WELCOME TO THE NEW YEAR 2012

I thought that my welcome post to the new year will be my 100 th post.But like Tendulkar, whose disappointment has become the disapppointment of India in particular and the world at large,my posts have numbered just 98, missingthe land mark just by a whisker.One major diffrence however between me and Tendulkar is that there are not many who are disappointed and that includes me too!!

Coming back to the welcome message for the new year 2012, my memories go back to another of those nail biting moments of the yester year Viz 2010 decemeber, while we were having a count down for the arrival of the year 2011.

My son had just stepped into Hongkong and was enjoying the warmth and friendship of a dear host there, counting at the same time the days and hours for his stepping into another innings of his chosen career at HK Baptist university.My daughter was going thru one more dilemma(perhaps the last in the disturbing year 2010)as to whetherto proceed on a trip to US on an official visit or to call it quits, since her day of betrothal was encroaching on the project work that had been entrusted to her.(or vice versa)

As far as my self was concerned, i was counting days to my last full fledged balance sheet to be completed in time (as 2011 was my year of retirement in the capacity of an employee)and with out any major issues as things were not looking rosy then.Both on personal front and on official front there were anxieties, loose ends, unanswered questions and so on and so forth.There were also property matters hanging in balance to be attended to.

Then collectively we decided. We will march ahead. We will attend first to the duties and responsibilities and then look for rewards to flow through.Even if there were no rewards the sense of discharging duties diligently , not withstanding personal limitations and pressures all around, mattered a lot to
all of us,Then we saw the coins fitting in at proper places as if guided by a super power.

THE admission into university on the appointed date of my son, followed by an accomplishement by my daughter of having completed her project in overseas amidst all odds as per the schedule (I was recollecting a similar fete achieved by my son earlier in EFL when he completed and submitted his thesis racing against time )and my completion of my tenth annual report of the bank in a row just in time to be ready for the marriage of my daughter all followed
in quick succssion.I bowed and bowed to the grace of almighty and thanked for having given us all the courage and determination to travel in the chosen paths with grit and confidence.

While the first half was a race against time, a period full of relationships and a need to balance as if walking on a razor blade, the second half after the grand event of my daughter's marriage was a welcome relief.My daughter soon settled into her matrimonial life , as if she was taylor made for that role since birth (this is another surprising element about all women!!). My son who flew in and gave a reliefr as if a refreshing breeze to be by my side and to support me during the days of marriage, went back, leaving behind his warmth and affection to enable me to pull along.And the office had suddenly become calm and quiet and each day took me a step closer to my retirement.And once again it was a "thani kudiththnam" of sorts for my wife and me and we were actually blessed to have it after a hectic period of events lasting for allmost an year.

And then the final day at office. the fare well and retirement .The words spoken and not spoken, the love and affection shown and the gifts that were poured in all pointed out to the accomplishment to satisfaction.Then the last two months after the retirement.I had started using this time to do what all i
was longing to do.Reading of my favourite authors, responding to every one of the emails that i rceived(notwithstanding the name that i got in the process as Vetti payal),listening to some great music, spending some quality time with my near and dear and visit to the temples which i always had been planning but
always had been postponing for want of time...

Thus the year 2011 which started with anxieties on allmost all fronts had turned out personally for me to be an year of grace, contentment and happiness.And as the dawn visits with the chanting of thiruppavai and thiruvembavai, ushering in the new year 2012 , i feel much more at ease, comfort and peace of mind. And i wish every one the same or better levelo of peace, grace, comfort, happiness and health as the new year 2012 ushersin.

CHEERS ALL THE WAY

sholingur-108 divya desanagal

As a great believer in almighty, i have had some experiences in life which are rather strange and difficult to believe.

However when such things take place in life, the onlything that can explain all these, is the power of almighty.

I do not want this post to be mistaken as a sort of one more preaching by a believer to a non believer. Rather this is simply a record of proceedings and connecting events of the past to the present and admiring the sequence behind the same.

It was exactly 3 years back in 2008,NOV/DEC, that i voluntarily made a vow to visit Shilingur, the twin hill temples , of lord NARASIMHA SWAMY AND LORD ANJANEYA.And that trip was with a purpose.To seek peace as i was going thru multitude of problems and tensions not only in official life but also in personal life. More than me my siblings (one at Raichur and the other at Mumbai) were equally going thru difficult periods.The single prayer was to give content and peace of mind in respective walks of life.And there were other reasons too at that time. I had an official car, and i was younger by three years and the traces of Diabetes had not been detected then.,

i remember having left at 6 am from my reidence, reaching Sholingur at 8pm and covering b0th hills (One with 1300 steps and the other with 600 steps )by about 10.30 am and returning back home by 2pm.My pryaers then went like this"
Hey almighty, fulfill the dreams that my children cherish, if they are according to Dharma, SAVE THEM OF SUFFERINGS as a result of seperation from near and dear, and walk along with thme when they are in distress and help them to overcome the same, and give me content of seeing them contended".

I also remebered having said in heart of hearts as to whether at all i can make another trip to this place my gratitude, once my prayers are fulfilled as i did not know then how long it was going to take to answer my prayers.

And then the events started taking place with perfection and discipline.My siblings got their dreams fulfilled or are in the process of getting them fulfilled and i had peacefully retired waiting on my wings to start my second innings.Definitely things have improved a lot and a sence of contentment is already pervading in every deed and act .

then came this call, as if it was the reminder from almighty itself.One of my friends just called me on Sunday the 4th, to enquire whether i am free to join with him to a trip to Sholingur on 6th as it happened to be a holiday.WITH OUT any second thought i gave my consent.

Five of us in a maruthi alto left at 5.30 am/ Roads were poor due to recent heavy rains and the journey took lamost 3 hrs to reach Sholingur, via Arakkonam and Kaveriapkkam.Thoughtfully my friends have arranged a place thru our contacts there to answer to nature's call,and to have a good cup of steaming coffee.Immediately after that we started climbing .When we went up the hill, the crowds(due to holiday) made us wonder as to whether we will have the energy to stand for 2/3 hrs and complete the dharshan.once again this contact of ours helped us in getting thru and when we stood in sanctum sanctorum i was full of happiness, bliss and contentment as HE had seen me sailing thru the worst period.I offered my humble prayers to the MIGHTY one.We got down and started clibing the hILL to Anjaneya temple an hour and a half alter at about 12 noon.The weather was friendly and comfotable.When we reached
the hill top at about 12.40 , the archagas alowed us to sit in front of Njaneay for a full three minutes. The experince is some thing which can not be described but can only be felt.The stala purana here is that Yoga Narasimha has directed Anjaneya swami to bless all his disciples who climb both hills and who reach him with pure heart and prayers.THough i was rehearsing in my mind while climbing up all the way as to what are all the prayers i should make , when we sat in sanctum sanctorum, my entire mind was filled onlyw ith a heavenly feeling and the prayers have become secondary.

After all HE knew what we should be blessed with and when .
ETHU NADANTHATHO ADHU NANRAGAVE NADANTHATHU
ETHU NADAKKIRATHO ADHUVUM NANDRAGAVE NADAKKIRATHU
ETHU NADAKKA VENDUMO ADHUVUM NANDRAGAVE NADAKKUM.

We had lunch , a homely meal at Sholingur itself, and while returning had time and enegy and the blessings to cover three more abodes of lORD INCLUDING THE 107TH AND 108TH Punya shetras which are available for oneself only after death. But out of HIS pure love for HIS devottes HE had chosen to bless them on earth itself .These two place are known as 'THIRUPPAR KADAL" and "Vaikunta nathar Koil"the former situated in a place called Thiruppar kadal itself (some 3 KMS from Kaveri patnam) while the other is situated in a place called (Iyyampaettai ...Some how Rajini's film Thillu mullu came to memory)seven kilo meters from Kaveripatnam in opposite direction.

By the time we returned homs after having dinner at the Hi way inn it was 10.30 pm and the legs which were carrying allthrough have started pleading for rest and massage.But the body and more importantly the mind was feeling more
contended and energised.

YES..HE KNEW WHEN TO REMIND US TO FULFILL THE PRAYERS AFTER HIS HAVING BLESSED US THRU.

THE SECOND INNINGS HAD A GOOD START INDEED!!

30 days into Retirement

To the few readers of my blog an apology at the outset for the blank post which appeared in this blog on 30/11/2011.
I have started composing series of articles on the title "Itharkuthane asaipattaai Sampath Kumara", inflenced by me favourite author balakumaran,and i had chosen to represent the feelings in a language which is near ande dear Viz Tamil.After tyoing the first episode, in tamil transliteration(Thanks to GOOGLE)I copied and pasted to my blog and thoght that the contents have in fact appeared therein , only to recieve a call from a close friend at Singapore who remarked jovially, that i don't do anyhting after retirement is known to him but the same need not be said in such a great style in blog. Then the friend went on to say that nothing appeared in blog when only i realised that my first chapter on retirement, published on completion of one month of satisfactory!!retirement did not find the light of the day.

Then it struck me, perhaps the all too pwerful almighty had decided to spare my few readers from the agony of going thru my blog posts on retirement and hence the post disappered.

But "Vidhi valiathu"-Destiny is strong " and hence i have come out with a vengence with my post in English.Perhaps this is not too satisfying to me as the pun and the earthly feelings which i thought i brought in my mother tounge is appeared to be missing in this.SOME ONE SAID, during my Personal effectiveness programme thise days that "Drinking Coke thru straw is akin to kissing one's girl friend thru another man's mouth."I am remided of the same when ever i try to express some thing in a language which is alien to me.

Any way to make things short and sweet this to welcome the beginning of the new month as a pensioner after having completed 30 days "pensionship".During this period there were several calls. some of them with true concern as to what i do after the retirement, some of them with a sort of pun as to what i can do now,now that i am retired, some of them enquisitive as to whether i am with holding my pursuits and keeping them a sa secret and some of them offering suggerstions as to what i should do next, and some of them even referinng me to few greener pastures.

I must admit that i look like a child lost in the Exhibition grounds.The child is lost in light and colour and the fun and frolick.It has not even relaised that it is a lost child.It would be the parents of the child who wouldbe running from pillar to post in their anxiety for the safety of the child.

I am exactly in that position. I am enjoying every thing around me while those around me are anxious as to what next.

I can assure that the child in me is safe and secure and dispassionate and innnoscent. And that would mean the child will find its way in its own style.Till then let the new found happiness and peace engulf the child...

(Will be continued)

HYDERABAD-VISIT DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

I had been to HYDERABAD, a place where i started my CA articleship some 39 years ago.
Since then Hyderabad has become a place assocaiated with me for many memorable moments and not surprisingly, this has become a place desired by my son too.The surprising element comes from my wife as Hyderabad is the only place, next to Chennai for which she has developed a special liking.
1972 was the year in which i visited Hyderabad,first,courtesy, my paternal uncle who decided on my behalf that i am going to pursue CA, after my BSc.CA to me then (and i feel even ow to some extent)is greek and latin to me.But i have the knack of getting into such situations with ease and coming out of the same with grace of GOD.Thus CA was successfully completed.
1997, exactly after 25 years i had been to HYDERABAD for another stint,(Courtesy my office , on elevation to AGM cadre)this time following my son, who was already in H'BAD for his MA degree.
Since then almost every year i had been to Hyderabad, offically or personally and each such trip redoubled my liking to Hyderabad.
The recent visit between 11/11 to 14/11 , to attend the marriages of siblings of two close friends is no exception.
In AP i am informed marriages are solemnised at nights.The two marraiages which i attended were scheduled to be solemnised one at 10.38 pm and another at 10.40 pm.I had a great company from CHENNAI in the presence of my best friendJ.
Marriages in nights €if there were no load shedding) is a treat to watch.First there is no sweat.The atmosphere is cool and blessing all ready.The crowds thin down immediately after dinner , which is normally scheduled between 7 and 10 pm.Then it becomes the occasion only for close relatives andd friends.
From cost angle also this appears to be appealing as except for Night dinner, there are normally no other costsinvolved.

Hyderabd, in November is already looking like heaven.The mandapams where the marriages are held are huge and inviting, and with the colourful lights and music made it appear to be a Rain bow , BLESSING THE COUPLE BY NIGHT.

HYDERABAD, still retains it s many credits. Its iddly and vada(the likes of which are yet to be tasted in CHENNAI),the value for money,the way in which streets are daily cleaned in the morning hours, the Birla mandir, the birds eye view which one can have of Hyderabad atop the mandir, the famous Buddha in the middle OF Hussain Sagr, the umpteen number of boats carrying the young lovers whispering sweet nothings and the elder generation blessing them with a knowing smile, the eat street and its splendour,the list is endless.

But quite a few changes have also touched the city. One maong them is the malls replacing theatres,In RTC cross roads which is known for its half a dozen theaters lined across the road, some of them are giving way to malls.If this can be assumed as a change inevitable, the other change is far from satisfactory.Autos refusing to put metres and demanding lumpsum amount and at times exhorbitant too.It is a bad culture of Chennai autos which has possibly invaded Hyderabad.

During the trip i had the occasion to visit Jubilee hills where a friend of my friend J resides.I had travleed by two of the costliest cars, a Skoda Octavia, and a Honda CR-V ownwed by this friend who appears to be very ordinary and humble,The home where he took us is another splendour.A beauty, so to say, with each room having been tastefully decorated and each peice of item adorning the home right from the Fish cum woman statue welcoming at the entrance beneath which golden fishes swim to bring good luck, to the balcony where there is a hanging garden full of green grass with a swing placed right at the centre to add grandeur.I was speech less, The gentleman attributed allt hat to his wife who subsequently proved her worth in her hospitality too,during Lunch in which i was hosted with a full meal curr€iculam of Samabar, Rsam curd, koottu. keerai. porial etc.A made for each other couple blessed in totalityby GOD.

By the time i returned back to RTC cross roads to buy tea leaves (another speciality of Hyderabad..Lasa and Lmasa tea, at the behest of my wife)my thoghts went back down the memory lane when me and my son used to travel across these roads atleast twice a day for break fast or dinner or for going to our respective destinations.I even paid a visit to the house where we stayed initially at Himayat nagar.

The cycle seems almost complete as this visit also marks the beginning of my second innings after my retirement. My first innings of articleship for CA commenced here and i could recall with satisfaction my performance in first
innings(if my son agrees can i equate it to Dravid's ton at Eden GARDENS).i HOPE my second innings will be equally competent and more of contentment.

When i boarded the Charminar (DELAYED START by 45 minutes due to a fire accident ) and settled in my seat i started waving bye bye to the great city and the distant Birla mandir, etched on the bank of river bund, right from the time the train entered the Necklace road, till it left Hussain sagar, with fond hope and knowledge that the next visit which is hardly 3 months away will be the most memorable one when my son accomplishes his dream.

Till then cheers all the way .and love to twin cities...

11.11.11

A lot has been said about the combination of 11.11.11.It is reported to be happening after quite an interval and such an event will again happen after few more years,But the attraction and the force of the numbers continue to be a mystery.
11 is in naother way imporatnt o me as it represents my birth date.
11/11 is also equally attractive to me in a special sence as it was the date on which we did the grahapravesam of our house some 27 years back on 11/11/1984.

Yes, the house built of brick and sand is now a sweet home after 27years of its existence, having been a silent witness to all good and bad things that we have experienced , and i must say most of them are memorable events.

When the home is celebrating its 28t birth day, i am moving on to another place of my liking, Hyderabad.

I am going on 3day trip along with my friend J for attending two marriages there and my next post will be on my trip to Hyderabad.

Meanwhile wishing my beautiful home all the best in the years to come.

THE 'PAIR ' FORMULA CONTINUES

A few days back my son has posted in his blog about the manner in which certain events are occuring in pairs.
As if a sequel to that i have seen a couple of things happening in pairs for me too,
First things first:
A send off from top executive cadre followed by a send off from department -a first pair to recollect in the week following retirement,
A pair of sillver articles presented as token of love and affection by near and dear,
A pair of emails from a distant friend after a lull lasting a month,
A pair of cars proceeding to THirumala to have dharshan and return in ecstacy
And last but not the least a pair of movies,yesterday and today to complete the cycle.

And the movies are EZHAVATHU ARIVU(SURYA) and Vellyudham(VIJAY).
The first one in a theatre near to our locality, right in the midst of the thunder storm ,decided at the spur of the moment at the desire of my wife,
The second at a theatre, away from the city, right in the sun shine, decided by my daughter and son in law, with tickets courtesy by my son, with on line booking, sitting at HK.

SURYA has lived the role.SHRUTHI HASAN, depite being the first appearance in Tamil cinema has handled the role with dignity.KAMAL CAN HAVE A SIGH OF RELIEF.The movie talks about the past glory and greatness of tamil nadu and also traces the history of Bodhi varman, who is regarded as God by CHINESE even today.Some history, some fantasy, some science , combine to gether give an impressionable movie.The problem with period movies is that it is akin to walking on a tight rope.You have to convey the audience, the connection with the past and present .While Surya represents the past and the present, Shruthi (Subha srinivasan is th name in the movie)acts as a bridge to narrate how the yester year Surya(to be precise 6th Century Surya ) has got incarnated in the 21st century Surya thru the molecula science.Bio Chemisrty students would get fresh dose of energy thru this movie.A single line story is that the Chinese who learnt every thing from Bodhi varman, made it a point to remove every trace of its knowledge from India and then attempt to make India to be its slave by waging a biological war against India, The cure for the bIOLOGICAL WAR lies with Bodhi varman's books(held in museum in India) AND ONLY A PERSON WHO CARRY THE IDENTICAL GENES structure like Bodhi varamn can save the country.The villain, from Hongkong/Singapore with his style of walk and fights is atreat to watch.How Shruthi hasan makes Surya to relaise his hidden otential to eliminate the villain forms therest of the story.
The best part i liked is the glow in the eyes of Surya when he alternates between the 21st century man to 6th century Bodhi varman and the powerful arguments put forth by Shruthi hasan to drive home the point that India and in fact TAMILS had a civilisation(not for the vote bank as described by today's politicians)that was far more advanced and civilised than the present century inhabitants.On the whole an enjoyable movie with some good music by HARRIS jEYARAJ, especially the tunes coinciding with Buddist monk temple tones,

Velyaudham also appears to be built on a similar concept. I do not know who said it,perhaps MAPPASAN, that all stories in the world can be considered as derivatives of seven basic elements of relationship.If that be true, i am not surprised that VELAYUDHAM is also a story where a girl finds the energy and potential in a man by accident rather than by design (this is where the movie differs from Ezhaam Arivu.Vija antony has tuned in quite a few block buster songs.Santhanm's comedy adds to the credibiklity of the movie and the fact that Vijay himself has been portrayed mostly on the comic tone(except for the last few moments of toucing death of his sister for noble cause_Kudos to the sister for an wonderful performance )makes the audience to enjoy it to the hilt despite some gory scenes of crime in between,This is another story of vendetta wherein (once again by accident than by design , except for the last part when the hero has to avenge the death of his beloved sister)the local minister who commits atrocities by joininh hands with pakistan/afghan militants to bring disgrace to India is eliminated by the hero.AS usual stunts, dances and music are good and at the same time some of them are as usual unbelievable.Any way the theatre,(which we (self and wife)are visiting for the first time )its ambience and the food court all gave an whole some experience and we as usual missed our Son who would have been a great company on such outings.And oflate the experince of such visits , rather than the good or bad cinema, steals the show.India is definitely becoming second to none in most of its entertainment pursuits.

The tale of pairs thus camje to an interesting end, with the week end and may be more in store in days to come.

THE D-DAY

I do not know how to name it ..i mean the day of retirement.Whther it is proper to coin it as D day? My son will offer his comments for sure on that !!
Any way that is the topic for this post.Viz -31/10/2011, day of my retirement:)

About 150 mails each in my Office email id and in my personal email id, to the extent of the server warning me on quota being exceeded had come in my inbox. The messages contained, emotions of various degrees, respects, regards, love, affection, friendship ,suggestions, anxities and tears too.

The OFFICE phone including hot lines did over time with well wishers calling from far off places like Seoul, Singapore, and Hongkong, while the residential phone took the load since early morning with one of my well wishers and a former GM calling exactly at 6 am with good wishes for my retired life.I lost count of the calls , but i registered in my mind that there are not one, but many well wishers all over the globe , and the satisfaction derived is immense.The day ended with the last call from another former GM from Ernakulam and the beauty is that the first caller and the last caller were those who were responsible for my induction into my personal effectiveness programmes at STAFF COLLEGE, cHENNAI which enabled me to have new insights into my own self.

There was a fare well party at pent house and i was really surprised at the compliments showered on me right from CMD to EDs to GMs.It is certainly a routine to speak good words about retirees on this day and hence the retiree should discount atleast some of these if not all.But when speaker after speaker traces the contributions made by an individual for a decade to the organisation and when one is able to really sence that those words are coming from heart and not from lips, yes, you are moved beyond description.

CMD was straight forward to invite to be in touch and even told GM personnel about the areas that may require my services in future too Viz Faculty, credit audit, specail assignments etc to mention afew.I am not sure at this moment as to whether any of these will fructify or will be evaporating into thin air. But then there was a special feel about the whole thing and when i was asked to speak on the occasion i made it clear that i am a free bird and will be available if the institution require my services at any time as my present existence, status and the friend circle are all gifts of this great institution/

There are quite a few General Managers present, with whom i have been directly associated with ,during my service at Kolkatta, Staff college Chennai,overseas branch at Hongkong and in central office.All of them have been extremely kind to me and tolerated me despite my strightforwardness!! and i made it a point to acknowledge the same.I also drew reference to the select audience present who in their own individual styles are capable of producing a very strong bank provided there is a clear and concise direction from top.

What followed was an internal send off at the Deaprtment level and here despite my conscious efforts not to become emotional, the speech from some of my collegues alamost made me emotional,but i certainly did not loose control.There were collegues who described me as a role model, those who considered me as one among them, those calling me a Guru, those who wondered as to what is in store for them the next day in my absence,those(Including the GM OF THE DEPARTMENT) who considered me as harsh and rough(at times ) but all of them were ready to agree that THEY UNDERSTOOD THE REASONS BEHIND the same.That is enough for me.When it became my turn i informed that if i had been harsh i am not going ask for any excuse for the same .Rather i was consciusly harsh with some at some times to drive home certain points, which otherwise would have been brushed aside. With some i was harsh to bring a change in them for the better in their own interests and in the broader interest of the department/institution.

Conceding that all most every one in the department have been brought in to the department ,with my efforts in one way or other,it became an additional responsibility for me to ensure that they rise to the levelof expectations.At the end of it all it was an whole some feeling , having done proud to my earlier colegues who gave the reins to me a decade back.

The fact that one of the auditor friends made it a point to keep company to me at lunch,and another auditor friend made it a point to vist my home and wish me and my wife better days ahead are facts which will certianly do a lot of good.My former collegue Reddy made it a point to take half a day leave to be present along with me till i reached home and no words can describe the comfort level that such acts created for me. Score of office friends, despite my suggesting atht they need not strain themselves made it a point to accompany me up to the residence and spend atleast an hour or so with me.THE FEELING OF BEING WANTED, BEING CARED FOR came out of all thse acts and no words would be enough to thank all thse friends and collegues.

Instead of thanking them i will pray the almighty to bestow them with ease of work with out tension(which i have been going thru for the past decade, a possible reason for my diabetic too)great mental and physical health, prosperity in their walks of life and recognition/promotion when they are due.

A fitting end to a long innings of 32 yers and seven months with this institution.

Retirement and after math

I will soon be superannuating on 31/10/2011 as i have crossed 60 years of age,the precribed limit for service in public sector banks.

In the process i had put in 32 years and seven months service with my bank of which almost 10 years of service was put in the present department Viz, Balance sheet and management department (formerly known as Accounts department) while the rest of the career spanned over various places, Viz as a member of faculty in staff college for almost seven years and a stint in overseas lasting almost 5 years .Thus almost 22 years of service had been accounted in these 3 places while DElhi, Chennai and Kolkatta accounted for the balance period of my service.

People have started asking me various questions at this stage . I will list them herein and try to provide answers as honestly as i could, as there are few questions for which i my self is in search of an answer.

Qn 1.Which is the best period of your service, which is the most challenging one and which is the most satisfying one?

The answers respectively are the service put in at overseas, the service in my present department and the service in staff college respectively.

Qn 2. What is it you gained and what is it that you lost in your career?

I gained the good will of thousands of customers and collegues and the relationship developed with them all thru these years is the biggest reward that one can get.What i lost is more of material in nature, as persons with similar standing in the industry and with same type of experience had moved up to even posts of ED/CMD, while i had to be contended with that of an elevation to the Deputy General Manager cadre.

Qn 3. If you were asked to mention the single lesson that you learnt over 32 years , what is it?

No one is perfect and no body can calim to be perfect as the knowldge what we possess in comparison to what is supposed to be possessed is insignificant."KATRATHU KAI MAN ALAVU, KALLATHATHU ULAGALAVU"

Qn 4. Whom would you like to thank for this successful innings of yours?

There are many.I would like to thank first and foremost, the most important person vIZ my wife who tolerated me for my late comings, indifferent timings and the change in moods arising out of office atmosphere all of which were directed only aginst her.And ofcourse my children, my son and daughter who for their age
showed such a maturity and understanding and never encroached on my time or resources which were always wanting.

Next comes my team of members at my present department who instantly struck a chord of affection and understanding with me with the result it became a team work and a team as you know is capable of producing wonders to the surpise of many around.

Next in line is my superiors all of whom had absolute confidence in me with the result i could not only assume responsibility but also freedom which should necessarily go along with responsibility, to produce the desired results.

5. How do i feel at this moment with hardly 2 days to go for super annuation?

I frankly do not feel any thing. may be i was rehearsing for this day for quite some time that i have balnced within with no emotional outbirsts.

6.What are the future plans...

This is the question for which i do not have an answer at this moment.Not that i do not have any offers.Quite a few of them from known and unknown quarters have poured in . But i am hesitant as i really do not know what i am looking for.

Certainly i am not looking any more for a bonded labour.Nor am i expecting me to become overnight a consultant with money pouring in day in and day out.A place where there will be respect for my age and experience, a place where there will be transparency and understanding, a place where i will be treated as an equal is what i am looking for, Perhaps it may take some time . But i believe that the waiting time is worth it.Till some thing crystallyse i will go back to my most favourite pass times, Viz pilgrimage and books.

People normally pay encomiums, whether one deserves it or not at the time of retirement. I am sure i will also be flooded with such praise.MAY BE I DESERVE SOME OF THEM MAY BE I DO NOT DESERVE ANY OF THEM.

But the statements made by two of my collegues , quoted below, gave me a sence of satisfaction to the effect that after all, my 32 years of service had not gone astray.
Quote

Sir,
I have not worked with you but i have been observing you from a distance, all the same.I have found in you a personality , who is not biased , who do not hesistate to point out the follies, but still command respect and admiration and above all the affectiopn of all around.
Unquote.

Quote
Sir,
I just can not think of the department with out you. I have been working with you for the past 10 years and i have found in you a figure to whom i can confide, challenge, seek guidance, admit mistakes committed and also expect that you will do every thing possible to protect our interests at the time when it is most needed in front of persons who are to decide our future career"
Un quote

I AM OVERWHELMED WITH THE LOVE AND AFFECTION SHOWN BY THE PEOPLE, one who had never worked with me and the other who always had worked with me.I shall continue to pray for the welfare of all those who worked with me like bulls, putting behind all their self interests for a common cause, the upliftment of the institution and i also pray for the growth of the institution as the career graph of all are twined with the same.

I sign off....

HAPPY DEEPAVALI

Deepavali is considered to be the festival of lights.It is supposed to signify the success of good over evil and the removal of ignorance with rays of knowledge.

By this time any reader of my blog would have been aware atht the purpose of my blog is to enjoy the 'iGNORANCE" perse, as i have often experienced that every knowledge aquired disturb you atleast for some time before you get to acclimatise to it.

Hence what ever the reason Deepavali is celebrated is secondry, ut the fact that the celebration bring in new joys and energies within one can not be overlooked. Perhaps that is the message of Deepavali. Revel in colours, new things (be it clothes, eatables , or belongings ).And more importantly remember the not so blesed ones so that you can extend a helping hand to one in need.

I precisely did that fore the past 3 days. IDENTIFY ANY ONE WHO CAME IN CONTACT WITH ME IN SOME CAPACITY, be it sweepers, cleaners, drivers, mess boys,tea server, post man or messengers. I carried a bundle of fresh notes and went on a giving spree till the same was exhausted.And the satisfaction that you derive is immense.It is perhaps the capacity of the "haves" to take care of the "have nots " is the essence of such festivals,Even Ramzan talks of the same tone and so also the festivals of Christians when any one who come to Church will be teated with food.

Today, except for raising from bed at will (unlike the earlier years when i used to get up at 3 AM along with my wife, to get ready by 4 am to wear new clothes and to burst crackers, based on a perception that Naragasura was killed by Lord Krishna in the vee hours of the day and hence the right time will be between 3am-4am to have an oil bath and to waer new clothes)all other routine remained unchanged.

The fact thAt neither my son nor my daughter were present added to the quietness. Ofcourse my son whether present or not may not be an active participant in the proceedings as right from child hood he is one who believed that we should not go for bursting crackers for two convincing reasons, One to avoid the child labour in Sivakasi and the other to reduce the air pollution.On the contrary my daughter belongs to other end of spectrum who revels with every thing that is new and novel, But then she has to be with her in laws for thalai deepavali and hence away.

That all works connected with half yearly closing were also meticulaously planned and brought to some finality yesterday itself meant that there is no work at office too. And perhaps by the time this post is coming on, the approval of the notes form top executives also would have been obtained.

Thus it was a smooth flow of tide and time.And my joy (in the absence of my son and daughter) emanated from another reason, the climate.What started as drops yesterday evening became heavier with strong chill winds and copious rains.There were intermittent periods when the sun really shone bright enabled me to perfrom the amavasya rites to the departed elders to my full satisfaction.

A good food (added flavour to by my wife's affection as i was the sole recipient in the absence of her beloved children), some nice movies in various channels, a climate of my choice, making the day look like a night with steady stream of rains(our porticio is already filled with water and a few more hours of rains may make it further worse), absence of power cuts, the small talks had with children in the morning which assured that every thing is fine , the greetings and the telephone calls recieved on the eve of deepavali(some expected while some others least anticipated) have all made this deepavali, an enjoyable one...But not a memorable one. . My wife may chide me for my love of rains.But with out rains there will be no life as especially Chennai and superbs are lready drained off all water in lakes and rivers and hence rains are a must for survival, despite the inconveniences that it cause to many..

It will become memorable when we are to gther talking and sharing on all things in the world with spontaneity and transparency.And we means, self, wife, son and daughter.!!Perhaps another year or two..waiting will,have to be there but when that union take place on the eve of deepavali, it will be an unforgettrable and memorable of all !

But there can always be wishes to others to bless tehm with a memorable deepavali.
HERE IS A GREETING FROM THE DEPTH OF HEARTS TO ALL..HAPPY AND MEMORABLE DEEPAVALI>

61st Birth day. A directory of events

Some days are worth rememebering for life time while some are not.
The sixty first birth day(as per birth star )which fell today belonged to the former category.

It started well . I consider the day as having started well if i need not have to remind my driver to be present atleast 2-3 times before he actually whispers a feeble "yes" !!.Today he presented himself even when i was contemplating to give him a call .That is indeed a healthy start to a day ..is it not!

The next best thing to happen was my wife becoming ready at the scheduled time before i started loosing my patience in waiting for her!! You may be wondering as to what happened to this guy to loose his patience on such silly grounds when he had put up with her for the last 31 years.Better you ask my son who is known for his punctuality and the inner urge to be a role model in so far as keeping the schedule/dead lines are concerned.

All is well which ends well they say. It is also often quoted that a task well begun is half done.To day happened to prove both points .

Having got up early at 6 am (ON sundays i am particular in following Ravana;s younger brother Kumbakarna in line and spirit)and hence getting up at 6am itself is an occasion to be rewarded. I was rewarded with some very good tiffin (all tiffin items turn out to be excellent or atleast good if you are breaking your fast, after a Purattasi SAturday day long fasting>>hehe no offence meant.The tiffin was really good and consisted of "paramabaria" items , like IDDLY, VADA, PONGAL accompanied by Milagai podi, Chutney and steaming sambar.It is not a sort of Jugal pandhi as is being witnessed nowadays in marriage functions when they keep u serving dozen tiffin items that your appetite is vanquished the moment you see those items!.

And the venue happens to be near Medavakkam where we went to attend the marriage of one of my son's frind's marriage as per his wish..Since she happens to be daughter of one of my bank collegues it is a pleasant surprise for her father to meet me there (with out invitation from his side>>hehe . To make things short and sweet after one of the sumptuous break fast followed by some good coffee, we went to the bride to introduce ourselves as 'SRINI'S parents and the whole kalayana manadapam brightened multi fold by the 1000 watt gleam that flowed from her eyes on recognition of the word Srini.It told volumes of what a good friendship is which can transcend miles and genders.

We then moved to the next important fete of the day,To be present in time at the temple at NANGANALLAUR for kalayana urchavam of Lord RAMA with SEETHA which we have arranged for, to coincide with my shastiapthapoorthy.What better way is there to celebrate it than to celebrate it along with the wedding of God and Godess themselves.The relatives present were far and few as in fact no body has been SPECIFICALLY invited. And as such there were no friends too , for inviting one and missing out on the other will be the last mistake that i would like to commit on this day.

But the small number of those present were full of love and affection making good for the absence of others too.It started with a greeting from my sister's family
in chaste TAmil over cell phone from Bhopal.It was preceded earlier with a phone call and a greeting from my manni/uncle's daughter from USA and another one from my maternal cousin at California.They just proved that distance need not be a limiting factor in conveying one's love and affection. And as it always happens my son's blog
indicated the strong bond of realtionship that we mutually carry and our admiration for each other , SPECIAL THANKS TO ALMIGHTY for such an wonderful and understanding father-son relationship and further prayers to keep it going for ever.

And at the temple the moment we entered my cousin who is in his eighties ( due for celebrating his own sadahbishegam next June )greeted us with a welcome smile and took over from that point of time in guiding us thru the rest of the events to follow.And what followed was a treat to watch and cherish for life time to come. The perfection with which the priests carried out the Kalyana Urchavam, the manner in which the holy mantras were recited, the little pains taken here and then to tell the Bhaktas as to the meaning of the same, and then the whole lot of little things which makes the Hindu Brhmin marriage an eventful experience..such as Oonjal,Malai matral, Pidi sutral, thengai uruttal, and Mangalya tharana.And slowly during the proceedings all my relatives Viz my eldest sister , my sisterin law, my elder sister and her husband,my eldest brother's wife and her son have all assemebled.To make up for the absence of my son who is in Hongkong, my daughter arrived in time with her husband to give me the most needed mental strength.Then the archana to the Seetha Rama commenced as a prelude to MANGALYADARANAM..Along with archana to deiety the undersigned was guided to perfrom the flowery tribute to the Mangalyam which my wife carried from home.It is a practice and custom to have one more mangalyam along with the existing one , during Shastiapthapoorthy. And to the accompaniment of NAYANAM, THAVIL and in COMPANY TO GOD/GODDESS i peformed managalya tharanam to my wife, second time in 31 years.AS my cobrother's daughter was to remark in a lightersence later , the same man, the same woman getting married for the second time in 31 years..and what a diffrence it made to the earlier marriage.No egos, No quarrels, no tensions, no misunderstanding but a thickening bond of love, affection and an effort to be the first to say sorry, i love you etc. The present generation will be able to appreciate the essence of these when they travel down the lane.Life is beautiful indeed!!

WAHT FOLLOWED WAS A good lunch at the sanctum sanctorum, consisiting of Brinjal, ladies finger paruppu sambar, Ladiesfinger more kuzhambu, Brijal poriyal, BANGALORE kathrikkai KOOTTU, pARUPPU VADAI, Rasam (which surprisingly looked like Kuzhambu, tastewise as also appearance wise)Payasam (Reminding me of my son, father, and may father in law who all would have enjoyed it more)and buttermilk.About 300 persons including KALYANA GHOSTI and other devottes would have taken the food.It was a rewarding experience in all.

there were gifts , normal for such occasions..Dhothi and saree with shirts and Jacket bits. Earlier in the day my wife and my sister cum motherin law presented me with a locket (of Lord Srinivasa, a cute one at that to be worn with my chain which i am wearing for the last two decades)and later when the proceedings are to come to an end,my daughter and son in law surprised us with a gift (which they picked up after spending the entire evening in search of one the previous day by getting in and out of half a dozen shops in T,NAGAR, Ranganathan Street and Usman Road..HATS OFF TO THEIR PATIENCE AND TEANCITY ).It was a beautiful peace of Lord Srinivasa made of stones , embedded in a box with mirrors on all sides which comes to sparlkle amidst lights of different colours, Green Red and wHITE at the touch of a button(Blue is missing ofcourse ..not an intent dear) accompanied by dozen tunes of slogas including half a dozen on Lord Venkateswara.

My son in law is known for his eye for beauty and perfection . His choice of my daughter as his life companion and the way in which he celebrated her last birth day on 3rd October would prove that point beyond doubt.(he took 2 hours to decorate one of the bed rooms with flowers, baloons, little dolls and what not , sweating from head to toes to make it a pleasant surpise to my daughter when she is invited into the room to cut her birthday cake..Me and my son, possibly could not even dream of venturing anywhere near such grand preparation..FRIEND SON, I AM INCLUDING YOU or would you be different when u pick up yr right candidate!!

And when he is accompanied by my loving daughter the gift they choose, becomes remarkable and an unforgettable one indeed.

My co brother in his inimitable style came earlier on dot at the time of mangalyadharanam , to present me with a cash cover and drifted apart immediately.His way of saying and showing his love and affection to us.then followed a long distance call from my nephew and his wife in Dubai and another long distance call from my sister and borother in law at Bhopal.It was a lengthy conversation which enabled us to understand each other;s feelings .At the end of it all the realisation that we always carry all the good wishes and blessings of elders and youngsters alike makes it an whole some experience.

I would have been glad to have it celebrated in the presence of all my cousin brothers and sisters who when they come to know of the event, rightly are going to pick up a wordy duel with me.In particular i would have loved to have my cousin from Chrompet.Similarly all my friends and collegues, had they known about the function would have come in large numbers to greet.It was not to be for reasons steted in my earlier post. I crave for their undertanding and am sure they will understand and appreciate.

As i conclude i am reminded of the tele tlak that i had with my siter in Bhopal, when i tild her that i am having an inner feeling that some thing more precious and something more of a grand function awaits us all to meet and celebrate and that it may happen sooner than later.I said it with out effort as if i was possessed.And now my inner conscience says that there is going to be another ocasion of grandeur and splendour, when it will be the time for all of us to meet and rejoice and make good for all the moments so far allowed to by pass.

For every grand thing thre must be a Thrusti pariharam. The pwer cuts which were far and few had already visited thrice in the span of last 40 minutes which it took me to create this post. Oh, that is nice.Now the thrusti is gone, poye pocchu, chalegachi.

Loving wishes to one and all

60

HI ALL
As i enter my 61st birth day as per birth star today ((8/10/11)(Yes Sadhaya NATCHATRAM has begun in late after noon on date and will last till 12.54 AM tomorrow(9/10/2011)i am reminded of the best gift that i got from my son , last year when i entered my 60 th year.it was a blog post, spontaneous and splendid , for its sequence of events and the description of details of my journey over the 59 years to 0ct ,11,2010.While i can not takecredit for many superlatives that have been used in the said blog, in reference to me (which could be understood by any reader as expression of love of a darling son to his beloved father) i would stioll commend the post as one of the most honest attempts to describe how a son has portrayed his father..ACTIONS, MOODS AND feelings.
I am reproducing the post by my son which apperared in his blog on oCt 11, last year for the benfit of readers of my blog, as possibly the post details even the details which i have forgotten my self.(at the end of this post)
And my birth date as per English Calendar falls on 11th of this month. As it normally happens in our customs, there had been enquiries all over time and again as to why i am not going for celebration of 'Shastiapthapoorthy".
There existed two reasons for the same earlier.
1) I really do not think that it calls for a celebration of sorts.2)And a celebration looses its meaning when your near and dear son is not around.
My daughter might pick up a quarrel with me as to why i should not celebrate when she is around.And the answer is that she is now queen of another house hold and as such her priorities , even if i wish, should not be allowed to change because of me.
The strongest possible reason , as it emerges now is that i have lost one of my very close and dear friend Venkatraman, (a batch mate of mine who retired in APRIL 2011) to the killer decease cancer, on the day of Saraswathi pooja.And few of my friends from the opposite gender are not around whose presence would have made a definite impact on the whole proceedings. In fact the series of mishaps which I encountered earlier(loss of my brother in the beginning of 2010 and that of my maternal son in late October 2010, and that of my nephew in June 2011) have completely wiped out the charm of such celebrations .
And hence the decision not to celebrate it on a big scale and instead confine it to a Kalyana Urchavam at Nanganallur Anjaneyar temple. And Lord Anjaneya happens to be my “ishta deivam.”A deity which stands for confidence, humbleness and self awareness. It will be a small gathering of my /my wife’s sisters and their families (except the one form Bhopal), my eldest cousin brother and his family and my dear daughter and her husband. I wanted to make it clear thru this column that by not inviting the rest, no offence is meant to anyone. Perhaps this time we were not destined to meet and rejoice for reasons stated above, but sooner than later there will be occasions to meet, when I am confident that we can make good the lost times.
I am sure my friends and well wishers who happen to read this blog will be able to appreciate the sentiments expressed herein and am sure that i can count on their wishes/blessings depending upon which side of the age group they belong to as i count the number of days to my superannuation.
As my son's post would depict it had been a long journey. Not a journey of bed of roses, but one full of challenges. The fact that my forefathers and teachers have taught me how to handle life when it becomes toughest and the guidance which I have always received from the Supreme Power above whenever it was most needed had kept me going all along and am sure that these will stand by me till the end.
And to fill in the gaps , i.e between the time when I turned 59 and sixty,here are the tidbits.
a) I finalized my last full year balance sheet for my bank as on 31/3/2011 and is already busy with the finalization of half yearly results.(My last responsibility to my beloved bank)for 30/9/2011.
b) I discharged one of my life’s most important responsibilities ..Getting my daughter married to the person whom she liked.There are moments which called for greater understanding, appreciation of each other;s perspective,anxiety and tension but always under control thanks to those around including my friend son, few relatives from wife's side and some of my office colleagues who helped in their own inimitable style to take it forward proving the proverb that ll is well that ends well.My sincere thanks to each one thru this blog.
c) I saw one of my dreams of my son going abroad coming true..The starting point for the long innings that he is destined to play as a research scholar abroad to win laurels..
d) I have seen that time and again life keeps its surprises in store for you, some of them pleasant and some of them spelling disaster and thereby making one understand that is the essence of life..Its unpredictability.
e) I have few questions to ponder..Most important being what next?
f) I am sure that as it always happened time will tell me the answer and in the words of one of my best friends TRC , “THE answer is already there but it is waiting for an opportune time to be made known to me”
I sign off with gratitude to one and all and with prayers to almighty as I enter my sixty first year recalling the following from Bhagwat Geetha.WHAT HAPPENED HAS HAPPENED WELL
WHAT IS HAPPENING IS HAPPENING WELL
AND WHAT IS TO HAPPEN WILL HAPPEN WELL TOO.
May the almighty enable me to enlighten my life as hither to.
*********************************************,
Reproduced is the text from my son’s blog ‘Myriad Joiurneys”
Monday, October 11, 2010Sampath at 59 # Timeline (for my father as he enters his 60th year):
Prefatory Note: They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Not that I have ever believed in it but I thought it was better to come up with a "reliving" kind of post for appa's birthday similar to the ones appa had written for me last month and after sister's birthday earlier this month. This act of imitation, however, is no flattery. They are a proud son's third person account of a great father's life!
1950s:
11 October 1951: A male child is born to Mr. Kodasvasal Srinivasa Raghavacharry (a name that has been the subject of much legacy and humour) Mrs. Vedavalli Srinivasa Raghavacharry. He is the last child in the family (but would by no stretch of imagination turn out to be the least); is more than a decade younger than the other son in the family; and 47 years younger than his dad. He is named Sampath Kumar.
After some joyful years of schooling in Vizhuppuram, commuting often by the nostalgic Austin car from the family’s village Asokapuri, with the company of green fields, Prathap uncle and chithappas and perippas making it an enviable experience (especially for a 1980’s lad like me!) he travels North to Madras to live with his eldest sister and brother-in-law. Two of his sisters are also there. But for a boy so young, moving away from his parents and the delectable languidness of village life is probably painful and gives him the first inklings of the fact that not everything in life comes out of freewill and choice.
[Aside: The pictures that appa paints about life in those two-roomed little “portions” in the T. Nagar of the 1950’s and 1960’s are amongst the most authentic accounts of personal history I have heard about Madras as it was immediately after independence.]
The 1960s
At the onset of the decade, he sees his eldest sister, under whose guardianship he is, give birth to their second daughter, Subhashini, who would become his wife two decades later almost to the date (more on that later). But the period is mainly characterised by a young boy’s will to tide over the inconveniences of dingy personal space and having to share it with too many people, the sometimes temperamental and oftentimes ‘jolly good throaty’ nature of his brother in law, the emotional battles triggered by being away from folks and rustic surroundings, and yet do something in life.
Family lore – particularly through the mouth of my maternal grandfather (who is also the aforementioned brother-in-law, a gregarious and generous man for all his mood swings) – has it that in studies the boy found both his calling as well as distraction. Sampath’s determination to take charge of his life was evidenced nowhere better than his readings under the streetlight after the entire house settles into rest and darkness.
[Aside: And when I think of some of the facilities, not to mention all the emotional support, love and the tag of being THE boy, I have had in my life, I wonder if I have achieved anything at all. That is not to compare myself with dad but to put his own efforts into proper context].
Later in the decade, the late hours with books bear fruit as he tops Ramakrishna High School (all branches) in English and Tamil (first signs of his linguistic excellence!) and the North Branch, if I am right, in Mathematics with his SSLC scores. He is grateful that he has had the best teachers (a fortunate that his son continues to share years later!) But there is no triumphalism for there seems to be no compelling reason to justify it. If anything, the high school topping experience proves two things: he can come out on top even under non-optimal conditions and can turn things passed onto him by force to transform himself – a leitmotif that pretty much tells the story of his life.
No sooner does he join Vivekananda College for a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics and pay the fees than he gets the money refunded through the government merit scholarship. For a boy from a decent but not overly strong financial background – who to keeps one part of the ten paisa pocket money he is given so that he can buy some groundnuts and walk back home rather than take a bus – the scholarship is a huge encouragement if not a shot in the arm.
The 1970s
He excels in among other subjects Astronomy and Calculus. But for a slip in the final semester, he would in fact have crossed the (what in those days was a magical) 90% bar. As things stand, he received a B.Sc., in Mathematics with a distinction (one of life’s little anticipatory ironies, I suppose, as his son would turn out to be a dud in that subject although born in the same month as Albert Einstein!!!) His literary taste gets kindled and he grows into quite a fierce debater as well (although amma would say he took the need for fierceness in debating a little too literally).
He feels that teaching is his calling and wants to do a post-grad in Mathematics en route to becoming a college lecturer. Once again life shows him an unanticipated path at the crossroads, the direction – rather the instruction – this time coming from his chithappa (uncle), an affluent bank manager and arguably the most influential of the five brothers in the family, who asks him to do CA. Sampath lands in Hyderabad – a place where his son would commence his journey towards becoming an academic several years later – at the place of a “romba dhoorathu sondham” (lit. very distant relative) probably knowing only that CA stood for Chartered Accountancy. (Little would he have known then that this design was yet again going to take him places). After a brief stint at his relative’s, he shifts to a small room near LB stadium. Studies, occasional movies, like-minded friends, Birla Mandhir (or the place where it stands now) and (the now old) MLA canteen become part of his life’s already rich tapestry. He shows a remarkable ability to adapt – and adapt quickly – to new places, something that would fast become a feature of his life although emotional quandaries lead him back to Madras overnight after two years.
Madras finds him doing his article-ship at R. G & Price and Co, a stint that entails much travel and one that would augment his unique appreciation of every place, its people, culture, food habits etc. On the academic side, after falling short in one subject despite achieving the overall aggregate – Managerial Economics I think – in the first attempt, he proves his credentials (and in equal measure his life’s inherent sense of humour) in the second attempt by scoring his highest marks in the subject he failed last time which is sufficient to get him an All-India Rank (below 30 if my maudlin memory serves me right).
[Aside: Now you know where my pronounced feeling of personal mortality comes from!!! Wink wink!]
In his late twenties, being the first Chartered Accountant in all of the extended family – and it probably feels like the world itself (but he is a man whose feet judiciously prefer to stand on solid ground rather than flirt with thin and flattering air) – may slightly tempt him to set up his own private practice. But bearing in mind his own nature, his family’s position, his penchant for steadiness over adventure and a number of other things – typical of his remarkable ability to summarise future trends in no time – he decides to get employed. HMT International (Bangalore) and Allahabad (Calcutta) wind up what is an eventful decade – one that has taken him from being a good student to a promising professional in his field.
The 1980s
Two irrevocable things happen during the first year of the decade: he gets appointed by the Indian Overseas Bank at Madras (and gets posted BACK to Calcutta in another of life’s teasing gestures!) and gets married to his eldest sister’s first daughter on May 12, 1980. The first three years and a part of the fourth get spent in Calcutta. Personal life is difficult with mom undergoing two miscarriages – one almost fatal – but his literary life reaches an unprecedented high. The Tamil Cultural Association in Calcutta becomes as much a part of his life as Accountancy and earns him among other things an award from the hands of Kaviarasu Kannadhaasan for his commentary on the novel Marapasu (by Thi. Janakiraman).
On November 11, 1984 amidst unprecedented floods the boy from Asokapuri – who would learn some years later that he had been shortchanged with regard to his property rights in the village – inaugurates a new home as a man of 33. Four months later almost to the date, after several months of penance (sometimes I wonder if my parents would have been better off without it because it yielded me! What a pity;)), they have a son who is named Raghavendra by the maternal side, Prasanna by the paternal side and Srinivas officially after the rich Lord of the Seven Hills and his (I mean MINE, not Lord Srinivasa’s) paternal grandfather.
[Aside: Now that I have done enough to make ‘my own birth’ seem like a historic and histrionic occurrence, let me get back to dad’s life! :D]
On October 3, 1986 a little angel – with eyes which used to be everyone’s envy apparently even when she was a child – is born. It is mainly his choice to have a female child and theory has it that his son - all of one year and a half and some crankily incomprehensible syllables (yup! I have not changed you see;)) – suggested the name with which she is called at home “Abhilasha”! (Indeed, she is the convergence of all our wishes).
Further, his latent aspirations to be a teacher get fulfilled when he is transferred as a faculty to the Staff College (earlier situated in Mount Road, now in Koyambedu) where he gets accolades galore for his behavioural science classes even though he has had no prior expertise on the subject. The Staff College experience also brings him in touch with a number of brilliant minds. Mr. S. Ganesan (now retired G.M), the Principal at the College, is particularly an inspiration and turns out to be his mentor in many important matters years later.
Just as night follows day, so a young family’s first strides in a new world are interrupted by an occurrence that leaves everyone hurt and a dignified man in Sampath humiliated.
The 1990’s
The decade starts with what is in his son’s mind one of the most enduring memories of his father – seeing him cry his heart out for the death of his father almost as if his heart depended on it.
[Aside: The jolting death of my grandfather who suffered just for one night with a passing sickness probably taught my father about the extemporaneous nature of all our lives and the need to be stoical in triumph and disaster. To this day, I hear the echoes of dad’s crying and tears on that August morning – I was five and to be honest a little scared!]
Recovering from the depression after his father’s death and the stinging humiliations of the last part of the previous decade, he picks up the pieces of his life with newfound equanimity (and a son who irritatingly or endearingly never leaves his side when he is on unofficial grounds). During the middle of the decade, he spearheads a professional protest against the bank’s delay in promoting professionals, a clogging period of about twelve years that cost many men who joined with dad their enthusiasm for the job, sanity and everything else that comes with these qualities. The promotion eventually arrives in 1996 (after a wait of more than twelve years!) and takes him to the country’s capital. Eleven months later, his stint at Delhi ends with a posting to Hong Kong during what is the last year of British governance in that country.
[Aside: Reporting to work, if I am right, in June 1997 dad gets the first taste of the difficulty of his name – and surname;) – for Chinese among other things. His local colleagues deliberately (and fondly) refer to him as Samba (which sounds rather like a nice African name or the start of Calypso or African song but not like a Tamil iyengar’s name by any stretch of the imagination – mine, yours or the world’s!) and the immigration department accidentally refers to his extended initials Kodavasal Srinivasa Raghavan as kodvasri – now you know where the man’s email id comes from – with the icing on the cake being this: his name in the HK id card actually sings the praise of his father, his place of birth, his “khandhaan” and all the rest of it with his own name abbreviated to an initial. It reads: Kodavasal Srinivasa Raghavan S(ampath Kumar).]
1998 is another autumnal year for the family as his aunt and mother walk into the sunlight. At the centre of doing what needs to be done is his able-minded wife who does a remarkable job under pressure (something he remembers indelibly and even thanks her for awkwardly years later!) He returns home for a week for his mother’s death and returns to Hong Kong to his first accident abroad, homesickness and other issues. But the summer vacations bring relief and the company of his wife and children who spend a couple of months with him. In 1999, he spends some part of the summer in Hong Kong with his family and returns to Madras for his son’s upanayanam.
Returning to Hong Kong, he receives the Presidency of the Tamil cultural association, a responsibility he revels in given his love for the arts in general and anything related to Tamil in particular, and not a post he uses to pump his chest unnecessarily. He spends the last day of an eventful millennium at office waiting anxiously for Y2k and to check if the attendant threats are any real. During the wee-hours of a wintry morning, he welcomes the new millennium with a couple of his colleagues quietly in his office as the city outside goes delightfully berserk with fireworks along the South China Sea.
The early noughties
Four remarkably asymmetrical set of occurrences set the decade in motion. First, he needs to handle the newfound misery his son experiences with studies in general and Maths in particular in his tenth standard. By handling it both emotionally and intellectually – even though from a long distance – he keeps the word he had given his son during the summer of 1999: “tholukku minjinaal thozhan!”, whence the friend-dad and friend-son signatures. Second, he and his friend-son come high and dry in the summer of 2000 on discovering the loss of the latter’s passport after the volcanic relief of his delayed arrival is celebrated even by the skies. Third – on an October evening in 2002 – he receives an email from his homesick son in Bangalore saying that he cannot take anymore of law or this college – a pirouetting act from a usually steady-minded boy that must have stung him hard. But true to his nature which entails keeping his emotions below the decibel levels of his heartbeat, he never shows his hurt. But to balance it out (if such balancing out is possible at all), his daughter does herself, the family and everyone she knows proud by turning out State Second in Economics at the Class XII board exams in 2003.
[Aside: My sister is the 2000’s avatar of Sampath Kumar. Version 2.0 if you have watched Endhiran! ;) Second factor behind why I feel a pronounced sense of mortality! :D]
On the official front, he returns from Hong Kong for good after a few months short of five years and is posted to the Accounts Department in Madras (which has become Chennai by now hopefully, forgive my absent-mindedness!:D) in arguably his toughest assignment. The very first balance sheet the bank brings out under his stint demands every sinew of his body, every smidgen of his mind, every shade of his interpersonal skills and above all – although hitherto kept hidden – every ounce of his convictions. Burning the midnight oil becomes a routine in the months of April and May but within a period of two years he transmutes the image of the department from being just a tough (and sometimes tiring) one to an important one with a team that inspires him and he inspires. Although every now and then, the team gets splintered leaving him the onus of training newer people, he manages the transition with consummate professionalism reserving even a bit of the wit he receives from his experiences for his children at night.
In 2006, both his son and daughter leave for different capital cities – the former to Hyderabad and the latter to Bangalore – in their bid to form their own future. There is an unmistakable sense of loss but there is also pride probably in the way they take charge of their lives. He admits from time to time that he regrets not having been with his children during their teens but that his wife has moulded them into fine, independent and conscionable human beings.
In 2007 he joins his son in Hyderabad after getting promoted as Assistant General Manager. The adventures of two men in the kitchen (one who is a half-decent cook and the other who is a half-decent aspiring cook!), the Sunday morning car drives, the Birla Mandhir trips and watching cricket matches in that small TV in a palatial house fill his life with quiet contentment. It also reminds him of the similarity of his and his son’s life – his professional life had begun in the Pearl City and here he is, celebrating the beginning of his son’s own life in the same city.
But he has to handle surprises – or probably shocks (yours truly will never know) – in an otherwise smooth year. First his son’s confession: that he is in love. Then his own battles (I assume) to come to terms with his son’s decision for he has obviously never been the “love” person. Together, they come through as friends! By and by, he starts being called a “cool father”, a “one in thousand father” and such like by his children’s friends, tags his children feel become a remarkable man, a loving father, a witty friend and a sensible and sensitive human being!
2008-2010
Mid 2008 feels utopian as it gets! He, his wife, son and daughter are back together in their hometown for the first time in two years and for three solid months at that! But the latter half beckons separations and in more than one way: as often with their lives, his son and daughter are both set to leave Madras at the same time – within a space of 48 hours. Yet before his son’s departure, he hears that his son has already suffered a separation – from the relationship he spoke of earlier this year – which would either make this separation less painful or aggravate the pains out of it!
[Aside: I request people to exercise restraint when interpreting these lines for these form a son’s gratitude to his father and are not, I repeat, NOT intended to liberate the ghosts of the past laid to rest]
In an admirable, why even Herculean, task of healing his son’s heart he lives through pains and anxieties himself, questions his own emotional dealings in the past – given that he is a believer in God and a man who feels that there IS something called the karmic cycle – prays and fasts for his son and talks to him and emails him through the day, week and month notwithstanding the pressures on his health and mind from work. In November, he visits him in Mumbai for a weekend. As he sits on the return flight, he finds his eyes moisten for the first time in nineteen long years: the tears of his twenty-five year old son that wetted his shoulder earlier this day and the words he had spoken, seemed to come from the edge of a life and shake the very core of his being
[Aside: I am not too sure if I can ever convey my gratitude or my apologies in full measure to my dad! But then I hope I can do to the world what he did to me].
During the months that it takes for his son’s emotional storm to pass – a storm that because of his hypersensitivity, recklessness and foolishness threatened to engulf the whole family’s peace – all his foremost qualities are brought to the fore. In his attempts to find a solution, he never veers away from his peaceful nature. But he still makes the right decisions, speaks the right words and even earns the unstinting respect of the arbitrator who his son’s best friend and probably others as well. He says, “Your father is a remarkable man! Any other person in that position would have at least been harsh. At least for his sake, you should claw your way back into normalcy!” All through he still fears “the worst” only to be consoled by wife who keeps quipping: “I believe in my children and he will be back.” After June 2009, sunshine slowly returns to his son’s life and to his as well. He may never admit it or talk about it or consider it great – he may even call it his duty as a father – but the truth as his son will hold it as this: “Amma gave me my first life; you gave me my second.”
He has himself ascended a scale higher in the bank where he has spent thirty-one remarkable years with those thick-rimmed glasses, that short almost frail build, a mind that is sangfroid although it does like to think that it gets tensed from time to time and a commitment to quality that may put his son’s cheesy “workaholic ph(r)ases” to shame. Symptoms of diabetes have made him walk around like he is on a mission at night; he takes it so seriously that his children and wife fear that walking may be his latest ailment. He has lost his only blood brother and bemoans the fact that he did not get to see his face during the final painful moments of a life lived in pain but in uncompromising honour, perfectionism, self-possession and endurance. He still reads a Jeyakanthan or a Balakumaran novel for a half hour before bed even if he comes home at 11 p.m. He still gives new short names to his children (who are in their mid-twenties), irritates his wife by trying to be funny in talking incorrigibly fast, can give most stand-up comedians a run for their money if the mood strikes him, gobbles a simple sambar-idly with a delightfully familiar Tamilian appetite and remains the boy from Ashokapuri at heart. Experience has made him smarter and stronger. Life has made him accept alternative viewpoints but not change his own principles. Opportunists have made him wary; the few friends he has had have made him understand that there is life outside of family; but nobody has been able to taint, mangle, distort or exploit that Libran fairness in which he finds shelter, support, clarity, freedom, his conscience, God and almost everything that is dear to his life.
As he walks into the 60th year of his life, here’s a humble son wishing a magnificent father Many More Happy Returns of the Day!!!
rated 5.0 by EVERY READER.

thi.janagiraman-tamil novels

I just finished reading one more of the finest Novels by Thi,Janagiraman.
Thi stands for Thevan Kudi in TANJORE DISTRICT.The fact that i also belonged to Tanjore district enabled me to appreciate the niceties and nuances of the cahracters etched by Janagi raman all the more.

The novel is titled as "Nala bagam".For the readers who are not very familiar with the tamil language, the best tasty food is always attributed to the preparations of BHEEMA and Nala who during their difficult days were reported to have chosen Cooking as their means of livelihood to stay away from the evil,waiting for the right time to come to make known their presence.

Thus as the title aptly indicates the novel is about the character called Kameswaran, who has chosen to be a Cook for the pilgrims from the south when they travel to North by way of conducted tours.NAME Kameswaran itself is symbolic and denotes a person who is loveable .

The story starts with Hot tiffin(IDDLY with Milagai podi,PONGAL and GOTSU with MEDHU VADA and Chutney) being served to the travellers with love and affection by Kameswaran.Waht follows is one of the gripping portrayal of the type of characters whom he happens to confront and how it takes his life along.

There is a fellow traveller who incidentally happens to be an astrologer. Because of his ability to predict things accurately(or so it is made to believe)one another traveller Rangamnai(mid forties) consults as to whether her son (an adopted one at that) will have issues of his own.ASTROLOGER predicts that her son may not have a child but his wife certainly shall have one.Wht follows therafter are incidents beatifully tied with each other and chracters each of whom had been chiselled to such perfection.

On hearing the prediction Rangamani invites KAMESWARAN to resign his job and instead come along with her and stay in her house doing poojas for the welfare of the family.In earlier chapters Kameswaran's masculinity, his devotion to Goddess Sakthi and his ability to focus all his sences the good of the felelow beings ahve all been described.

Kameswaran accepts the invitation and goes to Kumbakonam , the place of Rangamani.Description of Kumbakonam and its surroundings, the style of language used by the chracters are all another treat to readers.Kameswaran comes to know at kumbakonam(when he meets the astrologer by coincidence) that perhaps he has been invited to the house so that he can be the cause for the child to be borne to Rangamani's daughter in law.

The way in which all these three cahracters, Rangamani, her adopted son and her daughterin law relate to KAMESWARAN and how KAMESWARAN escapes the weaker moments all form part of the rest of the story.

This is not the first of the novels which i have read of Janagi Raman.I have in fact read almost all novels if i may say so. Ammini in MARAPPASU (about which i wrote a critical commentary and won the prize for the same during my days in kolkatta from none other than the one and only poet Kannadasan whom i always admire) , JAMUNA in Moga mul are the characters etched grEen in my memory .His other novels Uyir then and Anbe aramude are known for their concepts while MARAPPASU and Mogamul are known for its chracters.While it has always been the case of praising woman hood (atleast in most of his novels)nala bagam apprecaites the MANHOOD..

At the end of Novel,there is a sence of satisfaction , content and peace to the reader which very few novels are capable of giving. Some one said that books perse are not good or bad but it is the reader's mind which makes it appear so,AGRRED But then only few novelists have the capacity and greatness to describe both the positive and negative sides with such grace and artistry that at the end of it one starts appreciating how fortunate we are to be in this world to be blessed to read such books.

HATS OFF TO janagi raman and his characters who are not from heaven, but who represent our friends and neighbours only.

More on the works of JANAGIRAMAN and other writers who also happen to be from Kumbakonam and near by places later. My admiration for them grew by leaps and bound simply not because i belong to KODAVASAL, another town near Kumbakonam, but because they gave me further insights into the human beahaviour , the tradition and culture as it is built over generation after generation.

There is a new window and door opened every time when you read such novels.And more light and breeze starts flowing in. As jayakanthan said in "KAGITHAM OTTAPPATTA JANNALGAL", the world at large becomes a better place to live in.

Life and its lessons

September is slowly drawing to a close.
That is to mark the beginning of what is supposed to be the last 31 days of hectic
schedule in my present organisation . Yes, it is going to be fare well time after 31.10.2011.
I recall the past employers, the challenges, the expectations, the disappointments and waht not at this point of time.

Career which started in CHENNAI by being a paid qualified asssitant in the same Audit firm, in which i did my articleship and successfully completed my inter and final slowly graduated to an appointment in one of the companies in Private sector in BANGALORE .Initial days of expectations, young blood , the urge to taste any thing new and ofcourse the desire to take up a carrer in banking , (arising out of
my being nurtured by two of may paternal uncles both of whom had decades of experience with an Indian Bank) and last but not the least my love for the city of joy, KOLKATTA,resulted in my relocation from South to East.I joined the bank head quartered in Kolkatta.

East taught me a lot. It enabled me to appreciate the nuances of my life and that of others too. I became sociable at kolkatta only thanks to some nice friends who stayed and groomed me and also thanks to K ,whose small but intent association with me in PATTIMANDRAMS & vAZHKKADU MANDRAMS made the life all the more interesting.I rediscovered my self in those days. These were the days when i became an ordent admirer of BalaKumaran , after reading his 'Mercury POOKKAL" which it self was a topic that we debated in BharathiTAMIL sangam.(We refers to me and my wife once agin proving the point that we are opposite poles attracting each other ).

City of joy proved there are two sides to each coin. The city which gave me immense joy also ahppened to give me the glimpses of the other side of life. It was here that my wife's love for the first child could not become a reality. It was the place whewre we lost quite a few valuable things (mATRIAL AND OTHER WISE), Life has come a full circle.This has not however dampened my love for the city a wee bit.

But there are other things in the waiting and other commitments too. The desire to be by the side of my mom and dad and to provide them peace of mind in their old age drove me to look for pastures back in CHENNAI and that is how within 6 months of my job hunt, i could find a placement in a bank headqurtered in CHENNAI ITSELF.

THE BEGINNING WAS GOOD, BROUGHT SMILES ALL OVER AND AS IT normally happens with such extereme joys , it was shortlived.Once again my better hals was disappointed in her desire for a rose in her garden of motherhood.

I am an optimist. An optimist to the core.And a great believer in God.There will always be a dawn is my mantra which made me to face the toughest times in my life. And it was this mantra which made me to wait and take in to my hugs two "darlings of heart" in a span of three years after my return to chennai.IN THE INTERUGNUM I built a house so that my offsprings will have a place to be comfortable when they enter the world and my parents can relax with peace of mind in their own house. My wife converted this house of ricks in to Home of harmony and peace over the decade.

No turning back since i joined the prestigious institution in CHENNAI.Ofcourse expectaions with which i joined the institution were all raced to ground when the reality stared at my face ....with a waiting period of twelve years to earn a promotion to next cadre.Thank fully before my father breathed his last, the promotion came after a written test and a gruelling interview of half an hour.I could give the final satisfaction to my father by earning that promotion and exactly in 6 months time he joined the Parama padham.

that is the long and short of the areer graph.Had i continued with my bank in East, i wold have been elevated twice by that time.And taht is where my belief in fate and God increased multifold.The institution which kept me waiting for my first promotion for 12 long years , gave me an overseas posting, a placement as a faculty(which is the most admirable stint, i enjoy till this date)and promoted me to Top mangement cadre in the next 20 years.But then the agaony of initial wait of 12 years had robbed the charm of all the rest which followed later. And today i got a call from my friend in the east, who continued in the same job(unlike me who had quit)thAt he has just been elevated to cadre of GM. that is the irony of life.

I had no regrets . I have learnt in the process that life is a mixture of good and bad, opportunities and challenges ups and downs , expectations and disappointments.Once this wisdom sinks in nothing can shake you. You are able to treat things with proper perspective and understanding and you are able to enjoy the tide called life. And above all there is reinforcement of values and beliefs in the ultimate power above.And that is the essence of life , meaning of life and the purpose of life which leads to harmony and peace.

60 years ....Experiences of 600 years .....Enjoyment of 6000 years.
Om Shanthi, Shanthi, Shanthi ...

Journey to God's Home country - continued

My earliest remembrances about Kerala date back to 1972-73 when i used to visit Managalore for audit and the train i travel used to touch stretches of kerala. The interest in Kerala in those days are confined to the Nenthiram chips and the long flowing hair of Malayalee girls.While the former still exists, the later is seldom seen as by and large the modern days have made every alternate girl to cut her hair and convert it in to a Bop (One of the victims of modernisation).

Then the next memory is when i went to Guruvayur to pay a homage to deity on the eve which marked the end of a suspence period of 2 years when we have to go thru anxiety and tension awaiting my friend-son to take his first step ...Now no one who looks at his speed of walking will seldom believe that he had difficulty even in taking a few steps of his own, in his child hood.And if any one is still in doubt they can visit his blog;Myriad journeys-which invariably has atleast a post every month as to how he enjoys his walking spree.

Then when the children have started growing we as family really went tresure hunting in Kerala.Our trips to Ernakulam, Vayanadu, Trivandrum ,AND the recent one to Kumarakom followed with such precision that almost every two years in the last 6 years or so our place of visit , by choice or acident happens to be Kerala.

MY son and daughter in their own scheme of things also visited Munnar ( as part of their study ) and later my daughter and son in law visted Alleppey to mark the beginning of their wedded life.

MY RECENT TRIP TO KERALA AND THE EARLER VISITS ABOUT WHICH I HAVE MADE A MENTION are all worth remembering for various reasons. It is during one such visit that i got the news of my elevation to Senior Management cadre (amidst all odds) and it is during the visits that my daughter and son graduated into adult hood and along with it aquired a maturity which few children of their age could have aquired by then.And it was during the recent trip that i got the message that my daugter is likely to get further promotion in her personal life.That the place, its beauty and serenity
are all important factors which have contributed to peace of mind and the personal
attainments added a special gait to the same.

the recent trip will be remmebered for a variety of reasons.It happened to my last LFC block and for the first time when i made use of it with out my sosn and daughter accompanying us.It is this trip which made me to realise how much i miss them .the trip is also remembered because we could pay a visit to Varkala Janardhan temple, a deity which occpied our Pooja room since the date of our Grahapravesam(11/11/1984) and we could have the glimpse of God only in 2011. The trip was also remarkable because it coiuncided with a hartal in kerala. I am not new to Hartals(having spent a couple of my earlier years in West bengal) but this one in size, magnitude and reach is some thing which i witnessed for the first time.This resulted in famous ANANTHA PADMANABHA sWAMY TEMPLE doors being closed earlier than expected times and i have started enjoying these bottle necks too as it made life and journey all the most interesting.We have to hence wake up at 4 am to finish our dharshan at 6 am as the remple doors are to be closed due to hartal at 7 am.Since our train from Trivandrum to Kottayam (from Kottayam we have to go by road trnasport to our resort)wass cheduled to depart at 8 am we just reached station in time before the picketing really started going out of control.

We planned the previous night itself to arrange to have the break fast delivered to us well in time at the hotel * Arya nivas , group of hotels run by ARYAAS of Thirunelveli, where we stayed.Masal dosa, Iddlies and vada with accompanying samabar and variety of Chutneys all of which tasted as if they were directly served from heavenly abode, made the journey worth while.It is the situation where in all hotels were closed to outsiders which made the food all the more tasty.And in reality too the tiffin was of great quality and value for money.

We reached Kottyam at half past 12 only to see a deserted station with one more crowd of supporters going from stength to strenth by every passing minute, curtailing all modes of transport. Both my bank and the resort to which we are to reach regretted the inability to be of any assistance due to foul tempers at its worst.It was fortunate the help came from one of the unexpected quarters. MAY BE Lord Iyappa himself showed the way as wew were in his Country. One of the vans which came to drop a pilgrimage party(we understood later that only those pilgrims to SABARIMALA WERE ALLOWED TO MOVE freely) gave us a suggestion to have the Sabarimala malas so that he could escort us to resort (ofcourse at double the price we are required to pay in normal days). We made the choice to leave the palce of trouble to palce of safety and found ourselves in one of the cottages in Kumarakom in the next 45 minutes .

We ordered for a sumptupous lunch, had a steamimng abth for about 30 minutes and retired to bed like dead woods and by the timew we woke up evening sun was aleady bidding good bye to us. one of my auditor friends made the day worthy of remembrance by driving all the way from Ernakulam along with some choicest food/snack/liquor and the next 3 hours flew like a bullet train and only the ramapaging rains broght to a halt the whole proceedings as the auditor friend has to trael back to Ernakulam.

He also offered to give his car for our use on the day of departure so that we will not be stranded for want of conveyance and at the same time visit any other place of our choice enroute.this provided us an opportunity to visit Chottanikarai Bhagawathi amman temple and our timing was such taht we could get the glimpse of goddess just before the doors were to be closed for Ucchi Kala pooja and after dharshan we were also served Lunch at SAnctum sanctorum itself.

By the time we came back from the temple after having Lunch it was already 2 pm and we still had 2 hours at our disposal to go on apurchase spree. Already the earlier shopping stint at Kumarakom where in i picked up a fish made of Red wood costed me Rs 1009 BUT the buy was worth it as it was meant for my beloved daughter/. So it is time for my wife to make the kill now.Few sarees. few more eatables and a relaxed time at the Ice cream parlour enables us to spend next two hours and we just reached station in time when the announcement of arrival of our train was already on/

And right at the moment the auditor friend was aleady waiting at the station to see us off. Hospitality and warmth at its best!!

We bade him good bye, boarded the train and reached Central next day morning, right on time to be received by a wooden faced driver in stark contrast to the hspitality and warmth we received else where.

And possibly it is this contrast in life which makes us to apprecaiate the golden moments of the previous days and the warmth of friendship in true colours.

Concluded

journey to God's own country

Kerala , the God's own country has always impressed me since i reached my adult hood for a number of reasons and the most important of them being the richness of their traditions , the greenery which is such a relief to the eyes and its ever expanding water fronts .

I have read in School that much of the rains that pour in India gets wasted thru the hills of Kerala and ultimately gets immersed back into the Arabian sea.

But some one amusingly said about the NEIL AMSTRANG's REACTIONS when he first landed on moon when he was offered a cup of strong steaming Chaya (read as Tea) by a mallu over there.Mallu's it is claimed excel whereever they are, (provided it is not their home land). No offence intended please.

Wrong to the core...the water fronts, the traditional arts, the back water resorts, the temples, the massage parlours, the natural therapy for a number of deceases which are a real challenge to the English medicines, and the last but not the least the hidden treasures of Lord Anantha Padmanabha swamy temple have all been adding the number of visitors to the state aptly titled as "God's own country"

I had been to kerala (Cortesy my last Leave fare concession from bank before my retirement) and the experiences are varied, fulfilling and enjoyable.

This is the first of the series of posts , which i hope to be an appetiser and solid food will follow in due course....(To be continued)

TAMIL CINEMA-RECENT MOVIES

Tamil film world

I have always seen that things take place in life as if there is a pattern in the manner in which they take place.

There have been months with out our going out , especially to view a cinema in a thetre.And suddenly as if to compensate we will be going movie after movie in no time.Not now, every once in 3-5 years i have seen this happening.

This month is no exception or rather past 30 days in which about 4 movies in theatres. And do not take me wrong when i say theaters..It is not SAtyam, or express cinemas or maya jal which are places which we always look forward to go when my son and daughter, both are around. Reasoning is simple.They have a class and taste which we wanted to honour and there will be lesser arguments on the plus and minus of theatres and more value addition on the contents of the cinema that we witnessed.

And the movies that we visited, before i forget the names (as i have a habit of forgetting them quite often)are as under:
Theivath thirumagal-with Vikram on the lead
Vengai-With thanush and Thamanna in the leads,
Muni-part ii-kanchana-With Ragava lawrence and Sarat Kumar in the leads
MANGATHTHA-With Ajith and Arjun in the leads

As it always used to be except for some time in between (when directors like BALACHANDER played the lead)all these movies are backed and centrd only around heros.But the beauty is that story lines are different and that is where tamil cinema still survives according to me.

If THEIVA THIRUMAGAl is remembered for the most pwerful portrayal of Viram , as a mentally retarded father,whose love for his daughter is however supreme and sublime, Vengai willbe remembered for one of the fast moving pace with which it takes the audience thru.While the actor and director together score in theiva thirumagal, it is the director's script in vengai which is well executed by the actor.
Muni part-ii, though it is a movie based on ghosts and their vengence , subtly touches about the sufferings of the sect of "Thiru nangaigal" as they are referred to in TAMIL.The presentation which has a tone of comedy right thru is the stength of this movie and Sarat Kumar playing (for short duration) the role of a thirunangai has excelled in that role and in fact has shadowed an other wise equally ggod performance by Lawrence. The movie is still running to packed audience (sans the death of a school student who is reported to have been mentally depressed on seeing the movie to the point of committing suicide)should however give satisfaction to the movie team.
And MANGATHTHA, by THALA, Ajith SCORES IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. It is the 5o th film of ajith and comes after quite an interval,It is a vENKAT PRABHU FILM (and all his usual team memebers appear herein too) and each of those characters are well chiselled. The music is in keeping with the under tone of the movie and the plots and conterplots are equally engrossing. It may perhaps be slightly difficult for an average IQ audience to understand the fast phase and the quick double crossings that happens , but if the thetre sense is the pulse to judge the movie, this is going to be block buster.And Arjun appearing as action king!(THOUGH AJITH MAKES A REFERENCE TO THIS ATLEAST 3/4 TIMES , at teh end of it Ajith proves himself to be abetter action king.For the sake of success of movie, i will not divulge the suspence and it is to the credit of the director that the suspence is maintained till the end though few like me and my wif could suspect the ending in no uncertain terms.And the title song Mangatha is already a great hit and makes the audience to go on full scale dancing.

Thus one movie is on sentiments, other is on Ghost and events after death, one is regular masala, while another is a good crime thriller.Yes,Tamil cinema has got variety and actors to sustain and lead that variety.

Before i conclude, one tail peace, The first two movies we witnessed on the same day, morning and matinee show.And i am remebered of the day and year when i last visited two such movies, while i was doing my college. When i visited my native palce Asokapuri, when on the eve of KARTHIGAI DEEPAM, me , my elder cousin brother and his wife went to two of Sivaji's movies, Sumathi en sundari(10 pm show) and Praptham (1am show)and returned home bY the first bus 'Natana Rani" AT 4.30 am before elders woke to the routine chores after having a strong coffee at VASAVI VIHAR.And the two movies of those yester years, i can quote every dialoge and sind each song even now,while i can not claim the same abt present movies. GENERATION GAP OR POOR MEMORY?

some habits never die and these habits make life beautiful at times especially when you go thru the memory lane.