Kalna's Temples

Right across the street, on the opposite side, one would find these temples in a large enclosed compound. Once again the maintencance is impressive. Both these areas are under the administration of the Archaelogical Survey of India

108 SHIV TEMPLES OF KALNA

My recent tour to Kalna was fascinating. Nirmalya took me along to a this place where there were 108 Shiv Temples adjacent to each other. Built in 1809, these brick temples are the surrounding lawns are too well maintained. The maintenance is really impressive.

Sayan's Pictures continued - Belly dancing

On a desert safari, Sayan was amazed by some beautiful belly dancing

Sayan's Pictures continued

These are my favorite pitures from Sayan's collection

Continuous Shooting - Dog Fight

Exploring the Continuous Shooting mode of my camera was a revelation in itself.

What say?

Sayan's Pictures

Here are some pictures that Sayan clicked of buidings in Dubai.

SAD TWIST TO MY STORY

Last evening I had an appointment with my doctor. He found that there was some improvement in both the nostrils, but the deviation inthe nasal septum was such that it will continue to impede airflow and cause problems. He suggested an operation - Septoplasty. Though the name may sound great, the procedure isn't. Here's what i found from wikipedia:

Septoplasty is a corrective surgical procedure done to straighten the nasal septum - the partition between the two nasal cavities. Ideally, the septum should run down the center of the nose. When it deviates into one of the cavities, it narrows that cavity and impedes airflow. Nasal obstructions caused by serious deviations frequently lead to chronic sinus problems. Turbinate reduction may also be advised to further enlarge the nasal cavities. Most surgeries are completed in 90 minutes or less, not including recovery time.

Because the deviation is a result of a cartilage surplus, the procedure usually involves an excision of a portion of that tissue. Under general or local anesthesia, the surgeon works through the nostrils, making an incision in the lining of the septum to reach the cartilage targeted in the operation. Before the crooked portions of the cartilage can be excised, the cartilage must first be separated from the bony structures beneath it. After excess cartilage has been taken out, the septum may then be secured to the bone with small plastic elements, splints, or sutures.

The nasal cavities are then packed with a special material, and a piece of gauze is taped underneath the nose to absorb blood. Postoperative care includes frequent changing of this gauze (roughly every hour or so) and after a complete day, the excess bleeding normally stops and the inner nasal packing may be removed. The following day, saline irrigations of the nasal cavities are required, and it is only now that a patient is allowed to gently blow his/her nose. After approximately four days, patients can then blow their nose normally.

Patients typically regain about 80% of their energy one week after surgery, and make a full recovery after one month.

To know about Septoplasty click here

To know more about Sleep apnea click here

NEW TWIST TO THE FORD STORY

Just a couple of days back Kent's Graham Ford was selected as the Coach of the Indian Cricket Team and was offered a contract for a year.

All was fine. Until now. News has just come in that he has declined the offer! Thank you Mr. Ford. Spare Indian Cricket your ignominy.

Ford said in a website -

I am very grateful to the club for allowing me to go to India to find out more about the job of coaching the Indian team.

I have had a chance to reflect on the offer made by the BCCI and their urgency to fill the vacant position and after careful consideration, I have decided to continue my work here at Kent. This has been a really difficult decision.

I am honoured that India have shown such interest in my capabilities, but feel that this is the right decision for me and my family.

Sayan's Pictures

Here's how Sayan captured WEATHER on his mobile camera. Love these............
The Norwesters hitting the City of Joy - Kolkata

Sayan the Sheikh

Sayan is my friend. If you have been following my blog, you would know him from out Bakkhali trip. The real connection is much older and much sweeter than words or logic can describe.

This and the next four posts are dedicated to this wonderful friend of mine, who has decided that blogging is not for him. So i had a word with him and decided to showcase some of his pictures here in my blog. He doesn't believe the fact that he is good with the camera. Just check out his pictures in the next few blogs.

And here, check out my sheikh friend from Shibpur.........

These pictures were clicked by his colleague during their Dubai trip last year.

India's Cricket Team Gets Graham Ford as the New Coach

Red Carpet Welcome for Former South African
Coach, sacked for his alleged connections with Bookies in India, to
India

The Indian Cricket Team gets Graham Ford as the new Coach. The BCCI arrived at the decision after a two hour long discussion where Former English Cricketer John Emburey's candidature was also considered.

Introducing the new coach with the following excerpt from rediff.com

Born in Pietermaritzberg, Natal, on November 16, 1960, Ford, like a number of South African players, excelled in various sports during his younger days. He was a good tennis player, too; so good that he once won the provincial tennis championship for Natal.

Why, is wife Liz is also a former Natal champion in the love-all game. Ford represented Natal in soccer, too. What's more, he is a qualified rugby union referee as well.

Despite his flair for different sports, he wasn't more than an average cricketer. As a right-hand batsman and off-spinner, he represented the Natal B team and figured in only seven first-class matches between 1982-83 and 1989-90.

In those seven matches and 13 innings, he scored just 162 runs at 13.50 without ever scoring a fifty. His highest score was 43. He held three catches and never got to try his bowling arm.

So much for the Coach. Worse, he was chucked out of his job as SA Coach after Hansiegate came to the fore. He allegedly had some connection with the bookies in India and avroad, and look here, we have invited him back to his den. Sure he loves to keep a low profile, and make all the money that the job offers, but is he good enough to deliver?

And what happened to Dave Whatmore? Was some secret meeting/ or phone call between BCCI and PCB played out?

SHOOTING THROUGH GLASS

Most museums do not allow photography at all. And I find it very irritating. For instance, during my last month’s visit to Hyderabad, when I visited the famous Salar Jung Museum, I was so disappointed to learn that cameras were not allowed inside. Damn.
We could click pictures of the museum from outside, I was told. Huh

Worst of all, mobile phones were allowed inside. And these days, even the lowest end mobiles have cameras. People were shooting pictures of anything and everything, and I kept kicking myself for not having carried one. I really wanted to click a few pictures of the Veiled Rebecca. It was so lovely. You can read more about this statue and the sculptor here.

Anyways, I still don’t understand why photography cannot be allowed inside museums and monasteries. What harm can it cause? When so many objects were kept in the open at Salar Jung Museum. So many people kept on touching these objects. I tried to prevent some, but who would care. I myself got tired of the exercise after a while. Better allow photography than let people touch and damage these objects.

And perhaps, that is exactly why, I was happy when I visited the Andhra Pradesh Archeological Museum. Photography was allowed and to get the permission, one had to just buy a ticket. Cool!

However, please note that in museums most of the articles are on display behind glass partitions, to prevent visitors from touching and damaging these centuries’ old artifacts and articles. But it is usually never too easy to shoot pictures through glass. The most common problems relate to flash shining back and reflections. Then there are some who wouldn’t allow the use of flash. Good! That prevents light shining back. However, the low-light conditions are not good enough for decent photography. The results are usually not very good either. However, I got lucky at the AP Archeological Museum. Here are some pictures that I would like to share with you.

Please let me know what you think of these pictures. Post your comments.