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The Hindu
13-05-2025
- The Hindu
Bettadmele breakfast: A trek that rewards you with freshly made hot dosas on top of the hills
Crispy hot dosas on your plate are always a delight. Pair it with a breath taking view of the sunrise and that would be bliss. That plateful after an early morning trek is reward in itself and if that is your idea of a fun activity, Bettadmele Breakfast is a half-day trek experience that unfolds at Hulukudibetta, Doddaballapur. Organised by Suyana, a travel group in the city, trekkers are served hot, crispy dosas with chutney, fruit, jaggery rasayana, and millet malt after the one-hour climb. Suyana was founded in 2019 by Sushma BV, an HR professional, and her husband Sunil S, an UPSC aspirant. In 2022, Sushma quit her job and now curates travel experiences with Sunil. The couple organises a trek every weekend throughout the year in two batches — an early morning batch at 5.30, followed by a morning group at 6.30. Those who opt for the early morning trek are instructed to reach the base at Doddaballapur by 5am using their own transport, while those who opt for the morning trek are provided with transport facilities from various points in the city such as JP Nagar, Koramangala, Richmond Circle, Majestic, Mekhri Bus stop, Hebbal and Yelahanka to reach the base by 6.30am. After a quick briefing session at the base, trek leaders guide the group to the top. Sushma says, 'Our trek leaders not only ensure that participants follow the designated trail, but also keep the group engaged with fun activities.' Sushma and Sunil do not sleep the night before a trek. 'We make all the food at home using fresh organic ingredients. We begin making the chutney, palya and rasayana around eleven, and complete it around two in the morning. Batter is made in the morning after the rice is soaked the previous night.' Sushma elaborates on their operations. 'Our team departs at around three in the morning with these items with traditional cast iron tawas, portable stoves and cans. We do not use non-stick pans and these tawas are quite heavy, so we have a team of about 15 people who work every weekend, carry this up the hill. They include a research scientist from IIST, lawyers, doctors and IT professionals with a common interest in travelling and curating experiences with us.' The team dishes out as many as 200-250 dosas atop the hill for breakfast. Families, friends and marathon runners as well as fitness and yoga groups are regular participants of this trek experience. 'The trek is both age and pet friendly,' adds Sushma. 'Anyone from 7 to 70 can join in as it is an easy trek of about 1,000 steps.' The initiative is also sustainable. 'We ask our participants to carry their own steel or reusable plates and glasses for the trek. A trash bag is also be placed on site to discard waste. We then carry this bag back to Bengaluru and dispose it at the nearest BBMP disposal unit,' says Sushma. 'As of now, we organise Bettadmele Breakfast only at Hulukudibetta in Doddaballapur, and we chose this specific peak as it's a lesser-known hill, that is not crowded with tourists. Moreover, the historic Veerabhadra Swamy and Bhadrakali temples are located at the top of the hill, which is an added incentive,' she says. Meghana Suresh from Hennur, who went on the Bettadmele Breakfast experience in March 2025 with her family that includes her eight-and 12-year-old children, says, 'We used our own transport and reached the base at five in the morning after which there was a warmup session. Though we missed the sunrise view since it was cloudy, there were other points to explore once we reached the peak. The highlight of the experience was definitely the breakfast. The ragi malt shake and dosa were excellent.' Sushma says, 'My husband Sunil and I started Suyana in 2019 because we wanted to curate unique travel experiences outside the routine of work. After the pandemic, we initiated more interactive experiences such as the Bettadmele Breakfast to connect people with nature and others.' The Suyana group also organises trips to Agumbe, Hampi Kallu and Kumpa Vistara as well as ones to experience the Siddhi tribe culture. While the Agumbe Vismaya package includes both exploring the rainforest, waterfalls, mud caves and local culture as well as learning about the staple food, vegetation, biodiversity, conservation of endangered flora and fauna, a trip to Hampi focuses on a historical view of the place, its architecture, culture, innovation and literature. The cost for the Bettadmele Breakfast Experience starts at ₹1,101. For more details, contact 7406648322 OPTIONAL: Tips for first-time trekkers - Smoking and alcohol are not allowed. - Inform the organising team about any pre-existing medical conditions. - Bring your personal medications if needed. - Please carry light snacks if required like nuts or dry fruits. - Carry water bottles as the team will not be providing water and hydration is necessary. - Opt for comfortable attire and avoid cotton. - Pet feces should be disposed in the trash bag the team provides. - If the trek is called off due to insufficient participants, the trekking fees shall be refunded.
The Hindu
04-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Microgravity increases core body temperature: IIST model
The Voyager 1 spacecraft was 25 billion km away in February, somewhere in the outer edge of the solar system. It's the farthest a human-made spacecraft has gone from the earth. The hope is that in the distant future, a human astronaut will be able to go where Voyager 1 has been — a journey that could take several years of spaceflight. An important factor that determines an astronaut's well-being on such journeys is thermoregulation: their body's capacity to maintain a stable internal temperature. In the unique microgravity environment of space, this process faces significant challenges. Now, researchers at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Thiruvananthapuram, have published a study reporting that 'microgravity consistently increases core body temperature, with fluid shifts playing a crucial role in thermal balance,' in the words of Shine S.R., a professor of aerospace engineering at IIST and an author of the study. Human bodies respond differently to temperature changes based on age, fitness level, and body fat, among other parameters. In environments with near-zero gravity like space, the human body changes significantly, affecting bones, muscles, the heart, the immune system, metabolism, even individual cells. Some of the resulting complications can be severe, so space agencies and astronauts continuously monitor the spacefarer's body temperature. Scientists using a computer model to evaluate the body's ability to regulate temperature in specific conditions must also account for 'physiological changes observed in space, including blood shifts, metabolic variations, muscle atrophy, and environmental influences'. Shine said his team has developed a 3D computational model of human thermoregulation that 'incorporates these changes to simulate the effects of microgravity on thermoregulation, including blood redistribution, reduced blood volume, changes in metabolism, and alterations in bone and muscle mass'. According to Chithramol M.K., PhD student at IIST and first author of the study, the team's studies were limited by sufficient as well as accessible data on metabolic changes. In situations where data was unavailable, she said they tested how different factors changed their results and used their 'best judgment and standard engineering practices' to assess their impact. The model uses mathematical equations to track how heat moves through the body in three dimensions, and accounts for mechanisms like sweating and shivering, the impact of clothing, heat generated by vital organs, and other factors that have a say on how a body regulates its temperature. Each factor is modeled separately and then combined to understand the overall impact of microgravity on thermoregulation. The team published its findings with the model in Life Sciences in Space Research on March 29. 'Our findings reveal that the redistribution of blood from the lower limbs to the upper body in microgravity environments significantly impacts the body's temperature distribution,' Shine and Chithramol said. Specifically, the researchers reported that while the feet and hands become cooler as the body spends more time in microgravity, the head, abdomen, and the core get warmer. The model also indicated that when astronauts exercise in space, their body temperature rises faster than it does on the earth. Over 2.5 months in microgravity, considering 30% lower sweating and 36% higher metabolism, the core body temperature may increase to around 37.8° C from 36.3° C before flight. If one were exercising in the same conditions, the temperature would be closer to 40° C. The researchers were able to confirm their model was able to predict real outcomes by using it to simulate astronauts' body temperature onboard the USSR's and Russia's erstwhile Mir space station and onboard the International Space Station, then compared its output to official reports. They matched. Most current models that predict how bodies regulate temperature mostly use data from non-Indian populations. Different body types and physiological processes modulate thermoregulation differently; a model specific to one population group may fail to predict specific outcomes when applied to another group. As thermoregulation models indicate how a person responds to temperature changes, they are also used in many everyday situations. For example, clothiers use such models to fine-tune how their products keep people warm or cool. Architects use such models to design buildings to lower heat stress of their occupants. In medicine, especially during heart surgeries, thermoregulation models predict how a patient's body temperature changes, helping both doctors and patients avoid complications. According to the IIST team, these models calculate the universal thermal climate index — a number that indicates how hot or cold it feels outside by considering factors like wind, humidity, and sunlight. Shine said, 'These models are valuable tools for enhancing safety, comfort, and performance in diverse real-world scenarios' in addition to astronaut health and safety in microgravity environments. 'Take our model, for example: while [it] was developed with the human space program in mind, we have also realised its potential in various everyday situations on earth.' Shreejaya Karantha is a freelance science writer.
