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I was talking on the phone to my friend, you know.... I keep mentioning her? Rekha Shenoy... I say, "Wait, I will speak later..." I disconnect the call when I see a butterfly Sitting quietly on the floor, waiting to be photographed on my mobile phone The wings are grey-black. And the centre! Such a brilliant orange! With a black edging Exactly like what a "mended" pencil sheds, you know....those tiny black-laced shavings? I take the photo I take the video I have to post it on my "groups" You know.... the usual suspects: My family, my extended family My friends, my friends' friends,  You know, .........the entire troop. And I post it on my Status, so proud I am....100 people check it, you know? As expected, the first to reply is our Ironwala  :-) :-) :-) "Beautiful Medaam" But kya hua? No reply this time, from our Apartments ka Doodhwala? Buoyed by classmates, some of whom  I have not seen may be for 40 years I fetch a mug of water and paint t...
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A Saga of Satguru Jagjit Singh ji

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A SAGA OF SRI SATGURU JAGJIT SINGH JI  - A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY IN ENGLISH “A Saga of Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji”, a brief biography written in English by Dr. Sharada Jayagovind is a soul-nourishing insight into the life of His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh ji. The author has made a wholehearted attempt to consolidate the sequence of events and occurrences from Sri Satguru ji’s life in a coherent manner, which shall be a spiritual awakening experience for all readers. The honest chronicle, depicting all aspects of Sri Satguru ji’s personality, gives this book its enduring force. Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh ji was an ocean of love, compassion and peace. His life centered on the principles of truth, compassion, seva and devotion. Sri Satguru ji's life and journey is one of adherence to path of righteousness despite harsh tests and obstacles and many pains of life and time. The purity and empathy in Sri Satguru ji’s intentions and actions inspires affection and devotion for...
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Charminar

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At last saw the Charminar!
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Charminar aur chai

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I had many times read about the "chai" of Irani shops in Mumbai. On a recent visit to Hyderabad, I got to taste the famous Irani tea, of which I had read much about. The tea, which we bought at "Ispahani" looked almost yellow and was full of flavour. And it tasted all the better as one sipped it, gazing at the Charminar.
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Meeting Nisar Ahmed

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Last week, I got to meet Nisar Ahmed, Kannada poet and critic. He was in Mangalore to inaugurate a book shop. As we got chatting, he said, "How I got the Padma Shree God only knows...I have no godfather..." Then, he told me of how he was told that he would get the Padma Shree. He said that one Mr Sobti, a bureaucrat in Delhi, called him and asked, "Is it Nisar Ahmed ji speaking?". So, Mr Ahmed says, "Yes, it is Nisar Ahmed speaking." The bureaucrat introduced himself. Then, Mr Ahmed said, "Hukum kijiye," to which Mr Sobti replied, "Ji, hukum nahi, ijaazat chahta hoon..." and then he asked whether Mr Ahmed was ok with accepting the Padma Shree. Mr Ahmed said that he still did not believe it and asked Mr Sobti if he had not mistaken him for another Nisar Ahmed (of Urdu literature) but Mr Sobti assured him it was the right Nisar Ahmed that he was speaking to.
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A visit to "Devaragundi" waterfalls

"Devaragundi", near Shree Mallikarjuna Temple, Thodikana, in Sullia taluk is a spot that must appear on the "Let’s go to…" list of nature enthusiasts, trekkers and the devout, who want a slice of the Western Ghats. Especially recommended is a visit to the place during the monsoons. The sight of the waterfalls is welcome, after the half-hour uphill climb through dense forests dripping with rainwater and slippery mulch on the floor. An added attraction is the temple with its "devarameenu ("sacred fish"). Best of all, the lack of humanity, makes it a recommended place to visit. The journey to the spot from Mangalore is equally part of the experience. In the rains, the landscape outside the window of this region straddling Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu, is in various shades of jade. Orchards of arecanut and trees laden with jackfruit flit by. Flowers in varied colours, from pale violet to the orange-red of the "Rasapushpa", a lantern-like flowe...
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Gotipua: Catapulting into Popularity

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The ancient semi-classical dance from Orissa is winning fans in tech city Bangalore. Till a few days ago, very few of Bangalore's young people had ever heard about 'Gotipua'. So when the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY)'s Bangalore Chapter proposed presenting the semiclassical Indian danceform at Peoples Education Society Institute of Technology (PESIT), an engineering college in Bangalore, the staff organised a 'lucky dip' contest with pendrives as give-away prizes to entice students into attending the dance show. But post the performance, students in PESIT have become fans of this danceform from Orissa, a precursor of the world-famed Odissi. The dance earned hundreds of admirers as the group charmed audiences. The artistes danced an unadulterated form of 'Gotipua', (literally, 'single boy') a dance in which boys dress up in women's costumes and makeup and perform the 'bandha' -...
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