VISIT TO NATIVE PLACE - Part 1

To attend wedding, music program, pooja program, we had to make a week long visit to the native place, we call it "Ooru", i.e.,  Birthi, Salekeri, Brahmavar and around . The place is about 425 km from Bengaluru and a drive of 8-9 hours.

We scheduled our program from 27th Dec 2016 to 1st January 2017 and to go by car, with Rishi, Mom and our pet "Seena", the beagle dog.

Day One : 27th Dec. Tuesday - Leave from house BirthiMane, BhuvaneshwariNagar Bengaluru,  at 6 am and stopped at Osooru restaurant, near Sakaleshpur, after driving a distance of about 200 km for breakfast. After eating some idli, dosa and coffee left at 11 am.

Drive the Shiiradi Ghat

Next was driving through Shiradi Ghat,  a stretch of 15 km of bad road and reached Mangaluru at 1.30 pm and landed at ShubhaRamesh house at LandLinks, Konchadi for lunch.

Seena enjoying long drive in the car

with ShubhaRamesh at Mangaluru

After a short rest visited Padakannayas, only to find out that he passed away on 19th Nov. after low blood count and weakness. He was 85 years and worked in various places like Ethiopia, SieraLeone, The Gambia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe. He was the person helped me to secure a teaching position in Methodist Girls High School,FreeTown, SieraLeone, West Africa way back in 1971.  His wife Vasanthi alone at home, recovering the from shock of her husband's death.
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.
Their children, Shama and Kishan married and living in US.
We left from there around 4pm and reached Udyavara and spent some time and reached Birthi, Salekeri. my childhood home. My attige (elder brother B P Somayaji's wife) Leela, was very unhappy with our Seena, the dog being taken there. After a little drama, we decided to keep the dog in Udyavara, the next morning.

Day 2, 28th Dec. Wednesday: After bath, pooja and breakfast we left from the house with the dog to Udyavara and from there proceeded to KujaruGiri Temple for Chandika Homa program arranged by Shubha-Raghu. (By performing this Homa, one can invoke energy of Goddess Durga and  with her blessings one can gain strength and power to face and solve all problems of life),

at KunjaruGiri Temple.

After the grand lunch at the temple premises, we visited Rajendra and his family, who is the manager in the temple.

"Shudra Tapaswi" Tulu Drama

Later in the evening we went to watch Tulu Drama, "Shudra Tapaswi" (see a separate blog) at M G M Coollge, Udupi ( which was my college during my graduation years 1964 - 68) along with Vishala Keshava Bhat. After which we returned to Birthi house.

Day 3, 29th Dec. Thursday: After the morning rituals ( Bath, pooja and breakfast) went to visit SMS English Medium School, Brahmavar, (School of student population about 2400) where my niece Abhilasha is the Principal, spent some time.

at SMS English Medium School, Brahmavar

Met Suares and his wife Victoria at their house for a short time in Uppinakote, came home proceeded to Anegudde Temple for darshan and lunch with mom sisters, Rishi. and Ramkrishna.

at Anegudde & HariHara Temple.@ Kumbhasi

On our way back, visited Narayana Shabaraya and family at Perampalli and visited Beeji Mohandas and his wife in their beautiful home in Manipal and spent some time with memories of Dubai years.

with Shabraya family and rheir cows at Perampalli

with Beeji Mohandas family at Manipal

We returned to Birthi and I alone went to attend wedding reception of Michel's son at Brahmavar,

Wedding reception at Brhmavar

After dinner returned to Garadimane with Dinesh Kumar and slept there.

To be continued in Part 2

Written on Thursday 5th Jan 2017