Bugga-A super small village

Ducked in the interior parts of Andhra  Pradesh (Kharimnagar dist) is a super small village called Bugga. I think we cant even call that a village because all it has is a small temple and literally 5 huts. The literal translation of the word Bugga is bubble.There is another small town with the same name in Khammam dist but I am not talking about the same Bugga.

 Bugga is locally famous for a very old Lord Shiva's temple. When we (husband and I) went to visit my parents last summer, they took us to the Bugga for a darshan and small picnic there. Since it was summer, most of the leaves are dry. Apparently it can get quite scary in rainy and winter seasons.
As we approached Bugga, the first thought which came to me was "wow, there are monkeys".
There was another family who were just leaving when we arrived. So we pretty much had the entire place for ourselves. The pujari/gurukkul/priest was someone in mid-40's. Apparently the temple was being maintained by his family since many generations. When I asked him how old the actual Shiva-lingam in the temple was, he only said its too old. He didn't have any specific year. Now, I would really appreciate if anyone knows of how old the shiva lingam is.
Also, its supposed to be Swayambhoo, which means, the lingam formed by itself and is not man made.

One of the intriguing things about this temple is the below water tank. All you see here is a small streak of water which is coming from the ground below in all seasons. There is no river/lake/sea nearby. It just comes from the ground and how its coming is a big mystery. Well, its a mystery only to me but even to a few specialist who have done elaborate research but found nothing!

This streak of water flows down to the little pond. Since its a very small streak, its just enough for the pujari to clean the temple, clean the Shiva lingam and also to keep water above the lingam so that it trickles down in drops.
Another strange thing is that the water has a sweet fragrance, no kidding!

Apparently a few years ago, some one funded the temple to be painted and new flooring to be done. If you ever get a chance to visit Kharimnagar dist in AP, I suggest you go there. It was an awesome experience.

My mom and my aunt had made Biryani, chicken, raita and some dessert for all of us. That reminds me, its the only temple I know of (with the exception of Kali) which actually allows its devotees to have non-veg, out side the premises of temple. We played cards, took pictures and made life time memories.

What if Ekalavya Said No?

I was quite surprised when I was going through Times of India online paper this morning about Ekalavya.

Dronacharya's act was shameful, says SC - The Times of India

Apparently, Supreme court has lashed out on Dronacharya's (Drona) act as shameful for asking the thumb of Ekalavya as Guru Dakhsina.
How the supreme court has time for this with so many pending cases is beyond me and besides the point. Before I rush to defend Drona's act, let me explain the story of Ekalavya in short.

Ekalavya was the young prince of Nishada tribes. He used to live near the ashram where Drona was teaching various arts to Pandavas. Ekalavya wants to join the class but was refused by Drona because Ekalavya belonged to lower caste.

Not to be put off, the brave Ekalavya, makes an idol of Drona in a jungle and teaches himself the art of archery. He learns so much so that his skills are far more superior to Arjuna, Drona's best student.

One day while Ekalavya was practicing archery in the jungle a dog starts to bark relentlessly. Ekalavya shoots arrows at it in such a way that the dogs mouth is filled with arrows but the dog is unharmed.

Seeing the dog like that, pandavas go in search of who had done such a great art. Ekalavya then says that Drona was the teacher.
Then, Drona asks for the thumb of Ekalavya as guru dhakshina so that Arjuna is still the best when it comes to archery. Ekalavya complies.
This is the story.

many people criticize Drona for doing this and many people commend the dedication Ekalavya had to sweetly comply with guru's wish.

Now, I personally think that Drona was not wrong in asking for thumb (in other words, punishing him professionally). First of all in the olden days caste system was followed. Every caste people had their business. Like Khatriyas protect the country, Brahmans perform puja's etc etc. So, we cannot blame Drona for not taking in Ekalavya.

Secondly, what exactly was Ekalavya trying to prove when he made an idol out of Drona? I mean, it was clear that Drona didnt want to teach him. So, Ekalavya should have respected that and should not have made that idol.
Also, when Pandavas ask who his teacher was...he says it was Drona. Why? This could have potentially gotten Drona killed if Pandavas actually believed Ekalavya. Also, its unethical to say he was Drona's pupil when he was not.

You can't teach yourself quantum mechanics by reading Feynman's book and then claim that you learnt quantum mechanics from Feynman himself.

For that reason alone, Ekalavya had deceived Drona and Drona had a right to ask him the thumb.

Also, what if Ekalavya said 'No' for giving the thumb?

Then, he would have gotten killed. Perhaps he stood a chance fighting Arjuna alone but not Drona and Arjuna together. In order to save his own life, he gracefully let his thumb go.

I am not saying this is what has happened but it a possibility that this is what was going on in Ekalavya's mind.

What say everyone?

Happy New Year!

To all my bogging buddies, have a great New Year ahead!

Things my Husband Says

Me: Honey, the tap in the kitchen is making weird noises. Can you please take a look?
Husband: Walk's over to the tap, "Tap, please stop making weird noises."

Me: I think its fair enough.
Husband: You think?
Me: dskjfaoiufjkasfdjal!

Husband: How are you today?
Me: I am fine.
Husband: I thought you were Madhu.

Is Mushroom a vegetarian food or Non-veg?

Ever wondered? I have this Sri Lankan colleague who started arguing with others at work that Mushrooms are non-veg and that she is not going to have mushrooms because its Saturday. That got me thinking, are Mushroom's really a veg or non-veg?

Mushrooms are not conceived in a womb, Mushrooms do not feel pain when you pluck them off, so they have got to be vegetarian. Also, they dont yelp when you throw a stone at them. Even Egg's dont yelp, so can it be a vegetarian too?
The counter argument is, they are thriving fungus! So, it has to be non-veg. The argument obviously is insufficient to be able to conclude weather or not mushroom is a vegetarian or not.

I started doing a bit of research (now you know what I do on free-time at work) on this and found a link to Srimad Bhagavad Gita: http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/bhagavad-gita-6-16.htm
According to Krishna or Krishna consciousness, if you will, don't indulge in over/under eating.

Food is divide in to 3 types according to Gita. Now it is up to us to decide where each food falls.

Saatvik (goodness): Milk, honey, vegetables, rice, lentils etc. If you ask me, eggs are also vegetarian. They are unfertilized by sperm isn't it? Also by definition, you are not causing pain to the egg when you make an omelet (just like you don't cause pain to carrots when you dig them out of soil). No offense to anyone, this is strictly my opinion. In my definition, egg falls into Saatvik category.
You might argue that we need to classify food based on cell-structure not where it comes from. I would not agree because when Gita was being written or when Krishna was defining Saatvik food, He didnt consider cell structure. If He did, we would have found some texts suggesting the same. Anyway, back to types of food.
Does it mean that it is time to redefine what "vegetarian" is?

Rajasik (Passion): Anything which is hot (chili-hot) and spicy falls into this category. From what I understand, there is no clear definition of which foods fall under this category.

Taamsik (Ignorance): Meat and meat products fall under this category. It always surprised me that, we Hindus give so much importance to religion, peace etc, yet Bhagavad Gita (or rather Kurukshetra) itself is a justification of why war is essential at times. Of course I fully believe that it is the Holiest of text's till date, yet the irony is not lost on me.

Another thing is, how many of us realize that its not about veg or non-veg but its about not killing animals for our wants/needs? For the same reason even leather cloths should also be a strict No for a practicing vegetarian. can we live without eating meat? Yes. But do I propagate that eating vegetarian food is the way to go? No. I am not against eating meat...and I don't try to persuade those who do to consider my perspective.

Its up to you, the reader to decide where Mushroom falls. It obviously does not fall under Saatvik, but it could be either Rajasik or Taamasik.

So, it is not possible for us to arrive at a blanket conclusion that Mushroom is a veg or a non-veg item.

Disclaimer: My intention is not to offend anyone. If I come across that way, let me know and I will edit my post. These views are just my views. So, you will have to let me know if I offended anyone, since that's not my intention.

From 9 to 19 to...errr

ha ha! I wish I could remain at 19 but I am not! We all grow up don't we? In the next few weeks I would be celebrating my birthday. When I was in my train last night, lost in thoughts as usual, I started reflecting on how I have changed over a period of time. If I were given a chance to go back change my life, I would not change anything except a few things here or there. But then, without bad experiences would I be still the same person that I am right now?

Over the years I have realized that no one but I am responsible for my own happiness. I have to learn to be happy irrespective of what the circumstances are. Usually I would have choices in the worst of the circumstances. Sometimes I get angry...only some times. Other times I just let it be. I have also learned that its OK to be angry and its to get tears in our eyes. Its OK, because I say so. It might not be the same with anyone else. This happens to me every time I have a fight with anyone!

I have learned that it is not possible to make everyone happy because some of them just do not want to be happy no matter how much we try. So, either brood over the fact that they are always upset or just let it pass...I have to make a choice. Usually I do let it pass. Usually we tend to apply this at work.

What I feel about myself is important to me.

I learned that people come as a package. Its OK if the person I am interacting with has a few 'flaws' (if you want to call that). Every quality in him/her defines what they are. Attempting to change them would only wreck them and the outcome might not be what you wanted to begin with. If I value the person as a whole, I should accept the person, complete with the qualities I do not like in him/her. Of course its not easy. But, we have to learn to accept the fact that they are a different person. I cannot and should not expect them to be like me or expect that they should agree with me every time. This happens all the time in friendships.

I dont have to agree with everything the other person says. Its OK to disagree respectfully. At the same time, I should not expect that the other person should agree with everything I say either!
I do tend to get busy at times, I learned that making small efforts like baking cookies on a Sunday morning would come a long way.

Sometimes I do not think what I say. This happens when I am with someone very close to me. I should learn to think twice even before opening my mouth in front of someone who is close to me also.

More to add...later.

One Fine Day...

Days when my husband works night shift and a regular working weekday for me:

4:45 AM: Alarm went off; I snoozed it and went back to sleep.
4:55: High time I get up; else I would miss my train to work.
5:30: Finished shower, hair-dry. Sit for break fast, pack my lunch bag.
5:45: Lock the door and set off to work.
5:47: Forgot the train pass. Come back home to grab it.
5:50: Miss the bus. Come back home.
6:15: Get the bus, get the train.
7:15: Change from train to bus again
8:00: Reach work and start working.
4:40: Get the train, reach home at 6:10 PM

6:10 PM: fresh-up a bit, change and have dinner.
6:30: Heat the water for Dal and rice for next day.
6:40: Get the dal and rice going. Chop onions for curry/fry
7:00: Get started with making curry/fry. While its being done...
7:15: Get a load of laundry started. Chop veggies for next day.
7:30: Finish off the curry/subzi. Get a glass of wine.
7:40: Get the tadka ready for dal. Oops, forgot the salt. Add a little salt and sambar powder.
7:45: Unload the dishwasher filled with clean dishes. [Michael Scott's voice from Office booming in the TV]
7:55: Go back to the basement, transfer the washed laundry in to drier. Come back upstairs. realize you forgot to switch off the light near the washer. go back downstairs again. I will have to put away the clean cloths only tomorrow.
8:10: Load the dish washer with dirty dishes. Wipe off the sink and kitchen counter.
8:25: Pack my lunch and snack box for next days work.
8:35: Clean the stove. Ouch, its still hot!
8:45: Water the indoor plants. Yes, little bit, every day.
8:50: I just cleaned the living room yesterday but still there is a bit of dust. Let me do it now.
9:00: Compost bag and the recycle bag are full. Change both.
9:10: Switch off all the lights, take the untouched glass of wine upstairs to the bed room.
9:15: Switch on the TV. Finish off the wine. Oh no...I didnt iron my cloths for next days work.
9:25: Finish off ironing my cloths.
9:30: Send a nite nite, miss you message to husband.
9:31: Get a reply from husband. Nite nite! Hope you relaxed. (me: sigh)
9:32: Fast asleep!

Next day, 4:45, my day starts all over again. Oh did I mention that its a day in Nov or Dec? If it were in Summer, I water the plants/grass outside for an hour. If its a snowy day, I get up at 4:30 AM to shovel the snow! When did life become so busy?
That's why I love it when my husband is not working night shifts. He helps a lot with cooking and almost always drops me off at work. I get to get up at 5:30 the days he is not working.
I have absolutely no idea how i am going to fit in kids when they do arrive!