Happy Christmas to All !!

This photo of mine of a real tree taken from distance -zooming in on it.. reminds me of a Greeting Card front page !! So here is wishing you all to a Merry Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Volvo India International Regatta, Chennai

Yachting or Sailing.

I could manage to see the Volvo International Regatta at Chennai, that was held from 1st Nov to8th Nov'2009 on the Bay Of Bengal. And that too I could see from close up by going to the mid-sea in a luxury motor Launch!!  This is as you can see a sailing boat race. Windpower is essential. No motor Power.

Only two classes were in the competion. The boats that you see sailing are in the OPTIMIST Class- small boats or Dinghy (singular Term) as they are called. The 29er is also a Dinghy Class but are called Skiffs and are aimed at the Youth. They are bigger than the Optimist Class Boats. [The bigger Sail boats are called Yachts].

The Optimist Class Boats are raced by children in 10-15 years age group !! Just think !!! THINK!!

And the other boats which you see parked -Red Sails- in one of the photos are the 29er Class. These boats are where you see the sailor holding on to the sail and leaning out of the boat to lend his weight to steer the boat. Unfortunately I could not see that!! They are bigger boats and faster. I was late because of my group of people who were not very interested in actually seeing the Race it seems but something else..!! Anyway.. my bad luck.. still what I saw and experienced was Fantastic..

And the sea was soooooo choppy!! Our Launch literally rose and fell !! And 4 of my group members  started vimitting too at the end! All the Sambar and Rice came out on the lovely small porcelain basin on the deck!  Luckily I was made of steady material and am eating less nowadays also!! I could not even stand still on the Launch to take photos.. I was not having my own camera  -- had a SOny.. with video options too.. luckily and I took some video clips also..and by mistake to make space deleted some good video clips too!! Stupid me!!... 

Some Links --
Science of Sailing
Optimist Class
29er Class

The 29er class boats on the Shore- you can see them..

The Girl who won.

This is our Motor Launch. Look at the Luxury!! Hmm?

Life is a Shit Hole

Sometimes Life is a Shit Hole!!

So go shit to get relief!!

hehehehe!!

FOSSIL Tree at SATHANUR (Ariyalur, Perambalur) Tamilnadu

Javadhi Hills, Sathanur in perambalur dt fossil tree.

Sathanur is just before Trichy (Tiruchirapalli). There is this flyover which if you do not take and rather take the left road below it, the left turn takes you to Ariyalur. Please do not take this but rather cross the flyover (The Signboard in my pictures where you see VILLUPURAM 109 kms, Ariyalur 32 kms and Perambalur) is actually shot when I was returning with Trihcy direction behind me, so imagine you are on the other side of this flyover now and coming towards Trichy. So cross the flyover leaving the Ariyalur Road on the left and just after a few kms you will find this yellow signboard is in my picture. The place where you turn left should have the signboard leading to KALPADI Village. Or ASK.

Then afterwards it is just a winding road.. you ask the locals. IMAGINE!! A FOSSIL TREE!!! 120,000,000 years old!!

It is believed that the Bay of Bengal had inundated over 350 square miles ofland on the Padalur-Ariyalur region of Perambalur district over 100 millionsyears ago, where the giant dinosaurs sauntered majestically over 200 millionyears ago. This is one of the three sites on earth where the rare phenomenonof sea-ingression and regression had taken place. Billions of sea creatureslike clams, oysters, molluscs, corals, which perished during the withdrawalof the sea resulted in the compression and formation of some of the finestdeposits of limestone in the country. Some have seen recently the fossil ofthe dinosaur egg, weighing about seven kg and measuring 20cms in diameter nthe Kallankurichi mines of the Tamil Nadu cement factory near Ariyalur. Recently more Dinosaur egss have been found at this place and maybe I will go and shoot some and who knows I may also have an omelette!!!

Please wait for a few seconds for the flash file to load.

SADRAS Fort, Alambara Fort Ruins ECR, Chennai

My Students and I went to Sadras Fort and Alambara Fort ruins around ECR (East Coast Road) between Chennai and Pondicherry.




The matter below is picked up from some website some months ago and I forgot to keep the link. I am sorry but then how does one pick up information? From somebody else, right? Except the first person who wrote about something first time. We just need to give the URL.. and if anybody gives it to me I will post it here.

The ruins of Alamparai Fort lie near Kadapakkam, a village 50 km from Mamallapuram on the land overlooking the sea. It was constructed by musilm rulers during 1746 AD by Nawab of Carnatic Dost.Alikhan during the Mughal era.

The Alamparai Fort once had a 100-metre long dockyard stretching into the sea, from which zari cloth, salt, and ghee were exported. In around 1760, the British destroyed a major portion of the fort and more recently the structure was damaged in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Presently it is a picturesque and serene spot with backwaters and cool sand. Local fishermen assist tourists in a pleasurable boating experience around the fort. The fort can be reached on driving down the East Coast Road, about 100 kilometers from Chennai, 50 kilometers from Pondicherry.

However, by 1760, this fort was destroyed by the Britishers. This fort was also destroyed by 2004 tsunami. Alamparai fort is one of the major spot controlled by State Archaeological Department. On the east side of the fort is a marvelous view of the backwaters. The waters lap gently against the edges of the fort, and you can see the sea in the distance. The hypnotic blue of the sky and the sea are soothing. A boat ride along the backwaters is another exciting possibility. Some recent history - parts of the Vikram-and-Surya-starrer "Pithamagan" were shot at the fort, says a chatty local. Fresh fish from the fisherfolks' evening catch is on sale in the village of Kadapakkam.

Sadras Fort [I have the link to this matter copied below]

http://www.parentree.in/sathya/journal-203/Sadras-Fort---Day-trip---Chennai.html

Sadras (Saduranga pattinam) is an old Dutch fort that is located just past Mahabalipuram, near the Kalpakkam atomic power plant.
It is next to the beach and is a nice place to have a small picnic with children. The fort is not large (only about 100m wide and 100m long) and has only a couple of small rooms inside it. It has thick walls though. At the gate, there are couple of old cannons and inside the fort is an interesting Dutch cemetery and a gallows.
There is a granary building on the far right corner of the fort. You can climb to the roof of the granary and have a small picnic while seeing the waves crash on the beach. Children can learn about history and old forts also. The place is reasonably well maintained and is not crowded at all. If the gate is locked, just cal out and the caretaker will open the gate for you.
How to get there?
Drive on the East Coast Road. Go past Mahabalipuram and then just as you see Kalpakkam power plant (which is far to your left), there is a left turn to go towards Kalpakkam township. Follow that road for a couple of miles and it will lead you straight to the fort. You will go past the Kalpakkam atomic plant.
It is at most 5 to 10 minutes, after you cross Mahabalipuram. So it is an easy drive from Chennai and will not take more than a few hours.

Charminar, Hyderabad!!

This is the Charminar in the midst of crowded walled city inside Hyderabad!!


Ooopsss!!
No Picture!! Sigghhhhhhhh first time I lost a day's pictures.. overwritten in my hard disk!!... And I call myself a Computer Engineer!! Gosh!!

So what to do? Well.. I thought I will put up this post as an obituary to my lost pictures!!

hehe!!

Ok Ok.. for some real pictures.. maybe you can try these Chinese Nets of Fort Kochi... here

Innocence of Childhood

A child I saw on the East Coast Road from Chennai to Pondicherry

The Carefreeness of Youth

Tamil Boys and Girls near Alambara Fort, East Coast Road, ECR, Chennai.

Fort Kochi (Cochin) and Chinese Nets

And here is a flash slide show of different photos of this place.

And here are my photos of the setting sun at this place

Sunset at Fort Kochi, Kerala

Fort Kochi (Cochin) Sunset.

I have a backlog of photos to be posted here! Simply not getting time. But in a way it is good because I am travelling and more I travel more photos I get. So all my promises of photos made earlier are all pending while next I go to Hyderabad and Vishakapatnam and Araku Valley. After that I will post the photos!! I am now tired of travelling!! Ha!

Here are my photos of the Chinese Nets at this place.

Food for the Gourmet

My Dinner some days!! 9I was 88 kg on 13th July'09 with a height of 5 ft 7 inches [i like to say 7.5 inches!!] so I got a target to reduce 26 kgs! I added 12 kgs in one year at Chennai with the Dosas and Idlis. and so now I am shrinking myself back to my Golden Old days.
Target= - 5kgs Per Month
Achvt 13th July- 13th Aug= - 2.5 kg [50%] Not bad for a compulsive Haldiram Snacks Eater!!
This is what I am eating. Just One half cup (I think 30 gms) of oats with three tsp of milk powder and water in morning; one apple (yeah 35/- per apple wowoeee!! How Costly!) and one 200 ml soya milk for lunch and boiled green vegetables and maybe yellow boiled dal some days-total 100- 250 gms max for dinner. Limit 1400 kcal per day. If I am hungry? Ohh I eat Britannia Digestive Biscuits- fibre.. or Britannia 5-Grain Biscuits.. or these sprouted food that is all.
And oh yeah.. I do try to walk briskly for 3 kms every morning.. (most days I jog for 1 km out of this 3) whenever I can wake up. I stll need some more zeal to do this walking every day!! Ooff!! tough for a guy who sleeps late for so many years to sleep early to wake up to walk!! Toughie!!.


Pending Posts for the information of interested readers of what is in store:-
1. Javadhi Hills, Sathanur Fossil Tree 120,000,000 years old.
2. Sadras Fort, off ECR, Chennai
3. Alamparai Fort, ECR Chennai
4. Some more Jaipur Pictures (earlier too there is a post here) taken on a recent visit.
5. Mumbai, Juhu Chowpatty Beach
6. & Of course the latest- Kerala, God's Own Country- Ernakulam (Cochin or Kochi); Alleppey or Alapuzzha, Kovalam.
anddddd of course single photos for my Thoughts Series..
I am in Madurai this week ..hope to get some more pictures..

Sunset on way to Madurai

Sunset on the way to Madurai, Tamilnadu.

India's Reply to Western Packaged Food

The Quintessential Green Coconut now looking white - the lifeline of Indian Countryside now in packaged form for the City Brothers vying for space as Packaged Food. It is something I saw in Chennai-- really Novel and Unique. You buy it and take it home, keep it and poke a hole and drink it. Just Rs. 20/-. Cheaper than a Burger and healthier than coke.

Love in the Sand

Love can bloom at the most unsuspected places...........

.............. when least expected....

............. And when it does , it blooms flowers even in the Sand..........Sand that has filled up space over time.........

But when love does bloom even sand forgets that it is sand.....and smiles again...even though it cannot go anywhere since it is still physically sand .... though changed inside...

..........And so says "Thank You" to the seeds that made this happen....

Indian Goat Rides Bike

Secular India. Here everybody equal.

Patterns in Sand

Art knows no Boundaries.

Sadness

Sadness is nothing but a stirring of pain that is already deep inside......

ROOTS- need to be Strong

If the Roots are strong, The tree will grow up strong and stand the winds that try to ravage it.

So too it is with Life!

Life is sometimes an Unfinished Journey

Life is like a train journey.
We are all passengers. Some complete their journey and then get down, some get down earlier, their journey unfinished.

But for some? But sometimes the tracks themselves lead to nowhere.

Wel this post was scheduled to be published and before that I got a Tag from my blog friend Deepika Gupta. Imagine !! She is asking me to do a Tag named "A dozen things to be accomplished in my Tweenhood" Haha!! Tweens? Ohhhh next life... maybe .. if I am not born a cockroach or something!! And what do I wish to do in next 10 years? I wonder.. ...

Nothing perhaps? What is the point of wishing things that will never happen? Oh of course, we all do wish to be healthy, love and be loved, be happy and make people happy, and so on... but then that is something everybody wants to do, nothing to tag about... So maybe I can think of something special that I wish to do?

Nahhhhhh!!
Have I not done enough already? Let me just complete my journey.......Sorry Deepika... That is all I wish to do in next 10- 20 - 30 yrs ... 40 yrs... whatever...

hehe!!

Often Beauty Needs Light to show it up

Beauty may exist hidden around us. But it needs light to show itself to the world...

.............let me be that light!!

White for Purity

White is for Purity.

Wheels Within ..oops! After. Wheel!!

Wheels within wheels and after wheels ..



too many wheels in life!!
Don't get run over !!

Rock On!!

Stand like a Rock against all onslaught.