Crash Impact for Trains

The Odisha Train accident in which hundreds of people died and thousands of people were injured was one of the most tragic train accidents to happen in India. Though Indian Railways has the best of technology and railway system, it was a shock this incident happened.

This led me to wonder, How can the casualty be minimized in such accidents. A very weird idea occurred to me. There are crash impact and crumple zones for cars and similar vehicles. Why not a crash impact or crumple zone for a trains??? 

Below is diagram/concept of this idea:

As per the above diagram, a specially designed car/wagon which can crumple on impact needs to be placed in between the locomotive and the first car of the train (See A). 

In-case of any head-on collision between two train, the shock impact will be absorbed by this crumple car. (See B). This crumple zone should help the other cars behind to minimize the casualty during such incidents.

Please note: I am not a subject expert on this matter. Its an idea which occured to me and though of conveying the same. Hoping some subject matter expert can look into this idea and take it forward.

Please let me know what you think about this and share your feedback or comments in the comments section below.

Large Ganesha and Shiva paintings

This is Sharavu Mahaganapati temple in the heart of Mangalore. Situated near carstreet, it's one of the popular and sacred Ganapati temple in Mangalore. 

The morning rush hour time is when one can see lot of devotees offering their prayers here. School going kids, business men, working women, auto drivers, craftsmen etc., are some of the typical devotees you will find here.

One key highlight of the temple is, as you enter the main entrance of the temple, you will find huge paintings of Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva on either sides.

Whats even more fasinating is all paintings inside the temple are done by a Christian. His name is David Alangar. The attention to details and life like paintings is the key strenght of this artist.

Neutralizing the virus to reduce the spread of it. A NEW DEVICE

With the sceond wave of COVID spreading in India, the number of cases and deaths due to covid-19 virus is increasing day by day. The government is doing its best to vaccinate as many people as possible and attain herd immunity. For a country with a billion plus population and the majority of it are daily wage labours, farmers and other street vendors, Imposing a LOCKDOWN impacts the economic condition very hard.

Though people wear masks and are aware of social distancing, markets and public places are always crowded. If people cannot control the spread of virus, there must be some external agent which should control the spread of virus. This is where a new virus neutralising product comes into picture. I read about this on many news portal , whatsapp forwards and youtube. I am not an expert to talk about this product, but I was amazed by the concept of this product. Ok, so product I am sharing here is called SHYCOCAN. This device is intended to deactivate certain viruses including corona viruses, the virus associated with COVID-19. 

How it works!
The device floods any indoor place with hundreds of electrons, Even if an infected individual were to walk into the room, these electrons would neutralise the potency of the virus presetn in aerosols while sneezing or coughing. It can also neutralise the virus present on surfaces, thus bringing down transmission via air or surface.

If the government can take notice of this device and its manufactures, and test its effectiveness in public places, this could become a game changer. People can go to movie theaters, malls, markets, railway stations and public places with out any fear of getting infected.

If this device is not harmful to humans/animals and not harmful to environment, the government should promote this product and help in avoiding the virus spread.

Camphor - keep money, mobile and key chain fresh

In the wake of Corona virus outbreak, it has become a necessity to keep oneself sanitised all the time. Usually when we come back from our daily essentials shopping, we directly go to bathroom, put all our clothes for washing and clean ourselves with a good bath. But what about our Purse, mobile, key-chain, coins etc.  Well its difficult to sanitise them. In regard to this, I am doing a practice of keeping purse, money, mobile phone, key-chain in a carboard box along with 2 or 3 pieces of Camphor. As I have read on internet, Camphor has properties of killing germs. But this doesn't mean Camphor will kill corona virus. But it gives me the satisfaction that to some extent the germs might get killed. Below is picture of the box with some items and camphor in it.

Goli soda is back!

Golisoda is one such nostalgia I cherish from my childhood. [Golisoda also know as ramune soda or codd-next bottle] Some time in the 1985's in the traditional town of Mangalore, was my first experience with goli soda. Me, my mom and some other relatives(don't remember exactly) just stopped next to a roadside golisoda vendor near carstreet road. My first reaction was "Wow! a marble inside a bottle". This was something unusual compared to the brands of that time such as Torino, campacola, thumbsup, goldspot etc., The fun part while drinking soda from this bottle was that the marble used to rollback and block the opening of the bottle. I had a tough time trying to stop the marble rolling and drink soda in-between. After a few years of growing up, I understood the actual technic of drinking soda without the marble blocking the mouth of the bottle. There is two water drop shaped extrusion inside the bottle when held in the right orientation, will lock the marble from rolling to the bottle opening. This way you can enjoy your favourite soda without interruption. The most popular flavours were Ginger, Lemon and Orange. I guess even plain soda was also available but not too sure.

Also, the other main attraction was the popping sound when the bottle was opened. The pop sound and the marble rolling and making the "Ting" "Ting" sound was very typical and iconic of this type of bottle.

Over the years the goli-soda lost its charm and big brands replaced these small-time soda bottling industry. Very few shops were selling this type of soda.

Just a few days back I happened to be in Mangalore. And a huge billboard caught my attention on Balmatta road, near Jyothi circle. There was this huge ad displayed by popout brand of coming back of Goli soda. Their tag line "From old memories to new trend" is very apt. I am just waiting to cherish back my old memories.

Jan Aushadhi kendra in RT Nagar, Ganganagar - Bengaluru

There is a new Jan Aushadhi kendra opened in RT Nagar/Ganganagar area. Its on the 4th main road. Click here to know the location of the shop. This centre opened very recently, I guess in March 2019. I am so happy that our Government has started this facility. I recently purchase BP tablets for my mom, the price was almost 9 times less than branded medicine.

The address of the store is:
#10, 4th Main Rd, HGH Layout, LD Block Main Road, Ganganagar, RT Nagar Post, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560032
Google map location

Swami Vivekananda - Children

Students dressed as swami Vivekananda assemble near Swami Vivekananda statue near Ramakrishna ashrama. 6th Jan 2019

The lane between Court road and PVS building - Mangalore

Of the many beautiful places in Mangalore, there is one lane which is unique in itself. This lane was one time a proper road connecting KSrao road and the PVS junction. But over a period of time, this narrow road was blocked and used only for pedestrians purpose. This lane is mostly used by lawyers, school & college goers and the general public. This lane does not have any shops or houses, except some old shutdown commercial establishment. The beauty of this lane is, that it is lush green on either side. Sometimes we get to see some unique creepers with small beautiful flowers and sometimes it just some tall grass or ferns. The flora changes from season to season. location map of the lane

Ayurvedic medicine, spices and other ingredients for home medicine. - Mangalore, Market.

For ayurvedic medicine, spices and other ingredients for home medicine, in Mangalore you will get in this road. See google maps

Old wall clocks, typewriters, winding clock, pendulum clock repair and service - Mangalore

For repair and service of old antique clock, key winding clock, pendulam clock, type writers and other old mechanical devices in Mangalore, contact Vasudev Achar, Ph: +919632912652.

Amazing finds on google earth - Bangalore / Bengaluru

Below is compilation of some amazing finds in Bangalore / Bengalur city. Some are building structures and some interesting finds.

Violin Shaped Building - Pitilu Chowdaiah Memorial Hall

 Chowdaiah Memorial Hall in sadashivnagar. View in google maps.

Pentagon in Bangalore ?

This is no US pentagon. Just a school in the shape of pentagon. View in google maps.

Airplane inside GKVK campus? - Bangalore

No this is not some plane parked inside the GKVK campus, but one of the training planes flying over GKVK campus and trying to land in the adjacent Jakkur air field. View in google maps.

Kempegowda bus station

Populary know as Majestic Bus stand. The structure is in the form of half semi-circles.
This bus stand is a central hub and connects millions of commuters to various part of the city. View in google maps.

BIAL Logo on the ground

This is logo of BIAL near the trumpet intersection flyover just before entering the airport. View in google maps.

A weird looking artificial lake

Don't want to comment on this, but the shape is very weird. View in google maps.

Mom's Terrace Garden, Amruthnagar, Bangalore

I am posting this blog not because its just another terrace garden, but its my Mom's terrace garden. From long I wanted to post pictures of plants grown by my Mom, but never found time. Below are pictures of plants grown on terrace. You can see Tulsi, Rose, Chrysanthemum (Sevantige flower), Lemon, Brinjal and other flowering plants.

As you can see from the pics above, the plants are not grown in pots. Instead my mom has put some layers of old plastic sheets on the floor (water proofing), then put about 6-8 inches of red soil mixed with manure. Old tiles and cardboard makeup for the soil boundary.

 

Low cost /DIY car perfume. Make your own car perfume using essential oil. Cheaper car air fresheners.

Tired of using the costly car air freshers? Its time to make your own car perfume / air freshner. This DIY car freshner is very easy to make and the results are very effective. Things you need to make your own car freshner:

• A small plastic paper cup
• Tissue paper or old cloth or sponge
• water
• Essential oil

First take a small or medium size plastic cup appropriate to fit anywhere in your car.

Next, fold the tissue paper in a manner to fit into the plastic cup. The tissue paper should fit half of the cup as shown in the picture below.

Pour some water into the cup. Pour water as much as the tissue paper can absorb. The idea is to just keep the tissue paper wet.

Ayuralaya Rosemary Essential Oil

After the tissue paper is damp, take a essential oil of your choice and add two or three drops into it. Here I have used Rosemary Essential oil form one of the popular brand called 'Ayuralaya'.Its available in Flipkart, Snapdeal or Amazon. And they are very afford-ably priced. 

The essential oil spreads thru the damp tissue paper and gives a pleasant smell that permeates throughout the car. And your car air freshener is ready to use. Very cost effective and easy to make. Just place it in a cup holder or keep it under the seat. 

Car Air Freshner using essential oil

The smell will last as long as the tissue paper is moist. If it becomes dry, just add little water to get the aroma back. Just the few drops of essential oil will last for weeks. For more varieties of essential oil check ayuralaya.com

Kannada Actor and director - Rakshit Shetty.

This article about Rakshit shetty is not 'As seen by the rest'. If you have seen his movie 'Ulidavaru Kandante' you will understand the quote above. 

Rakshit shetty to me is one of those rare talents who can give justice to any role and direct any kind of movies. This is very evident in his directorial debut 'Ulidavaru Kandante - As seen by the rest'. When I saw the trailer for this movie at the start of this year, I was awestruck. The way it was picturized, the depiction of the coastal culture and its people, the music, songs, dance... etc., everything in this trailer had a touch of freshness. 

Mulki - Malgudi days

As the title of this blog post suggests, I experienced a bit of 'Malgudi Days' in a town called Mulki. To give you a little heads-up, Mulki is a small town near Mangalore (Karnataka state, India.)  Last Friday (Jan 3 2014) I was in Padubidri which is again a small town near Mulki. I was there to attend a Wedding of one of our relatives.
The same evening i had to take the train to Bangalore from Mulki Railway station. I had about 3 hrs time at my disposal after the function. So i thought let me explore our small town.

Infact I was looking for a particular Ayurvedic Medicine which my Mom had asked me to buy. My search for a Ayurvedic shop led me to this wonderful lane, which reminds me of 'Malgudi Days'. It looks like time has stood still here in most parts of this street (Except for a police station and few shops).

Some of the shops which caught my attention was:

• A dothi shop. This shop still have the old wooden shelf's and the owner's cash counter is small wooden sloped desk or a lap desk.
• Vegetable shop
• Tobacco Go-down/factory
• Ayurvedic shop and many more..

I was not able to take much pictures of the lane, but here are few of them to give you an idea:

This house was built in 1923 and was repaired in 1940(No idea why!)

Searching for the Ayurvedic shop. Most of the house

This is how the houses are here.

Blow painting

This is my first experience doing blow painting. Although i had done this long back during my school days. But this particular art work gave me a sense of joy and satisfaction. The best part of this art is, its very spontaneous and every stroke gives vivid forms. Here in the picture below, I created a card board template of bird, placed it on a white sheet and started blowing colors in all direction.

Normally you would think I used straw to blow paint, but thats a bad idea. I used an old ball pen, removed the refill and the bottom cap which holds the refill. Basically use any kind narrow tube with a tapered end. This will create more air pressure when you blow.

Things you would need to make this type of painting:

1. Poster colors
2. Round brush
3. Color palette
4. An old ball pen (without refill)

First keep the colors of you choice ready in a palette. Mix water in such a way that its not too thick or very watery. When you put a paint drop and blow, it should move freely and should retain color for a long stroke.
In the artwork above, i cut a template of a bird using thin cardboard. Then one by one, I put color drops at the edge of the template and blow it out wards. And the result, you can see above. Believe me its the most fun art work and gives your great satisfaction. Try it out share me your inputs.

Future of Nano Technology

The following video simply blew my mind. In the video they show about some Nano Technology coating which they put on different types of material, And after that the material does not absorb a single drop of water. Just imagine, having this nano coating put on your Car! You don't have to wash your car and in turn we can save lot of water and also our precious time. Probably there might dust sitting on it, maybe it can be removed thru a blower. Also another wierd idea came to my mind, what if this coating is put on our dining plates !!!! We dont have to wash our plates. ha ha ... (Just that there might be more bacteria build up :] )

But on a serious note, this technology can save lots on money in terms of maintenance free solution. For example: paints on house, machinery, automobiles, furniture and the list is endless.

Mangalore - Not the same mangalore it used to be

Last weekend in mangalore and the week before that gave me a very disappointment view about the charm and beauty of mangalore city. Early morning after my bus crossed Netravathi bridge, I was shocked to see plastic bags and other thrash on either side of the road. Earlier the strech from the bridge to BC road junction was very green and clean. Now some dwellings have come up on either side and people have just dumped building debris allover.

Alto 800 photoshopped

Hi all, Many car review sites have mentioned about the Alto800 lacking style. So i tried my hands with Photoshop to slightly improve the styling. I have added very minimal sticker design. Let me know your views. Following are the side view and front view of the new Alto 800. The images were sourced from www.motorbeam.com

As you can see in the image above, i have made the center pillar black (just like what fiat has done to Linea).   And a simple dark blue streak starting from tail light to just up above the indicator. Also added black rubber door strips.

Following is the front view: