Nalladhe Nadakkum

Well, back after a long time. There were lots of changes and pressures both on the personal and official front and hence I didn’t have time to visit other blogs or put a new post. Anyway let me get to the content of the post.
Though life is full of ups and downs, I feel that the positive happenings outweigh the negative ones so that we would not totally get dejected with life when we are faced with difficult moments. It also depends on the attitude with which we perceive things. To support my views I am putting down a few things that happened to me recently.
My mom had a benign tumour in the chest way back in 1997. It was removed and they said that there is very minimal chance of it recurring. However, just when we had settled back after a wonderful trip, my mom had doubts that she had the tumour again. We consulted the doctor who asked us to take a series of tests. Finally, we went to obtain the results of a deciding test called FNAC. We got the result and was waiting to see the doctor who was on rounds. I just wanted to know what is the meaning of “Inflammatory Ductal Carcinoma” which was mentioned in the test result. So I called my friend whose father is a doctor. She said she’ll ask him and let me know. She called sometime later and the first sentence she started with was “Nee romba dhyriamaa irukanum, onga ammakum appakum nee thaan dhyriam sollanum, it is cancer in a very advanced stage”. I was shell shocked. I was with my mother. My father had gone to office. We hadn’t expected it to be so serious. I immediately called my father and informed him. He asked me to consult the doctor and let him know so that, if required, he could come. We waited for the doctor in silence. I couldn’t bring up myself to tell my mother what I heard. When we went to see the doctor, he heard my mother’s past records and went through all the test results patiently except the FNAC test. He talked as if she’s got nothing serious and it is 99% curable. I was confused. Then I saw that he hadn’t seen this test result. When I showed him, he got confused. He called the attender and asked them to change the wording to “Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma” instead of the earlier one. It seems it was a typo error!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He also patiently explained to us that my mother has breast cancer but it is in the initial stages and it can be cured. I was soooooooooooooo relieved. There are no words to explain how I felt at that moment. That initial shock which boiled down to almost nothing made me withstand strongly throughout her operation and the radiation therapy that she underwent. Now she is fine(undergoing radiation for few weeks but is also going to the office and is able to do routine work at home). Though the typo error was toooooo much, it helped us realize that we are so lucky enough not to have undergone terrible pain and sorrow!!!
Just after my mom was discharged, a very pleasant surprise awaited her. Her very own daughter(me the great only) who was standing on one leg(:-p) saying no to marriage whenever the topic was being discussed, brought an alliance through an office colleague. All the necessary procedure was followed at jet speed from both sides and now I am engaged!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All this happened within a span of one month. I wanted to go on an onsite assignment before my marriage. My mom kept telling that I should get engaged atleast before going abroad and both our wishes are fulfilled. Again a bad phase was followed by a very bright phase which made us almost forget the bad phase that we went through. Thanks to Lord Anjaneya for being with us through all this.
Similarly my cousin was terminated from the office he had been working for years together for the fault of his subordinates (he was not involved in it). It would have been fatal since he might not have been able to apply for any job. However just two days back he got the experience certificate after so much ordeal though his subordinates didn’t get it. He is now able to apply to other jobs. Though losing a job is a bad thing, he can apply for a better post at a good company. The company he was working for was a small one and anyway he wanted a better job. Now this will force him to try for a better job which is again a good thing. All these happenings made me practically realize the 90-10 principle which many of you would’ve received as forwards through email.

Trip to Kerala

I went on a vacation to Kerala along with my parents. It was one of the best ever trips I’ve ever gone (not that I’ve gone many times, but best of the few that I’ve gone till now). I generally love travelling and was very excited about the trip.

On 19th afternoon I left office and went home to pick my parents. Then we drove to the airport. This was the first time we were travelling by air!!!!!!!! IT 2483, a Kingfisher flight, leaving from chennai at 6.45 pm and reaching cochin at 8.15pm. Though it was the first time at the airport, all the routines were performed without much confusion coz of the wonderful service rendered by the Kingfisher attendants. Soon we were dropped near the flight and we boarded it. I was soooooooo excited!!! As soon as the flight took off, I kept peeping out through the window (though it was dark outside). The city lit by the street lights looked like a star studded sky during the night. They served snacks which consisted of a Blackforest cake. I gobbled mine and before laying hands on my mother’s :-p. As we were about to land, I had an uneasy feeling in the the stomach as if I was on a giant wheel going down.
At cochin airport, we met the driver sent by the travels where we booked a tour package. The package consisted of a one night stay at cochin, two nights at Munnar, one night at Thekkady and one night at Alleppy. We reached the hotel at Cochin and stayed there for the night. The next day, after breakfast, we started to Munnar. On the way, I was gaping at the sceneries once we started going up the hills. Each moment was worth capturing(missed taking a video cam). The greenery was captivating. There were houses on the slopes of the hills. They looked very cute. On the way we came across a few waterfalls, viewpoints (from where there was a wonderful view of the tea plantations,houses, lakes down the hill). It was a feast to my eyes. Though the drive to Munnar was long, I enjoyed each and every moment of it.

We reached the resort, where we stayed, at about 5pm that evening. There was a sit-out in the room from which we had a wonderful view outside. There were so many beautiful flowers on the way and also at the resort. The next day we went to the Matttupatty dam and went boating, initially on a speed boat and then on a pedal boat. The scenery was breathtaking and I enjoyed every moment of the boating. That day night we watched the other lodgers celebrate Diwali at the resorts. There was also a campfire where people were dancing.

The next day morning we started to Thekkady. We reached there at noon. Unfortunately, since it was a Sunday and the day after Diwali, we did not get tickets for boating. So the whole day was wasted. We just roamed around for sometime and did some purchasing at a handicraft shop. The next day morning we got the tickets for boating at 7am. It was a 2 hr long boating trip. Though two hours was very long, we saw a few rare species of wild animals on the way. There were some blocks erected in the middle of water. Some of them had nests which housed certain rare birds. They looked very beautiful.

The best part of the trip is yet to come. After we came from the boating we had our breakfast and then started to Alleppy where we were to stay in a HOUSEBOAT!!!!!! Yes, a houseboat, which will have only us and a three member crew one for controlling the movement of the boat on cruise, one for cooking and the other for housekeeping. We checked in at about 2pm. The boat consisted of a sit-out containing dining table with 3 chairs and benches on the sides for having a wondeful view of the backwaters with the coconut trees adding to the beauty of the scenery. It was so calm and peaceful and we are left to ourselves to enjoy. The food was cooked in the boat itself and it was very homely. We loved it. Then there were two rooms consisting of doublebeds and an attached bathroom. It was very neatly maintained. I felt at home there.My parents also loved the stay. As soon as we checked in, we moved away from the shore. It was a cruise on the backwaters. We saw similar houseboats and waved with excitement at the inmates. According to me it was heaven on earth. My parents and I were far away from the tension,pressure and stress that we face back at home. It felt great. There was a balcony at the top which also offered a fantastic view of the backwaters. During the night the boat was anchored in the middle of the backwaters near some fields. It is better to book a AC houseboat since there will be flies and mosquitoes disturbing us once the boat is anchored for the night. There was a TV and VCD player also. Since we stayed only for a night, we did not require anything and we were just satisfied with enjoying the nature’s beauty. But if you are staying for more than a day it is better to take some CDs or books or anything that will help you to avoid getting bored. I just loved this stay very much.

The next day we checked out at 9am and reached cochin. There were some sightseeing, boating and finally we reached the railway station at about 5pm to board the Alleppy Express and reached Chennai on 25th morning. On the whole it was a fabulous trip which I will never forget in my life. I relished each and every moment of it.

Change is the only constant thing in this world

When I initially joined the company, I used to have lunch mostly in my cubicle since I knew no one to accompany me for lunch. One day, one of my project mates asked me to join her for lunch. She already went with a group of 3 more people. I joined them and there was no looking back. It was just great. We used to rattle on for quite a long time and we used to enjoy. But it did not stay for long. I joined the group in December. One of them got married and settled abroad in June. Another went to Delhi on an assignment. Then there were only 3 of us. But we were again joined by 3 more gals who had gotten transferred from Bangalore after their marriage. Again it was a lively group. We got on well with each other and we used to look forward for those lunch hours each day where we used to discuss anything and everything, ottify and vaarify each other. Then again one of them got married in November and got transferred to Bangalore. Another went on an onsite assignment. In a few months time three more gals joined our gang through a common friend. Before we could fully enjoy each others company, three of them went on an onsite assignment, another went to some other branch in chennai since her project shifted and another is quitting the job and going to Delhi. So nowadays only two of us are going for lunch. Probably we might be joined by more people in future. But there is no time to get closer as we used to during school or college days. Though we don’t miss each other very much since we’ve not spent much time together, we really miss the good times we’ve had together during lunch.What to do..just like all bad things have to come to an end, good things also have to come to an end.Let me not end this post on a sad note. Looking forward for more company and livelier moments during the lunch time in future.

Kittu Maama & Susie Maami

Just trying out an imagination inspired from this. Most of those who travel by office bus or who have the habit of listening to Suryan FM in the mornings would be familiar with Kittu Maama and Susie Maami. Here is a conversation between them during Navarathri.

Susie: Good Morning Kittu

Kittu: Good Morning dee maa, enna inniki romba sandhoshama iruka maadhiri theriyardhu?

Susie: Aamaam Kittu, naa romba happyaa irukudhu.

Kittu: Ennadee maa visesham iniki?

Susie: Golu function kaaga nethu evening namma veetuku guests vandhudhu ille. Naan evlo superaa golu vechirken nu paathu adhu paaraatudhu Kittu.

Kittu: Kashta pattu paran melendhu bommai ellaam eduthu, padi katti, arrange panni vechadhu naan, aana paaraatu kadachadhu onakaa dee maa. Romba nanna iruku

Susie: Enna Kittu ippdi sollita. Enaku paaraatu kadacha adhu onaku kadacha maadhiri thaana man. Anyway, iniki sun t.v lendhu vandhu namba golu va photo and video eduka pordhu man. See, I am ready for it. Eppdi iruku namba dress?

Kittu: Edho fashion parade ku pora maadhiri gown laam pottundruka?Nyaayamaa paatha iyer maami aa latchanamaa oru ombothu gajam podavai kattindrukanum. Adhuku thaan vazhiye illai. Atleast oru normal pattu podavaiyaavadhu kattindrukalaam la?

Susie: Evlo per indha program paakudhu. Appo yaaraavadhu periya periya directors indha program paathu enna padam la nadika koopidum Kittu. Podavai laam bore Kittu. Idhula dhaan naan glamorous aa irukudhu.

Kittu: Adhu seri. Ippdilaam vera onaku nenapu irukaa dee maa. Paavam nee.

Susie: En man appdi solludhu? Nethu oru maami kooda naan Asin maadhiri iruken nu sollichu Kittu. Road la pona ore fans thollai Kittu. Onaku veen poraamai.

Kittu: Enaku poraamaiyaa..adhu seri. Endha maami Susie. Andha pink podavai kattindrundhaale. Avaala sonnaa. Avaale en thalaivi Simran maadhiri irundhaale.

Susie: Kittu, I will give you one Kottu. Nethu vethala paaku kuduka help pannaama site adichi irukudhu. Adhuku onaku iniki no food. Patni kada man. Appo thaan onaku pondaati arumai puriyum.

Kittu: Ennamo nee thaan daily enaku vadichi kottindruka maadhi pesara. Onakum serthu naan thaana samaikanum. Enaku saapaadu illenaa nee enna pannuva.
Susie: Naan velila saaptukudhu.

Kittu: Susie, idhukellaam nee kochikalaamaa. Paaru nee kochinda on face ku nalla illai. Approm sun t.v lerndhu varum bothu ippdi irundhenaa directors onna endha padathukkum book panna maata.

Susie: Aamaam Kittu. En make up laam proper aa irukudha Kittu?

Kittu: Romba nanna iruku dee maa.Nenapu thaan pozhappa kedukkum nu solluvaa. Idhaan iniki apt pazhamozhi nu nenaikaren.

My all-time favourite lyrics

1.
November maadha mazhaiyil naan nenaiven endren
Enakum kooda nenaidhal miga pidikum endraai
Mottai maadi nilavil naan kulipen endren
Enakum andha kuliyal miga pidikum endraai
Sugamaana kural yaar endraal suseela vin kural endren
Enakum andha kuralil edho mayakam ena nee sonnaai
Kangal moodiya buddhar silai en kanavil varuvadhu pidikum endren
Thayakam enbathe siridhum inri adhu enakum enakum thaan pidikum enraai
Adi unakum unakum ellaam pidika
Ennai en pidikaadhendraai

2.
Uli thaangum karkal thane man meedhu silai aagum
Vali thaangum ullam thane nilayaana sugam kaanum

3.
Pechellaam thaalaatu pola ennai uranga vaika nee illai
Nilavin oliyil mutham thandhu kaalai coffee kuduka nee illai
Vizhiyil vizhum dhoosi dhannai naavaal eduka nee ingu illai
Manadhi ezhum kuzhappam thanni theerka nee inge illai
Naan inge neeyum ange indha thanimaiyil nimishangal varushamaanadheno
Vaan inge neelam ange indha uvamai ku iruvarum vilakamaanadheno

4.
Ennai inge vara cheidhaai ennennavo pesa cheidhaai punnagaigal pooka cheidhaai innum enna
Arugininil amarndhennai uttru uttru paakum undhan thuru thuru paarvaikum dhaan artham enna enna
En paarvai pudhusu dhaan en pechum pudhusu dhaan unnaale naanum maari ponene
Kootathil ennaithaan un kangal thedanum enrellaam ennum paithiyam aanene

5.
Porkalathil pirandhu vittom vandhavai ponavai varutham illai
Kaatinile vaazhlginrom mutkalin vali onrum maranam illai
Irutinile nee nadakaile un nizhalum unnai vittu vilagi vidum
Nee mattum thaan indha ulagathile unaku thunai enru vilangividum

Ulagathil oram ninru athanaiyum paathirupom
Nadapavai naadagam enru naamum serndhu nadithirupom
oo…pala mugangal vendum seri maatikolvom
pala thirupam theriyum adhil thirupi kolvom
kadhai mudiyum pokil adhai mudithu kolvom
maru piravi venduma…


6.
Kadavul illai enren thaayai kaanum varai
Kanavu illai enren aasai thonrum varai
Kaadhal poi enru sonnen unnai kaanum varai

Kavidhai variyin suvai artham puriyum varai
Gangai neerin suvai kadalil serum varai
Kaadhal suvai onru dhaane kaatru veesum varai

7.
Anju naal varai aval pozhindhadhu aasayin mazhai adhil nanaindhadhu nooru janmangal ninaivinil irukum
Adhu pol endha naal varum uyir urugiya andha naal sugam adhai ninaikayil ratha naanangal raathiri vedikum
Oru nimisham kooda ennai piriya villai Vivaram edhum aval ariya villai
Enna irundha podhum aval enadhillaye marandhu po en maname

8.
Mazhai megamaai urumaara vaa un vaasal vandhu dhinam thoovavaa
Manam veesidum malaraagava un koondhal meedhu dhinam pookava
Kannaaga karuthaaga unai kaapen uyiraaga
Unai kanden kanindhen kalandhene ada unnul uraindhene
Inru ennul maatram thandhaaye unai endrum maravene

To be contd…

While a vasoolraja can become a doctor, most doctors nowadays are only vasoolrajas!!!

The last post was about those few people who have voluntarily taken up a very valuable service which would save lives of hundreds of people. This post is about those people whose job is actually to save lives but end up in almost killing them (Literally!!!)
This is again through an experience one of my friends faced at a very “famous”(or notorious?!!) hospital located near Mount Road, Chennai(didn’t want to mention the name but that hospital has a lot of cases associated with it and still those people don’t seem to bother). This post is mainly to warn people against going to the hospital unless they know some doctors there personally who’ll take care or else you can go there through a reference in which case you will know exactly what you require and are not at their mercy!!

My friend was supposed to undergo Laparoscopy since she had acute appendicitis problem. During the initial stages itself, they did not do proper diagnosis and sent her to various specialists for different check ups and tests. In the process, her pain increased and few weeks back when it was totally unbearable, she was admitted. Just like what they show in the film, Ramana, she was lying in the bed, unattended, while her parents were asked to fill various forms. They were asked to take x-ray and scan which were not required for this operation (information courtesy: a colleague of hers who underwent the same operation in another hospital). Just before she was taken to the operation theatre, by chance, her mother enquired about the operation and she was in for a shock!!! They informed that they were going to do open surgery!!!!!! That was supposed to be very painful and anyone who undergoes the operation would have to be bed ridden for two months and it would be extremely painful. A person undergoing Laparoscopy, on the other hand, can carry on with his/her routine work after about one week’s rest. Her mother shouted at those people for being so careless. They brought in a supposedly “specialist” for Laparoscopy. Since the mix up my friend and her parents were shaken up. So they asked a few questions about the operation to the Doctor who answered them in a very rude manner which worsened their fears.

To top it all, inside the operation theatre, though my friend was given anesthesia, its effect worked only after a few minutes. But those few minutes, she had a horrible time. They were making the arrangements for the operation, moving the gadgets and tools, making a lot of noise. This might be just another operation for them, but for the patients, it would scare them. Not just this, two of them poked the needle to find her nerves. They did it so carelessly and it was so painful. And after they did that, they started fighting so unprofessionally on why the other person also poked the needle. Thank God, my friend lost consciousness after this and didn’t get to see any more such stupid acts.

Once the operation was over, they dumped her in some General Ward with many such patients and the nurse who was supposed to take care of them was very rude. The pain killer given to her lost effect and it was so painful for her. So she was constantly asking the nurse for painkillers but the nurse never attended to her until after two hours. The worst part was that, her “already terribly shaken” parents weren’t able to see her until after five hours after the operation was over. Also while discharging no instructions were given to her. She was asked to carry on with her routine work almost immediately. Then, through her colleague, she got to know that if she doesn’t take rest for about one week, either there will be some problem with her pancreas or her intestine would move down. Being a specialist won’t the doctor advice properly on what should be done and what should not be done? I’ve heard many such stories about the hospital but when it happened to my friend, I was really shaken up. These days most of the doctors don’t seem to have any concern for the patients, just bothered about making money out of everything. There was a time when the doctors would wait even for weeks together for a successful normal delivery but now they can’t even wait for two hours and do a cesarean which is so painful for the mother.

P.S: The Hospital name rhymes with a mint that has a famous byline “the mint with the hole” :-p

Miracles do happen!!

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.

Andha naa(tka)l nyaabagam

School life la nadandha vishayangal laam yoscha sila samayam siripu varudhu ippdi laam pannirkome nu but sometimes ippo andha maadhiri iruka mudilaye nu ekkamaa iruku.

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..

Maaveeran vandi varudhu odhungu odhungu!!!

Ellaarum car driving class poraangale nu naanum ponen. T-Nagar la oru driving school la thaan kathuka ponen. First day edhu brake, edhu accelerator edhu clutch nu solli kuduthaanga. School la kelvi kekaraa maadhiri thirupi thirupi andha instructor enaku ‘ABC’ of car theriyudha nu kelvi ketu test pannaanga. Idhu enna jujupi matter, idha poi thirupi thirupi kekaraangale nu naa edho badhil sollanume nu sonnen. Adutha naal thaan therinjidhu ennathuku appdi ketaanga nu. Second day car la first time driver seat la eri steering a pudichen, of course with the instructor by my side. First gear pottu clutch lendhu medhuva kaal eduthu accelerator a lesa azhutha sonnaanga..namakum indha “soft handling” kum sambandhame illaya..seri fastaa clutch lendhu kaal eduthu, adhe vegathula accelerator a amukinen..vandi superaa oru jerk kuduthudhu..tension aagi andha instructor immediate aa avanga side la irukara controls a press panni vandiya oru proper state ku kondu vandhaanga..she repeated the instruction again..approm ozhunga senjen.. pora vazhila koncham traffic jaasthi(t.nagar north usman road)..andha tension la oru tharava avanga brake press panna sollumbothu accelerator a nalla azhuthiten!!!!!!!! Avlathaan..innum few inches late aa avanga stop pannirndha munnaadi oru pudhu car(ribbon kooda avukala) adhula poi superaa idichirndhurpom!!!!!Avlathaan,andha bayathulayo ennavo, adhuku approm avanga thaan mostly brake operate pannuvaanga..avanga endha alavuku car a control pannaanga naa, till the 7th day of the class I never knew that u can slow the car without pressing the clutch and brake together and that u need to press only the brake(u see ennoda scooty la clutch nra concept e kadaiyaadhu..rather it doesn’t play any role..so I assumed that in a car,to slow down I need to press both the clutch and the brake). Odane clutch and brake onna press panna vandi stop aagidume nu kekaadheenga..kooda irundha instructor bayangara ushaar party..naa andha maadhiri edhaavadhu loosuthanam panna varathukulla brake press panni slow panniduvaanga, and my job would only involve pressing the accelerator and changing gears.

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.

Sundara Gaandam

Indha postla Sundara Gaandam la enaku pudicha sila vishayangala solla poren. Ellaarum Sundara Gaandam pathi kelvi patrupeenga nu nenaikaren. But still for those who don’t know, Ramayanam a 7 part aa pirichirkaanga.
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).

P.S: Many of u might feel(even I feel) that indha post tamil la type pannirndha innum better aa irundhurkum but tamil la naa type panna there will be lot of spelling mistakes. Adhaan try panla. So kindly adjust.

Tagged-II

Desired Celebrity – Abdul Kalam
He is my role model. I have talked a lot abt him in my previous posts.

Want To Do This Someday – Build an independent house with a garden
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

A Place I Would Want To Visit – All tourist places of India
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.

Random Favourite - ButterScotch Milkshake!!
Chance e illa, I love butterscotch milkshake.. in fact I also love butterscotch icecreams, nutties and temptations and butterscotch cake.

I was Tagged by – Prithz(Ecstazy Relived)

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.

Aadaadha Aatamellaam!!

Oru vaaram munnaadi enga department la cricket match arrange pannaanga. Namma thaan enthu vaa ellaa vishayathulayum munnaadi nippome. Adhe maadhiri idhukum per kuduthen. Mail la vera ketaanga..u do batting or bowling or both nu. Naan sachin thangachi range ku batting mainly, bowling ku aalu illenaa naa podren apdinu odane thirupi mail adichen. I was waiting for the day of the match. Enna maadhiri neriyaa peru name kuduthurundhaanga(periya thalai lendhu pudhusa join panna “apprentisugal” varaikum). A M Jain college la match nu sonnaanga. Office ku bus varum 7am ku. Bus liye andha coll ku poydalaam. Anga snacks and other arrangements ellaam pannirkaanga nu sonnaanga.

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!!!!!!!!!!

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.

Autobiography

This post is about myself and few of my learnings from observations. Right from the beginning of my life till now, I have gotten everything I wanted and needed during each stage of my life.

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!!!

Lovable Babies :-)

Till now most of my(almost all) posts have only writings and no pics. So this time I thought I will put a whole lot of pics. I love small babies(such small eyes, nose, lips, hands,legs,fingers..chance e illai). I love to play with them. When my grandfather died, I was in ninth standard and that was the first time I saw a dead body. The body was kept in my uncle's house. I had gone there straight from school. I really didn't want to enter the house as I was very afraid. But once I entered, I immediately braced myself. Infact, I was sitting very near to the body along with my mother. Why I mentioned about this is that my uncle had a couple of months old kid then. He was sleeping when I came. I waited till he woke up and after he woke up, I never entered the house. I took him out and was playing with him till night. He was sooooooooooooooo cute and I had a great time playing with him. I have a huge collection of baby pictures. I will post a few of them here.

Chidambaram Natyanjali

One of the best experiences that I've had was when I had the wonderful opportunity to perform at Chidambaram Natyanjali. I was so excited at the prospect and was counting the days. 14 of us performed a group dance and all of us had a gala time during the practice sessions. I generally love to dance fast and little bit difficult numbers, mainly on Lord Shiva. For this performance we had such fast numbers. I just loved them. On the day we started I was literally jumping with enthusiasm. We reached there by afternoon and our slot was only in the night(eppo nu approm sollren). So we visited the temple and spent some time there. I was very happy to visit the temple and prayed fervently that I should be able to pursue dancing(my passion) for a long time. Then we came back to dress up for the performance. We had to rush up as it was getting late.But only when we reached there at about 9pm we got to know that our slot is only in the late night..between 12.00 am and 1.00 am.Aaaaaaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaa!! Till then I had never seen that time in my life.. I mean I was never awake during that time of the night. My father made sure I sleep by 9.00 pm and get up by 5.00 am(appo school days thaanga appdi.. ippo laam chance e illai). But I was so excited that day I never felt sleepy. We were watching the performance that was going on. I was really surprised to see such a huge crowd watching the performances even at that time during the night. Here in chennai, even if we give a performance on a holiday at 6.30pm, it would be great if half the auditorium is filled. Anga people were so interested in watching the programme and enjoying them. I loved that atmosphere. Audience support and encouragement is very important for any artiste to grow up the ladder of success. Then came our turn and we went on stage. Still none of the audience stood up to leave though it was 12 am. I just remember going on stage when the song started. Adhuku approm there was no looking back. It was really great and I enjoyed thoroughly throughout the performance. I generally love the choreography by my dance teacher and the orchestra also were a treat to hear. Normally there would be a perfect sync and it would be so lively(namba SPB paatula thannoda developments eduthu udraa maadhiri, enga orchestra um neriyaa pannuvaanga-the singer, mridangam player, violinist ellaarume). Adhuvum performing at such a prestigious place also added to the effect and the resultant was PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hindus Kaasi pora maadhiri, Muslims Mecca pora maadhiri and Christians Vatican pora maadhiri enaku chidambaram pona experience irundhudhu. Thanks to my dance teacher who gave me such a wonderful opportunity.

Heights of Alpathanam

I thought twice before writing this post. This will project me as a “pakki, alpam etc”. But its ok because most of us would have been like this at one stage or the other :-p.

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.

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.

Mega Bulb!!-Part II

Idhu enga office la nadandha oru koothu. As usual naan superaa bulb adichen. Enga bay la first cubicle la enga TL and next cubicle la naan. So we share a common landline. Periya thalainga kittendhu call varum nu naa phone e edukamaaten. Avaraye ella call um attend panna vitruven. Enaku landline la yaaru call panna pora? Adhaan CUG iruku.. lunch or tea ku polaama nu cell la koopta mudinjidhu. Since enga gang la 6 of us irukardhu naala sometimes call panna somberithana pattu mail adichiduvom. Official id official mails ku payan padradho illayo indha maadhiri vetti mails ku nalla payan padum. Idhula company policy la kottai kottai ezhuthula kuduthurpaan- “Use ur official mail id only for sending official mails and not personal mails”. Yaaru madhikaraanga idhellaam. Anyway vishayathuku varen. Adhanaala naa office landline use panradhu romba kammi.

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?!!).

Best vacation outing of mine

During the summer vacation time, when I was doing my schooling, my parents used to take me to various places each year. Out of all those experiences, the one I liked the best was the time I used to spend at Trichy, BHEL Township when I was 10yrs old. My father worked there for three years. So whenever I had my holidays I used to spend atleast a week there. The best part I like about the place is that it was so calm and peaceful. I can just look straight across the road when crossing it as there is minimal traffic on the roads. I am not exaggerating. Also it was full of greenery. Both sides of the road had big trees and it was never hot. The quarters in which my father lived was also a big one. At that time, we were living in a small 440sq ft single bedroom flat in Chennai. Hence when I saw the two bedroom quarters, with a very spacious hall I was gaping at it. The first time I visited it, I was running around the house like mad as I was very excited. Also at home, my favourite pastime was watching T.V. However, during the days I spent in Trichy, I would have watched T.V for about an hour/week or so. This was because, each day I had different “appointments” ;-).

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.