Observations and Experiences

Ezham Arivu - Seventh Sense

2011-10-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

Im not a Surya fan who want to watch his movie on the first day or first week. Nevertheless, I have been keeping myself updated on Muragadoss director's movies. An ancient art 'Kalari' and the Medical treatment for diseases and anything about science from spirituality kindles my interest and makes me watch this movie with enthusiasm and pride. Bodhidharma as the name unveils into a character so many do not even have a clue about is well made into a movie. The movie is slow, a common man cannot intercept the message of 'Bio War' and what it can do to the country and people is mostly true, since we do not know any bio technology or genetic engineering to know this. Sruthi Hassan has done her role perfectly well and surya's hair color would have been better to add charm to him. Many movies have come up with messages like 1. Our Country's top intellectuals go to foreign countries because of lack of advanced studies and scholarship/support here. 2. Any art in India which can make wonders is now down to streets and have almost vanished is a fact which we must agree and work upon.

Our country will now give us a shock by releasing the census shortly and if the government does not take measures in controlling the below.
1. No: of Houses/Land one owns on her/his Name
2. No: of Vehicles one owns on her/his Name
3. No: of families and children one can bear
4. No: of bank accounts and Mutual funds
5.Amount of gold/diamond/silver/precious stones one can possess
6.The total revenue that comes from 80G( Amount towards charity attracting deduction) in a month
7.The No: of private education institutions /Deemed universities (Fees collected towards that) in a month

If the governments does not curbs these even now and not support farmers and promote agriculture we will fight among ourselves for shortage of food and space in the coming years.What will happen to our next generation without food,water and space ? For that many people should volunteer to live without bearing a child,the youth should not waste time in movies,games and other activities.

Wake up India!! Wake up youth!! We are the world's No:1 Country in 2020 which has the maximum youth according to statistics. Well, from the movie 'Ezham Arivu' to reality, only the individual person has to take a conscious choice whatever it is!! Are you on to make a conscious shift in reality?

BSP Volunteering - June3-June6 2011

2011-06-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

With Guilt and pain I entered the Ashram after 10 months hoping to get my limitations off during BSP volunteering. I came with a clear question and got all my answers from Sadhguru. For more than a year I have been suffering from Cervical pain and yet I decided to give myself fully to this BSP volunteering, the schedule was hectic as usual in ISHA and we hardly slept for 4 hours yet at the end of the program , I turned my neck to check on the pain and I didn’t feel a molecule of pain, that’s the grace of the guru . This BSP Volunteering has been truly working wonders, I was able to clearly distinguish my limitation where I thought I will dissolve some, and yet he dissolved the physical limitation of mine, now I have a list of limitations and also chalked ways to work on it. Its an experience for life and the truth does not fail to show its faces until we slip into darkness of ignorance. To top it, the topic of ‘Karma’ during Sadhuru’s darshan was like peeling me layer by layer and ability to see things beyond one’s limitation makes me still and silent and observe and practice the necessary awareness at all times to be free.

Some of our BSP participants said they learnt that not everything can be told politely and some things have to be demanding and they experienced it during the class . The Bhairavi darshan and Dhyana Linga temple , Theerakund and my list of limitations to work on is all that I will carry with my experiences from the volunteering and BSP process which reminds me that am limitless and I just have to be open and receptive.

Pallative Care and Hospice

2011-05-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

"Freedom from Pain" - This topic would make anyone eager to know if one has seen suffering around or suffered themselves. Personally, this has been alleviating for me since I have been under pain for many months now. Both my shoulders and the scapula has been aching making me to long for a day without pain.My pain is nothing when it comes to terminal illness , after seeing my father pass away in Cancer and patients in hospice 'Pain' is one word which am afraid of .
To know more about Freedom from Pain, read the article below.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/article2000461.ece

The Difference between Palliative Care and a Hospice has been clearly expressed in this article.
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/article2000479.ece

Palliative care is about giving support and care to patients in pain, simply removal of pain and providing a better quality of life. Hospice is a place for terminally ill during their last stages in life.
When I met the Palliative care doc in CMC during the last stages of my father's illness i didnt find any compassion nor Love/Care. I convinced myself saying they have seen so many people and I cant expect them to be treated like their own family. After reading this article today I understood why the docs behaved like that , the palliative care treatment is not recognized as a specialty by the Medical Council of India and hence they do not feel the need to take this discipline after their medical course.

I find Mr.Alexendar John the doctor in Adyar cancer institute more understanding and compassionate when I went to him for a second opinion as soon as my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Its in my wish list that India becomes a nation which will have the best palliative care treatement because of its soaring population , pollution, bad lifestyle, no room for cleanliness, hiking inflation when it comes to basic commodities. Only when the National Leaders understand the need to provide more facilities to the Farming population rather than Industrial /IT growth. The need to plant more trees, preserve environment, say 'NO' to plastic and add much more to the list.

Sunday Caffine after a Long time!!

2011-05-01T04:19:00.000-07:00

Its been some months that am catching up on reading Sunday THE HINDU, its been my Caffine though I dont drink Coffee/Tea. Four columns ripped my attention and makes me write this.

1.To start with Illango Ponnusamy, a professor in Social Work. Illango makes you feel one as he writes that we as Indians from Wedding till lifestyle feel that by acquiring more wealth and things that ease our living are not counting on the depletion of the resources and lose on the basics of living . I felt my spine straight as I was reading this column and I was also one among them but with a strong inclination and drive to get back to a peaceful lifestyle quitting IT once I close my commitments.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-openpage/article1982465.ece

2.Wedding Bloopers section by noted Colmunist 'Vijay Nagasami' . How he relates wedding expenses to the after wedding life and the initial first 5 years of bonding in a marriage which becomes the foundation for Trust and Acceptance of each other . I had already written a blog on the wedding expenses after attending my cousins wedding and believe that my sister's wedding has to be the simplest so that the couple has enough space and time and also money to plan for the future and not just go with the traditional way of celebration which will cost approx. 5L. This is a must read for all young people who have their bank balances full and empty because Vijay's way of expression is truly ramifying the possibilities of what happens after the marriage is over.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/article1982404.ece

3. Different and abled - Anyone will like to read and get amused by the inspiration and admiration that these people exihibit by living their lives so well , making it difficult for us to understand why are we grumping on smaller issues when we dont have physical challenges to face within our own body .I have been following this lady Kalpana Sharma's Column right from my college days and her columns are most kind of a feminist and also trying to highlight the way this ruthless world and our country treats women though we have anWOMEN PRESIDENT NOW. she urges one to have an collective gaze and see women as women and not by caste,community,disability.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-sundaymagazine/article1982397.ece

4. what happiness does one get when one gets to know that Rabindranath Tagore wrote letters to two women in his life, one was his WIFE and other an Argentanian by name Vicotoria. I guess the nation is fed up reading his work and singing National Anthem that they had chosen to keep this column in the first page of the 'Literary View' on a Sunday so that the usual crowd who stand a less chance of reading newspapers during weekday can enjoy this read on a sunday with the only fact that Famous people can also have affairs with other Nationals and its common when such a great poet has.

Relating famous people lives with the commoner and coming up with the understanding that its common for a man to behave like a man , be it great people or normal people. When I was in germany, some of our teammates used to contemplate on the life of Nehru claiming he has affairs and trying to personify themselves as Rama's or else secretly self boosting oneself that when Mahatma and Nehru can live like that , why not we?

When I read M.S.Subbulakshmi's Autobiography I was astonished the way she used to write letters to sadasivam pillai expressing her longing to get united in marriage. But that has not fettered me at anytime since she was an ICON of Divinity and just by once hearing the Suprabatham , all my worries and anxiety vanish and only her Voice echoes in my heart and the mind thinks of the LORD.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-literaryreview/article1982373.ece

Four columns are a good treat to me and its just am back to India from Germany after some months.

End of Winter!! - A Short Poem

2011-03-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

Standing alone in the cold
Am still alive within myself
How does it appear to see me
Naked with nothing to make my worth
Am waiting to sprout
To show that am full of life
As the spring starts
The leaves and the blossoms
Witnessing my existence
May you know that I am Alive always!!

Background: The Life in me questions when I see the trees in stuttgart, totally appearing lifeless and cold . This is in dedication to the Life other than the Mankind so that we realise the life around us.

Living in Grace.
Anii

Orange Fruit in RED color

2011-02-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

My collegeau picked an Orange from the hotel assuming it for Orange and when peeled , it was Blood RED in color. Was it Decomposed? Or was something else wrong? When wikied he found that its called . BLOOD ORANGE , Mutation from Sweet Orange which comes from Italy.The three most common types of blood oranges are the Tarocco (native to Italy), the Sanguinello (native to Spain), and the Moro, the newest variety of the three.

For more info visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_orange
http://www.blood-oranges.com/health-benefits-of-blood-oranges/

Daimler Benz Museum

2011-01-31T08:03:00.000-08:00

A complicated structure with a name ‘Daimler Benz Museum’ and we rush inside since our face and nose were almost frozen in the cold, with a dripping nose we went to the counter and said we work for Daimler and they asked us our last names and then came free tickets for the museum, we took the audio tour and collecting equipments went to the first floor, as you get on the lift the engine sound welcomes you to the world of BENZ. A horse is seen as the first piece in the museum and the story of how a man evolved into making cycles, small locomotives and then train, trucks and cars with the engine sound at the background.

We keep traversing passing from smaller locomotives to big buses and trains and air planes as we read the history dated to time such as world wars and how Germany lost its power and the factory burns down , the inflating economy and the coming back of the Benz , way back in the 18^th century Daimler and Karl Benz and William Maybach the story weaves on how they meet and the design of the automobile. There are photo points at each floor and the audio tour in English really helps!! We came to a point on how the symbol of Benz staged until it finally became a three pointed star circling inside. The simulation on the museum was looking like a giant robot , it’s a dark room where the feeling of riding cars at top speeds drives you crazy. It was the most coldest Sunday during my stay in

Germany

and from the cars in Titanic uptil sporty looks and then we land on the restaurant where you can happily walk with a souvenier a tag with 'Daimler Benz Museum' which you can wear around your neck with some Id hanging at the end of it.

Happy Benz ing!!! To Visit: http://www.mercedes-benz-classic.com/content/classic/mpc/mpc_classic_website/en/mpc_home/mbc/home/museum/information.html

Weather in Germany!! Who is Cold? What is Warmth?

2011-01-26T05:56:00.000-08:00

The Chillness in the air cutting my bones
Finding ways to reach the warmth of my heart!
I live along breathing through the cold
Is the weather cold? Or the People who are warm at heart?
Hoping this weather will nurture the warmth in me as in others!!

Paris - My Reflections

2011-01-25T08:16:00.000-08:00

Paris – The very word fascinates every one, especially the Eiffel one of wonders of the world. Fast and a dynamic city full of people all around, I find more restaurants, Museums, Hop On and Hop off Buses all over didn’t like the metro, it’s all littered and dirty and beware of pocket picketers, they will take all your money and leave you scot free. I find street sellers selling Eifel tower key chains and small miniature running away with their selling stuff when the police arrive, coming to Paris over the weekend was nice, travel by ICE train which runs at 300km\hr and it takes you to places for sure.

French is better than German I saw lots of stuff which I could read and understand, roamed around the city though the weather was very cold, freezing cold and raining. The view from the Eiffel was great, the river flowing along making banks to the big buildings. Eiffel is really great only in the night, when it’s completely lit by bulbs it will be breath taking. Ice skating is one hobby which people do it very well, from youngsters till adults everyone was skating despite the weather. I admired the ice skating on the second floor in the Eiffel, it was for free and some of my friends tried it. A hot coffee at the Eiffel was refreshing and by the end of the day we managed to find Hotel Saravana Bhavan in Paris, had a full South India meal after 15 days.

Louvre Museum has the Mona Lisa and paintings from all over the world too. The paintings are mostly naked and sculptures the same way, am sure you will know why you need naked eyes to see the paintings and sculptures and not just the physical. The Egyptian section and the sections from antiques were worth. Sunday is a holiday so never come to Paris for shopping on a Sunday, they all enjoy perfect life style. Our breakfast was sandwich with Mayonnaise and some vegetables along with chocolate bread and some fruits. Lots of tourists and I met some teachers from Kendariya Vidhyalaya from Chennai in Eiffel and in Louvre and talking in Tamil in Paris which I never thought of. We saw a newly wed couple who came over for their photograph session in Eiffel, it is for couples.
We closed with our visit to the Sacred-Heart Basilica of Mont Martre and its located on top of a hill in the North of Paris rises 129 meters above sea-level.The most interesting stuff comes here: Did you know that day and night somebody is praying here in the Basilica for the past 125 years and its still happening I beleive.
Visit Paris at least once to taste their fresh bakery stuff and shopping besides museums and Eiffel and Srilankans and Tamilians.Paris welcomes all and the only thing you should be careful is you can be duped easily.

Germany - Stuttgart

2011-01-21T07:06:00.000-08:00

Imagine wild travelling to Paris,Munich,Amsterdam and now am in Germany at Stuggart a nice town full of Mercedez benz and VW. Weather very cold, got to see some snow , and attractions are heildelberg close to stuttgart. I liked the houses stationed on the hill and some green patches all over the mountain and in the evening when I look from my office window I see a church with a Cross in Red light and its very nice view for sure when big trucks become miniature at a distance, its like looking a bigger problem of life with a small and a easy view.

Career or Self Realisation?

2010-12-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

The more I keep chanting the more I want to get rid of this mundane world and feel like going to the Spiritual life, I have been battling over this idea and desperatey looking forward to 5-6 years down the line hoping to close my loans and be debt free atleast financially. I own a lot to this mother Earth for this body is loaned from her and will have to return when the time comes, am trying to keep it fit. I found the answer to this haunting question and decided to post it so that i can read it then always.

Marriage Blues - Are Wedding Arrangements Necessity/Desire?

2010-12-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

Just back from my cousin's wedding , the long awaited wedding since 8 months finally went well.The list goes endless from caterers to beauticians its all money and the end result a highly swollen credit cards bills. Meeting people is always nice in marriages but when they coax you into their personal life and try to find their personal satisfaction through you is a worry.

Women are busy with gossips, mostly its about who is wearing what? what wedding gifts did one give and evaluating their worth ? How beautiful the bride looks? Comments on her skin texture, color and the how good the pair looks? Deep down are they the perfect matches? Is it a love or an arranged marriage? Ratings on Food served? The Hospitality one receives when attending the marriage?

Exchanging telephone numbers on every marriage but never calling anyone.

In India experience teaches you a lot since wedding is a One way road till now and acceptance has been deeply imbibed in our culture since independence days.

I find that most people attend marriages for some reasons:
1.If they have a suitable boy/girl then they can get some contacts and prospects during this occasion.
2. A few of them come since they need people when they have their children get married.
3. Few close relatives love the idea of family occasion and they come and grace with love and bless them.
4. There are a cactus bunch of people who with their bitterness/sourness in marriage keep on giving free advice and unnecessarily peep into other's private lives.
5. A few others catch hold of people like me and give their Gyan (knowledge) on how difficult it is to live without a partner while deep down they are handicapped by the lack of independence when they find single people.
6. Young cousins die for photo sessions with the bride and the groom and they run around photographers.

When two people have decided to live for each other forever why is there a need for all these arrangements? A simple marriage can do a lot of things by giving them time,money from which they can build their dreams instead of spending lakhs, even otherwise dreams are meant to be build but it can be made easier with this few lakhs of money.

Looking forward to my sister's marriage :-) , not sure if it will have the usual arrangements or will it be a simple marriage?

Jay HO-- Long Live the Couple!!

Volunteer Satsang in Vellore - ISHA - Master Sadhguru

2010-11-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

Vellore holds a special significance not because I was born and raised but my master had come there and shared his vision on Greener world and Green Vellore with the support of VIT group and a team of volunteers who have taken Oath to grow the saplings for a certain period of time.

November 19th 2010, Rains slashed soiling our clothes and leaving us wet but the Sounds of ISHA troop made us dance and sing to the beatings of the instruments leaving us in a trance when the master arrives bringing us back to awareness like Trance. The most awaited part came in when a 1000 people approx had a volunteer Satsang after the public Satsang, two things fascinated me I saw my master very close after a very long time though I keep chanting 'Bhramhananda Swaroopa' trying to focus while I travel an hour long journey to my office and the Key message which he delivered.

Some Key points in Satsang:
1.Bhootha Shuthi and the Bhootha Siddhi . Sadhguru spoke about Bhootha Shuthi and the importance of 'Pancha Bhootha Arathana' and how it helps us since we are made of the basic 5 elements - Air,Land,Water,Space,Fire.

2.ISHA has already started to work on leaving atleast a DROP of spirituality to every individual without any COST so that people atleast die peacefully and dont have a miserable death, the idea is to not leave people who have died also by making sure they have tasted bliss even after death.( This is one question for which I wrote several letters to Sadhguru , cried within myself and searched within myself to help my father who is dead, I got the answer finally in the Satsang in my hometown the place where my father lays dead and I have a chance of giving ISHA to my father through my master)

3. Sadhguru will be conducting ISHA Inner Engineering Class in Tamil also thereafter and it will be done in Chennai and some cities and encouraged volunteers to bring in atleast 500-1000 registrations in chennai then a class can be done in Vellore also next year.

4. Sadhguru urged everyone to be blissful and happy and ISHA Job's is to ensure every human being tastes this with the ISHA practices which they have learnt.

Q & A Session:
1. What is that 'Im Everything' and 'Im Nothing' means?
Sadhguru said both meant the same thing, when the 'I' ness vanishes only Nothingness remains and that remains everywhere and we are everywhere. so EGO is the only thing that discriminates these two and makes it dual as if its real.

Sadhguru zoomed on his BMW leaving behind hearts filled with Ecstasy and stomach craving for food as we were served Hot chapathi and Brinji and people dissappeared into the cold night like dew drops on the window sill and eyes looking out from the window for more such events.

Diwali 2010

2010-11-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

Diwali means 'Celebration ,Happiness,New Dresses,Crackers, Sweets,Home Made Snacks,Prayers,Visiting Relatives and Friends'. This was how me and my family used to celebrate Diwali for years and things have changed after my father passed away. We did light some lamps so that the Lord Protects and gives us the strength and the patience to overcome all the hurdles that fall upon us and take good and bad for growth.

This Diwali we went to the temple for 'Nonmbu', this is a occasion where the women folks of the household prepare the sweet called 'Athirasam' (Mix of Jaggery and Rice Powder made flat shaped and fried in oil) they have a count and they arrange fruits,Athirasam,Leaves,Flowers in that number ( we keep 21 banana's,Arali leaves,Flowers) all in the same number and coconut and a sacred thread, 'Yellow' for Women and 'Red' for Men and tie 21 knots on the sacred thread and take these to the temple and offer to the Goddess Parvati.Its is believed that she will protect the men and the children and other family members of the household for the entire year. This is always performed only on the 'New Moon' Day, when the stars come to an certain position and offerings are taken by the lord and blessings are showered. It is done like a Final year Examination in my house, my mother exercises so that care and concern and extreme hygiene conditions are maintained until the offering is done at the temple for the Goddess and we come back home and spread plaintain leaves and offer the food that is prepared(Vegetables(Vazhaikai,Potato,Beans),Vadai,Sambar,Rasam,Dal,and Curd) and then the same is served to the crows .

The evening is lightened by the 'Lakshmi Pooja' where Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva and Family along with the Lakshmi are worshiped with 5 variety of fruits, Red flowers, Milk Payasam,Jewel(Gold or Silver), a lamp is decorated with Lotus flowers and sacred thread is kept below it and Lakshmi Recitals are done by each family member to invoke the goddess and seek her blessing for a prosperous and wealthy life.

I wish each and everyone a very Happy Diwali , may the light remove the ignorance,and the Narakasura's(Negative Qualities) in each one of us and bring us closer to light and finally merge into the light .
Its beleived that the Lord protects and lives in all the worlds, a world where my father is and the world where we are existing ,I leave it to the Lord and bow down for am only capable of doing this - 'SARANAGATI'.

Gaze the Sky - The Pole Star!! Catch It Tonight

2010-10-11T09:02:00.000-07:00

Watch the Sky for a Lone Star Tonight – It’s a Wonder

Gazing the sky I wondered ‘What is that one star that shines so brightly even before we could spot many others at the dusk, close to the moon radiating and catching my attention and many others like me?”. I wondered and asked my mother ‘What is this Star?’

She said ‘That’s Dhruv, the Pole Star’ in Hindu Mythology. I heard this name from my colleague who named his son as ‘Dhruv’ which means ‘Constant’.

On Googling I found this beautiful story of Dhruv, born to the first queen ‘Suniti’ of King ‘Uttanapada’, Dhruv was gentle and loving like his mother. The Second Queen ‘Surichi’ also bore a child named ‘Uttama’ and she had a urge to make her son as the King, driven by her selfish desires she poisoned the king and drove away Suniti and the child Dhruv. The child and mother lived in the forest and when the child grew it enquired about its father, having known that King Uttanapada was his father the bereft boy wanted to visit his father, Suniti blessed her son and sent him to the palace.

On arrival at the Palace, the boy went and embraced the father and said “Don’t you recognize me, I’m Dhruv, Your son and my mother is Suniti”. The king becomes very passionate on seeing the lovely child and his affection, Queen Surichi being devious in her acts throws the child out of the palace, Dhruv helplessly walks away and returns to his mother and enquires “Who is the most powerful than the king?" so that he can go to him and ask for justice. Suniti replies “Lord Narayana is the most powerful of all for he will come when you constantly think of him”.

The child left his mother’s place and decided to think only of Lord Narayana and went into deep states of meditation where he reaches the celestial when he meets Sage Narada, on enquiries about Lord Narayana, Sage Narada advises him to stay in this place on the celestials and meditate on the Lord. His meditative powers were causing tremors on the celestials and Indra the celestial God became worried, some of the most powerful sages were disturbed by the radiating energy emanating from this boy. They all came together and sat around Dhruv and started meditating on the Lord Narayana himself. Indra sent poisonous snakes, evil creatures to distract the boy but the boy in meditation remained unfettered from all of these.

Pleased by the Child’s constant one pointed attention on Lord Narayana, the Lord gave him vision and advised the child to stop meditating and asked” What do you desire?”. Dhruv smiled on being granted the vision of Lord Narayana and all the Saptarishi’s (Seven Rishis) who meditated on him together become a Star in the sky. One can watch Dhruv in the sky even today but it’s most easily visible in the months of July- November, though Dhruv radiates with his one pointed devotion on the Lord. Let us Pray and seek the feet of Lord Narayana with One Pointed Mind who can free us from all the maladies that afflict us in all our human and non-human births and raise to meditate and merge into his Lotus Feet like the boy dhruv.

Raavanan - Tamil Movie

2010-06-24T04:09:00.000-07:00

Raavanan

The Much Hyped Tamil Movie ‘Raavanan’ is finally out of the bag and I got to watch it. Unlike ‘Guru’ this one is definitely better . MR ‘s auteur will contain Nature,Water Falls, Village and its people who support a hero and tamil poetry.

The Movie opens with a Water Fall and Ends in high Mountainous range, P C Sreeram deserves Applause where one can see a Dragon fly and the soldiers creeping under a branch , photography is Excellent. With No Make up Prabhu manages to get some Kajal in his eyes , Ash has faded yet pairs with Prithiviraj who is much younger to her . Even Villians have morals one can see that in this movie when Vikram kidnaps Ash and falls in love with her but never treats her the way he wants.

Priya mani is a butter cookie , she neatly does her job and walks away in short notice with a name ‘Vannila’. She really is a rainbow as her episode brings in colors in the movie, the marriage backdrop and the lights in the village villa is the only VIBGYOR of the movie.

Tribal community who support Vikram and their travel into the dense forest is adventurous and makes one crave for more when they dance in the rain as music scores over the background. The Crimes and the judgments are cinematically done well , portraying real world . Encounter Specialist Prithiviraj doubts his own wife Ash to catch hold of the villain and story ends there when death meets Raavan and prithiviraj with his Rayban glasses as Ram, while Ash the abducted one looks upon…. Not an Epic but can watch once..

Karate Kid - 2010 Version

2010-06-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

English Movies are topping the list these days in all the Cinema hubs in chennai, none of the recent tamil movie are good and so as Hindi, and people were thronging for the English movie. We Watched 'Karate Kid' , the story is about a American boy Jaden Smith(Dre Parker) from Detroit (US) who moves along with his mother to China where she works for a car company deputed to china. He picks enemity with a boy in his neighbourhood who is also his school mate and fails to impress a girl years of age and he gets beaten up badly when Jackie chan(Mr.Han) comes to his rescue.So Parker becomes Han's fan and wants to learn 'Kung-fu' and Han finally agrees.

To make peace with the students of Martial Arts school who were beaten up by Mr.Han he lands up in a challenge where Parker should fight one to one with the students of the Kung - Fu School.When Mr.Han asks Parker to take his coat 'Off' and 'On' and hang it for days together . Parker is encouraged by Han when he says Kung Fu lies in everything we do and how we treat people. Han has a sad past of losing his wife and child in a car accident and he tries to fix things but learns from Parker.

The movie has a very positive approach towards life and its changes and how one should go one and not look behind. Parker's determination of not to remain scared anymore makes him take part in the last round of the Kung Fu tournament with his broken leg and with a flip back kick wins the game and wins the heart of the audience also. Parker's mother a very enthusiastic lady throughout the movie respects the child's statement when parker asks for a few moments with his master Han while getting treated for his broken leg minutes before the tournament is something which is unlikely for a women and a mother.

A Must Watch for every kid and Adult.

ISHA LIFE

2010-06-14T02:05:00.000-07:00

This Weekend we visited ISHA LIFE at mylapore .. It consists of Mahamudra the Restaurant , Tejas Spa ,Shambhavi Boutique and Angamardhana fitness studio. Simple yet Elegant design the ambience calm and one can hear Sounds of Isha music being played. The restaurant offers Kanji such as Kambu and Ragi. We tasted a welcome drink and went to get a glimpse of whats on. The Spa and the bathrooms were very neatly and well furnished and once can find people dressed in green and beig receive you with respect and an attitude to serve the best. The Rooms are named as Tulasi, Malli, Akash Malli, Nimbe etc. There is a giant 'Nagalinga' Flower tree and the structure has been built leaving space for the tree.

We passed by as Anuradha Sriram was singing in her private party organised in the restaurant and drove back home.A meal for both can cost you 500 rupees. For the first time in my life time, I tried a full massage and have decided to never try it againThere is Fitness, Food and more.. Explore and if you like it , adapt a good lifestyle as it showcases one...

'Angadi Theru' - Tamil Movie

2010-04-29T00:21:00.000-07:00

True Value:
Entertainment Packed Reality
Value Shopping

Cinema Blues:
Emotions
Tragedy
Pain and Suffering

Best Value:
AC Theater with beverages and comedy that can make you laugh occasionally

Im still awaiting if the BIG stores in TNagar and other parts of INDIA opposes the movie and get a stay order for showing them on theaters. Its not yet happening, but all vendors of TNagar and the public police and Govt. should surely treat themselves for showcasing them as 'BAD GUYS' selling 'POVERTY' ,'HARASSMENT' .....

Watch it with a Hankie and shop in T Nagar with a heavy heart.

Where India is / we are Heading?

2010-04-28T23:03:00.001-07:00

The news channels are gaining popularity with the telecasts from 'Sania's Marriage and Walima' and on the other end the gutters of the IPL are draining out with Modi's family coming to rescue him with their family business letting people know that he has his own business to meddle with and he need not do it with his idealogy like IPL, the idea was great but with papers going missing , is it not a shame to use our ideas in cheating and getting booked under the sections of the law as 420.

A year back the IT industry jolted with 'Satyam' , and now from the fraudulent activities from the so called 'GOD Men' like 'N' and the telecasting of the 'Divine couple' on the TV made many hearts cry in pain, my mother begged me not to visit ashrams. With the true longing for liberation many sincere souls and many people who dont have a say in their life land up in such places where deceit and illicit relationships as these are brought out to public the need for a stronger generation with more faith on GOD than on GODMEN , living to one's own conscious arises. Im blessed to find my GURU and still believe in GOD despite the downfalls and threats that life posed over me because the Creator is Vast and do not want to confine myself to the shrines or idols.

To back up all these the SC's verdict on premarital sex has made people forget the rich cultural and spiritual heritage we come from, I always love my country just like anybody but I always think what am leaving behind for my next generation, when a country men cannot even provide a pollution free environment expecting cultural and spiritual values are far ahead .I read the news where the temple actress Kushboo was all smiles after all the criminal charges were taken against her on her statement on this, freedom of speech and accepting personal opinions need not made a law and passed out. The last two Sunday magazine's from 'The Hindu' was full of Relationships - Living Together and Getting Married, I read each and every line trying to find the outcome and the conclusion based on my understanding ,all I can come up with was If you want to have children then get married, what are they legalising?

My company recently hosted a campaign on Cervical Cancer and the survey says our country is more prone since we are already in huge number in population and AIDS. When a law is passed shouldn't the so called 'Judges' not consider the medical health,mental health and over all well being of the people. With all this making me suffocate , I also read death toll in Orissa due to heat waves. If someone like me who is willing to make a difference in their lives by feeling more responsible and can/will make things happen, Am available for the good cause which can provide a better environment to the future can volunteer and we all can make things better if not worse.Im not a feminist but the heat is just too much to cook my brain with platters as pungent as these with their deceiving looks.

All Weather Friends and Weathered/Weathering Friends

2010-03-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

The Columns by Vijay Nagaswami will make everyone pause atleast a minute regardless of what kind of relationships one holds. After reading the column 'All Weather Friends' on The Hindu Sunday Magazine, it made me write after pausing.
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/03/21/stories/2010032150070300.htm

Friends become a very important part in everyone's life, for there are no ties that can bind you in the name of law,religion,societal reflections which deal with power,money,women the most common denominators which can easily help choose our friends. The Topic 'All Weather Friends' who can stay with you all the time, not by the seasons as per nature but at all times of highs and lows though we dont talk to each other, stay in touch. I do have a few like that but when we meet its all like coming back, but there is a space which is empty because of the weathered connections.

In this century where mobile phones enables one to see each other as they speak and emails,SMS's which has power packs for just 25 bucks as you can send 9999 SMS's, still friends weather out.Many of us choose our friends mostly based on needs , and that too after 30+ it becomes mostly on common interests,hobbies,travel,Marital Status since we get to talk about we are currently than what we were in the past. I have been blessed with a handful of them, just talk to them whenever you want to and just be around pooling common interests like Health Care,Old age,Spirituality etc.

Sometimes it makes me wonder if only I had one friend who was with me always at all times physically may be much of my journey would have been at ease when I passed through the weathered storms of my life.But still I would choose writing because for what am now, am more comfortable with the Blogger page to ventilate though am used and need friends in real world.

Recently I read in the paper that in a bar they have trained men whom you can beat up and get yourself on track when you are angry, but the bar tenders will actually still serve you with a smile.People try different means to their pressure cooked emotions running on high temperature but just sitting and conversing with a good friend need not be old or new, will bring in more happiness and peace ... I'm making a point to email some of my friends who have weathered on time and re-establish friendships.

World Cancer Day - February 4 2010

2010-02-04T03:08:00.000-08:00

World Cancer Day -
Statistics:
If I type the sentence 'World Cancer Day' in Google homepage my eyes fall upon many websites and WHO says close to 84 million people will die of cancer between 2005 and 2015 without intervention. It drains us out to see such a painful death.

I recently saw an article which states that "Apollo Speciality Hospital, Teynampet, has installed a state-of-the-art positron emission domography system for diagnosis of cancer. The advanced 64 slice PET-CT system with time of flight technology is the first of its kind to be installed in the country. ".

Experience:
I also saw an article on children being educated about CANCER.When I was in School, Science always fascinated me and even now it still makes me look for something beyond.The few pages of study on Cancer and types basics made me think I will do some research work on it, but when I faced my own father dying of it, all I could do is support him and never bothered to know much about the disease. I think it was not all that important to analyze but one should be keen enough to notice the changes in one's body, my father told us umpteen number of times about his eye sight, long hours of sleeping, but it was diagonsed as 'Vertigo' and later the cancer showed up.

On this World Cancer Day, I pray for all the souls which has left the earth and I also pray for all the loved ones who are left behind last but not least I bow down to Palliative Care and Hospice services all over the world, Cancer institutes,Support Staff and people who are struggling for a breakthrough to cure some deadly cancers.

WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT
The best way one can rech out is by Creating Awareness about Cancer and Doing YOGIC practices(preferably Kriya Yoga) daily just as we eat,sleep and attend to our nature calls and eating healthy. The only thing am doing right now is sitting and working in office and posting this blog during a break , while I see the rest of the world chasing deadlines and zooming fast in a traffic signal,children going to school and elderly praying and resting and recycling memories of the past . Most of us live for tomorrow and not TODAY....

References: http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/02/stories/2010020250320200.htm
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/annual/world_cancer_day/en/index.html

Linga Bhairavi Poem

2010-02-01T05:27:00.001-08:00

The fearful face that drives the fear
Her energy raw and reverberating
She draws us like a mother's womb
Our hearts melting in devotion
She comes along as a guided living form
I bow down to her for whatever Am
Our guru asking us to be joyful always
For am no perfect but will be appropriate

US NRI and American Way of Marriage

2010-01-25T02:56:00.000-08:00

I have never written about my group of friends the ‘Fantastic14’ as we named our group after our college, we are still in touch the group posts expanding family pictures, new born arrivals, marriages, birthdays, house warming ceremonies, conference talks once someone lands in the US since some of them are living in the US and condolence messages when our loved ones pass away as they age. Last year had been hectic for me, I didn’t have time to check how many of my friends became Father’s/Mother’s, onsite offers, who lives where, new cars, and stuff like that. I cleared close to 100+ emails today on my group mail id, and noted that the only left out E was also getting married to an American and he had an engagement in our hometown, and marriage will be in the

towards end of March. E was a bright student, a perfect academician and a very ambitious personality, hard core worker with excellent memory and long hours of study.So now E would be a American after marriage.

There were a couple of emails on hotel reservations as to how many would attend his wedding and he has also requested for a ‘NO’ reply incase if we are not attending his marriage, this was to make seating arrangements he politely answered. ‘Marriages are made in Heaven’, I guess be it US or India so many make their living on an occasion called ‘Marriage’.

From the photographers to food caterers, way up to flying down to honey moon destinations it’s all planned to make the occasion memorable.

As I was clearing my set of emails, I noticed my Pal E came down in Sep 2009 with his American fiancée to Bangalore for work and then got engaged the next week. Before arriving people have started worrying about having allergies, water borne diseases, sun burns and of course emotional drama's at his place. Life is not that easy in

INDIA

, may be my folks are reminding me that the body gets used to the environment we are putting it through by our lifestyle and eating habits.

This is INDO- US marriage and the one I haven’t witnessed yet only heard of, am eagerly looking forward to the marriage photos by first week of April and appreciate the way by which my pal was able to accommodate himself and lastly understand ‘Love knows no Boundaries’ and for a marriage to be successful it all needs to be human to understand each others needs and respect each other for whatever they are.

Retail Chains and Business

2010-01-25T02:13:00.000-08:00

One can suffocate in Big Bazaar following the offers on clothing, food up till sanitary napkins. I still had to visit since it was a request from my close buddy and we both strolled along , dissatisfied by the choices and ending up buying groceries we returned home. The following day I went again to collect a gift,lemon set which came as an offer for Just Rs: 29/- if you purchase goods worth more than 2K. I knew why the Ambani’s wanted to open Reliance Fresh and have their own chain of retain outlets, but now the entrance was changed, I was asked to go upstairs instead of the usual way the crowd was not manageable and yet our ‘Small chain Maligai’ stores people like Grace,Jeevan to name a few survived.

As I was waiting to collect the gift, I had to hear the conversations amongst the employees, the manager showed up only now he had gone to take his Breakfast and lunch together, another says he went home at 2.30am last night and again back to work, people hate to work on weekends, but the retailers thrive only on weekend sales where people can buy anything that’s tagged with a colorful writing ‘SALE/OFFER’.

For want of oxygen , I picked my things quickly and rushed out and I felt relieved myself that this time I didn’t purchase more, last time my bill was close to 5K , we bought soup bowls and jars that were tagged as ‘Christmas and New Year offer’. As I was heading towards the parking lot, a lady came rushing to me and asked me if I could buy a Air Freshener which in turn would go to support a orphanage which aids children’s education, I vehemently responded that am contributing and she went on asking me if there was a yoga class conducted by ISHA in the city after observing the Rudraksha around my neck willingly I gave her the information where she could find the details as she was dumping her frustrations as to getting confused and not being able to take a right direction to grow, my mind started racing I met her a few seconds and from a fund raising project she switches to Yoga and talks about Business by trying to sell her items and yet being frank with her issues, why cant we run only one Charitable institution so that we can track how many philanthropists exists in our country and we need not have a law 80G exemption, if we have only one Charity Org thereby tracking and reaching out is easy and lively and not a mere business.

With the buzzing city shopping, there are a few set of people who are fund raising for a cause, pamphlets being distributed about new construction sites and people walking happily after hours of shopping tagged SALE.

Two lessons from shopping, never shop over weekends in Big Bazaar, one can get contradicted to various infectious diseases and always ask for FREE items at the customer service desk.after you finish shopping as you walk out .You might get a dettol soap free for a Maggi noodle after all, but it’s a OFFER you know, I think I might as well thrive on small chains or normal ‘Maligai’ stores which give whole sale price and yet its always better oxygenated than the BIG retail ones…

Appraisal 2010 - New Environment But Old Model

2010-01-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

Appraisals, termed as Personal Business Commitments always take people for a ride, emotions bursting,hushy tones of discussions, open confrontations about ratings and performance, relationships with colleagues and bosses getting battered with the reality out.The year starts with back logs in our minds and hearts, all the pomp and the freshness that new year gave to us dies out in just one thing called ‘Appraisal’. I wish the judgments be made at the end of the year rather than the new year , it can positively improve many lives.

Most of the times it ends up with ‘How could did this happen to me?’, I thought my boss had a good opinion about me, How many times I pleased him with his petty requests on doing his job just because he was my boss who had the power to uplift me in my career, finally we turn to GOD seeking answers, calling friends to seek solace by venting out thoughts/opinions/judgments. Call it fate? Where does GOD come into picture when it comes to appraisals, are we seeking for Grace of the GOD by getting good ratings, having our bank balance swollen with deposits, having a dream car, flying to a place of our choice. I witnessed many low faces and hearts reaching out to talk about injustice in ratings, clever managers giving Gyaan and reciting the same mantra as if it would liberate them from the sufferings of the world but it made people worsen.

I tried to give my piece of wisdom explaining them that during a crisis in a company, even Star performers were asked to leave and nothing can save anyone, all are treated equally when it comes to calamity, but still my point was missed, people only understood it the way they want it, only in case of calamity it was like that, but when the company is doing well they can pay us well was the answer. Even the best were not treated well, the end result more heart breaks, people looking out for jobs, frustration, less commitment and sense of low self esteem. I have always believed that exams can’t judge people, knowledge can be acquired from books, but Experience is only the best teacher. We should be thankful for every day /every moment, there are many people without basic things also and to top it recession pushed many to brink of taking their lives, just for the fear of survival.

If survival is all we are looking at, we have many jobs to do, we get choosy and lose our human qualities in the process of chasing our dreams filled with dream house, car, family and favorite holiday destinations and many more depending upon the exposure and the willingness to dream, we are lazy even to dream, to dream of a life with less smoke, organic food, less garbage, Eco friendly gadgets, quality time that strengthen relationships that can make broken ones back to shape.

Not everyone can be an outstanding candidate, that too consistently. We are all unique with our own faults and desires. I wish we work with a sense of responsibility that makes us feel good for having made someone smile, for sharing little knowledge which we gathered in our learning curves from the rich/poor experience that life teaches us, be willing and open to transform our limitations, understand that we don’t carry the company in our shoulders but whatever we do we take a learning with us which can fetch us some money, satisfaction and above all responsibility for all our actions. I’m no pedagogue, after all these rating are ephemeral and one cannot expect a outstanding rating every time, am willing to learn and transform and live a life of fulfillment and I believe that GRACE will descend only when you are worthy of it and to be graceful doesn’t mean we get good ratings, placate planets, be in good books with our bosses, bribe GOD by offering materialistic things rather than offering oneself truly and wholly for what we are doing now and yet leaving the rest to the unforeseen forces of Nature….

Awareness and You

2009-12-11T02:39:00.001-08:00

Am trying to find myself
Researching in all possible ways
Analysing myself in every situation
Consciously making myself let know
Until I found now as an experience...

Who you are does not matter
As long as you simply be
No matter what happens
Just live in the present
To experience this within you...

It flows all around and all over
Breaking the barriers of time and space
Dissolving the 'I' in 'Me' and 'I' in 'You'
No more reminiscences
But Just this Moment....

2 States - The Story of My Marriage

2009-12-03T20:47:00.000-08:00

Chetan Bhagat’s new novel will impress anyone because of the title,the subject and as a writer as he is a very natural and sometimes mystical. All his novels has a guruji concept/Spiritual peek into oneself, and this time its Aurobindo Ashram in Pondy, it’s a nice place and I have been there several times but I never met any of those guriji’s he mentions in his book, huh.. my spiritual growth … I ponder. Let me write some nice bits apart from these critics.

A Punjabi boy ‘Krish’ and a Tamil Brahmin ‘Ananya’ girl fall in love in their IIMA group study and live together and manage to get jobs. The strategy and the planning they make to get their parents smile during the wedding day adds lot of fun , the way the guy finds his way to win the tamilian family , everyone has needs but making them realize that no one other than you can fulfill it makes you special, Punjabi’s are smart, I must agree here as he gets to know about each member of the family and gets a Whole ‘Yes’ for marriage. The Lead role is always a hero , a boy and he plays a vital role in movies and also in this novel.

The girl is like a feminist type, independent, intelligent, practical, am not sure how many tamilians are like her but being born and brought up in TamilNadu , I have always admired Tamil Brahmins for their perfect and sharp features and milk white complexion.Tamil Brahmins do give much importance to education and at the same time, its quite common in the community and they go out of the way to get married to someone they really love and value.( Tamil Brahmins no offences pls.. its just my view may b 90 degree or 180 degree not the 360 degree type ok?)

Apart from the two families and their extended tree structure , the book doesn’t show any good/close friends , I wonder if IIM/IIT guys don’t have friendship, they are too busy either studying or falling in love that’s what the book says…

The typical Tamil marriage and the way the Punjabi’s adapt themselves to the Tamil culture and the jokes on his inner wear will definitely make you laugh and even cry, its really funny and flows with the story. The EGO bruises which each family suffers along with the guy and the girl and how they manage to come out with just one visit of krish’s dad to Ananya’s place changing everything . But Krish is a sensitive guy than Ananya.

The Importance of mother and father and values like ‘Forgiveness’ and ‘loving more’ concept in chetan’s book are like Nuts topping on an ice cream followed by speech from ananya’s father are the most admired sections from the book.

The conclusion with the birth of twins is like they lived happily ever after…. The Price of the book costs just 58 Rupees and one can wonder why the other books costed so much, it has a lot of factors to it apart from the price, but 2 states is a sweet and sour candy which every youngster can savour from now on....

Being 31 and SINGLE in Karachi

2009-11-30T00:15:00.000-08:00

The only reason I choose to walk to this English play was because I was 31 and single and was not in Karachi.

Being a Pakistani women and living in Karachi with mom (ammi) and brother Adil , single at 31 and running through a wave of emotions in COMA state. The landscape opens with Ayesha who is 31 and in COMA with her ammi(mom) crying beside her if her daughter will wake up. The doctor says everything is fine and still she refuses to come out of coma, her brother Adil who is a director explains about his falling in love with a make up artist to his sis in Coma and ammi in tristful mood when she realizes that her husband (Ayesha’s Abba) has been coaxing and indulging in physical relationship with the helper maid who takes care of Adil.

The moments with Saad ,Ayeshsa’s only prospect at 31 has been enacted well , the funny small fights between Saad and Ayesha is appreciable on the sets when Ayesha comes for a color selection of a car that saad wants to buy. Ayesha plays a vital role supporting the family financially and educating her brother with no complaints of being single or over burdened an independent woman with a focused objective to work and stand on her own and not giving herself during her college woos I felt I was seeing through myself in Ayesha yet I do complain about my responsibilities sometimes.

Ayesha shifts her gears like the car and recollects thoughts that filled her life and doesn’t want to come out of her deep slumber the ‘coma’. The conversions between ammi and Ayesha have come out so well and looked like real, while the audience was all in giggles. The play closes when Ayesha opens her eyes when saad comes to meet Ayesha who is in ‘coma’ and she confesses that she met her father on a busy lane in Karachi after her father had left them deserted after ammi and she found about his grisly act and that abba had gone the next morning.

A 90 minute play without break was a good appetite for me as I consumed a sub way sandwich and my sis a fresco chocolate ice cream, I think this is the first time in my life time that I ate without making noise for the fear that people who sat next to me don’t get distracted ….

The play was by Shandana Minhas’s Tunnel Vision Adapted, designed and directed by Nikhila Kesavan. Sponsored by SubwayFresco,The Hindu,Sheraton chola Hotel, a lot of them.. No Doubt the madras players portray the best sellers with such fine artists on stage.

KURBAAN - Review

2009-11-23T04:55:00.000-08:00

‘Sacrifice’ is a powerful word depending upon what one is capable of giving and on which juncture. With terrorism and antagonistic acts eroding the very basis of humanitarian nature, there is little time left to love and romance, and even if we have time we tend to choose people whom we want to pour love from our faiths and beliefs and values trying to live with the similarities rather than respecting and accepting the differences which make the minds of people stand apart.

Teaching profession and Dating and Coffee at Coffee day are shot well, with no time love blossoms between Saif and Kareena and the way saif puts his attitude (He is a attitude Trainer) that ‘It need not be women who should always leave their jobs for men, men can also do it for women’ and travels to the US on his academic wife’s dependent visa. He plots his move to buy an apartment in an Indian neighborhood where the cold blooded raged people live on the name of their faith and whose only objective is to inflict suffering among Americans for them to know the pain of losing their loved ones, doesn’t invite any sympathy for them but one can see people waiting for the next turn of events on the screen as to how does kareena feels after she gets to know her partner is also involved in these killings on the name of faith.

Vivek Oberoi is handsome and his romance is very short lived not even to last the blast of his beloved, with hurt and tears his motive is to find a way to these killings. His ignorance in handling the gun point requires more practice sessions and takes. The cogent evidence from the voice mail from kareena helps vivek to trace the roots of violence.NY’s Police, important station points to be bombed, women also among the raging group makes one trace the writings of a particular faith’s virtue of compassion and killing of innocent ones. The blasts that make the one think like the movie ‘Terminator’ as the officer survives after a powerful blast calls for his dutifulness or the hope of a reward or was it bad direction? Only Saif fuses the bomb, not even the NYPD bomb squad could do that for the only reason of falling short of the bombing time.

The battle to save his loved one and Saif getting deviated from the one pointedness of his objective finally offering himself to protect the baby and his partner shows love and deep care yet selfish that his partner should survive and in turn being compassionate in fusing the bomb is played well, romance naturally flows between saif and kareena like in real time through a short song.

Keeping up the identity of a particular faith in the modern world, need not be taught as a subject but keeping ourselves aware of the humanitarian traits and treating every life as our own will curb down differences, one need not be a victim or a follower of faith to realize the truth of the unity of life, Nature is strong enough to render us what we give in, all it takes is a circle, it will come back to you at any time.

Rain Droplets

2009-10-27T03:03:00.001-07:00

As the water droplets drop on the ground
The aroma of the earth getting on our senses
Reminds of the rain gods romancing the earth
Gently carving its way through the layers of the earth
Flowing like an deep rooted desire
As the earth allows the water to penetrate
Touching the deeper cores of the unsettled earth
Dissolving and absorbing into each other
When the sky brings shines from the sun
The rainbow appears as a expression
Sharing the divinity within each other
I stand watching the rainbow above the sky
My legs feeling the wetness from the earth
Seeking the divinity with me ...

DESIRE- POEM

2009-10-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

My nights are getting longer than my days,
My longing getting stronger and deeper,
The very breath that holds you,
Binds me with your warmth and love,
As I hear the whispers of your voice,
The cries of your lonely nights,
Breaking the silence of my thoughts,
Like a seed am waiting to sprout in your life
From the depths of the dryness in your eyes,
Your fragerance lingering within me,
Chasing the shadow of my own self within you...

ஈரம்

2009-10-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

நெஞ்சில் ஆசைகளை சுமந்ததால் வந்த ஈரம்
கல்லறையில் மனிதர்களை தின்னும் மண்னின் ஈரம்
வானில் இருந்து விழும் மழைத்துளிகளின் ஈரம்
காவியமாய் என் பேனா முனையில் மையில் இருக்கும் ஈரம்
செடி கொடிகளில் என்றும் இருக்கும் ஈரம்
உழைப்பவர்கள் சிந்தும் வியர்வை துளிகளில் ஈரம்
பசுங்கன்று தாய் பாலில் ருசி கொள்ளும் ஈரம்
விழிகளின் உள்ளே ஆழ்கடல் போல் இருக்கும் ஈரம்
என்னுளே என் ஈரத்தின் ஆழத்தை தேடுகின்றேன்
எல்லோர் விழிகளில் என் ஈரத்தை கண்டேன்
ஈரம் இயற்கையின் உணர்ச்சிகளின் தேடலோ...

Panoramic View Of Life

2009-10-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Panchayat board office on the main road has two entrances, we entered the first entrance to find an empty chair, when enquired we were told the officer will be available from 12 to 2pm only, I kept my visits for 2 –3days and found him and passed on my questions, he took us to another officer through second entrance which has a tree just in front of it and as we came out I saw a small pinkish creature squeaking, the officer managed not to step on it, I sat on the floor and gave a closer look, it looked like a baby rat but a passerby told me it’s a just born baby squirrel , my hands were not moulded to hold a baby squirrel and when i looked around I found an empty tea cup lying on the ground and I picked it and gently slid the squirrel into the cup and put it below the tree away from people.

Its been only 2 weeks since my father passed away, the rituals were over. His clothes still smelled medicines and perfumes that he used. The emptiness became hollow after people left to resume their living, me and my mother live in the big house, the April flowers gives the shade and gives a lens view on the sit out area which is my dad’s favorite place. The officer gave me the procedure to collect the death certificate of my father, I watched the baby squirrel and wondered how does it feel to be a father and mother to that squirrel?If I bring it home what would happen to the squirrel’s parents? The loss of the loved one and what it means to lose a baby or a parent, but a baby squirrel taught me to see life and what it means to be a father and mother to a small creature like that. I know I would have killed it if I had brought it home since its so small that I was not sure how to make the baby squirrel eat and take care of its needs. So I left it to Mother Nature(Earth) and all I hope for is the squirrels parents would have found their baby in the lap of the Mother Nature nurtured by the shade of the neem tree, besides the empty tea cup ….

Happy Feast - Sister(Nun) Victima at Hospice

2009-09-15T00:58:00.000-07:00

Amma is always broad minded except for the fact that she doesnt accept living persons as GURU's.

Her way of devotion is 'Bhakti' , complete surrender to the Shakti form of worship. I tell her 'Linga Bhairavi' will become a powerful tool for her after the installation at ISHA YOGA in CBE.

Today is Sister Victima's feast , the September 15th and the whole hospice is celebrating and wishing her, sweets are being distributed and some culturals to entertain the patients and the young care givers at the hospice.

Amma bought a 'Bouquet' of flowers and said 'This is from all the patients at the hospice". Her generosity shock me when she said from all the patients.. Even in this state my mother could make someone feel special and wonderful . Amazing... She spreads happiness in the air, it can touch only when you breath consciously.

Victima has been serving in the hospice for some years now, all she says is I will pray for you and your family when me and my sister called and wished her 'Happy Feast'. A shuttle player she is, a person who cries and prays for others and lives and serves others . Last weekend we played shuttle with her in the back yard full of mango trees, the hospice teaches us to live and also teaches us how to face 'Death'.

when someone dies in the hospice, all the young care givers and the nuns go into silence and their faces become dull for a few hours and they get geared again by giving care to the patients in their last hours.Their only entertainment is shuttle and a TV.

'Art of Giving' - Am still learning it from my mother , who teaches me to share generously even at the hour of the death of my father.

One must visit 'Snehe Deepam' to know how much life endures and how we perceive it.

Tribute to my Father

2009-09-14T04:57:00.001-07:00

My father will not exist anymore in this physicality . when sadhguru says 'There is life and life and only life, we are just moving from one dimension to another'. But I want my father cries my ignorant heart, and sadhguru says 'Why do you say "MY" Father?, why cant you see your father in your neighbour , in a tree, in every little thing you encounter'. I stand in silence, my silence says I understand now better late than never. I feel I need to apologize for all my mistakes and the hurt I caused my father, he binded me and my sis with love, he never demanded and commanded us. We were free birds, he had enormous trust and confidence in us that he sent us to many foreign countries despite the fear he had to himself, what if something goes wrong.

My father is a very compassionate man, every person I meet says this to me, he is a man of ideas,he implemented what he thought right from starting a library in our hometown 'Vellore'. We were the best libraians in 80's, then he went to venture from soft drinks distribution to TV sales.

He worked as a statistician in TB and chest diseases and used calculator only needed, he was always a centum scorer in maths in his college days, he used to give the only 100 rupee note he had in his pocket during his health camp visits to nearby villages to collect the data on number of people who suffer from TB and AIDS , the world bank sponsorer and dad walked to villages to help people. I have asked for petty things not knowing how much my parents hid their poverty from us.

He showed me my guru from pollachi , taught me to close my eyes and receive energy before I got my question papers in my public exams, I never knew anything about YOGA or science then . My father was a meditator from 'Vaazha Valamudan' , did advanced meditations and taught me the mystery of NDE(Near Death Experience) when my mom went through it very many times.

He took us to temples of significance, and got me devotional books to read during my low times, encouraged me to dream, stood by me when I wanted to end my life, he even got me a place which I can own,above all he "EDUCATED ME".

33 yrs of married life with my father , how much of pain my mother is hiding from us? For her my father was the object of devotion,the best portion of the food was always served in the silver plate, carrots were always daily part of the meal in any situation, a tall,handsome, fair man my mother proudly quotes.

His quota of karma will be over soon and I will have to keep up my promise that I will take care of the family, get my sis married off, take care of my mom until her karma baggage gets drained.

I still remember the day when my father said this, " I will not be alive for long, you will have to take care of the family".

My father lived to sadhguru's words " Bring up your children so that they can live in any situation they are put up with'.'Even if you are left in sahara desert, with the life available there one should be able to live successfully'.

If sadhguru was not there with me now, we would have collapsed long back. I remember the midnight 2am when the doc told me about my dad's cancer and life span of 6 mths, I came running out of the hospital and cried loudly uttering only one name 'SADHGURU".....

When i wrote a letter to Sadhguru and didnt receive a reply, I asked a swami in ashram he said " compassion cannot choose". I want to volunteer for a cause in ISHA which will help people die peacefully, a hospice service . I really want to make people understand that there is life and life only . The gita reads ' Only the ignorant worship the dead'. I want to worship my father when he is alive in his last stages, breathing his prana quitely I want to worship in silence always....

My sister is in denial phase and no philosophy or spirituality is helping her and so as my mother.Will I be able to help them come out ? Are they willing?

"what the caterpillar thinks the end of life, the master calls it a butterfly?". why is this delay, when will sadhguru get my mother in to the sphere of dhyana linga and him. Im waiting in silence, my silence has many questions . Am I really paying tribute to my father? People write eulogy only at the funeral. My father a very planned,intelligent,compassionate,loving person is giving me an oppurtunity to write before his exit.

I thank him for having me as a part of everything in life and in death. A part of me dies when he is dead, I lose the relationship I share as a daughter but I embrace a bigger relationship as I too will have to join him in the endless ocean of samsara..... May the light be shown on him, may the grace descend and take him away to the land of the unknown where there is only ....No words.. I dont know what exists in other dimension , Sadhguru. Can I see it? Am I a possibility?

Symptom Timeline - Brain Cancer

2009-09-08T04:13:00.000-07:00

I was searching the net despite so much of things in head, new job, project, lots of work, multi tasking, cooking,cleaning,learning to drive a car in a city, driving to home town during weekends... Its been tiring, and the flu, cold and cough is ripping me. I even got the AC duct above my head at office closed, but its COLD and BITTER... AUH.....
I bumped in to the site when mom called me to tell that my dad is not having anything and sleeping more than 20+hrs in a day, the site .. http://www.brainhospice.com/SymptomTimeline.html
It gives us the sympton timeline, but still no one would predict what would happen..
If you are looking for help on Brain Cancer, this site is good , not to scare you, but to get the facts down your pipe so that its digestable when we face the reality... It Hurts ... The uninvited guest can take people from this world which we think we own ....anytime...

Hospice - Experiencing Life

2009-09-01T06:03:00.000-07:00

It has been two weeks ever since my dad was moved to an hospice. I thought thats the best thing that can happen to my father since my mom cant take care of him all alone.But reality presents something else,my dad was getting all the support and nourishment and mom was slipping in to depression, the loneliness and the idleness was driving her mad that she was desperately waiting for me to come and releive her and take her home and put my sis to take care of dad for a night.
Weekends are becoming lively and full of life these days,Sister Atmaja from the hospice tells its our love that we hold for our father that is holding him.The way she expresses joy after seeing both of us feel as if we have known her for years,the nurses and the docs too are very loving.
why do we search for love outside us? Are we not loving enough? Why do we feel our best when we realise that someone loves us for no reason, accepting us for whatever we are with our own faults and judgements?
Loving can be a wonderful tool if used unconditionally and compassion can be the most expressive human trait when its not choosen.Living meaningfully means 'living for others'.
Living rightly means 'Living for Self'. Which one of these to choose from? Both.... says my being.
To understand what price can one pay to combat loneliness, one should visit the old age homes, cares. Hospice care is for people who need a peaceful end. But is not living peacefully more important than dying in peace when we dont even know what happens after death?
When the nurses who are as young as 17 years walk down to do the daily routines for my father like shaving,a towel bath etc, they call him 'Babu Appa'.
I have been blessed with an oppurtunity to help my father eat, I gently slid a spoonful of pongal(Rice and dhal dish) into his mouth, and i talk to him normally as i do asking him 'Do you like it?'.
He responds saying 'yes'. I wipe off the remaining food from the corners of his mouth as i notice tears from the corner of his eyelids. After the food, my sis gives him a smiley ball asking him to hold and play with it, to give some exercise to the hands. My mother watches us as we talk to our father, then she goes on to share some eatables with the rest of the patients in the hospice and the staff. Living in a hospice has been used to now,my mother finally decided to read a book after say 20 yrs i guess, and I gave her 'THE ALCHEMIST'. But my sis gave her a 'Star dust' and a 'Femina' magazine, thats what she likes to read. Mouli Aunty and Jose uncle moved into the hospice from kerala for Jose uncle's throat cancer treatment at CMC, Mouli aunty affectionately calls me as her daughter and sneaks in with a container of food and asks me, if i like it. I nod in apprehension and she leaves releived as if a cow feeding her calf.Aunt Mouli has been of great support to my mother, though she converses in 'Malayalam' her expressions make us understand what she wants to communicate. How true it is, that when it comes to survival , apart from Food,clothing and shelter, there are no religions,no languages. People help each other and can understand and reciprocate love and pain easily with no barriers that humans/society has come up with on the name of religion,region,language,culture all made up on the roots of human well being and not natures.

Need for a hospice

2009-08-24T05:30:00.000-07:00

The word 'Hospice' is like a nightmare , for many who are Indians who have not heard of it, its like a 'Orphanage'. When we disclosed to our relatives that we will be taking our dying father who is in his last stages of cancer to a hospice, we were deserted no one came to see my father in the hospital and the agony which we suffered when we didnt have people to support,the palliative care doc came for help.she said that the immediate family understands the pain of the dying, its only the distant relatives who make themselves distant and leave the family in a whirlpool.
Having been brought up in a hindu way of life and as an Indian, though being part of a palliative care as a counsellor,i couldnt convince any of my distant relatives.Life was just fallingapart on me and before i could pick one thing and find a right place,something else was getting torned.Indians beleive that people should die at home,a home is the place where they would love to live and die too.. why cant we have graveyards at home itself instead?sometimes intelligence is far from emotions.with hospice care becoming professional,where the spiritual help is also given optional,more number of people prefer to die in a hospice where people who do not know you come and offer help when we call for the GODS.
India is rich in its own way when it comes to heritage,culture, not even a single thing has been missed in this promised land which has treasures buried all across over time.I remembered the bhaghavat gita verse when my mom told me that no one comes to see your dyingfather and when he was hale and healthy, many people came for help.I silently make an appealto the great MS who sung the bhaja govindam for us,I pray that my father dies in peace andwe all live to live our karma's.The verse from bhajagovindham where she sings that after the death of the dear husband the wife fears to come near the husband's body,such is the fear of the death.My Mom knows she has to go through this pain, we all have to go through this,we have to breath if wewant to live, Nature has its own calling and one has to wait until it calls.
After i visited the hospice 'Sneha Deepam' run by nuns in my hometown,much of mine ஹாத்shaken terribly,we were going through a lot of pain and loneliness.My mom suffered more,wheni watched the nuns treat the other patients with so much of compassion and care and its all without a penny they provide food to the patients too.I had to take my distant family too,and when they requestedthe nuns that we can pay as much as you need but we need service,my heart cried in pain,when will people understand that there are things which people cant buy for a price such as a hospice servicerun by nuns and the immediate family pays the bill not the distant family if at all.
Im not sure how many insurance companies would fund for hospice care,there are hospiceswhich send nurses home to take care of terminally ill patients, but am not sure if India hassuch a facility though.All my fears about death begin to vanish as i met a few patients there,the hope i saw in their eyes made my eyes wet and live my dream.Its a misconception that cancer patients are only treated in a hospice,anyone who is terminally ill and we need help,care where compassion overflows are treated in a hospice.Situated below the hills admist the thick coconut trees i find the lamp like structure all around the wall and a jesus statue extending his arms out,sneha deepam offers a warm welcome to the crying hearts like us whose families needs counselling,and patients who have many questions in their life, who deny their end,who fear and cry for the immediate family the partner who will be singled out, the children who are not settled in their lives.
When the hospice caretaker told me that they are treating a girl who is 16 yrs old suffering from TB,she is spared with a elder sister, their parents are no more.Life doesnt offer many choicesto choose from,to live through it or to die with it.Me and my sister painfully listened as the sister spoke to us,while a malayali lady hugged us telling that my father and mother will bevery safe in here and dad will be given utmost care when we go to work to earn our livingand support our family.The palliative care doc counselled us telling that the hospice would not do heroic things to save one's life, but will give a peaceful end.I should search myself to understand what it means to do a heroic act,does it not requiremore courage,faith,strength,love,compassion,forgiveness to do a heroic act.All i wish is we as Indians be educated on the hospice care, its not a place where people are orphanedand left out by the family because they cant take care,but its the best place wherepeople are offered help emotionally,spiritually,medically where one gets closer to one's self and sees GOD everywhere and in everything.
Osho calls this state as 'Mayteri Bhavana', the state where a child trusts and radiateslove and compassion to everyone/everything around him/her without an inkling of doubt or fear.Tears flow from my eyes when i think my EGO and society has made me lose this state,but with practice,perserverance,faith I will go through thisjourney with the help of such wonderful beings who offer care and compassion and educatesus on how to live death...

Whining the Swine Flu

2009-08-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

Whining on Swine Flu

The breakfast doesn’t seem to digest well , neither tasty for the past few days , I walk at least 2 kms to reach my office and still I feel like puking , the chanting which I keep on all the time when am travelling unless Am looking for something or travelling to a new place which requires more attention also seems dull. The swine flu news during the breakfast news at CNN,NDTV has been putting a mental block, today I was feeling all very awful after the news flashed that people who are 65yrs above and women who are pregnant and cancer and AIDS patients and children below 5 yrs of age are more prone.
My mind came up with a list of possibilities, am travelling every weekend to my place from Bangalore to be with my father who is in his last stages of cancer, what if I contract or what if my dad gets infected? Worried and vigilant, I called up my mom and told her that please don’t allow visitors to visit dad and even if they come kindly request them to wash their hands and legs with dettol and then go and meet my dad. My mom started all her venting on me, she said before your dad we will go and your concerned about him, well, I didn’t have the courage to hurt her saying I don’t want my father to die infected to this pandemic disease apart from cancer. My compassion prevents me see the reality, but she advised me to be safe and clean, when I think of travelling this weekend, many things will run over my mind as the train passes miles. Am planning to buy a few surgical masks and wear them to protect my parents when I visit them every weekend.
Looks like one should avoid A/C coaches and cinema theaters, multiplexes, crowded places. CMC Vellore has already set up the facility of testing H1N1 virus.

We should protect and nurture Nature, else it will not protect us neither nurture us. May its time government of INDIA wakes up and comes up with birth control policy, plant a tree on your child’s every birthday, volunteer for cleaning the environment. Even with the ban on public smoking, I still see many people enjoying their whiffs and polluting the air , sometimes I feel I can only whine about all these endless list of things, if at all I can do something I can keep myself clean and safe and instruct a few people at my work place to do so.

For more updates, keep regulating your breathing at http://www.swinefluindia.com/ …..

The Differently Abled who are Abled --- Seeing Through Ourselves

2009-08-10T03:30:00.000-07:00

Travelling has been a part of my lifestyle, having been born in a town , like a bird migrating in search of food and living , I migrated to city,travelled globe, get lost in the maps of the streets for directions but had my mind read the signs and observed facts from people,nature .

The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - Gilbert K. Chesterton

I was travelling in the train this weekend going home to be with my sick father who is counting his last days, I saw a blind man begging and collecting some money from passengers,my co-passengers were compassionate and generous and they gave some coins, I also gave away some coins. An hour passed, I noticed a blind man neatly dressed and selling children toys and rulers, and none of us bought anything from him. My heart and mind pounced on me with many questions, Am a encouraging someone to beg because he is blind? Why couldn’t I encourage the blind man who is earning his daily bread by working hard? How can I justify myself that am living with human traits? Was I failing to see the ability in him and the denial in me? I can’t stop pitying myself than the blind man himself. Why cant our country and people do more to awaken ourselves from our own blindness?

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes."”-- Marcel Proust quotes

I decided, next time I see a blind man I will buy something from him/her just to make myself realize my worth and not his/hers everytime my journey passes through , soiling my clothes but cleansing myself to see people who are abled and not differently abled.

Nilavu,siddhar, Guru(The Moon ,Mystic and the Master)

2009-08-05T05:27:00.000-07:00

Nilavu,siddhar, Guru(The Moon ,Mystic and the Master)
த்யான கதிர்களை இயற்கையாய் பரப்பும் த்யானளிங்கத்தை காண சென்றேன்
நிலவின் கதிர்கள் என் பெண்மையை இற்கும்
அந்த நேரத்தில் என் குருவை கண்டேன்
அவரின் கருணை மழையில் நனைந்து நின்றேன் என் குரு மட்டுமே எனக்கு
நிலவாய் தோன்றினார்,
நிலவா ,குருவா ,த்யான லிங்கமா,புமியின் இயற்கை கதிர்களா - எது என்னை
ஈர்க்கிறது
என்னை கேட்கிறேன், என்னுள் என் கதிர்களை தேடுகிறேன் என் ஒலியிலேயே என் ஒலியெய் தேடுகிறேன் ஒளியாய் நிற்கும் நிலவிலா, என் குருவிலா....

Are you a Star Performer??

2009-06-01T10:16:00.001-07:00

Its appraisal season following the mass layoff's and the continuing trend of job cuts in Indian IT industry, somehow the period 2008-2009 didn't seem to farewell, lots of changes personally and professionally and mounting pressure add mystery to the already unsolved puzzle of living.
I was pretty upset reading blogs from my friends who have lost their jobs for no fault of theirs, these over qualified,highly trend setting individuals seemed to enjoy even this flavor in their lifestyle.
Last year I was rated the best by my boss's boss, while my boss rated me 'M' under the so called S M A R T scale which measure our capability and our extensive list of things which we can afford after a raise, but after a normalization surprisingly my rating turned to 'A' that am an achiever and I was denied promotion, my boss fwd ed my grievance letter to concerned people but nothing turned.This year the promotion button itself was disabled , the least i can expect while i hold myself tightly to my seat wondering that my number doesn't appear, my boss rated S , my sis said even now if they are not going to give you 'S', there is no point in hoping.
I had better things to hope for now, every day my needs are changing.
Its been a little hectic, working, cooking and cleaning and travelling and helping and sorting out things at home was taking my bones and flesh but i didn't allow myself to drain , thanks to shoonya meditation and kriya's which help me pull my strings through. My father appreciated me today, saying " you are working so hard for the family, doing whatever is needed, GOD will give you "...(he couldn't complete it, his tears completed them). I said i was doing whatever was needed and it was for my family and don't see any burden, but deep down i felt that i was a STAR PERFORMER 'S' Rated in my father's heart for he could fathom what it means to fill the gap between need and want. I feel this is the achievement I have in my life , for all these years i had to wait to get this from my father. Its no big deal a father appreciating the child's doings, but the state in which my father is and the way he shows his concern and gratitude to people around him makes me feel he is a STAR performer.
I have realised the true meaning of a Star performer when my father spoke to me today morning with tears rolling from his eyes and I sat beside him while i remember the verse from Bhagavat Gita, "Do your duty don't expect the Results". Professionally I did my duties and i didn't have any good hike nor a promotion , but personally I was a STAR Performer in my father's heart and so he is along with my mom and sis. May be we are a GALAXY altogether, a collection of STAR performers ....

THE LAST LECTURE

2009-05-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

THE LAST LECTURE

Randy Pausch a professor with the Carnegie Mellon University is a highly optimistic person who fights his death while he suffers terminal illness the pancreatic cancer and he is only left with a few months to live. He goes on to deliver his last lecture because he always believed the lions roar the best in the forest in its own natural vegetative environment , and a professor can deliver the best in his natural setup among students, colleagues, friends and family
I had bought this book past six months in Sep 2008 and everytime I took this in hand , I thought I’ll read it sometime later. Am passionate about reading non-fiction but my childhood went by dreams of Fantasy, I always kept a book of fairy tales beside my bed side and believed fairies do exist and my first poem was named ‘ The Dream of a Fairy’ when I was 11 yrs old, I wrote the poem in the chart and drew a fairy with a magic wand in her hand and struck it in my study room for years until the chart was eaten away with dust and paint.

The past two months ever since my dad has been diagnosed with a terminal illness the Brain Cancer, I spent the first few weeks in denial and within that the treatment started the brain surgery followed by 30 cycles of radiation and 42 days of chemo. My cousin who had come with us to meet the RT doc pounced his question with innocence and ignorance " Why does Cancer occur?". If he had asked 'How Does', the doc should have given his some medical Knowledge transfer session boosting his confidence and lowering ours. The RT Doc(I.Rajesh) said 'It is there is in the gene when you are born, and it will manifest only when the time comes".
I said to myself, oh.. Is he talking about KARMA in here? Does KARMA and GENES have a co-relation, yes it does , and a larger part of our KARMA is formed because of our Habits and GENES carry all our habits from eating,sleeping,reproduction, and way through THINKING...
HOW CLOSE IS SPIRITUALITY TO SCIENCE ? I PONDER... Over Dr.Rajesh's Answer..

I read this book on the 18th cycle of radiation and chemo while sitting beside my father who is 59 yrs old and has a dream of getting his daughters safely married to wise men, who would take care as himself. Every day when I take him to the hospital for his radiation sitting, one day I peeped through the radiation register and noticed at least 7-9 patients with brain cancer with the same diagnosis as GBM . Now I figured out why they wave their hands when they meet my father and enquire about each other, not even a day I remember these patients managing to smile seeing me neither my mother who accompanies my father.
Sometimes communication takes place beyond logical understanding, people with similar diseases could relate, feel the pain and share their smile with much easiness than they can share their worries with healthy people like us.
It kills me hard when I think of a life without my father, I need both of them as any child would need both the parents, each of their roles are different and cant be equaled by a single parent. I’m 30 yrs old ,feel enough to see through life and have seen a major part with my parents and my father stepping together with me every moment.
My Sis, who is daddy’s pet, always sat on his lap decided to come home from her work at US as she managed to pull the plug of tears in the US itself. She came calm and composed, but she is a real volcano who can explode when you rub her on the wrong side.

I wanted to post a small write up to Randy’s family in his website http://www.thelastlecture.com/ thanking him for his stupendous effort and determination to make it through this lecture and his family for having let a person like me from one corner of the world to empathize and relive the moments that we spent with our father.

Randy deserves more than an applause , for making everyone realize their childhood dreams and find their way to fulfillment as he shares his journey of life from the days of his early boyhood to getting his PhD and meeting himself with Jai at the age of 39, his wife and him raising 3 children and he struggling hard to live for the kids who are aged 5,2, and 1 and for his wife.
It really helped me see through my dreams and my father’s and mother’s and my sister’s. I would lie to myself if I said my dad didn’t allow me to dream, am a true dreamer and who chase my dreams. I thank my father who allowed me to dream big, fly countries and
be his daughter who wants to live a life of her choice and search her way to fulfillment. My decisions were respected and supported by my father for he is a sensitive man who can see through eyes when we hide the pain for the fear of rejection.

The Chapter ‘Adventures and Lessons Learnt’ , The park is open till 8pm will be the answer from the Disney workers when you ask them ‘ At what time does the park close?’, it signifies optimism .
Lucy Am Home: Any Automobile be it a BMW,Benz,Volkswagen is just to help you get from Point A and to Point B and people should be valued more than things.
The Section ‘Its about how to live your life ?” is the best part to ruminate all life ahead…
Treat the Disease and not the Symptom
I seem to like this topic and will never leave my memory until my brain is dead I believe. When Randy was courting a lady long time back , the lady seemed to have a few thousand dollar debts that was eating her up and she managed to join the Yoga class/Meditation every Tuesday to overcome her stress and anxiety. Randy is a rationalist , analytical man and he suggested that she could pay her debts in a few months if she worked part time every Tuesday night and she managed to fetch a job and eventually paid off her debts and she could BREATHE EASILY in the YOGA Class.. What a piece of Truth this is.. and How many of us Ignore this?

Look for the Best in everybody and Lost Art of Thank you Notes,Dream BIG,Show Gratitude,A Bad apology is worse than No Apology becomes my most-read-and-sought-after pages from this book.
Be the First Penguin – “Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted”. Randy talks about students who get the Best Failure Award .
No Job is beneath me makes one think that any job one does one has to master it , but people tend to get swayed away with their identities such as their education,job,social status , very many petty things like these.

The Chapter FINAL REMARKS will leave your sweat glands and tear glands shortage from water…
The Dreams will Come to You
I just couldn’t stop my tears when I read the last chapter ‘ The Dreams will come to you’, If we live rightly our dreams will come to us, what a powerful statement it is and how hard it is to live a life RIGHTLY in this deliberating world full of quick sand.
Randy writes "If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. the dreams will come to you".

When Randy quotes that CANCER CARE TAKERS are always sidelined, I must bring my MOM in to the picture for she is a very strong women who raised two children by sacrificing her job and being available for us round the clock always till date , she is a goddess who is worth worshipping for the power to handle my father when he cries in pain and when she hasn’t slept for weeks now as my dad couldn’t sleep at night because of his Chemo side effects despite she being a long time high scaling reading in the BP apparatus, she is a BP patient who fought her life through many times and came back to live for us. She is a REAL FIGHTER!!! holding abnormal levels of will power and perseverance.

The video of the last lecture can be viewed from the site http://www.thelastlecture.com/ .
The book has a few empty pages at the end, May b Randy wants us to write down our childhood dreams and live a life such that ‘The DREAMS WILL COME TO YOU’.
Im sure I will live through my dream and get to see a life of fulfillment that makes my father happy what may come and my mother proud for having poured herself to us in our upbringing and in all our list of experiences till date and my sister who will help me live my dream as I walk the path of fulfillment of my own and friends and colleagues who make/made me for whatever Am today.
My SUGAR CANDY(FAV PART) from RANDY
Randy who beleives that children should find their own ways to dreams and parents job is to provide and help them develop a great urge to follow their dreams.

My Prayers to Randy and his family for helping many people like me whose family needed help when one of the members has a terminal illness.

Nila Rasigai - Part I

2009-05-08T09:21:00.000-07:00

சூரியன் மறையும் பொழுதோ
என் கண்கள் உன்னை தேடுகிறது
என்னை கண்டதும் வெட்கத்தில்
மேகத்தை போர்வையாக்கி கொண்டாயோ...

என்னை பார்க்கும் உன் கண்களின் வெளிச்சத்தில்
நட்சத்திரங்கள் மின்னுகிர்றது
ஆனந்தமாய் திரியும் இந்த மின் மினிகள்
உன்னுள் ஒரு பாகமோ...உன்னுள் ஒரு வெளிச்சமோ...?

இரவில் என் நிழலை காட்டிய நீ
இரவில் எனக்கு தோழியா/தோழனா நீ
உன் ஒளியில் என்னை மறைத்தாயே
என்னுள் என்னை எப்போது பார்ப்பேனோ....?

தேடுகிறேன் என்னை உன் இருண்ட வானத்தில்
உன் வெள்ளை நிற கதிர்கள் என்னை ஈர்க்க
நிறைந்த பௌர்ணமியாய் உன்னை கண்டேனோ ??
இல்லை என்னில் என்னை கண்டேனோ??
நான் வளரபிரையா/ அல்ல தேய்பிறையா....

Iyarkayin Kanneer -- Tamil Poem

2009-05-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

" Iyarkayin Kanneer : -- Mazhai "

May Maatha Mazhai thuligal
Mannil vizhum munne mugathil vizhunthathu
Mazhai neer yeno uppu karithathu
Megathai ketten mazhaiyin karisathai
Megam than azhughai kuralil karichathu
Yen thanthai vidum kanneerum
Megathin kannirum ondra yenna?
Kanneer mazhaiyai kottiyathu
Kankalil iruntha.. Megathil iruntha...

In the Lap of the Master - Satsang with Sadhguru

2009-05-01T10:11:00.000-07:00

In the Lap of the Master

Velayangiri mountains that speaks to you when you place yourself totally before it looking into the beauty of the clouds that kisses the peaks and the gentle breeze that whispers the mantra which lifts us to a different sphere of existence.
My Master arrives with his palms folded and close to his chest when the light meets the darkness as we hear voices Shambho and Shiva, the satsang happens in the foot hills of the mountain and in the lap of our master spread with people on the green lawns of Spanda hall as we get drenched in his love and compassion.

He answers with greatest profundity to all the questions from the agitated minds who are mused and seeking for solace and many others who sit in silence just by the mere presence of the master.
I got my answer to the most wanted question from me at this moment as I realize the power of meditation and prayer at Viji Akka’s samathi. Some of the most enraptured moments in my life took place in Spanda hall and in the lawns where I found myself everywhere and couldn’t separate myself from anything that I saw, heard and felt.

A patch of dark clouds took the shape of an umbrella for the spanda hall as the Song ‘Yennai Yenni’ from the Sounds of Isha troupe moistened the atmosphere when the master asked us that if we would like to continue the satsang in the rain as the music welcomed the rain , people dancing along with the master. Enjoying nature with the master himself is a boon for every sadhaka and its very close to my heart. The food , the dampness from the rain made the environment dry from the thoughts and sleep.
Satsang Message: Every person who comes to the Ashram should make it a point to drop one of their limitation every time they visit the ashram, that’s Sadhguru’s message .

Womens Day and Being a Women

2009-03-08T05:57:00.000-07:00

Women's Day - has been a part of women these days, the media and the newspaper accelerate the news in such a way that no one misses any day that is made special.
The birth as a human is considered a gift for one can do tremendous things and why should one bind themselves on the name of women and men, the identification with the physical body limiting one's expansion somehow is pathetic. For years I have been like that, still am not so very non-physical though i have understood what it means to transcend the physical body.
Morning rushed with cleaning and watching 'kofee with anu' a long line of women were called in and they shared their experiences, it was wonderful to watch everyone being cheerful from lovers(Actors Arya and pooja) to mother - daughter (singer Sujatha-Suvetha),Friend (Vijay-Trisha), Nalini-Vadivukku Arasi, Sisters ( Sneha - and her sister) , my favo carnatic singer Bombay Jayashree, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Environmental factors, living conditions,life style makes a strong impact in identifying ourselves as physical. I went to shop some personal stuff and after finishing my shopping , i normally peep into pirated book shops , all those road side vendors of T Nagar who sell books from paulo coelho to who moved my cheese kind of books backed up normal romantic novels.
I rarely glance any of those fiction , bought one pirated copy to gift a friend and somehow my mind started thinking about crossword - book shop. So I zoomed my vehicle to kuppu arcade and staircased through the collection of books in cross word. Glanced Audrey Hepburn's biography, her trips to somalia on UNICEF left my eyes wet, the pictures of the small infants and children who are dying of hunger made my heart cry out, it seems she never travelled business class but always preferred economy class since there was so much of hunger all around the world that she thought its not fair on her part to enjoy in business class, her compassion struck me deeply.
Then went to Self Improvement section where I read this quote from as book by vijay eswaran on silence.
"You are a master of the words which you have not uttered, but a slave to the words which you have uttered'.
What a element of truth, I have hurt so many people in my life all those memories were piercing my heart but i stood like a rock . I also remember eknath's thought of the day on
'Three gatekeepers of words'. - Before one utters anything one should ask oneself
Is it truthful? Is it necessary? Is it kind? . Its an arabian proverb.
I stumbled on a book by name 'Letters to sam' , a book which contains letters to the grand son from grand father. I remembered how many letters i used to write to my grand pa, and wait for his reply, every letter carried a complaint about my parents, my sister and things which i love to do and things which i dont like , too much of volume on TV when my dad watches television , and how much am distracted by it , the video cassetes i watched and some details about science.
I always discussed in detail about science with my grand father because it was experiential, i could relate better when my science teacher taught about digestive system, heart,kidneys since it was a part of me and i hated maths since i couldnt take it experientially. But am blessed to have Rao master for maths in my X class , without him i never knew if am capable of scoring centum though i missed 3 marks in the board.
Picked up 'Letters to sam' and 'Brida' , Brida is very close to my heart since its a dream of every women i think, Brida is a gift to a friend who is searching through her life . Drove back home and had a small snack after a long time and my sunday is done, oops the so called women's day is done. All I wish now is happiness for every being, be it man or women , be it DAY or NIGHT...

Mahasivarathiri at ISHA - Chennai

2009-02-24T05:04:00.000-08:00

ISHA Yoga center celebrated the 'Mahasivarathiri' in coimbatore , the live telecast which was put up at Nungambakkam,Perambur, and Nanganallur.I was a volunteer in Nungambakkam center and was handling 'AnnaDhanam' section. 'GURU PAADAM' - the very word fascinates me.what does one need more than performing Guru Pooja in Guru paadam and laying ourselves to the holy feet of the Guru, the first guru - Shiva yogi the Lord Shiva himself.
Sounds of Isha ,Gundecha Brothers and Indian Ocean played every naadi in each of our bodies, the music was beyond narration.
'Celebration' song from Sounds of Isha made all of us dance and the powerful meditation which sadhguru initiated us to was all powerful and vibrating.
Sadhguru closed with the message that 'One should utter the word 'SHIVA' with utmost devotion ,giving ourselves totally to the Lord atleast once a day'.
May we all live by the message from the guru towards liberating ourselves from us.

Buddha - Thought of the Day

2009-02-22T08:43:00.000-08:00

Eknath Eswaran's Thought of the Day
This life of separateness may be compared to a dream, a phantasm, a bubble, a shadow, a drop of dew, a flash of lightning. – The Buddha
Time runs out so soon! In our teens and twenties, even our thirties, we have ample margin to play with the toys life has to offer. But we should find out soon how fleeting they are, for the tides of time can ebb away before we know it.
As we grow older and our family and friends begin to pass away, we see how relentlessly time is pursuing all of us. There is no time to quarrel, no time to feel resentful or estranged. There is no time to waste on the pursuit of selfish pleasures that are over almost before they begin.
All-devouring time follows us always, closer than our shadow. As long as I live only for myself, as a little fragment apart from the whole, I cannot escape being a victim of time. It is good to bear in mind how evanescent life is so that we do not postpone the practice of meditation.

From my Guru - Sadhguru

2009-02-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Breaking karma means thinking what to do next and acting on it when any event occurs.
Responsibility means doing what is needed to one and not taking everything into one's shoulders and doing things that we think will give them happiness.Are you willing firstly?
Spirituality means making your own destiny, and not changing destiny. Thats why when a person turns spiritual they burn their horoscopes so that they master their destiny and shape it the way they want it.

Viduthalai(True Freedom) - Tamil Poem

2009-02-21T08:05:00.000-08:00

Vaazhkkai oru vilaiyatta, vilaiyattaga vaazha venduma
Manitharkalin thevaikal thaan avarkalin sumaikal
Santhikkum tharunathil inikkum karkandu polum
Kaalam kadantha pin pavakkai polum
Thevaikallukku adimai naam, namakku naame adimai
Viduthalai vendum , yennil irundhu yenakku...

Finally blessed to see my master - Satsang with Sadhguru

2009-02-20T20:48:00.001-08:00

After BSP, i couldnt wait any longer for doing the next level of Shoonya meditation. So i got myself ready for it and off i went to coimbatore despite all threatening from my parents on my involvement with Isha, least they understand that its only ISHA that gives me unlimited happiness. My bus broke down and i reached at 12pm in the afternoon when i was supposed to reach by 7am in the morning. Had healthy food from Biksha hall and had a little rest and went to Dhyana lingam. A surprise was waiting for all of us in the ashram that day, sadhguru is conducting a satsang at 8pm in the evening. Finished dinner in the open grounds, there were plenty of foreigners . The much awaited day finally came, sadhguru came and we all bursted in to tears , how many years of longing i had inside me in meeting my guru in my physical body when he was also in his physical body. When sadhguru made signs not to cry , i was asking within myself, how many lifetimes of longing , how can i control myself. Its not an easy task to be balanced after seeing one's guru. The Satsang went on very well, a couple of questions from seekers were answered by sadhguru. And when he left, again the bursting started, he left us holding himself in every step and with a namaskaram and eyes searching for something.

Then our shoonya class started, it was a beautiful experience to be in a different world free from cell phones, outside world, eating only uncooked food. 3 days just passed with visits to dyana lingam, a dip in the theertha kund and when i had to leave , i just didnt have the strength to leave the ashram, but things will happen if it has to happen, i just have to be willing.

I still have two more levels to go, with the grace of my guru i can cross many mountains and oceans. I strongly beleive and trust that my master will show me a way.

First Volunteering at ISHA Yoga Program

2009-02-08T19:49:00.001-08:00

It is my desire to volunteer for ISHA. My BSP teacher says this that 'Sadhguru often says that Volunteers are his hands and legs'. How would one feel to become hands and legs for one's master , it meant everything to me, what more happiness can one get from offering oneself to others at ISHA program. I received a invite for volunteering for Airtel Corporate ISHA Yoga Program, its very close to my home hardly 15mts. I went there to find a large number of hands doing this for more than 2+yrs, young girls and guys from CTS,L&T,married couples,house wives, the list goes endless. we were 10-11 people for volunteering.
I started with vegetable cutting, it has to be done in a cubic shape , no compromises interms of cutting,cleaning. We took utmost care in cleaning and cutting vegetables, fruits. Every cucumber had to be tasted for its bitterness before we cut it and if its bitter, we will have to drop it.
We were all busy cutting vegetables and when we were offered Kanchi Maavu, and a banana, it was a booster since i had only 3 slices of bread that morning.I quickly gulped the delicious kanchi maavu and started my vegetable cutting again. Everything was on time, we had a small joint prayer and we were asked to chant a mantram while we do work.
After the initiation, the Food Serving comes and we were told that we have to serve as if we are serving food to the GOD himself, how carefully it has to be done. The order in which it is to be done and where to place the food in the leaf and being humble and offering ourselves were taught.The food was very delicious, beet root juice was extraordinary, followed by tamarind aval and Sweet pumpkin, shymala akka deserves the credit for making the mix rightly so that food tastes the best.
After the food serving , the prasatham distribution happened. Suddenly I was asked to go and help with the prasadam distribution, with my hands shivering as i took every half coconut and placed a flower inside the coconut and handed it over to the teacher who inturn places it infront of sadhguru and the participants would take it from there. This is the best gift i can rceeive from Sadhguru as a volunteer. My heart rejoiced and my pupils were dilating, how much of a honour in my first volunteering itself. I just cant take this surprise when sadhguru gave me another one.
There were a lot of fruits and sweets left over, not even one box was opened. Since this was a corporate program, only 23 participants were there and the sweet boxes were many. We managed to find a orphanage closeby T.Nagar 'Vuthavum karangal' and me and the ISHA teacher went there and gave the fruits and sweets, the manager there handed a receipt asking me to fill in the details, my teacher asked me to write my name and my address as if i was donating. I was very much moved, this was the second gift from sadhguru. I never expected this , i didnt buy any of these but still i was asked to write my name only because i brought those items there.
Life has taught me many things but i have failed to notice and learn many little things in life. After volunteering in ISHA, there is more happiness in offering myself to others and am learning every bit of detail from rolling carpets,multitasking,being humble,learning to cut vegetable in a right manner and eating right and most importantly seeing myself in every person around me.
It has given me a great joy and immense satisfaction, and when we shared our experiences after the class with the teacher i felt like flying.
The Inner engineering retreat program that happens once in a month that starts from thursday and goes till sunday night is a program which is for CEO's,CFO's, people who are in decision making . Many volunteers i met on sunday(Feb 8th 2008) have told me that this is equivalent to an MBA program. They teach you so much in just 4 days. Lets see how it happens to me...

Bhava Spandana Program - ISHA (BSP)

2009-02-03T07:51:00.000-08:00

Above is the SPANDA HALL where BSP takes place.

"You can go through life untouched, you can play with life whichever way you want and still life cannot do anything to you, life does not leave scars on you. That is the miracle that we are working to manifest in everybody’s life." - Sadhguru

If anyone would ask me tell me the most memorable moment of your life, I would name the Bhava Spandana Program(BSP) , those 4 days were the most magical moments in my life, which helped me see the other dimensions of life other than Eating,Sleeping,living,working . Im a hollow vessel now, the program has completely eliminated all barriers in my life like i was completely against people born on number 8, sometimes i wonder how can a person find such a transformation in 4 days , thats the grace of the guru, the Sadhguru.
Sadhguru talks about his dream ' If I walk into the street within 100 meters I should find atleast one person who is living life to his full potential, a self realised person, such should be the occurance of meeting such people.' What a dream? It requires the grace of the guru, to live for his dream. The Food, the atmosphere, the clouds on top of the mountain, the bird chirping, the chilly nights that can make on go numb, the joint prayer before food, the experiments of truth, the list goes on endlessly. Its commonly said that everyone who attends this program will cry limitless and then rejoice too. Emotions flowing , heart cleansing,total acceptance of every living and non-living thing in the world requires the grace of the guru and total involvement of oneself in the program. How many of us have really stopped by and admired a tree in our neighbourhood, or a small shrub with deposits of dust from the streets? If you really want to understand life and live life to the fullest, i strongly recommend BSP.
My salutations to my teacher Lalitha and Sadhguru for having blessed me with an oppurtunity to understand life, and the volunteers who with their effortless living emphasize the dream of Sadhguru. Living life to the fullest still lies in one's hands though one has understood different dimensions of life and to live that kind of a life requires awareness of the self and grace of the guru. It is my dream that I learn yoga from a living guru and I have searched myself endlessly in my deepest senses, the bath at theerthakund and the Dhyana Linga and the way Sadhguru touched my life is still like a dream to me. My Deepest desire to learn yoga from a realised master has finally come true , how can i express my gratitude and sense of oneness when I have experienced all as one.

All I can wish for at this moment is let awareness become a part of thy self so that i experience and live life to the fullest forever until I breathe my last.

Ramana Jayanthi -- Sri Ramana Maharishi

2009-01-11T08:42:00.000-08:00

Today Jan 11 2009 (Sunday) is Ramana Jayanthi, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharishi's Birthday. A special occasion for all his followers like me and many others who bask in the ocean of silence and ensconce oneself in the glory of such a realised master who in his presence shuts the doors of thought and creates an emptiness which can only be felt and not written or explained in words.We meditated for all the 53,000 employees of Satyam and their families who are undergoing a traumatic episode in their lives. Incidently, I also received the book 'Midnights with the Mystic' of my master Sadhguru on this Ramana jayanthi which made me quip with the coincidence.
My prayers to Kodi Swamigal(my first master) , Ramana and Sadhguru.

Sadhguru on Healing - An Article from Sadhguru

2009-01-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

Healing Through Sadhana
by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev
Physical existence is always happening between cause and effect.Suppose there is an infection. You ate or drank something somewhere and got infected. The cause was bacteria.
Now there is an effect: the infection.So you try to remove the cause by taking antibiotics. You kill the cause with medication, because it is external to you. Other diseases are not caused
externally, but rather, occur from within. In these situations, the cause is much deeper
when compared to that of an infection. For this type of disease to manifest, there is an
imbalance or a malfunction in the energy-body, which reveals itself in the physical body,
or sometimes in the mental body.
Now with something like pranic (energy) healing—or any kind of healing for that matter
—you are only appeasing the effect. In a way, what you are doing is attaining a little
control or mastery over your own energies so that you are able to put a screen between
the cause and the effect. The effect dies out, but the cause stays buried.
As far as nature and life energy are concerned, the effect was only their way of telling
you that there is a cause inside of you. What we refer to as “cause” is the disturbance of
energy trying to manifest itself in a certain way.
Let us say you have asthma. If we take away your asthma, you still have the same kind
of energy in you. It may manifest in some other way, as some other calamity. Your
asthma was only an indication of a deeper disturbance. This is because your energies
are still in the same situation, but only the effect was taken away. So, next time, it may
take effect in a deeper or more acute menner to inform you again.
On the other hand, if you bring awareness to your disease, you get connected to the
cause of it.
When we talk about bringing awareness to your disease, we talk about accepting what
is there. This does not mean becoming defeated about your disease. If you truly
become aware of the disease, then you become aware of the cause as well. In terms of
energy, the moment you bring awareness to any part of your body, it will immediately
become active.
Just as an experiment, carefully attend to any part of your body. Put your attention in
this place and just be with it. You will see that so much energetic activity will begin to
happen there because if you bring awareness and consciousness to that part of the
body, your natural life energies become enhanced. This way, you could heal and
change the energy situation to some extent.
Now, why did the energy body get disturbed in the first place? For this to happen,
improper elements of lifestyle, thought patterns, emotions or a combination of all these
are present. There is a certain karmic structure that you have built which is causing
some kind of turmoil to your energy, which manifests itself in the physical body as
disturbed energy or disease.
But even if you settle the energy situation to some extent with healing, mental focus, or
a certain level of awareness, the karmic substance which is causing this remains. The
karmic substance is recorded in your energy as the fundamental software. It can work
only within the ambit of the programmed software.
The life energies within you created your whole body. All the bones, blood, flesh—
everything, including your brain, was created by this energy. When you were born, your
body was so tiny and today it has become so big. Nobody stretched you from outside,
did they? Whatever is creating the body is within you. So, when it can do so much, can
it not fix a tiny cartilage or a hole in the heart?
Now this whole activity of trying to heal somebody is, in some way, trying to play God,
or trying to manipulate energies in an improper way.
Healing happens naturally when the objective is not healing, but sadhana, which is the
dissolution of karma by itself. When the cause is dissolved, the effect is no more.
Sadhguru is the founder of the Isha
Foundation, a non-profit organization
advancing physical, mental and spiritual
health through yoga and self-transformation.
The Foundation administers over 100 yoga
centers, an ashram, residential complex and
medical center in India, and conducts public
programs around the world. For more
information about Sadhguru, please visit
www.ishafoundation.org.

Learning Ahimsa from Parents

2009-01-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

I have seen , read and kind of used to people who always hated people who hurt them. In the process and prospect of finding a good match my parents decided to perform a homa in the temple that costed us more, the priest was very sure of positive results and so as us. But when it didnt turn out that way, I was frustrated and hated the priest for being dishonest. I trusted GOD and beleive that when prayers are offered in the homa into the fire with pure heart and good intentions it will come true , when it didnt happen i hated the priest and not the GOD. My parents said why should we pray to GOD that GOD should teach a lesson to the priest , rather we will ask GOD that please do some justice to us for we have trusted in GOD. I thought how can a person be so humble and good, i have also been like that but only sometimes . To become like my parents may be it will take more patience and time . Hopefully some day I will become a truly Ahimsa person.

Western Ghats and Mangalore

2008-12-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

The four day holiday from christmas kindled my passion to visit places , so we booked train tickets in Tatkal to mangalore, I bought a karnataka map from higgins before we boarded the train. West coast express which starts at around 11.30am takes you to mangalore at 5am the next morning. we reached mangalore and the local auto fella took us to a nearby hotel where we could refresh ourselves and start heading towards temples. Dad managed to get a good travel agent and we hopped into a Mahindra Logan which was charged 50paise more than indica , it was a nice and a very comfortable car .

Day 1:

Katil - Durgaparameswari

We reached Katil around 9am and as we entered the temple we had to cross a small bridge and one can see water flowing beneath it, the temple is situated around the river nandhini . As we entered the temple, it looked like the kerala bound temples built in wooden structures and like a house but had a bronze kalasa on the top. The Goddess durga can be seen through a small window like opening, the door was small and one is allowed to see only from 3-4 feet distance.Pilgrims enter the sanctum through the Dwajasthamba Mandapa. After worshipping the silver covered flagmast, the devotees proceed to the sanctum of Devi Durga, who is a Swayambu Linga (self manifested), covered with gold. Also installed in the sanctum is an awe inspiring image of the Goddess in sitting posture holding Shanku and Chakra in Her two upper hands and showing Abhaya and Varadamudra in Her two lower hands. It is customary to perform Abhisheka to the Goddess with tender coconut water. This, it is believed, is in order to cool down the Devi, who was in a fierce mood after killing Arunasura. Mom was awestruck , she is a ardent durga devotee and said the goddess with the same image which she saw now appeared in her dream and she felt very happy to get a chance to visit this place and worship her.

One can see the shape of a Lingam from a big rock outside the temple.

Mulki - Durga

Bappanadu Durga Parameshwari temple is located at a distance of 30 km north of Mangalore. It is situated on the banks of River Shambavi in Bappanadu village of Mulki.
Legend says the temple has a history of about 800 years. The meaning of Bappanadu is 'Bappa's Village'. It is believed that, Bappa Beary, a Muslim merchant is responsible for the construction of Goddess Durga Parameshwari temple here. Since then the place is come to be known as `Bappanadu' and the first honorary prasadam of the annual car festival is offered to the successors of Bappa Beary every year.Sri Durga Parameshwari Temple at Bappanadu is one of the important seats of Shakti worship in Dakshina Kannada district. Here main deity is in the form of Linga (symbolic statue).Bappanadu Durga Parameshwari Temple, has been regarded as a symbol of communal harmony, devotees from all faiths offer prayers here.Bappanadu's Dolu (musical drum) is well known and a large drum can be found in the temple premises. During annual car festival a community allowed to participate in beating of drums which is done with great enthusiasm and devotion.This festival comes in the day of Meena Masa Shuddha Chathurdhashi and celebrated for 8 days with unique feature in each day.

Udipi- Sri Krishna Temple

We reached Udipi around 12pm in the afternoon,it was very hot in winter. Mom had some trouble coping with the heat, and it was by Krishna's grace that she became alright.There was a long queue to enter the temple, there is a pond of water on the north eastern part of the temple and people dip themselves in the water, there were a lot of fishes in the pond. We had to pass via the pond and then enter the temple, as we entered the temple there were huge hundies on both sides of Sri krishna, there were paintings all over the walls of the temple and this temple was also built in wood. The most interesting part is one can view Sri krishna only through the openings in the window, one had to come close to the window and put eyes through small holes in the window and then see the beauty of krishna , its called 'Kanakana Kindi' -a small window through which Krishna is believed to have given darshan to his ardent devotee, Kanakadasa.

Temple History:

It is one of the Mokshapuris highly revered in Karnataka and Kerala.

The famous temple here, has a fascinating idol of Lord Krishna that is richly adorned with jewels. It is the center for education, social and religious activities in the district of South Canara. It is known for the famous Sri Krishna temple. The reasons for its fame are the statue of Sri Krishna installed by the great saint Sri Madhvacharya and the penance and influence of Sri Vaadiraja yathivarenya.
There is many interesting stories behind the installation of statue of Sri Krishna at Udupi.
One of the popular story goes like this. The main statue of Sri Krishna at Dwaraka got completely covered by gopichandanam ( holy sandlewood). A sailor from Dwaraka loaded this heavy lump in his boat as ballast, in one of his trips along the west coast. The ship was caught in a terrible storm while sailing in the western coast of Malpe. When the meditating Sri Madhvacharya sensed this by his 'aparoksha' or divine jnana (knowledge), he got the ship safely to the shore by waving the end of his saffron robe and quietening the storm. The pleased captain of the ship offered Sri Madhvacharya anything in the ship in return. Sri Madhvacharya asked for the sandlewood peice containing the statue of Sri Krishna. Later as the story goes, Sri Madhvacharya took it to the lake, purified it and installed it in the matt.
According to the respected mathadeesha, Sri Raghuvarya thirtha the story behind the installation of statue of Sri Krishna goes on like this. Because of the storm, the ship crashed to a rock and sank, the statue also sank along with the other cargo. After a few days when Sri Madhvacharya came to Udupi for spreading his philosophy among the masses, all of a sudden he woke from his meditation one day and traveled to Malpe with his disciples.
As if he had discovered a new light, he took out the statue from the ocean, took it to Udupi and put it into the pond near the matt. Later, on Sankranthi, he removed it from the pond, installed it in the main sanctum of the matt and arranged for the daily worship of the statue. The pond where the statue was bathed came to be known as the famous Madhva sarovar and the sanctum where the statue was installed became famous as the Krishna temple. There are sources telling Sri Madhvacharya installed the statue in the later part of 13th century.
According to the respected mathadeesha, Sri Raghuvarya thirtha the story behind the installation of statue of Sri Krishna goes on like this. Because of the storm, the ship crashed to a rock and sank, the statue also sank along with the other cargo. After a few days when Sri Madhvacharya came to Udupi for spreading his philosophy among the masses, all of a sudden he woke from his meditation one day and traveled to Malpe with his disciples. As if he had discovered a new light, he took out the statue from the ocean, took it to Udupi and put it into the pond near the matt. Later, on Sankranthi, he removed it from the pond, installed it in the main sanctum of the matt and arranged for the daily worship of the statue. The pond where the statue was bathed came to be known as the famous Madhva sarovar and the sanctum where the statue was installed became famous as the Krishna temple. There are sources telling Sri Madhvacharya installed the statue in the later part of 13th century.
In the 16th century, during Sri Vaadiraja 's rule, Kanakadasa, an ardent believer of God, came to Udupi to worship Lord Krishna. He was not allowed inside the temple since he was from a lower caste. Sri Krishna, pleased by the worship of Kanakadasa created a small hole in the back wall of the temple and turned to face the hole so that Kanakadasa could see him. This hole came to be known as KanakanaKindi. The sight of the beautiful MudduKrishna is available to everybody through the Kanakanakindi.

Murudeshwar- Lord Shiva
Murudeshwar, believed to have been sanctified by a piece of the Pranalinga of Mahabaleshwara thrown by Ravana, has some beautiful carvings and statues. Bounded by the shimmering sea and rolling hills, the place is a favorite picnic spot. The Murudeshwar temple attracts a lot of devotees and tourists.

Local Belief:The temple, which embodies a linga, is believed to have erupted when Ravana flung the cloth covering the atmatlinga at Gokarana while lifting it. The below picture shows the picture of Shiva .It also had the Geetha Upadesam where the chariot along the Lord Krishna and Arjuna can be seen.

As one ascends the hillock, there is a shrine of Jattiga seated on a horse.

Kollur - Thaai Moogambikai

The Mookambika Temple at Kollur (42 kms from Kundapur) is frequented by devotees from all over the country. Founded by Shri Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya - the temple is known for the Panchaloha image of the Goddess Mookambika. By the time we reached kollur it was past 6pm , it was flooded with people due to holiday season we had a good darshan of the goddess , we saw the sword in her hand which was about 2-3 ft in length. MGR(late) had donated a golden sword studded with diamond handle to this goddess. It was a tiresome day ,we managed to have some food there and were accomodated in the worst lodge ever , the demand supply was very strong and we had to pay 800 bucks for a room which didnt even have basic amenities, but that was the only option since we couldnt return back to any place from there since its a ghat section .we were just waiting for dawn and started to Sringeri at about 6.15am in the morning.

Myths and Legend:Kollur is an important seat of Shakti worship. The temple is rich in puranic lore.Legend goes that a Maharishi (monk) Kolan was enchanted with nature’s beauty and decided to perform a penance on a rock near the Agnitheertham. Lord Shiva, delighted with Kolan, appeared before him and blessed him. The Maharishi wished for the welfare of mankind and nothing else. The Lord, happy with Kolan, granted him his wish. He assured that a swayambu (autogenetic) Lingam would appear for his daily worship. However, Kolan wanted to worship Devi also. So, a swarna rekha (gold line) appeared on the Lingam, signifying Shakti. Thus, Shiva and Shakti are worshipped together in the Lingam. Besides this, a unique feature is that the other Gods and Goddess of the Hindu pantheon also believed to reside in aroopa (non-form) in the Lingam. It is thus believed to be an abode of the entire celestial congregation.
It is believed that Adi Shankaracharya had a vision of Sri Mookambika Devi and installed the deity here.The legend goes, that Adi Shankara mediated at Kudajadri hills and Devi incarnated before him asking for his wish. He revealed his wish to incorporate Devi to a place in Kerala to worship where he wanted.Devi agreed and put forward a challenge that she will follow Shankara and he should not look back until he reaches his destination. But to test Shankara Devi deliberately stopped the voice of her ornamets when they reached Kollur, and Shankara turned back because of doubt. Devi then asked Shankara to install her vigraha as he sees her.

Day 2:

Sringeri Mutt- Sri Sharadambal

We reached Sringeri at around 8.30am, it was a beautiful place surrounded by a serene atmosphere. Having visited Sri Sharada ambal at the Sringeri mutt in V.N. Road in chennai, I had a ardent desire to visit the Sringeri mutt at karnataka. It was a awesome experience to watch the radiating Sharadambal seated with Vedas on the right hand and blessing devotees with the divine grace.

History:

Jagadguru Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada established the first of the four Amnaya Peethams at Sringeri more than twelve centuries ago to foster the sacred tradition of Sanatana Dharma.
Hallowed for all times by Sage Rishyashringa who stayed and performed Tapas here, Sringeri attracted the great Acharya with a remarkable sight.
Tradition has it that after the Acharya had dispersed all the non-Vedic creeds prevailing in the country, He was on the look-out for a convenient and holy place where he could establish an institution to spread the truths of Advaita Vedanta. When the Acharya came to Sringeri, he saw an unusual sight on the banks of the Tunga. A cobra was seen spreading out its hood over a frog in labour pains, to give it shadow from the scorching mid-day sun. Struck with the sanctity of the place, which could infuse love between natural adversaries, the Acharya chose this very location to establish His first Math.
The Madhaviya Shankara Digvijayam describes that the Acharya came across many virtuous people at Sringeri and taught them the doctrine of Advaita. He then invoked the Divinity of Knowledge, Goddess Sharada and consecrated an icon of the Goddess. Thus the Peetham He founded at Sringeri in South India for fostering the Vedas and the sacred tradition of Sanatana Dharma came to be known as the Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham.

Sri Sharadambal:

The ancient temple of Sri Sharada, the presiding deity of Sringeri has a glorious history that begins with the setting up of the Dakshinamnaya Peetham by Sri Shankara Bhagavatpada. Originally it was an unpretentious shrine with the Murti of Sharada made of sandalwood, installed over the Sri Chakra that Sri Adi Shankara carved on a rock. Subsequently Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha and Sri Vidyaranya had a temple built in the Kerala style, with timber and tiled roof. Sri Bharati Krishna Tirtha substituted the sandalwood idol with the present golden idol. Sri Sacchidananda Shivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati raised the present structure in granite with polished granite walling round the sanctum and Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati consecrated the new temple in May 1916. Sri Abhinava Vidyatirtha made several improvements in the temple. The Mahamandapam has huge stone pillars exquisitely carved with deities like Durga, Raja Rajeshwari, Dwarapalakas and Devis which are all sculpted according to the Shilpa Sastras practised in Tamilnadu. Sanctified by the worship of an unbroken succession of Acharyas of the highest purity, loftiest devotion and unsurpassed mantric powers, the Murti of Sri Sharada radiates grace and blessings.
Honardu- Annapoorneswari

We reached the temple by 1pm and had a darshan of the Goddess Annapoorneswari, in a standing posture around 4ft. The prasadam was in the form of the powdered lentils with sugar and coconut and flowers . The temple is surrounded by mountains and greenery. We finished our lunch in Yatri Nivas a good hotel which served good quality rice without spicy sambar.

History:

Sri Annapoorneshwari Temple is an ancient and revered shrine located in the picturesque surroundings of Horanadu in the state of Karnataka. Horanadu is 100 kms south-west of Chikmagalur. On an average around 5000 devotees are said to visit the Devi temple every day located in the midst of thick forests and valleys.Deity in the Annapoorneshwari Temple is said to have been installed by renowned Sage Agastya. The sanctum was renovated in recent years by a learned astrologer, Venkitasubba Jois. With the installation of the new image of Adi Shakti, now the temple is called Adi-Shaktyatmaka Shri Annapoorneshwari. Deity of the temple has been designed in unique manner. The single image depicts the Devi standing on a peeta with Devi Gayatri, Sri Chakra, Shanku and Chakra in Her four hands. The recently renovated sanctum of the temple is surrounded by Adi Sesha. While the Padma Peeta is formed by Ashtagaja, Koorma and others.

We then started to Dharmasthala and on the way we could see tea plantations.

We stopped in a tea house and bought some Tea packets and some spices.Dad is standing in the picture in Goomankhan tea house.

Dharmasthala:

We reached Dharmasthala at about 5.45pm, we performed a Flower pooja for the Goddess Ammanavaru at 6.30pm and had a good darshan of the lord Manjunatha and Goddess Ammanavaru.

History:

Around 16th century, Devaraja Heggade invited Shri Vadiraja Swamy of Udupi to visit his place. The swamiji gladly came but refused to accept Bhiksha (food offering) because the idol of Lord Manjunatha has not been consecrated according to the Vedic rites. Shri Heggade then requested the Swamiji to reconsecrate the Shiva linga himself. Pleased by the observance of the vedic rites and Heggade's cahrity to all, the Swamiji named the place Dharmasthala, the abode of religion and charity. Thus the roots of charity and religious tolerance established by the Pergades 600 years agao have been nurtured and strengthened by the Heggade family, Heggade being a derivative from Pergade. And today's Dharmasthala blossoms with the fruit of this selfless dedication.

The overwhelming crowd made us to go to Ujire a small town nearby Dharmasthala, we stayed in a lodge there and the stay was comfortable, we could get hot boiling water for bath a 5am in the morning, we started our journey to Subramanya the next morning at 6.45am.

Day 3:

Kukke Sri Subramanya Temple

We reached the temple around 8.30 in the morning and proceeded to have a darshan of the lord subramanya.

Landscape:
Lapped in the luxurious abundance of the beauty of the nature the village of Subramanya lies in the Sullia Taluk in south Kanara with a sancity which very few places can boast of. The temple is situated in the heart of the village. Nature reveals herself in all her unhidden beauty in the rivers, forests and mountains which the temples is surrounded by. It is about a 100 KM from Mangalore and can be easily reached by buses or taxis.
Subramanya used to be called as Kukke Pattana in the past. In the 'Shankara Vijaya' Anandagiri observes that Sri Shankaracharya camped here for a few days during his religious expedition (Digvijaya). Shankaracharya referred to this place as 'Bhaje Kukke Lingam' in his 'Subrahmanya Bhujangaprayata Stotram'. Sri Subrahmanya kshetra has been brilliantly described in the 'Thirthakshetra Mahimanipurana' chapter of the Sahyadrikhanda comprised in the Sanatkumara Samhita of Skanda Purana. This kshetra is situated in the banks of the river 'Dhara' which originates in the Kumara mountain and proceeds to the western sea.
Sacred spots to visit :
Sri Subrahmanya Swamy : The main entrance to the temple lies to the east. The devotees will have to enter courtyard from behind and go before the idol. The sanctuary of Sri Subrahmanya Swamy lies opposite to the main entrance. A Garuda pillar with silver covering towers high between the sanctuary and the newly contructed portico. It is said that the pillar was charmed and errected in order to shield the people from the flames of poisson emanating from the breath of Vasuki residing inside. Devotees have to encircle round including this pillar too. Beyond this pillar the outer Mantapa and then the inner Mantapa and later the sanctuary of Sri Subrahmanya meet our eyes. There is a pedesal in the center of sanctuary. On the upper dais stands the idol of !Sri Shanmukha and then the idol of Vasuki and little lower the idol of Maha Shesha. Panchamrith Mahapooja and ‘Utsava’ of these deities take place daily. More details have already been given in the preceding chapters.
Kukkelinga : To the north of the sanctuary there is a cluster of lingas known as ‘Kukkelingas’. Some believe that the lingas got that name simply because people uset to worship them together kept in a basket. Now of course they have been installed in the back portion of the sanctuary and are being worshipped there. Some argue that the place owes it’s name "Kukke Pattana" to the Kukke linga and they proceed a step further and say that the epithet "Kukke" in ‘Kukke Subrahmanya Devaru’ owes its origin to the curious custom of worshipping images kept in the basket. Also there is a fanciful contention that Kukke must be the Halegannada form of the Sanskrit word "Kukshi" meaning "cave". As the image was installed by Vasukin in the cave it came to be called as Kukkelinga. Moreover as already been referred we come across the phrase ‘Subramanya Ahipeshwara’ in the Lalithagama. The car festival of Kukkelinga takes place every uear on Makara Sankramana. At present many families, worship Kukkelinga as thte titular deity of their families. According to the legendary history, Sri Shanmugaswamy installed Shiva Lingas in three places in order to get rid of the sin resulting from killing Tharakasura. Afterwards many Gods and sages installed many more Lingas and images. In course of time when the place was subjected to the vicissitudes of the ebb and flow of its forutne, people collected these images and Lingas and placed them in the temple. Further particulars of this can be seen in Subrahmanya Mahathmya, the book published by the temple management.
Bhairava Devaru : Now on the south of this sanctuary is the shrine of Lord Bhairava. According to the legend of the place this is Kapaleshwara installed by no less a God than Sri Shanmugha Swamy. This must have been installed in the present place later on, and the origin of the place seems to be uncertain.

Abishek Bachan and Aishwerya Rai had visited this temple for their Sarpa and Sevvai Dosha's and Sachin Tendulkar had also visited this temple for relief from dosha .we performed a pooja there, the temple is open fro 6am to 1pm and from 3pm to 8pm only.

We then reached mangalore at 2pm and had lunch at woodlands and boarded Chennai express to return to chennai. The trip was very memorable and all one could remember is the ghat roads where people lived remotely and women and children freely walking beside the hills, it will make one wonder to watch people waiting for buses in that thick jungle , the streams and brooks and tall trees and the greenary will remain fresh in our memory forever. We also visited 'Agumbe' the plains of karnataka which records the highest rainfall in the country next to Chirapunji. Its still unbelievable how Adi shankara reached those places and installed idols and created and taught rituals that were to be practised.

My Search Ended..How I found my Master?

2008-12-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

December 2007, instigated by a friend to check out ISHA Yoga i went to Adyar and attended a 30 mt discourse by a person in white robe who had a peaceful look, the 15 mt break which made the attendees enroll in a program of 7 days, a power packed 3 hour session. The fact that how can people ake a decision in 15 mts puzzled me and the distance factor as to how can i attend a class in Adyar made me drop the idea of taking the yoga course.

December 2008, the same friend who instigated last year had a clear idea this year that this course was something very different and we have to try this, so we went and joined triplicane class 6-9am batch . I went and sat before sadhguru ( Photograph) and asked a couple of questions and when i got a reply , that threw me off for some moments. How can a person who is in life in this earth, answer me from a photograph, but i kept my cool. Every passing day was getting closer to the nucleus of the cell, and the D Day finally came , it was December 7th 2008, the day for Deeksha of Shambhavi Maha Mudra a very powerful kriya. I started off to class as 5.30am as usual and my vehicle stopped in Nungambakkam junction , a police man in such odd hour came and helped me , he stopped every vehicle that came that way and asked them to help me, I was getting worried because many people will be waiting for me there, the police man started to discuss about Yoga to me in that morning hour and said he was a christian and he is a practising yoga for the past 10 years and said I have learn and to do it even after I get married, so please leave your vehicle in the parking lot and carry on, he stopped a van and noted down the number and asked the driver to drop me at a closeby place.

I left my vehicle in the parking lot and joined class after all these adventures, throughout my journey i kept calling GOD's name and blamed by karma for this hurdle. I reached the venue just intime and took the Deeksha , I felt like flying in the sky after the Deeksha, I finally made it.

The Vibrations in the hall was resonating all over the place in every particle in the hall and in every cell of our body and mind was quiet, after the course without my knowledge I experienced that Sadhguru was my master and it took me so many years to reach my master.

People in office noted my changes and I suggested ISHA.

My Salutations to the Master and I surrender myself to the Holy feet of his divine grace and seek him to be a compass that can take me to places .... The Seed is sown, when a proper environment is provided it will yield its fruits.. and I shall wait patiently and make sure that the tree grows.

Suswara Samyuta - by T.M.Krishna & Bombay Jayashri

2008-11-26T01:40:00.000-08:00

November Fest ' The Hindu' Friday Review hosted the 'Susara Samyuta' a musical concert by T.M.Krishna and Bombay Jayshri on November 20th 2008. I had been addicted to Jayashri's voice from the album 'Salokyam' and 'Atma'. she had the magic that can lift the divinity in you taking one closer to the Soul leaving the body and she can also disturb the hormones with her 'OndraRenda ....kakka kakka' with her husky voice.

Being just a lover of music and not knowing any of its connotations, am able to appreciate some songs in the concert, the one especially sung on Lord Rama, the song was very apt since the stage had lotus flowers on card boards and the lighting gave a elevated mood as if in ectasy. The lightings on the sides and on the lotus while the artists sung the song made me think of the 'Lotus feet of Lord Rama'. Krishna was singing in higher tones connating to the voice of Jayashri.

The instruments played by veterans like 'Katam' karthik, Violin R K Shriram kumar, Arun Prakash on Mirudangam. Krishna in his red attire and Jayashri in her shades of green made the evening memorable as they sang the 'Mahitha Bharatham' the theme of the concert.

I have captured the verses and their meaning to reflect upon...

'Mahitha Bharatham' - This piece is a salutation to India from all of us.A tribute to our motherland and our thought and philosophy , they are in six languages.

'Shubhadaayaka mahitha Bharatham Vande matharam'.

One who brings all auspiciousness,our motherland, our salutations to you.

Our Desires are fulfilled only with Courage

Hazaron Khahishen aisi ki har khahish pe dam nikle

bahut nikle mere armaan,lekin phir bhi kam nikle - URDU

(Desires in thousands - each so strong it takes away my breath anew

And many longings were fulfilled - many , but even so too few.)

Acham illai acham illai acham enbadillaye

ichagathullor ellaam edhirthu nindra podilum

acham illai acham illai acham enbadillaye

uchi meedu vanidindu veezhukindra podilum acham... - TAMIL

( Have no fear;Have no fear; There is no such thing as fear

when every person in the whole world is set against you

When the heavens above have collapsed and are falling upon us

Have no fear;Have no fear; There is no such thing as fear)

She is my friend, my mother how can I forget her?

Purano shei dner kotha bhulbi ki re hai, o shei

choker dekha praner kotha shei ki bhola jaya - BENGALI

( Should old friendships be forgotten

and never remembered?

should old friendships be forgotten

And old friends and days?

Can I forget her? )

Chirunavvulu shirulu kanuchupulo karuna

kadupulo bangaru doralinstumathalli

Ma kannathalli mangalarthulu - TELUGU

( In your smile is all our wealth, your eyes are filled with compassion

You have filled my stomach, please protect us

My salutations to my mother)

Change is life... I Change to be part of you

Kandu Kandann irikkum janangale

Kandilennu Varuttunnadum bhavan

randu nalu dinam kondoruttane

tandiletti nadattunnadum bhavan - KANADA

(People whom we see ever day,dissappear one day. In two or four days,God changes the destiny

of a man,and puts him from palace to prison).

Maati kahe kumbhar ko

Tu kya rondhe mohe

Ek din aisaa aayega

Main rondhoongi tohe. - HINDI

( A person who makes earthen pots from the earth beats the earth under his feet to facilitate fine moulding work.See how the destiny works. His body is decomposed in the same earth after n his death.)

Why do Marriages Fail? - A Spiritual Insight

2008-11-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Why do Marriages Fail?
After watching a couple of episodes of 'Athainaikkum Asaipadu' in Vijay Tv on Sunday's from 8.30am to 9am, Im impressed with the way Sri Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev presents his answers to the common man's questions.
On one such episode a comman man asks this question to Guru
'In IT and call center industries, people both man and women get a chance to know each other, be with each other for some months/ years and understand well and they get married after a long period of time, but their marriages never even last for more than 3 to 6 months, what is the reason behind this?

Sadhguru's answer: People get into relationships because of needs, needs can be bodily(which results in Kamam(lust)), it can be Emotional(which leads to attachment), it can be from the mind and heart( which leads to care (habits, sharing same interests, likes,dislikes etc).
When there is an imbalance in any of these, the relationship breaks.
Any relationship can grow stronger only when people grow out of their needs, one cannot be with a person just because they understand you or they are spiritual and you are also spiritual, only when the desire to like and love someone beyond the need comes, relationships become stable and matured. We should not get married because of our needs, but we should overcome that need and accept the person as they are and still show the same love and affection to that person.

Branding Oneself and not Bragging

2008-10-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Diversity week in our company has been the buzz word and many proficient people were called for Live Webcasts instantiating Women branding herself.
Renu khanna scores full marks throughout the program followed by another satyamite( am poor in recalling names, I think arun) , with two chief guests Dr.C.V.Madhavi and Sheen Sunny as speakers .
How does one brand oneself? – Carving a niche for oneself, making others know that you are doing that job by taking full responsibility of that job.

Renu skillfully questions that if a women stands hard on her words she is branded as ‘Aggressive’ and not ‘Assertive’ and it’s a general tendency of a women not to pick arguements and hence when she agrees she is branded as ‘passive and submissive’.
How does women brand herself in such situations? Being oneself in all circumstances is very important for branding be it male or female, while males are more prone to proving their opinions and making others understand in higher tones. While the word ‘Equanimity’ is something which is difficult to practice at all times.

What if your male boss is a little tough person, hard to be convinced? Women should seize opportunities in such circumstances, Dr. Madhavi says presenting oneself and how do we react in such situations makes branding effective, a very good point to be kept in memory.

How does one brand oneself better? The easiest solution is networking , blogging and meeting people after office hours. But women are more family oriented and they always are ready to sacrifice their jobs than their families, her guilt quotients are always driven by caretaking persona and the divisors like career,branding seems to be vanishing into space . But how does one brand oneself better? Zing comes the answer from Arun, brand with male partners, write a article, a white paper and make yourselves known to the other side of the world that you have branded yourself, by setting boundaries within yourselves though socializing and branding with male entrepreneurs.

Working with a set of people whom we have already worked with, having a name branded for ourselves and working with the new set of people and the combination of the old set of people who have helped us build a brand for ourselves is a one of the best ways for branding.

What is that one should do if a male associate or someone who tries to stop a women or anyone from branding themselves?
One cannot be everything to everyone, one should learn to ignore such comments and only focus on improving oneself, women tend to sensitize things and get emotional when there is a hiccup as these ,women need to feel lighter about themselves and not take things personally unless it touches the prescribed heights of morality .

What is that one thing one should start, continue and stop doing for branding oneself?
A beautiful question - Stop using the barrier ,the women card should be broken first and one should start taking responsibilities for their job, make the others know that the company needs you and continue doing better that what we are doing in branding ourselves better. Just Live your life and when one makes work as a passion , then branding becomes one such a day to day activity and requires no special attention.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Diversity Live webcasts on 'Creating your Own Brand' not just since its focused more on women branding but it really highlighted the thinking space in me and provided a roadmap to brand myself. My special thanks to the diversity team who gave us a wonderful power packed session on branding and we appreciate and applaud their efforts in making this program a memorable one.

Nature Is GOD

2008-10-01T09:26:00.001-07:00

(NATURE – THE FULL UNDERSTANDING OF GOD)

NATURE IS GOD
‘Gardening ‘ is not my most favored hobby but I like being close to Nature and watch the flowers dancing to the tunes of the gentle breeze. In my hometown ‘Vellore’ we had a good garden , coconut trees, Banana tree ,Mrungai, Curry leaves , lots of crotons and other plants. We had the Jasmine which was my favorite a creeper which could attract serpents, jasmine was planted only for its fragrance smelting into the environment and into one’s hair and being offered to GOD. When the Jasmine creeper died, we never planted another and we had grown ‘Arali’ and ‘Yellow Flowers’ outside our house. Flowers were not plucked and we used to buy flowers from the market for festive occasions and other auspicious days or whenever desire sprouted in us to keep a string of flowers into our plaited hair.
Dad and Mom love Nature and Gardening, we spent a lot of money to nurture and care our plants and trees, but the greatest lover of Nature was my Periyappa (Late) whose soul was devoted to rearing plants and when he died the leaves of the plants in his home drooped down as a mark of respect for him, I still remember it freshly since its only three months since he is communed with the soil thereby nourishing his plants after his life.

The day I see a leaf is a marvel of a day. – Kenneth Patton
How many times I must have watched the ‘Golden Showers’ which I planted this year for my birthday in my flat so that I can glance from my balcony, every leaf that grew is a marvel as I witness life grow in front of my eyes.

A flower is an educated weed. – Luther Burbank
It’s been close to six months since our move to the city from the town, and we have a nice garden with flowers of different kinds, it was decided during several meetings unanimously by all flat owners that none of us should pluck flowers. The fact that education should bring in a sense of discipline and humility is ignored by many wise people, some known elements pluck flowers and am silenced not to obstruct them because am young and a women, its not cultured to talk about “Don’ts “to an elderly person who works in a reputed bank though he owns the responsibility of ‘Disciplinary Action’ on his employees who transact in false ways. I say ‘If elders are not disciplined, how can youngsters learn it?’
'Is discipline not a self conscious effort ?", my mom abhors me and I meditate on her words.

Flowers are the sweetest things that God ever made and forgot to put a soul into” –Henry Ward Beecher
So I stick stickers all around the apartment wall ‘NATURE IS GOD, PLEASE DON’T PLUCK FLOWERS’ close to all these flowery bushes and make it an appeal as if its from the flowers themselves, and today morning again I found the elderly person near the bush with a bag in his hand and as he saw me he went running to his house. I’m not writing/willing to humiliate someone, but would appreciate and understand the pressing need where they can’t even spare 10 rupees a day to beautify or offer flowers to their personal GODS, as I understand that this is my personal opinion but it does hurt me a lot more than the nature.
May be I should have posted the sticker like this ‘DON’T STEAL FLOWERS, NATURE/GOD WILL HANDCUFF YOU’, sounds harsh though. I hope of visiting the Maami of the house who worships her personal GODS selfishly with the flowers which adds beauty to our place where we live, and will appeal to the Maami - To pay homage to beauty is to admire Nature; to admire Nature is to worship God” .

I hope the chakras which are called ‘Lotus’ in YOGA is awakened and the GOD in her is awakened by her continuous plucking of flowers and worship of Personal GODS and she could hear the flowers pleading to live for one more day after being fully blossomed.

Confessions from a Larceny

2008-09-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Sunday being the 'Malya Amavasya'(New Moon) we were busy with a schedule and were tired by noon. It was about 5pm in the evening , I was sleeping . Our flat though situated on the Main Road had enough greenery all around the apartment, the places adjacent to our flat is empty on both sides with tall coconut trees,neem tree and a Mango tree adding beauty to it. Behind the apartment is the place used for attending nature calls by the slum who lived closeby , they prefered using this open land with green bushes serving as their privy.
Dad had gone to the meeting at the apartment secretary's flat and me and mom were only there. R was the 'Gurka'/Watchman and he had gone out on sunday between 2pm and 6pm.

Mom went to the balcony hearing a thud and found a man sitting on the wall. Mom asked the man, 'Who are you?' for which the man replied back saying his brother is living here in our apartment.
Mom asked him 'why have you come'? He says that he is a good person by heart and GOD has punished him for jumping over the wall since he had wounds and cut on his leg from the glass pieces over the wall. Then he confesses that 'Im a petty theif and I steal small articles around and my job is to do embroidery'.
Mom asked him 'What did you throw on the other side of the wall?'. He says 'Nothing'.
My Brave Mom then called our neighbour U Maami and she called for people and we gave a police compliant and the police came in and shocked us further saying they caught two burglars last week hidden inside the bush.

We finally found out that a bicycle was stolen and it was retrieved from the green bush. The small boy who lost his cycle celebrated his birthday today and it was indeed the Best GIFT for him from Mom by helping him retain his bicycle. His Whole family thanked my mom while he smiled with a whole lot of chocoloates inside his mouth and ringing his bicycle bell, mom told me without any amusement.

Mom was all in praises and I woke up to catch the entire episode yawning and standing by the balcony while the police inspected and asked us to be careful and left for the day.

So the Bravery award for the year 2008 goes to the best Mom in the whole world
'MY MOM' from the region of Rangarajapuram.

Friday Musings - Dance Drama

2008-09-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

I was waiting for the weekend when my messenger window blinked, it was Murthy a well wisher, colleague and who has lots of reverence towards me.
He insisted on spending my Friday evening in watching a dance drama from Bharat kalachar and his daughter N was performing a lead role, at Padma Seshadri School in T.P.Road. My Colleague and friend M volunteered to join me , by the time we reached the play had started and we both were seated at the end, starring at the play while M was fighting mosquitoes and fanning in suffocation. We were spotting and trying to guess N as M began sharing her thoughts with me as the play progressed, while I was observing expressions,light,dress codes(Its become my habit to observe and write and I realised that I failed to converse with M, she must have thought am not fit for being in a company like her's). These young people were precocious and presented them so confidently on the stage, the theme ‘Love, War and Peace’ was needed at this hour after the recent ‘Delhi Blasts’.
Story:
A couple with a baby girl ‘Deeksha’ is compassionate to offer a place in their hearts and home to a widow with a baby boy, and the children grow together and fall in love and get married while the kingdom falls short of warriors and the army is built with the kinsmen from each family, the king wins the battle yet loses his own son in the battle. Furious Amar’s mother meets the king and curses the kingdom to death, the king who is Amar’s father had abandoned his wife to marry a princess and is crowned a king. Amar’s mother frets and squealing her son’s loss makes the heart dry and invites sympathy and urges one to become a consigliere. The king repents for his vicious ways and decides to be a ‘Buddha’ and embrace ‘Peace’. N played a neat and a good role of Deeksha’s mother and a doted wife.
Awards Goes to:
The story was simple, reaching straight to the audience by characters Mother of Amar, King, the Couple, Deeksha, Amar and all little ones who played the role of childhood of Deeksha and Amar.
Best Actress - Amar's Mother -Anusha
Best Actor - King
Best Scene - Deeksha not letting go Amar when he wanted to go and fight for his kingdom.
Best Supporting Actress and Actor - Deeksha's Mother ( N- Murthy's Daughter) and Father
Chocolates to all toddlers below 6 years of age, they jumped and played well on the stage.
Best Fight Scene - Fighting in the war, men jumping with the swords and lights flashing on and off
Best Music - The Music during the Wedding of Deeksha and Amar
[CLAP HANDS ... CLAP HANDS... To ALL who made this play a success)

By the time the play was over we had moved closer to the fan and M was feeling relaxed and we applauded with the crowd and M walked back home with a thanks for the opportunity and I thanked for her pleasant company and Murthy for making this evening artistic and lively.

Men,Beauty and Hair Styling

2008-09-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

Do Men like Women Hair styling? It does not surprise to read about the Best Men Hair Stylist for Women in TOI, but do all men have an attraction towards women who change their hairstyles? Do men notice women’s hairstyles or look for how much she must have spent on getting this hair styling done?

After my change in Hair Style- Hair Straightening, at least a half a dozen men would have asked me ‘How much did it cost you?’ a lady beside me got agitated when such a question was thrown on my face by a male friend during luncheons, I sat in silence while the lady next to me said ‘ Its Embarrassing to ask such questions?’ for which my male friend brilliantly answered that ‘opinions differ’ and he wanted to know because his wife needs it.
‘Quite Embarrassing’ I chuckled , while some of my friends queried my male colleague about his wife’s hair length and tampered his already excited mind with promises of having his credit card crossing the credit limit.

I pondered Alas, Do I look beautiful only now that men dare to notice me? Or do they want their wife’s to adapt to this hairstyle because they think this is fashionable?
Before I can jump to an satisfying answer, tea break brought after tremors from lunch breaks, another colleague bumped on me with the same question ‘ How much did you pay for it?’, and came with the upper and lower limits as if a maths calculus problems were to be solved coupled with probability theory . Before even I can run for a rescue from these hot steaming questions, some of my friends backed me up with answers but the conversation became very hot topic than the hot onion bajji's on a rainy tea break today.

I thought no one other than myself noticed how much I have tried to change myself within? Beauty is all skin deep, but deep inside the soul lies the values that one can kvell upon. When will people say this to me, ‘ You have a excellent attitude, how much did it cost you to build such a strong character and a will so strong’? Will people ever notice these? and even if they, will they ask me ‘Which soul searching technique did you practice and who was the person who has helped you mend yourself to a beautiful person within? Time works wonders on people, I will just hope for a wonder reflecting the self from within and not just outwardly appearance.
I remember asking my S sis 'Does Hair style make such an impact on one's beauty ?' when my
S sis confided that I look different and good. I gleefully comb my hair infront of the mirror , my eyes reflecting my soul inside and other's eyes resting upon my hair style outwardly.

Toddling from Noodles to Vermicelli

2008-09-13T11:53:00.001-07:00

I was born with a noodles like hair, curly and bushy that my friends and colleagues used to have fun calling me as 'Bird's Nest'. I used to silently curse my genetic chromosomes which made me like this and years later Olympic's Stadium is called 'Bird's Nest', and I felt proud of it being called as BN.

My Happiness in name calling as 'BN' didnt last long now as I decided to make it look like a straight line,it all happened when my S Sis had to go for a hair cut, she needed a wavy and a little curly ,girlish looking cut with her hair length below the shoulder . The hair cut was made in a good parlor, expensive though worthy by a Men Hair stylist and repeated pestering from S Sis made me do a ironing , thatz when I discovered the hidden smile of charmness and pretty looking round face shining as if under a brazing sun(Thats what S sis tells me after the Hair Style).

'Change is Constant' and why not change hair texture, and now my hair stands like a bambino vermicelli before its cooked , not so hard though but as it gently moves back and forth my head, and now my new name is 'Straighty', sounds strange, it was S's idea of calling me like as 'SY' though she knows am straight , but nothing seems to bother me now as long as 'Bird's Nest' is genetic and its all going to change to 'BN' in a span of time.

From Chennai till Kumbakonam - Temples A Glance

2008-09-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Following my sister’s vacation in INDIA, we decided to go for a temple tour up to kumbhakonam. We started off to Pondicherry and before we could enter Pondicherry via thindivanam route, panchavati arrives.

August 29 2008

1. Panchavati – Panchamuga Anjeneyar Temple

Panchamugha Anjeneyar is the main deity in this temple. As we enter the temple, on the right hand side the GOD of Good luck and Fortune welcomes us, after praying to Lord Ganesha we started our first temple visit.
We entered a big mandapam and the huge screen was covering the Anjeneyar. There were beautiful sculptors on the walls very close to the ceiling on both sides of the mandap. There was a huge vessel that was kept in front of the anjeneyar which read ‘DIVINE FLOATING STONE’ , so I tried to focus in to the vessel, I found a stone slightly greenish in color, floating and a few flowers floating in the water along with the stone. It was brought from ‘Rameshwaram’ and it weighed around 8kgs and used by Lord Rama’s ‘Vaanar Sena’ to build the bridge to Lanka.I was gawking at the stone and pondering Anjeneyar’s faith in Lord Rama. Though there may be scientific reasons for the floating stone, one had to think about anjeneyar uttering the word ‘Rama’ and throwing the stone in water and the stone floated, such should be the devotion/Faith in the Lord. ‘Seeing is Believing’ – I said to myself and the curtain was open and I saw the giant Anjeneyar around 36 feet with five different faces and a huge stair case running on both sides of the anjeneyar , a priest was lighting lamps from the ground along the sides of the anjeneyar. At the feet, the ‘Urchava Murthy’ of Panchamugha Anjeneyar and ‘Ramar Paadam’ was kept inside a box which had a mirror on the closing side and reflected the ‘Ramar Paadam’. Freshly cooked ‘Prasadam’ was carried in a big vessel and the priests covered their nose and mouth with a cloth and brought the prasadam. After it was offered to the Lord, we also received our share ‘Curd Rice and Vada’ , it was very hot and we couldn’t hold it in our hands as we gulped the curd rice and started our journey to pondy.

2. Manakkula Vinayagar

This temple lies adjacent to Mother’s Ashram and its been a practice for us to Visit the temple and the Mother’s shrine. ‘Manakkula Vinayagar ‘ the name has different meanings and people carry beliefs like one gets married if one visit’s to the temple and one’s earnest deepest desires in the heart gets fulfilled when one prays at this temple, the temple is maintained very neatly and the elephant outside the temple blesses each person who offers a one rupee coin to him. There was lots of Lotus flowers, pink and white sold outside the temple and the vinayagar’s is adorned with flowers and the lord glitters as he showers his blessings on us.

3. Mother Ashram - Annai
After worshipping Lord Ganesha we went to the Mother Ashramam, no flowers allowed and we came around the Samadhi, prayed and enjoyed the silence in the ashramam. My sister wanted to buy some books, so we entered a spiritual shop and I picked a good book on Mudra’s and she picked ‘Jonathan the Sea Gull’. We finished our breakfast at Adyar Anandha Bhavan and started off to Vaitheswaran Koil.

4. Keezhperumpallam – Kethu Sthalam
We offered our prayers to Kethu Bhaghavan, we lighted the deepam along with the ‘Kollu’ and circumambulated the temple and read about Kethu and the origin of this temple.

History:
Kethu, one of the 9 celestial bodies worshipped Shiva. Rahu and Ketu are associated with the legend of the churning of the milky ocean. When the amirtham emerged, Lord Vishnu in the guise of Mohini was distributing the amirtham only to the devas. He was worried that the evil deeds of the asuras will increase multifold if they consumed amirtham. Realizing this, one of the asuras with the help of the asura guru Sukrachariyar, took the form of a deva and consumed the nectar. Suryan and Chandran who noticed this, complained to Lord Narayana. In anger, Lord Narayana hit the asura on the head with the spoon in his hand. The head was cut off and fell on the ground. But because the asura had consumed amirtham, his head and body continued to live. The head portion of the asura attached itself to a snake body to become Rahu Bhagavan. The body portion that was thrown away fell in Pothigai mountain region. This was found and preserved by a Brahmin. The head of a snake got attached to the asura body to become Kethu. The sthalam of Kethu is Keezhperumpallam, which is located 6 kms from Thiruvengaadu, enroute to Poompuhar. His wife is Chitralekha. The presiding deities are Naaganaadaswamy and his consort Ambal. He faces the North-West direction. The Adi Devatha is Chitraguptan and the Prathyathi Devatha is Brahma.

5. Thirukadavur

The Main deities of Thirukadavur are Amrithagateshwarar (Lord Shiva) and Abirami Amman or Abiramavalli. Amrithaghateshwarar is said to be the manifestation of the celestial nectar that was obtained by the Devas when the heavenly ocean, Paarkadal was churned. Hence His name Amrithaghateshwarar.
History:
There are two stories that mark the significance of the temple Thirukadavur. Sage Mrikandu and his wife grieved about being childless and hence prayed to Lord Shiva for an issue.
The merciful Lord appeared in their dream and asked them to choose between a wise child with a short span of life and dunce who will live long. The sage chose for a wise child and thus Markandeya who was to live only for sixteen years was born. As foretold by the Lord, Markandeya grew up to be wise and virtuous. He developed a natural devotion towards Lord Shiva and engaged himself in the worship of the Lord. Days went by and the sixteenth year of his birth approached to the grief of his parents.
On his sixteenth birthday as Markandeya sat worshipping the Lord in the form of a Shivalinga, Yama, the Lord of death appeared and summoned him to go with him. Markandeya requested Yama to wait until the completion of his pooja. Thus they both entered into an argument with Yama growing furious and Markandeya replying calmly that he would not budge until his worship is done. Yama however grew irritated and threw the noose around Markandeya's neck. Markandeya sought the refuge of the Lord by hugging the Shivalinga when the noose rested on his neck together with the Shivalinga!The Shivalinga burst open and a tempestuous Lord wild with rage emerged out of the Linga and kicked Yama hard on his chest and sunk His Thrishul (Spear) into his body! He thus vanquished the Lord of death, bringing death to the very fact of 'death' itself. He then blessed Markandeya with a long life on account of his sincere worship and steadfast faith. However on the imploring of the Devas and other heavenly beings, Shiva retrieved the Lord of death as the earth could not behold the mounting pressure due to the lack of death. Hence here Shiva is hailed as 'Kaalasamhaara Murthy' (The Lord who had vanquished death).

‘Abhirami Andhadhi’ was written by Abhirama pattar in praise of Goddess Abhirami.
Abirama Battar was a Brahmin and a pundit engaged in the vocation of guiding people with the description of days, favorable and unfavorable times for commencing important events etc with the help of an almanac. A very virtuous person who was always lost in the thoughts of Mother Abirami, his speckless devotion attracted the envy of some. They thus to cause trouble for Battar, gave false informations to the then ruling king Saraboji. The king hence asked Battar the description of the day as to whether it was a full moon day or a no moon day. Battar whose mind was lost with Abirami came up with the wrong answer that it was a full-moon day which actually was a no moon day. The king in his fury commanded to slay Battar for coming up with the wrong answer. Hence Battar sat on a suspended platform supported by hundred ropes under which a huge pyre was raised. His only hope was Mother Abirami and his devotion took shape of hundred songs. At the completion of each stanza he cut a rope to end his life at the end of the hundredth song. Mother Abirami's heart melted for his devotion and she delayed not a moment to throw one of her earrings towards the sky that shone as the moon on a no moon day thereby saving the life of her ardent devotee.

Abirami Andhadhi is a wonderful composition written in the Andhadhi pattern with the commencing of each para with the ending word of the previous para. It is still sung and chanted in devotion in many Tamil homes.

The Priest explained this story of Markhandeya and then opened a sliding golden plated a horizontal slider at the foot of the Lord Nataraja where the trishul piercing the Lord Yama could be seen, and then he closed the slider again and one can see the Lord Shiva only. We could see many homa kundams all around the temple, many families were performing ‘Ayush Homam’ and ‘Mrithyun Jay Homam’ and 60th, 70th, 80th wedding anniversary celebrations was being performed. My parents were glad since that day was their wedding anniversary and we could visit the temple.

We hadn’t had our lunch and felt hungry, by the time we found a restaurant it was around 3.30, we managed to get some poori and felt at ease.

6. Thiruvenkadu – Bhudan Temple
It is said that the oldest part of the temple is more than 3000 years old and it’s a very big temple and it’s dedicated to Budhan or Mercury. Legend says that Lord Bhudan was born as a transvestite and he prayed to Lord Shiva and seeked his mercy for he was born like this, Lord Shiva blessed him and he was relieved from this.
Budhan is said to bestow wisdom and intellect. Budha or Mercury is considered as the greatest among the wise. This Devata bestows wisdom and wealth on his devotees. He is ruled by Lord Maha Vishnu. This place is similar to Kasi with all the Snana Ghats. One can do all the karmas here that are supposed to be done in kasi. We can find a separate sanctum sanctorum for bhudan. Bhudan holds the portfolio of Education and Arts and it is the next popular place students prefer to go after Tuition centers.
History:
Thiruvenkadu and nearby locations were under the clutches of an asura by name Marutwasura who was troubling the Rishis and the people, who sought divine interference from Lord Shiva who sent his Nandi, the Bull - his vahana - who fought with the demon and threw him in the sea before returning victoriously. However, the demon Marutwasura did not stop with that and undertook severer penance, invoking Lord Shiva, the merciful who could not but appear before him though he had a very bad reputation and as a result of the penance, the demon obtained His trident - sula - from Him.
Obtaining much superior power, Marutwasura returned with all vengeance and intensified his attack on innocent people and sages. Once again the Lord was requested by the poor devotees for protection and once again He sent Nandi to fight him. However since the demon was equipped with the trident of the Lord, the mighty war weapon of his Master, he could not fight Marutwasura and was attacked by the demon very badly, causing grievous wounds on his sturdy frame.
Nandi had to retreat from the field and report back to the Lord, pleading inability to face the demon who wielded the Lord’s weapon, against which he had no power. The Lord, opened His third eye which discharged intense fire that consumed the demon who became one with the jyoti of the third eye.
The sages submitted their desire to the Lord, wishing Him to turn the jyoti into a form and reside there in the shrine. The Lord accordingly assumed the form of Aghoramurti, a manifestation of His wild and angry form, in action. The idol of Aghoramurti installed in Thiruvenkadu is considered to be a rare specimen of the rich sculpting skills of our ancient land.
The idol of Nandi installed bears nine scars on its body and is seated at the entrance of Devi’s shrine, with face turned towards the Lord’s shrine and ears cocked towards that of Devi. This is considered to be a rather peculiar posture, signifying the readiness of the celestial Bull to receive orders from the Divine Couple.
Swetaketu’s story is very similar to that of Markandeya. Swetaketu, it was predicted, would die at the age of eight. He installed a Lingam in Thiruvenkadu and worshipped the Lord, seeking His protection from Yama. At the end of his eighth year, the Lord of Death appeared before Swetaketu to end his life. The Lord came forth from the Lingam and punished Yama who dared to take the life of His devotee, under His protection. The name Swetaranya is associated with Swetaketu, the devotee who was saved by the Lord.
It is said that the Lord performed seven of His dances - Tandavam - known as Ananda, Sandhya, Samhara, Tripuranta, Urdhva, Bhujanga and Lalita, before Swetaketu, at his request. The deity of the Lord has five faces - Easanam, Tatpurusham, Aghoram, Vamadevam and Sadyojatam, a manifestation that is not commonly seen in all Shiva temples.
The temple is situated in a sprawling area of 2,45,520 sq. ft. surrounded by five prakarams known as pancha prakarams. Apart from the presiding deity, the Lord is consecrated in His forms as Aghoramurthi and Nataraja. The Nataraja image bears the seven instruments and weapons - Vetalam, Khadgam, Udukku, Mani, Kedayam, Kapalam and Trisulam. Devi in Her divine form of Bhadra Kali has a separate shrine. There are two shrines of Ashta Lakshmi, four in each. The Navagrahas are installed in a row, which is very unusual in any temple.
7. Vaitheeswaran Koil – Mars
‘Angarakan’ has a special separate place in this shrine. ‘Vaitheeanatha Swamy’, Lord Shiva along with Goddess ‘Thaiyal Nayaki’ bestows good health to people who offer their prayers here. Its believed that if one baths in the sacred ‘Theertham’ where a drop of amirtha has been mixed in the temple tank is said to cure close to around 4000 diseases and people who offer ‘Salt’ and ‘Pepper’ to the Goddess ‘Thailyal Nayaki’ is bestowed with good health.
History:
Eighteen thirthas inclusive of disease curing Siddhamirtha thirtha is also here.The Temple tank is said to be free from frogs and snakes because of the curse of a sage Sadhanandha and has therapeutic properties which can induce healing specially all skin related ailments.In this temple, the (navagraha) Nine planets by virtue of losing their powers remain in a straight line.
Lord Rama cremated Jatayu here. This tank is inside the temple. The holy ashes of Jatayu pit, present inside the temple and the Marundhu urundai sold in the temple are believed to have special powers to cure all kinds of diseases. We were there for the pooja at the Lord Muruga’s shrine, Lord Muruga rules Mars and all pooja’s are done to Lord Muruga here. He is the Lord of Marital character and symbolizes ‘Red’ in color. We could watch the ‘Arthajama pooja’ the final worship service being offered to Lord Muruga and prayed for good life.

August 30th 2008

8. Thirupambaram – Rahu and Kethu Temple

A small village with one way roads and fields on both sides, curved paths leads one to this temple. Legend says there has been no human loss by snake bite in this place. We reached the place to find a big crowd already assembled their in ‘Rahu Kalam’ time, we offered our prayers to Lord Shiva ‘Naganathar’ where we could see a picture hung on the temple wall inside , the picture where a snake’s skin around 7ft in length curled around the Shiva lingam. Milk Abhishekham is being performed on Rahu in this temple along with the parikara pooja during the rahu kalam period, where the abhishegam for the three deities Naganathar and Goddess Parvathi and then Rahu bhagavan is being performed.

History:
Once, Saint Sushila cursed Sri Rahu Bagavan - Sun’s Ascend Node, one of the nine-orbiting planets.
To absolve his curse, Rahu worshipped Lord Siva in Kumbakonam Kilkottam in the first quarter of the night - First Jamam and Senbakaranyam in the Second quarter, and Thirupamburam in the Third quarter, and Nagaikaronam in the Fourth quarter and at last at Usha time came to this holy Senbaka forest and prayed to him to absolve his curse. So, we can see Sri Rahu Bhagavan with his two consorts in his marriage posture in the Southwest corner of this temple.

9. Thirumanajcheri – Temple for Marriage

The Lord Shiva holds his wife Goddess Parvati’s hands with shiva’s right hand on top of the goddess left hand and believed to be very powerful in blessing people for marriage.

One needs to be careful if they need to perform the pooja in here, the vendors outside the temple tend to sell off the necessary articles for the pooja for 75+ rupees and once you are close to the temple, one can find the notice outside temple where they instruct you to buy the pooja articles inside the temple for 35 rupees only.

History:
Sri Umamangai Devi Prayed to Lord Siva at Kailash Himalayas to remarry her in the earth. Lord Siva granted the boon to remarry her in the forthcoming Brahma Karpam . Since she was granted longer duration to fulfill her wish Uma mangai Devi was little indifferent to the lord Siva.

Lord Siva was unhappy with Sri Uma mangai Devi and cursed her to live as a cow in earth. She repented on her action and to absolve of her curse, goddess prayed to Lord Siva. Lord Siva controlled his anger and blessed her by changing Tirumagal, Kalaimagal & Indirani as cows and to accompany Sri Umamangai Devi in the earth. Pleased by the milk showered on his body by Sri Uma mangai Devi as cow Lord Siva married her at Thirumananjeri.

10. Thiruvilangadu – Sukran Koil
When we reached Sukran Koil, it was pouring heavily and all temples are closed between 1 and 4pm,hence we waited patiently but we had other temples to cover hence we went inside the temple after the rain had stopped and prayed and started to Suryan koil.
The presiding deity Agneeswarar is the embodiment of Sukran. Sukrachariar was the Guru of asuras. He had got the blessings from Lord Siva after severe penances. In the Vamana Avataram of Lord Vishnu, Vamana sought three foot steps of land from Mahabali, an asura king. Realising Vamana to be no mere mortal, Sukrachariyar assumed the form of a bee and tried to block the flow of water from the kamandalam. Vamana picking up a pavithram blinds Sukracharya in one eye while trying to unclog the hole in the kamandalam.
Sukracharyar has the prowess to bring the dead to living by virtue of his knowledge of Amirtha Sanjeevini Mantra. Using this mantra, in the asura war against the devas, he revived the slain asuras. This helped the asura army swell. The devas prayed to Lord Siva for help, who swallowed up Sukracharya in a fit of rage. After residing in Lord Siva’s stomach in a siddha state, he emerged from Lord Siva's stomach.
History:
The sthalam of Sukra Bhagavan is Kanjanur, which is located 3kms from Suryanar koil, enroute to Mayavaram. His wives are Subakirthi, Sundari and Sringini. The presiding deities are Agneeswarar and his consort Iswari. He is the Lord of Rishabha and Thula Rasi and faces East direction. The Adi Devatha is Indra's physician.
11. Suryanar Koil
The temple was about to open as we entered the shrine and we stood in the queue, we worshipped the Lord Surya along with his consorts Usha and Prathyusha and Lord Bhudan was positioned exactly opposite to the Lord Suryan. We came around the temple and headed towards Thirunageswaram.
History:
Kalava Munivar had foreseen his future and realized that he would suffer from leprosy. He prayed to the Navagrahas, who being pleased with his devotion absolved him of the disease. Brahma Deva on realizing that the Navagrahas were granting boons, instead of aspecting a person as per his/her good and bad deeds, condemned them to suffer from leprosy and banished them to earth.

The Navagrahas realizing their mistake, pleaded for mercy. Brahma advised them to seek the blessings of Lord Siva and his consort Uma Devi residing at Thirumangalakudi, after bathing in the holy river, Cauvery. He advised them to consume only curd rice laid on Velerukku leaf. Lord Siva, pleased with their devotion absolved them of their sins and decried that there will be nine sannadhis for the navagrahas in the Suryanar temple (this is the only temple where all the navagrahas are present with separate sannadhis) and those who pray here will get relief from their problems.

The Suryanar temple is located 12kms from Kumbakonam enroute to Mayavaram. Surya's wives are Usha, Prathyusha. The presiding deities are Puranavaradheeswarar and his consort Mangalanayaki. Surya is the Lord of Simma Rasi and occupies the central place amongst the navagrahas. The adidevatha is Agni, prathyutha Devatha - Rudran. His colour is red and his vahana is a chariot drawn by seven horses. Suryanaar Koyil was built by the Chola kings. Inscriptions from the period of Krishna Deva Raya, speaking of endowments made to this temple are also seen here.

The Suryanar temple faces west. The presiding deity here is Suryanarayana in a chariot like vimaanam, representing the sun's chariot. There are also shrines to Kasi Viswanathar, Visalakshi and Brihaspati (Guru) in the sanctum. Shrines to the other celestial bodies are located outside of the sanctum. The sanctum and the ardhamandapam are built of stone, while the rest of the shrines are brick structures. The Kol Theertha Vinayakar shrine is considered to be of importance here. An elaborate worship protocol involving circumambulating the entire temple nine times is prescribed for devotees visiting the temple. Protocol requires that one visits the Shivastalam before visiting Suryanaar Koyil.

12. Thirunageswaram - Raghu Sthalam
We reached Thirunageswaram around 5pm and the pooja was to start at 6pm. We purchased our pooja tickets and headed toward a queue. We were made to sit in front of the Lord Rahu and Milk ablutions were made to the Rahu. We could see the Milk turning to blue as the priest was performing the milk abhisekham for the Lord Rahu.
History:
The king of the nagas, Rahu prayed to Lord Siva and hence this place got the name Thirunageswaram. Here Rahu Bhagavan has manifested with both his consorts. At this sthala, the color of milk changes from white to blue during Abhishekam. On 16.2.86, a snake had shed off its outer skin on Rahu Bhagavan, which is preserved and worshipped to date.
Suryan, Vinayagar, Gautamar, Nalan, Parasarar, Pandavas, Vasishtar, Indran, Brahma, Bageerathan, Chandrasenan, Adiseshan, Kakkan Karkodagan, Sounagar, Nargunan have prayed and benefited at this sthala. King Sambumali who had incurred the wrath of sage Kaalangiri, attained moksha after bathing in the temple tank and praying to the Lord and Ambal of this temple.
The devas and asuras churned the Paarkadal to obtain amirtham that would free them from death, keeping them alive for ever. When the amirtham emerged, Lord Vishnu in the guise of Mohini was distributing the amirtham only to the devas. He was worried that the evil deeds of the asuras will increase multifold if they consumed amirtham. Realising this, one of the asuras with the help of the asura guru Sukrachariyar, took the form of a deva and consumed the nectar. Suryan and Chandran who noticed this, complained to Lord Narayana. In anger, Lord Narayana hit the asura on the head with the spoon in his hand. The head was cut off and fell on the ground. But because the asura had consumed amirtham, his head and body continued to live. The body of a snake got attached to the head to become Rahu Bhagavan. Rahu prayed to Lord Vishnu (Narayana) and got the position of a Sayagraham. Rahu takes his revenge on Suryan and Chandran, whenever he gets a chance by devouring them. This is commonly called as eclipse.

13. Uppiliyappan koil – Kumbakonam
We reached Uppiliyappan Koil, one of the 108 divyathesams around 7.30 and offered our prayers to the Lord and garlanded the lord with the Thulasi Mala and sought his blessings. As we came out of the temple, there was a huge Ad inside the temple for a hotel run by the chief dharmakartha of the temple, dad had called the hotel Raya’s and we booked a room to rest for the night.
History:
This place is described as "Vaikundam" and "Akaasa Nagar" in Sanskrit literature. The naattaaru that runs here is considered as the "virajaa" river.
The sthalapuraanam of this temple is discussed in bramhaanda puraaNam; the details are offered by none other Brahma himself, when he was asked by his son, Sri Naraathar.
Once Thiruth Thuzhaay (thulasi) did penance and asked of the Lord, "You are bearing Lakshmi alone in your chest; I request your special blessing and attention for me also". The Lord said "Lakshmi occupied my chest after severe penance and now she is about to incarnate on the banks of river Cauvery in bhoologam with the name of bhoomi Devi. You may appear there prior to her as a thulasi plant and she will incarnate in your lap (i.e. under your shadow). "I will accept Lakshmi some days later" and since you were the support or "aathaaram" for her incarnation you will be rewarded as being very special to me in this temple; more than Lakshmi. One can attain the blessings of Lakshmi Devi only after severe penance. But one who worships me with your ithaz (leaves), will get the effect of doing "Aswametha yaagam". And those who dwell in your vanam as their place of living will surely attain moksham. You will always be the garland that is presented to my chest. I will accept the thulasi maalai first andwill marry Lakshmi only after that".
On hearing this thulasi appeared in ThiruviNNagaram. This is confirmed by the 53rd paasuram of Sri Nammazhwaar in thiru viruththam.
Mrikandu Maharishi's son Sri Maarkandeyaa worshipped the Lord and desired that Lakshmi should appear as his daughter and the Lord should become his Son-in-Law. When he was doing theerththaadanam and shethra yaaththirai, after reaching ThiruvinNagaram, he felt that this was the right place for getting his desire fulfilled. Maarkandeyaa then started a severe penance for 1000 years seeking Lakshmi Devi’s blessings.
After the thousand years of penance, Lakshmi appeared as a baby under the already incarnated thulasi chedi (thulasi plant). Sri Maarkandeya felt the presence of Lakshmi as the incarnation of the baby and realized that one part of his desire had been fulfilled. He took possession of the baby and brought her up.
When this young girl reached the adolescent age or paruvam, one day (panguni month sravana nakshathram) the Lord, appeared as an old man and asked for the hand of maarkandeya's daughter. Maarkandeya replied "You are very ripe and old, my daughter is very young and she does not even know how to cook with proper salt (lavanam) contents. You may get angry and curse her if she cannot cook properly. This is not fair. You are bodily old but mentally very aware. You must forgive me and bless me but this will not work out.”
To which the old man replied, "If your daughter must cook without salt, then I will still take it as my best food, but I will not leave from here without marrying her."
Without knowing what to do, maarkandeyaa sought the help of the ever protecting Lord Vishnu.
It was then that he realized, using his thapobalam, that the old man was none other than Lord Vishnu Himself.
When he opened his eyes the Lord appeared in front of him with changu and chakram as in SriVaikundam (He is seen in the same form even now in this temple) and maarkandeya asked for forgiveness. Sri Maarkandeya then offered his daughter's hand in marriage and performed the kannikaathaanam of his daughter (Lakshmi) to the Lord Himself.
Since the Lord had said "I will accept the food that is not salted as my best and most desired food", this temple neyvethiyam is always done without salt in any food. No one should ever take anything that contains salt into this temple and the puraanaas indicate that such persons who knowingly do so will suffer in the bottom most hell.
The name oppiliappan is as result of this puraanam. However, nammaazhwaar called him "than Oppaar illappan", that is He is the one who has no comparison (i.e. there is neither an equivalent nor superior to this Lord - mikaiyum oppum illaathavan).
There is also a story behind the tank in this temple. Once a King had consummated (punarchchi) with a daughter of a saint and hence the saint cursed him to become a bird. The King lived as a bird and one night when there was a storm and the branch of the tree the bird was sleeping on broke and fell into the water of this tank. The bird which got dipped by this accident in the tank regained its original form as the King and since then this is known as the only theerththam that one can do theerth thaadanam even in the night. (In general "theerthadanam” in the night is not recommended by our scriptures). Since this tank has such a healing power in the day as well as night, it is called "ahOraathra pushkarani".
14. Prathiyangara Devi
We decided to call it a day after visiting the Prathiyangara Devi temple, the temple was crowded being a Full Moon day and Red chilly packets were sold outside the temple and a Yagna was performed in the by midday, its is believed that even when plenty of Red chilies were dropped in to the fire, it did not even bring a sneeze to people around the Yagna, such was the powerful Devi she was that the fire consumes all the spicy aroma that can make noses burn. We had a good darshan to the fiercely looking yet very graceful Devi and prayed for well being.
About the Goddess:
Goddess Sri Prathyangara also known as Sri Atharvana Bhadrakali. She is also referred to as Aparajitha - the invincible. She is believed to have emerged from the fire emanating from the third eye of Lord Sri Veera Sarabeswarar. It was Goddess Sri Prathyangara who aided in subsiding the anger of Lord Narasimha. She is lion-faced and is seated on a lion. Her four hands bear a noose in the form of a snake, trident, hand-drum and bowl (kabala pathram). She wears a garland of skulls. In this Kali Yuga, where evil is manifest in varied forms, Goddess Sri Prathyangara is regarded as the saviour of mankind, alleviating the sufferings of humanity. She possesses the power to offset the influences of black magic. Though fearsome in appearance, she is the very embodiment of benevolence and grace to her devotees.

Aug 31 2008 - Sunday
15. Mahamagam temple tank
First thing in the morning we went to ‘Kasi Viswanathar Temple’ and we worshipped Lord Shiva and his Consort Goddess parvathi. One can see the entire 9 river Goddesses in a row inside the temple on the left side as we enter the temple. Then we finished our breakfast in ‘Anandha Bhavan’ and headed to Guru Temple at Alangudi.
The Kasi Viswanathar Temple in the temple town of Kumbhakonam is associated with the Mahamagam festival which occurs once every 12 years; when 9 of the saters of the revered rivers in India are believed to assemble in the Mahamagam tank. This temple is considered to be the 28th in the series of Tevara Stalams in the Chola kingdom located south of the river Cauvery.
Legends: Rama and Lakshmana are said to have worshipped Shiva here during their search for Sita, and acquired Rudramsam, to enable them to fight Ravana. Legend has it that the nine sacred rivers of India, prayed to Shiva at Banares (Viswanathar)to be absolved of the sins washed away by bathers, and were directed to bathe in the Mahamagam tank and worship Aadi Kumbheswarar. Viswanathar of Kaasi is believed to have manifested himself here at Kumbhakonam at Kudandaikkaronam.
16. Alangudi - Guru Temple
We reached Guru temple around 9 am in the morning and we worshiped the ‘Vinayagar’ first and headed to light the oil lamps and came around the temple around 12 times by offering our prayers to the Lord Guru Bhagavan. We quenched our thirst by having ‘Pannir Soda’ a sweet soda water we get here in around kumbhakonam.
History:
The Devas when churning the parkadal (sea of milk) for nectar, were hindered by the poisonous fumes from the snake Vasuki and prayed to Lord Siva for deliverance. Lord Siva consumed the deadly poison (Ala Visham), thus giving rise to the name Alangudi to this sthalam and the Lord came to be called as Aabathsagayar. Lord Ganesa subdued Gajamuhasuran who gave the Devas a horrid time and he thus he is worshipped in this sthalam as 'Kalangaamal kaatha Vinayagar'. Ambal undertook severe penance and married Lord Siva and hence this place is hailed as Thirumana Mangalam. This sthalam is the Parivara sthalam for Madhyarjuna Mahalinga Peruman. This is the fourth amongst the Panchavarunya Sthalas. Vishwamithrar, Thirumal, Brahma, Lakshmi, Garuda, Ashta Thikku Balagas, Ayyanar, Veera Badrar, Mukunda Chakravarthy, Suvasanan, Sundarar have worshipped at this sthala . Lord Siva as a ferryman (boatman) was helped Sundaramurthy Swamigal to cross the river (Vettaru) which was in spate, to reach this sthalam . The boat capsized hitting a rock, on the way. Lord Siva seated on his Rishaba Vahana helped him reach the sthala safely. Sundarar received his Gnana upadesam after his darshanam of Dakshinamurthy at this sthalam.

17. Patteswaram Durgai - Patteswaram
To reach this place a small village road only connects you to the magnificent old Patteswaram Durgai temple, from a small road you head to a long pathway and you raise your head to find a tall gopuram and you shackled by its beauty. This is the temple my mother had been longing to go and worship the Durgai, she is considered as a removal of suffering and blesses her devotes with her grace by fulfilling their wishes. My Mom quickly ran like a child and bought flowers, coconut etc and rushed to the Durga despite her knee pain which she couldn’t bear it, her devotion was so strong that it can make her run towards the goddess.
We worshipped the Lord Shiva first and then we lighted Oil lamps at Durga’s feet and started our journey to kumbhakonam. The presence of Nandi slightly away from the Lord Shiva’s shrine is very significant in this temple, when Nandi obeyed lord Shiva’s orders and moved away so that an ardent devotee can have a darshan of Lord.

History:
The black granite stone image of Goddess Durga is imposing and awe-inspiring. The face looks so benign that the head of the devotee is reverently bowed down at the very sight of the image as we do to our mother at home.The Goddess is so powerful that since her arrival at this temple, the original temple has lost its prominence and people throng for blessings from her only. The people of the locality and devotees from experience it far and near that a desire cherished in the mind while in her presence is fulfilled on return or soon after. It has been the common experience of the devotees when they worship in this temple, after frustration in various attempts to get their daughters suitably married, that their desires have been fulfilled immediately after worshipping in the Durga temple.The charming mother is standing on a lion with the head of a buffalo and the demon Mahishasura remains lurking in disguise in the buffalo's side. She holds Sankha and Chakra in her hands. She holds a parrot in her left hand and the mane of the lion in the right. The Mother has eight hands holding different customary weapons for different occasions. It is also believed that Srirama instituted the Ram lingam here to get away with the Chaya Dosha after killing Ravana. Rama thus got redemption from Chaya Dosha. The temple has other deities worshipped like Ganapathy, Shanmukha, Durga and Bhairava. The Chola kings were great devotees of Goddess Durga. It is said that when the Chola kingdom was declining, they installed the Durga image here and it is said to be very powerful here. It is said that the Goddess here is so powerful that the prominence of the original temple has diminished because of this.
18. Adi Kumbeshwar koil
We entered the temple with a Rose Garland in darkness, there was a power cut and we had to see the lord only in the Oil lamps lit inside and beside the lord. It was a wonderful sight one’s eyes can capture beyond, I simply relished the Lord Shiva , he is my favo and I prayed to my hearts content watching the lord in front of my eyes. We then went to the Mangalambikai shrine, which is revered as a Shakti Peetham (Mantra Peetham) and offered our prayers there.
(The below is extracted from Temple Net)
Legends: During the great deluge, it is believed that Shiva caused the Amritakalasam (the pot holding the divine nectar) to stall here. This shrine is said to have been established built and consecrated by Brahma.
The Temple: This temple covering an area of about 4 acres in the heart of the temple town of Kumbhakonam. The Rajagopuram rises to a height of 128 feet and is endowed with several images of great beauty. Four prakarams line this temple and are lined with local shops that it is hard to visualize the spread of the temple by looking at its entrance.
The huge Mahamagam tank is surrounded by 16 picturesque mandapams, dating back to the 16th century.
The Kalyana Mandapam hall in the temple, is the seat of the Tirukkalyana Utsavam. The Navaratri mandapam bears carvings of the 12 zodiac signs and the 27 asterisms. This temple also houses two nadaswarams made of stone. Many images in this temple deserve mention, especially those of Kiratamurthy and Subramanyar.
Kumbeswarar is represented as a Shivalingam fashioned out of earth - (said to have been made by Shiva in the guise of a hunter - Kiratamurthy). Shiva is also known as Amudha Kumbhesar and Amudheesar. The Kumbariya Vinayakar shrine is situated near the tank, while Aadi Vinayakar is worshipped in the temple.
Moorka Nayanaar is one of the 63 Nayanars associated with this temple.
19. Sarangapani Koil
Sarangapani Temple is one of the Divyathesams. We rushed to the temple since we had less time left and the temples close by midday, and worshipped Maha Vishnu there, and we rushed to see the Ramar Temple.
About the Temple:
The Sarangapani temple is of great religious significance, considered to be second only to the SriRangam temple. The Vaideeka Vimanam of this temple is considered to be an offshoot of the Sreerangam Pranava vimanam, and a replica of the vimanam presented to Vibhishana of Sri Lanka by Rama. It is conceived of, as a chariot with wheels drawn by horses and elephants, in a scale grander than that of the Melakkadambur temple built by Kulottunga I (early 12th century).
This vimanam has two gateways (as in Tiruvellarai), the northern gate, or the Uttarayana vaasal, open on Makara Sankaranti, and the Dakshinayana Vaayil, opened on Aadi perukku, the 18th day of the Tamil month of Aadi.
Tirumazhisai Alwar spent his last years and attained salvation here. Nammalwar has also sung of this temple. It is at this temple that the Vaishnavite savant Nada Muni was inspired to compile the works of the Alwars, upon listening to the Tamil hymn 'Aaravamude' composed by Nammalwar.
Later Cholas built the superstructure of the 11 tiered gopuram, and the tower was actually completed by the Vijayanagar rulers. The tower is about 140 feet in height. There are sculptures depicting the Bharata Natya karanas, as enunciated in the Natya Sastram - on the first tier of the Gopuram, in contrast to other temples (such as Chidambaram) where they are seen on walls.
20. Ramar Koil – Ramasamy koil
We concluded our tour by worshipping Ramar. we saw Lord Hanuman on the left side kneeling down in front of Rama and sita and Lakshmana. One could also see Bhartha also in this temple, we were offered thulasi and ‘Sugar candies’.
History:
Ramasamy Temple Achutha Nayaka of Thanjavur constructed the Ramasamy temple during 16th century. This temple is Located on the southeastern portion of "Porthamarai Kulam" and southern side of "Uchipillaiyar Kovil" junction. This temple consists of one Gopuram, One Maha Mandapam and Karuvarai.
NB: The History is extracted from various information gathered from the Internet and not my own version and writing.

Blogging is Therapeutic

2008-09-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

Is Blogging a venting steam engine? A Break from a routine? An Online journal where people manage to write off their feelings when people around them can’t listen to them anymore? Or Is Writing a Passion?
Ask me and I would be quick to answer even before you could wink your eyes ‘Freedom of Expression’.
Everyone one of us have our choices in living, our own whims and fancies but for many like me its all about writing whatever comes to ones mind. We all like to write abd brag about our persona and deft like a virtuoso. For first time bloggers it’s about falling in love and entering in to a relationship with the world which makes you conscious that someone is closely watching you, being more clued to the internet and smiling all the while, reading comments from readers and circling around like a cute puppy it means much more than all these which is writing your pulsing heart’s pumping in and out angst.
Reading is much easier than writing, since writing involves good grammatical skills. As a reader of many blogs, one will always enjoy reading about others, one can entertain oneself from various blogs where people write about their families, friends, colleagues and its very interesting to read about others and know about others, we are used to knowing others than our own selves, if only we have digged ourselves we could have grown beautifully inwards which would reflect in our actions and so as in writing not making us a stranger anymore to ourselves.
The Question, Is it because of readers blogging become interesting? Or is it because people want to communicate and feel empty after stuffing contents in to the blog from their brain cells including the skipping moments between heartbeats? One cannot come to a dissonance with one answer, as long as it promotes a healthy atmosphere and makes many happy and making one feel light like a feather though not being taken away in the direction of the wind but yet contented.

Is Blogging Therapeutic? Can one find 'Aura' in one's blog, is the template an 'Aura' or are he Words relaxing like a massage to the doorways of the heart and to the mind? Is it relaxing the Body or Mind? or its Both? Blogging is indefinitely Therapeutic with all these healing therapy’s for the body which performs Actions and the Mind which records and develops an image and promotes a energy which can be felt around a person.Ultimately a Blog is an ART which can be mastered since it reflects one as a mirror through which one can watch the self growing vertical internally.

Winged Hearts Singing Homely/Lonely Tunes

2008-09-07T09:22:00.000-07:00

How does it feel for a guy or a gal who comes home from abroad after being away from the family, making a living, trying to get rich, working hard and eating frozen stuff and take away’s? The Memories of meeting parents, friends, beloved and eating home cooked mother’s recipe wafting its aroma and the cool embraces from friends which shower love and care, feeling the happiness internally though transient, the distribution of chocolates among residents, people gawking at you and ogling at you like a stuffed toy and estimating you with a price tag like the IPod, expensive perfumes, glossy make up kits, smart denims, relaxing body wash , moisturizers, laptops but nothing of these comes to one’s mind during home coming. The Eyes that express the wait, the hands that embrace, the legs running towards you, these thoughts travel back and forth like a repertoire when one returns to their own sod. The offerings to family deity, visits to religious places and rituals and practices in Faith are remembered as much and missed by them. The whole episode of meeting friends, shopping and breathing the polluted air , away from cleaning and cooking food only for you will remain enraptured.
I felt a heart coming towards me, with wings singing tunes of togetherness in a family and eyes calm and composed, a smile that’s is so very charming and delightful , as I found my sister coming outside the airport when she came for a vacation. I saw a winged heart which came flapping its wings all along the journey until it found its place ‘INDIA’ and people inside the heart.

Special Bond – Forging Friendships from Colleague

2008-08-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

August 10th 2008

When I started working after my college there used to be a big group of people , all from different states and we were trained in a technology and stayed far away from our hometown .It was like tearing apart the skin and the bone when we slowly moved out taking our projects . My father used to console me saying that now am in a group of ten or more number of people, later I alone will be there and that I must carry on with life though I wanted to be attached to people and memories. As opportunities expanded, I moved to work in Bangalore, many of my friends got married, settled and switched companies and my father’s prediction has finally come true to this day, I realize I was all alone and I had only memories to live on forever.

It is really tough to part ways when you have been closely associated with a friend, this thought of my friend (Matilda) quitting her work and searching her road to her aspirations was gyrating in my mind for quite sometime. We had been forging a bond, which was thickening and growing strong over the years of time and its time to say goodbye.
Just like a river which starts flowing and searching its path and finally merging with sea, I searched my way through my life and passed across beautiful places, sometimes ugly, met a few people who brought light and hope into life and I was stopped at one point just like a river is stopped by a dam where they store water, am feeling curt of emotions and tears in my eyes as if onions are peeled.

Matilda and myself share good memories, memories of attending each other’s wedding, and Janet’s birth and me going back and forth in time and place yet trying to remain connected. I imagined what if all our friends are connected like a neuron in our nervous system and reflexes would remind us that we miss them so much and wanted to connect to each other failing which the nervous system would collapse because of lack of connexions. I’m feeling goad and congealed by this very thought of moving alone, being independent and want to shirk this thought trying to expunge myself from this and I feel like hanging on to my memories of endearments forever.

Thank you for being my friend, Matilda and many thanks for remembering me in your prayers always and Wishing you the best always. This Blog is dedicated to You M A T I L D A.

M – Meditative
A - Agile
T – Talented
I – Idealistic
L – Lucent
D – Determined
A - Achiever

LOVE LETTERS - THE HINDU - REVIEW COMMENTS

2008-08-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Metro Plus Chennai - August 5th 2008
Published on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays
Features:

Timeless moments
The breathtaking performance of Rajit Kapur and Shernaz Patel will linger in our minds. The play is full of humour, even when Andy Ladd and Melissa Gardner have to confront intense situations. Many thanks for providing an opportunity to connect to timeless moments in our lives!
Anita Babu

Desparate Divorces

2008-08-03T10:44:00.000-07:00

THE BREAK-UP
Desperate Divorces
Sharmila Ganesan on the lengths that people go to get out of a stifling marriage Outside the family court in Mumbai, it’s not un common to see grimacing men and women shouting abuses at their spouses, or bringing flowers for their lawyers, in the hope that this will somehow relieve them of their extended ordeal sooner. In a country where divorce proceedings often go on longer than the marriage, ir rational hope is the order of the day.

Its very much disturbing/discouraging when we think of divorces and to top it people fool around in divorces by not letting the other party know about having an mutual consert divorce.
I read this Article from the 'TOI'- Chennai sunday night after having a hectic day throughout , and am wide awake after reading this article that i had to forcefully sit back and vent out this anger /resentments being a victim.

As are desperate measures Take the enterprising man in Kolkata who recently decided to get a divorce by mutual con sent without the mutual ness—his wife remained bliss fully unaware. Sanjib Saha brought a fake wife to the Lok Adalat and managed to get a divorce from the real one quite effortlessly. Of course he is now facing legal action and his divorce was suspend ed after his real wife com plained last week. But his guts fail to surprise hard-nosed divorce lawyers, who claim he has some high-profile prece dents—like the relative of a high-profile UP politician and a hockey player from Lucknow who took a burqa-clad woman to court and obtained a divorce. In recent years, such in stances have been curtailed with lawyers insisting on wed ding photographs, marriage certificates, invitation cards and other documents of iden tity. However, even these documents are accepted by the courts on the basis of that in tangible seal called faith. “It’s always possible that the ‘wife and ‘husband’ have decked up garlanded themselves, gone to a nearby studio and created a wedding set-up,’’ says a Mumbai lawyer. Such reckless tactics on the part of couples are something family court lawyers are familiar with.

Well, the only reason why a law was introduced to the society was to prevent both man and women not to enter into a relationship called marriage without having a strong commitment and inculcating love in first place.But despite having a marriage certificate, a photograph and a register marriage , people still manage to fake their partners. What kind of law is to be enforced on such people who fake their partners for divorce? Does such a law exist? If not, when will it fall in place and how long will the jury take to punish that person without any penalties to the court of law , leaving the property issues to the victim.

The most commonly played “mischief ’’, according to lawyer Shilpi Shyamani, is that of misusing the ex-parte order This order, which is often used as a tool by husbands to get rid of illiterate wives, is a one sided case where the judge passes a ruling if the other party does not appear in court on two consecutive occasions. Here, the basic requirement is to show a separation period of one year. In order to show proof of separation, the applicant furnishes a fake address of the wife, where the legal notice is sent. In the most likely event of no response, it is then required that the applicant publish the notice in a newspaper summoning the other party This notice, of course, is conveniently printed in a marginal newspaper. Mumbai lawyer Tara Hegde knew of a businessman in Mumbai who lived with his wife for ten years after having sought divorce from her through an ex-parte order without her knowledge. It was when the wife decided to call it a day that she realised he had divorced her long ago “to avoid any property issues’’.

Ex-parte divorces when one does not take any effort in making the relationship work neither is ready for a separation and is away to the land of unknown, such cases get noticed by the judge and its granted. But people are faking in here also, knowingly they do all these just to get rid of their partners for whatever reason is best known to them. Does the court of law take an responsibility to find that partner who is lost in the 'land of unknown' as claimed by the filing partner? When an individual does not take responsibility of her/his actions what law or society can do with such kind of people ? Only GOD alone can answer this....

Another favourite weapon of most unhappy couples is manipulation, especially since the law places a great premium on tangible evidence. Their desperation often translates into what advocate Tejas Bhatt likes to call acts of human in genuity. He once had a client whose wife maintained a diary where she recorded only her husband’s acts of cruelty on every page in crisp one-liners like “Today, he slapped me’’. Another client, a 28 year-old woman, was charged by her husband with adultery In court, his parents presented a long taped conversation where they asked the woman embarrassing questions and made insidious suggestions to which she ‘admitted’. What the husband and his parents had done, says Bhatt, was to take her voice sample and re produce it with the help of software which dubbed answers given by someone else in the girl’s voice. “After the divorce, the girl came to me and said she wanted to take up a course in voice editing because of what happened to her,’’ he recalls.

This lady victim who wants to know voice dubbing and help people who are in need is a BRAVO.... My salutations to her and her brevity in taking this step. What else she can do when she is not wanted by her own husband who was once her only solace and whole world.

Even in divorce by mutual consent, which takes a period of six months, some couples promise to pay the lawyer double his or her fee or fudge the date of separation in order to bail themselves out sooner. Though it normally takes six months to get a divorce by mutual consent, the period can be waived, say some lawyers. Shyamani knows of a prominent Bollywood actor who was so sure of the date of his divorce that he planned his next wedding accordingly. The actor got his divorce within two months of filing it, and got married the very next day. Although most lawyers try to dissuade warring couples in the belief that even the worst reconciliation is better than a divorce, they are often forced to throw their hands up. Superior forces like God or “even the Supreme Court’ cannot stop them, says Chennai lawyer Mohan Subramaniam philosophically. Subramaniam once tried to advise a well-placed soft ware professional who complained that his wife spent too much on phone calls among other things. The lawyer told him that if such minor things bothered him, it meant he did not love her totally. But the software professional’s reply stumped him totally. “Sir please don’t underestimate my love. I had undergone vasectomy before marriage, so that I could focus all my attention on her. But she talks too much on the phone.’’

Gifting lawyers to close the divorce cases and planning a planner for the next wedding , i cry unto the lord from the bottom of my heart for all the victims and the innocent children who are deprived of the affection from the father and mother and are traumatised by this. I pity all men or women who marry such a person who wants to expedite the divorce proceedings for being so impatient and acting like a slut.Well, there are some people who are so terrorized by the marriage that they just want to get rid of this as soon as possible. But they should also understand that it takes time and infinite patience and tolerance to get this thing done and be willing to counselling sessions not necessarily reunion but to identify their own human nature which is lost without trace and demonic acts are dormant and stop and think before reacting for silly reasons as talking too much on the phone.

The Words of Dalai lama comes to my mind as I pray " Forgiving oneself is very important one must learn to make peace with oneself and then with everyone around them."

Love Letters - Rage ( MUMBAI) A Play

2008-08-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Review:
Love Letters Rage (Mumbai) Not sure if one can etch letters to write a review after watching this show from the wonderful breath taking performance by Rajit and Shernaz, but it has definitely not failed to etch a memory forever in our minds, with each memory cell etching each one of the audience to the childhood days of Andy Ladd and Melissa Gardner who are closely knitted with letters to each other in the name of freedom of expression though writing and expressing feelings starting from their school talks till death do us apart kind of a relationship where they share hatred,fear,anger,depression in the name of friendship transcending to love enlightening the audience with their facial expressions, body language, dialogue delivery, lighting, enchanting music despite silent whispers in the concert hall. The play goes on so humorously and even on such intense situations that life puts Andy Ladd and Melissa Gardner through, they manage to smile for a while and there is always a funny positive – negative charismatic personal notes ruminating the audience which left the audience in standing ovation before the cast at the end of the show. Many thanks to Metro plus theatre fest 2008 for providing an opportunity to connect to timeless moments in our lives unraveling art in the form of a theater and accolades to Rahul da cunha ,Rajit Kapur, and Shernaz Pate.
Thanks ,
Anita Babu

Plot:
Andy Ladd and Melissa Gardener grow up together from their childhood and destiny takes them to different places yet they are connected through letters which they write to each other regularly venting out their feelings of care,fear,hatred,liking,day today events,parents,family like a railway engine and at the same time running tight on wheels of time travelling on with their journey of life where they grow up as adults, Andy joins Navy and then takes up law and Melissa gets married and becomes a mother of two girl children, goes through tough patches by suffering separation from her husband and children because of her getting in to the cow web of alcoholism . Melissa becomes a victim of loneliness, yet she loves to write letters to Andy. Andy becomes a senator and owns a social responsibility to the people and the family and lives on with three kids and his wife Jane. Andy meets Melissa once in a while but writes regularly to her and the communication is so hilarious except for some intense situations. Melissa gives herself to an art and she pulls all her strings together to become an artist but fails miserably and crawls her way to death addicted to alcohol. Andy realizes that he cannot love anyone else like the way he loved Melissa and he can never think of going into a relationship again with anyone, apart from Melissa and sheds his drops of tears thinking about Melissa and how they were connected to each other as if they were soul mates who had shared everything from their childhood right from counting the stars until becoming a star in the sky. Those are the painful moments in the play where Andy’s soul resonates among us for Mellisa as if this play was a real story that makes us sensitive and longing for Melissa and Andy, and hanging on our real self with our soul mate.

One Night At Call Center

2008-07-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

One Night at Call Center
The First page where chetan dedicates the book is in itself very impressive of his writing style. This was my first book that I read from chetan Bhagat. I liked the way chetan is asking us to write down the following details before we start flipping the pages. Our fears, what would we like to change in ourselves, what do we want in life. The author meets a beautiful girl in train on his return journey to Delhi where the girl demands chetan to succumb a rule that the author should write a book once she narrates a story and claims that this story is the story of the youth and life.
The pages are bonded by a set of five people who work in connexions a call center in Gurgoan , each one of them come from different backgrounds , 3 ladies and 2 men and one utterly selfish and commanding boss , and a good old man who earns his living working there yet apart from this group. Nicknames are a part of friendship, so all these guys had nick names, Shyam Mehra (alias Sam Marcy),Esha Singh (Eliza Singer), Radhika Jha (Regina Jones), Varun "Vroom" Malhotra (Victor Mell), Priyanka and Military Uncle.
Sam and Priyanka are in love with each other but priyanka dumps Sam because her overly emotional mother can get satisfied only with a settled son-in-law and Sam was a still a budding call center employee. Priyanka’s marriage is finalized with a NRI working for Microsoft in Seattle and Sam is so depressed about this broken relationship and his perverted boss since Sam is deprived of a promotion to a team leader and his personal life is also shattered. Esha dreams to be a big model and to realize her dream falls in to a trap of a promoter who promises to make her a model and she gives herself to him and crawls like a worm in guilt and shame. Radhika a married women, takes care of her mother-in-law and her always complaining salesman husband who is travelling most of the time. Vroom a happy guy, never bothered about his parents quarrelling, is so dependent on his girl friends that he changes girl friends like the weather changes. Vroom and others decide to cheer up radhika and they call radhi’s salesman husband who is on tour and pretend to be a RJ from a radio FM and surprises him that he has won a gift of flowers and he can send it to someone whom he loves (assuming that the flower bouquet will be sent to Radhika), he in turn surprises everyone that he wants to send it to his girl friend in New Delhi and radhika is doomed.
Vroom proposes to Esha but Esha is already flooded with her own guilt and shame. Military uncle is an old man disliked by his daughter-in-law and son who lives in the US and he lives alone in India ,earning his living, always feels lonely and depressed. With all their personal problems, the call center has decided to lay off people because of low call rates and the boss is planning to settle in Boston and a web site manual prepared by vroom and Sam is renamed by the boss and sent to Boston head office.
To get rid of all their problems, they all decide to go on a ride and take a drink from a bar. On their way they take a short cut and the car gets struck on a building foundation, despite trying to call people for help from their mobile phones which is in out of coverage area, a CALL

‘GOD ‘ rings on their mobile and they listen GOD talking to each one of them and their life is saved provided they make a change in their lives, they return to the call center and within minutes they change their destiny.
Vroom and others get rid of their bad boss by sending a sexual harassment email from their boss’s inbox to esha and demands a 6 month advance salary and each person having a trip to Boston their head office. Vroom calls all the call center employees and with their combined effort invents a new virus in Microsoft Docs and claims US is in threat and increases the call traffic which leads to reevaluation of the layoff process due to sudden increase in support calls. Vroom and Sam decide to host a new website with the 6 salary advance months money from call center, esha decides to work and study and gets rid of becoming a model.
Radhika joins Esha and files her papers for separation though her husband apologizes, Sam and priyanka join together and life sails a smooth ride humming harmonious ring tones after that one CALL from the GOD which is our inner voice and we all listen to our inner being only when we are in trouble and in the verge of death. Chetan concludes that we should listen to our voices at all times and it’s our only guiding light. Hello… Is GOD CALLING YOU? If yes, listen to him, if not look out for the call. So the Core idea is it’s only our deepest fears which prevents us from our inner calls and when we know what we want in life and what we need to change within ourselves to get that wanting, is beautifully written by chetan.

Thavam

2008-07-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

Vaanathil Irundu Vizhum Mazhai thuligalil
Oosaiyilla Asai Podum Antha Melliya Kaatril
Iravum Pagalum Santhikkum Antha Sila Nodigalalil
Yen Manamum Yennamum Santhikkumo,
Unnai Sinthikkamal Thavathil Irukkumo.

THE AHIMSA WAY

2008-07-27T07:06:00.000-07:00

THE AHIMSA WAY -- THE HINDU JULY 27 2008
Show you care
USHA JESUDASAN
We are often the perpetrators of violence in a competitive space like the workplace. Care and compassion can make a vital difference.

Photo: Shaju John A smile can go a long way: Workplaces need not always be competitive spaces.

Most people think of violence as physical assault or using guns and bombs. Few relate it to their own personal daily behaviour. We think that violence is perpetrated by others. Never by ourselves. But if we scrutinise our own behaviour, we will find elements of violence within us that will shock us. As most of our lives are lived out in the family and the work place, these places are where we are often violent.
At an executive meeting in a reputed firm, one person was particularly aggressive as his ideas were not being incorporated. After the vote, where his plan was rejected, he angrily pushed all his papers and a glass of water to the floor and walked out. This is himsa behaviour.
Having worked in an IT firm for close to 8 years now, I can understand and empathize the people around me and who worked with me. Only a very few angry bunch of people who are frustrated at home, make work lives very hard where they try to control others through their behaviour where they feel their superiority blossoms and the other person fears such a person who is not on his own.
Actions that hurt
Workplace violence has a broad spectrum. From prejudice, discrimination, bullying, domination and oppression, to acts in which a person is abused, threatened, intimidated or assaulted, to rumour mongering, gossiping, and bitching behind someone’s back. Workplace violence also includes threatening behaviour such as shaking fists, slamming doors, destroying property or throwing objects; verbal or written threats; harassment; behaviour that demeans, embarrasses or humiliates a person; swearing, insulting or using condescending language, and of course physical attacks.
Who are the perpetrators of violence in the work place? Ordinary people like you and me, who are frustrated, over-stressed, anxious and narrow minded. Those too who are loners, who feel that nobody listens to them or has any time for them; those with emotional problems, career frustrations and those who have more power than others.
Who are the victims? Usually it is those who have no power to stand up to authority; those on a lower cadre, those who cannot express themselves well and women.
Being a lady one can always sympathize and empathize easily , and being a loner becomes even more easy to relate to other people’s feelings because loner’s normally don’t have people to listen to at home neither at workplace, trying and making new friends in the process of socializing, coming out of the lonesome atmosphere and mingling with people is also grueling most of the times because fitting in to a right group where people can see each other as themselves is itself a mooring task.

Unconscious response
Having recognised violence in our work place, what do we do about it? The most common response is to act with a similar kind violence. Violence, as we know, begets more violence and the cycle goes on. Is there a place for ahimsa at work? In the arena of inflated egos, ambition, success and the insane desire for power and control, it may seem as if the ahimsa way is irrelevant. But today more than ever, we need people who practise the ahimsa living to stem the tide of workplace violence which wrecks so many lives.
How can we react in an ahimsa way when we are at the mercy of someone else’s ego, or lust for power? Do ahimsa values fit in when one is seen as a mere pawn in someone’s ladder to success? The work arena today for many is fraught with bad relationships and rivalry. Where does the ahimsa way of life fit into this?
A professor with a bruised ego, failed a postgraduate student every time he sat for a particular examination for five years. Recollecting his experiences, the young man said, “I realised that my violent feelings against him was not harming him, but me. I began my day by praying for him. It calmed me and put away the angry thoughts. Then I began doing little things for him which he did not know about, not with the idea of pleasing him so that he’ll give me a pass, but because that is what I wanted to do. He failed me again that year, but in my heart I was at peace.”
It may seem as if being an ahimsa person is akin to being a door mat, allowing others to walk all over you. But it gives you inner strength and power over the person who hurts you.
Ahimsa at the work place also translates to standing up for the underdog, and those who struggle in some way. It means taking a moment during your coffee break to listen to a colleague’s troubles; to be able to diffuse an angry person with calmness and good advice; to be fair and just.
People with brusing ego’s especially in an environment where your subordinates are younger to you, had a greater dimension to Himsa way. Most of the times , I prefer to remain quiet, making myself conscious enough not to notice Himsa way of treating people, but I did make sure that the person realizes his Himsa way of approaching people and fortunately I have met people who were willing to change and I also had to change to adopt peaceful ways.

Its truly complimentary when we take a moment to listen to a colleague’s troubles during a coffee break or a lunch break, I have been as much as a listener and a teller and have prayed for people who have caused me troubles and have received reasonably good advises from colleagues who have shown light in my darkness and brought enough water to wet my bleak mind and soul which craved for a drizzle and a sunshine as often as any day and night .
Worth the risk
An incompetent boss called his juniors “idiots” and harassed two of them as their English was not too good. As a result, these young men from the suburbs became nervous in his presence and made more mistakes. An elderly colleague took them aside, befriended them, taught them to speak properly and familiarised them with office etiquette. At one point, when they were unfairly criticised, he spoke in their defence, at the risk of losing his own job. Being an ahimsa person can be dangerous, but it is worth the risk.
Usually we handle the ups and downs of our professional and emotional lives at the office in a himsa way. We ignore the person who is not like us; get snappy and irritated with someone who is incompetent; and jealous of the one who is better than us. Here too, the ahimsa person is like warm oil on a wound. A young woman was going through a difficult phase after the loss of her mother. Occasionally she would cry, and be unable to cope with her grief and her work. This irritated some of her colleagues as they felt that she should put her grief aside and just get on with the work. One of them saw through her pain, and spoke caringly to her during the lunch break. One day, when the grief was too much, she asked her to go home early and offered to finish the work herself. This is ahimsa in the work place — letting someone know that you care. Going the extra mile for that person and carrying his or her load, as well as your own.
I had a rib tingling laugh last week when one of my teammate told me that when I sit beside her she couldn’t think of a logic and program the requirement, I smiled at her and said,”Feel comfortable , no one is going to take you for a ride even if you don’t get it right for the first time" and am always there to help her and from then on, she always comes to me smiling asking for help , as if sharing a joke’. It is worth a risk , talking to people and helping them out and feeling good about ourselves thinking of Ahimsa and the Buddha . And when one of my lady colleague quitely asked me on my birthday why i was so dull , i was battling within myself trying not to erode my confidence but I told her that i didnt have anyone to talk to,and that asking and telling itself offered me so much of help that i decided to be happy because people where ready to emphathize, which is very natural a human trait.

Keeping oneself in a safety locker kind of an environment where only the owner(Self) has the key to access and unlock the treasure, its really nice to show you care for your colleagues at workplace and express gratitude to people for their kind and caring ways.

NB: Dedicated to all my colleagues/bosses and friends at workplace who have helped me discover myself every day, for having trusted me in my abilities and weaknesses.
Audit of how you behaved at work last week. Would your colleagues remember you as an ahimsa person or as a violent one? Perhaps you can discuss ahimsa values and how these can be implemented at your workplace. If you are an ahimsa person and wish to be counted or share your story, email the writer at ushajesudasan@gmail.com

How I Taught my Grandmother to Read and Other Stories

2008-07-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

How I taught my grandmother to read and other stories
Reading sudha murthy’s books for quite sometime has fascinated me and am overflowing with goodness, mainly because it’s non-fiction.

The first story where sudha’s 62 year old grand ma feels the need to be independent and learnt to read and write from sudha and falls on her grand daughter’s feet as a mark of respect for a guru is very plain that sudha also is a very independent women.

When I read the story ‘A’ for Honesty, it reminded me of my own experience, when I was in class 11, my biology teacher distributed botany papers, zoology papers were given separately, as I was counting my marks I found that she had given me an extra two marks in biology, there was a long queue for clarification from the teacher’s table, I slowly went and stood, and when my turn came I told her that I was given extra marks of 2, she immediately struck out the total and then changed it and gave it me. Well, no one appreciated the value of honesty and may be my teacher was too confident that I would never lie, I was one of her favorite, I was liked by many teachers because I had many doubts but I never learnt concepts well, my interests lied in games, basket ball being my favo at school, I had many fans from my younger sister’s class and my own juniors and I did have my own style to basket a ball and was a tomboy like character, but sensitive and very weak at heart. Its true that sensitive people suffer a lot in their lives, when I read sudha murthy’s story, I imagined my own character, I used to get upset even for a slightest remark from a person, even harsh glances were enough to understand that people didn’t liked something in me, and I would try to change myself and look into myself for answers. But as years went by, I realized that being sensitive is not too good, though I get hurt at the slightest eye contact. Well, that was a part, which am trying hard to change within myself.

The other story ‘Amma, what is your duty?’ that caught my attention when Sudha Murthy confesses that her daughter wanted Sudha Murthy to be a role model to help people in need and her daughter was her guru, is remarkable.

When students in her class get into a debate as to who is great a man or a woman? The story where two kings kosala and kashi come in a chariot and meet at a narrow road where only one can pass and other had to wait, and both of them start explaining their greatness and their need to go first and who should give up. When kosala charioteer says that ‘ My king punishes bad people and stands for justice always’. The charioteer of kashi says ‘ My king gives bad people a chance and help them become good’. Hearing this the king of kosala says that king of Kashi is great than me, he should be allowed to go first. This story inspires me a lot and necessitates the need to forgive, let people live a good life when sudha murthy explains that two wheels of a chariot should be good, both man and woman should posses good qualitiesto lead a peaceful life.

The stories ‘I will do it’ where sudha murthy writes the end of the story first and then writes the rest of the story, Narayana Murthy’s father could not afford murthy‘s study in IIT, but a determined young man he was and he went on to study and completed it.
‘Rainy Day’ where sudha murthy’s mother requests sudha to save some money from salary so that it will serve them during their rainy day, and she goes on to save the capital for Infosys foundation 10K, initial investment and how it grew its branches into a big banyan tree as we see it now.

‘Salaam Abdul kalam’ was indeed a great story where sudha writes about an unusual oath-taking ceremony where its attended by students, teachers, scientists, middle class people and friends of kalam is a great honor and reminds of all our teachers who have shaped our destinies.

I Hardly Realized...

2008-07-02T10:49:00.001-07:00

A Handful of friendships only survive till the end,
Train journeys are similar to life’s journeys,

Schooling was never so easy but adventerous,

BasketBall is still my favorite game and i love to watch tennis,

Computer Engineering labs were a nightmare,

Positive Attitude matters the most in any situation,

Careers are important for you to survive the growing prices,
Family is everything even when you have lost everything,
Parents are the only people whom you can trust blindly,
Anger ruins relationships and harms good health,
Planting tree is witnessing life growing right in front of your eyes,
Awakening from one’s sleep is what you call ‘Suprabatha Seva’ in Tirumala,
Knowledge sharing actually makes your memory stronger,
A thanks giving is not a day to celebrate in INDIA , we can thank people daily,
Number ‘8’ can still prove to be fatal despite coincidences,
Cooking and reading is always my passion,
Shopping and crying is powerful stress buster,
Yoga and meditation makes your body and mind healthy,
‘Slice of Life’ column by V.Ganghadhar(The Hindu) has always been my caffine on a Sunday morning,
Turning vegetarian can prevent cruelty to animals,
Australia is the best place in the whole world,
Sharing a toilet with a giant snake in Australia,
Winning projects can be quite easy than doing them successfully,
Being an long timer employee in an organization has always been short,
Milk can also taste better than coffee and tea,
Being tolerant means fighting within your selves,
Bike riding can also be fearful after riding for some years,
Living alone is not so easy yet helpful,
Being Silent prevents and solves most of the problems,
Owing a house and a car is no longer a dream,
Being spirituals means listening to ourselves and helping ourselves ,
A help not rendered at the right time will never help anyone,
Listening to people is the only cure for their problems,
Kapaleeshwarar has still been my favorite local god in Chennai,
Losing a elderly who is like a banyan tree means walking in a path with no or less light,
Needing people is like breathing oxygen into one’s life,
Reading books was more than a hobby,
Making friends was never easy and fearful since we might lose them,
Sharing means blogging and waiting for years to pass to read it ourselves,

Celebrating birthday all alone and cutting a birthday cake alone,

Pillow fighting with my sister was never a old memory,

I realize I turned 30.. and look at life with HOPE…

The Lives of Others

2008-05-28T11:00:00.001-07:00

The lives of others

How does it feel to be an theatre artist, a person who is so prolific in his writing and yet imprisoned by the law or the society, what does freedom costs to such a person who lives and loves his art , has to risk his own life for his art to survive unraveling his freedom of expression.The movie is about a writer ‘ Georg Dreyman’ in Germany, who writes about socialism and politics which is forbidden and his close writer friend ‘Jerska’ is black listed for having written a script some 10 years ago and is robbed of his writing skills, though he is physically strong to write and read, yet possess no freedom of expression.A lady theater artist ‘Christa’ and a writer live like a married couple and she had to give herself to ministry of the state for her and her art to survive. The writer promises to protect her and advises her not to sacrifice herself. But the Ministry leads a secret mission surveillance (spying) on the writer , led by Captain Weisler the state gets to know about their every moment including tracking their conversions on phone.The Spy(Captain) slowly develops empathy and emotional attachment towards the writer and Christa and knowingly helps the writer when a east German publisher helps him publish his writing which is typed in a special type writer not being able to decipher by the state Ministry. He never discloses to the state nor records in his report that the writer’s scripts are being transported across the border.Christa is trapped for drug abuse by the state and becomes an informant on Greyman to the state ministry and confesses the place where the type writer is hidden during interrogation.The Ministry cops arrive and by the time they reach the place of the hidden typewriter, Christa flees off to the road from the apartment, not being able to take the guilt of letting the secret and saving her head, she commits suicide when she willing surrenders herself in front of a truck in the road.Disappointed surveillance team leave the spot and the case is closed, after some years, the political issues settles down and ‘Dreyman’ becomes a famous writer. He also gets a chance to go the ministry and read his report when he was secretly monitored and finds that ‘Christa’ had agreed to be his informant and as he reads the last page of the report he finds a red ribbon mark . The Type writer which ‘Dreyman’ used was of red ribbon ink and the truth unveils itself in the name of ‘Weisler’.Captain 'Weisler' is transferred from surveillance team to postal department when his job is to deliver posts because he destroyed the evidence and has helped Dreyman.Two years down the line, Dreyman publishes a book ‘Sonata for the Goodman’ and Captain watches Dreyman’s huge big poster in front of a book shop and goes inside it and picks the book and glances the first page‘Dedicated to HGW XX/7 ' (That’s Captain’s code name in surveillance team)In Gratitude.He picks the book and walks off ….Such should be the gratitude for freedom of expression and that too at the right time, when the person is alive we should thank them, a help not in time or a gratitude not in time fails the nature of humanity as a whole. Increasing number of suicides in Germany because people where robbed of freedom of expression in writing makes one think of every big writer pre independence times. It requires great strength to be honest to yourself , not being able to handle yourself and truth results in suicide is beautifully told when Christa lays her life not being able to withstand her guilt.Sacrificing one’s career for a great writer and artist with no expectations or returns requires
BEING HUMAN ALWAYS… not even a pinch of selfishness that would change the flavor of life.Selflessness and Sacrifice is a rare human quality and requires salutations to Captain Weisler.It’s a German movie with English subtitles , which is a must watch for understanding Freedom of expression in ART and Writing.‘The Lives of Others’ as the name conveys that only a few other people who can be different in the way they lead their lives and makes the rest of the human population ponder over their humanness.'WRITERS ARE THE GATEWAY TO THE SOUL' - still rings in my ears as I finish this blog, straight from the soul to this blog. :-)

IN2THEWILD

2008-05-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

“Into the Wild”- Sounds pretty much wilder, makes one think of animals, mankind becoming animals the list goes endless. I picked up this movie from a DVD renter though he suggested me a funny/romantic one. The only reason being it was a real life story.
INTO THE WILD is based on a true story of Christopher McCandless and the best selling book by Jon Krakauer.

“Man can be happy even without human relationships”- Chris, a young man who enacted a hero role in this movie is very clear in his vision. Caught in an environment where Chris’s parents his dad a materialistic and a person who would react wildly, he grows up as a matured kid from a young age and loves his younger sister as much as him. Chris believed that money makes people cautious, and careers, and education are made by the society and 20th century invention. After his graduation from Emory, he sends his entire savings to feed people who are in need, burns his SSN destroying his bankcards and every little thing that could reveal his identity.

Not willing to accept whatever bare minimum is needed for living a life, he takes his car and drives down to no where and burns his license plate with the left over money he has and goes in to the wild forest.

He meets a couple of people who share their life and gathers new experiences he walks off, wandering in the forest until he stumbles on a bus, and calls it a ‘Magic Bus Day’, where he lives like a man in Neolithic period, writing his providences. After about a year and half since Chris disappeared, Chris’s parents discover new meaning to their relationships, they live as if there was no wildness in their life before, what people have wished to happen when they are together, happened after they disappear, we all humans are like that.

We judge each other and live by a set of rules, Chris was never like that, and he was one strong willed person who believes “You need not be strong, but you have to feel strong”. I simply fell for it, I mean it. Money and power were illusions to Chris. He meets a couple who share their journey for a while, and Chris meets a old man who cries to adopt him as his grandson, Chris felt it was all bonded relationships, people wanted to get bonded/committed to overcome their feelings of insecurity. The trip around the ‘Salvation Mountain’ and people living in groups, learning to carve in leather, carving his story in his leather belt is so very realistic. His only dream is to make it to Alaska.

Am not sure if free will or destiny made him think like that, Chris spent most of his time reading, writes his thoughts numbering them no lengthy paragraphs, but it all looks like he made a choice living in that Magic bus’, he lives hunting animals and when none of the animals are around, he starts to go in search of his destiny until he finds the river impossible to cross and returns to the bust, he is almost trapped in the middle of the jungle, he starts living on plants, his back pack which has more books helps him but he eats the non-edible part of a plant and starves to death. ‘Happiness is real only when shared’ is worth a lesson. A must watch movie for people who believe they can live alone because Nature provides everything that Man needs. . I don’t mind relating Chris to a ‘Saint-Siddhar ‘ he had the same thoughts and revelations like a Saint who could live in a forest, but Siddhar’s mastered Yoga and could stay there without food and water for years, by controlled breathing, may be that could have saved Chris (Alexander Super tramper) that was his newly carved adventurous name. I just wish that he could have picked a book on Yoga and learnt and survived till Alaska (his dream). His younger sister was very sympathetic and traveled to Alaska with his ashes in her backpack. Let his Soul rest in peace.

The Bucket List

2008-05-04T06:37:00.000-07:00

Birth and death are certain, but who dares to write a list before they kick their bucket to hell or heaven and strike the list one by one , kicking the bucket and still finishing the list . This movie is for each one of us to appreciate life and ask two questions as we watch ‘Carter’ ask this question to his friend ‘Cole’ in Egypt , its a beleif that the guards on the gate ask these questions to people who come to the gates up in the celestials after they are dead.
The first question ‘Have you ever found joy in your life?” , quite easy to answer, and I honestly deep inside my heart said, yes and still had thoughts fleeting within me saying I will find joy in future since I haven’t experienced a fulfilling martial life. The second question was ‘ Have you brought joy in others life?” , this was a tough cookie , ‘Cole’ cleverly replies back he will have to ask people around him. While I sat in silence watching the movie, I really don’t know the answer but I believe they will find joy because of me and made a resolution that am going to make it happen not just for the sake of joy finding, but sharing a true and a meaningful living with people around me. The movie is about two cancer patients in their last laps and they share their bucket list together, ‘Cole’ is a rich , generous man and shares his money along with the list while ‘Carter’ shares the list, time and profound knowledge he had gathered over years of reading and storing it in his little brain, both are octogenarians and they bid goodbye to the world one after the another.
Nice Story, one could enjoy watching the Tajmahal, the seven wonders, watch the movie to witness something truly majestic because we never know when we will kick our bucket.

Piranthanaal NalVaazhukkal

2008-04-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Malar mottu pol poothirundhaal
Antha melliya chinna roja
Mugamellam punnagaiyaai
Anandthathil muzhikiya antha siriya rojavai ketten
Nee thaan chinna ilavarasiyoo
Mutkal illatha vanna roja naan
Yendru sonnathu antha onpathu vayathu
pirantha naal kondadum kuzhanthai
Vizhipadaithen Mutkal Illatha
Antha rojavai kandu
Roja mattum thaan therinthathu
Mutkal Niraintha Yen Vazhkaiyil ...

Naan Seriya Thavara

2008-04-16T10:47:00.001-07:00

Naan seriya Thavara? Ungalai purinthu kodanthu…

punakai poovai pookirai Naal thorum
Unnai naan therinthu kolla Ethanai kalamaa
kuzhathaiyai malarkiraai neeyum kuzhanthai pola
Un natpil yennul yen kuzhanthaiyei parkeren
thinamum kuzhanthaiyai Aagiren Unnodu ...

yeppothum kadamaiyil muzhkukirai nee
velaiyil santheykam varum pothu
thozhiyakiya yennai nadukirai
manathil amaithe kollum nee
Un vaitrukku yeppothu amaithi koduppaayo...

yethilum yeppothum amaithiyai kaanum neengal
ungalchutti paiyan vaal thanathirku mattum ponmuruval
yeppothum Saithithaalil muzhkiya ungal kangal
yenthan Intha kavithaiyaiyum padikumo…

yeppothum yelloridamum Inipai pesum neengal
Inipil yein inthanai Aarvamo
yentha nerathilum aalosanai ungal kaiyil
yeppothum namathu natpil sarkaraiyai inikka vendum ...

Nambikai Natchathiram - Tamil Poem

2008-04-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Vannathu nachatiram pola
irutil therikinrai nee
Yen Vazhvil Velichathai katti
Naal Muzhuvathum Yen kankalluku Theriyamal
Naan Sorvadaiyum pothu mattum
Yen Kankallu therikinrai Nee
Vinnai Irutil parkkum Yen Kankalluku
Yennakkul Nambikkai Nachatiram Therinthathu
Ithanai pulapadukiratha Iyarkiyil Irunthu
Yendru Nachatirangal yennai kettana
Naan Nambikkai Vai yendru Sonnen
vinnum yen manathum jyolithathu…

- Anita

Nilavu - Tamizh Kavithai

2008-04-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Many a times I asked the moon “ what does suffering mean to you?”
Its says to me, “Every time I wax and wane I suffer a lot , because I tend to break many a hearts who turn to me

“Like a child which looks to me in the sky when the mother feeds the child”
“ Like the pregnant women who looks to me when she is given ‘Nila sooru’ by her mother when her child is in the family way”
“Like the soul which craves for the sweet heart miles away , distanced by time and space , as if they can see their own sweet heart in my face”
“Like a poet who looks in to me and searches for words as if am talking to the poet”
“Like a astronomer who looks me physically without any attachment and studies my physical characteristics without getting mesmerized in my soothing rays”..
“Like the waves in the sea which jump in joy after having my rays fall on them”

And the moon says to me ‘ I Suffer every time when a lunar eclipse occurs , and I also see you also suffer with me and for me”.

It is a curse for me and the moon that we should meet only on the full moon day and new moon days the moon suffers because the moon misses all these moments of happiness it gives to people like me and many others.

This is a small write up about the moon and me, we do share a special relationship. I hope u enjoy it too..
(Konjam over than… but pls adjust pannikonga… )

Kutti Instant Kavithai:

Vaanathil muzhu nilavaai irukkum nilave
Yen Vazhkaiyil yeppothum pournamiyai Yepothu
Nee Vanthu Un oliyil yennil oli yetra pogiraayo !

Theikiren – Nilavu Valara….. (Anita)

'KANAVU'

2008-04-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Nichangal Virpanai Aagum Intha Ulakil
Yen Kanavugallku Naan Vannam Adikiren
Yen Kanavugal Nicham Aanal
Yen Kanavu Kuda Virpanaikko?
- Kanavu

Sririppu - Smile

2008-04-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sirippu

Poovukul Then pola
Manathin Kathavukalai thirakkum
Intha oru Iniya anubhavathin
Santhoshathai arimuga paduthi
Nammai Naam santhikkum velai
intha sila nodigal
Sirinipin mugavari Ethu,Intha mugavariyil
Naam Yeputhum Kudiyirukka vendum

Thirukalyanam - Thiruparkadal

2008-04-09T09:50:00.001-07:00

‘Thirukalyanam’ of the Lord Ranganathar and Ranganayaki Thaayar was celebrated and performed on April 6th 2008 @ Thiruparkadal. Myself and my parents started to Thiruparkadal for witnessing the lord’s marriage and worshipping for a good married life. We reached around 6pm and then the ‘Mappilai Oorvalam’ of the lord was done, there were many ‘Seer Varisai’s’ which many pious women dressed with silk and jewels brought it behind the mappilai ‘Lord Ranganatha’. Once the lord reached the place where the bride ‘Goddess Ranganayaki’ was decorated with as many ornaments and finest dress materials. Seeing the Lord, the goddess goes behind because she is angry, the goddess is taken in a ‘Pallaki’ a wooden plank over which the goddess is kept and around four corners where sticks were protruding offering support for one to carry it over their shoulders. The ‘Pallaki’ was carried by women, dancing rhymically to the tunes of the ‘Miruthangkam’ and ‘Nadaswaram’ , then the lord comes forward in a ‘Pallaki’ carried by men who dances rhymically, they circumbulate the entire temple and the lord is placed opposite to the goddess. The Goddess is made to cool down and placed in a direction facing opposite to the lord. I thought ‘even the god’s get angry and they need to be pacified, the lord follows ‘Thaayar’ convinces her ‘.
The garland exchange takes place where two priests at both the ends where the lord and the goddess are placed in a ‘Pallaki’ dance to the tunes were carrying the garland from the lord and the other priest carrying the garland from the ‘Thaayar’. The process of one priest from the goddess side dances and come to the other end of the lord and the other priest from the lord comes to the end where the ‘Thaayar’ is placed and the garland exchange takes place , this process is repeated for three times and then the ‘snake dance’ where the priest bows down like a snake with the garland on his back, crawls and dances and gets up like a snake, two priests each from the lord and the goddess come in opposite direction and they reach the opposite ends and then the garland exchange takes place once again.
Then comes my favorite ‘Flower ball’ being rolled and played between two ends from the lord and the ‘Thaayar’ side. Some two to three priests from the direction in which the goddess is placed throws the ball to the other end the direction where the lord is placed and some of the priests catch them and throw them back. The priests were having fun by foul playing by acting as if throwing and still holding them in their hands and laughing around. Every person in the crowd enjoyed this game and then some flower balls were thrown on the crowd also. We had a feeling as if it was a real wedding we are witnessing and enjoying. After this ‘Thaayar is carried and while men try to carry her, she refuses to come and reluctantly is placed beside the lord’. This reluctance was seen as the men were bending their knees and they can’t move forward, they pull the’ Pallaki’and forcefully brings her and places beside the lord and she sits beside the lord reluctantly.
After this, the homa peedam is lit by ‘Agni’ and offerings are made and then some people were made to sit on the lord’s side and some on the goddess side as they sit in marriages. Then exchange of ‘thambulam ‘are done and sari is spread on the ‘Thaayar’.
After a series of mantras recitals along with the ‘Kappu’ that is worn on the bride and the groom and the ‘Poonul’ is garlanded to the lord, then ‘Thirumangalyam’ is tied to the ‘Thaayar’ and now they are wedded, this marriage was witnessed by all celestial beings as well as humans yesterday. It was performed with so much of devotion and sincerity. We all felt we had attended a marriage function as of real bride and the groom was getting married.
Then the ‘Mozhi’ , people offered gifts to the Groom (Lord Ranganatha Swamy) and the bride (Ranganayaki Thaayar’) and ‘Archanai’ was performed where the priests reads out the names of the person and their birth star along with the ‘gothram’ and offers prayers to the lord seeking his blessings for that person.
After the marriage ceremony, the head priest was known to us and we went to his house and had a very neat marriage meal and headed back home. I had a feeling of seeing the lord’s wedding itself, Faith is the only thing which makes us live. I wish and pray that each one of you should watch this ‘Srinivasa Kalyanam’ at least once in their life time to appreciate our culture and to understand the importance of marriage and relationships.