Protect Yourself From Hepatitis.

Today is World Hepatitis Day. It is being observed every year on 28th July since 2008, to bring about awareness among the people of the World. This program has become very essential as over 500 million people worldwide are living with the dangerous Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C affliction. It means 1 in 12 people are affected with this problem. If left untreated and unmanaged, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C can lead to advanced damage – Cirrhosis and other complications like Liver cancer and Liver failure.

These afflictions can be prevented. You may carefully go through the World Health Organization – Poster, I have provided at the top of this article, it explains in detail the dangers, symptoms and prevention.

Fortunately, having a number of doctors in our house is alerting us and helping us in taking precautions and easily undergoing timely and periodic immunisation.

Please go through the above “WHO – POSTER” and take good care of yourself and your family.

GOD, Protect and keep our young ones healthy and happy.

As little birds wings get stronger,

Nature makes them fly out of their nests.

As our children’s knowledge and experience gets richer,

The world beckons them out of our homes,

Hurting our lives, thoughts and hearts.

All we can do is bless and convey our best wishes,

And hope that they will please us with frequent visits.

What is true with the birds since creation,

Has now become with us: very common.

GOD, protect and keep our young ones healthy and happy,

And someday see that they return to us, to their homes and nests!

-N. Lalitha Raghu.

The above verse is my wife’s ‘Status Update’ on ‘facebook’ last night, posted soon after my eldest son, Ch. Srikanth left for Bangalore, to take up a new job there. As I wrote in this column earlier, my younger son, Ch. Srinath is already away from us in UK, since four years.

Under such circumstances, when children have to leave home for better prospects, I think the reaction of most parents would be similar to ours.

-N. Raghu.  

We Love Trying Out Different Cuisines And Restaurants!

We like to eat a meal at restaurants every now and then. It’s a good feeling to eat out and try different kinds of foods in different styles of restaurants. Thanks to mushrooming Software, BPO and other IT related Companies in Hyderabad; a lot of new and good restaurants have and are coming up here.

The food at some restaurants is exceedingly good, they are our favourite restaurants, but we go there only on and off as there are so many more; other restaurants to try. We try new restaurants as we hear about them through ads, news reviews, friends or acquaintances. The dining experience starts through our eyes and other senses even before we begin to enjoy the food of the restaurant. Visiting new restaurants enhances this all-round feeling and sometimes may disappoint us.

Today in Hyderabad we have restaurants serving cuisines belonging to every region in our country and abroad and regular food festivals. Added to this is the attractive facade and interiors of these restaurants, with varying styles, themes, lighting, comfortable seating, wide spacing, pleasant music, choicest cutlery, crockery, waiters in a variety of uniforms, the service and the overall decor varying from that of street-side dhabas, to that of grand palaces.

The pictures attached to this article are of a restaurant named ‘Sahib Sindh Sultan’ to which we have been two times in the recent past. As you can see in the pictures it is a restaurant to give a feel of dining in a royal train or on an equally grand platform. One advertisement for the restaurant says: “If you want to eat like a King or be treated like a Queen, then the right place for a unique dining experience is our restaurant”. It is partly true, the food, decor and service are good.

It is a restaurant serving cuisines of several North Indian States and a variety of Anglo-Indian dishes. The restaurant is named ‘Sahib Sindh Sultan’ after the three locomotives which pulled the first passenger train from Bori Bunder that is Victoria Terminus, now named Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai to Thane, on 16th April 1853. This restaurant claims to be a tribute to that bygone era. Everything from the interiors, the uniform of the waiters and the culinary experience reflects old traditions of Indian royalty and British Raj.

It is a restaurant I would like to recommend. You must visit at least once, you will certainly like it.

Have you been to this restaurant?

With ‘Palace on Wheels’ ambience,

And great food and good service!

It has won our penchant!

It is Hyderabad’s “Sahib Sindh Sultan”.

-N. Lalitha Raghu.

AP Power Supply Is Causing: (Inconvenience+Agony+Losses)ⁿ

The power supply position in AP is going from bad to worse as power generation doesn’t match the ever growing demand. Since decades, every year starting from end-February till mid-rainy season (until the hydel power generation picks up) state-wide power cuts are imposed. The domestic consumers, industries and the most important agricultural sector suffer. But the few privileged people in power, who unfortunately are responsible for this perennial pathetic situation, get uninterrupted power supply.

This year it is much worse. The worst sufferers are the industrial sector and the agricultural sector. The industries are not having power for two days a week and a daily cut of four hours during the peak load period: 6:30 to 10:30 PM, which means there is no power for industries for three days a week. The agricultural sector is getting only 4 to 5 hours of power against the 9 hours promised by the ruling party. And for the domestic consumers, the poser cut is 10-12 hours in rural areas, 5-6 hours in urban areas and in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad it is 3 hours every day. The attitude of the subsequent Governments in not finding solutions to this aggravating problem is causing inconvenience, agony and losses. It is affecting every individual in the State.

The State (APGENCO) has Power Generation Capacity of 8925 MW, Thermal – 5092.5 MW, Hydel – 3829.5 and Wind+Solar – 3 MW. This is augmented by a small percentage from private power companies. With hydel power generation depending on rain fall / water level at the dams, it is normally available for only few months in a year and there is a perennial shortage between demand and supply. And the State is forced to buy huge power from the National Grid, from States having surplus power. While the Unrestricted Peak Demand is about 10,700 MW, the Government is able to meet a Peak Demand of only 8,700 MW living a Deficit of 2,000 MW and hence all these power cuts.

The Government is doing very little to overcome this recurring and growing problem. It takes shelter under reasons like poor rain fall and lack of support from Central Government. But for how long?

Memorable Pictures with Rhythmic Posts on Facebook! By Lalitha – Part III

An everlasting gift!

Forever to uplift,

Your spirit...

Hearty laughter!

And a bright flower!

From Sudhiksha dear!

Are they TV Stars!

From the C.I.D. TV Series?
Or actual C.I.D. Inspectors!
Hunting for criminal Ministers?

 Muscle and height, 

Strength and weight!
Is what boys’ desire,
And try to acquire,
So everyone may admire!
Here is my child,

Following that trend! 

     Love for lovely hair!

Is always there!

In youngsters,

Teens and elders.

Hair is an ornament!

With accessories to support!

Our Sudhiksha is here!

Showing off her adorned hair!

Old movies and songs,

Made in ‘Black & White’,

Have stood the test of time!

Even today they are everyone’s favourite,

The young and old sing and enjoy those songs,

Specially the three in the attached frame!

And Srinath too who is not in the frame.

You may know them well,

But do you know that they sing well!

Homework on types of houses!

Has won everyone’s accolades!
Igloo made with cotton for ice!
Tent, hut and boat house,
Made with cloth, wood and hay!
Sudhiksha you have done well!
May you always excel!

P.S.: You may click on the following links to see more such photo-posts:

http://srisrilara.blogspot.in/2012/04/memorable-pictures-with-rhythmic-posts.html

http://srisrilara.blogspot.in/2012/07/memorable-pictures-with-rhythmic-posts.html

Memorable Pictures with Rhythmic Posts on Facebook! By Lalitha – Part II

Good times!
And hearty smiles!
Captured in a picture,
To cherish forever.

In offering your hair to God,

You are in the spiritual sense,

Surrendering your ego and pride,

At the feet of the Lord.

Hair so offered at Tirupati,

To most benevolent Lord Balaji!

Fetches yearly; 140 Crores of Rupees!

And is used for various welfare schemes!

Who is this baby!
In our car dickie?!
Is it a baby girl!
Or a baby angel!
Or is it a baby boy?!
Or just a lovely toy?

Passed Crawling!

Passed Walking!

Now Running!

I am Enjoying!

Later Dancing!

Lifelong Studying!

Learning Everything!

For a happy Living!

Playing!
Summer Chillers,
And Thirst Quenchers,
With Sudhiksha Darling!

P.S.: You may click on the following links to see more such photo-posts:

http://srisrilara.blogspot.in/2012/04/memorable-pictures-with-rhythmic-posts.html

http://srisrilara.blogspot.in/2012/07/memorable-pictures-with-rhythmic-posts_13.html

Temples of Alampur.

Alampur is a town of many ancient and prominent temples and marvellous sculptures as you can see in the photographs attached to this article. It is in Mahbubnagar District of Telangana, on the left bank of River Tungabhadra.

The cardinal temples of Alampur are of Sri Brahmeshwara that is Lord Shiva and of Sri Jogulamba Devi that is Sri Durga Devi / Sri Parvati Devi / Sri Mahakali Devi. Alampur is the fifth of eighteen Maha Shakti Peethas. The place is also referred as Dakshina Kashi and as Navabrahmeshwara Theertha. These cardinal temples and the other temples including Navabrahma temples date back to the 7th century! The architecture of the Temples is not Dravidian, that is South Indian, but entirely North and West Indian. These great temples and the sculpture have stood the test of time except for the temple of Sri Jogulamba Devi which was destroyed by the Bahamani Sultans in the 14th century. However, the idol of Sri Jogulamba Devi and other idols of this temple were protected from destruction and placed in Sri Brahmeshwara temple.

A new temple has come up for Sri Jogulamba Devi at the same place where the old one existed and the protected idol of the Goddess was placed back here in the year 2005. It is a beautiful temple. You can see some distant views of this temple in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th pictures above this article.

Yesterday on Sunday, 8th July, we went on pilgrimage to Alampur and prayed and performed pooja at all the temples there. Alampur is 230 km. from our house in Secunderabad. We travelled 218 Kms. on NH44 which is Bangalore Highway and then at Alampur Crossroads we took a left turn and travelled 12 Kms. to reach Alampur. We started early in the morning at 6:30 AM and returned back to the house in the evening by 6:00 PM.

The picture immediately below this article is of Goddess Sri Jogulamba Devi and the other pictures are of a number of sculptures found in Alampur and now protected by the Archaeological Society of India in a museum adjacent to the temple.