Its about my opinion on various topics and experiences I had. Articles are mainly focused on travel, society and politics.noreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Wed, 6 May 2026 15:59:42 +0530Blogger http://www.blogger.com944125http://www.searchforanidentity.com/en-usnoIts about my opinion on various topics and experiences I had. Articles are mainly focused on travel, society and politics.noreply@blogger.comhttp://www.searchforanidentity.com/2026/02/mumbling-mainstreet-corruption.htmlMumblingMainstreetnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Tue, 10 Feb 2026 20:18:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-5392657447003268055"...index measures perceived levels of public sector corruption...India ranked 91st out of 182 countries and territories on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2025, with a score of 39, according to the latest report released by Transparency International on Tuesday."Looking at the historical trend, India’s score has hovered between 36 and 41 from 2013 to 2025. In comparison, key developed0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2026/02/shiny-new-projects-but-are-we-taking.htmlEconomyIndianoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:23:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-2641262421656791251Howrah-Mumbai route - A highly congested mainline with IRThe 508 km Mumbai–Ahmadabad bullet train project began with an estimated cost of around ₹1 lakh crore. Today, that figure has already crossed ₹2 lakh crore, and by the time the first train runs, it may go even higher. Does this mean India should avoid investing in bullet trains? Absolutely not. High-speed rail is important and should be 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/09/siddis-of-india-cultural-evening-at.htmlIndiaSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sun, 7 Sep 2025 13:05:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-1112499605453301018Panel Discussion at NGMA-BWhen I got the invite from NGMA-B (National Gallery of Modern Art – Bangalore) for a cultural program related to Siddis, the first thing that came to my mind was whether it was on a weekday or a weekend. Many of their earlier programs had fallen on weekdays, and I was not able to attend. Fortunately, this one was on a Saturday. I made a note in my mind and closed the 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/09/on-reading.htmlPersonalSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Wed, 3 Sep 2025 12:59:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-4558595038734267847Four years ago, I took up Goodread's annual reading challenge and set a target of 36 books. I was quite confident that I would finish much more than 36 (three books per month). By the way, that confidence wasn’t backed by any past history (just my overconfidence). Twelve months came and went, but I completed only 5-6 books. Next year, I kept the same target; only to fail once more. Next year, 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/08/railway-retiring-rooms-needs-better-care.htmlSocietyTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Fri, 22 Aug 2025 12:11:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-5597150495298466541 Indian Railways, under the Ministry of Railways, is a mammoth institution with more than 1.2 million employees. It operates over 13,000 trains, connects 7,000+ stations, and carries more than 6.9 billion passengers annually. On the freight side, nearly 12,000 trains run daily. Beyond transport, Railways manage schools, hospitals, factories, internet services, hotels, catering, metro operations, 1http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/06/hyderabad-diaries-exploring-city-of_3.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Tue, 3 Jun 2025 17:45:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-1879732559843588452To read about my previous trip, please visitHyderabad Chronicles I - To Hyderabad and Salar Jung MuseumHyderabad Chronicles II - Walking through Salar Jung MuseumHyderabad Chronicles III - Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace, Hussain Sagar and Birla MandirHyderabad Chronicles IV - Golconda Fort, Kutb Shahi tombs, Spanish Mosque and SecundrabadTo read the full series on current trip please0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/06/hyderabad-diaries-exploring-city-of_1.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sun, 1 Jun 2025 19:13:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-4532735192201242080To read about my previous trip, please visitHyderabad Chronicles I - To Hyderabad and Salar Jung MuseumHyderabad Chronicles II - Walking through Salar Jung MuseumHyderabad Chronicles III - Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace, Hussain Sagar and Birla MandirHyderabad Chronicles IV - Golconda Fort, Kutb Shahi tombs, Spanish Mosque and SecundrabadTo read the full series on current trip please0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/06/hyderabad-diaries-exploring-city-of.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sun, 1 Jun 2025 18:51:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-4067430856578636436To read about my previous trip, please visitHyderabad Chronicles I - To Hyderabad and Salar Jung MuseumHyderabad Chronicles II - Walking through Salar Jung MuseumHyderabad Chronicles III - Charminar, Mecca Masjid, Chowmahalla Palace, Hussain Sagar and Birla MandirHyderabad Chronicles IV - Golconda Fort, Kutb Shahi tombs, Spanish Mosque and SecundrabadTo read the full series on current trip please0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/05/night-drive.htmlSocietyTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sat, 31 May 2025 00:39:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-5088683203921841220It’s after a while that I am leaving this late from the office. There is no one at home; Divya and mom went to home back in Kerala for a couple of weeks. So even if I reach early, there is nothing much to do there. So, better than spending time in front of Jio Hotstar to watch the remaining episodes of Tracker, I thought of staying late at the office. Finally, close to midnight, I decided to go. 1http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/05/bangalore-bull-temple-and-bugle-rock.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Fri, 2 May 2025 20:59:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-6881282675442690911Located in Basavanagudi area of Bangalore, The Bull Temple (known in Kannada as 'Dodda Basavana Gudi'), is one of the oldest temples in Bangalore built by 16th century ruler and founder of Bangalore - Kempe Gowda I. Nandi idol in this temple is over 15ft tall and carved from a massive monolithic granite rock.Bugle rock park is located next to temple and spans over 16 acres of land. Park has a 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/04/the-little-things-in-road-construction.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Tue, 15 Apr 2025 14:08:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-3589343223444500054Roads are lifelines of a country. They connect people to everything they need—schools, offices, hospitals, markets, parks, railway stations, airports, and more. If a region doesn’t have a good road network—both in terms of quantity and quality—its development will be stunted. Across India, many small towns grown around major road junctions or near bus stands. I won’t go into the importance of 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/03/tourist-safety-concerns-in-india-after.htmlIndiaSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sun, 9 Mar 2025 23:43:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-4787688130938661650The primary function of a government is to protect its citizens, a duty in which it must not fail. This responsibility extends not only to citizens but also to foreigners visiting India as tourists, business travelers, or for other reasons. Ensuring their safety is not just the duty of the government or the police; civil society also plays a crucial role. If we fail to protect both citizens and 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/03/though-land-of-cholas-chidambaram.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sun, 9 Mar 2025 13:34:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-4478763363481583262After leaving Airavateshwara Temple, it was raining for a while. By the time we reached the Kollidam old river bridge, the rain had almost stopped. The atmosphere became calm again. We took a pit stop after crossing the barrage cum bridge to explore the area. Kollidam, a distributary of the Kaveri, forms a river island here. Chidambaram temple is just 45 km from this point. We resumed our journey0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/03/though-land-of-cholas-thanjavur-and.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sat, 8 Mar 2025 20:50:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-6320294227180664988Thanjavur, called Tanjore during the Raj era, is a city located close to the distributaries of the Kaveri River. Once the capital of the Cholas, Thanjavur is famous for the majestic Chola temple—Brihadeshwara, Tanjavur art, and dolls. Located in the Kaveri delta—the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu—this city rose to prominence with the emergence of the medieval Cholas. Later, the city became the capital 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/03/fireflys-blue-ghost-makes-history-first.htmlSciencenoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Fri, 7 Mar 2025 21:03:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-2631041485192171173 While everyone was deeply concerned about Russia-Ukraine war, M23 rebels in Congo, Israel-Hamas fight, trade wars and many other things, a revolution was going on. Texas based aerospace company - Firefly - which launched Blue Ghost on Jan 25 using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was able to successfully land (and thus become the first commercial company to do so) their the module on moon on March 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/03/though-land-of-cholas-srirangam-temple.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Fri, 7 Mar 2025 00:16:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-6185133810174199194Kaveri river forms multiple islands during its course from Talakaveri to Bay of Bengal- Nisargadhama, Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra, Srirangam etc. This time our journey was to one such island called Srirangam. Located in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu, this island was formed due to splitting of river to two channels - northern one is called Kollidam and southern one retained the original0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/03/did-draupadi-really-laugh-at.htmlIndiaSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Tue, 4 Mar 2025 15:07:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-2807823046117401887In the past, there were many statements blaming Draupadi's laughter and her subsequent comment, "The blind man's son is also blind," after Duryodhana's fall at Maya Sabha, as one of the causes of the Mahabharata war—a war that destroyed everything for both sides. This is considered an accepted fact, and subsequently, a lot of folklore was also built around it.The problem is that this doesn't fit 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/03/some-road-trip-memories-that-are.htmlTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Tue, 4 Mar 2025 12:54:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-3640979644762073008Door can't be openedToday, I was looking at Google map to see the roads I have covered so far and the roads I still need to. Suddenly, my eyes got stuck on a forest area west side of Ooty. I zoomed in and finally found the place — Mulli forest check-post. I was not searching for the place; but it’s one of those places I may not forget for a long time. Couple of years back, a trip that was so good0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/02/the-search-dilemma-when-to-stop-looking.htmlPersonalSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Thu, 27 Feb 2025 13:41:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-2531243253159652758Which one to select?Throughout history, we were often concerned about not having enough choices. Options were so limited that making a decision was easy. For example, during the License Raj era (pre-reform period) in Inida, there were only a couple of car models to choose from—just like with most other consumer goods. Essentially, we weren’t burdened by an overwhelming number of choices. But 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/02/a-food-lovers-thoughts-enjoying-good.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Mon, 24 Feb 2025 23:45:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-6611129423823942029I love food—not just one specific type, but pretty much everything. My favorites are salty and spicy dishes. As Gokul often says, "Hot Chips thrives wherever I stay." Though I don’t openly agree with him, there’s some truth to it. I’m a regular customer at snack stalls, sweet shops, and restaurants—though it’s mostly snacks rather than full meals. Even for team lunches or buffets, I prefer the 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/02/lost-words-cost-of-not-saving.htmlSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Mon, 24 Feb 2025 23:04:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-7060006502779859969I usually write in Notepad++ because it lets me type without autocorrections or an overload of suggestions. It also doesn’t highlight spelling mistakes, which helps me focus on writing without constantly feeling the need to correct things before finishing.  However, I have a habit of working on new notes without saving them. Since Notepad++ reopens unsaved files, I never worried much 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/02/an-island-of-calmness-amidst-hustle.htmlSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-3704953713763368767I came out on the first floor and walked outside. It was lunchtime, and there were so many people wearing tags with logos of different companies. I looked at the gang of girls walking ahead of us—two people among them were talking to each other, and the rest were giving their ears and sometimes their voices to the conversation.  On the right side, one guy was walking toward us alone, 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/01/challenges-with-hotel-stays-check.htmlIndiaTravelnoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Sat, 25 Jan 2025 15:50:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-3423670242426131287Check-In and Check-Outs Long ago, I used to see some hotels offering 24-hour check-in. Now, in the days of Goibibo, Booking.com, Agoda, MakeMyTrip, etc., many hotels list check-in at 12 noon and check-out at 10 in the morning. Some have gone further, with check-in at 2 in the afternoon and check-out at 12 noon. I am not sure how many travelers find these timings convenient, but they 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/01/midnight-hospital-visit-and-fast.htmlSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Tue, 21 Jan 2025 23:49:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-1701119119003366114Babies have their own way of communicating, whether people around them understand that or not is altogether a different problem. Over a period of time, understanding becomes better. Still, it’s not always easy to figure out why they cry sometimes—is it because of stomach pain? Are they hungry? Or do they want to sleep? Is their clothing too tight, or is it too cold or hot? Do they have a gas 0http://www.searchforanidentity.com/2025/01/hospitals-as-profit-hubs-even-parking.htmlIndiaSocietynoreply@blogger.com (Sajeev k)Mon, 20 Jan 2025 18:31:00 +0530tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4715083424482780801.post-7627139350080728424After a long travel during the year-end, most of the family got infections and fell ill. We went to nearby major private hospitals for treatment. All hospital visits except one were during the daytime. Note that these are fully for-profit hospitals, and in Bangalore, consulting charges for doctors at private hospitals start at ₹800 per visit (follow-up visits with the same doctor within three 0