WEDDING - SRINIVAS

31ST MAY 2013
MANGALORE

Close relation, Subramanya Rao (Subbu), invited us for the engagement of his son..... and we witnessed the occasion at Bangalore on 3rd May 2013. Again he and his wife visited us with the invitation for son's wedding, being held at Mangalore on 31st May 2013.
So we planned for a visit to ooru attend the weddings and other functions, left in the night bus to mangalore on 30th May. Went to another relation Ramesh-Shubhashree's house at Landlinks, Konchadi, early in the morning, as the bus reached there at 5 am.
We had bath and breakfast, and Ramesh dropped at the wedding hall at 11am. the host, Subbu Bhat was very happy that we attended and we were honoured with saree, pant & shirt pieces.

In the evening. we came to our ancestral birthi house, Salekeri  near Brahmavar and stayed there.

We also attended another wedding at Saraswathi Kalyana Mantap at Koteshwar on 3rd June 2013. That was wedding of Santhosh and Pradyumna. As usual, we had grand maduve Oota and left from the place.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

BJP LOSES IN KARNATAKA

It is very diffucult with fixed mindset people to change their opinion with changing events. We can say that  BJP has lost the elections, rather than congress had won. But they had only 2% increase in their vote share. It is also a fact that people were fed of BJP infighting and corruption, not that congress was their alternative, not the choice.. However, as the saying goes, "fighting between two people is the gain for the third person."
People are so short sighted that they do not see corruption taking place at the centre, with UPA Govt is completely controlled by the CONGRESS HIGH COMMAND. Any statement of the state congress MLA has to be vetted by the HIGH COMMAND....... MLA's going to Delhi and waiting for days to see the AICC President or Vice President...... to get a position in the Government.......Why not elected MLA's select leader of Congress Parliamentary Board  who will be the CM?? This High Command culture is too authoritarian and for selfish means. One may not be surprised if congress has manipulated Election Commission, as they have done for CBI.
UPA Government's corruption and black money is known only to small percentage of people,  not the voters in the rural areas. They are happy to receive Rs 1000 or Rs 500 for a vote. It is true also that Congress is a rich party and spent huge sums of money for election.
Even the appointment of ministers in Karnataka Governement is dicttated by the High Command, as can be seen by the appointment of K J George, non-kannadiga as Home Minister, to protect the minorities??
Some of the Government's policies are already becoming clear as,
1. Withdrawal of law agaiinst cow-slaughter,
2. Law to change the society structure to bring lower caste people in the place of upper caste, in the name of social justice
3. Taking over age old temples and religious mutts.
4. After almost 60 years of congress rule in the country, we are still talking about the basic amenities like water, roads, education and health for rural masses.

But Sanathana Dhrama is very very old and strong, it has withstood several onslaughts from muslim rulers and christian missionaries. It can not be disturbed by cheap politicians, who are only looking at vote bank, caste and creed.

ಕೊಳಲುಗಾನ, ಚಿತ್ರಯಾನ

4th May 2013

Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bengaluru

KOLALU GAANA, CHITRA YAANA..... the programe was at Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bengaluru on Saturday, 4th May 2013.
The artist were Praveen Godkindi on flute (Kolalu) and Baagooru Markandeya with art on canvas (Chitra)
There were three accompanying musicians also.
It's amazing see and hear how a person can be so talented..... by birth..... gift of God..... or learnt by hard work..... It was superb. Both the artists were performaing so easily, casually and Godkindi ....so meodiously on flute and Markandeya..... so comfortably on the canvas...... When flutist finishes one raaga, the artist finishes one piece of creation on the canvas..... that too also ..... so lively, as if the creation is coming out from the canvas...... may be it is the dancing pose of Radhe and Krishna or Krishna as taking care of cows...
It's realy lucky to witness such a wonderful program, rarely available.

LAHARI DANCE

APRIL 2013

JSS AUDITORIUM, BENGALURU

Lahari Bhat, just 6+ years had summer vacation activity for the month of April 2013. That was dance, including classical, cinematic and mix......
Children learn so fast, Lahari is the example...... Her performance at the closing ceremony of activity is simply superb and amazing.....  her movements, grace, facial expression shows tremandous potential.....
Her face is very fitting for a dancer.....

LAHARI

The performace was in JSS auditorium at Banashankari at Bangalore on 4th May 2013. The hall was crowded with parents snd the number of children was large...... All those participated in the Summer camp of Yuktha Academy and the regular students performed.  The program was till late night..... Children were kept waiting.....

However, that was a good performance.

SHASHANK- SHRITHI WEDDING

MAY 1, 2013

BHIMANAKONE, NEAR SAGARA

Shashank, energetic, enthusiastic young man, son of Late K G Narayan was scheduled to marry Shrathi on May 1, 2013 at Bhimana Kone, near Sagar, Shimoga Dist. So we traveled by bus  to Sagar on 30th April and reached Hongirana by 7 am next day.

Hongirana School of Excellence is headed by Shobha, d/o of late Brother B P Somayaji. School has developed in to a excellent place of learning in an excellent campus.

So, after the morning bath, breakfast proceeded to Kalyana matapa at Bhimana Kone, a short distance from the school. Usual rituals of wedding, Shashank and Shrathi became husband and wife. As usual, grand lunch follows.

Evening again, wedding celebrations follows with bride and the groom entering the house with pooja inside and outside the house, with rice and jaggery dropping in the house. Grand dinner follows. Bride and the groom enters the decorated bedroom.

Next day also BEEGARA OUTHANA with lot of people for aarthakshate and oota.

Returned to Bangalore in the night bus.
May 6, 2013

I VOTED TODAY

5TH MAY 2013

KENNETH GEORGE SCHOOL, BENGALURU

Today, 5th May 2013, Sunday, Karnataka State Legislative Assembly Elections.... It's once in five year exercise if the government survives......Voting is the right of every citizen of the country. Unfortunately, lately politics and politicians have made the system so bad that elite, educated and well meaning people do not seem to have any meaning ....... as the majority of uneducated rural area masses decide the result. People vote on the basis of caste, religion and affinity.  Forming a government is difficult as no single party comes to majority. Politicians also look for such a situations so that in a coalition government, they play a key role.

It;s Byatarayanapura Assembly Constituency and Krishna Byre Gowda of Congress is sitting MLA.
The venue of the voting place was Kenneth George English School, nearby in Bhuvaneshwari Nagar. There were 16 contestants with Krishna Byre Gowda from Congress party, A Ravi from BJP and Hanumanthe Gowda from JDS.
It was a peaceful and short exercise as there was not a big crowd. Voter's card was checked and a slip was given. Indelible ink was placed on one finger. Electronic Voting Machine had 16 names with their symbol. When the green button against the name is pressed one votes for that person. That's the end of voting.
Hope there will be reasonable and definite mandate from the people for a stable government.
Sunday May 5, 2013

WAY OF LIVING

Dressed up like ANJANEYA, accompanied by two musicians, one singer with harmonium, and other with tabla, going from house to house on streets....... singing bhajans......... you can see this in Bangalore....
The man is holding book on Ramayana..... Imagine how people think of different ways of earning a living......
You call it creative, laziness, or easy going ........

Apparently they expect a handsome amount of money, Rs 10, Rs 50 or sometimes they may get Rs 100 from a very considerate, orthodox people.....  If they visit about 80 to 100 houses in one morning, just one can think how much money they would have made, on the day of their outing on the streets......
That's  a WAY OF LIVING....... at least for some people...... happens only in India......
Wednesday, 24 April 2013

YUGADI 2013 GET-TOGETHER

21ST APRIL 2013

BIRTHIMANE, BENGALURU

The term “Ugadi” has its origin in the Sanskrit word “Yugadi”, that means ‘starting of a new Yuga or period’. It is the beginning of VIJAYA NAMA SAMVATSARA. This traditional festival is usually celebrated in the second half of March or in early April. People from all over Karnataka celebrate this festival with much enthusiasm and gaiety.
Ugadi marks a change in the lunar orbit as well as the beginning of the new Hindu lunar /solar calendar. It also heralds the advent of spring. Mother Nature awakes from her deep slumber to give birth to new plants and cover earth in a blanket of green. As spring accompanies new life on earth, this festival of New Year accompanies a feeling of joy, growth and prosperity. The nine day long spring festival of Vasanta Navratri begins on this day and concludes on Ramnavami.(19 April 2013) 
All the members of the family gather and pray together and seek blessings from the Almighty during Ugadi celebrations. It was on Sunday 21st April, we had get-together in Bengaluru Birthi Mane. 

We had elder brother Seetharama Somayaji, Senior member of the family and his wife, Sunanda, his daughters Usha, Sandhya and their husbands Suresh and Sadaram,  Dinesh Varambally his wife Rekha, daughter Samhitha,  another brother B P Somayaji's daughter Shyla and her husband Prof Uday Kumar and children, Anagha and Adithi, and sisters's grand children, Adarsh and Niranjan and in absentia, daughter Shubha, in-law Raghu and Lahari, and son Ravi and his wife Vidya in UK...... Food, as is the normal trend in all festivals, occupies an important place in this festival too. Special dishes are prepared and enjoyed by the people to mark the festival.

Special grand lunch was prepared by madam of the house  Nalini Somayaji, with oats luddu and Badam burfi as sweets. Every one had good times, Sadaram had good sleep after lunch, Suresh and youngsters enjoyed game of JENGA. where as ladies had their usual topics for discussion.
Monday, 22nd April 2013

BOOK - LIFE OF PI

The book "Life of Pi" written by Yann Martel, took a fairly long time to complete it. It's the winner of the Man Booker Prize award has been made into a 3-D film, directed by Ann Lee.
It's the story of One Boy, One Boat and One Tiger.....  after a tragic shipwreck, a solitary lifeboat is left at the mercy of the wild blue waters of the Pacific. It's story of endurance and survival of a sixteen-year old boy named Pi and a 450-pound Royal Bengal Tiger, called Richard Parker.
It is also the tale of adventure and friendship and finding courage in the most unexpected places.
The beginning of the book, the author spends lot of time analysing various religions, Hindu, Chrstian, Islam etc and the various food habits of people.
However, when the zoo animals are shipped to be transported Canada and the family also joins. Tragedy strikes in the sea and the ship sinks, except for few animals and Pi, rest perished.
Pi survives for 227 days in the hostile conditions
The books makes an interesting reading and the movie is excellent.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013

YEAR END PARTY

Children after completing their year end examinations are very much relived. But they have little discomfort only on the day of announcement of results. However, it's only short lived.  Very soon they are back to enjoying holidays.

To celebrate the end of the year, a party was organised for children coming to BIRTHI MANE  for tuition. There was fun, cake, chips...... music and dance. They enjoyed thoroughly .......
Happy holidays...... till next time......
March 29, 2013