https://medium.com/@gajeshnagesh/a-trip-to-city-of-nizams-hyderabad-ab721055d36
A trip to the Land of Cholas
This December will go down in my travel diaries as one of the best travel trips I ever had. I never thought , when I started this road trip , that I will have a rendezvous with history of the great Tamil Kingdom ,The Cholas. I had read about Cholas in my school history books but when I visited Tanjavur I realized the humongous contribution of this great dynasty to the art and architecture. The Chola dynasty was one of the longest-ruling dynasties in history. Chola armies invaded Sri Lanka, the Maldives and parts of Southeast Asia like Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern Thailand.
The Brihadeeshwara temple or the Big temple as it is known depicts the zenith of Chola architecture and sculptural tradition.And I must say when you see those sprawling Gopurams one feel proud and flabbergasted by architectural talents of Indians. Probably we need not build tall structures using tax payers money rather we protect what our history has left to us.
My initial travel plan was to visit Trichy , Madhurai and then head back to Chennai. But a sudden decision to include Tanjavur at the last minute made this trip even more meaningful. Below are some of my travel experiences.
I started my journey from Sholinganalur , Chennai at 12.00 PM, Saturday. I took the OMR → Tiruporur → Chengalpatu road to reach the GST road. Road was good and there was no traffic at all. As it was a long weekend all the tolls on the way Trichy were fully crowded .
My first stop was at Samayapuram Mariamman Temple @ 6 PM , 20 Kms before Trichy. It is believed by the devotees that the Goddess has enormous powers over curing illnesses and hence, it is a ritual to buy small metallic replicas, made with silver or steel, of various body parts that need to be cured, and these are deposited in the donation box. (Wiki)
The road to the temple was heavily crowded with vehicles and devotees. Although there is a car parking ticket collected (40/- Rs) at the temple entrance there are no sign boards for parking .The car parking slot is towards the temple main entrance and somehow I missed it. Luckily a stranger advised me to park the car to the adjacent hotel parking and gave me the necessary direction to reach the temple. There is a 100/- special darshan ticket , which will take you to directly to the inner sanctum of the temple. We were also fortunate to see the evening Aarthi standing right in front of the deity.
It was already dark when I entered Trichy. As you enter the city you get to see the great Kaveri river flowing and you wonder the same River which I usually see during my trips to Kerala is following me here also . I had booked the stay in Trichy at Hotel Apple Park Inn. The room was neat and clean and it had four beds (Standard Quadruple — 2599/3 Pax). The staff were also good. There was no restaurant attached to the hotel but they had food services from nearby restaurants. The breakfast was mediocre and requires improvement.
The plan was to visit Srirangam , Jambukeswarar temple and Rock fort temple on Sunday. I thought of visiting Srirangam first . In Srirangam the first thing to catch your eyes is the towering Rajagopuram. Rising to the skies at 236 feet height with its 13 tiers, the Srirangam Rajagopuram was at one time one of the tallest temple tower in the universe. The temple is also the largest temple in India occupying an area of 156 acres. You will probably need a couple of days to explore the temple. And somewhere you find similarities in the architecture and the layout with Ananthapadmanabha temple of Thiruvananthapuram.
As it was Ekadashi time and also a Sunday the temple was fully crowded. There was no specific parking slot around the temple although the parking ticket was collected well before the temple entrance. You need to walk a lot to reach the main temple. The 250 Rs special darshan ticket was unavailable and there was no clarity on when the darshan will start. We took the free darshan queue and it took us nearly 6 hours to get the darshan and hence we had to cancel the visit to the other temples. The 6 hours in queue tested us both mentally and physically. There was time when we thought to come out of the queue but looking at the effort required to break the line we decided to continue. But finally when we got to see the reclining Ranganathaswamy we forgot all the turmoils that we went through.
I already had the hotel booking done for stay at Madurai for Sunday , so had no choice but to immediately start to Madurai. I reached the city by 8 PM. I stayed at Hotel Rathna Residency (Delux Room — 3599/- 3 Pax) right opposite to Chennai Silk. This road has lots of other hotels like Hotel Supreme, Centur, . The hotel was not worth the money but the food was really good and was not costly.
On monday morning after the breakfast I took a rickshaw to the Madurai Meenakshi temple. The rickshaw driver took us to the North Tower of the temple and he stopped right in front of a saree shop . As mobiles or any electronic items were not allowed inside the temple,we had to keep our bags and chappals in the saree shop . They do it as a service for free and also do not force you to buy any sarees.
The Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple is dedicated to goddess Meenakshi Amman, incarnation of Parvati and consort of Lord Shiva. Similar to the Srirangam temple, again you are welcomed by the stunning Rajagopuram.
Every part of the temple is an example of mesmerizing craftsmanship. The majestic structure of this temple along with compelling sculptures, drawings, paintings and serenity of religious piousness mesmerizes leaving an everlasting impression. We took the 100 Rs special Darshan ticket and I would recommend one to take this as it takes shorter route for Darshan compared to the free Darshan. Within an hour we got the Darshan of Meenaskhi Amma and then proceeded towards the Siva shrine.
Although there are other important temples in Madurai, we reserved them for our next visit to this great city. We suddenly planned to go to Tanjavur. Google map showed us two routes map to Tanjavur, one through Trichy and the other one through Pudukottai. I chose the Trichy one as it was 4 lane drive. I started at 2 PM and reached Tanjavur at 5 PM. The hotel I booked was PLA Residency which also had a restaurant attached to it . This is a new building which also a party hall. The room was new, neat and clean (delux — 2200/- 3 Pax).I stayed for two nights and is highly recommended. The breakfast was good but the menu was same for the both the days.
We thought of seeing the famous Big Temple , Brihadeeshwarar Temple, on the same day. The temple was 2.5 Kms from the hotel and was easy to reach. Well before you reach the temple you can see the strikingly majestic Gopuram. This temple is a masterpiece of the Chola dynasty and is one of the architectural wonders. As we entered, the sheer magnificence of the temple left us wondering how it could have been possible one thousand years ago. The grandeur of the sculptures start at the entrance itself. We marvel at the life size sculptures of dwarapalakas or divine guardians. The shadow of the main vimana never falls on the ground at any point of the time.
Brihadeeshwarar temple was built by Raja Raja Chola I between 1003 and 1010 AD, the temple is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the “Great Living Chola Temples”. This temple has withstood the test of time for more than 1000 years and continues to flourish.
As expected the temple was crowded. There is parking area just opposite to the temple for 10 rupees. You have to cross the road to reach the temple and the traffic polices are there to help you. There is a chappal stand inside the temple premise which I would say was well maintained and operated.
As you proceed towards the temple, the first thing you see is shrine of Nandi which is 6m in length, 3m in height and weighs 25 tons. It is carved from one single rock.
Then you will enter the main temple where you can see the 29ft tall Shiva Linga. This is a functional temple with regular pujas thus you will surely expect a crowd in front of you in a queue, with no other option you have to wait for your turn and walk along. This delay, however, will give you enough time to look at the Shiva Linga and also around especially at the structures inside.
The garden in the temple complex is quite well maintained where you can sit and gulp in a few sips of the surrounding spiritual vibes. It is advised to see the temple twice, one in the early morning and one after the sunset when it turns cooler and you can witness the wonderful silhouette of the temple.
Next I visited the Tanjavur Palace. The below blog has well documented details about the temple Palace.
Thanjavur Palace Blog: Exploring beyond the Big Temple
I would also recommend you to watch the video played in the Audio & Video library at the palace. It is played every 1 hour included as part of the entry ticket. It gives a detailed information about the temple and the important aspects of Tanjavur.
In the evening we visited the Punnai Nallur Mariamman temple which is situated in the outskirts, 5Km from the Tanjavur city. Wiki has the below story for this temple. In the year 1680, when the Maharashtra king Venkoji Maharaja Chatrapati (1676–1688) of Tanjore was on a pilgrimage at Samayapuram, where there is a famous temple dedicated to Kali, Mariamman appeared to the King in his dream and told him -that she (the idol) was in a forest of Punna trees at a distance of about 3 miles from Tanjore. The King lost no time in rushing to the spot indicated to him and recovered the idol from the jungle.
Originally the Amman was in the form of white-ant hill (Putru). The Great saint Sadhasiva Brammendra swamy shaped the white-ant hill (Putru) into a form of Mariamman and also installed a powerful Chakra. There are Tanjavur dolls available at reasonable prize here.
Overall this was a great trip. Whether it is Srirangam or Meenakshi temple or Brihadeeshwara temple they somehow touch your soul and you keep telling in your mind that you have to come back again. These are probably the places where you learn new things in your each visits. I read an interesting article correlating these temples with our life.
“ To sum up, if our attitude (foundation) is non-blaming, our qualities(parts that hold the structure) are strong and flawless, and our actions are detached (no binding material) then our achievements in life (the Temple we construct) will last for thousands of years.”
Alibaba by Duncan Clark : Book Review
Media describes him as an “Imp of a man” with sunken cheekbones, tussled hair and a mischievous grin. A masterful public speaker , rejected multiple times by Harvard ,his favorite movie is Forrest Gump , his surname “Ma” is the same as the Chinese word for horse. Yes you got it right its Jack Ma. Duncan Clark’s engaging biography is about Jack Ma as much as it is about Alibaba; indeed you can’t mention one without thinking of the other.
Born in 1964 to a photographer and a factory worker, Ma grew up a mediocre student in the city of Hangzhou. About the only thing that set Ma apart was learning English, which he would practice by speaking to tourists passing through his hometown. One of these tourists, a vacationing Australian Communist, became a generous benefactor and that changed the life of Jack Ma.
The book covers Jack’s key business relationships in detail, how he along with investors companies like SoftBank, Goldman Sachs and Yahoo built Alibaba. How he moved along with government on the internet revolution. His famous quote “Never, ever do business with government. Love them. Don’t marry them. “.
In the most fascinating chapter of the book, we read about Alibaba’s battle with eBay. ” Ebay may be a shark in the ocean, but I’m a crocodile in the Yangtze River. If we fight in the ocean, we lose, but if we fight in the river, we win” , that is Jack Ma’s view on this battle. EBay goes on to make one tactical blunder after another and that is clearly depicted in the book. Ebays China adventure , lasting from 2003 to 2006, is today a case study in how not to go about managing a business in a distant market.
All in all, for a sense of how, and how impactful China and Alibaba have become, and for a true lesson in entrepreneurship, read this book.
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published April 12th 2016 by Ecco
Movie List of 2018
English
Must Watch
- Denial(2016) – Courtroom movie based on WW2 concentration camp
- The case for Christ(2017) – An atheist trying to prove resurrection was folly
- Fracture(2007) – Crime thriller
- Glory (1989)– War Movie
- 3 billboards outside ebbing Missouri(2017) – Oscar movie
- Dragon Blade (2015) – John Cusak and Jackie Chan Chinese war movie
- Matchstick Men (2007 ) – The original movie of Bluff master
- All the money in the world (2017) – A mothers fight to get her son ransom from her rich father-in-law
- Midnight Runner (2017- Korean Movie) – Story of two Military trainee trying to solve a kidnapping case
- The Post (2017) – True event based story. Tom Hanks at his best.
- The Zoo Keepers Wife (2017) – True event based story during WWRII
- Darkest Hours (2017) – True event based movie on Winston Churchill
- The Disaster Artist (2017) – Two new guys try to make a movie.
- The Accountant ( 2016) – Ben Affleck Thriller
- Spotlight (2015) – True even based Journalist story bringing out the story of Child Molestation by priests.
- The Ghost Writer (2010) – Thriller on Former British Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan), trying to write his memoirs.
- Gifted (2017) – A little girl who is a genius in Mathematics gets into a legal battle for her possession.
- Zodiac (2007) -A thriller trying to solve a murder mystery
- Borg vs McEnroe (2017) – Sports drama movie on the rivalry between famous tennis players Björn Borg and John McEnroe .
- In Bruges (2008) – A climax which you can never forget. Collin Ferral at his best.
- State of Play (2009) -Journlist movie . Rare combination of Russel Crowe and Ben Affleck.
- Rocknrolla (2008) – A crime thriller from Gerard Butler
Watchable
- Drive (2011)
- Dens of Thieves (2018) – Heist movie
- Unlocked (2017) – Thriller movie
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017) – Crime Investigation on Train
- The Ballad of Lefty Brown – Cowboy movie
Malayalam
Must Watch
- Sudani from Nigeria
- Hey Jude
- Aadu 2 – Some good comedy
- Vikadakumaran
Time Pass
- Shikari Shambhu
- Diwanjimoola
- Captain
Risky
- Queen
Hindi
Must watch
- Qarib Qarib Single Single
- Newton
Watchable
- Shaadi main zaroor aana
Risky
- Fukrey Returns
- Aiyaary
The Case for Christ : A God Time movie
I was searching for Courtroom based movies and that’s when I came across this movie ” The Case for Christ“. The story revolves around Lee Strobel , an arrogant journalist and a staunch atheist and his wife who also shares his same perspective. One day when they were having a dinner in a restaurant their daughter nearly gets choked to death. She gets saved by a nurse who was incidentally present in the same restaurant. The nurse, tells the couple that she had a sense that she needed to have dinner at that restaurant that night. It wasn’t luck or coincidence she was there, but Jesus’ plan so that their daughter is rescued. Although Lee laughs it off, his wife starts believing in God and starts attending church. This irritates Lee and what follows after is Lee’s attempts to prove his wife wrong.
Lee seriously starts investigating to prove that the resurrection of Jesus Christ never happened.But the facts that Lee Strobel uncovers lead him toward an outcome altogether different than the one he expected to reach.
This movie made me remember a classic movie in malayalam , Paithrakam (meaning Heredity) , which had a similar story line. The movie was much more intense and was based on clash of ideologies between a father and his son. The character of father (Devadathan Chemmathiripadu) was donned by Narendra Prasad and the son (Somadattan) was played by Suresh Gopi. Devadathan was a priest but his son Somadattan was an atheist. A glimpse of the climax probably will give you a flavor of the intensity in the movie.
As the village was suffering from heavy drought, the villagers request Devadathan to perform a yaga called Athirathram to please Lord Indra to get rain . Somadathan ridicules his father and says that yaga is nonsense and challenges his father that if it doesn’t rain after the yaga is he ready to become a atheist. Devadathan accepts the challenge. In a fascinating climax as the ceremony goes along across twelve days; there is no sign of rain and the atheists continue to protest. But on the final day the clouds gathers from nowhere and it rains incessantly . Somadathan is stunned and he accepts defeat. Devadathan lost in the intensity of his prayers, meditates and sacrifices his life. The movie ends showing Somadathan as the new priest and continuing the Vedic traditions for which his father gave up his life. I would recommend to watch this movie
I heard some one saying that even not believing in god is also a kind of belief, a faith. It need not be facts always , sometimes feelings can also be a fact.
Thank You Sridevi…
What makes Sridevi to stand out from the other actresses was her matchless comedy , probably one thing that you really miss with the current Bollywood actresses. The current Bollywood actresses may be rich with exuberance, acting , dancing but no one currently has the ability to make you smile, let alone giggle. When Sridevi moved out of movies she had a already a left a vacuum and now that shes no more that vacuum will remain as it was.
Growing up in the 90s meant there was no escaping the charm of Sridevi. May be the place were I was born also played an important. I belong to the northern part of Kerala where the Regional Malayalam Doordarshan was out of reach and we had to get satisfied with Hindi broadcast. That meant we got numerous opportunity to watch Sridevi’s on the tv screen. Some of the movies that stand out for me is Mr. India, Chaalbaaz, Laadla , Sadma & English Vinglish.
Mr. India was indeed an Anil Kapoor movie but what added to the spice to the movie was Sridevi’s ” Hawa Hawayi” and her inimitable comic timings. The song with the kids and her fighting for the ball is the best comic song I have seen and I can still sing that song line by line. Chaalbaaz was equally hilarious with Sridevi playing the double role. And when you thought that Sridevi was too humorous, movie Laadla showed how serious she could became. With her signature dialogue, “Understand? You better understand,” Sridevi was her fiery best against Anil Kapoor . Sadma was a class and the role that she played as a woman with amnesia was both endearing and heartwarming. Her child-like innocence and bright, shiny eyes in the movie was unforgettable. English Vinglish perhaps require no detailing.
Sridevi’s comedy was not slapstick but was using her tiny mannerisms like an eyeroll, a contorted face, or a high-pitched giggle. She had the eerie knack to produce laughs from nowhere. She was undisputably the Bollywood’s first heroine-comedienne. Thank you for the laughs Sridevi. Your movies still makes me giggle.
Darkest Hours : Movie with a Grit
If you have watched the Christopher Nolan movie “Dunkirk” and you were still wondering what is this fuss all about, may be when you watch “Darkest Hours” it will start making sense. The Dunkirk evacuation, code-named Operation Dynamo, and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, was the evacuation of Allied soldiers during World War II from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940. This evacuation was critical for Winston Churchill ,who was the then Prime Minister of United Kingdom , as without these soldiers it would have been impossible for him to hold against the German force. This movie brings up on the political side of Dunkirk.
When I watched this movie I felt like I was watching Winston Churchill onscreen. The greatest orator that he was , the movie is filled with his inspirational speeches. You defy the statement when one of his minister says “Wars cannot be won by speeches”. Winston Churchill is considered one of the defining figures of the 20th century and this movie is thrilling, somber, introspective, gregarious and reflects Churchill’s demeanor in brilliant fashion.
A must watch.
Lucknow Central : A musical prison break
The only reason I chose to watch this movie was for the soothing and soulful song of Amit Mishra “Meer-e- Karwaan”. The song was running in a loop in my laptop for almost a week. Lucknow Central has its flaws but when the movie keeps you engaged with its music, rib tickling comedy and punch dialogues you hardly notice those flaws. Farhan Akthar carries the movie on his shoulders along with his other jail inmate gives a superb performance. Ravi Kissan with ludicrous acting and Ronit Roy as the strict Jailor adds spice to the movie.
Overall this is a must watch and laughs are guaranteed.
PS (Taken from DNA) : The movie is based on true story of a band formed by the inmates of Lucknow Central jail. The band named ‘Healing Hearts’ was formed in the Adarsh Jail wing of Lucknow Central jail. Consisting of 12 men who are sentenced to life imprisonment, the band plays hit Bollywood numbers at various private functions including weddings and baraats. The band was the brainchild of VK Jain, the senior superintendent of Lucknow Central Jail, as a part of qaidi reforms in 2007. Just like the film, a contest was held in the jail for which funds were released.With the arrangement of fifteen instruments, few volunteers came forward for the initiative. An inmate who hailed from a musically inclined family provided leadership due to which the band won the contest. The win further opened doors to opportunities for the band to perform at private parties.
You will be missed…
B Panduranga Bhakth ( 24/12/1940 – 11/09/2017)
This is the first time I am trying to write an eulogy. B Panduranga Bhaktha(Age 77) , my beloved Manthu, a person whom I respected the most, who was always there in my good time and tough times, who had a solution for any issues that I came up with, left for the heavenly abode on 11/09/2017. It was a sad day.
During my recent visit to kanhangad there was this precious moment, when he blessed my 6 month old son by keeping him in his lap. A moment I will cherish throughout my life. The wisdom and the clarity that he had in the religious matters was enormous.His absence leaves a void that can never be filled.May his divine soul rest in peace.
Dunkirk – A Non Linear Experience
If you are yet to watch this movie, then probably you should read this piece so that you can appreciate this grandeur. The movie has a non linear narrative. You dint get it right? Its tricky but once you understand it, its an awesome experience.The story takes place in three different place, one beginning on land ( moles) that covers incident happening for one week, one on the sea that covers one day, and one in the air covering one hour. And in the climax when all meets together its just even better. Especially the scene below.
It is debatable whether Dunkirk is Nolan’s the best movie when compared to his earlier flicks but this movie will remain one of the best war movies of all time. Go watch it.
As It Is ... 