A Refreshing Ride

                                

                         

       A refreshing ride on smooth and silky ways

       No cares, no prying creature attention pays;

       A pageant green all around with no foul stain

       No brawls, no restless heat, no trouble and no strain;

       I watch the floating strings of birds, those colorful fays

      Unruffled by the bustle of earthly freaks and frays;

      Past memories sparkle within; a tearful feeling sways;

      My bosom like a bee sucks peace around

      Starred with pea-cock-blue buds and berries crowned

      A replica of sky seen here with green background

      Forgetful of worldly worries here I find

      A safe haven—motherly bosom dear, so kind;

      I rush towards thy lap—Thou, treasure

     Of all-encompassing source of pleasure!

                  *********************

       1st March, 2024              Somaseshu Gutala

  

    

 

Ode On Complacency

 

                    

                         

                              

 

             

1.    The rose is simply a rose

It asks for nothing more

The lily is ever happy

No complaint or jealousy;

The rose doth never pine

Or look wan at the lily;

The lily never reddens her eyes

To glance at the ruby- rose.

 

2.     But why man doth alone

Cry, shout, sob and moan

To vie with devilish desire--

A never-ending blazing fire

And be not content with his lot?

His trivial temporary part

In this vast world of endless years

As if to drown the globe with foolish tears!

 

3.    A rose can’t be a lily

Neither a lily, a red rose;

This rule of diversity

None so ever can oppose.

So play your part though small and short

A speck you are- work with a cheerful heart;

Whatever is destined, play your part.

 

4.    Live like a rose with rosy cheer

Live like a lily with a bosom clear;

The guiding force, not you but God

On life’s unknown ways, you must trod;

No whining tone can better thy lot

Work with true joy without a guilty heart;

Look at the souls far worse than thine

Brace up, pull on with guidance divine.           

 23rd February, 2024        Somaseshu Gutala

 

 

Ode On Retirement

 

    

                              

                  

1.     For more than four decades you served

 You put your heart and soul in work untired;

 On righteous path you trod; you never swerved;

 Gladly you ran your race—how soon retired!

 

2.    Your acts of prudence, help and advice

Helped us a lot and made us wise;

As long as this institution stays

People speak of your noble acts always.

 

3.    A better example in you we find

For honest, noble acts so kind

To cherish and follow- a light to our mind;

Unshaken by worldly snares which bind.

 

4.    In all fields of knowledge, you tried

Your skill and talent; you have infused

Interest in others and made them abide

By rules, whatever field they choose.

5.    Untouched by pride of status and skill

With brotherly touch and industry

You inspired others to work with thrill

Cultivating teamwork and amity. 

 

6.    Sloth and dishonesty you forbade;

Timely action you took with merciful thought;

By generous and helpful acts, you made

Your noble image within our hearts.

 

7.    Your noble mien and benign eyes

Disarmed the students’ furious cries;

Your sage and experienced advice

Did cool their hearts and made them wise.

 

8.    With all your busy, tight schedule

Still, you loved to teach with zeal

And win the hearts of all with cool

Undisturbed mind to look after our weal.

 

9.    Still healthy, cheerful and hale you are

May God give you a long lease of life

And utilize your skills as he pleases Sir.

Above the pull of worldly strife.

 

10.    Accept our hearty humble regards;

         Feelings too deep to poetize in words;

         May we adopt your example fair

         And with others, your lofty ideals share.

            ***************************

       18th February, 2024                          Somaseshu Gutala

         

         

 

PASSING BIRDS

           

            

            

                                       

                    

1.    Once in my green foliage many birds dwelt

A safe shelter for so many fluttering wings

Charmed by cool shade they used to swing and sing

A row of colorful feathers intense joy they felt

I too felt their sensations friendly and warm

My shielding boughs made them feel safe and calm

A sense of meaning I felt in my existence

Made them happy cradled in my green world dense.

 

2.    I watched those tiny birds open their beaks

As mother birds down their throats pushed worms down

Those weak lumps of flesh with twinkling eyes brown;

I watched how they guarded those tiny birdlings weak;

A festive gathering with diverse merry sounds

Those static figures on boughs slept above the ground

A merry, luscious, pulpy feast they had

Feeding on my clustered fruits, they felt glad.

 

3.    Those feathered comrades too felt elated and free

Their eyes seemed to grasp my green touch and shade;

They flew from branch to branch with twittering glee

My shelter to them is a heavenly glade;

My youthful vigor inspired them indeed;

In every corner they scattered my blooms and seeds;

A close inseparable bond we enjoyed in past

But now I feel those golden moments lost. 

 

4.    With rolling years my verdant glory seen no more

Like splintered clouds driven by winds I shed my leaves

No growing tender shoots or buds I retrieve;

Those that remained turned sickly brown to the core;

A seared dry stump of wood with branches bare

No rustling dreamy whispers can I share

No proud bunch of dense foliage I display

On my bald top no more birds dance and play.

 

5.    Our looks and views driven by time slowly change

Our kindred bonds influenced by growing age

No more can we go back to our earlier stage;

Time’s unpredictable turns beyond our range

My bosom friends no more approach with rustling wings

No more will they spring on leafy branches and swing;

Like passing clouds new relationships they seek

Leaving my dry withered branches cold, dry and bleak.

                   ************************

   14th February, 2024                   Somaseshu Gutala

 

 

On my Stay at “Temple View Restaurant", Shirdi

     

                              

Superior Room

                            

Deluxe Room

                                        

Suite Room

                

Family Room

Interconnecting Room

Quadruple Room

                         

Hotel Corridor

Sai Naivedhyam

                                

Sai Amruth

Temple View Entrance

This hotel is located just opposite the famous Shirdi Sai temple at two minutes’ walking distance (110 meters). This four-star hotel has forty-three rooms on two floors. This hotel established in 2014 has historical significance. This hotel is owned by the renowned Gondkar Group of Shirdi. Sai devotees, Late Sri Waman Dada Gondkar and his brother, sri Murlidhar Baba donated their land to Sai Sansthan. On this land known as Lendi Baug, Sri Sai baba cultivated a garden where now the famous samadhi mandir stands.

  The hotel has all amenities like lift, wifi, A.C. L.C.D. television, telephone, laundry, free parking space, 24x7 hot water supply, mini-frizz, locker facility, coffee/tea maker and complimentary breakfast and free bottled mineral water. Airport transfer is provided on payment. This hotel has rooms of different dimensions to meet the customers’ requirements. All rooms are spacious with a table, a cupboard, chairs or sofas and bathroom accessories. For an extra bed, one has pay one thousand rupees.

The superior Room (237 sq. ft) has one king bed. The suit room has one king bed. The deluxe Room is more spacious (301 Sq. ft) and has a king-size bed. The interconnecting room (366 sq. ft) has two king beds. It is connected to the adjacent room through a connecting passage and is convenient for two families. The family room (441 sq.ft) is meant for five people and comprises three beds. The Quadruple Room (431 sq. ft.) with two double beds and one single bed accommodates up to four persons. The corridors, rooms and the lobby room are clean and well-maintained. On the walls of the corridor paintings of famous musicians of Indian classical music are displayed. It would be better to display the paintings of Sri Sai baba and the important events in his life to show the importance of this famous holy place. The synthetic screen shield meant for shielding sunlight does not block bright illumination outside at night. So dark-colored curtains may be better provided to give better ambiance at night time. The room service is quite prompt and good. In this hotel pets are not allowed. Smoking and use of alcohol are not permitted. Non-veg and food from outside are not allowed.

 This hotel has a restaurant by name “Sai Naivedyam”, a multi-cuisine restaurant managed by the famous Hotel G Square. It is a vegetarian restaurant where one can find delicious dishes of South Indian, Asian, Chinese varieties of tiffin and meals.  “Sai Amruth” is another restaurant managed by the famous Shetty’s Swatik group. It is a multi-cuisine restaurant specializing in Maharashtrian, South Indian, North Indian, Gujarathi and Rajasthani cuisines. Apart from these there are many restaurants nearby such as Blue Coriander, The Tulip, Ahaan restaurant, Sri Sai Sagat food court, Sai Sagar Food Court, Madhuban Saatvic restaurant and Haldi Ram restaurant etc.

There are many worth-seeing places near this hotel such as Shirdi sai samadhi mandir, Sri Adinath Swetambarnath Jain Mandir, Kandoba mandir, Sambaji Park, Sai Teerth Spiritual Theme Park (1.4 kms), Sai Heritage Village (3.8 kms), Pachamukhi Vishnu Ganapati temple (5 kms) and Wet n Joy water park (1.4 kms). This hotel is in prime location and attracts many tourists due to its proximity to Shirdi Sai Mandir. It is 1.7 kms from Shirdi Bus stand, 15 kms from Shirdi International Airport, 2.8 kms away from Sainagar railway station.

The staff at reception desk are very courteous and helpful. The receptionist on request gave us print outs of our darshan tickets as mobiles are not allowed. At the time of leaving the hotel we received a beautiful idol of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba as a token of their hospitality. As our flight is late in the evening, we had to extend our stay by a few hours. We were charged nearly Rs.1200/ for staying beyond our check-out time. It would be better if stay-in period is of 24 hours duration as train and flight timings do not coincide with the fixed timings of check-in and check-out.  As most of the pilgrims go out in the early hours of morning, coffee/tea may be provided at least by 6.00 a.m. The Temple View Hotel is one of the most favored restaurants to tourists visiting this temple-town.

                            ******************************

    9th February, 2024                    Somaseshu Gutala

The Village in Moonlight

                                      

        

                              

                  

 

                 1.           Before the sunset the hamlet

                 Withdraws from buzzing activities;

                 The birds nestled in cool, dense trees;

                 The village became calm as a rivulet;

                 The bustle of beating wings westward

                 The sound of crickets from the sward.

 

                 2.         The wavy breeze doth gently play

                Peace spread over all, no noisy sounds;

                Under the tree, the elders gather around

                To talk of crops, cattle and rainy days; 

                The smoke of cigars and cheroot uprose

                Through star-studded darkness in repose.

 

              3.           The song of boatman shoots through silence

              The sound of drums and cymbals heard

              In distant hut, a ritual proffered

             To some folk-deity with sweet incense;

             A drunken husband’s shout steals through

            The thickening night as dense as glue. 

 

          4.           Under the thatched roof is heard

          The tinkle of bells and sighs too slow

          From resting cattle in the faint dim glow

          Of fireflies beside the bleating herd;

          The hay- fresh smell doth makes them swoon

          Under the soothing light of the moon.

 

      5.              This pollution-free freshness soothes my mind

        Touched by soft motherly breeze so kind;

        I closed my eyes and merged with night

        In deepest slumber in cool moonlight;

       Even the belated gull’s cry moved me not;

       The village slept in moonlight, a heavenly spot.

               *****************************

   4th February, 2024           Somaseshu Gutala

        

A Note on "The Miracle garden" Dubai

Miracle garden, Dubai

                                  

Floral Archway

                                            

Umbrella Tunnel

                                   

Sunflower garden

                                            

Floral Castle

                                                  

Floating lady

                                               

Life-size A-380 Emirates Flight

                                        

Smurfs Village

                           

Floral elephants

                                                                        

Teddy Bear

         

                                                

Floral tea kettle with a cup

                

The Dubai Miracle Garden is one of the most popular tourist sites in Dubai which people should not miss. Grown over an area of 72,000 square meters, this garden attracts 1.5 million visitors every year with 50 million flowers and 250 million plants shaped in beautiful shapes and patterns showing the talents of florists who created a wonderful floral world amidst a desert region. This garden was launched on Valentine’s Day in 2013. It is the world’s largest natural flower garden. This garden was designed and created by Akar Landscaping and Agricultural Company led by Jordanian businessman Abdel Naser Rahhal. The entire project cost nearly forty million Dirhams or eleven million U.S.dollars. This garden is operated by City Land and Real Estate Development.  Most of the plants are south American flowers like Petunias. Sixty different varieties of flowers like petunias, geraniums, marigolds are seen. This garden is closed during summer, from June to September.

 This garden is watered by Dubai Municipality at night. Nearly two lakh gallons of treated waste water is supplied. There are many star attractions like the heart-shaped archways, grand floral castle, Umbrella tunnel, Smurf Village and characters of Disney Land, all done in floral form. The floral structures are changed every season to attract visitors to get a different experience. This garden has all facilities like Open parking, VIP parking, sitting areas, prayer room, battery cars, retail and commercial kiosks. There is an amphitheater for live performances and theatrical shows.

 This garden won international recognition by winning many prestigious awards. This garden has thirty restaurants, cafes, and kiosks like Starbucks, Gelato, Hardie, and Toyland. It has many toy shops and souvenir stalls. Gift items like souvenirs, mugs, keychains, magnets, post cards, toys, hats and Arabian clothes, accessories, handicraft items are sold in these shops. Adjacent to this garden there is a Butterfly Garden established in 2015. It is spread over 6,673 sq.mts with fifteen thousand free flying butterflies from twenty-six species in ten climate-controlled domes.

In 2013 the Miracle Garden was given Guinness World record for having the largest vertical garden. In April 2015, this garden received the prestigious award “Moselle Award” on the occasion of the International Garden Tourism Awards.  The super Jumbo Jet double-decker life-size model of Air Bus A-380 received the Guinness Book of world records title in 2016.

The floral arches at the entrance with bright colors appear as welcome arches inviting visitors to see a wonder world of flowers shaped in beautiful shapes. The umbrella Tunnel with a ceiling of upside-down umbrellas arranged in rings separated by bands of flowers matching the colors of each umbrella is an attractive spot with a medley of colored chairs for visitors to sit and relax. The umbrellas of various colors like blue, white, red, orange, green, pink, yellow and violet is a very beautiful spectacle. The green plants between the sections of ceiling appear like a rain forest. The floral castle made of red and green with pink and red towers and spires is an enchanted kingdom surrounded by  daisies and sunflowers. The fort with green and red hues is another worth-seeing site with magnificent spires and towers. The 15-meterp-floral sundial is another wondrous sight. The 3-D floral characters like the giant mushrooms, humanoid ants, flowered-powered cars and rose-laden swans surprise visitors very much.

 The huge 12-meter-high floral teddy bear made of green, red, white flowers with a yellow nose is another wonderful floral art. The sunflower area beside the sitting area around the lake park presents relaxing views of fountains and flowers. The floating lady figure dressed in pink and green lies in the air with outstretched arms with her long hair dangling to the ground. She is seen floating above a field of pink and white petunia flowers, as if feeling heavenly bliss.  As per the licensing deal between the Dubai Miracle Garden and the Walt Disney Company, a topiary of Mickey Mouse was unveiled in 2018. Floral figures of other Disney characters like Minni Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck, Daisy duck, Goofy, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were installed later that year.

Likewise for children, the Smurf Village presents a very comic and amusing world of Smurfs in various postures. Smurfs are small blue creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses. The depiction of Smurfs world is based on Belgian comics and T.V. Smurf stories. The magical skills and talent of floral artists and topiary artists are seen in shaping plants and flowers in various shapes like floral teddy bear, villas, horse, elephant and pea-cock figures, villas, the floating lady, the tea kettle with a cup, the floral heart tunnel and the floral castle.  

The heart tunnel features a dozen heart-shaped structures made of thousands of flowers in green, red, violet, pink and yellow arches functions as a passage way throughout the garden. The hill-top point of the garden gives a beautiful view of the entire garden. The Miracle Garden is indeed the city’s gift with a message that Nature should be protected, and sustainability of surroundings is the prime need of the whole world.

It is described as a “Little Piece of Eden”, “a floral extravaganza of unmatched proportions”. It is the largest natural garden in the world. It won the Guiness World Record three times. Its Disney Avenue has the biggest and tallest topiary in the world. Its Airbus A-380 is the largest floral installation. It includes the largest butterfly garden in the world.

Paradoxically this garden is grown in the heart of a desert. The Miracle Garden also stands as a good example of the efficient use of water and energy. It also figured in many popular movies. To know the wonders of Nature everyone should visit this garden at least once in a lifetime.

                         *******************************

    29th January, 2024                       Somaseshu Gutala