Seshadri's Musings

The whole of last night Jayashree was vomiting and in the morning, we checked out and took her to a hospital.   It seems she had food poisoning from the food that we ate in the dhaba last evening in Prayag Raj.   She was put on drips and the doctor said the entire process would take 2-3 hours.   We had no other option but to stay there.   I asked Jayashree’s brother to take the car and visit the areas that we were supposed to see.   I was sufficient to be with Jayashree and they need not wait there. But he refused to go and said they will also wait with me there. In the meanwhile, I started to explore what all attractions were there in Chitrakoot.  I don’t know if we were ever going there again 😊 ! So, I thought let me see the attractions in Google. This way, I can also share the same with you, without seeing it myself 😊 !! Kamadgiri – Kamadgiri, by the banks of the sacred Mandakini River is the central attraction of Chitrakoot Dham and referred to a...

After having breakfast, we checked out and left for Prayag Raj.  It was earlier known as Allahabad and the name was changed to Prayag Raj, a couple of years ago (2018 in fact 😊 ).  On the way there, some of the signposts still refer to it as Allahabad.  After a drive of about 5 hours, we reached Triveni Sangam where Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati meet each other.  From Wikipedia – In Hindu tradition, Triveni Sangam is the confluence of three rivers that is also a sacred place, with a bath here is said to flush away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth.  At Triveni Sangam, the Ganges and the Yamuna can be identified by their different colours – the water of the Ganges is clear while that of the Yamuna is greenish in colour.  The third river, the mythical Saraswati, is called invisible.  The auspiciousness of the confluence of two rivers is referred to in the Rigveda, which says, "Those who bathe at the place where the two rivers, w...

From today, there was a new driver and an Ertiga a/c car with carriage at the top for the luggage.   The new driver said today we will be visiting Ayodhya.   I showed him the itinerary that I had received from the vendor and said today is Prayagraj and then the drive to Ayodhya for overnight stay.   He called someone from his office and the person did not respond.   So, he went ahead with my itinerary.   We checked out of the hotel after having breakfast and proceeded to Prayagraj.   After driving for about 60 kms, he got the call from the number he had called earlier.  That guy started getting angry over him as to why he was not going to Ayodhya.  Due to some miscommunication, they did not inform me that today was Ayodhya and Prayagraj was some days later. Anyways, we then proceeded to Ayodhya.  Reached there in the afternoon. Had lunch, at our own expense, at the hotel and then went to see the Ram mandir. It being a Sunday, there was a ...

Since the flight was at 945am, we left the house at around 615am.  Whenever I travel by flight, I always have a meal at the airport, courtesy the facility offered by my bank’s debit card for lounge access 😊 .  There are 5 members in my immediate family, including me, and I have opened separate accounts for each one of them. So, that gives me 5 cards having lounge access 😊 !!  And since our current party was of 5 members for the trip, I took all the 5 cards.  We all had a sumptuous breakfast at the Hyderabad airport lounge and left for Varanasi. We were supposed to check-in at the hotel first and then proceed for sight-seeing.  When the driver came to pick us up, we saw that the Innova car had only 2 seats in the middle row.  And there was no carriage on top for keeping luggage.  I spoke to the vendor and he too did not know about this as he had asked another vendor to send the car. He somehow convinced us to reach the hotel in that vehicle and keep...

If you thought the butterfly effect was just a terrible 2004 movie starring Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart, think again. The film was just a new take on a much older concept. The butterfly effect is the idea that small, seemingly trivial events may ultimately result in something with much larger consequences – in other words, they have non-linear impacts on very complex systems. For instance, when a butterfly flaps its wings in India, that tiny change in air pressure could eventually cause a tornado in Iowa. above two paragraphs courtesy www.science.howstuffworks.com I too had my own small butterfly effect that resulted in my travelling 7 different cities in 7 days 😊 !  It all started somewhere in September last year when my father’s davasam (annual ritual) came up. When I talked to the pandit to come and do the ritual, the total cost including the food, seemed very very high.  At that time, I had no other option other than to go ahead with the ritual.  Then my wife ...

More web-series reviews… Ray Donovan – Ran from 2013 to 2020 at about 7 seasons of 82 episodes.  Set in the sprawling mecca of the rich and famous, Ray Donovan does the dirty work for LA's top power players as the go-to guy who makes the problems of the city's celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls disappear. This powerful drama unfolds when his father is unexpectedly released from prison, setting off a chain of events that shakes the Donovan family to its core. Rana Naidu is a copy of this series. One of the reviews from IMDB... This is a solid drama - with the lead character helping upper crusty (mostly) Hollywood types safeguard their positions in society. In addition to the basic premise, the lives (and issues) of the Donovan family are explored. Ray Donovan drives a good portion of this drama - but as a strong silent type - it is the lives of his family, associates and clients that keep the viewer...

More web-series reviews…   Endeavour Season 9 Finale – Came out in 2023.  Finale season for the 'Younger Morse".  After this episode, Morse takes over.  There is a last shot where Endeavour leaves Oxford and Morse is shown arriving there 😊 ! Set from 1965 into the 1970s, the show follows Endeavour Morse in his early years as a police constable. Working alongside his senior partner DI Fred Thursday, Morse engages in a number of investigations around Oxford. A review from IMDB... As a huge fan of Endeavour and later on the Chief Inspector Morse series, I'm deeply fascinated by the character cast by Shaun Evans, an enigmatic, melancholic, fragile, highly intelligent, meanwhile very good-looking and well-versed in arts Endeavour Morse. The show has much to offer than just a detective plot in each episode. The music, the whole cast, the nostalgic vibe of the 1960s, the scenery of England. This TV series als...