Musings from Antique Origins

Virupaksha Temple, Hampi, Karnataka W ork takes me to different parts of south India outside Kerala. Last week, I went to Goa, travelled to Hubli and then to Hospet. Then it was to Kurnool via Bellary and to Guntakkal from where a train brings me back to Tripunithura. Each of these places is different from the other. Summer is quite felt all over but the liveliness of the country is all pervading. Virupaksha Inside Virupaksha Temple Complex One Saturday night I reached Hospet from Hubli. The next day being holiday, I decided to spend the time in Hampi, among the ruins of the forgotten empire, Vijayanagara. Mohan, an employee of our company is a local lad and he was to be my guide. He arranged an auto rickshaw for a day so that we could leisurely move around in this UNESCO world heritage site at Hampi spread over many square kilometers. This village was the site of the last great Hindu empire of Vijayanagara which was fabulously prosperous as described in the writings of travelers of t

At Le Meredien Kochi , 29th April 2011 I have been to the famous cricket grounds of Firoz Shah Kotla in Delhi, The Wanderers in Johannesburg and the lesser known Chandrasekharan Nair stadium in Trivandrum to watch Test matches during different times of my life. However, an occasion to see some of the great players in close quarters came rather recently; to be precise yesterday. The company, for which I work now, came out with its IPO during this month which met with stupendous success getting subscribed 25 times! We also happen to be the principal sponsors for the “Delhi Dare Devils “, one of the teams of the Indian Premier League which has popularized cricket among people across the country while making itself a big money spinner. So it was an occasion for the company to invite members of the senior management with their spouses to a dinner in honour of the Delhi team at the Le Meridien Kochi on 29th April 2011. The following day, the Delhi Dare Devils were to meet Kerala Tuskers, K