Train to Mysore and the Maddur Vada

On the way to Mysore this past weekend, we took a train. I was not sure what to expect, as it would go all the way from Bangalore to Mysore for only 60 INRs. This is about equal to 1 USD. Unbelievable, when you really think about this.

I, like probably many expats living abroad, have frustrating experiences, which I “make light of” as humorous, or just do not share publicly, but let me assure you….. that this was NOT one of those experiences. Exactly the opposite, in fact. I was nervous at the prospect of taking a crowded train in a foreign country, but the moment I got off that train, I had this blog already prepared in my head. And I know I will take this exact same train, again, at some point in the future.

We arrived at the train station at 5:40ish to take the 6AM train which would arrive in Mysore at 9ish. (It would have arrived sooner, but we stopped twice due to single line rails and passing trains.) The Bangalore train station is BUSY at this early morning hour, as I am sure it remains all day. Public officials are diligent in moving car traffic outside the station through the lanes. As we were getting out of the car, I had my door open to jump out, and then realized I needed to sign something, and suddenly 3 officials were practically in the car, saying “something”. For a brief moment I asked “Are we being robbed?” These guys just wanted my door SHUT or for me to get out so the car could move along. Busy times at the Bangalore railway station! The line to buy a ticket moves very quickly, and again, any additional value applied, then this railway would be paying YOU to travel!

There are a LOT of trains leaving this station. I think someone said 1K depart and arrive daily. We found our train and luckily found an unoccupied window, as I wanted to see views. Each “open seating cabin” area has 2 cushioned benches that face each other. There is room for about 3 across, so 6 total (comfortably). If you ride this train you want to sit beside a window. Then, above, there are bunks where you can stretch out and sleep. 2 men were above us sleeping the entire trip! What made this train trip the BEST train trip I have ever been on….was the fact that you can open and close the huge windows, and feel fresh air as the train is travelling, and feel that much closer to “the outside”. It was quiet, peaceful with the most beautiful views along the way. The next blog posted will contain pictures taken from the train of the views.

On the train, they walk up and down the aisles periodically with coffee or snacks. There is a town halfway between Bangalore and Mysore called Maddur. From this town, and this town only, comes a snack called a Maddur Vada. We got one and it was hot, and looked like a big cookie. I expected to taste oatmeal, but it is actually a flat fritter with onions and other savory ingredients in it. As onions are one of my favorite foods, this was quite a tasty snack!!! It was 10 INRs...and absolutely delicious. I proceeded to share how doctors say that the smell of cooked onions can help someone who is having trouble falling asleep. My friend assured me that we had a full day and it was not the time to go to sleep.

I can say without hesitation that I will take this exact train route at some point in the future again, while I am in Bangalore, to travel to this lovely location of Mysore (where the train station in Mysore is central to everything in the city), and eat another Maddur Vada along the way!

JSS College of Pharmacy in Mysore, and JSS Hospital

I was invited to tour JSS College of Pharmacy in Mysore on Saturday, to meet faculty and staff, view the campus, and affiliated hospital. Additionally, I was able to provide short presentations to 3 groups of students, including M.S. and Pharm.D. candidates (Pharmacology, Chemistry, and Regulatory) as well as Interns working within the hospital. My friend Mohan (currently working on many social issues within different Indian communities, as mentioned previously in this blog) graduated here with a Master’s in Pharmaceutical Chemistry several years ago (they had his recent publication from March on Tuberculosis posted in the hall showcase!) and he had a great chance to re-unite with the faculty. It also provided me with a great opportunity to see this campus as well, and present short informational sessions to 3 different classes of students on ideas for future business application of their education. The final presentation was delivered in tandem with an amazing professor currently involved in clinical research, who was able to provide some excellent current practical information with regards to the industry. Some notes about this impressive Pharmacy College/Univ. It is a top Pharmacy College and University in India, recognized worldwide: “JSS Colleges of Pharmacy at Mysore and Ooty received ACPE Certification and Acceditation. Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) is an autononmous national agency in the USA for accreditation of professional degree programs in pharmacy and providers of continuing pharmacy education. JSS Colleges of Pharmacy at Mysore and Ooty were the first to pioneer patient oriented pharmacy education by initiating a Master’s programme in ‘Pharmacy Practice’."

Dr. Madhusudan Purohit, Ph.D., Professor, Dept of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and several other amazing faculty, and Professors, hosted us, and guided us through the morning. They showed me all of the lab areas, the technology, classrooms, and other conceptual ways on which emphasis has been placed, to set this education apart, making it a best in class university. One example is a Simulation Room, where students can practice and receive 360 feedback on interactions with potential patients, or to assist with challenging communications related to other relevant scenarios. This was a beautiful campus, with dedicated, top-notch professors and faculty, who have aligned the education with current relevant, and forward-thinking concepts.

After touring the University, Dr. Shobha Churi, Asst. Professor, drove us to the partnering hospital for the Pharmacy college and nearby Medical School, which is absolutely palatial from the outside and inside alike. Some info on this busy hospital: “JSS Hospital is one of the pioneers in offering comprehensive medical services in Mysore. A notable feature of this hospital is that it caters to the needs of the patients of rural parts of the districts viz., Mysore, Chamarajnagar, Mandya Coorg and Hassan in Karnataka and Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu. It treats on average, 800 to 1000 patients daily in outpatient department and has facilities to accommodate 1800 in-patients.”

I was introduced to Dr. G Parthasarathi, Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy at JSS Mysore University and Professor, Pharmacy Practice. He spoke with us for a while on his background, and his current involvements, contributions to the industry, and interests. Then, one of his Pharm.D. interns was kind enough to take us on a tour of this state-of-the-art hospital. I wish I had a list of everyone’s names to list here, yet I just met so many professors, students, interns and faculty. Please check out their website, jsspharma.org. While in the hospital, there were so many things to note, yet one thing that stood out (as different from anything I had ever seen) was the fact that patient wards are attached to open corridors where the patients are most definitely inside the building, but can also have the feeling of being outside, with built-in architecture that enabled large-scale fresh air circulation. It is hard to explain the appearance, yet represented an ideal concept that if you see, you will not forget.

The first picture above was taken at the Pharmacy College, with Dr. Madhusudan Purohit, Ph.D., Professor, Dept of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, several additional Professors, myself and Mohan. The second picture above shows Dr. G Parthasarathi, Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy at JSS Mysore University and Professor, Pharmacy Practice, myself, and all of the Pharm.D. interns working in the hospital. The 3rd picture above is of the Pharm.D. intern who took Mohan and I on a tour of the hospital, pictured with Mohan. Below are pictures taken of JSS College of Pharmacy students (all Master candidates and above) in action, in various lab settings. As you view these, you will notice how impressive and spacious the lab setting is. There were many labs, all similiar to these, that I was able to tour, within the facility. After leaving the College, I took a picture of this gorgeous JSS hospital facility from the outside, posted 4th picture below, that is as previously stated, affiliated with the Pharmacy College and Medical School. The final picture is of the Pharmacy College Campus. Just an incredible experience, that left an exceptional impression on me, regarding all of the institutions that I visited, and individuals whom I met!

 

Mysore Palace Aglow

This weekend, I enjoyed a 2nd quick weekend trip to Mysore, out of which I will again write several blogs. In 2014, the dates between Sept 25th and Oct 4th in Mysore are when “Dasara” is in full swing. “It is called "Nadahabba", also referred to as "Navaratri" which means “Nine Nights”; it is a 10-day festival, where the city of Mysore is decorated with colorful lights. It turns an already beautiful city into quite the city of glamour! “The Dasara festivities have a very long and rich history of more than 400 years.” The root message behind the meaning of the festival is “good over evil”. During every other day of the year, Mysore Palace is lit at night during ONLY one night of every week, on Sunday nights from 7 to 7:45. During this 9 night festival, it is lit up every single night from 7-10, so a great time to go! Know that while Mysore is alive during any given night of the week as a standard, the city truly comes alive during this festival, and…….progressively even MORE ALIVE the closer you move towards the last Saturday of the festival. Visiting the first weekend gave us the chance to experience the beauty of the palace and street lights (hundreds of thousands, in every color imaginable, hung across streets, off lamplights and hanging from trees), without the “full force crowd” that is expected this coming weekend in October. The crowds, while large, were not that bad, and gave the chance to enjoy the night on a more peaceful level. A quick note...that after you live in Bangalore (population ~12 Million in this city alone) for several months, “large crowds” versus “small crowds” becomes rather relative. When you feel crowd bumps or elbowing only twice in a night versus 10, it is a low crowd night. Haha

We took a bus to the top of Chamundi Hill, a mountain-type experience which provides excellent views of the city below, around 4PM, to be able to spend some time up there, viewing the beauty of the Chamundeshwari temple and seeing all of the activities associated with this. The curves that head to the top of this mountain are again, like mountain roads in NC (tight curves, blind corners). Being on a bus, I thought it would be slow-going, but alas, I had a fast bus driver, and we actually passed another BUS. I think I must have an attraction that draws me towards the fastest drivers in India, as I seem to constantly find myself in “the passing lane”. Was a fun ride up. On the way down, we stopped at the overlook, as sunset was about to occur, to be able to see the beauty as the hundreds of thousands of lights began to come into view. Lights began to twinkle one at at time, and it was indeed beautiful.

We arrived at the Palace literally seconds before it was lit, and this has ranked as the most beautiful experience to date while in India. More than 100K bulbs light up the entire palace, which will truly take your breath away when they “pop on”. I am posting some pictures that I took, above and below. On Saturday night, there was a stage built out front, with musical and cultural plays and performances, and we were able to sit on the lawn and enjoy the vibrant sounds and music. That is the main reason my pictures are focused on the top part of the palace, as the bottom stories have this stage and electrical equipment in each one without fail. Mysore Palace lit at night is an India experience that you simply do not want to miss if you travel here.

Looks a Lot like Home

A good friend and colleague in NC, who taught me how to use the Nikon I bought before coming to Bangalore in the parking deck of our building, has sent some pictures from home. DR is an excellent photographer and you should be so lucky to see his collection of nature and so many other shots. He has some that capture lightning in a pitch black night sky that are amazing!

He snapped this past week, a basically professional shot of the clouds of a summer sky in NC, posted here above. These are very typical of monsoon clouds in Bangalore. The summer rain storms and seasons are actually very comparable between the 2 cities. Though other parts of India get a lot more rain, and Bangalore inches recorded for most June-Sept months is a bit higher than NC, it is not that different. When I heard “monsoon season”, I thought it would be raining practically day and night, and yet basically we get the same afternoon (sometimes heavy) showers that we get in NC. (Also note that this season was supposedly a late monsoon season with not as much rainfall recorded.)

Below is a representation of what the sky looks like most days in Bangalore, June through September. With a 2nd shot of southern India. Almost always cloudy, but not torrential winds and rain like I imagined “monsoon season” to be. My umbrella is not turning inside out or anything. (And again, monsoon season in other parts of India could be completely different.)

We need to "walk off" this Momo

In between visiting the schools, the clinic and hospital (2 blogs just posted)...we visited a city market, and ate some neat spicy dishes. One consisted of a potato sandwich with chili powder paste, and an item that looked like a hash brown yet was some kind of “root”. (I need to research this further. Haha) All amazingly delicious! In the middle of the day, we passed through a spice market, and I took some neat photos that are pictured above. Vegetables or fruit for sale in markets are consistently arranged in fascinating orders (only a couple of many examples, posted above), drawing visual interest from the crowds. At the end of the day, my friend said “We need to eat a Momo”. He has not been wrong yet on food, so I knew this would be good! “Momos” are actually a name for a dumpling, and we ordered some filled with chicken. (See pictures below.) For 50 INRs, they serve an entire plate, and accompanying hot sauce, which tasted amazing. Dumplings are very filling, so when he suggested we walk back to my place rather than boarding another bus, I agreed that we needed to “walk off the Momo”. Absolutely fabulous day in Bangalore!

Victoria Hospital Bangalore

Post school visits, listed in previous blog, this afternoon we visited Victoria Hospital Bangalore. The following history and information is taken from the Home Page of the website of this hospital: "The foundation stone of Victoria Hospital, the century old premier Medical Institutions of India was laid on 22nd June 1897 by her highness Kempananjammani avaru, the then maharani regent of Mysore to commemorate the completion of 60 years of reign of Queen Victoria. The Hospital was then formally inaugurated on 8th December 1900 by Lord Curzon the then Viceroy of India. It started as a health centre with 140 bed strength which is now the second largest Hospital in India accommodating more than 1000 patients at a time. It is located in the hub of the city and is easily accessible. This is a teaching hospital and is attached to Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, which is one of the premier Medical Colleges of India."

So back to our visit....The most kind Medical Doctor, who works here specializing in Pulmonary Medicine, spent over an hour, despite an obviously busy schedule, taking us on a personal tour of the "behind the scenes" efforts at this high volume hospital. This hospital, despite being built hundreds of years ago, was a representation of the most clean, professional, well-run setting, that I honestly was not expecting (as I knew the volume of patients and age of the building). This illustrated to me that it is the people....the medical staff, who make places like this "work" in the correct fashion. I have been in so many hospitals in my life, where you hear people moaning in pain, etc, and so I just simply expected this as I steeled myself and entered the door of the old stone facade. Yet, even though I walked through floors of mental health/psych, recovery medicine, pulmonary patients post chest-tubes, and others, I did not witness any distress or moaning whatsoever. (which is good, as I am a bit faint!). This pulmonary specialist went on to talk about India, his regard towards medicine, the challenges of working at Victoria, and future goals. I was so grateful to be able to have a doctor who has so much education and knowledge (and so little time!) actually spend time with me, to talk about medicine in India, versus other countries, and relate so many other interesting things, via a tour, and over hot tea in the canteen!

On a final note, I was also able to tour the kitchen, which I simply cannot stress enough, was as impressive as the medical wards. It is a well-run machine, very CLEAN, and works hand-in-hand with patient needs. They took me to a table which showed "today's meals", which represented 4 different types, including a diabetic diet meal, anti-hypertension diet meal, etc. "Today's meal" choices are pictured below.

School on Saturday

 

 

Today I was invited to spend a 2nd day with the young guy here in Bangalore who I met a few weeks ago, and is involved with so many fabulous community programs. He made appointments for us to see 2 schools, a clinic, and a government-run hospital. This blog will showcase the schools that we visited, and the next 2 will show the rest of the day. I was hesitant to take pictures of the schools, yet everyone was so excited, and then when the children saw themselves on the camera screen, well…I wish I could have captured that moment! The first school we visited was a government-run school, and so mainly filled with children of laborers who are transient and so there is a higher turnover in the classrooms, as compared to regular public or private schools. The educational content takes this into account, and attempts to provide the highest impact education in as short of “bursts” as possible, providing the absolute most essential of education “first”, taking into account the fact they may leave soon. I was so impressed with the teachers, and the children were a joy to see. They were so excited about “being at school” and were so polite to the adults, and to me as a stranger. They took turns saying their names, and one little boy even took his hat off as we walked in! Very, very sweet children. I was unable to take pictures of this first school. However, there were 3 medium sized rooms with 2 class ages combined in each one. Total of 3 teachers with about 25 students each. They attend school Monday-Friday all day (8-3:30) and Saturday half days.

The 2nd school was a public school, and the pictures above and below capture this building, the students, and the surroundings. The children here...just as delightful and excited. (All smiling until you click the camera, and a moment of wonderment while the flash went off, but trust me they were all smiles!) There were 4 classrooms, with 4 teachers. Note that the one room in the picture where they are all sitting on the floor is an “activity room”, as all schools had desks and chairs for the students. I captured the “library”, where creatively, they have hung books on a “line” as they don’t have bookcases for them all. Donated books (second-hand or new, English or native to India) are greatly appreciated in school such as this. Also, one picture shows the kids’ artwork showcased from the ceiling.

As you read this, note that these particular schools are focuses for some volunteer interventions for even better outcomes, and not representative of all “schools in India”. I just wanted to note this, as I was so impressed with the teaching efforts and of course the sweet children that I met.

Ferry to Vivekananda Rock Memorial

 

Directly after the sunrise at Kanyakumari Beach this past Saturday, we caught a ferry to Vivekananda Rock Memorial, which was posted in previous pictures. According to Wikipedia...."It was built in 1970 by the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Committee in honour of the visit of the Hindu spiritual teacher Swami Vivekananda to rock during the month of December 1892. It is claimed that he meditated on this rock."

During my visit......There were constant lines that stretched for several “blocks” where you could wait for a couple of hours to purchase a ticket for the ferry. On each side of the line, there are small areas where you can purchase souvenirs or snacks, and also lots of hotels on this path. And, no post-sunrise long queue of ferry-goers would be complete without some drama…..yes…..there are random line “cuts” (which I like to think of as "misunderstandings", haha) which result in heated arguments, and are so interesting to see! For some reason, watching people argue in a foreign country is so much more fascinating than watching a group of people you have already witnessed disagree, your whole life. Someone would step away for a few moments, or a new family member or friend would arrive, (where their family was established in the line to get a ticket). This new face pops in the line, and the group behind them calls over the security guard and suddenly...“It is ON”. People are called out of line, to “hash this situation out”, and I know that personally, my attention is suddenly diverted! The only thing missing is Judge Judy.

Once we reached the ferry, I immediately determined that stepping onto this boat, The M L.Guhan, is going to be a bit of a thrill. The wake is causing the ferry to toss about in such a way that the platform to step on rises by a foot and drops by a foot, and there is that ever-moving gap in between the boat and the cement docking. You become absolutely careful and precise to time your step and hold onto the friendly Indians who are trying to keep you alive throughout this process. The ride over is pretty short but feels great as there is a breeze, and there is nothing like being on the water! Once you reach this island, you can see the mirror that is opposite to the beauty you saw from land during the sunrise...looking at the shore of India is so colorful, and alive with action. Pictures of shoreline from island are posted below.

I took a picture of the small boats that had left at sunrise for fishing, pictured above. Also posted here are the fish that had been freshly caught that morning, for sale, lines of people awaiting a ticket, and a neat line of schoolchildren awaiting to board the ferry.

Alas, I still have more destinations and blogs to post from this (past) weekend, as my friend took me to so many fabulous places! So grateful to have experienced such a wonderful weekend, with such awesome company.

Shankumugham Beach Fishermen

One of the 3 beaches we visited over the weekend included Shankumugham Beach, where I witnessed some incredible fishing efforts and high yields! As we walked onto the beach my friend Subhash said “Have you ever seen fishing from the beach?” and I told him “I have fished from the beach a million times as I grew up on one!” Suddenly I could tell that he knew we were talking about 2 different things. haha As we got closer I saw a long line of men, about 30 (?) pulling on a long net-like line. They were leaning backwards like they were playing tug-of-war. This effort was consuming the strength of every man. The net extended from 100 yards on the beach to 100 yards (?) into the ocean, past the waves, and once in the water, formed a semicircle to trap fish. The guys on the beach were working HARD to pull this net, keep it in place, as the currents were very strong. (Lots of riptides on every beach we visited.) However, there were 2 guys in the water, who really had the tough job, seemingly. The waves kept crashing into them as they worked to guide the net. These guys had drawn the “short straw” of this fishing effort, or were maybe new to the team. Not sure. It was a fascinating event to watch as they finally pulled the net out of the water, almost like a boat out on the water will raise a net up in an automated way. As a boat uses a form of power, it was amazing to see these men working to ensure the net came out of the water in a precise “rounded” way where they could ensure the greatest yield. Again, the men in the water seemed to have the tough job. I am not in any way knowledgable on this fishing process and so these are just my observations and take-aways from standing on the beach. It could be much easier than it appears, to ensure a lot of fish are trapped. I only know that I was NOT EXPECTING what I saw in the nets that finally arrived on the shore. I grew up in an area where we would set shrimp nets (also in a semicircle, yet it was easy to pull the nets in from a small boat as we were not in “heavy currents”, or they could be pulled/raised from a boat crank and dropped easily onto a boat deck). So...the nets were pulled onto the shore of this beach, and everyone gathered around, and it was thousands of small silver sardine-type fishes. Two or three of the 30 men bent down and loaded these slippery little fish into crates. We followed the process until the last step pictured here below, where they were loaded onto the back of a MOTORCYCLE to transport for sale. I am sure that balancing all of that weight could not have been easy. I hope it was a “fresh” guy on the bike, as these fisherman had to be exhausted! My hat is off...