Vote India

As we start to vote from tomorrow, I just want to pen down the importance of voting in a democratic country like India.

Out of the million options available, we choose what we wear, what we eat, which TV to buy, which mobile best suits us, what toothbrush to use, what soap to use …etc.

While we choose among different variants, can’t we dedicate 1 hr on an election day to choose the right candidate for a prosperous future?

Voting is a fundamental right of each citizen. However, voting is not mandated. It a common tendency among people to treat voting day as a rest day. Voting may not affect your daily routine, but we will have to be ready to face the disastrous consequences.

Below are the few things we need to know before going to cast our vote

1. Voting directly affects the development of the country. If we feel that the current govt is doing a good job, we can vote to retain the govt and if we feel otherwise, we have the power to show them the door.
2. Every vote counts:  Voter may feel that a single vote doesn’t make any difference, but the balance tilts when this becomes the attitude of the whole country. By voting, we may not get a best candidate but if we don’t vote, the probability of unsuitable candidate getting elected increases.
3. Our freedom fighters fought for independent India and because of them we have the right to vote today. So, by exercising our right to vote, we can uphold our freedom fighter’s vision and dream for the nation.
4. Let’s not get affected by what others have to say. We have lived in our country for at least 18 years. We are smart enough to know the best candidates and decide whom to Vote.

For the development of our country, Lets go out and vote!

For more blogs: https://sahanahebbar.blogspot.com/

Aamchi Mumbai

Well this was another adventurous, fun, surprising and never to forget ‘shop till u drop’ trip. And that’s MUMBAI for you!

Mumbai is extremely lively, colorful, busy and a beautiful city. However, it’s a ghastly place to live as this is a city of extremes.  While we saw the tallest building in the city, we could also see the dirtiest slum right next to it.  The above average middle-class life in the city is below the acceptable levels. The value of real estate is beyond measure. Yet with all these constraints millions of people migrate to Mumbai every year. Many people believe that it is the only place in India where dreams come true.  The city is filled with dreamers, hard-workers and people who want to achieve something big. No wonder Mumbai is the right place to transform your dream into reality.

Extremes of Mumbai 

Mumbai is the largest cosmopolitan city in India. Mumbai originally is a group of 7 islands in the Konkan coastline, which over time joined together to form this big a city called Bombay. It is a home for 22 million people and is a center for one of the largest film industries in the world ‘Bollywood’ and it has Asia’s largest slum (Dharavi).

On the day 1 we decided to explore Linking road market, Juhu beach and taste some lip-smacking chats.

Linking road is in Bandra, which is one of the street shopping hubs in Mumbai. It has the latest collection of clothes, bags denims and many more. If you are a good bargainer (unlike me), then this is your kingdom. We saw a denim jacket which was as good as the jacket I bought from forever 21, for which i paid around 1800 rupees. When we asked for the value , the vendor said 800 rupees. I was so happy to purchase as I had paid more than 50% of the price. I called my friend to tell her that I am buying the jacket; she said she will handle it and haggled the jacket to 300 rupees which is literally unbelievable. Bargaining is a pure art and a good quality to have! Why don’t they teach this in school...I wonder!

We headed towards 'Sharma Chat Bandar' near Juhu beach. Trust me when I say that this is the best chat that we had in our entire lifetime. We thought of trying out all the variants of chats which they offer starting with pani puri. We  decided to take one plate but ended up having 5 plates. I feel this place offers the best pani puri in the entire world with the perfect blend of sweet, tangy and spice. Bhel puri was out of the world with the freshness and the crisp.

Mumbai Lip smacking chats

With kulfi in our hands we walked till Juhu beach. It is the longest beach in Mumbai which is surrounded by Arabian sea. Many people (in fact too many people) like us had come to visit the beach and feel the cool breeze. While we stood there watching the sunset, a vendor asked us to rent a ‘chatai / chape’ to sit. We sat and watched the shinning planes zooming into the sky every minute as the landing runway is near the edge of the Arabian sea. After a tiring day, we needed a good night’s sleep.

Following day, we reached Colaba around 9 in the next morning. Colaba is one among the 7 islands given by Portuguese to British (Charles II) as dowry. When we strolled in the avenues of Colaba, we could sense that the British had left an indelible mark on this part of the city. Every building is of the Victorian style. We felt as if we were strolling in England in the 1800’s.

We reached the Gate way of India and were awestruck to see the city’s heritage ‘The Taj’. The architecture of the hotel tells us different cultural influence India had over the years. The architecture is an amalgamation of the British, Moghul and Rajasthani styles.

The Taj

Gateway of India

  

As per the plan, we boarded a ferry to reach Elephanta caves. It’s an hour-long ferry ride from the Gateway of India. We had to climb up for about 30 mins to reach the caves from the Elephanta port. While we climbed, we saw many vendors selling intriguing and unique Mumbai souvenirs. We also saw an army of monkeys parading the caves. It’s always to good practice not to carry any food to avoid being harassed by the furious monkeys.

Elephanta island is quiet and a beautiful place. It was called Gharapuri but the Portuguese renamed it to Elephanta. There are 7 caves in the island. 5 Hindu caves and 2 Buddhist caves. These caves have huge sculptures of lord Shiva and buddha and most of the monuments are destroyed. Portuguese rule seemed to have deteriorated the population on the island as they abandoned the worship of lord Shiva. Portuguese even used the beautiful sculptures for target practice and destroyed all most all the sculptures. After long years of neglect, the caves were renovated and it was recognized by UNESCO as world heritage site.

Elephanta Caves

After an intriguing exploration, we headed back to Colaba causeway for shopping. The street  buzzed with people. Both sides of the market have different variety of shops with unique collection of jewelry, clothes, handbags and many more. Since the street is filled with foreigners, the rates are generally kept higher. Here, again the bargaining skills come in use. It's better to tag along someone who knows proper Hindi with you.

While you are shopping, the most important thing to remember is not to take the Husband! Shopping is a skill that requires lots of patience, dedicated time and a good eye. Me and my friend later thought that we should have left the husbands in the café or in the room, while they ate/slept we could have shopped peacefully.

With our husbands’ hands full of shopping bags, we took a cab to the marine drive. Marine drive is a 3 kms stretch starting from Nariman point till Babulnath. It is undoubtedly the most peaceful, promising place in Mumbai. After the orange sunset, Marine drive lights up again in glittering gold as we sat looking straight into the Arabian sea. When the waves hit the rocks, the breeze that caresses your hair is just out of the world. Marine drive describes the life in Mumbai. While the Arabian sea in front of me was so peaceful, the city behind me was buzzing and full of life. The wall where we sat is the margin between two different worlds. Marine drive is the place where you can experience the best of two worlds. 
With much positivity and damaged hair :P (due to the salt water) we drove back to the hotel.

Queen's Necklace

                Next day we explored the famous Siddivinayak temple. It’s a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha which is in SK Bhole marg, Prabhadevi, Bandra. Even though the architecture of the temple seems modern it was constructed in 1801. The temple has a small idol of Lord Vinayaka. The premises of the temple is clean and very well maintained. With a good darshan we decided to explore another famous whole-sale market in Mumbai.

                Bhuleshwar market is about 10 kms from the temple.  It is different from the rest of the famous markets in Mumbai. If you are looking to buy a single item, then this is not the ideal place for you. We could see loads and loads of jewelry shop at one end of the market where they sell wholesale jewelry at the cheapest price possible. This place is noisy, chaotic and packed. This is where we must bargain like there is no tomorrow and have to slip through the thick crowd and manage to buy. It was one hell of a shopping experience.

                We thought of concluding our wonderful trip by visiting Marine drive once more. While I sat on the edge of the Arabian sea, I thought of describing Mumbai in a single word, I couldn’t think of any better word than ‘harmony’. 
             Mumbai is the place where you can fill your stomach with 10 rupees. Mumbai the place where people with different cultures live together without invading each other’s privacy. Mumbai is the place where women walk around safely even at 1 am. Mumbai is short on space but has a big heart.

That’s Mumbai for you. Aamchi Mumbai 😊

For more articles click- sahanahebbar.blogspot.com

               

Infinity and Beyond - Ooty

A week before our trip to Ooty, our thoughts were consumed with “rain rain go away and please stay away.” But, the rains didn’t go away and instead, they came back quite heavily. As we had been eagerly awaiting for our vacation, we took the risk of going to Ooty anyways and it turned out to be the best decision we ever made!

Ooty is 280 kilometers from Bangalore and the trip takes about 6 hours by road. We planned mysore-nangangud-gundlupet-bandipur-mudumalai-ooty circuit. From Gundlupet, the road carves through a dense forest and this forest saddles both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu across their borders. Bandipur National Park is located on the Karnataka side, while the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is found on the Tamil Nadu side of the forest.

We have a rule that whenever we pass through the Bandipura road, a Bandipur safari is a must. So as obedient rule followers, we stopped at Bandipur and opted for the safari.

As we boarded the van our curious eyes wandered all around the lush green forest. We spotted a bunch of deer and with so much innocence it kept looking back at us. It seemed to have gotten habituated with the big green van and its roaring engine sound. Our eyes kept scanning for the elusive, tiger foot prints. We saw a mama bear hopping with its little one. 

Mama Bear with its little one

Ever curious deer

When we entered deep into the forest, we saw a group of elephants parading the jungle. Elephants are interesting! They are so protective of their young ones. They are emotionally more mature compared to other animals. There has been a study where it found that elephants grieve for their lost ones and even shed tears.  

Elephants parade

It was almost 45 minutes in the jungle, when we were almost making our way out of the forest, that we spotted the almighty TIGER. At this point, the engine stopped and there was a pin drop silence - I could even hear my own heart-beat raising.  Slowly and steadily, the tiger crossed the road and vanished into the bushes. What a sight! Seeing a tiger in the wild is something that cannot be explained. We were just silent! No words. What a safari it was and a great start for the wonderful vacation ahead!

The mighty Tiger!

As we started towards Ooty from Bandipura, we were stopped at the check post before entering Tamil Nadu. After the quick check we were welcomed to Tamil Nadu. This was the start of Mudumalai Wildlife Reserve, though it is an extension of Bandipur, with a different name.  As we drove through Masinagudi, the journey became more picturesque and adventurous. This route has 36 hair pin bends over the stretch of 12 kilometers. Each bend was an adventure and before the 26^th bend, we rerouted towards our resort which is 15 kilometers away from Ooty. 

We had an amazing off-road experience driving 3 kilometers to the resort. Many roads were torn down due to the rainfall and driving in such road conditions turned out to be truly a challenging task. When we finally reached the place, it was incredibly beautiful, calm and welcoming. We were greeted at the reception desk with a warm smile and we were directed to our room. We wanted to have a laidback vacation without having to tick every spot in the tourist map. Our room windows opened up to a spectacular, breathtaking mountain which was a welcoming sight for our tired eyes. The restaurant was simply amazing. We indulged in the most delicious cream of tomato soup every day and trust me when I say that it was the best soup that I have ever tasted in my entire life.  

In Ooty, the temperature drops drastically after sunset. Being in Bangalore, we had never before experienced the mercury level falling below 12 degrees.  So, at a chilly 6 degrees the bonfire kept us warm and cozy.

The next day, we decided to explore Ooty city and Commercial road. To reach Ooty, we had to complete the 36-hairpin bends. As we completed the 36^th bend, we could feel the thin air. We decided to visit the highest peak of Nigiris that’s Dodabetta Peak.

It is 7 kilometers from Ooty city. The drive was bumpy as the roads were damaged till the last leg of the peak. The fog made it worse.  But the ascent was incredibly breathtaking.  The rich smell of eucalyptus filled the air as we climbed up.  At the top, the temperature drastically dropped. It was freezing cold, with a slight drizzle and fog. Even with the icy climate, we could see the Coimbatore, Ooty city, Karnataka border from the telescopic tower.

Just amazing

Bumpy foggy road

What’s the point of being in Ooty without visiting the commercial road?

The weather in Ooty favors rich farming culture, including the cultivation of English vegetables and fruits grown locally. We could see fresh potatoes, carrot, cabbage and some exotic fruits and veggies such as peaches, plums, pears, strawberry, zucchini, turnips, lettuce leaves being grown.

We went to a government co-operative shop to buy the famous locally made eucalyptus oil, gaultheria oil (pain relief oil), spices and the famous Ooty chocolates. With great difficulty, we managed to get back to the car with our hands full of bags containing our Ooty souvenirs and headed back to our beautiful resort.

The next day, we decided to pamper ourselves with a massage, heavy lunch and a great swim in the infinity pool. In the evening, we just sat in our spot gazing at the mountains, tea plantations and the ever happy flying birds. We wished we could just freeze that moment and never ever come out. As the sun set we were reminded that we had to pack our bags for the next day’s journey. What a wonderful day it was.

The infinity pool

We could just stare at this like forever !

With a heavy heart we left for Bangalore. It was a much needed and a wonderful vacation. Until our next vacation, ciao!

For more articles click - sahanahebbar.blogspot.com

Apology in disguise

                It was a warm sunny day. Anitha sat on the laid out blanket amidst the meadow with a picnic basket observing a butterfly’s landing on the flower next to her. She watched her daughter Sia hopping and turning around with joy! Her heart filled with delight looking at her daughter’s happy face.

                Anitha watched her husband Karan teaching Sia to throw the ball. She loved her husband but things got cold after a small fight with Karan a few weeks before. She wanted to put up a happy face in front of Sia.

                The grass swayed at the gentle touch of the wind. Sia was trying to throw the ball and she threw it so hard that she had to run far to get the ball back. As she went near the baniyan tree, she saw an old chap with her ball. She asked him to give it back. He obliged with a broad smile. Sia asked if she could call him Ajja. He smiled and instantly agreed. They started getting along within few minutes. They started sharing funny stories. Sia seemed very happy to have found a friend in an 80 year old Ramu Ajja.

                Karan became restless and started searching for Sia all over the park. He was relieved to see her laughing with an old chap. Sia called her dad and introduced Ramu ajja and she insisted Ramu ajja to join them for lunch. Karan thought it was a great idea and invited Ramu ajja for lunch.

                Sia came running towards Anitha and introduced the new guest. Ramu ajja was very happy to see Anitha, Karan and adorable Sia. All started munching delicious food. Ramu ajja noticed the tension between Anitha and Karan. He observed that they both loved each other but something was seriously holding them back.

                After an appetizing lunch Ramu ajja excused himself and bid goodbye to the lovely family.

                Anitha started packing up the basket. Suddenly she saw a note which said I AM SORRY. Tears welled up around her eyes and she ran searching for Karan. She hugged him tight and said Thank You. Karan was confused but hugged her back.

                The only thing that was holding Anitha and Karan back was the word “SORRY”. Ramu ajja came into their life as a blessing in disguise!

-©Sahana Dinesh Hebbar

DISCLAIMER

This story is a work of fiction. The characters do not exist, except in the mind of the author. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental

Education System in India

We all know that the country’s development is majorly dependent on the quality of education system and this is the main reason why we are still a developing country.

Indian education needs to be remodeled from the scratch. Most of us judge a student’s capability by the percentage in the board exams. For mugging up the entire text book and reproducing the same in the exam, what is the need of human brain when a computer can do that job, don’t you think? I feel that this is the first step towards the deterioration in our education system.

Most of the kids are pushed to study hard from the age of four. This is the age when the creativity starts sprouting. Instead of allowing it to blossom, we tend to uproot the creativity. Kids are forced to score more and parents induce evil competitive spirits in the minds of the children. They are forced to study the main subjects at school and sports, art, music (usually called as extra subjects) are completely neglected.  

Today is the era of innovation and inventions. Unfortunately our education system is not built for it! You can argue that many universities and colleges are coming up, but by just allowing hundreds of colleges to boom, don’t solve the problem of education crisis. The syllabus is outdated! There should be a serious look through the syllabus. As there is tremendous advancement in the field of technology, the syllabus should be updated accordingly.

I feel that the reason behind people (Indians) chanting slogans against India is the poor quality of education. It is necessary to induce the sense of patriotism in our education system.

Teaching is considered as the safest, low- pressure jobs. This notion attracts hundreds of unfit teachers in India. The reform should start by encouraging talented and qualified teachers. It’s high time to realize that teaching is the most responsible job and this should be taken seriously.

It is necessary to upgrade the system with time. As this is the era of technology, why aren’t we trying to use them?

Another hindrance in our education system is reservation (creamy layer reservation). Reservation was coined as the short term solution in earlier days and we are still following! For the country to stand like a rock there should be equality in the education system. Reservation is not the solution; it’s the problem which needs a serious solution.

PS: This article is just an opinion and it’s not subjected to cause any harm/ offence/debate.

Sagara Doddamane- Ocean of Happiness

How to describe that feeling when the waves of an ocean come and touch your feet?  I would be more relaxed than before and when the wave recedes I feel fresh, energetic and confident. All the stress, tension will be taken away by the waves. What a beautiful feeling! I happened to experience the same when I visited Sagara. Sagara means Ocean is a city located in Shivamogga district. Sagara is about 360Kms from Bengaluru, located within the Western Ghats range and people of Sagara are the waves who have the capability of fixing you!

It was early morning of 24^th December when we reached Sagara. The rays of sun were breaking, heralding an awesome day ahead. We decided to explore a few places in and around Sagara. We visited Varadahalli which is believed to be the place where Shri Shridhara Swamy preached his devotees. Tranquillity around the temple premises had a calming effect on us. It was wonderful. After the darshanam we visited Keladi rameshwara temple. We were intricated by the architecture on the temple walls. From Keladi we headed towards Banavasi. The city is build around the famous Madhukeshwara Temple. Architecture on the walls of the temple is spellbinding and it’s a treat for the lovers of architecture. The main attraction is the 7 feet Nandi carved from a single stone. I was compelled by carvings of Amarashilpi Jakanachari. By admiring the rich heritage of Karnataka we headed back to Sagara to attend much anticipated ‘Doddamane’ function.

Madhukeshwara Temple

Varadahalli

7-foot Nandi

Doddamane is a 2-storey old vintage house built 100 years back where my ancestors were born and bought up. Sprawling around half an acre, the house features a hall, library, veranda to relax, bananti kone, Angala (it is an open air space apt for the evening gossips) etc,. The root of the family tree was Venkat Rao Bapat and the family tree began expanding beyond our imaginations. Few people got together and planned an event called ‘ದೊಡ್ಡಮನೆ ಶತಮಾನೋತ್ಸವ (Doddamane Centenary function)’ to bridge the connection between the extended families. I guess I am fortunate enough to have got an invite to such a great gathering.  It was a four day event and over 400 people were invited.

          

          Udakashanti was arranged at the premises of Doddamane. I learnt that the pooja is done for the peace and harmony in the house. People started filling Doddamane to participate in the pooja and also for the great reunion. Some of the faces were familiar and I was elated to see so many happy faces. Happiness went viral! I wish I could freeze that moment for a long long time. Family reunion creates strong and lasting bonds and also a deep sense of belonging.

Family heritage was kept alive in a display room which was similar to a museum. They had articulated all the old photos and some had also made collages. I was also surprised to find an art work made by my Mottiaaye (Grandmom) when she was 16! There were many antique items like conch (shankha), Kitchen utensiles,etc.

Next day was all about Chitpavani culture. All the ladies decided to dress up in a traditional 9 yard saree. Nath (nose ring) is a Maharastrian ornament which was worn by most of the women. It is woven with pearls and studded with pink or white stone in the middle. Maharastrian appearance of any women is incomplete without a ‘Chandra kor Bindi’.  All tied their hair in a round shape and adorned with antique bun pin. What a get up! For a moment I thought I was literally in Maharashtra. The culture and heritage of all the communities has its own importance and I am glad to have learnt more on Maharastrian culture.

            After the tiring morning it was time to lighten the mood. We gathered around Angala (30*30 open air seating) to get entertained. Music is the heart and soul of entertainment in our family! Power of music is unlimited. It had a soothing effect and music can take you to an unknown world where there is nothing but peace! The night was filled with great music, dance, drama and many more.

Family introduction and photo session was scheduled in Bapat convention hall the following day! Each family was called upon the stage and were introduced individually. I was surprised to see so many families on the stage! It takes great determination and courage to trace all the family members from the root and I would like to congratulate all the organizers for working so hard day and night to make this event memorable and a grand success! I am so sure that younger people like us would keep the ball rolling for the future generations! 

It is common for family members to lose connections with one another if they are not immediately related. This reunion helped me to reconnect with my long lost cousins, aunts, uncles or many more. Bonds are often re-strengthened, remembered and cherished during such reunions and also remind you to take a step back from your busy schedule and prioritize what is more important in life.

INTOLERAN- ENDS

What is Intolerance? According to the dictionary, Intolerance is unwillingness to accept the beliefs, behavior and blocking an individual from expressing his views! Some people in India feel that India is intolerant. I think these people fail to understand the very meaning of it. I feel proud to be an Indian as India is secular, democratic and republic country! Many countries wonder and feel so surprised that how can people with different culture and religion live in a single country! But they don’t know that we Indians have the capability to live and let live.

Unfortunately from past few months I am hearing the word Intolerance repeatedly! And I felt so sad that how can people who live in the same country call India Intolerant? Aren’t we degrading our own country by calling it so? Why should we give an opportunity for other country to speak about India? I think even many developed countries have their own issues but will they call their country intolerant?

In recent days I have seen the opposition party and film stars calling our nation Intolerant! I have also seen few politicians and super stars who appreciate people who call our country that! A true patriot wouldn’t encourage anyone who calls the country Intolerant irrespective of the party, gender or culture.

It is left to an individual to like or dislike the ruling party. But we are discriminating ourselves as BJP, CONGRESS, RJD Etc. Instead of fighting against a particular party or religion let us join hands and stand as one! When we all stand as one, the world looks bright and hopeful. Let us debate about innovations, science, discovery instead of fighting against government, caste, culture.

INDIA is our motherland. Let us not defame INDIA, let us celebrate INDIA!