Reflections and monsoon revival

This is story from 2023. After bleak August month, the monsoon showed signs of revival with daily rains in coast. Even though the intensity of rains were moderate, the daily rains were boon to native people. These rains serve as water storage for harsh summer months. Hope this year we don't experience erratic monsoon pattern!

Meanwhile, the reflection off the Jinkethimmanahalli during evening hours were fabulous. I captured few moments during sunset. Thanks to monsoon revival, plenty of clouds hovering slowly over the lake culminating in stunning reflection. As mentioned earlier, the weak monsoon revival made sure that winds were of low intensity which consequently resulted in zero ripples on lake surface!

Some sunset moments to wind up the day

The surrounding urban scape dwarfs the lake area which feels like large puddle. Authorities have planted nascent vegetation which hopefully thrives in future years. Lakes also has the potential of increasing ground water around area which is much needed water source for Bengaluru city.

DashCam Stories - The wrong siders

Its usual to see wrong siders riding on busy highway. Here is one which I captured near Kunigal while driving towards hometown. These bike riders don't even wear helmet and speeding in wrong-side of flyovers! This has become norm that if you loose path, take the wrong side route instead of taking next legal deviation. The problem is they speed even in wrong side. Even authorities cant do anything since they have political powers. We tax payers have no value in such cases. We pay road taxes, abide rules, pay tolls still any mishaps are counted as our fault :-(. Such incidents even though committed by wrong side drivers, ends up in blaming the larger vehicles by imposing false complaints of over speeding. To make situation worst, the affected parties demand hefty compensation even though its their mistake. Sometimes they mutilate vehicle throwing all legalities to air. Hence every private car owner now fits vehicle with dashcam to show some proof when needed. 

The solution is to drive smoothly but to what extent. Who expects that places like fly-overs will have wrong siders? If it was intersection or designated deviation, its safe to assume that there are brusque turners. In case of flyovers like the one I encountered, there is not even buffer space to maneuver the vehicle to safe area in case of head on. Only god can save us since cops also are also are in favor of locals :-(.

Exploring Lakes around Bengaluru East! - Jinkethimmanahalli Lake

Its been 8 months since we moved to Bengaluru East. It has been hardest adieu to Bengaluru North due to obvious reasons. North were close to our heart from many angles. Be it nativity, close to lakes, close to weekend getaways, local shops, parks and many more. Time and situation steered us to Bengaluru East and we had tough time adapting to the area. More of non traditional area, water issues, narrow roads were of major concern. Finding good doctors for kids also took some time. Once we settled down on major aspects, the other hunting was for recreational purpose. Basically we needed a lake to refresh our evening and rejoice in nature.

On my frequent bike rides, I found couple of lakes. One was vast but poorly maintained. The lake was stinking with sewage and no water. Ultimately we settled for Jinkethimmanahalli Lake which was under renovation. The lake is tiny (can be called as pond as well) and surrounded by urban scape. This doesn't give a true feel of lake due to dense urban structure surrounding it. A lump of hard rocks are piled up inside lake where birds rest after heavy day. Commonly I have seen grey heron, spot billed ducks and grebes. Despite being surrounded by sparse trees, this place was the only clean option for evening walk. The periphery was around 800m covered with rock soil to prevent slush formation during rains. Being under renovation, the lake is neat and clean. Hope the maintenance lasts longer.

August month of 2023 was our first visit. The clouds were sparse thanks to poor monsoon show during August. The wind was gentle indicating weak monsoon phase. Weak winds ensued zero ripples which  allowed clouds to reflect off lake  The stray clouds added magic during sunset. Here are pictures from visit

The buildings blemishes the overall scenes. That's how city life is. We have to live with it. Still the large clouds, scenic sunset added wonderful colors to overall scene!

The lone coconut tree was subject of interest overall for photographing! Not sure when that would be beheaded. Hopefully not :-(

ಚಿತ್ರ ಬರಹ - ವ್ಯಾನಿಟಿ ನೈ೦ಟಿ : Photo Blog - Vanity Ninety

ಈ ಬರಹ ಕನ್ನಡ - ಆಂಗ್ಲದ ಸಮ್ಮಿಲನ ಎಂದರೂ ತಪ್ಪಾಗದು. ಎರಡನ್ನೂ ಆನಂದಿಸುತ್ತೀರಾ ಎಂದು ಅಂದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇನೆ :-). ಆದರೂ ಕನ್ನಡದಷ್ಟು ಸೊಗಸಾಗಿ ಆಂಗ್ಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆಯಲಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ ಎಂದು ಮೊದಲೇ ಒಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತೇನೆ. ಅದರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ವಾದ-ವಿವಾದಗಳು ಬೇಡ :-)

ಇದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ನಮ್ಮೆಲ್ಲರ ಆರೋಗ್ಯಕರ ನೈ೦ಟಿ, ನಿಮ್ಮ ನೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಅಮಲಿನ ನೈ೦ಟಿ  ಅಲ್ಲ!

ನಮ್ಮ ಗೃಹ ಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳ ವ್ಯಾನಿಟಿ  ಬ್ಯಾಗ್-ನಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ೯೦ml ಬಾಟಲ್ ಯಾವಾಗಲೂ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ. ಅರೆರೆ ಏನು ಚುನಾವಣೆ ಮುಗಿತು ಮತ್ತೆ ಶುರು ಹಚ್ಕೊಂಡ್ರ ಅಂದ್ಕೋಬೇಡಿ. ನಾವು ಅಂತವರಲ್ಲ. ತುರ್ತಾಗಿ ನೀರು ಬೇಕೆಂದರೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಡದಿಯ ವ್ಯಾನಿಟಿ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನೈ೦ಟಿml ನೀರು ಗ್ಯಾರಂಟಿ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ (ನಮ್ಮ ಮುಂದಿನ ಸರಕಾರದ ನಂಬಲಾಗದ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿ ಭಾಗ್ಯದ ತರ ಅಲ್ಲ!). ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಇದು ನಮಗೆ  emergency ಸಂರಕ್ಷಕ ಎಂದರೂ ತಪ್ಪಾಗದು! ಹೊರಗಡೆ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ತಿಂಡಿ ಖಾರ ಆದರೆ, ಗಂಟಲು ಹಿಡಿದುಕೊಂಡರೆ, ತಕ್ಷಣವೇ ಪರಿಹಾರ ಈ ವ್ಯಾನಿಟಿ ನೈ೦ಟಿ. ವ್ಯಾನಿಟಿ ಅಂದರೆ ಬೇಡದೆ ಇರೋದು  ಅಂತಾ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಮೇಡಂ ಬ್ಯಾಗನ್ನು ವ್ಯಾನಿಟಿ ಎನ್ನದೆ ಬಹುಪಯೋಗಿ ಎನ್ನಬಹುದೇ?

This post is fusion of Kannada and English. I hope you enjoy both the literature. Since I am not well-versed in English, the write-up will not be appealing like Kannada one. Hopefully, to some extent, standard is met! So do not indulge in arguments :-)

Let me start! This ninety is healthy, not your favorite one ;-)

Our home minister's vanity bag contains permanently 90ml bottle. Do not be astonished, its not the post election celebration. We are not drunkards. This bottle is purely for emergency water needs. The 90ml is guaranteed to be filled (not like our future government's uncertain freebies). Therefore, it would be wise to call this healthy 90ml bottle as emergency savior! When kids eat spicy food outside, during throat dryness, the instant relief is this 90ml bottle. Vanity means useless things but our madam's bag can be termed as resourceful? 

DashCam Stories - Bullying Bullet Tanker

Shirady Ghat highway is known for apathy of roads. Its been civilizations since the prime road connecting Bengaluru to port city Mangaluru has seen permanent solution. The people representatives are pathetic and contractors are lethargic. Currently, four lane construction ongoing from Sakaleshapura to Maranahalli spanning 15kms. The lethargic contractor has dug to an extent producing sharp edges along the periphery of remaining road. I dread to write them as roads because there is only dust here. Roads are mirage for the commuters.

This is clip from dashcam of bullying bullet tanker who is climbing up the ghats. These tankers are laden with petroleum products and barely have pickup up the ghats. On top their snail's climb, this guy is forcibly overtaking the front tanker and thus pushing our life to threat. I had to completely stop car from long distance to provide room for this monster. I feel pity about these irresponsible drivers who outright halt their operations when strict laws are enforced by government. I understand that if he slows down, the pickup gets affected and it may thwart the momentum of truck. But at what cost? Bullying to crush the lives of commoners? These are owned by highly influential people who save the driver's fault illegally. Hence the drivers swag their rash driving skills and threaten the normal people who drive on roads. Hope the road works are expedited and people can have relief from these bullying trucks :-(

Shirady ghat highway is more of curse for regular commuters on this route. The second curse is the mighty trucks wobbling through winding dreadful road. It is of distant dream that this route ever be motorable permanently :-(

WhatsApp ಗುಡ್-ಮಾರ್ನಿಂಗ್!

ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ವಾಟ್ಸಾಪ್ ಗುಂಪುಗಳು ಇರುವುದೇ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಸುಪ್ರಭಾತ ಸಂದೇಶ ಕಳಿಸಲು ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಬಾರಿ ಈ ಗುಡ್-ಮಾರ್ನಿಂಗ್ ಸ್ಪಾಮ್ ಇಂದಾಗಿ ಬೇಕಾಗಿರುವ ಸಂದೇಶಗಳು ಮಿಸ್ ಆಗುವುದು ನೋಡಿದ್ದೇವೆ. ಗುಡ್-ಮಾರ್ನಿಂಗ್ ಸಂದೇಶಗಳು ಹೇಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ ಅಂದರೆ ಸೂರ್ಯ ಬರೋಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಮುಂಚೆನೇ ವಕ್ಕರಿಸುತ್ತವೆ. ನನ್ನಂತವರು ಸೂರ್ಯ ಪ್ರಕಾಶ ಬೀರುವ ನಂತರವೇ ಅಂತರ್ಜಾಲ ಆನ್ ಮಾಡುವುದರಿಂದ ನನಗೆ ಅಷ್ಟೊಂದು ಮೆಸೇಜ್-ಗಳು ಪ್ರಭಾವ ಬೀರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ ಗುಡ್-ಮಾರ್ನಿಂಗ್ ಸಂದೇಶಗಳು ತುಂಬಿ ತುಂಬಿ ಕೊನೆಗೆ ವಾರದ ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಗ್ರೂಪ್ ಚಾಟ್ ಗಳನ್ನೂ ಡಿಲೀಟ್ ಮಾಡುವುದೇ ಕೆಲಸವಾಗಿಬಿಟ್ಟಿದೆ!

ಬೇಗ ಏಳಲೆಂದು ಮಡದಿ ಮೊಬೈಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಅಲಾರ್ಮ್ ಹಚ್ಚುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ನನಗೆ ಅದರಿಂದ ನಿದ್ದೆ ಕೆಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೂ ಉಂಟು. ನಾನೂ ಅದೇ ಸಮಯಕ್ಕೆ ಏಳುವುದ್ದಾದರೂ ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ರಜಾ ದಿನಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅದನ್ನು ಆಫ್ ಮಾಡಲು ಮರೆತಿರುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಆ ದಿನ ನಿದ್ರಾಭಂಗವಾದರೆ ತಲೆ ಕೆಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗುವುದುಂಟು! ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಹೇಳಿಯೇ ಬಿಟ್ಟೆ "ನಿನಗ್ಯಾಕೆ ಅಲಾರ್ಮ್ ಮಾರಾಯ್ತಿ! ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ ಏಳಿಸಲು ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಿ ಮುಹೂರ್ತದ ಪವಿತ್ರ ಗುಡ್-ಮಾರ್ನಿಂಗ್ ವ್ಯಾಟ್ಸಾಪ್ ಸಂದೇಶಗಳು ಬರುತ್ತವೆ. ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಡಾಟಾ ಆನ್ ಮಾಡಿ ನೋಟಿಫಿಕೇಶನ್ ಕೇಳಿಸಿದರೆ ಆಯ್ತು. ಎಚ್ಚರ ಆಗಿ ಬಿಡುತ್ತೆ. ಹಲವಾರು ಮಂದಿ ಐದೈದು ನಿಮಿಷ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಕಲಿಸುವುದರಿಂದ, snooze  ಕೂಡಾಅದರಲ್ಲೇ ಅಂತರ್ಗತವಾಗಿದೆ ಕೂಡಾ! ನಿನ್ನನು ಎಬ್ಬಿಸಲು ಸಾಕು.  ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಅಲಾರ್ಮ್ ಅಂತಾ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಕಿರಿಕಿರಿ ಯಾಕೆ" ಎಂದಿದ್ದೆ ತಡ ಮಡದಿ ಮುಖ ಸಿಂಡರಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೋದಳು.

ಗುಡ್-ಮಾರ್ನಿಂಗ್ ಸಂದೇಶಗಳೇನೂ ಕಡಿಮೆಯಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಅಲಾರ್ಮ್ ಕೂಡಾ ಬಂದ್ ಆಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಬಿಡಿ ಬೆಳಗ್ಗೆ ಬೇಗ ಏಳುವುದರಿಂದ ಇಂತಹ ಸುಂದರವಾದ ಸೂರ್ಯೋದಯವನ್ನು ಸವಿಯುವ ಭಾಗ್ಯವಿದೆ ನೋಡಿ!

Last Sunset reflection at Amruthahalli Lake

Amruthahalli lake was the easiest and nearest unwinding spot we had during our stay at Hebbal. Every evening was joyful just within foot distance. Not only from birding point of view but also from nature POV, we witnessed stunning reflections during evening hours. The lake was recently renovated or desilted thanks to elections. The elected representatives flaunt service from tax payers money as their own achievement. That's irony all around world. Nevertheless, couple of rains post desilting filled the lake with clear water and thus resulting in crisp reflection. Perhaps, proper buffer zones would have accentuated beauty of lake further. Thats not happening due to scams. So let's enjoy whatever is visible. This was captured last year before we moved to new location within Bengaluru city. I miss the moments cherished in this lake which was thriving with aquatic birds the time I payed last visit

I should have renamed title as "Last seen" instead of outright "Last". But there are reasons why I call it last seen. First of all, we are not sure if we would relocate back to nearby area. Second one is pessimistic but yet important, I am confident that high raise apartments would completely block the sunset view in future!

ನಾನೇ ರಾಜಕುಮಾರ!

ವಿಸ್ಮಯಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡಲು ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟವಾದ ಜಾಗಕ್ಕೆ ತೆರಳಬೇಕೆಂದಿಲ್ಲ. ಪಕ್ಕದ ಬೀದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅಡ್ಡಾಡಿದರೆ ಸಾಕು ಹಲವು ವೈಶಿಷ್ಟ್ಯಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣಬಹುದು. ಎಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲೋ ವಿಶೇಷತೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನನಗೆ, ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ವರ್ಷಗಳಿಂದಷ್ಟೇ ಜ್ಞಾನೋದಯವಾಗಿದ್ದು. ಅಂತೆಯೇ, ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಸುಧಾರಿಸಿದ್ದೇನೆ ಅನ್ನಲೂಬಹುದು!

ಇಂದು ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಶಾಲೆಗೆ ಬಿಡುವ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡು ಬಂದ ದೃಶ್ಯ. ಸಮಯ ಮೀರಿದ್ದರಿಂದ, ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ಕಿಸಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ವಾಪಸ್ ಬರುವಾಗ ಮಹಾರಾಜರು ಅದೇ ಪೀಠದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸೀನರಾಗಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ಕಿಸಲು ಸಮಯ ಪಕ್ವವಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಮಹಾರಾಜರು ಕೂಡಾ ತಾಳ್ಮೆಯಿಂದ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ಕಿಸಲು ಬಿಟ್ಟರು. ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರ! ಸೂರ್ಯನನ್ನೇ ದುರುಗುಟ್ಟಿ ರಾಜಕುಮಾರನಂತೆ ನೋಡಿತ್ತಿತ್ತು.

ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಬೀದಿ ನಾಯಿಗಳೇ ರಾಜಕುಮಾರರು. ಎಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡಿದರೂ ಅವುಗಳದ್ದೇ ದರ್ಬಾರು. ರಾತ್ರಿಯಂತೂ ಅವುಗಳನ್ನು ಕಂಡರೆ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಭಯ ಯಾಕೆಂದರೆ ಅವುಗಳ ಫ್ಯಾನ್ಸ್- ಗಳಿಂದಾಗಿ! ಮನುಷ್ಯರಿಗೇನಾದರೂ ಪರ್ವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ, ನಾಯಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಏನು ತೊಂದರೆಯಾಗಕೂಡದು. ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಬಾರಿ ಮಧ್ಯರಾತ್ರಿಯ ಅವುಗಳ ಯುದ್ಧ-ಘರ್ಜನೆಯ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ನಿದ್ದೆಯೇ ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ . ಆದರೂ ಸಹಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು. ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಜನ ಸತ್ತರೂ ಅವುಗಳೇ ನಿರಪರಾಧಿಗಳು. ಏನು ಮಾಡೋದು ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಕಲಿಯುಗ, ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಕಾಲ. ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ಬುದ್ಧಿಯಿರುವ ಮನುಷ್ಯನೇ ಸಹಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಬೇಕು.  ಒಂತರಾ ದೇಶದ ಅಲ್ಪಸಂಖ್ಯಾತರಂತೆ. ಕಚ್ಚಿದರೂ, ಓಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡರು ಬಂದರೂ, ಅವುಗಳು ಶಾಂತಿದೂತರು ಮತ್ತು ನಿರಪರಾಧಿಗಳು!

ಪುಣ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಮಹಾನುಭಾವರು ಉದ್ವೇಗಗೊಳ್ಳಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಬಹುಶಃ ಚರ್ಮರೋಗದಿಂದಾಗಿ ಸೂರ್ಯನ ಬೆಳಕಿಗೆ ಮೈಯೊಡ್ಡಿರಬೇಕು. ತೋಚಿದ್ದು ಬರೆದೆ ಅಷ್ಟೇ ನೋಡಿ. ನಥಿಂಗ್ ಪರ್ಸನಲ್!

Maiden visit to Central Tiffin Room (CTR), Malleshwaram

Heard lot about the CTR restaurant from social media and relatives, its taste, uniqueness of Masala Dosay and filter coffee. This is one of the highly rated restaurants of Bangalore where getting seat even normal day expects standing in queue beforehand. I do not know if its hype or realistic but today I had an opportunity to savor the delicacies here at Malleshwaram.

We had few engagements at Malleshwaram and time consuming one. The humdrum finally ended at 9PM and I was especially famished after long break from lunch. We unanimously decided to conclude our day at CTR.

The restaurant would be closing at 9:30PM. It was 8:30PM which means there was sufficient room left to enjoy the dosays. The rush was nominal perhaps due to closing hours. We comfortably found seats without wait time and ordered Goli Baje and Masala dose.

The Goli Baje was tasty with coconut scattered inside. The bite of coconut which few people love and other hate :-D. The chutney quality was good but not special. The golibaje was fatty but bit oily. Still not the original golibaje of coastal Karnataka where we can feel the tinge of sourness from curd.

The next item was much awaited Benne Masale Dosay. The first cut revealed too much greasy on hand. The quantity of palya was average but good in taste. The dosay batter seems to have been mixed with maida since we felt the fluffiness. Overall I was disappointed and all the hypes I found worthless. 

The best part was filter coffee! The coffee was strong and excellent. That offset the disappointment we had so far.

Unfortunately, digital payments are not honored. Despite the digital age, the establishment only accepts cash even today!

To conclude, not that exciting dosay which I was anticipating. Almost matches with Vidyarthi Bhavan. We prepare better than this at home (sorry for being smug) and also eat 4 numbers. Having just one number in hotel filled up our tummy instantly which may be due to soda as ingredient. My feedback does not resonate with  the general public opinion. Blog is personal opinion based on the items had and not to tarnish establishment . Since there is always a large crowd outside, I believe majority of them do enamor dosay and golibaje here!

PROS

• Quick delivery of items
• Antique ambiance
• Filter Coffee is excellent

CONS

• Greasy dosay which overly sticks to palm (personal opinion)
• Golibaje is average
• Crowded place.
• No digital payment
• Parking is big issue if you plan visit in four wheeler

If you ask me when will visit next, I would say never on my own! If there are sponsors, I will consider :-)