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Sai Baba - The ultimate companion

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Sai Baba - The ultimate companion Today, 9th Oct 2025, was an important day where I conducted a 3 hour coaching workshop for over 50 top talent executives in my company. My time as the master trainer was booked months in advance by global HR team. I was looking forward to the event. I prepared well, still I was nervous for one reason. My entire family was sick with a throat infection for over a week. Both my wife and daughter cannot even speak as thier vocal cords are affected. I was staying in the same house and did my best to stay away from them, lest I get infected before this important event where I need to speak. Yesterday I was having mild throat pain. But my voice was ok. Today morning the mild pain continued. I prayed to swami sai baba today morning and sought his blessing and help, to ensure I do the 3 hour speaking without any throat issue affecting my vocal chords. I applied sai baba vibhuti. Took my morning coffee and opened the newspaper at 6.30am. To my surprise I saw...
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Gokarna - A Pilgrimage to an ancient town

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Recently visited two ancient towns, Murdeshwar and Gokarna, which are approximately 80 kilometers apart, both in the Western coast of Karnataka, facing the Arabian Sea.  Gokarna Mahabaleshwar temple is a 1500 year old, 4th-century CE Hindu temple, it is a major pilgrimage site with the Mahabaleshwar Temple, believed to house the Athmalinga or Pranalinga, which is believed to be the "Soul of Shiva". Its glory is even sung as poetry by Nayanmar Sambandar in Thevaram (பாடல் பெற்ற ஸ்தலம்) The stories of the Murudeshwar and Gokarna temples are intertwined with the legend of the Atma-Linga from the Ramayana. After Ravana received the Atma-Linga from Lord Shiva, the gods, fearing his increased power, tricked him into placing it on the ground at Gokarna. When Ravana tried to lift it, he failed, and the Linga broke into pieces, with the largest piece and the main shrine remaining in Gokarna. The other pieces, including the one that fell in the region ...
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Top 20 Thirukkural, as corporate life guide

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Thiruvalluvar Statue at Kanyakumari  Thiru-Kural, written by poet Thiru-valluar 2100 years back, is considered one of the greatest works on ethics and morality. Its written in Tamil, one of the oldest living languages in the world. It is a treasure trove of classic Tamil wisdom, written as 1,330 short couplets (two-line poems, or aphorisms), of just seven words each, divided into three parts on virtue (aram), wealth (porul) and love (inbam).  Thiru-Kural is not just a Tamil or Indian treasure, but a world treasure on Ethics, every world citizen must be proud about. Like Analects of Confucius or Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. I also consider this book a great guide for practicing managers in corporate life. Here is my attempt to share my favorite 20 out of 1330 (just 1.5%) and how I applied them  My favorite 20 Kurals, I use in corporate life: 1. இனிய உளவாக இன்னாத கூறல் கனிஇருப்பக் காய்கவர்ந் தற்று.(Using unpleasant words when there are pleasant words, is like...
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Ramanujacharya - Guru of Equality & Bhakti

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Today, 2nd May 2025, is the 1008th birth anniversary of Sri Ramanujacharya, one of the greatest saints gurus born in this great land of India. What makes the late Karunanidhi the atheist and rationalist ex-CM of Tamil Nadu, who does not believe in God, write lyrics for a Tamil TV series on the saint Bhagavad Ramanujacharya? Why does PM Modi open a 216 feet statue for Ramanujacharya in Hyderabad? Why is a Muslim princess from Delhi Sultanate who was a devotee of Lord Narayana worshipped inside the holiest and biggest functioning Hindu temple of Sri Rangam in Tamil Nadu (Bibi Nachiyar)?  When were Dalits first admitted inside the sanctum of major Hindu temples? Today is the 1008th birth anniversary of Sri Ramanujacharya, one of the greatest saints gurus born in this great land of India. He's considered one of the three most influential Vedantic philosophers of the last two millennium, along with Madhvāchārya and Ādi Shankara. He was born in Sriperambudur (Near Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu...
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Keshava Temple at Somanathapura

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On a long motorcycle ride again. This time to closely observe a beautiful temple, read on. The Keshava Temple at Somanathapura, near Mysore, is an UNESCO world heritage monument along with Belur and Halibedu as the Sacred Ensembles of Hoysalas. The Keshava temple, was consecrated in 1258 CE by Somanatha Dandanayaka, a general of the Hoysala King Narasimha III. The Kesava temple is one of some 1,500 Hindu and Jain temples built by the Hoysala Empire kings in different parts of their kingdom. The other well studied Hoysala temples include those at Belur and Halebidu. In my view, it's among the best examples of Hoysala Architecture. It's the high noon of Kannada culture. The Inscriptions are in Hale (old) classical Kannada. The sculptures here are one of a kind.  Sadly this was destroyed, plundered and looted by the Islamic barbarian invader of Malik Kafur. The first attack was by Malik Kafur, Alauddin Khilji's general in 1311 and in 1326 Muhammad Bin Tughlaq destroyed the rem...
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T Narsipura Sangam and Shivanasamudra falls

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T Narsipura Sangam and Shivanasamudra falls Was happy to go on a motorcycle ride to two lovely destinations on the Kaveri River recently. 1. T Narsipura  Tirumakudalu Narasipura, the temple city of Karnataka, where there is Triveni Sangam where the 3 rivers of Kaveri, Kabini and mythical Spatika Sarovara rivers meet. Its also called Dakshina Kashi. A Kumbh Mela, a major Hindu pilgrimage festival, is held here, coinciding with the Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain, or Nashik. The name of town comes from a Narasimha temple at the place of Sangam. Had a wonderful darshsn and did Archanai Puja at this temple. Had a boat ride and went to the Sangam where 3 rivers meet and sprinkled the water on my head. See pictures. The present Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and past violin maestro Chowdiah hail from this place. 2. Shivanasamudra falls Shivanasamudra Falls is a cluster of waterfalls in Karnataka, India, ...
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