How much does it cost for a 40 day tour across Karnataka on cycle?23/04/2023
Karnataka is one of the best places for tourism in India. The western ghats, national parks, waterfalls, beaches, temples, and rich traditions make for a wholesome experience for a tourist. Considering the above, one can tour Karnataka as a tourist which will meant that it will cost a lot, or one can tour as a traveller. Major expenditure as a tourist comes from the stay and the food at tourist locations. Considering that people are willing to pay for a weekend or a summer outing, tourist places are almost always expensive. Expenditure on travel, food, and stay can be heavily slashed if one wishes to tour as a traveller. …
- Souvenir you get to collect if you are touring Karnataka
23/04/2023
Souvenirs need not always be purchased. The purpose of a souvenir is to help one get reminded of a place, person, or thing. The best memories do not come from the price paid at the gift shops, rather they come from the small things that came to your hands in your journey. These could be things as simple as a chocolate wrapper to a leaf from a tree.
During my all-India cycle tour, I made it a point to collect a small souvenir from each place I stayed at which I could pin to my diary. As long as you can flip your diary and cherish your memories, whether or not the souvenir is heavily priced or procured from the best gift shop in the town doesn't matter. …
- What I learnt from cycle touring Karnataka for 40 days
23/04/2023
There is a lot one can learn from travelling. Especially when it is for 40 days across the length of an entire state such as Karnataka. The cultures, traditions, language, crops, food, and weather here change every 50 Km. If one gets ample opportunity to speak with the locals, there is a great deal to learn. In my 40-day trip across Karnataka, this is what I got to learn. …
- Are want for materialism and hardworking capabilities the most important traits of a person who pursues CA?
19/04/2023
The Charted accountant job is considered the king of all jobs allowing one to earn a handsome salary and one of the most respected professions. This is the exact reason why CA exams are one of the toughest exams in the country. At the same time, the jobs are also highly demanding and stressful. For one to select this career there has to be an extreme amount of dedication and grit to not give up. So, what propels an individual to pursue such a profession?
I have come across a lot of my friends who are in the process of pursuing CA, but I never got the opportunity to ask them the question. On my all-India cycle tour, I met a person Sai Kumar from Hubli, who is currently in his CA internship. Speaking with him, I got to understand the mindset of an individual who has an interest in clearing CA and entering the profession. …
- How is the life of a security guard in remote places of Karnataka
19/04/2023
Agencies employ security guards and deploy them to different places for patrolling by providing a small sum of money as wages. We see these people guarding buildings and other large companies and factories. However, we hardly get an opportunity to interact with them considering their job.
On my all-India cycle tour, I got the opportunity to meet Mr Somashekar Rudrappa, a security guard at a mutt (Mrityunjaya mutt) at Dandeli. He serves as a guard for an agency at the age of 62, even post-retirement.
The life of a security guard was nothing like I imagined it to be. He has the same commitments and lifestyle as most of us do. Most of all, he shares the same feelings and emotions as anyone else. …
- How is the life of a person who regularly offers services at ISCON?
19/04/2023
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISCON) is known for its Hare Krishna movement. Concepts in Bhagavad Gita is the central theme of education to the disciples who worship Krisha as the highest form of God. The practice of mantra meditation also known as the Kirtan is a prominent part of worship. Founded in 1966 in New York by Swami Prabhupada, ISCON has received a wide audience appeal with 800 centres in India and many centres located all over the world.
My first experience with ISCON came when I was in Bangalore. A beautiful temple located on the hilltop serves as a tourist location offering tasty Prasad. Every Bangalorean would have visited the place at least once. Entering the place, subconsciously I could sense that I was being subtly requested to enrol to their programs. Being a staunch atheist back then, I figured that ISCON was not the place for me to visit. …
- The man who converted 5 acres of government land into a forest and lives in it
13/04/2023
"There is no law for doing good. There is only law for doing bad"
This statement quoted by Mr Devito Nagaraj from the remote village of Heddur, Shivamogga district, Karnataka, sums it all up. If somebody wants to do good, the law shouldn't stop them from doing so. Law is only for those who do bad and not for the ones who do good.
A veteran all-India traveller on foot, Mr Devito Nagaraj, lives in a mud house that he has built with his own hands in the middle of a 5-acre government land, which he has converted into a forest. …
- How is the life of a common man environmental activist in India
13/04/2023
We get to hear about environmental activists in the news and papers. These people are either renowned scientists or other recognized personalities in various fields of life. A spark of interest and a great deal of understanding about the current issues in society makes these people vocal about it.
While recognized figures in the field are heard through media, a common man environmental activist almost always goes unrecognized.
It is extremely difficult to be vocal about issues that the government themselves are involved in. Addressing them is close to impossible if one does not have the power to. The interest of a common man is the last thing anybody including society cares about. …
- The lesser known facts about Yakshagana performances in Karnataka
13/04/2023
Yakshagana is the dance-drama theatre play of south India, especially endemic to Karnataka. Its art style is influenced by the bhakti movement during which music was incorporated into stories drawn from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Bhagavad Geeta.
These performances are held in a season called the Pattanaje, which lasts from November till May end (Read this article).
There are several Yakshagana teams from different mandalis (teams) that are carried out in this festive season. These performances take place every single day during the season at different places in the state. …
- How is the life of people living in remote places of conserved forests in Karnataka?
13/04/2023
There are people living in remote locations in Karnataka such as the forest range of Kudremukh. These people settled down at these remote locations as much as a hundred years back and formed tiny pockets of settlements. They continue to thrive to date, if not grow.
Houses here are located in such remote conditions that mobile phones have been under use only around 3 years back, as one wouldn't receive coverage from any network operator. …
- How is the life of a rural Udupi-based cook?
13/04/2023
The first thing that comes to the mind of people when we speak about Udupi is the chain of restaurants that are located all around Karnataka and even outside. Famously called Udupi Bhattaru (Udupi cooks), these people are known for their ability to cook tasty food.
If you have lived in Bangalore, you will know by now that there are countless Udupi-based restaurants in the city. The chefs and cooks for all these restaurants come from remote places in the Udupi district to make a living. …
- 8 – Interesting facts about Dakshina Kannada district nobody knows about
31/03/2023
Dakshina Kannada is the district with the highest literacy rates in Karnataka, with Mangalore, the capital city as well, ranking 1 in the state. It is also the most religiously diverse district in the state. While Tulu is the most widely spoken language here, it has immense diversity with regard to the number of languages and their derived dialects. This is partly also because of the diverse ethnic groups residing in the location.
The majority of the people residing in Dakshina Kannada also called the Tulu Nadu, are the Tuluvas. This is followed by the Konkani people, Brahmins, Holeyas, Muslims, Mangalorean Catholics, and Arebhashe Gowdas. Each of these separate ethnic groups has its sub-sections with both the Tuluvas and the Brahmins having 6 sub-sections each. …
- 7 Interesting facts about Kodagu/coorg district nobody knows about
31/03/2023
The first thing that crosses the mind of people when they speak about the Kodagu district is the tourist locations one can visit. Located just 250 Km away from Bangalore, Madikeri is a weekend getaway place for many Bangaloreans. The place where parents take kids during summer holidays and people from all over the country come to soak in the beautiful view of the mountains and enjoy the cool weather.
Apart from being a tourist location, did you know that the Kodagu district (formerly called Coorg state until 1956 before merging with the Mysore state) was an independent state until 1956? Did you know that the district has the least population amongst all districts in Karnataka? Did you know that Coorgis are majorly agriculturalists but also belong to the warrior clan? …
- Who are the Hakki Pikki tribals of India? How is life of the hakki pikki tribals?
31/03/2023
Of the large number of tribals relocated from forests to main lands by the government, the Hakki Pikki tribals are one of them, who have settled in southern parts of India. These people are specialists at catching birds and have honed in on the art for ages.
They speak in a language of their own called the Adivasi language. The language is close to Gujarati but does not have a script of its own. Neither do these people know where they descended from. Right now, there are about 20 colonies of roughly 100 families each, located around southern parts of India, especially Karnataka, Andra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu. …
- Why are farmers turning to commercial cropping and forgetting local crops in south Karnataka?
31/03/2023
Traditional cropping has been followed for ages in India, providing a wide variety of crops and yields that are endemic to specific regions of the state. Most of these crops do not have much commercial value but serve as nutritious food to the locals.
Maize, pulses, oil seeds, and a wide variety of millets, are the traditional crops of Karnataka. If you happen to go to a village, you get to have local cuisines prepared using the above. Jowar muddhe (Smushed local corn dish), uchellu pudi (Niger seed powder), and pulse sambar, are some of them. …
- How is the life and mindset of a scheduled tribe in Karanataka?
21/03/2023
The first thing that comes across our mind when we speak about scheduled tribes is a reservation category. Bred and reared in cities, most of us are hardly aware of how the life or the mindset of a scheduled tribe person is.
Most of the scheduled tribe people are allocated in pockets close to the villages. The reason they tend to stay outside of the mainstream areas is that they are looked down at. Our culture has quite a bit of casteism making it hard for the lives of people who belong to these lower categories.
What exactly is the mentality of these people who are looked down upon and made to reside outside the village premise? …
- The issue of caste based system in Karnataka seen from four different perspectives
21/03/2023
Caste-based demarkation and hierarchy are long-standing issues passed on over the ages. As city dwellers, we are hardly aware of how much impact it has on the life of people in remote locations.
There have been innumerable arguments from both sides, defending and attacking one another. Both sides, however, can not be completely right or wrong.
On my all-India cycle tour journey starting from Karnataka, I got asked multiple times what caste I belong to. This stirred up some thoughts in my mind. I want to ask why people still thrive forward with the caste-based system.
I was offered perspectives from an 8th-standard category-based kid, a Bhraman, and a mixed group of people sitting together on the caste-based system of the society. …
- What is the importance of culture? Is it necessary to follow your culture?
21/03/2023
When it comes to following culture and age-old traditions, the first thing that younger generations say is "it is a thing of the past". Cultures hardly exist in cities that raise a mixed breed of people.
In such communities, people are negligent and 'culture-less'. It isn't surprising at all that the newer generations deny culture. It is not their fault. They just don't understand its meaning because of their upbringing.
On my all-India cycle tour, it took me only 5 and a half days to understand the importance of culture. To go from 'culture-less' to 'want to be cultured'. So, why is it necessary to follow your culture? And what is the importance of culture? …
- Age old traditions of Wadiyar dynasty you will be surprised to hear exists to date
21/03/2023
Some cultures and traditions are followed over centuries together, passed on from generation to generation that exists to date. The Wadiyar dynasty were the kings of Mysore who ruled the kingdom from the late 1300s until 1950. Some of the traditions they must have followed in the past must seem obsolete today. However, that is not the case!…
- How is the life of people just 50 Kms away from Bangalore?
15/03/2023
If you are raised in a city as crowded as Bangalore, you know how hectic the life of people is. It is not completely false to say that people mostly surrender their life to work on the weekdays to trade for a life on weekends.
For most of us who are born and bred on such premises, we are unaware of how the world is outside. …
- How to become a monk at the Ramakrishna Mission, Bangalore?
09/03/2023
Becoming a monk at Ramakrishna mission will mean renouncing oneself from all worldly pleasures. For most of us, the thought of giving up on our senses sounds impossible. So why do people choose to become monks, and how do they manage to concede their pleasures? How is the life of a monk at the Ramakrishna mission?…
- How and what it is to complete PhD from IISc (Indian Institute of Science)
03/03/2023
There is a world of difference in completing a PhD from one of the state universities in India compared to that of a national institute, especially of the stature of IISc. So what makes the Indian Institute of Science unique and special? How does it feel to pass out as a doctoral student from the Indian Institute of Science?…
- Is selflessness the most important responsibility of a Pastor?
28/02/2023
A Pastor is a head or the in charge of a Christian Church who shares the vision and direction of the religious organization. Sharing the vision of the organization is, however, not the Pastor’s only priority or sole responsibility.…
