Unchained Memories

Sometimes I wish I cud get back all those golden old days, all those days that I spent as a kid at '18 B Main Rajajinagar'...the days when things were so relaxed...the time when me, VJ, Sid, Supri, Gowda, Kaka, Raja & Anil wud just freak out...the 'Ganesha Habba' days...the days when we played cricket tournaments, the days when we wud go to Krishna Sweets for 'Badaam Haalu'...evenings spent with VJ in Khatta Meetha & MD...evenings spent in FP (our fav hangout even now jus for the amazing food)...days spent with Sid who pursued Spotless like a true Shikari...days spent with Supri on his Hero Puch...there was so little money & even then we enjoyed so much...hard to believe that we hav so much money now but we hardly ever meet..!!

It's really surprising how much memory is built around things unnoticed at that time..!! So enjoy while it lasts..!!

Kukke Subrahmanya Temple

We had planned for this trip since the last 15 months but somehow I got engaged and wedding arrangements proved to make this trip impossible...I am a strong believer in following certain things when it comes to the Almighty and so certain things that happened during the past one year made me feel the importance of not having done what I was supposed to do 15 months back. Well, not that I regret it now, but when things don’t go as planned, when things fail even when U make sure everything is set right, when plans break right in front of you, it makes you feel very insecure..!!

So the stage was set for the trip to happen and so it did..!!

I happened to make a few arrangements for the pujas in the end of September. Well, I had Kala Sarpa Dosha (When all planets are to one side of Rahu and Ketu, Kala Sarpa Dosha is supposed to be caused. This is considered a very bad yoga which gives rise to misfortunes and is supposed to be a major obstruction to ones progress) and I had to make sure that I do what I was told…perform Sarpa Samskara & Ashlesha Bali at Kukke Subrahmanya Temple.

I got in touch with a Poojari (whose name I will not be able to mention due to reasons best untold) who was referred by another person (whose name I will mention if need be at a later stage). I contacted this Poojari in the end of September and booked the dates for the pujas on Nov 10 & 11, 2008 (U will need to contact the Kukke Subrahmanya office on 08257-281224 for booking any pujas atleast a month in advance. They have various pujas that are scheduled on various days and hence the start up needs to be done atleast a month in advance).

Once this is done, you will need to book your accommodation as getting a room in Subrahmanya after reaching there might be a bit difficult. There are various other websites that can help you with the list of hotels in Subrahmanya. We opted to stay at Sheshnaag Ashraya which is opposite to KSRTC bus stand and which is one of the best hotels in Subrahmanya. This is also the same hotel where celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar, the Kapoor family, Juhi Chawla, Kannada superstars Darshan & Sudeep have stayed. The hotel also has AC rooms available for Rs. 1400/- for 3 people and Non AC rooms for Rs 550/- for 3 people. The staff is extremely courteous and helpful (to the extent that they even might help you get the tickets for pujas in the temple. I actually spoke to one of the members there and he helped us get the puja tickets after we got screwed from the Poojari. Had to pay him some extra cash for this but it was worth it). The phone numbers of this hotel are 08257-281215, 281219 and 281279.

Day 1:

We left Bangalore on Nov 9 at around 8 AM. We had booked a Qualis and I think this is one of the best ways to travel to places where you have never gone before. You atleast get free transportation and are assured of not getting screwed by the local transport available there. There are KSRTC Volvo / Rajahamsa / Karnataka Sarige buses available. For more information & online bookings, you can check http://59.162.166.116/AWATAROnline/. We reached Subrahmanya at around 3:30 PM after a couple of breaks for lunch and coffee. Once in Subrahmanya, we drove straight to Sheshnaag Ashraya, rested here till 6:30 PM and went to the temple for Darshan.

We finished the first Darshan by around 7:30 PM that day, confirmed our bookings for the pujas for the next day (Nov 10 – Sarpa Samskara) and headed for dinner at a nearby hotel. There are 2 main hotels here located in the same street as the temple. First is the Neo Mysore Café and secondly we have another one which is right opposite to this. Mysore Café serves good food and is open from 5 AM to 11 PM. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and slept as we had to get up early the next day.

Day 2:

Nov 10 – Got up early at 5 AM and headed to the Kumaradhara River which is around 1.5 kms from the hotel. You are advised (when booking for pujas) to bathe at this river and then head for the pujas. Once we were done with this, we headed to the Adi Subrahmanya temple (which is the next street to the main temple) for the Sarpa Samskara. The puja started at 8:30 AM and continued till 1:30 PM. Kala Sarpa Dosha is believed to be afflicted by the Sarpa (serpent) dosha (curse) either knowingly or un-knowingly through many ways in this birth or any of the previous births. Pooja can be done either by the person afflicted or through a priest. This is because the puja involves rituals similar to the ones done in performing Shrartham (death rites). Sarpa Samskara Seva devotees need to stay for two days at Subrahmanya and only eat at the temple where food is provided (Palya, Rice, Rasam, Sambar, Sweet & curds). The cost of Sarpa Samskara is Rs. 1500/-. After lunch, you are advised to return back to the hotel and rest till evening.

In the evening, you can opt to bathe again at the Kumaradhara or at your hotel room before heading back to the temple for more rituals. Before going into the temple, you are asked to eat your evening snack at the temple premises (food area). Once at the temple, you are advised to go in 12/24/36 pradakshine (rounds) around the outer ring of the Garbha Gudi (where the main deity resides). You are also advised to wish for anything and then go for the pradakshine as this always fulfills if done with a pure heart. After this, we were back at the hotel to rest again as we had to start off early the next day.

Day 3:

Nov 11 – Got up early again at 4:30 AM and got ready to be at the puja site at 5:45 AM. Here, we had to perform another ritual (Ashlesha Bali) which usually lasts for a couple of hours. At around 9:30 AM, we headed to have breakfast at the temple premises again and then went back to the main temple to perform the last ritual (Naga Pratishte). These pujas cost around Rs. 250/- and can be done on your own. The information counter inside the temple can help you out with more information on how to get this done. Finally, you can enter the Garbha Gudi and seek the blessings of the Lord. After this, we collected the prasadam (you need to produce the puja tickets to obtain these). Once, we were out of the temple, we paid the priest Rs. 700/- for performing the rituals for us, sought his blessings, packed out stuff and were on our way back to Bangalore at around 3:30 PM. We reached Bangalore at 10:00 PM (thanks to Mohan, who was an excellent driver). The roads at the ghats are not all that great and it is really hard to say the best time to travel to Subrahmanya using these roads. The stretch from Sakleshpur is really bad for around 20 kms until you reach the crossing to Subrahmanya.

Please let me know if you guys need any more information on reaching Kukke or booking for Darshans. I can help you out with this experience.

Tips:

• Use own transportation as this helps you to travel freely without any fixed schedules.
• The temple authorities at the entrance of the temple request all gents to take off their shirts and banians – a tradition that is followed in most temples here. So it is advisable to carry “punche shalyas” as it is best suited for this place.
• Try to visit this place from September to January as this is the best time in terms of climate.
• Make sure you book the hotel rooms and check for puja bookings either through the temple authorities or the hotel staff.
  The contact information for Kukke Subrahmanya Temple is:
  Kukke Shree Subrahmanya Temple
  Subrahmanya – 574238
  Ph: 08257-281224
• For more information on Kukke, check: http://www.kukketemple.com/Home.htm

I will upload some of the pics of this trip shortly. You can contact me on vinayghdke@gmail.com for any more information on Subrahmanya.

Lord Ganesha - My Hero..!!

Lord Ganesha is known for his knowledge and is the remover of obstacles. Lord Ganesha is also called Vinayak (knowledgeable) or Vigneshwar (God who removes obstacles). He is worshipped & remembered in the beginning of any auspicious day for his blessings and auspiciousness.

Lord Ganesha - he of the single tusk, whose vehicle is the mouse and he who penned the Mahabharata with his own hands.

Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakoti Samaprabhaa.
Nirvighnam Kurumedeva Sarvakaaryeshu Sarvadaa.

FAMILY - The biggest support system I know..!!

Well, true to its word, this is what I find invaluable..!! I have been thru so much and they continue to be by my side wch really makes me feel so blessed..!! I really want to make up for all the time thtz lost and put thru a point wch makes them feel proud..!!

Wish me luck guys, I need it all..!!

Suryange Torcha & Derivatives..!!

1. Suryange torcha

2. Autoge standa

3. Akkamahadevi ge wig ga

4. Reliance mobilege simma,

5. Puttammange Poema

6. Police ge Bandooka

7. Windows ge GUI na

8. Mouse ge buttona

9. Windows ge window

10. Windows ge kitki na

11. Linux ge open coda

12. C++ ge incrementa

13. Sardar ge joke a?

14. Gaandhaarige makla

15. Guruvige paatha na

16. Conductor ge ticket a?

17. Gandhi ge upavaasa na

18. Gatar ge kasa na

19. Samudrakke uppa

20. Kurudange color blindnessa?

21. Akashakke neeli na

22. Policege Slataa ??

23. Radioge Cassetta ??

24. All India Radioge Secreta ??

25. Dummyge Kobba ??

26. Benkige AC na ??

27. Fish ge snaanana..

28. Mirror ge reflectionna..

29. Aalada marakke nerala..

30. Shabari ge 'Just A Minute'a..

31. Karnange daanana..

32. Shakuni ge frauda..

33. Gandhi ge Non-Violence speecha..

34. Clinton ge scama...

35. Laloo ge hulla.....

36. Saeed Anwar ge gadda na

37. Jailor ge shiskse na..?

38. Judge ge ordera..?

39. Horlicks ge haala..?

40. Hajamange haircutta..?

41. Kubhakarna nige hasivaaa..?

42. Devvakke hedarike na..?

43. Cigarate ge hoge na..?

44. Kurudange Ray-Bana??

45. Doctor ge prescriptionna??

46. DP ge May-Day na??

47. Kumble ge googly na??

48. Kambli ge hairstyla??

49. Moogange 'Silence Please'a ??

50. Ambarish ge enne na ??

51. Kashinath ge 'double-meaning'a??

52. Disco Shanthige Seerena ?? (These two rock)

53. Triller manju ge Dupa??

54. Rajkumarge BackGround Voica??

55. Shivarajkumar ge kadige na

56. M F Hussain ge paintinga

57. Nayi ge bow bowa..

58. Ravichandran film ge 'SET'a

59. Director ge 'action'na??

60. Cameraman ge photo na??

61. Prema ge 'High heels'a??

62. Upendrange Directora??

63. Prabhudevange choreographerra??

64. Nagan gee Spotaa??

Jim Corbett - A true hero..!!

Jim Corbett, the most famous hunter and tracker of big game, yet also an ardent conservationist, was responsible for the killing of many man-eating tigers over a thirty year period. Upon his arrival at the village where a man eating tiger had taken her last victim, he found the area, a virtual ghost town, with villagers locked inside their huts with no one having ventured outside for a week. The tigress roamed the roads near the village roaring and terrifying villagers; when Corbett shot her and became an instant folk hero.

I have read Man-Eaters of Kumaon, The Temple Tiger and many more books that describe how he hunted down man eaters. His precision on hunting the man eaters down, tracking their movements, planning his kill and also paying homage to the dead simply make this guy a legend..!!!

I intend to visit the Jim Corbett National Park at least once before I die and experience what the great man did for the poor folks who feared man eaters..!!

Jughead Jones..!!

I love him for his attitude & obviously cos of food..!!

Woman = Problemz..!!

Bajaj Chetak..!!

Bajaj Chetak...well, what can I say abt this one..!! It all started in 1995 (aftr the day of my SSLC exams) when I was just out of school and Dad proudly handed over the keys to me and said "Son, U are now eligible to use my superbike"..!! And superbike it was indeed to me way back in 1995..!!

I immediately tugged on to my superbike & was off to VJ's place only to find him on his uncle's brand new red Bullet..!! I wasn't going to let this one go..after much convincing, me & VJ were off explore Bhasyam Circle at 6 PM..!!

What chix..but not one would see us..!! Even when we zoomed at 65 KM/HR.!!

It was days later that we realised that was only for uncles..& not for us..!!

Well, I was really happy to read sumwhr lately that Bajaj has finally stopped production of "The Kappe" (fondly named by VJ) and was celebrating..!!

and now I am really sad...for I was born in an era where Kappes ruled..!!

Girlfriend 5.0 - Wife 1.0..!!

Dear Tech Support Team:

Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0.

I soon noticed that the new program began unexpected child-processes that took up a lot of space and valuable resources.
In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and now monitors all other system activities.

Applications such as BachelorNights 10.3, Cricket 5.0, BeerWithBuddies 7.5, and Outings 3.6 no longer runs, crashing the system whenever selected. I can't seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run my favorite applications.

I'm thinking about going back to Girlfriend 5.0, but the 'uninstall' doesn't work on Wife 1.0.

Please help!

Thanks,
"A Troubled User"

REPLY:

Dear Troubled User:

This is a very common problem that people complain about.

Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 5.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a Utilities and Entertainment program.

Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its Creator to run EVERYTHING !!!

It is also impossible to delete Wife 1.0 and to return to Girlfriend 5.0.

It is impossible to uninstall, or purge the program files from the system once installed.

You cannot go back to Girlfriend 5.0 because Wife 1.0 is designed not to allow this. (Look in your Wife 1.0 Manual under Warnings - Alimony - Child Support)..!!

I recommend that you keep Wife1.0 and work on improving the environment.

I suggest installing the background application "Yes Dear" to alleviate software augmentation.

The best course of action is to enter the command "C:\APOLOGIZE" because ultimately you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal anyway.

Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean 2.5, Sweep 3.0, Cook 1.5 and DoLaundry 4.2.

However, be very careful how you use these programs. Improper use will cause the system to launch the program NagNag 9.5.

Once this happens, the only way to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase additional software. I recommend Sarees 2.1 and Jewellery 5.0.

STATUTORY WARNING : DO NOT, under any circumstances, install SecretaryWithShortSkirt 3.3. This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will cause irreversible damage to the operating system.

Best of luck,
"Tech Support"

Tennis & Cricket..!!

Lookalikes, well, am sure all of you wud agree tht I dont luk like a very popular celebrity..however, me & my friends hav had sum real close encounters with fakes..!!

The other day for example, when me & Anand were at Fish Paradise (bar in Navarang that gives U sum amazing dishes - will be getting more info on this shortly)...we hpnd to see Tennis...he was at his usual stupid self, with a drink and a couple of friends chit chatting...

The other folks who were around him, were only too eager to greet him and get him to repeat his most famous dialogue "naan kaNaNNO...naMjappana maga guNjappa"..

It was only after he ordered out for a beer tht we came to know that he was a fake jus pretending to be Tennis with sunglasses on..!!

A few weeks after this, when Vidya walked up to me, Sajit & Vinod & said that she saw Irfan Pathan jogging by her next to KSCA, it was all too much for us to believe..!!

Then, I happened to catch the guy himself in M.G. Road..!! Rest is on the pic..!!

Drink Wet Cement...Get STONED..!!

This really is what I can say to all my old dudez from my gud ol' college days..!! Well, thr was a time when life was jus a trance..all those cigarettes that went up in smoke, all those dayz when life jus seemed so relaxed..this is my tribute to all my dirty palz who eventually gave up weed jus to make life a little more simpler for everyone around..!!

U rock guys, without too much weed..!~!

Life sux..but jus for the moment..!!

Last night I stumbled upon this funny cartoon, which made me smile, I hope it will add a smile to your faces too..!! Lifez jus like that..and sumtimes people just annoy U with loads of practical stuff, which, well, I wudn't say is bad..but atleast U wudn't require it when u r sulking..!!

Gradually U realize, all they say is true..but U may not agree with them rite there..!! This happened to me with VJ..!! He is always there for me when it comes to gyaan and trust me "he is worth each word"..!! This is the man that I look upto when I need sumone to push me thru rough times and the way he analyzes my problems, it makes U think "what the heck have I been worried abt? I just need to play my cards rite..!!"..

This is for U..VJ, U deserve it from me buddy..!!

Project LIC..!!

Well, Folks, Project LIC was something that was very close to my heart simply cos it involved a great deal of pressure and if I cud get thru this, then I am the luckiest man alive..!! Results - I will know abt it only after a few days but I really pray nothing goes wrong now..!! Wish my luck fellas..!!

ICICI Bank

Well, I happened to join Magus and after rolling for 3 long months, I still do not have my salary account...courtesy ICICI..!! We have exchanged 12 emails till now and the blame list has the company admin, ICICI reps, Phone reps, Field reps and finally me for not signing on the Declaration Form..!!

Now thtz one huge state of confusion and I dont trust anyone on this now..!! Godz punishing me for being a bad boy..!!

Impossible is Nothing..!!

Impossible is Nothing..!! So the saying goes...well, might jus be easier for a Tendulkar or a Beckham, guys like me hav had to go thru s*%t to even dream of seeing the letter "I" of Impossible..!! But yes, there is always hope..and that just spurs me on..!!

"Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing..!!"

Another Boring Monday..!!

I can't believe the weekend is gone and I'm sitting at my desk at work once again with nothing or loads to do. I think I'm slowly going to lose my mind here. I wish it were Sunday so that I'd have a whole another day to catch up on stuff. Yestry was fun with VJ...some movies, beats in Majestic to pick sum DVDs and then food at a restaurant which VJ swears by...well, the food was good enuff for 2 hungry guys but we went out at 5 PM again to hog on sum more stuff...got back home by 8 PM and Mom was unusually upset that I spent the whole day with VJ...Happy Friendship Day buddy, can U blame me?? How I wish we had 5 weekends and 2 weekdays..!!

Life for the last month..!!

Life for the last one month has been...well, all lonely...missing friends for quite sumtime...and now that the month has finally come to an end, I am not too sure if I will get this period of joy back again...I had VJ with me during this time and he will be there for me for the next 20 days until Bhabhi is back..!!

Now I gotta wait for her to be back and bid my freedom gud bye..!!