Chopping over 16,000 trees in Delhi should be stopped; Sightings in Kotagiri, Udhagamandalam

Chopping over 16,000 trees in Delhi should not be allowed at any cost even if it means giving tall towering housing units a go-by

There is excessive vehicular pollution in Delhi. The green cover is minimal in this giant city of giant vehicles and giant  hiccups. Now the real estate company meant to bring new set of houses for government employees doesn't give two hoots to the green cover and less than visible green lease of life that city has. It wants to chop 16,500 trees to make way for tall, towering housing units. Find a way out to raise residential units with no hint of pain to these existing 16,500 trees in Sarojini Nagar where the residential units are supposed to come.  If NBCC the real estate company can't come up with a solution it should better withdraw from this project. Courts are requested to give a breathing space to these 16,500 trees and these 16,500 trees need to salvaged at any cost.

What are you going to leave for future generation? Multiple private vehicles, multiple private hospitals with no effort made to improve the functioning of govt hospitals and multiple high rise buildings equipped with energy sapping machines that would only add to global warming. Revolt including incidents of natural upheaval (Richter scale) can brew from any quarter and why you want to give a standing ovation to an incident that can well be avoided.

The story in HT on Sunday June 23, 2018 For acid attack survivors and the disabled, cafes offer a chance to start over by Ms Madhushree Ghosh was interesting read. For Acid attack survivors and disabled people these cafes not only provide them gainful employment, it also helps them to get into mainstream. Such stories on disadvantage sections need to be pursued diligently.

Story on Ms Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's victory in US as covered in NY Times was good. Medicare for all has been her campaign point enabling her to register a surprising victory. Defeating fourth-highest-ranking Democrat Mr Cowley stunned many and there are more such stories waiting to happen.

Story on Udhagamandalam

Stay in Kotagiri in Tamil Nadu State

In Kotagiri it was in Byna lodge where i tried to get a room. There was no meeting of minds as the tariff they quoted and the tariff i could settle for could not be brought to a negotiable point. Finally i zeroed in on Majestic lodge whose rooms have had a makeover to entice more customers. The next morning in Ganesh temple i meet priest Mr Nagraj.

Sightings in Kotagiri

- Majestic lodge
- Indian bank ATM
- SBI ATM
- Dena Bank ATM
- Kerala Wooden Furniture Mart
- Jio Digital Life
- Raj Tyre Works
- Cake 'o' Cake
- Ambassador car MDN 8069
- Kumar Tyre works
- JJ Battery and spares
- Naveen sweets 9585633165
- Meet Mr Madan Kumar
- Jayamatha Industry
- Achu Digital studio
- Muthoot Finance
- Salem Steels
- Ameer electrical tools
- Vodafone
- Meet Mr Silvaraj of Sreevanth Iyengar Bakery Kotagari
- Sugam Agency
- Mettupalyam 30 km, Coimbatore 70 km, Kodanadu view point 17 km (i have visited Kodanadu          view point in the past, Ooty 28 km
- K.R.C. Strore Mr Mohan gives change
- Jenni Medicals
- Rajkumar Hardwares
- New Sajitha Bakery. Had tea from here in 2011
- Ayyanar electrics
- Suganya flour mill
- Gayathri stores
- Sri Sakthi auto spares

- Fiat car TN 37W 1292
- Sankar cement
- KMH Food court
- Perfect 32
- White Mart
- Magesh Mani Oil
- Kumar wood works
- My Kalyan
- Kalaivani stores
- We are on Donnington Road
- Krishna water wash
- Byna lodge
- Durai Motors
- A-One tea stall
- Trilan Cottages
- Sharum readymade and woollens
- B N R Bakery tea and coffee
- Sri Krishna store
- Sugan tyre care
- Womantara
- Lakshmi Tailors
- Thangaraj Mess
- Hari Mess. I have had meals from here in 2011
- The plyhome Interiors and Hardware
- Tea County
- Little Steps Nursery and Primary School
- Hotel Royal Green Rooms available
- From here Coonor 23km, Dodabetta 23 km, Beragary 8km
- Sri Balaji Medicals
- Kushal Medical store
- Green Shop
- Tea Zone
- Friend's cafe
- Board of Summer Festival 2018 May 22 to May 26 Ooty
- Mr Bhiman guides me to Kotagiri bus stand
- Kotagiri Special Grade town Panchayat

Near bus stand

- Sheeba bakers
- Jio Digital Life
- Vivo Super Agencies
- Bethel Lodge
- GRV Bakery tea, coffee shop
- Meet Mr Abdul Rahim Owner of Reba Complex. He came here in 1947. Mr Dinesh guiding
  me to a cyber cafe
- Pandiya tea marketing company
- Jeep MSR 2371
- Hotel Kasthuri Veg
- Sri Vinayaga Tea Green Tea, Masala Tea, Elachi chai, Chocolate Tea,
 Peppermint Tea, Black currant Tea
- Royal Bakery
- ST. Antony's Middle School

The Bus from Kotagiri for Ooty leaves at 1.25 pm. It goes past Kayepee College of Arts and Commerce. There is Lions Club of Kotagiri with a message Save trees, save water. The ride is amidst scenic surroundings. Horasholai comes at 1.32. Sree Lakshmi Tea Industry at 1.34. There is Central Bank of India, Kotabettu branch. There is Hotel Maadhi's. There is MKT guest house. There is message of Blind curves use horn. Perar comes at 2.03. There is long winding traffic. After a long wait finally we are in Udhagamandalam at 3.05.

Sightings in Udhagai (Udhagamandalam)

- Sri Venkateswara tea stall
- Woolen store stall
- Aazam Bakery (From here i have veg puff)
- Prem Coffee works
- Travelon
- Titan
- Vijaya Bank
- VIVO
- SBI Maruthi footwear
- Meena hardwares
- Honest stores
- Uttams since 1961
- Ramraj cotton
- Moosu Sait and Co
- Sai store
- Uttams Kreations
- BATA
- Indostar
- Bag Palace
- Samsung
- ADAMS Fashion Corner
- Sneha Bakes
- Shree SR Xerox
- Venkateswara Agencies
- Deluxe Times
- Venkatesh Stall
- RAJHANS The family Shop
- Ooty EN VEE Hotel
- Milan readymades
- Saraswathi readymade centre
- Variety Hall
- MY BRAND
- Tevanas
- Action footwear
- Hotel Taj
- Hotel A- One
- Sathya Spreading Happiness
- Amma Medicals
- T N Govt Employees Cooperatives LTD
- Om Servana Medicals
- Blue Mountain Veg restaurant
- Hajee Fakeer Mohammad Sait's Memorial Govt Maternity Hospital
- Digitek Computers
- Bethal Nilgiri Products
- Umesh Nahar Jewellers
- Hotel best
- Anna cards and Print
- National Tea and Coffee bar ( Mr Praveen is at the counter)
- New Bangalore Iyengar Bakery and sweets
- Rajesh Furniture
- H. M. S. Mobiles
- Sabari lodge
- Sarvana Electronics
- Annai offset printers
- Hi-tech electricals
- Rytham (it is not Rhythm) Digital studio
- Sri Astalakshmi Drugs
- Sri Adhilakshmi distributors
- J. F. A. Hotel
- Anand stores
- Sumangel tea and coffee co
- Meet Mr Appu Kuthan who has been staying in Ooty for 35 years
- M. Nanthi Gowder and Co
  Stationers and General merchants
- ESWARI
- Pushpa Hotel
- Hotel Aryaas
- Ambal textiles
- Bombay Ware House
- Saraswathi Hall
- Hind Stores
- Kishor Nilgiri Eucalyptus oil centre
- Bangalore restaurant
- Sri ram medicals
- RR Sweets and Savouries
- Shri Ram Fashion Jewellers
- Chandralok A stop where you will shop
- Ferroli
- Apollo Pharmacy
- Lithanya Medicals
- Bangalore Iyengar Bakery
- Korakundah Organic Green Tea
- Jyothi Dairy
- Shoba tailors
- Keeran clinic Dr A Nanjan
- Suryaa Holiday Inn
- Suryaa home needs
- Oriental Bank of Commerce
- Net City Internet Browsing Centre (for doing stories i visit this cyber cafe where the personnel are very helpful)
- Sree Vigneshwara Automobiles two wheeler spares service and tyre tubes
- Bindhu Ladies Beauty Parlour
- KKS Fathemull Jeweller
- Lovely Designers Men and Women
- IDBI Bank
- Parekh Financiers
- Rao Designers Ladies and Gents
- Dress Well Tailors
- Airtel 3G
- Jio
- Vodafone
- Lakshmi Metals
- Limra collection
- S.S.O textiles
- Nakshatra Jewellers
- E.M.S. Collections
- M. E. Moosa Sait and Sons
- Vijay Jeweller
- Srihans Jewellery and Finance
- Barma Hall
- Mahaveer Finance Co
- Nilgiri Naturelle
- Rajhans Jewellers and Finance
- Lakshmi Jewellery
- Vinay Jewellers and finance
- Jewellers and Pawn brokers
- Navkar Jewellers
- Saraswathi Pathira Kadai
- Suresh Jewellers
- Sri Krishna Lodge
- A Balaguru Swamy
- Thruppur Jawule Kadai
- Sree Lakshmi Hall
- Sree Ambica Enterprises
- Sri Ganesh textiles

The first place where i stay in Udhagamandalam is Hotel Royal Paradise.  Later i shift to Green Valley lodge where Mr Kiran is very helpful.

More Sightings in Udhagai

- Sri Guru Fresh ghee and butter
- Sri Lakshmi Saroj jewellery
- Elite furniture mart
- A K Abdul Majeed  flower merchant
- Akshaya Bakery
- Meshal's mobile
- JK Mobiles
- Blossom florists and gifts
- Meet Mr Swaminath or Mr Swaminathan of tea stall of JFA hotel
- Meet Mr Shivangi Gowda of Ooty
- Woodlands Pure Veg
- Gulab Paradise Santosh
   S Abhishek Finance
   S Bhavesh Finance
- A Ranjith K Kumar B.A., B.L.
  advocate and notary public
- KVM ATM
- Sun Direct
- Airtel
- Jio Digital Life
- Meet Mr Shiva from Gudalur. I am told Wayanad is 80kms from Ooty
- Sampath and Co
- Kutties bakes and cakes
- Sri Jain spices
- Deva Finance and Jewellers

Leave at 10.37 on a Wednesday to explore Udhagamandalam and beyond.
Go past Radhika Chettinadu Hotel
- Sri Vignesh restaurant
- Nilgiri Mountain Railway Centenary Celebration 1908 - 2008
- Shiv Shanthi Inn
- Shri Krishnaprabha sweet zone
- Billboard of GRT  G R Thanga Maligai Jeweller
- Sathya now @ Ooty
- Railway Police Station
- Hotel Sapphire
- New Kwality supermarket
- Hotel City Palace. The Tea and Idly from City Palace restaurant is something to cherish
- Green Valley Lodge
- Hoarding of Goal in Life living in harmony with nature
- Thread Garden Flower show
- Radio Astronomy Centre 5km
- Bangalore Iyengar Bakery
- Hotel Shiv Shanthi Grand
- Tamizhagam Garden
  First halt point is Shooting point where movies have been shot in the past.
- Go Past Road Ribbon Club Women College
- AIR Udhagai
- Stop at Rehman Bakery and snacks for taking veg puff. Perhaps the
  place should have relieving points (Loos)
- Second halt point is Kamrasa dam
- Sheep breeding research centre
- Tree Park Pine Forest Eight Mile at 12.27
- Meet Mr Noor Ali Mohammad. Born in Eight Mile.  For 22 years served in Saudi Arabia, has also      worked as electrician, son working in Sharjah. Mr Mohammad selling chocolates and living near        polytechnic

Come across Plastic ban hoarding. Here the plastic has been completely banned. Meet Mr Jaswant Deep running a store in pine forest, studying in class 7th. From 8.30 am to 6.30 pm the shop is open. Going beyond pine forest there is amazing sight. Meet a family from Thiruvarur. Meet Mr Sudhakar with family members from Chennai. Reach 9th mile at 1.10 pm, Pykara dam 1.20.  Come across a message. Plastic free Nilgiris. Eliminating pollution is the best solution to save environment.
A board shows Calicut 139 kms, Gudalur 29 kms

Later reach Pykara boat house which is open from 10 am to 5 pm. Meet a couple from Ahmedabad. In Pykara boat house the man at the Lazza Ice creams counter does not want to lose even one customer. Later meet Students of D J Vaishny College, Chennai who are pursuing graduation in commerce. Leave Pykara boat House at 2.46. Come across Plastic free zone message at 2.52.
Come across a string of houses coming up near MSH store.
Reach Deivamalai at 3.32, reach Gudalur 3.42.

Sightings in Gudalur

- Riyadh Store
- Indian Murugan Metal Mart
- S.S Fruits
- Shantimahals Bakery
- Spot Covai to Salem bus
- Biriyani Corner
- Star Primary School
- ESAF Panda hardware
- Stars lodge, charms lodge
- Friends Auto Industries
- Sankar Cement
- Gudalur Cosmopolitan Club
- Kerala Hotel
- Regency Tourist Home
- Meet Mr Chandru driving in Udhagai since 1996
- Meet Mr Muniar, Mr Ashiq in CMS restaurant, Gudalur
- Nilgiri Grand Spices wholesale and retail
- Wildlife Tourist Home
- Rooms AC Non AC Dormitory
- Meet Mr Silvan of Udhagai
- Meet Mr Ravi Kumar of Vijaywada who has a gold shop in Vijaywada. Meet Mr Manju another      man at the wheels

Enter the front gate of Mudumalai Wildlife sanctuary  at 5.05,  reach Masinagudi and from here we leave in a jeep driven by Mr Raju. Go past Marvakandu dam constructed in 1951. We are told Mudumulai has 63 tigers spread over 321 sq km. At 6.20 reach Moyar Lake. Leave Moyar Lake at 6.30
Leave Masinagudi at 7.10, reach Udhagai (Udhagamandalam) at 9 pm.

The Tamil Nadu Govt is doing a good job. It should be allowed to complete its tenure. At another level India should continue to import oil from Iran irrespective of threat of sanctions from the US. The threat and the trick can't prevent oil import from Iran (Iran is the third largest supplier of oil to India) and the sanctions whatever its fire and fury can least hurt us as we are a sovereign nation with solid fundamentals.

Vaaranam Aaviram- Neniukkul Peidhidum , Adiyae Kolluthey which are Tamil songs are great.

Staying in Hampi, reaching Hubli, reaching Bengaluru, reaching Coimbatore

Staying in Hampi, reaching Hubli, reaching Bengaluru, reaching Coimbatore

In Hampi the Ganesh restaurant is next to Gopi restaurant.  Ganesh restaurant was the one which i used to visit during my 2014 stay. The said restaurant has closed as it is lean season (March to June is considered to be a lean season). There is Mr Shiva guiding me about buses to Hospet. Meet Mr Sohaib who is a class 8th student in Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. Meet hat vendor Ms Ammu. In Hampi my first outing is to Vitthala temple.
Start for Vitthala temple at 3.38 pm.
At 3.43 there are directions for
Achyutaraya temple left, Vitthala temple left, Mathunga hills  straight.
At 3.45 Varaha (Saiva) temple popularly known as Varaha temple because of the Varaha Royal Emblem at the eastern entrance, this is a unique Saiva temple. There is Hanumanthappa tea centre on way to Vitthala temple.

There is renovation work underway. Ahead a board warns against swimming. This is followed by strategically placed rocks/boulders. At 3.55 there is a Lord Krishna temple. At 4.06 a temple against strategically placed rocks/boulders and new addition is gate to the temple. Later come across a tree which has clothes tied to its branches on right. The Tungabhadra river is on the left. Reach a point where A board says Beware of crocodiles

No swimming deadly whirlpools in the river.

Meet Mr Santosh Kumar ice cream vendor and i settle for orange bar which comes for 5 rs. The tea shop is shut at the time i reach here. Reach Vitthala temple at 4.26 pm.

The Vitthala temple, represent the highest watermark of the Vijayanagara style of art and architecture. Vitthala is the Krishna aspect of Lord Krishna. It is one of the largest temples of that period built under the patronage of Devaraya II (1422 - 46 AD). Outside the temple, to the east is a huge bazar, measuring 945 mts in length and 40 mts in width leading to a sacred tank known as Lokapavani.

Admission ticket to Vitthala Temple is 30 rs, foreigners 500 rs. There is Ms Kavita punching tickets.
Inside Meet Mr Anand a guide, Mr Srinivas also a guide. I politely decline their request to become my guide. Perhaps there would be occasions when their services would be utilised by a large number of tourists. There is a board which says Work in progress Please keep away from Maha Mandapa.
On left side of Vitthala temple as one goes further from the boundary wall one can spot Lord Hanuman temple (Anjaneya Parvat). Leave Vitthala temple at 4.54.
There are Directions for
Vishnu temple right, King's balance right, Inscribed Vishnu temple right.
Take a water bottle from old woman Surya Kumari who is water and cold drinks vendor. Beware of crocodile board comes at 5.03. Sighting Tungabhadra river at 5.05. Tree branches strung with clothes  come at 5.06. Temple among rocks/boulders at 5. 10. Varaha (Saiva) temple 5.16. At 5.21 A board shows directions for
Yantrodharak Anjaneya temple left, Kodandavama temple left.
Hanumanthappa tea centre comes at 5.18. Meet Ms Chikanmma old woman selling peanuts. At 5.23 i am at a tea centre run by Mr Ali Saheb and Mr Basvaraj. Take tea from Mr Ali Saheb.
Meet a group from Chitradurga which is in Karnataka. Meet Mr Bhim Gowda. At 5.50 reach Pushpa lodge.

I also get an opportunity to visit Virupaksha temple. In Virupaksha temple there is Mr Shivanand with guide books.

Sightings in Hampi

- Pushpa guest house
- Chill out restaurant
- Travel Agency Authorised agent for booking flight, train, bus, taxi, hotel, money exchange
- cyber cafe high speed wi-fi internet (This cyber cafe remained closed for the entire duration i was      in Hampi)
   payphone STD - ISD
- Suresh restaurant (I settle for meals on different days from this restaurant. The staff is very humble    and the food served is fresh). The tourists should try this restaurant instead of going to places where    there is large crowd. Three cheers for Suresh restaurant.
- Satish Achar Purohit
- Srinivas Achar Purohit
- Sri Mohan Chikkabhat Joshi
- Mango tree restaurant
- Moonlight restaurant Breakfast, lunch, dinner, Indian, Italian, Chinese, Continental available
- Money changer
  travels - flight, train, bus
  We accept cash cards, rooms available
- Beauty parlour
- Sambhu guest house (In this guest house i stayed in 2014)
- Sagar hotel
- Ganesh restaurant
- Gopi guest house and restaurant
- Archana travels: train, bus and air tickets. Daily sleeper bus to Goa, Gokarna, Bengaluru,                     Mangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad (All places in India)
- Tea, coffee, breakfast and cold drinks.  Feel at home
- ISSTA book worm
   english, french german books and old books exchange
- Sri Venkateswara restaurant
  Masala dosa, fresh juices, fruit museli, set breakfast, coconut porridge, Indian Thali
- Shanthi tours and travels
- internet cafe
- Thilak restaurant
- Akash art gallery and book stall
- 1985 restaurant  (here the staff is rude)
- Suma general store
- Suma travels
- Ganga handicrafts Janta plot Hampi 583239
- Vidhnu store Mr Manjunath

- Meet Mr Srinivas from Chitradurga. Meet Mr Bajendri Barnappa. Meet Ms Manjula selling                 bananas who is very humble
- Hakka Bukka Ape auto drivers union
- Prashant book store
- Ballari police mobile App
  Smart police Smart Citizen
- Meet Mr Antonio who took flight from New York to Amsterdam,  Amsterdam to Singapore,                 Singapore to Bengaluru. Meet Mr Evan from France. I meet him when i go near Monolithic bull         which is on left.
Meet Mr Guy from UK. He has been to Madurai, Bengaluru,Varanasi and Nepal (20 million people reside here). From here he would go to Rishikesh which is somewhat near New Delhi.

Leaving Hampi 
The day i am supposed to leave Hampi for Hubli i come across students from Kottayam and Bengaluru. The Bus leaves at 8.20 am. The ride is amidst thick green cover. Mr Lakshmi Kant is bus conductor and Mr Renukappa bus driver. Mr Renukappa has been to Tirumala and he is distributing prasad among passengers. At 8.28 we are in Kamalapura.
Thank you visit again Vijaynagar entrance Kamlapura town. Going past AVK Primary School.
Bus No 302F Hampi going in opposite direction. Hospet 8.50, bus stand 8.51, railway station 8.55 am.

Sightings in Hospet

- Sri Srinivas Bakery
- Hotel Srinivas
- Krishna Palace
- Indira Travels
- Amrutha Residency
- SBI
- IDBI
- The rising stars pre-school
- Hotel Lakshmi Bhavan
- Hotel Hampi International

In railway station come across the enduring message on Swachh Bharat Swasth Bharat.
Manguru Kolhapur train expected at 10.05 am
Hubli Tirupati fast passenger 9.15 am
Bengaluru Hospet passenger 11.40 am
Hubli Bellari Passenger 11.50 am

Taking dosa from Naivedyam

In station book stall contractor is Mr K Hanumanthappa. Meet Mr Abbas Ali security man at SBI ATM. Naivedyam restaurant which is located on bus stand road, Hospet is about 1 km from Hospet railway station. In Naivedyam restaurant i settle for rava masala dosa. It is very clean restaurant with a friendly staff. Perhaps tourists visiting Hospet/Hampi should try this restaurant at least once. Snacks/meals are affordable here. Mr Durga is the automan who takes me back to station.
In station meet Mr Mohammad Jawad who came for madrasa collection from North Dinajpur in West Bengal state. Meet a man from Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh.
My train for Hubli leaves at 10.15 am. Stops, starts again. Mr S M Kulkarni is the TTE.
Munirabad  comes at 10.26, Hitha 10.32, Gingera 10.37, Koppal 10.47, Bhanapur 11.04,
Bannikoppa 11.13,  Gadag 12 pm, Hebsur,  12.50, Kusugal 12.56 and Hubli 1.33.

On way to Hari Prasad lodge on Gokul Road in Hubli come across
- Hotel Swaarna Paradise your comfort our priority
- Hotel Ashoka Tower
- Hotel Sri Krishna Bhawan Lamington Road
- Big Mishra Pedha
- Kamat Hotel Central Bus Stand Hubli
- Mangalore Lodge
- Sri Balaji Sai Steels
- Udupi Hotel
- Shivsheel multiplex
- Hari Prasad lodge

I take meals from Akshay Inn, Airport Road Hubli. Do story from Chinmaya Cyber cafe in Akshay Park Gokul Road. Mr Praveen Kiby in the cyber cafe is kind enough to book a ticket from Coimbatore to Hyderabad. I visit Hubli railway station to cancel a train ticket. Being Sunday the counters are closed. On second outing in Hubli visit Lord Sai temple in Hubli which perhaps is in Rajnagar, Vidya Nagar. In the evening take masala pakora from Akshay Inn. Monday a little after 5 am i leave Hari Prasad lodge and head to Hubli Airport only to discover the gates are closed. The CISF personnel lets me in after going through the papers.

There are flights to different destinations.  Bengaluru 9.25,  Hyderabad 11.25,  Bengaluru 4 pm,  Bengaluru 4.25.
Now fly from Hubli to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad and get daily direct flights at pocket-friendly fares.
- Check-in
- Airport mgr
- Toilets
- Snacks bar
- Security check
- Reserved lounge

Meet Mr Panchaksaraiya Herematta from Gadag which is about 57 km from Hubli. He is going to Bengaluru. For the first time he is taking a flight. Meet Mr Samiel from Madurai. Meet Mr Jay Kumar of Spicejet who is very helpful and so is Mr Shubrajit who is very humble. Meet Mr Ekbote who along with his family members is going to Tirumala. He is a BJP supporter and says in 15 seats the BJP lost by less than 2000 votes in recent Karnataka polls.
The flight takes off from Hubli at 9.45am and lands in Bengaluru at 10.35. The inflight magazine Spice Route has a story on Leh "Juleh". Another story is on  Stars of Spicejet  Mr Rameez Ansari and Mr Atiq Shanti among others. Meet Mr Prakash Khatri from West Bengal.


At Bengaluru airport Ms Jyoti looks at the ticket before letting me in.  Mr Jishnu who hails from Kerala at Jet airways counter issues boarding pass. At Bengaluru airport there are flights to Ahmedabad, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Rajmundhry, Mangalore, Thiruvanthapuram, Coimbatore, Guwahati, Madurai. Take vada idly from a food outlet. It comes for over 150 rs. Later meet Mr Kennedy from Madurai. The flight takes off at 1.37, lands at Coimbatore at 2.16. At Coimbatore airport Captain Pillai guides me to Coimbatore Junction.
Automan Pasha takes me to Coimbatore junction. The woman at cancellation counter in reservation centre in Coimbatore station is very helpful. In the restaurant opposite  railway station i have meals where i come across Ms Swetha M, Ms Durga AR, Ms Revathi SV and Ms Aruna A. They have  done Mtech in software engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) and have secured jobs in HCL Technologies in Hyderabad. I tell them i will keep them in my prayers. At the same place i meet Mr Veil Mani.


Delhi's Gold Hunters by Mr Shiv Sunny in HT was a good attempt. Such stories elicit interest. The piece by Mr Aakar Patel in Asian Age on India lagging behind in football and earlier story on how residents of Japan are simple despite technological advancements were equally good.
It is high time the standoff in Delhi administration is resolved. The L-G is here to work. The L-G should show a big heart and ask civil servants to report to work. It seems and this is what the people are saying the Civil servants are not cooperating as they have been issued instructions to do so. The Central Govt and State Govt should reach a broad understanding. The residents of the city are at the receiving end. Why residents of Delhi suffer because of differences between two political parties? One never knows what the verdict would be in 11 months from now.

Reaching Mettupalayam, reaching Kotagiri

Coming back to reaching Coimbatore it is automan Mr Srinivasan who takes me to Coimbatore bus stand which is also  known as Ooty bus stand. Going past Adyar Ananda Bhawan, India Post, Top in Town.
Directions for way to Perur
Going past ST. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral
- Krishnaswamy Road
- Kailash Parbat
- Annadiar cars. Going past Safire tailors, Golden traders, Suryaa bakes, Jio digital life, Round tables watch tower, Annapurna Gowrishankar, Sri Balaji Timber Mart. In half an hour reach bus stand. Meet Mr Paul Ebinazer a student.
Meet Mr Jagan who guides me about Kotagiri bus. The bus from Ooty bus stand for Kotagiri leaves at 4.15 pm. Goes past board of Adithya International School World class hostel for boys and girls.
From 5.05 the ride is amidst greenery. At 5.17 concrete structures can be seen. We reach Mettupalayam at 5.38. At 5.45 go past Sri Sathya Sai Kalyana Mahal. The bus goes past Kauveri International. This is followed by Bison crossing zone of Elephants. We are in Arevenu  at 7.50  and in Kotagiri at 8.05. I take room in a lodge where i stayed way back in 2011 when my stay in Kotagiri was for more than three days before heading towards Udhagamandalam. It is Majestic Lodge where i stay for a day in Kotagiri. It is in K.R.E. Complex, Mettupalayam Road.

Visiting Anjaneya Parvat (Hanuman Temple), Staying in Anegundi, Staying in Virupapura Gaddi all in Karnataka

Visiting Anjaneya Parvat (Hanuman Temple), Staying in Anegundi, Staying in Virupapura Gaddi

After having reached Anegundi, checked in Vaibhava Guest House, I am looking for Mr Parushram, son of Mr Malappa, who was kind enough to give room when i visited in 2014. After getting ready i head straight to Anjaneye Parvat. There are in all 550 steps to be negotiated before one reaches Lord Hanuman Temple. i stay there for almost two hours with regular filing in of a large number of devotees now and then. A little before 3 pm i am in Anegundi. Take meals comprising rice and sambhar.  Hoova cafe which is right opposite the guest house the old woman is kind enough to dispense with snacks. There is a girl named Shreya studying in Class 7 who helps me to collect soaps, pen and writing pads from the store. My best wishes to Shreya and the old woman. There is Hiramamaa studying in class 7 as well.

As i set out to explore Anegundi and its backyard, the first sighting is of restoration and adaptive re-use of Gagan Mahal Anegundi. That is Govt of Karnataka Protected Ancient Monument. (Under Sec 3 of the Karnataka Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1961, this is a protected monument). There is Mr Somnath of Vasavi provision/general store staying in Anegundi (ANG) for 20 yrs and his native place is Koppal.

Morning is the right time to step out in a town that has its own clout. Mr Krishna of Class 9 tells me the road that leads to Hampi.  What can be discovered with ease is collection of men around a radio set listening to a poll verdict in the state that threw up a hung house. As for longevity of the state government it is hard to predict at this stage. In this town mopeds galore and that's the most convenient form of transport. The air is fresh, there is sighting of dense foliage at certain places and one doesn't come across urban fired stress. It is windy out there and the cool of the summer sun, not to forget the place is replete with shades here and there. The place has many tongues, the town rubbish is to be least found, what to talk of litter, the no sighting of it shows diehard commitment of residents and with no accompanying jitter.  i come across Mr Gopal staying in ANG for a long time. There is AEF Akhil Eco-friendly handmade paper craft shop.  AEF craft shop is upstairs

Quite often you sight strategically placed rocks. Meet  Mr Pawan of Class 10th of Saptagiri School. It is for second time i am going to No 1 river cross to Hampi. Meet Mr Gangadhar near the ferry boat running a restaurant opposite Axis Bank ATM. I am told the ferry boat can carry 20 people and 25 bikes. Mr Gangadhar is going to Hospet for marketing by ferry boat and from other side it would take 30 minutes to reach Hospet. There is Mr D Subbaya as well who is going to Kamlapur by boat carrying chilly powder and tea powder.

In the vicinity are
- Holy Heart's higher primary school ANG
- Military barracks
- Lotus pond
- Ane salu
- Elephant stable

Sightings in Anegundi
- Vijayshree xerox centre
- SBI
- Tata Sky
- Axis bank ATM
- Dodla dairy
- Sri Amareshwara medicals and xerox centre print scan lamination and Kannada typing available        here
- Basaveshwara bakery and General Store
- Meet Mr Wasim Baba of class 10
- Sri Ranganath Swamy Temple ANG
- Mr Sukmani born in ANG in 1945
- G K Electrical and hardware
- Sanjana retailer shop
- Sri Laxminarashima Swamy General Store
- People listening to radio
- Iranna cd
- Manjunath Kirana store
- Govt hospital
- Mr Umesh working in govt hospital
- Meet Mr Karthik of STD booth Ms Asha at STD booth

Leaving for Virupapura Gaddi

Thursday i left Anegundi for Virupapura gaddi. While going to bus stand i come across Ms Sapna of ANG who is in IInd year in a college. Take bus to Virupapura gaddi (VPG) at 11.05 am. There is Mr Mallu the bus conductor, Mr Muthana the bus driver both very humble at the outset.  Going past Hanuman temple. Going past Kishkinda resorts.  Reach VPG bus stand at 11.15, VPG reserve forest 11.20. Mr Keshav guiding me to Guest House. Meet Mr Tirtha in Shanthi Guest House VPG Sanapur Dist Koppal. I finally settle for Mowgli guest house. They have round shaped rooms with bamboo sticks making up for roof. The attached bathroom is squeaky clean. The boys in the guest house are primarily from Nepal. That radiates a solid commitment from a nation state whose people find employment in India in remotest districts and towns.

Sightings in Virupapura gaddi

- Mowgli guest house and restaurant
- Gouthami tourist we book flight, train and bus tickets we change money
- Thilak tours and travels
- Tourist Information Centre
   Daily trips to Goa, Kodaikanal, Varanasi, Chennai, Badami, Pushkar, Bengaluru (all places in India)
- Sri Laxmi Golden Beach Resort approved from Karnataka and Indian Tourism Departments                Available AC Non AC deluxe room with rice field view. Rooms in budget price. Namaste                    restaurant.
- Indian Musical Shop Professional, handmade, Indian instruments
- Laughing Buddha restaurant and homestay
- Sreedevi Juice centre
- Welcome to the real Italian
   Expresso Experience
- Chill lounge cafe and guest house
- Sri Umashankar guest house and restaurant
- Taste of Hampi

- Anji Makrame the best teacher in hampi
- Bobby general store
- Sai Plaza Indian restaurant
- Meet Mr Christo from Kannur, Kerala, Ms Marina from Quebec, Canada

- Sri Uma tours and travels
- Information centre
   Explore Hampi with Ruddy Buddy,  Bicycle tours, trekking, heritage walks, Massage therapy,             Bouldering, Ayurveda
- Tom and Jerry Climbing Shop Bouldering, Trekking, Camping, Rappelling
- Meet Mr Adam, Mr Daniel from Hungary. They came from Hungary to Delhi,  Delhi to Hyderabad,     Hyderabad to Warangal and from Warangal to Hospet (night train)
- Meet Mr Maruthi in Axis Bnk ATM in Gangavathi. He is very helpful.
  Mr Ramu giving lift from VPG bus stand to VPG
  Leave  VPG bus stand 3.22 pm, reach Gangavathi 3.55 . Collect Mach 3 blades from a store near        bus station from where i have collected cartridges earlier as well . Leave Gangavathi 5 pm reach          VPG 5.35 pm.

Mowgli restaurant (All in Rs)  (All Indian Delicacies). The prices that some would find stiff steep.
- Express coffee 70, Pure apple juice 100
- Sweet/salt lassi 120, Indian set breakfast 150 (paratha (gobi/aloo) curd, pickle, tea
- Mowgli special breakfast 250
- Butter jam toast 80, Malai kofta 200, Navratan Kurma 200, Saag paneer 200, Special veg thali 180
- Stuffed tomato masala 200, Fruit salad 150
- Capicinno 80
- Corn flakes with mixed fruit curd or milk 120
- Banana muesli with curd or milk 140, cinamom porridge 100

The steep price is more to do with the fact that they primarily cater to clients from abroad who rush in droves during July to February period.
Meet Mr Anil at Gopi Kishore Super Mart opposite Mowgli. Meet Mr Ranga Rao staying in VPG for a long time. I used to visit Saniya restaurant for black tea. Meet Mr Farooq who is a thorough gentleman . Here the Veg Thali comes for 100 rs as against 180 rs at other places.
Meet Mr Gil from Israel making enquries on trains from Hospet/Hubli to New Delhi. He will travel in sleeper class as he had to settle for unbelievable air fare from Delhi to Bengaluru and that has left him with little savings. The railway site he is seeing shows fare for travel in a general coach and i tell him what to talk about getting a place to sleep one won't find space to even stand.
Meet Mr Naga Babu who is into farming and tells me that rich paddy field can be seen from Sept/Oct onwards. The Bowing Season is in July.
Meet Mr Archit who is pursuing BSc Zoology from Pune and his bike passion will take him to Himachal Pradesh State. He would go through Hampi, Bangalore, Pune, Jalgaon, Ajmer and Delhi to reach Himachal.

In VPG  in Evergreen Cafe
Milky Bar chapati 150, Nutella Coconut pancake with ice cream 170, Veg thali 200
Meet Mr Abey and Mr Shuttle novelist (his works include Manapu, Nakano). Both are from Tokyo and they came from Tokyo to Delhi, Delhi to Bengaluru and from Bengaluru to Hospet by bus. They wish to go to Goa from here. Mr Abey is a Judicial Scrivener. From Goa they would be travelling to Mumbai, Mumbai to Delhi and Delhi to Tokyo.

Meet Ms Julia from France (Tullus), another gentleman from Rome, another gentleman from Switzerland. Ms Julia  travelled from Tullus to Amsterdam and from Amsterdam to Bengaluru. Near Evergreen cafe there is a mini super market. It has a product list.


Mowgli restaurant playing a Tibetan song which i have often heard in Leh. Meet a group from Bengaluru. There is Ms Nagamma Old woman who is lodge owner Mr Srinivas's mother. Meet Mr Narain Swamy in Uma Shankar shop.
Meet Mr Harinath Reddy a student of Class 8th. Meet an old woman Ms Neelavath. After a series of interactions i decide to leave Virupapura Gaddi for Hampi.

The point from where i can board a vessel there is Teja guest house and restaurant, Nargila guest house and restaurant. I come across Mr Abhishek who is a guide and ever willing to help me. Meet Mr Sujit and Mr Pawan both in NICC (National Institute of Creative Communication) Bengaluru. They are here to do a project report for there institute. After taking the boat ride come across Automan Mr Moulali near Virupaksha temple. Come across ice cream vendor Mr Nagraj. In Hampi Mr Rakesh Singh of Ravi guest house persuades me to take a room. In Ganga guest house there is Mr Subbu and Mr Parmesh in Shambhu guest house. I stayed in his guest house in the past and this Mr Parmesh can recall with no extra effort.

I settle for Pushpa guest house. Seeing pictures of Lord Venkateswara i tell the guest house people i am also an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara.  The room is on the first floor and quite spacious enough. During the course of my stay in Hampi i come across three women from UK, Taiwan and China in a nearby restaurant. They all met in Mysuru and from there decided to travel together. According to  UK woman there were 11 boundary walls in 1989 when Berlin wall collapsed and now in 2018, 80 boundary walls have come up across world restricting free movement of people. Her grand father served in civil services in Hong Kong when it was UK's colony. Meet Mr Prakash Kulkarni from Maharashtra  staying in Hampi for 50 years. Meet a man from The Netherlands who says  KLM has merged with Air France or something like that. Meet Mr Bhima in Gopi restaurant. Meet Mr B Gangappa who has worked in AIR (All India Radio) in the past. He is able to place me.  Meet Mr Prasanna Patil staying in Hampi for over 30 years. In all i stay in Hampi for three days before heading towards Hubli a city which has among its residents same named Bubbly.

In SVBC (Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel)  beamed from Tirumala they are talking about Sarv Darshan (Free Darshan) in Tirumala and compartments in which ardent devotees have been placed.

Southern channels that we have been deprived of include Mega TV, Mega Music, ETV Andhra Pradesh, ETV Telugu, Gemini, Manorama News, Mazhavil Manorama, Asianet News because there are no rules to regulate cable functioning. The Cable Man is a law unto himself.

The Central Govt's lateral scheme to get professionals from private sectors work as Joint Secys in Govt Departments should be appreciated by one and all. The tenure should be at least five years and not three and they should be able to complete their tenure irrespective of the govt at the helm. As for criticism coming from Kolkata, when you took office about seven years ago or something more than that the first priority should have been to phase out vehicles emitting pollution that primarily includes buses in the city of Kolkata. CNG powered buses should have replaced them. The progress is next to nil and would continue to be in the same vein if one doesn't have the courage to perform. The quality of air in Kolkata city is toxic to say the least. Rash driving by buses and least regard for rules is the norm in the city of Kolkata. 

Belated Happy Birthday to Ms Angelina Jolie, Loads of good wishes to Mr Rajni Kanth, Ms Williams, Mr Ohanian

Belated Happy Birthday to Ms Angelina Jolie. Hope she had good time with her 6 kids. Loads of good wishes to her and family. Hope her new movie foray comes with a lot of goodies. Hope she and her kids have healthy long blessed life.

Loads of good wishes to Tamil Movie Star Mr Rajni Kanth and his movie Kaala. The man has stood test of times. Hope he and his family members have a smooth sailing in the decades to come.

Loads of Good wishes to Ms Serena Williams and Mr Alexis Ohanian and their child Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Hope they are doing well.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Amitabh Bachchan and family. Perhaps the Bird And Co memories you would be able to recall with ease.

Loads of good wishes to Hindi Movie Zero stars and associates and they have a healthy long blessed life. Hope the movie has a smooth and sound run. Does the Mannat man get sufficient sleep during night ?  Hope this observation doesn't offend you.  Loads of good wishes to Mr Shahrukh Khan, Ms Gauri Khan and their children. Loads of good wishes to Mr Aamir Khan and Mr Salman Khan and their parents.

Loads of good wishes to TATA Group and Family who have their presence in India and across world.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Barack Obama, Ms Michelle Obama and their daughters Malia Ann Obama, Sasha Obama.

Loads of good wishes to Ms Shuchi Mohotra and her daughter Aadya. Hope they and their family members remain healthy and safe for decades to come.

Loads of good wishes to Ms Maggie Lake, Ms Haru Mutasa, Ms Catherine Soi, Ms Ivonne Ndege, Ms Folly, Ms Ibrahim, Ms Ghosh, Mr Everton Fox, Ms E Burnett, Ms Sasha, Ms Kinkade, Ms Dareen, Mr Andrew Brown, Mr Andrew Philigan, Mr A Simmons, Mr Mcbride, Mr Jordan, Ms Horani, Ms Amanpour, Ms Becky Anderson, Ms Amanda Davies, Ms Kristie Lu Stout, Ms Nina dos Santos, Ms Robyn Curnow, Mr Richard Quest, Mr Cooper and all staff members of CNN and Al Jazeera across world and their family members.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Prannoy Roy, Ms Radhika Roy, Ms Gargi Rawat, Ms Ankita Mukherji, Ms Kajori Sen, Ms Nagma, Ms Nidhi Kulpati, Ms Nidhi Razdan, Ms Sarah Jacob, Ms Richa Jain Kalra, Ms Aditi, Ms Jaya Kaushik, Mr Sushil Bahuguna, Mr Ravish Kumar, Mr Ravish Ranjan Shukla, Mr Manoranjan Bharti, Mr Vishnu Som, Mr Vikram Chandra and NDTV staff members across country and world. Loads of good wishes to CNN TV 18 and IBN staff members.

Loads of good wishes to Ms Karishma Germanwala Patel, Mr Patel, Ms Madhuri, Ms Shivani Tyagi, Bhavishya Nidhi staff members, Mr Sachin Kumar, Mr Azad Singh, Mr Chhatar Singh, Mr Aashish Mishra, Ms Anju Dayal, Mr Kuldeep Bhardwaj, Wazirpur, Ms Anny Mary, Ms Annu, Ms Sneha (all three from Kerala) and Jamnagar Family. Loads of good wishes to Mr Rajdeep Sardesai, Ms Sagarika Ghose and news channels members across countries. Loads of good wishes to Mr Shekhar Gupta, Mr H K Dua, Mr Sumit Awasthi of CNN IBN, Mr Bhupen Choubey and Mr Zakka Jacob of  CNN TV 18 and Ms Sandhya of News 18 Gujarat.

Loads of good wishes to Ms Sanjana Mokal, Ms Shruti Khimta, Ms Spriha Gupta, Ms Ritisha Sarma, Ms Suman Yadav and their family members.  Loads of good wishes to Mr Aakar Patel and Mr Karan Thapar. Loads of good wishes to ETV Andhra Pradesh staff members, Manorama News, Asianet News, DD Podhigai and Mega News staff members.

Loads of GOOD WISHES to Mr R Panduranga,  Mr Bhaskar, Mr Kishore, Mr Kishan Rao (Uttaradhi Mutt, Tirumala), Mr Anandan, Mr Jay Prakash and Mr Prabhu of Tirumala. The Tirumala Temple would continue to receive blessings for millions of years.

Loads of good wishes to Fort Rajwada Jaisalmer and entire staff in Jaisalmer and Jaipur.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Kishore Barai, Mr Amit bhai, Mr Krupesh Upadhyay, Mr Yagesh Kumar Upadhaya, Mr Thobani, Mr Nilesh Thaker, Mr Ashok Thaker, Mr Batuk bhai, Mr Shyam bhai, Mr Bharat Ghadiya of Somnath and Dwarkadish in Gujarat.  Loads of good wishes to Mr Mukesh Ambani, Mr Anil Ambani, President Carter and their family members. Loads of good wishes to Mr Ali Ahmed bhai and Mr Javed bhai of Somnath.

Loads of good wishes to Ms Reshma, Ms Seeja, Mr Joshy of Guruvayur, Mr Vishwanath, Mr Rama, Mr Jiji and Mr Nandu of Guruvayur. Loads of good wishes to Mr Parushram, Mr Malappa, Mr Gopal Krishna of Anegundi. Loads of good wishes to Mr Kishore, Mr Dileep, Mr Rauf Hussain, Mr Syed Salimuddin Chisty, Mr M Husain, Mr Abdul Khalid and Mr Mohammad Azhar of Ajmer.

Loads of good wishes to Chinese President Mr Xi Jinping, Russian President Mr Putin and South China Morning Post staff members and their family. Loads of good wishes to New York Times, New Yorker, HT, TOI, IE, Asian Age staff members and their family members.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Bloomberg, Mr Tom Cruise, Mr Elton John, Mr Phill Colins, Mr Lionel Richie, Mr Stevie Wonder and their family. Loads of good wishes to Ms Celine Dion, Ms Britney Spears, Ms Beyonce M, Mr Bruce Springsteen, Mr Pele and Ms Madonna and their family members.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Irrfan Khan, Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr Manohar Parrikar and hope they get well soon and have healthy long blessed life.

Loads of good wishes to Ms Krishnapriya, Ms Gopika and  Ms Shilpa of Guruvayur. Loads of good wishes to Ms Balbir, Ms Neha, Ms Heena Rawat, Ms Geeta Rawat of New Delhi and their family members.

Loads of good wishes to Shreya of Anegundi, Ms Udati, Ms Aba Khan of Delhi, Ms Habiba, Ms Naseem of Okha, Ms Janvi of Delhi University, Ms Divya of Gwalior and their family members.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Sachin Tendulkar and family. Loads of good wishes to Mr Javagal Sreenath, Mr Venkatesh Prasad, Mr Rahul Dravid, Mr Ravi Shastri, Mr Anil Kumble, Mr John McEnroe, Ms Monica Seles and Mr Djokovic.


Loads of good wishes to Mr Amarinder Jha, Mr Jai Singh, Mr Yadav, Mr Sonu, Mr Laloo Maharaj, Mr Shiv Kumar, Mr Raj Kumar, Mr Bhola Mahto of Hanuman Temple Connaught place and Mr Birendar, Mr Banwari, Mr Sunny Mr Sambhu, Mr Biharilal, Ms Roshida, Mr Pooran Singh of Marghat Wale Hanuman Temple Old Delhi. Loads of good wishes Mr Radhey Shyam, Ms Shanti Devi, Mr Om Prakash, Mr Sanjay, Mr Bal Kishan, Mr Kapoor Singh and Mr Narendra Gupta of Connaught Place New Delhi.

Loads of good wishes to My Mummy, Papa, Leena, Neeraj, Muskan, Dolly, Adityajee, Mudit, Neha, Mr S K Jha, family members, Karunashankar Uncle, Shivshankar Uncle, Gyan Uncle, Nilu Auntie, Pramila didi, her daughter in law and family members. Loads of good wishes to Mr Bakshi, Mr Bhalla, Mr Anupam Bansal, Bawa Auntie, Mr Goyal, Mr Ghei, Mr Dutta, Mr Vidyarthy and all residents of S J Enclave. Loads of good wishes to all.

Loads of good wishes to Ms Aruna and Mr Arun of Doddabetta Peak near Udhgamandalam.

Loads of good wishes to Mr Narendra Modi, Mr Nitish Kumar, Mr Rahul Gandhi, Mr Arun Jaitley, Mr Rajnath Singh, Mr Prakash Karat, Ms Brinda Karat, Mr Siraram Yechury, Mr Dhoni, Mr Kohli, Mr Kapil Dev, Mr Gavaskar, Mr Baichung Bhutia, Ms P V Sindhu, Ms Sneha Nehwal, Mr Andrei Agassi, Ms Steffi Graf, Ms Maria Sharapova, Mr Rafael Nadal, Mr Roger Federer, Mr Pete Sampras and other sportspersons and their family members.

Loads of good wishes to Malyalam Actor Mr Mohanlal and Tamil Actors Mr Joseph Vijay and Mr Surya. Loads of good wishes to Ms Priyanka Chopra, Mr Prakash Padukone, Mr A R Rahman, Mr Mohammad Shami and Mr Mohammad Kaif.

Tamil Songs Maanipaaya ,Vaaranam Aayiram Adilyae Kolluthey, Nenjukkul Peidhidum are equally great.

Hindi Bhajan Achut Keshavam Krishna Damodaran Ram Narainayam Janki Vallabhavam is great.

Loads of good wishes to residents of Somnath, Tirumala, New Delhi, Nathdwara, Udaipur, Kolkata, Dakshineswar, Kalighat, Jagannath Puri, Ahmednagar, Dwarkadish, Okha, Ajmer, Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Amarnath, Rameswaram, Kanniyakumari,Udhagamandalam, Srisailam, Ujjain, Triambakeshwar, Anegundi, Ladakh, Varanasi, Kerala, Congo, Bosnia, Turkey, Middle East, African countries and to people all across the world.

Loads of good wishes to Lord Sai of Ahmednagar (Shirdi) and Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala.

On the occasion of Ramzan we extend good wishes. Ramzan in Varanasi is a must-watch event.

Pranabda (President Mr Pranab Mukherjee) is a statesman. By visiting RSS headquarters by no means he reduces his stature. He is free to venture wherever he desires.

Bihar Girl Tops NEET Medical Entrance Test ; I Leaving for Bengaluru, reaching Anegundi in Karnataka

Bihar girl Kalpana Kumari tops NEET Medical Entrance Test. Big Congratulations To Her And All The Best For Future Endeavours

Leaving for Bengaluru, reaching Anegundi in Karnataka

After a thorough search of different flights and trains to Bengaluru/ Coimbatore i finally settled for a flight to Bengaluru hoping against hope the situation won't be that tight. It was for over two weeks i was searching on how to reach Coimbatore or Hospet, the binding thought was on a travel schedule that won't consume much time. Connectivity to Hubli in Karnataka state from Delhi had limited options and going to Bengaluru and from there going to Hospet seem to be a desirable option.

On a Monday left home at 12.36 pm, reached Dhaula Kuan at 12.45 , reached airport (terminal 2) at 1.05. Meet a man from Benin near Nigeria. Benin is known to have a robust democracy among African countries. To its west lies Togo and to its east is Nigeria. Later come across Mr Satvir Singh Yadav of CISF (Central Industrial Security Force). There is Mr Rajan Varghese at Go Air counter which is in B Row.

There is an offer for passengers. At Delhi IGI Airport GMR get additional 12 per cent off on shopping over and above our existing offer.
- Visiting friends after a long gap don't arrive empty handed. Perhaps meant to entice passengers to bring loads of gifts.
There is Mr Bhagwat Meena of CISF
There is another message and quite true to our times. Think of everyone as your equal and the world will become a better place.

Mr Boro of CISF is at the scanning baggage counter, Mr Pandey is handling frisking. Perhaps the number of people who don't have to go through frisking should be brought under frisking ambit for the sake of security.  Post frisking there  is Delsey Paris outlet. Meet Mr Abhilash who has come from Hyderabad and going to Vaishnodevi in Jammu and Kashmir. He is working in TCS (Tata Consultancy Services). On way to Vaishnodevi at Ban Ganga itself porters (pitthos) should be stationed so that devotees don't have tough times. Perhaps the shrine board should look into this issue.

Meet a man from China doing business in submersive machinery. The number of people arriving from China and agreeing to stay in India for a while has grown phenomenally over the years. Meet Mr Hasmukh bhai from Surat in Gujarat State part of a group comprising13 members. Each person had to shell out Rs 21,000 excluding air fare to go to places like Shimla, Manali and Vaishnodevi. They are of the opinion that Mr NM would be able to hold on to his post a little over one year from now.
Later i settle for Samosa Ragada a Gujarati delicacy coming for 110 rs. Meet Mr Rawat going to Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Chennai for counselling.

Mysuru cleanest city in India

In Go Air flight meet a man from Thiruvanthapuram working as a veterinary doctor in Kannur in Kerala. His wife is doing masters in Vet Science from Bareilly in UP. Go - getter the inflight magazine has a story on Southern Sojourn in Mysuru. It has been Voted cleanest city on two consecutive occasions. This environment day we should reflect on Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign) and despite constraints it has made some headway.  Another story is on Mysuru Rail Museum which is second largest rail museum in India. Meet a group most of whom happen to be lawyers including Ms Meena from Bengaluru. Meet Mr Sam from Georgia.
Go past Ariana Afghan Airways.
Go-getter has guidelines to protect the sanctity of forest. Story on Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh State which essentially throws the template of fresh air, tall trees and dense foliage.
The flight took off at 4.15 pm and lands in Bengaluru at 6.45. Meet Mr Naveen from Chennai working in Bengaluru.
The bus leaves from airport at 7.17 ,  reaches Gandhi Nagar near Majestic at 8.13. I reach Shubhodaya lodge at 8.17. In the bus meet Mr Vijay from Udupi.  Meet Mr Suresh from Bengaluru. According to Mr Vijay, Udupi and Mangalore in Karnataka state are educational hubs. Medical, Para medical and engineering courses are offered. Students from more than 100 countries come here to pursue studies. Bus Conductor Mr Madan is helpful.
Meet Mr Rama Krishna and Mr Anoop in Hotel Adora while taking food. Meet Mr Lakshmana from Chennai.

This is the first time i am staying in Shubhodaya lodge. Mr Jagdish and Mr Anand came across as men who were willing to help at any hour. On previous occasions i have stayed in  Subhadra lodge and Srinidhi lodge. I don't miss an opportunity to take tea from Gandhava Upahar. I have visited Gandhava Upahar on numerous occasions in the past.

On offer in Gandhava Uphar
coffee/tea
badam milk
horlicks
chow chow bhath
Khara bhath
Kesari bhath
Idly 2 vada 1
Rice bhath
Rava Idly
Curd Vada
Puri
Pakora Bajji
Masala puri panipuri bhelpuri
plain samosa
samosa masala
dhai puri sev puri
Upstairs meal and service

Sightings in Bengaluru near Majestic

- Shri Ganesh tours and travels
Daily package tours
Tirupati Balaji Darshan
Shirdi Sai baba darshan
Mysore, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Coonoor, Coorg, Munnar, Thekkady, Alleppey , etc
- Bengaluru Mysore sight seeing
- Sandhya Residency
- S R S Travels Ananda rao circle
Belgaum, Bidar, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Mangalore, Manipal, Karwar, Chennai, Puducherry, Kolhapur, Mumbai, Pune
- Sri Venkateshwara travels
- Ksheera Sagar
- Citadel Hotel
- Meet Mr Anand Shetty  from Udupi
- Bus no 265A KBS to KBS
- Directions for Majestic, K R Circle Vidhan Soudha
- Udupi Upahar
- Kukkeshree travels
- SVR travels
- Ullal holidays
- SRE Travels
- Seabird tourists
- Hotel Kapila and lodge
- Sri Balaji borewells
- Vibha holidays
- Diwakar
   Hyderabad, Vijaywada, Nandyal, Vizag, Allgadda, Tadipatri
- Hotel ABM International
- Srushti vegetarian
- Utsav Grand
- Sugama tourist
 Tirupathi balaji
  aptdc
  quick darshan
- HKB tour and travels
- Royal Hair dressers
- Fortune
- Nokia
- Metro stove centre
- Airtel 4g
- Sri Balaji Provision stores
- Rajdhani family restaurant
- Shubhodaya lodge
- R K Sweets
- Jio Digital Life
- Royal Regency Lodge
- Royal Lodge
- Aishwarya Comfort Delux Lodge
- Internet Lamination spiral binding
- Hotel Adora for meals
- Meet Cobbler Mr Ramchandra
- Indrapastha vegetarian south and north indian dishes available family restaurant
- The cellar top hair dressers
- Arun store for Mysore Sandal Soaps
- Vybhav lodge
- Kamat Hotel Here i meet Mr Kamat
- Sagar Andhra style family restaurant
- Ramraj banians drawers briefs
- Sri Ramakrishna lodge
- Hotel Vijay cafe
- Chopstick Express family restaurant
- Hotel Pawan Sree delux lodge
- Hotel Canary
- Janatha juice corner
- Shopping centre 50 per cent off
- SBI
- Sri Annammadevi Mahasamsthana


While going to 16th cross Vyali Kaval in Bengaluru it is automan Mr Syed Mastan who takes me there. A TTD (Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam) run temple is there. Food i take from Swathi Deluxe  retaurant which is on first floor in Majestic bus station. Hare Krishna Vegetarian restaurant which is near railway station the personnel there is helpful to give phone number of Mr Shivanna who has served in this restaurant and hails from Chikmagalur. In Hotel Kamat meet Mr Himappa, meet Mr Raju hailing from Bangalore and going to Mumbai for work.

In Bangalore railway station announcements are being made for train to Tirupati, Mumbai, Kolhapur,  Tuticorin. Rani Chenamaa Express to Kolhapur to depart from Platform 8. Meet Mr Vikram who is from Bengaluru and his wife is going to Bellary.   Take Hampi Express which leaves at 10.28 pm from Bengaluru. There is Ms Madhu who boards the train from Yelahanka station. She is very down to earth woman in her early twenties and i wish her best for her future endeavours.  In the train come across Mr Keerthiraj who is associated with NGO WeWorld. Perhaps it is an NGO based in Italy. Mr Keerthiraj has done Masters in Food Science and Agriculture Development from Ireland and Denmark. Speak to him about Sinn Fein the political party in Ireland whose mentor at one point of time happenned to be Mr Gerry Adams.

Meet Mr Kantilala Jain who is settled in Hospet and doing business in industrial supplies. There is another family from Mumbai who have their relatives in Gangavathi. Guntanakal comes at 5.20 am, Bantanahal 5.45, Hagari 6.07, Ballari 6.23, Toranagalu 7.05 and Hospet at 7.48 . It is automan Mr Yogesh Reddy who takes me to Hospet bus station. Leave Hospet at 7.58, reach Gangavathi at 8.50. Come across Mr Amir Sohail who has done MBA in supply chain management from Bengaluru and at present working in Jio Digital Life Store. Leave Gangavathi at 9.13 and reach Anegundi at 9.40. It is Mr Khwaja Pasha who guides me to Anegundi. I head straight to Vaibhava Guest House where Mr Mallappa gives me a well furnished room.