Chong Chiu Sings Thyagaraja Krithi!

'Rama Ninnu Nambina...' A Thygaraja Krithi in Telugu  rendered by Chinese- Malaysian,  Chong Chiu Sen. Chong learnt Carnatic music from Late D.K. Pattamal.

Listen to Chong.  He is as good as  musicians who sing in Madras Music Academy Chennai, Gayana Samaja Bangalore. Reminds you of Late Higgins Bhagavathar.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fxVJNlAbko&feature=youtu.be                   http://mymysore9.blogspot.in/

Kasturirangan Report: Crusade in Kerala

There have been eight major crusades from 1095 to 1270 organized by the Roman Church to bring the lands around Jerusalem under control. Minor crusades were also organized against pagans and heretics and for other purposes.  All of them failed. Now the Catholic Churches in Kerala have started a crusade against the Kasturirangan Report which is meant for preservation of the Western Ghats. Their strange bedfellows in this are the Communists and some political parties.

 

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The origin of Bangalore Blues' for President Obama

Bangalore has grown so much even Kempe Gowda, is sure to lose his bearings if he dared to set foot on a city which the chieftain once founded.
He had named the hamlet Benda kaLooru which means in Kannada  ‘small town of boiled grams’  after eating them when he landed there for the first time.
Since the original name started with food, much of Bangalore’s fame came from the Eats which the city became famous for.

 Whether it was the Masala dose in Vidyarthi Bhavan, Puri - Saagu in Mavalli Tiffin Rooms ( MTR),  BeNNe Masale dose in Udupi Krishna Bhavan, Rava Kesari in Malabar Lodge,  Idli, Vada, coffee in Malleshawaram Tiffin Rooms,............. 
.......
when did eating become some kind of springboard for Bangaloreans to pose a direct challenge to US Presidents.........http://mymysore9.blogspot.in/

http://www.penguininked.com/2013/11/you-are-this-and-this-and-this-and-this-arjun/

A Crow in the Bonnet

Please click Here to read on.

A new book

http://www.penguininked.com/2013/11/swaggerers-inc-classified-on-the-subject-of-me/#more-2264

Developmental Care of Premature Babies

17th of November is World Prematurity Day. ... Babies born before 37 weeks of gestation period are termed as Premature Babies. The journey towards full term pregnancy and having a healthy baby is a dream of every parent! But what happens when due to unavoidable circumstances the baby decides to arrive early? Anxiety now overtakes the feeling of joy. Read more here...

Curious case of the Gandhis'

India is heading for a General Election  again in 2014.

Modi is  a no -nonsense, fire and brimstone who has a gift of gab and is more in dialogue with the masses than a dull somber voice making speech as if reading a Government of India Gazette.

 Pitted against him is Ruling Party’s heir Rahul Gandhi who looks a slow-starter but can raise the pitch in his own way. Read further.... http://mymysore9.blogspot.in/

Sikkim Declared "The best region to visit in 2014" by "Lonely Planet"

It was thrilling to know that Sikkim - the picturesque north eastern state of India - has been declared "The best region to visit in 2014" by "Lonely Planet", the prominent global travel guide followed by travel enthusiasts across the world. More

Nearer My God to Thee

Pl. click here to read on.

British paintings of India

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A Kerala High Court Judge overreaches?

One of the biggest scams in Kerala in recent years is the solar energy project promoted by Team Solar. The key persons in this are Saritha Nair, a well connected woman, and Biju Narayanan. It is said that the woman is involved in 30 plus cheating cases and has undergone imprisonment.

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Cocoa is Ananda

Do you like a cocoa drink? Well, the Mayans were sipping it three millenniums back. They preferred it cooled, and without sweetening. Probably they were aware of the extraordinary nourishment contents, health benefits and the sensuality of the brew. Modern research confirms the several advantages of this gift of nature. I shall deal with that towards the end of this post. That will also clarify why the Sanskrit word Ananda is linked cocoa in the title.

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Onam titbits -2013

This is a short post covering some of the news about Onam this year.

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Onam Greetings

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Of Lost Wax and Found Beauty

I was a mere five hour drive away from Madras and yet I felt as if I had time-traveled into another world and era, to a place where South India, as I saw it in my mind’s eye, still survived, gentle, calm, awash in devotion and tradition. I was in and around Thanjavur and the Kaveri River delta, and why was it a surprise that I felt this way, because life here seems to belong to another age, to move to a different rhythm. This land, this river, this city, these environs, had, for several centuries, been the jewel in the crown of the great Chola Empire. The winds of history have tempered its eminence, and this region is now quietly content to lie in fame’s shadow, to surrender its position of celebrity to the younger, brasher, livelier, more prominent and influential seat of authority to the north, Madras.

Read more.......

Four old pictures from Utharakhand

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Strange Bedfellows

I have observed the fusion of Carnatic music with many things: Hindustani music, Jazz, Bollywood, Pop and Rap, but a few days back I witnessed its foray into an unlikely arena: athletics. I listened, by turns enthralled, excited, puzzled, annoyed, distressed and vexed, as the music went through bouts of wrestling, racing, jumping and gymnastic contortions, a veritable Olympic multi-event that shook the very foundations of Carnatic music and propelled it into a brave new world.

More....http://kaminidandapani.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/08/strange-bedfellows.html

Ernie Pyle, the greatest war journalist

“You feel small in the presence of dead men, and ashamed at being alive, and you don’t ask silly questions." These words are from The Death of Captain Waskow, Earnie Pyle’s most popular World War II report. He wrote this after watching the American dead being brought down on mule backs from a hill on the Italian front lines on January 10, 1944.

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Hanging Man of Olomouc, Czech Republic

Initially I saw the silhouette and couldn’t believe my eyes; I strained to see if there was any kind of movement. As I got closer I realized it was just a statue, but what a weird one! Read more here...

Custard Apple for better health

Custard Apple (Seethaphal/Seethapazham/Aatha Chakka/Bullock’s Heart) belongs to the Annonaceae family which is believed to be a native of the West Indies. It is now grown in many sub-tropical countries. There are over 2000 varieties in this group. But only fruits of five of these are eaten.

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A Short Story for Independence Day

As we celebrate the Independence Day let us also spare a thought for the men of our Defence Forces who guard our country. Here is a sensitive and touching story about the Army:

A GENERAL AND HIS DAUGHTER

Please click here to read on.

A salute to Jomon

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World Team Tennis: Leander Paes Dazzles

 

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Kedarnath Temple

Photo taken in 1880 by the ASI.

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Short Story: A Bend in the Lake

The first morning back at our lakeside ancestral home in Kerala after sixteen years in the US, I woke up with a premonition that something unusual was about to happen. I looked around for my wife and six-year-old son. They were not in the room.

Please read on... 

Two photos of a heritage home

 Click to see photos

Good 'Bye to good governance

Not a day passes in our country without a mishap or a scam. In fact we keep churning out so many of these it’s become hard to keep a count or track of them.

Consider a few:

·         *Children die in hospitals like common flies in hospitals across West Bengal. This repeats every now and then. There‘s lot of breast- beating but nothing is done... read more,  http://mymysore9.blogspot.in/

Back to Gingee, the fort of love and valour

My post History: Gingee, a fort of love and valour published on July 29, 2009 with superb photos by KO Isaac, was quite popular. A few days back I received a comment on it which is reproduced below. It is interesting and self explanatory.

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A piece from the past

This photo was taken in 1921 by Clain and Perl studio, Madras. It was commissioned by the Basel Mission. That is why the women have their breasts covered during a period when that was not the practice for the low caste.

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