"The Mobile Store" Offer

I have always been skeptical about the freebies the retailers offer in return for shopping with them. There must be a catch, I used to think. But now I am of the opinion that, Catch or no catch it doesn't matter if at the end of the day you get a good worthwhile deal. The reason for the change in my perception with regards to the "Offers" is this.


I had bought a cell phone for my mother 4 months back at "The Mobile Store". It was through an exchange offer, I had given my beaten up, two year old cell phone and paid an extra Rs. 1900/- for a Nokia cell phone. The assured freebie I got was a family package. They had offered to pay for my stay in one of the 20 holiday destinations across India and Nepal if I sent them a DD of Rs.600/- as processsing fee. Only for the stay, not for the food and travel expenses. With lots of doubt and suspicion I did what ever they had asked me to do, with full understanding that there is a very high possibility of being taken for a ride. But surprise! surprise! With in two weeks I received a courier confirming the reservation for the hotel in a destination that I had asked, on the date that I had preferred.

The resort was "Sterling Lakeview resorts", Kodaikanal. A wonderful place to holiday with your family. I went there, stayed in the resort and enjoyed the scenic beauty of Kodaikanal for full three days and two nights with out paying a single dime for the stay. It would have otherwise cost me around Rs.5000/-. All this for buying a cell phone costing just Rs.1900/- . Thank you! Some times you get Lucky!



Read my review on "Sterling Lakeview, Kodaikanal" here

Lady in Red !

The first time I saw her , she just took my breath away! The first time I was taken on a ride by her, every part of my being begged for more!
She looks stunningly beautiful in which ever angle you chose to see her.. She moves with amazing grace and agility.. She is very accommodating, always at your service, on your command.. She is the " Lady in Red" who is painting the whole city red.. She is a city bus.. not any other city bus.. She is the Volvo "Vajra"!
These buses are one of the best things that has happened to our erstwhile Garden City, Bengalooru. This masterstroke by our beloved BMTC, is in keeping with the cosmopolitan and techno-savvy image of this city. These buses are cool man! not just because they all have powerful air conditioners humming under their hood! All those hi-tech gadgetry inside the cockpit, comfy seating, friendly crew, reasonable fares and I can go on.. No wonder they are a big hit among Bangaloreans.
I am one of the fortunate ones because there are six Vajras plying everyday to my workplace, but I am one of the very unfortunate ones, because my work hours doesn't permit to use any of them..
So I sit here, cramped inside my little car, stuck in the traffic jam, driving bumper to bumper, moving inch by inch .. envying at the lucky ones who are cruising along comfortably in "their" Vajras..
" Yelli Iddira?"


Some Useful Links..
BMTC Volvo Route Details- http://www.bmtcinfo.com/english/volvo.htm
Volvo Locator Service "Yelli Iddira?" - http://www.clinf.com/yi/

Sripuram Golden Temple ,Vellore

I was under the impression that Om Shakti Amma is a lady and had wondered " Hmmm... amazing Sanyasin this one is !!" (Puttting together Rs.600 crores to build a temple and coordinating the project to its successful completion is a mind boggling feat by any standards , for any human being!) .. And I was under the impression that the Darshanam in this lesser known, under publicized ( I hadn't read or seen anything about it in the media) temple will be easy and it will be just a walk through.. I was also cynical that, this will be just another mega construction,by an unimaginably rich Mutt , unabashedly flaunting its wealth and its rich devotee following.. And I couldn't be more wrong on all these assumptions !
Aralthiru Om Shakti Amma is a young male Sadhu with very insightful thoughts on everything, the place was over crowded and witnessing the magnificent and majestic spectacle of The Temple was blissfully divine!! It has to be seen to be believed..it is simply breathtaking !you will very soon run out of superlatives if you start describing the temple!! Built at the centre of a sprawling , star shaped 200 acre plot( named 'Sripuram' now), this completely gold plated sanctum is located in the middle of a pond. The reflection of the temple gives an amazing optical illusion of an another identical structure located right underneath. The whole temple glows like fire under the strategically placed illumination ( obviously it is best seen after sunset). The impeccably clean premises( surprise , surprise !!) are strewn with placards displaying the sayings of the Seer. The walk way to reach the sanctum( the golden temple proper) encircles it. I found it very thoughtful and intelligent.. while waiting in those long, unending queues to reach the sanctum you can be continuously enjoying the awesome view of the temple from different angles. The worshiping deity of the temple is Ma Shakti , Amma Narayani (an avatar of Lakshmi). If you chose the special darshanam which costs Rs.250 for two, you will be allowed very close to the sanctum sanctorum and you can see the magnificent deity resplendent with dazzling adornments for about 5 minutes.. I will tell you those 250 bucks are worth spending for that mind blowing spectacle. Of course as a bonus, you will get to jump the long queue and will receive a bag of prasadam .

Reaching there from Bangalore is easy especially if you are driving on your own. It is about 10 kms from Vellore City in Tamilnadu and about 215 kms from Bangalore( if you are starting at Electronic City). The road is excellent and the journey is very comfortable. From electronic city you will have take NH7 till Krishnagiri( Electronic city-Hosur-Krishnagiri), from there you need to take a left after the toll booth to enter NH46 to reach Vellore( Krishnagiri, Ambur, Vaniyambadi, Vellore). Yes, the toll!! you will have to pass three user fee collection booths on the way( Krishnagiri, Vaniyambadi, Vellore) that will you put you down by Rs.!56 ( if you are in a car and if you buy two way tickets... it makes sense to buy like that if you are planning to return the same day). You can conveniently leave Bangalore by around 12noon and be back at around 10pm , because the road is really good and ... emply! It makes sense to have lunch at Bangalore since there are no good hotels on the way( eat atleast at Hosur, that will be your last chance it you don't mind waiting till you reach Vellore).
It is truly one of those places one must see before dying. Go and see it as soon as possible..
p.s:Photography is prohibited, so couldn't post any images.