A Pilots take on the New Bengaluru Airport

Ranga, a very senior pilot, happened to write a comment on my post.. Since many people dont tend to read the comments, I decided to cut-paste his comment and add it as a seperate post…

So here it is….

***BEGIN COMMENT BY CAPT RANGA

I agree with Pavan….never travel on the first day whether as a passenger or a pilot.  Chaos galore! A Pilot’s Point of View…..

1. After landing the lead out taxy ways or exit ways were not painted from runway side but were painted from lounge side which fulfilled the political requirement of readiness…not operational! I can pity the pilot landing at night!

2. There was utter confusion regarding allocation of parking bay for us to park after landing…first allotted bay I would have telescoped into a closely parked Jet Airways..which was not supposed to be there..second attempt at giving us bay..found a King fisher ATR this time..finally I had to tell them a vacant bay that was free to allocate it myself…10 minutes

3.  After switching off the mechanised step ladder could not be seen to disembark the pax…..it arrived after 5 minutes…to set it up along the aircraft it took yet another 4 minutes….

4. There was no fuelling bowser to be seen for nearly 30 minutes after landing…Ultimately…I hijacked one which heading aimlessly..to fuel up.

5. There were no cabin cleaners..even though there were atleast 50 odd guys from Globe Ground which is the handling agency for aircraft…not one seemed to be doing anything useful…after a lot of looking around we found a disgruntled lot of cleaners who were already complaing about the days wage which did not reach them..got the cabin to some shape!

6. Pax came on board after one hour…

7.Phew!… and finally we departed after an hour and a half later..

Green or no green… aesthetics or not…but the BIAL is not ready for use. The Govt probably foresaw what would happen in the election…they launched it…so that the credit for launch goes to no one else…????

No offences to Bangaluriens…! Shamsabad Airport(New Hyderabad) is way ahead in all respect right from day one…our GM Rao has done a wonderful job…Long live Rao Garu..!

***End comment

 

Pankajamma

Pankajamma turns 87 tomorrow (30/May).

We called on her at her house in Tiruvannamalai today. Her home is not far from Sri Ramanashramam. A driveway led to the house built in the back, and two monkeys and two dogs welcomed us as we went in. One dog was a saint. He just sat in peace. The other was frisky and barked away in happiness. Its that sort of house. All are welcome.

Age is showing a bit in Pankajamma’s body. But not in her demenor. She welcomed us with a fullness of affection that can only come from that ‘otherness’ that is Ramana.

Here’s a picture I took of her today…

Here’s Pankajamma’s story in brief…

She comes from a traditional Tamizh family of Cuddalore. Her parents were drawn to Bhagavan sri Ramana Maharshi, the sage of Arunachala, and would visit him often. Thus, even as a very young girl, she grew up in that atmosphere of Bhakti, and was keen to go with her parents and see the sage. Maybe because she was young, or for whatever other reason, her parents never took her along, although she pleaded. And then one day, when she was twelve, they gave her Aksharamanamaalai - the Tamizh song composed by Ramana. “I learnt it by heart in two days”, she says. “And immediately after that I also learnt ‘Kanda Shashti Kavacam’. And from the age of 12, till today, it has been my blessing that I have been reciting both these prayers every single day”, she says, looking the very picture of peace.

On my request, she told me something about her association with Bhagavan Ramana.

She first met Ramana when she was sixteen. Her parents took her along this time. And she found the Maharshi in the Ashram, sitting near a well. Some ladies were sitting on one side, and gents on another. Bhagavan was sitting on a reclining chair…

Pankajamma says, “It was as if I was meeting an old acquaintence, a close relative, after a long time. Of course I was happy. Very happy. Like I am happy seeing you all now. Same way. It wasnt as if the happiness was different…And I felt so ‘related’ to Him, that I did not feel shy at all, and I simply felt like singing Aksharamanamalai…And so I started singing it…Bhagavan immediately seemed to stiffen, and I continued to sing…And then I came to the lines ‘Kaantam irumbupol kavarndenai vidaamal kalandenodiruppaai Arunaachalaa!’(Like a magnet does iron, attract me ceaselessly, hold me, Abide with me , O Arunachalaa!)…”

Pankajamma continues…”Now, Bhagavan was not the sort to point out small errors. This was not as if it was a scholarly discussion on Vedanta. Had it been that, and had some scholars been questioning Bhagavan, well, then, he would have patiently answered all their queries. But this was not such an occasion. I was a simple young girl, dressed in Paavadai-Melaakku. And I was singing Aksharamanamaalai. Having seen Bhagavan closely for many years, I know that normally He would have just been all attention, all silence, all love. He would have forgiven the small mistakes of pronunciations that the singer might commit. But not that time when I sang. And for that I am eternally grateful to Him! For the first time time in my life, and indeed the only time in my life, He spoke directly to me. I had pronounced the word Kaantham (magnet) as Gaantham. He immediately said “Oohum…” and looked directly at me. Into my eyes! That look! And gently told me, ‘Not Gaantham…Kaantham’…

That was it! From that day, That Kaantham (magnet) has taken me over completely. Nothing left here”, she said.

On our prodding, she told us of a few more ’special’ moments of ‘divine’, in her life.

                                               …To be contd…

The New Bengaluru Airport

Happenstanced to Bengaluru International Airport on Sunday - the second day of its functioning. The first day of cut-over to the new airport would surely have had its challenges - as indeed the papers reported. But second day was not bad.

I guess that the drive upto Mekhri circle has its challenges, but then the drive from Hebbal flyover down the Bellary Road (NH 7) was a beauty. Except for six or seven traffic signals that halt the drive every once in a while, the drive itself is pretty cool. We did have to carefully maneuver past a few “crackers fields” - as enthusiastic election winners had taken  over parts of the highway, and had laid long rows of “10000 Waalaas” and such crackers…

A red Volvo bus overtook the little Maruti that I was in…thats the Airport shuttle service, and it looks good, inviting. Shuttles, every 20 or 30 minutes or so, ply to and fro from the new airport to nine different points of the city.

From the Hebbal flyover point to the airport, without being in a tearing hurry, took us around half an hour, including the signal-stops. Thats not bad at all. Its not as if the airport is on the other side of the earth, as was rumored.

The exit from the highway to the airport is another beauty. You take off to the left of the hghway, drive up an overpass that swerves right and zooms down to level and you ease into a nice drive of a few kms to the new airport. And then you see the ‘airport in progress’. Here is a picture of the first sight of the beginning of the new airport complex.

 

First impressions: It is not aesthetically designed…but looks functional…

As you approach the terminal, there are some four or five security lanes - where all cars are stopped…A guide at each point, gave a quick intro about the regulations, handed us a brochure, and waved us in…Cool…Corporatization of Airport services…

Valet parking, tiered parking areas, fixed price porter services, shuttle and taxis…for a few dollars more…

Heres a picture of the front terminal of the airport.

This being just the second day, couldnt find trolleys easily. Somehow managed to find one and walked in. The entrance was the usual jostle that one sees in most Indian metro aiports.

Inside the terminal, the hall was abuzz.

The good thing was that there was no need to go for x-ray of checkin baggages first. You just walk to your airlines counter and checkin. And Checkin hasnt improved though. Perhaps the number of counters is not enough. Long queues could be seen in almost all counters…

Business lounges etc are yet to be done. There were two little eateries which you can go to, after the security check point.

So, what then were the little pain points that one faced…

- The exit lane from NH7 that takes you to the airport has a security-check stop. That creates a bottleneck as this is a single lane, one car at a time, inspection point.

- The drop off lanes near the terminal are not broad enough. Creates a choke of cars.

- The approach from the drop off point to the terminal entrance can be improved.

- There dont seem to be enough security-check counters…also, the designers havent thought through the finer points…the bags that come out of the security-check x-ray unit, remain out of reach of the passengers who wait for it on the other side. It needs the security men to pick it up and hand over, and that is not their job….

- Wash rooms…Numbers, quality…

- The departure counters are also choke points. The design of the hall is such that there is no easy way to queue up to the counters, as rows of chairs have been fixed right upto the counters….Wonder who thinks these up…

- All done, when one got into the plane…it was “hot”….thats nothing to do with the airport…thats the Airlines, and in this case it was ‘Jet Airways’…for some reason, they didnt step up the Air-conditioning till the flight took off…and considering the wait-time on ground before take off, it was a ’stew time’ (Now I know why they are called ‘Flight Stewards’ ).

**

The view after take off was nice. Lots of land belongs to the aiport complex. One could see that they have planted a lot of green….One reads that Bangalore International Airport Limited has been given 4000 acres of land there - which they plan to develop as “hot” real estate….Goodbye green!

All in all: Thums up…but there is way to go…

Full moon of Vaikasi

May 19, 2008…

Today is Vaikasi Visakam…

Festive day in temples across India…

It is the Tirunakshattiram of Lord Murugan….Hope to hear some Tiruppugazh…

mutthai tharu patthi thirunakai
atthukkiRai satthi saravaNa
mutthikkoru vitthu guru para ena Othum

It is Tirunakshattiram of Nammaalwar.          
     
      uyarvaRa   uyarnalam   uTaiyavan    yavanavan
      mayarvaRA  matinalam   aruLinan     yavanavan
      ayarvaRum  amararkaL   atipati      yavanavan
      tuyaraRu   cuTaraTi    tozutezu        en manane!

Today is also the 600th Jayanti of Annamacharya….

tandanAnA Ahi tandanAnApurE tandanAnA bhalA
tandanAnA bhalA tandanAnA bhala tandanAnA

brahmam OkatE para brahmam OkkatE para
brahmam Okkate para brahmam Okkate…

It is Narada Jayanti…

And May 19, was the Nirvana date of Azhagammal, the mother of Ramana Maharshi…

And it is Buddha Poornima…Triple holy day of Gautama Buddha - Birth, Enlightenment, Nirvana…

 

MI vs DC

Nice to hear some Bushism from India.

This pretty TV anchor asked someone from the Mumbai team: “Congratulations! You are the first team that has won five matches in a row, without losing one…How does it feel?”

 

 

 

KKR vs MI

The Knight riders were run to the ground
Mumbai Leaguers have their touch found
Super King Khan was sporting though
He blew kisses to all, a great hero!

Though KKR got Sachin with his scorecard clean
They then ran into to ‘J’ that six machine
Who cleaned up the ground with his boom-boom broom
Jhoom baraabar jhoom khilaadi, jhoom baraabar jhoom.

Maniacal Mankind

Every morning welcomes us with a choice of terrible news… Last couple of days it has been the terrible blast at Jaipur, and the tragic earthquake at China…

And today, I happened to come across a small news item on BBC that said - “Wildlife Populations Plummeting “. (Click here for the news)…

Heres a quick summary…

The “Living Planet Index”, is a database that is compiled by Zoological Society of London in partnership with WWF. And heres what their data reveals…

- Pupulation of marine species in the world has gone down by 28% in just 10 years, between 1995 and 2005

- Populations of ocean birds have fallen by 30% since the mid 1990s

- Land-based populations have dropped by 25%

The news item says “Humans are wiping out about 1% of all other species every year, and one of the “great extinction episodes” in the Earth’s history is under way”…

Can you believe that?

And then add to this, the other plunders being committed by man - the destruction of forest areas, river waters, and natural resources of earth…

If this is the civilization ushered in by the modern world, then it is time that we put mankind in the dock…

Or better still…Stop the world, and push mankind off…  

Jayasurya comes to party…

Tonight it was Jayasurya’s turn
Who bowled to him was no concern
He clobbered them all with utmost ease
Brought the super kings to their knees

He hit a century in just forty five
Hook, pull, cut, glance and drive
Six, six, six, six, everywhere,
The King Bat is back, O ball beware!

 

One cup tamasha, cheenee double

As I stepped into the massive foodcourt of one of the many software facilities of Chennai, I asked my host - “where are the cheerleaders?”

For nothing in the recent times has sunk so readily across the Indian psyche, as this concept of ‘cheerleaders’. They came, they flaunted, they conquered. The item girls have stepped off the silver screen and into everyone’s food court. What fun!

So much so, that someone said that they should become part of Indian Parliament…which would motivate parliamentarians to attend, and bring life to the league they (currently) represent…IPL….Indian Parliamentary League…

Jai Tamasha! Paise phenkh, tamasha dekh! 

The dimensions, they are’a breakin’… The mirrors have decided to talk back… SRK to the right of you, Katrina to the left of you, Zinta in front of you, what volley, what wonder! 

And its not just TV. Its taking over the whole mindspace.  Take the recent blog of Big Bee. What a thing! The Big-bee’s buzz and sting blog! Chak de oye!

Sample this from his blog…A sting-in-cheek repartee to a review that apparently trashed his film “Bhootnath”…

*BEGIN BIG-BEE QUOTE*

“And Khalid Mohammed who reviews the film for Hindustan Times of date, who instead of reviewing writes a personal letter to me through a public document, who wishes that I go and learn how to act from the Pune Film Institute, who laments at the only dialogue he heard in the entire film, my oft repeated ‘Haiiiiiiii’, who as director made three of the most colossal bombs in the history of Indian Cinema and who now tries to educate others in the craft, who credits the cast of the film as AB,AB AB, disrespecting the other eminent star presence, who allegedly as Editor of Filmfare, coerced the talent of his directed films to work for him in lieu of the alleged consideration of an Award, titles his diatribe -

‘TO BOO OR NOT TO BOO’

Well KHALIDA ! And this is not a gender error, but a call you respond to lovingly, when Jaya addresses you, as you spread yourself across our dining table in Jalsa, sipping our, in your own words, ‘exclusive and expensive wine’, this is what I have to say to you -

‘BOO’ !!!”

*END BIG-BEE QUOTE*

Wow! Bahut Maza Aayaa! Mogambo khush hua!

For the whole big-bee post, see:

 http://blogs.bigadda.com/ab/2008/05/10/on-location-pix/

Enjoy!

But tell me, O Duniyawaalon! Has India become sufficiently Amreekanized or still has some way to go?

Kozhiwakkam kudamuzhukkam - 1

(contd from ‘First Day of Sarvadhari’…)

Back to Kozhiwakkam village…also called Kozipakkam, Koliwakkam, koziwakkam…referred in Sanskrit as Kukkutapuri…

Pralayam-kaatha-amman….the Goddess who saved all during the deluge…

Perhaps at one time the Palar must have burst its banks and flooded the village, and maybe this deity saved the people. Palar must have been a majestic river…Just the breadth of the dry river bed is awesome…Interestingly, there is a shrine to the same deity in the Ekamabranatha temple, the main Siva temple of Kanchipuram. As per mythology, when Kamakshi Amman was offering worship to Ekambranatha, the river rose in spate, and was about to wash away all of that place. When Durga, manifesting as Pralayam-kaattha-amman, came and halted the river….The same deity exists in Kozhiwakkam village.

As per the directions of the mystic, Sivakumar took it upon himself to build a new temple for the Goddess. He rallied his extended family, got in touch with all he could who hailed from that village ‘once upon any time’, mobilized the current village folks…He is a one man army…He got a new idol made, exactly along the lines of the idol at the Ekambaranatha temple…All this took a period of a few years….And on 16th April, 2008, the consecration (kudamuzhukkam) of that temple, as well as that of main village temple of Muktishwara and Muktambal, had been arranged….

The next few pictures were taken during the Kumbabhishekam (kudamuzhukkam) ceremony on Apr 16th.

Heres a picture of the newly made idol…

An elaborate ceremony was held for consecration of the koziwakkam village temples.

Vedic Yagya ceremonies were conducted in the simple yaaga-shaala made in the field. Several fire-altars were simultaneously being used for worship…A group of priests chanted mantras, energizing the waters kept in Kudams (kalashas…special vessels…).

Heres a picture of that yagya.

And after the purnahuti, the final offering made to the deities, through the medium of the fire-altar, the consecrated waters were carried, for ritual abhisheka of the metal kalashas on top of the temple domes, and on the idols themselves.

Heres a picture of the temple dome, of the new shrine of Pralayam-kattha-amman, taken during the consecration ceremony. Isnt it pretty….

   
So thats a brief tour of a typical kudamuzhukkam… First the divinity is transferred from the old idols onto a picture, which is kept in balalayam. temple is renovated.. new idols may be built… once all the preparation is done, kudamuzhukkam ceremonies begin… Divinity is transferred from the picture to waters kept in special vessels.  Special ceremonies are held…Eye of the new idol is opened…Yagyas are conducted… The waters are charged with energy of Mantras… They are then poured in special Abhisheka ceremonies, on the kalashas on top of the temple domes, and on the idols themselves…divinity is now transferred to the idols in the new temple…

Heres a picture of Abisheka of Pralayam-katha-amman…

                                                  ….. To be contd …