Is Political Padayatra! Panacea to Problems of the People?

If Padayatras,

Announcing freebies,

And subsidies,

And waiver of loans,

Is a sure Mantra!

To win peoples’ hearts,

And come to power!

And sort out peoples’ problems,

May these Padayatra experts -

The great Indian politicians,

Padayatra intellectuals,

Padayatra humanitarians,

And power mongers,

Embark on extensive Padayatras,

In Pakistan,

China,

And Sri Lanka,

Make excellent speeches,

Announce all possible sops,

And rout out misunderstandings,

And establish excellent relations.

Family - Baby Lookalikes!

Pictures so similar!

One from the past,

Other from the present,

Of a grandmother,

And her granddaughter!

‘B&W’ are of my sister; Hema,

‘Colour’; of the granddaughter, Anisha!

Enjoying Nature and Wilderness!

Enjoying Nature and Wilderness!

The mountains,

The valleys,

The caves,

Lovely blue sky for cover,

Colourful earth under,

Shrubs and trees everywhere,

Here and there a waterfall,

And a lovely pond,

And vast land all around!

ALL THIS BEAUTY JUST FOR US ALONE!

Alone here, I would be frightened,

And of course; depressed,

But with my family by my side,

It is a heavenly feeling!

-Mrs. N. Lalitha Raghu.

Guns and Bows on the Walls!

Hunters Guns are hanging on walls,

And the Bullets are resting in safes.

Their Bows are hanging on walls,

And Arrows are locked in vaults.

Because their Game is almost annihilated,

And as a result Hunting is prohibited.

Guns and Bows are now mighty Show-offs!

As in these Photographs!

My grandniece Ch. Anisha's first visit to our house, her great-grandmother's house!

Ch. Anisha, daughter of my nephew Sridhar and Swathi, visited our house for the first time today. Beautiful baby Anisha is four months old; she was born on 17th December 2012. In the above photographs you can see her with my mother that is her great-grandmother, who is 93 years old. And in one picture you can see her with her grandmother and great-grandmother, lovely ladies of three generations!

Ch. Anisha brought lot of happiness and smiles into our life as you can see and feel from the attached pictures.

We wish her all the best in life. May God bless her richly.

HAPPY SRI RAMA NAVAMI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELrZ-3MId0E

Happy Sri Rama Navami!

Please listen to this wonderful song “Pibare Rama Rasam” on this festival day, by clicking on the Video pic above or on the Video link below it. The song is from the award-winning movie “Padamati Sandhya Ragam” (Filmfare Best Film Award 1987 and Nandi Award for Best Story 1987). The song is written by Sri. Sadashiva Brahmendra Yogi, and is the favourite of many classical singers. And in this movie it is rendered by Sri S.P. Balasubramanyam and his sister Smt. S.P. Sailaja.

The English translation of the song is as follows:

“Drink the nectar of Rama, Oh! Connoisseur, drink the nectar of Rama. It implies absorbing the essence (rasam) of the name of Rama.

1.   It will help you to keep away from sins and sinners. And you will be blessed with many rewards and gains.

2.   It will help you to overcome fear and grief from the cycle         

of birth and death. And will gift you with the essence of all religious treatises, the Vedas and the Sciences.

3.   Rama Nama will protect all creation. It will protect the Universe. And it will purify you and everything else.

4.   The recitation of Rama Nama is pure song and music, relished by Sages in their Ashrams. And by great Sages like Shuka, Shaunaka and Kaushika.

The actors in the above video are:

Gummuluri Sastry as Adinarayana

Vijayashanthi as Sandhya

And Thomas Jane as Chris.

Hyderabad’s Heritage Monuments and Sites.

Today, 18th April is World Heritage Day. UNESCO established 18th April as the International Day for Monuments and Sites in 1983. It aims to raise public awareness about the diversity and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites and the efforts required to protect and conserve them.

Hyderabad has a rich heritage. This heritage is in the form of monuments, buildings, rock formations, gardens, lakes, art, culture, traditions and festivals. On this very significant World Heritage Day I am glad to present below an exhaustive list of heritage monuments and sites in Twin Cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. Among these, three are under active consideration to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List of 29. They are Golconda Fort, Qutub Shahi Tombs and Charminar.

PROTECTED ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENTS:

1. Akkannaas Sarai, Maisaram

2. Armenian Cemetry, Uppuguda

3. Badshahi Ashurkhana

4. Charminar

5. Dabirpura Gate

6. Darga Hazrath Saidanima Saheba, Boats Club, Secunderabad

7. Darga Hazrath Syed Shah Razuddin

8. Fortification and Baradari, Malkajgiri

9. Golconda Fort

10. Gunfoundry

11. Hakim’s Tomb, Mosque & Sarai, Jubilee Hills

12. Hayat Bakshi Begum’s Mosque, Hayatnagar

13. Janwada Grave & Mosque

14. Khairati Begum’s Tomb & Mosque, Khairatabad

15. Khairat Khan’s Tomb

16. Khazana Building, Golconda

17. Kulsum Begum’s Mosque, Karwan

18. Mecca Masjid

19. Mian Mishk Masjid

20. Monsieur Raymond’s Obliesk

21. Mushirabad Mosque

22. Purani Idgah

23. Paigah Tombs

24. Patancheruvu Tombs

25. Premamati’s Mosque

26. Puranapul Gate

27. Qutub Shahi Tombs

28. Shaikpet Mosque & Sarai

29. Shamsheer Kotha

30. Taramati’s Baradari

31. Toli Masjid

32. Uppal Mosque

HERITAGE BUILDINGS:

1. Parsi Dharamshala

2. Clock Tower, Secunderabad

3. Amberpet Burj

4. Nizamia Observatory

5. Clock Tower, Sultan Bazar

6. Gate Portion, Dewan Devdi – Two gates

7. Kaman Chatta Bazar

8. a) Charkaman

    b) Machlikaman

    c) Kalikaman

    d) Sher-e-Batil-Ki-Kaman

9. Gate Portion – Shahi Jilu Khana

10. Aliabad Sarai

11. Puranapul bridge

12. Gate Portion – Devdi Akram Ali Khan

13. a) Gate Portion – Dargah Nooruddin Shah

      b) Ancient Gateway, Kukatpally

14. Osmania Arts College

15. a) Malwala Palace – Main Courtyard

      b) Secondary Courtyard & Residential quarters

16. Pavilion in Bhagawandas Garden

17. I. Prakash Building

18. Manjhli Begum Ki Haveli

19. Mushk Mahal

20. Allauddin’s Building

21. Devdi Mehdi Nawaz Jung

22. Gandhi Medical College

23. Golden Threshold

24. Ameen Manzil

25. Spanish Mosque

26. St. Mary’s Cathedral

27. St. John’s Church

28. Sitaram Bagh Temple

29. Jhamsingh Temple – Gate Portion

30. Mosque – near Jhamsingh Temple

31. St. George’s Church

32. Jama Masjid

33. Darush Shifa & Mosque

34. Air & Land Warfare Building

35. a) Chow Mahalla – main palace

      b) Other Palaces - Chow Mahalla

36. Dargah Yousufain

37. Afzal Gunj Mosque

38. Dargah Hazrath Shajauddin

39. Moghulpura Tombs

40. Dargah Syed Shah Mir Mahmood Wali

41. Qila Kohna & Mosque

42. Clock Tower & Police Station, James Street

43. Hyderabad Public School

44. Paigah Plaza (Vikhar-ul-Umra Palace)

45. Vikhar Manzil

46. Devdi Nazir Nawaz Jung (Chiran Fort Club)

47. Erram Manzil

48. King Koti Complex

      a) Hospital (old)

      b) Usman Mansion

      c) Nazri Bagh

49. Residency Complex (Women’s College, Koti)

50. Mahboob Mansion

51. Asmangarh Palace

52. Purani Haveli Complex

53. Shahi Khilwat Khana

54. Baradari of Nawab Khursheed Jah Bahadur

55. a) Falaknuma Palace – Main Palace

      b) Other Palaces

56. Devdi Iqbal-ud-Doula (Shah Gunj)

57. Victoria Memorial Orphanage

58. Bella Vista (Administrative Staff College of India)

59. Dhanrajgirji Complex

60. Nizam College

61. Osmania General Hospital

62. City College

63. Directorate of Industries

64. Princess Esin Women’s Educational Centre

65. Monty’s Hotel

66. Jubilee Hall

67. E.N.T. Hospital

68. State Central Library

69. State Archaeological Museum

70. Lady Hydri Club

71. Moazzam Jahi Market

72. Aiwan-e-Ali

73. Victoria Maternity Hospital

74. A.P. High Court

75. Government Unani Hospital, Charminar

76. Vilayath Manzil (Country Club)

77. Andhra Patrika Building

78. Homeopathic Hospital

79. Sardar Mahal

80. Nizam Club

81. Devdi Asman Jah

82. Tomb Fakhr-ul-Mulk

83. Vijay Marie Church

84. Puranmal Samadhi

85. St. Joseph’s Cathedral

86. Parsi Fire Temple

87. Mahboob Chowk Mosque

88. Azha Khana-e-Zehra

89. Maharaja Chandulal Temple

90. Kishan Bagh Temple

91. Clock Tower – Fateh Maidan

92. Clock Tower – Mahboob Chowk

93. Gate Portion – Shamraj Bahadur

94. Ritz Hotel (Hill Fort)

95. D. Lakshmaiah’s residence

96. D. Pentaiah’s residence

97. Lakshmi Paper Mart’s Building

98. Mohanlal Malani’s residence

99. Raza Ali Bunglow

100. Nanu Bhai G. Shah’s Building

101. Raja Bhagwandas Building

102. Façade – Baitul Ghous

103. Façade – Hifazath Hussain

104. Goshamahal Baradari

105. Jawahar Bal Bhavan

106. Prem Chand’s residence

107. Shyam Rao Chungi’s residence

108. Dilkusha Guest House

109. College of Nursing

110. Yousuf Tekhri

111. Khusroo Manzil

112. Devdi Ranachand – Ahotichand

113. Asman Mahal

114. Baitul Ashraf

115. Devdi Bansilal

116. Devdi Imaad Jung Bahadur

117. Panj Mahalla (lingampally)

118. Parwarish Bagh

119. Adil Alam Mansion

120. Central Bank Building

121. Mini Bal Bhavan

122. Ali Manzil

123. Taj Mahal hotel (Old Block)

124. Ravi Bar

125. Hyderabad Central Building Division’s office

126. Roshan Mahal

127. Central Co-operative Training College

128. a) Mahboobia Girls High School & Junior College

        b) Madraasa-E-Aliya

129. Reddy Hostel

130. Mahal Wanaparthi

131. Baquer Bagh

132. Devdi Nawab Shamsheer Jung

133. Devdi Maharaja Kishan Pershad Bahadur

134. A. Majeed Khan’s residence

135. Old M.C.H. Office

136. Greenlands Guest House

137. Raj Bhavan Old Building

HERITAGE PRECINCTS – ROCKS:

1. Hillocks around Durgam Cheruvu Lake, Jubilee Hills

2. Rock Park, on Old Bombay Road near Dargah Hussain Shah Wali

3. “Bear’s Nose” inside Shilparamam, Madhapur

4. “Mushroom Rock” inside the University of Hyderabad Campus

5. “Cliff Rock” between Road No. 45 & 46, Jubilee Hills

6. “Monster Rock” near Film Nagar, between Road No. 70 & 71, Jubilee Hills

7. “Tortoise Rock” in Nandi Hills layout near Jubilee Hills

8. “Toadstool” next to Blue Cross, Jubilee Hills

9. “Obelisk” on Road No. 66, Jubilee Hills     

In celebration of 160 years of Indian Railways.

Dear Indian Railways,

You fascinate me! I am a great fan of yours!

Congratulations! On your glorious growth and 160 years of service to us.

-N. Raghu.

P.S. My affinity towards Railways is also because of the reason that my father was in the Railways for sixteen years, H.E.H. The Nizam’s State Railway and the Central Railway of Indian Railways.