On Wednesday, 5th October 2011, me and Manju went to Sigandur taking a day off from Ninasam Culture Course 2011 at Heggodu. Decision to visit Sigandur instead of Ikkeri or Keladi (which were historical places) was mainly because of the mode of transport from Holebaagilu to Sigandur, a ferry!
Heggodu to Holebaagilu : We boarded a bus towards Sagara from Heggodu in the morning and got down at a stop after being said that one can catch the bus to Sigandur there instead of going to Sagara. After few inquiries we came to know that there were only few buses to Sigandur and when the bus finally arrived, it was overcrowded. We thought of backing out on the plan but finally succumbed to our adventure instincts and boarded the bus. There was not even an inch to keep our feet anywhere. In these tough times, comic relief was provided by the conductor of the bus entertaining the crowd! I also noticed the usage of a different Kannada term for 'move inside' the bus unlike jarugi used in Bangalore. People from in this region of Malnad use the term daati. Kannadigas generally use this term to mean 'cross' - like cross the road, cross the river. I thought this usage might have been because people here cross rivers more often! :)
Talking of hardships, this was only the beginning; more were to come later! Somehow managing unprecedented rush in the bus, we reached some 2-3 kms away from Holebaagilu, place where one needs to board the ferry. Why not at Holebaagilu? Beacause of traffic jam. But in this remote town of Malnad, how come? It was a jam created by Bangaloreans for the most part. How? - It was Dasara season and that day, it was Mahanavami. We then also noticed the bus being decorated with flowers - it was the day of Ayudha Pooja too and huge number of people had come from all over Karnataka and particularly from Bangalore(as it was evident from the registration numbers of vehicles parked) to visit Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple. Analyzing the situation the bus conductor started giving back some part of the ticket money as the passengers now would not be able to reach Sigandur via this bus! Me and Manju got down from the bus and walked till Holebaagilu and waited for the ferry.
Ferry or Launch Ride : When the ferry arrived, people were allowed to board first and then the vehicles - cars, bikes and vans. The first thing we did boarding the ferry was securing a strategic place to sit so that we can enjoy the ride watching the exquisite natural surroundings. Sitting on the edge of the ferry seemed perfect to view the nature in our travel.Our ticket for this travel cost mere Rs.1 per person! Because it was operated by Govt. of Karnataka. Sitting on the edge of the ferry with legs dropped we could see the water flow underneath our feet - wonderful. Kids on board were too excited and posed for photos whenever I took the camera out! We could also watch another ferry carrying the bus and other vehicles too. Other fantastic view - was of the vegetation in the submerged river, clear sky and the hills nearby in one shot!
Sigandur by Road : Once we reached the other end of the Sharavati river, it was about 1 30 pm and we were extremely hungry. There are few small hotels here. Lemon rice, chutney and pakoda - a combination which I felt like one of the best meals I had in recent times. From here, there are private players transporting passengers to Sigandur Temple and their mode of transport - jeep and car. Needless to say, they operate only after the vehicle is fully occupied or rather tightly packed with passengers.
SigandurChowdeshwari Temple : Since it was an auspicious day, huge number of devotees were visiting the temple. I had wait for a long time to get a darshana of the goddess as people were sent in batches to view the idol of Chowdeshwari.
Areca nut Palms, Return Journey and Meditation! : After the visit to the temple, me and Manju went exploring the nearby estate filled with areca nut palms. We went further to find a green plain ground; watching the clouds in a clear sky lying in the ground is what we did to pass time there! Coming back from there, we returned back to the river bank this time in a jeep. In the return journey, we were not so lucky as we did not get the strategic place to sit in the ferry. Once we reached Holebaagilu, Manju had an idea. To sit by the river without talking as a form of meditation. He did so and I did too with a twist, having a book in hand to read! After half an hour or so we were on our way back to Sagara and then to Heggodu ending a wonderful day.
A day before Ninasam Culture Workshop 2011, I visited Jog Falls. 1st October 2011 seemed to be the perfect day to visit as there was plenty of water and enough of water to allow us to get down to the bottom of the falls.
First Reaction : Coming from Bangalore, we got down at Sagara, which is 10 km from India's 2nd highest plunge falls. Without spending much time in Sagara, we boarded a local transport bus heading towards Jog. My first impression after reaching the Jog was 'hey, it does not look that high or as I saw in the photos!'. And I was visiting the place after 15 years; last time on a school trip. This must have added to my bewilderment. Well, it does look like that when you are a bit far off the water falls. Having finished our break-fast at the hotel run by Karnataka Tourism department, we headed towards the natural beauty!
Photos, People and Monkeys : I think the first thing most of us do when we reach a tourist place is to capture in our camera the proof that we were there. Well, I insisted on that, though Manju and Guru were not in much enthusiasm to stand in front of the electronic gadget! But the enthusiasm for photographs was all over the place with people handing over their cameras to strangers to capture the perfect group photo in Jog. Apart from the humans, monkeys dotted the 1000 odd steps descending down to the bottom of the falls. It was a hot sunny day and so, we guessed it would take some effort getting down.
Walk, Rest, Walk : It seemed it would be easy getting down but it was not to be. Every now and then, we took rest to cross more stairs! Not to worry as we found people selling biscuits, cucumber slices, lemonades on the way to quench our thirst and silence our hunger!
Wow: As we were getting closer to the falls, it seemed it was revealing more of its ever charming beauty and I was uttering wow more than once. As a avid viewer of NGC and Discovery channels, I tried to capture that perfect shot imagining Amazon rain forest photographs. Well, it does help following these channels or the GEO magazine which I am subscribed which publishes some splendid pictures, as it provides you with new dimensions when you are trying to take some extraordinary photographs.
Water everywhere: Once we reached the bottom of the falls, it was water all over and the slippery rocks. Roarer falls was making too much noise justifying its name. Visibility was low purely because droplets arising out of the water falling on the rocks. In this setting, there were photographers lined up who will take the photos and give the printed photo then and there and their assurance - we avoid the mistiness in the photos taken though it was unavoidable. Getting wet and sitting on a rock listening the sounds made by the water is an amazing feeling. I can sit listening to these soothing sounds for hours together.
Rainbow: Having spent enough time down the falls, we were once again on the stairs on our way up. Mission was more difficult this time. Not doing physical exercises daily and spending most of the time sitting in front of the computer - these were evident on our tired faces. Having finished our water bottles on our journey down, we were now looking for anything liquid. Soon we found lemonade on offer. We had it but it only increased our thirst further. Thank god, there were also people selling plain drinking water! One of the best sights on our way back was the rainbow formed in front of the falls and it was the time to say wow once again.
Lunch: There are no good hotels near Jog. But all the shops boost of having one. Though these guys don't have a menu-card, they know the names of dishes Bangalore guys would love. But what is served is entirely different. Well, we managed this and ordered Omlette, plain rice, sambar avoiding fried rice second time!
Rani Falls: After lunch, it was time to get adventurous once again and go to the top of the falls. You need to bargain with autowallahs everywhere and Jog was no different. The auto rickshaw guy we found insisted on Rs.200 for the entire visit - Rani falls, British Bungalow and Sharavati valley. We brought it down to Rs.180. Rani falls is the first stream of water you get to see falling from a height.
Rani Falls
Roarer and Rocket: After crossing British Bungalow, when we reached the spot where we can spot the other 3 falls, Roarer, Rocket and Raja - it was Roarer which caught my attention. Such speed, such loud sound - I felt a sense of fear and it was going to last longer as it was my nightmare for the next 2 days.
Rocket Falls
Roarer Falls
Raja Falls and Mungaaru Male Spot : Raja falls straight from the rocky top without any intervening rocks till it reaches ground. It is the same spot where Mugaaru Male was shot - Nandini(Pooja Gandhi aka Sanjana Gandhi then) expresses her love for Preetham(Ganesh) here and the song - Kunidu Kunidu Baare follows. It was quite dangerous to go near the place from where the Raja plunges down. We did not go there and there were plenty who were crazy enough to take a photograph lying down in the rock beside. One could also spot a monkey which was sitting over the edge of a rock without any fear!
Raja Falls
Sharavati Valley: Then we went to see the Sharavati Valley. Well, it was dusk and it was a great time to see sun rays falling on the hills and it was a wonderful day to end with.
Though without a great plot, Vishnuvardhana has plenty of ingredients to keep the audience glued to the silver screen till the end. Though few of the scenes sans logic, there are few which are brilliant - thanks to director P Kumar. I would say the film is well packaged and it is the comedy scenes which entertain the most with witty dialogues. That the film tries to make most of the popularity of late Kannada superstar Vishnuvardhan is evident from the first scene, though Sudeep falls short of imitating Vishnu's mannerisms.
Sudeep in Vishnuvardhana
Plot revolves around Vishnu alias Vishnuvardhana(Sudeep) and his rags-to-riches story and his confronting of don Adishesha(Sonu Sood). Duo of Sudeep and Arun Sagar(Shastry) form a good comedy pair. Sonu Sood as stylish villain suits the role well and it seems that he himself dubbed for this Kannada movie. Bhavana, the pretty face of 2010's hit movie Jackie makes her presence felt in this movie too. Priyamani, the other female lead has less scope here. The film is into the 7th week and there are already rumors of this film being remade in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu! You can have a look at the trailer of the movie Vishnuvardhana in below video in Youtube:
Learning a language can be fun. Listening to songs, watching plays/movies of the particular language help us learn faster since in doing so we not only learn the tongue but also enjoy the performance. Also, one can learn the pronunciation of words and the accent. Isn't it the way we learnt Hindi apart from the lessons at school? Well, now I present to you clippings of some of the well known songs, movies and plays in Tulu. Hope you enjoy these videos and pick up Tulu quickly! Also, I would like to add the video of Aishwarya Rai speaking in her mother tongue Tulu, which should serve as an inspiration to those who want to learn Tulu!
Song : Dennana Dennana Translation : You can find the translation of the Dennana Dennana song in English here. Film : RangiTaranga (Kannada) Background : RangiTaranga was a blockbuster movie in Kannada in 2015, which had a Tulu song, Dennana Dennana, which became very popular. Here's the video of Dennana Dennana song from RangiTaranga!
Song : Pakkilu Mooji onje goodudu badukonduge.
Translations : Kannada - hakkigalu mooru onde goodinalli badukkattive
English : 3 birds are living in a nest
Film :Pagetha Puge (translations : Kannada - Hageya Hoge, English : Smoke of Hatred)
Background : This song depicts the happy family of 3 birds in a nest. The younger one is acquiring wings and family is leading a happy life. Rest of the song is about the conversation between husband and wife regarding their child. Here's Kannada singer B R Chaya and Ravishankar singing Pakkilu Mooji onje goodudu badukonduge.
Aishwarya Rai speaking in Tulu : Following is the video of Aishwarya Rai, former Miss World and popular Bollywoord actress, speaking in Tulu at Kannada Rajyotsava function in Mumbai on November 14, 2007.
Here is the translation of what Aishwarya Rai spoke in Tulu on that day - "Thank you all for welcoming me with your love and affection. I could not attend this function all these years because of my busy schedules. This year, organizers had informed my father about the function, 4 months in advance. I thought this is the best occasion to attend along with my husband. Definitely this programme would have been recorded. I would carry a cassette / CD of this function and show it to my husband. He was telling how children gave a good cultural programme today, showcasing our culture."
Here is the translation of what Suniel Shetty spoke when he came to Ujire - "Whoever is present here is part of my family. My fellow Tuluvas, I am very happy to come here and see all the arrangements (in this grand function). You have put in a lot of efforts under the leadership of Anna (Dharmashree Veerendra Heggade, head of Dharmasthala temple trust) and done a wonderful job. I feel that this work should have been done long ago! But I am very happy today seeing this. Nobody is there anywhere who puts in efforts like we do. We have established ourselves in whichever part of the world we have gone. But we have not ignored our language! We should come to our native(Tulu Nadu) every year twice or thrice and celebrate our culture!
Shilpa Shetty : Shilpa Shetty visited her native near Mangalore after marriage. Here is the translation of what Shilpa Shetty spoke to media persons that day - "I wanted to come to my native place to seek blessings but I could not come immediately after my marriage. But I have come now after making time amidst my busy schedule. Also, my mom used to tell that we need to visit our native place from a long time. So, we came here. We visited our places of worship - Nagasthala, Bhuta Sthanas (of Jaarendaya, Mesandaya, Sathyavathi, Anna Panjurli). We visited Kateel temple before coming here."
Then the media person asked 'What is special about Kateel Temple?' for which Shilpa Shetty replied - "I believe a lot in Goddess of Kateel temple (Sri Durgaparameshwari). My grand mother(doDDa) used to believe too. So, I have continued that! Even I have a photo of the Goddess in my pooja room (in Mumbai). Culture of Mangalore is deep-rooted in me and I continue to follow that. Then she said "My husband accompanies me in these visits. He has no choice but to come with me and even he is very religious." Shilpa had visited during the time of Cricket World Cup in 2011. So she was asked by the reporters to predict the winner of the cricket world cup! For that, Shilpa answered saying Firstly, India need to win the semi-finals against Pakistan. It is not my prediction but my wish! What else - if India wins the world cup everyone is happy. Even I pray for that to happen! Incidentally, India won the world cup in 2011 and made everyone happy!
Ee Daane Mulu, Yeregavuye Kirikiri : This is the popular dialogue from the 2015 Tulu movie, Ekka Saka, which is creating a buzz these days in social media. Translation of the phrase is 'Why are you here?(ee daane mulu). Who would want that trouble/nuisance?(yeregavuye kirikiri). To find out more about this phrase, please click here.
Conductor Training School : Now its time for some comedy! Private buses are the life line of people of Mangalore. Following clipping shows a 'conductor training school', where a bus conductor demonstrates how he will attract the passengers by telling the names of the places where the bus will stop. Its really funny, enjoy watching the video!
Idioms form integral part of any language and add spice to the speech. In this part of Learn Tulu series, I am making an effort to put down idioms I know in Tulu language. There are few now and I hope to add more in the future. You can use these phrases in your speech to surprise your Tulu speaking friends :) More importantly, do let me know your opinion on this write up! Also, find the audio guide for this lesson below. Tulu :bittilda dai yepala mardatt ge. Kannada : hittala gida maddalla. English : Literal translation - herb in your backyard is not the medicine. This idiom refers to the attitude of people who ignore the solutions which they already have(like their own ideas or ideas suggested by people at home) and seek external advice.
Tulu :dasme popunavule muchchune, kumbuDa popunavule budpune. Kannada : saasive nashTa taDedrante, kumbalakaayina hange biTTrante. English : Literal translation - stopping the mustard wastage leaving aside the wastage of pumpkin! Penny wise, pound foolish.
Tulu :mooleD ittna maDu nu kaar g paaDlekane. Kannada : moolelidda koDalina kaal mele haakkonDrante. English : Literal translation - hurting one's leg with the axe at the corner. This explains us how people knowingly invite trouble.
Tulu : notna peTT maaju, panDi paatera maajand. Kannada : hodeda etannu mareyabahudu, helida maatannu mareyalaagadu. English : Literal translation - physical wounds will heal but not the scars made by harsh words.
Kannada : hagalu beTTadalli maataaDbaardu, iruLu maneli maataaDbaardu. English : Literal translation - Don't speak in the hills in day time and in the night, don't speak at home. This conveys that people will always be around to overhear your conversations.
English : Literal translation - you can close the bowl with a lid but cannot shut the mouth of the big cylinder. This conveys one cannot stop the spread of rumors amoung people.
English : Literal translation - like the one who jumps to the river without knowing how to swim. This refers to people who jump to something without knowing the basics.
A daffodil with scientific name Narcissus poeticus, also called ___ in Persian is the name of the 7 billionth baby born - Nargis
Picture - painting of Jesus Christ - what is the popular form of imagery called ? - Good Shepherd
Which is the highest grossing bollywood movie with the figure of 189 crores? - 3 Idiots.
What is special about F1 tracks in Brazil, Singapore and Abu Dhabi? - Here, the circuits run anticlockwise.
Kalidasa - Asti Kaschit Vagvisheshah - asked by his wife - his works - Kumarasambhavam, Raghuvamsham and Meghaduta - start with Asti, Kaschit, Vagvisheshah respectively.
Music - BEATLES - grey album - Jay 2 Black album of beatles
F1 - The car is guided into its pit by the 'lollypop man'
Before each event the center piece of this sport is weighed because as per regulations, it must weigh no less than 460 kg. What is the center piece - Bull in Spanish Bullfight
Unique test record at the 100th test match at Lords - England vs WI in 2000 - parts of all four innings played on the 1st day itself
1961 - Project by US Government for the peaceful use of nuclear bombs - Project name ? - Operation Plowshare
Nobel peace prize winner from China - Liu Xiabo presented a charter named Charter 08 - this is based on which earlier charter? - Charter 77 issued by dissidents in Czechoslovakia
Often the raga compositions of Tansen are prefixed with some words - what are they - Miyan Ki - e.g : Miyan ki Todi, Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Mand, Miyan ka Sarang
What are the 3 UNESCO heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh? - Sanchi Stupa, Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka and Khajuraho temples
This word means "putting to flight" in Greek - winning word - monument erected by winners - TROPHY
Episode from Chanakya's life - he comes across a mother scolding her child for burning himself by eating from the middle of a bun or bowl of porridge rather than the cooler edge - then he attacks Nanda empire on its edges after his initial attack on core part of the empire fails.
Name of the plant - term means finger in Arabic - BANANA
Swami Vivekananda and formation of IISc by Jamsetji Tata after former wrote a letter to him.
Novel The Fifth Horseman - by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre - plot - Libyan leader Gaddafi holding New York City hostage with the threat of setting off a hidden nuclear bomb.
When facing an economic crisis consumers will be more willing to buy less costly luxury goods - this theory is called ____? Lipstick effect
What does a dolphin do to avoid nasty surprises by predators and other threats during sleep? It sleeps with an eye open!
Which event was banned after 1924 Paris Olympics after the contestants went missing after the event? Cross Country Running
USSR project which was called svetloe budushchee or 'a radiant future'? - Moscow Metro
Video - song from movie Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge - Who is the music director for the movie? Raghu Dixit
Formation of Google Chrome logo.
Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking-Glass - The Walrus and the Carpenter - 1871
Event which was banned by Karnataka Government in Bangalore recently - La Tomatina
Which is the world's loudest non-brass acoustic music instrument? - Nadaswaram
What is measured in bbl's? - Petrol or Oil
This business in its 120 years of existence never was shut down even for a day. But recently it was shut down for a day in support of Anna Hazare's anti-corruption campaign in August 2011. Name the business - Mumbai Dabbawalahs
Question on Rajanikanth - born in 1950 - son of Ramoji Rao and Jijabai - fan base in Japan.
Video - Kannada movie Super clipping - What is unusual about naming of this movie? - Initially it was named as a 'hand symbol' denoting best. Subsequently named as Super.
Video - Identifying the animated character - Lady Goo Goo
Video - Identifying the sportperson - His farewell speech was shown - Lou Gehrig
Connection between films 'Farenheit 9/11' and 'Celsius 41.11' - significance of 41.11 - 41.11 degree Celsius is the temperature at which brain begins to die.
It is a 360 km long wall in India, next only to Great wall of china - located at 82 km from Udaipur - built to protect Mewar region - Kumbhargarh
Moore's law - for computers, Haitz's law - LED lights
Badrinath of South - temple on hillock surrounded by a fort - Melkote(meaning "high fort" in Kannada)
Picture - 20th anniversary celebration of 'Fall of Berlin Wall'
Lawsonia inermis - Henna, Mehendi
Ambedkar - statues in blue - why? All colors taken by other parties, wanted to represent Dalits with seperate color.
NASA's Juno probe spacecraft - August 5, 2011 - products of which company - LEGO
36th cake festival in Bangalore - Mumbai landmark was prime attraction - Taj Mumbai
website www.simran.in launched on 19th Oct 2011 by RDSO, Lucknow and IIT Kanpur - what is the purpose of the portal - Tracking trains on the Indian Railways Network
Why is Uruguay named officially Oriental Republic of Uruguay - because it lies on the eastern part of Uruguay river
TP Kailasam - Kannada song Namma Tippaaralli Baludoora - based on original English song - 'It's a long way to Tipperary'
Only US president to wear a Nazi uniform - Ronald Reagen in film Desperate Journey
SUV - were given a new expansion by Jairam Ramesh - Socially Useless Vehicles
First sporting event to be live on youtube - IPL 2010
Name of Music band by Malcolm, Angus Young - AC/DC
