RANDOM THOUGHTS

 VISIT TO THE ENTERTAINMENT            CAPITAL OF THE WORLD                       UNIVERSAL STUDIOS                                 HOLLYWOOD  The last place of visit planned by us for our US visit was THE UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD , the Entertainment Capital of the World . We had booked a Cab for our  travel from Extended Stay America , our place of Stay at Forrest Hill to the Universal Studios . This  was an Hour away drive in the midst of heavy traffic to cover a distance of 50 Miles or 80 Kms as we are more used to saying in our part of the World .  The Cab Driver was an ageing and grey Parsi man who had migrated some 30 years back from the present day Mumbai . He was thrilled that I could converse with him in Gujarathi. In fact he was so thrilled that  he even offered  to p...

 Anaheim DISNEYLAND Visit  The 25 Mile travel from Lake Forrest Pleasant Stay America to Anaheim Disneyland was covered in 25 Minutes  Flat and the six of us ( self , wife , Anoo , Kamesh , Aarna ana Arya were at the entrance at 8.30 in the morning . The crowd had already started gathering . We had bought the ticket online and so that wait for the ticket was avoided . The Ticket Charges are very  high at 75 $ per head which at current consevative estimates is Rs 6000 per head  . The consolation is that because of the size of the Theme Park and various other attractions , the ticket is valid for 3 continuous days . The size of the park is huge and by my estimate it could easily be larger than the town of Ambasamudram .  Kamesh and Anoo were smart enough to hire a stroller for our little one Arya . Almost everyone with a kid did so and the crowd at the Stroller hiring stall was as big as the ticket counter itself . After the mandatory security check of all an...

         REGINA TO LOS ANGELES                    Vancouver International Airport  As planned the six of us ,  were finally on our way to the US from Regina in Canada . Although I have  been to quite few countries on various occasions , travel to the US  was always going to be something special . It was a journey in two parts . Regina to Vancouver being the first leg and after a two hour Transit Halt , then on to Los Angeles. The Regina to Vancouver leg was uneventful save for the minor pranks of my Grand Children . Vancouver is one of the largest cities  in Canada and its Swanky Airport with its All Glass facade is awesome . It attracts a large number of visitors from within Canada and across the border to  and from the US . It is unique as it happens to be  the only major city in Canada that has no Snowfall right through the year. That is a most Welcome change for anyone in Ca...

                 Getting the all important US Visa   Self and Mami were seeking a VISA to the US for attending the Upanayanam of Our Close Relative at Los Angeles in  . Our plan was to go to the US from Regina in Canada where we had planned our usual   annual stay . All the lengthy but necessary paper work were completed at the VFS and we were asked to present ourselves before the Officer at the US Consulate in Chennai at 11.30 AM on a particular day . By an oversight I had mentioned the Language of Interview as Tamil . Now , my prowess in Tamil is nothing much to write home about and though passable at the spoken level  is very basic in reading and downright poor in the writing skills.  To more than make up for this shortfall was my wife who holds a Masters Degree in Tamil, Plus a Tamil Pandit  and a Tamil Language Teacher all her working life in a Government  School . We had rehearsed the answers...

 WE ARE THE LAST TO ------------- During our childhood , we had three different stages while learning to ride a Bicycle . First was the Monkey Pedal , second one , over the bar and finally on the Seat .In those days  it was very difficult to get hold of a cycle as there was only one cycle in the household  which was under the care of Appa . The cycle almost always used to be all of 24 Inches and used to come up to our shoulder height if not more . Monkey pedal is  riding the bicycle with one leg through the triangular frame . Getting the nuance of balance ,  you graduate to riding the bike with your leg over the top bar of the triangular frame .  The present generation of kids are unaware of the pleasure that one gets as the breeze whizzes past your ears as you ride the bicycle with the bell clanging announcing your arrival . Riding a bicycle was almost the equivalent of flying an airplane . Hardly anyone would have learnt to ride a bike without many a fall...

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE  REGINA - CANADA  For the uniformed , Canada is the 2nd largest Country in terms of Landed  Area in the World  . It comprises of 10 Provinces much like what we call STATES back in India Plus 3 Territories very much like our Union Territories in India . My Son Haarish has made it his Home at Toronto  in the Ontario Province ,  while  my Daughter has her Home at Regina in the Saskatchewan Province which is its Capital . Each Province has it's own Premier  and other Ministries . The Federal or Central Government is run from Ottawa, the Capital City . Justin Trudeau its Prime Minister is a known face to all in India . My Daughter Anoobala is Employed in the Ministry of Corrections , Policing and Public Safety  from the year 2011 as a Software Professional . She has been at this Job ever since she gained entry into Canada first as a Permanent Resident and later as its Citizen . The Ministry has a Programme by which they Recogni...

      SEVEN CRORE GOOSEBUMPS  I came across these few lines by a Hindi Poet and liked them very much . Thought I should try translating them for a wider audience.    When Four Meet , Sixty Four Shine Brightly ,   When Twenty of Two Lovers Meet after a while , Seven Crore get the Goosebumps,  One elderly person asked me the meaning of these few lines , try as I might , I could not decipher as to what these numbers are trying to convey , the elderly man with a scholarly smile replied,  “ when Four Meet Sixty Four Shine Brightly “  WHEN TWO PERSONS MEET , 2 EYES OF EACH MAKING IT TO FOUR AND THE 64 TEETH OF THE TWO SHINE BRIGHTLY  “ When Twenty of Two lovers meet , Seven Crore Get the Bumps Up “  WHEN TWO LOVERS MEET AFTER A WHILE , THE TEN FINGERS ON EACH ONES HAND CLASPS THE OTHERS HAND MAKING IT TO TWENTY AND THAT IS WHEN THEY GET THE GOOSEBUMPS ,   IT IS WELL NIGH IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF HAIR ON A HUMAN ‘S ...

 IS KNOWING HINDI A CRIME               HINDI DIWAS - 2023                        At the outset i would like to make it clear that i have a  fairly large circle of friends who are active members in various whatsapp groups . Having had my stay at  various places in India during my formative years and now almost on an annual sojourn abroad , i have quite a few friends who  have different Indian Languages as their mother tongue . I am myself  a sort of a language freak and am comfortable at all levels with English , Hindi and Tamil and am able to manage  at the spoken level  with Telugu , Bengali Gujarathi and Marathi. On Hindi Day which is being celebrated across the nation  today , I for my part sent a message on various whatsapp groups hailing the occasion . The mistake i made was that i had scripted the same in the  the  Devnagri or ...

 I have always been fascinated with reading old novels and Wartime Stories . Mario Puzo and his Novels which deal with the formation of Israel such as EXODUS and MILA 18 have been my favourite . No less of a favourite has been the book HOLOCAUST . The Movie SCHINNDLER'S LIST by STEVEN SPIELBERG tops the list of my Wartime Movies . For the uninformed , all the above deal with the persecution suffered by the JEWS  at the hands of the Nazi Germany under Hitler and the Gestapo . A conservative estimate puts the loss of lives of  the Jews at 6 Million Men , Women and Children  at the hands of the Nazi Regime . Jews were the most accomplished set of people in Europe around these times . Be it Science , Research , Artistry in any Intellectual Field or Music , you name it and the Jews were at the helm  of all these  Activities . This  could not be digested by Hitler and his Stooges . Nazi Germany went on a mission to exterminate them . This they did in Mass Sh...

      SRINGERI VIDYA PEETAM  As has been our almost regular Practice Now , our Weekend Temple Visit in Toronto was to the Sringeri Sharadha Vidya Peetam Temple in Toronto .  This is at Etobicoke in Canada and at a distance of 40 Kms from where we stay at Ajax .  The 30 Minute drive brought us to the SHRINGERI SHARADHAMBAL TEMPLE . This day coincided with the RECITATION OF  SAHASRA NAAMA And KUMKUMA ABHISHEKAM by the Large number of Lady Devotees Assembled Here .This Well Planned and Executed Event was all of  DEVOTION and DEDICATION .  The recitation was from Morning till late into the evening . The Dinner after the Aarathy was also special considering the huge number of Devotees Gathered .                GURUVE NAMAHA  TAILPIECE : THE RANT ABOUT DOING AWAY WITH SANATANA DHARMA BACK HOME BY THE VIDIAL GROUP SEEMS TO BE HAVING JUST THE OPPOSITE BUT WELCOME IMPACT HERE . 

         MARLTON TO AJAX  We planned our Return to Ajax by choosing a different place for the US / Canada Border Crossing. This time around it was to be KINGSTON for the Border Cross. This is a much shorter route than our onward journey .  It is a near 8.5 Hour Drive which took us through the big  cities of Philadelphia and Syracuse .  We started from Hampton Inn at 7.00 am and were back home by 6.00 which included the necessary stops enroute . Philadelphia is a very big city . It is reportedly the 5 th largest city in the US . Syracuse , I have already mentioned as a place where many persue their Higher Studies .  Travel through the Lehigh Tunnel North was even more inspiring this time . The entry point into New York State  is very Scenic and picture perfect . Travel on the Thousand Island Bridge with the view of the  large water body below was spectacular .  Our Permanent Residency Card made the Canadian Side of the Bord...

         MARLTON TO NEW YORK After scrutinizing various options we decided that the best option to reach New York from Marlton was to drive down to Hamilton Train Station , Park our Car in the Station Parking Slot and take the Train to New York . It was almost a 40 minute , 60 Kms drive to the Hamilton Station . The train was already entering the station even as we were at the Ticket Wending Machine , the Train Ticket Checker or Official waved us into the Train and collected the Fare from us inside the Compartment , with the train already in Motion . She was most Cheerful and forthcoming to help us . It is a 65 Mile and 90 Minute Train Journey with stops at 9 Stations in between .The last 10 Miles including the New York  PENN STATION is underground . The sight even as you get out of the station at ground level is  breathtaking . The complete maze of very tall structures , unbelievably large crowd especially due to the extra long weekend , The Glossy Gl...