A hilly day!

Not the best time of the year now to climb on rocky terrain but if your idea of a fun day out is heading out of town to a quiet picturesque place, then just 50 kms away from bangalore, among the hills of Ramanagaram is the Ramagiri Hill, better known as Ramadevera betta.
At about 3066 feet above sea level, it houses a Ram temple and provides a very scenic view of the surrounding hills. If you are heading from bangalore on Mysore Road, the way to reach would be to get to Ramanagaram township. Just after crossing Ghousia College of Engineering, take a right -- there's an arch at the beginning of this narrow road, 3 kms further on this road at the dead end is the entrance to the temple on the hill. About 300 steps flanked by trees & interesting rock formations lead up to the temple. There's a small hanuman shrine in the beginning and a little beyond is the main temple. The most breathtaking view is a pond next to the temple which fills up with rainwater. Visitors can no longer access the water body which has led to the whole area having a pristine look!
There is a further climb through narrow pathways leading up to the top of the hill and before you know it, you come to a clearing on the edge of the hill and the view that greets you makes you understand why its the land of seven hills!
The best time to go would be early morning, and before you know it half a day would have flown by!

Revival!

Finally!!....all it took was a good product which delivered what it said to get me back to this blog after almost a year!
The temperature in bangalore has hit 36 degrees already! In my 6+ years of stay here, this is the first time I'm being hit by summer where previously non-existent thoughts like 'how am I going to be stepping out the next 2 months to get things done' have cropped up.

Needless to say, the skin & hair are taking a beating, with facial skin having this strange dry lacklustre look. So I went hunting for a good face pack which doesnt dry my skin further. I picked up Biotique's  'Bio Pistachio'. Priced at Rs. 199 it feels great on the skin, the pack doesnt dry up leaving your skin taut so you have the soft fresh feel after wash. From what I read(& feel), it can even be used daily if needed. I think I'm going to stick to this for a long time :)

Another 'cant do without' item finding place in my purse lately is the Maybelline Lip Balm. Priced at Rs. 99, with an SPF of 16 and available in 6 shades. I've tried the 'rose red' and 'cranberry jam' and loved both of them! The tints show up really well so at times I even give the lipstick a miss!

Another good skincare product that's stayed with me the last few months is the 'Olay Ultra Moisture body wash'(with shea butter). Priced at Rs.210 for a 354 ml bottle, its worked really well for my dry skin. And yes, I love its smell too! I have tried other body washes from Olay but this one works best for me.

After 3 satisfactory visits, I can now conclude that the salon Bodycraft in Indiranagar, Bangalore does a good job of haircuts. Havent tried anything else other than hairstyling & coloring, but I am happy with the result! Worth a try if you are looking for someplace that gives you a good look.

And while we are on the topic of beauty, I have to mention a fashion blog I recently came across that I'm drooling over -- Wendy's Lookbook. Wont say anything about this, I'll just let the blog do the talking!

One reason that led to this blog going dormant was that I used to find the weekly writing somewhat of a deterrent. At times I felt like I had nothing new to say over a week, at other times there were many good but assorted experiences. So for the sake of continuity, this blog will have as many regular offerings as I experience.

A day steeped in history & art!

I had a fabulous weekend on the outskirts of Chennai and the destination finds itself as this week's highlight :)

If you reside in South India and are a lover of art, crafts, history and architecture, then the one place you shouldnt miss is 'DakhinaChitra'(which literally means 'picture of the south') located about 25 kilometers from Chennai on East Coast Road,Muthukadu(Chinglepet district,Tamil Nadu). And if you are a visitor to Chennai, mark this as one of your destinations where you can spend a whole day and still not have enough of the place!

Spread over 10 acres next to the Bay of Bengal(and open to visitors between 10 a.m to 6 p.m on all days except tuesday), its a 'centre for the living traditions of arts, folk performing arts, craft and architecture of India with an emphasis on the traditions of South India'. Set up by the Madras Crafts Foundation, the main attraction of the centre are 17 heritage houses from the four South Indian states. I still recall the awe when I first visited the place way back in 1998. It was a history lesson like no other. For instance, the Kerela section has relocated houses like the 'Syrian Christian House','Kootathukulam House','Hindu House' and the Tamil Nadu section, the 'Chettinad House' from Aryakudi, 'Brahmin House' from Ambur,'Potter's House' from Tiruvallur,'Agriculturist's House' from Mayavaram district among others.

What is noteworthy is that not just the outward structure but even the interiors are mostly original dating back upto the 19th century. As you walk down the lanes lined by these houses, you get transported to a different time and era. The breathtaking murals, the Ravi Varma oleographs, the original family photographs from a bygone era, the one man shadow puppet show enacting scenes from 'Kamba Ramayanam', history of the Tamil script from the 3rd century BC onwards, tracing the history of Tamil Nadu from the Paloelithic age, the 'Kili Joshiyam'(parrot fortune telling), the journey of the Ikkat from dyeing to weaving, the different artisans at work, the folk art performances etc are endearing introductions to the rich and diverse traditions of South India and beyond.

With its objective to preserve and promote art, craft, and folk art performances, DakshinaChitra regularly conducts workshops on papier mache craft,tanjore painting, terracotta pottery,Indigo dyeing, mural painting and many many more art forms. You can check out the calender of events here for this year. There's a 2 year programme in Arts Management starting in July this year, those interested in further details can check out www.mcfiam.org/
If you wish to soak in the ambience for more than a day then there are modest accommodation options priced reasonably.

When we are talking of beauty and learning of this magnitude, nothing can explain better than images so I leave you with some of my captures :)