Tracing the roots - Saraswati Temple Wargal

Along with my family members in tow, I was trying to trace the roots of my family, especially my Father's side - but was not intending to turn a Genealogist full-time :-)


We had to cover a distance of a little more than a 100 kms (in my Ford Ikon car) to get to the place where my father belongs - Siddipet, in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh.

A lot of exciting things (historic and nostalgic) were in store on our way to the destination. Our first stop was "Sri Vidya Saraswati Shani Temples Wargal".


This came as a surprise as I was aware of only a couple of temples of Goddess Saraswati - the Goddess of Knowledge, music and arts according to Hindu mythology.

The temple's main presiding deity was Goddess Saraswati, but there were a couple of other temples on the hillock, including temple of Lord Shani and a temple of Lord Ganesha (also called Vinayaka or Ganapathi).
We saw cattle crossing the roads near the temple entrance arch. We also saw a large number of women and men folk on the way selling Sugar apple or popularly known as Custard apple baskets.

Contrary to normal timings for the temple, it is open until 2.00 p.m (IST) on the weekends. We were just in time for the Maha Prasadam as the clock stuck 12.00 p.m.

There was a huge statue of the Goddess on the hillock. Also, we took some snaps of our family near the entrance of the temple.

We were accompanied by an old friend of my father for our trip. Most parents of Indian descent opt to do the Aksharabhyasam (the puja to be done before they start their studies) in Goddess Saraswati's presence (temple of learning).

So, for those of you thinking of starting their ward's education on a right note, you can visit the temple in Wargal - between Hyderabad and Siddipet.

The sloka to chant while praying for the Goddess of knowledge can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP6T5rOJYlY.

Meaning from the YouTube site:

Before Starting Your Studies (Sarasvati Namastubhyam)
sarasvatii namastubhyaM varade kaamaruupiNi .
vidyaarambhaM karishhyaami siddhirbhavatu me sadaa ..

(Meaning in English)

O Goddess Saraswati, salutations to you, the giver of boons, the one who fulfills all desires. I begin my studies. May there always be accomplishments for me.

Which Right Choice? - Independent Expert Advice You Can Trust

Expert Buying Advice

On sighting a "free trial issue" of Right Choice Magazine, I grabbed it with both hands. The magazine is set up by publishers of UK-based 'Which?' magazine. It is backed by over 50 years of well-earned trust.

Most interesting part for me to grab the issue was their "Comprehensive research on 156 mobile phones" in the September 2010 issue.



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Some important notes I would like to add include - they do not carry ads or freebies.
Also, they pay full price for everything they test.

To contact them, call their toll free number 1800-1800-200 or email them: info at whichrightchoice dot com.

Once you subscribe, you can also browse the older issues online (for free?)

Future Gadgets - For GenNext Kids

While trying to understand what the latest generation and the next generation would/could be working on, I found a bunch of interesting links and information about some gadgets which I thought I should share with all my readers.

While helping out my "newfound" friend,

I stumbled upon Microsoft's Future Vision Montage also found out the many versions on YouTube.

Also found Intel's Touch Screen Display video which is probably taken/inspired by Tom Cruise's movie Minority Report

Also found 7 wierdest and wackiest videos from CES 2010 (About CES) - produced by the Consumer Electronics Association

Check out this page on BBC's website about CES 2010.

Also, the best of CES awards from CNET website.

Also wanted to mention Flatland - a 3D visualization environment developed by Dr.Tom Caudell and his team, for whom, I had the privilege to work, for a little amount of time.

More to come as I keep adding to this list.