The Big is definitely Better, Bold and Beautiful. {Automobiles}

The Big is definitely Better, Bold and Beautiful!!!!

Hmm being an ardent car driver for almost 12 years I have seen the car industry change especially in my city.
From the small to the big and now bigger than the big.
I remember the day when I first started driving a car, it was a Hyundai Santro. The pleasure you feel to be behind the wheels just cannot be explained in words.
At that time this was surely a premium big hatchback car compared to the small Maruti 800s. This overlooked the small Maruti 800s which were popular at that time and but due to its tall boy design it looked big and that was when I realized big is better.This gave more room, more space and an airy feeling inside the car that you are the King.

As times changed and India started becoming a more globalized nation many international players started coming in.
Next this was around 2008 when I was a bit more mature in driving but still eager to drive.
My father wanted to buy a car and we went to a Honda showroom to purchase another hatchback, a small car.
But that was the time when the new Honda City with its design and big sedan looks impressed me and my family. Even though we had to stretch, we did and we bought it and i thought at that point that this is my dream car and will never go for another one.
So this was bigger and a promotion from the hatchback to a sedan and definitely heads started to turn and the image started to increase. What a car was the feeling of some when it zipped past the other smaller ones like the Santro [damn I am now overlooking and condemning my own first car, Sorry dream car but big matters]. That's what big does to you. The nice match of physics, chemistry and mathematics of the Honda City didn't disappoint and for many years continued to be my favorite car.

As time flew and as I started to grow in my career and I got an opportunity to buy another car. My family advised me to go for another Honda City, this time a newer version with more features for which I had agreed until I came across the Renault Duster. Now this was bigger. I had a very difficult time as tensions rose between my heart and my head. My head said Honda a tried and tested machine but my heart said Duster. The first look...hmmm. a bigger one and that was enough to convince my brain. I am kind of an adventurous guy and I want to try new things and am ready to take a bit of a risk. Finally had the Duster and I never looked back. The presence on the road which treated other small cars like minuscule objects was very noticing. The way other small ones left space for this car when they saw their outer rear view mirrors speaks volume of the big. The shape was macho and beautiful which attracted a lot of buyers.Mind you Renault was a non entity in the Indian market until it released this product. And for Renault it is still one of the most popular products in its lineup. Looking at this, the competition started and other major auto players the Hyundai/Maruti Suzuki started releasing their big ones and that too were hits. So users who were buying smaller ones were now buying bigger ones[Hyundai/ Maruti Suzuki were major small car players].

One thing is for sure. Everywhere the big is honored and given respect. The Duster gives respect to the Fortuner and the Fortuner gives respect to the Grand Cherokee and this in turn gives respect to the Hummer. Now I have never noticed a taxi driver honking at a Fortuner/Hummer as they are also awestruck by the sheer size and beauty.The way big conquers the roads and the humps and the bumps gives that smile and satisfaction in cities in spite of the traffic.For highways I need not give any explanation as by default the big makes a huge difference in ride quality and comfort. These advantages of the big car makes you forget about the advantages of a small car.
Nowadays I feel the Duster has been reduced to another small car and next big on my list is just waiting to be in my garage. There is no gender, age barrier for the liking for the big as everyone likes the big.I don't have to prove anything here as you yourself can see it on the roads. There are little apprehensions in the minds of small car owners about big cars as they think for cities small is better for traffic, easier turn radius and saves time going in narrow roads. Yes I agree and don't deny the advantages but believe me just try a big car I mean bigger than the existing one you have and you will definitely side with me on the title of the topic as well as experience all of the above yourself. The Engine power in Pferdestärke [ps/horsepower],The Torque also makes a huge difference as it is definitely much more in bigger vehicles. Normally The torque and engine power goes hand in hand for example 130 hp @ 3,400 RPM.
And yo for me and many its proved The Big is definitely Better, Bold and Beautiful.

Journey to the Malenadu

Total kilometers: ~1200

Duration: 3 nights  4 days

Route: Bengaluru --> Chitradurga --> Shivamogga--> Thirthalli -->Kodachadri -->Kollur--> Murudeshwar--> Jog Falls--> Shivamogga --> Channarayanapatna --> Bengaluru

Hotels for stay:
Thirthalli --> Royal Inn ( Rs 1200 per a/c room) ,Kamat Residency
Murudeshwar: RNS Residency(By the beach) (Rs 3000 + tax per a/c room)
Shimoga: Hotel Ashoka Grand

Snacks hotel
Tumakuru: Pavithra Idly Hotel

Day 1: It was my friend's wedding in Thirthalli and we decided to pay a flying visit with some of my colleagues in office.. We were 15 from office with 4 legged mechanised beasts going as a convoy to attend the wedding. Since there were so many other tourist places around Thirthalli we decided to club it with the wedding. We left office from Whitefield at 4 in the evening and took 2.5 hrs to reach Nelamangala via Hebbal on Outer Ring Road. We stopped at Pavithra Idly hotel,Kyathsandra, Tumakuru, Karnataka.I personally recommend Thatte idly with butter and Masala Dosa .
We left Tumakaru by 7 and reached Chitradurga by 8:30pm via the amazing 6 lane National Highway 4. The Chirtradurga Shivamogga road is being tarred and relaid hence took us a bit of time but definitely less traffic. After a break in between we reached Thirthalli at 2am in the morning and checked in Royal Inn Hotel.

Day 2: Left the hotel to Sakrebyle elephant camp by 8 and reached at 9:15. Amazing Tunga river flows parallely through the road with dense forests.It was a fantastic drive with beautiful weather topping it. Covered 50 kms in half an hour. There were around 20 elephants where you can give a bath to the elephants, or take a ride or even take a picture. We reached back to the hotel by 11 and attended the wedding post which we left for Kundadri by 3pm. The drive to Kundadri was awesome and difficult. Steep bends, curves almost a single lane for about 6 km. The view from top is breathtaking with a pond and a Jain temple on top with fresh air gushing through the lungs.
After spending some time we left for Agumbe where we saw the sunset at the Sunset point and the Malgudi days bungalow(Doddamane). We came back to Thirthalli and halted.

Day 3 and 4: Had heard a lot about Kodachadri and it definitely kept up to its name. You can take your vehicles upto a point and from there you need to hire a 4x4 jeep. Some private vehicles 4x4 can drive up but the terrain is extremely difficult. We saw a Scorpio return back after the first turn but a Thar carried on.

The 40 minute jeep journey is bone breaking but truly adventurous. The trek to Shankaracharya peeta is a lifetime experience which no one should miss. The 4 hour Kodachari experience was a heavenly experience which Ii can never forget in my life. From there we went to Kollur through the Nagodi ghat among dense Mookambika forest,Amazing newly laid roads. We visited the famous Kollur Mookambika temple(one of the Shakthi peetas) after having food at Adigas. Hotel Mookambika Palace is a good place to stay at Kollur.

From there we left at 5pm from Kollur and reached Murudeshwar at 7pm and halted at RNS residency. It is by the beach and a very good hotel. The view of the huge Lord Shiva statue and the Gopuram is cool. In the morning visited the beach which was not so clean and had some speed boat rides. Snorkelling is an option to an island about 3 hrs. The view from the top of Gopuram is a must.

We left Murudeshwar by 1 and reached bangalore by 2am(13hrs with 3 breaks) via Jog falls,shivamoga ,bhadravati,channrayapatna,bengaluru. Although the road is better there is lot of traffic from shimoga to arsikere hence i would prefer shimoga chitradurga road even if it's a bit bad.

Karnataka truly as it is said one state many worlds, it has it all. From forests to beaches to temples to hills.It was one of the most memorable experiences along with a fantastic group of colleagues. Life is short but the memories live on......

AjMusto

Android in the Enterprise

Apple’s IOS has been a dominating force in the enterprise market after BlackBerry. The key feature which was introduced for enterprise adoption of BlackBerry was the BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) which allows receiving mails and chatting functions on phones as well as synchronization of work calendars on phones. Even though capturing the mobile OS market, Android is still unable to capture the enterprise market but surely this is going to change in future as more and more features in the recent OS version releases have been added taking into consideration the Enterprise.
When weighing Android versus iOS, companies have to figure out if Android's overall advancements in features and security are enough to compete with iOS in the enterprise.
In 2012, Google rolled out two major Android operating system updates: Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean, both of which did a great job making the tablet and phone versions of the OS look and feel more similar. We also saw the first enterprise app store for Android in December.

• Multiuser support: This feature allows more than one employee to have their own customizable spaces on a single device. The benefit is that, if a small sales force or other team has a limited need for tablets, you can implement device-sharing and save on hardware costs. Newer tablets can support up to eight users, with up to three active users simultaneously. They can all sync data at the same time and use the same apps.
• KeyChain API:  Many companies have now started the BYOD program (Bring your own devices) which enables employees to bring their personal devices and use them for office work. Android 4.0 (ICS) comes with a number of enhancements that make it easier for people to bring their personal Android devices to work. Back in Android 1.6 (Donut), a system key store was added for use by VPN. Although this was later expanded to support WiFi authentication, applications weren’t able to access it. In the past, it was common practice for apps to maintain their own key store if they needed to authenticate a secure SSL web server, or authenticate the user to a server via a client certificate. While this works, it can present manageability issues in an enterprise environment where multiple certificates may be shared across a number of apps such as Email and Browser.To bridge the gap in ICS, there’s a new API named KeyChain that regulates application access to the system key store and allows users to grant application access to the credentials stored there. Additionally, this API enables applications to initiate installation of credentials from X.509 certificates and PKCS#12 key stores.
• Malware-prevention improvements: Android added features such as address space layout randomization, which makes it harder for malware to locate key data structures; and data execution prevention, which stops malware from executing code from certain regions. Android security still has a ways to go, but these are steps in the right direction.
• Security and encryption: Ice Cream Sandwich provides full internal storage encryption on both phones and tablets. ICS adds ASLR (Address space layout randomization) to Android to protect the system and apps from memory exploits. Address space layout randomization (ASLR) is a computer security method which involves randomly arranging the positions of key data areas, usually including the base of the executable and position of libraries, heap, and stack, in a process's address space. ICS also has a new public keychain framework to make it easier for applications to manage authentication and secure sessions. And, as with every release, ICS fixes bugs, cleans up permissions, and improves end user insight into security issues.
• Device management and Exchange ActiveSync: Ice Cream Sandwich updates Exchange support to use the EAS v14.1 protocol. ICS adds EAS policy support for limiting attachment sizes, disabling attachment downloads, enforcing manual sync while roaming, and disabling the camera. That brings the total number of supported EAS policies to 16. ICS additionally enables client certificate authentication to Exchange servers. Many of these device management capabilities, such as remote wipe and password strength enforcement, are also available in Android’s open Device Management APIs for other device management solutions.
• VPN support: Ice Cream Sandwich adds out-of-box support for pure IPSec VPNs to support many commonly deployed VPN routers. This complements the pre-existing support for L2TP, L2TP/IPSec PSK, L2TP/IPSec RSA, and PPTP VPNs. ICS also creates a new platform for SSL VPN clients which can be downloaded from the Android Market. This new service provides enhanced security with an always-on VPN.

Because Android is an open source OS, device manufacturers (can and do) make significant modifications and additions. With its wildly popular Galaxy S III and Note II, Samsung was the largest manufacturer of smartphones in 2012, shipping 63.7 million units in the fourth quarter alone, according to IDC. The company added its own enterprise security features, including advanced Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support and AES 256-bit device encryption, through its Samsung Approved for Enterprise (SAFE) program.
Do the native OS improvements and additional capabilities such as SAFE mean Android is ready to uproot iOS in the enterprise? The answer is maybe. Android's variety of features and rate of innovation are impressive, but what makes Android great for consumers is what makes it difficult for organizations. On one hand, consumers have many customizable devices to choose from. On the other hand, organizations that let users bring their own devices face the prospect of supporting four to six different OS versions running on literally hundreds of different phones made by a handful of manufacturers. This fragmentation makes it difficult to support, create apps for and manage the security of Android devices in the enterprise.
Apps for iOS, on the other hand, consistently work well across four different OS versions. Apple makes all the iOS devices, and they seem to integrate with Windows better than Android. And it offers features such as guided access, which allows IT to limit certain functions of apps. Its certificate-based VPN authentication works with virtually all Apple products, whereas your VPN may only work with a specific Android version or device.

Apple is the choice currently, but Android is picking up in the enterprise. Look for small, upstart companies to align with Android, because they do not have a large Windows infrastructure and they can align more easily with other Google products, such as Google Apps.

Mobile Smartphone OS

Below is a brief writeup of current leading smartphone OSes:

Android from Google Inc (free and open source)
Android was developed by a small startup company (Android Inc.) that was purchased by Google Inc. in 2005. Android is a Linux-derived OS backed by Google, along with major hardware and software developers (such as Intel, HTC, ARM, Samsung, Motorola and eBay, to name a few), that forms the Open Handset Alliance. Released on November 5th 2007, the OS was well received from a number of developers upon its introduction. Android's releases prior to 2.0 (1.0, 1.5, 1.6) were used exclusively on mobile phones.  Android 3.0 was a tablet-oriented release and does not officially run on mobile phones. The current Android version is 4.2.2. Android's releases are Cupcake (1.5), Frozen Yogurt (2.2), Honeycomb (3.0), Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) and Jelly Bean (4.1). Recent releases 4.0 and 4.1 were released keeping in mind a single OS for both phones and tablets. On November 15, 2011, Android reached 52.5% of the global smartphone market share.

iOS from Apple Inc. (closed source, proprietary, on top of open source Darwin core OS)
The Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and second-generation Apple TV all use an operating system called iOS, which is derived from Mac OS X. Currently all iOS devices are developed by Apple and manufactured by Foxconn or another of Apple's partners.

BlackBerry 10 from BlackBerry (closed source, proprietary)
BlackBerry 10 (previously BlackBerry BBX) the next generation platform for BlackBerry smartphones and tablets. In other words, there will be only one OS for both Blackberry smartphones and tablets going forward as in Android and iOS.
   
Windows Phone from Microsoft (closed source, proprietary)
On February 15th, 2010, Microsoft unveiled its next-generation mobile OS, Windows Phone. The new mobile OS includes a completely new over-hauled UI inspired by Microsoft's "Metro Design Language". It includes full integration of Microsoft services such as Microsoft SkyDrive and Office, Xbox Music, Xbox Video, Xbox Live games and Bing, but also integrates with many other non-Microsoft services such as Facebook and Google accounts.

Approximate Mobile smartphone OS market share:
Android        67%
iOS             19%
BlackBerry   5%
Windows      4%
Others          5%

Enter the Dragon at Lou Han Chinese Restaurant[PURE VEG]

Shocked or surprised to see a Pure Veg tag with a Chinese Restaurant, me too when i first saw it especially in the Koramangala-HSR belt where pure vegetarian restaurants are as few as tigers in our country!!!!

For a regular outsite eater like me it was quite an unique experience especially if you have the company of Uppi,Swetha,Ramu and Viks!!!Viks and I had stayed back in office due to work and were planning to leave  office at around 7:45pm where we suddenly caught hold of Uppi Dada. Uppi was in great mood(dont know the reason why) and was also very hungry i guess. 7:45 pm is such a bad time in office because you just dont get anything sizeable to eat. The very thought of waiting for another one hour for dinner at office flashed a lightning idea in Uppi's mind to go out for dinner and I was quick to oblige obviously to avoid home food on that day. Ultimately it was decided to go to HSR and then find a hotel and off we went in our Hondas.

After few confusions regarding the direction I and Viks reached LOU HAN after Uppi,Ramu and Swetha had arrived. Now here enter Swetha and Ramu as they were not part of the original plan but later it was on Uppi's request and Swetha's suggestion of Lou Han nearby to all that both of them entered into the scene.

ENTER THE DRAGON was the feeling when we entered seeing all the ancient Chinese artifacts and also I was still in an astonishing mood seeing a Veg tag for a Chinese hotel. I and Viks joined the small table for five with an extra chair where others were seated but i felt it was small atleast for my apetite. Swetha too felt the same and we decided to shift to a larger table as I overheard Ramu and Swetha speaking "Woh Chillayigi, Swetha tu Sambhal Lena"!!!
Now there was one more drama which had happened before we came which I was unaware of. The restaurant owner's wife who was in charge that day had asked these 3 ppl to occupy the bigger table(the one which we were going to occupy now) since we were 5 but they felt that the smaller one would satisfy our needs so they rejected her offer and went and sat on the smaller one. The owner' wife was slightly furious with that one naturally but had then served water on the previous table. She had gone inside the kitchen when we shifted to the bigger table just like sly cats.

ENTER THE REAL DRAGON when she came back out of the kitchen and saw us in her recommended table. Wow the words that came out were pure Chinese fire and we just had to duck it. Our journey was just beginning. Now for half an hour she did not put plates or give a glass of water leave alone taking the order, I guess she was furious.Unfortunately on that day there was only one cook,one waiter and this lady as all the others had gone on vacation due to Christmas-New year.  She sent the smart looking hair over face waiter to take the order. Now this was one of the greatest part, for whatever we ordered we got an answer "Time lagega",soup time lagega ek ghanta lagega, noodles time lagega. Swetha got frustrated and asked atleast can you get finger chips quickly his answer was stunningly "Time lagega Madam,Dekho Aloo ko lena padega, kaatna padega phir thel me dalna padega,time to lagega!!!" we broke out into big time laughter. After coming back to senses we finally ordered Hot and Sour soup,Manchow soup,Wanton soup, Singapore flat noodles , Macaroni and finally Ramu's favorite Soya Fish( one dipped in Schezwan sauce and another in noodle sauce).  Everybody please note that Soya Fish is a PURE VEG dish which is made fully of Soya dipped in sauce of your choice. This was verified, tested over many times and signed off personally by none other than our very own Ramu, after i looked at him hearing this!!!!!!

Without Uppi's ghost stories, Ramu's innocence, Swetha's smartness, Viks's wry smiles and my silence we  would have had to start eating our body parts(HUNGRY DRAGONS) as they took almost one and a half hour to get our first dish, Soups !!! We got lost into Pune,Mumbai,Mangalore(famous Bittu da Dhaba,atleast for Uppi and me), gullies of China in that one and a half hour before we had the sight of our dish. But then the rest of the dishes came very quickly and the wait was well worth it!!! I enjoyed every sip and byte of food at Lou Han, yummy. Simple and definitely affordable. A must go for all Vegans atleast.

 Finally we settled the bill with the famous Aunty(fiery but good at heart) who was now in good mood  as Uppi had spoken a few Chinese words with her when she had served Pepsi. So Alls well that ends well  and we all ended that night with a sweet Maghai Paan outsite the restaurant.

But what an evening it turned out to be, an unforgettable enjoyable moment atleast in my short biological life span. Thanks to Swetha,Ramu, Uppi and Viks!!!!
Xie Xie once again!!!

INTO THE LAST LANDS OF THE TIGER

Distance travelled: 1563 Km            

Number of days: 6

Route: Bangalore ----> Hubli ------> Dandeli Tiger Reserve ----->Sirsi---> Shimoga--->Bhadra Tiger Reserve------> Bangalore

Finally after much debate in a round table conference at around 11 in the night whether to go abroad or further explore India or go with my BMS gang to Lakshadweep I came to a conclusion: It was Uttara Kannada with my family. I had to abide by my father’s rule: two family outings in a year.

After last minute bookings, plannings and packings we made the final push in order to find our national animal in the wild.

Day1: 16/01/2011

Our Innova arrived at 6 am sharp and we hopped into it at 6:30 am all because of my brother who constantly refused to get out of the bed so early. Bid adeiu to my 2 dogs Tussi and Zorro who looked rather disappointing since their daily biscuits had gone for a toss[atleast for 6 days]. Soon we were on NH4 and the tolls at almost 5kms of NH had begun to take a toll of me. I was assigned the job of navigation as well as keeping the driver alert hence i had to fight off Mr Sleep who time and again knocked at my doors. We reached Hubli at noon, had lunch and rest at the hotel and headed out to Unkal lake. It was a beautiful lake with sunset in the background but badly maintained as usual. Next was Nrupatunga Betta a hillock which gave a fascinating view of Hubli town. Looks like a weekend picnic spot for many as there was a huge rush. We retired for the night at the hotel after a quick dinner and shopping.

Day 2: 17/01/2011

After a few snaps in front of Kittur Rani Channamma we headed to our destination Dandeli about a 100 km from Hubli. It is situated on the banks of River Kali famous for its white water rafting.

 We had booked our rooms in Jungle lodges Kali adventure resort. We were greeted by Langurs, giant malabar squirrel at the resort. Unfortunately there was just another family in the resort who were not interested in rafting and the resort people needed 5 members for it. Only me and my brother were ready for this thrilling experience hence this was dropped. Instead they offered a coracle ride on the Kali. All 5 with life jackets balanced ourselves on the coracle and set off towards crocodile island.

 On the croc island we spotted a hard rock like figure: An immovable baby croc taking its sunbath. Fear than slowly started taking over adventure as we spotted another mammoth croc nearby and we were back after an hours coracle ride. After a sumptuous buffet our next activity was Jeep safari into the Dandeli Anshi Tiger Reserve. It was an amazing ride as it was an open jeep with fresh oxygen gushing out the CO2 from within us. We reached the gates of the Tiger reserve and the only thing in my mind at that time was Tiger. Dandeli earlier known as Dandakaranya is a huge forest spanning about thousands of sqkm with about 10 Tigers according to latest census.

You cannot buy an experience of spotting a Tiger in the wild. Tigers are shy mammals and are very difficult to spot unlike other members of the CAT family. We roamed the dense thick jungle for almost two hours our heads rotating like owls but we only managed to spot jackals, peacock and jungle fowls. The only satisfying part of this safari was a small trek in the middle of the jungle to a view point which showed a picturesque view of 1/4th of Dandeli forest.

After a stint at the camp fire and a healthy dinner we were fast asleep next only to hear the birds chirp in the morning.

Day 3:18/01/11

After a guided nature walk in the jungles we headed to Supa dam in Ganeshgudi. After a short stay we checked out towards Magod falls. What a magnificent fall more than satisfying to our eyes. My mother took a distant view while we trekked to view the falls in all angles. After a few snaps we were back in our mobile AC room heading towards Sirsi. On the way was Sahasralinga in which rocks on the river was carved out to make 1000 Shiva lingas about 1000 years back. After our respect to Lord Shiva we checked in the hotel and we headed to famous Marikamba temple in Sirsi. What a sight of the Goddess which really got goosebumps on my body.

Day 4: 19/01/11

This was the toughest day of the journey in terms of travelling. We started to Yana known as the trekkers paradise about 50 km from Sirsi. Google maps was of huge help to get there. One thing I really appreciate was roads in Uttara kannada. All roads narrow, wide, main, remote are tarred and very good.

Yana is a natural formation of a monolithic rock which is believed to bein form of a Shiva linga. A great sight which is a proof of Mother Natures unbelievable creations. Below is a Shiva temple in which half linga is dark i.e it is always wet. Next was the adventure into the caves where my fellow traveller who visits frequently tells that during monsoon we can find snakes at will in the caves. We went inside to witness the awe inspiring beauty of the caves. We did manage to find lots of bats in the darkest corner of the caves.

From Yana we then went to Unchalli falls and was surprised to see so much water in the falls especially at this time of the year.This feels like a better one than Magod falls but each one has its own speciality. The trek to the viewpoint of about a km was very tiring especially after the trek in Yana but it was worth it.

It was 2:30 pm and the world famous Jog Falls was 50Km away. The visitors to Unchalli had been to Jog before coming here and advised us not to go as there was no water in Jog. We were disappointed as this time too we would miss it but I made up my mind. Water or not Jog falls is Jog falls .We reached there at 4:30 and saw the magnificent Jog. A thin strip of water was falling amidst the huge crater.  I have made up my mind to visit once again when it is in full flow(Raja,Rani,Roarer,Rocket in full strength) and also to go to the Mungaru Male spot.

After Jog we went to Shimoga at around 9pm as this was the best place to stay and also was nearby Bhadra.

Day 5: 20/01/11

 

Off we go to another Tiger reserve. This time the Bhadra. On the way we found the Bhadra dam which was yet another example of the season in Karnataka. We made our way into Jungle lodges: River Tern Lodge. This is by far the best resort in the whole of Karntaka if you ask me. At the reception we noticed the board which shouted about animal sightings. As i was engrossed in the listing the receptionist told me he was giving us cottages on an island.

My mother was quick to ask him if there was any coracle ride again(after our experiences in Dandeli) to the island but to our relief a bridge was built to that island that means a walking trip. What a view from our cottage: overlooking the backwaters held by the Bhadra dam. 

The rafting missed in Dandeli was somewhat fulfilled in water sports in the resort: Kayaking, swimming and trampoline on the calm waters for an hour with my brother and uncle. I and my brother were in one kayak rowing our hearts out. This excitement took us to the middle of the huge backwaters where the guide tells us that the depth is 180ft. We were quick to turn it back even though my brother relied on my swimming skills and life jacket. After this exciting hour we stormed into the buffet as it was already 1:30pm. Almost all seats were occupied majority of them foreigners.

After a few minutes rest we were on course for yet another Tiger spotting within a span of 3 days. The Bhadra wildlife sanctuary said the gates and in we went. Bhadra boasts of 25 tigers, 50 leopards and 300 elephants and I had high hopes. It was again a disappointing safari with only deer spotting. March/April said the driver when we told him about our experiences in Tiger spotting. But he did manage to show Tiger droppings which were 5 days old according to him.

A fantastic view of the Bhadra dam in night, our trek on the bridge to the island where our cottages were from our dining area, water sports were some of the highlights.

Day 6: 21/01/11

 Next day morning was a beautiful sunrise and a motor boat ride along the Bhadra. Our hopes of finding a tiger had still not vanished. We saw the River tern bird after which the resort is named with its yellow beak shining in the early morning sunrays. Brahmini Kite, Kingfishers were common sightings.

We were definitely disappointed with not finding the Tiger but there was some light ahead of the dark tunnel. We were informed of the Tyavarekoppa lion/tiger sanctuary in Shimoga. After an hour’s drive we  were in caged vans. This sanctuary is based on similar lines as of Bannerghata.   We entered it and there it was : His Highness the Tiger. What a view of the big cat which hopeless people have mercilessly killed for short term gains. At that time of excitement sadness crept in to see these majestic creatures enclosed in a small area. With this mixture of feelings we went into next enclosure where King of the jungle was happily enjoying his sleep. A few leopards, jackals, lots of deer are other attractions of this sanctuary.

Finally after our lunch we headed back to Bangalore and as we got nearer we became more familiar with the noise and air of our city.

My dream of finding a Tiger in the wild remains a dream and hope to turn it into reality one day. My trips to Dandeli, Bhadra, Bandipur, Nagarhole, Periyar, Mudumalai, Satyamangalam have failed to convert this into reality but i will never give up until my last breath!!!

See you soon my Wild Tiger, hopefully in Corbett/Ranathambore/Kanha/Siberia.