First Diwali together

It was the third after marraige, but the first Diwali together. So finally the jinx was broken. At the new house it was a memorable diwali after all. Life here has been busy as far as policing is concerned. A bigger district than my previous assigments, and to add to it, the place is pretty backward, people are more laid-back. Many systems that we take for granted down south, dont even exist. So my task for most of the last 50 days of my charge here has been to get systems working, checking and re-checking. Dont know how far i'll be able to establish them, coz i'm sure my predessesors too have tried their best at them. Nevertheless temporarily I do expect some change.

Deepu has been busy for most of this period, trying to set the new house right. Lot of modifications in the rooms, garden and the surroundings kept her busy. The best part was her birthday which we spent together again after a break last year. We didnt do much, but I atleast decided to bunk office and spend the whole day with her.

We haven't still settled down to a routine. A couple of days we did go to the officers club for a game of badminton. I tried my hand at the Police Tennis courts for sometime, but nothing seems to be falling in place. Thats on the agenda next, coz my waistline now seems to have reached a stage of concern. Otherwise things have been fine. Once in a while we do runaway to Hyderabad for a movie or settle for one in Bidar's Sapna. Offcourse nothing to beat the home DVDs on projector.

We'll write more on this historic place Bidar in the coming posts and I wish Deepu takes that initiative, coz she hasn't written for ages now.

New Home

Sixteen months into Udupi, I was handed over another transfer. This time the northernmost tip of Karnataka,Bidar.The order was handed over on 6th and we packed our belongings by 8th and left for a new home. Deepu was not really unhappy about the whole thing coz she was going home. Bidar being just a two and a half hour drive from Hyderabad, she would never have to plan a visit home. After a short flight to Bangalore from our beloved Mangalore we halted at home in Bangalore and spent most of the evening losing our way on the packed streets of Bangalore because of Ramzan. The next morning we flew to Hyderabad and after lunch drove to Bidar. This was the first time I was stepping on Bidar, and on first sight it did seem tome like a dusty old town. We were put up at the Government guest house and worst part of every transfer is the stay in these guest houses for the first few days. I took charge of the District Police the same evening. The ordeal started from the next day. Coming from the thick of the western ghats, we just couldnt digest the fact that we are going to have to stay here for atleast some time to come. The next morning we went to have look at the SP's Bunglow, and Deepu was not impressed with it. We missed Udupi and home that night like never before.

Its now two weeks since we moved into the new house and with all our stuff coming in from Udupi and after making a few changes in the house, things seem so much better. The best part of this house offcourse being the sprawling 5 acre garden in front of it and the best part of Bidar is its Bangalore like weather.

We are still settling down, but we have now started to like the place. We only hope we dont develop any attachment to it, coz we never know when the next transfer is coming.

Struggle to stay alive

The struggle to stay alive continues, with just a fews lines to write. It was a memorable month though with friends coming in. I was also busy with elections to the Urban local bodies, the climax of which is gonna be today.

Extended monsoon

It was a good extended monsoon this month.

Something to say

Its been more a monthly exercise than blog documenting our happenings here, for the last six months or so. Deepu has also not written much, probably because of her exams that concluded last month. The last month has definetely been different from all the others that we spent here in Udupi. With heightened naxal activity in the fringes of the district... i've most of the time had to keep touring on operations and did not really get time take Deepu out anywhere. The worst part is that, this being perhaps the best time to be exploring the district. We kept waiting all year, for the monsoons for the waterfalls to spring back and rivers to run full. Now i'm hardly finding the time to explore. Anyway before itz too late we have planed to make it to the river rafting on Sita Nadi at Hebri about 40 kms from here. Its a wonderful experience... i managed to do it last year but Deepu had missed it out. The are also a couple of beautiful trek routes among the western ghats with gigantic waterfalls, which are also on agenda. The beaches offcourse are always there, but not the best places now during the monsoons, coz you hardly get to see any clear blue sky or any glimpse or that majestic sunset. Moreover the beaches can hardly be kept clean during the rains, with the tides bringing in lot of weeds to the shores. The Kodachadri peak near Kollur is another place we have'nt been and we'll plan to get you pictures of that misty peak in a couple of days. All this offcourse if things permit. As it is , it seems a little tough, the way things are moving.

That apart, i've been shuttling between office and jungle operations and it seems things are going to be like this for some time to come. Offcourse i forgot to mention the most special event of this month. Not that it was my birthday... which i hardly ever celebrate, but the fact that Deepu made it so special.

One for June

Our frequency of blogging has gone down to the extent that I am now having to post one in emergency, that we atleast have one in june. Two days to go and this month hasn't been any different. The monsoon rains have hit with a bang though a little late than usual. These are the best days of this part of the country. You will long for a clear sunny day but still enjoy the dark clouds that engulf you throughout. We havn't been out anywhere either. Even our exercise schedules have been disturbed. The silver lining is, our Police officers mess and indoor sports complex that was my dream when i took charge here in Udupi, has finally been completed. The indoor sports complex now has a full fledged multi-gym, a synthetic badminton court, a motorised treadmill, cycle etc., For a place like Udupi that receives rains for almost six months, this was something everyone was waiting for. So we may now be shifting from our routine at the Manipal stadium to the treadmill here.

Onset of monsoon here also means, suspension of all fishing activity . Malpe has the state's largest fishing port, and at its peak of season its teaming with activity, with boats full of fish upto the brim all lined up at the dock to be auctioned off. We sometimes paid a visit just to have a look at some exotic fish that may have been caught. Another activity that is suspended for the monsoons is the boat rides to St. Mary's Island. All of them resume by 15th of September. Till then the best palces to visit are the Sita Nadi resort at Hebri for river rafting, the numerous water falls like Hanuman gundi near Kudremukh, Jhomlu and Kudlu thirtha near Hebri. Kodachadri near Kollur is a good trek route. Some places, I haven't been there myself and hope to make it sometime before August. So there will be some pictures of them too.

Before monsoon

Itz been a tough summer. This was my first summer this close to the coast, and it was real hot. In any case itz all gonna be over in about a weeks time. It was also lots of work both on my professional front and also at home. Deepu was busy with her studies and I was with my work. With family also visiting us, the evenings were fun. we'd either go to the beaches or some times just video chat on skype with Aravind and Amar. But otherwise, we hardly went out anywhere apart for the evening walks on the beach or for a movie to ADLABS at Mangalore. Our new schedule in the evenings has been the newly developed Manipal University grounds. The lush green grass and the flood lit atmosphere in the evenings is tempting to the extent that I now finish off with my office by 6 and Me and Deepu drive to Manipal for an evening jog on most of the days. The problem is, after about a week it would be difficult to use it during the monsoons.

As with the Udupi Stadium, I had mentioned that we were planning a complete change over, and work has just begun on this. We are now hurriedly trying to complete with the ground leveling work and the storm drains before the rains and probably in August when the first phase of rains are over we'll try to put up the grass part. The stands are all done and it has come up pretty well. The month of May also kept us busy with changes in the City traffic. We have planned out One-Way Traffic on two major roads of Udupi and to get this launched we had to first get a lot of roads widened. Udupi being a historic medieval temple town, the roads are hardly planned for any vehicular traffic. All that we could do was, to get removed all the petty shops and encroachments along the roads that had mushroomed in the years. The work is still progressing and lots of appreciation from road users too. But the plight of the petty shop keepers who have to shift their decades old business, overnight was definitely not something I perhaps wanted to do. We are still trying our best to resettle them as quickly as possible. I'll keep updating on the blogs to come.... hopefully soon.

Long break again..

Breaks have become too long and too frequent. Its been only one post per month. Partly coz' Deepu is busy with her studies and partly also because of the other blog that we started and has been taking all our attention www.ammavanta.blogspot.com . Basically a blog with South Indian recepies, should be an interesting read for those struggling with cryptic recepies overflowing on the web. Nevertheless Dopanchi being our personal blog will always remain our first priority and will continue to carry events and issues we want to put across.

Summer is catching up and the next 6 weeks are going to be the worst. Evenings are offcourse pleasant especially at the beach with a gentle breeze and we are most often trying to spend the evenings there. For the past two weeks me and Deepu have started a routine of making it to the Manipal Stadium by 6 AM and return after a good two and a half km jog. On our way back Deepu has been driving me back home and i should say shes picked it up pretty fast, that too through the narrow roads of Udupi. Its been a good progress as far as our fitness program is concerned and we've been able to make it on most of the days. The rest of the day both of us have been taking refuge under the air conditioner, me at the office and Deepu in her room. I am just waiting for the end of May when the rains start here, and as i did mention in the blogs last year at around this time, when the monsoon begins here, it just pours and pours like theres no tomorrow. The whole landscape turns green and with all the rivers running full its a spectacular scene.

In the previous blog I made a mention of how we transformed the Malpe beach here in Udupi. Work is still-on, on it and the weekend crowds that are pouring are very encouraging. My next mission is the Udupi Stadium. The Udupi athletic stadium, though has come up well in comparision to what it was earlier, thanks to the Inter-District sports held in Udupi in 2006, it still is not the ideal place for a sports enthusiast. With not a single blade of grass, it presents a very depressing picture of barren ground and a dusty track. The construction of the stands has been completed recently and lot of concrete and gravel still lying on the rim of the track. So i've decided to do something about changing the landscape of this stadium. A meeting of the executive comittee will be called shortly and lets see whats gonna come out of it. Will update in future blogs.

Adrenaline Rush ...

Its been nearly a month since the last post. The last one month had been a little busy with some anti-naxal work, but we still managed to take some time out during the weekends. Offcourse we also had our Wedding anniversary and the Valentine's day, both of them were celebrated quitely with me having to switch between office and home on both the days. Deepu was visibly upset... but it was all patched up when we spent the evening at the Palmgroove resort here on the beach . A great sunset followed by dinner on the beach side

The highlights offcourse of our outings were the Water scooter rides on Malpe beach and the ride to St Mary's island again. That was the first time that I was on the water scooter... needless to say it was a thrill of a lifetime. The adrenaline rush could actually be felt shooting up my head. The Malpe beach which is about 3 kms from home which is now a tourist paradise, was actually never all this good. Infact when we moved to Udupi in May last year, it was a real mess. With all sea weeds and waste lying all along the beach, it was never a pretty sight. There were hardly any visitors to this beach. The worst part was that the beach was just a easy place for the local fishermen to ease themselves in the morning. Accidentally it just happened once in the month of August that Deepu suggested we go to the beach for a morning walk. It was a sight we will never forget at 7 am in the morning, we literally escaped from that horrible sight on the water side. Deepu immediately suggested that I take up the matter with the Deputy Commissioner and do something about it. When you see it from a distance... the Malpe beach is one of the best beaches on this coast.

So when I took up the matter with the DC, I just discovered that I was myself a member of the Beach Development comittee. So there started the overhaul. A meeting of the Beach Development comittee was immediately called and it was decided to completely change the face of the Beach. Funds were dug up, people like the womens self help groups were enlisted, a proposal to clean up the beach was drawn and immediately we started off the mission with a session of shramdaan. The wheel was set in motion and two bulldozers kept working all day levelling the uneven weed covered beach, removing all weed and in about a weeks time we had before us a miraculously changed sparkling white sandy beach nearly 4kms in streach. The next stage was to continously keep it that clean. The Self help group women came in to the rescue who promised to clean up the daily trash in place of a small remuneration. Boards were erected prohibiting anyone from dirtying the beach, encroachments were removed and about three kilometers of beach was reclaimed, trash bins were placed and finally a musical fountain was erected in the middle of the beach, and all this in about a months time. Initially the boards were not sufficient to keep the morning easers away... so I put up some police patrolling at that hour of the morning... and all problem was solved. Even to this day I have a couple of cops patrolling the beach at 6 am everyday and its made a huge difference. Offcourse the affected persons have been provided with alternatives like construction of modern toilets (but its just so convenient to squat by the beach isn't it).

The change ?... now the weekends are just packed. People rush to the Malpe beach like there is no other place to go. So then we just introduced a fee for those coming to the beach with their vehicles. The money that is generated is now being used to maintain the beach clean and also bring in newer things like a walk way, illumination, seating etc. These changes have now encouraged the Paradise isle resort to bring in the water scooter and a few motor boats. You can even have a camel or a pony ride. There still is a lot of work that is to be done to turn this beach to one of the best beaches in the world and we are at it. But you now know where all the change started and how, what was the key issue that changed the course of this beach. There are a lot of morals to take from this story. We'll discuss that in the next post.

Long weekend

After Deepu returned from Hyderabad, this was our long weekend. With a second saturday and and sunday following a tiring friday, i had enough reason to take the whole two days off. Actually friday was by far the most tiring days in the recent past. With some extremist information flowing in, we planned a large scale operation into the forests and not only was it long lasting starting 0100 am and closing at 1400 pm that day but also was tough with a steep uphill climb for about 8 kms. Added to that I wore the wrong shoes that day and ended up limping half way through the trek with a shoe bite. The only solace was that I found Deepu waiting for me when I returned back home half dead. The rest of the friday afternoon was spent resting and nursing my sore heels.

For all that we went through on friday, saturday was well planned out. After lazing out the whole morning, post lunch we drove to place call Padukere about 5 kms from here. This place is actually an island with the Udyawara river on one side and the vast Arabian sea on the other. the strip of land is just about 50 mtrs wide and about 5 km long , the best part of the drive is having water on both sides passing through beautiful coconut groves and fishing villages.

That was not all., a visit to the St Mary's island was planned out for later part of the evening. We got on to the boat to the island at 4.15pm and after a great ride landed on the island at 5 pm. Though there were a couple of tourists along with us, me and Deepu made it a point to quickly dissapear to an undiscovered location. We spent the rest of the evening at the northern most tip of the island waiting for the sunset. It was a splendid sunset at 6.30pm after which we slowly walked back to the last boat that was waiting for us.

Sunday was again lazing around at home and in a desparate bid to move out.. we went to the beach in the evening just to watch the sunset. Running out of choices to spend the rest of the evening, we decided to go for a movie to Manglore. The movie was black friday, and it was worth the time & money . An evening well spent.

Lonely Start

Its been a very lonely beginning to this year, after Deepu left for Hyderabad soon after the New Year celebrations ended. Offcourse it was an emergency , but even before we could talk about our US experiences or plan out the year ahead, she had to leave. Nevertheless, by all probability, shes gonna be back in a couple of days.

It was still a busy fortnight for me. The power plant protests picking up momentum, we had to do a lot of preparations to handle the 90 km National Highway Rastha Roko they had planned on the 13th of Jan, But it all fizzled out with the Chief Minister intervening and things are now back to normalcy for some time atleast.

All alone i've been contemplating on that exposure that i recently had.... and it somehow seems to have set the cat among the pigeons. A sudden exposure to a lot of things new has made me rethink on my present job disposition. The urge for more variety and technicality in job has increased and now i've started eagerly looking forward for opportunities to explore. Options like the private sector which i thought were as good as closed when i joined the civil services... now seem so much possible and inviting. Though i know this is not the right time , especially when i m holding an important position in the district..... itz been forcing me to make preparations for such lateral movement when time is ripe. The question that stares at me now is.. am i atleast prepared ? for that lateral movement. At the outset i m now planning to make an early entry into a deputation to the Govt of India. The next step would be to take to my Sabbatical for a management degree at any of the IIM's or institutions abroad and make sure i am prepared. A lot of churning is still going on. I will keep writing on this subject in the posts to come. As of now the very fact that, mind has accomodated a whole new line of thinking ... is giving me a lot of pleasure. In the days to come Deepu will also get busy with her career and it would be fun exploring my options too at that time. Till then.. i'd better concentrate on the district... for which i got into the Services.

The pic above is before the US Capitol in Washington DC. It was only two of us and nobody to take a picture of us together.

Great year gone

It was a great year gone. It was the year we started the blog and carried it for twelve months. We tried bringing the best and worst alive through words and pictures. We just hope to continue blogging this year too in the same spirit. Instead of just sticking to happennings and places visited we feel we should be blogging more on issues. Regularity was another problem... sometimes it was just one blog for a month. We'll try to set that right too. 2007 is going to be a very important year for us. Deepu is gonna get into her DNB, i'll have to get more busy and serious into my job... more be'coz deepu would be busy herself, many important decisions to be taken. So itz going to be a year to remember too. We'll try to bring that alive on the blog.

The highlights of the last year were offcourse the promotion and our shifting from Puttur to Coorg and again that quick transfer to Udupi... and next our memorable two month trip to the US.

December, deepu and me got back together. After her reaching Hyderabad after that long journey from Washington, she stayed there for abt a week and joined me in Bangalore. I was incidentally in Bangalore for the "Senior Police Officer's Annual Conference". We drove back from Bangalore and spent the last two weeks in Udupi trying to set the home back to shape and visiting the beaches sometime when bored.

The new year night we decided to spend it our own way.. so we decided to go out for dinner and after that just spent about 10 minutes at a party in a hotel coz those hotelwalaahs were insisting and then, when it was quarter to 12 midnight we drove to the beach from where we had a great view of the fire works at Paradise Island beach resort. We wished each other and made calls to everyone (despite the jammed mobile networks) and wished them all a great new year 2007. We spent about an hour at the beach and got back home coz the real party was yet to come. Actually the new year is celebrated in the police by all the junior officers coming to the senior's house.. where they exchange wishes and a small breakfast is arranged. So the morning of 1st jan 2007 was a busy one. We had to get done with all the arrangements to recieve about 200 guests. Guests started pouring in from 8 AM onwards and by 11 AM we were thro' with all the guests and it was a great way to welcome the new year.