Vishnu Sahasranamam in Kannada

The Vishnusahasranaamam (the Thousand Names of Vishnu) scripture is a part of the ancient Hindu epic Mahabharata. It is essentially a prayer to the supreme Hindu diety Vishnu, by glorifying his innumerable qualities in the form of mellifluous poetry.

I have hosted the complete Vishnu Sahasranamam in Kannada on my site, at http://www.beligere.com/vs. This page contains the Sahasranama text in Kannada, in a PDF format. The Vishnusahasranaamam as rendered by Smt. M.S. Subbalakshmi is also available on this site.

Is Indian Horlicks non-vegetarian?

There's something fishy about Horlicks, the malt-based product we've grown up eating and drinking. On their UK website, check out this response in their FAQ section:

Q. Is Horlicks suitable for Vegetarian Diets?

A. Depending on what type of vegetarian diet is followed, Horlicks may be appropriate for vegetarian diets. The whey ingredients in Horlicks is vegetarian. However Horlicks contains a selection of added vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A and D are fat-soluble and need a carrier to help them blend into the Horlicks mixture during manufacture. The carrier used, be it in minute amounts, is fish gelatin. Therefore Horlicks is not suitable for anyone who excludes fish from their diet.

Now, there are no details available on Horlicks in India. The GlaxoSmithKline India site does not offer any information about their products' ingredients. The main ingredients of the UK and Indian Horlicks are all the same. The Indian Horlicks has the same vitamins, minerals and proteins. So how are the Vitamins A and D being blended during manufacture in India? What is the carrier being used?

India is the largest world-wide consumer of Horlicks - there are over 2 billion cups of Horlicks being drunk in India every year (source). The market size is over Rs 800 crores (~ $ 174 million USD) (source). Surely they haven't been hoodwinking all these consumers (many of whom would be vegetarian) by including a fish-based carrier in their production system?

What do you say, GSK India?

Bangalore's Romantic Restaurants

The other day, I was looking for a nice place for a date. Some place with a cozy, quiet, peaceful, romantic, candle-lit sort of atmosphere. I posted my query on my company's bulletinboard, and had an overwhelming response. Here is a list of the restaurant names I received (all in Bangalore):

1. Spiga - Vittal Mallya Road, near Ffolio
2. Fresco's - Cunningham Road
3. Gufa - near 3rd Block Circle, Jayanagar
4. Blue Ginger – Taj West End
5. Fiorano - 100ft Road, Koramangala
6. Cosmo Village - Magrath Road, near Garuda Mall
7. Mynt - Taj West End
8. Citrus/ Jamavar - Leela Palace
9. Take 5 - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
10. 100FT - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
11. Tangerine - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
12. Holiday Village - Kanakapura Road
13. Ebony - 13th floor of Barton Centre, MG Road
14. Magnolia - 3rd Block, Koramangala
15. Inchara - 6th Phase, JP Nagar
16. Guru’s Garden - near IIMB campus, Bannerghatta Road
17. Adigas - 8th Block, Jayanagar
18. Bangalore Bistro - Brigade Road, near Eva Mall
19. Lemon Grass - Sarjapur Road, Koramangala 1st Block
20. The Harbour - Outer Ring Road
21. Aura - Cunningham Road
22. The Beach - 100ft Road, Indiranagar
23. Elements - Nandidurg Road
24. Orchids and Roses - Cunningham Road
25. i-Bar - in The Park Hotel on MG Road
26. Zero-G - Residency Road
27. Hint - Bangalore Central, Residency Road
28. Copper Chimney - Bangalore Central, Residency Road
29. Royal Afghan - at the Windsor Sheraton Hotel

New additions to the list:
30. Olive Beach - on Wood Street (off Richmond Road)
31. Samarkhand - at Gem Plaza on Infantry Road
32. Paradise Island - at the Taj West End
34. Sahib Sindh Sultan - at the Forum Mall

I finally decided on going to Ebony, on the 13th floor of the Barton Centre, on MG Road. Here's a report on my visit, and a review.

I first called them and booked a seat outside, on their terrace. Me and my date arrived there at around 7.45pm. The rains had stopped by then, and there was a pleasant cool breeze (and romance) in the air. We were offered the menus, a lit candle was placed on our table, and our waiter held a plastic bottle of Aquafina water in his hands like it was an expensive bottle of champagne, and asked if that was fine for us. All sorts of creatures that once walked, crawled or swam had been featured in the menu, and we being vegetarians, steered clear of all those pages.

For starters, I chose the Broccoli and Cheese soup, and my date chose the Minestrone Primavera soup. My broccoli soup was quite good, whereas the Minestrone was on the watery side. Both soups were hot, and we carefully sipped our respective soups, looking into each other's eyes, with the candlelight dancing on our faces. After the soups, came the entrées that we'd selected. I had chosen a Lasagne Primavera, while my girl had preferred a Provençale Pasta Quills. My lasagne was on the bland side. I felt that it should have spent more time in the oven - I prefer my lasagne crispy, but this was more on the soggy side. The pasta, on the other hand, was much better, and tasted good. The serving size was generous, and was quite filling. After this we decided wash it all down with a mocktail. This was mysteriously named Kukri, essentially a mixture of various fruit juices like orange, passion fruit, lemon and other unidentifiable liquids.

After we were done with this, the courteous waiters decided to let us talk, rather than thrust the bill down on us. So we sat there, doing some more of looking into each other's eyes, and talking softly. Just when the waiters began to wonder if we'll ever get up, we called for the bill, paid and left the place at around 9.30pm.

And then we got to my home, called it a day, and had a good night's sleep together. Oh btw, the date was my wife. It was her birthday :)

A Collection of Reviews - 1

Here are some reviews - of good and not so good experiences in dealing with businesses in India, specifically in Bangalore, unless noted otherwise.

The good experiences first.

A. R. Electricals: Run by A. Rafi. This man is a rare personality - polite, respectful and knowledgeable. His prices are fair - and he often obliges when requested for a discount. His store is adjacent to Book Paradise, in 4th Block Jayanagar, near the Post Office. Highly recommended.

Dakshin Honda: They've improved their service. I had visited them recently for fixing a punctured tyre, and they swiftly got it done in about 15mins while I waited. The Service Advisor I interacted with, Raghavendra K. R., was polite, and helpful.

Nature Nirvana (near Chikmagalur - around 250 kms from Bangalore):
We visited in June 2006. We practically had the entire bungalow to ourselves, and had a good time there. That being the monsoon season, there were occasional light rains - we got bitten by leeches on one of our hikes - interesting experience. The atmosphere was green everywhere - cool, serene, and relaxing - and the service was good. Mr. Kutty, the manager there, ensured that everything was arranged and organized for us. He took us out on nature walks, and a drive up a hill which once had a castle (koté). A simple, sincere man - we liked him. The pricing is on the higher side though. One thing we didn't like was the attires and appearances of our cooks - those ladies didn't look like they took a bath everyday - atleast not in the mornings. But their creations were eatable, though :)

Grange Resort (in Yercaud, near Salem - around 240 kms from Bangalore):
This is a surprisingly low priced resort - with independent cottages. Beautiful place in the midst of an estate. Quiet, serene, refreshing place. The service and the food was good - didn't get to see the cooks though. We were reluctant to return home to dusty and noisy Bangalore after our relaxing time there.

And now, the not so good experiences.

Paparazzi Restaurant, run by the Baljee Group (Royal Orchid Hotels) - formerly named 'A Pinch of Jazz', at the Manipal Centre: I had a very unpleasant experience with them - they were shockingly unprofessional. I had made reservations for a table for two, for the evening of a special occasion - 3 weeks in advance. And then, on that special day, I called them in the morning, and they confirmed the reservation. It appeared like everything was set. But then, out of the blue, I got a call from them at around noon time, with this guy saying lamely that my reservation for the evening is not possible since the restaurant is "closed". I was furious, and demanded to know the reason for this sudden closure. He then reveals that a large group has made a booking, and he needs to take away my reservation to make room for them. How crass can it get?

Asian Computers, at #73, 8th Main, Jayanagar 4th Block: I had purchased a USB data transfer cable from them, and the guy in the store assured me that if it does not work for any reason, I could return the item and can have the price adjusted against any other product (with the same or a higher price) in his store. The cable did not work because its software did not install successfully (it sucked) - and I took the product back.

The guy changed his tune, and said he can only replace the product - and not adjust it against anything else. So he gave me another unit of the same product - and this, as expected, had the same problems. I took it back to him again, and he said that it was my problem, and he couldn't do any exchanges. On persisting, he offered to take the product back, but return to me half of what I'd paid for it. I decided to keep the product than give him the opportunity to sell it again at full price (which he would've surely done). I had effectively lost my money on a hokey product, which I'd purchased with a false assurance of exchange.

Shell Station, on Hosur Road, near the Goldhill Square office complex: I usually purchase my fuel at the Bharat Petroleum station at Lalbagh West Gate. But I thought I might try this new Shell that's opened on Hosur Road enroute to my workplace. I drove in there and this attendant came up to me with a fake-looking Namaste, his palms joined. I asked for a full tank of regular Unleaded, and he said that the Regular pump was not working, but the Super Unleaded pump was working fine. I then asked if any other pump island had the Regular pump working, and he said No. Since I was in a hurry to get to work, I decided to not spend any time on verifying his claim, and asked him to start pumping in the Super fuel, which he did.

To my surprise, a car pulls up into an island next to mine, and an attendant comes over and starts pumping in the Regular fuel for him. That was not good - I had just paid a premium of over 50 rupees for this Super fuel which I didn't really need. I summoned the manager, and expressed my displeasure at what had happened. He was apologetic, but promised to instruct the attendant who'd lied to me. This just shows... you teach your staff how to greet customers (with namastes and smiles) - but have they been given a basic lesson in honesty?

Kannada nursery rhyme

Remember this sweet creation of Dr. G.P. Rajarathnam?

naayi mari naayi mari tindi bayke?
tindi bayku teertha bayku yella bayku

naayi mari naayi mari tindi tindu yeenu maaduve?
tindi tindu gattiyaagi maneya kaayuve

naayi mari naayi mari kallabandareenu maaduve?
bow wow bow endu koogiyaaduve

I recently translated this into English. Here it is, to be sung as a rap song ;)

yo puppy yo puppy whadya wanting?
gimme food gimme drink gimme eeeeverything

yo puppy yo puppy whadya gonna do when you're done eating?
i'm gonna protect your shack when i'm done eating

yo puppy yo puppy whadya gonna do when the hoods come knocking?
then i'm gonna bow and wow and give'm a proper baarking