Sampath Menon

Shhhh….The party begins in 10!

October 26, 2021July 3, 2014 by Sampath Menon

“‘We’ll be Friends Forever, won’t we, Pooh?’ asked Piglet.
‘Even longer’, Pooh answered.“
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“shhhh…be quiet, they won’t start the party if they know you are here”, whispered my 10 year old.

Staring into the semi-darkness; illuminated only by the faint glow of a 100 stars, I lay next to him, careful not to twitch a muscle. After all, I was here to watch the most amazing party that I’d only heard a lot about. I didn’t want to risk anything that could jeopardize my chances of being part of this one of a kind, magical event.

10 minutes of total stillness went by.

Nothing.

Well, the best things in life are worth the wait, or so I’ve heard.

My new Nikon 35 mm lens

May 20, 2015July 1, 2014 by Sampath Menon

“Ding-dong! ding-dong!”

Our loud door bell startled me out of my lazy semi-reading-semi-watching-TV-semi-dozing Saturday afternoon.
“Must be the maid”, I thought to myself as I rose up rather reluctantly from my comfortable couch, strewing items I had stacked up around me on to the floor.

I hate getting up once I am well settled in the couch on Saturday afternoons, and so I make sure I load up the couch with everything I would need for the next few hours of blissful inactivity. This particular afternoon, I had remote controls (we have 3 of them just to operate the TV – one for the TV itself, one for the cable set-top box, and one for…coming to think of it…I don’t know what for, but I just get all of ’em just in case), a new novel I was reading (which, by the way, could put one off to sleep faster than any sleeping pill in the market, I found out), a pack of Marie biscuits (with 10 essential vitamins. Healthy. Unlike those fatty butter cookies which are yummm…err…I mean, unhealthy) and all 16 pages of that day’s newspaper.

I walked to the door leaving a trail of biscuit crumbs, newspaper pages and remote control batteries, all the while thinking who it could be at the door.

Pilikula Heritage Village

April 10, 2022June 22, 2014 by Sampath Menon

Pilikula Heritage Village, located in Mangalore, is a 35-acre site that recreates the typical rural ambience of Dakshina Kannada region. This is a must-visit site if you are in Mangalore.

The Guthu House – a traditional house of the region, Kambala Track (Buffalo race track), Nagabana (a shrine dedicated to serpents), artisan corners, and gardens (areca, coconut) are all turning out to be great tourist attractions in Mangalore.

A trip to Pilikula Heritage village can be included in your Mangalore trip itinerary even if you are looking for adventure activities in Mangalore since there is a Zoo, a lake for boating and a water park nearby.

This Pilikula Heritage village blog is a record of my visit to the site as part of a Nikon Photo walk that was held in Mangalore. Read on.

Nikon Photo Walk to Pilikula Heritage Village

June 22, Sunday: I wake up earlier than usual, excited at the prospect of meeting fellow photographers at the Photo Walk organized by Nikon in Mangalore to Pilikula Heritage Village.

I get dressed and drive to Pilikula, an interesting area located about 15 KMs off Mangalore city that contains a fabulous zoo, a biological park and an artisan village.

I reach on time (9. 15 AM) and notice that a group had already formed at the entrance. I join them and get introduced to the group.

The organizers informed us that we would all drive to the artisan village, a.k.a, the Heritage Village and spend some time there shooting pictures.

Artisan homes in pilikula heritage village

The place is quiet and beautiful. The typical rural atmosphere of Dakshina Kannada has been recreated in Heritage Village. The dwellings of the various types of artisans reflect their work. Visitors could interact with the artisans, and could also try their hand at some of the stuff the artisans do.
Below are some photos from my Photo Walk.

Sultan Bateri: Tipu’s Watch Tower

April 18, 2022June 14, 2014 by Sampath Menon

“Mangalore was an important town…Sultan Bateri, a watchtower…built by Tipu Sultan..”

What?!

This is big! I am actually sharing real estate with one of history’s greatest, though in a different timeline! I am standing at the entrance of a queer little monument; a watchtower built of black stones by Tipu Sultan in the 1700’s called Sultan Bateri. It looks like a mini fortress, with mounting places for canyons.

The blue information board erected by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) informs me (with a minor spelling error in Tipu’s name) that this watch tower was built to contain the entrance of warships into the Gurupur river. The name Sultan Bateri evolved from ‘Sultan’s Battery’, where Battery meant firing of cannons.

But the strangest part about this historic monument is this: there is absolutely no perceptible importance/protection assigned to it by locals/authorities. It leads to the low profile life of an abandoned building!

You would probably not give it a second glance if you are ever in this area. I myself had been to this place many a time during my aimless evening rides but had never stopped to examine it carefully.

Not to mention the mindless graffiti and scribbling (well, now the whole world knows that Suresh is in love with Sini) that locals and visitors have left on this monument which has withstood the test of time.

A stairway leads you to the top of the monument from where you get a good view of the river. There is also an underground storage area (locked) that was used to store gun powder.
Here are some photos from my visit.

Go, Goa, Gone!

June 12, 2021April 20, 2014 by Sampath Menon

When my wife picked Goa as the vacation destination for this summer, a Garfield style smile popped up unknowingly on my face. This was the smile of a foodie for whom Goa reminded him of one and only one specific taste – a taste that had withstood the test of time, a taste that had …

Street Photography – Bangalore

May 20, 2015November 25, 2013 by Sampath Menon

Street photography is something I love, and here are some snaps I managed from the streets of Bangalore. Tell me your thoughts.

Can’t innovate anymore, my ass!

October 26, 2021June 18, 2013 by Sampath Menon

Apple’s WWDC has is an event that the world enjoys watching. It is a legendary platform where new products are announced, stats are thrown up, and apps are showcased. These very well orchestrated events must require a lot of prep work. Well, I was imagining how they do it, and this cartoon depicts my imagination. …

An evening in Colaba

August 31, 2021April 11, 2013 by Sampath Menon

Colaba, Mumbai – That’s where I am today. This is my 8th visit to Mumbai in my 39 years of life, but I still haven’t got used to the hustle and bustle of this fast, large, overcrowded city. As a boy growing up in South India, I had heard tons of stories about Mumbai (then …

Neither here nor there.

August 31, 2021April 4, 2013 by Sampath Menon

A recent research showed that among people in the Indian IT services sector who quit their jobs after at least 10 years of service, 95% of them were Middle Managers! How come the Middle Management resignation rate is so high? Is it because it is a ‘neither here nor there’ kind of role? (It neither …

Another day at the gym

August 31, 2021January 16, 2013 by Sampath Menon

Did I mention that I’ve a new gym membership? I did that in my earlier post, didn’t I. Like I said, I try new gyms every year in the hope of finally sticking to one, so that I can break down my 1 pack into 6 or 8 (or whatever number is in fashion now). …

Kochi-Muziris Biennale

June 12, 2021December 19, 2012 by Sampath Menon

Spent an afternoon in Fort Cochin visiting the various stalls put up as part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (the first Biennale being held in India). Well, I didn’t quite ‘get’ all the art, but I sure had a fun afternoon. Here are a few snaps from my day out:

Alleppey Backwaters

June 12, 2021October 28, 2012 by Sampath Menon

For me – a Cochin-ite, Alleppey (Alappuzha) is really my backyard – I had never considered it as a place I would want to sight-see. So even when this whole houseboat tourism was picking up steam, I was wondering what the fuss was all about. Well, one recent trip to Alleppey, and I realized that …

Amazing Bekal

July 17, 2021October 28, 2012 by Sampath Menon

It was a movie called Bombay (IMDb link) that popularized Bekal fort as a tourist destination (among Indians) back in the ’90s. The movie presented vivid images of a rain-drenched, mossy fort being constantly hit upon by waves. The movie was a hit, and so was Bakel fort. People from far and wide flocked to …

Best fish place in Mangalore.

September 3, 2021April 6, 2012 by Sampath Menon

‘Where do you get the best seafood around here?’ – a question we Mangaloreans get a lot. After all, they’ve come to a coastal town, and fish is what they want to eat. But then, there’s no easy answer. Yeah, we do have a few fancy restaurants that serve seafood. But the best seafood? I …

Making millions from an iPhone app

April 12, 2022August 30, 2011 by Sampath Menon

Now here’s a quick post. Actually, it’s a cartoon piece. If you are an iPhone games developer, you ought to read this.