The Great Indian Fasting Spectacle!

I wish RK Laxman was in his heyday right now.. The 2G/3G scam combined with the Anna Hazare/Baba Ramdev drama would have been excellent fodder for him! I'm sure he'd have come up with something like this, albeit with the ubiquitous common man overlooking the scene...

It is an apt portrayal of times where fasting has become some sort of a business.. an activity to achieve a self-satisfying objective.. a tool for whipping up mass hysteria and emotionally blackmailing a government which is already infested by the white ants of ‘Breaking News’ hungry 24/7 media.

I understand that corruption is indeed the bane of our society and it does seem to have reached a point beyond reasonable tolerance limits. However, it is a cultural issue and can’t be cured overnight by staged dramas in the garb of fasting. This is akin to saying that a dish made wrongly can be set right by just putting some tadka. Issues like this require extensive public debate and a considered, rational approach. Not the emotionally-charged, quick-fixing that fasts like these can at best yield. Fasts blind the public to one approach without logical reasoning or awareness. How many of us who supported Anna Hazare actually bothered to know what exactly is the lokpal bill? How many amongst the few aware souls pondered upon alternative ways to combat corruption?

We owe our nation a stable and sustainable solution to corruption – one that has been arrived at by a thoughtful and aware public, not a fancy and ambitious plan with so many loopholes that falls flat in the implementation phase!

Having said that, fasts have been a useful political tool from the time of Mahatma Gandhi and should not be overlooked in a hurry! They have their own place in determining the direction of public policy. Going by past experience, they have been turning points for mass-movements that shape history. However, they should not be used as short-cuts to subvert a long-drawn movement. It should be borne in mind that they should not become weapons of lobbying or enforcing one’s point of view. They should just be used to mobilize the people and synergize their energies towards a common public goal of a corruption-free, civic and equitable society.

The Whole Shebang - All you can think of in 4 amazing days!

When you begin to write about a holiday that included beaches, mountains, waterfalls, temples, ashrams, backwaters, forests and best of friends, you are left wondering where to start!

Starting in a rather nondescript bus from Bangalore on a Thursday night, we had no premonition of what lay ahead- With three happy-go-lucky guys on board, we understandably threw planning and preparation out of the window.

The first day started with a religious twist as we visited the famous Sri Krishna temple in Udupi. We followed that up with a trip to St. Mary's island; it's the prettiest island one can ever imagine - rocks, pristine blue waters and coconut groves dotting its shores. A leisurely trip to the nearby town of Manipal ended the day for us, but the highlights of the day were the island and the awesome udupi food at Hotel Woodlands which we visited twice the same day!

We were all set to go to Murudeshwar the following morning, but were told by our cab driver that a 3 hour detour to Shingeri via the famous ghat section of Agumbe would be worth our while. And he was spot on! The hairpin bends and cooler climes of Agumbe followed by the spiritual experience at the Shingeri Ashram did provide a very different dimension to the trip. The evening in Murudeshwar was another spell-binding experience. The glorious sunset on the shores of the Arabian Sea was ethereal to say the least! We walked along the beach to the mouth of the backwaters and waded through crystal clear aqua pura, soaking in the sights and the sounds of nature.

Gokarna was the next surprise package. It is a quaint, small town containing a famous temple and a market selling memorabilia. Gokarna has 5 beaches - each one unique in its appeal. The first is the generally frequented 'Gokarna Main Beach' and is like any other beautiful beach in India with women clad in sarees and half-naked men frolicking in the water. The second one, Kudle, is a drastically different world- foreigners outnumber Indians by a ratio of 1 to 10 and it is extremely shallow and clear with rocks strewn along the stretch. The third is the fabled Om Beach - this is a family beach by the day and gets converted into a lively goa-esque firang beach dotted with shacks by the night. Its got a very happy and spirited feel to it- quite literally! The next beach, Half Moon Beach, is a small, quiet private beach with coupl es basking in the beauty of what lies beyond them and between. The last one is Paradise Beach, that lives up to its name with its natural splendor and colorful shacks. The path between the beaches is both tedious and beautiful - imagine scaling the majestic western ghats with the imposing hill slope on one side and the rock-splashing sea on the other!



We blended with the environs and donned various hats through the day. We were symbols of piety in the temple, excited adventurers along the trekking paths and happy holidayers on the beaches. Reminiscing on the day's act ivities while gazing at the stars on th e beach at night, we realized that this is the kind of trip we always year yearned for!



The next day, we bid adieu to Gokarna and headed to Yana, a mysterious setting of huge monolithic rocks in the middle of dense jungles. We almost felt like paleolithic men exploring the numerous caves and crevices at Yana.



Our last spot was Jog Falls- India's highest waterfall. We had to climb down a million stairs and cross several precarious rocks to reach the foot of the falls but the effort was well worth it. The spray of water was so intense that we could just see a wall of water in front of our eyes with little rainbows being formed on the droplets. The rocks near the base were covered with moss and it was almost impossible to scale them; nevertheless we slipped and slithered our way to the water, enjoying every bit of it!



Returning back to Bangalore the following morning, we brought the curtains down on the most comprehensive vacation we ever had- A Whole Shebang indeed!