Vishaal's Book Reviews

His Steadfast Love - A Moving Tale

2011-11-22T15:07:00.000+05:30

Amanda Belle is a lady of Southern upbringing, charged with caring for younger
siblings after losing her mother. Kent Littlefield is a Union army officer, quickly rising in rank. The two meet just before the Civil War and quickly fall in love. However, when the war starts, Kent must take his place in the Northern army - taking him away from the woman he loves. Amanda's own brother soon joins the Southern Rebel army - tearing her allegiances: family and slavery; or true love and freedom? When the war ends, will Kent come for Amanda and win the blessings of both families for marriage? What will become of Amanda's brother, her siblings, and her convictions?

Set during the Civil War, His Steadfast Love does a wonderful job of portraying the terrible emotional struggle involved when brothers and friends fight each other in a war. This traditional story of romance bridging the gap between enemies has quite a few twists and turns and the ending did not come about as I expected it to. The author showed a remarkable understanding about the war from a Southern perspective when one of her characters proclaimed that "This is not about slavery, it is about the right of the State to make such decisions. (that is not an exact quote just so you know.) As someone from the North raised in public school, I always thought the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. The truth is much more comlex then just the "black and white" of the slavery issue. Overall, I thought this was a very fine specimen of historical romance.

Parsons mixes in many interesting tidbits about the war, particularly from the less often examined perspective in Texas. She balances believable romance with the tensions of the day. And her characters wrestle with doubt and unforgiveness in ways that could apply to many situations in our present political climate. Once again, Parsons rises above genre expectations and schmaltzy covers and gives us a quality story.

Author, Golden Keyes Parsons, uses vivid details and words that painted wonderful pictures for me and kept me fully engaged. The week that I read this book, I substituted all week, and I almost couldn't stand it when I had to stop reading.

I appreciated historical facts that were included. Some I had not considered before and some gave me ideas for further exploration. I also liked that a reader's guide was included. The questions are perfect for further personal consideration of issues raised in His Steadfast Love, or for a book club discussion. I would definitely recommend this book.

Max on Life: The Book Review

2011-11-19T15:14:00.000+05:30

If you've read Max Lucado before, you know he has a unique, simplistic and descriptive style of writing. This helped to keep my attention as I read, but I still felt like the format got monotonous. It was difficult for me to keep jumping from question to question, topic to topic. My suggestion is to not read it straight through, but read "popcorn style" - jump around throughout the book sampling his thoughts on a variety of topics. There is also a handy topic and Scripture index to help you find direct help when you know what you're looking for.

The questions are very relatable. I have asked many of them myself. You probably have too. Sometimes I was satisfied with Max's answer but other times I felt like the answers were round-a-bout or politically indirect.

Here are a few sample questions:
#62. Why should we pray for help when God already has a plan? He's going to do His will anyway, so what difference does it make when we ask for healing for a friend, family member, or pet? Does prayer really change anything, or was the outcome already in God's plan?

#100. Some people say that being gay is a sin, and others say that it's okay if the person loves God. So does God hate homosexuals? Also, are the commandments in the Bible archaic, speaking more of the culture of that time and not necessarily ours today?

#128. Our family is exhausted. We run from one event to the next. How do we slow down?

#167. What of the people who never heard of God? How can God judge them for what they do not know?

Max On Life - Mr. Lucado takes the time to answers letters he has received over the years. He gives the reader insight on many problems they may be dealing with in their lives. I think it is a great book to have in your collection. Sometimes life problems can send us scrambling for answers... Max Lucado shows us GOD words are all the COMFORT we need.

What shines through each page is how pastoral these answers are. They are not the discourses of one theologian to another, nor are they simply feel-good self-help mantras. They are ordinary answers targeted to ordinary people, gentle, kind, soaked in Biblical wisdom, always looking to God's love & grace. Even though you probably will think, "Yes, I knew that..." at each answer, Lucado's way with words will cause you to pause, reflect, and see the truth just a bit more clearly.

The Final Summit - Not Quite the Finale

2011-11-19T15:08:00.000+05:30

Summary: Mankind has become a quickly corrupted society and they are on the verge of complete annihilation. They have veered from being a productive, successful society and God has decided that if they do not change they will be destroyed. David Ponder, our hero, is one of the Travelers, a group of people selected to travel through time, many guided by archangel Gabriel, and he is selected along with the other Travelers to meet at the final summit, where a solution must be reached that will bring humanity back to being a successful civilization. What's the catch? They only have five tries.

Truth is, I did not find this work "great" or "classic". I did find it basically entertaining and a quick read. It's not heady or confounding; unfortunately it's not particularly deep, subtle, or complex either. Whereas it did offer an invitation to reflect, the content was not what I personally would consider meaty or profound. I have to believe that it was intended to be an every-man's book of inspiration...and I do mean every MAN. It has a decidedly masculine take on the world. Lots of warriors, football coaches, and politicians among his "wise" assemblage.

It is now 28 years after the events in The Traveler's Gift. David Ponder has used what he was given in that adventure to become very successful. He is approached early on by the archangel Gabriel (who took him on his last adventure) and told that a summit of all other Travelers throughout time is being convened to discuss an important question: "What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?" Ponder, being from the current point in time, is chosen to lead the summit because he represents the everyman (unlike all other Travelers, Ponder has not aspired to greatness) and because he should care the most earnestly about the result of the summit.

Many characters throughout history make appearances in this work. King Solomon is in the stands watching the summit proceedings, as are Anne Frank, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein, to name a few. I would suggest a reader particularly take note of World War II era personality Eric Erickson.

While and entertaining read, this book is quite theologically shallow. Gabriel mentions that in history, God has decided to start over, and says the most recent of such reorganizations took place with the Flood in Genesis. If you want to count Adam and Eve being banned from the Garden of Eden, then I can be okay with this statement, but as it is written, it suggests that there have been several other instances where such events have taken place. Another problem I had with the theology is when Gabriel tells us that current scientists suspect a highly advanced civilization that existed some 30,000 years before the Aztecs and the Incas. As I reread this portion, Gabriel doesn't say that these people are right in their assumption, but being a staunch believer in a young earth (roughly 6,000 years old), this portion rubs me the wrong way. And, by and large, there is little reference to God, Jesus, or the Bible.

All-in-all, the read was enjoyable if you have some time to kill, but there is not much spiritual depth here. If you want to find success here on Earth, you might find some good tips in The Final Summit, but if you want to be great in the kingdom of God, you won't find many answers in this book.

A Year with God - Seems a long time

2011-11-19T14:58:00.000+05:30

This book is a daily Bible devotional based on the words of God from the Old
Testament. It is organized into sections such as Hope & Fear, Love & Hate, and Faith & Doubt. Each day lists a section of scripture that includes God's words to his people followed by a short reflection on this passage from the author.

As far as content, however, this book was only okay. The author uses many different Bible translations throughout the book, and I felt as if he/she was picking and choosing translations to what would fit his/her musings the best. I also thought that many of the contemplations about the scriptures fell rather flat and were not very thought-provoking.

By and large, I found the comments for each day interesting and often quite stimulating, though I would differ with his observation on the rainbow's original appearance. The take on Ham's sin was interesting, as well. You will need to purchase or borrow the book to see what he says!

I obviously didnt spend a year reading this, but chose instead to read a sampling of devotions from different days.As with most devotionals Ive encountered, this one lacked the meat that growing Christians long for in their study. This by no means should be used for a serious growing Christian solely as their only source of spiritual time for the day. The content just isn't there, but if you're looking for occasional encouragement and light reading, this will do

Prakriti Ki Prayogshala - Hindi Book

2011-11-19T14:32:00.000+05:30

Title: Prakriti Ki Prayogshala (in Hindi).
Authors: Nikhil Mohan Patnayak and Pushpshri Patnayak.
Publishers: Vigyan Prasar, A-50, Institutional Area, Sector-62, Noida 201 307.
Year: 2008.
119 pp.
Price: Rs 85.

This book is a Hindi translation of the original book Exploring Nature in English. It has been translated and edited by B. K. Tyagi, Anurag Sharma and Navneet K. Gupta. This little treatise supplements the school education about nature, by training students in an informal setting.

The book contains several interesting and exciting easy-to-do experiments. These experiments explicitly explain the various complicated concepts and phenomena of nature to students and inspire them to love and explore nature and its constituents. For middle-school students and their teachers, it is a resource book of simple activities aimed at learning nature in a play-way manner.

Nature is all fascinating and is calling us to be a part of it by coming out of the concrete jungles. In fact, we are an integral part of nature and our survival is dependent on it. The easy-to-do experiments in the book are able to inculcate scientific reasoning, thinking and scientific temper among the students while boosting their creativity and imagination through participation, direct observations and drawing inferences. The book is a motivational tool that can transform the young minds as nature lovers through exploration, inquiry and learning about nature by do-yourself activities; thus nurturing the future conservators of nature.

The authors have succeeded in explaining the various complicated natural things and phenomena in a simple and lucid language which an average student can understand. The illustrations by Brij Kishore Jain are good; the simple line drawings make the experiments easier for the students.

The most important fact about this book, which I liked, is that no expensive and sophisticated materials and apparatus are required to conduct such experiments. Rather, it uses materials which are inexpensive and easily available at home and in the neighbourhood. This makes the scientific pursuit and experiments affordable to the poor students. As the book is well-written in simple Hindi, it is best suited to the students of Hindi-medium education or anyone who is comfortable with Hindi.

The experiments described in the book can be done by students individually or in a group, with or without the help of a teacher. These do not need any sophisticated laboratory or apparatus, but an inquisitive and creative mind to make the best out of what is easily available at home.

The book is certainly a treasure of knowledge about nature for the young minds and is worth reading for every middle or high-school student.

Falling is Learning

2011-02-24T09:28:00.000+05:30

I stared at the twisted piece of the metal that my dad placed in front of me. The object was magnificent. Never in my life had I ever seen a bright blue bike with white washed tyres accessorized with a tooting horn.

I ran my small hands over it in awe until I looked down at the tyres. At that instant, fear gripped my heart. There weren’t any training wheels on the bike.

I shot a questioning look at my dad. He smiled encouragingly and said, “Today is your first lesson
without training wheels.” He wrapped me up in a hug and whispered. “ You can do it. I know you can.” My dad had confidence in me even though I had slammed shut the door of faith.I knew I would fall and the reflection of this truth was clear in my dad’s eyes. However he was silent from pessimism. He encouragingly helped me onto the two-wheeled monster. I struggled to face my fear as my mind wandered to instances in the past when my dad was there for me.He placed an immense trust in me and I didn’t want to let him down. My dad’s patience, confidence and experience in riding a bike himself convinced me to sit in the black seat.

He stood there holding the bike, guiding me patiently over the rough pavement in the park. As he stood
beside me, I felt assured as he carefully let go of the bike. The wind whipped past me and I felt free and
happy to ride as an overwhelming sense of independence took over me. My dad’s encouraging words helped
me to appreciate the joys of riding a bike. The more I peddled the more I loved it.

I pictured my dad’s smiling face as he whispered, “ You can do it”. I peddled faster and faster , I was going to do it for him. My dad made it easier for me to thrust my fear aside because of his belief in me. His
optimistic side helped me to strive towards my goal of learning to ride a bike. I trust my dad to lead me down
the right road because as my parent, he loves me and he will do the best for me. My fear ceased because of my dad’s kind words and gentle nature. His experience and passion for living pushed me onward down the path.

As I sat on the asphalt examining my cut, my dad bent down and kissed the bleeding wound and said, “Falling is a part of learning”.

At last she cried................

2011-01-22T19:11:00.000+05:30

The beeps of the buzzer were driving her crazy all over again as the platform gently and steadily entered the portal (as it seemed) of the giant Siemens spiral CT. It was her fourth time and she was well aware of the procedures. But each time felt like another battle. An eerie chill would run up her spine every time the
red beam ran across her body, head to toe, scanning for the secondaries as they called it.

Being a science graduate with zoology as a subject she could understand quite a bit of what the Doctors used to say to her or about her illness to her parents. A tumour, neoplastic tissue, spread to liver and sorts of stuff. She knew that she had not been as lucky as other people. Her parents would break down every time she had a follow-up of endless procedures. She knew she had to be strong.

Her in-laws would rarely visit her. Even if they did, after talking about everything, they would eventually
enquire about the pension she was receiving and what she’s doing about it. The meagre amount was in return for the supreme sacrifice her husband had made at the front. The body had arrived four days after his passage. She recalled how she stood at the door step watching other men bringing down the casket from the truck. Men in uniforms , honourary fire, slogans and women grieving “Oh! the poor thing!” etc. She still smelt the fire destroy his last remains and turn them to dry ash.

Adamant she was, to accept what fate had in store for then. She had stood all night in front of the pyre and even had thought of jumping in the same fire and ending it all. But the cuddles of the little life she had in her arms forced her to stand in front of mean fate and look into the eyes of death and say “not now ; not
now “.

“You may go, its done” said the technician. “It’s still under control. We hope to decrease its vascularity further. You’ll have to start another regimen of drugs and frequent radiotherapy.” Said the doctor after a long observation of the CT prints held against the white tube lit box. Another set of killer drugs. ‘Hell’ she said to herself.

Back home, heaven was 5 years old now, Already toddling away to school down the street. The little girl was the only hope, only ray of light in her miserably painful life. Hence, she had taken a vow, an oath, never to make her cry, never leave her alone, never utter a single word of hate, ill fate, disease or sorrow in her life. She had dreamt of her daughter as a graduate, able to stand on her own. She had got a teachers job in the
same school to make the ends meet. To provide for almost anything her daughter ever needed. Her in laws were not so kind now. They would take away all the pension and she was not prepared to try them at court as she knew her ailing body would not allow her to move around for years in search of justice.

Her day began with her daughter and ended with her. She took all the care a mother could take and much more. Her favourite part of the day was grooming the little one and tying the two little ponies with red ribbon, It just got her day going !! She would walk along as the tiny thing, jumped, ran ,tripped, stumbled but
never fell. Get her to school and after school again walk back or sometimes carry her. All the way, why is sky blue? Why do birds sing? Why is rose red? Why do boys in class pull my hair ? Why does the wind blow……?

‘Pleasure’ was not the word to define the feeling as she patiently tried to answer the kid’s questions. Try to fit them in her tiny world. Some times she would sit up all night just watching her love’s last sign, sleeping, peacefully.

The days were not so bright now. Her hair began to fall off. She would bleed bad from minor cuts. Bowel
movement was uncontrolled. Diarrhoea, vomiting and host of other messengers came reminding her of the inevitable. Never did she complain of her life to her daughter. Always cheering her up. Turning the topic.

24 years had passed since she was tested cancerous. And the armchair in the verandah had been there for 6 years now. She sat in it all the time, pleading to death, to wait. "Some more time, just a little more, Hang on" she would tell herself. "Let her come, then I will go with you" she’d say and when her daughter returned,

Death could not separate them. He stood there silently unable to break the determination to live, the will to
survive. Not for her sake but for the sake of the only purpose in her life – her daughter. Even today she lay in the armchair eyes closed but mind towards the gate. Waiting for what she had dreamt of all her life.
The gate creaked, and she struggled to open her eyes. Weak, and down trodden couldn’t see much.

She could see a faint figure in black, running with arms wide open towards her and shouting in joy. Her daughter was a graduate and she knelt down to touch the feet of her mother. Buckling up all the last bits of energy in her arms and back she somehow managed to lift her right hand to rest it on her daughter head – warmth from her daughter’s scalp. Life, lives on, my life lives on………..

A strange grippy sensation caught her feet and then spread to her kness, hip, trunk, chest, head. She felt a sense of relief..., she took in one deep breath. Put an immense effort, leaned forward. Her pupils dilated as if in a bid to see her daughters face in totality, once and forever. …..

She closed her eyes gently…….

A tear rolled down her left cheek,

Then there was silence.

Eternal silence………..

Lost Childhood

2011-01-22T18:40:00.000+05:30

They played, they enjoyed at his age
They were free birds with no woes,
He wished he could be like them,
But fate was one of his worst foes

They got what they wanted
Without a second thought
He wished he could get something too.
But it was life with which he fought

The rich kids broke away what they had
Without any doubt or guilt
He wished he had owned something
But for him castles in air were built

He sat in a quarry and broke boulders
While they laughed and chattered
He thought what he broke was stones
But I saw his childhood shattered.

Is English language important?

2010-12-07T11:26:00.000+05:30

Travelling by bus in this country enables an observant individual to obtain great insight into the attitudes of the average Kannadiga mind in general.

A recent conversation I overheard was between a young man and a slightly elderly gentleman demonstrated the stupidity, myopia and backwardness inherent in a large segment of our population.

The elder of the two, speaking in Kannada was describing an incident at the office where they apparently worked together. 'Magaa', he said "that new bugger was actually speaking to the boss in English. He even spoke to Priya.... in English, but then quickly changed to Kannada when Priya.... replied in Kannada. These buggers think they are big shots because they know that language. If he comes to me with it, I know what to tell him."

The younger man agreed, adding that this was a kannadiga state and those speaking English should not be tolerated in their clique.

I was not in the least surprised or perturbed listening to this conversation for I had come across this attitude to the language quite often before. What was amazing was that after a few minutes of silence between the two with previous conversation abandoned and forgotten, the older man says: "Magaa, now that my daughter has finished school I've enrolled her in computer and English classes and once she finishes these I hope to get her a job at.....".

That incident fundamentally sums up the way in which the English language is perceived by the hoi polloi of this country; they fear it, hate it, but need it, like a key to a locked door.

One of the most important legacies left behind by our former colonial overlords who granted us our independence was an educated upper and middle class society fluent in English. India has a great advantage in having had the British as our last colonisers, as opposed to the Spanish, Dutch or Portuguese in having bequeathed a language that was to become the `Lingua Franca'; the true international language of the modern world.

The importance of English as a vital requirement for a majority of the jobs available in today's market is plainly evident by a glance at the `employment' pages of any newspaper.

Even the villager in the bus was aware of this fact as was evident in his plans to educate his daughter.

The policies of the present Government makes English education a vital and indispensable tool for the development plans it has for the country. However, there exists a small but highly vocal segment of society that openly expresses its reservations and in some cases opposes the dissemination of English in our educational system altogether. This is especially true in the States of Karnataka, Maharashtra and some of the northern states in our vast country.

The rationalisation, motives and logic behind this school of thought is elusive at best, and seems devoid of farsighted reflection on the impact that the neglect of this essential medium would have.

English is the language medium of computers, finance and commerce, trade, communications, industry, law, medicine, diplomacy, and virtually every facet of human activity imaginable. To be ignorant of English is to be effectively ignorant of the world.

With regard to language policy, misguided nationalism reveals an underlying fear and loathing borne of ignorance. True nationalism would recognise that present policies towards the language tend to downplay its importance to the detriment of the country.

Vote for me now!

Struggling With Digital Cameras

2010-11-18T23:01:00.000+05:30

Maybe it’s just me or do other people have this problem too? For years I got mixed up with exposure values. The larger the number, the smaller the opening and the smaller the number, the larger the opening for the light to enter. I always found this confusing.

When I finally got it right, I changed to digital cameras, some of which no longer use the traditional exposure values or method. The feature most point & shoot digital cameras have, is called “exposure compensation”. This lets you increase or decrease the amount of light the camera captures.
The range is usually adjustable from -2 to +2, with 0 being the default setting. To allow more light into the camera, set the exposure compensation to a positive value, to allow less light, set it to a negative value. Now that is much easier to remember: + means more and – means less light. You can use this feature to shoot in very bright sunlight conditions (and haven’t we got plenty of these!). Set the value to a negative value and your image will be less exposed. You’ll generally find it’s easier to retrieve detail from an underexposed image that it is to put detail back into an overexposed image.

Some cameras have a feature called bracketing, which is an automatic feature that shoots a series of images one after the other at different exposure settings one default, one negative and one positive. If you’re unsure as to wether or not the light is sufficient to take a good shot, set the camera to bracket the shots (don’t forget though that your memory use on your card will triple).

Book Review: A Century Turns - William J Bennett

2010-10-22T09:26:00.001+05:30

Title:A Century Turns - New Fears, New Hopes--America 1988 to 2008

Author: William Bennett

Published by : Thomas Nelson
Hardcover: 336 pages

This book is a rough outline of all the political controversies and lowpoints of America between 1988 - the start of the Senior Bush era, through the Clinton years and finally the Junior Bush era. Bennett offers his insights and comments of the good, the bad and the ugly on the political scenario in America during this tumultuous period. The author has tried to summarize the events during this time, trying to stay as much impartial as possible (He is a strongly conservative republican), however as in all books of this genre, whether left wing or right wing, the bias will tend to float to the top.

As the blurb states:

As America collectively exhaled at the end of the Cold War, we loosened our grip on the fear of nuclear confrontation for the first time since WW2. Some scholars even characterized the collapse of the Soviet Union as the end of history itself. Peace was palpable. But America's domestic and global vitals changed almost instantly, and turbulence, not tranquility, marked the turn of the Century.

Going back twenty years - before we had even heard of the Internet, before global terrorism had reared its ugly head and when Obama was an unheard of name- this book traces some of the most important events that had an impact on the present day American lifestyle. This book was written as part of a trilogy for United States high school students, if Wikipedia is to be believed, and hence tries to cut through a great deal of material at the same time keeping track of the most important major events between the beginning of the Senior Bush era to the Election of Barack Obama in 2008.

The book is written from a conservative point of view (no shocker there), but I thought that he gave the Clinton administration and the Democrat party a fair shake. This book is no harangue about the evils of the pinko/commie/socialists plotting to take over the world. Often times most high-school level courses get so mired down in the revolutionary and civil war that the end of the year comes and the students have only just gotten into the Vietnam War. "Modern day" history was rarely covered in depth and what a shame as these events typically play such an important role in understanding what's happening around us today. With the format of this book, one can read a relatively concise account of modern-day history.

I thought this book was well written and very informative. Any history freek like myself would love reading this book. I love America's history and I love how the author didn't seem bias throughout the book. He kept to the facts, but made it interesting. It didn't seem like I was reading a book that could easily be used in a history class to be taught lessons with. It was put simple enough that for anybody could read it and understand it.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

ONE OF THOSE DAYS

2010-10-21T19:36:00.000+05:30

Today it is one of those days
in which the stone in the chest weighs more than ever,
in which, with each breath, in each pore, it is a deep pain.

Today it is one of those days
in which the idea of death scares less and seduces more,
in which the tears struggle to appear and but remain in my eyes.

One of those days
in which love is a chimera,
happiness utopia, life an odyssey.

Today it is one of those days
in which summer is cold, still dark by day,
solitaires still in the middle of the multitude.

One of those days
about which one only thinks to destroy or to create monsters fabulous,
words more offensive, gestures more obscene.

Today it is one of those days
in which I watched the clock and wished that it finishes
and I requested that tomorrow it is not one of those days.

That is to say, it is one of those days that you would definitively like to erase off the calendar…

Indian Bowlers are Weak?

2010-10-15T11:03:00.000+05:30

Harsha, as always has hit the nail on the head. The tour to South Africa, for me, will determine if this team is capable of a sustained stay at the top, after the soon to be retirement of the Fab 3. However , I disagree with his saying that the present bowling is not good enough. I agree that on flat Indian pitches the Indian team's bowling has been found out, but, In South Africa, on helpful pitches, Zaheer and his merry men may be a handful.

I remember that, on the previous tour as well, the Indian bowlers were ticked off before the start of the first test, but how well they responded!! Without Anil Kumble though, it remains to be seen how Harbhajan responds. For me he has always been over rated. He has wickets, but I do not think they have the "Impact Index"!!

Gowda Saraswat Brahmins

2010-10-14T08:15:00.001+05:30

Gowda Saraswat Brahmins, popularly referred to as GSBs, are Konkani people having Konkani as their mother tongue. Their origin is to the Saraswat Brahmins who lived on the banks of the now extinct river Saraswati of Punjab. These Brahmins were one of the Pancha Gowda Brahmin groups who lived north of the Vindhyas. Throughout the course of history, the Saraswat Brahmins have migrated to a variety of locations and are found mostly in Western coast of India, and in the present day, in Europe and the US also.

The Saraswat Brahmins are mentioned in the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagavata and in detail in the Bhavisyottara Purana. The Saraswats mentioned in Mahabharata and Puranas were well versed in Vedas. They are said to have concentrated on studying subjects like astronomy, metaphysics, medicine and allied subjects and disseminating knowledge. To trace the Gowda Saraswat Brahmins ancestry the story of the Great Sage Saraswat Muni (son of Rishi Dadichi) is quoted. Even when there was a famine in north India he continued to teach Vedas to thousands of disciples. The entire Saraswat Desh started becoming arid and with no means of growing their crops, the Saraswats had no choice but to pack up and move. This period of history saw many civilizations abandoning their settlements. The migration happened over many centuries, the last of the exodus being around 350 BC due to a wide spread famine which lasted for 12 years. The Saraswats migrated in three directions, to the South-West (Sind), North (Kashmir), and to East (Bihar). The Saraswats who moved South East were mainly from the Saraswat Desh and they followed the Ganges and reached Trihotrapura or modern Tirhut in upper Bihar. This was in 400-350 BC. The major settlements were in Kanyakubja (Kanpur area), Magadha and Mithila. The Lichhavis were the ruling dynasty then, to be followed later by the Mauryas. With their inherent ability to adapt the Saraswats easily mingled with the locals, not trying to compete with them in agriculture, the major occupation in that area. The Saraswats lived in this area during the reign of the Maurya and Pala dynasty. After the Pala kings, the kingdom was plundered repeatedly by hordes of Muslim invaders and local kings from central India. Life in Magadha became unbearable for the Saraswats, and so, around 1000 AD, almost 1500 years after they left the Saraswat Desh, the Saraswats moved to Goa. Having migrated from Trihotrapura which was in Gowda Desh, they called themselves Gowda Saraswats. The migration from Bihar to Gomantak is recorded in the Sahyadri Khanda of Skanda Purana.

They came to be recognized as Gowda Saraswats or Dakshinatya Saraswats, to distinguish them from other Saraswat groups of North. The new immigrants came to be called 'Gowda' because they were followers of Shri Gowdapadacharya. Gowdapadacharya Mutt, the first mutt of Saraswats dedicated to the memory of Gowdapadacharya was established in Keloshi (Quelshim) in Goa in 8th century A.D. and later moved to Kaivalyapura or Kavale in Goa as the mutt at Keloshi was destroyed in 1564 A.D. by the Portuguese rulers. The Swamis of Kavale math are known as Gowdapadacharyas. Kavale Math is Gowda Saraswat Community's Adimath (first math). Goa was chosen mainly for its fertile soil and sea ports with flourishing overseas trade. Another reason for their migration into Konkan is the marital relationships between the Kadamba king Jayakeshi (1050-1080 AD) of Goa and a Saraswat king from Trihotra. Some historians believe that the king of Trihut sent ninety six families from ten gothras to the new land to propagate religion and philosophy at the request of the Kadamba King.

In the 13th century, Dwaita (Vaishnava) philosophy advocated by Madhvacharya became popular and many Saraswats adopted Vaishnavism. They continued to worship the deities they brought with them from the North, which were 'Mahan Girish' (Mangueshi) Shakti (Shanta durga) Vishnu, Ganesh and Surya. They form the 'Panchayatan' or five deities, sacred to all Saraswats.

Gowda Saraswats were in all the kingdoms of the western coast under different dynasties right from 6th century A.D. Kadamba, Rashtrakuta, Hoysala, Chalukya Shilahara and Vijayanagara kings had given important posts to Saraswats. There were admirals, treasurers, ambassadors, army chiefs and foreign language-interpreters among them. They were famous traders, who conducted maritime trade with Eastern and Western countries of the contemporary world. The mother tongue of Saraswats is Konkani, which went by the simple name of Brahmananchi Bhas in ancient times.

The history of Saraswats is a record of their struggle for existence and a chain of migrations, the longest and the most widespread among any groups in India. Even after generations and centuries they preserve their culture and traditions intact. Forcible conversions began to take place in Goa under the Portuguese in 1560 A.D. Facing religious persecution by the Portuguese, they moved further south to coastal Karnataka and Kerala. Many Saraswat families left Goa with their family deities, risking life and undergoing many hardships. Some of them migrated to Kerala and after many years built temples. The first Vaishnava Saraswat Math of Gokarn Math lineage was established in the year 1475 A.D. in Varanasi. The origin of Gokarn Math comes from the lineage of Sri Palimar Math, one of the eight Maths established by Sripad Madhwacharya in Udupi. Kashi Math at Kochi came up in 1560 A.D. All the Vaishnav Saraswats are followers of either Kashi Math or Gokarn Math.

Saraswats held important posts under Keladi or Nagar rulers. Many families who emigrated from Goa settled down in smaller towns and villages in Shimoga, South and North Kanara Districts. The Saraswats are known to be the first beneficiaries of English education introduced in 1840 A.D. But they have always been linked together by their common mother tongue Konkani, though over the centuries Konkani has been influenced by local languages in each of the regions.

The first migration (700 BC) to Goa by Saraswats was directly from the Saraswat river banks via Kutch and southwards mostly through sea routes. The three main groups who came to Goa were the Bhojas, the Chediyas and the Saraswats. These Saraswats in Goa immersed themselves into farming, fishing and trade. They were from the Bhargava and Angirasa clans and maintained connections with the Kutch, Sindh and Kashmiri Saraswats. Many from these areas migrated to Goa in this period in search of greener pastures. The Saraswat Brahmins worked in partnership with the local indigenous people, the Kunbi tribals who exist still today.

The second wave of immigrants were representatives of the Kaundinya, Vatshya and Kaushika gotras. They settled at Keloshi (Quelessam) and Kushasthal (Cortollim) and were named after those villages as Keloshikars and Kushasthalikars. They primarily sought professional careers in the fields of teaching, writing, and accounting. They established the Magarish temple at Kushathali and Santha Durga temple at Keloshi. From here they spread to other villages. The main deities which also came along with them were Mangirish, Mahadeo, Mahalaxmi, Mahalsa, Shantadurga, Nagesh, Saptakoteshwar besides many others. Gomantak region is dotted with so many Kuladevata Temples which testify this fact. All the saraswats in Goa at that time were Shavites.

The first group of Gowda Saraswat immigrants from Trihotrapura (around 1000 AD) settled in two different parts of the Gomantak region. Thirty families were grouped in one commune and sixty six in other. The first commune was known as Tiswadi meaning 30 villages (modern Tissuary), and the other Shashatis meaning 66 (modern salcette). The Tiswadi commune was migrants from Kanyakubja and Shashatis was from Mithila. There is a view that these settlements together were 96 and referred as Sahanavis (Saha means six and Navi means ninety) and later as Shenvis. These settlelers belonged to 10 Gotras - Bhardwaja, Koushika, Vatshya, Kaundinya, Kashyapa, Vasishtha, Jamdagni, Vishwamitra, Gautam and Atri. Once settled down, they continued in their traditional professions of administration and education. Those Saraswats who were intelligent and lucky got royal patronage and positions in governance in due course of time. But the opportunities in these familiar professions were limited in Goa at that time. So some enterprising Saraswats branched out into the practice of trading. The successes of these pioneering Saraswat traders encouraged many other Saraswats to whole-heartedly adopt trading as a main-stream profession.

The Saraswats in Goa originally believed in Smarta tradition. Shri Madhavacharya , founder of Dwaita philosophy, during his return journey from North India visited Goa in 1294. Attracted by his Dwaita philosophy, many Sasasthikar saraswats converted to Vaishnavism. The conversion formalities were completed by Padmanabha Tirtha, who was appointed head of Uttaradi Mutt. During his chathurmasya he converted large number of the saraswats residing in Sasasthi and Bardesh. His disciples converted Sasasthikars who had gone to Thane in North and Calicut in South. However, they did not discard their attachment to the Panchayatana, and the Shaiva gods. Many of their Kuladevatas are Shaivate (Nagesh, Ramanath) and also connected with Shakti (Shanteri Kamakshi, Mahalasa).

THE FIRST EXODUS FROM GOA (14th - 15th century)

The Saraswats enjoyed peace and prosperity in Goa for 400 years. In 1328, the army of Delhi Sultans (Tughluqs) captured the Kadamba capital Chandrapur (Chandor or Chandargao) which included the Gomantak province and ransacked it. From 1352 to 1366 AD Gomantak was under the Khilji Rule. Then in 1472, the Bahamani Muslims attacked. They destroyed many temples and forced the Hindus to get converted to Islam. To avoid these insults and religious persecution several Saraswat families moved to the neighbourhood Kingdom of Sonde, more to Kanara and a few to even far off Kochi in Malabar Coast. There were migrations during the rule of Vijayanagar and also during the persecution at the time of Muslim rule. The migrants carried with them the images of their worshipped deities. Those Saraswats involved in farming and trading were less willing to abandon their farms and businesses.They stayed back in Goa and slowly rebuilt their lives as farmers and traders.

THE SECOND EXODUS (16th century)

The Saraswats had migrated from Goa during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, but the exodus became thicker after the entry of the Portuguese from the 16th century. In 1510 A.D, Panaji was captured by the Portuguese general Alfonso Albuquerque from the Adil Shah dynasty of Bijapur, and the Portuguese rule was established. At first, the Portuguese did not interfere with the locals, although they banned the sati rite (burning of widows). They employed Hindus and engaged them in their armies, and they maintained good trade relations with the Hindu empire of Hampi. When different Christian missionaries arrived in Goa, the question of religious tolerance began. The Hindu temples were destroyed and forced conversions to Christianity took place. The official figures show that 280 temples in Berdez and 300 temples in Salcette were destroyed. The Portuguese built churches in many places where the temples stood. In 1559 A. D, King Joao III of Portugal issued a decree threatening expulsion or execution of non-believers in Christianity. They were forced to eat beef. This was perhaps the worst of times seen by the Konkani people. The saraswats who were poor and belonged to lower strata got converted to christianity and the rich had the power to resist conversion and stayed back in Goa. Those belonged to the middle class who refused conversion had to flee.

Having thrown the idols of their Kuladevatas (resident deities) into wells, thousands of Saraswath Brahman families fled to interior Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka. About 12,000 families from the Sasashti District of Goa, mostly of Saraswats and including Vanis (Vaishyas), Kunbis (cultivators), Sonars (goldsmiths) and others fled by ships to the southern ports from Honavar to Kozhikode. Many settled down at these ports, which already contained Saraswat traders and spread into the interior. About 4,000 went north-east to settle down in Maharashtra and Indore, and others went south to settle in Karwar and South Kanara. It is said that once tensions died down, the Brahman men alone travelled back to their native places and brought back their Kula Devatas. The families who escaped were never to see Goa again. The last of those who were expelled by the Portuguese from Goa landed in Calicut, Kerala but were driven out by the Zamorin. And so they went to Cochin and Travancore. This happened sometime in the year 1560 A. D.

Those settled in Karnataka and Kerala easily adapted to locale. In due course their Kokani became heavily mixed with local languages. By the end of 17th century there were at least two distinct groups - Kerala Konkanis (malayalam as the local language) and Mangalore Konkanis (Kannada as the local language).

GOWDA SARASWAT BRAHMINS (GSB) IN KERALA

The migration of GSBs to Kerala were mainly in two phases - in the 13th century (the exodus of 1294 AD) and subsequently in the 16th century (1560 AD).

Early settlements in Kerala

There are pieces of evidence to prove that stray members of the Saraswat community had their settlement in Cochin since the early part of 13th century A.D. Owing to certain religious disputes some Saraswats from Sasasti were forced to leave their native country Konkan with their idols in 1294 A.D. and travelling southward they came to the territory of His Highness the Raja of Cochin. They formed themselves into a community which they named "Konkanastha Mahajanam" and later came to be known as Konkanis. The Raja of cochin took them under his protection. An area of land was given to them and helped to build a Temple and also made arrangements for the conduct of festivals in the temple built by them. There still remains a plot of land in Cochin called Sastiparambu to commemorate the fact that the Saraswats of Cochin originally belonged to Sasasti (Salcette). In Sastiparambu, there is an old temple of Kuladevata Damodar.

Sasti parambu

It is believed that they came to shore through the canal and put their belongings at the place now called Sasti parambu and went straight to the King. The Raja of Cochin permitted them to stay and also allotted an area of land now known as Cherlai. This was later renamed as Gosripuram.

By 1360 AD there were about 150 families of Saraswats at Tellicherry and most of them were engaged in trade. Other settlements were at Kasargode, Kumbala, Manjeshwar and Hosdrug. In fact, Saraswats were already there when Vasco da Gama arrived Calicut in 1498. When the king of Cochin excempted Saraswats from the levy of poll tax, they came in large numbers and settled at Cochin as traders. In fact, the 360 families of Saraswats that migrated to Cochin were the pick of the Goa saraswats and eventually became rich and powerful.

The local Brahmins did not recognise Saraswats as Brahmins and were not allowed inside the Kerala temples. This was mainly because many saraswats were fish eating and some of them came to Kerala by sea. In those days crossing the sea was considered inauspicious by the Brahmins. The GSBs wanted to establish own temples and started worshipping their Kuladevatas in homes and settlements. The Kerala GSBs also gave up fish eating to establish as Brahmins.

Founding of the Kashi Mutt

All the Kerala Saraswats were Vaishnavas and were disciples of the Uttaradi Mutt of Jayatheerth. Vibhudendra Tirtha, one of the two disciples of Jayatheerth, established a Mutt at Kumbakonam and Gowda Saraswats of South Kanara and Kerala were transferred to this Mutt. The Cochin Saraswats invited their junior guru Sri Vijayindra Tirtha (who was a Saraswat Brahmin) of Kumbakonam Mutt to Cochin for Chathurmasya vrita in 1539–1540 and requested him to initiate a Saraswat boy among them to Sanyasa. In 1541, Sri Hanumantha Bhaktha was selected and taken to Kumbakonam. The new Sanyasin was named Yadavendra Thirtha who eventually became head of the new Kashi Mutt at Varanasi established in 1542 AD. The people of Cochin helped to buy land at Benaras for the Mutt. The worshipped deity of this Mutt is Shri Vedavyasa. In 1599 AD, Sri Sudhindra Tirtha of Kumbhakonam Mutt installed the idol of Venkateswara at Cochin Tirumala Temple. Gradually Saraswats in other parts of Kerala also installed images of Lord Venkateswara as the presiding deity in their temples and this deity is called Tirumala Devar.

The Kashi mutt has its headquarters at Brahma Ghat, Varanasi. It has branches and establishments at Prayag, Haridwar, Bhatkal, Basrur, Hemmady, Bantwal, Panambur (Suratkal), Manjeshwar, Rameshwaram, Karkala, Nayampalli near Udupi, Bhagamandala (Kodagu), Bandora (Goa), Pallipuram (Kerala), Manchakal, Naravi (near Belthangady), Alleppey, Konchady, Hangarakatte, Tirupathi, Bangalore and Calicut. The Kashi Mutt is also running schools to foster Sanskrit learning and train purohits at Karkal and Basrur.

The present senior swamiji had chosen a successor who was later replaced by another in 2002. This has led to some differences among the community members.

Major migration

The Saraswat migrations reached its peak during the second exodus from Goa (in 1560 AD). Many of them came to Calicut, but were not welcomed by the Ruler Samoothiri of Calicut. So they moved still southwards. The first batch settled in Cherai, the area between Azheekal and Elankunnapuzha in the Vypeen island. In 1565 AD the idol of Lord Varaha brought from Goa by the settlers was installed at Cherai. In search of trading opportunities, some moved along the sea coast and settled in places like Alleppey, Purakkad and Kayamkulam. However, the major concentration was in Cochin area. They called their place of settlement Gosripuram, which is derived from the word Goapuri. They belonged to the Madhwa cult and had links with the Kumbakonam mutt. The saraswats settled in Cochin setup temples of their Kuladevtas.

The social life of GSBs was inseperable from the temples and social exchanges with the locals was limited. Most of the new GSB settlers in Kerala were very poor. However they managed to get Royal patronage and free land for establishing their temples. Only a few (who migrated in the first phase, mainly traders in Cochin and Kasargod) were well off. They took control of the temples and the vast lands associated with it. The poor dispersed further in search of opportunities and doing petty business like pappad making and cooking. The GSBs thus belonged to 3 classes - businessmen, landlords and poor.

Venkateswara as presiding deity

Swami Vijayendra Tirtha of Kumbakonam mutt visited Cochin and performed Chaturmasa Vrita among the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin Community of Cochin. He had a miraculous idol of Venkateswara with him. Upon seeing the radiance of the idol, the community of Cochin under the leadership of Sri Mala Pai, requested the idol from the Swamiji. He agreed to hand over the idol in exchange for a heap of gold coins that would immerse the idol (Kanakabhisheka). A rent-free site was granted by the Prince of Cochin to build a temple. The Gosripuram temple was constructed and this Venkateswara idol was permanently installed in the Cochin temple as the main deity of Saraswats in 1599 AD. The Pratishtha was performed by Swami Sudheendra Tirtha, the disciple of Swami Vijayindra Tirtha. This idol has a major role in the events to come.

Gradually saraswats residing in other parts of Kerala also installed the images of Venkateswara as presiding deity in their temples.

Major Events and Activities

In 1627 A.D, Vira Kerala Varma Raja of Cochin gave the Konkanis certain rights and privileges such as excemption from payment of Purushantharam or succession fee, permision to construct houses with bricks mortar and wood and also to conduct business from Cochin with foreign countries. This is considered as the magna carta of the Konkani community in Kerala. After this the Saraswats became supreme in trade and commerce. Again in 1648 A.D, the Raja of Cochin, Vira Kerala Varma, gave the community the civil and criminal powers to be exercised by them within the well-defined boundary of their settlement called ‘Sanketam’. The Saraswats could secure all these privileges in Cochin because of their skill and ability as overseas traders.

During the second half of the 17 Century AD while the portuguese were dominating Cochin, the Dutch made an unsuccessful attempt to capture the Fort at Cochin from the Portuguese. The Konkanis who rendered assistance to the Dutch were tortured by the Portuguese and their houses, markets and temple known as Cochin Tirumala Devaswom were plundered. The Konkanis left Cochin along with the Venkateswara idol to a place called Udayamperur and remained there till Jan 1663. When the Portuguese surrendered to the Dutch, the Konkanis came back to Cochin and reconstructed the Cochin temple. The second Prathistha of Lord Venkatesvara was performed in the reconstructed temple at Cochin during the year 1719 AD. The consecration took place at the hands of Swami Devendra Tirtha, the sixth pontiff of Sree Kashi Mutt Samsthan.

While the Konkanies were at Udayamperur where they remained as refugees without shelter, they took a pledge to spread their habitation in sixteen places, eight in Cochin Kingdom and eight in Travancore area thereby building sixteen Tirumala Devaswoms and calling each place a gramam.

According to the Grandavari records in Cochin Archives, the Dutch company had secured in 1663 the privilege of extra-territoriality for the Konkanis and Christians in the Cochin kingdom. The privilege permitted the Konkani and the local Christian subjects of the Cochin prince for trial of all suits filed by these people or against these people, in the Courts of the Dutch Company. They secured this privilege because Konkanis were the people whose help the Dutch needed most for their commercial transactions, and the local Christians because they were the co-religionists of the Dutch. The Saraswats competed with the Jaina traders and the Muslim Mopla traders on the West Coast in their overseas trade. The Europeans especially the Dutch and the Portuguese, who disliked the local Muslims for their close alliance with Arabs who were the rivals of these Europeans in oceanic trade, maintained special relations with the Saraswats in their commercial transactions. The Dutch who founded their factory at Cochin and monopolized the trade of the port relied on the Saraswats for securing goods like pepper, rice, forest products etc.

The Dutch had settled in Cochin at the full tide of Konkani predominance. The Dutch had given them the right to collect income from Mattancherry and Cherlai, to collect farms and customs of Amaravati and to conduct the affairs of Mattancherry and Cherlai and of Konkani temples. In the agreement made in 1772 with the Raja of Cochin, the Dutch had also stipulated that the Raja shall impose no new demand on the Konkanis that they shall have full liberty to complain to the Dutch Governor, if aggrieved, and that the Raja shall not interfere in any matters of the temple without the knowledge and consent of the Company.

The story of Kalaga Prabhu

Baba Prabhu was the foremost among the konkani merchants in Cochin. David Rahabi, a Jew business man and attorney in Malabar was close friend of the Prabhu and left his son young Ezechiel in charge of the Prabhus who had initiated the young jew to business. In 1752 Ezechiel Rahabi started partnership business with a prominent merchant Kalaga Prabhu. Unfortunately for Prabhu, he was indebted to Ezechiel and in 1770, Ezechiel took over a warehouse of Prabhu as part of payment of the debt without consulting the Prabhu. Kalaga Prabhu then approached the Governer, who ordered the Ezechiel to return the keys to Prabhu. The keys were returned and Ezechiel kept away from the disputed warehouse till Ezechiel was dead. On 11-11-1771, a sensational law suit began between the three sons of Ezechiel and Kalaga Prabhu. Kalaga Prabhu then entered into correspondence with the generals of Hyder Ali with the aim of humiliating the Raja of Cochin and the Jews of Cochin. The correspondence was detected in time and the Kalaga Prabhu and his son Chorda Prabhu were caught and exiled for life to Cape of Good Hope. This last known man of a great konkani family was the first Indian to settle in South Africa.

Kalaga Prabhu had earlier constructed temple at Cherlai with granite stones. The temple was dedicated to Lord Siva and worshipped as Vasukewara which was later renamed as Keraleswara. It is believed that the linga of Siva was brought by Kalaga from the shores of Rameswaram.

After the exile, the Dutch sold at public auction all properties of Kalaga Prabhu including the Keraleswara temple. The temple and the property of Kalaga were purchased by one Nagaresa who entrusted the same to the Raja of Cochin. However, the Raja of Cochin in 1790 handed over the management of the Keraleswara temple to Cochin Tirumala Devaswom.

Sakthan Thampuran & Persecution

In 1791, shortly after ascending throne the new Raja of Cochin, known in Cochin history as Sakthan Thampuran, demanded a contribution of jaggery from the Konkanies and made an injunction not to allow gathering of crops on Devaswom Kanam fields. On refusal, the Raja arrested a number of Konkani merchants and ordered them to pay customs to the king thereby violating the agreement which the Dutch had made in the year 1772. Letters were exchanged between the Raja of Cochin and the Dutch Governor, and the Dutch have determined to station a military detachement at Cherlai to protect them, and insisted on recall of Raja's guard stationed there. The relation of Konkanis with the Raja continued non-cordial. The also demanded 30,000 varahans from Cochin Tirumala Devaswom and that on refusal the trustees of the Devaswom were imprisoned. In order to get them released the Konkanies closed down all business establishments in Vypeen and Mattancherry as a protest against his high handedness.

On 12th October 1791 the leading merchants of the Konkani community were massacred including Devaresa Kini, Krishen, Goga Kamath, Manuku Shenoi and Nagendra. Again, the Raja caused three overseers of Temple Tirumala Devasom to be put to death because they won't surrender to him any part of the treasure belonging to it, and also plundered the shops and carried away the merchant's property. The Duth on seeing the Raja's atrocities sent an army and attacked the King's Palace at Mattancherry, but were repulsed. The Raja plundered the temple of Tirumala belonging to the community and looted the wealth estimated at over Rs. 1,60,000 from the temple alone.

The exodus and the Tirumala deity .

The persecuted Konkanies then fled in country boats to Thuravoor and Alleppey in Travancore state in 1792 A.D and presented their grievances to the Raja of Travancore thru Dewan Kesavadas who assured them that he would bring about their return to and stay at Cochin as before and in the interim allowed them to stay at Alleppey. They have also carried the Tirumala devar idol from Cochin with them. At Alleppey, they installed the Tirumala Devar, in the Agrasala of the Venkatachalapathy Temple and worshiped. In 1853, as desired by the Travancore Maharaja, a separate temple was constructed at Ananthanarayana Puram (about 1 Km from the previous temple) and the deity was installed there.

The king was exceedingly angry to hear about the massacre. Both Devaresa and Nagendra , the son of Ranga Pai , were his agents and between them took care of a great deal of his money. He intervened and urged the Dutch to take vengeance and to pay him a proper compensation. But the English (Mr. Powney, the English company's agent) in Travancore intervened, and the King of Travancore had to withdraw from the dispute.

The Tirumala deity was considered a good fortune for the area where it is located. Sakthan Thampuran made vain attempts to bring back Tirumala Deity from Alleppey to Cochin. He also made attempts to get back the Tirumala Deity through the Dutch Government functioning at Cochin. After the death of Sakthan Thampuran, Raja Kerala Varma who succeded him took keen interest in the deity and wished to get it back to Cochin. He even addressed a letter to Col. Munro (1816 A.D) wherein he stated that "as the rheumatic and hermein disease which We have been suffering from, has grown more serious now and since no visible cure has been affected not withstanding that several physicians have treated the disease and, on consulting astrologers, it turns out that We have incurred the serevest displeasure of the Cochin Tirumala Deity and that the disease will be cured if the Tirumala Deity is returned to Cochin, consecration effected and the poojas commenced....". The Raja therefore requested Col. Munro to use his good offices for restoration of the image in question to Cochin; But the request was turned down by the then resident as a result of urgent representation of Travancore officers that the presence of the image was considered to be intimately connected with the prosperity of the Port of Alleppey. With the settlement of Cochin Konkanies at Alleppey, the place began to develop into a center of commerce. The konkanis built 'Pandikasala' and started doing extensive business. It was during the prime ministership of the Diwan Kesavadas who recommended the case of Konkanies to the Raja of Tranvancore for their stay at Alleppey, that the new port of Alleppey came into being with better harbour facilities.

The desperate Konkanies who returned to Cochin planned the recovery of the deity by hook or crook. Ultimately the idol was clandestinely brought back to Cochin on the midnight of 7th Feb 1853 (just 10 months after it was installed in the new temple). It was taken out of the Alleppey Ananthanarayana puram Temple at night in a basket coverd by Naivedyam and carried to Cochin by country boat via Aroor, beyond which was the Cochin State. The people of Alleppey came to know about this only in the next morning by the time the idol was beyond the Travancore State boundary and could not do anything.

Since it was found that the Raja of Cochin had his hand in the Robbery, the Maharaja of Travancore put in a lenghtly complaint with the governor of Fort, St.George through the resident, Trivandrum for the restitution of the idol in question, and the whole matter was referred to the Hon. Court of Madras, and a long drawn out suit ensued between the two states, Cochin and Tranvancore. The Konkanies of Cochin got through all ordeals and finally the Idol was duly reinstated in the Cochin Temple itself.

The 20th century and Rise of middle class

In the early 20th century, the rich temple Devaswoms started schools near the temples at places like Cochin, Thuravoor, Alleppey etc. During and after the first world war, many GSBs doing petty business utilised the business opportunities and made quick bucks. They realised the benefits of literacy and educated their children. Basically good in Mathematics and Commerce many of these children managed to get jobs as teachers, clerks and accountants. The founding of Canara Bank (in 1910) and the Syndicate Bank (in 1925) by GSBs of Mangalore and Udupi, gave employment to most of the educated GSB youths of Kerala until the nationalisation of banks. This resulted in a steady improvement in the economic conditions and social status of the poor class. Majority of them became middle class by the sixties. From the concentrated pockets, they migrated to other towns and villages and became dispersed.

The introduction of Kerala Land Reforms Act in 1963 relating to the fixation of ceiling on land holdings, the vesting of lands in excess of the ceiling in Government, abolition of tenancy system and assignment of proprietary right on land to the cultivating tenants changed the fate of the temples and many GSBs. The landlords lost much of their land and the vast lands attached to the temples were taken over by the government. With deteriorating income most of the temples (except a few) now struggle for existence.

More about GSB Konkanis

Transforming Church in Rural America by Shannon O’Dell : A Review

2010-10-11T15:02:00.001+05:30

Title:Transforming Church in Rural America

Author: Shannon O’Dell

Published by : New Leaf Publishing Group/New Leaf Press (February 15, 2010)
Paperback: 200 pages

I live in India, I am not a Christian by religion and yet I have been reading Shannon O'Dell's book, "Transforming Church in Rural America". This book is enlightening and heart-warming read from start to finish. The author takes us on a journey from his early years as a youth pastor of a large church and then being asked to serve in Rural America. Living in this country, I do not know what the big fuss is about, but as I read through the pages, the picture becomes clearer and I am drawn into Shannon's experiences.

The book is a peak into the unique churches of rural America and the wonderfully complex people who fill the pews and the people who haven't yet set foot in church. Shannon addresses issues like the church's family dynasty, the "this-has-been-grandma's-pew-forever" mentality, sacred cows grazing in the church, lessons from a manure pile, changing rural church bylaws, and so on. There's even a satellite on top of a Hummer (but I'll leave that for you to read yourself when you get the book).

The negative that I take away from the book is the fact that I was left with the feeling (though I think Odell worked hard to not leave this feeling) that many will be led to think that Odell's way is the way to grow a rural church. It is not the only way, and I think Odell would want to state that quite loudly.

But one sentence really stood out for me - "Excellence does not cost a lot of money: it costs in time and vision." (p. 148)

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Outlive Your Life By Max Lucado: Inspiring Title Inspiring Thoughts

2010-09-11T09:05:00.000+05:30

Title:Outlive Your Life

Author: Max Lucado

Published by : Thomas Nelson,

An inspiring piece on leaving an imprint of your life through everyday opportunities. The bible is used in an innovative manner to make us think of the actions we are taking today, to make what we are tomorrow relevant. Max Lucado is a gifted writer, that we already know, this book is another of his masterpieces.

Do you wish you could do more for the poor and the suffering masses, but were afraid that you do not have the resources to do so? Is it difficult for you to give to others? This book tells you how you can by making small contributions, alter the life of others and at the same time leave a legacy of your own. I am no Christian, by faith or by deeds. But Lucado, inspired me to view my life in a whole new light, making me believe in myself and believe that I am God's special creation. Each chapter in this book is an inspiration and for people who have read the bible, the verse at the end of each chapter and the prayer accompanying it will surely make reading this book lighter.

I believe this is one of those books that is relevant in today's warmongering days. A simple message of helping each other to help ourselves and to leave a lasting imprint of our life in the minds of the future generation. Inspiring to say the least!

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Boy who Changed the World: A Review

2010-09-09T18:27:00.000+05:30

Title: The Boy Who Changed the World

Author: Andy Andrews

Illustrated by: Philip Hurst

Published by: Thomas Nelson Publishers

Pages: 46

Does anything we do in this world matter? This Children's /Gift book tells us how small gestures and seemingly innocuous daily deeds can cause a ripple effect, leading to much greater things in the future. Every small choice we make in our life can lead to a life changing event for somebody else. A must read book for school going children and adolescents who are the future of this world!!

I received this book in the mail a few days back with a request to review it and give my frank opinion about it. I was a little apprehensive about reading a children's book at first, however when I opened the pages, the illustrations jumped out at me and made a strong impact. Of course from the point of a child, these are the things that matter. Big, Colorful pictures that appeal to the eye always leave a better impression on the young mind, than the same described in a thousand words.

At the heart of this book is the simple premise of a ripple effect, when we throw something out in the world, the ripples it produces can grow and become something great. Whether it be the life changing discovery of disease resistant crops or holding a child's hand and guiding him/her along a difficult path, can have profound implications in the future. This illustrated story is based upon a book titled "The Butterfly Effect", by the same author and is pretty much a must read for kids of the present generation, brought up on the principle of take but never give back.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Andy Andrews - The Butterfly Effect: A Book Review

2010-09-07T18:32:00.005+05:30

Title: The Butterfly Effect
Author: Andy Andrews
Published by: Thomas Nelson Publishers
Pages: 109

A few years back we came across a movie by similar name. The butterfly effect is a book which gives us insight into how things have a tendency to grow larger with each small impetus given to it. Based on the hypothesis proposed by Edward Lorenz in 1939, this book goes on to demonstrate how a small gesture or nudge can create life altering reactions for many people. Basically this book attempts to answer the question in every ones mind consciously or subconsciously :

Do I Really Matter?

Author of the Children's illustrated book - The Boy who Changed the World The butterfly effect makes for a compelling read, demonstrating that what we do matters. Andy Andrews demonstrates how one decision made by a man 150 years ago, has led to a revolution in agrarian life today. It’s a story that will inspire courage and wisdom in the decisions we make, as well as affect the way we treat others through our lifetime. Andrews speaks over 100 times a year, and The Butterfly Effect is his #1 most requested story.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

How To Achieve your Personal goals and Objectives?

2010-08-05T22:25:00.000+05:30

I came across this blog post by David Risley titled The Circles of Life. It got me wondering as to how do we go about achieving our personal goals after we set them? A quick search on google, gave me a huge list of sites telling you how to set your personal goals, but I couldn't find any that adviced me how to achieve my personal goals.

So here is my take on how to achieve personal goals.

Keep Your Self-Talk Positive:

I believe that it is essential to keep your personal goals to yourself. We might need to disclose this only to a select few people who are essential for the achievement of personal development goals. This is so because often the people around you cannot relate to your personal goals and may try to undermine your ideals.

Each day review your personal goals again, especially those that you have already achieved! This will help you stay positive, just visualize your completed goal - it might be your pay check which shows a bonus or may be you lost some weight on your new diet and exercise regimen, a new vehicle you bought. Then do the same before you go to bed. By doing this routinely you will feel much better about yourself and will get your sub-conscious working towards your personal goals and objectives.

Every time you make a decision during the day, ask yourself this question, "Does it take me closer to, or further from my goal." If the answer is "closer to," then you've made the right decision. If the answer is "further from," well, you know what to do.

If you follow this process everyday you will be on your way to achieving unlimited success in every aspect of your life.

What do you think? Is this the right approach?

Pathetic Punjab

2010-04-07T19:44:00.000+05:30

The fielding and bowling performance of the Punjab team was awful to say the least.The way they played today, I do not think that they would be able to defeat even a school team. Pathetic performance. The batting up front was much better compared to their previous outing, but the finishers should have provided impetus at the end. Yuvraj seriously has to take more burden on himself, he has put on so much weight and doesn't look the fielder of the early noughties.

Mount Sachin!

2010-02-26T21:35:00.000+05:30

Yes. Another piece on Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. India's Favourite Son, Hero and Inspiration.

Congratulations!

Maharashtra Decided to recommend Him for Bharat Ratna!

Shouldn't all other states follow?

All Hail Tendulkar!

For A Winter's Night : Sunday Book Review

2010-02-21T06:18:00.000+05:30

Title: Deep Kiss of Winter
Author: Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter
Published by : Pocket Books, New York; 2009
Pages: 436

Kresley Cole, the best selling, award-winning author of paranormal and historical romance novels released another of her Anthologies last October. 'Deep Kiss of Winter' unlike her other anthologies is complex and has a deep rooted story line which will give you satisfaction as you keep turning the pages. The two stories will make you feel that the book's worth what you paid.

The book is a continuation of Kresley Cole's novel "Untouchable" & Gena Showalter's "Tempt me Eternally". The plot is exciting as it involves mystical creatures, passion, romance, sacrifice and a streak of wild love running through all these giving birth to an enthralling saga. You'll love the way in which Murdoch's and Daniella's story develops, a rarity in the urban fantasy genre.

On the other hand Gena wields her magic efficiently narrating the story of Breean the Rackan whose world has been destroyed by the Schon queen. Breean and his men are now the last of their untainted race and they have decided to find a new world to live in peace. Unfortunately, when they arrive through a portal to earth, they are ambushed by the AIR. Macy has a secret. She can shift and change her identity, but cannot control it under extreme emotions. In her latest identity she finds herself as the newest member of the AIR team, an elite enforcement team sworn to protect earth from aliens.

The duo has done a great work to make this book a fabulous read one won't want to miss.

I purchased this book from my local book vendor. The opinions expressed here are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Knockout Entrepreneur - Sunday Book Review

2010-02-14T18:47:00.005+05:30

Title: Knockout Entrepreneur

Author: George Foreman with Ken Abraham
Published by : Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; 2009
Pages: 237

When I heard about this great concept about giving books to bloggers for free in exchange for a review, I jumped at the opportunity. I have always been a book person, as they never hurt you and when there are no friends around they keep you company. Well after joining this program and browsing through the books on offer, I selected a book by the boxing legend - George Foreman. Now, boxing isn't big here in India (Cricket rules), so I did not know what to expect. It took about 3 weeks for the book to arrive, and the more I waited, the more I regretted opting for the book. Thoughts like, What will i do with it?, Will it be any good?, Will I understand any of the writing? etc.. started swirling in my head.

When it arrived last week, I was pleasantly surprised at the thought behind the book!! As the author says on the first page -

this book is about success and significance -not just mine, but yours!

George Foreman for me was a boxer who made umpteen comebacks in his career, apart from that I knew nothing of his life. So it was with trepidation that I began reading this book. I thought what will this athlete know about successful business? The few athletes I knew who set shop didn't last for long. But after turning a few pages and delving into the written word, I was hooked and read through the various somewhat unimaginative chapter titles such as "Pain is the Middle Name of the Game" or "You Gotta Make' Em Love" and other such. The writing though is very stress free and easy to understand.

There are not many breakthrough ideas though; just practical daily thoughts which most of us do not seem to have! The good thing about this book , is the matter of fact presentation of the authors failures and how he saw an opportunity in them to succeed. This is very much highlighted, when he loses his final boxing game, but uses it as an opportunity to hard sell his Barbecue Grill.

This Book obtained from Booksneeze for free

This book is quite good and might help each one of us to look at things differently and turn failure into success. A welcome addition to a range of books in my library, though definitely not in the same league as books such as The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari and such.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Valentine Vigilante

2010-02-12T13:39:00.000+05:30

In two days the entire world would be celebrating Valentine’s Day. It is going to be fun all over with friends, families and lovers enjoying a day with whole hearted affection. In my country however, these are xenophobic times and an expression of love in public is only for the very courageous or very foolhardy individual. There are so called ‘guardians of Indian culture’ or ‘guardians of hinduism’ whose main job these days is to harass anybody exhibiting ‘excess enthusiasm’. They have various names across the country – the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, the Bajrang Dal in the northern states and Karnataka, some call themselves the Dalit panthers and then we have the Rama Sene in Karnataka!

Does Indian culture teach us to smash shops which display heart shaped balloons or beat up individuals in public places for holding hands? Why is it that during holi, men and women can hold hands, hug each other even though they might not be husband and wife or brother and sister? Why does groping of women during this festival, considered harmless fun, when it might to be occurring with the consent of the person involved? Where are these vigilantes when a girl or woman is being molested? Is that part of Indian culture?

To gain political mileage these outfits can fall to any low. What has happened to the constitutional rights of Individuals? Why even after gaining independence all those years ago, are we not free to express our feelings without fear?

Visa Gods and The UK Visa Ban

2010-02-02T18:51:00.000+05:30

For those who have been affected by the stop on Visa issuance by the UK visa authorities, this advertisement might come as a God send - literally!!

The sign board when translated - states "The miraculous temple of Visa god Hanuman - For those who need a Visa to travel abroad - Offer special prayers"

A-14 F, New Sarai, Ignou Road, New Delhi - 30.

Wonder whether business is booming!!