RANDOM THOUGHTS

 DISAPPOINTING START TO THE IPL - 2022 CAMPAIGN BY CSK The Start to this Year's IPL CAMPAIGN  by The CSK has been disappointing to say the least . The first match against the KKR was a low score encounter where the CSK were left wanting in both the Bowling and Batting Departments . I guess the much acclaimed THINKTANK of the CSK has given too much weight  to retaining its winning squad in the Batting Dept and its selection of the Bowling Combo has left  a lot of deep holes . The second match against the Lucknow Giants is a case in point . Granted that Chahar was out due to injury , the other bowlers looked almost pedestrian and the way that the new lad on the Block Badoni and Evin Lewis toyed with the bowling was a revelation.  That a more than par total of 210 could not be defended tells a story of it's own.  Hope better things are in store for CSK in the Matches Ahead .  

        TAAL VOLCANO IN NEWS                                    AGAIN  NEW INDIAN EXPRESS 27-03-2022 Taal Volcano in the Philippines is in the news again . It appears to have become active and spewing a lot of Debris all around . I might be one among the very few to have visited and seen this Volcano in its more calmer times. For one who   hails  from this part of the World it was indeed unique . ‐--------------------'xxxxxx--------------------- Following is a Newspaper Clip about the Eruption of the Taal Volcanoe in the Philippines in today s THE HINDU .              JAN 14 th 2020  Mount Taal is located some 100 kms from Makati , the Financial Capital of The Philippines . My Daughter and Son In Law Kamesh were then , some 15 years back  staying and working in The Philippines .  This news of the eruption of the Volcano brings back memories of my own visit to this  place in 2005 along with my Daughter and Kamesh  as also  a couple of their friends Vikram Lulla and Rakesh We arrived

          कौन असली में अमीर है ?  अपने बेटे कि शादी में पूरी तरह व्यस्थ थी नीलमा . शहर के सबसे बड़े दुकान जाकर अपने रिश्तेदारों के लिये साड़ियां खरीद रहीं थी . आखिर में अपने घर की कामवाली के लिये सस्ते से सस्ते दाम पर बिकने वाली साडी दिखाने के लिये कह रह थी दुकानदार को . ठीक उसी समय नीलिमा की कामवाली दुर्गाबाई अपने पास के दुकान जाकर कह रही थी  " भाईसाब हमारी मालकिन के बेटे की शादी है , इतने साल उनके साथ रेहने के कारण मै जानती हूँ कि वो अपने लिये छोड़कर बाकी सब के लिये साड़ियां खरीद rahee  hongi  , इस लिये उनके लिये ऐक अच्छी मेहंगी साडी दिखाइये . अब प्रश्न ये उठता है कि इन दोनों में अमीर कौन है  नीलिमा या दुर्गा बाई ? शिमला में घूम फिरने के लिये श्रीमान और श्रीमती रंजन ने अपने ६ महीने के साथ ठहरने के लिये ऐक ३ स्टार होटल में कमरा बुक किया था . पहुँचते समय काफी देर हो चुकी थी और बच्चे के लिये दूध की ज़रुरत थी . मैनेजर से पूछने से पता चला की दूध तो मिल जायेगी लेकिन सिर्फ पैसे देने के बाद . अगले दिन सैर सपाट के बाद , दोपहर को बच्चे के लिये वापस दूध की ज़रुरत पडी , और कोई चारा ना होने के कार

    MANGO SEASONS GREETINGS  The Sight of Freshly Grown Ripe Mangoes in your own  backyard is a sure delight each Season . The approaching summer does have it's own share of the juicy fruit at your doorstep . The small matter of you being in your early Seventies with a few health related issues is no dampner to this joy  . Further , your  Dental  condition or its or  its  inability to bite into the juicy part of the Mango in no way stops you from partaking this King of Fruits .  MORE THE MERRIER 

OMINOUS SIGNS OF THINGS                IN STORE FOR ALL OF US I guess , one would call an establishment a good one if it takes steps on the following lines . 1 General wellbeing of its Citizens with special features for its female members . 2 Education at affordable rates for its youngsters . 3 Providing Healthcare with extra emphasis on its elders  . 4 Job creation for its educated and qualified youth  . 5 Weening away the masses from Alcohol and Drugs   . All 5 parameters leave a lot to be desired of late . The power disruptions during the last 4 days tells a story of its own. The outages have ranged from a maximum of 8 hours to atleast 2 hours everyday .  I fail to see anyone having even an iota of the Grey Matter in his head ever think of starting an establishment or providing an opportunity to the youth to be gainfully employed . Sad also to see that the recent rains which were no more than the PEE of an infant in his diaper are enough to shut the power  supply for hours together

 STAYING OPTIMISTIC DURING                 CHALLENGING TIMES  The importance of Staying optimistic during  challenging times or otherwise is something which we come to know as we age . How many of us remember our first day at School . We clutching at the fingers of our parents thumb or little finger as they come to drop us at our school is a story that we seem to  relish and never get bored even after listening to the story umpteen number of times . The encouraging words of our parents and advice to stay calm and enjoy the experience with the many new friends is the first lesson to stay optimistic.  As we grow older , each new day brings forth a new set of challenges. It could be a timeline to finish a project , making entry into the school even as you listen to the final bell . Intellectually , it pays to be focused and optimistic as you go through the various classes , courses , seminars or debates . Staying optimistic is like  half the battle won . Of late , Health issues occupy a l

 FIRST GETTOGETHER AFTER             COVID OF COATS WVG STAFF It has been almost more than two years since a gettogether of any sort has taken place because of the Covid Pandemic . By a strange coincidence, the last one was also  hosted by the Barthasarathy Couple , the occasion being the Wedding of their Son . More than Two years have passed and the COVID seems to be waning now  and almost on its last leg .  Barthasarathy Couple were now kind enough to invite us for the Wedding of their Daughter at the Gowri Shankar Complex at Ambasamudram . May the newly Wedded Couple be Blessed with Health - Wealth and Happiness  The 3 hours spent in the company of old Friends and Colleagues brought back many fond memories of the past . Hope there are more such Occasions in times to come .

                             AIRPORT LIKE LOUNGE  AT                            MADURAI  RAILWAY STATION  Due to a sudden change of plans to include a Visit to Nainar Kovil near Parmakudi which is the Kula Deiva Kovil from my Mother's side , I decided to forego the Madurai to Tirunelveli leg of the journey on the way back from our Scheduled Visit from Coimbatore to Tirunelveli . Our plan was to get down at Madurai Junction at around 12.30 am and proceed to Nainar kovil by hiring a car at around 4.30 am . This meant that I would need to spend around 4 Hours in the platform of Madurai Junction Railway Station . This is where the Glass panneled Lounge on Platform Number 1 while passing through Madurai Station on many  Previous occasions came to mind.  Before proceeding further , I must add that visiting Nainar Kovil has always been something special to me . In the recent past  On each  such occasion I have received Devine blessings where an important personal  event has been Successfu

          PLEASANT AND LASTING                                MEMORIES  Over the years , we all carry memories of the good times of the past . It could be an event in which you have participated or witnessed, or a place you have visited or even a movie whose memory you still cherish for  reason which is still a mystery . But the sweetest of all these memories are those of the pleasant times spent in the company of friends and colleagues at work or outside . Their numbers may be too many to fit into a short write up .  You remember them for something special that each one of them was endowed with . For lack of space I will try and elucidate a few of them.  Balu or Japan as he is fondly known to all his friends was one such person . He had this rare knack of enlivening a group which till his arrival resembled a meditation center.  His antics , anecdotes or plain mannerisms made him the cynosure of everyone assembled.  This rare feat made  him a much wanted member in any gettogether. The

  JOURNEY TIME REDUCED BY                              HALF  50 years back , the train journey from what was the then MADRAS or the present day CHENNAI to TIRUNELVELI by the Tirunelveli Express took all of 18 hours . Starting at Egmore at 5.30 pm the Electric / Steam Locomotive driven train would reach at 10.30 AM the next morning . I have made umpteen trips on this route from my early childhood days under the care of my parents . The very same train used to take a little more than 12 hours for the Egmore to Madurai leg of the journey . This was on the Meter Gauge then  with the change of Electric Locomotive to the Coal Fired Steam Locomotive at VILLUPURAM . I recently had an opportunity to travel by the Chennai Egmore / Madurai Junction - TEJAS EXPRESS . The Train departed from Egmore at 6 am sharp and arrived at Madurai Junction at 11 40 Am , taking just 5 Hours and 40 Minutes to traverse the distance . The Ambiance both inside and outside the coach plus the catering services provide

THIRUVANNAMALAI VISIT AND THE   TRAFFIC JAM BECAUSE OF THE REPAIR WORK ON THE               PALAR RIVER  The need to reschedule my return to Agasthiarpatty due to unavoidable reasons had me extend my stay at Chennai at my Brother in Law's place . With the free time at our disposal and  after considering various options we finally hit upon the idea to visit Thiruvannamalai to seek the Blessings of Annamalaiyar and Unnamulai Amman . As planned we started at 6.00 AM sharp from Vadapalani and were at Madurai Idly Kadai Joint near Dindivanam around 8.00 for a hearty Breakfast . The travel from there onwards was uneventful except for the slow ride across the Palar River Bridge which took some heavy beating during the recent heavy rains , gave us no hint of what was to follow during our  return journey .  The visit to the PRATYINKARA DEVI TEMPLE at Chemmedu was remarkable for the fact that barring the four of us and the dozen or so stray dogs , there were hardly any visitor to the well la