hemanarayan

...the name of this state in U.S., Rhode Island always seemed very nice to the ears. Not sure why, but luck had it, that I visited Boston on work, and had a few weekend at my disposal. Found out that a very old friend works in Newport of Rhode Island. My excitement was not contained even after I got on the train to Newport. Touching the blue water of the Atlantic was magical - so blue, you could turn blue-eyed!

Recently I wrote my experience of visiting this beautiful place, less written about, and it was published by Deccan Herald, Indian newspaper. The article is at : http://www.deccanherald.com/content/19749/rhode-island-blues.html

Look at the B.L.U.E...

...interesting name for "a" tour, I thought when I first went on one at London.

Well, so what are Duck Tours? Tours conducted to give tourists a glimpse of ducks flapping their wings? Or does the city have rare species of ducks that tourists will love watching? Or is it a good-will tour of showcasing activities on conservation of ducks and wetlands? Be surprised, it’s none among these.  Actually, one gets to tour the city’s roads and waters in a "Duck.” And the ConDUCKtor’s jokes can quack one up, too.

This article was featured in the in-flight magazine aboard Jetwings International July 2009 edition.  
 

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Tired of walking to explore the city? Get on board and waddle through the city’s alleys and waterways on a Duck.

“It’s a truck. It’s a boat. Well, it’s a splashing Duck.”... is a line that is often used to describe Duck Tours to people exploring cities by water.

My chance to take a Duck Tour a few years back had my heart fluttering in excitement. One, due to its unique sounding name and two, because I was unsure if I wanted to sit on a Duck and see the city. A subtle sense of nervousness coupled with curiosity prevailed, as I stood on my first Duck Tour boarding point. And to my disbelief, the experience of a Duck Tour was completely different from what I had expected. It is unique, interesting, thrilling, and offered through highly innovative means. From then on, I have looked out for Duck Tours each time I visit a new city and have been on three tours in three different countries.

DUKW to DUCK 

The tours have nothing to do with the eponymous duck. Actually, one gets to tour the city’s roads and waters in a Duck. The Duck (DUKW) is an amphibian vehicle – half truck, half boat – and was used during World War II.

The allied forces during the early days of WWII faced a tactical dilemma – that of unloading cargo or men from their ships at places where dock facilities did not exist or had been destroyed. The solution was to invent a way to unload cargo and men directly over the waters. A perfect amphibian solution was created then in the form of a vehicle, using old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity, to meet the demands of war. Code-named DUKW, it could run on land and water, hence the name ‘DUCK’.
 

The first ever DUKW was a General Motors’ truck enclosed in a watertight shell. It wasn’t long before these vehicles went on to play a crucial role in the theatres of the battle. Being a major help in the allied invasions of Sicily and the Pacific, they were also used on D-Day in June 1944 during the Normandy Landings.

 

Around 21,000 DUKWs were manufactured by General Motors.The conversion of WW II DUKWs to ‘Duck Tours’ means the robust vehicles are used for a fine purpose without letting them rust or remain as museum exhibits alone.

True transformation

One of the advertisement campaigns for the tours reads: “Don’t just see Nashville, see her in an important piece of World War II history – a point of interest within itself”. The city seems different and more impressive, when seen from a Duck Tour. Perhaps, it could be the mixed experience one gets, of going on roads and water that creates the magical spell.

The tour shows off the splendor of the city, both by road and by water, without having to disembark in between. To a tourist, it’s all-in-one entertainment; they can ride or sail as also experience a piece of American history. When I first heard that I can see the city both by land and on water, it was exhilarating. Even after three such Duck Tours, I cannot contain the gush of subtle anxiety when the wheels fold in and the Duck splashes down with a bang into the water.

One needs to hold tight to one’s seat as the Duck waddles away. Even as one is getting comfortably cuddled up in one’s seat, the Duck decides to go right into the river. Seems like a subtle slide from the outside, but from the inside, one can feel the big splash of the river generated by the Duck.

All for fun 

Will the tourists get wet? Does it even matter amidst the excitement? If it rains, the Ducks are decked with roll-down windows. The ConDUCKtor who guides the tour, is funny. His interesting stories from the past and the present—everything the city has to offer—will keep you engrossed. He has an uncanny knack of making even the shy tourists “Quack” – flapping both their arms to everyone’s amusement.

Even the onboard PA systems belt out humorous sound effects. Not just tourists, even locals are charmed by the Duck. Some sports teams have their victory celebrations on them. Boston-based sports teams like basketball’s Celtics, football’s New England Patriots, baseball team Red Sox have celebrated their championship victories by parading through the city on Ducks.

Then and now 

Today, purpose-built tour buses are created, that resemble the design of the original DUKWs to retain the aura. The operators use a mix of the original and new vehicles. The ones built from scratch use the latest in marine design and safety. Some of them are state-of-the-art vehicles called "Hydra Terra" (Miami and Portland Duck Tours use these). They have buoyancy foam-filled compartments making the Ducks virtually unsinkable; they remain afloat even with the full engine room flooding.

And then, others picked up the incredible idea and transformed their war transport into Ducks. The Austin Duck was originally an Alvis Stalwart. The Stalwart was used as a British military transport in the early 1960s across Eastern Europe to carry supplies over hard terrain.

Tour operators are replacing original DUKWs with modified or newer ones, as they are easy to operate, maintain and can accommodate more tourists. Most Ducks have been repainted with vibrant colors, with enclosed tops and modern diesel engines, resembling conventional buses. Tours have been customized for different target audiences today, and history, chartered, party or educational are some of the common themes.

Not sure why most travel books or tourist guides don’t talk of Duck Tours as one of their top 10 things to do. But if a tourist takes just one tour and sets foot on that war craft and experiences the hair-raising splash, the Duck Tour will surely get into his Top-5 list.

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Had a short writing on Talakkad already in my blog; but this time, the article has been published in "Travel Span" (http:www.travelspan.in), the business and leisure magazine. It is published as a special feature on Karnataka in their July 2009 edition.

 

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Sunken, due to a curse …

.. That is the story of the temples, situated in a small town, Talakad in Karnataka. Or, that is what the history has to say about the temples here. Heard of buildings, getting washed out or sinking below the ground due to natural calamities, but temples sinking due to a curse?

Until a recent trip, I was unaware that Talakad possessed treasures of this magnitude, buried under centuries of sand. Reading about Talakad in travel guides and books and visualizing how it could look like had seeded abundant curiosity which took me to this town. It is a miracle how curiosity survives formal education or one’s knowledge; and what I witnessed “above the ground” was nothing short of a miracle!

And why not ..?
In the first glance, it is evident that the Temples were submerged below ground. These very monuments that have been under layers and centuries of sand have been excavated now– part by part, pillar by pillar, and acre by acre, and re-assembled bit-by-bit to recreate the temples. Stone pillars, square at the base and made to fit into a wheel below the abacus, lie scattered all over. It’s interesting, how they must have held on to the design or the architectural layout of the original temples that stood thousands of years ago. The excavations seemed so thorough that it had removed most of the blemishes of these sunken historical monuments. Talakad once-upon-a-time had more than 30 temples, and now has merely 3-4 temples that have been painstakingly put-back together.

Merely 45 kilometers from Mysore, this place today is a big spiritual pilgrimage center and a tourist attraction. It is situated on the left bank of river Cauvery at the very spot where the river gracefully makes a sharp bend to change course. Another very unique characteristic of this place is the sand dunes spreading over a wide area of nearly ten square kilometers. This land is filled with the sea-shore like sand, smooth, slippery and molding a shape around my feet as I walked - walking on it seemed like walking-on-a-beach. Not many know how this town came to have sea-shore sand all through the town– it has intrigued historians and common man for years.

It seems the excavation work began few years back by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI). They have stumbled upon interesting finds, including three to four temples architected in Dravidian style; which stand above the ground with grace and elegance today.
Not able to wait to hear out the story of the curse, I approached two elderly women who have been living there for more than fifty years. One of them, Chandramma was willing to talk about it - it seems the “Curse of Talakad” was given by a pious lady Alamelamma on the Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore.

The Power of a Curse
“Let Talakad become sand. Let Malingi become a whirlpool. Let the Mysore king fail to beget heirs” – these three curses were uttered by Alamelamma, before she drowned herself in the river.
The story goes: In 1610, a vassal of Vijayanagara Empire of Karnataka named Tirumala II was overpowered by Raja Wodeyar of Mysore. This forced Tirumala and his wife Alamelamma to retreat to a village near Talakad, called Malingi, on the banks of Cauvery River. She had a small collection of jewels which she lent out to the temple priest each week to decorate the deity in that temple. Unfortunately, Raja Wodeyar ordered that the jewels be confiscated as he suspected that the jewels belonged to the temple. Unable to handle this humiliation, Alamelamma decided that she rather die than part with her jewels. And she did exactly that: she drowned herself in the river along with the jewels, but not before cursing the King of Mysore, the village of Malingi and the town of Talakad.

Fable stories - that is the only place I had heard of such things like, “curse going live”. But to witness something in reality with the older generation people there vouching for it, can overwhelm and stun any traveler visiting Talakad. Lady Alamelamma’s curse was so powerful that it sunk all the temples in Talakad under the sand dunes several meters deep and history has it that, the Mysore royal family had not had male heirs for several generations after this incident since 1600s.

I have seen the ruins in Rome and in Hampi – and the destructions there were of a different nature. The destruction here seemed so wholesome – it was neither due to an invasion by an enemy ruler nor due to the long passage of time. It was due to a curse of a woman! This famed “Talakad (aka Thalakaadu) curse” is known in the folklore as a miracle since the early part of the 16th century due to these unique events that occurred that can be witnessed even today.

Hard Myth to believe, for some
Not all believe in this story – believers in the power of Science seldom believe in the power of myth, miracles and curses. Such was a study done by K.N. Ganeshaiah, a geologist, based on data from diverse sources and field studies. He reconstructed the possible chronology of events of the Talakad acclaimed miracle and debates that this phenomenon is a natural one. That it represents an ecological disaster that perhaps has unintentionally wrought on to this vibrant town. And he argues that the communities have intelligently woven this story or a sense of curse as an overlay to this place.

Ganeshaiah could be right or the myth could be right – the chances are only half, each way. The beauty however is that, this sense of curse has survived folklore for over four hundred years in this society, and the miracle still is believed.

Having come back from Talakad stunned, I read more about this town and realized that a few other legends hover over Talakad – strange, yet interesting. One of them is around the two hunters, Tala and Kada, who struck one of the trees with an axe only to find blood gushing out. Jilted by what they saw and upon the bidding of a heavenly voice, they dressed up the wound of the tree with its fruits and leaves. In due course the tree healed and the hunters became immortal – and since it was Lord Shiva who healed himself in this incident, he is referred to as “Vaidyeshwara”, here in Talakad. The famed Panchalingams (meaning five Lingas) are associated with this legend.

Once in twelve years
As a state, Karnataka is already known for its legacy in magnificent architecture, all left behind by the rulers over the years. Talakad today is known for its well architected fourth century temple of Lord Kirti Narayana, known as Vaidyeshwara temple. The excavation and restoration of this sunken temple is what has led it to the present state and form.

According to Chandramma and the travel guide, Talakad is usually deserted and comes to life once every 12 years during the great festival that happens here. With Talakad being known by more travelers, today, more and more tourists and locals are visiting this treasure-town. The festival, called Panchalinga darshana is a holy festival held once in 12 years on the banks of the Cauvery in Talakad attracting millions of pilgrims and travelers. It seems there are five temples in Talakad that are special in the hearts of the religious and the devoted – these are believed to be Panchalingas and have become reputed. With excavations ongoing, most among these five temples have been restored.

The local’s portrayed enthusiasm when they talked about how the festival ideally would have been held at these five temples of Lord Shiva; but today perhaps would happen in the restored temples. The last one held in 2006 was done in the restored portions of the temples. Elaborate preparations were made for the millions of pilgrims to take part in the ceremonies over a five day period. It is unique since the worship (poojas) start at the same time in all five temples following the ancient tradition, by which they can obtain blessings for rulers and devotees. It seems the festival is held on a new moon day in the month of Karthika when two stars conjoin, and there is certain “pattern” in which the devotees should bathe in a stretch of a river and then worship in one temple and this pattern repeats for covering all the five temples.

A land with a promise
ASI has to be lauded for its efforts on excavation and restoration. At the pace with which work is being carried out here, it’s only certain that when it’s time for the next festival in 2018, Talakad will see more structures of grandeur standing tall, above the ground.
When ASI started off few years ago, a few interesting finds of objects from underneath is what enthused both the ASI and the museum department to start work in full force and also at in many places in parallel. Today, as visitors, one can see ongoing excavation efforts through the expanse, making for an unbelievable sight.

Excavating does not seem a simple task by any means: firstly the tons of sand piled up needs to be shifted to a different place. After this, the weeds and other wild growth have to be removed, place is cleaned before the actual act of excavation begins. The guide was indicating how many trucks from nearby places like Bangalore and Mysore come here to take sand for their construction work; and that is one of the best ways of letting go of all the excavated sand. Further, after restoration, walls need to be built around the temples, lest the sand caves-in again – it seems it happened a couple of times before ASI had their learning in the hard way.

As I headed back, I admired the effort being put in by the state officials to bring life back to this town of Talakad that was lost in time. For the first time, the state efforts are on to use satellite for excavation purposes – bringing in hi-tech into use. Technology journals and scientists indicate that until now, satellite has never been used for research purposes or excavation. And it’s truly a step in the right direction with such an effort in Talakad from 2008. The reason perhaps is that, with the help of the satellite, information can be gathered about what lies buried underneath the sand.

Talakad is a land of promises – tourists must see this place to believe it; and to feel the aura. Certainly, not a town that deserves to be referred to as a “sleeping town”. Nevertheless, witnessing the true magnificence of this place when it awakes to festivities and fairs must be very rewarding. State run and private buses and taxis are available to take any of us to this beautiful place. So, I have virtually decided to hop on to one of the transports and be a part of the 2018 Panchalinga Darshana festival ! icle end>

Many know Black magic as dark magic, which is a form of sorcery that draws on assumed malevolent powers. They say it may be used for dark purposes or malevolent acts that deliberately cause harm in some way.

And many music enthusiasts may have an association with this phrase, via the song of a great singer, Santana - "Black Magic Woman".

However, this article deals with neither of these or any other which probably comes to one's imagination. Its the Black Metal Magic of Bidar or Bidriware as it is called. Nature and fusion of architectural influence have resulted in Bidriware magic -- a metal (alloy of Zinc) which is silver in color is converted into this beautiful black metal, ornated with silver work and etched designs.

We met a bunch of artists in their simple abode on the outskirts of Bidar after spending enough time on the roads trying to find out where they inhabited. The welcome given to us was so warm that we sat down there for a full 4 hours. I realized at the end of it, that they were NOT making an attempt to "sell" their lovely products; they were making an attempt to "tell" us how they do what they do. Guess as the saying goes, "Art is not a handicraft. It is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced". Truly enough, each of them we met portrayed the feelings they undergo each time, they strain their eyes for hours at length to create a black beauty out of something that is rock-like and silver in color.

The article was published in "Travel Span" (www.travelspan.in), a magazine for Business and Leisure travellers  in their March 2009 edition. 2 clip-shots of the pages: 

 
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Divine fusions and nature inspire Bidriware magic…
Leo Tolstoy had said, ‘Art is not a handicraft. It is the transmission of feeling the artist has experienced’. One will agree with this, after witnessing the sheer skill and passion the artisans of Bidar portray in doing their black-metal magic. The profound intensity they associate with every single Bidriware could be seen in their eyes when they told us with pride about their Art - on how they convert an alloy of Zinc and Copper into blackened handicraft inlaid with thin sheets of pure silver.

Bidriware dates back to 14^th century C.E., originating from the township of Bidar (then, a part of erstwhile Hyderabad state), during the rule of the Bahamani Sultans., Bidar in Karnataka is still the only town that manufactures the unique metal-ware. Bidri is a beautiful but painstaking craft characterized by intricate geometric and floral designs, in-laid in gold, silver or brass on to a matte-black or glossy surface. This craft is kind of Damascene work and its striking inlay work makes it most sort-after by visitors and an important export handicraft of India. Prized as a symbol of wealth, it is world famous for its sleek and smooth dark colored artifacts, with precise eye-catching designs. 

Over the years, a Bidari colony has evolved in the town of Bidar, which we visited recently, only to come back mesmerized. ‘All art is but imitation of nature’ they say. Though, unsure of what role nature had to play in Bidriware, we were sure of another lingering thought, ‘Black and beautiful… that must be Bidri!’

Fusion of Heritage
Local craftsmen believe that a few centuries ago, the craft was brought to Ajmer in India from Iran and Iraq by a nobleman Khaja Mohinuddin Chisti.  Later, an Iranian craftsman, Abdullah-bin-Khaiser brought it to Bijapur, Karnataka. Very impressed with his work at Bijapur, the Bahamani Sultan invited him to work on decorating his Bidar royal palaces and courts. According to some accounts, Khaiser joined hands with local craftsmen and gave birth to Bidriware. 

Though Iran is the actual home of this craft, the Bahamani Sultans and local people nurtured it further. They found that a particular type of soil found only in Bidar was unique, having special chemical properties in making the molds for their objects. It could help in converting a silver zinc metal to a black metal by following a process. And after creating many artistic treasures, when the Iranian craftsmen’s contract was over, the Sultan induced them to stay back in India and teach the koftgari (later came to be known as Bidriware) work to his artisans.

A true portrayal of fusion of the Iranian and Indian heritages, the marvelous creations emerging out can be seen at the artisan’s humble abodes or colonies. What started off as a handicraft for producing exquisite Bidriware for Nawabs and Noblemen has attained global fame today. Yet years later, it is interesting to learn that no particular tools or scientific methods are used today to find out the right kind of soil. The artisans go looking for the soil in parts of Bidar and inside the fort; and taste the soil for a characteristic sharp taste, to determine the right one. Maybe Taste is the best judge. Heard of wine or tea tasters, but soil tasters?

Artisans and their Work
The smile on the enthusiastic and overworked faces of the craftsmen did quite hide the effort involved in producing each Bidriware, initially. But after understanding the process, it would be a gross understatement on their skills if we merely summed it up as a ‘complex Process’. Each of them worked with indomitable spirit and a dedication, staring hours into a small piece of metal ware. They made use of principles of Chemistry and Science which we usually think belongs to the forte of the literati.

A National award winner artisan we met desired that we see their art and demonstrated it so vividly. Process requires six stages of production and four different kinds of artisans to complete the process; the molder, the designer, engraver and the inlay artist. After getting the surface smooth of the mold, he poured a solution of copper sulphate on the article to darken it temporarily for engraving. The transformation was so immediate that it left us in awe. He used a few engraving tools to cut the intricate but delicate tapestry of design into the metal. The inlayer then took over the piece to do inlay work of silver, brass or gold. Many women work as inlayers.

After this stage, comes the magic of the Bidar soil! Mixed with ammonium chloride and water, this soil is made into a paste.  Small articles are directly dipped into the paste, while large articles are heated and the paste is rubbed on its surface. The paste has no effect on silver, but it renders the zinc alloy body into a deep characteristic black patina. People believe, this process involved in the blackening of the Bidri articles gives the water stored in it curative and medicinal properties. Finally, he rinsed off the paste and the design stood out dramatically. The shiny silver was resplendent against the black surface as he held the article in the air, like an award-winner would. We saw the triumph in the artist’s eye – having created A Bidriware! Yet tt’s a pity that such talented communities still under-sell their work and barely make ends meet.

For us, it was a hard decision to figure which design was better for buying – so attractive that we came back with a sample of each type of wares. The mystery of the black patina has not yet been fully solved though it’s a subject for many ongoing researches. How the ancient craftsmen developed such intricate chemical procedures is difficult to imagine.  Nevertheless, few crafts around India employed the Damascene technology – like the Tanjore metal work that consisted of soldering and wedging of silver patterns and figures of deities on copper vessels.

Contemporary Twist to Bidri      
With the passage of time and the advent of a new age, the modern twist to Bidriware is simply stunning. The earlier Bidri designs were patterns such as the Asharfi-ki-booti, stars, vases, vine creepers and poppy plants with flowers. They had Persian Roses and passages from the Quran in Arabic script. The shapes and decorative motifs of articles changed. Articles of daily use such as Cigar boxes, candle stands, letter openers, ash trays, cuff links, key chains, fruit bowls to name a few began to find favor with the buyers.

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties. Some Indian designers are certainly taking that path. Taking the lacquer work, stone inlay and Bidri work from traditional Indian handicraft they adapt it to create a breath-taking final product. A selective combination of Old Persian motifs together with designs adopted from Ajanta frescoes signifies contemporary Bidriware. Folk motifs have also found their way into it.

 

While the artwork flourished in Bidar and Hyderabad for centuries, other parts of India practice it today, like Purnia in Bihar, Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Murshidabad in West Bengal. Artisans are becoming increasingly innovative by the day. Craftsman Wasif gave a new twist to the traditional craft when he replaced the Zinc-Copper alloy with a common, but good quality iron sheet, while retaining the delicate beauty and contrasts of the silver work. 

Undoubtedly, Bidriware is yet another proof of the great ability and prowess of Indian master karigars or artisans to assimilate a craft of foreign-origin into India’s heritage!

 

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Certainly not because its texture is in black...

It was because this structure in Bijapur was the sole inspiration behind the creation of The Taj Mahal - a monument that portrays ethereal beauty. And the monument is called 'Ibrahim Rauza". Not many people in India know about this fact; and neither did I until one of my recent trips to Bijapur.

Bijapur was always known for its Gol Gumbuz, the second largest Dome in the world, next to St Peters Bascilica in Vatican City. It never came to be known for possessing the treasure of a monument in Ibrahim Rauza. Most times words fail you when trying to describe something spectacular, but this time even our eyes failed to believe what stood in front of us.

Ibrahim Rauza's beauty can make "getting clicked in front of the Taj Mahal" pale in comparison. The article was published in DNA Bangalore in their March 15th 2009 edition.

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Though the Taj Mahal is one among the Seven Wonders of the World, few know of the inspiration behind the marvel.

When Emperor Shah Jahan set out to build a monument for his beloved, he has his best-in-class architects study the design of the finest and celebrated monuments. Out of this arduous exercise of analysing drawings in great length, emerged two designs that fascinated the emperor: Tomb of Mandu in Madhya Praseh and Ibrahim Rauza in Bijapur. And the splendor of the latter made the cut.

Ibrahim Rauza, the garden tomb of the Ibrahim Adil Shah II, was built in North Karnataka in 1626 AD, while construction of The Taj Mahal started in 1636 AD. After personally seeing the Rauza, I realized that anyone in the emperor's shoes would have chosen this monument. Truly underrated, Rauza's beauty can make getting photographer in front of the Taj, pale in comparison. Its minarets, parapets, cupolas and cornices, with richly decorated walls and perforated stone windows humble the style quotient of the visitor.

The word ‘Rauza’ literally means a garden. It is a square garden that consists of two buildings — on the left, a tomb containing the remains of Ibrahim Adil Shah and his wife and on the right, a mausoleum with a mosque and four minarets. Built on a single rock bed, this palatial structure is noted for the symmetry of its features. Skirted by intricately sculpted gardens enclosed within an imposing wall, the entire structure lies above a basement that houses secret passages and living quarters for the cavalry. Adil Shah had wanted this structure to be elaborate in style, with exquisite detailing. He chose iconic architect Malik Sandal for the task, whose grave lies within the courtyard, on request that he be buried close to the sultan. Today, Bijapur has many polytechnic colleges, art and architecture institutes named after Malik.

It is said that most structures built by the Adil Shahi dynasty have a sense of mysticism about them. If one stands in the mausoleum by the Sultan’s grave, one can distinctly hear the prayers being said at the other end, in the prayer hall. This place is also a shutterbug’s paradise as the monument makes for count-less magical frames. At sunset, as the birds fly back home over the Rauza, the aura of the place amplifies.

Bijapur itself is a one-stop-shop for tourists, for it encompasses many immaculate monuments in a single city; it has over 50 mosques, more than 20 tombs and a number of palaces, architecture that proliferated between the tenth and eleventh centuries.

In the words of renowned traveler and historian, Fergusson: “There is nothing in Hindustan which can compare with the grandeur of conception of the Gol Gumbaz nor any so elaborately rich in ornamental detail as the group of buildings comprised in the Ibrahim Rauza. The tombs of Humayun and Akbar will not bear comparison with them. Some will, no doubt, be inclined to think that the Taj Mahal in Agra is superior to anything in the South; but it is very difficult to compare the two."

Ibrahim Rauza, referred to as the Black Taj, has had a great impact on the other monuments of India. Like the adage goes, "A heart in love with beauty never grows old." Maybe that was the reason for Shah Jahan to pick Ibrahim Rauza over the Tomb of Mandu; he never wanted his love for Mumtaz, or his proposed creation, the Taj Mahal, to grow old.

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..to the "real wonder" behind the "Taj Mahal"!

...how does this happen, that in most of the places I travel to, the children in the vicinity always get friendly? It almost seems like a magnetic- hard to put in words, yet the vibes are mutual. After several such encounters I have come to believe that, there is something about the Mary, oops Me and the children; probably we seem to relate with or take a liking to something in common? Rarely have I headed back from a trip without a snap or two with the local children there. The most amusing part is that, they ask me two prominent things almost always: a) for my mobile number so that they could call and speak to me and b) if I am from outside India:-). They fall off their feet when I speak to them in the local language, Kannada!

...somehow I was drawn to write about this though this has been happening for years now :). Few pictures from my treasured collection:

- a recent one from my trip to Coorg:


- a trip few years ago to Hampi:


- a trip to Belavadi in Chikmagalur in 2008:


...
-hema

I came across a strange and overwhelming phenomenon on one of my recent trips. Till I reached there, I was clueless of this ancient town buried under centuries of sand. Talkad is that town, merely 45 kms from Mysore.

This town totally stunned me with what it possesses. This is the only place where acres and acres of land is filled with the sand, just like what we see on a sea-shore. As we walk thru it, its hard to believe that we are not walking by a beach. Seems like walking in Mangalore or Goa...

Sunken temples that have been gradually excavated stood right in front of us. It seems the excavation work on Ganga rulers began last year in Talakad and lots of interesting finds were found. Dravidian style Vaidyeshwara temple and four others are visible above the ground. Pillars or parts of a temple are found during excavations and they are resembled bit-by-bit. I wondered, how they got a hold on the design or form of the temple, that stood years ago.

Enthused by this find, the Archaeology and Museum department has started work in other places too. First the sand which has piled up will be shifted to a different place. After removing the weeds and other wild growth, the place will be cleaned and then the excavation work will begin.

Once in 12 years, during the Panchalinga Darshana, the sleeping town awakes to festivities and fairs. Government buses, private buses and taxis are available to reach this beautiful place.

And what an effort from the state: For the first time,efforts are on to use satellite for excavation purposes. Till now satellite has never been used for research purposes or excavation. But in Talkad such an effort is going on from 2008.

The sea-side like sand:


Excavated Site:


Pillars that get found are of this form:


Temple after reconstruction


Truly, Talkad is a phenomenon that I never thought I will stumble upon. I think its not unusual to be caught by surprise. And the excavations here stunned me beyond compare!

...says the article on Heidelberg Castle in DNA Bangalore. This time it was nice to see that DNA published a couple of the pictures too, unlike the last time.

The castles in Germany has this wow! factor - never gets out of my senses. And the last time, I listened to my inner urge and wrote up a piece on the Student Prince's castle for DNA :-)

http://www.3dsyndication.com/showarticle.aspx?nid=DNPUN11265
The picture of the castle: 
 

The Content:
 

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several castles define Germany’s history. Heidelberg castle was our choice. Each one in our group had their own reasons to zero in on this structure. Mine was a childhood association, of being part of a school musical called The Student Prince, set in Heidelberg — a memory that lingered. So when I got a chance to visit the castle on a recent trip to Europe, I jumped at the opportunity. And I must admit, the castle standing in front of me was far grander than I had imagined.

 

Heidelberg town is an hour southeast of Frankfurt. The castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance remains north of the Alps. As we drove towards this famous German landmark, the castle, at 262-ft on the Konigstuhl hill-side, soon emerged and began to dominate the Heidelberg skyline.

 

To see the castle, we took a fascinating ride in a cable car — Deutsche Bahn train — up the steep mountain. The cable car uses the unique technique, Funicular technology, wherein two cable cars move on two parallel tracks at the same time, one going up and the other going down. The traction generates the power needed for the train to move in opposite directions. Just, as breathtaking as the castle looks from the city, so does the city from the castle.

 

This castle has a 500-year-old history to its changing structure, from being a victim of all the ups and downs in Europe, to finally collapsing under its weight. Though the earlier castle was built before 1214 AD and expanded into two castles in 1294 AD, it was hit by lightning twice. This destroyed parts of the castle. In between, Tilly’s troops destroyed the castle in 1622, later to be rebuilt by Prince Karl-Ludwig. It was destroyed a second and final time during the War of Succession in 1693. Since its demolition in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the castle was only partially rebuilt by various German kings.

 

Yet, the castle is the epitome of architecture. Built in red Neckar sandstone on the terraced hillside, it has a combination of buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, each highlighting a different peri-od of German architecture. The sculptures atop the boundary wall have figures depicting celestial planets, influential characters like David, Hercules, Samson and Jackson, to name a few.
 

As we walked along, we saw the world’s largest wooden wine barrel, the Heidelberg Tun, a wine-cask as big as a cottage. The wine is paid as taxes by wine growers of the Palatine. Some traditions say the cask holds 18,000 bottles, others claiming that it holds 18,000 barrels of wine. To this, Mark Twain had once remarked: “I think it’s likely that one of these statements is a mistake, and the other is a lie.” There’s a narrow walkway that takes you to the top of the barrel, which was sometimes used for dancing. We also saw a little German wine ship here — you can taste the wine before buying it. 

Ellin Bar, just outside the ruins, offers exclusive German coffee. Sipping from my cup, I observed how this perspective of the ruins had been a perfect setting for the German Romantic Period, inspiring many songs and romantic texts. The architecture ranging from Gothic to Renaissance appeared to be something out of a textbook.

 

It is said — a photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know. This was my chance to finally find out the truth about the saying.

ALSO DROP IN AT 

·         Old town and old bridge:

 

·         Hauptstrasse is one of Europe’s prettiest pedestrian precincts and shopping streets, and the student district is packed with trendy bars and pubs.

 

·         University: Germany’s oldest university. Check out the student karzer, the cells where students were jailed for minor offences.

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Its indeed a sight some of us witnessed at The Obelisk - this was built at Srirangapatna for Tipu Sultan and his bravado. A bunch of us have been touring this state of Karnataka for over 10 months now and with a journey to each destination, I have learnt the true treasures that lie here. Most of them are under-rated or not-well-hyped about... one such treasure is The Commemorative Obelisk - how rugged yet quaint the surrounding was, how wild yet peaceful the vast land was, how fortifed yet betrayed the very spot was. The spot where they say, Tipu Sultan, one of the greatest warriors of Mysore fought against the British. I believe he was killed there and a couple of days later, his body was found in another place within the premise of this town. Today, there is a tomb at the place the body was found, nevertheless the Govt of Mysore built this awesome looking structure in his memory right amidst this area..

An article I wrote about this, for the DNA Bangalore newspaper got published recently:

http://www.3dsyndication.com/showarticle.aspx?nid=DNBAN1968

I truly took to this place - something about it. Simple structure, yet I found it so appealing...some excerpts of the place...


Cycle by the Obelisk


The Obelisk

“To dream anything that you want to dream. That's the beauty of the human mind.
To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength of the human will.
To trust yourself to test your limits. That is the courage to succeed.”

So when a decade ago when Mr Kasturirangan suggested that India should build a moon-craft, we were not sure if ISRO would stand up and embrace this idea. I think, instead of dreaming of success, ISRO just woke up and worked hard at it.

Today, the World hails the India's first moon mission - a "decade" worth of effort of a countless scientists and engineers in ISRO has catapulted the country into the league of a small group of nations which already have a sojourn with the mystical satellite of Earth - the Moon!

'Designing Chandrayaan was like writing lyrics to a set tune' - I liked the way Chandrayaan project director Mylswamy Annadurai said while building India's first moon craft. I believe he was reminded of his engineering college days when he wrote lyrics to the tunes of his classmates. When I read this line, I was reminded of what Sir Albert Einstein jovially had said, "If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music.”. For all you know the project director would have been heading a group of musicians too, if he was not heading the maiden Indian mission to the Moon.

Rocketscience - people use this word to portray how far-above their capacity is the platform showing the excellence in art or Science! It shows how close-to-impossible or daunting a task can be. But looks like, for the scientists who built the moon-craft all by themselves(though a couple of the 11 instruments are from ESA and NASA) this journey was more for the cause of 'social science' instead.

The real origin of science fiction lay in the seventeenth-century novels of exploration in fabulous lands. Therefore Jules Verne's story of travel to the moon is not science fiction because they go by rocket but because of where they go. It would be as much science fiction if they went by rubber band :-)

As an ardent follower of the space programs, I wanted to record the journey of this incredible feat that ISRO put together:
- - It was 1975 when the first Indian satellite, Aryabhata,

.. was put into a near earth orbit carrying three payloads - one each for X-ray astronomy, solar physics and aeronomy.

- Today, 33 years later in 2008, we have Chandrayaan,

...which is going to put 100kms away from the moon surface; carrying eleven payloads with independent objectives - from mapping the lunar surface to conducting chemical and mineralogical mapping, look out for water and and also explore lunar geology.

What a sojorun it was been for the Indian space program!

I read that, a tonne of Helium 3 which might be abundantly available on the moon, if carried over to The Earth, can meet India's energy requirements for A Year! Is this not one of the many promising potentials that the Lunar odyssey may unravel, that people of the country will be benefited by?

A look at the stages Chrandrayaan went thru days before it lifted off:

Fourth stage moon-craft..


Being moved for testing...


On its way to the launchpad...


PSLV-C11 - a look at it..


Chandrayaan/PSLV being strpped on...


...finally on its launch pad!


And then, at 6.20am on Oct 22 2008, the moon-craft took off from Sriharikota...

...and as Dr Madhavan Nair congratulated his team, the glorious moment effectively was etched in every Indian's memory, for on this date India's first mission to the moon, an unmanned one, lifted off from the Earth, lifting along with it, the Indian flag, the Indian pride and the Indian people's spirit!


And its amazing to note the route the vehicle will be taking to get onto the Lunar orbit in the next 15 days:


“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Hail the team of Chandrayaan.
-hema

... a country, can rise from winning 'one' medal to fifty-'one' medals ! What a dramatic winner this country has been? In all ways...

I always read and heard about how hard working the Chinese can be. The true dedication and hardwork they have all put in to build the infrastructure to be world-class like hosting 204 countries has indeed paid-off. The closing ceremony yesterday was nothing short of, for lack of a better term, "like a miracle"! Magical, surreal and enigmatic...

The Chinese always had the wisdom that have survived the times and proven invaluable to many generations of people!

A sixteen saga that began at "08:08:08" was a complete rendezvous with talent, skill and esteem perfection. Clock-time perfection! I am certain there has been a lot of misery and toil behind those faces that smiled to put up this show, hosting 11,000 atheletes from around the world. Even as the world was a little hesitant to let China host the Olympics, they must have gone thru a whole lot of arduos hours over four years. Not only did they master the center stage of entertainment, they also mastered the podiums. What a finish? 100 medals overall, with 51 golds!

I was in Beijing two years ago and had visited the Badaling gate on The Great Wall. It was a matter of coincidence that I posed with the caption for the olympics, which "then" was already publicised everywhere, including on The Great Wall. I am very tempted to post that picture here, though that is not my usual way :-). But exceptions to a rule are allowed, are they not :-)?!



And since I am on that "exception based binge" of posting a couple of pictures of self, here are a couple more :-)





My moments with Beijing!
-hema

...if your trashcan or wheelbarrow has a dent in it, you dont buy a new one. Maybe that's because we dont use trashcans and wheelbarrows to communicate our social status or identity to others. For Jai and me, our dented cars became a statement in our marriage. Not everything needs to be fixed!" -- says Randy Pausch when his wife hit one of their own cars with their other in their garage.

Randy Pausch, the CMU professor, has presented a very thought provoking and humorous speech, 'The Last Lecture' after which he became a phenomenon both on the web and in the media. I was brought down to astonishment and wonder, when I saw this video - how can a human, who has just a few months more to live talk this way, with utmost vibrance and a child like enthusiasm.He starts off his video by apologising to the crowd who may have expected him to have a sad and sorry figure; but instead does a few push-ups on his knuckles! Bravo.

There are so many profound things he says about life, in such a subtle way. His book, is a treasure to possess. His sayings, are a treasure to adopt. He leaves behind this book for his children, I believe. Though it is not a perfect replacement for a parent, he says, "But engineering is not about perfect solutions; its about doing the best you can with limited resources. Both the lecture and the book are my attempts to do exactly that". 

The urge and the want to live more and to "somehow" survive is shown so poignantly in this book. Everyone wants to live a longer life. He so beautifully starts the book, by saying:

"I have an engineering problem.
While for the most part I'm in terrific physical shape, I have ten tumors in my liver and I have only a few months left to live. 
I am a father of three young children and married to the woman of my dreams. 
While I could feel sorry for myself, that would not do them or me, any good.
So, how to spend my very limited time?"

I believe the exercise of asking Professors to consider their demise and then ruminate on what matters most to them, to present it as a 'Last Lecture' is becoming common in college campuses. 'What wisdom would we impart to be the world, if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?. CMU called these series of speeches as "Journeys". When Professor Pausch was requested to speak, it was not the most interesting idea for him, as he was already diagnosed with cancer. But he was very optimistic and thought he would be among the lucky ones who'd survive!

Mysterious things happen in life. You could be teaching at an elite university; working on a 3D interactive computer like Alice; designing animations being an Imagineer at Disney; making so may students connect with their minds; being a wonderful husband and a father -- and while all this is happening, something inside your organs could be brewing. And no one has a clue about it !! This is exactly what happened to Prof Randy Pausch!

His Last Lecture was indeed the last lecture. He did not even have to enact it for the sake of rules or fun. I felt very moved reading about him, his book and his incredible thoughts. He died as young as 47 last month. 

I only thought to myself : What a loss? I wish I followed his work more earlier... I wish I read about him more earlier... I am humbled by his lecture - one of the most powerful accounts of hope, grace and optimistism !
-hema

 

Its not my pyschology or imagination that I am referring to. Its a book written by the French philosopher and writer, Jean Paul Sartre. Out of no-where, I chanced upon an old set of quotes I had noted down in a corner of my hard-disk and read a few that Sartre had to say. With fascination-unlimited, for what people have to say or quote, especially those that leave a 'ready-made' thought or a 'food-for-thought' behind, I started writing them down in the same corner :-)

Looks like it came handy today, when I was reading over those. Since I am in that mood, of wanting to pen-down a few that I like, here it is:

"Every age has its own poetry; in every age the circumstances of history choose a nation, a race, a class to take up the torch by creating situations that can be expressed or transcended only through poetry."

"Everything has been figured out, except how to live"

"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you"

"It is only in our decisions that we are important!"

"Life has no meaning the moment you loose the illusion of being eternal."

"One is still what one is going to cease to be and already what one is going to become. One lives one's death, one dies one's life."

And just before I stop bantering, "Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do." :-)

...tell me which among these, any of you who might read this posting, liked the most?

Sooner or later, I would like to read this book that you wrote, Mr. Sartre!
So long,
-hema

… from my book of thoughts!
(after the weekend journey a few of us went to Badami, Aihole and Pattadhkal)

You know it’s a strange thing - the thing called Mind!
It is so amoebic in nature that it thinks, shrinks, expands, memorizes, reminiscences, plays god, plays devil, takes one thru those mysterious pathways and caves, makes you walk the streets that you seldom would otherwise and so much more. I admire its capacity and power! To me, after the heart, mind is the most powerful entity in this universe. Rest of them could have physical power, but mind surpasses all that, gets into metaphysical, mystical, mysterious and name it, layers of thinking and conscience. Sometimes I think dream is only as far as 'when your mind starts to think about it'. Meaning, if our mind thinks about wanting something or dreaming for something, we have gotten on that ride already! You can scale the Himalayas, without moving a toe... you can eat a ripe mango even without having a garden in your backyard or buying it off a market :) - see what I mean?

This is why the thoughts of a mind intrigue me!

...after a 3 day trip to these spectacular World heritage sites, we were heading back from Badami to Bagalkot in a small, but doubly packed village-sort of local bus with people jam-packed (people who did not mind stealing smiles in between, inspite of the race-against-life there were on!!). There were 2-3 children standing near me. They were trying to hold on 'somehow', indeed 'somehow' to that bar of the bus, so that they don’t fall off, amidst the chaotic crowd. Some adults did not even recognize that they were children and not an entity to be trampled over... Though we made some space for them to stand between our legs and otherwise, I got carried away in my own world…

…thought, how Life is about 'hanging onto something'!!

Just like these kids did anything to squeeze their delicate hands thru the maddening group to reach out to the bars, we too do the same - we too want to hold on to those bars of dreams, of wanna-bes, of wanna-gets and simple-desires! Is that not Life?!!

I had never thought like this before and a simple 36 km ride made me think on these lines. The bus finally stopped, the children got down, we all breathed some air :) and then I came down, humbled!

What’s the race against? Why do people always rush for everything? Though a tad-bit philosophical, I admired my mind for having taken me on this journey in that 45 minutes...

Just a sneak-peek and note from Pattadhakal,



Hang-onto something, till the next :-)
so long,
-hema

Test to check the template

Like I had said, in one of my earlier postings, 'Inclined Wonder', Taste may change, but inclination never!. My inclination for inclined shots never declined... seems like Schmap, the agency that makes travel guides (online) and has a well integrated mesh of maps (yahoo, google and the likes) selected a picture of World Trade Center, Boston that I had shot, for their fourth edition of the Schmap Boston Guide.

No wonder the business in WTC was a little shaky, inclined that I shot it :-)

Also on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/elzi/237882155/

A few other tidbits: I was living very close to the WTC Boston, which is at the tip of the Boston Harbor. That evening, while I sipped over my tea looking at the vast expanse of the Atlantic ocean(yes, it was that close!), the patterns in the sky were pretty intense. To the left of where I lived was the WTC and somehow I tilted my head, inclined my camera and got this shot..

And the first time around I went to Boston, I was charmed to know that it was called The Beantown. Back in the colonial days, a favorite Boston food was beans baked in molasses for several hours, it seems. Boston was sort of awash in molasses - being a part of the "triangular trade" back then. Even after the end of this practice, Boston was the big rum producing city - so the history goes.

Anyways, today in Boston, baked beans are something of a rarity - there are no companies in the city making it and only a few restaurants serve it. How sad, that for a city named after Baked Beans, you have just recipes left on the internet, if you would like to taste them!

And just to get a sense of how close I lived to the Atlantic (phew! one of the times, there was news that a hurricane might be hitting the Atlantic shores beside Boston!!!):


'To The Beantown'
-hema

....as I walked along my apartment, I look up and see colors adorning the sky. It was just about the time for the sun to bid adiue. It almost looked like the colors have a contract signed with The Sun :-). They always 'appear' and accentuate the look of the sky and make it spectacular both at the rise and at the set of The Sun!

..as the day was going to be gone 'forever', it seemed like the colors were laying the final silver (or was it golden?) lining!



Down sank the great red sun, and in golden, glimmering vapors Veiled the light of his face, like the Prophet descending from Sinai...

Yet another dance of colors and sky, on another day



I will run out space, if I continue attaching all the 'One fine evening' sunset shots... so two is good to go!
-hema

...everyone comes round by Rome!, it is said.

I had a choice of picking between two places in Italy to visit in the summer of 2006 :: one of the most talked about - beautiful city, Venice and place of History on earth, Rome. The charm of the rides in the Gondolas was quite tempting, but I am thankful to the saner bit in me, which did not succumb to this temptation and looked at Rome and the bounty it can offer. Rome is rich with its massive collection of history, ruins, Time and generations.

... and when I visited Rome, which is called the city of echoes, illusions and yearnings, I had a brief encounter with all these three emotions. I visited most historical sites - however, the Vatican, Colosseum and the Palatine Hill, left a mark on me for variety of reasons.
-- Palatine Hill caught me in its jaw-dropping facts about the origin of the Roman civilization. The ruins you can see here is not something I can pen down in a blog.
-- I did write earlier about the Vatican city: http://hemanarayan.livejournal.com/#entry_4088
-- Colosseum, the quintessential monument of ancient Rome was built in 70-80AD. In the writings of the Venerable Bede, there is a quote from an Anglo-Saxon pilgrim's prophecy: 'While the Colosseum stands, Rome shall stand; when the Colosseum falls, Rome shall fall; when Rome falls, the world shall fall.'

.. for all those out there, who are keen on traveling and are fascinated by history, Rome is a place that should top your list of don't-dare-die-without-seeing-these-places list :-). A taste of these magnanimous places can be felt by having a glimpse through:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elzi/sets/72157602220398412/

I recently submitted an article on Palatine Hill to the travel section of The Hindu and it got published. Indeed a very nice feeling to see my article in my most favorite section, 'Time Out' in Sunday supplement of this newspaper, of which I have been an avid reader for years...
Truly a small dream come true for me!
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2007121650310800.htm&date=2007/12/16/&prd=mag&

As I left Rome, I heard echoes and was in such an illusion, that it left me yearning for more..

So long,
- hema

Its amazing how India has been developing for years now.
I do know the number of cars running on a typical day in Bangalore is getting higher by the chime of a clock...
I do know that the number of malls coming into a metropolitan is on the rise - people have money to spend...
I do know that children get a Playstation to spend their evenings or a mini iPod which gives them company while walking to a school bus...
I do know the impulsive buying that people indulge in today is worth a mention...
I do know that we have richer and better presence of foreign products within our country...
I do know that many people to whom flying was a dream can afford flying on domestic spins...
I do know there are fly-overs being attempted by the Government under the impression that it would help the commuters...
I do know we have stores that sell organically grown vegetables for consumption, that which is free from pesticides...

...and so on!

But is this what development of a country mean? Are these the signs of a developing country? I guess it is partly true, but its quite a small fraction.

A week ago, I was travelling in the morning hours to my office and I saw a man sitting by the roadside unable to stand up due to the cold..


...and another evening, I saw a few children still playing by a gutter - not even sure if they had anything to do with education!


Felt a pang of sadness to see the plight of two segments of people - 'The Old' and 'The Children'. Both, untouched by the developments India has been making, rather, they were oblivious of the fact that they reside in a country which is developing.

Why so? Is it because the developments always dont reach out to the poorer segments of the society?!

Musing...

... two of my buddy friends spent this past weekend at New York and they had the most rollicking two days of their lives, they tell me. They walked all over the city - this city which I have a very soft corner for. So apart from looking at the pictures my friends shot, I have been polishing my own pictures of NYC, re-visiting my albums, and walking down the little memory alley-ways.

And I had to write down the passing-thoughts about my first trip to New York ...

Everyone has a way to look at New York.I have mine. Somehow Don Henley's song, about how 'Everything can change in a New York Minute' changed my perspective about this place. I went there myself for the 1st time in 2002 and see it for a 'reality' - every minute in NYC oozes varied shades of moods. The highly cosmopolitan city with people from so many walks of life amazed me. Its a mix of tonal colors from a palette of a paints that makes a good water color painting. And, in the same way, its the mix of the several shades, moods and culture that makes New York a beautiful canvas! A fleeting glimpse at the Manhattan skyline...


...I love the city, but I would not want to live in it. Many facets about it are impressive, but its still alien, somehow. But when I stood there at Weehawken, for a second, I just got absorbed like how a child would, if a magician were to take out a dozen of poodles from his funny bunny-hat :-).


...I remember that afternoon when I walked past the Merilyn Bull and got myself flanked by it :-). I remember that morning, when we jumped a long(est!) queue for the ferry to Liberty Island and how I had a dream-come-true at that island, when I stood with a torch-like-thing in my hand and posed like the lady...


...I remember the big yellow taxi's and the NYPD cop cabs and how I compared the two literally to understand if they differed in someways, except for their obvious colors...


...I remember the way I laid a wreath by the WTC and signed on the prayer-board for the 1000's who perished on 9/11...


...I remember putting my head-out out of the slow moving car of my friends, to have a fleeting glance at Times Square(and that's all I could manage, with a flight in a mere 3 hours from then :-)... I remember the subway train rides and the subway sandwiches too :)


...many memories!
I even asked my two friends to go looking for a booth in the liberty island and I guess they went haywire trying to figure that booth - instead something tells me that they would have shot pictures of all the booths on liberty island :-). But finally, the booth in the corner of this picture below 'was' the one!!


...and as Billy Joel says:

'It comes down to reality
And it's fine with me 'cause I've let it slide
Don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside
I don't have any reasons
I've left them all behind

I'm in a New York state of mind' !

And before I step out, let me call out the links to the photo-sets of my friends - some wonderful essence of New York City in there..

1) http://www.flickr.com/photos/ragi_4u/sets/72157602296220660/
2) http://www.flickr.com/photos/grider/sets/72157602222951727/

So long,
- hema