Trip Photos

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dogz_mn/album?.dir=/6fca&.src=ph&.tok=phc902DBml32SVpg

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"Technical Skill is the mastery of complexity;
Creativity is the mastery of simplicity."
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Meke Daatu (or Sangama)

Saturday, Oct 8, 2005

View of Mekedaatu

Decided on the spot to make this trip since we didn't have the class we came for. 8 of us went on 4 bikes (mine included). This was the second time I was going there. The first time was about 2 months back... during peak monsoon. What a difference from what I saw then to what I saw now!!

The water level's receded so much since last time! It's the confluence of 2 rivers - Kaveri and Arkavati. Arkavati waters are a muddy brown. Kaveri waters are clearer, tending towards grey. For quite some distance the two waters flow parallely. Amazing... the way they just dont mingle during this time. Somewhere down the line the distinction disappears.

Where we were so scared to take a step the last time round, we ventured boldly this time! Sat on some rocks a third of the way (mid-stream) in the path of the flowing river. Feels so good. And so calm!

Whereas last time we had hiked for a little over 4 kms to get to the actual spot, where a 'meke' (goat) could 'daatu' (cross) the rapidly flowing river, this time we covered the distance in the bus. (Last time... no buses were plying.) In fact, the water had been so deep then (the 'theppa' (or coracle - a round fisherman's boat) fellow had claimed it was 20 ft deep ... non-sense!) but this time, we actual hit sand and were stuck mid way. With some effort, the guy managed to get us free and take us to the other bank. Guess we could have simply waded across.

The bus journey was fun too. Half the gang climbed on top and made the forward journey riding roof-top on the bus. Rest of us decided to let them be our experimental guinea pigs. If, at the end of it, there were no undesirable consequences, we'd follow suit.

Last time the water had been flowing so forcefully that we had been splashed and drenched even though we had only been sitting on the steps. But now... Where earlier I had seen only water, I now saw smooth-worn rocks.... some over 20 ft tall! Would we have been so care-free then, had we known what lay underneath?! Maybe that explains some of the fear my friends had felt back then. Now, I saw our last time's care-free frollicking as a display of bravado. Had I known then, maybe I'd have taken more pride and put on a better show. Now the pride was in hindsight.

Coming back to the present : The sights I saw... the patterns the water made as it flowed... at times calm, at times raging... the smoothness of the rocks... their roundness, the almost parallel lines running all round... the crevices and almost perfect round holes formed at places that had beeb hidden by the water last time... the dizzy sensation I felt when I lay on my stomach watching the flow about 20-30 feet below... the deceptive power... the co-existence of sheer force and beauty in nature... how does the force generated by Man compare?... what if there was a way to harness all this energy?... is the water creating the circles I see or is this rock revolving?... who am I?... do I exist?... is this for real?... I must be an illusion myself... what captivating enchantment!... what fluidity... what gracefulness... simultaneously gentle and forceful... serene and violent... what if I jump off this ledge?... how long will i commune with this bliss?... i will certainly leave the world i know... what would my last thoughts be?... will I feel life ebbing away from this body?... or will I not know the difference?...

I felt a distant tap on my shoulder. It yanked me back into MY world. I urged the others to prostrate and peer over the ledge just as I had. I sat back and watched them at it for a few moments. Deep inside me was an impenetrable silence and I shared it with one of my friends. We sat in pensive silence, aware of each other, experiencing the same (I think) inner bliss, feeling far removed from everything around us. Am I a part of this act or an observer on the outside? Who are these people?... Familiar, yet... Friends or strangers?... Either way, does it matter?

Some one called out to us. The bus was about to start its return trip. We scrambled back to it. This time all of us got on top. It amused me to see that the inside was almost empty since everyone was on top. It was an exciting experience! I felt I was part of a scene in a movie. If only someone started singing & dancing to Chaiya Chaiya (from Dil Se), the picture would have been complete. And perfect!

Thanks to broadband, I'm rediscovering the internet. It's hard to imagine switching back to my hideously slow dial-up connection. How did I manage with just that for almost SEVEN years?

But the first thing that broadband gave me is a virus. My computer's been infected and now I have to format my hard disk. What a pity! Lost my entire 12 GB collection of songs.

The "two sides of a coin" principle at work!

Back after a long break

I'm back after a really long break. My! How things have changed in my life since my last post. I lost my dearest friend - my dog - to sickness. My status has changed from merely "student" to "student with an offer in hand" - I got placed in CTS. My hussle-bussle life has now assumed a slower pace - I have a whole month of vacation. But my speed of internet access has almost tripled - I just got a broadband connection today. Those are just a few on my list of changes in my life. There certainly is great truth and wisdom in the saying - "Time and tide wait for none".

English Quotes & Proverbs

Ok, my previous post was about Kannada Proverbs.

Even though Kannada is my mother-tongue, English is my first love. The intricacies of this language fascinate me. I find myself better equipped to express my true feelings in English; this probably also explains why I'm usually at a loss and groping for words in Kannada. So I guess it's nothing out of the ordinary that I've chosen this as the topic for my next post.

To start out with, I've included some of the quotes that have had much impact on me. I will continue to do the same and request your contributions too.

Kannada Proverbs

Even though Kannada is my mother tongue, I must admit my Kannada vocabulary is rather limited. But I really enjoy hearing the many proverbs. Of course, proverbs are part of every language. However, for now, I'm only interested in collecting Kannada proverbs.

1. Veda suLLaadaroo gaade suLLagadu
2. Sathyakke saavilla, suLLige sukhavilla
3. Avaru chaape keLage tooridare neenu rangoli keLage tooru
4. Ibbara jagaLa mooranevayarige laaBha
5. KoNana munde kinnari
6. Sankata bandare VenkataramaNa
7. Adakeli hoda maana aane kottare barutha?
8. Ellara mane dosenoo toothe
9. Gubbi mele brahmaastra
10. Tengu ingu iddare Mangammana adigenoo chenda
11. Angai huNNige kannadi yaake
12. Haasige iddashtu kaalu chaachu
13. Ravanasurana hottege arekasina majjige
14. Eechalu marada keLage majjige kudidare kaLLu annutare
15. Kaadu baa annuthe, ooru hogu annuthe
16. Uppiginta ruchi illa thayigintha bandhuvilla
17. Shankadinda biddare teertha
18. Doorada betta nuNNage
19. Antoo intoo Kunti makkaLige rajya illa
20. Dharmakke datti kottare, hittalalli maNa haakidante
21. Maneli ili, beedili huli
22. Kappena takkadili haakidante
23. Akki mele aase, nentara meloo preethi
24. Chinte illadavanige santeyalloo nidde
25. Gidavaagi baggadu, maravaagi baggithe?
26. Gedda ettina bala hididante
27. Ganeshanannu maadalu hogi avarappanannu maadidante
28. Kochhe mele kallu haakidante
29. Dudde doddappa
30. Haagala kaayige bevina kaayiye saakshi
31. Mukha nodi maNe haaku
32. Kuri kaayodakke thoLanannu kaLisidante

Please share more with me. Thanks!!

Five Point Follower

Don't know how many of you have read that book "Five Point Someone" by Chetan Bhagat. It's about this guy who goes to IIT where he makes his two best friends and meets his girl friend, his H.O.D.'s daughter. Talks of all the dumb things he and his friends do together.

Even before I read the book, I had heard a lot about it. It seems to be pretty popular among the student community, especially in Engineering Colleges. I myself am studying in PESIT, Bangalore as a student of Information Science. We all love the book, because it describes a part of our lives too. Plus, the informal style is very appealing. No need for the non-GRE students to run to the dictionary every few minutes. Most people talk about the "glorious college days". This books also talks about the misery and despair one goes through while in college.

I just finished reading the book yesterday. I felt I MUST share it with others. Guess the book must be doing pretty good sales by word of mouth itself. I mean, isn't that how we (4 of us are through, the others are in queue for the same copy) got to read it too?

Lessons of Life

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it.

He held it up for all to see & asked the students, 'How much do you think this glass weighs?'

'50gms!' .... '100gms!' ......'125gms' ......the students answered.

'I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?'

'Nothing' the students said.

'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the students.

'You're right. Now what would happen if I held it for a day?'

'Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!' ventured another student & all the students laughed.

'Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?' asked the professor.

'No'

'Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?' The students were puzzled.

'Put the glass down!' said one of the students.

'Exactly!' said the professor.' Life's problems are something like this.

Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything.

It's important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to 'put them down' at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh & strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!'

So, as it becomes time for you to leave office today, Remember friend to 'PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY!'.


(Source: Unknown)

Importance of Silence

Source: Unknown

Have you ever experienced a moment in your life when you just ran out of words and you go... s i l e n t ???

Let me assist you in recalling...

the moment when you are parting with your old friend(s) and the
train has just started... and you are standing on the door of the
wagon.. waving "bye-bye" with your heart beating fast...


... the moment after the HR manager has just called you and told
you,"You are through! Congrats!"


... the moment when you sit alone in your room after having told
everyone that you cleared that exam you prepared for 6 months!!


You can go on remembering your "special" moments!


I had always wondered why I never said anything to myself at those
moments.. as if it was "understood"... happiness, joy, pain.. all
feelings just flowed ceaselessly in the 'years' that passed in those
flash moments!


They say.. the best way to communicate is through "silence".

Love. Joy. Grief. Surprise. Anger. Hope. Expectations. Support.
Non-cooperation...


Can you imagine the importance of a silent moment in a song??


When Bryan Adams stops for a while along with music, before he goes
on in his husky voice...
... Please forgive me. I cant stop loving you!


Ever had those moments when you thought you were tired enough that
you reach for your bed after dinner.. but find yourself wide awake
looking at the roof of your room silently...


But you sure are 'thinking'... those moments of self-talk are the
most important in our lives. Those moments when we listen to our own
hearts! Those promises... those decisions... those are the moments
when we make our destinies!


Next time you go silent... listen carefully to what your heart is
saying.. listen to its joy...listen to its pain.. listen to its
fears.. listen to its desires..


Don’t make it shut up and go off to sleep...
LISTEN TO THAT VOICE and ACCEPT EVERYTHING IT SAYS!
That voice alone can lead you to the abode of peace that your sleep lacks...
peace that awaits you!

Be in touch with your true self... be silent for a moment once a day, every day.

The Beginning

This is the first time I'm posting on a blog. I've only recently learnt about blogs.

I'm going to fill this space with all experiences which are of any value to me or others.

I've always loved to write. I do not believe in writing dairies, since not everyday is worth recording. I write to satisfy the urge. Whether or not someone reads it, is immaterial to me. All that matters is... I've written it. After all we're all told "The pen is mightier than the sword" and "Silence is golden". So, better WRITE than speak. :)