India Journal 04- Movie theater experience and Isha

This is part 4 of my India journal. For earlier entries, see Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. This will be my penultimate post. I will write a catch-all post in the next few days to cover all the smaller topics in one shot. Before I go any further with this post, just to let you know, there is no connection between the movie theater experience and Isha as referred to in the title.In my time at home, I have seen two movies in the theater. Both of them were at The Cinema multiplex in Brookefields Mall, Coimbatore. I wanted to dedicate a few lines to the overall experience with these two movies. The mall complex is new to Coimbatore. It was being built when I first saw it in 2010 and this time I was blown away by the size and experience, given that it is in Coimbatore. Within Brookefields Mall lies the Satyam owned multiplex, The Cinema. I have been to Satyam complex once in my life and that was over a decade ago. I have heard a lot about how Satyam has revolutionized the movie going experience in India and I was keen to experience it first hand. I was not disappointed.The movie going experience at The Cinema in Coimbatore is better than any I have had in most of the US. The only exception being the IMAX 3D experience at the Metreon in SFO and IMAX at King of Prussia, PA. The first thing to marvel at is the state controlled ticket prices of Rs.120 (Rs.140 for IMAX). This is a steal. Tickets are easily available at the counter or by online reservations. When I first entered the complex (only to use the restroom, really), I was blown away by the modern white, black and red upholstery, urban contemporary furniture and swanky LCD displays all over. The restrooms I am used to in Indian theaters stink and reek or smoke. This one is sparkling clean and smells decent. The refreshments counter offers everything from vegetable puffs to chaat to ice cream. Inside the cinema hall, chairs and floors are clean and the theater is overall nice. The sound is excellent.The first movie I watched was Lootera which was average but featured some good music by Amit Trivedi. The sound system did full justice to his music. The second movie was a 3D experience of Pacific Rim. The theater, 3D experience and sound did full justice to the Guillermo Del Toro epic. Given the proximity of the theater to most residential neighborhoods in the city and the excellent movie watching experience, no wonder that Satyam has earned so much praise for their pioneering efforts. Color me very impressed.On a completely different note, we made a trip to the now popular Isha Yoga center near siruvani in the outskirts of Coimbatore. This organization started by Jaggi Vasudev has become a religious behemoth in recent years attracting huge crowds to their Dhyanalinga temple. We drove to the temple on a wonderful Sunday afternoon with a nice and gentle breeze. The temple complex is a huge campus nestled at the foothills of the Vellingiri mountains. The first thing I observed was the total prohibition of electronic devices in the center- this includes cell phones, cameras, tablets, etc. We surrendered all of this at the entrance (thus the lack of good pictures) along with our shoes and walked in. The campus is surrounded by the Nilgiris and on that Sunday evening with a mild drizzle, looked spectacular.[gallery ids="1025,1026"]Upon entrance, there is a beautiful mini-waterfall which is sunk below the ground level and people can wade in the pool. There are three panchaloha (composed of 5 elements) Lingams in the pool which supposedly purify the body and the spirit. The mens pool (Suryakund) is kept separate from the one for women. I took a wade in the icy waters and found it refreshing. We then walked over to the temple area. The center is constructed keeping the environment in mind. The entire area is populated with beautiful trees and flowers. There is an artificial pool with a small bridge over it. The pool is filled with water lilies and lotus. There is a Trimurti rock carving and then a small sanctum for Devi. The Devi sanctum was closed when we went there but we got a peek through a window in the door. It looked fantastic.The main attraction was of course the Dhyanalinga. Outside the Dhyanalinga building was a massive Nandi statue. Volunteers hushed us before entering the antechamber. We were asked to silently sit and wait for our batch to get inside. The waiting area has rock carvings of great devotees of Shiva like Kannappa Nayanar. The main chamber is a huge dome shaped building with a massive Linga in the middle. People silently streamed into the main room and took their place all around and silently meditated. It was a calm and peaceful few minutes. We walked out to the campus cafe and had piping hot bondas and sukku kapi to finish the day off.Two things struck me on my trip to the Isha Center. The first thing is how well thought out everything is. From the design of the place to keeping the font of all the signs consistent, a lot of effort has gone into the overall experience of the Yoga center. It was polished and sophisticated- a rarity for the genre. The other aspect that I found intriguing was how much the entire experience is controlled. From the time visitors are asked to surrender their mobile phones and cameras to how volunteers nudge people to specific spots and to keep silent and what not, the entire Isha experience is controlled. It is like having an iOS device. For the benefit of the visitors, the entire experience is curated and controlled to a T. Make what you will of it.Overall, the Isha Yoga Center is well worth a visit if you happen to be in the area. It is very interesting.My next post will be my last journal entry for this India trip.