Trip to Tharangambaddi

 So I have to create a new tag for what I am doing now. I used to trek quite a bit between 2008 and 2014, when I was in Mumbai. I used to go somewhere every weekend. I am older now, more than 15 years older, and I just do not have the stamina anymore for treks. Also, I live in Bangalore now, and there are not too many trekking options, although I had heard of the Bangalore Mountaineering Club. So... my plan is to travel on as many weekends as I can manage, all over South India. Most of the places in South India are a weekend getaway from Bangalore. 

So on Friday night, I took a bus from Kalasipalyam, which in itself was a pain. The pickup point was right outside the Krishnarajendra Market Metro station, gate 2, but the guy who could not speak English or Hindi, and only spoke Tamil. He told me in Broken English that the pickup point was opposite Laxmi Apartments. The location on the map was in the middle of the road. So, from the right pickup point I made a 2 km trek to whatever Laxmi Apartments I found on the map. It was an under construction building in the middle of a crowded marketplace. So I walked back to where all the long-distance buses were parked, and made a pit stop at a tea shop in the middle of a big open field, populated by people shopping for curry leaves and cows. The cows in the area were nosy and and being driven off by the vegetable vendors. After that, I walked along the main road which was jam packed, I had to walk in the middle of the stalled traffic because there was no footpath, and the two-wheelers had filled up all available spaces. There was a rickshaw here that had broken down, causing a Jam and a lot of impatient honking. Just as I reached the location pinned for the pickup point, I got a couple of frenetic calls from the operator, who calmed down when I told him I would be there in three minutes. I was there in 2 1/2, back where I started the whole trek from, and right outside KR Market Metro station. It was Gate 2 of the Metro Station, not Gate 2 of the Market, that I wasted half an hour looking for! 

Anyway, the bus was super comfortable, I journaled on the way, had the upper berth, which had a charging point, and a nice comfortable seat at the back, a warm blanked and a pillow. This was fun. 

The pitstop in the middle of nowhere. Wish I had turned on the watermark for this one to get the location! 

Then... slept soundly, the bus stopped in the middle of nowhere during the night, I took the opportunity to step out for some fresh air. There was absolutely no stars visible in the sky unfortunately, because of the clouds. The next day, early in the morning, the bus dropped me off at Tharangambadi, also known as Tranquebar. I was dropped at a tea stall with AI slop on it, and around the corner was a memorial for the victims of the 2004 Tsumani. A check on Google Maps told me this was the wrong way, and I circled back to the main road to the fishing town of Tranquebar. This was a Danish colony sold to the British East India Company on October 16, 1845, and has an interesting history. 

Admiral Ove Gjedde (on behalf of King Christian IV of Denmark) departed from Copenhagen on the Flagship Elephanten in November 1618, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and reached Ceylon in May 1620. The advance Danish vessel Øresund, commanded by Director Roland Crappé was attacked by seven Portuguese frigates off the Coromandel Coast, and was sunk. The survivers reached Tharangambadi on the Elephanten, and a treaty was signed between Gjedde and the ruler of the Tanjore Nayak Kingdom, Raghunatha Nayak, who was keen to make an alliance with a European power to counter the Portuguese influence in the region. I saw a copy of the treaty at the Ziegenbalg Museum Complex, which had riders such as no one was allowed to deal in fake currency with Danish subjects or provide spurious goods (with the penalty of death), and of lasting peace between Tanjore and Denmark. Gjedde then left for Copenhagen with a ship full of Indian spice. 

The Dansborg 

The Dansborg is being renovated, and the Museum of old things is closed as of now. It will be reopened in about 5-6 months according to the locals. I walked down the King's Road, through the town gates, where a gang war was ongoing between goats and dogs. This lane has a bunch of Churches and Schools, all featuring Danish architecture, nice white buildings. At the end of the road is the Bay of Bengal. 

This was my first visit to the East Coast of India, and the first time seeing the endless sea after I reckon about 10 years. I went to the Masilamaninathar Temple built in 1306 AD by the Pandyan Ruler Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I. The roofs are in the style of pagodas. This temple was built with a mixture of Chinese and Dravidian architecture, with the purpose of making Chinese traders feel welcome. To the south of Fort Dansborg, I discovered another such temple, which is not marked on Google Maps. The main temple complex is well-maintained but closed to visitors. The Ganesha temple had a bunch of new devotees, in the form of a litter of puppies. The tired mother was sleeping in the Sanctum Sanctorum, and the Puppies that could not have been over a day old, were scurrying about within the shrine. 

I sat for a while enjoying the singing waves, which is what the name of the town means. I also found a map carved in stone, and an abandoned and derelict temple complex. I then headed back to the Dansborg, and discovered that the Museum of 'Old Things' was closed, but I could take a walk around for five bucks, no UPI accepted. I gave them a note, took back a coin, and explored the old fort. The restoration work is proceeding beautifully, and I intend to revisit once it is finished. I then went to the Maritime Museum, which is well-maintained, feels more like a house than a museum. It had an entire boat on display, which was provided by the Danes. All the boats of its kind were lost in 2004 in the Tsunami, and this one was brought in from Pondicherry. 

Along with the ceramics, sea shells, coins, various treasures thrown up by the sea and old lead movable type Tamil print, there are also modern artefacts such as alcohol bottles, and for some reason, cameras and telephones as well. Well, not so modern, they were everything from 1.5 centuries. There was also a tricycle and a Jeep for kids. This is a nice place to sit down and read, and a good place to rest if you do not want to splurge on the lavish hotels in the area, catering to Indian tourists and the Danes, who still come to look at the graves of their ancestors. 

At the museum, I picked up a couple of coins by Rajaraja Chola, as well as a all the English Language reading material I could. The pick of this lot was a book on the Governor's Bungalow, that told the history of the town through the history of that one house. The attendant there was very helpful, and told me to visit the Dansborg, The Printing Museum and the Harbour. 

I then walked over to the Ziegenbalg Museum Complex. The Protestant Christian missionaries, German Lutherans Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plütschau were sent by King Frederick IV of Denmark under the Tranquebar Mission in July 1706. This Ziegenbalg learned Tamil in a couple of years, immersed himself in local culture, started a school for girls and boys, and even started the mid-day meal programme! He drew up a genealogy of Indian gods, established cross-religious dialogues, and was overall a top notch fellow. There is a statue of his right outside the Maritime Museum, as well as a plaque with a cross marking the spot where he made landfall. He also got a printing press, the to print in the Tamil Language, and translated the Old Testament into Tamil in 1715. It would take till 1795 for the New Testemant to be translated and printed. On the first floor are a bunch of printing presses, including a  Chandler and Price Platen made in 1887, that looks very similar to the Heidelberg 'Windmill' press, and a Clymer and Dixon Columbian Iron Eagle press from 1834, that was still working! In it were fresh forms, along with an inked sheet. I got some printed psalm as memorabilia. There was also a copy editing machine here, a paper cutting machine, and a couple of donated book binding machine.

Chandler and Price 'Jobber' Press, 1878 

The Clymer and Dixon Columbian Iron Eagle press from 1834

A form in the press

The attendant here was shadowing me and dutifully turning off the lights and fans when not required. Well, just the lights as there were no fans. On the second floor was a cupboard full of movable wooden types. Then I headed back to the temple, found a bunch of couples, one of whom was driven away by the police, and another that were not. The stretch between the temple and some hotel was a hotspot for couples. I rested for a bit around the temple, listened to some reels of fishermen, explored the harbour, did some urban exploration, saw a guy drinking hooch, as well as a stoner who I scared, and then the hoocher guy was joined by friends who drove out goats from a shed and occupied it to get drunk. 

The bookbinding machines to the left, the cutting machine to the right

I then had lunch of cucumber and watermelon, and took a nice 3.5 km walk to the neighbouring district of Pondicherry to this place called the NV Bar. This was a tiring walk in the Sun where the passing buses were blowing off by hat. It was fortunately secured by a thread. There I had a nice strong KF beer as they were out of anything milder. I could not book an intercity cab despite paying 250 extra, but I found a rickshaw driver who did the trip in 100 bucks and five minutes. I then walked back to the Dansborg, spent a while watching the waves in the night. The locals were playing and so were the kids. Then I came back to the bus stop, and took the bus home to Bangalure at around 10:00. 

I was dead tired and slept soundly. I occupied the same seat on the same bus back, but the driver was different. The attendant was much more calmer now, and was happy to see me on time at the pickup point this time around. 

Things worked out

 I am sorted now. I am working in Bengaluru at a PR firm, with my mandates being two top tech clients. I tried out at a few news places but they were not willing to pay a salary that is aligned with my expertise and experience. The cost of text has plummeted, so it was the right time for me to exit the industry. I can continue covering what I am passionate about at community fora, so not too worried about that. X is an excellent platform, and so is Wordpress when it comes to engagement and self-expression. 

There is a lot to write, and a lot happened, and I will be posting everything over time. I first send ahead all my packages from Delhi to Bengaluru, then hopped on a train. I also joined my new job at the Delhi office for two months, which was a lot of fun because it was at GK2 M-block market, just 15 minutes from my home, door to door. There was a nice juice seller there that I will miss. I was able to eat at Carnatic Cafe in the mornings, and at Tanjore Veg Dosa Cafe in the evenings. Towards the end of two weeks I started getting a frequent customer discount. I did not know that there was a GK M-block market apart from the GK2 and GK1 M-block markets. The rickshaw drivers are also confused, and refer to both the GK and GK1 M-block markets as the GK1 M-block market. 

Here in Bengaluru, my office is in Indiranagar. My house is in Srirampuram, and there is a Metro that I need to switch. The walk from the Metro station to office is about two kilometers, so I need to find a better way to make this hop. There is a Cafe Amudham next to my office where the dishes cost half as much as Delhi. Delhi is a cheap city in every way, but not when it comes to South Indian food. Miss the glasses of complementary rasam served at Delhi, which you do not get in Bengaluru. 

Got Laid OFF

 So I just got laid off from News9. I could not take anything in writing, and will likely lose my gratuity, just one month before I become eligible for it. They have also blocked three months of pay, so I have to financially struggle for two months now. Will get a final settlement, hopefully that will give me some savings. They basically asked me to resign at gunpoint. Something similar had happened to my dad 26 years ago, and he never talks much about it. It was a shock, and I have to find another desk. The thing is there are not too many newsrooms that do both Science and Tech in Mumbai. Right now I have a bunch of choices to make... 

1. Continue working in media as a journalist or jump to corp comm.

2. Stay in Delhi or move to Mumbai

The two are kind of linked together, if I move to Mumbai, I cannot continue to work as a science and tech journalist. I will have to give up everything that I have gained expertise on, over the course of half a career. Spoke to a lot of people and they are helping me, with some plans laid out. 

1. Join another organisation in Delhi quickly

2. Move back to Mumbai and take a break, see what opportunities show up. Can ask for relocation fees if I get a job at Delhi again. 

Either way, need to start preparing to exit this place. Out of an abundance of caution, I am scheduling this post for after my notice period. Actually written on 3 May. 

Visit to IIM Kashipur

So last time I was invited to attend the 33rd convocation at BIT Mesra, because the chief guest was V Narayanan, and I am a science journalist. This time, the same team invited me to the 13th convocation of IIM Kashipur. There was no reason for me to go, but I thought I would have a cool road trip. It was not exactly that, because everything was rushed. 

I left at 08:00 hours IST on Saturday, and reached the hotel in Kashipur around 13:30 hours. I slept most of the way, but remember that the roads were well-made, except for one bumpy stretch. I also played a bit of Jurassic Park: Evolution 2 on GeForce Now. The Asus Expertbook Ultra was bright enough to use in the car, with a long enough battery life to sustain cloud gaming at least. Was fun. 

Reached the hotel, some Kumaon Palace. God knows what has happened to that place, it was first a house that got turned into a mill that then got turned into a hotel. It has elements from all the phases. Nice, British-looking mansion. The Anna Villa where I was put up is actually booked as a whole for parties, costing about Rs 16K a night. I got a room right at the end, and was sharing it with two people in a neighbouring room, who never came out of their room, but were talking loudly. 

It was a very casual setup, because i left the room door open, and the hotel staff were coming and going also. The AC broke down, which was instantly fixed by the time I had lunch. I then took a nap, and then got ready for the convocation. I reached around 15:30 hours IST. We were taken to a room, given an opportunity to interview the medal winners, as well as the chief guest. This was all managed very well, and I was happy that the press interactions were organised before the convocation, which went well into the night. The timing was also suitable because otherwise the heat would have been sweltering. 

The convocation carried on, and I bashed out a whole bunch of stories, while talking to a reporter named Shreya. There were drones flying overhead, recording everything. I left the place around 20:00 hours and headed back to the hotel. In the night, I did not eat, but made my driver eat at the hotel, even though he felt that the food would be unsatisfying, and light, compared to the food that he was used to. I went, took a nice luxurious hot water bath (the taps were really confusing, but all hotel taps are), set the fixed AC to 16 degrees, and took a luxurious nap. 

I really need to get a better bed at home, because a nice, comfortable bed makes a huge difference in sleep quality. 

Anyway, I woke up at 06:45 hours, checked out by 07:00, and left the property by 07:15. The driver felt a little sleepy on the way, because the mosquitoes prevented him from resting properly in the night. I was back in Delhi by 12:00. Shreya went to check out Corbett, and was flying back to Mumbai on Monday, that is today, instead of yesterday. A few others went to check out local attractions, including Hanuman Dham, as they wondered when they would go to Kashipur again (probably never for most). I just took the cab straight back home, not even stopping for breakfast. We did take a cigarette break though. The driver was anxious to get home so drove speedily, between 80 and 100 kmph. 

I grabbed a beer, and then headed to work, reaching by around 14:00 hours. Akshit left to meet a Tibetan childhood friend, and the kid just left. Because I had finished my quota of stories the previous day itself, I had the entire day to write a detailed review of the Asus Zenbook S16. The review of the Asus Zenbook S14 and the Asus Expertbook Ultra are pending. I am sad that these devices will go back, and I will not have any fresh silicon to play on. Hopefully, GFN now works well on my office machine lol. 

About Today

 So I am just about done with my work for today. Fell short a bit. Today was my first day at work in the new 6:00 hours IST shift. Went back to sleep after waking up. The transport guy was forcing me to walk faster, I was like what do you want me to do I am walking from my home to the pickup point. He said jaldi jao I said aap jaldi call karo. 

HAHAHAHA

Anyway, happy for a few stories I did lately. One was on how great the Nvidia GeForce Now experience was on smartphones, another on how GeForce Now solves the problems of Xbox Game Pass. 

Another older story I really liked, that shows the differences between what a person says and what is written in their speech was this story on Narayanan. 

Have to go back by Metro now, with over 4 lakhs worth of laptops in my bag. I have right now four laptops for review, and one of them has not even been opened up yet. 

About Today

 Finished my eight stories yesterday, not getting the motivation to bash out a smartphone review. It is actually of an expensive device that I do not really like at all, but there are no real technical deficiencies, so I have to get over my distaste and tell what is good or not about the device. 

Finished my eight stories today as well, played a bit of Pile Up! but I am unable to finish a single level. A few people wished me on by Birthday, Yuna and Awake from the game and Asmita from IRL, apart from my aunt Gautami and my Mom. My boss wished me today after seeing the corporate email, and ofc the HR wished me as well... so that is a total of six people, two more if you consider a surprised Akshit and Ahsan jumping in to wish when my Boss did. 

I am not a big fan of birthdays, I do not see why one should enjoy any single day more than the others. If you want to celebrate your life, my belief is that you do that every second that you live. A birthday is an arbitrary date of no particular significance. The Earth has taken a lap around the Sun since you were born, congrats lol. 

I just came in to work yesterday, like any other regular day. There is an Asus event tomorrow, also Ambedkar Jayanti. So will have a few hours off to work on the review. Have to plan out the rest of the Month now. Over smokes and food, we talked today about how little India invests in research and development, why the idiotic, small-minded business owners in India are only running after short-term profits, the ridiculousness of SEO guidelines in a newsroom that are not anchored by a comprehensive editorial policy, and generally why people are shit lol. 

There were also some protests in Noida about some company not giving its employees as much as it pays them in Gurugram. It did not affect me. I have about one hour... actually 45 minutes to kill before my clock runs out. 

About Today

 Have about an hour left before my shift ends, and my work is done. Today I felt bad throughout the day for behaving a bit like an asshole after drinking yesterday. I actually said something in a group to an irritating shady guy that I wanted to say for years. Then I posted a rant against Microsoft scamming users by aggressively filling out OneDrive space, when it does not work as intended, especially with Clip Champ. Everything is uploaded into the cloud, but not downloaded on new machines. I did nothing wrong, and said what I wanted to, but what struck me was that I did not want to spend my life being an asshole. 

Also I hung out on clubhouse for a while was fun. New quest started in WWO, Yuna cancelled a quest she started by mistake, but got most gold refunded for that, so no problem. BetaMom is MIA since last September. Hope everything is fine there. 

The thing is, I am hard and direct that way with everyone, my parents, my colleagues and my friends. If I were to be buried instead of being cremated, I imagine the gravestone would read 'This guy spent his life complaining'. I am just dissatisfied with everything around me... so I have resolved to just grin and bear it, keep my comments to myself or this blog, and try to be positive and uplifting. I tried to have some fun today, which was successful. Made Akshit and Pragya lob a paper ball at Roheen, on the count of three, but I did not throw it. Nakshab scolded Akshit for that, which was fun. Roheen was engrossed in some work and did not understand what happened. 

There are small preferences that make us all do our own things. Akshit does not like the Sun, while I like it. Smoking is not allowed in the office canteen between 12:00 and 16:00 hours IST, but Akshit does not care about that, while I follow it religiously. So for one smoke, I went down while he went to the canteen. For another one, we found a spot where he could stand in the shade while I caught the Sun. For a third one, the heat was oppressive so we both found the Shade. The kid, Ahsan wanted to slowly sit in the canteen and drink coffee by mixing it in a glass glass. We wanted to go outside, which we did. I feel bad when other people have to compromise as well. 

I guess it is time to play Pile Up! for about 50 mins before I get to leave.  

About Today

 Today felt like recovering from the craziness of yesterday. I was expecting the livestream of the Artemis II flyby to wrap up around 7:30 hours IST, but it kept going on and on, with a solar eclipse, the first ever witnessed by humans in cislunar space, and a call with Trump, and an interaction with Isaacman, who btw asked really amazing questions. I made a weird hype reel based on comments by Trump before crashing after an unusually long day. 

#Mood pic.twitter.com/l8eCTWbYbo

— Aditya Madanapalle (@electricfoo) April 7, 2026

Today, had to do a story for story for Melzo Anubhav. I met the team at the Convergence Expo, and the kids sent me a message with their portfolio and pamphlet, and asked me to do a story. I said I would do one on Sunday, but had forgotten with everything happening. This is a really good team, that is using tech developed for entertainment, for education. The kids learn better in an immersive environment, retain what they learned better, and can experiment with hazardous, toxic chemicals in a simulated lab without needing adult supervision. I really liked what they are doing, and they have installed over 100 of these devices in public, government-run schools in Thane, which is more than their hometown of Surat! 

There was also a press con in the morning at 11:00 hours, that I attended as soon as I came in. Vaidy was not on, but there were Rehan, Sheldon and someone I did not recognise from Digit. There was a Divya, have to confirm if its my former colleage. 

I have always wanted to sit on these conferences, put my friends on the pinned panes, and then react with not obvious but comedic expressions to whatever the company is saying. 

After that I bashed out the stories, first the Anubhav one, followed by the Logitech release, and then Astrophel Aerospace announcing a VTVL test on 15 August, that I also posted on IndianSpaceflight.in. The PR was a bit hesitant to allow me to post there, but when I showed some other posts and the site, they were convinced and understood the value and benefit of appearing on a grassroots, community run forum for spaceflight enthusiasts. 

All in all, it was a good day and I wrapped up my copies in sufficient time to wrap up the HyperX Pulsefire Saga review. This is a strange modular mouse where Logitech is selling you a platform, expecting you to 3D print the buttons, palm rest and the side buttons. There is a cost and weight penalty for the modularity, so this is an extremely niche device. But, I got a keeper and have to see if there are any 3D printing services that will let me customise it further. I maybe want a knobby palm rest! 

Okay, will go home now, and really have to pay this new game that I purchased that I forgot the name of haha. Oh right, it is called Pile Up! 

GlideX is a bit iffy, will start using this TUF A14 as my primary, switching out from the Vivobook S16 that looks really slick. 

Srirampuram and Malleshwaram

 My grandmother had a large number of brothers and sisters. One of these was Subhadra, my grand aunt who stayed behind at the family home while everyone left. Here is her account of the history of the area, translated from the original in Kannada. 

Page 1: The Origins of Sriramapura

In the past, this area was a dense forest inhabited by wild animals and serpents. Today, however, it has transformed into a residential hub. These settlements were once merely open fields and vacant plots; the noise and bustle of urban life were entirely absent. Today, however, the area has developed significantly, and we have settled here to make it our home. This residential locality was established through the efforts of Mr. Diviri.

Our layout, formerly known as "Ryot’s Block" (Farmers' Block), was home to backward and underprivileged communities. It is located in Bangalore-560021. In 1927, the installation of the Sri Ramachandra Swamy Temple gave this layout its current name.

The layout consists of approximately 25 sub-blocks connected by 4th to 6th main roads. These include: Swatantra Nagar, Christian Colony, Hanumanthapura, Dalithapura, Ambedkar Nagar, Arunidhati Nagar, Gautama Nagar, Bhagyamma Nagar, Dayanandanagar, Okalipuram, Nagappa Block, Prakash Nagar, Ramachandra Puram, Gayatri Nagar, Maruthi Layout, and Subramanya Nagar.

Sriramapura is situated between Rajajinagar and Gandhinagar. While one part belongs to the Gandhinagar constituency, the core area falls under Bangalore-21. It is geographically isolated from Malleshwaram, Seshadripuram, and Yeshwanthpur by the railway lines. Historically, residents of other areas looked down upon this place as a "slum." Even today, the name "Sriramapura" carries a stigma that makes outsiders hesitant to visit.

Page 2: Geography and The Incense Industry

To reach the 3rd Cross of Sriramapura from Malleshwaram, one must cross the railway lines. This area borders the northern and southern parts of Okalipuram. Within these boundaries lie several small colonies like Ambedkar Nagar and Thayappa Garden.

The residents here are mostly laborers and those from economically backward sections. The streets are characterized by small huts, narrow lanes, and open drains flowing in front of houses. In these very spaces, on the doorsteps and narrow sidewalks, women and children are constantly seen rolling "Agarbatti" (incense sticks). This is the primary livelihood here. These incense sticks are then dried in open spaces like the Ambedkar grounds. The scent of raw incense permeates the air of the entire neighborhood.

Page 3: Struggles and Social Services

The laborers here, who migrated from various places for work, initially settled in these "slums" because the rent was affordable. However, poverty often leads to social ills; many residents are caught in the grip of alcoholism and debt. Moneylenders frequently exploit the ignorance and addiction of the poor.

Despite these challenges, there have been efforts to bring reform. Over the last 50 to 75 years, several individuals and institutions have worked for the upliftment of the area. Notable doctors like Dr. Radha Gandhi, Dr. Dwarakanath, and Dr. Keshavadaran have served the community. 

In 1965, a free medical center was established on a 50x141 plot in Nagappa Block to serve the poor. Additionally, the S.R. Srinivasan and Rama Bai Hospital provides essential healthcare to the locals.

Page 4: The Sree Rama Co-operative Bank and Deena Seva Sangha

For the benefit of the poor in our layout, visionaries established the Sree Rama Co-operative Bank in 1932. Located on 7th Main, this institution was created to encourage saving and provide financial stability to laborers. 

Another pillar of the community is the **Deena Seva Sangha**, founded in 1930 by T. Ramachandra and other dedicated social workers. Located on 5th Main, it serves the Dalit community and the underprivileged. The Sangha runs:

• An Orphanage
• The Labourer Fellowship Centre
• A Health Centre and Home for the Aged

Students here study in various languages, including Kannada, Tamil, and English. While many residents are Tamil-speaking, the institution works to integrate everyone through education.

Page 5: Educational Institutions

The Harijana Free Hostel (Venkatappa Gopalaswamy Iyer Students' Hostel) was established in 1930. The founder, R. Gopalaswamy Iyer, was honored with the "Vanchana Gopala" title by the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar, for his service.

Following in his footsteps, D. Venkoba Rao established several institutions including:

• The R. Gopalaswamy Iyer Hostel (for boys)
• The Venkoba Rao Memorial P.U. College
• Schools for the poor and orphaned

In 1950, the Gandhi Vidya Shala was established. Many children who grew up in extreme poverty, some without parents, found a path to a better life through these schools. Though the buildings may lack modern windows or grand doors, they have provided the light of knowledge to thousands.

Page 6: Religious Sites and Modern Life

"...(9th Main Road), Sri Ayyappa Swami Temple on the over-bridge—daily free food distribution (Annadana), free medical care, religious, cultural, and spiritual discourses, old-age homes, and meditation halls—having undertaken such service activities, they have contributed to the growth and development of the area. 

In this layout, there are many renowned individuals—to name a few: the late Sri R.R. Keshavamurthy, V.R. Naidu, Cinema Art Director Jagadeesh, Sundaramma, Scientist C.N.R. Rao (in his childhood), and Sri M.A. Sethurao. These people, known for their peace, gentleness, and historical contributions, lived right here. 

Because of this, many ask, "Is Sriramapura...?" "Is it there?" "Where is it?" (this means what is so special about Srirampura? What is there here?) They listen with curiosity. Near Malleshwaram, it feels like it is shrinking. Here, in the historical background, there are places of prayer—temples, mosques, and magnificent churches—are they not all here? Look closely. The educational institutions of the late Venkoba Rao—the vast parking areas that provide fresh air for children (even the old Madanagar school has the same); there are open playgrounds.

In other layouts, one must wait for a bus to go to work, but here, there is good transport and market access—these facilities are not elsewhere. In the early days, if children were playing and running across the road, elders would scold them, saying, "Go play in Malleshwaram." In the layout across the way, it is easy to see the cars and buses parked on the road or in front of houses. They have no other choice for parking.

Many pedestrians walk along the road, and as water flows in the gutters, people say, "Even the drainage water flows like a river inside this iron cage." As mentioned before, "Prosperity and abundance have grown and flourished here." Many say the layout is small, but if the mind is large, it can fit here. Are you searching for more? Indeed, it is here. Even the "Sparrows" (Gubbachigalu), which are disappearing today, sit on the doors of the shops here every day, chirping without fear. (The vegetable market built by the descendants of Lakshminarayana Puram).

Page 7: Additional descriptive details and geographical context

For the poor people here, there are small shops, small temples, and one or two houses. This is a description and picture of the northern part of Sriramapura-21, 6th Main.

Further, in the middle part of Sriramapura—from Malleshwaram Circle (towards the railway station), if you go straight to Vyalikaval, crossing the K.C. General Hospital, and look from the over-bridge towards Mahakavi Kuvempu Road (Nagappa Block Road), the half portion of Sriramapura that stretches across is visible. In this part lie Nagappa Block, Gayatri Nagar, Maruthi Layout, Prakash Nagar, and the area near the railway line—these sub-layouts are systematically located. You can reach here by getting off the train at the stop above and walking down.

Previously, these large layouts were just fields and open lands. Today, there are buildings and houses. The spirit of the old days is still here. In the 1st Main of Nagappa Block, there was the Samadhi of Nagappa. Recently, a building was constructed on that spot. This layout is named after him. Near the railway line, there are schools—Ramanand (Urdu Medium), Balashivara Schools (High School), Murthappa Degree College, and Vivekananda Law College (which is near the Nimishamba Temple).

There are also beautiful temples—Trimurthy Temples. In Nagappa Block, there are Subramanya Nagar Ganesha Temples, and in Gayatri Nagar, there are Rama Temples. Though they are small, they are very active. From Nagappa Block, there is easy bus connectivity to other layouts. National, Canara, Vijaya, and Corporation Banks are also in the Nagappa Block and Mahakavi Kuvempu Road area. The Central City Library is in Ramamohanapura. Thus, the look of this half-portion is unique.

As said before, the number of temples in this layout is increasing. There are temples that are more than 75 years old. In the olden days, the Sri Ramachandra Swamy Temple, which gave the area the name "Sriramapura," was built by residents who came from the Murudi town of Tiruchirappalli district. They became residents here, and in 1927, under the leadership of R. Narayanarao.

About yesterday and today

 Yesterday I got up early in the morning and headed straight to Humayun's tomb. I usually head here to review a new smartphone as it provides great opportunities to test the camera, a nice environment to test the video stabilisation during a walkabout, and great backgrounds for product shots themselves. Unfortunately, I did not find a particular patterned tile that I had used on the S22 Ultra review three years ago now. 

I went precisely where I wanted, got the shots I needed, and was done in an hour. I then headed to the Delhi zoo. Most of the zoo contains only deer and herons. The bird enclosures have views and walkways. Finding the two lions is a struggle, and I discovered in the end that one of the lions were sick. Apart from the deer, there is not much else to see. The Rhino spends most of the time submerged, the hippo likes a spot close to the fence that makes him impossible to see, the Gaur and Nilgai are cool but hidden away, both the tigers like to relax in spots hidden from view, did not find the hyena enclosure, the crocodiles and gharials are cool though. Did not expect the gharials to have such big nasty jaws, I thought they were smaller from photos... these are not dainty little animals lol. 

Also saw the deer headbutting, both the black bucks and the barasingha. The leopards were also cool, and rather fat and well-fed, larger than even Big Daddy at SGNP back home. The Silver Pheasant was the only cool-looking bird, and I did not find the reptile enclosure. I really wanted to see the lion, which is the only highlight I remember apart from the heronry from an earlier visit in my youth. Did not get to see the lion, the guard told me the wrong beat number (19), and I found out from a worker that it was hurt and not being brought out into the open for visitors. I had to retrace a significant portion of my walk looking for the lion. The bears were sad and hiding. I got some good shots and tested out the zoom capability of the smartphone though (Nothing 4a Pro). 

Then I went for lunch at Carnatic Cafe. It was a bit crowded. I then came home and slept, exhausted from all the walking. It was not painful so I must be recovering from Bronchitis. Today morning, finished off my stories at work rapidly and went home. My timings have almost synced up with the astronauts on Artemis II, my days begin and end with them. This is funny, because when they get time off, I get time off as well. At work, the editors wanted me to write about the toilets. Guess its only human, that when NASA is testing out a brand new spaceship capable of going to the Moon, most people want to know about the loo. Going back home early today and crashing. 

About Today

 I wrapped up my last injection yesterday. Hand pains a bit from all the injections. Nearing the end of Jurassic Park: Chaos Theory, so will have to find something else to watch now. I did a total of 11 stories on the same report by ISRO, this was a blitz, what is known as cluster coverage. So good day at work yesterday and today. It is taking nearly five minutes for me to unpack my whole pasara, a spread of tech on my desk, that includes a wireless keyboard, a tablet with its stand, a smartphone with its stand, a large Ant mousepad that I got for like 170 bucks from Instamart, the headphone, a mouse and two laptops. 

After being dry for nearly three months, I now have a flood of devices to review, including two laptops, a gaming mouse, and a smartphone. Will be a little grueling to get all of them done on time. The hype for Artemis II has not started yet, cannot believe that humans are embarking on a Moon mission for the first time in over 50 years, and there is almost no hype. 

Swarajya is doing some crazy things. So the Parliamentary Committee Report criticised the low cost at which private industries in India were gaining tech developed using taxpayer money. The Indian National Congress put out a snide post on X based on this, that got all the brigading sanghis up in arms. Now, Swarajya Mag with its over-the-top ass-licking went hard in the other direction, putting out a story saying 'Taxpayer Funded Technology Gathering Dust In ISRO Labs Is The Real Waste'. In doing so, they contradicted the Parliamentary Committee Report, which says "It has been observed that technologies are often transferred to private players at undervalued rates, allowing these partners to earn significant profits while the originating institutes receive only a marginal share of the value created. Furthermore, there is no credible mechanism to verify whether the benefits of low-cost technology transfers are being passed on to the intended target users for whom the technologies were developed."

Sometimes, overenthusiasm makes people do ridonkulous things. I had to explain all this to my edit team. 

Had dal chawal today. The Rasa cafe has some excellent chilli cheese toast. I am down on some herb supplies, might have to restock day after. The kid enjoyed the bisibele bath and filter coffee yesterday, but not the curd rice. Came to know of two new old South Indian restaurants in Noida that I have to check out, one is Lakshmi Coffee House, and the other is Reena Restaurant which is like a canteen but apparently provides good food. The Nothing 4a Pro is running a battery test in my bag as I type, I hope it does not get disturbed. From the looks of it, the battery can easily last two days under sustained use, which is impressive. 

Feeling a bit sleepy. My course of injections got over yesterday, and instead of four pills a day, I now only have to take two pills every day for 10 days, one in the morning and the other in the evening. I also got five painkillers that I can take in case chest starts paining. There seems to be no pain so far, and hopefully the infection is getting cleared. I have to take another X-ray at the end of ten days to make sure. This treatment and even diagnosis was an unexpected financial burden on me. 

I also discovered that I do not have medical insurance, apart from the company policy. AARHGUSHDGFHJSDGHJ. 

KTHXBAI. 

Sagar Ratna

So again in the office today, there was a discussion on where to go for lunch. The first idea was to order-in, but we all could not decide on one place to order from, let alone one place that would have everything each of us wanted. There were three of us, Ahsan who claims never to have gone to a veg restaurant, Akshit, who hates bhindi and likes paneer, and me, who likes bhindi and hates paneer. 

Fucking paneer, it is not even a vegetable. I have never had a veg meal in Delhi with others where paneer was not on the table. People will not eat mix veg and chole, even though both the dishes typically have paneer as well. One paneer dish is essential. I wanted something like mix veg or bhindi do pyaza, or chana or chole, but have never been able to get a group together, go out to a restaurant, order two curries and whatever breads we want, like normal people. I miss Mani's in thane where we order navratan khurma and veg kholapuri. This Ahsan fellow does not believe that Moghul cuisine includes veg dishes. 

Fucking Delhi people with their gluten and paneer diet. 

Anyway, so curries and breads was out of the question. The other two were just looking at the menu puzzled, so I had to make a decision. I called for bisibele bath and curd rice, which everyone genuinely enjoyed. We then ordered two filter coffees, and I showed Ahsan the correct way to cool it in the wide, shallow bowl known as a dabara. Akhit ordered a mango milkshake, which was somehow available as a special despite the season not arriving yet. 

The lunch was consumed over a very serious discussion on whether or not Sagar Ratna was a South Indian restaurant. I tried to explain to them that Sagar Ratna started off in New Delhi, that the first branch was in Def Col, and that the restaurant was not widely known in South India, with the only branch that I know of in Mangalore. Those two argued that the inclusion of the banana leaf on the logo makes it a South Indian restaurant for North Indian people, even though it brands itself as a pure veg restaurant that serves South India, North Indian and even Chinese cuisine. 

I gave up the argument. We went to the place and returned by car, which was refreshing as I feel bikes are death traps. 

It was a good day for me at work. I have a brand new Asus TUF A14 laptop, that I really liked at the launch, and which is the one I would personally use. I also got back on Warframe yesterday, partially completed the Old Peace quest, and am on the last season of Camp Cretaceous: Chaos Theory, after watching all of Camp Cretaceous while sick with bronchitis over the past week. Anyway, so on my desk was my work laptop, the Nothing 4a Pro running benchmarks, the TUF A14 as the primary machine, connected to a new HyperX Pulsefire Saga gaming mouse, and the OnePlus Pad on the left as a secondary display. I finally felt like I am back at Digit lol. 

Then the work itself was very good. I bashed out eight copies on ISRO, all based on a single standing committee report. Three copies were on the target dates announced for Chandrayaan 4, the Venus Orbiter Mission and the Chandrayaan 5/LUPEX mission. One copy was a consolidated piece on all new targets, including deployment of BAS, development of the NGLV, and the LVM3 variant with the semicryogenic booster. Then I did three pieces on criticism of the underutilisation of funds, then large number of vacancies, and the licensing of technologies to private companies at ridiculously low prices. The final copy was a roundup of all the criticisms. So a good day at work, plan to do at least three more pieces on the same report, one on daily monitoring of rainforests in Brazil, another on the call for a comprehensive space law, and one on the development of the semicryogenic engine. Maybe I will do story on the revenue collapse of Antrix as well. 

Now I have to go back home, and get my final antibacterial shot. The vein in my right arm has been injected six times in close proximity, and I am fearing that the perforation will tear up the vein lol. So, wrapped up everything just in time, my stories, this blog and sending the mail to transport. OKTATABYEBYEEE. 

About Today

 Day before yesterday I went to the doc, he had not yet returned from his Eid break. I went down there yesterday again and got a shot, and got new prescription drugs. One of these was a 1K antibacterial tablet for severe infections, which is the most I have spent on tablets in my life! This costs 200 a day since I have to take two, and the injections are 210 a day. Im running close to my monthly limit despite the extra cash from Tata Mutual Funds performing well. 

Today, I am done with my eight stories, and still have a little more than an hour to kill before I can get home. This gives me about 2.5k overhead for the rest of the month. Might be a little cut-to-cut, will see. In the afternoon, Akshit and me went to his hostel canteen to pick up packed food. The food looked good. It was a nice walk. I wanted to go to the basement of the next building, there was some miscommunication. I just wanted to pick up batteries, which I did. Now all good. 

Nothing else to report for now. Will kill an hour's worth of time and head home. 

About Today

 Being on pain meds feels great. I finally called my Mom today and told her about the Bronchitis. She was relieved that it is not TB. Had a relaxing day at work, sailed through the nine hours without unnecessary waiting. I took two walks today also, like last Sunday. One was a visit to the McDonalds, where I had small fries. Another was to the highway, where I got two pulpy oranges, replenished my ciggies, and got a Kulhad chai. I also got a chai from graveyard aunty, who is still on the lookout for Itnu the lost boy. 

Had dosa in the afternoon, and got some sabudana khichdi to take home. I like the transparent pearls, not the white ones. I also gathered up a whole bunch of news that I can do tomorrow. Akshit went home early, waiting for him to come back for the clockout to complete the nine hours. Have to get to work early tomorrow, because there is an event in the afternoon that I have to leave for by 1:00. Plan to grab a cab at 05:30 hours which means that I really have to go to sleep as soon as I go home to get adequate sleep. Need to leave in five minutes. Might be a bit late, even if I make it by 08:00 hours, I feel I can get done with my eight stories in four hours. We shall see! 

So Dead

It is early in the morning, the Sun is yet to rise, the sky is gradually growing increasingly brighter, the warm yellow LED in my kitchen is still glowing like a trapped sun or an ancient bonfire, casting long, deep shadows across my modest hall. The early pre-monsoon rain is pitter-pattering on the flimsy fibreglass covering held down by stray bricks over the skylight in my 'compartment apartment'. This is also known as a barsatiya, it is an extra, shoddily constructed floor, that are leaky. This is fun, because the water seeps through the walls, creating patches of fuzzy fungal growth. Then the actual locations of the roof leaks shifts throughout the monsoons, requiring moving the buckets over time. First the paint, and then the plastering continuously falls of the ceiling, creating an internal rain of debris. The beds and other things have to be shifted around as well, away from the leaks. I have a poor lamp that seems to somehow attract water, because the roof starts to leak wherever I place it... it has shrunk considerably.

I am actually enjoying the experience, understanding the difficulties. This is exactly why I came to Delhi! The buckets of water are great! Rainwater harvesting. Also I like buckets, they come in so many shapes, sizes and colours. Getting buckets without handles is a fatal mistake. I like the round flat tubs, these are good for catching leaks from a wider area. Then I use a big, deep ones for the fast leaking places. Need a bunch of small ones for the newly leaking places. In a barsatiya, you understand the use cases for the various types of buckets! I think the whole bucket parameter space exists because of barsatiyas only. 

I am typing all this after just smoking some herb out in the balcony. Got a bit wet, but not drenched. Also shivering a bit. I have recently been diagnosed with bronchitis. This great doctor has given me some kickass, strong meds, that is making me feel fit and fine. My condition was very bad just a couple of days ago. Now I am feeling alert, energetic and so alive! I am just super relaxed, super comfortable over an electric blanket, under a rajai, totally enjoying the buzz, along with the soundscape. The metronomic plops filling up the big bucket, and the hum of the electric pump, some birds waking up, and the distant chug of a train piercing through the city. I have an abundance of free time and freedom, and have no commitments. I am on sick leave, and this is the best I have felt ever lol, or at least since college. 

About two days ago I really was struggling a lot. I had not eating properly since Sunday, when I puked after eating a bit of that stale curd rice from Bheemeshwara. On Monday, I could not go to work, and went into some kind of fever-dream state, had chaas and curd rice from Dosa Coffee... no bells and whistles (in the curd rice world this means sun-dried fried chilis and pomegranate arils), no sweet curd... just plain, simple and good old curd rice. On Tuesday, I went to work unwisely, and I ate maybe five to six spoonfulls of mixed dal rice. I should have eaten just the dal I feel now. At work my shoulder and back were paining. I ignored it through the day, and came home. On the way back I picked up a charger for a colleague from Nehru Place, that is still there with me. 

Anyway... that night, I could not sleep or eat. The right side of my chest started paining too much. There was no position I could assume that allowed me to sleep. Somehow I got two partial cycles in. Was struggling a lot, tried the massager in two bursts, which gave me comfort. There was no way I was going to work tomorrow. The next day I fired up google maps and looked for a doctor. There was no clinic on one location. The next one, I went in there some weird woman asked me if I wanted a physiotherapist, I said no I wanted a doctor. She said there was no doctor at a community health centre, and I finally started winding through congested gullies towards this doc that allegedly exists, and stumbled across it by accident on a location not where it was indicated on Google Maps. 

I have experienced this with ATMs and known coffee shops also (Blue Tokai lol), the locations are not exactly where the place is on Google Maps. Case in point, if you are sick and hurting, Google Maps is of no use. 

Anyway, I finally found the doctor. I this point I can feel as if the right side of my lung has twisted up. Every time I take a deep breath, laugh, cough, or even move wrong, it pains like hell. There is some other drama ongoing there, a story worthy of a national award winning movie. The doctor is a Muslim, but no beard and topi. The only way I could tell was some Islamic collage with text overlaid that was framed at the apex position on his wall, over all the other certifications and posters. His patient is a woman who appears to be Hindu. Her husband is clearly a Muslim, with a kurta, beard, topi... all the signs. The doc and the husband are trying to convince the wife (who has a small baby in her arm, I just noticed), to break the fast, eat meals, and take her medicines. She negotiates, saying I will take the medicines but not break the roza fast. They both try to convince her in different ways, but she remains stubborn and steadfast about not breaking the fast. 

The doc interrupts the consultation to address me. But all my pains are gone looking at the unfolding drama. At this point, I have to act and wince and gesture and say I have sever chest and shoulder pain on my right side, difficulty in breathing. He asks me to take a seat, while he sorts out the woman. 

I am wondering if she is converted or just following her husband, like I cannot just assume. Even a traditional Hindu wife will not eat till her husband has eaten. The doctor tells her what to do, and hands over medications for both her and the babby. The husband understands that there is no point in arguing, he is both proud and amused. The woman tells the doctor what she will do. No one has really budged from their positions. Everyone walks away without compromising. This is sufficient material at least for an artsy short film shot in the style of Kiarostami.

Anyway, it is my turn. The doc makes me lift up my shirt, and my thermal undershirt prods around with the stethoscope, and asks me to go get an X-ray. There is this place called Noble Diagnostic Centre. It really lives up to its name. It feels like a posh place, everything is modern. There is this really cool Ganesha idol, who is wearing nice earrings, and has two long golden tusks. Most of the idols show one tusk half broken, typically close to the base. This one has a long tusk with just the tip broken, which is well historically accurate. Looking at this murti, one can imagine the tusk as being a fine tip used to write the Mahabharat, cut off in anger by Parshuram who wanted to meet Shiva, but stopped by Ganesha, who Shiva had asked to ensure he was not disturbed while sleeping. I feel bad for Ganesha, who gets into trouble every time his parents ask him to guard them. The really cool thing about this Ganesha is he is writing out on a book, an Om and a Swastika, and holding a battle axe in the other hand. Looking at the murti you feel like the Genesha has four hands, but it is only two. This is confusing for a second till you realise that Ganesha is using his trunk to hold up the book. It is a nice, unique, thoughtful and detailed murti. 

Anyway, these Noble Diagnostic Centre folks are attentive, kind professionals who know what they are doing. They provide the best service, top-class. They serve the lowest socio-economic class though. Their rates are super affordable, and the staff is committed to providing the necessary service, and understand that they are doing something beneficial to society. The clinic is itself located on the outskirts of what in Mumbai would be called a slum. It is a low-income area. They are truly Noble, and they are doing great work, countering all the bad juju of the shitty ISKON temple. They have everything, ultrasound, x-ray, blood tests... I should have checked all the boxes, but initially just did the x-ray. 

This required waiting for about an hour. I sat and waited. When my turn came I had to tie the hair on my head, press my chest against a plate, and position my arms behind my back, breathe in and hold. The guy took one look at the X-ray and asked me if I had TB before. He would go on to ask me two more times during the discussion. I said no each time. He said something was very off, and that he would not hand me the X-ray, and that I would have to wait for the full report, which would be available at 18:30 hours IST. This was still about 11:00 hours. I limped back home dejected, and spent a horrible few hours, with sporadic bursts of sleep out of pure exhaustion. Could not eat or drink anything. I kept drinking and throwing up water. 

Finally, went back to the clinic, got the X-rays, it was bronchitis, inflammation in right lung, infection of some kind, and some buildup of water. I had not clocked the fact that the left lung extends for longer than the right because of the stomach and the diaphragm, and had thought that literally a part of my right lung had collapsed or shrunk lol. Basically, had been too scared. Got it back to the doctor, who said TB had to be ruled out, so had to do ultrasound and blood test next. He recommended that I get these tests done at a govt TB hospital nearby. He gave me some anti-biotics and painkillers for immediate relief, along with some third tab.

This was the medicine I needed. Instant relief. Everything feels fine. Im at the top of my game. I don't need the rest of the treatment and tests I feel. But I have to go through all of this. Im just glad I can sit and sleep and function normally. Previously, just lying down on the bed and pulling on the blanket, felt like quite a task. To get up, I would be lifting my thigh, catching it with both of my arms, and then, lowering the leg, using my tailbone as a fulcrum to lift my body up. Now, I could lie down easily! I felt great! I played games, watched One Piece on Netflix, ordered curd rice from another nice place called Sambarpot, that gives the masala from masala dosa as an extra, which goes great with the curd rice. Could sleep and eat properly for the first time in three days. I was feeling despondent and like I was on the verge of a heart attack. If only the Noble guy had given me the X-ray earlier I felt, but now I know that I should have just gone back to the doc, explained that the report was coming in the evening, and to give me something for relief at the moment. 

The next day, that is yesterday, 19 March, I got up early in the morning and went to the Nehru Nagar TB Hospital, next to the Vinoba Puri Metro Station. A kind rickshaw driver dropped me there, because he knew I was suffering, even though I asked him to just leave me at the previous signal. The place looks like it is frozen in time in the 1920s or something. It looks like a colonial building, but was only started in 2014 lol. The registration was not working, a queue was building up, and the place just had bad juju. Despite all my education, wisdom and knowledge, I did not go there with a mask. Everyone else there had a mask. So I got the fuck out of there. 

I walked over to Noble. On the way, I got a bit confused in the Subway, that connects to the Vinoba Puri metro in the middle lol, and crossed an old abandoned building that I always wanted to explore but never saw from up close. Also this place had one of those Chandrayaan 3 street arts that showed off the might and glory of India's operations in out space with the pictorial reference of a Space Shuttle. This has mostly worn out now, which is a loss to no one. 

So the Noble people say they will do the ultrasound, and the tests are delivered 'hand-to-hand' which means then-and-there, but there is a wait time of about nine patients. I asked if I can go home and come back later, they said sure, give us your number, we will call you. I went back home, drank a big glass of mosambi juice, then ordered three hot cups of coffee, came back home and discovered that both my coffee cups gifted to be my my elder sister from Dilli Haath were cracked. I fished around in my box of event goodies and found an Asus ROG coffee mug with a retarded temperature sensor (it just takes a bit of extra time to reach the accurate temperature). Well, debut of the mug, all good, just one J down and an hour later, I get the call. 

Again, I take a cycle rickshaw, go to the clinic, wait for an hour, play some games, admire that beautiful Ganesha murti, and get my ultrasound done. When I say it pains, the doc jabs it in there right then. The whole procedure was smooth and AI assisted. The guy pointed out infection and some little water buildup in the lungs. He suggested a blood test as well. I get pricked, the blood is drawn, there is a vacuum before the blood starts building up. I then go home... take my second dose, sleep, game, rest through the day. In the evening, I go to the Raju Vaishnav Dhabha, treat myself with Medhu Vada, which is actually Uddin Vada in Karnataka, and here is called just Sambhar Vada, which I don't understand, how u can make a Vada out of Sambhar dude. Anyway, Raju Vaishnav Dhabha was playing devotional music in praise of Lord Ram, has a big banner saying Jai Shri Nath Ji, and is situated bang opposite the Iskon temple. I mean what a colossal fraud, that Prabhupada asshole chutiya said all Nobel Prize winners are donkeys. He himself looks like the bloated scrotum of a langur, and idk what cheap kicks he did before writing his version of the Gita, with hallucinatory commentary that has nothing to do with the source material. Anyone who wants to read a reconciliation of the various traditions made suitable for modern lives are better off reading Aurobindo's version, rather than the toilet paper that is Prabhupada's version. 

I hope the people who spend their lives jacking off to religion and nationality are in some way exposed to the exquisite beauty of neutron stars, the cores of dead stars so dense that mountains are 2 cm high, that can suddenly speed up and glitch, and forged all the gold that they love so much. 

(I took a two hour nap at this point lol). 

After the hearty meal, which is over at 18:40 hours IST, I catch another e-rickshaw to the T-point, and walk to Noble clinic to say hi to the studios Ganeshaji for the third time that day. I pick up by blood tests, my RBCs are enlarged lol. My liver is also slightly enlarged. This is not very extreme, but both are signs of consistent and sustained alcohol use lol. I really have to start drinking less than two times a month, even just the weekends is not good enough. Actually, I feel like it is time to ditch alcohol for good. This frees up a large portion of my rest of life budget, and I have had hard alcohol only once over the last year, mostly because of a lack of availability of original Bacardi White here, following the Delhi liquour scam, and the tourism board operating all the wineshops. 

Anyway... finally, I get all the reports come back to the doc, and now it is the time to get treated. I get a whole week-long course of antibiotic injections and tablets, that include a proton pump inhibitor, one for killing pain and fighting inflammation, a probiotic and an antibiotic. I imagine some kind of battle between pro and anti biotics... anyway, I take them all come back home. Order in Pizza and Fries.... feels good man, everything is sorted, I actually feel on the top of my game.

All is well. Life is good. Just Enjoying the ride. 

Going to catch some One Piece Bonus content now, the Podcasts are really good. Also, new albums by both Morcheeba and Nightmares on Wax are about to drop, so looking forward to those. Have two more days of holidays to relax, before I get to work on Sunday. 

My multiplayer gaming experiences

 I have been writing to pen all of this down for a long time, finally got some time today. In school and college, I played Ragnarok and A3, which was India's first MMORPG. The game is still running, but both were so grindy that I did not go much into it. My first real exposure to the world of MMORPGS was this game that released in August 2011, called Star Legends. The game originally started off as a console/PC title called The Blackstar Chronicles, but the team pivoted to mobile platforms following the release of the iPhone and the App Store. The developers, based in Texas, called SpaceTime Studios had earlier tested out the approach successfully with Pocket Legends, and then went on to develop Dark Legends, with more adult content and Arcane Legends as well. Then the development died out and the games are just hanging on. I made a community of many friends, joining guilds such as Cosmic Consciousness with EgoFury, and Neon Genesis, and Sparkling Pwnies, whose leader was Artstar, and Morphic, who was one of the first pwnies that I got exposed to. I am still in two of these clans and hop on from time to time. There was a brief resurgence among old players during the pandemic, but the games are all more or less dead now. One of the biggest pursuits all of us had was to get the legendary sets, but I lost track of one planned stage, and the items were available from loot boxes later... so they are not so rare or valuable or precious any more. 

This game exposed me to a crowd of people who jump from beta version to beta version, playing the latest games. Around 2014s Digit community organised play dates, where we tried out different games every week. This community is still active. Played Path of Exile for a while and League of Legends too, but this was only for a couple of years on this platform called Garena. After that I moved primarily to Steam. One of the games that we tried out in these play dates was Warframe, and that changed my life. 

I have over 9000 hours of gameplay on Warframe. On a couple of years, I spent more money on Warframe cosmetics than clothes in real life. This gave me access to a glorious community called Clan TriForce. We were all initially on TeamSpeak, but many moved to Discord. The game is being actively developed, but most people have disappeared. I am now the Clan Warlord, and hold the game together, including the very special reactor from the Beta version on the ground floor of our Dojo. 

After that I played a bit of MilSim with StarShip Troopers: Exterminate.... but that game died out rapidly too. Then the third big game in my life after Star Legends and Warframe has to be Wolvesville. This is a wolf simulation game that I have been playing for over five years, with activity peaking during the pandemic. I just could not stop playing ranked, spending most of the day on the game, and reaching the highest tiers. Now I just play sandbox and watch the game slowly deteriorate. The popularity has also fallen considerably since the pandemic. Here I met the Beta Wolfpack clan, with BetaMom, who is a kind and generous person. 

I met so many people along the way, had so much fun, now have forgotten many of them. Let me see... ViolentViolette, EgoFury, StarJedi, ArtStar, Morfic, Ghost... DrOrrock, BetaMom, Yuna, Tanner, MajesticUnicorn.... yeah I can only remember a fraction of my friends unfortunately. 

Feelsbadman.jpg. 

About Today

 Came in a bit late to work today. When I woke up in the morning, there was thunder and lightning. Experienced a mild version of sleep paralysis, the first with such weather. I imagined some kind of storm raging outside, which probably was, but my imagination made it more acute. Had also consumed nearly the entire second season of One Piece on Netflix, so I was imagining over the top weather. 

Having trouble eating anything. Sarvana Bhavan had no curd rice and the sad, sweet one from Bheemeshwara that just looks good on the surface, with no action on the inside, literally made me puke not just the curd rice but also the pulpy orange I had consumed before. While moving in closer to a tree, I got a gash across my forehead because of a dried coconut rachis hidden amongst the leaves. Unfortunately, it is not lightning shaped. I just dumped the sad curd rice and decided to fast for the rest of the day. 

I finished my work well ahead of my allocated time, so I had a lot of time to waste. I took at least three short naps, listened to a podcast, played a couple of games, took two walks just to get some tea... and still have about 40 minutes to kill. SMH, this policy of having to log in nine hours daily at office is killing me, and more importantly, wasting a lot of my time. I need a viable strategy to use this time in a productive way. 

Horrible Experience with Uber, Swiggy

 Just a day after posting about the strange habits of Uber Drivers, I was hit with a really bad experience. I first booked the ride at 11:40, but the guy cancelled after making me wait for 10 mins. Then another guy dropped someone off, and got stuck in traffic close to the pickup point. He only made it by 12:05. Then there was traffic at Kalindi Kunj, and when he saw a petrol pump, he wanted to fill up gas. The problem is that there are many tempting petrol pumps on the way to office, and these guys suddenly just go in saying five minutes, which is never less than twenty. I finally reached the office only at 13:05, normally the route takes only about half an hour. 

Then the Swiggy delivery people reach beneath the house and say "I am here". They do not have the balls to say come down and take the order lol. I am done fighting to them at this point, but at least be up front of what you want. Then that bitch had the audacity to tell me that I am telling him 'ulta seedha' baat. Motherfucker, you talk straight first and tell me what you want. If you do not want to deliver at home, then maybe do not work as a home delivery professional lol. 

Weird habits of Uber drivers

 Today my Uber driver was scrolling reels uncontrollably, as if he was addicted, for most of the trip. He was not using headphones, and had not put the phone on mute, so I was constantly exposed to a cacaphony of continuously changing audio. He had one phone for the GPS, and another phone presumably just to scroll reels. You do not need to be a scientist to figure that scrolling short videos negatively impacts attention and cognition.

My brain was rotting along with this dude. I also don't know why people do not use headphones in India, and constantly live in a environment saturated with noise pollution. Now another bad habit is chewing pan. Especially if you are in a closed car, with the ac on, and someone is chewing pan, the environment becomes a biohazard. I cannot breathe, and cannot open the car, and feel like puking. Fucking clueless people live like heathens and cannot understand how their shitty habits affects others. Chewing pan is a disgusting, unhygienic habit. 

Then there are the people who play music. I am so tired hearing both Punjabi and Bihari songs. Like fuck you that is not music, and it hurts by brains. If some cab driver plays Bollywood music, then I am actually relieved, even though I prefer no music at all. 

Then finally there are the cabbies who are on calls throughout the ride. I got tmi. 

Worst of all are the cab drivers who suddenly ask you where to go from. Idiot, you are driving, you have the map, you figure it out, don't ask me suddenly when you are unsure, I haven't gone to every single place I book a ride to fucktard. 

Uber really needs to give some basic training to its cabbies. What a bunch of dehati people lol. 

Random Meeting

 So... My aunt and uncle were flying back from Kathmandu, where their son-in-law's family stays, and took an earlier flight to Delhi, en route to Heathrow and back to USA. There, my aunt met the family of her pen-friend, whose father and my grandfather studied together at Shantiniketan. My aunt's pen-friend's husband turned out to be the architect of the office building I work in, making the upscale restaurant on one corner, and the canteen cafe in the other. 

Small World lol. 

So went and met them early in the morning, left at 05:50, and reached by 06:05 hours IST, scouted the area a bit, it was in a remote farmhouse type place, then did entry at the gate and reached at exactly the scheduled time, 06:30 hours IST. We left about an hour later after some hasty conversations, I dropped them off to T3, then took the orange line out to Dhaula Kuan, which is the only non-congested and non-remote location on the entire line, then took a cab back home. 

Slept for a couple of hours, then went to office.