Renu ka Blog

At last saw the Charminar!

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.

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.

"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...