Magnificient Hampi

Leisures and soirees though pleasurable yet they do not satiate the thirst of an eternal adventurer.

Weekend afternoons lazily spent watching upteen movies in my apartment and binging in the evenings seem fun at first but surely we wear out of them. One fine day, this thought occured to me and I started

looking at my travel gear which had been gathering dust. Hunting for my next destination like a nomad who looks skywards when he is set to travel, I opened up google looking for my next sojourn.Well overworked and underpaid has it's own benefits, I started looking at destinations only within karnataka, the state where I currently live in. Well, I must say karnataka is bequethed with breathtaking natural beauty. I was just thinking nature, hills, waterfalls, seas et cetera when suddenly I found Hampi on the Web. If the English dictionary was ever re-written I this word would be a synonym for culture, tradition, heritage and history. The goal was set --- Hampi.

I would not waste much time describing my journey towards Hampi except that it looked like all our foreign friends were off for a Kumbh mela of sorts. Trains, buses, vehicles all packed with scores of white people and just a few Indian were off to pursue Hampi. Hospet is a small town near the famed ruins of Hampi.I started for a drive in a car towards Hampi and almost instantly started approaching it. The hills showed themselves in pride as we approched them. Decorated with the greenery of the coconut trees, the clear blue skies and the a radiant sun they are some moments which are permanently inscribed in my memories.

Thus started my introduction to the artistry in stone. The stones were not just alone, they seemed to have story their own and a very ancient one too. The various shapes and sizes of the rocks and the exquisite delicacy of the stone carvings are a treat to the eyes. Temples, houses, market places, dance podiums and Pillars are in stone. The magnificience of architecture here is that all the structures that exists or the ruins of them, are all stones piled one upon another. No cohesive material to bind them. It utilises the world's most acknowledged yet invisible force -- the force of gravitation. These rocks have stood the test of time although I imagine what a city
this might have been when it was in full glory. A Myriad of emotions pass though you as you visit the various stone structures of Hampi.
I always wanted to be in the army, and I finally got my chance to shoot --- my new Sony CyberShot camera and shoot I did well. Over 200 snaps of the fantabulous place. Sometimes I just roll over these pictures and relive those moments again.However, I was dissapointed with the ill attendance of Indian tourists there. Such a
marvel is Hampi --- a magnet for tourists world over. It is declared as the UNESCO world heritage, but it interestingly fails to attract us.Or may be the efficiency and the creativity of the tourism department is to be questioned by this. Nearer to the temple farther from heaven as they say, prove them wrong.... go visit Hampi at least in this lifetime. TO BE CONTINUED..........

On Sachin, my hero

Sachin Tendulkar, to just state his name is a story in itself. He needs no introduction but yet I write , just for the love we all have for him. Ever since I started watching cricket, as a kid, I had only one favourite, sachin. I loved just everything about him. I saw in him an angel who had descended
upon earth to play cricket like a musician who plays a harp.
Cricket as a sport has always been known as a royal sport. It's introduction in India is a gift by the British, which we should be very proud and happy to
have received. In a country of a billion, the need for inspiration and hope is humongous. This man has not only given hopes and dreams to a billion indians,
but also a sense of pride,confidence,belief and above all a realization of the powers we possess.
Batting agressively means slogging. This was one of the finer myths which was busted by the champion. The elegance, poise and grandiose of his powerplay
performances were like a flowing river which washed away many an opponent single handedly. His perfect straight drive and paradoxically "cute-powerful" shots earned him fame, the world over. His famous debut against pakistan in which he scored a half century against the fierce likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis was a glorious tale. The little prodigy was only 16 years and a few months old when he braved the veterans with a bloddied nose. His famous decimation
of the supremely talented aussie spinner Shane Warne in the tour to India still remains an epic moment in cricketing history. Not only when india came out out victorious has this man glorified us, when he stood like a rock when fending off wave after wave of the piercing Pakistani pace attack at the famous Chennai test even as he was having some torrid time with his back.

With the ball too he has bamboozled many a famed batsman with his tweaky spinners and wobly pacers. He has won India numerous matches just by his bowling skill.

But the thing that youngsters should try to emulate is not only his skill in cricket, but his personality. Personality that exudes sincerity, dedication, humility is what receives respect and admiration. He is a fitting role model to India's future generations.

Keep Posting, Keep Pondering !!

How the concept of money came into being

The concept of money is an important one in this world that we live in. Money is what drives everything that we see. The buildings, roads, electric power stations, plants, railways, military, goverment et cetera and the list is endless. Anything and everything that we see on a daily basis has a value attached to it, the value of money. It is a huge paradox to me that things that we are able to purchase in reality are enabled by a concept which is so virtual, money. Exchanging something like a mansion, a car, or a computer for a pack of green notes? Well, the barter system looked more logical, or does it?
So how has man evolved to think and use money, a stock of notes, to buy everything that he needs....well almost!! Barter system was an exchange of goods of similar value or based on the current demands of the exchanging parties, the state of urgency to procure goods that determined the success of the exchange. However, as seemingly evident, since the exchange was based on goods, one of the parties would gain more worth of that exchange while the other would lose some. Morever the barter exchange had it's own pitfalls. Imagine going to the market to buy a bag of rice for which u take a bag of wheat. You've got loaded both ends, is'nt it. There needed to be a standard way of evaluating the cost of items.
One of the most important reasons was the "coincidence of needs" if we can term it that way. The exchange of items was a complicated one. Say two farmers need to exchange their commodities, their goods would have to be perishable around the time of exchange. If their commodities were seasonal fruits, then a third commodity was need to trigger the exchange.Thus came in the concept of money that served as a standard measure.
Coins were potable, durable and more importantly easily divisible for different needs of purchase. This concept could have actually opened the doors of flexibilty in trade. It removed all the problems in the conventional barter/non-monetary exchanges.

Earth, Water, Sky and Me

I am running now, obstacles on the way.

I swing and sway, in a lion's style.

I fall and rise, with every sunrise.

It was worth a try, the wonderful earth .

I am wading now, waves upon the way,

I splash and lash, and cut across the abyss.

I sink and swim with a dolphin's grace.

It was worth a try, the magical ocean.

I am flying now, clouds dark and white.

I lean and lunge , surge across the sky.

I feel the sun and the voltage bright.

It was worth a try, rainbow in the sky.

Verse 1: Welcome All

Hello friends,

Welcome to the blogging world. I've decided to take it up on a regular basis.

My friends, I welcome you to Noble Verse. This is where I want all of us to capture, share, learn and realize our dreams, thoughts, feelings, knowledge, talents......anything and everything you like.

Happy Posting and verse it up

Cheers,

Babs