THIRUMALA BECKONS
Lord Balaji’s abode on top of the Thirumala Mountains is a place of sheer beauty to behold and a magnificent spot to visit. He is considered to be one of the richest of Gods and, how such a fantastic layout was created is something worth wondering about. As the TTD (Thirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam) buses, piloted by expert drivers, wind their way up the road, one can see steep mountains on the right and deep gorges to the left. The upward journey takes around 45 minutes and, on the way, we can also see private vehicles stranded, panting for breath as it were, apart from pilgrims trudging their way up a path built specially for such devotees who prefer to foot it to  the top rather than use mechanized transport. The downward journey is even more exciting as the bus has to negotiate more than 75 hair pin bends. One has to, literally, hold on to the seat as well as his breath.
My first visit to this place was when I had gone to attend a training program in our Organization’s Staff College in Bangalore.
It was a three week affair and, with a couple of Sundays coming in between, I decided to utilize one of these for this visit. A colleague of mine agreed to accompany me. Therefore, the two of us took one of those conducted package tours that are so popular in South India. If I remember correctly, the total package was of 24 hours duration and the charge was Rs 35.00 in a Luxury Video coach. This cost included up and down travel, rest for an hour or so in a hotel in Tirupathi for freshening up, breakfast, darshan of the Lord and lunch.
I was quite impressed by my first visit. So, the next year, I decided to go it alone.
On this second visit, I met a retired gentleman who resides in the USA with his son and returns to India every year to visit the Lord.
That set me thinking.
If someone can come all the way from USA to perform this annual pilgrimage, why can’t I, living in India? And, I did it including the tonsuring.
The ritual of tonsuring has its own special significance. Before going for His darshan, it is customary for the individual to shave off his hair. It is not mandatory but is normally done – by both men and women! The logic behind this is – the hair is supposed to add to ones beauty. By sacrificing it at the feet of the Lord, one sacrifices his ego and faces the Lord in all humility. In the sanctum sanctorum, He is supreme. The long winding journey through a maze of barricades to have His darshan is an experience by itself and the actual darshan, a fulfillment of ones long cherished desire!
I have had the pleasure of undertaking this pilgrimage for twelve consecutive years and, by His blessings, I have not missed a single year. I have seen Bangalore flourish, I have seen Tirupathi’s improvements, the package deal today costs nearly ten times more – but, the hills of Thirumala remain like Lord Balaji – as sound and as solid as ever. The hills beckon me even today!
HIGH FLYING HYDERABAD
Situated in the Eastern part of the country, Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Also known as the cyber city, it has attracted MNCs as no other city has done in the recent past, thanks to the lead taken by the Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu. He even introduced the concept of e-governance. The high degree of commitment in the methods of governance in Andhra Pradesh can best be illustrated by a recent news item in one of the local language dailies. The A. P. Government plies around 20,000 buses for commuting passengers and are able to show substantial profits. On the other hand, a neighboring which runs only 1100 buses has to survive on Government subsidies!! Whereas the AP buses earn Rs 25.00 per bus on an investment of one liter of diesel, its neighbor can earn only Rs 11.00. On an average, there are seven workers per AP bus whereas in the second case, there are as many as ten.
Despite such situations, the heated debate continues to rage unabated over which Southern city offers more options to an investor. Whilst one city boasts of a temperate climate throughout the year, the other does not have to face disputes of sharing the river waters. Whilst one is proud of its idli and dosa, the other has its expertise in Moghlai cuisine like biryani.
I was fortunate to visit Hyderabad briefly in 1999 – out of my three day’s stay, I managed to squeeze in one day for a local sightseeing tour of the city conducted by the ITDC. The program started at 9 in the morning from the Hussein Sagar Lake, located in the heart of the city. Famous for an enormous statue of Lord Buddha located right in the centre of the Lake, the venue hosts different types of water sports.
In the course of the day long tour, we managed to take in the Golconda Fort, Char Minar, Zoological gardens and Salar Jung Museum apart from some shopping outlets, especially of Hyderabadi pearls!
The Golconda Fort is a marvel of a monument – the remnants of the drainage and sanitation systems one sees on top of the mountain, built for the exclusive use of the Badshah and his begums are architectural wonders. Similar to the acoustics and ventilation systems present even today throughout the dilapidated fort! One wonders at the engineering knowledge and expertise that were available to our ancestors.
The Salar Jung Museum, like any other museum houses hundreds of exhibits but the most outstanding of these is the full size statue of a girl draped in a wet costume revealing each and every curve of her body carved out of a single piece of stone. The wrinkles and creases are so prominent and natural looking that you may, for a moment, take them for real! Hats off to the sculptor who had produced such a wonderful specimen of artistic work. The second out-of-the-world exhibit is the musical clock that chimes the hour. Seconds before the hour, a tiny mechanical doll comes into view carrying a hammer. Exactly at the hour, it lifts the hammer, strikes the hour and retreats into its den in the rear!! A unique creation that has stood the test of time.
The latest addition to the must see spots of Hyderabad is the Ramoji Film City.
Built on the lines of Disneyland, it is spread over a large expanse of land measuring approximately 2500 acres and offers facilities for the shooting of films and TV serials. It boasts of surroundings that bear striking resemblances to actual foreign locations! The setup also provides special package tours for honeymooners.
A trip to Hyderabad would be incomplete without a trip to Ramoji Film City.
THE GARDEN CITY
The first time I came to Bangalore was way back in 1975.
I had gone on TD to a nearby Air force base where I received the message about an interview in our Head Office in Bangalore. Immediately, I returned home, repacked my bags and, due to shortage of time, decided to travel by road. Accordingly, I came to the CBS (Central Bus Station) and boarded a bus for Pune. The bus dropped me in Shivajinagar from where I took an auto rickshaw to Swar Gate. Long distance buses normally leave from here. By the time I could gulp down some food to keep my machine in running condition, I spotted a bus about to leave for Hubli. Hubli was en-route Bangalore so I got up, boarded the bus and was pleasantly surprised to find only a handful of passengers. It was an uneventful journey and, early next morning, I took a bus from Hubli for my final destination – Bangalore. This last lap of the journey was miserable for me because the bus was jam packed, I did not get to sit and the crowd understood only the local dialect!
It must be remembered that the period was in 1975 when, even in Bangalore city proper, those who could not interact in the local dialect were viewed with suspicion. However, all said and done, I landed in Bangalore bus terminus towards evening and rushed to the first available hotel in sight in Chikpet. A room with attached bath and toilet was mine for a daily rental of Rs 8.00.
The sprawling bus terminus that one sees today was not even on the drawing board of the city bigwigs! Neither was Majestic and its hustle and bustle. The space in front of the railway station was a huge water hole surrounded by corrugated tin sheets!!
Over the last thirty years, the city has transformed dramatically.
Affectionately called as the Silicon Valley of India, ,it has attracted foreign investments unparalleled in recent times. Another Southern city, one of Bangalore’s close competitors, apparently lost out due to lack of adequate infrastructure.
During this 30 year period, I have had quite a number of opportunities to visit this wonderful city. My family and I have fallen in love with it. Making Bangalore as the base, we have traveled to various Southern destinations like Mysore, Ooty and Sravanbelagola. And – of course – we have never missed the conducted tours of the city proper. Shopping in the Cauvery Emporium for genuine sandalwood products, bargaining in Chikpet for Mysore silk saris, strolling aimlessly on Brigade Road or getting an overview of Ulsoor Lake – your time flies. A highly conservative city where non vegetarianism was taboo today offers innumerable varieties of fish, chicken, mutton and egg dishes. Hindi and English are the link languages. The city of idli-dosa has embraced chana—bhatura with equal ease. This itself speaks volumes for Bangaloreans.
I came here last in December 2002. A flower show was on in the glass house in Lalbagh. It was an unforgettable experience. The sheer variety of flowers and plants on display was mind blogging. The city really deserves its name - the Garden city.
ON DUTY IN DELHI
The visit to Delhi in 1986-87 will remain etched in my memory forever because of a number of reasons.
I had just earned a promotion a few months earlier and was suddenly deputed to participate in an investigation at an Air Force base near Delhi. A Russian specialist would do the investigation; my role was that of a co-coordinator. In those days there used to be a direct flight from Nasik to Bombay – hardly a half an hour flight in a turboprop aircraft. I was authorized to escort the Russian specialist right from Nasik to Delhi and back. I was given to understand that it would be a couple of day’s affair. So, I dumped an additional set of clothes in my attaché and boarded the aero plane. We left Nasik at around 11 in the morning, had our lunch in Bombay and arrived at New Delhi airport in the evening at around eight. It was the middle of summer and 8 pm in Delhi in summer is difficult to tolerate. However, a car was waiting to pick us up. Dropping the Russian at his Hotel Vikram, I went to our Guest House in the Asiad village.
Next morning I picked up my companion from his hotel and, we went to the Air Headquarters for the necessary discussions with Air Force Officers before proceeding to the bases for actual on-the-spot studies. The discussions went on for the better part of the day – as a result, the planned visit to the base did not materialize on the first day. We just drew up an action plan, obtained our entry passes (since we would be entering restricted areas) and dispersed.
The next day, after breakfast, I picked up the specialist and left for Hindon. Situated on the outskirts of New Delhi, it was about an hour’s journey. The car we were traveling in was driven by a young man around twenty years of age. In his enthusiasm to, reach Hindon as early as possible, his foot was always pressed hard on the accelerator and, in order to get the right of way, he would put on the headlights whenever he wanted to overtake the car ahead! All this was too much for my companion. He was terrified. He implored me in broken English to request the driver to control his urge to over speed. ‘I have a little daughter at home,’ he said. ‘I want to go back to her in one piece!’ I relayed his sentiments to the driver who nodded and, did lower the speed – but, only for a few minutes. Again his feet trod on the accelerator….
In this fashion we were forced to spend nearly one month at Delhi shuttling between the Air Force bases at Hindon and Chandigarh and back to Air Headquarters.
My condition was miserable. With only two sets of clothes at my disposal, I was compelled to send one set to the cleaners daily since, the summers in Delhi are noted for perspiration also!! I also ran out of money and had to borrow from our Liaison office, to be adjusted against my final traveling expenses. By the time the investigations were over and we landed back in Bombay, we were both famished. We had some light refreshments at the airport and took a cab straight to our township.
Subsequently, I have visited Delhi a number of times – mostly in January to attend meetings with our Russian counterparts. During these visits, I took time off to take advantage of the local tours conducted by the Tourism development Corporation. But, the memories of that first visit will never be erased from my memory. I still hear the trembling voice of the Russian – ‘I have a little daughter at home,’ he said. ‘I want to go back to her in one piece!’
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