MIXED BAG

by PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU    OUR RETURN JOURNEY TO  WARANGAL  (1) The  train was speedily  filling up. It was 5 pm. I came out of my pensive  mood .It was time  to enter into endless  conversation  with my second daughter  about all things in the world and laugh and joke.My wife was silent and serious and absorbed in her thoughts but I asked her too join in our conversation. I   started an endless and rather  intellectual and technical  conversation  with my daughter about her science subjects, computer classes ,projects etc.  I am myself a physics graduate and writing small articles on internet on science topics and while at home often questioned her on science topics and world politics and world history. So always liked my conversations on such subjects. Her bright and  happy face drove away all specks of dejection and brooding  from my mind. (2)  Into  our compartment ...

BY  PRAGYANSHARMA  POLAVARAPU   OUR RETURN JOURNEY TO  WARANGAL  (1) Next morning  also we felt much  exhausted  after the long trip.At  meals time we narrated our  experience briefly to our son in law . He complemented  us for completing such long tour smoothly without any difficulty. However he had to  leave for his office as they had annual work review sessions and could not stay. After listening to us for an hour , he took his car and started for his office . We took  a long  rest after meals. After tea at 4pm  we chatted for a long time about our trip.In the evening we went for a long walk and sat in a  garden for an hour. My second daughter took several photographs. We had a fruit salad at a big restaurant . My daughter purchased two books on computer matters. She was a B Tech student.  We returned home and continued our discussion about our long  trip . We had  to start for ...

  BY   PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU (1) I saw   recently     a   big wall mounted canvas  painting ( roughly 1.5 meters   x 1 meter ) which adorns the drawing room in our relative’s house. It was nice   abstract art . I do not exactly remember whether it was in a mix of red and pink colours or entirely red. I had been seeing it for   three or four years . Previously every time I saw it I would stand before it only for a few minutes ,appreciate it and then move   away. It was attractive but   till now   I could not understand the hidden meaning.Modern art both attracts and confuses.   (2) During a recent visit while closely examining the   canvas I was attracted by the   little splashes of   green, blue and   white hiding in it.   I also detected   some   faint   pictures in faint red lines    under the all pervading   red and pink. I sat before the canv...

  BY   PRAGYANSHARMA  POLAVARAPU A VISIT  TO BRINDAVAN GARDENS -PART TWO   ( 1 ) We now end the   technical discussion about the dam and the garden . We now go to examine the dazzling beauty of the vast and world famous Brindavan garden. At nights the garden bathed in the glow of coloured electric   lights, water fountains and bushes illuminated in coloured light looks like   part of heaven . People in thousands visit in evening hours coming from the far off city even in cars   to forget the day’s troubles. The rush of visitors at weekends is heavy. We were told by some   passengers that     there were no rains during   the previous three years.   We could see on our way to the dam large sand dunes in the river . It was still early in the morning   and the time was about 8-30 . There was still heavy fog . We were near the entrance gate of the giant sized   KR Sagar dam   and   purchase...

by pragyansharma polavarapu  MY DIARY DATED 4-3-04 (A VISIT  TO BRINDAVAN GARDENS)  My wife and daughters got up  much against their will  by 5am and  got ready  by 7am.  We proceeded to the restaurant section below  and had light breakfast (idli ,dosa and coffee). We  walked   to the main bus stand which was very near  and  found  several  buses of Krishnarajasagar-Brindavan route. Many  were  fast filling with  passengers . A large part of them appeared to be people going to the villages and towns on the route. The bus station area  was  tidy and imposing   with very straight and wide streets .  Right before us on opposite side of  the road to right and left there were   line of imposing  long buildings two or three storeyed high  painted in white and bright  yellow . They were old  heritage type buildings constructed in old s...

BY PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU    MY DIARY DATED 3-3-04—WE WERE IN OOTY- THE CLIMATE AND VEGETATION WERE DIFFERENT PART TWO   (1) OOTY’S CLIMATE IS SO DIFFERENT  Everywhere we could see green undulating meadows . The up and down  expanses had smooth slopes  . We were now in a top mountainous area with highlands with  sloping green carpet like meadows. There were  tea estates on the distant mountain slopes on other side of some valleys. We could see small clusters of tiled houses in green meadows.  We saw also small villages on the opposite hill sides. The roads there were seen at higher level than our road  for some time and were seen at lower level after some time! Even on our side, we saw below us  the road sections which we travelled earlier .The houses ther which we passed by half an hour ago  looked like  toy houses. We entered Ooty town at  about 12 noon . We thought that Ooty  consisted of onl...

BY PRAGYANSHARMA POLAVARAPU  PART ONE  MY DIARY DATED 3-3-04—DURING A LONG MYSORE TRIP TWO DECADES AGO. WE STARTED FOR OOTY ON THE MOUNTAINOUS ROAD Next morning (i.e morning of 3rd March 04 ) we woke up by 4am. We switched on TV and simultaneously started our journey preparations. Our journey to Ooty was to start around 7-30am . On 3 rd March our tight program did not include  Mysuru  but a road trip to Ooty through jungle and mountainous roads .   The distance from Mysore to Ooty --for travel by  the winding mountain  roads  with  about 35  hair pin bends---is about 150 kms. It takes about four and half hours only  for the up trip and another four and half hours for the down trip.  At 7am  we ordered light breakfast  and coffee upstairs into our room. We  quickly started off to the  bus stop. We also took our sweaters as per advice of the travel operator when we talked to him on phone. It ...