Poor Rajan!! always targeted. Sujit one day stuck a Postit on Rajan's chair which said "Please Kick Here". Everyone had a smile when they passed his cube but poor Rajan remained oblivious of it for a week.
On Rajan's Chair
Poor Rajan!! always targeted. Sujit one day stuck a Postit on Rajan's chair which said "Please Kick Here". Everyone had a smile when they passed his cube but poor Rajan remained oblivious of it for a week.
Chilkuru Balaji
When we went to visit my brother's new born in Hyderabad, we happened to visit Chilkuru.
Importance of Chilkuru: As adherent devotee of Sri Balaji would visit Tirupathi every year. Owing to ill health he was not able to visit Tirupati one year and was in deep grief. Sri Balaji appeared in his dreams and told the devotee not to grieve for not being able to visit Tirupathi, and his idol was buried in a forest close by. The devotee reached the place and began digging and found The Lord with Bhudevi and Sridevi.
Location: Chilkuru is located approximately 30km from Hyderabad.
Travel: We hired a taxi to Chilkuru. We reached in approximately 45 minutes. The roads that lead to the temple were filled with vendors, selling coconuts and flowers.
Food: There are not good hotels around but many small shops which sell good tea.
Temple Timings: 5 am to 8 pm
Puja: There is no particular puja that is carried out there. So don't bother to buy or take things like incense sticks / camphor or flower but take coconuts. At the entrance of the temple there is place to break the coconuts. Leave half of the coconut and take the other half.
Once you enter the temple campus, you will be surprised to see hordes of people going round the temple at an unimaginable speed. Balaji is also called Visa Venkateshwara. Youngsters visit this temple to get visas :-).
In this temple it is said you ask god for your wish and go around the temple for 11 times, and take a vow to return once the wish is fulfilled. Once you wish is fulfilled you return and go around the temple for 108 times. It is said Lord hasn't turned down any of the wishes till date.
This is the first of the temples I have seen where there is no place to make offerings in cash to god / No archanas or pujas . Lord accepts offerings only in form of pradakshinas. Temple gives free numeric cards to count the 108 pradakshinas. This temple is very crowded on Fridays and Sundays so if possible avoid it on those days.
Importance of Chilkuru: As adherent devotee of Sri Balaji would visit Tirupathi every year. Owing to ill health he was not able to visit Tirupati one year and was in deep grief. Sri Balaji appeared in his dreams and told the devotee not to grieve for not being able to visit Tirupathi, and his idol was buried in a forest close by. The devotee reached the place and began digging and found The Lord with Bhudevi and Sridevi. Location: Chilkuru is located approximately 30km from Hyderabad.
Travel: We hired a taxi to Chilkuru. We reached in approximately 45 minutes. The roads that lead to the temple were filled with vendors, selling coconuts and flowers.
Food: There are not good hotels around but many small shops which sell good tea.
Temple Timings: 5 am to 8 pm
Puja: There is no particular puja that is carried out there. So don't bother to buy or take things like incense sticks / camphor or flower but take coconuts. At the entrance of the temple there is place to break the coconuts. Leave half of the coconut and take the other half.
Once you enter the temple campus, you will be surprised to see hordes of people going round the temple at an unimaginable speed. Balaji is also called Visa Venkateshwara. Youngsters visit this temple to get visas :-).In this temple it is said you ask god for your wish and go around the temple for 11 times, and take a vow to return once the wish is fulfilled. Once you wish is fulfilled you return and go around the temple for 108 times. It is said Lord hasn't turned down any of the wishes till date.
This is the first of the temples I have seen where there is no place to make offerings in cash to god / No archanas or pujas . Lord accepts offerings only in form of pradakshinas. Temple gives free numeric cards to count the 108 pradakshinas. This temple is very crowded on Fridays and Sundays so if possible avoid it on those days.
Onsite - Offshore model...
Lot of raving about onsite - offshore model isn't it? Global team!! One team!! Bah!!
Now imagine entire team of developers / analysts / testers out sitting in US and you one and only poor developer stationed in offshore-India (for the heck of it); intentionally or unintentionally you will end up feeling like a foster child of the project ... hmm or the entire project FAMILY.
Client is in east coast of US and the team (Apart from the poor developer) is on the west coast, so you will never be able to talk to the client... time difference!!! If you are going to complain and raise a bawl then be ready to forgo you night sleeps, be alert in the calls that start at your 2 am or 3 am (that is the only slot client has). And of course the team out there will try their best to remove the feeling of unwanted ness that has grown into you, they will ask you take the notes and to promptly send them the MOM (minutes of meeting) before their EOD (end of day)!!!
You will burn midnight lamps to meet the deadlines and in the status call you will jubilantly announce that you have completed your tasks well within time... only to have the entire team chuckle because the deadline was pushed for the following month, months ago. #$@$@#$!!!
You will cry, scream and jump around to find out what is happening there. Unable to bear your bawls the family there will give you some work, which doesn’t need much of your brains. Try standing unnoticed; hoping someone will understand you, will allocate you will some work that is of your caliber (!!!), if you think so you shall continue to remain unnoticed.
As days pass by in the project, you will resign to the fate of receiving only end tasks, which are monotonous and boring. Don’t bother to complain, you will get to hear only the management jargons. Just start praying and hoping that your next project will come offshore and you will have just onsite team member!!! Every Dog has its day!!
Now imagine entire team of developers / analysts / testers out sitting in US and you one and only poor developer stationed in offshore-India (for the heck of it); intentionally or unintentionally you will end up feeling like a foster child of the project ... hmm or the entire project FAMILY.
Client is in east coast of US and the team (Apart from the poor developer) is on the west coast, so you will never be able to talk to the client... time difference!!! If you are going to complain and raise a bawl then be ready to forgo you night sleeps, be alert in the calls that start at your 2 am or 3 am (that is the only slot client has). And of course the team out there will try their best to remove the feeling of unwanted ness that has grown into you, they will ask you take the notes and to promptly send them the MOM (minutes of meeting) before their EOD (end of day)!!!
You will burn midnight lamps to meet the deadlines and in the status call you will jubilantly announce that you have completed your tasks well within time... only to have the entire team chuckle because the deadline was pushed for the following month, months ago. #$@$@#$!!!
You will cry, scream and jump around to find out what is happening there. Unable to bear your bawls the family there will give you some work, which doesn’t need much of your brains. Try standing unnoticed; hoping someone will understand you, will allocate you will some work that is of your caliber (!!!), if you think so you shall continue to remain unnoticed.
As days pass by in the project, you will resign to the fate of receiving only end tasks, which are monotonous and boring. Don’t bother to complain, you will get to hear only the management jargons. Just start praying and hoping that your next project will come offshore and you will have just onsite team member!!! Every Dog has its day!!
God's smiling face
Yesterday night, when I lifted my eyes to see the sky, I saw a beautiful sight.
I saw God's smiling face. Moon positioned itself to be God's loving smile and the planets Venus and Jupiter positioned themselves as God's beautiful eyes.
I tried capturing the image on mobile's camera, but in vain. Then I tried in a camera, I did get the image but it no where matched the God's face.
I saw God's smiling face. Moon positioned itself to be God's loving smile and the planets Venus and Jupiter positioned themselves as God's beautiful eyes.
I tried capturing the image on mobile's camera, but in vain. Then I tried in a camera, I did get the image but it no where matched the God's face.
Lamp and Prediction
I got this article as a foward. Found it very intresting, putting it up on this blog.
In all the prasna, or in all karmas, the lamp plays a prominent part, a messenger of the future. If the flame is plaeasant and bright, it forebodes good. Lets see how the knowledge about the lamp and the flame helps us in finding out more about a muhurtha or an event.
Evil is prognosticated, if the flame of the lamp
1. moves in anticlockwise direction
2. is not bright
3. emits sparks frequently
4. too small in shape
5. suddenly put of inspite of good oil and wick
6. extinguishes even after continuous effort to keep it lighted
7. makes cracking sound
8. it shakes to and from without wind
Following conditions of the flame forebode auspiciousness, prosperity and success, if the flame of the lamp-
1. is fairly dense and long in appearance
2. moves in clockwise direction
3. strady and bright
4. produces no sound
5. pleasant to look at
6. has golden or jewel like hue
7. burn straight and without bending
The different parts of the lamp represent following parts of a native:
1. Oil in the lamp- Physical body- Moon
2. Wick- Soul- Sun
3. Flame- Longevity- Fiery element (Mars, Sun)
4. Brightness or otherwise- Happiness or misery (Jupiter/ Saturn)
5. The can, its size and shape- The house
6. Breeze/ Wind- Friends/ Associates/ Enemies
From the cleanliness of the different part of the lamp, different things can be predicted. For peace and auspiciousness at home, the lamp is supposed to be clean and sparkling. There should not be any dirt and carbon shoot in the body/ oil or wick.
Because lamp represents fiery element, it should be made of articles represented by fiery planets Sun or Mars, such as gold, copper, brass or even earth. It should never be made up of silver or glass, whichh are governed by watery planet Moon, otherwise this might forebode great danger shown by Gandanta (Combination of Fire and Water).
The bent of fire towards different directions shows different things such as:
1. East (Indra)- Prosperity
2. South East (Agni)- Fear from Fire
3. South (Yama)- Death
4. South West (Nirriti)- Diseases like epilepsy or sudden fits
5. West (Varuna)- Peace, improvement of conditions
6. North West (Vayu)- Poverty, decline in the present conditions
7. North (Kubera)- The native had recovered from great danger to his life
8. North East (Isana)- General good health
9. Vertically upwards (Anant)- The native shall gain and success in his endeavors
While putting the query, if the articles given as donation to the astrologer is kept in the direction which happens to be signified by the rasi occuypied by Gulika at the time of query, in the 8th from the prasna arudha or 8th from the janma rasi of the native, then great danger to the native’s life is awaiting hium.
In all the prasna, or in all karmas, the lamp plays a prominent part, a messenger of the future. If the flame is plaeasant and bright, it forebodes good. Lets see how the knowledge about the lamp and the flame helps us in finding out more about a muhurtha or an event. Evil is prognosticated, if the flame of the lamp
1. moves in anticlockwise direction
2. is not bright
3. emits sparks frequently
4. too small in shape
5. suddenly put of inspite of good oil and wick
6. extinguishes even after continuous effort to keep it lighted
7. makes cracking sound
8. it shakes to and from without wind
Following conditions of the flame forebode auspiciousness, prosperity and success, if the flame of the lamp-
1. is fairly dense and long in appearance
2. moves in clockwise direction
3. strady and bright
4. produces no sound
5. pleasant to look at
6. has golden or jewel like hue
7. burn straight and without bending
The different parts of the lamp represent following parts of a native:
1. Oil in the lamp- Physical body- Moon
2. Wick- Soul- Sun
3. Flame- Longevity- Fiery element (Mars, Sun)
4. Brightness or otherwise- Happiness or misery (Jupiter/ Saturn)
5. The can, its size and shape- The house
6. Breeze/ Wind- Friends/ Associates/ Enemies
From the cleanliness of the different part of the lamp, different things can be predicted. For peace and auspiciousness at home, the lamp is supposed to be clean and sparkling. There should not be any dirt and carbon shoot in the body/ oil or wick.
Because lamp represents fiery element, it should be made of articles represented by fiery planets Sun or Mars, such as gold, copper, brass or even earth. It should never be made up of silver or glass, whichh are governed by watery planet Moon, otherwise this might forebode great danger shown by Gandanta (Combination of Fire and Water).
The bent of fire towards different directions shows different things such as:
1. East (Indra)- Prosperity
2. South East (Agni)- Fear from Fire
3. South (Yama)- Death
4. South West (Nirriti)- Diseases like epilepsy or sudden fits
5. West (Varuna)- Peace, improvement of conditions
6. North West (Vayu)- Poverty, decline in the present conditions
7. North (Kubera)- The native had recovered from great danger to his life
8. North East (Isana)- General good health
9. Vertically upwards (Anant)- The native shall gain and success in his endeavors
While putting the query, if the articles given as donation to the astrologer is kept in the direction which happens to be signified by the rasi occuypied by Gulika at the time of query, in the 8th from the prasna arudha or 8th from the janma rasi of the native, then great danger to the native’s life is awaiting hium.
Kukke Subramanaya
Location: Subramanaya is located at around 280 kms from Bangalore.
Importance: It is the abode of lord Subramanya and Vasuki. Importance of this place is mentioned in Skanda Purana. When Garuda attacked Vasuki (king of serpents), he came and took shelter in this place along with his family. In Satya Yuga, Lord Subramanaya was the senapathi for the Gods against demons; battle was fought on the banks of Kumaradhara. After he killed Tarakasura, he washed his spear in the river of Kumaradhara. Lord liked the place so much that he decided to make his abode. In Tretha Yuga Parashurama bathed in the river to absolve his sins of killing kshtriyas.In dwapara yuga, Samaba son of Sri Krishna bathed in the river to get rid of leprosy.
Temple complex has Samputa Narashima and Uma Mahaeshwara too. At a little distance away is Adi subrmanaya and Bhilwadhwara.
Travel: From Bangalore this place can be reached by train or road. By road it takes around 7 hours and 9 hours by train. If you can drive, you can enjoy the luscious green forests, little water falls and pollution free air.
We took the train at 9 pm from Bangalore city station. We reached Subramanaya road at around 5:40 am. Train waits there just for 5 minutes. Once out of the station there were hoards of jeeps and autos ready to ferry us to the town. We jumped into a jeep, which charged us 40 Rs per head. We reached the town in 20 minutes.
Stay: we had tried booking a room two days in advance, but everything was running full. We thought we will go and try our luck; if not there is the temple lodges to manage for half day; because, by noon most of the lodges are vacated. We got a room in Suraksha lodge, the room was a nightmare. It was tiny, about 4 feet by six feet. The window was covered with a plastic sheet, walls looked like they would fall off any moment and there was nothing called bathroom. There was a big toilet which was supposed to be both bathroom and toilet. We paid 300 Rs for it and stayed, hoping to get a nice room by noon.
We were tired after the journey and we went into immediate sleep, woke up by 11 am, freshened up, had breakfast and started hunting for rooms. We got one almost immediately at Kenchamba Lodge. This room was so very refreshing. Lodge was new, room was neat and furnished.
Some lodge numbers are:
1. Anugraha Lodge, Ph: 08257-281283. This is very close to the temple.
2. Shanmukha Lodge, Ph: 08257 281232, 9448548572
3. Mayura Residency, Ph: 08257-281336
4. Sheshanag Ashraya, Ph: 08257-281215,281219,281279
5. Shreenikethana Lodge, Ph: 08257-281261, 281221
6. Suraksha Lodge, Ph: 08257-281306,281782
7. Vailankani Sadana Lodge Ph: 08257-281291,281801
8. Kenchamba lodge Ph: 08257 318914/M 94805733298.
9. Forest Resort and IB, Gundya, (20KM from Temple)
For Booking contact DFO Mangalore, Ph: 0824 2423913, Fax: 0824 2411242
Room rents range between 200 to 1600 per day.
Food: There are two restaurants Neo Mysore Cafe and Kumara Krupa hotels on the temple road. Free lunch at the temple starts at 11:30 am and free dinner which starts at 7:45 pm. The queues will be very long, but even if you are at the end of the queue you will reach the dinning hall within 20 minutes. Food service in the hall is fast and food is extremely tasty, you will want more.
Getting around: Just jump into any auto. They charge minimum of 15 Rs from any point to any point.
Temple timings:
Subramanya temple is from 6 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 9 pm.
Adi subramanaya temple is from 6 am to 6 pm.
Pujas:
If you want Abhisheka / Ashlesha bali or Naga prathista done then be in the temple before 9 am and get the tickets for the same.
The main reason for people to visit this place is for Sarpa Dosha. Each astrologer suggests different methods.
To get rid of this my astrologer suggested the below steps:
1. Get the date and time to enter the temple of Adi Subramanaya from your astrologer.
2. Bathe in the Kumara Dara River and get dressed in new white clothes.
3. Enter the temple at given time.
4. Get any puja done for the lord
5. Perform 9 Pradakshinas.
6. Collect the prasadam and the miritka (mud of the ant hill).
7. Go back to Kumara Dara rive, throw the white clothes into the river.
8. Return to the lodge and make sure you don't go anywhere but straight home.
Return: Trains start at 10:30 pm and KSRTC buses start from 2 pm.
We planned our return by bus. We took the 2:30 pm bus and reached Bangalore by 9:30 pm.
Importance: It is the abode of lord Subramanya and Vasuki. Importance of this place is mentioned in Skanda Purana. When Garuda attacked Vasuki (king of serpents), he came and took shelter in this place along with his family. In Satya Yuga, Lord Subramanaya was the senapathi for the Gods against demons; battle was fought on the banks of Kumaradhara. After he killed Tarakasura, he washed his spear in the river of Kumaradhara. Lord liked the place so much that he decided to make his abode. In Tretha Yuga Parashurama bathed in the river to absolve his sins of killing kshtriyas.In dwapara yuga, Samaba son of Sri Krishna bathed in the river to get rid of leprosy. Temple complex has Samputa Narashima and Uma Mahaeshwara too. At a little distance away is Adi subrmanaya and Bhilwadhwara.
Travel: From Bangalore this place can be reached by train or road. By road it takes around 7 hours and 9 hours by train. If you can drive, you can enjoy the luscious green forests, little water falls and pollution free air.
We took the train at 9 pm from Bangalore city station. We reached Subramanaya road at around 5:40 am. Train waits there just for 5 minutes. Once out of the station there were hoards of jeeps and autos ready to ferry us to the town. We jumped into a jeep, which charged us 40 Rs per head. We reached the town in 20 minutes.
Stay: we had tried booking a room two days in advance, but everything was running full. We thought we will go and try our luck; if not there is the temple lodges to manage for half day; because, by noon most of the lodges are vacated. We got a room in Suraksha lodge, the room was a nightmare. It was tiny, about 4 feet by six feet. The window was covered with a plastic sheet, walls looked like they would fall off any moment and there was nothing called bathroom. There was a big toilet which was supposed to be both bathroom and toilet. We paid 300 Rs for it and stayed, hoping to get a nice room by noon.
We were tired after the journey and we went into immediate sleep, woke up by 11 am, freshened up, had breakfast and started hunting for rooms. We got one almost immediately at Kenchamba Lodge. This room was so very refreshing. Lodge was new, room was neat and furnished.
Some lodge numbers are:
1. Anugraha Lodge, Ph: 08257-281283. This is very close to the temple.
2. Shanmukha Lodge, Ph: 08257 281232, 9448548572
3. Mayura Residency, Ph: 08257-281336
4. Sheshanag Ashraya, Ph: 08257-281215,281219,281279
5. Shreenikethana Lodge, Ph: 08257-281261, 281221
6. Suraksha Lodge, Ph: 08257-281306,281782
7. Vailankani Sadana Lodge Ph: 08257-281291,281801
8. Kenchamba lodge Ph: 08257 318914/M 94805733298.
9. Forest Resort and IB, Gundya, (20KM from Temple)
For Booking contact DFO Mangalore, Ph: 0824 2423913, Fax: 0824 2411242
Room rents range between 200 to 1600 per day.
Food: There are two restaurants Neo Mysore Cafe and Kumara Krupa hotels on the temple road. Free lunch at the temple starts at 11:30 am and free dinner which starts at 7:45 pm. The queues will be very long, but even if you are at the end of the queue you will reach the dinning hall within 20 minutes. Food service in the hall is fast and food is extremely tasty, you will want more.
Getting around: Just jump into any auto. They charge minimum of 15 Rs from any point to any point.
Temple timings:
Subramanya temple is from 6 am to 1 pm and 3 pm to 9 pm.
Adi subramanaya temple is from 6 am to 6 pm.
Pujas:
If you want Abhisheka / Ashlesha bali or Naga prathista done then be in the temple before 9 am and get the tickets for the same.
The main reason for people to visit this place is for Sarpa Dosha. Each astrologer suggests different methods.
To get rid of this my astrologer suggested the below steps:
1. Get the date and time to enter the temple of Adi Subramanaya from your astrologer.
2. Bathe in the Kumara Dara River and get dressed in new white clothes.
3. Enter the temple at given time.
4. Get any puja done for the lord
5. Perform 9 Pradakshinas.
6. Collect the prasadam and the miritka (mud of the ant hill).
7. Go back to Kumara Dara rive, throw the white clothes into the river.
8. Return to the lodge and make sure you don't go anywhere but straight home.
Return: Trains start at 10:30 pm and KSRTC buses start from 2 pm.
We planned our return by bus. We took the 2:30 pm bus and reached Bangalore by 9:30 pm.
Bundle of Joy
My brother was blessed with a son on 20th Sept 2008. In the photo below, the baby is 14 hours old. Isn't he a bundle of joy?
Where is the Restroom?
This incident is the most embarrassing; and most humorous incident of my life. I did think a couple of times before I decided to put this up.At college all I did was study. I never watched any English serials or movies. Relevance of Why I am mentioning this, you will know towards the end. I got selected to Trigent Software through campus. I joined this company in my last semester.
My first project lasted just 2 months. It was a proof of concept, which was destined to fail from the start. There were fifteen of us on the team (14 seniors including my manager); so proof of concept didn't fail because I was on the team :-)). Since all were seniors, interaction with them was limited to project talks.
Second project, as destined I landed under a manager who was the nastiest amongst all the managers and leads till date. I forgot his name, must be Ravi or Naveen or Chandrashekar. Let me assume it was Chandra. Chandra was around late 30's or early forties. He moved to IT from insurance company. We were a team of two under him. He took upon himself to monitor how much time we spent talking to which person, how fast we ate, how much coffee we drank, what time we came or left. If he realized we are free, he would mail us a word document and ask us to covert it to a PowerPoint presentation or vice versa. He sat few cubes away from where I sat, but he exactly knew how many times I opened yahoo mail / chat, how many forwards I got so on and so forth. I can't figure out even to this day how he did it, maybe he had a sniffer :-).
The facility we were using was under construction, and one day our senior manager called for a meeting to talk about the progress. In the talk he mentioned that the new restrooms looked good and elegant. Now, I took the literal meaning of restroom. So I pictured it to be a place with couches/ a coffee vendee machine / newspapers and magazines. I had never seen any such room in the office. How could such a place be there and I not be using it? You see the disadvantage of not watching English movies or studying too much or not interacting too much with the seniors.
Immediately after this meeting, I had a meeting with Chandra at his desk. I casually and innocently asked him “Where is the restroom here?”
Chandra stared at me a bit shocked, a bit puzzled, a bit amused. He covered his mouth with his hand and asked "You don't know where the rest room is?" Maybe he meant, how are you surviving the whole day, without using the restroom? :-). I innocently replied, "No, I don't know, thinking that it was a pretty evident place and I am too stupid not to be aware of it". Then he paused, raised his hand and pointed in the direction of the toilets. I was shocked and all that I could blurt out was "Oh!! Those are restrooms." Well!! the signs on the restrooms just had a man and a woman, no mention of restroom anywhere.
I was pretty embarrassed at my ignorance. I later laughed after narrating it to my parents. Chandra too must have had a hearty laugh. I don't know where he is now, but must be teaching some managers about monitoring their teams.
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