RANDOM THOUGHTS

मैने अपने पढ़ायी के तीन साल राघव मामा , जानकी चित्ती और शेकर के साथ बिताई थी मामा और चित्ती कह कर बुलाना अजीब लगने के बावजूद हम उन्हें इसी तरह से जाना करते थे , ये क्यों या कैसे हुवा सिर्फ भगवान् ही जाने  मेरे और शेकर के बीच उम्र का फ़ासला कुछ  इस तरह  था कि कभी हम बड़े भाई और छोटे भाई का रिश्ता निभाते थे तो कभी जिगरी दोस्त का , कब , कहाँ कौन किस किरदार को  निभाते थे वो साथ में रेहने वालों पर ही निर्भर करता था  इसे  पढ़ते समय कईयों को अपने द्वारा की गयी बदमाशी या शरारत याद आयी होगी  हम दोनों भी कोई साधू या संत तो थे नहीं . हमने भी अपने हुस्से की बदमाशी , शरारत और हरकतें की थी . ऐक वाक्या फ़ौरन याद आता है.  सिटिलाइट सिनेमा घर में बिना  किसी  को बताये आनंद फ़िल्म देखने के बाद , हम दोनों पर राघव मामा का ग़ुस्सा अब तक याद है !! शायद ही किसी ने राघव मामा को इस तरह  देखा होगा . रही बात शेकर की , मेरे अम्बासमुद्रम में नौकरी में लगने के बाद , वो भी अपने नौकरी के कारण अम्बासमुद्रम आया ज़ाया करता था  चाहे वो फ़िल्म संगीत हो या शास्त्र...

              CENTRRING PODA PORA  The above may look like Spanish , Italian or some such Language to many . Around these parts of Tirunelveli District it refers to laying of the Concrete Roof of a building under Construction.  We have all been associated with this activity at some point in our lives . It is arguably the most important part of the construction process of the House or Building under construction as the ROOF / TERRACE or CEILING has to withstand the fury of the Nature in Summer , Winter or Rainy Season .  Turning the Clock back to the Same in Sept 1990 , which is close to 35 Years back , our own House was under Construction at Agasthiarpatty . The CENTRRING process was about to take place . Being the First of the Nine Houses that Ginu Construction had taken upon themselves to Construct , both Chandran , the Owner and Kumar the Maistry  were at their busiest.  The combined effort of nearly 25 Labourers engaged for...

    TREMORS IN AREAS IN AND       AROUND AMBASAMUDRAM      22 nd SEPTEMBER ,  11.50 AM Sunday the 22 nd of September was just like any other day .  Being close to  Noon and Lunch about to be had , with nothing better to do , self and Mami were watching the TV . The previous Evening's Visit to the Five Vishnu Sthalam and Garuda Sevai on the auspicious occasion of The Purattasi Sani Kizhamai had a part to play in our drowsiness.  At 11.50 am , there was a sudden jolt and a momentary shake which was followed by a loud noise as if a large quantity of gravel is being unloaded from a Truck . The whole episode lasted for just a couple of Seconds . A couple of thoughts went through the mind .  Was it due to the Construction activity going on in front of our House ?  Was it a Tremor and a forerunner of something worse to come ? Should we just run out of the house ? Should we grab our Purse , Mobile and our Passports and R...

      PURATTASI SANIKIZHAMAI In the Hindu Calendar the Month of Purattasi is considered sacred  for  offering of Prayers to Lord Vishnu.  SATURDAYS ARE CONSIDERED EVEN MORE SPECIAL FOR THE SAME . AFTER OFFERING THE MAHALAYA THARPANAM IN THE MORNING, IT WAS TIME  TO VISIT THE PERUMAL STHALAMS IN THE AREA . AS HAS BEEN THE PRACTICE THUS FAR YOU GET TO KNOW OF A NEW PLACE IN YOUR  NEIGHBORHOOD EACH PASSING YEAR .  The First place of visit  was to the Chakrathalwar  Temple at Karisoozhnda Mandalam . I do not know about others but for me ,  for some unknown  reason this name and place does seem to have a Poetic,  Religious and sometimes even a Romantic Connect to it .  Dark clouds shrouding over a large waterbody of the Tambarabarani River is not an imagination but is actually there as can be seen by the Video and Pictures . The River was bursting at its seams on both the Banks and in full force . Being in a remote pl...

          SIX DECADES LATER  PLACE : KHARAGPUR- W Bengal  YEAR : EARLY 1960 S  Two things are bound to flash into one's mind when the name of Kharagpur is mentioned .  First one , without a  doubt is THE  INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY which came to be established HERE as the First of it's kind in India . Second , Kharagpur  finds its place as an Important Railway Junction in SOUTH EASTERN RAILWAY , where trains from Howrah to Bombay , Howrah to Madras  or Howrah to Midnapore and beyond separate. It also boasted of the Longest Railway Platform at that time . HGR  resided in Bungalow No 281, while SRM resided in Bungalow No 283 . Both their Fathers add to that SRM s Grandfather were Senior Railway Officers.  Being Neighbors , the  access to each other's house was almost as easy as walking from one room to the  other  . Both HGR AND SRM spent a major part of their time in each other's residence . Eac...

             AYODHYA YAATRAA - DAY 7                                                 VALEDICTORY FUNCTION  All things Good as they say have to unfortunately come to an end. The last Seven Days have been unique in more ways than one . Near 70 Persons Sharing Space and Experiences with totally unknown persons and coming from totally different and Contrasting Backgrounds has all the ingredients for differences of opinion between the Participants and exchange of heated conversations and arguments.  Ashok and his team ensured that no such thing happened and the single minded goal of all to make the Yatra a Success was the stand out Feature .  Timings were maintained to near perfection . Food that was soft on the stomach and with a different Sweet each day was a special Feature .  As pointed out by Seshadrinathan , for m...

  Most Unwelcome Airport - Our Chennai Airport We pride ourselves on our long held Traditions . Athithy Devo Bhava is one such Tradition . Leave alone the Athithy , even you who has been living in Chennai for a long time is not welcome back at the Domestic Terminal if you decide to enter the City from wherever you have been by Flight into the City . The problem is even more if you are a Senior Citizen .  After Collecting your Baggage from the Baggage Carousel Bay Earmarked for your Flight . You exit from the Airport and you are in the middle of nowhere , not knowing how to Reach the Hired Vehicle that you had decided earlier and a ritual which you have been doing for a long time now .  The Road in front of the Exit Gate is only for Uber or Ola Taxis.  Enquiries with other Cab Drivers revealed that we have to load our Bagagge on to a Buggy and Ferry you to a point called the Drop - Off - Point . Problem here is that there are only limited Buggies and Seniors may find ...

Our love for a Hot Cup of Coffee  We South Indians and especially the ones from Tamilnadu have a special love for their Coffee . Their day is made if it starts with a Sip of Piping Hot Filter Coffee.  Our Return Flight from Gaya to Chennai was with a transit Halt of close to 5 Hours at Delhi IGI Airport . We arrived at the Delhi Airport at 1.30 AM and had lots of time in our hand .  The Puliogara and Thair Saadam of Sunder Travels was both Sumptuous and Tasty . Only problem was that it brought about a feel of Drowsiness after the Satisfying Lunch .  What better than a hot Cup of Coffee to bring about  the change in your drowsiness .  Terminal 2 of IGI has umpteen outlets vending from their stalls . We got a shock when the first such stall mentioned a price of Rs 420 /- for a Medium Cup of Coffee which included the GST .  We the Six in our group , we had no mind to shell out such a huge sum for our Coffee which would have cost us a whopping Rs 2500 /-...

                         TEACHERS DAY AND ME  I am now 74 years old . Sept 5 has always been a special day for me for 2 reasons. One , Celebrated as the Teachers Day it is very close to my heart as I have very fond and lasting memories associated with it . Two persons who are very close to me are associated with this noble profession  .  My  own Father started his career initially  as a Teacher at Yelamanchilli near Vishakapatnam before he joined the Indian Railways . My better half has been a very loved and respected Tamil Teacher all her working   life at the Girls High School at Kadayam in Tamilnadu.  I have myself dabbed my hand at being a Teacher  in Spoken English and Hindi for sometime . I must only hasten to add here that it had only limited takers , the reasons for which are all too obvious and needs no elaboration . I must also admit that I have only faint memories of ...

          Ayodhya Yaatraa - Day 6  In comparative terms Day 6 , was a relatively calmer day for us Yatrees . Gaya is a place where Tarpanam and Shraadham are done and Pindum offered at the  Vishnu Paadam .  First things First , we were lodged at at Bodh Residency at Bodh Gaya which is some 15 Kms away from Gaya Proper . This is an awesome place catering also to Overseas Visitors and as can only be imagined it is neatly spruced up at all times . We started from Bodh Gaya at around 6.00 AM which is a good one hour later than our practice thus far .  Tarpanam , Pinda Daanam at Vishnu Paadam was done in all seriousness for our wellbeing and the Moksha of our forefathers.  We were back in the Hotel by 12.30 and took rest till 4.30 PM .  Bodh Gaya is the place where Gautama Buddha attained Nirvaana under the Bodhi Tree . This place is held in utmost reverence by the Bhudhist Followers the world over . Lots of visitors are home to this pla...