Hues of Karnataka!

My friends, particularly those on "Blogit" may remember that I was working on a guidebook of Karnataka....well, it's finally been published, and available at these links: For Amazon, please use: http://www.guidegecko.com/karnataka-app.kindle For Apple iBooks, please use: http://www.guidegecko.com/karnataka-app.ibook On iTunes, http://www.guidegecko.com/iphone-app.html http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hues-of-karnataka-nita-mukherjee/1113533368?ean=9789810741686 Do check it out!

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Back to the wild....yet again!

Divali was the ideal time to escape to the peace and beauty of the jungles--K.Gudi and Bandipur of course, as my friends know! So I will not repeat the details, but just give you brief account of the memorable 4 days! A comfortable Volvo bus to Mysore, then by cab to K.Gudi, to be given a warm welcome by our old friend, naturalist Lokesh. The time before lunch was spent enjoying the sight of a tusker Sriram being bathed in the adjacent pond! Soon, we met the manager Ashish, who had taken a group of visitors to see a local tribal village. It was interesting to hear that he is an engineer by profession, but shifted careers to pursue his passion--wildlife. He has a site, www.livingintothewild.com, dedicated to the wild denizens of K.Gudi! The safaris with Lokesh and Ashish were enjoyable as usual, though most of the animals stayed away, due to the steady and intermittent drizzle. Ashish and the veteran driver, Thapa (who I mentioned in the last post) showed us a number of bird species on the big gulmohur tree in the resort. On the second day, Lokesh took us to the Ranganathaswamy temple atop the hill, the Soliga tribal village and the medicinal plants nursery adjacent to the forest department office. It was an immensely enriching day--and very encouraging to see the progress in the village. The 2 nights at K.Gudi passed all too soon, and we set off for Bandipur, where the rain dogged our footsteps! This time we stayed at the Bison cottage, the last one on the edge, and enjoyed the solitude. Once again, we met Sunita Dhairam, who I've written about earlier, (and who had painted the bison, apart from the other cottages!) and were once again awestruck by the incredible service she does for humans and animals alike. The safaris with Basavanna were enjoyable, though here too the animals chose to remain invisible, except the most gorgeous peacock, who remained motionless as our jeep stopped next to him! The other interesting episode Basavanna releasing a cobra near the dam; he had caught it earlier near his home! The 2 days again passed too soon, and we were back at Mysore, boarding a bus back to the chaotic and drab city. Till the next trip!

Happy New Year from Bangalore!

"Happy New Year" is a refrain you will hear in India throughout the year....every state has its own New year! Today is UGADI in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and GUDI PADWA in the western state of Maharashtra.

Ugadi is being celebrated in Bangalore (capital of Karnataka) with the traditional decorations, new clothes, exchange of greetings and special dishes! Mango leaves and flowers are on sale everywhere, and used to decorate houses and temples(and even shopping centers!)
People draw colorful "rangoli" (special designs) in front of the door, and tie mango leaves and flowers (called "thorana") as decoration on the main door. An early morning traditional oil bath is followed by prayers and worship ("Puja") when a mixture of neem leaves and jaggery is offered to the deity. This combination is supposed to symbolize the bitter sweet nature of life in general! The lunch ("holige") is very elaborate, including various curries and special dishes like the "ugadi chutney" (neem flowers, mango, tamarind and jaggery---again, the same symbolism as the Puja offering)! The rituals in neighboring Andhra Pradesh are similar, and mango rice is essential on this day.

In Maharashtra too, jaggery and neem leaves must be eaten today! The other specialities are a mixture of mango and jaggery ("Aam paana" --aam: mango) and sweet dishes ("shrikhand" and "pooran poli").
A new cloth is tied to a bamboo stick (a "gudi") which is then decorated with a copper pot ("kalash") and a chain made of sugar crystals and neem leaves. This is kept outside the house till the evening, as a welcome to the Hindu deity Lord Rama (the protagonist of the epic Ramayana).

The rituals (and dishes!) differ, but the spirit remains the same!

Celebration time!

I have been encouraged to write this blog by the interest my online "blogit" friends have shown in India....I hope all of you enjoy the posts, through which I will try to give you a glimpse of incredible and colorful India!
Nothing illustrates the diversity and richness of Indian culture more than the countless festivals, celebrated by everyone, regardless of one’s religion or beliefs…they are simply times of gaiety and color! So I'm taking advantage of the festival season to start!
The festival season began in India with Id on the 21st, and Dussehra will be celebrated on the 28th. Today is the ninth day of the Navaratri festival in many parts of India, specially the north. This culminates on the tenth day, or Dussehra.
In the southern state of Karnataka, it is "Ayudha Puja" today, when people worship the implements used to earn a livelihood: books, computers, equipment, etc. Vehicles have to be decorated with flowers and plantain leaves and branches.
The photographs will give you an idea of the festive mood in Bangalore (recently renamed Bengaluru) today..........
Flower sellers do brisk business on the pavements, selling flowers, fruit and plantain branches. (You can also marvel at travel, “economy mode”, Indian style!)
All vehicles, specially buses and cars are adorned, though decorations have been hit by prices of flowers doubling in the last few days, partly due to heavy rains.
Meanwhile, Bengalis (from the eastern state of West Bengal)celebrate Durga Puja in traditional style. The idol of the Goddess is flanked by her sons and daughters, and worshipped for four days, before being immersed in a river/pond on Dussehra day.
The festive spirit is tangible and infectious, and everyone is caught up in it today!
I hope you will enjoy this journey with me, and see how varied colors make up the beautiful whole that is India!