were these huge wooden square block with square compartments, where a matchstick height square pieces used to be kept. these had the alphabets at its edge..i am not sure about the logic of how the words where spread across in each of these...the workers used to form the word picking the words from here. It was interesting to remember this....how easy it is now...just type and save it...i am not sure how many days they would keep the words formed....what if it was required on a later date....also it was eating snacks along with them...it was a chance for us to eat GOLIBAJE. The workers where very friendly with us and couple of them are still there...that's a WOW..being employed at same place for so many years. They seem very happy when i go now as they have seen from my childhood....they all came to my marriage...so nice....We also have a kalyan mantap where lot of functions used to happen...dance, drams skits..pooja's...marriages....karate class...he loved to encourage talent...well i am thankful that god has gifted each one of us with more than one talent....

The press still publishes the monthly edition's. I have not seen till date any organisation/press that promotes literature to such an extent....the publications are still sent to subscribers even after the expiry dates....the subscription fees too are very minimal....I remember one gentleman quoting as "if there is one publication that is so pure in Kannada literature, it is Yugapurusha" Mostly it is so, because of its intention. Promote talent and literature to make money. It is 63 years old now and still running strong. It is now run by Mrs. Kamalaskhi Udupa (my grandma) and Mr. Bhuvanabirama Udupa (the youngest son) who are keeping his dream and vision alive till date. 

A line to solute my grandma...she is such a sweet, beautiful  and genuine person....I am sure she has sacrificed a lot. Behind every successful person, there lies a women...it is so true...

The dasara-deepavali always has a special editions and this tradition is kept alive even today...with Kateel Durgaparameshwari picture on the front page...

Innumerable awards and recognitions have been bestowed upon by various associations, institutions and bodies. Listing them would be an enormous task and would be beyond the scope of this article. Among the many, I felt really proud when we bagged the award of Kannada Sahitya Parishath.

Also, In 2006 on the eve of Golden Jubilee celebration of  Unification of Karnataka State, when government of Karnataka announced special recognition to those who had made phenomenal contribution for the cause of unification, Yugapurusha deservedly got it. It was given by the then Chief Minister of Karanataka, H D Kumaraswamy. It was a proud moment for us...

Well it has surely given us an identity in the society...If there is one family that has to produce some brainy ones...then that the Udupa family....and I am one among them... :)

This article will be updated as soon as I dig in more information...I hope this article spread's the contribution of our press, grandpa and the many other people behind it...Thank you all who made it happen....

Will add some pics of my grandpa, uncle, the magazine itself....Will see if i could attach a PDF format of the magazine so that people can see the work....

Few writer's who have contributed are
Prof Venkatesh Hunshikatti, Shri KG Mallya, Dr S Hosabettu, Dr N Mogasale, Subraya Chokkadi, P. Seetharama Bhat, P. Vaduiraja Tanthri, P. Srinivasa Bhat, J Srinivas Bhat, Sumukhananda Jalavalli, K.N. Bhat Shiradipal, S Padmanabhacharya, Bannaje Govindacharya and many more came to light and made a name for themselves

some good things written @

Above all thanks to my parents who also played a crucial role....i am aware of it but many may not

For subscription or any other details one can contact my mailing to yugapurushakinnigoli@yahoo.com

House Husband

When i was a kid, teachers;parents and relatives would always ask me ..."what you want to be when you grow up"...what a stupid question asked by someone aged>30 to a kid who is <13 years. How the hell do i know what i want to be.I just wanted to play..eat chocolates...however kids are smart to tell the common things like...Engineer, doctor, Prime Minister etc...and impress them. The elders would then appreciate us and tell "this kid has a vision..." Within me i knew that i was just fooling around....well i always wanted to be a "maradona"...i wanted to be a "Vivian Richards" or "dean Jones"....as i was very good in sports..I had represented my district at the state level in football with Shirt No 11. Other than sports, for some reasons i wanted to be an aerospace engineer..may be i liked the aeroplanes flying up high...
One day, I overheard a conversation of a women we can do all that men can do....we should be treated equal....etc
                                                   
As I liked math, i only picked the equal word of the conversation... OK....we are equal I thought...no issues...my mind started thinking (@ the age of 13).....If men == women, then why don't we swap our tasks too....why can't men become house husband....and wife go to work..their complaint was that they don't have the freedom or right to express...here you go...have it all.....let us become the house husband and you can go to work..... :)
deep within me, an alternative profession to engineer, was always becoming a house husband....
Well I got an opportunity now, to make my small dream come true...for a month....I have been working day in and out on an average for 16 hrs daily all these years (7 years now). my leaves were getting lapsed every time but this time i did not want to let it go waste....hence made up my mind to avail leaves..i started planning so that the work does not get affected..I had a lot of comp-off leaves for all the weekends i worked. I applied for a month leave...the managers started eating my head to split it to a smaller duration leave...but i had no second thoughts about it and wanted the leave in a stretch.
                                        
Now that I am on leave, I wake up at 6.30 AM...Help my wife in making tea, preparing breakfast, iron clothes...poor her, she goes to office early everyday...and travels 3 hrs daily....I feel sorry for her...so here i was helping her in the morning. She gets a hug and a sweet BYE BYE when she leaves home at 7.20 AM. Then I drink a cup of hot tea with  newspaper in my hand(I read all the pages including the page 3) followed by an hour of meditation. This makes me stay relaxed and energized. Then I prepare my breakfast (mostly dosa) and wash all the utensils. time passes by so quickly. It is already 10AM. Nice shower (manicure+pedicure)..prayers....some blogging...read interesting articles on net....talking to my parents for 1/2 an hour over phone...watch some sports on TV (luckily there is some or the other sport activity going on this month.....the INDIA-SA Test cricket....IPL etc....) are the next set of activities..
I am planning to spend some time on philately, coin collection and painting....the things i left long time back
It is already noon by then...It is so hot in Bangalore these days...gone are the good old days. I prepare rice,sambar and have my lunch. WOW such a nice food....tired of eating @hotels in the noon....Then my eyes gets heavy and cannot resist sleep. I sleep till 4 (It is so nice to sleep in afternoon) and have a cup of hot Tea at 4 with some snacks(vadas)....then I call my wife couple of times to know what is happening in the company...some Masala news..what time she is coming home..
At dusk I go for a brisk walk....purchase some food items like milk n curds ..... watch some serials or films...do some chatting with neighbors about serial ...... By then the power goes off for an hour n I spend some time in the terrace gazing at the sky looking at the stars. At around 7:30 I prepare dinner and make sure that its ready before my wife comes home....I then pick her up at around 8:30PM so that some time is saved. Once she is back I am so happy...we dine together...watch some TV and then go to bed....The day is done.....
 
                                        
Ha ha, this sounds crazy..............I am enjoying this....I know that this is gonna be there just for a month.....and then would be back in office
Some spicy things missing out here are, I have not yet started kitty parties.....no kids yet...hence no pick and drop to school...no homework etc.....
It is a nice feeling and I am enjoying to the fullest.......the equation EQUAL is cool.....
Reader's can add some ideas and share their experience if they have one......... :)
Any House Husband group ha ha...just kidding....
reviewed by: my wife

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

MANTRAS FOR LORD GANESHA - REMOVER OF...

MANTRAS FOR LORD GANESHA - REMOVER OF OBSTACLES
Lord Ganesha is one of the most prominent deities in Hinduism. Ganesha has the unique distinction that his name is always invoked before any other God's name in any prayer service. Legend has it that Lord Ganesha received this distinction as a blessing from his parents, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Ganesha is designated as the chief (-eesha) of all of Lord Shiva's ganas (servers) - hence his name, Ganesha.
We begin with an invocation to Lord Ganesha - he of the single tusk, whose vehicle is the mouse and he who penned the Mahabharata with his own hands.
vakratunda mahaakaaya suryakoti samaprabhaa.
nirvighnam kurumedeva sarvakaaryeshu sarvadaa..

Salutations to the supreme Lord Ganesha, whose curved trunk (vakra-tunda) and massive body (maha-kaayaa) shines like a million suns (surya-koti) and showers his blessings on everyone (sama-prabhaa). Oh my lord of lords Ganesha (kurume-deva), kindly remove all obstacles (nir-vighnam), always (sarva-) and forever (sarvadaa-) from all my activities and endeavors (sarva-kaaryeshu).

PRAYER FOR PROSPERITY TO LORD GANESHA (SHUBH LAABH MANTRA)

AUM shrIm gam saubhaagya ga~Npataye
varvard sarvajanm me.n vaShamaanya namH

The prayer for prosperity is based on the word, gam, which is the beej (seed) mantra for Lord Ganesha. We ask for good fortune (sau-bhaagya) and many blessings and wishes (var-vard) for our current and future life-times (sarva-janam-me.n). We bow in homage (namH) to Lord Ganesha who protects us with long lives (avaShamaanya) of health and happiness. A concise form of this mantra, suitable for multiple rapid repetitions is simply - "AUM gam ga~Npataye namH" - ( गम गणपतये नम:)
Ganesha Gayatri Mantras
 




The Ganesha Gayatris are prayers to Lord Ganesha that are composed in the 24-syllable meter of the original Gayatri Mantra. Several variations of the Gayatri can be composed by invoking the various descriptive names of Ganesha in the appropriate place(s) of the original mantra.
  • AUM tadapurushhaaya viddhamahe, vakratunDaaya dhImahi, tanno danti prachodayaat.h.
     
We pray to the supreme and perfect male (tadapurusāya) who is omnipresent (viddhamahe). We meditate upon and pray for greater intellect (dhīmahi) to the Lord with the curved, elephant-shaped trunk (vakratunāya). We bow before the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth (tanno danti) to illuminate our minds with wisdom (pracodayāt).
  • AUM ekadantaaya viddhamahe, vakratunDaaya dhImahi, tanno danti prachodayaat.h.
    ganesha gayatri ganesha gayatri

We pray to the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth (ekadantāya) who is omnipresent (viddhamahe). We meditate upon and pray for greater intellect (dhīmahi) to the Lord with the curved, elephant-shaped trunk (vakratunāya). We bow before the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth (tanno danti) to illuminate our minds with wisdom (pracodayāt).
  • AUM lambodaraaya viddhamahe, mahodaraaya dhImahi, tanno danti prachodayaat.h.
We pray to the one with the expandable belly (lambodarāya) who is omnipresent (viddhamahe). We meditate upon and pray for greater intellect (dhīmahi) to the Lord with the huge belly (mahodarāya). We bow before the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth (tanno danti) to illuminate our minds with wisdom (pracodayāt).

This is taken from www.eaglespace.com

GAYATRI MANTRA

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA,
TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASAYA DHEEMAHI
DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT.

Summary of the Gayatri Mantra

Gayatri Mantra (the mother of the vedas), the foremost mantra in hinduism and hindu beliefs, inspires wisdom. Its meaning is that "May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path". The mantra is also a prayer to the "giver of light and life" - the sun (savitur).

Word for Word Meaning of the Gayatri Mantra

Aum = Brahma ;
bhoor = embodiment of vital spiritual energy(pran) ;
bhuwah = destroyer of sufferings ;
swaha = embodiment of happiness ;
tat = that ;
savitur = bright like sun ;
varenyam = best choicest ;
bhargo = destroyer of sins ;
devasya = divine ;
these first nine words describe the glory of God
dheemahi = may imbibe ; pertains to meditation
dhiyo = intellect ;
yo = who ;
naha = our ;
prachodayat = may inspire!
"dhiyo yo na prachodayat" is a prayer to God
Hence the Gayatri is unique in that it embodies the three concepts of stotra (singing the praise and glory of God), dhyaana (meditation) and praarthana (prayer).
The prayer form of the Gayatri be used to pray to Lord Shiva is called Rudra Gayatri. Similarly, one may sing Ganesha Gayatri for Lord Ganesha, Hanuman Gayatri for Lord Hanuman, and Saraswati Gayatri for Goddess Saraswati.
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Origin, Benefits and Chanting of the Gayatri Mantra

The Vedas are widely considered to be the source of all true knowledge, the word "Veda" itself meaning "Knowledge". Gayatri Devi also gave to mankind the "Gayatri Mantra", also known as the "Guru Mantra" or the "Savitri Mantra". It is one of the oldest mantras, and generally thought of as being amongst the highest and most powerful mantras of all. This mantra is therefore often referred to as "the Mother of the Vedas". In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna had proclaimed to Arjuna - "Among all the mantras, I am the Gayatri".
Rishis selected the words of the Gayatri Mantra and arranged them so that they not only convey meaning but also create specific power of righteous wisdom through their utterance. The ideal times for chanting the mantra are three times a day - at dawn, mid-day, and at dusk. These times are known as the three sandhyas - morning, mid-day and evening. The maximum benefit of chanting the mantra is said to be obtained by chanting it 108 times. However, one may chant it for 3, 9, or 18 times when pressed for time. The syllables of the mantra are said to positively affect all the chakras or energy centres in the human body - hence, proper pronunciation and enunciation are very important.
Chanting of Gayatri Mantra removes all obstacles in our path to increased wisdom and spiritual growth and development. The teachings and powers incorporated in the Gayatri Mantra fulfill this purpose. Righteous wisdom starts emerging soon after Jap(recitation) of the Gayatri Mantra is performed. Sathya Sai Baba teaches that the Gayatri Mantra "will protect you from harm wherever you are, make your intellect shine, improve your power of speech, and dispel the darkness of ignorance (Dhiyoyonah prachodayaath)".


Gayatri Mantra - Long Form and Praanayama

The complete form (or long form) of the Gayatri Mantra contains an invocation to the seven spheres, followed by the traditional 24-syllable mantra that is most commonly chanted (Details of each syllable can be found in the Gayatri by Words article). The final part of the mantra is an invocation to the Goddess of light to illuminate our path as we move towards higher consciousness.

AUM bhUH, AUM bhuvaH, AUM svaH, AUM mahaH
AUM janaH, AUM tapaH, AUM satyam
AUM tatsaviturvarenyM bhargo devasya dhImahi
dhIyo yo nH prachodayAt.h.
AUM Apo jyotiH rasomRRitaM
brahma bhUR bhuvaH svar AUM..    

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Labor Problems

I had to take my mom to my cousin's house. After dropping her, was wondering how to travel back home..... I was travelling in auto in recent times and was just enjoying the luxury. This time around decided to travel in Bus...I should say after long time i was travelling in local bus.....

During the travel, when the bus conductor asked to me take the ticket, gave Rs 9 and took a ticket. My mind now went towards the amount i saved. i saved around Rs 90 and lost around 45 min and some energy. All the 3 components mentioned are one of the most critical things in the years ahead. 

Well, my started to think about the sentence "Value of money". My heart just begin's to beat faster....why?? Is there any value for money.....

India, with a population of billion, truly can easily find labors. Well is this really true....well i certainly not.... Our company is wanting a data warehouse resource for quite some time now...and i have been pestered by the HR team to take interviews....sadly and truly we have not found a resource in last 6 months...Why...either the people are good in knowledge or the pay asked is too much for the company...

Let me put my concerns on the second part now.....It is appraisal time now...the market's showing recovery and the tiger's in den are coming out aggressively...the problem is all believe that they are tiger's...the fact is there are few tiger's and more cat's....but the hunter's are thinking to take all cat's and make them tiger's.....what i mean to tell is everyone in the company is asking for a hike....companies are giving a hike of 10-20%...but people are expecting 30%.....Junior's with 2-3 years are asking for 7 to 8 lack...people are becoming manager's in 3-4 years....I appreciate that certain people may be good, but i am not sure whether all are of same level.....I kinda of feel, that it is creating an imbalance in more than 1 way....it is just making people greedier.....and what is the upper limit....It is just creating a bubble that will break one fine day.......

The Math: Rs 100 (project earnings) - Salary to Employee=Profit (rs earlier 30, is 60 now): The margin on profit is reducing as time goes.....

Suddenly i am feeling that i should call my friend, who is an enterprenour to just check out what is happening. to my dismay....he is sad....just asked him "May i know why"...his answer was...dude there is a huge labor problem....people who are taking rs 150/day is now asking Rs 300/day. Under pressure i am ready to pay, but even then they are not working properly....they want to earn easy money and earn more....Government has come up with some policies and benefits....where in even if they work for a day, they get the benefit for entire month...so people work there for a day there and then take rest....

WOW.....the problem seems to be more than what i really think of.....So are we guys kind of contributing this to the imbalance....i truly feel yes.......

The organized sector labor are less in percent than the unorganized sector.....the organized sector people generally gets well paid and naturally when so, will have a spending more....
what is now happening is that the % in organized sector is increasing and naturally the spending is more,  which is having a repelling effect in unorganized sector's labor..........

Inflation is high, Profit Margin is less, People are not willing to put the hard work, wages are more, people with required skill set is tough to find.....and more than all Greediness is increasing to rocket high....

I am sure the CEO's of all companies will have to step up and put a benchmark.....and make people less greedy.......I am sure this bubble will bust some day.....

And of course Not all are tiger's....most are cat's................Cats can never become tiger's...

And above all i am an employee (not a CEO :) ) just like you......

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