ಚಿಕ್ಕಂದಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಊರಿನಲ್ಲಾಡಿದ ಆಟಗಳು

ನಾನು ಶಿವಮೊಗ್ಗ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಸಾಗರ ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕಿನ ತಲವಾಟ ಊರಿನವನು. ತಲವಾಟ ಹೆಸರು ಹೇಗೆ ಬಂತು? ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ, ಇರಲಿಬಿಡಿ. ಮಲೆನಾಡಿನ ಕೇಂದ್ರವಾದ ಇದು ಯಾವುದೇ ಮಲೆನಾಡಿನ ಹಳ್ಳಿಗಳಂತೆ ಒಂದು ಹಳ್ಳಿ. ನಾನು ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ್ದು ಬೆಳೆದಿದ್ದು ಎಲ್ಲ ಸರಿಸುಮಾರು ಇಲ್ಲೇ. ಈಗ ಇರುವುದು ಮಾತ್ರ, ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಅರಸಿ ಬಂದ, ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ. ನಮ್ಮ ಬೀದಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತುಂಬಾ ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಆಟವಾಡಲು ಜಾಗವೇ ಇಲ್ಲ! ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಹೀಗೆ ಯೋಚಿಸುತ್ತ ಕುಳಿತಿರಬೇಕಾದರೆ, ನಾನು ಯಾವ್ಯಾವ ಆಟ ಆಡಿದ್ದೆ ಊರಿನ ಅಂಗಳ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಎಂದು ನೆನಪು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತ ಹೋದೆ. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಗೀಚಿದೆ. ತಾವು ಬೇರೆ ಆಟಗಾಳನ್ನಾಡಿದ್ದಲ್ಲಿ, ಅದನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಸಲು ಸ್ವಾಗತವಿದೆ. ಈಗ ಊರಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಇವನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಆಡುತ್ತಾರೋ ಇಲ್ಲವೋ ನನಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ.

ಸದ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಇಷ್ಟೇ ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತಿವೆ,

- ಕ್ರಿಕೆಟ್

- ಚಿನ್ನಿ ದಾಂಡು

- ಲಗೋರಿ

- ಗೋಲಿ

- ಬುಗುರಿ

- ನೆಲಕೋತಿ (ಕಲ್ಲು ಸಗಣಿ ಅಂದರೂ ಇದೇ ಹೌದೋ ಅಲ್ಲವೋ ನನಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ)

- ಮರಕೋತಿ

- ಚಿಬ್ಬಿ (ಕುಂಟಬಿಲ್ಲೇ)

- ಸಿಕ್ಕರ ಚೆಂಡು (ರಾಮನ ಚೆಂಡು ಭೀಮನ ಚೆಂಡು)

- ಕಂಬ ಕಂಬದಾಟ

- ಕಣ್ಣ ಮುಚ್ಚೆ ಕಾಡೇ ಗೂಡೆ

- ಜೂಟಾಟ

- ಕುಂಟಾಟ

- ಕಳ್ಳ ಪೊಲೀಸ್  

- ಕಬಡ್ಡಿ

- ಕೊಕ್ಕೋ

ಇವಲ್ಲದೇ, ತೋಟ, ಬೆಟ್ಟ, ಗುಡ್ಡ, ಬ್ಯಾಣ ಅಲೆಯುವುದಂತೂ ಇದ್ದೇ ಇತ್ತು.

ಒಮ್ಮೊಮ್ಮೆ ನಮ್ಮ ಪಾಲಕರು ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಿದ ಪರಿಸರವನ್ನು ನಾವು ನಮ್ಮ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಕಲ್ಪಿಸಲಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲವಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬ ಕೊರಗು ಉಂಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಥವಾ ಈಗಿನ ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ತವರೂರಿಗೆ ವಾಪಾಸಾಗಬೇಕು!

Nandi Hills by Our Car

Bought a Santro car! So, what next? It was December 26th, 2010, sunday. Dialed some buddies to go for Nandi Hills. But none was free but that didn't stop me and my wife from going. We left our home at 7 a.m. and thought to drive for sometime before breakfast. We didn't stop by any hotel till we cross Hebbal and once we crossed, we didn't find any! We crossed BIAL deviation and took left at Devanahalli and one more left (I don't remember the place' name) reached Nandi cross. On this road we spotted some tea shops with bread and buns but no hotel. Finally when we turned right just before 3-4 km from Nandi hills, we found a hotel. We had a tasty breakfast there. Those who start early from Bangalore can have breakfast here - after Nandi cross. By the time we finished breakfast, there was no fog and sky was clear. Reached Nandi Hills and paying car fee went on top of hills and parked the car. Here there is one more hotel 'Ranjitha'. Though we didn't have anything there, that looked average if you are too hungry.

View on the way to Nandi Hills

On the way to Nandi Hills

All the way from Hebbal till Nandi Hills, there were too many cyclists cycling. It looked to me they were all part of some cycling club since they knew each other. Their age ranged from 18-20 to 60-65! The road after Nandi cross till Nandi Hills has many hair pin curves and it gives great pleasure in driving. At the same time, one has to be very careful since at many places vehicles coming down would come at higher speeds and left side of the road is very steep and dangerous.

Nandi Hills map

I am not going to write much about the places on top of Nandi Hills or its background since one would get any number of websites stating about all the places of interests to tourists and their significance. I am just writing my experience. There are many stories why it got the name Nandi Hills. But what is unambigous is Tippu used it as his summer palace. There is a fort (also called Nandidurga) covering hilltop and you need to enter inside (two wheelers not allowed). One point here is for those who want to go by two wheeler, most of two wheelers get punctured there and there is a puncture shop! Anyway, we did see following.

View from Tippu Drop

* Fort - You need to enter through it.
* Temple - Nice temples with only stones (both walls and pillars) and Kalyani (pond)
* Tippu Drop - Fantastic view point and with good camera, excellent panoramic photographs can be captured. This is where prisoners were thrown from.
* Children's playground - Not much to write about it
* Amruth Sarovar - With lot of fish including one with golden orange colour
* Tippu's summer palace - Entry barred to public, we could see only from outside

Amrutha Sarovara - spot the golden coloured fish

Tippu's Summer palace

Places which were not interested
* Nehru Nilaya - Nehru used to stay and now it is guest house of horticulture dept. of India
* River sources - Mostly dried up
* Secret Escape route - Came to know about it only when came back

We started at around 11 30 and stopped by the same hotel where we had breakfast and reached Bangalore for lunch.

Southern India - R&D Hub

Most people in India would have wondered atleast once or another as to why Bangalore became so much popular for IT. But careful observation reveals an interesting fact that except Delhi-NCR, no north Indian city any defence research and development center, including HAL, NAL, ISRO, DRDO, LRDE or PSUs like BEL, BHEL, BEML. These are all based almost in Southern India. It is said that because south India is surrounded in all 3 sides by water bodies, all these organizations are moved to south so that foreign infiltration would be less. There is a story that at one point of time, some of these organizations got some work outsourced to them from western countries. Thus More work came to Southern India followed by more talents and in turn more local companies started and foreign companies established their development centers! I don't know the authenticity of this story. May be somebody knowing anything on this might just give his opinion.

Madurai Meenakshi

Madurai, city of temples, is one of the ancient and prestigeous city of Southern India with rich cultural and heritage background. Madurai Meenakshi temple is one of the greatest cultural and architectural landmarks, built during early A.D and restored in 14th century.

For one of my colleague's marriage, we, 8 guys,  went to Madurai on May 28th, 2009. The marriage was around 80km from Madurai at a place called "Rajapalya". The hotel for us was booked there. After around 10 hrs journey by Airavata, we got down at Madurai to find a vehicle waiting for us to take to wedding place. We got in and we met with a minor accident on the way. It was over 11 o'clock when we reached our hotel. We got ready quickly (more than an hour!) and went to choultry. It was 12 30 or so and wedding functions were finished and even reception was getting over. We managed to wish and could give a pose (which we won't miss always).

It was time for lunch and having skipped breakfast, we were very hungry so had heavy lunch, without bothering what the items were actually. While coming out, we saw two people sitting on different tables taking something and noting it down. When we enquired, we came to know they were gifts. I didn't know till then that in Tamil Nadu (or could be in some communities in TN) you have to give gifts and have to make an entry as to for whom you are giving the gift.

Our way back to Madurai was pleasant after heavy meals and we arrived near Madurai Meenakshi temple around 5PM. While entering we came to know we had to come out of the temple by 6 PM. (I don't remember the reason now, but it was not our constraint, instead temple administration's). Madurai temple is very huge and one can actually see it's gopuras from quite a long distance (1-2 km) on top of Madurai's buildings. (Gopura is ornate monumental tower, at the entries of Hindu temples - a prominent feature of Hindu architecture) Inside there was huge crowd to see the temple and Meenakshi idol. We roamed all along the temple wherever there were less people and came out after around an hour.

I am not writing much about the temple. It is best seen than said. Instead of posting the pictures, I am posting a link where you can virtually walk inside the temple. Click here to step inside.

You can see other Tamil Nadu temples here.

PS : It needs Adobe flash player and takes a while to load.