Sajjan munching on a piece of coconut.

A lonely spot .

A local AndhraPradesh bus.

Big Nose Vc deep in thought.

It rained when we were coming back and i happened to notice a group of villagers taking shelter under a tractor.

The '1' room Government school.

The Monolithic Nandi.

The Pundit /guide performing the puja .Lord Veerabhadra.

Madhur Vade.

Masala Dosa

A snap of the road.

Hills far off...

Can u see the gap between the pillar and the floor of the temple.Legend has it that , the pillar was not touching the floor but hanging by the ceiling.

Saj and Lord Ganesha

hmm

A pic capturing the whole of the kalyana mantappa

Guess what !! These were the original designs of " Thalis" or lunch plates.

Hmmm

An impression in the stone, said to be the right footprint of Sita, has water trickling through it from a natural spring.

The Kalyana Mantappa

Lord Brahma

The Kalyana Mantapa, the traditional marriage hall where Shiva and Parvati were said to have been married.

The 7 metre-high Nagalinga

End discrimination. Hate everybody.

We hate some people because we do not know them; and will not know them because we hate them .

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

It had been a long time since we 4 got together, the trip was planned and executed in 3 days . Yes we did have the initial hiccups. Plan A: A resort on the outskirts of Bangalore. Plan B : ShivaGange. Plan C : Pedukonda. Plan D : PVR multiplex ( 2 back to back films :) ) At last we agreed on the never-seen before Pedukonda (this place boasts of 365 temples and is 140 kms from Bangalore ). Sajjan was supposed to pick me and Subbu at 7:30am , he came at 8am and parked his car right in front of the Mosque. Thus began the trip,with prayers to lord Allah !! We were thinking off packing some lunch when Sajjan informed us that he was fasting,as it was Ganesha Chathurthi and would be eating only fruits , almonds and dry fruits. Suddenly ,even we wanted to fast .Picked up Sri on the way . As we didn’t know the route to Pedukonda we asked a shopkeeper near Sri's residence the route to Pedukonda. This old man was full of enthusiasm and gave us all the details. It went something like this : "Take the road to Doddaballapur, then its Gowribidinur and the small town of Hindupur(AP) and check out the temple at Lepakshi and then after 50 kms its Pedukonda.If you are not tired you can go to Putparthi and take SaiBaba's Darshan”. Our thoughts : Sir it’s a '1'day trip and with Sajjan behind the wheels ... .. hmm ...... 9:30am : We were all comfortably seated in Sajjan's Maruthi 800.Sajjan was the designated driver and I was the DJ, cum navigator cum cleaner( Yes I had to check the tyres and open the car diki) .A quick thought on Sajjan's car mp3 player.It had some sort of a loose connection (like its owner ) and on receiving a jolt it would shut itself off automatically.Weird. On the way we saw lots of monkeys and the scenic beauty was awesome.Hills , paddy fields, small 1 room Government schools , children playing cricket,small temples and lots of villages.Oh not to mention the colourful aster fields which provided the much-needed relief from the hustle and bustle of city life. Oh did I mention that our first destination was Hindupur,a small town in Andhra Pradesh ,some 70 kms from Bangalore. The roads were good not “highway” quality though.We stopped for some bananas and Juice at a small village and asked for furthur directions.Suddenly we realized that we were in a different state and none of us knew the local language,Telugu,fluently.Anand did know a few sentences and we learnt " Thanks anDi " from him. So after 2 hrs of slow 50 kms/hour driving,singing songs ,discussing "Andaz Apna Apna " the film and my blogging exploits,we reached Hindupur. Lapekshi was just 30 kms away. * I bugged these guys by asking them weird questions like : Aah so in which language do you guys think ? 12 noon : We arrive at our first destination,little did we know that this would be our only destination. We were not sure what to expect at this place.It was a small village and as the main entrance to the temple was under renovation , we bypassed it and after driving half a km we saw a huge awesome Monolithic Nandi .We asked an old man the directions to the main entrance to the temple. He said turn back and take a left turn . Sajjan took a U turn and something weird happened.Every few feet we travelled,the villagers took turns in giving us directions. Go straight , take a turn near the pole , go right , go left near the water tap. India :) Lepakshi : Lepakshi is a religious centre with some of the finest temple architecture and paintings dedicated to Veerabhadra, a form of Shiva. The famous Veerabhadra Temple built in the Vijayanagara style is the main attraction. The path to the temple is remarkable for its rich and varied landscape with hills and boulders. This temple was built under the patronage of two brothers Viranna and Virupanna—the governors of Penukonda in the middle of the 16th, century Mythology and legends lend their charm to the origin of the name Lepakshi. It is said that when Lord Rama went in search of Sita, he came across the fallen bird Jatayu here and he commanded the bird to rise: 'Le Pakshi,' which over time, evolved to Lepakshi. At the entrance of the temple we met this Pujari(Priest/pundit) who volunteered to be our guide.We readily agreed.The guided tour lasted an hour and was interesting. Interesting facts: *The 7-metre-high Nagalinga rising from the encircling coils of an enormous ochre-coloured cobra with 7 hoods is impressive. A noticeable crack in the base is explained by a legend. It is said that the Nagalinga was carved by the sons of a woman who lived in a house opposite where the sculpture stands today. Her sculptor sons arrived home for lunch one day. As the meal wasn't ready, they began working on a huge boulder nearby. By the time their mother came to call them in for the meal, the sculpture was complete. Her look of astonishment and admiration is said to have caused a crack in the base *An impression in the stone, said to be the right footprint of Sita, has water trickling through it from a natural spring. *The Lepakshi temple is known for its late 15th century paintings in vegetable dyes; many have vanished while others have faded owing to neglect and the vagaries of weather *The block-print textiles and rugs, popularly referred to as the Lepakshi motifs, and the famous Dharmavaram silks are drawn from the birds, beasts and foliage depicted in the paintings and carvings here. *The Kalyana Mantapa, the traditional marriage hall where Shiva and Parvati were said to have been married. We spent time examining the pillars at the mandapam with its well-chiselled carvings of men with multiple heads and shared bodies interlocked in intricate patterns, three-headed cows, gods, celestial musicians, nymphs and drummers. *As for the temple, popular legend has it that Virupanna and his brother Veeranna, both Nayak chieftains under Achyuta Devaraya of the Vijayanagar kingdom, built the temple on a tortoise-shaped hill at Lepakshi in AD 1531. When they drew freely from the royal treasury for the construction, their enemies carried tales to the king. The king was enraged but before he could punish them, Virupanna gouged his eyes out and threw them against the temple wall. The act made Virupanna 'lopa akshi' (one who lost his eyes), which became Lepakshi. *Artistically, the Lepakshi temple is most celebrated for its paintings .It may be a little known fact that one of the largest murals ever painted in Asia happens to be at Lepakshi. On the ceiling of the hall of dance, eight panels depict Puranic legends. One greatly humane panel captures the story of the Chola king Manunitikanda, who loved to dispense justice even to animals like the cow! *The beautiful but damaged murals give a fascinating view of feminine apparel, ornamentation and hairstyles. *Another remarkable feature is the Monolithic Nandi, which stands 4.5mtrs high and measures 8.5mtrs in length. The majesty of this Nandi is indefinable and keeps the visitors awestruck. This is India’s largest Monolithic Nandi. Lots of other interesting stuff , but my memory fails me.(Had to search for most of the details ) As it was 2 pm in the afternoon, we decided to make our way back to Bangalore and the original destination Pedukonda was soon forgotten. On the way back we ate mangoes .With salt and chilli powder they were very tasty.Price: 2 huge Tothapuri mangoes for Rs 10. They were selling baskets of grapes for Rs 20 and Rs 30 (each basket weighed around 5 kgs). We reached Bangalore at 5 and after a round of masala dosa’s and coffee , we made our way back home. Exhausted but satisfied. This just might be our last trip as bachelors. Thanks Sajjan for bringing us back home in 1 piece .Suprisingly we never doubted your driving skills. PS: Pics tomorrow.

Oprah was on Ash show.. more details..zzzz

Break

Had taken a day off from work and had been to the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh. Too tired to write about it and feeling sleepy.. look out for pics and funny ancedotes.. coming soon to a blog near you.. Vc falls asleep on his keyboard..zzzzzzzz

About broken noses and local matches.

On Sunday, I had to pickup Saj from the GKVK campus, he was playing for his company in a cricket tournament.The previous match he was wacked for a couple of fours, and the opposition managed to put up a huge score. Fortunately it rained and both teams had to split the points. When I joined him, his team was chasing a small score of 225 from 25 overs.The middle order batsmen were milking the bowlers for easy singles and they were set for a easy victory. The equation was: 80 runs from 10 overs with 7 wickets in hand. Saj was optimistic. I was at my sarcastic best.Then it happened, a slow ball and the batsman mistimed the shot , and the bowler who was in his follow-through dived full length to pull of a blinder. Saj's team were stunned.I stood and applauded. I asked Sajjan where his “Spirit of Sportsmanship” was and his reply" Dude he was our last recognized batsman, now it’s left to the all-rounders and bowlers". The captain came over and asked him to pad up but then realized that he was injured (broken thumb) and so he was demoted down the order. What I really like about local matches is that they are so unpredictable; you could hit 6 sixes in an over or take 6 wickets in the next 6 balls. No such luck in this match though. But I did get to see some of the most pathetic running between the wickets. Seriously they would have made the Haq's and Ganguly's proud. The end result Sajjan had to put on his pads.Let me remind the readers that Saj had broken his thumb a month ago, while trying to catch a hard hit ball.He then had wires inserted yep steel wires and it seems he almost met GOD courtesy anesthesia call it the Kiss of death . Back to the match, a huge heave by the batsman and the ball travels out of the boundary for a 6. The wicket keeper was having a bad day, he took a nasty one on his nose .I swear I heard a crack. While he was being attended to, we were busy discussing the film “Million Dollar Baby" in which Clint Eastwood sets the heroine’s nose back and she goes on to win the bout. Equation: 7 runs from 15 balls, 4 wickets in hand. A rash shot and Sajjan is called in .He really wanted to be there when the winning run was hit. He managed to push the ball to the offside and scampered for a single. A couple of balls later he tries a cheeky single and is run out. He's disappointed and it shows. He reminded me of Ganguly in the just completed "back in 2 minutes", Indo Pak series. The match was all set for a nail biting finish. Equation: 5 runs in 12 balls.2 wickets in hand. A lanky looking dude walks in to take his guard.Saj whispers “That’s our security guard, we gave him a company T-shirt and now he's in our team. He’s so much better than the other guys." All I did was raise an eyebrow.hmm... The second last over, the batsmen could manage only 2 runs and now had to get 3 runs in the penultimate over. Equation:3 runs in 6 balls.2 wickets in hand. You could feel the tension, the Captain shouting encouragement to his fielders, the Umpires scratching their bald heads, the tiny tots stopping in the middle of their basket ball game. All eyes were riveted on the bowler. The first ball was a beauty, the security guard was clueless. I clapped, got a stare from Saj, sat down immediately. (Didn't want to go home bruised). The second ball was a full toss on the pads... the bowler and wicket keeper appealed for a LBW, the umpire was not interested.hmm something fishy.... Saj's team captain was now worried. Third ball , pattar .. through the gap, to the boundary. Shouts of joy from Saj and his team mates. They even did that famous Indian Pepsi huddle, with lots of " UUh AAhs and Hurrahs's" thrown in.It was their first victory in 3 matches and guess what !! they were into the semi finals." Che che Absurd Rules". PS: Saj denies having bribed the umpires.Then why do you think the umpire was trying to catch the vice captain’s attention? To ask the time? Some questions are better left unanswered.

Happy Birthday to my lil sis...

SOS

Dear Vc, Help! We were given several words and phrases to unscramble. If you could make amy sense of these, we'd be SO grateful. Thanks! edefe ainroflica uoy rof we lveride This clue is: what actor was in rfea malirp and nceda llsha ew (I think that second one was Shall We Dance) If you wanted to take a shot at a fill in the blank question... this is a title - W_ _ _ _ of _ _ _ t_ _ _ ================================================== Guys help me out here.... I have got to solve this . rfea malirp and nceda llsha ew : I unscrambled this and found that it was Primal Fear and Shall we Dance and the actor has to be Richard Gere . edefe ?? ainroflica ?? uoy rof we lveride >>> For You We Deliver. Lets try the Title : W_ _ _ _ of _ _ _ t_ _ _ Any guesses?

Pasta

That is Sajjan eating Pasta at the Pizza Hut.I wanted to put a few pics on the blog.. but somehow.. I could not make up my mind..

Amazing :I was in my 10th Std when I last heard this.

Download this NOW!! Its the title track from "Discovery of India". Bharat ek khoj Title track Ending Track There's something in slokas which is ..soothing...magical... We just talked about the old times and hence dedicating this to you, Sridhar(BIL). I know you'll love it :) Courtesy : http://bitsnpixels.blogspot.com

Voices ...

Guess what.. I just read the entire script of Star Wars Episode 3 . With the Star Wars background score and Lightsabers going broooooom vrooooooom ... Some people who have great voices : 1.Morgan Freeman (Shawshank Redemption and Million Dollar Baby) 2.Clint Eastwood (In his younger days:"Go ahead, make my day" ) 3.Samuel L Jackson (Pulp Fiction,xXx) 4.Vin Diesel(Yep he was there in Saving Private Ryan) 4.Gregory Peck (Guns of Navarone and Mackenna's Gold) 5.Our very own Nana Patekar.(Remember SherKhan) 6.Om Puri in Bharat Ek Khoj aka Discovery of India. 7.Amitabh Bachan in the 80's and 90's "Hai kisi maa ke laal mein himmat jo mere saamne aaye?" But hats Off to all those narrators on Discovery and NatGeo .

Flirty the Fruit Fly

One sleepy afternoon I got a call from Shruti, a Fashion Correspondent asking if I was interested in taking a survey. I thought the questions would be like " So who do you think is better Cindy , Demi or Naomi Campbell "but No !! I was like " eh !! Miss, how did you get my number ?? " She said "Dee informed me that you would be interested in taking a Survey" ( Avalajji dummi , madthini ) . Vc: (too shy on the phone)" Shruti could you mail it across , I am a bit busy" Shruti: Sure no problemo. =========================================== ACT1 : Her mail to me : Hi Vc, The questions u need to answer... 1) Are the women in the IT sector visually disturbing or intellectually stimulating? 2) How do you like the women around you to be? 3) How would you deal with a intellectually stimulating woman? Please don't forget to attach a picture of you. Considering that u r a witty guy, expecting some really interesting answers. Cheers! Shruti Fashion Correspondent =========================================== ACT2 : She actually thought I was witty with a capital ‘W’. I was being challenged and I had to prove myself. Vc’s mail to the Fashion Correspondent Hi Shruthi , Please find below my answers to your weird Poll . And who told you I was " wity" ?? See I don't even know what the spelling is .. duh !! BTW what's a fashion correspondent doing on a poll called " geeks in the software industry " ?? 1) Are the women in the IT sector visually disturbing or intellectually stimulating? Vc : Intellectually stimulating. Well " I " in general would not like to be beaten by a girl , so would try to beat her in every aspect. It would really be an added advantage if she was better than me , that would keep me on my toes. 2) How do you like the women around you to be? Vc: intellectually stimulating :) who tends to be professional in her work. 3) How would you deal with a intellectuallystimulating woman? Vc: Ok its going to take 2 whole days for me to get the word "intellectually stimulating" out of my mind..grr.. Just like any other male colleague and oh ! no back slapping ( would have loved it but ... we have a Code of Conduct to sign). PS: Please find attached an interesting pic Regards Vc I would have been more sarcastic but it was a sleepy afternoon…. and you guys know " the REAL answers ". I sent a copy to Dee and this was her reply : "yappaaaaaaaaaaaa idikkenu kadimeilla....arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh pls vee shes taken..u dnt have to turn on the charm aitha...yappaaaaaaa flirting andre ivaninda kalibeku.. " Flirt and Me ???? =========================================== ACT3 : Her reply : hello.... Mr. Witty "jus to let u know the correct spelling"...those were lovely photos of you. I jus flipped for u the moment i saw ur pic...but unfortunately my colleagues din't find the pictures interesting enuf. So could u please forward me ur latest picture where u r a grown up so that i can flaunt ur pic a l'll more. Dude...today is my deadline...so pls co-operate. Cheers! Shruti If you want to see the pic I sent across click on this link . http://img248.echo.cx/img248/8598/me8ld.jpg =========================================== Final Act: Vc to the Fashion Correspondent Hello Shruti , See you never mentioned " latest " or "grown up " .. all you said and I quote "Please don't forget to attach a picture of you ." Grrr.. I have attached a recent pic and it seems i look like Morgan Freeman from some acute angle ...hmm,, Take care and have fun .... Vc This was the to and fro mails. Now you decide , am "I Flirty the Fruit Fly" ?

Blog of the day !!

http://parisdailyphoto.blogspot.com/ This dude updates his blog with a new pic of Paris everyday. I liked this pic.. something really cool about the menacing clouds in the background.Visit his site for more beautiful snaps. Some day I will have my own Bangaloredailyphoto blog .

Deft Definitions Collection

Advertising The science of arresting the human intelligence for long enough to get money from it. Alarm clock A device used to wake up people who don't have small children. Ant A busy insect that still finds time to go to picnics. Atheist A man who has no invisible means of support. Bath mats Little dry rugs that children like to stand beside. Charisma That mysterious something that bald, dull billionaires have. Criminal A guy no different from the rest of us... except that he got caught

The Bunny did it. Either this is the joke of the week or I am looosing it . Uhahhahaha check out the animals..the Rhino,Armadillo,Turtle,Pig,Camel,Cow,the cute Porcupine ,the Frog!!! and the surprised Elephant . Man this was so funny it took me 2 days to stop chuckling. Check out each animal and the expressions ... truly priceless.

Improve your GK

1.In HR parlance,a golden handshake is an incentive given to an employee to voluntarily retire from service. What is an incentive offered to retain employees in an organization called ? 2. This popular (Canadian) singer's first name means,"I'm on my way"in (Ojibwan -Red Indian tribe).She was born as Eileen Edwards in 1965.? 3.I keep my exact age a secret, but I can say I am in my thirties and was born on February 14th. I had a privileged upbringing, never really knowing my mother, my father was a well respected archaeologist. Whilst at Gordonstoun I excelled at athletics, later at a Swiss finishing school I developed a natural talent with firearms I followed in my father’s footsteps, coming to the world’s attention in 1996 when I was hired by Jacqueline Natla, head of Natla Industries, to recover a mysterious artefact rumoured to be in a Peru? 4.Usually bottled in one of three categories: plata ("silver" – aged no more than a couple of months), reposado ("rested" – aged about a year), and añejo ("aged" – aged from 1 to 3 years), this liquor has been marketed with a worm" Hipopta Agavis"in each bottle.Name the liquor?. 5.What invention of the confectioner George Smith was named after a famous race horse of the early 20th century? Answers in the comment section.

Here's a bunch of flowers for____________,Happy Birthday.

This is for RB ....Double Mazzaaaaaa

Vc's Caption , try beating it . Bruno to Pinky " Wanna piece of me ? "

This is the Royal palace at Madrid .

This is City market. Its the same anyday of the week.

Malleswaram . Shops selling kumkum and turmeric.

One of Bangalore's famous temple.Can't remember which one though :)

Vidhana Soudha was built in 1956 in Dravidian architecture. It is one of the most imposing buildings not only in Bangalore but also in India. Housing the Legislative Chambers of the state government, this 46-meter high seat of the government is Bangalore's best-known landmark. It houses 22 departments and 300 rooms

Latest Ad making waves on the tube.

"Mujhe poetry aati hai, yellow yellow dirty fellow..." Check out the the latest ad from Rin . You can watch the video here Rin Advanced

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places.

Today I found something scary and unique. Yep a mouse trying to chew my sister's experimental alluparata. Ok jokes apart, check this site http://www.ip2location.com/ , the inbuilt script pulls the IP Address and displays the Country, Region, City, Latitude, Longitude, Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Domain Name. It was scary; I mean I could see my IP address and the service provider displayed on the webpage. Cool application though. Think of the possibilities. Vc shivers... What most of you don't know is my name ... its Vinod but you know me as Vc.I was experimenting with the blog address when I found this site Vinod G . His blog is top notch. The best part is he's 20 yrs old . What was I doing when I was 20 ? hmm trying to clear Electronic Circuits I guess :) . I recommend that you read his post "jingle-most-of-way". He has what it takes to be the best.He just earned a place in my favorite links. Passing thought: I think all people named Vinod are smart and funny :)

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (Zenith) Price: £5,995 ... Thanks to PC, I have one too. :)

"HITCH " a ride....

Eversince I saw him in the comedy serial "Fresh Prince of Bel Air " I became a huge fan of Will Smith.In this latest Sony flick "Hitch" ,he's a charismatic, charming guy who, for a fee, helps shy and socially inept men approach and win over the women of their dreams. Eva Mendes plays the female lead and she's hmm hmmm.Psst she was in " Fast and Furious2 ". Things to watch out for : The hilarious scene where Will Smith teaches his client to dance to the tune of Usher's O Yeah !! The background score is good. A toast from the film : "Never lie, steal, cheat or drink. But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away. "

I'm in an apprehensive mood ( whatever that is )

I'm giving out gifts , since its April 13th , my lucky day. All you have to do is drop a note stating your wish and rest assured it will be done*. Its like Santa Claus in Summer. Some desire is necessary to keep life in motion. So what are you staring at drop a line. PS: Expecting less than 2 requests . Almighty miracles of Cosmic powers I call out to you asking that you will grant a wish to this child of your Universe *Conditions apply

"A church on Thera overlooks the lava island of Nea Kameni, in the center of the [Santorini] caldera. Only two Santorini islands are habitable: Thera, larger and busier, and Thirasia." From "Santorini: Greece's Sensuous Daughter of Cataclysm," September/Ocotober 1997, National Geographic Traveler Download the latest Remix song here . Regular link (for all web browsers):http://s19.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0K10IA1BEF3TI0O39U5X7EF3Y Its from Zeher -Woh lamhe Remix .For best results , listen to it on an I-pod . I swear you can listen to the singer breathe on an I- pod.

This is Dinku drinking his first glass of water.What is he thinking... any guesses ?

Caption this .

A pretty contrast of colors.

Are you in the mood for a dark, intense, edge-of-your seat thriller?

Sundays are always so damn boring.

So this Sunday decided to spice it up. Went out book hunting .I was looking for " The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy “. No such luck .So settled for John Grisham's " The Broker “, I'm in the middle of it and it has me spell bound. Afternoon .. Got a call from Saj, he was playing a cricket match nearby and I went to cheer him up.( Vc remembers hitting Saj for 4 sixers in a single over..hehe all in the direction of the girls hostel... aaah the good old days ). Rented " The Hostage”, a good movie for DIE HARD fans. I then picked up "The Broker " opened all the windows, it was raining and surprisingly the radio was playing some very good mushy songs which included Rod Stewart's" Have I Told you Lately ", Corrs, Mariah Carey, Tina Turner and Bryan Adams. But the best song was " I believe I can fly " by Kelly. I spent the evening enjoying the cool breeze, the sunset, hunting down a killer and eating homemade snacks. Last week I resigned from my tuition classes and now have all the time to do all the things I always wanted to do. Missed all my online friends :) and Yahoooooo Anand is back .

Awesome from Nat Geo.

He was magnificent,” recalls photographer Chris Johns, “and completely indifferent to me.” On a dry, windswept riverbed between South Africa and Botswana, the patrolling male embodied “all the power and freedom of the Kalahari lions,” Johns says. “It’s a privilege to see such an animal.”

The masterpiece.

The original and the clone .. can you see any similarities ? My Blog is turning out to be a photoblog :)

Aaah the clone wars....

Is this the same guy who comes in those weird Rasna Ads .. Yikes!!..

Oh that's Pc and Rahul (on her right ) he sings just like Sonu Nigam,Amit and Abhijeet the Indian Idol ..His Mohabbatein song is too good .Download them from CoolGoose.