Ugadi celebration is going on in full swing in Bangalore. Houses are decorated with mango leaves and drawn rangoli in front of the houses. Some houses have rangoli and topped with a pot which contains mango leaves and coconut. Sweet stalls are having special delicacies for the Ugadi festival. Most of the sweets have the ingredients of coconut and jaggery.

Ugadi is celebrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. While it is called Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, in Maharashtra it is known as "Gudipadava".

On Ugadi day, people wake up before the break of dawn and take a head bath after which they decorate the entrance of their houses with fresh mango leaves. The significance of tying mango leaves relates to a legend. It is said that Kartik (or Subramanya or Kumara Swamy) and Ganesha, the two sons of Lord Siva and Parvathi were very fond of mangoes. As the legend goes Kartik exhorted people to tie green mango leaves to the doorway signifying a good crop and general well-being.

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous Ugadi.

Day before yesterday i received a call from the staff of country vacations saying that i am the lucky winner of a lucky draw and come and collect three gifts (one kitchen set of 6 glass bowls, a gift voucher worth Rs.25,000/- which can be utilized for getting the accommodation and pass to country club for one day) and come with my husband. Since my husband is abroad, i went with my neighboring couples to get the gifts and later realized that  it was not at all necessary to go with the spouse. It was held at the basement of the Country Club, in outer ring road, Bangalore. The staff said we have to attend a presentation for 1 hour and later the gifts can be collected. The so called presentation was a trap and i realized it only after reaching home. It is about country vacations and through that gaining a Country club life time membership. I fancied about the idea of getting a membership.

I spoke with my husband regarding this and he was not interested in this since the beginning. I thought of convincing him later on and made a small token of payment to block the offer. They offered me a set of lemonade as a compliment. After reading others experiences, i am bit confused.

I read the bitter experiences of of others in the web http://www.consumercourt.in/travel-agent/5733-country-vacation-cheated-us.html and realized that it is not wise to go ahead with the idea of joining the concept of country vacation. So be careful when you receive a call like this.

Wishing you all the best for not getting into the trap of Country Club’s Country Vacations.

I have been staying in Bangalore for last two years and never faced the problem of shortage of water and in fact the major highlighted attraction was availability of water. But now, it is just the end February and summer set in Bangalore and so is the drained bore wells. Today morning we, the inhabitants of our building, ran out of water and couldn’t do anything. My kid was telling me take her to one of the two wheeler service station to get her serviced. About 11 am tanker carrying water arrived and somehow managed to do the basics.

water tanker in front of our building

The water available in the building is not so clear and it has a hard texture (i am not sure whether i can use texture for describing the water quality and more over non-availability. Here in Bangalore, people are engaged in the business of water sales. They have their own bore wells and sell it for Rs. 250/tanker (the size is shown in the picture).

If the situation continues, it will definitely affect the bubbling IT industry in Bangalore. What can they do without sufficient water to do the basics? I was thinking about quitting Bangalore and settle in Kerala, where the shortage of water is out of question.

Very recently few personnel from some water purifier companies arrived and tested something called TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) and said it is about 398mg/Liter and it is hazardous to health and leads to the kidney stone formation due to the presence of excess calcium in the water. But the research shows that it could be up to 500mg/Liter. That means, the water purifier companies are simply cheating the public by exploiting their health concern.  

I don’t know how far it is true but the problems what i have been facing for last two years are:

• hair losing
• dry and hard skin
• dandruff

These problems can be fixed by an expert beautician but my major concern is that  my monthly maintenance charges will be increased by another Rs. 1200/- due to the shortage of water.

Don’t you think it is the responsibility of the ruling government to make arrangements to provide the basic infrastructure to the inhabitants of that state? In Bangalore, the life is becoming horrible since there is no uninterrupted electricity, internet, or water. Moreover the prices of all the consumables are going soaring. When will there be an end to all the worries?

Last week i bought a Chakson thermal cooker for cooking rice. Until recently i was using white rice to prepare lunch dishes but as part of the new year resolution (one of the resolutions) to start brown rice for lunch instead of white rice. The cooking time of white rice is moderately less compared to brown rice. Usually i need two LPG cylinders in a year but after using brown rice it didn’t last for 45 days even and i was shocked also. Then my neighbor asked me to buy a Chakson thermal cooker since it saves lot of gas consumption and time. To my surprise it is 100% true.

Chakson thermal cooker is a product of Anna Group, in Kerala. It is available in different sizes but mine is the smallest size available ( 6 liters capacity, in which 750 gms of brown rice can be cooked). I paid Rs.988 (1098 is the MRP and they provided 10% discount on this price). I think there is a price difference in Bangalore and Kerala.

Boil brown rice for 5 mins (after the water is boiled) and keep it inside the Chakson for 1 hr with lid on. After 1 hr, drain the excess water and use it. Chakson helps to cook rice with the vacuum inside. It is an ideal kitchen ware for me since i can save lot of cooking time as well as energy.

Health benefits of brown rice:

The unpolished brown rice is a good source of complex carbohydrates providing starch and fibre. Brown rice is more nutritious than white rice since it is  richer in vitamin B’s, E and minerals like manganese and selenium. It needs more time to digest than any other kind of rice and  it is allowing the body to consume the energy released over an extended period of time.

You don’t feel like having anything in between since you have a full feeling. Try, you will also enjoy this rice.

Last Saturday, on the eve of valentine’s day, we went to Lumbini Gardens, Bangalore. It is situated on the banks of Nagarwara Lake and is a simple place for boating. It is located near the Hebbal flyover, on the way to Bangalore International airport. The funniest part is i have crossed the place many times whenever i went to the airport but never noticed. Even though it is located beside a heavy traffic road, it provides enough parking space for the visitors.

entrance to the gardens.

It is opened from 10.30 am to 8.30 pm and charges a flat entrance fee of Rs. 30 and no charges for the kids below 3 years. It provides neat and quality service to the visitors. It is a small place compared to the other water theme parks in Bangalore but tried to accommodate  the maximum facilities to entertain kids and families. If you are taking a camera, pay another Rs. 30/- It is worth paying since the ambience inside the park provides enough to satisfy your photographic skill.

Nagarwara lake

a dragon shaped kiddy ride

Big Ben, a clock tower inside the gardens

sunset view

One of the major attractions is the boating and it provides pedal boating, coffee boating (don’t know what it is since i didn’t try it), pleasure boating, etc., The place accommodates a wave pool, kiddy rides, Spanish bull ride, a children’s play area, trampoline bungee, twirling vortex, a swing, a kids train in the shape of a giraffe, etc.. 

No food items are allowed inside since Cafe’ Coffee day to entertain the coffee lovers and Food courts are inside to do the same. Prices are a bit high compared to the  quality.

It is a must visit place in Bangalore and provides enough place for the family entertainment. Don’t miss it

Medical Tourism in India is on a rise and India is emerging as the preferred medical tourism destination. To facilitate the  most preferred services to their customers, Indian medical market has came up with the concept of super specialty hospitals across the country.

  What is Medical Tourism?

It is the term used to describe the situation of patients travelling across international borders to obtain health care. Medical tourism is also called health tourism or medical travel or global health care.

Why people are travelling as medical tourists?

There are many reasons for patients to travel across the globe to get medical treatment like Americans travel due to  high medical cost in their homeland, while Canadians travel to get rid off their long medical waiting time, since their average medical waiting time is 9.4 weeks to get their treatment done. The English  patients travel to other places because they  can’t wait for treatment by the National Health Service or can’t afford to see a physician in private practice, for others either they want to combine their vocation and treatment together or non availability of healthcare service in their home country like in Maldives or Bangladesh.

Many countries like India, Singapore, South Africa, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, etc., are actively promoting medical tourism.

Medical Tourism in India

India is considered the leading country promoting medical tourism and India’s National Health Policy declares that treatment of foreign patients is legally an "export" and deemed "eligible for all fiscal incentives extended to export earnings.” Super specialty hospitals played a pivotal role in the success of Medical tourism in India.

Almost every hospital in India has NRI (non resident Indian) patients and even patients of foreign countries. High cost of treatment in the developed countries like USA and UK, has been forcing patient from such countries to look for alternative and cost-effective destinations to get their treatments done. Virtually every type of treatment is available in India for lower cost  and shorter rehabilitation period.

According to the research done by the University of Delaware, the cost of surgery done in India can be one-tenth or sometimes even less than that of what is it in the USA or western Europe. For example, a heart-valve replacement that would cost $200,000 or more in US, goes for $10,000 in India.

Super Specialty Hospitals

Super specialty hospitals, mostly owned and operated by doctors with an expertise in a particular stream of medicine extend the opportunity to put together the perfect environment for optimal health care delivery. These super specialty hospitals look more like a star hotel equipped with most modern technology. These hospitals provide one-stop shopping for healthcare services. A super specialty hospital is not a play of few words but it would have  a team of expert doctors, nurses, a mature system of patient care from counseling to post operation care. Hospitals are providing medical tour packages to their Western patients usually  includes flights, transfers, hotels, treatment and often a post-operative vacation.

Super specialty hospitals became a great success in India. The concept of less institutional, more customer friendly, extending more value for money kind of medical care delivery service is well suited for the Indian atmosphere perfectly. Globe-trotting Indian consumers who are exposed to International health care standards expect similar services back home.

B. M. Birla Heart Research Centre in Calcutta, India, is a super specialty hospital dedicated exclusively to the diagnosis, treatment and research related to cardio-vascular diseases. It has established itself as India’s most advanced heart centre. In addition to Indians, it has treated patients from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Kenya and other neighboring countries. The centre has a special interest in the advanced field of cardiac surgery, especially reconstructive operations on infants.

Criticism on Super specialty hospitals

Some argue that super specialty hospitals prefer simpler cases, recommend superfluous tests, advocate expensive procedures and are the privilege of the well-heeled.

Against all the criticisms, the concept is becoming more popular since the average Indian increases his spending on health care. Medical experts agree that India represents the most potential medical tourism market in the world. The most attractive features of Indian medical tourism from other medical tourism destinations are low cost, scale and range of treatments provided. Over the last decade the healthcare sector in India turned into a growth industry and so is the super specialty hospitals.

This cake is bought for my daughter’s B’ day from Sweet Chariot, Bangalore. It weighed around 2.3 kg including the decoration done. It costs Rupees 485/- per kilogram. It is stuffed with special Black forest cake and decoration is done in fresh cream. It tastes excellent. Normally i don’t like the taste of cherry crushed and layered in cake but this one was different.  

When I was very small, in Trivandrum, one of the important events took place during any festival was circus. I still remember the names of those circuses, Gemini circus, National circus, Jumbo circus, etc…

My daughter is going to be six years old and never been to circus till now and whenever we talk about circus, i saw the desperation in her eyes and at last i got a chance to take her for circus. It was in Mandya, the sugar city in Bangalore.

Now in circus, the government has stopped the show of wild animals and it is restricted to horses and elephants. When I was small, we used to go to circus just to watch the animals like lion, tiger, etc…

Dogs are playing foot ball, but balloons were used as foot ball.

Now they have included African dance and Russian dance, which are performed by the foreign artists.

Attitude face wash is a water based gel and a 100% soap free formulation that traps oil and gently foams it away. It effectively removes dirt, excess oil and reduces the surface sebum levels that can clog pores.

Attitude face wash rinses easily and its fresh floral fragrance leaves the skin feeling energized, clean and soft. It is available in 100ml tubes and the MRP is Rupees 209/- the product code is SKU No.: 21 1461 IDF. It is sold through Amway under the category of Beauty product.

Wet face and hands and then squeeze a small quantity of the Face Wash onto the palms and work up lather. Apply on face and neck in circular motions. Rinse with water. Use twice daily.

I am trying this Kohinoor special Nawab long aromatic rice for the first time. It is not up to the specification mentioned on the packet, long aromatic rice. It is not having that special aroma which is common to the other basmati rice but it is not so expensive. Per kilogram price is Rupees 52/- only. Its color is pale yellow as well as the color remains after cooking also. It is ideal for occasions that demand rice dishes in bulk.