tooling around...

Glimpses of Goa -I

2011-03-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

Peacocks near Vadodara

2011-03-16T10:27:00.000-07:00

2011-03-16T03:49:00.000-07:00

Misty Morning....

2009-09-28T03:26:00.001-07:00

Delhi Street Food

2009-09-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

Parrots in Red Fort

2009-09-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

2009-09-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

Chana Bature at Nagpals Delhi

2009-09-19T09:34:00.000-07:00

With a three day off in Delhi, decided to try out some street food. My friends strongly recommended breakfast at Nagpals and I'm glad I listened to them.

Nagpals is tucked away in a corner at Lajpat Nagar market (Amar Colony and Gupta market to be more specific) and serves awesome Chana Bature, Puri Cholay, Samosas, Rice Rajma, Rice Chole and the like.... Almost all the customers ask for Chana Bature and is worth every bit of the thirty rupees you pay !You can wash this down with cold, sweet/salt lassi !

The young owner was horrified when I told him about Times Food Guide listing branches of his eatout. He showed me a telltale sign "We have no branch". He's going to take it up with the Times folks on Tuesday.
Next time you are in Delhi, don't miss Nagpals !

Srirangam - Bhooloka Vaikuntam !

2009-09-07T13:44:00.001-07:00

SRIRANGAM - a M-A-S-S-I-V-E (156 acres)Temple complex built on an island surrounded by teh rivers Cauvery and Kollidam is awe-inspiring, to put it mildly. Some snapshots....

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Pigeons

2009-08-17T06:57:00.000-07:00

Bandra - Worli Sea Link

2009-08-15T04:21:00.000-07:00

Chennai gets Wall smART !

2009-08-08T12:25:00.000-07:00

Garish graffiti is giving way to wall art in Chennai ! If Chennai Corpn. has its way, the city's walls will sport a squeaky clean and colourful look !

2009-07-08T21:02:00.001-07:00

Put it before them BRIEFLY so they will read it, CLEARLY so they will appreciate it, PICTURESQUELY so they will remember it and, above all, ACCURATELY so they will be guided by its light - Joseph Pulitzer

Mumbai CST Area

2009-05-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

2009-04-24T07:55:00.001-07:00

Satyam Toastmasters meeting was a hyper success with 100 participants ! TM movement is gaining rapid strides in Chennai

TEMPLES of INDIA - Thiruvanmiyur - Chennai

2009-04-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Chennai Egmore Railway Station

2009-04-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

2009-04-04T19:56:00.001-07:00

Ocotillo Golf Resort, Chandler Arizona

2009-04-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Dallas Texas

2009-03-31T20:16:00.001-07:00

I was visiting my friend, MVL Prasad who lives in a luxurious, verdant suburb of Dallas TX.The landscape is dotted with a lake, a joggers lane all abutting a mini forest. Some snapshots...

Mahatma in Marina

2009-03-06T18:59:00.000-08:00

Mahatma Gandhi is in the news today as Vijay Mallya salvages our nation's pride by bringing home his priceless personal belongings.

Gandhi Statue on Marina beach in Chennai is where celebrities hobnob with humble folks,walking, jogging only to end up in Saravana Bhavan to have a cup of steaming coffee !

I was there on January 30, Mahatma's death anniversary ! Bapu's statue was shining with the new found attetion as politicians trooped in to pay their profound but inane tribute to the father of the nation !I am sure he must have prayed silently "Hey Ram, forgive them- they know not what they speak !"

Toastmasters !

2009-03-06T05:01:00.000-08:00

Egret Park Chennai

2009-03-05T08:21:00.000-08:00

Last month,I was nestled in an appropriately named guest house -'Egret Park" in Thoraipakkam Chennai. This forms a part of the Pallikaranai biosphere, mauled beyond repair with concrete eyesores.

Right behind the guest house, there is a narrow path leading to a swamp. Early risers will be able to spot a wide variety of birds.

Taj West End Bangalore

2009-02-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Had a speaking engagement for a client in the picturesque Taj West End. During the break, I was tooling around and took some shots ! Bang in the middle of the city, they have 20 acres of verdant green lawns ! The caretaker told me that early morning would be a great time for birding ! I was there at around 5pm and had little luck in spotting our feathered friends !

Some chirpy friends in Dubai

2009-01-19T04:39:00.000-08:00

Spotted some chirpy friends early in the morning on the terrace of a guest house in Dubai.

Dubai Skyline !

2009-01-19T01:06:00.000-08:00

Emirates Airlines Crew

2009-01-19T00:54:00.000-08:00

A courteous crew from Emirates Airlines ! I was on seat 37A (way behind) and could overhear the general banter of the crew. they were shooting some pics on a Polaroid and I took a chnace with my toy !

Sunrise over Vijayawada !

2009-01-06T01:40:00.000-08:00

2009. Day 1. The Kankadurgamma Temple in Vijayawada gives you a panoramic view of the city- the silent, expansive and encompassing Krishna river, imposing Prakasam barrage and the Sun rising in crimson red as if paying obeisance to the presiding Deity whose favourite color is "Kumkum" red . Some random captures.....

Kondapalli Toys

2009-01-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

Dasavatharam Set depicting ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu

This is the signature doll of Kondapalli !

dusk shots

2008-12-31T05:19:00.000-08:00

Travelling by train to Vijayawada. A long wait in a remote station. Well after dusk, actually. Tried these shots from the compartment.

Egg factory - Mota Special in Bangalore !

2008-12-27T02:27:00.000-08:00

Tucked away behind Dewar Wines on St Marks Road, Bangalore, is a neat joint named Egg Factory serving mind boggling egg variations. I was attracted for a different reason. Two Manipal MIT alumni run this place and they have a 'Manipal Corner' in the menu, dishing out campus delicacies like Bread Masala, Bun masala, Egg Burjee and MOTA special named after a healthy,well developed youngster - Pradeep Kittur, who gave the recipe to Ramdas Kamath who ran (and still runs) the Kamath Canteen on campus.

MITians ( especially from the 70s and 80s batches) will simply love this place which recreates the magic of the late night carts.

Enjoy Maadi !

Homely Pigeons

2008-12-14T05:08:00.000-08:00

Hebbal Lake again !

2008-12-14T05:05:00.000-08:00

Chinese Hut

2008-12-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

Waiting at a traffic signal near Hotel Chalukya for five minutes. Took this shot inspired by comment in a Digital Photography blog about amateur photographers pulling out their cameras only during vacations to shoot landmarks or landscapes. The writer urged us to carry our cameras and click people,places or just anything that looks interesting ! Here's my first attempt !

Chilkur Lake near Hyderabad

2008-12-09T06:46:00.000-08:00

Chilkur, 30kms from Hyderabad is famous for Balaji temple - a first of its kind- no donations, no hundi, no preference for VIPs . A plesant surprise was a lake abutting the temple with a feast of pelicans, egrets and the like. Here are some snaps all shot around 8.15 a.m.

Charminar Hyderabad

2008-12-09T03:05:00.001-08:00

Cuddlesome Twosome...

2008-12-09T02:42:00.000-08:00

Chilkur - Cuddlesome Twosome

From Tryambakeshwar

2008-12-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

Picked them up from a shop in Tryambakeshwar temple near Nashik.

Hebbal Lake !

2008-12-02T02:43:00.000-08:00

Bangalore - Hyderabad Highway. Just before you climb the Hebbal Flyover, take left towards Tumkur. After a longish drive, take a U turn (keep asking for for Hebbal "kare" (lake), hit the ring road and on your left, you will find a well maintained park near Hebbal Lake. The charges are Rs 10/- per person but birdwatchers and senior citizens get a free entry from 6 am to 9.45 am.

I landed up at 10.30 am and saw an expansive islet with birds perched atop. Wasn't very lucky. Decided to try again tomorrow at 6am.

I strolled around to get a close up of a butterfly and as I moved closer and closer, I was startled by a movement ahead ! Well... it was a young couple hiding behind the bush and er...having some intimate moments !!! Honestly, I wasn't looking out for this type of birdwatching ! I quietly retreated only find the park scattered with love birds and none of them of the feathered variety !

Hopefully, they won't land up at 6am tomorrow ! Anyway, watch this space !!

Butterfly Park in Bannerghatta

2008-12-01T07:51:00.000-08:00

Just outside the Banneghatta National park, a tastefully designed dome houses a Butterfly Park !

Open all days except Tuesdays. Ideal time 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The place is teeming with butterflies but you need loads of patience to capture these spectacular friends ! Apart from a solitary butterfly, I managed to get more of flowers !

Here is my only successful attempt !

Some other captures inside the park !

Bannerghatta National Park

2008-12-01T04:02:00.000-08:00

A Framed White Tiger at Bannerghatta National Park

Dwarka

2008-11-30T15:39:00.001-08:00

Somnath

2008-11-30T15:30:00.000-08:00

Somnath - an imposing temple reeking of history - of Gazni Mohammed's 17 attempts to plunder- a lighthouse from where the light reaches the South Pole uninterrupted- one of the Jyotirlingams.

GIR Forest Gujarat

2008-11-30T15:24:00.000-08:00

My first visit to GIR National Park. Stayed at the Birding Lodge,right next to the main gate of the park.

I was lucky to spot a lioness and her cubs sitting majestically on the road. My Sony Cybershot T5 shutter got jammed and so I had to take still pics from my Sony 653 E handycam and the quality nothing to write home about.

Rishikesh

2008-11-30T14:51:00.001-08:00

2008-11-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

Lalbagh Flowers

2008-11-30T14:46:00.000-08:00

Badrinath

2008-11-09T01:38:00.000-08:00

A ready reckoner for travellers !

2008-03-10T06:21:00.000-07:00

I am a member of a trainers forum mailing list and saw a post by Krishnan Subramanian (tauruskvs@gmail.com), who sends some awesome information on travel and innocuously gives a title " maybe useful for frequent fliers " - Understatement of the year !

I've culled from his exhaustive post ! make the most of it !

How to get cheap flights

Internet Travel Site

Student and Budget Specialists

Bargaining

Passports and Visas

Walking and Backpack

Travel Tale

2008-03-05T16:38:00.001-08:00

You learn a lot by wandering around !
I've been lucky to hop around exotic locations and intend using this column to give tips and share some memorable moments verbally and visually !

While I'm setting up the script, do visit www.frommers.com, an excellent starting point for travellers !