Sometime back my friend’s mother was admitted at the hospital for a major heart surgery. That was the first time someone I knew really well was undergoing such a major surgery. The operation was scheduled on a Monday and they informed about it only on Sunday. They also required 6 units of O-ve blood, which is a very rare group, on Sunday itself. My friend called me on Sunday afternoon by about 2.30 and informed this to me. Since she was at the hospital she didn’t have internet access and asked me to register in www.indianblooddonors.com. I registered in a few minutes and they asked to confirm by calling up a person by name, Mr.Khushroo Poacha who was the founder of the site. She called up and confirmed the request. Then we kept calling up other sources including our friends and relatives.We also called up other blood banks but most of them answered negative saying that it was Sunday and O negative was such a rare group. Even in our friends’ and relatives’ circle most of them weren’t able to help though willing. However within two hours, two donors through the Indianblooddonors website, one donor though our friend and another donor who was her colleague came forward to donate blood. Lo and Behold!! 4 units were arranged within two hours. The other two units were arranged by exchanging other blood groups (which was available, thanks to her friends and relatives) with O-ve donors available at the hospital itself. I just can’t forget the anxiety in her voice when the donors were not available initially. At the same time I just can’t forget the relief and regenerated strength and confidence in her voice when the donors were available in just two hours time. It was a great miracle. Now the operation is over and her mom is perfectly fine. The website that I have mentioned is very useful. Long live Mr.Khushroo Poacha and those who do all the arrangements and take care of the requests that pour in.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
Andha naa(tka)l nyaabagam
Kindergarten time la solli thara neriyaa irukaadhu, appo anga class pakathu ground la saruku maram,rangaraatnam(ippdi thaan naanga solluvom,appolaam engaluku giant wheel maadhiri periya periya vaarthai laam theriyaadhu) idhellaam irukum. Adhula poi velayaaditrupom. Neram pordhe theriyaadhu. Naan endha alavuku vaalu thanam pannuven naa, enga class teach report card la “She is a real tom-boy,always gets distracted and also distracts others” nu remaks kuduthaanga. Aana inni varaikum enga appa amma solli kaatra comment ennanaa “She adores company” which is very true till date. Appo report card la marks irukaadhu, indha maadhiri remarks and ratings based on our recitals and learning capability etc laam irukum, adhellaam oru mickey mouse drawing pota oru red colour attai ulla 10 pakka notebook la pottu kudupaanga. Innum vechirken adha.
Approm 1st to 5th vera oru block ku vandhom. Angayum vandhu ore vaaluthanam thaan. Aana “miss” ku neriya help pannuven. 2nd standard bothu Malini Natarajan nu oru maths teacher irundhaanga. Avangaluku enna pudichi poi oru kutti red colour autograph book la sign panni kuduthaanga. I still treasure it. 1st standard maths teacher was very strict and I used to get lot of scoldings and red marks in my class note from her. Adhu mattum illa, appo laam oru chart class la ottiduvaanga. Andha chart la class la irukara athana per oda names um irukum. Naanga edhaavadhu appreciate panra maadhiri kaaryam pannina adhula red colour la oru star enga per ku edhirka poduvaanga. Naanga appdiye edho saadhichaa maadhiri perumai pattupom. Aana class la pesinaalo illa vaaluthanam panni maatita avlathaan. Class teacher avanga ishtathuku black mark maadhiri avanga signature adhula potruvaanga. Namba thaan class la silent aa irundhadha sarithirame illaye. Stars vida black marks koncham neriya irukum initial period la. Approm koncham thirundhitom(enna 30 blackmarks mela vaanginavangala ellaam principal kitta kootitu povaangalaamla- ippdi boochaandi kaatitaanga).
Lunch time superaa irukum. Class corridor la ellaarum utkaaruvom. Avanga avanga tiffen box open pannuvom paarunga, mattum oruthar edhaavadhu ellaarkum pudichadha kondu vandhaanga naa mudinjidhu.Paavam avanga, micham vekaama gaali pannitu thaan tiffen box thirupi kudupom. Enakum ippdi neriyaa vaati nadandhurku. Oruthi Calcutta lendhu vandhurndha,ava sweets kondu varum bothu,adha open pannona ee mokkardho illayo naanga avala suthi ninnuduvom.Superaa irukum andha sweets ellaam.
Appo oru naal excursion kootitu povaanga each year. Appolaam vandalur zoo, illa valluvar kottam appdi kootitu povaanga. Adhaye naanga vaaya polandhutu paapom. Ippolaam andha places ellaam madhikardhe illa. Appa ennada naa avlo excited aa ingayum angayum appdi oduvom,teachers kitta thittum vaanguvom. School bus la thaan appo school ku poytu varuven. Bus liyum nalla attagaasam. Chumma bus la oru bell irukum adha adipom. Bus nirutharthuku thaan andha bell. Naanga velayaadrom nu theriyaama driver oru rendu tharava stop pannitaaru. Approm kandukave illa.
Initially enga thaatha oru koncha naal enna busstop varaikum kondu poi uttutu and eve kootitu varuvaaru veetuku. Veetuku eve vandhona complan kalandhu tharuvaaru. Enaku adhoda taste pudikaadhu nu, avar koncham thirumbinona, jannal vazhiya vella kottiduven(naanga 3rd floor la irundhom, keezha ground floor la irundhavanga paavam). Idhe maadhiri koncha naal maatikaama irundhen, oru naal tumbler oda keezha vizhundhudhu. Avlathaan enakum nalla vizhundhudhu!!!!!!!!!Adhuku approm thaatha ushaar aaytaaru. Naa fulla kudikarenaa nu paathutu thaan povaaru.
Already periya post aaydichu, will continue this in the next post..innum school days la adhicha koothu neriyaa iruku..
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Maaveeran vandi varudhu odhungu odhungu!!!
Ippdi thaan I attended classes for 20 days.Enaku suthama no confidence when I went for license. Adhuku etha maadhiri enga otti kaatanumo(ashok nagar), anga oru tharava practice panni paakalaam nu nenachen but adhukulla andha RTO official vandhutaaru. The drive had nothing but going on all four gears, a right u-turn and reverse gear.Irundha tension la 4th gear odaye u-turn eduka poyten..asinga asingama thittinaaru andha RTO aalu..u-turn eduthu stop panna solli erangi poma nu soltaaru..adhuku approm second time license ku pogum bothu it was a cakewalk coz it was just 4 gears and a left turn..the RTO official was also soft spoken so I was comfortable and finished the drive smoothly. Aaga mothathula ippo en kitta car kuduthu drive panna sonna andha car a marandhura vendiyadhu dhaan :-p..Nalla velai we don’t have a car. When I buy one, I will make sure I learn properly before taking it out even for short distances.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Sundara Gaandam
Bala Gaandam- Describing the childhood days of Lord Rama
Ayodhya Gaandam- Rama as Prince of Ayodhya, helping Vishwamitra with his Yagna and marrying Seetha
Aaranya Gaandam-Rama, along with Seetha and Lakshmana goes on 14 yrs vanavaasam and Ravana takes Seetha to Lanka
Kishkintha Gaandam- Rama meets Sugriva,Anjaneya and helps Sugriva to be crowned as King of Kishkindha by killing Vali and in turn Sugriva agrees to help Rama find Seetha
Sundara Gaandam- Lord Anjaneya goes in search of Seetha to Lanka, finds her, warns Ravana, tells Rama the good news of finding seetha
Yudha Gaandam- Rama kills Ravana and the Pattabishekam of Rama as King of Ayodhya
Utthara Gaandam- Story of Rama’s sons(have no clear idea abt this)
Out of all these, my favourite is Sundara Gaandam. Anjaneyar seethai ya thedi kadala thaandi Lankai ku povaaru.Anga poi thedi Seethai ya kandupudichi avangalayum thethitu, Ravanan oda balam enna nu therinjitu, avara warn pannitu, lankaiya erichitu thirumbi poi Ramar kitta “Kanden Seethaiyai” nu solli avarayum sandhosha paduthuvaar.
First thing I like about it is Lord Anjaneya’s commitment to the work assigned to him. Avar endha kaaryathukaaga poraaro adhu neraiverarthuku munnaadi thirumbi vara koodaadhu. Adhu neraivera varaikum engayum rest eduka koodaadhu. Tempt aaga neriyaa vishyam irundhum avar adhai sattaiye panna maataar.
Next thing is his presence of mind and sensible thinking at all stages which brought immense happiness to everyone. Modhalla Lanka la poi erangum bothu evening time. Odane he feels that he shouldn’t go at this time as he might get spotted and all his efforts would be futile. So he waits till the night. Adhu mattum illaama, romba chinna roobathula ulla enter panraaru so that he is not spotted by anyone.Best part is when he decides to talk to seetha. Already seetha va andha raakshasigalum ravananum serndhu bayamurthi vechirkaanga. Adhula ivarum seetha kitta sudden aa poi enna pesinaalum keka maataanga. Adhuvum avarodadhu manushya roobamum illa, so sure aa bayapaduvaanga. So avar oru marathula maranji irupaar. Ingendhe seethai ku piriyamaana Ramaroda past pathi sonna avangaluku nambikai varum. Adhuku approm avanga munnaadi polaam nu seivaaru and it will prove fruitful. In fact this act will save Seetha from committing suicide as she would be on the verge of extreme frustration.
Seetha va pathi solliye aaganum. Indha gaandam la thaan avangaloda full perumaiyum paakalaam. Anjaneyar Ravananoda aranmanaila thedi pogum bothu there will be description of what all luxuries they have. Food lendhu, dress, cosmetics,other assets, adha thavira he is the King of Lanka and avar nenacha anna venaalum kadaikum. Avar nenacha evlo azhagaana roobam venaalum edukalaaam. Seethai ya patta maharishi aa aakaren nu vera Raavanan solvaaru. Ivlo vishayam irundhum Seethai oru kizhinja vasthratha potundu oru alangaaramum illaama, ashoka vanathula Raamaraye nenachitu eppo avaroda seruveno nra ore ennathoda irupaanga. Raavanan varum bothu seethai, avalo kooni kurugi utkaandhirupaanga,covering herself(purushana thavira vera oruthan avala endha vidhathulayum paaka koodaadhu nu) .Chance e illa. Ippo laam paatheenga naa kalyaanam aanavangale short skirt, short top, sleeveless nu ennanamo pottu varaanga. I was seriously amazed at her and respect her for her “padhi viradhaa dharmam”.
Innuru pudicha part of Sundara Gaandam is when Anjaneya is searching for Seetha in Ravana’s aranmanai, avaroda andhapurathula(where Ravana’s wives stay) nozhaivaaru. Anga Ravananoda wives ovvoru range la thoongitrupaanga..ellaarum sooooo beautiful and aadai velagirkardha kooda kandukaama thoongitrupaanga..aana anjaneyar avar vandha velai anga seethaiya thedradhu..anga avanga iruka maataanga so vella vandhuduvaar theditu…manasula endha sanjalamum irukaadhu..in fact varutha paduvaar..maatraan manaivi thoongum bothu paathutome nu. Approm avare thethipaaru saying that ladies irukara edathula thaana seethaiya theda mudiyum nu.I just love this part.
Innunu ennanaa Ramar adayaalathukaaga kudutha choodaamani ya Seethai ku Anjaneyar mela nambikai vandhona thaan kudupaaru. Because modhallaye kuduthu, bayathula thooki potaanganaa kashtam la. Adhe maadhiri avaroda modesty. Seethai kepaanga nee oru balasaali. Adhanaala onnaala indha kadal a thaandi inga vara mudinjidhu. Epdi mathavangalaam varuvaanga nu. He’ll say, enna maadhiri oru thoodhane indha lankai ku vara mudinjaa, mathavangalaam romba easy aa vara mudiyum nu(the truth is that, except for four of them no one else in the vaanara kootam can cross the ocean).
Adhe maadhiri thirumbi vandhu, avar poytu vandha vridhaanthatha matha friends kittayum solvaaru, ramar kittayum solvaaru. Aana the difference is that Ramar kitta sollum bothu, he will concentrate on what Seetha said more than how he found her..aana friends kitta sollum bothu avar sandai pottadha pathi,kadala eppdi thaandinaaru adha pathi neriyaa solluvaar. Yaar yaaruku edhu mukhiyamo adha correctaa solluvaaru.
I think I have listed some of my favourite parts of Sundara Gaandam. I read it every weekend(thanks to my dad, I got the habit from him).
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Tagged-II




Desired Celebrity – Abdul Kalam
He is my role model. I have talked a lot abt him in my previous posts.
I have always wanted to build a house with a garden since I saw one of my relatives’ house at Trivandrum. So calm an peaceful..with the gardens to provide a pleasant look. It need not be big with lots of rooms and excellent facilities..enough if it makes me feel at home
I would love to see the places with historical importance, the architectural splendours etc.. around the owrld in 80 days maadhiri around india in 80 days ponum.. Adhuvum after reading some wonderful travelogues by Ferrari, I am really waiting to see the places.
Chance e illa, I love butterscotch milkshake.. in fact I also love butterscotch icecreams, nutties and temptations and butterscotch cake.
I was also tagged by barath for 6 padhivu. I want to combine it with this post. I’ve already mentioned 4 of the things that I like..two more things that I’d like to add are..
Favourite hangout with friends: Any of my friends house
Whole day utkaandhu veetu saapaadu saaptu nalla kadhai pesalaam..idha vittu vella ponaa travel la koncham time waste, anga poi padam paatha, friends oda onnum pesa mudiyaadhu..restaurant ponaa u can’t make noise..for that matter if u go to any public place u can’t make noise..
Favourite Movies
Michael Madhana Kamarajan, Panchathanthiram, Mugavari, Kaakha Kaakha, Gajini,Speed, Ms.Congeniality to name the ones that come to my mind immediately when I think of my favourite movies.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Aadaadha Aatamellaam!!
Naanum aniki adhisayamaa 6am ku laam ezhundhu ready aagi office ku en vandi la ponen. Paatha anga ee kaaka kaanum. Ennada idhu nu arrange panna andha brihaspathi ku call panna, avan innurthana contact panna solli number kuduthaan. Avanuku call panna avan innuru naalu per oda breakfast saaptutrukom. Bus already vandhu nikkudhu. Nee venaa enga kooda join panniko illa bus la iru varom nu sonnaan. Ada paavigalaa, anga poi snacks arrange pannirkom nu sonnaanga. Ivanga ingaye kattradha paatha anga edhaavadhu irukuma nu sandhegam. Indha sandhegathoda bus la eri utkaandhen. Seri aanadhu aatom anga poi paathukalaam nu vittuten. Bus soooper aa irundhudhu. Namba Parveen travels thaan. Seri comfortable aa irundhudhu. Bangalore la andha VOLVO buses illa, andha maadhiri irundhudhu. Koncha neram wait panna, enni oru anji peru vandhaanunga. Vera yaaraavadhu varuvaanga nu paathu oruthanayum kaanum. Seri nu kalambitom(5 per kaaga 3000 selavu panni ippdi oru bus). Ground la neriya peru straight aa vandhuruvaanga nu nambikai.
College la poi eranginaa, kannuku etna thooram varaikum oruthanayum kaanum(from our office). Seri we started towards the ground. Anga pona oru 7-8 peru irundhaanga. Adhvum vandhona saapda aarambichitaanga. Adhuvum ovvoruthanum rendu ,moonu round(vera edhuvum nenaika vendaam, sandwich,samosa 3-4 plate saaptaanunga). Idhuku reason vera, mathavanga vara varaikum wait panra neratha useful aa spend panraangalaamla. Approm ore oru periya thalai(oru Team Manager) avar family oda vandhaaru. Total aa enga dept strength oru 140 kitta irukum. Anga oru 15 peru kooda therla. Enga periya thalai oda kutti payyan(2yrs old) romba aarvamaa irundhaan velayaada. Avana kooda setha kooda both sides eleven each varaadhu. Seri nu 7 per in each team aa pirinjom.
Idhuku mela naa solla pordha kettu idhellaam oru cricket match nu vera solli cricket aye asinga paduthaadha nu thuppidaadheenga. Idhellaam arasiyal la sagajam. Toss pottadhula enga team bowling nu vandhudhu. Aana idhula enna speciality naa, kalathula enga team edhu opponent team edhu nu vidhyaasame theriyaadhu. Enna fielding ku aal illa nu opponent team enga team kum field pannaanga and viceversa(adha kadavule nu thalaila adhichikaadheenga..innum ennoda velaigal laam sonna ongaluku thalai vali vandhudhum).
Enna oru position la fielding ku nikka sonnaanga. Enaku batsman kum oru dealing. Enkitta ball e vara koodaadhu nu :-p. Adhayum meeri onnu rendu ball vandhudhu. Naa baatuku vedikai paathu ball a miss paniten. Innuru dharava en kai kitta vandha ball pudichi keezha vittu, adha thirupi eduthu podrathukulla avanga rendu run oditaanga :-O Enna panradhu, Jonty Rhodes ku training edukum bothu ozhunga form la irundhen. Ippo touch vittu pochu. :-p Next batting ku kooptaanga. Poi bayangara style aa bat a pudichi ninnen. Angendhu umpire aa ninnavan edho kai kaatnaan. Ennada nu paatha stump a fulla marachiten(enna panradhu ippdi laam panni out aagaama irundhaa dhaan undu). Enakaaga romba slow aa bowling potaanga. Moonu ball sooper aa vittu, keeper correctaa pudichitaaru. Ennanga warm-up vendaama. Next ball adichen paarunga..nera oruthar kaila poi land aachu..avaru en mela paava pattu andha ball a pudikaama vittutaaru(idhellaam oru pozhapaa nu kekaadheenga). Next ball a 2 runs oditen and adhuku next ball la oru run oditen. Erkanave 12 overs match thaan, namabale aadina approm mathavangaluku chance kadaikaama poydum nu perundhanmayaa vittu koduthuten.
Bowling try panliyaa nu kekaadheenga. Break edukum bothu oruthara nikka sollitu, periya akhthar range ku fast aa odi vandhu ball a potaa unlike akhthar ennodadhu 10m/hr speed la kooda pola..batsman kitta ball urundute pochu. Adhanaala match la try panni veena batsman mandai kaanji pora alavuku vechika vendaam nu vituten. Idhellaam oru match nu prize kuduka cup ellaam vera vaangi vechirndhaanunga. Idhula oruthan nakkala man of the match award enaku tharalaam nu vera sonnaan. Kadasila 2 mani neram veyyil la kaanjitu sandwich ,samosa saaptu mirinda kudichitu veetuku vandhen. Inime ippdi oru match nu solli arrange pannaanga, andha pakkame thalaiya kaata maatomla!!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, July 02, 2006
My Best Friends
Friends have been a great asset in my life. Right from my school days till now, I’ve earned very good friends who are of the type “A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED”. All of them have influenced my life in a big way. For a girl whose been brought up without knowing anything about the outside world, these set of friends have always acted as guides to take me through the right path and take proper decisions whenever I’ve been struck(kanna katti kaatula vitta maadhiri ennikum irundhadhu illa).
My association with such friends started only when I was in 11th. I became very close to a girl in my class. Though we had known each other for quite sometime, it was only in 11th we got real close. When it comes to interests, we are poles apart. But we shared a special bond and even now it is intact. They say friendship should have no expectations. She’s the perfect example of that. Even if I call her irregularly(say once in 2 months), she never bothers and we’ll share anything and everything with the same zeal that we had shared when we were in school. Once I had gone to her house. On the way I met with a couple of “accidents”. First, my vehicle skidded on a marshy road and I fell from it and ended up with wounds on my knee and elbow. I didn’t bother and I continued on my way to her place. Then when I was waiting in the signal, an auto went over my feet and the nail on one of the fingers came out. With all this I reached her house. She was so concerned and immediately attended to all my wounds. She asked me change my dress and she herself washed my clothes and set it to dry. After all this we also went for a movie :-p. I’ve shared really wonderful moments with her. I know she’ll be like this throughout my life.
During first year of my college, and within a week of joining, I became close with 3 girls of my class. Actually during the initial few days I had problems adjusting with one of my bench mates and I was waiting to shift with someone else. At that time, one of these girls came and asked me whether I am from a particular school. When I said yes, she told me that we both had studied in the same class between 2nd and 5th. Since I had my school group photo then, I went home and checked that day. I was so happy to shift my place later and there was no looking back after that. The four of us had great fun during the first year after which I was put in another section. Still we used to have great fun. If I have to talk about them this post would be a never ending one. One incident that I’d never forget was during the Workshop university exam. I was asked to make a “dovetail” joint in carpentry and I did something so clumsily that the wood was almost going to break, I was afraid that I’ll fail. My friend came to my rescue. She saw that I was panic-stricken. Immediately she took my piece and gave me her piece. She worked with it so beautifully, that it came out fine and I got 70 for it. In fact half way through, the invigilator asked us to give the pieces as time was running out and she even asked me to give hers to him and she said that she will manage with mine. It was a major help that I will never forget in my life. If she hadn’t helped then I might not have been able to participate in most campus selections because there would be a clause “There should be no history of arrears” which I would have failed to satisfy. The other two are also gem of friends and have lifted my spirits whenever I’ve been down.
During the third year, I became close to a guy of my class and I learnt a lot of things. I really learnt how ignorant I’ve been all these days, thanks to him. There were staffs who were taking advantage of me for the first three years and he made me realize it. There are so many times when I’ve blindly obeyed him mainly because he’s very matured and none of his decisions have gone wrong. Even now he is my well-wisher.
Even after I came to office I’ve had a couple of real good friends. I don’t like to bring any issue I face at office to my home because my parents would worry about it even after I forget about it(already enga amma ku naa oru 10-5 govt job la irundha better nu thonitrukum). So I share all my issues with my friends at office and they’ve really been there for me when I needed them. We’ve had great fun together and they are there to share both my happiness and problems.
This post is a tribute to all my friends who have played major roles in moulding me into what I am today and who’ve been there for me and who’ll be there for me throughout my life. I am very lucky to have such wonderful friends.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Autobiography
Though both my parents were working and none of my relatives(including my grandparents) were supportive, I’ve never felt lonely at any point of time during my childhood. My parents made sure that either of them will be available and I was never unattended to.
I studied in the same school right from LKG to 12th. My father was very particular about this because he had to change 8 schools and was put in bad schools during prime times. The school’s coaching was excellent and encouraged extra-curricular activities too. I faced no great difficulty during my school life. Studies were a cakewalk mainly because I had no worries at home and my only job was to study(paal aathi kudukardhu lendhu, shoes pottu, tiffen ooti vidravaraikum everything my parents took care). Still I have disappointed my parents in that I have never gotten a subject topper(seri koncham over thaan aana avanga ivlo pannathuku it should have been a reachable goal).
When it came to extra-curricular activities, my parents found out my interest in dance(tv la “kannane nee vara kaathirundhen,jannalil kaathirundhen” paatu ku abinayam pudichenaam) and they were more eager than me initially to see me as a veteran dancer. But as soon as I started going for the classes regularly I made sure that I never missed a class(fever bothu kooda leave potadhilla)..resultant was that I did my arangetram in just 4 and 1/2 years.
When it came to sports, my parents never acted as barriers to control my enthusiasm at any point of time. They encouraged me all along which helped me pursue my passion in basketball. I’ve also participated in athletics and won a few prizes. However my passion was Basketball. During my 10th holidays, both in April and May, the amount of time I spent at home was meagre. Basketball coaching, Dance class and C++ coaching covered the entire summer vacation. Neither my parents complained that I didn’t stay at home nor did they complain for having to wake up early and prepare everything for me.
After 12th I never had any particular aim. I wrote IIT screening but didn’t get through(actually I never prepared and I wasn’t interested at all, en parents aasai kaaga ezhudhinen). Then I wrote TNPCEE and got a decent cutoff of 273.58 and was sure to get into a good engineering coll(since my parents were willing for even a payment seat). Still my parents didn’t want me to wait till the counseling and made me join arts(B.Sc Maths). Counselling started on 16th Aug and my slot was on Aug 19th at 12pm. I was never nervous at any point of time and was confident. When I reached the place where the decision is finally made, I never had any confusion(thanks to my father who helped me take a proper decision). The person to whom I spelled out my choice said “Appdi podu straight adi”..he was surprised that I didn’t do any last minute analysis.
College life helped me win some real good friends (I had just one close friend from school). Again it was also a cakewalk when it came to academics(coll vandhum enga amma morn tiffen ooti thaan vittaanga, no vekkam to say that). Till school, I used to go for only local tournaments. After coming to coll, we went to tournaments outside Chennai and my parents would be the first ones to wish me all the best whole heartedly. This led me to participate in the selection for University level in basketball but couldn’t pursue further(being in Engg college, academics would get affected nu naan bayandhadhu naala).
My next step in life was also achieved without “any” difficulty, thanks to the campus interview at our coll. It was on Jan 12th 2004. I never prepared anything for campus specifically(all kelvi nyaanam-avanga avanga discuss pannum bothu kekardhu dhaan). On Jan 12th, while going to my coll C book eduthu poratinen. First it was written test which was very easy and almost 85 of us were selected out of 300. Then was the technical followed by the HR interview. Initially during the Technical Interview I was really tensed and the interviewer realized it and helped a lot to make me feel comfortable. The HR interview was also very brief and was quite easy. But I didn’t believe till they announced the results at 12.45am(Jan 13th) that I was selected. I reached home at 1.45am that day. The best part was my parents expression when I informed them. I could see that they were feeling very happy and relieved(edho naa porandha palan a adanja maadhiri irundhudhu).
I haven’t achieved anything with great difficulty and my life has been quite easy till now. But I feel that those who have gained anything with great difficulty will value whatever they’ve got more than me. A more detailed description of this statement and why I have felt so will follow in the next post.
Ambi, done!!!
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Lovable Babies :-)







Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Chidambaram Natyanjali
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Heights of Alpathanam
When I was in sixth standard, I used to have “Vishnusahasranaamam” classes once every week in which we need to recite the whole sloka. After reciting fully, the master whose recital we follow, would distribute the prasaadham(“kalkandu”). He would ask one person from each class to bring a cup(none of us would have a cup, the lid of our waterbottle which had the shape of a cup was used) and put the prasaadham in the cup so that it can be distributed to the class students. So whoever had the cup would race to get the prasaadham from each class so that after distributing the prasaadham among his/her classmates, he/she would have lots left(adha amikikalaam la). I was feeling really bad since I didn’t have such a lid for my waterbottle. It was sixth annual holidays and my parents had taken me for purchasing new uniform for the next year. They asked me if I wanted anything else. You would have guessed my answer. I wanted a new waterbottle which had a big cup like lid :-p. Avlathaan, both in seventh and eighth standard no one could beat me to get the prasaadham(because I was the class rep and I used to sit right in front of the master :-p). You should see my face when I triumphantly get the prasadham in my cup and also the look on my face while eating the remaining prasaadham which obviously would be a larger amount compared to the amount I distributed to my classmates(romba alpamaa iruku I know, but I enjoyed the fun).
In fact during one of these classes they announced that a person called “Sukhi Sivam” was going to give a “sorpozhivu” on Ramayana. They wanted a Ramar Pattaabishekam picture which I got from my house. Generally we might not like these kind of long,boring speeches. But this was very interesting. The way he handled the intricate details of the epic and the timely jokes in between were a treat to listen to. I remember one of the jokes he had mentioned. It is a very old one but it was new to me then. It seems that a villager had come to the town and was watching t.v. at a place. A football match was going on. For a long time the villager was watching the match and making all sorts of faces at it. Then when someone asked him what his problem was, he replied saying that why should everyone fight for the same ball and why cannot each have his own ball so that they are satisfied??????!!!!!!!!! We were laughing real hard at this joke at that time. It was a very interesting experience. At the same time we got to know many minute details of the great epic which lead me to admire and respect Lord Hanuman who is my favourite till now and will be forever.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Culturals
When I was in 11th and 12th, I used to go for a lot of culturals. Each experience was a different one. Some happy, memorable moments, some embarrassments, some disappointments. On the whole, the experience was enjoyable.
Let me start with the disappointments and end on the happy one. Before one of the culturals at Vidhya Mandhir, Adyar, 6 of us had practiced for a fusion dance. We practiced real hard and we were so confident of winning. Our event was only in the afternoon. So we started from our school only after lunch. When we reached there, we were all so excited. But all our excitement went down the drain when they said that our school has been disqualified and we cannot perform. It was so disheartening.
This disappointment stayed for very less time as we geared for the next one at Vanavani school in IIT campus. We went there in the morning itself to watch the other events(school cut adikanum naa odane sandhosham aache). Wow!!!!!! What a big auditorium it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!We were soooo excited at the prospect of perfoming on such a big stage and before a huge audience. We enjoyed throughout the morning making fun of our school mates who were having their events in the morning( pottu nalla kalaasitrundhom). I used to love the events SOS and JAM. For those who don’t know what these events are, SOS is the event wherein the situation is that a ship is going to sink and there is just one lifeboat available. Lots of celebrities will be on the ship. Each student will be given the role of a celebrity. They should convince the judges why they should be saved. The way each and every participant tries to convince the judges would be a delight to watch. In JAM, all the participants will be seated along with the judge as if in a discussion. The judge will give some topic(might be soo irrelevant and stupid), but the participants have to talk on the topic for quite sometime. If he/she makes grammatical mistakes or pauses in between while talking or forgets to say a “code word”(which will be given by the judge) and if another participant points out the mistake correctly, that person gets to continue talking. Finally, the one who blah..blah the most gets the prize. It will also be enjoyable. During the break, I went out of the auditorium along with my friend and saw that they had set a refreshments stall. I had a butterscotch milkshake there and it was simply tooooooooooooooooo good!!!
Then comes the worst part. In the afternoon they announced the adaptune event wherein they will play a mix of different songs and we have to dance on the spot for it. My friend asked me if we both can give it a shot. She tempted me soo much that I gave in. But as soon as I got on the stage I felt so afraid seeing a huge audience in front of me. I couldn’t move. Suddenly they started playing the songs and the sound frightened me even more. I was feeling so nervous that I stood rooted to the spot. My friend and I went on stage together. She started dancing and I tried to follow her steps but couldn’t. The audience also started boooing and finally the songs ended and I heaved a sigh of relief. It was the most embarrassing moment in my life till now.
The best culturals was the one at Vidhya Mandhir, Mylapore. We were practicing a fusion dance(classical dance for a western song-Backstreet Boys). But just the day before the dance one of our main members dropped off. She had the cassette but she was on leave on the day of the culturals. The three of us decided to pick some song and try choreographing. Since the event was only in the evening, we thought we will give a try. One of my friends had a Backstreet boys song cassette but it did not have the song for which we had practiced. Still we chose another song(‘That’s the way I like it’-lyrics of the song) and started choreographing. By about 2.30pm we had choreographed for the whole song and we also rehearsed a couple of times. Then, with very little time to spare we reached the school. My mom had come early from office to help us with the costume. Finally we were ready and they called us on stage!! I was a little bit nervous initially as we had practiced for very little time. But once we started dancing I enjoyed myself thoroughly and we had excellent co-ordination(onnu rendu step marandhutom, adhellaam irukardhu dhaana). The highlight was that, we got the third place for the performance when we didn’t expect anything as there were a lot of schools which performed a lot better than us. They told that our formations(with just three people) and our coordination were very good. All three of us were feeling great that day.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Mega Bulb!!-Part II
Oru naal enga TL seat la illa. Call vandhudhu enga cubicle la irukara landline ku. Yaaru nu andha phone display la paatha enga periyathalai(PM). Aaaahaaaa!!! Enaku erkanave koncham periya thalainga kitta pesardhu naa odharum(this was almost 6 to 7 months back, ippo laam thalaila kombu molachiduthu la ;-)). Receiver a eduthu andha side lendhu endha response um vararthuku munnaadi “ Hello Ravi, Jude is not in his place. Shall I ask him to call u when he comes back?” appdi nu solliten. Oru few seconds andha side lendhu silence. Enaku phone vekkardha illa thirupi “hello” sollradha nu confusion. Adhukulla andha side lendhu response “Naa Jude thaan pesaren, inga Ravi room lendhu, anga Aravind irukaara?”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enaku oru nimisham enna pesardhu ne therila. Avar enna nenachirpaaru, Ippdi aarva kolaaru la sodhapitome. Inga vandha approm enna solluvaaro nu nenachitrundhen. Nalla velai thirumbi vandhu onnume nadakaadha maadhiri computer la muzhugitaaru(yaar kanda angendhu “why blood same blood” vaangitu vandhaaro ennavo?!!).
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Best vacation outing of mine
There were different sectors, each containing different types of quarters. Everyday I used to visit the other sectors because I love to explore new places and it was very pleasant walking in those roads. There were two temples in the C-sector which was 15-20 minutes walk from my place. I never used to get tired walking. I made friends with my neighbour’s two daughters. Actually their family helped my father a lot in the beginning as that was the first time my father was away from the family. Hence they are very close to us. Their two daughters also belonged to my age group. So we used to play in the evenings. I’ve gone to their school once, which was almost half an hour from my place. Another interesting thing about the place was that there was a club very near to my place. It had recreation hall in which people used to play carom, TT and chess. There was a big library from which I used to take books like Noddy and Enid Blyton to read. There was a big swimming pool and the “blue” water attracted me and I wanted to learn swimming. That was the only wish which didn’t materialize due to time constraints( I usually stay there only for a week and we’ll have other plans also). There was a swing, see-saw and rides meant for small kids. It was near the swimming pool. So I used to sit on the swing and watch the kids learn swimming. Every Saturday they used to show a film on a big screen in an open space. First time, I was so excited about it but rain spoiled the whole thing. Next time it was a stupid film “Archana IPS”. I didn’t get a chance to watch any other film.
I also learnt cycling there with the help of my friends. Normally, while learning we’ll get “veera thazhumbugal”. But in my case, I damaged the cycle :-p. I was riding with my friend holding the cycle carrier. She didn’t tell me when she removed the hold. When I suddenly realized that I was alone, I panicked and jumped out of the cycle. The cycle fell into a pit!! On the last day of my father’s tenure there we went to an exhibition and had a great time there. I made two more friends at the exhibition and all of us had a gala time there. The memories of my stay at Trichy will be cherished throughout my life.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Do u call this selfishness?
Sometime back I saw the trailer and a few scenes of the film “POSEIDON”. One particular scene affected me a lot. First of all, for those who haven’t watched the film and don’t know anything about it (I think most of u would know, but still for my satisfaction), the main storyline is that a big ship turns fully upside down when hit by a giant wave and only a couple of them finally escape death. Well, I also haven’t watched the film but have heard the story. Coming to the point, in a particular scene, a lift would be about to collapse and two guys would be trying to save those caught in the lift. One of the servants aboard will help an old guy to stand on a plank kind of thing so that the rescue team can pull him up. Suddenly the lift will go further down and the plank will also fall down. By then both the servant and the old guy would be hanging in the air with the rescue team holding the old guy’s hand and the servant clinging on to the guy’s leg. Since both of them together would be too much of a weight, the rescue team would ask the old guy to let go of the servant. Otherwise all of them would have to die. First, the guy will hesitate as the servant had helped him out initially. But when he sees the lift going further down and realizing that his life is endangered, immediately he will kick the servant. The old guy would be pulled up safely at the cost of the servant’s life.
Why this scene had an impact on me was that when a do or die situation comes, we cannot think about the pros and cons of what we do or how our deed will affect others. We just go ahead without second thoughts even if it means an ultimate harm to another person. I was just wondering whether the old guy would have a peaceful life after this or would he be constantly haunted by the guilty feeling that he killed a guy who saved him. On second thoughts I feel that I would also have done the same thing if I had been in that guy’s place. Our life is more precious than any value or virtue that we might hold. Of course it doesn’t mean that we need to compromise on our values or virtues always. Only if such do or die situations occur or our life is at stake, the above stand holds good. What do u feel?
Disclaimer: I haven’t watched the movie and I don’t know the context in which this scene comes. So if I had made any mistake in explaining the scene, just leave it. I want your opinions on my view more importantly.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Idhellaam romba too much!!
Between 45 to 55yrs(probably more than that also) vayasula oru aunty vandhu paadinaanga. Modhalla avangala paathona enaku avanga mela oru mariyaadhai vandhudhu. Paravaa illa indha vayasulayum she wants to showcase her talent and avanga husband um adha encourage pannirkaangale nu sandhosha patten. Aana koncham avasara patten. Paada sonnaanga namba judge(I think it was Anuradha Sriram). And u know what this lady started singing??????????????????????? “azhagiya asura azhagiya asura athu meera aasai illayaa”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Aaaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Naa kekardhu kanavulayaa illa nejathuliyaa nu enaku thooki vaari pottudhu. Odane vayasaanavanga andha paata paada koodaadhaa nu kekaadheenga. Nalla paadina paravaa illa, namba “kanni raasi” janakaraj, “amman koil kizhakaale” senthil ivangala vida mosamaa irundhudhu . Veetla avanga husband kitta paadina, avar kashta kaalam, avar rasikaraa maadhiriyaavadhu nadichi aaganum, aana viewers a dhandikardhu endha vidhathula nyaayam. Atleast pazhaya paatu edhaavadhu paadirundhaa paravaa illa, ivanga ketta ketuku “azhagiya asura azhagiya asura athu meera aasai illaya” vaan. Idhellaam too much aa illa?
Idha vida oru kodumai ennanaa, paaditu select aagala. Velila vandhu petti tharaanga indha amma. Ennanaa, naa andha paata seriya practice panla. Naa nalla practice panna paatu “Dailamo Dailamo”. Adha paadirkalaam pola iruku!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, u heard me right. Nalla velai, avangala recall laam panni paada sollala. Thanks to Anuradha Sriram!!!!
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Rail Snegam
My birthday arrived four to five months later and as usual I went to temple and then went to school in new dress. That was my usual way of celebrating my birthday then. I didn’t have any close friends to wish me or get me gifts or ask for treat!!! Anyway, why I mentioned this is because at that time the only heartfelt wish I got for my birthday was from my parents. At school, everyone used to wish me when I distributed chocolates. Nothing more, nothing less. Since this was a routine, there was nothing very special about my birthday, except that I can wear color dress to school instead of the school uniform on that day. But this birthday was something special. When I arrived from school I got a greeting card by post. It was such a beautiful and colorful card. The card had the shape of a pussy cat which was very cute. The card is still in my eyes. That was the first time I had received a greeting card for my birthday. And it was sent by my long-lost train friends, Charulatha and Niveditha. Only then I realized what an impact I had made on them. They had remembered me and have sent me a card though it was quite a long time since we met. I was jubilant. I preserved the card like a treasure for such a long time. I felt so guilty not to have noted their addresses properly. I just knew that they lived in Tambaram. But that information alone is of no use. The card also did not have a from address. But they had just made my day. I was feeling sooooooo special. If only I get to meet them, I would like to fervently thank them for their sweet gesture which had a huge impact on me.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Naa appdi mean panla pa!!
My friend : Naan inga vandhadhuku approm thaan onga moonu perkum kozhandhai porandhurku
Her colleague: Aaahaaa.. romba thappa pesara
Idhellaam too much.. namba indha maadhiri thaan edhayo mean panni sollrom, aana kekaravanga mind sometimes "corrupt" ;-) aagardhunaala vera maadhiri eduthukaraanga.
small technical defect :-p
Now coming to the post, two of my friends PK and PP got into the lift from the first floor to go to the second floor(romba lollu, but avangaluku lunch unda mayakam, sari thookam). But the lift went down to the ground floor. Ivanga romba surusurupu la.. they realized they reached the basement and did not get out of the lift. Again the door closed and one of the occupants of the lift(en friends maadhiriye oru somberi party) had pressed the first floor button. Adhu theriyaadha indha rendu jeevinga, when the lift opened in the first floor, erangitaanga. Idhula enna lollu vera naa, they saw another friend V in that floor pantry. They were puzzled as V's cabin was supposed to be in the first floor.En first floor la cabin irundha second floor la irukara pantry ku vandhu tea kudika koodaadha nu logic vera pesite V kitta poi comment vera.. "nee yen naa irukara edathukellaam vara" nu. V oru maadhiri oru look uttu poytaaru. Enga office la ground floor is basement. First floor la center la azhaga irukanum nu fountain laam vechirpaanga. Ivanga ippdi nakkal adichite thirumbi fountain a paathutu, idhu enga inga vandhudhu nu rendu nimisham yoscha approm thaan they realized that they were still in the first floor. Kadasila padi eri second floor ku vandhu sendhaanga.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
B Sc before BE!!
When I passed out of school, I thought I had a long vacation ahead of me and that I could enjoy and relish it. However my parents had other plans for me. I had written my TNPCEE and the results were out. My parents were afraid that for my percentage I might not get into a proper engineering college(though they were ready for payment seat). That too, I was particular about the ECE discipline and my parents were particular that I wouldn’t go out of Chennai for my studies. Hence, as a precautionary measure they made me apply to all the arts and science colleges here, Meenakshi, Stella Marys etc. I remember only these two very well as I had to wait for a long time in the sun to get the application in these two colls. There was a big queue. But I met my school friends there and so the wait wasn’t very boring. Finally I got a call from Meenakshi for BSc Maths. My parents asked me to take it up as the Engineering counseling had been postponed to August from July just then. The coll started on June 27th and I started attending it. Just before I joined many of my friends and acquaintances said that it would be very strict. So I felt that all my plans of enjoying the vacation was down the drain. But it was just the opposite!!!!!
Right from day one, I started to enjoy the atmosphere there. First thing about the college was that it was a girls college and the classroom had some 120 girls nearly, most of them like me, waiting for the counseling to know their fate. I had been in a co-ed school and this was very different for me. I felt I had more freedom here. I love to make friends and so right from the first day I got to know most of my classmates. Next good thing was the course I had taken. I love maths and it was great to pursue the subject further. Any problems the staffs used to give us, I was so excited about it and would complete it as soon as possible. One of the staffs there, named Kamala, was an excellent lecturer. She used to handle the subject so interestingly. Whenever she came to the class, I was very attentive and answered her questions so enthusiastically. On the second day itself I was asked to be the class rep. It felt great, not because I was selected for this responsible job but because this meant that I would be interacting with all the girls of the class and I would get to know them all. Just as I thought, I got a chance to converse with each one of them in the pretext of collecting some assignments, distributing test sheets etc. One kadi thing was that I had to take a third language. I took telugu just for the sake of taking it. Vivek comedy la vara maadhiri avanga board la “varaiyum” bothu enaku laddu jilebi nyaabagam thaan varum. Anga kathukitta ore vaarthai “Gaadidha” meaning donkey. Yaarayaavadhu telugu la thittanum naa use aagume. Seri romba pazham nu nenaikaadheenga. I’ve had great fun too.
Another important thing that I loved there was “Parota Kurma” at the canteen. Though my mom would pack lunch for me, as soon as lunch time arrives, my friends and I would rush to the canteen. This was because, if I am late by a few minutes, there will be a heavy rush and I would have to forego the delicious Parota. Vaarathula moonu naalaavadhu saaptruven. But the most memorable thing about that college was, I had been there just for two months. But on the first Sunday of August, it was friendship day and all of us decided to celebrate!!! We decided on a dress code(either blue or green). We bought a cake and the fun started right from the first hour. All the staffs who came that day cooperated so well. We cut the cake, played music, danced, sang, made fun of each other and did all kinds of “vaaluthanam” and there was no one to stop us. Yes!! We had so much of fun at the so-called strict college. The best part of it was, all 120 of us had equal participation in it and everyone were soooooo cooperative. I will never forget those two months in my life. After I got into an Engineering college, I did not meet any of my classmates at Meenakshi College to bid farewell. I could just meet the staffs and inform them. I did feel bad about it but I couldn’t help it. Hence through this blog, I thank each and everyone of them who made my college life very interesting at Meenakshi college.