Sujata by Bimal Roy

watched that magnificient bimal roy classic "sujata" starring nutan and sunil dutt. the slow realisation of sujata that she belongs to another world of humans is deadening, with a magnificient performance by nutan. this must rank as one of the all time greats in indian cinema.

Shirdi and Shingneshwar

Had been to Shirdi over the weekend of 10th April 2009. It is a typical, chaotic temple town with all the amenities only on one stretch of road. Go any other place, the infrastructure reeks. We got darshan pretty quickly and went on to Shingneshwar temple, an abode for Shani which was about 75 kms as per the cabmaster, but definitely more than that. It took one and half hours each way, but the scenery was pretty good with agri crops sugarcane in plenty. That temple visit was also pretty fast. Shingneshwar is somewhat like Trimbakeshwar with decrepit infrastructure. No decent eating place. Shirdi does have a Dominoes, Reebok and Adidas showrooms, plenty of bank ATMs, but really the Shirdi Municipal authorities ought to do much more for the infrastructure there. I am sure they would have raking in crores of rupees due to temple tourism. Surely they could plough back something for the tourists' comforts. There are plenty of rooms available though, even of the A.C. variety. Drinking water is a problem though, recommend to have only mineral water. On the food side, there is a Woodlands, it is quite good, buts costs a bomb to have even a breakfast there. The bus journey going was okay but coming back was almost a nightmare with the a.c. bus breaking down in Sinnar a good 21 kms away from Nashik. From Nashik we got a non-a.c. to Mumbai reaching a good 15 hours after we set off, almost double the time.

South Karnataka

Had been to South Karnataka on a temple pilgrimage from week ending 6th June to 11th June 2009. Covered Kollur Mookambika, Murdeshwar, Dhareshwar, Idugunji, Shringeri, Dharamstala, Kukke Subrahmanya, Kateel and Udupi. Total distance covered in excess of 1000 kms. The scenery was breathtaking throughout the entire journey starting with drive from Kundapura railway station onwards. Dense and thick forests along the way all throughout was absolutely breathtaking. Udupi was a busy town, though other places where we halted for the night viz. Kollur and Kukke Subrahmanya left a lot to be desired. Power situation is absolutely poor in these parts. Food was no problem and in fact it was scintillatingly delightful. Karnataka is a mystery left to be discovered by one and all. It was indeed beautiful. The drive up to Shringeri was breathtaking and Shringeri itself was a delight in itself. What beautiful facilities have been created there a mix of the old and the new, the heritage stone temple being almost mystical. Kukke Subrahmanya was a surprise because there were book stalls inside the temple complex itself which is a new attraction for me. Picked up Gandhi's autobiography for just rs.95/- only. Got some more books from Udupi, there were some three small stalls where we purchased lots of books that we do not get otherwise in Bombay. At every place food was served free in the temple complex itself. The method of serving food was unique in all the places and the innovative methods adopted for serving at a time, more than 1000 persons deserves to be patented. Murdeshwar had a breathtaking statue of Shiva which was about 23 foot in height and near the Arabian Sea. There were other statues as well, which was an absolute wonder.

Mohammad Rafi 29th death anniversary

July 31st was the 29th death anniversary of the legendary Mohammad Rafi, the greatest playback singer in Hindi known to millions of Indians, much loved, much revered, truly a sad loss to India even 29 years after his death. An emotional day for all Indians.

100 Great Modern Lives

Just finished reading an exhausting "100 Great Modern Lives" a book about profiles of 100 great persons in the 19th century, qualification being they should have been born in that century. It includes profiles of people like Charles Dickens, Richard Wagner, Dostoevsky, Van Gogh, Gandhi, Chaplin, James Joyce among others. It was like 100 biographies and to that extent a very inspiring book and a collector's item. I love to read biographies of eminent persons, scientists, artists, sportspersons, achievers and this book fulfils my dream.

Black Beauty

Just finished reading "Black Beauty" by Anna Sewell, a beautiful book from the eyes of a beautiful horse who is loved as well as mistreated by his owners. Written in a beautiful language, this book captivates you like no other. It reminds me of "A Tiger for Malgudi" that beautiful book from RK Narayan, again from the eyes of an animal, the majestic tiger. These are timeless classics.

Paths of Glory

Just finished reading "Paths of Glory" by Jeffrey Archer the scintillating account of George Mallory' everest expedition of 1924. I would think this is one of Jeffrey's best books to date as it brings to life the famous expedition in a brilliant narrative.