Another Valentine gone by- for me- its just like any other day- but I do like to see, hear , read all abt it- I like the idea of people expressing love- any day- anytime, anyhow…and if the speciality of the day motivates somebody to do something specific for love- fine.. watching people happy in Love makes me feel good abt life…
Everybody who has heard abt our drive to B’lore are wondering- wow! That’s really something- ..and all I can say- He has done so much more…such acts are not isolated gestures, it is just the continuation of a persitent feeling, it is spontaneous and just happens…
And I say, this is just one of the many other things…there are so many other instances- I could go on and on…it may not be about cards, gifts, chocolates or flowers…but it sure means Love, caring, sharing, respecting, cherishing, adoring…
It also means, criticizing, correcting, guiding, mending,
It does not mean there are no fights, arguments, sulks, tantrums…
But it also means apologizing, making amends, smiling etc…etc :-)
It has been 16 years now, and we have seen many things together…bad times, good times, pains, sorrows, fears, anger, mischief, laughter…
I don’t want to think of him as separate from me- He is me and I’m him, and this has nothing to do with either of us not having an individuality of our own..it just means having an enhanced personality..
He has his likes, dislikes, principles, I have mine…but that does not make us belong to different teams…
I am not concerned about words , days- all I know is he is my life…if He is with me, then everything is worthwhile, if not then there is no meaning to anything...
And I pray to The Almighty to please take care of him…look after him….be good to him and I’ll be fine…Thank you God…
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Monday, February 14, 2005
When Virtuality Met Reality...
It was 1.20 a.m on 12 Saturday when we hit the sack at our uncle’s place in B’lore…we had started at abt 5 p.m on 11th fri, after the kids came back from school..Tho tired after the journey, sleep seemed to be far away…and my last thoughts before traipsing off into slumber land was of course about the meet a few hours away- abt my “friends” whom I was to meet soon- that I was excited would be an understatement-
I had been refreshing Vamshi ’s memories abt the other “bloggers” ( at this point this term sounds too detached)- I was eager that he enjoy the meet as much as I was sure I would- I did not want him to feel unfamiliar at the meet-( I needn’t have worried abt that at all- everybody knew the non blogging members as well as the bloggers- and they were welcomed with warmth, there was just no question of feeling unfamiliar…)
Waking up early was always difficult, but not today- …we were supposed to reach the meetinng point atleast by 8.20 a.m- but we reached a bit late- Uncle dropped us and he wished us a happy trip- We could see the others already gathered on the other side of the road-
The b’lore air was freezing- my heart was thumping- I could identify everyone- IBL, Ananth and Asha of course, I had seen them before- but the rest were easy to place too- my hands were shivering- was it the chill weather or was it the excitement? Only Suresh, I could not place and I asked ano- and she told me-we decided that he did not in the least look like he was bottled at all-
The first few moments passed in a crazy blur as intros were made- I could not be with everybody all at once and I was trying to- lil D, ano,ano’s husband, Meena and her bubbly kids- Salonii- Asha, Nithya- Chander,sumit, suresh,ananth, and Kcu- Kcu stepped upto me and said that he was Bhattathiri- I almost fainted…and I confess I believed him- and it was only when Meenu assured me that he was joking did I recover from the shock-
And then I realized that Salonii would not be able to accompany us- it was a terrible disappointment – both for us and her- but it just could not be helped- and tho we understood her predicament- it did not deter us from recriminating her – abt her desertion- betrayal-
We were treated to some wonderful coffee by salonii- we were getting to talk to one another without the aid of db- we were chattering away, giggling, guffawing- blissfully unaware of others in the place- right then the whole world concentrated into our meet- it was just DB come alive-
After coffee, we walked up to where we were to board the van- plans were being revised..the chill air was warming up- yap yap yap we went- and then we set off for Thalakkadu after bidding goodbye to salonii- felt bad to leave her back but nothing could be done- like ananth said- this meet had come to be becos of her in the first place- we did consider kidnapping her and whisking her off with us but then thought better not complicate matters.
We settled into the van- Meenu took out delicious home made sandwiches- lil d was as excited as us- she had no qualms abt being passed around among us- and she remained playful through out…she was having a bad cold, hope the trip did not worsen it...
Chander talked more than Nithya :-)- Asha was totally silent in the beginning- (which she made up for later tho)- we suspected that she had fallen asleep- Ano’s husband told us where he used to live -and he mentioned something abt the location being very convenient :-).
Meena kept reminding us that she was silent because rides made her feel queasy – she showed us her college- Sumit was christened as Mr. Main Hoo na by Meenu’s elder daughter-
After reaching Thalakkad- we immediately set about lunch- the place was abounding with monkeys- the lunch was delicious- Vamshi kept trying to learn new words in Kannada and insisted on speaking(?) in Kannada-
After lunch, we moved on to the river banks- the weather was quite hot now- most of them went into the waters- I preferred to stay back- the children had a blast- I was entrusted with a few mobiles, cameras,purses and Kcu and me became co conspirators and we seriously considered absconding with the booty- but had to abandon the plans becos my co conspirator backed away at the last moment and anyway- Vamshi would be lost without me- so we decided against it-
Suresh, Sumit and Kcu took the kids for boating- and I do not know what happened there- my elder son said there was some interesting discussion abt snakes that he enjoyed…
Meenu, Asha, me, Nithya, Chander, Ananth, Vamshi - watched from the shores- Nithya tried to test the probability of how well her cell would function when submerged in water- did not turn out to be a very clever idea- but Chander was sure it would work once it got dried in the sun-
Ano and her DH had a tough time dragging lil D out of the waters- she wanted to go back- finally when they brought her ashore- she kept picking the sand...
After boating, we refreshed ourselves with cool drinks, tender coconut- we proceeded to the temples . The temples were submerged in sand- the sight was amazing- excavation is still going on- but by now, all were tired, we trudged wearily back to the van- it was time for the trip back…
We played anthakshari- sumit and ananth were belting out these plaintive- numbers- you know those bachelor worthy kind of songs- they even expressed dissaproval when we married veterans joined – they seemed to believe that such songs were exclusively meant for them to sing- Ananth was singing these Kannada songs- to the effect of “where is she…when will she come”- or something similar, and Sumit was crooning a few “jilted” numbers with so much of feeling-
Chander looked mighty pleased when Nithya sang "o saathi re…” Ano, Asha and Meena seemed to know every song ever composed in Hindi, Kannada- Kcu also joined in, Suresh however was distracted and seemed preoccupied with his mobile- ananth explained that he was missing his wife…Sal called in between and Asha immediately sought her advice for a song- Vamshi of course was in full form- he seemed to have forgotten that these were MY friends- he had happily adopted all of them! He had a blast pulling my legs- but I have magnanimously forgiven him for bringing me all the way for this meet- the flip side being- now I can never crib abt him here- nobody will never ever believe me again…. :-(
We got down to take a few pictures of the sunset- we played Chinese whisper…Vamshi became wicked during this time- some of us talked abt how they first heard abt the weblogs- how they started blogging/commenting- we talked abt the other bloggers- and though it was the 12 of us on this trip it was like most of our other friends too were invisibly present…
Ananth, yes, it is true we got delayed by a few hours, but I for one did not regret a wee bit the extra time that I got with you all…
We were nearing the fag end of our jouney- when Virtuality merged into Reality- and suddenly we saw a bus right in front of our van- it had a huge ad on the back- “Sulekha Classifieds” and tho it was abt the classifieds- for me it was like a special moment- because it was Sulekha after all who got me in touch with some special people…Thank you each one of you…
We said our Goodbyes-- I know I ought to feel grateful for the time I got to spend with these wonderful people who had become so special- and yet I could not help feeling gloomy at the prospect of saying Goodbye- Also, I had this feeling of having left many things unsaid…I had a whole day with them, and yet kuch kehna baaki tha-
Ano and family got down with us at the Rly station- The Day was finally over- and tho we were tired, I could not go to sleep for a long time afterwards, because my mind was awake with some great memories…
And how would this post be complete if I did not mention Vamshi for taking me for this wonderful trip- and even better for adopting my friends as his own…
And let me end here with the hope that there are many more such meets…
I hope I did not bore anybody here with my post…
I had been refreshing Vamshi ’s memories abt the other “bloggers” ( at this point this term sounds too detached)- I was eager that he enjoy the meet as much as I was sure I would- I did not want him to feel unfamiliar at the meet-( I needn’t have worried abt that at all- everybody knew the non blogging members as well as the bloggers- and they were welcomed with warmth, there was just no question of feeling unfamiliar…)
Waking up early was always difficult, but not today- …we were supposed to reach the meetinng point atleast by 8.20 a.m- but we reached a bit late- Uncle dropped us and he wished us a happy trip- We could see the others already gathered on the other side of the road-
The b’lore air was freezing- my heart was thumping- I could identify everyone- IBL, Ananth and Asha of course, I had seen them before- but the rest were easy to place too- my hands were shivering- was it the chill weather or was it the excitement? Only Suresh, I could not place and I asked ano- and she told me-we decided that he did not in the least look like he was bottled at all-
The first few moments passed in a crazy blur as intros were made- I could not be with everybody all at once and I was trying to- lil D, ano,ano’s husband, Meena and her bubbly kids- Salonii- Asha, Nithya- Chander,sumit, suresh,ananth, and Kcu- Kcu stepped upto me and said that he was Bhattathiri- I almost fainted…and I confess I believed him- and it was only when Meenu assured me that he was joking did I recover from the shock-
And then I realized that Salonii would not be able to accompany us- it was a terrible disappointment – both for us and her- but it just could not be helped- and tho we understood her predicament- it did not deter us from recriminating her – abt her desertion- betrayal-
We were treated to some wonderful coffee by salonii- we were getting to talk to one another without the aid of db- we were chattering away, giggling, guffawing- blissfully unaware of others in the place- right then the whole world concentrated into our meet- it was just DB come alive-
After coffee, we walked up to where we were to board the van- plans were being revised..the chill air was warming up- yap yap yap we went- and then we set off for Thalakkadu after bidding goodbye to salonii- felt bad to leave her back but nothing could be done- like ananth said- this meet had come to be becos of her in the first place- we did consider kidnapping her and whisking her off with us but then thought better not complicate matters.
We settled into the van- Meenu took out delicious home made sandwiches- lil d was as excited as us- she had no qualms abt being passed around among us- and she remained playful through out…she was having a bad cold, hope the trip did not worsen it...
Chander talked more than Nithya :-)- Asha was totally silent in the beginning- (which she made up for later tho)- we suspected that she had fallen asleep- Ano’s husband told us where he used to live -and he mentioned something abt the location being very convenient :-).
Meena kept reminding us that she was silent because rides made her feel queasy – she showed us her college- Sumit was christened as Mr. Main Hoo na by Meenu’s elder daughter-
After reaching Thalakkad- we immediately set about lunch- the place was abounding with monkeys- the lunch was delicious- Vamshi kept trying to learn new words in Kannada and insisted on speaking(?) in Kannada-
After lunch, we moved on to the river banks- the weather was quite hot now- most of them went into the waters- I preferred to stay back- the children had a blast- I was entrusted with a few mobiles, cameras,purses and Kcu and me became co conspirators and we seriously considered absconding with the booty- but had to abandon the plans becos my co conspirator backed away at the last moment and anyway- Vamshi would be lost without me- so we decided against it-
Suresh, Sumit and Kcu took the kids for boating- and I do not know what happened there- my elder son said there was some interesting discussion abt snakes that he enjoyed…
Meenu, Asha, me, Nithya, Chander, Ananth, Vamshi - watched from the shores- Nithya tried to test the probability of how well her cell would function when submerged in water- did not turn out to be a very clever idea- but Chander was sure it would work once it got dried in the sun-
Ano and her DH had a tough time dragging lil D out of the waters- she wanted to go back- finally when they brought her ashore- she kept picking the sand...
After boating, we refreshed ourselves with cool drinks, tender coconut- we proceeded to the temples . The temples were submerged in sand- the sight was amazing- excavation is still going on- but by now, all were tired, we trudged wearily back to the van- it was time for the trip back…
We played anthakshari- sumit and ananth were belting out these plaintive- numbers- you know those bachelor worthy kind of songs- they even expressed dissaproval when we married veterans joined – they seemed to believe that such songs were exclusively meant for them to sing- Ananth was singing these Kannada songs- to the effect of “where is she…when will she come”- or something similar, and Sumit was crooning a few “jilted” numbers with so much of feeling-
Chander looked mighty pleased when Nithya sang "o saathi re…” Ano, Asha and Meena seemed to know every song ever composed in Hindi, Kannada- Kcu also joined in, Suresh however was distracted and seemed preoccupied with his mobile- ananth explained that he was missing his wife…Sal called in between and Asha immediately sought her advice for a song- Vamshi of course was in full form- he seemed to have forgotten that these were MY friends- he had happily adopted all of them! He had a blast pulling my legs- but I have magnanimously forgiven him for bringing me all the way for this meet- the flip side being- now I can never crib abt him here- nobody will never ever believe me again…. :-(
We got down to take a few pictures of the sunset- we played Chinese whisper…Vamshi became wicked during this time- some of us talked abt how they first heard abt the weblogs- how they started blogging/commenting- we talked abt the other bloggers- and though it was the 12 of us on this trip it was like most of our other friends too were invisibly present…
Ananth, yes, it is true we got delayed by a few hours, but I for one did not regret a wee bit the extra time that I got with you all…
We were nearing the fag end of our jouney- when Virtuality merged into Reality- and suddenly we saw a bus right in front of our van- it had a huge ad on the back- “Sulekha Classifieds” and tho it was abt the classifieds- for me it was like a special moment- because it was Sulekha after all who got me in touch with some special people…Thank you each one of you…
We said our Goodbyes-- I know I ought to feel grateful for the time I got to spend with these wonderful people who had become so special- and yet I could not help feeling gloomy at the prospect of saying Goodbye- Also, I had this feeling of having left many things unsaid…I had a whole day with them, and yet kuch kehna baaki tha-
Ano and family got down with us at the Rly station- The Day was finally over- and tho we were tired, I could not go to sleep for a long time afterwards, because my mind was awake with some great memories…
And how would this post be complete if I did not mention Vamshi for taking me for this wonderful trip- and even better for adopting my friends as his own…
And let me end here with the hope that there are many more such meets…
I hope I did not bore anybody here with my post…
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Its in the FEBRUARY air…
The past few days I’ve been a bit low-may be I could say that i've been just distracted...nothing of consequence, just this and that...u know when one feels just kind of low for no particular reason at all, one can pin blame on no one for one's sourness..and yet just feel out of sorts...just that kind of feeling.
Had been hoping to go to b’lore for that picnic meet- then the puttar’s exams threatened to loom on the horizon-...we did think abt giving it a go in spite of it...but the elder one had missed 2 exams last time becos of fever..and the school would not excuse him again...unless of course there was some real valid reason.. and I was not sure if a bloggers meet would be valid enough for them- and then mebbe we could go leaving the kids back with MIL...but then they had been so excited and eager abt this trip and when they came to know abt the exams they were really dissappointed, tho they gave us the thumbs up to go ahead with our plans...somehow, we were not quite able to do that...
And then y’day evening they came from school with the news that the sat exam has been postponed…they called their achhan immediately…and plans were rehashed- no train tickets available- so we’re going by car…do I see the sun shining again?
And today, it was like getting back on track- everywhere I see, I read blogs/articles which are helping me to shake this feeling off...and be thankful for all the good things in life- and yes, most of the effort has to be taken by me- while i knew that all the time...it was difficult all the same… sometimes even though one knows in theory what is the right attitude- one finds it so difficult to apply it…and we – atleast I do- I need that little extra nudge form outside me to be able to actually practise it…
Wanted to post comments separatelyto the February tinged blogs - but it is so tedious sometimes- so let me do it here itself:
Chander and Nithya- enjoyed reading your blogs…and wish you many, many more years of togetherness , companionship- sharing and caring…Chander, do keep blogging…
Fizzzzzzzz! Feb 6th…now, need I say I lovvvved this real life story??? May you both live Happily ever after…
Desilvvvva!
Aha! Our celebrity blogger- I always thought that it was only the female partner who languished in abject misery during the “judaai” phases…and am I glad to see an exception- thrilled to read u’r blog- and am going to make sure Vamshi does not miss this one….
And here’s hoping that you don’t have to be subjected to such separations in the future ( but ahem- meeting again after the parting is sweet )
And let me stop here saying that I love all the mushiness floating around….
Had been hoping to go to b’lore for that picnic meet- then the puttar’s exams threatened to loom on the horizon-...we did think abt giving it a go in spite of it...but the elder one had missed 2 exams last time becos of fever..and the school would not excuse him again...unless of course there was some real valid reason.. and I was not sure if a bloggers meet would be valid enough for them- and then mebbe we could go leaving the kids back with MIL...but then they had been so excited and eager abt this trip and when they came to know abt the exams they were really dissappointed, tho they gave us the thumbs up to go ahead with our plans...somehow, we were not quite able to do that...
And then y’day evening they came from school with the news that the sat exam has been postponed…they called their achhan immediately…and plans were rehashed- no train tickets available- so we’re going by car…do I see the sun shining again?
And today, it was like getting back on track- everywhere I see, I read blogs/articles which are helping me to shake this feeling off...and be thankful for all the good things in life- and yes, most of the effort has to be taken by me- while i knew that all the time...it was difficult all the same… sometimes even though one knows in theory what is the right attitude- one finds it so difficult to apply it…and we – atleast I do- I need that little extra nudge form outside me to be able to actually practise it…
Wanted to post comments separatelyto the February tinged blogs - but it is so tedious sometimes- so let me do it here itself:
Chander and Nithya- enjoyed reading your blogs…and wish you many, many more years of togetherness , companionship- sharing and caring…Chander, do keep blogging…
Fizzzzzzzz! Feb 6th…now, need I say I lovvvved this real life story??? May you both live Happily ever after…
Desilvvvva!
Aha! Our celebrity blogger- I always thought that it was only the female partner who languished in abject misery during the “judaai” phases…and am I glad to see an exception- thrilled to read u’r blog- and am going to make sure Vamshi does not miss this one….
And here’s hoping that you don’t have to be subjected to such separations in the future ( but ahem- meeting again after the parting is sweet )
And let me stop here saying that I love all the mushiness floating around….
Monday, February 07, 2005
Movie stories...
Friends, I'm posting two movie stories penned by the famous Malyalam author/script writer/ -M.T.Vasudevan Nair on my other site:
http://dabbling.blogspot.com/
I had posted these earlier at DSS..but which would have got lost in the archives by now...
Hope you find the stories interesting...the first one "Theerthadanam" is covered in just one post but the second one "Parinayam"runs into about 5 episodes...
comments welcome...
Ardra
http://dabbling.blogspot.com/
I had posted these earlier at DSS..but which would have got lost in the archives by now...
Hope you find the stories interesting...the first one "Theerthadanam" is covered in just one post but the second one "Parinayam"runs into about 5 episodes...
comments welcome...
Ardra
Friday, February 04, 2005
Today- feb 4th 2005
Now that I have run out of my old blogs – have scattered them along 3 – no 4 spots – here,
http://dabbling.blogspot.com/
http://ormakaliloode.blogspot.com/
http://kanupriyaa.blogspot.com/
the dabbling site is for my rare, once in a blue moon creative spurts experimentation…,
the ormakaliloode is traipsing down memory lane…into my childhood/college and other such memories of years ago…seems like another life.."orma” in Malayalam means memory..I had to resort to this name because memories/memoirs/memorabilia none of these were available…
and kanupriya, is of course an audacity that I’ve indulged in- trying to, nay daring to translate the beautiful poetry collection by Dr. Dharamveer Bharthi…have posted only half of it…shall post the rest soon… I really don’t know why I’m doing it..just a passion, I guess…I fell in love with the poems when I read them during my graduation…it’s a glimpse into Radha- Krishna relationship- actually much more than a peek..and from Radha’s point of view…and it may also be described as an allegory to the eternal quest of the individual soul to become one with the all pervading eternity…I have all the poems ready stashed away in my pc, but the format gets all awry when I try to post them..and then it is such a tedious task to set the line breaks right…and still sometimes I botch it up…
and then I’m thinking of posting 2 stories of mallu movies…different …still pondering as to whether to post it on another spot or here itself…I think I’ll post it here itself…let’s see..
and now coming back to having run out of ancient blogs, I’m faced with the daunting task of coming up with new ones…and I seem to have come upto a dead end- an invisible wall…I dont seem to be getting into the writing mood these days..dunno why..I too miss that outpouring which i enjoy so much...maybe, nothing touches me that deep that spurs me to pour out..why???..have I run out of thoughts…emotional paucity …nothing seems to inspire in me the urge to pour out in words…why? Or is it just that I’m so embroiled in the mundane business of daily living that I’ve lost touch with my inner self?
I finish my daily chores, visit all my favourite haunts here in the web…enjoy reading the assortment of thoughts, emotions, styles…I am in a perpetual state of amazement getting a glimpse into the pot pourri…it is such a wonderful world here in the cyberspace…its like a bouffet party…except that it is so tough to make a choice..I need every dish on my plate…and soon my blog roll is going to run into pages…and some of those pages are so beautiful…
Ahhh… I managed to squeeze out a few sentences that may be described as something at least pretending to be a blog…and on this note, I stop abruptly…
http://dabbling.blogspot.com/
http://ormakaliloode.blogspot.com/
http://kanupriyaa.blogspot.com/
the dabbling site is for my rare, once in a blue moon creative spurts experimentation…,
the ormakaliloode is traipsing down memory lane…into my childhood/college and other such memories of years ago…seems like another life.."orma” in Malayalam means memory..I had to resort to this name because memories/memoirs/memorabilia none of these were available…
and kanupriya, is of course an audacity that I’ve indulged in- trying to, nay daring to translate the beautiful poetry collection by Dr. Dharamveer Bharthi…have posted only half of it…shall post the rest soon… I really don’t know why I’m doing it..just a passion, I guess…I fell in love with the poems when I read them during my graduation…it’s a glimpse into Radha- Krishna relationship- actually much more than a peek..and from Radha’s point of view…and it may also be described as an allegory to the eternal quest of the individual soul to become one with the all pervading eternity…I have all the poems ready stashed away in my pc, but the format gets all awry when I try to post them..and then it is such a tedious task to set the line breaks right…and still sometimes I botch it up…
and then I’m thinking of posting 2 stories of mallu movies…different …still pondering as to whether to post it on another spot or here itself…I think I’ll post it here itself…let’s see..
and now coming back to having run out of ancient blogs, I’m faced with the daunting task of coming up with new ones…and I seem to have come upto a dead end- an invisible wall…I dont seem to be getting into the writing mood these days..dunno why..I too miss that outpouring which i enjoy so much...maybe, nothing touches me that deep that spurs me to pour out..why???..have I run out of thoughts…emotional paucity …nothing seems to inspire in me the urge to pour out in words…why? Or is it just that I’m so embroiled in the mundane business of daily living that I’ve lost touch with my inner self?
I finish my daily chores, visit all my favourite haunts here in the web…enjoy reading the assortment of thoughts, emotions, styles…I am in a perpetual state of amazement getting a glimpse into the pot pourri…it is such a wonderful world here in the cyberspace…its like a bouffet party…except that it is so tough to make a choice..I need every dish on my plate…and soon my blog roll is going to run into pages…and some of those pages are so beautiful…
Ahhh… I managed to squeeze out a few sentences that may be described as something at least pretending to be a blog…and on this note, I stop abruptly…
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Though I have been posting blogs earlier this year, they have all been recycled from that other place…this one would be technically a true blue 2005 blog…
The New Year crawled upon us unnoticed…our colony usually has some kind of gettogether for the New Year…this year everything was silent…Only Tsunami loomed large, like an invisible presence…Tsunami hovered behind every thought, every word, every deed… clothes, pulses and cereals were collected, sorted and dispatched…heard that at some places the clothes were rejected…and in some places the parcel were diverted to undeserving quarters???…Pictures come back in every other magazine…each vying in its stark tragic element..to the point one gets used to the gravity of the disaster…
January sped by in a cycle of flu, coughs and fevers…one after the other…and in between, Pongal came and went, a very dear friend from my youth came to visit with family…and it was like a trip back into the Past…as we talked into the night- it was like we were back in our rooms in our hostel…the laughter, the mischief…and we caught up… As she talked to me, I would gaze into her eyes- it still held the same glint…she talked the same way, her mannerisms were same…and I cant express the feeling as I tried to superimpose the present image with that of the past…it was not a search for anything…it was just a kind of reaffirming…
indeed so much has happened to each of us in our respective lives…surely we are different from what we used to be then…and ye there were these pieces of us that remained unchanged through out..and during the 2 days she was with us, we took out those unchanged pieces, brushed the dust of, and the glitter was back…and then they left…each of us back into our present..
And then in total contrast to the silent beginning, January ended in a flurry of festivities…our colony was celebrating the Radha Kalyanam. The preparations began much earlier…there had been Nagara Sangeerthanam during the entire Margazhi month- one would wake up to the strains of bhajans..it ended with the “Unjhavrutthi”..
The wedding Day was to be January 30th..there were concerts on the previous days…one day a small boy played the flute- it was enchanting…there was Sampradaya Ashtapathi Bhajan by a professional troupe…they sang mesmerisingly- The celebrations went on into the wee hours of the morning…It was a wonderful experience...the singers sang so well...there was dancing...a little boy joined in and his sense of rhythm was perfect- and the atmosphere was so thrilling, moving…and yes let me not forget to mention the prasadam was delicious…
and by 30th evening all the colony residents were bone tired..everyone had helped in some way or the other...it was a memorable experience...
The New Year crawled upon us unnoticed…our colony usually has some kind of gettogether for the New Year…this year everything was silent…Only Tsunami loomed large, like an invisible presence…Tsunami hovered behind every thought, every word, every deed… clothes, pulses and cereals were collected, sorted and dispatched…heard that at some places the clothes were rejected…and in some places the parcel were diverted to undeserving quarters???…Pictures come back in every other magazine…each vying in its stark tragic element..to the point one gets used to the gravity of the disaster…
January sped by in a cycle of flu, coughs and fevers…one after the other…and in between, Pongal came and went, a very dear friend from my youth came to visit with family…and it was like a trip back into the Past…as we talked into the night- it was like we were back in our rooms in our hostel…the laughter, the mischief…and we caught up… As she talked to me, I would gaze into her eyes- it still held the same glint…she talked the same way, her mannerisms were same…and I cant express the feeling as I tried to superimpose the present image with that of the past…it was not a search for anything…it was just a kind of reaffirming…
indeed so much has happened to each of us in our respective lives…surely we are different from what we used to be then…and ye there were these pieces of us that remained unchanged through out..and during the 2 days she was with us, we took out those unchanged pieces, brushed the dust of, and the glitter was back…and then they left…each of us back into our present..
And then in total contrast to the silent beginning, January ended in a flurry of festivities…our colony was celebrating the Radha Kalyanam. The preparations began much earlier…there had been Nagara Sangeerthanam during the entire Margazhi month- one would wake up to the strains of bhajans..it ended with the “Unjhavrutthi”..
The wedding Day was to be January 30th..there were concerts on the previous days…one day a small boy played the flute- it was enchanting…there was Sampradaya Ashtapathi Bhajan by a professional troupe…they sang mesmerisingly- The celebrations went on into the wee hours of the morning…It was a wonderful experience...the singers sang so well...there was dancing...a little boy joined in and his sense of rhythm was perfect- and the atmosphere was so thrilling, moving…and yes let me not forget to mention the prasadam was delicious…
and by 30th evening all the colony residents were bone tired..everyone had helped in some way or the other...it was a memorable experience...
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