I did it!

Yes I did it!

It maybe a small achievement for many but for me it is a major one.

I learned to swim!

Now dont say bah!

It all started when daughter wanted to go for swimming classes.

I have always wanted to learn; in fact it was one dream which I never knew when and how I shall possess. Being an Aquarian, I have an affinity towards water but at the same time I was terrified to put my head down under the water. I used to dread even the water theme parks and once I remember how my head went under water and I was terrified.  Having grown up in the high ranges with only streams and small pools and the climate not so conducive for swimming, I never had a chance to acquire this life skill. So it was a chance that I took. The first day itself taught me that it was a daunting task. I was terrified of going under the water.

The first class taught us the leg movement while holding onto the side bars but I think one should also be taught to put the head under water and breathe out. It is from the net that I learned that only this shall take away the fear of water. I found that those who started with me had gone ahead and were already swimming in deep water just like my daughter. It was easy to give up but I did not want to. I learned to swim with the help of the board. Actually when one puts the head and the upper part of the body inside the water, the leg comes up naturally and then the leg movement is easy. But for people like me who was terrified of water, this was not an easy task.

But I did it finally and now I need to practice.

Needless to say that this has given me much happiness and contentment. It also adds to my confidence level. Guess when one is over 40 (wink!) even learning such a skill which might come naturally to others is a great one!

But the only part that I dont like about swimming is the chlorinated pool. I wish they find other means to purify the water. Someone says, rubbing coconut oil on your body may lessen the absorption of chlorine which incidentally is not good for your health.

I look forward to my next class with lots of enthusiasm.

Either quit or scrap the CAG

Each scam the Auditor General unearths seems to be bigger than the earlier one, yet the ruling party is so thick skinned that no action is forthcoming.

Each time the ordinary citizen hopes that the culprits will be brought to justice but instead it is the CAG which takes the blame. I think there is only one solution for this problem. Scrap the CAG so that Indian citizens shall never hear of another scam. At least let us have some peace of mind.

Earlier if it was Kapil Sibal, now it is our PM who is discrediting the CAG.

The Prime Minister's point is that the CAG has computed onthe basis of allocation of 57 mines but out of these, 31 coal blocks belong tothe period prior to 2006. He also says the amount of loss projected by CAG was "misleading" as calculations had been done on the basis of Coal India prices and private players have different cost parameters.

This brings to my mind the most important question; how do these politicians escape jail? Raja is already out and we saw how his homecoming was celebrated. He was received like a hero!

 To answer this please watch this video clip (if you have not watched it already) where everything is explained very well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIudxeqFuz8

Nitin Gupta (Rivaldo) is a stand-up comedian & is an alumnus of IIT Bombay (Chemical Engg) and founder of Entertainment Engineers.

Here he is seen performing for the students at the S. P. Jain College and the subject is the CWG, 2G and other scams - the Archimedes Principle and Newton laws are a brilliant take why nobody gets caught in the scams in India

 He talks about Archimedes law of buoyancy. 

Any minister fully or partially immersed in corruption is pushed up by a buoyant force equal to the weight of the money he displaces. 

In short, he is never caught.  Unfortunately this same money is used up yet again to garner votes from the citizens when election comes around. Everything is hushed up and he emerges as the only hero capable of governing his constituency.

Today we read that Sonia Gandhi has found  a place yet again in the Forbes list of most powerful women. 

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton placed second,followed by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, making the top three spotsunchanged from last year. Sonia Gandhi, president of the Indian NationalCongress, was at No. 6.

But if you are wondering if our PM has ever found a place anywhere in the list of the most powerful men, then he is nowhere in the picture. So the question is how did this come by? How and why is Sonia the most powerful when she is only the party president? She even beats Michelle Obama! The following caught my eyes.

The list named women involved in policymaking, entertainment, technology and nonprofit organizations, among other fields. They were ranked according to influence, the amount of money they control or earn, and media presence.

As for Mrs. Clinton,

Ms Clinton was applauded for her handling of crises such as the release of a trove of diplomatic cables by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.

Can you think of anything that Sonia can be credited for? In fact has she taken the podium to answer any question from the media or the voters?  

She is powerful only because of the money she controls.

Let this government resign or let the judiciary do it's job in a better manner.

The nightingales of Kerala..

They are still on the rooftop, threatening to jump to their deaths.

As the country celebrated Independence Day, three nurses on strike Wednesday threatened to commit suicide by jumping off their hospital's terrace.
The three nurses readied to make the suicidal jump as the strike by a section of the nurses in Kothamangalam Mar Baselious Hospital, numbering around 100, entered its 114th day

The three nurses are deep in debt and this action has been taken out of mere desperation since one of the nurses have not been able to pay back the dues for the educational loan taken for her studies. With a meagre salary and trying to make ends meet, the bank was getting ready to seize one of the nurses' house as part of recovery proceedings.

Among the main demands made by the nurses include the implementation of established working hour norms, shift system and cessation of dismissal of nurses by management under the pretext of some contract conditions.

How did this come about in a state like Kerala where the daily wages of a labourer runs from 400 to 600 IRS per day? Even a household help if hired from an agency has to be paid between 5,000 to 7,000 IRS per month.

 It is not that these hospitals are not making profit. Every in patient hospital bill has this funny entry on it "Nurses service charge".  Is it because most of them are from the fairer gender that they are ignored thus? Here in Kuwait the story is very different since the nurses are being paid well. In fact they are the lucky ones who get increments frequently. I guess it must be because their service is valued out here. It is the case in US and Europe too.

It is also amusing to find that this hospital is run by the Church. This injustice can be resolved by the members of the Church itself. Or is the Church only to be visited on Sundays and to be forgotten on the rest of the days?

Kerala CM silent on Kothamangalam nurses' suicide threat

16 Aug 2012, 1310 hrs IST

Kerala News: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy refused to react to the strike staged by nurses of the Mar Baselios Hospital in Kothamangalam. Chandy kept silent when reporters asked his opinion on the issue.

One wonders when the CM shall break his silence. Or is he allowed to take only the confession cubicle?

Let us have some fun too..

It is jail time for a few politicians in Kerala. The vengeance drama started with Ex-Minister Balakrisha Pillai I guess. Not that he stayed in jail for a long time but it got the stone rolling.

Now we have two major leaders/ MLA in jail for murder.

Kerala high court on Monday dismissed the bail pleas of CPM Kannur district secretary P. Jayarajan and T.V. Rajesh, MLA, the 39th and 38th accused in the Shukoor murder case.

Subsequently, Rajesh surrendered before the Kannur judicial first class magistrate court.

Justice S.S. Satheesachandran, dismissing the applications, observed that the violence that followed the arrest of Jayarajan was indicative of the need for protection of the interests of the society, and hence the petitioner, at a stage when the investigation was in progress, was not entitled to get bail.

Not sure how long they shall stay inside the jail though. And if and ever the next party comes to power I am sure we shall see a few from the Congress too inside the jail. There are enough corruption, looting and murder cases to be unearthed. All these years it used to be, "I scratch your back, you scratch mine" policy by both the parties and the voters just stood by like donkeys. But I think for corruption cases the judiciary should make sure that at least a part of the money is recovered from the concerned fraudsters and if they are convicted, their MLA/MP rights should be scrapped. This will ensure that the tax payers shall not pay a paisa more to these looters in the way of pension etc.

It is indeed fun time for the voters.

Why should the politicians have all the fun; let the voters too have a bit of it!

Edited to add:

 A vigilance enquiry has been ordered against Minister KM Mani and Chief Whip PC George. 
http://mangalam.com/index.php?page=detail&nid=596030&lang=malayalam


Source:

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/kozhikode/rajesh-held-no-bail-jayarajan-120

6 Recommended Obsessions for a Better Life

Copied from the following blog:

http://meanttobehappy.com/6-obsessions-that-will-make-you-a-better-person-in-2012/

6 Recommended Obsessions for a Better Life

1. Be Obsessed with your Family

Those who obsess over their families are those who uncontrollably and unconditionally love them. They spend lots of time together, play together, laugh together and bond with each other.
They also develop strange little practices like regular date nights and family nights. They prioritize family time high on their to-do lists. They care about how they’re doing as dads and moms and husbands and wives and make regular adjustments to improve.

But Beware the Counterfeit

Jealousy is not love or devotion. It is a fraudulent emotional replica of love. It is insecurity, plain and simple. It’s an emotional infection that can spread and corrupt the organism of relationship, marriage and family.
Root it out, cure it, disinfect the emotional wound before it destroys the real love that still exists. Obsession with family really has no relationship to jealousy. Jealousy is self-obsession, a form of self-absorption, a selfishness that lashes out when threatened. The family suffers at the hand of that emotional disease.

2. Be Obsessed with your Values

Do you have a clear set of values? Do you live your life by them? Do they influence your choices as a reflection of how you choose to live? Or are they things that sit on a shelf you pick up and put down at will?
Those who are obsessed with their values are willing to sacrifice much to maintain them –this sometimes includes their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor.” They yearn to live by their values and exercise integrity to them.
They are very clear about what matters most to them and can articulate their values very clearly when asked to. They seldom, if ever, compromise on their moral standards and hold them as near and dear to their hearts. An obsession with your values is a way to live more perfectly by them.

But Beware the Counterfeit

It is wonderful to passionately advocate a set of beliefs. I do that here. But never allow yourself to even dream of imposing them on others. If your values have led you to degrade or belittle or hurt or threaten others for holding a different set than yours, you have devalued the quality of what you believe. Pull back far away from that ledge!

3. Be Obsessed with your Health

A peek in your refrigerator or behind the doors of your pantry will tell a pretty accurate story of your obsession (or a lack thereof) with health. Those obsessed with improving their health reflect that obsession in the food they choose to bring into their homes.
For those obsessed with health, flavor ceases to be the primary goal when creating a meal. They care deeply about the long-term impact of what they put in their mouths and make a part of their cellular structure.
They believe in the literalness of the truism that we are, in fact, what we eat. They make exercise an integral part of their life experience as well. As a matter of fact, they have a comprehensive approach to living healthy.
They care how they feel and how they live and how long they’ll be around to pursue their life’s work. Quality and longevity of life are important to them.
At its highest form, an obsession with health is an altruistic obsession. It cares more for loved ones and their happiness than any particular flavor you put in your mouth or a preference for sitting around the house with a bag of potato chips in hand.

But Beware the Counterfeit

An obsession with appearance or weight or body fat or build is an unhealthy obsession and should be avoided at all costs. I am advocating a mild obsession with HEALTH. And anorexia and bulimia are certainly NOT healthy.
A preoccupation with the mirror or the scale is not what I’m talking about either. Nose jobs and other cosmetic surgical procedures are largely the result of a devotion to the wrong kind of obsession.

4. Be Obsessed with Learning

Don’t let a day go by that you don’t learn something new. Be obsessed with developing your intellect and ability to use your God-given mind closer to its full potential.
Some people claim they’re just not readers. But that is such a cop-out. The world’s great ideas are not floating through the atmosphere waiting to be plucked out of the sky. They are recorded in books, waiting to be absorbed into fertile minds. And ideas matter. They alter courses and change civilizations.
So read and study, whether or not you like reading or studying. Stimulate your mind and creativity, challenge yourself, tackle difficult subjects, build your vocabulary, your ability to communicate the growing knowledge you obsessively acquire.
Develop a passion for knowing, for discovering. Yearn to learn and understand. Create a passionate love affair with the words “why” and “how” and “why not?” and “what if.” Turn off the reality shows and watch the Learning channel or something equivalent to it. Feed the hunger of your mind. Listen to books on tape, listen to talk programs in the car.
Those obsessed with learning are passionate about learning from their own mistakes and from others mistakes as well. They welcome challenges as a way to discover new insight and meaning about themselves or life or humanity.

But Beware the Counterfeit

It is important to employ wisdom in your pursuit of knowledge. To pursue knowledge and its application without the moderating voice of wisdom is to walk blindly through a minefield. Eventually someone is going to get blown up!

5. Be Obsessed with Making a Difference

Do you yearn to leave an impact on world (or your community)? Do you ache to leave the world a better place than when you found it? Do you look for ways to add meaning and value to people’s lives, to reach out and touch someone, to lift the downtrodden? If so, you may be suffering from this obsession. My recommendation? Give in to it!
Those obsessed with making a difference are not satisfied in a cubicle. They can’t add numbers in columns for hours on end or shuffle papers or attend mindless meeting after mindless meeting.
They may do those things as part of a larger mission, but they can’t simply bring home a paycheck without something deeply moving about the work they do, the difference they make.
They have to touch lives, inspire something more in those who are living under their potentials. They almost instinctively lift and build and encourage and motivate and teach and elevate and reach and comfort and love others.
Their hearts beat differently than most. They thump to the tune of other hearts. They dream of being able to reach more people, impact more people and inspire change and growth in more people. Is this your obsession?

But Beware the Counterfeit

There are, however, some who care only for others. They are the martyrs and victims, the ones who wonder why no one cares for them like they care for others. They pity themselves for always serving and never being served.
And so they resent the service they give even while giving it. And they miss the point of service altogether, receiving few, if any, of its benefits.

6. Be Obsessed with Balance

Obsessions are intense things. They are focused like a laser beam on the object of the obsession.
As such, they can easily take control and throw our lives out of whack. But with an underlying obsession with balance, other obsessions don’t overtake the rest of life. There is equanimity, a sort of life equilibrium.
Obsessive compulsions are moderated so that an obsession to ones work is prevented from pushing family and friends to the back of life’s bus.
An obsession with balance can tame success in any given area of life, it’s true. But it is the only way to achieve the highest kind of success … the success of a life lived well.

But Beware the Counterfeit

The only counterfeit to balance is thinking all things must be perfectly balanced at all times. When you’re working on your Masters Thesis, you will be off balance for a time. You should be or you’ll do a sub par job or never even finish it.
When a project is due, it’s okay to come home late from work every day for a week or two. On family vacation, you will neglect your work and indulge your family.
But never use the need for balance as the excuse for never working hard enough in an area of life to ever become particularly good at anything.

Afterthoughts

Successful living is living with passion. It is being obsessed with living the right kind of life in the right way. It is an obsession with making the most out of the life you were given.
An obsession with life is an obsession with living it to its fullest, loving it even for all its dirty messiness.

Wear Jeans and...

Wear jeans and face acid is the latest from the Indian moral police. Until now this particular group was unheard of, but now they earned their moment of fame and maybe a foot in politics.

Posters put by an outfit in the Jharkhand capital have threatened acid attacks on girls and women who wear jeans or do not wear a dupatta. The police said it could be a case of mischief.
The handwritten posters, put up by Jharkhand Mukti Sangh at several points in the city, including St. Xavier's College and Albert Ekka roundabout, read: "From 20/8/2012 (Aug 20), jeans have been banned for girls. Any girl will be found wearing jeans and moving without dupatta will be attacked with acid."
The poster also warns against displacing people for industrialisation. "Companies involved in land acquisition will be attacked," it said.
"We have heard about about this outfit for the first time. This can be a case of mischief. We are trying to trace the people involved," a police officer told IANS.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ranchi-posters-warn-women-of-acid-attack-for-wearing-jeans/1/212134.html

Else, who are they kidding?

A county which gave Kamasutra to the masses (the universe?) and which is still up in the charts among the downloads cannot feign innocence.

Can this country suddenly wear a purdah?

Or let us talk about the population explosion. How did that come by? From test tubes?

Or let us talk about the latest hit, Sunny Leon? 

With the Four of Pentacles, Jism 2 will recover its’ money at the box office and will have a stable showing. It will certainly receive its’ rewards. The chemistry of the film will be enjoyed and will find audiences curious to see the film. The female quotient, as shown in the Queen of Cups & Wands shows that Sunny Leone will be the obvious pull, whereas the lack of strong male tarot cards explains that the male actors – Randeep Hooda and Arunoday Singh may go unnoticed.

Sunny, a strong business woman will look to expand her career beyond acting. She will find production an enticing opportunity, and with the Sun showing up, she will definitely receive success in this endeavour of hers. These successes won’t come without the strains represented by the Three of Swords, but with the strong Four of Wands foundations that she will lay, it will be hard for her to not do well.

Overall, Sunny will achieve well in India – especially in 2013.

It’s a male voyeurs delight. Ignore the hackneyed story and substandard acting!

Jism 2 is the story of Izna (Sunny Leone), a porn star who is hired by intelligence agency officers Ayaan (Arunoday Singh) and his boss (Arif Zakaria) to enter Kabir Wilson’s (Randeep Hooda) life.  Incidentally, Kabir, a rogue cop, also happens to be Izna’s ex-flame who walked out on her five years ago without a word. Izna agrees to help, but has her own agenda too. Ayaan and Izna pose as a couple and move into the house opposite Kabir’s. They are in search for some crucial data that’s stored in Kabir’s laptop. The hunt for the information, Izna’s dilemma over her first love and a few erotic sequences form the rest of the story.

Where else but in India can such miracles happen?

Stop fooling!

Source:

http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/will-sunny-leone-be-successful-in-her-bollywood-career/
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/ranchi-posters-warn-women-of-acid-attack-for-wearing-jeans/1/212134.html
http://www.bollywoodlife.com/news-gossip/jism-2-movie-review-sunny-leone-is-paisa-vasool/ 
http://www.deccanherald.com/photo.php?id=5957

Eat happily or warily?

It was the season of food poisoning for the media. It is always thus. One incident is enough to start a chain of events and then there will be nothing more. Everything shall continue the same way.

It started with the death of a person who ate Shawarma. This must be the first such incident in the world. Later one got to read daily reports of food poisoning and raids. Many hotels were closed down and many stayed closed in fear of raids!

But I do think that many hotels are taking their customers for granted. Maybe they are getting enough revenue from those who seek their daily spirit.

Recently we went to a hotel in Tiruvella for dinner. We had finished shopping from a new outlet and since Hubby needed to get his pants altered, we chose the nearest hotel. It is one of the oldest in the town. We glanced through the glossy menu and saw many delectable names. With much anticipation we placed our order with the head waiter. This is when he suggested that we order just chappathi and chicken curry if we want to get our order fast. Although our original order was not that great, he told us that it will take more than 30 minutes. Since we were all hungry we decided to take his advise. Thus started our wait for the food to arrive. 10 minutes, 30 minutes and 40 minutes passed. Hubby decided to collect his pants in the mean time. Later the food arrived and we wanted more chapathis. It was after considerable time that it arrived. Later when Hubby arrived we found that we might need more chapathis. This is when the waiter told us thus: " Did I not give you 2 just now? Even when it was meant for other guests I gave it to you! ". Hunger can lead to many emotions and I don't blame Hubby when he lost his temper. He was just about to dig into his food when he hears such 'encouraging' words. In Malayalam they say " Paysa koduthe kadikkunna pattiye vanghichathupole ayi" or we paid for a biting dog. Here we are spending money to have some food but we are scolded for stating our needs. He gave it to the waiter and the head waiter comes with explanation that there are many functions going on and hence they are busy. In reply Hubby told him that in this case they should just close the restaurant and not open it for business. By then he had lost his appetite and went to find the manager. The manager nodded his head and said sorry. Anyway that was the last visit to this hotel.

It was this same experience we got in Bangalore. We had a booked one called " Ivory Inn" through the net. I had called them and asked them if it was near to MG Road etc. and I was told it is very near. But it is only when we saw the rooms that we found that we had been cheated. Since it was late at night we couldn't find another. This place was also far away from main Bangalore. We shifted from there the next day itself. We had found this place from Trip Advisor but next time we shall be very careful.

It is time the hotels made an effort to keep customer service their prime objective. With customer service should come cleanliness and quality. After all we are paying for it and if you lose customers who shall pay for your livelihood?
 
Thought  I shall add how things are done out here. It is mandatory that sandwich / shawarma shops operate in full view of the customer. This way they are forced to keep things clean. They normally have an open room where one can see everything being done. Municipality also checks frequently and those who violate rules are sealed. Our government too needs to operate thus. A dream?

Moral Police

"Home stay parties mislead young girls."

BANGALORE: If the girls brutalized by moral vigilantes in Mangalore last week were looking for any womanly understanding from the Karnataka State Women's Commission, they were in for a big disappointment.

I

If we have such woman at the helm of Women's Commissions then it is better the girls in Magalore wear a purdah each time they venture out. 

SHIMOGA: C. Manjula an advocate and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Women's Morcha has been appointed Chairperson of the Karnataka State Women's Commission.
She succeeds Prameela Nesargi who resigned from her post recently.

Ms. Manjula, who hails from Bhadravati, is a students' activist right from her college days when she served the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) in various capacities. She is nominated as the member of the Syndicate of the Kuvempu University.

I watched the video where these young men were clawing at the girls and hitting the boys.

 If they so love their women folks will they ever treat the girls thus?

 Is it because they are missing all the fun?

Those boys did not appear to be helping any girl, instead they seem to be having good fun molesting those girls. Not sure how the parents of those girls stood watching them be dragged and hit by total strangers. Guess it is time these girls took some karate classes too.

I also suggest these young men be first send to KSA and then to USA. Let them taste both kind of freedom and then learn to appreciate their own country better.

Source: 

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mangalore-attack-Girls-should-skip-parties-Karnataka-womens-panel-boss-says/articleshow/15320099.cms
http://www.hindu.com/2011/01/09/stories/2011010959400300.htm

Where are you my dear lady?

Where art thou ?

Why have you abandoned us?

As usual the dates were fixed for June 1st but you did not grace us with your presence?

At times we might have cribbed when you unleashed your full power but please dont treat them seriously. You should know that we cannot be without you. There are some of us who make annual trips just to see you, to touch you.We carry precious memories of your visits and nothing can compare to you.

Yes it is the monsoon that I am talking about. Normally by the end of June the rivers would be full and so would the dams. But this year monsoon seems to have abandoned Kerala. If she does not make an appearance Kerala is doomed! Without power and water, what shall it's residents do? Even those standing in queue for their daily spirit would need a bit of water :)

Every year when we go for vacation we watch the river slowly rising. Although monsoon can be a bit irritating  Keralites know that without it, the state would die a slow death.

It is time for prayers!

Another trip to cherish..

We did a lot of travelling this vacation and saw new places in Kerala. I have not travelled much through North Kerala but this time we could touch upon Mahe, Talacherry etc. The roads are good but not the drivers, specially the bus drivers. They just come barging upon you and force you to leave the road even if there is enough room for them. Hubby being accustomed to the Gulf roads got really irritated. But they have nothing to lose hence one need a lot of patience.

Mahe was good to have a tank full of petrol since the price was much less compared to other places but this was offset by the petrol price in B’lore. I think the highest in India?

The road towards Madikeri for a stretch of 25 km was very bad and we were happy to reach our destination. We were booked at Club Mahindra and I enjoyed the ambience. We did not do much of sightseeing but we drove quite a bit to reach the Coffee board and another nursery. We were lucky to get a few coffee & orange saplings and a few rose plants too. Coffee does grow in our area and we wanted to try the Coorg coffee since Coorg is famous for it . Another notable factor is the Coorg girls. They are very good to look at :) 

 

The bit I enjoyed the most at Coorg was waking up in the morning and sipping a hot cup of coffee from the verandah which faced a jungle of sorts. With only trees and bushes and with a climate to soothe you, it was heaven on earth. We did not want to budge out much and the children had their share of activities.

Our next stop was Blore but we also managed to see the largest Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe in Coorg District, near Kushalnagar.

Read more: http://www.itslife.in/travel/namdroling-monastery#ixzz225ZaAo1i

It was bustling with monks who obliged us with a few snaps too.

A Kannadian fare that we enjoyed..

 

We reached Bangalore around 7 PM, but Bangalore disappointed us terribly. It used to be an elegant city once upon a time and I have some good memories too. But it has lost all its charm and we just wanted to get out of it. The hotel we booked online was also  disappointing and to find this place we hired an auto guy to show the way. It took more than 2 hours through heavy traffic and road blocks. Too many vehicles, construction and nasty drivers have made this city a nightmare for drivers. Bangalore is also facing water woes and as per my cousin the bore well that they dug to 200 feet was later dug to 800 to yield no water. Many are selling water and thus a tank load of water costs 500 IRS. This is being shared by residents. She has to take turns in using this. My aunty stays at a place where there is no water shortage but she fears that the situation might change in the future. Guess it wouldn’t be wrong if one says that B’lore is similar to how Mumbai was a decade or more earlier. Things are expensive too. I found that a curtain that we purchased from Cochin was 100 IRS more in one of the malls.

Guess after the hectic construction work is over B’lore may change. We did not want to venture out much except to visit relations and for this we hired a taxi from the hotel. We did manage to visit the Bannerghatta National Park. A trip that we enjoyed.  The tourists are well protected now. I remember the incident where a girl was snatched away from her father in this same park.

http://www.karnataka.com/bangalore/bannerghata/

Later we shifted from the silly place that we had hired online and took a one closer to the Mysore road..yea we wanted to get out ASAP. 

Our next stop was at Wonderla and it offered the same pleasure as the one in Cochin. Well maintained. We had one more family friend with us who wanted to stop for a day at Mysore but we wanted to reach home and hence left Wonderla at around 3 PM. We wanted to cross the wild life sanctuaries before dark but is was not so. It was solemn faces that viewed the road for elephants, tigers etc. On our previous trip if we had prayed for a sight of wild animals, this time we all prayed fervently to get us out of the park before the animals ventured out.  Though Hubby was forbidden by his mother to drive at night we refrained from telling her and decided not to halt anywhere. The new road from Trichur to Cochin was superb and it took us only 30 minutes. Since there was a traffic block at Nadukani where we lost 1 hour and later another hour at Patambi since we lost our way, we managed to reach home at around 4 AM.  We realized that we were going in circles when we passed the same broken down truck twice! There were no proper sign boards unlike the road to Calicut.

We also found time to spend at Thekkady when temperature started rising in the plains. Thekkady has changed much since 3 years. Earlier one had only Spice Village (expensive) and Ambady for your food but now the whole lake road is dotted with restaurants; from exclusive French restaurants to Gujarati Dhabba. New construction is also going on. Since there were no rains the mosquito menace was a bit irritating. As per the Kumali residents, it is perhaps due to their prayers that the rain is sparse this time. They still fear the Mullaperiyar dam and doesn’t want the dam to fill up! I am sure the ones across the border are now praying hard for rains. They better solve this issue fast so that the rain Gods can do their job :)

I also visited my school at Kuttikanam this time. To the embarrassment of our children I was found running around clicking photos. I asked them to wait until they reached my age! My favourite Peerumade is also changing with new projects coming up. I hear that even Amritha has plans to develop something. Wonder what? Hopefully nature shall be preserved?