Cauvery, Mysore, Ravi and Kannada

"Namma Mysooru"

Last weekend , that is 8 December 2012, i had been to Mysore with my wife and my mother to attend a wedding. It was a bundh (Shut down in protest) in the city of Mandya that day on account of the cauvery river water dispute. The news was that the highway connecting Bangalore and Mysore is blocked near Mandya. The state transport department had suspended operations in that route. My neighbour's driver who is from Mandya advised me that even the other route via Kanakapura which touches Mandya is also blocked. He strongly advised me not to venture in particularly when my wife Sheethal is having such a big plaster on her left leg (Ligament tear and fracture). My mother was also a little worried and was hesitating. 

View Larger Map              The route to Mysore 

But we were in no mood to cancel the trip. My intuition said that there would be no problem in the journey. I decided to go ahead with the trip. But i decided against the main highway via Ramnagara, chennapattina and Mandya. Instead we took the Kanakapura road which connects to Mysore via Malavalli and Bannur.

Near Malvalli 

We left at about 1300 Hours and drove towards Kanakapura. I was driving on the Kanakapura road towards Mysore after a very very long time. The road was quite empty and quite scenic. It was pretty cool and we enjoyed the drive. Though slightly longer, this road was easier and more enjoyable than the state highway 17 . State highway 17, though broader and four lane has more traffic and chaotic at peak hours. So, though by serendipity  choosing Kanakapura road (partly NH 209) to reach Mysore proved to be a blessing in disguise.

Heart-felt Homage to the donkey 

There was absolutely no disturbance anywhere on the road. In fact, we did not even find a Karnataka flag on the road. Bannur which falls in the Mysore district had a few policemen standing at a junction. But for this we could not find any security anywhere all the way till Mysore.
I was even greeted by a group of young men near Bannur when i stepped out of my car to take a picture. The picture was a condolence poster put out by the villagers for a donkey which had left them recently for the heavenly abode. The villagers were true animal lovers who had taken so much pains to put out a poster for the departed soul (of the donkey) on the village bus stand.

Sheethal on the horse cart (tonga) with a broken leg. 

We reached Mysore by 1700 hours after a relaxed drive. We freshened up and left for the wedding reception. After a nice meal at the wedding, we drove towards the city. It was about 2045 hours when we reached the Mysore palace. The palace was closed. I was just standing near the temple outside the palace when someone spoke to me in Hindi. I ignored him but he continued to speak in Hindi. He was the horse-cart (Tonga) owner. He continued saying "साब  मैं आपको 50 रूपए में एक चक्कर कटवा कर लाता हूँ! सुबह से कोई कमाई नहीं हुई है और घोड़े को चारा भी नहीं मिला है साब, इसलिए एक चक्कर थो कटवा लीजिए!"( Sir, since morning i have not had any business , at rupees 50 i will give you a ride around the palace, please come).
I could sympathize with him but at the same time was little annoyed. He was speaking to me in Hindi in my hometown Mysore in front of the symbol of contemporary Kannada culture, the Mysore palace.
I was quick in my response.  I told him that i would respond to him only if he talks in Kannada.  After-all he was a kannadiga. He said he had to speak in Hindi to attract customers. Most people visiting the place are from North India. Nevertheless , i had to turn down his offer since Sheethal had a plaster on her leg with two ligament tears and a fracture. Sheethal was however interested. The guy inspired Sheethal and Sheethal made the bold attempt of getting on the Tonga.
We went around the place in the horse-cart. I could recollect my younger days when my father used to take us in the horse-cart (Tonga) from the Mysore bus stand to CFTRI (Where my uncle worked as a scientist.)
We came back and again bumped into a specimen who wanted to sell "Peace of Mind" Compact disks in Hindi. He got a mouthful from me and i did turn down his offer without a second thought.

Sheethal and Amma at Holiday Village, Bangalore 

We went home for the night. The next day we attended the wedding. Our hosts at Mysore were happy to see Sheethal attending the wedding with a "fractured leg". After relaxing for a while, we set out to Bangalore by 1530 hours.

We again chose the Kanakapura road since the bundh was extended by a day. Again there was no disturbance anywhere on the road and absolutely no Policemen anywhere.

It was a pretty tiring drive since it quickly got dark and i had to drive on an undivided road with high-beam lights flashing on my eyes from the opposite direction.

I was tired of driving. It was a very long time since i had dined out with my mother. So Sheethal and me thought that it would be a good idea to go to holiday village, a resort off the Kanakapura road for dinner. I have been there many times and i quite admire the ambiance over there.

Ravi from Varanasi 

But this time, the food and the service both were pathetic. It was horrible. Nevertheless, there was a Karaoke at the resort by an artist named Ravi . He was singing very well. His numbers were  only  Hindi. He was also taking requests from the guests. I could see a few Kannada speaking crowd as well.
I have this habit of requesting for kannada songs at public spaces. I have done it many times at many different places like Pizza hut, cafe coffee day and at Malls.
I was pretty sure that Ravi would not take my request. I had also made up my mind for some rebellion. I walked to him and asked him for a Kannada song. Sheethal and my mom were looking at me with a little awe.
I spoke to Ravi in Kannada. Ravi told me that he was basically a Hindi singer and cannot sing Kannada well. But he promised me he would try. He could not read Kannda.

To everyone's surprise , the next song that he started was a popular Kannada number "ಮಿಂಚಾಗಿ ನೀನು ಬರಲು ". He sang it pretty well and also dedicated it to me.
His pronunciation was quite poor. But he tried very well. One must appreciate his spirit and attitude. He was reading the lines from his laptop. He had got his kannada songs with English script.
Ravi has in fact composed and sung kannada jingles for a popular gold store "RR Gold palace". Ravi is basically a science graduate from Varanasi. He has set up his company "Jeni event professionals" in Bangalore. He is a full time artist and entrepreneur.


Though he could have done a better job with his Kannada pronunciation  i gave him a standing ovation for his spirit and his customer care attitude. His effort was applauded by the other guests as well.  He promised me to sing another popular Kannada melody "ಮುಂಗಾರು ಮಳೆಯೇ" form the super hit movie "Mungaru Male" .

We left for home soon after Ravi started his next melody but not before wishing luck for Ravi for his ventures.

There are many many people like Ravi who genuinely make an effort to learn the local language. People like him need to be encouraged.

It was a memorable trip to the royal city of Mysore via the country side roads where we could find  from Animal lovers to Hindi speaking vendors in Mysore palace to kannada singing artists at the resort.

Limping Honeymoon Express ;-)

At Manipal Hospital; 26 June 2012 

The day was 4 of November 2012 when i tied the knot to Sheethal. We got engaged in early June and most our courtship was over the phone since she was staying in New Delhi. Immediately after our engagement , i was hospitalized for some severe infection. This episode of my hospitalization was variously described Drishti or Nazar ( ದೃಷ್ಟಿ ). So my mother did take out the drishti with salt, lemon, spice, chilly etc :) 

Sheethal visited me once in July and i made a visit to Delhi during the horrible humid days of September. We did get a little personal time together in these two visits. 

However, one question that almost all my relatives and friends were asking me during the couple of months before marriage was about the honeymoon. Our answer was that we will think about it after marriage. 

Just a month before the marriage, i developed a pain in my left pre-molar tooth. My local doctor could not diagnose the trouble and i also ignored the problem.For good one month or so , i was using only my right part of the mouth. Sheethal meanwhile was consulting a dentist in New Delhi for some cosmetic treatment. But due to lack of time she could not complete her treatment. 

When you know you are in "Safe" hands 

Finally the D day arrived. I was actually carrying my tooth X-ray in my kit. I showed it to my brother in law (who is a professor and a practicing dentist in Davanagere)  on the day of my marriage. He immediately told me that i need a root canal treatment . But it was not an emergency and I could get it done anytime. 

I ignored the problem further. We made a quick trip to Delhi for Deepavali. On my return back to Bangalore, before we could contemplate about honeymoon, I fractured the same tooth. So I set out to Davanagere with my wife, brother , sister-in-law and cute little naughty niece. On our arrival to Davanagere, my sister Roopa served us delicious meal and took me to her clinic where i was given the first round of root canal treatment. I returned home and Roopa suggested some treatment to Sheethal as well. So both of us set out to the clinic by evening where we were given preferential VIP treatment by my Sister and brother-in-law. Meanwhile, my bother and sister-in-law went out for a round of awesome Davanagere benne dose (ದಾವಣಗೆರೆ ಬೆಣ್ಣೆ ದೋಸೆ). 

Davanagere Benne dose 

So it was late evening by the time treatment for myself and Sheethal began simultaneously in two different chairs. Sheethal had to get a new bridge and crown built and some cosmetic treatment as well. I had to get next round of treatment for the root canal. My sister Roopa is a practicing dentist for over one and a half decades but it was the first time she was treating her brother. Sheethal's treatment took a little longer than mine and she had to undergo a little pain because of hyper sensitive tooth. By the time she could breathe easy, i complained of a little pain in my front tooth and my sister was in no mood to ignore it. The diagnosis called for another root canal. So it was past 10 PM when my brother-in-law started the root treatment for my other tooth. It was a special case and my tooth had turned really bad and had become hyper-sensitive. So after a couple of anesthetic injections, my treatment began and went on for almost an hour. I returned back to my sister's house by 11:15 PM with an almost numb mouth.  After all the treatment, myself and Sheethal could only hear stories about mouth watering benne dose. 

Chitradurga fort 

We returned to my sister's clinic the next day but not before having three helpings of benne dose EACH. Sheethal had to sit through another session for tooth measurements. My sister completed the job and told us that we have to return to Davanagere in a weeks time for my cap and her crown. 

Emu bird at Adumalleshwara mini zoo,chitradurga 

We left Davanagere by 3 PM after an awesome meal which included my favorite Gulab jamun, Davanagere delicacies like menasinakayi bonda, hathi kayi and mandakki puri  (ಮೆಣಸಿನಕಾಯಿ ಬೋಂಡ , ಹತ್ತಿ ಕಾಯಿ ಮತ್ತು ಮಂಡಕ್ಕಿ ಪುರಿ ). 

We set out to Davanagere again on 26 November via Chitradurga. We enjoyed the drive and the durga fort. We climbed the fort though it was pinching hot. We saw a mini zoo located up the chitradurga hills (we were the only visitors there). 

After a refreshing glass of Sugarcane juice, we set out to Davanagere. We reached Davanagere by about 3 PM and my sister was waiting for us with an awesome meal. My brother-in-law took us to the clinic right after lunch to fix my cap. We returned home for a game of cricket with my nephew Sammith. My treatment was over. But Sheethal had to return for some additional  treatment. It was quite a long process. So i took a stroll around the clinic when Sheethal was undergoing treatment. Sheethal finished her treatment by late evening. We returned home for a refreshing meal.  We had finally finished our quota of dental treatment. Two root canals, one cap and one filling for me. Crown, bridge and one filling for Sheethal  My sister and brother-in-law made sure that we did not experience any significant pain during the entire process.  It is a good feeling to be treated by your sister and brother-in-law. 

At Kunduvada Kere with  Sister Dr Roopa and BIL Dr Shashikanth 

The next day we went around the Davanagere city. Myself, Roopa, Sheethal and brother-in-law Shashikanth took good helpings of benne dode and open dose. Shashikanth took us around the city showing us city administration offices, colleges and other places. One special attraction was the Kunduvada kere, a major lake in the city which gets in supply by the Tungabhadra river. The lake supplies drinking water for approximately half the city. It is a tranquil lake, a treat for morning walkers. 

We drove back to Bangalore on the 27 November via Tumkur. Meantime, we had decided to go to Munnar after 15 December for our Honeymoon.

Kalyani at Bhoganandishwara Temple 

One of my projects was scheduled to start at Doddaballapur from the 3rd of December. On 29 December, Sheethal also joined me for a site visit. After the visit, we planned to go to a temple at a village called Manchinbele in Chikkaballpur district. For our misfortune there was a local strike there and my car was not allowed into the district limits. 

So we decided to go to Bhoganandishwara temple located in the foothills of the Nandi hills. It is a tranquil place with a beautiful Kalyani. I have been there many times but it was the first time for Sheethal. 

Ligament tear. 

We had to meet few friends on the way back. We decided to meet at Esteem mall where destiny had something in store for us. We decided against McDonalds and went up to the food court. We were joined by my friend Kiran and we were walking down the stairs after lunch. I was walking ahead of Sheethal. It is when Sheethal slipped a stair. When she was just about to hold on to me, i put my foot down a stair and she could not hold on to me. Her entire body weight fell on her left ankle and it got very badly twisted by more than 90 degrees.  Unable to bear the pain, tears started rolling down her cheeks and the ankle badly swollen. 

McDonalds came to our immediate rescue with an ice pack. After relaxing there for about 20 minutes we drove to the orthopedist. The initial X-ray showed no fracture but two severe ligament tears. Sheethal was advised rest and physiotherapy for a week.
So for a week, we visited the physiotherapist everyday. Sheethal could hardly move, she had to use a walking stick for support . Physiotherapy was a very painful experience for Sheethal. She was almost in tears on a few ultrasonic treatment sessions.
We visited the orthopedist after a week (i.e. yesterday, 6 December).The orthopedist is a very famous man who treats the 'who is who' of the Indian cricket team.  He was surprised to see Sheethal limping. Sheethal was still under severe pain and could hardly move. So the orthopedist advised another X-ray. To everyone's surprise, the X-ray showed a fracture in the ankle.

The doctor after contemplating a bit, advised Sheethal to go for a fiber cast around her ankle. The cast has to be in place for 4 weeks. The only silver lining about this cast is that Sheethal can move around a bit easily now without much pain. She no longer needs to use the walking stick. In-fact i took Sheethal for a Kannada movie yesterday evening. She could manage pretty well in the crowded multiplex. But Sheethal complaints about severe irritation inside the cast.

The doctor has advised Sheethal to resume her normal activities without too much strain on her ankle. So as i write this, we are contemplating a trip to Mysore tomorrow to attend a close friend's wedding. But for our bad luck, there is a Mandya bandh tomorrow (on the cauvery water dispute) . We will have to wait and see till tomorrow if the luck turns in our favour.

So it has been a little over a month since i tied the knot to Sheethal. Our Honeymoon dreams are still in the air. Our train had not moved beyond Davanagere.

I am signing off wishing speedy recovery for Sheethal  Hope our Honeymoon dreams come true sooner than later :).