Anything Under The Sun

1. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
2. A crocodile can’t stick it’s tongue out.
3. A shrimp’s heart is in their head.
4. A pregnant goldfish is called a twit.
5. On average, a human being will have sex more than 3,000 times and spend two weeks kissing in their lifetime.
6. Rats and horses can’t vomit.
7. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die. If you keep your eyes open by force, they can pop out.
8. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.
9. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
10. If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why does Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations, implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for U.S. citizens to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles?
11. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
12. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
13. A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why.
14. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
15. Cat’s urine glows under a black-light.
16. Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.

Hope you had fun reading them.

Kowshik

Save Water!

I know it sounds like a cliche. Every other activist is shouting his/her lungs out trying to get "people like us" to save water. I know we should save water, because it is becoming scarce.

Here are some facts I've read in different articles at different times: (There arent too many, but I'm sure this will be enough to get us thinking).

1. Did you know that 23% of the world's potable water is available in Brazil. Wow.

2. Do you know how much water we flush down the toilet everyday? Based on a research, on an average, each person flushes 4 times a day. In 365 days, it is 1460 times. COnsidering that flush tanks these days are small and use about 8 to 8.5 liters of water each time. That adds upto 11680 liters of water down the drain. Just one person. Now imagine the number of people in this world who flush down such precious water each day.

Next time you use water, think about it. Are you using too much? Can you reduce your usage a bit everyday?

Kowshik

Read more about ecological solutions on www.kopeinitiatives.com/bags

Sundays are usually relaxed and pleasant with no worries about getting late to work, traffic and those innumerable things we're worried about on weekdays.

Last Sunday I visited Nimhans, or National Institue of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences. A sprawling campus spread over vast area of land. Colorful and loaded with greenery; this place would have a soothing effect on anyone. I entered the psychiatry section of the sampus and entered one of the huge buildings.

It was amazing; lots of children, aged between 4 to 10 years. Aparently "suffering"! They looked hale and hearty, but not everything was ok with them. But come on, how could such wonderful children of god not be ok.

A closer look into their lives speaks volumes. I dont want to discuss anything more about these children because it may (in someway) be an infringement of their privacies. However, I will share a couple of instances which occurred. There was a young boy of 6 years who was admitted here because he could not speak. Test after test, they were surprised as to why this child could not speak when technically everything was alright. No speech, but on the other hand, this kid was a genius. He solved mathematical equations at the snap o the fingers. (Another Shakuntala Devi, I presume). But whats surprising is that he has had no education, yet solves MSc question papers easily.

This is just one of those few geniuses who come to Nimhans to get treatment. Each child who comes there is a genius in his or her own terms. I had a good time interacting with the kids there. I didnt really feel them to be different.

You must visit this place once in your life time. I'm sure you'll thank me for it.

Kowshik

Lalbagh - A botanical garden?

When I was in Ahmedabad, I liked going to ATIRA for a walk. Those who've been in Ahmedabad would know about this place and its popularity amongst walkers. It seemed like a nice big green place amongst the 'concrete jungles'. Having said this, let me talk about my experience this morning.

I visited Lalbagh in Bangalore. Its a famous botanical garden situated in the heart of the city, spread over acres and acres of land. I couldn't even try and figure its area. Yes, its that huge!! The place is a heritage site today, and it hosts a vareity of rare plants and birds. The famous botanical research centre is known world over for its work in seed research and rare plantations.

Ok, technical information over, let me take you through this place. The moment I entered the magnamimous gates of the garden, it was like entering another world. Of course, for one, the environment changes all of a sudden. No traffic (phew, Bangalore has lots & lots & lots of vehicles moving constantly every single minute endlessly). Every path is lined with tall trees branching all over covering the path like an avenue. Tree after tree, each one is a specimen, 'they' say is not very commonly seen otherwise. (However, they all looked like normal trees to me though).

Like over a few hundred people, my intention was to walk/stroll for leisure/relaxation. But with all those people it wasnt crowded at all. If you cross by someone once, the chances of meeting the same person again during your next round is quite low. I'm not saying people take only one round, I'm trying to emphasize on the many pathways, lanes which lead to different places all over the garden.

There are stone lined paths, there are mud paths, tar-roads, everything. I've heard of friends telling me at ATRIA that its not good to walk on tar roads. The reason they gave me was that walking for years together on tar roads had a bad effect on our knees. Guys, this place has pathways for everyone.

After walking a while, I came across a huge boulder, which seemed to form a small hillock inside. The board next to it said it was formed over 3000 years ago, and that made it a heritage site as well. We can walk up to the top of the hillock to find a small tower. This tower called the Kempe Gowda Tower was constructed in the mid 1500s by the famous ruler, Kempe Gowda of Magadi. This tower was supposed to mark the southern end of the 'then' small town, Bangalore. The king had visualized that the city would grow only to this point in time to come. Today, Lalbagh is almost at the centre of the city.

Another 10 minutes down the pathway takes you to a lake. The 'green' lake is full of fishes, ducks and some other birds is a soothing sight to see. I never imagined this place to be so amazing. I could probably spend hours staring into the water or observing the movements of the fishes, but we don't have all day, do we? Maybe I'll do it some other day. I will.

Oh yes, how could I forget the other small patches of stagnant water which had lotuses growing on them. Lovely visual, if you dont mind the swampy look. It's not everyday one can get to see such beauty. (I hope I can take a walk inside Lalbagh each day that I'm in Bangalore). Waking up early is difficult, but Lalbagh is well worth it.

All over, there's dew on the grass growing on the sides. A green necklace with star studded diamonds! Thats how Mom described it to me. And how apt it was!! I wish I could capture these sights on camera. Next time I'm taking mine.

And then there have been many more such observations which I haven't penned down. I will little by little. With each day's walk, I might make newer observations of natural sights. Its true, God's creations amaze me. This is one of them.

More after tomorrow's walk. :-)
Kowshik

Lunch at 6:45 am.

Bangalore is a city of surprises! Of course, that extends to any place in India. Ours is a country of surprises which doesnt fail to leave an impression. But this is one amazing event in the lives of Bangalore-ites (Or Bangalorians, whatever they prefer to be called).

I was up at 5:40 am on a Sunday. Wow! Considering I find it difficult to open my eyes before half past seven on any day, this was a feat in itself. By the next half an hour, Mom, Dad & I were all ready and set to leave for Mavalli. This is a small area near Lalbagh towards the south central part of Bangalore.

It was drizzling; and seemed like the skies had been showering throughout the night. The road was quite empty with little vehicular movement. When we reached Mavalli, it was drastically different. A huge crowd had gathered around this dingy little old building housing Mavalli Tiffin Room. Dad said, "This, my son, is where MTR began its journey of success".  MTR is a leading brand in spices and processed foods. And I stood right where it had all begun probably half a century ago.

The building was very old, but it seemed sturdy. The place wasnt too brightly lit, but it was clean. The waiters (almost 30 of them) were all dressed in a typically 'South Indian' attire. A tradition, I believe, which continues. A clean, well ironed shirt and a dhoti (which of course, was tied up to the knees).

It took us another 20 minutes to find ourselves a table. Once we'd 'grabbed' our table, getting hold of a waiter to place our order was another task. Not that they werent willing to, it was just too much work for them. There's no printed menu displayed anywhere. It seemed like every customer knew what MTR had to offer. Idlis, Masala Dosa, Khara Baat & Special Filtered Coffee. "Yes, thats all they offer", said Dad. "They find it difficult to manage even with just this". So we ordered idlis and masala dosas and coffee. Within a few minutes, the idlis arrived, huge in size, with a generous supply of chutney and sambhar. I admit, they tasted great. The idlis over, the masala dosas came by one after the other (yes, Dad & I had two each). And we finished it off with a cuppa coffee. If you really want to taste South Indian food, then this is the place. I dont have the right words to describe what my sense of taste had experienced.

'Amazing' is all I can manage. By 7, my 'lunch' was done. (This is normally what I'd have had for lunch on a Sunday). And the funny part is, if you arrive at 7:30 or 7:45 am, you might not get anything. Their entire stock for the day would have been over by then. Which explains why I (like most of the other 350 people) had to wake up before 6 to be here. Imagine they serve about 350 people in about 75 minutes!!

MTR has a set of loyal clients who make it a point to visit them at least once a week. You'll mostly find people above the age of 35, who've been coming here for so many years. And, not many youngsters seem to be making a beeline for it. Maybe they find it too 'strenous' to put in such efforts. I dont really blame them though.

All-in-all, this has been a great experience. I might not do this every Sunday, but once in a way, it is worth it.

You'll get to read more experiences of mine as and when I get to pen them down.
Kowshik
http://anythingunderthesun.blogspirit.com