Road trippin'

I'm baaack. After seven grimy days of pre-election stories on the road.
My route took me from Delhi to Bangalore (by flight) and from there to Mandya,
Mysore, Mangalore, Udupi, Shimoga and back to Bangalore (all by road).

It all began when someone in office decided I should be sent to tour
Karnataka because I know the lingo. Here's some of what I did -

Mandya - unlike Bangalore which is next to it, Mandya seems like an
amorphous collection of little settlements spread across acres of heavily
irrigated farm land. Met a few farmers. Saw how a field is ploughed with a pair
of bullocks for the first time. Waded through sugarcane plantation with
mike in hand, mouthing an inane intro to my story. Dipped a finger into the river
Cauvery.

Mysore - nice hotel, nice people, nice palace. Met Kannada film superstar Ambareesh who is standing for a Lok Sabha seat in Mandya. Was surprised
to see he acts and speaks exactly in the same way as he does in reel life.
Yes, even that patented "aaaaiii, baro illi!!" to those familiar with the lingo.
Met the current Wodeyar prince who bitched about people in Delhi, the
colour bias against South Indians and of course politics.

Mangalore - saw the house where I lived for the first 6 months of my life. Went
aboard a Persian fishing boat into what I call the deep sea to see how fish are
caught.

Shimoga - cool drive from Mangalore. Saw a thousand cardboard cutouts
of former Chief Minister Bangarappa.

Tailpiece - since I was on the move, I subsisted on fresh, sweet bakery bread. Mysore's is the best.

And yes, the BJP is going to win.