Karnataka is one of the richest states of south India in terms of Heritage, arts and crafts, Music and culture.Hampi was the medieval capital of the Hindu empire of Vijayanagra. Even in its ruined state it attracts thousands of visitors every day and is a protected UNESCO world heritage site. It is also beleived that Hampi is the Monkey Kingdom KISHKINADA that has a mention in Ramayana.Around 1336 the city grew in trade as the capital of the empire of Vijayanagra.By 1565 the empire was ruling the whole are between Arabean sea, Bay of Bengal and the Deccan Plateau.Krishnadevaraya brought the highest honour to this empire.

Today in a state of ruin Hampi is not a regular tourist fun place but a place for someone interested in history and richness of Indian Architecture.The Temples of HAZARA RAMA, BALAKRISHNA and VITHALA areimpressive structures that show the engineering and architectural mastery that the builders of this empire had.Hampi easily transports its visitor to the glory of 13th century.

Hampi ruins are roughly 14 Kms from the town of Hospet and Hospet is directly accesable from all major cities of India. Roughly around 1900 Kms from Delhi Hampi can be accessed from any city of Karnataka , particularly Banagalore by busses run by KSRTDC(Karnataka Statae Road Transport Development corporation)

THE TRUTH

Every moment of desperation can be a moment of liberation too.Every time you are in pain you understand life better.When i have been left helpless I have never thought of concluding life to be a feeding stock of worms.I have instead sought to know Who I am.The truth is so simple particularly if it comes to you through your dearest. Truth is what can be assimilated, corobrated , validated and verified.Falicity is that which we can not.To agree with something would only mean to be guided straight up to it, or be in straight touch of something that is dealing with it.Agreeing to something that is existing does not mean understanding it as a truth. It at the most means understanding it as a fact.I do not know how but over the period of timw two senses have very strongly developed in me. I can understand what is to happen next with the people who are related to me and I can make out why something is really happening.It has nothing to do with the Philosophy of which I am a student and which is the most preffered study that I undertake. It happens I do not know why and how, but it does happen.And despite knowing everything I mostly like to act foolish. If you are a fool by choice you get a chance to see people from a very close range.You wonder at the games they play and you laugh at the way they pretend.
But it is the will of the supreme that every time something is revealed to you it should make you more matured and more thoughtful.
Yeh imaretien yeh wazaratein
yeh to char din ki hai chandni,
muje us faqir ki shaan de
ki zamana jis ki misaal de.
These lines are written by a great poet Jenab Bashir Badr sahib. I am a child , a special child that the God has brought to life. It is his Karam that he chooses me to suffer at all times and thus brings me very close to HIMSELF.

You may be anywhere......

You may be anywhere , but the warmth of your breath is here.You may be anywhere, but your presence is in a close hug with my existence. I am the truth not the part of the truth and I am the journey and not the destination.you may have not treated me to rich food but the bite that you had today has fed my hunger.You may be the smile for a face perfect but imperfection of your musical embrace is the madness of my being.I think of your arms and hold the trees, I feel the touch of perfume on you and I touch the petals of a beautiful rose.In the moon I watch your beautiful brows and in the sun I see the glow of your lovely lips. Under the shade of the lashes is my thoughtful evening and the drops of sweat on your forehead is morning dew on the green leaf.

You may be anywhere but the truth is that you are here - here with me and nowhere.

A Haiku of Life

A dead Chrysenthemum
and yet- isn't there still something
remaining in it.
This is a Haiku by Takahama Kyoshi.Is there not something remaining of it,the chrysenthemum that spread its beautiful colour on every side has nothing remained of it? The chrysenthemum that spread its beautiful and sensible scent for the joyous- has really nothing remained of it? The chrysenthemum as it opens its petals and sings the melody of love that once ran around the summer of times known un- known, is no song echoing the strech of time and space.The chrysenthemum, is it really dead , and if dead it is -is nothing remaining of it and has the sand of time taken the toll?

How much important do we make ourselves.Uselessly important. In the universe we may not be spotted even but we attach so much importance to ourselves.One small painful nail can make us toss our head , but we still do make ourselves important.One simple head ache may wipe off our total wealth, but still we hold on to be important.We talk of relationships, we talk of love, hate but we in reality talk of our convenience only. The way it makes our life convenient we accept it only that way. I am happy it is great, if some one is in pain he should understand that all cant be happy.

Shaikh Sadi said "Ah! lift the cup what boots it to return, unborn tomorrow and dead yesterday, why fret for them if today be sweet".

We understand Shaikh Sadi's language, we understand what Basho writes, we manage to excellence, we rule biggest organisations but we are slaves of this self which we never come across in all our life. We go right and we go left but never go along with ourselves.

We wear this cloak of hypocrisy , Love people because we can not tell them that we do not, hate people because they do not tow our line. If we do not stand by ourselves in this life then tell me how , where and when? You can not make people happy by treating them as dumb driven cattle.You can not love people if you prioritise your mood. You are not truthful if you are a cause of pain to others. And if you are not truthful you are no where near the God.

When silence outstreches itself, it becomes intollerable.Silence becomes deafning. I have seen it streching to miles together. And a moment comes when you look for a dialogue but are not able to put in even a single word because you are afraid of the sound that it will make. It has been pin drop silence and thus no one would dare to drop a pin even. Sometimes it is difficult to stand up and acknowledge the acheivements of ones own mind. Mind does not seek a permission. It roams around, risks everything and takes you to what you never dreamt of. we reach a destination ,a point of time and space where we get lost because we had never thought it to be so.So dont let any one be silent. Be peaceful, be witness and be a part of it.

HOW ARE YOU...............

When you receive an SMS stating "How are you. Take care". You feel like saying I am fine and taking care.How does one meditate, one thinks of something continuously without a break, and when a break takes place you go back to your processes and return when you are steady again.A devout religious man told Majnoo why did you cross me , did you not see that I was offering prayers? Majnoo said I was seeing Laila and thus could not see anything else, not even you offering prayers, but tell me if you were with God while offering prayers how could you see me passing by?Fear takes you apart, you can not be fearful and in love at the same time.Whenever fear crops in love does not stay.You do not live with the person that you are fearful of.And that is why you are not present in the message, HOW ARE YOU, TAKE CARE.Those who love know how others are , they do not put questions. Their heart speaks of what has to happen?They care , they do not ask you to take care.Some one has said, SUNA THA MUHABAT PHOOL HOTA HAI, PHIR MAINE EK DIN PHOOL BIKTE DEKHE.
There are people talking to trees, singing with flowers, dancing with rain and there are people shopping love.
MERI DEH KE DAREECHOON PAR
PANCH PEEROON NE DASTAK DI
SARA AMBAR SAJDE MAIN JUK GAYA
MERA WAJOOD EK DARGAH HO GAYA.
I have no answer for that sweet little girl who met me today morning at the Marathon Bengaluru Run and hugged me saying sir you are very handsome.What was handsome in me I really do not know?I have no answer when communications settle down at AUR KYA HAAL HAI, BAS THEEK HAI.I have no answer when for hours and hours you live together and do not live to gether at all.
Life is beautiful if you can share your cup of tea with your friends, It is more beautiful if you can share your concers with them, It is lovely if they can take you to the final destination... but if you are alone , if you have failed relationships, if you have bruises all around you and if you are in pain, weep not, cry not , it is just that God has emptied all spaces around you to make enough space for HIM to be with you. So take care, Good care of yourself.

Absence of stupidity does not mean intelligence, Joy is not absence of pain, for light darkness is not driven out. Seeking absence of pain would mean running away, therefore we seek acheivement of happiness.I know about the beautiful shades that flowers wear but Safron has an innocent fragrence. No one may sing a song with me , the birds will chirp, the cascades will dance,there will always be beautiful mornings and the nights will for ever rejoice.Who speaks what and who lives what, there will be no judges and there will also be no one to be judged.Time will be the only destination. This destination is the only chosen goal, and run around if you can but there is nothing but this goal, the chosen goal.Dont sing the virtues of love, what love is there in the store , no more is a sermon on daffodils and no more is there a solitary reaper.The Byron no more sends a hush and no more does the west wind flow. if I do not close my eyes how can it be that I have stopped dreaming and the ones who have their eyes closed how can it be that they necessarily dream?Avoiding death does not mean living and dragging on does not mean we are alive.

कभी कभी ज़िन्दगी
किसी मटमैली शाम को
बिस्तर की सलवटों मैं
ठिठक कर रुक जाती है I
कभी कभी रौशनी
काँधे से सरक कर
मेरे साये को
मुझ से लम्बा कर देती है I
तब वह साया
उदार की हंसी का मुखौटा पहने
अजनबी आंखूं से दूर तक
देखता रहता है मुझे I
वह मेरी कोख मैं पलता है
मेरे कण- कण से लिपटा
हर पल अपने अधूरेपन का
अहसास दिलाता है मुझे
एक अथाह अंधकार की पनाह मैं
हर सुबह मिलता हूँ उसे
और किसी मटमैली शाम को
मेरे बिस्तर की सलवटों मैं
छिपा हुआ मिलता है वह मुझे I

KARWAR

Karwar is the administrative Head Quarter of Uttar Kanada. Situated roughly 95 Kms from Goa and 260 Kms from Mangalore this port town is connected to Delhi, Mumbai and Mangalore through Konkan Railways.One one side it has the sea and on the otherside it is guarded by Western Ghats. An unexplored destination Karwar is a beautiful port town with a very small population of lovely people.The town has a number of popular beaches like Devbagh,Kajubagh and Koodibagh. There is a Dargah of Peer shan shamasdin kharoobat and Naganatha Temple.Karwar was an ancient site for sea trade for Arab, Portugese and later the British.Karwar in earier times was a source of cardamom ,pepper and muslin.Kali river(Kalinadi)which takes birth in western ghatsflow through Karwar.Konkani,Kanada,Marathi and english are major languages spoken.A Naval base has come up at Karwar which is a part of project sea bird.An ideal place to to relax Karwar is a beautiful tourist destination for a nature lover.An evening at the virgin beaches of Karwar is a rememberence of a life time.

YAKSHA GANA
Yakshagana is a dance form popular in coastal regions of Karnataka. The dance form is believed to have evolved from ancient pre classical music period and theatre. Yaksha gana means the song of Yakshas. They were an exotic tribe mentioned in the Sanskrit literature of ancient India. This dance dialogue form is popular in Uttar Kanada, Udupi, Kasargod,Shimoga and is compared to western opera.An interesting fact of Yakshagana is its use in puppetery.YakshaGana is composed of two main parts:
Himmela the Background music group and Mummela the dance dialogue group. Together they are known as Yakshagana Prasanga. The performance usually consists of the rendering of a story from a Hindu epic or purana. There is a narrator known as Bhagawatha who narrates on the basis of precomposed dialogues set to music. It can be classified in to Classical, Folk or even Rural Dance form. A beautiful dance form rich in costumes highly traditional and full of touching performance by the dancers/ actors is traced back to eleventh century AD. An amazing blend of Sanskrit dance drama Yakshagana is played at twilight hours. The colourful masks worn by the performers is a visual delight.
Most of the dance troupes remained associated with the temples, therefore many Training facilities could not be developed. There are even today very few training institutes in the coastal belt of Karnataka. Government is doing a lot for revival of this dance form and there is a lot of activity in the area of training and research at Bengaluru.

क्या कहें

तुम्हारी और ले जाती है
यह सुगंध से लधी हवा
मेरी छत प़र टपकती
पानी की बून्धें
चुपचाप सरकती रातें
पसीने से लथपथ खोलते दिन
फीकी चाय की कराहती चुस्कियां
टेबल प़र लेटे हुए सारे कलम
और लैपटॉप की खुली स्क्रीन I
तुम से बातें करते रहते हैं
मेरे उलजे उलजे बाल
मेरी चेहरे की झुरियूं मैं छुपे
हज़ारूं सवाल
मेरी आंखूं से लिपटी
अनगिनत जागती रातें
सांसूं की थकी थकी गुटन
थरथराते कांपते हाथ I
और मुझे घेरे रहता है
एक मायूस चेहरूँ का जंगल
हकलाता कभी शोर करता
कभी दुम हिलाता `
कभी घुटने टेकता I
और मेरे साथ चलता है
मीलूँ लम्भी ख़ामोशी ओडे
एक सुनसान रास्ता
जो एक चौखट प़र
ले जाता है मुझे
जहां रिश्तूं के कटघरे मैं
मूल्यूं का उपहास होता है I
बांस जैसी लम्बी भुजाओं से
अपना चेहराउतार कर
तुम्हारे सामने रखता हूँ
और हज़ारूं फूलूँ की चादर ओढ़े
तुम पहचान नहीं पाती मुझे

RANI YOU HAVE DONE IT

Rani was born on 31st jully, 1990.She met me in my office during the period of my posting at Varanasi.Rani has won 14 medals at the state level and 12 at the national level. Thin small girl , Rani is a marathon walker and walks 10 KM.Dedicated to her game Rani had no means to look after her physical growth and therefore depended on private help and scholarship. She had been requesting the state Govt to help her. But no one would. Rani met me and I could see that this girl had in her everything that a National champion has. I wrote applications for her, sent requests on her behalf to the Govt and other public sector undertakings requesting for a job. No one listened , No one cared. But Rani did not give up. One day she rang me up from Patiala and said that she had been given employement in Railways. She has joined today at Varanasi and tomorrow she is travelling back to Patiala to resume her training in the Commonwealth camp. She has promised me that she will do her best to earn a place in the athelitic squad of India in Commonwealth games. Rani I know will because she knows she can and therefore she will. For me it is a mission accomplished .Thank you Rani for beleiving in yourself and for having faith in me. You have done me honour. I am very happy for you. God bless you my lovely daughter.

HAPPINESS A STATE OF MIND.

The yellow dancing flowers that once make you sing with joy unfortunately look pale over the period of time. Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder.Also true is the fact that we look before and after and pine for what is not.They say you are a successful man if you have good friends who talk to you while you are living and who can rest your body in peace when you are departing from this world. Truth is that the relationships make the person you are.Experience is not what you know about things, it is how you deal with the knowledge that you have acquired. When everything fails you nature does not, it has an answer. The most beautiful relationship one can have is the one you have with yourself.Most of the time you are in communication with yourself and while communicating if you have understood the value of silence you are meditating.It is beautiful to be within yourself, maybe because you know where you are and who you are with. You know that between you and yourself nothing would change and you also know that there would be hardly something that would remain unchanged.Albert Einstein said that there are two ways of living your life, one is as if nothing is a miracle and the other as if everything is a miracle.Enlightenment enhances the quality of your performance. Happiness is a state of mind and it is unfortunate that we do everything that leads to unhappiness in the hope that our actions will make us happy.

A date with Budha

I learnt to touch life. I learnt to communicate with nature. I learnt compassion and I felt like I am in love. It was beautiful being withyou. As you said very rightly the whole process was like disecting mind, the whole process was like understanding sorrow and finding out the path leading to happiness. You said you bow to all Budha's past present and future and thus how easy you have made it for me to find you Budha every where. When there were no answers there was the gush of wind, when there was no speech there was music flowing down from the simplicity of being.I was alone but not lonely. I was with no one but my own self. I heard the noise buried deep within me I felt the silence that was wraped around my existence. I was there in everything and I did not taste you , I just became you. Vipassana- a date with Budha.