Golden Temple in Sripuram, Vellore - Marvelous

We visited Sripuram Golden Temple in Vellore, this weekend. The temple can easily astonish the visitors. This is one of the best Hindu temples that I've ever visited. I heard that they took nearly 7+ years to build this temple and I can understand the time spent on this project.

The temple is built in an area of 100 acres of land, surrounded by a village called Thiruamalaikodi. Golden temple is located in SriPuram which is in Vellore, mid-way between Hosur/Bangalore and Chennai. It takes approximately 3 hours to get there from Hosur or Chennai. We just took a Google map to get there and believe it or not, it was very accurate. Not trusting Google, we stopped in a couple of places on the way to confirm the directions. The localites were very helpful in directing us. (Also read: Kovai Trip - Maruthamalai Visit)

The drive from NH46 in Vellore to the temple is nearly 10Kms. There is proper parking facilities near the temple, for Two Wheelers, Cars, and tourist vans/buses. They charged us Rs.30 for the car parking. You aren't allowed to carry mobile phones or cameras/camcorders into the temple. You can leave them in your car or in the dedicated stalls which are inside the temple. There is multi-level security checks and they make sure that you aren't sneaking-in with these gadgets. There is no entry fee - however, if you want to avoid a long queue or if you want to take a closer look at "Lakshmi Narayini" you can get a "Divya Darshan ticket". The "Divya Darshan Ticket" costs Rs.100 per person, which also gets you some "Prasadam". "Divya Darshan" is free for kids under 7. There is wheel chair assistance for elderly people and you need to purchase a ticket for that.

The main gate of the temple was HUGGGEEEE - resembled the gates that you would normally see in forts/palaces. You have to walk at least 1 km from the main gate, to get to the main temple ("Moola Praharam"). It was hard for me to believe what I saw inside the temple ... the place looked exactly like a Telugu movie set - but, it was real. The entire facility is 3+ years old and it still looked stupendous. Lush parks, beautiful fountains, neat walk ways, stalls serving snacks, proper restroom facilities ... - the place looked more like an "attraction" than a temple.  I wish I had a chance to take some pictures inside. But, the photographs that I took with my naked eyes are still fresh in my memory.

It took us nearly 20 minutes to get to the Moola Praharam. There was no waiting at all. They had placards carrying spiritual inscriptions along the walkways. The view of the main temple was "magnificent". The main temple was soaked in gold and it glittered with the kisses from Sun rays. There was a pool of water around the main temple and my daughter asked "Dad! Is the temple floating on the water?". It indeed looked as-if the main temple was floating on the water. There was no one pushing you or pulling you in 8 different directions and we had a very peaceful darshan.

The difference between our visit to Golden Temple & Tirupathi is ... when you come out of Golden Temple, you feel peaceful and more energized. But, when you come of out of Tirupathi, you are completely exhausted and tired. The temple authorities had stores strategically located near the exit, selling articrafts, souvenirs, and idols. There were also "Anna dhanam" facilities serving "free food" to devotees. The temple was filled with seasonal "Sabarimala devotees" and there were people from all walks of life. (Also read: Tirupathi Tirumala Visit - May be the last?)

The temple looked more like a commercial establishment/attraction. They had workers who are neatly dressed and carrying proper identification cards. There were security personnel deployed all over the place. They had people watering and maintaining the gardens. There were clear sign-boards everywhere - written in Tamil, English and Kannadam(?).

We spent nearly an hour and a half inside the temple. But, you can easily spend 3 or 4 hours inside the temple if you are very spiritually inclined. There are hawkers selling snacks/toys outside the temple and there were enough restaurants near by. You can get to the center of the Vellore city in about 15 minutes from the temple and there are neat restaurants there. (Also read: Rameswaram Trip Experiences)

Overall, I enjoyed our trip to Golden Temple in Sripuram Vellore. If you are in/around Chennai, I would definitely recommend you to visit the temple.

Chennai Marina Beach - Free recreation for everyone

Chennai Marina Beach - A place where the "law of diminishing marginal utility" fails miserably. Irrespective of the number of times that I visit, Marina Beach provides the same comfort, cheer and peacefulness. What a wonderful place on earth, it is? Despite the staggering crowd, you are always assured of one thing - free recreation !

(Also read: Panambur Beach in Mangalore - Extremely beautiful)

The sands of Marina Beach is always filled with people, like bees in a beehive. You can see people from all walks of life - people of varied economical background, people from different cities, speaking different languages, and belonging to different age groups. Evenings in the beach are more pleasant and lively. You can see several students/youngsters hanging out with their friends, people chit-chatting, kids actively playing, and folks taking their evening walk. Though it is heavily crowded, you can still have some quiet moments with your friends and family.

Sitting along the shore and watching the waves which never give up - we tend to forget our worries. The beach not only provides "free recreation", but there is also a number of commercial outlets. You get all sorts of food items to eat - coffee/tea, soft drinks, ice creams, popcorn, and a variety of snacks (fried fish, nuts, bajji, murukku, sundal etc.,). 

In addition to the eateries, there are attractions like carousels, horse rides, and shooting. The other attractions in  Marina are the memorials of late Chief Ministers Anna Durai and MG Ramachandran, who managed to find spots to "sleep forever" in beach. 

Adults and kids are equally excited to get to their feat drenched. Kids enjoy building sand castles. Sit on the beach for a few minutes, you'll be approached at least by a few guys selling sundal/murukku or ground nuts or cotton candy. You can see people offering services to predict your future by palm reading or through parrot astrology. There are spots for photo shoot-outs with popular movie stars and politicians. There are shops/hawkers selling toys, balloons, flute and hand made articrafts with shells.

You may be tempted to take a dip in the ocean. But, swimming in the ocean is banned. Still, youngsters try to take a dip in the ocean despite the ban and police patrol. Government has recently introduced "all-terrain" vehicles for police patrol. There are dedicated swimming pools for the passionate swimmers. I heard that there is also a membership program for "regular" swimmers. (Also read: Brownstone Apartments Swimming Pool)

There are restrooms in the beach which are maintained reasonably well. There is sufficient parking space for two-wheelers, cars, and even tourist buses. You can easily spend 2 - 3 hours in the beach. Kids definitely like the Marina Beach, more than adults.  (Also read: A visit to Arignar Anna Zoological Park - Vandalur)

The eateries in the beach make the place untidy. People may not be throwing trash on the center of their living room - but, they cool-ly throw them on the beach. The quality of sand is very bad. There are NGOs who try to clean-up the beach once in a while. However, I consider such activities "as correction" instead of "prevention". Littering Marina beach should be considered as a crime. Government should not be just focusing on keeping the pavements clean and developing gardens near the beach - but also to keep the beach sand clean. The eateries in the beach are "unregulated" and hence, they do their fair share of polluting the sand and the water. I don't see many trash bins in the beach. There were a few of them - but were close to the road. (Also read: Heavy rains turned Chennai to Venice)

Despite the limitations, I still love to go to Marina Beach - because of the beautiful waves, the crowd, and the free recreation mother nature provides.

Christmas, Christians & Christianity in India

Christmas and Christianity is becoming popular in India. There was once a time, when only a few houses in an entire area, that hang "Christmas stars" outside. Today, there are few houses in every street, with glittering "Christmas stars" hung outside.

Christmas is getting celebrated in a big way, in India. Since it is a government holiday, many party halls and restaurants are filled with people. It isn't just common man who is celebrating Christmas, in India. Even commercial establishments and eateries make Christmas, a big event. They announce a lot of sweet deals and offers around Christmas. News papers are filled with Christmas related advertisements.

Santa Claus is getting popular in schools, these days. My daughter in KG, came home with a small toy car and some candy. She said "Santa Claus came to our school today to give gifts to everyone !!". She was very cheerful on getting a gift from Santa Claus. 

My uncle is a Christian for several decades now. A couple of my relatives converted to Christianity, recently. Though I'm not a strong believer of one particular religion, I'm quite surprised by the conversion rate. I learned that Christian missionaries help folks who are in "need". In fact, one of my
relatives got an aid to set up a petty shop. Needless to say that he became a Christian.Christian missionaries run several schools in Chennai - many of them provide free education to the needy and to the bright students. One of my neighbors died unexpectedly and the Christian school in which his sons studied, took care of the kids' educational expenses.

There is a church in every other street, now. When I say church, don't imagine a Roman style church. Folks have rented out or converted large halls into churches for their regular prayers. Just take a morning walk, you would notice a number of people attending early morning prayers/mass in the churches.

Sundays are very special. You can see a number of Christians, well dressed up and with a bible in their hand, visiting churches. People of different age groups, different gender, different race, different economical status attend the mass on Sundays. It is nice to see people getting disciplined. Christians do organize processions on special days such as Christmas. Of course, when there is crowd, there are beggars. Beggars gather outside the church, eagerly waiting for the mass to be over, to get alms.

I did some Internet search to find numbers to substantiate my observations, on the growth of Christianity. However, I could find none. Christians constitute only 2.34% of the overall Indian population (based on census data published in 2004). The growth rate of Christianity in 2004 was 23% (when compared to 21% in 1991). The numbers don't add-up to justify my observations. I'm very curious to see the results of the census data being gathered now, in India.

Panambur Beach in Mangalore - Extremely beautiful !

I had been to Mangalore a few weeks back to attend a wedding. The wedding happened in TMA Pai Convention Center. My friend & I stayed in Hotel Deepa Comforts, near the convention center. After the wedding, I had a few hours before catching the return flight to Chennai. My friend and I decided to go out and spend a few hours. (Also read: Night stay in Bangalore airport - rethink)

We checked at the hotel reception desk - "What are some good places to see in Mangalore?". The receptionist swiftly said "Sir ! Mangalore is famous for temples. There are lots of them. However, most of them would be closed at this time. You can visit a beach, if you like". "What is the closest beach", I asked. She said "Panambur Beach. That is just 12 kms from here". "Do you know how much auto wallas charge?", I asked. She said "No sir ! But, in Mangalore, autos go by metered fares. So, you don't have to worry about the fare"  (Also read: Chennai Marina Beach - Free recreation for everyone)

My friend and I checked-out of the hotel, came out to the road and stopped an auto rickshaw. He said, "Sir! You've to pay me 1.5 times the meter fare to get to Panambur Beach. I've to return empty - nobody boards from there to here". We didn't want to bargain/argue in a strange land - especially, without knowing the local language. It took about 20 minutes, to get to Panambur beach.

Panambur beach is located in an industrial area, and close to the Mangalore Port. There were a couple of "coal" factories near the beach. The access to the beach was through a polluted road - the area completely soaked in black by the nearby coal factories. However, we were pleasantly surprised when the auto rickshaw dropped us near the beach. The beach was maintained very well. There were play structures for the kids. They had small gardens in the area. The sand was "crystal clear" and "clean" - no trash, and no dust. There were a few eateries nearby. The beach itself was small. However, there were many people even at 3 o'clock, when the sun was shining bright and hot. I thought we were the only jokers to go to a beach at that time. But, there was enough company for us :)

Some folks were riding water scooters. There were people (government appointed?) to monitor the safety of the folks entering the sea. There were small tents providing shade for the people. We spent nearly 2 hours in the beach. On our return journey, we stopped at the nearby auto rickshaw stand. The guys in the stand demanded 1.5 times the meter fare, again. Their rationale was "Sir ! We aren't from the city. We have to come back to this place empty. So, you have to pay 1.5 times the meter fare". We didn't have much choice and ended up paying 1.5 times fare (Rs.150).

Panambur beach is extremely beautiful. If you are in Mangalore and looking for a place to kill couple of hours, Panambur beach is a must-see.  (Also read: Chennai Marina Beach - Free recreation for everyone)

Night stay in Bangalore airport - Rethink

I had been to Mangalore a few weeks ago, to attend a friend's wedding. I had booked my travel in Kingfisher airlines (one of the budget airlines in India). The flight tickets were booked at least 3 months in advance. It is a direct flight from Chennai to Mangalore and I got a good deal - the round trip cost only Rs.8K. But, the actual fun(?) started only 2 days before the trip.

I got a call from Kingfisher airlines, 2 days before the trip. I was told that the direct flight to Mangalore was canceled and they've to put me in a different flight. Since there were no other direct Kingfisher flights to Mangalore, I decided to take a flight to Bangalore, stay there at night and reach Mangalore, the next day morning. (Also read: Panambur Beach in Mangalore - Extremely beautiful)

After reaching Bangalore airport, I went to the Karnataka Tourism Counter to find out if there are any hotels nearby, for an overnight stay. The guy in the counter gave me a brochure from the nearby hotel, which said "Rs.2700 for a room". In a country where people pay "Rs.2700" as monthly rent for their house, "Rs.2700" for an overnight stay sounded too much. I asked him "Are there any other hotels in the vicinity". He said "No Sir ! This is the only hotel that is close to the airport. You have to go to the city which is 30km away, to find a hotel". Since I didn't travel with my family, I decided to stay in the Bangalore domestic airport overnight.

Bangalore domestic airport didn't have a proper lounge for overnight stay. I ended up sleeping on the chair, in sitting posture. The chairs in the airport didn't have any cushion and they aren't comfortable at all. Somehow, I managed to spend an entire night in the airport. In the morning, I got up and took the early morning flight to Mangalore. Thank god, I didn't travel with my family. Otherwise, I would've to take the hotel room for Rs.2700.  (Also read: Traveling near restrooms isn't fun)

The new Bangalore airport is 30 - 40 kms away from the city. Most of the hotels are located at least 20 - 30 kms away from the airport. Since the airport is new and is in a remote place, there are not many hotels around for a "common man" to stay overnight. Of course, "common man" in India doesn't fly :)

R2I Change of Address - Checklist

One of the key things to do during your move from US to India, is providing "Change of Address". Should I be giving change of address to Post Office, Bank, 401k Provider, Social Security Administration, etc.,? Can I give foreign address to institutions in US? Can I setup mail forwarding from US to India? This post is intended to address some of the commonly asked questions on R2I Address Change.

(Also read: Return to India (R2I) - 25 things to do)

When returning from USA, you should have given the change of address to all the concerned parties, so that they can mail you the income tax statement. Otherwise, you may have to chase each of them to send you soft copies by email. Hopefully, you gave the address of a friend who lives in his/her own house. That way, you don't have to worry about change of address when your friend shifts his/her house. Inform/remind your friend that he/she may receive your income tax statements from different sources. This will help them to keep an eye on it.

Post Office - Giving "Change of Address" to your post office is one of the important things you should do. It is recommended to give the address of a friend who owns a house (A friend who rents a house may move around). Also, the friend has to be very reliable. He/she shouldn't miss important mail communications to you.

(Note: There are services that provide you a local P.O Box address in US and does international mailing of shipment to India. I don't have much details on them and I'm not sure how reliable they are)

Employer - Your employer would have to send your W2 statement at the end of the financial year. You would need that to file your tax returns. You need to give your employer the address to which they've to mail your W2 statement. You can give your India address or ask your employer to ship the W2 statement to your friend's address. Your friend can courier it to you or scan it and send it to you, for filing the tax returns online.

401K Provider - Depending upon the provider, you can give a foreign address. For ex., Vangaurd would allow you to maintain a foreign address for your 401k account. (Also read: R2I - 401(k) closure FAQs)

Bank / Credit Cards - Many banks allow you to provide a foreign address for communication. However, it is recommended to call the banking institution to confirm the same. In todays "hi-tech" world, you can do most of the transactions online and even get your monthly statements online. You can also give your friend's address in the Bank for communication.

Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) - You can give a foreign address in some of the DMVs. For example, Oregon DMV allows you to do that. Call & check with your DMV directly.

Jury Duty/Voters List - If you are a US Citizen, you can do the address change on voters list, in your DMV office itself. You're called for Jury Duty based on the records in Secretary of State offices (which they get from DMV) & Voters list. You can call your "State Election Offices" to do the change in Voters list (if DMV doesn't offer that service)

Social Security Administration - No address change required. However, you need to keep IRS informed about your address change. You should fill Form 8822, to notify IRS about your address change. SSA doesn't maintain your address records if you are not getting benefits currently (i.e., until you reach your retirement age). SSA gets the information from IRS (Internal Revenue Service). So, keep the IRS informed about your change of address. You can notify IRS regarding the address change by using Form 8822.

SSA would start tracking your address (on its own) only after you reach your retirement age. You can refer to the following FAQ on SSA website that provides additional information:

http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10028.html

(Also read: How can I get my Social Security benefits/money?)

Post R2I - Once you returned to India, there is no "formal" process to notify India government about R2I. If you have a PIO you may need to get it registered, at the FRRO. If you have an OCI, you don't need any registration.

In general, I would recommend you to give a friend's address for all the institutions in US, from whom you would receive correspondences. That way, the mail doesn't get lost/missed during international shipment.

US Citizens - US Citizens should let the consulate or nearest embassy know that they're residing/traveling in a foreign country. They should let the consulate know about the change of address - https://travelregistration.state.gov/

The following website provides additional address change instructions for US Citizens.

http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Services/Address_Changes.shtml

Note: This blog post provides a list of common places where you have to change your address. This isn't a comprehensive list.

Also read:

R2I Planning Guide
Returning to India - 25 things to do

Raw Vegetarian Diet - Experiment scaled down

I started experimenting "raw vegetarian diet", a few months ago. I liked the idea of eating uncooked vegetables and they really tasted good. However, I couldn't sustain my experiment for more than couple of months. There were several challenges that I faced during the experiment:

(Also read: Why am I a Vegan?)

• Vegetables that we get in the market/shop aren't "fresh" most of the times
• It takes lot of time to eat raw vegetables
• It also takes a lot of time for us to "digest" raw vegetables
• Raw vegetables generate lot of gas and stomach is always 'heavy'
• The craving for 'cooked' food is hard to control :-)

To add to all the above issues, I faced a severe indigestion problem for a few days and I decided to scale down my experiment significantly. Instead of trying to become a 100% raw vegetarian, I started to include more raw vegetables/fruits in my diet. Now, I'm getting the best of both the worlds - cooked as well as raw food. For the last several months, I'm able to sustain this diet model without any issues.

Also read:

A journey from non-vegetarian to raw-vegetarian
Why am I a Vegan?
Sunday - a day of mass murders in India