Take flight...

A developing Nation.
A potential super power.
A sleeping tiger.
And the very famous tag line… India Poised.

Does it all stop there? We know we are capable. We know we have potential. We know we are poised. Why not take flight?
We do not have to do great things, just simple things that will have bigger effects in the course of time.
Here are some things that any of us can do.

1.Vote. It is a right. Exercise it. As I read somewhere,
"Bad leaders are elected by good people who don’t vote.”

2.Not depending on the municipality to keep our areas clean. Gather people on a weekend and sweep the place clean. Keep a trash bag handy, or use a public trash can.

3.Volunteer for community service frequently.

4.Walk short distances. If you must use a vehicle, use a cycle or an e-bike. I know one person cannot change things, but it is a start.

5.Become a citizen journalist. Report to newspapers, what happens in the locality.

6.Find out one change that is necessary in the country; find out if you can do something about it. Team up with like minded people for the same.

7.Questions your grandparents about heritage and culture. Make sure you follow family traditions.

8.Recycle. There are many ways. Google and learn.

9.Do a good deed or an act of kindness just to know what it feels like.

10.Get to know your neighbors.


Good citizenship goes beyond just doing the above, it is all about striving persistently to make the country a better place to live in.

Change......

Wassup there, Readers?
 
Its been a while since I wrote anything.
 
3 Months in Fact.
 
Now that I’ve got the chance, let me Introduce you to this Blog. I’m going to describe to you guys and gals just what this blog really means to me.
Firstly, Welcome. Welcome To ‘The Gateway of India’. It’s a pleasure to have you guys here, readers as well as contributors. Here’s a special Thanks to Vinay, my best blog buddy, for his help to make this blog a reality.
Judging from some of the previous posts, I’ve come to see that patrons of this blog have come to think of this blog to be a Tourism based website. To me, the Original intent of this blog, was (And Still is) to bring to your mind’s eye, the real India which we, The People of India, would like to see. It’s a blog that lists out the best qualities of our Indian culture, in an unbiased and simple way. This blog also aims at pointing out all the undesirable elements in our field of vision, which are hindering the development of our Nation, in more ways than one. This is what I feel, is necessary now.
 
A simple question
which I’m sure many of you ask yourselves, as do I, is this:
Even after 60 years of Independence, why is it that our nation is still called a Developing Country?
The answer to this question, I think, lies within us.

 
Are we not capable enough?
To hell with Hypocrisy. Answer me this, folks:
Are we not able bodied enough to build a nation strong enough to withstand the threats of Terrorism and Overdependence? Are we still unworthy of the Fame and glory that A nation as old and as cultured as ours should Enjoy? Then, out of all the dark clouds of confusion, one ray of light rips through, with mind numbing intensity.
 
This is the Wake Up Call.

 
Its time for Generation NOW, to take care of this. Its our time now. Those who are skeptical, read this: We have been waiting for a great leader to be born, a personality that may never come, I know not. But the one thing that I do know, is that its time to stop waiting, and start doing all the things that we expected of our great leader.
Its time to BECOME the ‘Great Leader’. Every one of us has that spark. Now is the time to use it to light the flame.
People want the system to change. Speak out and be heard, then. How do you expect the country to change, if you’re going to keep your Ideas to yourself?
Lets BECOME the change. Who can dare stop the progress, if we unite? What can terrorism dream to achieve, if we fight against it as one?

 
Together, we are a force to reckon with.
I’d love to hear your views regarding this matter. Speak out. Lets see how unified we really are.
Ciao
:)

Uncharted Prodigy

Well let me thank Siddarth and Vinay in the first place for making me the co editor of this blog. Thank you guys :).

Welcome to Coimbatore, the Manchester of Tamilnadu. "Coimbatore" , the name would ring bells for people in the milling and foundry sectors and certainly wouldn't mean a thing to others until recently. The city is now the new IT hub of Tamilnadu. What I am going to throw light on here is a place called the Isha Yoga center. If you think I am going to teach you some asanas or insist the goodness of yoga, you are certainly wrong :D

This place, is some 15 kms away from the hustle and bustle of Coimbatore situated near the Ghats(mountain ranges). It is a place of scenic and serenic beauty. One thing that people visiting Isha will never forget about it is the cleanliness of the place and the decorum maintained inside.

It is kind of a temple cum meditation center. Well the central attraction here is the Linga inside a doom shaped monument. Trust me, I was told that the central monument was built without using cement. There is another linga inside a place called Thirth Kunt (where the holy water falls from the mountains). The linga inside this pool is made of Mercury the only one of its kind in India, save rest of the world. I was neither able to capture the main Linga nor the Mercury Linga since photos where prohibited in that province. The photo here is of the 3 ishwara murthis depicting various moods of Lord Shiva. Behind is the doom that I was talking about. Above the doom is another Linga made of some holy fluid.

And if you still think the article will not be complete without a word about the Isha yoga foundation, then here is the link :D

http://www.ishafoundation.org/

Cheers!
Nan ;)

A Temple Town, The Himalayas of the South and A Picnic...!!

Well, I did not picture myself to post so soon....but on the bright side, it gives Sid some time to create his masterpiece. I'll inaugurate the Gateway with a tour guide post. Really awesome place guys, u should check it out sometime.

On the last saturday of September, me and my classmates decided to say good riddance to college for the day and go for a class trip to few places. Well, we started out at 1am, and that night was awesome, no sleep and the fun just continued with songs and games and movies etc. At 4 in the morning, we reached the temple town of Nanjanagud, 25 kms from Mysore city. Situated on the banks of the Kapila river, to see the temple in the light of the rising sun, was just so awesome. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Inside the temple, the other deities that are worshipped ar Ganesha, Subramanya, Parvati, Hanuman, Nandi to name a few. It was a well worth visit, and I do intend to go there again soon.

From there, our next stop was the Gopalswamy Hills, also known as the Himavad Gopalswamy Betta, situated 75 kms from Mysore City. It is situated at a height of 1454m and is extensively wooded, giving it the name Himalayas of the South. Even though we reached at nearly noon, there was still a bit of fog. As our bus climbed up the hill, the view was just awesome. We trekked all the way to the bottom again. We could see a few snakes on the way also. Serene beauty it is. Perfect place for hiking actually but you may need to be a great biker, if u plan to take your bike up there. To negotiate the twisting turning road is in itself a big task. Again, there is a temple dedicated to Gopalaswamy, or Lord Krishna. Legend has it, that Lord Krishna, pleased by the penance of Agasthya muni, blessed the place and promised to live there.

Last stop on the way back home, was Talkad...a great place on the banks of the Cauvery river, for a picnic. If you wish to, you can wade through neck deep waters and walk to the other side of the river in summers. You can also hire coracles and take a short trip on the river. Talkad also hosts some historical temples just a short walk from the riverbank, recently unearthed by archeological department. The water you see here are surprisingly deep turquoise like the sea. Though we did not have enough time to visit more places, if you do have the time, you can visit places like Shivanasamudram or KRS dam. For a one day outing, I can tell you, the combination was just perfect. It was a day one can never forget. Hope you do visit someday.

Till next time...Bye, hope you visit it and have a nice time.

(PS: my pics of Talkad were lost...i couldn't find any anywhere that can match mine...sorry...)

Welcome to the Gateway

Well, a second attempt at a joint blog, by me and my good friend Siddharth(a.k.a RiverSoul)... after Envisioned Reality which did not work out too well.

The Gateway is our views of India. Where it is shining, where it could shine. Where to visit? What things can amaze you about this nation. Where it is great and where it is not. Well, you get the picture....Anyone willing to contribute to this blog, may leave a comment on one of my blogs. Either Sid or I will get back to you regarding it.

Credits...

Blog Name: My Idea!!

Blog Header: My Idea!!

Blog Template Editing: Me!!

Riversoul: Nil, Zilch!!! :) Kidding bro... the implementation of my header idea in such wonderful fashion is the best and biggest contribution of all....Come on, its one of the best I feel...!! I loved it...really I did RiverSoul...!!

Well, Sid will start off with the posting soon...possibly tomorrow....aurevoir, cheers...