The Witch of a Woman !!

The other day, an interesting and amusing incident happened on my way to office. An old woman got into the bus. Now, you may wonder whats so interesting about an old woman getting into the bus. Wait Wait!!

Let me first start with describing the woman. She must be sixtyish, with salt and pepper hair. She was around 4.5 feet tall, and was hunched over (carrying the weight of the world???), had a pointed face and a huge mole on her face.

Of course, you may think its wrong to comment on anybody's physical appearance. But, I wouldn't have commented on her witch-like appearance had her behavior and attitude been pleasant.

She let out a banshee wail the moment she got into the crowded bus. She lamented that she was feeling giddy and nauseous and needed to sit. People asked her to sit on the floor of the bus until the giddiness went away. She did sit down but immediately started wailing that the young women (translated as 'we' sitting on the seats) are heartless and do not give way for old people. One gentleman sitting in the conductor's seat offered to get up so that the old woman could sit. But the lady refused to sit there saying that the conductor will shoo her off (a mosquito???) ..

By this time, the people in the bus were tired of her and what little sympathy was there for her earlier vanished.

When the old woman realized that people weren't paying any attention to her, she turned aggressive. She demanded that the lady sitting next to me in the bus get up and allow her to sit. When her demand fell to deaf ears, she pulled that lady's arm and demanded she get up immediately. When that did not work, she got up and almost sat on the lady forcing her to get up.

All of us were disgusted by this little performance in the bus. The old lady immediately tried to strike up a conversation with me (Poor me ... booo hoooo!!!) in the bus. I promptly and steadfastly looked the other way.

OOohhhh !!! Some people !!!!!!!

Helmets - Boon or Bane !!

I got the idea for this entry a little while ago when I was driving home riding my 2 wheeler and wearing a helmet.

Recently, the TamilNadu Government passed a rule making it compulsary for 2 wheeler motorists to wear a helmet while driving. From then on, most 2 wheeler motorists (oh yes.. there are people who don't want to follow the rule too) are seen zipping on their bikes with their skulls protected with the helmet. There are even signs on the road that says 'Helmet or Hell-Met' ..

Though the helmet is useful, I feel it is cumbersome. My helmet feels like a tonne of bricks on my head. And if that is not enough, my nose or my head will pick up that precious time to itch, when Im driving with this bother on my head.

Another thing, I love to smell the trees when Im passing a woody lane (hard to find in Chennai). With the helmet and its visor on, I cant smell a thing.

But every situation has its pros and cons. The helmet has its positives too. For one, it keeps away the smell of smoke and dust. Whoo ... Chennai has become really polluted now. Smoke, petrol and diesel fumes.. Yuck .. One reason why I have given up driving.

Also, this smoke and gas fumes mess up my hair .. After a small trip in my bike, my hair will smell like it has been washed with petrol. Uggh !!! :(

Another advantage of the helmet -- It saves the trouble of having to keep your head covered when the hot sun beats down or the rain showers down ..

So I guess I ll have to live on with it. Concentrate on the benefits and try to forget the cons. :)

I have a better idea .. Get a car and forget 2 wheeler driving .. Lets see how that works out. :)

A Memorable Trip !!! - Day 2

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful .. sounds cliched, doesnt it? :-) .. But it was a beautiful day. I had a long night and slept like a log. So, I was up by 6 am. The house was already abuzz with activity. As soon as the bride finished her morning ablutions, I went into the bathroom, bathed and got ready.

Then the make up lady came and began to dress up my friend. I watched the whole process. It was nice to see my friend getting all decked up. Later, I was asked to go downstairs and have my breakfast, which was aapam and vegetable stew. My friend's relatives sure are considerate. They made vegetable stew keepin in mind the fact that I am a vegetarian. :-)

After breakfast, I went back to my friend's room to watch her being dressed and adorned with jewels. It was nice to see my friend as a bride. I was actually amazed at the transformation. My simple friend, who never wore any ornament was suddenly adorned from head to toe in gold.

After she got dressed up, relatives started pouring into the room to have a look at the bride. The eyes of her parents misted with happiness to see their daughter enter the threshhold of matrimony. After a brief photo session, all of proceeded downstairs for a prayer before proceeding to the marriage hall.

The prayer was interesting and an elaborate one. It lasted for close to 15 minutes. The bride was made to sit in the chair and she was flanked on both sides by her father and mother. All the relatives gathered in the hall and participated in the prayer. Noone recited the prayer aloud except the bride's father.

After the prayer, we pushed off to the marriage hall in large cars. The marriage was a unique and something like I have never seen before. The hall was a large one with a stange upfront. All the women sat in the back rows while the men sat in the front rows. The bride sat in the back rows with us. A table and few chairs had been set up on the stage. Slowly, the bride's father, the groom, immediate relatives of the bride, and the high priests from the mosque occupied the chairs. The Holy Quran was opened and verses were read from it. The marriage was over in ten minutes, and the bride never once proceeded to the stage. All the while she sat back with us.

After the wedding, the party gathered downstairs for the wedding feast. There were separate sections for vegetarians and non vegetarians. I sat in the vegetarian section and ate the traditional sadhya - the Kerala feast. Later, I hung about the wedding hall with my friend's cousins and indulged myself in my favourite pasttime - people watching. :)

After some time, I looked around for the groom's parents and his family. To my surprise, I was told that according to tradition, noone from the boy's family will attend the wedding. I found it a little odd and amusing.

Anyways, the bride and groom soon left for the groom's house and I returned home with my friend's parents. I bathed and got ready for my train later in the evening.

My friend's father dropped me at Alwaye station and waited till I boarded my train and bid him goodbye. Very nice people.

I had a great trip .. and returned with loveley memories !! :)

A Memorable Trip !! - Day 1

Last weekend I was at Kerala. The main objective behind travelling to 'God's own Country' was to attend the wedding of a good friend of mine. So, I packed my bags and was ready to leave on Friday. I boarded the Alleppey Express at 9 pm, and thence began one of my most memorable trips.

I was travelling alone, and so took extra care of my baggage and tickets. But journey was a little tedious as I had a very noisy family as my co-passengers. Also, as soon as the train crossed Tamil Nadu border, my mobile lost its signal. There was absolutely no connectivity in Kerala. This upset me a bit as I was worried that my friend's parents may be trying to contact me. Also, I was not sure whether to get down at Ernakulam Town (my destination) or at the previous station Edappally (as instructed by my friend). But, I decided to keep my cool and enjoy the beautiful landscape of Kerala as the train hurtled through the State. I kept a watch out for Alwaye as that was the station preceding Edappally.

The train was running late. I got down at Edappally station at 10.30 am. The station was deserted as Edappally is a small town. I walked down the length of the platform and enquired about a phone booth so that I could call my friend's parents. The people directed me to a telephone booth at the other end of the platform. With a deep sigh, I started walking down the platform when people called me. I turned back to see my friend's mother and brother rushing towards me. I was very happy to see them.

The scenery outside Edappally was breath taking .. I could not find an inch of space without a fresh green tree or bush .. The 5 minute journey to their house was also pleasant.

I was warmly received at their place. My friend was overjoyed to see me, and showed off her mehendi on her hands. She introduced me to her cousins, after which I went for my bath. After bath, I was called down for breakfast. Since they were Muslims, I decided to respect them, and so wore my dupatta Muslim style and did not keep a Bindi. They were also considerate to my feelings and respected the fact that I am a vegetarian. We had Idlis and Sambar for breakfast.

The day went on swiftly and my friend's cousins engaged me in lively chat, especially after they learned that I can speak Malayalam. :-)
A purely vegetarian lunch was sent for me upstairs as the other people in the house were eating meat downstairs. My friend was nice enough to eat a vegetarian lunch to give me company.

Towards evening, we got ready for the reception. More and more people started streaming into the house for the reception. I too got ready and went down with my friend's cousins. The highlight of the evening was the appearance of Malayalam actor Mammooty. He is an uncle to my friend and had been invited to the reception party. It was nice to see a super star in person. I was thrilled beyond words. But the actor stayed only for 5 minutes.

The reception party was great but also exhausting. For dinner, there were a number of meat preparations, and so I could not eat anything. I ended up eating only ghee rice, which was very tasty.
Two of my friend's cousins, Kunju and Malu, became attached with me. At night, before I slept, Malu even drew a mehendi design on my palm, and the two stuck to me calling me Chechi, which means 'elder sister' in Malayalam. All of this affection and warmth felt too good.

That night, exhaustion and happiness lulled me into a deep sleep.

Homeless and Astray ! ! !

This is about a cute pup that I found near my house last week.

On Tuesday morning, as I was rushing to the bus stand, I heard a very tiny squeal. In my hurry to reach the bus stand before the bus arrived, I moved on. At the bus stand, the bus had not yet come and I had to wait.

The squeal came again and I turned to locate the source of the sound, and I was surprised at what I saw. A very tiny white puppy ( hardly 2 weeks old) was huddled on the outer steps of a house. The steps were also painted white and the puppy was hardly indistinguishable from the step.

As I watched, it ran down with its small baby-like steps and toddled on to the road. Fear gripped me as I saw it right in the middle of the road. Before I could do anything, a car came on. Thankfully nothing happened to the pup because the pup was in between the 4 wheels of the care as the car moved on.

Then a gang a boys came walking along, and seeing the pup, they carried it and placed it in the bushes in the far side of the road, away from the rushing traffic.

I contemplated carrying the pup to Blue Cross, but by the time I could decide, my bus came and I did not want to go late to office.

The whole day I was ridden with guilt, as to why did I not help out that poor pup. I was terrified that it would come under the wheels of a car. I just pray to God that it has found a better home or has reunited with its mommy dog.

Oh How cruel can this Beast get !!

There is no animal in this world more cruel and brutal than Man. Man is perhaps the only beast ever alive to kill for pleasure. All other animals kill for food. You can very well walk past a well-fed lion and it will not as much lay a paw on you (unless of course, you seem a threat to it).

I am very much disturbed by a video I chanced upon today. The video was about how the poor furry animals are tortured to death just to take their furry skins off their backs. Is that the craze for furs, that you kill a helpless animal and take that right fully belongs to it?

Not just furs, but even Silk is a product of brutal animal torture. In a small research I did about silk, I discovered that silk cocoons are dropped in boiling water with the pupa still in it. The pupae are killed in such a way because if they are allowed to come out, then it would make a hole in the silk thread.

Sad the way this beast called man takes undue advantage of poor animals. Often all it is done in the name of Custom. Indian custom values silk a lot as much as the Westerners value fur. Many a time, the voices that are raised against these brutality are throttled and subdued.

I am sure I ll have no say against not wearing silk for my wedding. Again .. Custom !!

But there is something I can do. All my other clothes are cotton, or synthetic material. By refusing silk, I am contributing my part in preventing cruelty to animals. I hope many others do so too.

Fear the Lord????

"The Lord pitieth them that fear Him"

- This quotation from the Bible on the display board of a prayer hall caught my eye as I was passing it the other day. Since, I do not have in-depth knowldege of the Bible, I do not know the real meaning of this quotation.

But, it hit me as strange that we should fear God. For me, God is someone l love rather than fear. God is like a parent who loves and cherishes me, His daughter.

How can you be happy if your fear your Father? You must not fear Him, but fear making Him unhappy. God is unhappy when we sin or go wrong.

We have also heard many parents threatening their children with fear of God. "Sonna pechu kekalenna Saami kannu kutthidum" (If you don't listen to me, God will pluck your eyes out)

Grotesque! Why would God do that to a baby??

So, I do not fear God. I fear making Him unhappy. Thats why I try to be a good person.

Then He shall be happy to have me with Him when I transcend over to His world.

Love God. Dont fear Him!

An enchanting Love Story

Seeing the title of this entry, DO NOT assume that I am going to narrate the love story of a man and a woman.

This is the love story of two cats.

The other morning, as I was relaxing with a cup of coffee, I heard fierce mewing outside. I thought two cats were fighting and went to the balcony to have a look.

What I saw was both amusing and very sweet. Two cats were flirting with each other. :-)

Both cats were white with a splash of golden brown on their white coats. The female was thin and graceful. The male was fat and had a bushy tail. Both felines were sitting atop the closed well in our compound.

The female was sitting and was giving out coquettish sounds. The male was striding up and down at a distance from the female and watching her intensely.

After sometime, the female got up and walked away. Perhaps she hoped the male would follow her, but the ass pretended ignorance and began chewing through grass.

The female then came back and rubbed herself against the wall. When she saw that she finally had the male's attention, she strode away, her tail swishing and hump moving sexily. :-)

This time the male followed her, and watched her lustily.

Unfortunately, I was getting late for work and had to get ready. I am sure that by this time, they would have united in love, and pretty soon the female would be giving birth to a lovely litter of sweet kitties.

Wating for their arrival. :-)

The Temples of Marriage

We covered two temples in the evening - Thirumanancheri and Thirumangalakudi. It is believed that if unmarried men and women offer their prayers at this Temple, they would get married soon. So, my parents had taken a very innocent "me" to the temples to pray for my early marriage.

I swear I had no idea this was why we were visiting these Temples. :-)

Our first stop was Thirumanancheri. As in other cases, the route was scenic and lovely.

At Thirumanancheri, we had to park the car a long way off from the Temple owing to traffic congestion. We walked the rest of the way to Temple. A self-proclaimed local guide pointed to us the route to the Temple. While we walked, we had no idea that this guy was trailing us. When we reached the temple, we stopped at a flower shop to get pooja items. We then realized that Mr. Self Proclaimed Guide owned a flower shop there too. He picked up a fight with the shopowner of the shop and said that we are his customers as he brought us here. Weirdo!

Inside the Temple, there was a pooja done for all the prospective brides and grooms. We had to sit in a long queue with a garland around my neck while the pooja was being performed.

After the pooja, we were given instructions on how to worship the Lord till we get married. :-)

Thirumanancheri over, we proceeded to Thirumangalakudi. This Temple was not crowded as the earlier one. It was vast and empty. A peace pervaded the atmosphere inside the Temple. We performed our pooja and came out of the Temple.

The sojourn over, we the tired but happy lot proceeded back to Mayavaram.

A short rest !!

After a long route from Thirunallar to Mayavaram, we very totally tired out. Also, our stomachs were full of prasad and Orange juice. So, we were not really in a mood to eat anything. Still, we went to a hotel that way very crowded even at 3 pm.

After a small wait, we managed to get a table. I ordered parota and subji, which appeared almost immediately. We cruised through our food and finished it off with a steaming cup of hot coffee.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the hotel. The huge crowd at the hotel got into the nerves of the manager. He lost his patience and started screaming at one of the customers.

We finished our food and quietly went out of the hotel.

Our room in the lodge was a welcome retreat for us. I washed my feet and plopped on the bed. I was bushed. But, I was not to sleep, because we had to leave at 4 pm.

My uncle came into the room that I shared with my mother, and kept us laughing with amusing anecdotes. That was fun, as it drove my sleep away.

At 4, we got ready again and proceeded to a second round of ceaseless travel.

Sri Dhabaranyeswarar - Thirunallar

Sri Dharbaranyeswarar is the presiding deity at Thirunallar. But, the Temple is better known as Shaneeswaran Temple. People cursed with Shani's interference in their planetary positions throng the Temple for redemption. Incidentally, Shani plays an important part in the planetary positions of my horoscope. :-)

The route to Thirunallar was long. We slept for a while along the way. Also the cool pleasantness of morning was long gone and the sun began to beat down fiercely.

En route, our car was hailed down by a group of self-proclaimed toll collectors. We could make out that they were frauds, but we couldn't fight with them for fear they would get violent. As a result, we shelled out Rs. 150 for nothing. All the injustice done in the name of the Lord. :-(

At the Temple, there was a long line of devout devotees waiting for a darshan of the Lord. There was a special darshan and a super special darshan. After some thinking, we decided to take the super special darshan for which we had to shell out Rs.600 for five people.

There was a large, clear lake inside the Temple. I carefully went down the steps of the lake and sprinkled the Holy water on my head. We then went inside the temple.

After lugging in a queue for sometime, we finally got the darshan we wanted. We had to see Sri Dharbaranyeswarar and his consort before seeing Lord Shaneeswaran.

Such is the power of Lord Shaneeswaran and fear of His curse that even Christians thronged the temple. One Christian family I saw wiped out the vermillion and ash off their foreheads as soon as they came out of the sanctum. :-)

While we were coming out, prasad was shoved into our hands. It was white rice with a sprinkling of vegetables in it. It was very hot and tasteless. Till date, I am not able to make out if it was curd rice or Pongal. :)

After swallowing the prasad, we had a glass of Orange juice outside the Temple, and proceeded back to our lodge in Mayavaram. We were totally tired out and slept through the journey back.

Sri Parameswara - Thirukadaiyur

Our next stop was the Sri Parameswara Temple at Thirukadaiyur. The Temple is also known as the Abirami Amman Temple after Lord Parameswara's consort.
The route from Vaitheeswaram to Thirukadaiyur was beautiful and scenic. We passed through a village that was totally untouched by civilization. A single road passed through the village. As our car careened through the road, I was touched by the simplicity of the village. Green fields, brown huts, and simple people. This was a place which did not stink of dirty politics or communal tensions.
Civilization started appearing on the main road to Thirukadaiyur. We reached the Temple by 11.30 am.
The Temple was crowded. This is the Temple where men celebrate their 60th birthday by re-marrying their wives. On this day, many such marriages were being held and the Temple wore a festive look.
We went into the Sannadhi (sanctum) of Goddess Abirami. As with the custom in all temples, the Goddess wore a 9 yard saree (madisar), and loked really gorgeous in that.
After our prayers, we came out and walked around the temple. This temple also had an elephant. It was a baby elephant, but still looked huge. But God! It was so cute.
One thing that spoilt the mood of the whole occassion was a public toilet outside the temple. It was a paid service. People had to pay a Rupee to relieve themselves in a dirty waterless cubicle. It was pathetic. What was more odd was a nasty bitching old man outside the toilet. You had to pay him the money for using the potty, and also tell him whether u want to pee or shit.
Terrible. I refused to use that stinkpot.
We hurried out of the temple. We really had to hurry because we were told that the next temple would close at 1 pm. Our next stop was the Shani Bhagawan temple at Thirunellar.

Vaidyanatha Swamy - Vaitheeswaram Temple

The Vaitheeswaram Temple, near Mayavaram, was our first stop. The temple is the abode of Lord Vaidyanatha Swamy (Shiva) and his consort Thayyalnayagi.
The route from Mayavaram to Vaitheeswaram is scenic. Lush green fields, lovely lakes, and little huts dotting the countryside. The very place seemed to have God's hand in it. Nature in its glory looked at us from every side.
The Temple was gorgeous. A number of small shops lined the entrance of the temple. We bought uppu (salt) and vellam (jaggery) from a shop. It is a ritual to dissolve the jaggery in the waters of the temple tank. We also bought pooja items for the archana.
The entrance to the Temple was magnificent. The rich beauty and architecture of the place almost took my breath away. Its a wonder how such beautiful architecture was designed and given form in the early ages.
After buying the required items from the shop, we proceeded directly to the Temple tank. It was a huge tank with clear green water. Beautiful. As we went down the steps of the tank, a guard there told us that we are not to dissolve the jaggery in the water as it has been recently cleaned. We were told that dissolving jaggery in the Temple tank has been banned now.
So, we just washed our hands in the water and went to the inner sanctums of the Temple.
We first paid our respects to Lord Ganesh. A priest lead us on to the other sanctums. Handing me a paper plate containing lamps with ghee, he instructed me to light the lamps at some of the sanctums, which I did.
Proceeding through the temple, we covered all the sanctums. The Temple was huge and walking around in it was really a good exercise.
The last sanctum we covered was of Chevvai. This is one of the planets in astrology. It is believed that paying respects at this shrine removes all doshams or faults caused in a horoscope by this deity.
After the pooja, we sat for a while on the cool floor of the Temple and watched the Temple Elephant and his antics. I offered a banana to the Elephant and he blessed me with a tap of his trunk on my head. :-) .. Sweet!!
An amusing thing happened next. A person offered half a coconut to the elephant. The elephant pushed it beneath his foot. The mahout tried to push it away using a stick and tried to admonish the elephant. But, the elephant pushed it back beneath his foot and stepped on it. The coconut split into many pieces. For this, he got admonished by the mahout. I could have sworn that the elephant was smiling mischievously.
Our first stop having completed successfully, we moved out of the temple. We bought two bottles of mineral water and proceeded to the next Temple.

Mini Pilgrimage !!

Last week, I had been on a mini pilgrimage to Mayiladuthurai (formerly Mayavaram) and places around it. We left by bus on Friday night, and reached Mayavaram by Saturday morning. Its a beautiful place. The place reminded me so much of my native village Lalgudi. There was an air of quiet serenity there.

We were tired out by the bus journey. Yet, we had to get ready by 7 am, and begin our trip.

Forcibly freshening ourselves up, we got ready and had breakfast at Mayura's Lodge close to our hotel. Food was very good. I had vada and dosa. I can write verses on the coffee that was served there. Usually, I don't drink coffee anywhere else except at home, because the coffee served at hotels is not upto my taste. But this coffee was very good.

We booked a cab and began our sojourn at 7.30 am. We covered Vaitheeswaran Temple, Thirukadaiyur Temple, and Thirunallar Temple in the morning, and Thirumanancheri Temple and Thirumangalakudi Temple in the evening. I will describe each of these temples in consequtive blog entries.

At night, we had dinner at Kaliyakudi Coffee Shop (presumably a big name in Mayavaram). True to its name, the food was very good and was affordable.. :-) I had chilli parota and dosa and washed it down with coffee.

We then came back to the hotel and slept like a log.

On Sunday morning, we checked out of our hotel, and boarded a bus to Madras. By 4 pm, we were home.

The trip was very good and I enjoyed every moment of it.

My Birthday !!!

I turned 24 this 24 July, and this birthday has been one of the most memorable one till date. Every birthday, I would expect my friends and loved ones to wish me. If they don't, I used to feel a little upset.
This birthday was different. I saw the uselessness of such an expectation. I began to believe that forgetting my brithday was no big deal. I realized friends and loved ones will always remain loved even if they forget my brithday.
I woke up on July 24 with such a resolution.
I remember the night before my Birthday last year when I stayed awake till midnight seeing if someone would wish me. This time, I was asleep by 11 pm because I was very tired.
The July 24 this year was a day of surprises. My grandma, who is staying with us for a week, wished me first. Then my loving Mom and Dad wished me.
As is the custom every Birthday, I bathed, wore a new set of clothes, and sought the blessings of my parents and God.
My first surprise came at 7.30 am, when my Bhaiya called up from Kolkatta. I never even imagined he would remember. Then a couple of my classmates from school sent sms wishes. Then 2 of my classmates from school called up and wished me. They made me so happy.
While I was in the bus on my way to office, my Manni smsd me from US. It was such a sweet sms. I saved her number, and replied a big thanks. My second surprise came a little later when my Manni's parents smsd from Dubai and wished me. I was really happy to have such sweet in-laws.
I reached office by 9.30 am. A surprise waited there too. The HR guys had got a gift for me. It was so sweet. Really sweet!!!! This was one time when I did not want to tell anyone of my Birthday. But somehow, word got around. Around noon, people started singing Happy Birthday and clapping. It was fun.
Then my brother called from US and wished me. So sweet. Then my Manni's sister called from Singapore and wished me. So very sweet.
But, work at office was bad. It drained my energy away. But some nice friends of mine had sent lovely heart-touching e-cards, and they mad me very happy.
At home, more surprises awaited me. My aunt called from Bombay, and later an uncle called from Bombay and wished me.
Later in the evening, my Brother and Manni called us again and spoke with me.
I really had a great Birthday.
God Bless all who care so much for me!!!!

I am BACK!!!!

Whoaaa!!! Im blogging after more than a month!! I was so busy with such a lot of activities. One event that had me all tied up was my brother's wedding. It was such a grand affair.

I really had a great time during my brother's wedding. We started preparations a full week ahead. The wedding was on a Thursday.. But, the excitement set in much before that.. From the start of the week, relatives started pouring in the house. I love such a grand assembly of relatives and cousins at my house.

The wedding rites began a day before the wedding. So, we reached the mandap on Wednesday. We had some rites that morning and I was all over the mandap clicking away photographs.

The engagement was to be held the same evening.

I made a blunder that evening. The keys for the groom's room had been entrusted to me. Around evening I went shopping with my aunt to a nearby shop completely oblivious of the fact that I had the keys. The engagement rites were to start by 6 pm and I had not returned yet. People started getting frantic. The funny part was that I had kept my mobile for charging in the locked room. So, they could not reach me at all. When I came back at 6, I had to face a lot of not very pleasant music. :-)

Thats there. My mood was totally off. In my hurry to get dressed, I put too much of make-up on my face and ended up looking like a buffoon. But there was no time to correct it because as the groom's sister, I had to be there for the rites. I felt too embarrassed. After ten miutes, I could not to face the cameras. With tears pouring down my cheeks, i ran to the room and washed the whole stuff off my face. But my mood was off. Still I managed to smile.

The function went off without a hitch. After the function, I was still down and sought solace in a friend. But, we got into an sms fight that went on till midnight. FInally, he went off to sleep leaving me in tears. That was the time I really felt down in the dumps. I am so glad my sister was there beside me. I cried to her and told her what had happened. She was comforting and put me to sleep with her arms, love, and care around me.

Next day was much better. I was determined not to be put off by anything. The muhurath was in the morning. I was dressed in a saree and had left my hair loose. People said I looked really good. The wedding went of really cool.

In the afternoon, we brought the bride home for the grihapravesh function. All the time, I was busy clicking photos.

After the ceremony at home, we had to rush back to the mandap for the reception in the evening. This time, I got ready soon in a maroon saree. I applied minimal make-up, and looked and felt good. I received a number of compliments. The day ended with a mega dinner. I was so tired that night that I slept like a log.

The next week was good with my bro and bhabs with us. At the end of the week, I went for dinner with bro and bhabs at a Chinese restuarant. They left for US the next day. It was a tearful farewell.

Siggghhh!!!

Addictive addiction !!!

The first image that comes to one's mind at the mention of the word 'ADDICTION' is that of a man addicted to liqour or drugs.

But, liqour, cigarettes, and drugs are not the only things that man gets addicted to. These are all material addictions.

More than these material addictions, man also gets addicted to love, care, affection, hugs, and kisses.

Someone I know is addicted to love and care. She is very close to a guy and is addicted to his affection, care, warmth, and hugs. Suddenly one day, the guy tells her to stop everything because he feels he is being unfaithful to his girlfriend. This girl is shattered. She loves the guy as her close friend and wants to feel good by being close to him. She misses his warmth, love, and affection, but does not want to intrude into his love life either. It is heart rending to see her go crazy everyday. It will take her a long time to come out of it. Till then, she can do nothing but fret and frustrate herself over it.

So I find that it is quite easy to get addicted to love and affection. Once you get addicted to it, it is very difficult to pull yourself out of it.

Atleast there are rehabilitation centres for material addictions like alcohol and drugs. But, there are no rehabilitation programmes for emotional addictions.

I guess only TIME and PRAYER can help !!!!

Face like a crumpled newspaper???????????????

Can you tell someone that he has got a face that looks like a crumpled newspaper and get away with it?? You most possibly will have your bones broken and land up like a crumpled newspaper.

But, our great politicians say this and many more and get away with it.

I hit upon this topic as I was taking a long walk the other evening. I saw a huge pandal erected near my house and I ventured to take a look at what was happening there. It was a political meeting conducted by some members of the ruling party. A youth was at the mike and voicing himself hoarse for the ruling party. He also had a lot of angst against the opposition and had some filthy things to say about them.

One of the things he said about a senior member of the opposition was that the person's face looks like a crumpled newspaper.

The guy on the mike must be easily 30 or 32 years old, whereas the person with a supposedly crumpled face is much older to him.

This kind of public slandering is one of the many facets of Politics. One can see it during the election campaigns where one leader is bent on exposing the nefarious activities of the opposition leader.

I am not taking sides but I feel poltical campaigns should be a little more decent.

All is fair in love and war ..... and in Politics !!!!!!! :-)

Cattle Herds of Chennai

When you see the title of this post, you might think that I am going to talk of the numerous goats and cows freely roaming the streets of Chennai.

But NO !!! I spare those poor creatures.

I am talking about the cattle-like herds of people clogging the buses, trains, and subways during the peak hours of the weekdays. And for non-Indian people who do not know what peak hours are ... The peak hours are those hours of the weekdays when the whole mass of working people are going for work in the mornings and returning home in the evenings at the same time. The peak hours are like 8- 10 in the morning and 5-7 in the evenings.These are those times of the day when the whole population of Chennai seems to be stuffed into the public transport systems of the city.

I struck upon this topic as I was rushing to my office today morning. I catch the 9M bus at 8.20 which has its terminus right next to my house. So, i get a place to sit. But its the onward journey that is tedious. Even though i got a place to sit, i felt as if the whole crowd of the bus was spilling over me. By the time I got down at Guindy station, i felt pooped even though I got a comfortable seat in the bus. Imagine the plight of the others who were cramped and jostled together in the bus with hardly an inch space between them.The crowd was so intense that there were guys who dint have place in the footboard also. One guy deftly climbed up the bus, and was having a one-man show hanging precariously from the bus, with a secure foothold on one of the windows.

Getting out of the bus took a lot of effort. I had to push through scores of sweaty, tired bodies, and a couple of insolent mouths too.I almost swooned looking at the crowd in Guindy station. A train had just deposited its load of people, and the mass of people was working its way through to the top of the overbridge. The mass appeared to me as cattle being driven through by the cowherd. Unfortunately, I was a part of the cattle herd too.

To reach my office, I have to cross the busy Mount Road (or Anna Salai as it is called now). I use the subway to cross the road. The subway, again, is filled with a herd of people moving slowly. The already slow movement of the herd is further impeded by hawkers and vendors trying to sell off their wares.

But there is a sadness in this. The reflects the thousands of people who tire themselves out to earn that extra rupee for the family. The workers, the vendors, the hawkers are all struggling to earn a living and make their lives a teeny weeny bit more comfotable.

Well .. Thats our Indian scenario for you !!!! :-)

Tears

Tears are a precious gift given to Man by God .. I don't think any other creature created by God has the ability to shed tears for someone it loves. Out of my experience, I have found out that tears are an effective pain-killer. The pain in the heart tranforms into tears and moves out through the eyes.
Tears are shed for the ones we love. But, my experience has also shown me that if someone loves you, do not make them cry too often. This is because with the pain, the love, value, and trust the person has for you will also come out.
I have cried many times, and its always for the people I love. Many of them do not even know that they have made me cry. Others did not bother about the tears I shed for them. My tears always came out when the pain in my heart became just too intense. Then, i cry, and all my pain washes away. A deep sleep succeeds it, and I wake up fresh and new.

But, I have experienced that if someone I love makes me cry too often or is just plain insensitive to me, the love and affection I have for them gets washed out through the tears.

It is easy to say that 'Don't shed tears for someone who doesn't care for you.' I would say Cry Cry and Cry for the one who doesn't care for you. Cry so that the love washes out of your heart and the person is unable to hurt you again.

Love All ... Do not Hurt anyone or make them shed those precious drops of love !!!

Venus and Mars

The most complex web in the world could only be the web of Human Relationships. I am slowly getting the hang of the relationships between people, especially between a boy and a girl ...
There is a popular book by John Gray titled 'Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus'. Its a nice book which talks on how the psyche of men work so different from that of women. And its true, a man's psyche is poles apart from a woman's psyche.
A woman's needs vary from a man's needs. From my experience, I have realized that the most basic needs of a woman are love and security. Some women express it openly, some don't. But, the need is there in the subconcious of every woman. More than money, more than physical beauty, more than social status, more than anything else, a woman needs love and security. And she ll do anything for the guy who provides her with it. Thats why we have cases of girls eloping with men who are much lesser to them financially. They do such an error because they feel that the guy will provide them with the love and security they need.
A guy's needs are different. Again from my experience, I have found out that the most basic needs of a guy is sex. This physical need is very strong in most men and not that strong in other, but the need is there. The physical aspect is more important to them than the emotional aspect. THats why the girls who elope with guys eventually find out that the guys have deserted them and have burdened them with a baby. So, beyond the emotional need, there is this physical need in men.

To get a guy in an emotional bond is very difficult.

But, mark my words, once a guy gets into an emotional relationship, he will do anything for the woman he loves. :-)

Men will be men ... Cant be with them, yet cant be without them.

Venus and Mars may bevery close to each other in the planetary system, but when it boils down to the relationship between a boy and a girl, they are much distant.

Beautiful lyrics

This song 'Karmugil Varnante' from the Malayalam movie Nandanam really tugged at my heart strings. A beautiful song in the beautiful voice of K.S. Chitra, the lyrics are so poignant.
Movie - Nandanam, Music Director - Raveendran, Lyricist - Girish Puthenchery


Karmugilvarnante chundil cherum odakuzhalinte ullil
veenurangum oru sree ragame ninnil
pulgi unarthan marannu Kannan


Njan en mizhinaalum anayatherichum neerum nenjagam akilay pugachum (2)
vaadum karalathadam kanneral nanachum
ninne thedi nadannu thalarnu Krishna
nee yen nombaram ariyumo Shyamavarna

Ninte nandana vrindavanathil pookum parijathinte kombil
verum jenmathil engilum Shouri
oru poovai viriyan kazhinjuvengil ninte
kaalkal veenadiyuvon kazhinjuvengil

Kaarmugilvarnante chundil ....
Krishan Krishna Krishna Krishna ....

Beautiful !!!!!!!

A Big Break !!! :-)

Finally I have started blogging. I have been hearing a lot of blogging and all, but never seriously got into it. It was just yesterday that i thought of getting into it seriously.

I would say that the credit to it goes to my instructor Basia Kruszewska (I hope i got her name right). As a part of the instruction module, she gave us a task about writing a course on elementary blogging. We even accessed her blogs. Blogging sure seemed like a fun activity.

So here I am with my first blog. I am a person who like to express what I feel. So, I think blogging is my kind of thing.

I have an inkling that I am going to enjoy blogging. And my inklings are almost always true .. :)