Stationery troubles

I lost my pen in office today. Probably borrowed by a colleague or rolled behind the CPU and the forest of wires that I suspect is actually the portal to a secret universe.
I have lost pens before, that sent me crashing back through memory lane, to when I was in 3rd standard or so. I had the reputation of losing a lot of pencils in school. I swear, I have no idea how I managed. I had a nice pencil box. It was green, with two layers i still remember. But everyday by the time I got home, I remember never having my pencils.

I remember one particular time when my dad, tired of the constant irresponsiblity refused to buy me new pencils. He said I wouldnt be going bak to school tomorrow and suggested I work at the cycle shop and earn money the hard way. (Yes, we had cycle shops back then, hand operated pumps, 50ps per tyre)
I remember losing it completely and I remember my aged neighbour consoled me, and secretly gave me an old pencil that used to belong to her daughter. She had kept it for memory's sake. She made me promise that I would take good care of it and show my parents how responsible I was.

I lost it the next day.

The next year, If i remember correctly, brought a new miracle to my life. The blessed new Micro-Tip pencil. I remember I was the first one in my class to start using it. My otherwise atrocious handwriting suddenly seemed a lot more bearable when I sarted writing with it. The catch was that I was NEVER allowed to take it to school with me. My teachers were all praise for my marked improvement, and one of them suggested I use that pencil to answer an upcoming unit test.

My mother was really hesitant to let me take the pencil to school, but again, i promised I wouldn't lose it no matter what. They finally relented and I was full of joy. I remember I dint put it in my pencil case, but in the shirt pocket. Come on, I was grown up, and I carry my pencil like a grown up would.

While walking down to the assembly that morning I had the irresistable urge to look over the first floor guard rail to see how many people would admire my pencil today.

Let's just say I dint write the test very well.

Fifth standard, and we were allowed to use Pens. HERO Fountain pens were all the rage, and I'm sure every one of you has gone to class one fine morning, opened the pencil box (now with pens) opened your pens and found it leaked. I always used my necktie to wipe it off. Quite a few times, the tie has transferred the ink to my white shirt.

In sixth standard, the world changed again with the arrival of the "Gel" pen. Coming to school with ADD Gel was equivalent to driving a Ferrari to school. Dot pens were for sissies. Needless to say, I pleaded and pleaded and got an ADD Gel.

I never lost the pen, but the bitch ran out of ink in 4 days.

Things have worked out better for me after those years, I managed not to piss off my parents anymore with my stationery troubles. Though I will admit i have never been able to keep a scale and eraser with me for more than a week. I always used a protractor or set squares or anything with a straight edge to make up for it. Admit it, you've done it too.

I still think of what happened to all my pencils and other stuff and I hope whoever found it made good use of it and will in the future build a lightsaber or something. Or rot in hell, you know. Either.

A hair raising experience..

Well, i've just finished college. Yes finished for good. Mysore University has churned out yet another (temporarily) unemployed graduate. This means that I get to be home a lot more. That also means I get to watch TV!

For people who do not know me very well, I don't really like TV very much. I never bothered for a very long time. Until dad went and procured a huge-ass flat screen Bravia.

Our comically dysfunctional family means that we all eat at different times, and that means I get to eat alone often.

In these dreadful times, I turn to the TV for solace. To help me sail through solitary meals. The DTH system means that I can group my favorite channels in a clump. So I've set Discovery, NGC, Fox Traveler, Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo in one series. This usually gives me the half hour fix of things that I'm really interested in.

But every average half hour that I sit down to watch TV also includes the almost 15 minutes of commercials. They wreck my brain.

Seriously, ten minutes into these commercials and any non earth inhabitor (i dint want to say aliens) can be convinced that all of life's problems include being too dark, having bad hair and incredibly, more hair related problems.

Earlier, it was only women who would scream and faint on-screen if they ever so much as had a pimple. Now we have to endure John Abraham in a spandex running outdoors and teaching you how to be fair.

Then there is the supposed tennis pro, Anu, who refused to wear "tennis dress" in a match BECAUSE HER FRICKIN SKIN TONE DID NOT MATCH HER FACE. Hang on a minute, lets deconstruct this. So common knowledge says that the parts of the body always covered tend to be slightly fairer. But aha, this woman's face, being ravaged by creams for so many years manages to turn whiter than them places where the sun dont shine. Oh and the solution propounded is not to just stop bleaching her face. Surprise, there is a new "revolutionary" product that combines everything of everything that makes her shed her inhibitions to wear "tennis dress". I will dare vaseline body lotion my eternal servitude if they get Multiple grand slam winner Venus or Serena Williams to promote this same tennis wala package.

Super mutant Hair that is used to pull an ambulance out of a ditch? Why do they think that we all think our scalps are a war zone that need "repairing"?

A sunscreen combined with whitening lotion? WTF is whitening anyway. WHY on earth would you want to look like you've just seen a Ghost?

The absolute last straw - sometime ago during breakfast I saw an ad for a deo. Not the supposed attracting and spontaneous sex-inducing types.(that's not true, btw, i've tried) No no, this one is far more pointless. This one whitens your armpits apparently.

I dont want to live on this planet anymore.

Hall of Fame..

Located about seven kilometres out of Leh on the Kargil-Leh highway is the nondescript “hall of fame”. Well, you might think that it’s a place where they glorified the famous people of this region and garlanded statues of them, politicians and the like. I thought it was like that too as I got on my boss’s Royal Enfield headed out to this place.
The first sign that I was wrong was that it is located between a transit camp of the 127 KAR rifles regiment of the Indian army and the airforce base of Leh. Also flanking the entrance are two Howitzer cannons, in army livery. The ticket issue clerk was in full army fatigues.

It’s a war memorial.

The entrance is unassuming but one visit to this little building and it will change your life forever. A nominal charge of ten bucks per person gets you in and you see a plaster of paris terrain recreation of the entire trans Himalayan ranges- the lower, zanskar and everything else up to karakoram and then you begin to appreciate the forces of the tectonic plates when they collided and resulted in this crazy landscape. The nubra, zanskar and Indus rivers hop along as rapids and provide life to this otherwise desert surroundings.

I thought this bit of information was out-of-place in a war memorial, but I was wrong yet again. The sheer magnitude of everything- altitude, tempertures, approach roads and borders are what separates this battlefield from anywhere else in the world.

I entered the room dedicated to operation Vijay. Commonly known to us as the Kargil conflict, this room provides all the details of the exercise. The dates, the timings, the regiments involved and the manner in which it was carried out. Essentially, they mention the folks that they were fighting against as just “the enemy” and the “illegal occupiers”.

Some of you might recall the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, where the US soldiers capture beach heads in Normandy, France. Now imagine a much smaller army unit capturing a much higher post in temperatures 30 degrees below freezing and up against much better and accurate artillery fire.

Yes, the Indian army kicked a lot of ass and the stories of those soldiers who were awarded gallantry awards (some posthumously) are displayed in this hall, under the head “lest we forget…” forget? Not in a million years!

We find the stories of ordinary 24 to 27 year old men from all around the country irrespective of state or caste who fought alongside each other to secure the borders. If these stories don’t make you feel worthless, then you’re the most pompous ass to ever breathe god’s good air.

After a while of going through those accounts and imagining the conditions you’re trying very hard not to cry openly but the slogans and the atmosphere they create there gives you a very formidable challenge. Suddenly you glance at a slogan board that reads –

“Quartered in snow, Silent to remain. When the bugle calls, They shall rise and march again…”

But perhaps what is most likely to get that lump in the throat unbearable is this exhibit, which I will reproduce here. Please do be patient and try and understand the feelings of this 22 year old –

THE LAST POST…
Capt VijayantThapar, 22, died trying to evict Pakistani intruders from a ridge in Kargil on 28 June, 1999. This is the letter he wrote to his parents days before he made the ultimate scrifice:
(in a beautiful jointed writing on a blue inland letter)

Dear Papa Mama Budhi and Gummy,

1. By the time you get this letter I’ll be observing you all from the sky enjoying the hospitality of Apsaris.
2. I have no regrets, in fact, even if I become human again I’ll join the army and fight for my nation.
3. If you can, please come and see where the Indian army fought for your tomorrow.
4. As far as the unit is concerned, the new chaps should be told about this sacrifice. I hope my photo will be kept in the ‘A’ company mandir with Karni Mata.
5. Whatever again can be done should be done.
6. Contribute some money to orphanage and keep on giving 50/- Rs to Ruksana per month and meet Yogi Baba.
7. Best of luck to Birdie, never forget the sacrifice of these men. Papa you should feel proud. Mama so should you, meet (name deleted) I loved her. Mama ji forgive me for everything wrong I did.

Ok then, its time for me to join my clan of the Dirty dozen, my assault party has 12 chaps.
Best of luck to you all,
Live life King size.
Yours,
…

Father’s message:
Son,
The brave way you left this world at the age of 22 is a measure of how you lived your short life and what you valued. In meeting the stark challenges of capturing Knoll against all odds, during the battle of Three Pimples with heroic coolness and single minded devotion to duty, you have achieved immortal honour. In death, you hve epitomized the spirit of national pride- an honor which makes every sacrifice worthwhile. Your actions will forever inspire generations of Indians to come. You have left us with pride for being the parents of a worthy son and a lifetime of pain for having lost a child we love.
-
Col. V.N. Thapar.

With great difficulty, I managed to wipe my eyes and walked out behind to the little park that has the memorial stone and the Indian tricolor flying proudly over the names of those martyred for the country’s cause. The writing on the foot of the memorial –
                                                       

                                                      ALMIGHTY LORD, IN THY GRACIOUS KEEPING,
                                                                LEAVE WE OUR SOLDIERS SLEEPING

Please take some time off and reflect on the amazing feats carried out everyday by these silent sentinels of the borders. I’m a changed person, are you?

"In loving memory of those that who set out to serve the nation and did not return... Ladakh, 1947".

Of journeys and destinations...

The road is a person. She has many different personalities. She starts out from Manali being very gentle and embracing, very inviting yet promising nothing. She defends her territory and tests the traveler physically and mentally. She must have been particularly cross the day I tried to go over, she put 6 tonnes of rock and gravel between me and my path.

It was probably a good thing because I woke up to the best view ever. Looking at the snow capped mountain ranges through the foggy window first thing in the morning was quite an experience. Human resilience soon prevailed and I was on my way again. Throughout the day she rewarded me with fantastic views of the pass, a stream accompanying the road all the time. Later on during the day , she began to take away my air.

Altitude sickness can affect anyone, and it affects different people differently. How differently did it affect me? Well let me tell you, being sick on a night when the temperature is just touching minus 9 degrees with just a canvas tent and a few rugs to keep the cold out on a day that you haven't eaten much, other than an omelet and few chocolate bars is not the most pleasant experience in the world.

Next morning arrived and suddenly she was as cruel as ever snowing at us and forcing us to slow the descent from the second highest pass on the way. I barely managed to survive Tanglang La and was ever so grateful when the plains were back.

The final hundred kilometers into Leh is the best stretch, where she is a playful dainty lass, partly tamed by the BRO. Signs on the highway read like “be slow on my curves” and “not so fast darling” probably issued by an officer who shares a love-hate relationship with this highway. They toil day in and day out to keep her tantrums at bay and not to put people at risk. She has taken many lives over the years, a sad way to go. The border security force, the Trishul regiment also has a major presence on this stretch. One of their signboards read “when you get home, tell them of us. For their tomorrow we gave our today”. Indeed I will tell anyone who cares, they are doing the most selfless daring and outstanding service and we simply can’t thank them enough.

Finally after testing you and pushing your boundaries to the limit, she gives up her treasure. Leh is one of the last few places on Earth where you can have a relaxing time. Where the air is unpolluted and where attitudes are that of a welcoming open culture. The landscape of this place cannot be described in words and has only to be experienced. I will go so far as to say it is unlike anything else in the world.

These three days I spent on the road has left me rattled and shaken. The time I spent in Pang was the first time I ever wondered if I would make it through the night. But then I find that little memories of the people closest to me all over the world and their daily battles and the way they face it always picked me up and the faith always remained.

They say it’s more about the journey than the destination, but I’ve always felt that the destination must justify the perils and knocking of the journey. That night I wondered to myself if it was worth putting me through this torture, and if it was worth being like this on the very first time that I left home for work. Once I reached here I realized that the journey has changed me. I appreciate better the value of human life and how helpless we are in the face of mommy nature’s will. I have begun to infinitely respect the armed forces and the other people who strive to make this place a better destination. I thank a million times silently the complete stranger who listened to my feelings and gave me some medications to ease the pain. I miss the pampering only-son treatment I got back home, but I have also learnt to establish well in a new place and get to know the attitudes of the people.

I traveled almost 4000 km in getting here. I experienced the terrible nonsense of an attitude from the information counter at Indira Gandhi International Airport and also the legendary Ladakhi hospitality from Ammo and Dawa my adopted parents here in Leh. It has been a very taxing journey and the landscapes have been as different and varied as one can comprehend.

Yet as I sit here on the banks of the river that gives this glorious country its name, I feel a single tear leave my left eye and I cant help but think, my India…India Incredible...


-TomCat

Women's day Ranting :)

I never got the point of “days”. It’s the 8th of March and somehow is also designated International Women’s Day. I used to think why is it that only on that particular day we all get gung ho about whatever it is that we are supposed to be celebrating and then forget it till the next time the “day” came around. You might remember I wrote about it on valentine’s day. That particular note got most people excited about the stuffed lizard thingy, but then there was this one thought by a friend which in turn got me thinking -  and I quote –

“well what you say is true,you don't feel more love for someone on certain days, but ever so often we forget to telll the people who make our lives special that we love them(barring a few exceptions of course!) and lets face it, those are words any sane person would love to hear(i know i loved it when i read your note!!=)). Valentines day just gives us the opportunity to do so…”

Think about it, I kept looking at the letter of it, and not in its Spirit.

So this morning, when I realised its “Women’s” day, I took some time out, and thought about all of the women who matter to me. Just thinking of them made my day. Linguist, Biotechnologists, Architects, Engineers, Lawyers, Dentists, Managers, Teachers, Writers, Artists all come to my mind, and how I KNOW they carry responsibilities with the aplomb and grace that only they could have .

Loving mothers, caring sisters and awesome friends you all are, and I realised, blessed am I to have you all in my life.
This one’s for you, for all the special women in my world, who in turn make my world special, by being there. :)

Cheers, and keep the faith.
TomCat.

P.s: today also happens to be this wonderful girl Lavanya Snigdha’s Birthday, so have a good one, dei! :D

Love and other...

Valentine’s day, hmm. A tough time for some, happy times for some more. Love it or hate it, there’s no escaping it. You just get drawn into the whole thing, and I cant think of any other “day’s” that generate so much Buzz.

From the last couple of years, in Karnataka atleast there was this Pramod dude who wrecked some people’s happiness by being a miserable girl-beating waste of blood and organs. Previous year, they threatened that any guy and girl roaming on the street would be immediately married off. Hell, I don’t know about the others but I ended up laughing my ass off. The things that people do for publicity, I tell you. Anyway, he got dealt with by flower power. No, not hippies but some crazy women decided to send him pink undies. You cant exactly call it Pwnage, it doesn’t match up somehow, but I would sure loved to have seen the man’s face when he started receiving them bloomers.

And so this year, none of the Tamasha. Or nothing that I have heard of as I write this. Who knows, he might have lulled the folks into a false sense of security before jumping out of the cabinet and screaming boo!

One thing is for sure though, if them goons turn up at a pub in Bangalore or some place, the bouncers and the MEN in the pub (yeah that’s right, not the ones in Mangalore) will knock their bloody blockers off.

It’s a crazy day, in a way. One to express our love and all. Also this expression comes at a price. Most mobile networks charge one rupee per sms on this day. So its sort of a chivalrous thing, you text people even if it isn’t free. Total brownie points material right there!

What is the point of it all, is something that somehow escapes me from all these years. What so it’s a day and so you suddenly show your love for someone or something? And tomorrow its NOT, and so you can dial it down a few notches?

And then these gift stores put up huge cards and those godawful bears. Ah, the bears. Grizzly bears are some of the most ruthless hunters, quickest, with an amazing sense of smell, are extremely territorial, can be thrice your height and WILL, I repeat WILL obliterate you in 2 seconds. Yet, a stuffed grizzly will get AWWWed and in most cases (including mine ;) )you will also get :-* ed. On the other hand, the common house lizard is harmless, eats flies and generally minds its own business. But oh boy, try giving someone a stuffed Lizard. I can sense a lot of o.O and 0_o looks.

But then I’m not saying Valentine’s day is bad in any way and I do not have anything against people wishing me happy valentine’s day. Infact its really nice, but its just that, like I was telling my friend in the morning I love everyone I love equally on all days, if not more. Just makes more sense that way.

So this one is for all those in my life who make it special, I love you J
So long, and keep the faith.
Love,
TomCat

Worth a thought...

http://freekmagin.wordpress.com/

A new morning.

Cult:

Noun:

1) Followers of an unorthodox, extremist, or false religion or sect who often live outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.

Religion:

Noun:

1) A strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny.

Interchangeable, aren't they.

Religion, by definition is, a strong belief in supernatural power that control human destiny. I think it should be modified to, a strong belief in a made up power that control humans. Just to clear the air, I admit that I am an atheist. I chose this. I wasn't influenced, converted, nor am I following a "cult" blindly. I am doing just the opposite, in fact. I am not against religion, just the way its being followed.

Its not logical to me, the way religion stands against humanity. Yes it does. Humanity teaches us to be together. Religion does the opposite. It creates sects and make them stand together against each other. Consider this for instance, every other religion states that if you don't follow 'so and so' religion, you'll go to the eternal pit of fire/hell or whatever that is called. What are they trying to do here, scare people into following one? Why is it never a time when we here a religion proclaim togetherness in spite of cultural/religious/regional differences. I have personally, never heard any  of the religious heads saying, "if you don't follow my religion, but some other, doesn't make a difference because its all same to God". It's always about their God and their religion.

What's worse is one religion banning every other, to even slightly be involved, and they are proud to be exclusive. Rubbish. Its more like the royal families of the English. They marry their own cousins just to keep their lineage pure. Really? Are you that stupid? Its like diving into the gene pool, with nothing new in it. Scraping the bottom in hope of survival. What results from it is genetic diseases, cancer and the IQ down the toilet. Spiral into itself and die. Don't believe me, research it. It's true.

Almost every religion, these days is attacking the other, hopelessly trying to prove and establish superiority. They are so blind in the quest that they fail to see the obvious, that they are not moving anywhere. They are exactly where they started from. Are they this dumb to actually believe that someone will admit the inferiority of his/her religion against theirs? Leave aside the inferiority-superiority issue. I grew up with the notion that God is the single point of pureness and religion is God's way of imparting that pureness to everyone. But soon I knew that this is how fairytale sounds.

When people kill each other just because they worship different Gods, I knew the whole idea was moot on the society. The very notion of a creator is disturbed when every other sect has one of their own which eventually sets out to be the most superior of them all, and if not followed, promises you of burning in hell. And then there are ones that forbid you to follow them because your are born into some other.

Would I be any different if I was born a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian or a Parsi? Would I suddenly have extra human power or would I lose the use of a limb or two?

There's one other thing that really bothers me and its the position of women according to the religion. Always blamed, pushed around, burnt at stake and said to have caused adversities.

• Hindu: Ram questions Sita's morality and loyalty after fighting an entire epic war, killing Ravan. Sita finally submits herself to the fire.
• Christianity(Protestant): Virgin Mary was not a virgin after she gave birth to Christ and was just another woman and hence the cause of all the bad in the world.
• Both Islam and Christianity have condemned woman(Eve) of committing the Original Sin and God said "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" and to the man he said "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life". So basically he gave PMS, childbirth and male dominance to women and the pain of earning to men. 

Really...???? 

Plus it really bugs me that when people talk about God, the creator of everything, somehow they always portray a male figure. Talk about equality.

Well I don't agree with any of them. What I'd want to do is, to have all the like-minded, right-minded people who rather than giving into the the shackles of the so established religions, would like to have a blend of all the good and practical approach towards being with each other and make a cult religion of my own. Call it Illuminati. In essence, it'd do the same thing the secret society tried to do. Free thinking. 

Be Illuminated....!

End to A random 2010...

Well, an end to a great and weird year…  2010 will certainly go down in my life as the most random. At the end of the year, I can only sit and think back, see what I did wrong, and what I could have done, and the people who made it matter.
Its no secret that I thrive on friends who are most of the time existing only on my facebook and my gmail, but you haven’t ever felt any less than the ones I see in real. And that’s very special, and I am thankful for that.

This year has seen me be more thankful for what I have than things that I’d rather have otherwise. Really, I’ve begun to appreciate it more and more. This year also, I discovered I cant write like I used to. I spoke to someone about it, and she said, as people change, their writing also changes. I used to write effortlessly, bearing my soul to anyone, but I don’t seem to be able to do that anymore. Either I start to write too late after the thought has come and then it seems stupid, or I plain forget! I had planned to write a series of travel journals of my epic trips that I took this year, but that’s yet to materialize.
Speaking of which, I’ve realized this year that I was meant to travel. Its one thing that I can see myself doing forever. In the last 4 years, I’ve seen 8 capital cities and I can feel genuine love for some of the places that I’ve seen. There was Calicut and cochin to start with. Absolute love. And then there was BBSR, which grows on you. That was partly due to the awesome company and new friends I got there, and then there was Shillong. I’m going to live there for a year sometime. All this traveling has made me fall in love with the incredible country that India is. That said, there are a few major regrets. I haven’t seen GOA till now. Yes, go ahead and laugh. Its just that its never caught my fancy all that seriously yet. And I haven’t seen Balmuri. All my mysore friends will know what I’m talking about. Its funny actually.

I got a really good deal on a damn good digital camera, ofcourse all of you know that already, and I haven’t been doing it justice. I should make it a point to spend more time with it occasionally.
2010 has been quite hard on me. I’ve had to say goodbye to a lot of special people this year. Some, I had it coming, and some I have a few unsaid things left. There are some others who have drifted farther, with their careers, and life as a whole and yet a lot more have made their way in. it’s a beautiful balance at the end of the year. This year I’ve had some of my best dreams coming true: like experiencing Cherrapunji and some of them shattered to bits. This year I’ve seen the happiest of moments, be it surprise hugging a sister at an airport at 1 AM or getting a sudden call from someone special just when I was thinking of her though she is 4 hours in the past. I’ve seen my share of terrible luck and pure hatred too.

I’ve had things said to me that felt like white hot Arabian schimitars tear through my guts and pull it out. I also had kittens fall asleep on me, and it’s the most blissful thing ever. I fell in love this year, and fell out equally hard ;)
There’s a few other things I’d want to remember, riding in the coldest night in Mysore for 117 years, making new random friends, google maps helping lost friends in Bangalore, 3 days at Igoor, and my new phone!
I will also remember 2010 for being the most painful for a lot of people that I know, and will cherish it for bringing the people so close to me.

Anyway, that seems to be a long enough Rant. Have a great year ahead and don’t forget to keep the faith :) Its not that bad afterall, y’know.

Cheers,
TomCat

Karnataka History Part -1: Revenge of The Brahmin

The southern state, that looks like a bean is Karnataka. Where I come from. Usually, to the folks up north, every south Indian is Madrasi, or Mallu. That sucks. Thus, I'd like to present here some stories of the past from this region:

The political history of Karnataka starts with the rise of the first indigenous dynasty: The Kadambas. Untill then, this land was under the control of The Pallavas, who used to rule from Kanchi, in Tamil Nadu. They were already doing some pretty awesome things, like the shore temple, and the Mahabalipuram cave temples and all that Jazz. We had nothing yet.

Enter: Mr Mayurasharma. From a small town called Banavasi. He was just another Brahmin boy playing around, reciting what he was taught and so on. Now you see, brahmins are stereotypically weak and vegetarian. Not the sorts that would go picking a fight. Like so:

Wouldn't harm a fly...

After obtaining excellent GRE scores, he went off Kanchi for higher studies.

And then, the inevitable happened. The city folks couldn't resist picking on the small-town brahmin.

Ofcourse, this was about two thousand years before we learnt that ragging seniors could be dealt with by electrocuting their cojones. Therefore, what happened next was Old school.

Retribution Time!!

Mayursaharma swore vengeance on not only the idiots who Punked him, but against the whole frikkin empire. Eye-witnesses say he said something like: "The hand that clutches the sacred grass can wield the sword too" before storming back to his town.

He bandied together a few of his friends, and in a slow flashback scene, with soulful music, mastered the martial arts. Guerrilla to be precise. The rampage started in the forest areas of modern day Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh. He grew stronger and stronger and when the dust finally settled, his army had inflicted some severe ass kicking on Traikutas, Abhiras, Sendrakas, Pallavas, Pariyathrakas, Shakasthana, the Maukharis and Punnatas: all kingdoms in the south and became Emperor

They even made a movie...

 One of the first things he did after he became king (apart from the diamonds and the red tights) is that bounced out Prakrit and made Kannada the official language. From then on, Karnataka became an independent geo-political entity and a centre of power.

They even named India's most advanced and only military naval base INS Kadamba. 'Nuff said.