a simple beauty

This simple beauty is flower of Singapore weed, a creeper with thick leaves. This flower itself has thick petals and remains fresh for days. A flower or two with a few leaves in a small vase adds charm to a study table.

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Nuggikeri Hanuman Mandir

Nuggikeri is one of the important water tanks around Dharwad. On the shore of this tank is the ancient temple dedicated to Hanuman. Close to Nuggikeri is a village by the same name. This Hanuman Mandir is managed by the members of Nuggikeri Desai family. This is the Gopura on the main entrance.

Inside the temple enclosure is a Aswatha Vruksha (Peepul tree). A board on the tree reads Aswatha Vruksha Stotra:

ಮೂಲತೋ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮರೂಪಾಯ 

ಮಧ್ಯತೋ ವಿಷ್ಣುರೂಪಣೇ। 

ಆಗ್ರತೋ ಶಿವರೂಪಾಯ 

ವೃಕ್ಷರಾಜಾಯತೇ ನಮಃ।।

It is said that one must go around Peepal tree seven times chanting this stotra and then proceed into the temple. The stotra means that the three supreme lords of Hindu legends reside in Ashwatta Vriksha; Brahma in the roots, Vishnu in the mid part i.e. the stem and Shiva in the upper parts i.e. the branches & leaves.

The temple comprises of large open halls around the Garbhagriha.

Jai Hanuman.

In one of the halls, there are several boards fixed on the walls. One of the boards has all the lines of Hanuman Chalisa and another one has Yantroddharaka Hanuman Stotra. People can sit in this hall and chant the sacred lines.

The temple has a peaceful ambiance when its free from crowds. Saturdays are usually crowded, rest of the days its free. Nuggikeri is approximately half kilometer from the main road i.e. Dharwad-Kalghatgi road. One could pass through this arch and walk to the temple. Alternatively, vehicles can be taken right upto the temple via Nuggikeri village.

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Krishi Mela 2022, UAS Dharwad

Krishi Mela 2022 at University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad started on September 17th and ends on 20th. I decided to visit the Mela on Monday rather than Sunday or Tuesday which was the last day to avoid crowds. Also I had decided against driving, buses would be a better option considering the heavy traffic and packed parking lots. This picture was shot Sunday early morning during our bicycle ride. UAS entrance was lit up for the event, it looked so peaceful.

Sept 19. I reached Dharwad new bus-stand by 3-00 pm. KSRTC buses were plying between the bus-stand and UAS. I boarded one of the buses, reached UAS entrance at 3-15 pm. Passengers alighted the bus in the middle of the road. Traffic was crawling, horns blaring, it was chaotic.

Walking in the tree lined main avenue of UAS would be a nice experience on normal days. However, today I saw a river of people, air was laden with dust. I was hesitant to proceed but made up my mind to check out a few stalls.

The exhibition has about 250 to 300 stalls covering different aspects of farming like agriculture, horticulture, floriculture, farming equipment, piping solutions, organic crops, food processing, gardening needs, entomology, and more. Also there's a separate compound for livestock stalls. I skipped livestock and entered agricultural compound. The crowd was denser inside, it was almost impossible to move without brushing against people. Some of the stall exhibits were interesting however my patience had eroded, I paused to take a look at the products but didn't stop at any.

By 4-00 I had had enough. I decided to leave. I could see that lot of people were just fooling around. Many students and youngsters weren't interested in anything particular, they were just roaming around, adding to the crowd. My rating of the experience of attending Krishi Mela 2022 stands at 1 out of 5. Rating it low because of the of poor crowd management, lack of information and inadequate transportation. I could think of dozen simple ways to improve things. Hoping the organizers do a better job in the next Mela.

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Zigzag clouds on a September morning

These clouds were seen from Kyarkoppa Gudda on the dawn of September 2nd.

Sun on the verge of rising

cloud formation in the western sky

upper half of the cloud formation had zigzag bands 

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Ganesha Habba 2022

 Ganesha Habba celebrations were disrupted by COVID-19 in the past two years. Hence 2020 and 2021 there were no public celebrations. I, like thousands of people, missed seeing the creative themes. This year the spirit has revived slightly. Here are a few Ganesha around Dharwad seen during early morning bicycle rides. There were many more tents in my cycling route but the screens were drawn so I missed seeing them. Anyway, chant Ganesha Sloka and see this year's Ganesha.

ಶ್ರೀ ವಕ್ರತುಂಡ ಮಹಾಕಾಯ ಸೂರ್ಯಕೋಟಿ ಸಮಪ್ರಭ |

ನಿರ್ವಿಘ್ನಮ್ ಕುರು ಮೇ ದೇವಾ ಸರ್ವ ಕಾರ್ಯೇಷು ಸರ್ವದಾ ||

श्री वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्य कोटी समप्रभा |

निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्व-कार्येशु सर्वदा॥

Shree Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha |

Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva-Kaaryeshu Sarvada ||

our home

Ashirwada Ganapati Gudi, Kelageri

Samudaya Bhavan Kelageri

Sadankeri

Bhagat Singh Road (Tikare road)

Sri Ram Mandir, Tikare road

Sangam Theatre

Karnataka College (KCD)

Karnataka University junction (KUD Circle)

Haliyal road - Saptapur road junction

Subhash road

Links to past years' collections of Ganesha...

Ganesha Habba 2019

Ganesha Habba 2016

Ganesha Habba 2015

Ganesha Habba 2014

Ganesha Habba 2013

Ganesha Habba 2012

Ganesha Habba 2011

Ganesha Habba 2010

Ganesh Chaturti 2009

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Teaching and Learning

Quoting a few lines on teaching & learning from the book "Buddha and Basava" by H. H. Poojya Mahatapasvi Kumaraswamiji of Navakalyanamath, Dharwad. These lines are from the chapter "Basava and his work."

The business of a university is to teach but teaching implies learning. The spirit of learning is much better than the spirit of teaching because the vanity of teaching often tempteth a man to forget that he is a blockhead. The most inspiring teachers are therefore the most enthusiastic learners.

Sri Kumaraswamiji is better known through his ashram Tapovan at Dharwad.

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