Kabhi Kabhi - poem

Kabhi kabhie mere dil main khayal aata hain
Ki zindagi teri zulfon ki narm chhaon main
Guzarne pati  to shadab ho bhi sakti thi.

Yeh ranj-o-gham ki siyahi jo dil pe chhayi hain
Teri nazar ki shuaon main kho bhi sakti thi.

Magar yeh ho na saka aur ab ye aalam hain
Ki tu nahin, tera gham teri justjoo bhi nahin.

Guzar rahi hain kuchh iss tarah zindagi jaise,
isse kisi ke sahare ki aarzoo bhi nahin.

Na koi raah, na manzil, na roshni ka suraag
Bhatak rahin hai andheron main zindagi meri.

Inhi andheron main reh jaoonga kabhi kho kar
Main janta hoon meri hum-nafas, magar yoonhi
Kabhi kabhi mere dil main khayal aata hai.

Now & Forever, Everlasting love...

Now and Forever

  How would it be, When You sleep in my lap
When my hands hold warmly, as you take a nap

When I kiss your forehead, to wipe a tired line
And your eyes slowly open, to gaze into mine

When I close your eyes, feeling shy as You stare
And your arms encircle me, showing how much you care

Would time fly by, with so much to do
Or would it stop for a while, when words become few

In my hands, I would be holding my Heart
This body of mine, would stand apart

It would be my Soul, Holding You near
As the painful years, melt into a tear

Those long years of solitude, sight a dream on horizon

Hope floats, with the warm sun of love arisin'

 

This heart of mine is yours, now or never

For long it has bled, to be loved like a feather

 

My Soulmate! I See Us Together
With Faith binding us, Now and Forever

Everlasting Love

from my archives...
May 2002

Lazy Sunday Morning Flight

July 20...

Lazy Sunday morning
Taxi arrived 10 mins late at 7:10 am, was concerned on reaching airport late...
Kid still sleeping. couldn't bye-bye, sad.
Reached Kempegowda Intl Airport (new name :-)) earlier than expected.
Smooth check-in, smiling staff all around, lesser rush than normal.
Swung through security.
Browsed Lotus stall & Crossword for about 1 hour! Bought nothing.
None interesting or worth the moolah. just exorbitant. period.

SpiceJet flight to Pune @ 10 am that continues to Ahmedabad
Capt. Vijay Swaminathan gruffy voice introduces himself & crew
Half-empty flight
Once again no seat no 13 on this flight!!
Boisterous Gujaratis all over the aircraft
Surprisingly old/dirty/worn-out seats
Seems to be a run-down international plane doing domestic rounds
Casual attire for cabin staff - Sunday liberties?
Aviation ministry watching? any new fines? ha.. ha!!
Celestina's sweet voice on the microphone reads instructions, completely inaudible, lost in the din by 30 odd Gujju kids prancing around - on the seats, in the pathway...
Furiously typing on my micromax superfone, when the sweet voice reminds me to switch the device off, sternly.
Obediently obliged.
Ran thru the newspaper. An article on 'out of the world experiences' catches fancy.
My own childhood & adolescent memories remembered, promise to write on my blog one day.
bzzz bzzz... snoooooze...
Bing! Breakfast Mr. Vangara, blurted a voice on my face...
True to SJ's advts, really hot breakfast served.
Nibbled on the slim green chilli hoping to spice up the bland hot breakfast (paneer burji with paratha) served, surprisingly spicy! Pom-cherry drink was cheesy sweet; strange combo!
As usual, immediately after meal is served air turbulence starts! Kids running around.
More turbulence. Flight suddenly drops few hundred feet, crisis?... haah! fat chance.
Jazz played on the pipe. nice, very stylish.
Few dozes... ...
TaaDa...! Mr Gruffy comes online & announces we land shortly. Flight comes alive, noisily.
Ms Sweety starts announcing instructions
In a little over 15 minutes, the flight lands at Pune airport.
Strict instructions to not take photographs as the airport is under Airforce.
Mobiles can be used now.
Jazz again. wonder whose composition it is?
What a mess the Gujju kids had done!
Entire flight resembles like a war zone where food packets were air-dropped!
Army of Housekeepers waiting for us to get off
hurriedly we get out of the dirty old flight
warm Pune climate welcomes.
Hard work awaits...
Excited? yes. Nervous? yes. Happy? maybe.
Hope the event goes off well....
Bye!

Karighatta - The Poor Rich God

Karighatta - Black Hill

Situated at the confluence of Lokapavani and Cauvery rivers stands the majestic small hill, called Karighatta. Due to the black stones, the hill is also called 'Karigiri'; for most part of the year, since the peak of the hill appears to be kissing the sky and covered in clouds, it is also called as 'Neelachala'. The cool breeze, even at 12 noon is remarkable.



Karighatta Srinivasa Temple Complex

The Lord Srinivasa temple atop the hill has one of the most beautiful idols of the Lord, almost matching to that at Thirumala. The temple is situated on 3 hills, Srinivasa Gudda, Kavalu Gopura Gudda, Chinnayakana halli; of these, Kavalu Gopura Gudda is the tallest. Standing atop this hill, one can clearly see surrounding places - Mysore, Sriragapatna, Ganjam, Pandavapura, Kunti betta, Melukote, in addition to countless villages amongst the lush greenery. One can also see the River Cauvery flowing amidst the greenery; also visible is its small tributary - Lokapavani.



Main Temple

According to local Legend, it is believed that Sage Bhrigu visited this place along with his disciples and stayed here for a long time; during his stay, it is said that the moola-vigraha (main statue) has been installed by him.
According to ASI, this temple was built by the Cholas and developed by the Wodeyars. There are about 550 steps (built by Sri Chikka Devaraja Wodeyar) to get atop the hill and visit the temple; and in case pilgrims get tired climbing the hill, few resting places were also provided by the King.




Ruined pedestal in Brass; Garuda prostrating

Inside the main temple, the lack of maintenance is stark. The cloth adorning the main idol itself was not befitting the status of the Lord; if the legendary poet-singer Annamacharya was to visit here, I am sure he will be in tears, crying in consolably, unable to fathom how Lord Srinivasa is suffering.
Wonder if Saint Ramanujacharya visited this Vaishnava shrine,  as another temple-town Melukote where he is said to have patronized greatly is close-by.



Garbha-griha Gopura

It is surprising to note that devotees are allowed to offer pradakshina to the temple and also climb to the top (of course the Garbhagriha has a Gopura) and enjoy the view of the valley below. I certainly haven't visited a temple that permits this.








Modest Padmavathi Temple

Built in Dravidian style, the temple has:
1. Main statue of Lord Srinivasa attractively carved out of a single Black-Stone
2. To the right side is Lord Yoga Venkateshwara
3. To the left side is Lord Bhoga Venkateshwara
4. To the South is Devi Padmavathi's temple


Sita, Rama & Lakshmana; Hanuman family photo

5. Additionally, there are smaller temples of Garuda, Hanuman, Sita+Rama+Lakshmana; Interestingly, this family of idols is missing its main person - Hanuman; I Believe they couldn't afford another idol as there is a small Hanuman temple next to this temple, within the same complex.
The specialty of this temple is that it has a Northern Entrance as against the norm of East








Beautiful scenery - Lokapavani closer in view, Cauvery farther and larger

During February, this temple has a Jathra (festival) on the 1st Full Moon Day (Magha Pournami), followed by a Rathotsava (Car Festival) the next day. Vaikuntha Ekadashi, is also a major festival celebrated here.

 Despite its many attractions, the temple is in a pitiable condition. It is surprising to see a Srinivasa Temple in such a state, given that even smaller temples with lesser glory do very well at Bangalore and other lesser cities.





Basic living quarters

The temple is said to be maintained by the Muzrai dept of Mandya dist administration; sadly, it is not even on their list for grants, neither on its website. When we visited during end August, there was no power; the head priest mentioned that the Solar panel lighting had failed 3 days ago and there was no one who attended to it. Amenities, if any, are just basic, no toilets.




Karnataka Information Plaque

This place seemed to be popular with devotees who know about the Temple; if included as part of local tourism, it could greatly help development. Of course, the small ghat road has a fresh cost of tar and the approach road to this place is also good; one has to be careful to watch-out for a small signboard mentioning the village name, else, it is just blink-and-miss!

Interesting Tulasi kota and the Parijata tree

It is a must visit; I certainly will.

Dhyana - Power and Fulfillment

"There are two roads to fulfillment: Prayer and Meditation.
Prayer makes you a supplicant at the feet of God.
Meditation (dhyana) induces God to come down to you and inspires you to raise yourselves to Him; it tends to make you come together, not place one in a lower level and the other on a higher."

The little finger, the ring finger, and the middle finger represent the three characteristics (gunas), viz. dull (tamasic), passionate/dynamic (rajasic) and balanced/pure (sathwic). The middle finger thus signifies purity (sathwa).

The forefinger, that is, the pointer finger, is called the life finger; it symbolizes the individual (jiva) aspect of man. The thumb signifies Brahman. The joining of the forefinger with the thumb, and the three other fingers stretched together apart, indicates the desire for the emergence of the individual with god (deva). This is called 'chin mudra'. While performing silent repetition of the name (japa), the rosary (mala) should be put on the middle finger, which represents the pure quality (sathwic guna), thereby isolating and separating the individual (jiva) from the qualities (gunas).

With the tip of the forefinger touching the thumb, go on rotating bead by bead. This signifies the aspiration of the individual (jiva) to merge with Brahman. In this process, even if the forefinger were to touch slightly the middle finger, it would acquire only the pure (sathwic) quality and not all the qualities (gunas).


SIGNIFICANCE OF 108
The number 108 is sacred because man breaths 21600 (=200x108) times a day, and it becomes 9 by adding up each number (=1+0+8). 9 is Brahman's number. 108 or 1008 Names is recommended in the scriptures because there is just a chance that we will utter at least one Name out of the Namavali with the sincere yearning to which the Lord will respond and bless.


(reproduced from various sources of the world wide web).

Unspoil your Child - Apollo style

6 Ways to Unspoil Your Child

Dr Sreedevi Yadavalli

You are a busy parent. Your love for the apple of your eye demands that you indulge in the form of a trinket here or a toy there. Somehow, before you realise it, it all adds up to a kid who expects to get whatever she asks for. Well, here’s what you can do, to undo the damage by unspoiling your child.     Acknowledge that the problem starts with you We are probably trying to compensate for what we didn’t have as children, or maybe assuaging some parental guilt, or simply assuring ourselves that our children love us. Whatever the reason, figuring out why you spoil your child is the first step to desist from it. Convert the demand-reward to rule-consequence Make a conscious attempt to alter the demand-reward pattern as in “If you behave, I will buy you a treat.” Instead, frame rules and consequences, as in “I will buy you ice cream tomorrow if you finish your dinner without whining today. And no ice cream if you don’t.” Don’t give in and break your rule Children can resort to prolonged discussions about why they have to obey a rule like “You can’t go out to play until you finish your homework.” They try to negotiate, whine, sulk, and repeat the refrain “But why?” over and over, until we give up out of sheer exasperation. A survey found that kids will ask for an average of nine times before the parents cave in! Stay put. Repeat your simple “No” even for the ninth time, and your child will obey. Resist peer pressure When nothing works, children may resort to the ultimate pressure tactic of making the parent feel guilty: “But all the other children go out to play and do their homework later!” For this, your strategy depends on what the discussion is about. If it’s about a new video game, you may make a rule about it: “I will buy it for you over the weekend,” and make your child wait until the appointed day. If it’s about homework, then stick to your guns, and try: “You can catch up with their play if you stop arguing and get on with your homework, fast.” Give in once in a way, to bring in good cheer Surprise your child on the fifth day of the rule with something like, “Ok. Since tomorrow is a Sunday, you can do your homework in the morning. You can go out and play now.” Indulge in non-material joys Play a game with your child. Hang out together at the ice cream shop, or just watch a movie together. It adds up to good bonding and makes them aware that there are joys that money can’t buy. Remember that by unspoiling, we do not mean loving any lesser; as a parent you can show them your love by showing them you care and hence the strict rules. Show your child that love is not materialistic!