Kingdom of IT, aka Bangalore IT.in, 2006

Unveiling, for the 9th year in succession, Bangalore IT.in Asia’s premier IT show that toa fabulous location like Bangalore Palace... An ideal platform for productive interfaces between CEOs, CTOs, Presidents, Managers, IT Professionals, Delegates and visitors from all over the world. This ICMT event is designed to inspire, innovate and empower. An opportunity rich with possibilities for joint ventures, information exchanges, networking, head hunting, fund sourcing, competition analysis and business exchanges. Refer ..


The spectacular growth in the IT sector is led by Karnataka, with Bangalore in the forefront as a global brand. Of the $23 billion IT exports registered during the last fiscal year (2005-06), Karnataka alone accounted for $8.3 billion, constituting around 37 percent of the total exports


With over 75,000 IT and related professionals logging in every year, many business transactions are conducted and closed. Be there for the enriching knowledge, conferences, trade shows and thrilling events. Arrive, connect, share, ideate and bond at Bangalore IT.in 2006. Refer..


As one of the favorite investment destinations in the country, Karnataka continues to attract four new IT companies with 100 percent foreign equity every week. About 40 percent of the 1.3- million software professionals across the country are employed in Bangalore. More..

Day Break!!

Bangalore has ample opportunities for marning walkers... people prefer to collect their newspaper or milk pouches after the walk... some of them prefer to sit by the road and relax on shop fronts before they open..

Some do claim that bangalore is still a laid back city, and I believe it fully...

Waiting....

Autorickshaw driver waits for customers at the auto stand, where every alternate road junctions 4-5 auto's cluster/queue up ... they have become very important and affordable means of transport...

Several celebrities have gone on auto rides during their visits to India. Bryan Adams, Enrique Iglesias and The Scorpions thought it was a nice way to explore the city; also, no one would recognise them in an auto. Itis generally believed that the auto offers a unique experience to foreigners because of the way autowallas drive. And autos are so tiny, they're able to dart between traffic. It's the novelty that makes it attractive...

In recent past Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were finally spotted taking in a bit of Pune , when they sampled an autorickshaw ride!

Paddle Away...

A human being travelling on a bicycle at low to medium speeds of around 10-15 mph (16-24 km/h), using only the energy required to walk, is the most energy-efficient means of transport generally available. Although there are many transportation options available the most preffered and economical option still remains to be Bicycles for the larger mass here ...

The small Bicycle shop seems to be crowded with lot of customers for pitty maintainance tasks such as oiling the chain, inflating the types etc...

 

Netaji, Subhash Chandra Bose ...

Netaji's statue in the Vidhana Soudha garden, Bangalore.

Subhash Chandra Bose, (Bangla: সুভাষ চন্দ্র বসু Shubhash Chôndro Boshu) (January 23, 1897 – August 18, 1945?note), also known as Netaji, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement against the British Raj. He is immortalised in Indian History for having formed the Azad Hind Government in exile, and regrouping and leading the Indian National Army to battle against the allies in Imphal and Burma during the World War II. It is widely regarded that the actions of his nationalist army, and the revolts that it inspired in the British Indian Armed Forces after the war were one of the main driving forces behind the British decision to relinquish the Raj. Refer...

 

Vehicle of Promotion...

Advertising is the business of drawing public attention to goods and services, performed through a variety of media. It is an important part of a overall promotional strategy and the innovations and creativity is at stake no only to the contents and representation but innovative usage of the various platforms for visibility. Here i see a vehicle painted with the product details...

The limitations on the billboards have induced a need for vehicle mounted varients... for the busy bangalore roads this option could prove costlier..is't it?

Back to Business....

Diwali fever is yes to reside, but for the small shopkeeper it is business as usual...

 

Diwali - Lighting the Lamps....

On the third day (the last day of the year in the lunar calendar), different kind of lamps are lit and shine brightly in every home. The lamp symbolizes knowledge and encourages reflection upon the purpose of each day in the festival. The goal is to remember the purpose throughout the year.

The fourth day of Diwali falls on the first day of the lunar New Year. At this time, old business accounts are settled and new books are opened. The books are worshipped in a special ceremony and participants are encouraged to remove anger, hate, and jealousy from their lives. Refer...

Diwali Sweets - few household preparations

Since my childhood I have always craved for diwali, besides fireworks it's 'faral' the speciality food prepared in every household ( which differs from state to state and region to region) after the first holy bath today it is formality to start the new year ( samwat) with a sweets and spicy delicacies.... More..

The plate in picture above is what, I started my day with... ( recepie's hyperlinked)

1. Top left in a bowl is 'Chivda',made out of rice flakes and many ingredients like nuts, dried coconut etc...
2. Then the spherical ones are laddo or ladoo...made of three different varieties, besan, rava and bundi..
3. Followed by "Chakli" the round one made up out of five different lentils and pulses with spicy masala deep fried till it becomes crispy...
4. The flat round sweet is 'Anarasa', a delicious sweet
5. The white cubes of 'Soan Papdi' very sweet preparation of besan and sugar...
6. In the center is 'Shev' made up of besan with spices to balance out the combinations...

Let me put up a disclaimer here, these are not the all sweets shown, there are quite a few left...as usual with the fast world and less time it is becoming challenging to prepare all of them at home...the choices I had when I was a child were quite large compared to the one's I have today...still 'Diwali' will offer me with something that I can relate with even today...

Celebrating Diwali with Fire Crackers...

Unlike Western nations, retail of fireworks is largely unrestricted in India. People have access to a variety of fireworks and most of them in urban areas set it off on the roads running in front of their houses. Refer...

This Third day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of Lakshmi-Puja, which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of "Chopada-Puja". The day of Lakshmi-Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. It is believed that on this auspicious day Lord Krishna discarded his body. More..

Happy Diwali

First day of Deepawali, it's the evening on the local market just outside 'Kandil' i.e colurful lanterns shop. Kandil is an integral part of diwali celebration and household will continue decorating their houses with lamps and lighting to invite goddess Laxmi...

Here is "Wishing You All A Happy, Prosperous and Peaceful Diwali.... "

Shopping bonanza for Diwali

People flock to the shopping malls, streets to buy Cloths, jwellery and even the household goodies on occasion of Diwali... For festival bargain hunters, shopping quite often means braving the masses at the local mall or the next door mart, standing in endless queues for purchases to be rung up, and then trying to retrieve the vehicle from the parking lot maze in less time than it took to complete the whole shopping excursion. Refer..

 

Getting ready for Diwali....

Diwali also known as deepawali, the festival of lights starts tomorrow. Pottery town in bangalore is getting busier day by day for preparing earthen lamps called diya's used extensively in all indian homes to decorate and illuminate the surroundings of the house. More..

The festival marks the victory of good over evil. The Sanskrit word Deepavali means array of lights that stands for victory of brightness over darkness. As the knowledge of Sanskrit diminished, the name was popularly modified to Diwali, especially in northern India. On the day of Diwali, many wear new clothes, share sweets and light firecrackers. The North Indian business community usually starts their financial new year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day. Refer...

Deepavali is celebrated for five consecutive days in the Hindu month of Ashwayuja. It usually occurs in October/November, and is one of the most popular and eagerly awaited festivals of India. Hindus, Jains and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. More..

 

Cable Rested Bridge@ KR Puram

Old Madras Road, just above K R Puram railway station has a cable rested over bridge. It's on the Bangalore Chennai State highway (NH4) and eases trafic from Bangalore city moving out towards Chennai... bridge was constructed by Afcons infrastructure ltd

The concept of a cable-stayed bridge is simple. A bridge carries mainly vertical loads acting on the girder. The stay cables provide intermediate support for girders so that it can span a long distance.

To see it via wikimapia, click here...

 

Eating "Ven Pongal".

Ven Pongal, is rice cooked to a mush, with light spices and relished with coconut chutney and sambar... a great south indian breakfast dish.

The name Pongal also signifies big indian festival of "Makar Sankranti" (like thanksgiving) where the dish called Pongal is made with jaggery or sugar cooked together...Pongal starts on January 14 of each year. The celebration lasts for three days. On the first day, Pongal is offered to Bhogi or Indran (the rain gods) for providing rain for the harvest. On the second day, pongal is offered to the Sun. On the third day, the family's cattle (mattu) is cleaned and dressed up with flowers, bells, and colors. This is the day to honor the cattle's hard work for plowing the fields.

here are the recipes of both Sarkarai pongal and Ven pongal ....

Bangalore Metro Rail ....

Ground-level preparations for the ambitous Metro rail project in Bangalore are being made with the State Government frezing development activity in 247 premises and buildings it had tentatively identified for this purpose. The govt has asked the Bangalore City Corporation, BDA and other civic bodie to seek a no-objection certifcate (NoC) from the BMRTL before it approves any construction activity. Bangalore Metro will have a standard gauge and will take cover under the 100-year old Mysore Tramways Act, which will require some amendments by the state goverment to suit the present day needs. With this, BMRTL can avoid going to the railway ministry for all sanctions. Refer...

Artistic Placements....

Beautifil & creative placement of hanging's on an external wall of a house in Indiranagar.

Innovative attempts on housing designs and decorations are seen in ample...

Fresh Flowers @Malleshwaram Market....

Malleshwaram is one of the oldest localities in Bangalore. It was developed along with Basavanagudi. It houses an large number of outlets catering to the south Indian cuisine. Malleshwaram has old temples which were built during King Shivaji's time (around 300 BC) like the Kadu Malleshwara temple, which more than ten thousand people visit during Shiva Ratri. people here like to use flowers as offering's and thus have largte supplied varieties....

 

Construction & Hardware ....

Bangalore is growing in all directions, contruction activities invite many supplies to the nearby visinity. The more demand for new houses fuel more contruction opportunities. Basic requirements then dilute down for hardware and paint business ..


Here is a fully loaded Hardware shop in one of the developing area, providing 'pin to piano' for both commercial and residential contruction needs...

Goti Soda, Soda Lemon....i.e. "Indian Lemonade..."

Since my childhood i have had enumerable amount of soda, the roadside, highly unorganized and local carbonated water which comes with a peculiar bottle holding the fizz of the Soda with a glass goti ( i.e. Marble), This Soda is made locally by the small vendors in their homes with help of carbonation machines with some flavours like Rose, Vanilla etc

The drink is very popular with locals as it is splashed with lemon tinge that dances on the tongue from the very first sip… it is so popular that almost every town and village will have some roadside vendor popping the fizz out all around seasons…

 

Weekly Market....

"The Soul of India lives in its villages", declared M. K. Gandhi in the beginning of 20th century. According to the Indian Census of 2001, 74% of Indians live in villages. 236,004 Indian villages have a population less than 500.

The need for these small villages to trade and buy the nessasities has a unique solution called 'Weekly Market'.

On the outskirts of Bangalore, these weekly markets florish on a spcific weekday for the villagers and farmers to direcly sell their produce and buy the essencial groceries from the same venue. this mechanisum is quite an old arrangement ( dating back centuries) and seen throughout india generally the takula place is choosen as the venue and 30-50 villages surrounding participate. some of these markets still have Barter systems too...