A Break in the Clouds!

August 26, 2010

We left Camelot early on Thursday morning with a packed breakfast of fruit and bread (Unfortunately, that’s the only option at all the hotels in Lanka for us veggies except for the places like Kandy and Nuwera Eliya which have good tamilian restaurants).

By this time Henry had discovered the fact that we were honeymooning and had made the effort to book a really good room and to alert the staff at the Sigiriya hotel. This really made Sigiriya the highlight of our trip.

Beautifully made-up bed @ Sigiriya

Simha Giri (Sigiriya)

My first sighting of the 500ft high monolith- Sigiriya (Simha Giri or Lion Rock) was a beautiful lake filled with lily blooms and the great rock rising like a sun in the background; it was awe inspiring.

Sigiriya was a fortress of the exiled king Kashyap in the 5^th century B.C. He had committed patricide for the throne and was in ill favor with his people and the Buddhist religious leaders. He required many safeguards against his numerous enemies, so he built his palace on top of this rock and further protected it by building walls around it. The outer wall is 16ft high with a crocodile filled moat in the middle and an equally high inner wall. Only the foundations of these can be seen today.

Outer wall, moat, Inner wall.

There are intricate and extensive pleasure gardens with water fountains and swimming pools on either side of the main pathway leading to the steps up the monolith.

The unique feature of this place was the hydraulic pressure system which was used for the fountains and also to pump water 500ft high to the king’s palace. An engineering marvel, the working and design of the pressure stations remain a mystery to the best minds in UNESCO even today.

Drip Ledges

As we were trying to digest this fact, we came across another interesting feature. A niche meant for a statue of the Buddha in the rock face at the foothill. This niche has two successive drip ledges which are nothing but abrupt breaks in the rock’s slope.; the function of which is to protect the statue by preventing rain water from dripping into the area below the overhang and marring the beautiful frescoes on the walls behind the statue

Babylonian concubines of King Kashyap

We began the backbreaking climb and were totally out of breath halfway up the extremely steep steps, where a wall full of amazingly lifelike life size paintings of Kashyap’s many concubines was a welcome break. Distinctive features of face like the eyes and the color show that they were of many different races- Sri Lankan, Mongolian, Babylonian, African etc.

Lion's Paw Staircase

Further up, there is a Lion’s paw shaped entryway. The face of the lion too was carved into the rock but it is not easily visible due to erosion over the centuries.

The palace on the top used to be an impregnable wonder. The king did not carve any steps up to it; instead, he used to order his underlings to pull him up by ropes; which was one of the many defensive techniques employed for his safety. BUT, we are no kings, so no underlings to pull us up. We still went up. Wonder how? No big mystery here- we just used the modern steel staircase courtesy the Sri Lankan Archeological Department.
The two notable features of the palace are: a beautifully carved stone throne and a natural swimming pool for the King. 

The view from the top!

The amazing sea of green 360° around the rock made the punishing climb worth our while. The breathtaking view from the top is the best thing about Sigiriya.

Feeling completely wiped out, we relaxed a little by spending some time splashing about in the king’s pool.

On our way down, we came across the king’s audience hall. A huge rock was cut in half and laid down so that the flat edge forms the upper platform for the king and his ministers. Those who sought an audience with the kind could approach from the lower level. As we were checking out this neat little piece of work, out of the blue a hawker approached us; holding a jewelry box and proposing a deal- if we could figure out how to open the box we could have it for free. Very much interested, but short on cash since we weren’t planning on doing any shopping that day, we agreed to give it a try.

On pushing, prodding and prying the box umpteen times in n different directions, we gave up. The guy then demonstrated the trick, showing us the cleverly hidden groove that unlocks the box’s mechanism and quoted SLR 4000 as the price. Vashu haggled the price down to 2500, expecting him to refuse. Wonder of wonders- he snapped it up! We thus became the proud owners of a wooden elephant who had a secret chamber in his belly.


For more pics visit : Srilanka Sigiriya
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Sri Lanka - First Day, First Show

“Anywhere but there!” exclaimed my dad when Vashu and I told him about our painstakingly researched Sri Lankan honeymoon itinerary. No sooner did we convince both sets of parents that we weren’t suicidal to think of honeymooning in a war-torn country, we started getting disdainful reactions from everyone who heard of our choice of place. 

          “Sri Lanka mein kya hai?” asked Varsha. Rekha tried putting it a bit more delicately- “Did you take enough time to decide on a good place or not? Don’t be in a hurry; it’s after all a once in a lifetime opportunity!”

Both Vashu and I badly wanted to prove all the naysayers wrong. But I only hoped our "Great Expectations” didn’t turn out to be as drab as a Dickensian one.

Sri Lanka was completely a trip of firsts for both Vashu and I. Our first time on board a flight, first time abroad and not to forget our first few memorable days purely in each others arms.

Landing at the Bangaranayake International Airport at Katunayake, Sri Lanka, the first thing that struck us was the cleanliness. I’d never seen such a clean and well maintained public space in all my time in India. So used to large crowds everywhere, the airport seemed surprisingly less crowded.

Henry with his Pride & Joy

We met Henry, our great guide cum chauffer at the exit and promptly fell in love with his supremely comfy Toyota Corolla with its equally great number plate (WP JS 7878).

August 25, 2010

The first stop was Negombo, a city on the west coast, slightly north of Colombo.

We checked into the Camelot beach hotel and were led into a room that was, to put it kindly, uninspired. Burnt sienna and cobalt blue combination is really not my thing! 

Going down to the hotel restaurant, Vashu nearly had a fit seeing the buffet price tag- a whopping SLR 1300 per head! “Par kya kare? Bhook bhi to koi chees hoti hai!” 

Moral of the story- Look for food/ internet/ and anything else you require outside the hotel if you don’t need burnt pockets.

Bridge on River Maadhu

Fishing Boats, Negombo

Touring Negombo city was off-putting. Nothing much to see or do here. I could see our Great Expectations crumbling and could almost hear my friends loud “I told you so!”

Then came the silver lining to our dark clouds- Sigiriya, a world heritage site.

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Written By: Aarabhi

Photography By: Vasistha

Bhoga Nandeshwara - A weekend trip near Bangalore

Author: AARABHI
Photography: VASISTHA

"Shall we go out this Sunday?" my fiancée asked me. I said yes (who wouldn't?).

We decided to surf the net for a suitable spot and he sent me a link of a blog on Bhoganandeeshwara temple. The moment I laid my eyes on the temple photo, I was sold!

So, the destination decided, we left Hebbal around 8 am on a breezy April day and wound our way along the airport highway on our bike. A wide wide road uncluttered by Bangalore traffic led us to the Airport turn-off on the left. A little past this and past the enchanting but unfinished Jain temple which is hard to miss we reached a left turn leading towards Nandi hills.

Traveling along this road, we passed charming villages and grape orchards with the farmers selling the grapes by the roadside. Both the seedless black grapes and the green ones (with the seeds) are available in mouth-watering colors and quantities. You just might need to bargain for the best price and buy it on your way back home as it'll be tiring to lug it along on the outing.

This road leads to a T junction where we took a right towards the temple following a helpful signboard of The Archeological Survey of India. 

The temple itself dates back to the Chola period with its age approximating to 1300 years. 

A fort-like outer wall encloses a huge courtyard with a driveway leading straight to an arch of beautiful stonework. 

What catches the eye is, a couple of rows of stone chariot wheels arranged as if awaiting a chariot to alight on them any minute!

A "Mahanavami Dibba", in ruins, but being restored, lies next to these wheels. It was used for utsavas and such gatherings in the golden days.

We espied a small kalyani with steep steps next to the dibba and eagerly headed towards it only to find green sludgy bog at the bottom of the structure. 

The other side of the driveway holds a kutty “Darbar hall”. Still being restored, it is not a pretty sight, but particular features catch the eye such as the popular motif of the Cholas, sculpture of “The Lion”.

Entering the arch, we came to an inner courtyard. The one commendable thing is that the whole temple complex is remarkably clean. No garbage or unsightly graffiti in sight. This came as a pleasant surprise to us. The main temple at the centre holds stunning masonry. The pillars in front of the sanctum-sanctorum are especially beautiful. A narrow passage for “Pradakshina” around the sannidhi has wall carvings from Shaivite mythology.

 

We got busy clicking our way through these beauties and proceeded to photograph the temple “Gopuram”. 

A “Kamateshwara Temple” beside a quaint old well held a small but amazingly life-like Nandhi”.

The “Apita Kuchamba Temple” dedicated to the heavenly consort of Lord Shiva, goddess Durga, is also in the vicinity.

Other structures in the courtyard include the “Tulabhara Mantapa” and the “Vasantha Mantapa”. 

The best feature of this temple is the “Shringi Thirtha”. It is a big kalyani with steep cut steps. It is said that the Dakshina-Pinakini (South Pennar River) flows from this pond. It is a masterful engineering work. The geometry and exact proportions of the square pool make the modern architectural techniques seem like mere child’s play.

After breaking our fast beside the unfortunately dry Shringi Thirtha, we headed back out of the temple only to catch sight of these amazing birds in the outer compound!

The Hoopoe on the tree led me on a merry chase across the courtyard, abandoning my fiancée to his own devices. I would stop to focus and it would fly off to a different tree the next minute!

The White-cheeked Barbets had a neat little cavity nest in an almond tree. It looked like the busy couple was feeding a flock of little ones as they flitted in and out of the nest rapidly allowing me only a few misplaced shots of them.

A pair of sparrows, a really rare sight in Bangalore was also a treat for my camera.

Muddenhalli- the birthplace of Bharatratna Sir M Visveswariah, is just a couple of kilometers from the temple.

This village has the old hose of Sir M V which has been converted into a small museum.

We enquired our way to the building only to find the board “State Bank of Mysore”!

On entering we realized that the branch entrance is through the front hall of the house with the indoor steps leading to the first floor.

This anomaly didn’t make much sense until we realized that Sir M V was this bank’s founding father!

His century old passbook of SBM is framed and proudly displayed in the museum.

Numerous felicitations and gifts received by Sir M V, including the much acclaimed Bharat

Ratna are also displayed.

Other things to be seen are his book collection, lots of articles published about him in newspapers, and other small but fascinating details about his life and activities.

His samadhi is next door to the museum and is a very peaceful place with a neat little park around it.

All in all, it was an informative visit. A must see for those wishing to know more about the great visionary.

Directions:

• We started at 8am from Hebbal and drove a non-stop motorcycle marathon along the highway.
• We took a left turn from the main road about 12kms past the “Airport turn-off”. A direction board saying “Nandi Hills” is the landmark for the turning.
• This road leads to a T-junction and a board directed us to the right towards B temple. The temple is about 15km from the Chikkaballapur main road.

We reached the temple around 9 or 9.30am, so it is an hour and half’s drive from Hebbal.

What?

An ancient temple (Bhoganandeeshwara temple), a museum ( House of Sir M Visveswariah converted now into a Museum in his memory).

Where?

About 50km from Bangalore. At the foothills of Nandi Hills.

Who?

Suitable for the solitary traveler seeking solitude to a large family or friends group, including couples.

When?

Best time of the year- Sept/Oct when the rainfall would have ensured a full Kalyani.

Otherwise, anytime is fine.

To Do:

Admire fantastic sculpture and understand a great man whose thinking was far ahead of his time.

Not to Do:

Sully the painstakingly carved sculptures and defile the sacred surrounds.

Check out http://picasaweb.google.com/vasistatravel/BhogaNandeshwara for more pics on BhogaNandeshwara

Manchinbele Lake - A weekend trip near Bangalore

Manchinbele Lake

Author: Aarabhi

Photography: Vasistha

My fiancée and I left home (in B’lore) a little late (around 7.30 a.m.) in the morning on a hot March day and reached the lake at 8.40 a.m.; a ride of about 25kms from the kengeri, rajarajeshwari arch.

 We sped along the Bangalore-Mysore highway till the Rajarajeshwari Dental Hospital was in sight and turned right beside it into a narrow lane till we came upon the “Doddaladmara” or “The Big Banyan Tree”. A left turn here and a few minutes more of riding brought us to the “Chandrappa Circle”. One more left at the circle and we followed the road till we reached the beautiful Manchinbele reservoir.

  

    Though small and not an engineering marvel, the dam is nonetheless charming. The reservoir and its surrounds have a refreshing vista with the blue blue water amidst the green green hills and the blue blue sky above.

A leisurely stroll around the water’s edge brought us to a pile of boulders where we parked ourselves for some much needed nourishment and conversation. Snacks and drink demolition completed, we whipped out our cameras and began exercising out fingertips.

A lot of pussyfooting around for the perfect shot of shy birds and shyer fiancée, I wrapped up my cam and we headed back home after a short visit to this enchanting and idyllic place.

Travelling Guide

What?

It's a small dam and reservoir fit for a day's outing from Bangalore.

Where ?

It is about 40KMs from the city centre(Majestic), on a cross road off Mysore road travelling towards Mysore and 12KMs from "The Big Banyan Tree".

Who?

It's perfect for couples and small families looking for a quiet and intimate time together.

When?

   Time of the year: Excepting the monsoon season when the approach roads might be slippery and   treacherous, the lake is beautiful the year around.

   Time of the day: Very early in the morning (6.30 to 8 a.m.). The weather is breezy and cool around this time with the rising sun’s light being diffused. In other words- perfect for photography.

To Do:

Stroll, climb, trek, birdwatch, and picnic.

Plenty of birdlife to be seen here. From water birds to Bulbuls and Wagtails. A nice grassy lawn at the water’s edge makes for the perfect picnic spot. It grows much hotter as the day proceeds and there is no shelter around; so an umbrella or a car is preferable for shade. 

For the well connected: The dam itself is a prohibited area and entry is restricted for visitors without special permission. Boating might be an option if you can catch the “Theppa” users.

Not to Do:

Litter!

No plastics or bottles left behind to mar the pristine beauty of this place, please!

Stay on after dark!

The place is not completely safe (lack of light, unsafe people around) after nightfall.

Preferably finish having fun and go back home before dusk.

Play loud/raucous music!

This is a very peaceful and quiet place and loud music is as out of place here as snow is in hell.

Languages:

Kannada. Hindi and English are understood tolerably.

Food and Water:

No eateries or safe water sources here! Bring your own food and water.

Halt:

No hotels/ rest houses at the spot. There might be a resort (Kanva resort) close by (not confirmed).

Sanitation:

No facilities available, unfortunately!

ಒಂದು ಸಂಜೆಯ ಸವಿ

ಒಂದು ಸಂಜೆಯ ಸವಿ

ಅಂದು ಸಂಜೆ ನನ್ನ ಮಗ ಆಫೀಸಿನಿಂದ ಬಂದಾಗ ಬಹಳ ಉತ್ಸಾಹದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಂತೆ ಕಂಡ. ಏನೋ! ಈವತ್ತು ಇಷ್ಟೊಂದು ಖುಷಿ ಕಾಣಿಸ್ತಿದೆ ನಿನ್ನ ಮುಖದಲ್ಲೀಂದೆ. ಅಮ್ಮಾ, ನಾಳೆಯಿಂದ ನಾಲ್ಕು ದಿನ 'ರಜಾದ ಮಜಾ' ಅಂದ. ಓಹೋ! ಇದಾ ನಿನ್ನ ಉತ್ಸಾಹಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾರಣ ಎಂದಾಗ ಅದಕ್ಕವನು, ನಿನಗೆ 'All The Best' ಅಂದ. ನನಗೆ ಅಚ್ಚರಿ - ನಾನೇನು ಪರೀಕ್ಷೆಗೆ ಕಟಿದ್ದೀನಾ? ಅಂದೆ, ಅರ್ಥವಗದೆ.

ಅಯ್ಯೋ ಅಮ್ಮ 'All The Best' ನಾಟಕ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನವಾಗ್ತಾ ಇದೆ ರವೀಂದ್ರ ಕಲಾಷೇತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ. ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ನಿನ್ನನ್ನು ಕರೆಸುಕೊಂಡುಹೋಗೋಣಾಂತ ಅಂದಾಗ ನನಗೆ ನಿಜವಾಗಲೂ ಬಹಳ ಸಂತಸವಾಯಿತು. ನಾಟಕ ನೋಡಿ ಬಹಳ ದಿನ ಆಗಿದೆ, ನಡಿ ಈವತ್ತೇ ಸಂಜೆ ಹೋಗೋಣಾಂದೆ. ನನಗೆ ಕಲಾಕ್ಷೇತ್ರವನ್ನೂ ನೋಡುವ ಹಂಬಲವೂ ಇತ್ತೂ ಅನ್ನಿ. ಸಂಜೆ ೬ ರ ಪ್ರಸರ್ಶನಕ್ಕೆ ನಾನು ಮಗ ಮಗಳು ಮೊಮ್ಮಗಳು ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಹೋದೆವು. ಪ್ರವೇಶ ಉಚಿತ. ಅದೂ ಒಂದು ಸಂತಸದ ವಿಷಯ. ನಮ್ಮ ನಮ್ಮ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳಿಂದ ರವೀಂದ್ರಕಲಾಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಗಿಬರುವ ಖರ್ಚಷ್ಟೇ. ಕೇಂದ್ರೀಯ ನಾಟಕ ಅಕಾಡಮಿ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯವರು ನಾಟಕ ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನವನ್ನು ಉಚಿತವಾಗಿ ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿದ್ದರು.

ಢಾರಾವಾಹಿ, ಸಿನಿಮಾ ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಟಿಸುವ ಕಲಾವಿದ್ ಬಿ.ವಿ.ರಾಜಾರಂ ರವರು ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯ ರೂವಾರಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದರು. ಅಚ್ಚುಕಟ್ಟಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರು.

ಮೂಲ ಮರಾಠಿ ನಾಟಕವನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡೀಕರಿಸಿ ಷ್ರೀ ಯಶವಂತ ದೇಶಪಾಂಡೆ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದರು. ಅವರ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನದಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಟಕ ೬೦೦ ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನ ಕಂಡಿದೆ ಎನ್ನುವುದೇ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯ ವಿಚಾರ.

ಒಬ್ಬ ಕಿವುಡ, ಒಬ್ಬ ಕುರುಡ ಹಾಗೂ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮೂಕ ಒಂದೇ ಸೂರಿನಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ವಾಸಿಸುತ್ತಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಮೂವರೂ ಬಹಳ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತರು, ಪ್ರತಿಭಾವಂತರು. ಆದರೆ ಅವರ ಅಂಗವಿಕಲತೆಯನ್ನು ನಿನೆಯುತ್ತಾ ಮಾನಸಿಕವಾಗಿ ದುರ್ಬಲರಾಗಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಅಕಸ್ಮಾತ್ತಾಗಿ ಕುರುಡನಿಗೆ ಒಬ್ಬಳು ಆದರ್ಶ ಹುಡುಗಿಯ ಭೇಟಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.ಅವಳಾದರೊ ಮೂವರನ್ನೂ ಭ್ಟಿಯಾಗಲು ಮನೆಗೆ ಬರುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಅವರಲ್ಲಿನ ನಿಜ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆಯನ್ನು ಗುರುತಿಸಿ, ಅವರಲ್ಲಿನ ಕೀಳರಿಮೆಯನ್ನು ಹೋಗಲಾಡಿಸಿ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂದೆ ಬರಲು ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಮೂವರೂ ಮನದೊಳಗೆ ಅವಳು ತನ್ನನ್ನೇ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುತ್ತಾಳೆ ಎಂದು ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಅವಳು ಬಂದಾಗ ವಿಪರೀತ ಸಂಭ್ರಮ ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ತಮ್ಮ ತಮ್ಮ ಅಂಗದೋಷವನ್ನು ಮುಚ್ಚಿರಿಸಿ ಅವಳ ಒಲವನ್ನು ಗಳಿಸುವ ಯತ್ನದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರು ಮಾಡುವ ಅಂಗಚೇಷ್ಟೆ, ನಡೆ ನುಡಿಗಳು ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಹಾಸ್ಯಮಯವಾಗಿತ್ತೂಂದ್ರೆ ನಕ್ಕು ನಕ್ಕು ನಮಗೆ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಹಿಡಿದುಕೊಂಡುಬಿಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಇಡೀ ರಂಗಮಂದಿರ ನಗೆಗಡಲಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಳುಗಿತ್ತು. ಉತ್ತರ ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷಾ ವೈಖರಿಯೇ ಆ ನಾಟಕದ ಜೀವಾಳ ಎನಿಸಿತು. ಆ ಭಾಷೆಯಾ ಸೊಗಡು, ಕಲಾವಿಧರ ಅಂಗವಿನ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಹೊಂದುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಾಟಕ ಬಹಳವಾಗಿ ವಿಜೃಂಭಿಸಲು ಸಹಕಾರಿಯಾಗಿತ್ತು.

ನಾಟಕದ ಅಂತ್ಯಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ಮೂವರೂ ಅಂಗವಿಕಲರು ನಾಯಕಿಯ ಬಳಿ ತಮ್ಮ ತಮ್ಮ ಒಲವನ್ನು ಅರುಹುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆಗ ನಾಯಕಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ನಿರಾಸೆಗೊಳಿಸುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಕ್ಷಮೆ ಕೇಳಿ ತಾನು ಎರಡೂ ಕಾಲಿಲ್ಲದ ಹುಡುಗನನ್ನು ಮದುವೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವುದಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಅವರನ್ನು ಮಿತ್ರರೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸಿ ಅವರ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆ ಗುರುತಿಸಿ ಸಮಾಜದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂದೆ ಬರಲು ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸುವುದೇ ತನ್ನ ಉದ್ಧೇಶವಾಗಿತ್ತು ಎಂದು ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಅಂಗದೋಷವಿದ್ದರೂ ಅದನ್ನೇ ದೊಡ್ಡದಾಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಕೀಳರಿಮೆಯಿಂದ ಬಳಲುವುದನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಇರುವ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆಯನ್ನು ಕಂಡುಕೊಂಡು ಸಾಧನೆಯ ಹಾದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಗಬೇಕೆಂಬುದನ್ನು ಅವರಿಗೆ ಹಾಗೂ ಸಮಾಜಕ್ಕೆ(ನಮಗೆ) ಸಾರುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಒಂದು ಸಾಮಾಜಿಕ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶವನ್ನು ಹಾಸ್ಯದ ಔತಣದಲ್ಲೇ ಉಣಬಡಿಸಿದ್ದವರು ಯಶವಂತ ದೇಶಪಾಂಡೆ. ಕುರುಡನ ಪಾತ್ರಧಾರಿ, ಕಿವುಡಾನ ಪಾತ್ರಧಾರಿ (ಸ್ವತಃ ಯಶವಂತ್), ಹಾಗೂ ಮ್ಮೂಕನ ಪಾತ್ರಧಾರಿಗಳು ನಾಟಕದ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳಿಗೆ ಜೀವತುಂಬಿದ್ದರು.

ನಾಯಕಿಯ ಪಾತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಧಾರವಾಹಿ ಸಿನಿಮಾಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಟಿಸಿರುವ ಕಲಾವಿಧೆ ಮಾಲತಿ ದೇಶಪಾಂಡೆ ಬಹಳ ಸೊಗಸಾಗಿ ಅಭಿನಯಿಸಿದ್ದರು. ನಾಟಕವನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ನಿಜಾರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಆನಂದಿಸಿ ಮನೆಯ ಕಡೆ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಹಾಕಿದಾಗ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಹೂವಿನಂತೆ ಅರಳಿತ್ತು.

ನಿಮ್ಮ ರಜನಿ

(ಬರಹಕ್ಕೆ ವಸಿಷ್ಠ)

Sharavathi Valley Trekking

Hi Friends,

Last Friday (4^th of September 2009) along with my 12 friends kicked off for a trekking near KARAGAL, linganamakki.(near Sagara ).

Here you can see the details for going trek, whom to contact and also a brief intro for 1^st time trekkers like ME J

For First time Trekkers – instruction:

These are prerequisites for any trekking.

1. Have to buy a trekking (wildcraft) bag and proper trekking shoes. If u don’t get a proper bag then there would be imbalance in the team wherein some have to carry more weight than others....

Important: please don’t forget to pack your belonging (mainly the warm clothes) in a plastic cover and then put it into your bag, with personal experience I can say this is very important

when it rains....Also better not to carry mobile or any electronic items (except camera, even camera should be well taken care as water can go inside any electronic items, I lost one camera because of rain water only L)..And PLEASE DONT WEAR JEANS,

2. Also wear thick socks or get a pair of leech socks this would very much help us preventing from leeches. Carry Salt (ask you guide) / Swiss knife / sunna (kannada lang.) to avoid leeches.

3. Toilet kit (brush, toothpaste, comb, ). Also please carry a small botle of DETOL.

4. Get sufficient Newspaper and a plastic cover to take back waste or wet clothes...

5. Please have one ID Cards of yours, telephone no. and address (in case of emergency) of each other.

6. Plate along with a spoon for eating food and One cup for drinking water, tea etc. A small handtroche, in case of emergency.

7. As already said get clothing as less as possible....Keep ur bag weight minimal.

I would say 3 Undergarments, 1 towel, 2shorts (or tracks), 2 t-shirt, 1-sandals (along with shoes), 1 blanket, and 1 waterproof jacket with cap is sufficient (this is including what u are wearing on Friday...) for 2 days trekking.

Please find the trek details, the rules and regulations below:

Trek Route:- Hogevaddi---->Basavana baayi--->Belligundi falls--->Goodanagundi falls--->Kattinakaru.

The Sharavathi Valley:- The Sharavathi river valley nestled in the central Western Ghats, Shimoga district has been an ecological paradise. The Sharavathi River, rising at Ambuthirtha in Thirthahalli taluk flows north-west and drops down in the Ghats at the world famous Jog falls. The sharavathi Valley is home for many water falls and to some of the beautiful streams. The valley is evergreen to semi-evergreen forest along with moist deciduous type of forests dominate the entire basin along with scrub savannah, grasslands, marshy areas and plantation of acacia, cash crops like areca and rubber providing diverse niches for a variety of taxa. Rare evergreen species such as Dipterocarpus, Syzygium, Cinnamon, Diospyros, Aglaia, endemic Palms along with the globally endangered Myrist-icasps makes this an ecologically sensitive region to be conserved and not marketed.

Itinerary for the 2 days trek (5th and 6th)

Date:- 05-08-2009

* Reach Hogevaddi , the Trek start point by 10:30 AM and Start the trek

* Freshen Up in the stream, Have Break fast

* Reach Basavana baayi peak by afternoon. Play in the water falls and Have lunch.

* Start the Trek towards Padubeedu and camp in a tribals house by 6:00 PM.

* Have a Camp fire and enjoy the evening(Depends on rain situation). Also interact with Tribals.

* Have dinner and retire for the day

(Approximate Trek distance will be around 12KM with peaks and a water falls)

Date:-06-08-2009

* Wake up by 6:00 AM and get freshen up quickly.

* Have Breakfast and start the trek by 7:30AM to Belligundi water falls view point.

* Spend time in valley view and belligundi view

* Trek to Goodanagundi water falls and if possible Enjoy in the Water fall (depends on the water level.

* Have lunch and Trek to Kattinakaru.

* Catch the vehicle and travel back to sagar or kargal.

Blog of the route:-

http://sharavathi.blogspot.com/2008/08/2-days-trek-on-16-17th-aug-2008.html

Dont's

Our programs are basic and minimalist; do not expect city-like comfort, adjust with what ever is being provided. Any additional requests need to be made prior to the start of the program

We strictly do not allow smoking, drinking (alcohol) and consumption of non-veg on our programs.

We follow the 'leave no trace' & 'zero impact camping' practice; do not litter on the trail, please carry back all the material garbage you generate on the program

The forests have their own orchestra of sounds; use of Walkman's & music systems is strictly prohibited; we would like you listen to birds, animals, leaves and the wind

The locals, animals, birds have the right of 'way' and 'say' in our programs. We wish to respect their dignity to the fullest extent possible.

Please feel free to reply for any clarification or doubts.

--

Sampath Kumar

The Sharavathi Nature Trails.....

E-Mail: prapancha@gmail.com

Orkut:- http://www.orkut.co.in/Main#Community.aspx?cmm=35574179

Blogs:- http://sharavathi.blogspot.com

http://kuchodya.blogspot.com

Few TrekSpetion from my friends :

Prashant Shirol:

I was remembering the taste of anna sambar at Basavan Bhaayi, chapaati saagu payasaa of the dinner, and the akki rotti chatni in the morning..... and the again the anna sambar.....:)

I close the eyes now for a while... and reply the whole trip in the camera of mind....its so enjoyable.....

hmmm have to start the routine life again for atleast few months...:(

Prashant.

Vasistha:

In two days almost we trekked for 30 Kms, with carrying our bag... you know one thing , the very first day each one of us were carrying bag weighing 3 - 5 kgs. we had lots of entho, fully energetic etc.. but due to heavy rain all our dry clothes, bedsheet, towel, along with bag and clothes we worn got wet.. then for the secong day it was weighing more than 7 - 8 Kgs... :-( with this load we need to trek again.. but the weather was so good that, we were again fully entho to trekk for the seond day... ready to fight against rain and our most deadliest enemy LEECHE...

I have no words to explain our 2 days trekking... it's an amazing, never forgatable trek...

Even now I have more than15 leeche bite marks on both of my legs... I donated blood to leeches :-)

Prakash pv:

Hi Guys,

Already in office after a refreshing bath. This trek turned out to be a very refreshing one, I can find the difference.

Since morning I am feeling something is missing without which I felt discomfortable, Thats the rain really missing it :)

We got drenched for more than 10 hrs still none got sick, thats the magic of nature.

I was just checking now I have got leeched more than 30 times. It’s really itching and some are still bleeding if I scratch :)

Kumar:

Trek Summary:

KRSTC Bus to Linganmakki @9:45 pm 04/09

Reached Kargal around 7:35 am 05/09

Meet Narayan and took Jeep to Trek start point @ 9:00 am

Had Break fast and Trek started with OmRaj who was guide for rest two days @10:00 am

Explored Basavana bhaye water fall @ 11:30 am

Lunch @ 12.30 pm

Reached the Camping base @ 5:45 pm

Trek started the next day @8:50 am 06/09 after breakfast

Explored Belli gundi water fall @ 11:00 am

Explored Goodana gundi water fall @ 12:00 am

Back to camping base @2:30 pm

Back to kargal @ 5:45 pm

Bus to Shimoga @ 6:05 pm,reached shimoga @9:00 pm

Train to Bangalore @ 10:00pm

Back to BANGALORE with Haunting Memories @ 5:00 am 07/09

Thanks of your patience and compatibility guys.....APS Boys Rock....

Regards....

Kumar DG

The photos taken during this trek can be viewed at

http://picasaweb.google.com/vasistatravel/Sharavathi_Valley_Trekking