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| The Butcher's Shop Today, while shopping at the weekly market, I saw a chicken being butchered. Situated opposite the row of vegetable vendors, the meat shop had a group of chickens locked inside a cage. I saw the butcher unlock the small window at the cage's bottom. As he placed his hand inside, the chickens resisted, yelling hysterically, but knowing they were powerless. They had seen others dying and dreaded meeting a similar fate. One of the chickens came under the butcher's grasp. That unlucky member of the group knew its end was near. The butcher placed it on the cutting table and slashed its neck with a knife. The chicken died on the spot. The butcher washed the chicken's blood-soaked body with boiling water to prevent infection. He then skinned it, shredded it, and weighed it for the customer to buy. The other chickens within the cage heaved a sigh of relief. Little did they know that they hadn't escaped but had postponed the inevitable. Their death was a mere formality waiting to happen. |
| Visit to Belur, Halebid, and Shravanabelagola Last weekend, I was on a sightseeing tour of Beluru, Halebeedu, and Shravanabelagola. Located in the Hassan district of Karnataka, these towns rose to prominence during the reign of the Hoysala Emperors in the early part of the first millennium and are witness to a slice of medieval Indian history. We began the tour with a visit to Beluru, a town famous for the Chennakesava Temple (Chenna means Handsome & Kesava is an avatar of Lord Vishnu). The temple was commissioned by the Hoysala King Vishnuvardhana as a tribute to Lord Vishnu in 1117 CE. It took one hundred years to construct and use three generations of workers. The Chennakesava Temple combines fine architecture, exquisite sculpture, and detailed relief work. Its walls are replete with stories from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas. Despite many attacks by Alauddin Khilji’s army, the temple has retained its splendour and is a living embodiment of resilience. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Hoysaleshwara twin temple at Halebeedu was also built by King Vishnuvardhana and houses the Hoysaleswara and Santaleswara Shiva Lingas. Like its counterpart in Beluru, it is notable for sculptures, intricate reliefs, detailed friezes, iconography, and inscriptions in North Indian and South Indian scripts. What the two temples have in exquisiteness, the 58-foot Gomateshwara statue in Shravanabelagola makes up for in size. Dedicated to Baahubali, the son of a Jain Thirthankara, the structure is the world’s largest monolithic statue and one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in Jainism. Thankfully, the weather in Hassan was pleasant. The day we landed, the clouds were on the verge of a cloudburst. Luckily, it did not rain, and as a result, the weather was perfect - neither too warm nor cold. This allowed me to soak in the beauty of Belur, Halebeedu, & Shravanabelagola and appreciate the nuances of their rich history. |
This sounds like such a journey! A trip worthy of a Red Queen  You should consider making this into a static item and entering it into this round of "Marketing Muse is Closed for Judging"  . This round requires writing about travel and excursion!  Thanks for sharing! Write on  |
| Happy Third Year Anniversary here at WDC. Hope your day is wonderful and free of events. Write On! Chrys O'Shea   |
| Why I liked 'Jaane Jaan' Set in the hilly tracts of Kalimpong, 'Jaane Jaan' is a movie about Maya D'Souza (Kareena Kapoor Khan), a single mother. When she is accused of murder, she finds unanticipated help from her neighbour, the socially inept but gifted Mathematics teacher Naren Vyas (Jaideep Ahlawat). Kareena Kapoor Khan, a seasoned actor, delivers a brilliant performance in a new role. She deftly plays Maya, the cafe owner struggling to make ends meet. While we are used to seeing her exude oomph, in Jaane Jaan, she manages to impress in a middle-aged avatar. Her grace wins her many admirers, most notably Naren. As a result, Naren visits Maya's cafe often, more for her and less for the egg-fried rice. Jaideep Ahlawat is terrific as the steely Naren Vyas. Lonely and depressed, he masks his unhappiness with dignity. He cannot articulate his fondness for Maya, whom he loves most after mathematics. Vijay Varma shines as Inspector Karan Anand, the Mumbai police officer tasked with finding corrupt cop Ajit Mhatre's killer. He is sharp and trained to look beyond the obvious. However, he is no match for the genius of Naren. Varma's performance is noteworthy because he, being a newcomer to Bollywood, takes on Kareena Kapoor Khan, one of the industry's most accomplished actors, with confidence. Also, while Karan is attracted to Maya, the movie doesn't succumb to the temptation of melodramatising the two. Jaane Jaan is also a story of the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. Naren and Maya, both waging a battle on their personal fronts, show the determination and courage to craft their destinies. While Maya is moving on after a messy marriage, the suicidal Naren finds in Maya a reason to live. Their never-say-die spirit is the thread that holds the story together. Jaane Jaan is also noteworthy for its crisp narrative. There are no wasted scenes or unnecessary dialogues, and the makers brilliantly pull off a story around a murder cover-up. What is also unique about Jaane Jaan is how it uses Mathematics to enrich the narrative. Right from Naren's empathy for a struggling student, Naren's tireless efforts to solve complex mathematics problems, and the clever use of the subject to obfuscate the truth, the power of mathematics is on full display. The investigation into Ajit Mhatre's murder hits a dead end. While Maya is let off due to a lack of evidence, Naren finds the right environment to pursue his passion for mathematics - jail. |
| If writer’s block were a fly, I would swot it. The bloody pest has the uncanny knack of blocking my thoughts and causing me pain and anguish. It makes me feel incapable and incompetent. Nothing can be more frustrating than knowing you have something to say but not having the words to say it. Look at the paradox - you spend months, maybe years, assimilating knowledge and thinking out of the box, and then find, to your chagrin, that writer’s block is acting like a cog in the wheel. It’s like a batsman who is at 99 but gets run out because of a misunderstanding with his partner on the other end of the pitch. |
| *Breakfast at Malleswaram* My Sunday began with breakfast at Malleswaram’s Krishna Bhavan. Along with friends at Godrej Woodsman Estate, I was in the mood for authentic Kannada food, and Malleswaram, with its vast number of South Indian restaurants, was the ideal choice. We had planned to dine at CTR (Central Tiffin Room), but the long queue of customers discouraged us. After deliberation, we zoned in on Krishna Bhavan; it was close and made equally good food. Krishna Bhavan is one of Bangalore’s oldest restaurants, famous for Dosas roasted in ghee and served with a dash of butter. We ordered a plate each to experience Krishna Bhavan’s culinary magic. Once the dosas arrived, accompanied by chutney and sambar, we wasted no time and got into the act of eating. We relished every morsel, and every bite reinforced Krishna Bhavan’s reputation. After the first dosa, our minds told us it was time to stop, but our hearts felt otherwise. Deciding to listen to our hearts, we shared a plate of Vada, ‘Green Idly’, and Kesari Baath. ‘Green Idly’ also happens to be a Krishna Bhavan speciality. It consists of small, fried idlis soaked in green leafy vegetable sauce. Quite unlike the soft idlis that South India is famous for, the frying renders it crisp, and the green sauce, quite strangely, reminds you of chilli chicken. Although every item we ordered tasted divine, the Kesari Baath stole the show. Keshri Baath is South India’s equivalent to Halwa. It combines the right amount of sweetness & richness and melts in your mouth like butter. A few amongst us decided to pack some; we were sure our families, especially the children, would enjoy it. After finishing a satisfying meal at Krishna Bhavan, we returned to the car. Although we had no alternative but to walk to the car, we realised that walking burnt a part of the calories that we had gained from the rich food. It also assuaged our guilt. I parted ways with my friends at the car, having decided to proceed to my tabla class nearby. As I walked, I was eager for a repeat of the morning’s breakfast sojourn. Our group rarely spends time outside the badminton court, so a Sunday morning breakfast is an excellent opportunity to bond. After all, what is life without friends and food? |
| Nice job. Do you know how to post a link to things in your port? Just in case, I'll show you how.  If you recently wrote or updated it, the item number should pop up after the number. If you didn't, you need to copy the item number. It's 7 digits and is located between the title and description. There are 2 main links item and bitem links. I'll use my challenge as an example because it pops up automatically for me. {item:2109126} = "The Contest Challenge" {bitem:2109126} 
Note that there are no spaces in the code and you're using curly braces, located above the square brackets on your keyboard. Good luck and congratulations for getting some writing done!  |
| Mysore Diaries - 10-11-2022 As I sit in my hotel room to record my first impressions of Mysore, I am unsure how to begin. Actually, these are not first impressions; my uncle, who loved travelling, visited Kodaikanal or Ooty with us and passed through Mysore often. As a result, I am familiar with tourist spots like the Brindavan Gardens, Krishnaraj Sagar Dam and the Mysore Palace. This time, I am with my mother for a conference on food security. She is going to speak on food fortification and its impact on livelihoods. Since the topic does not interest me, I plan to explore Mysore as she goes about lecturing. But my travel will begin tomorrow, so I cannot say much about the places I am yet to explore. Yet, my ordeal with reaching the Bangalore railway station en route to Mysore this morning is worth mentioning. The Shatabdi Express to Mysore was due to leave Bangalore at 10.50 AM. Although my mother and I got ready in time by 9, finding an Uber wasted precious time. It took the app on my phone half an hour to allot a taxi and fifteen more minutes for the driver to pick us up. So we ended up leaving only at 9.45. The heavy traffic (something Bangalore is famous for) forced us to take an alternate route. This, coupled with the fact that the platform from which the train was to leave was unknown to us, made matters worse. And if you thought that was the end of our woes, you are mistaken. Majestic Railway Station, the point at which we were boarding the train, was jam-packed ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit. The BBMP, in a last-minute beautification frenzy, had blocked the entrance to the railway station. This forced passengers like us to disembark much before the station and walk for two hundred metres with luggage in our hands. My mother, aghast at the situation, argued with the taxi driver and local police. I tried to keep my cool. At least I gave the impression that I was. So, upon reaching the platform, we got on to the nearest coach. We had no choice as the train was to leave any minute. Besides, the internal connection of all compartments made us feel confident. We had to cross seven coaches before we could arrive at ours. This took a while, but when we made it, both mother and son heaved a sigh of relief. |
| BEING HUMAN On the positive side, being human can mean being empathetic and feeling the pain of others. It can translate into kindness, generosity and large-heartedness. Being human is usually associated with generosity. But generosity has pitfalls. When you help someone out of sheer generosity, the receiver may take advantage of your generosity and keep asking for more. If you believe being human only means being kind and generous, you live in a sugar-coated version of reality. Humanity has dark sides to it, as history has shown. Adolph Hitler from Germany abhorred Jews killing over six million of them. Joseph Stalin of Russia executed those Russians who stood up to him; he was intolerant of dissent. Being human is about making mistakes, having an ego and suffering from insecurity and jealousy. It is about having faulty judgement, falling in and out of love and showing prejudice. It also includes laziness, greed and selfishness. Being human is equally about feeling joy, pain and regretting one's choices. Humans express fear, love and joy in different ways. A child scared of bullies might go silent and stop communicating. A young man may express his love for a girl by gifting her flowers and chocolates. An employer angry with his team might express his rage through abuse. The one human trait that has survived the test of time is spirit. A never-say-die attitude that refuses to give up or give in distinguishes man from beast and is a trait worth celebrating. |
| Take it or leaf it Whenever I get stressed, I stroll in the woods next to my place of work. The smell of the mud and the canopy of trees has a magical impact on my state of mind. The connection with nature boosts and refreshes my mood. By the end, I am young, energetic and ready to take on the world. In summer, the leaves on the ground are dry; I hear a rustling sound as I step on them. The sound is not very different from that of a hissing snake. But, during monsoon, the wetness leaves nothing to the imagination; I am more aware of my balance, lest I slip and fall. Most of the trees in the woods are eucalyptus; they emit a distinct camphoraceous smell. The woods sometimes also emit a foul odour. When this happens, it appears like the sharp, rosemary smell of the eucalyptus trees is losing to competion from the foul odour. Eucalyptus oil has medicinal properties. I remember applying the oil to soothe my painful teeth as a child. I have been using the woods as a stress buster for many years. Since stressful situations don’t come knocking, there is no set pattern to my walks in the woods. Yet, I prefer to go alone as I enjoy the me-time to reflect and come to terms with frustrating situations at work. During my walks, I rarely come across animals. I have noticed insects and worms, though. |
| Guypajama is a lush tropical paradise. A large variety of trees thrive on the length and breadth of the island. As you climb out of your boat and step onto the land, the smell of wet earth greets you. Guypajama is like any tropical region - warm by day and wet by night. As you walk around the island, you have leeches sucking the blood out of your feet. They are not painful and hard to discover. I spotted five of them clinging onto me once I returned to my room and removed my shoes. Some had sucked so much blood that they had grown to the size of a tennis ball. It is common to see snakes on the island. I spotted one the other day; it was about five metres long, had a hood and was hissing. It met the textbook definition of a cobra. A thick canopy of trees blocks the sunlight. In some parts, thin shafts of light enter through narrow gaps in the foliage. Guypajama is a sensory feast. The air smells of damp earth; the sound of birds confirms again that you are in a forest, far removed from the bustling city. As the humid air engulfs you, you desire a bath. I spotted a group of howler monkeys in the trees. Their hysterical laughter was annoying. I felt like slapping them but could not, for obvious reasons. Their howling increased when a piece of rotten fruit landed on my head. Indeed, their behaviour was far from cordial - I wished I hadn’t encountered them. An architectural ruin is present in the centre of the island. The Incas who ruled this area centuries ago had built this fort-like structure. As dusk approaches, you can hear the birds returning to their nests. Busy with hunting for food the whole day, they are on their way back home, looking forward to relaxing with family. As night approaches, you hear the sound of crickets chirping. The constant buzz they produce reminds you of a lawnmower and also that it is time to call it a day. |
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