Bengaluru – The Bach

November 1st this year four of south Indian states celebrated their birth. (In fact, it is for almost all the states in India). HDK, chief minister of Karnataka had a gift to distribute to all Kannadigas. Major cities in Karnataka changed their names. Bangalore ( to Bengalooru ) Mysore ( to Mysooru ) , Mangalore ( to Mangalooru ) , Hubli ( to Hubballi ) , Shimoga to ( Shivamogga ) , Belgam ( to Belagavi ) , Hospet ( to Hosapete ), Bellary ( to Ballary) and Gulbarga ( to Kalburgi ) . These changes were hinted long back, now it is official. Now lot of people seems to be irritated. Looks like general psyche of people. When Madras became Chennai , Bombay became Mumbai nobody bothered, what actual problem is Bangalore has changed the spellings ( another example When Afzal ( a terrorist ) was sentenced death, everyone has problem with such a punishment, when priyadarshini’s murderer is getting the same sentence nobody seems to have time to write about it )

If you observe the names, they are not changed (except Kalburgi) to a completely new word. They have changed the way how it supposed to be spelt0 in it, in English. The new names (rather spellings) are very near to what people pronounce it, locally. Almost all languages spell what they pronounce, and read the way it is written. There will be a general rule how to spell and pronounce, unless English (where there are rules for every word, and every word is exception for rules of spelling). For example there is a beach city in coastal Karnataka, which is getting spelt as “KAUP”. Now how are we suppose to pronounce it? (Local pronounces it as “kapu”).

Continue reading “Our Bangalore to Namma Bengalooru” →

I heard about ISKCON during my school days, and I was told it’s a different version of looking at Hinduism. Built to make the concepts reach everywhere, especially to the west. I also learned about the things they do, and their culture. I never happened to attend the courses they offer. In my high school, I was inspired by on my teacher and also my brother, to look at these things. They asked me to be skeptic, I became atheist!. I lost my interest visiting any of the religious place unless either historic or aesthetically different, I was told it is different. I did not get chance anyway. In my college also weekly seminars were happening, I did not attend.

They came to the town once, the lecture was held at the costliest auditorium in the town (heard the rent is 1 lack Rs.

Per day, just heard not sure). And the ticket was of 500 Rs. And for students 250 Rs. (again I am not sure). One of my friends argued, costly because they want quality crowd to understand what they say. I did not know it comes from rich. If I haven’t had the entry pass I wouldn’t have gone at all. But they did not make anything less than a royal treatment. The food, settings, decoration and all the things, it was really pleasant. I had myself entered a different world, everyone wishing “hare rama, hare Krishna”, all the small games we played was based of based on these games. People were so polite.

The problem started with the 108 times chant and meditate. I really did get this concept. Meditation as I know, is to calm your mind, and concentrate. why do you have to chant only the mantra they tell? why not anything else ? Why is it on that particular number? why do we need to count simultaneously ? Why do you need “god” to meditate? I tried but I could not hold it for a long. Continue reading “ISKCON and I” →