Pesa Nalla Time :)

With a lot of Advertisements targeting children to sell their products, this one is refreshingly different with a pinch of romance added to it. For those who are not from the state of Tamil Nadu, it would be difficult to follow the content. It's a small conversation between a husband and wife, with husband requesting his wife to sit with him and he wants to share something with her. He keeps quite and with the cup of tea in the hand within 40 seconds the wife just gets tensed to know what he is going to say. Within moments she keeps on asking questions on one after the other while he keeps of dragging the time saying that I don't know how you will take this and finally she ends up at his earlier love affair and concluding that she knew that it would end up here. Sweet!.. still wanted to knowing it and clarify things she urges "Solli tholainga"..." [for the god's sake disclose it] and he reveals "I Love You".. Ah!!!... those tensed moments and kind of emotions spilled and exchanged.. It's invaluable and these two who acted in this advertisement has done full justice to it... 3 roses ending up with "perfect time to talk" has blended well with the emotion and the product which has a tag of "Niram, Suvai, Thidam" [Color, Taste and Strogness].... This one really stolen the heart

A Journey Unexpected!

It has been more than 4 years now since I got introduced to AID. It all began at a walk on the shore between Callengute to Baga beach at Goa. Can’t believe it! Now that the walk could be a life changing one. There’s where I got introduced to AID. I used to volunteer with an organization during my college days [don’t want to mention the name of the organization]. I had a pretty bad experience during those days and that’s where I decided that I’ll not get associated with any organization from there on. That was the reason where I decided to go for the Tsunami relief work on my own for 10 days. After knowing AID and listen to its stories I decided to just meet and interact with the people and know the organization. I attended a CSH at Meera aunty’s house at AIIMS and there’s where I got to know AID as an organization. In my very first meet I heard Mr. Srinivasan sharing his experience at the Tsunami relief work at Chennai. He was an AID US volunteer who was at Delhi. Parichay was my next destination. Thanks to Anirban and Somen who were with me answering all my queries and solving all my problems in understanding the organization. After 6 odd months I got to know AID completely as an organization and almost after a year I got a chance to attend the conference at Chennai where I got to meet a lot of people who are participating in struggles [Sangharsh] and understood that Sewa and Nirmaan would not be possible without Sangharsh.. Till then I seriously had a question on the same and always criticized on the sameJ.

Not only on the views, AID has also helped in taking critical decisions in my life as well. It actually thought me the process of an alternate way of living and seeing / solving problems with a different note. I would say that AID got a third eye / vision into my life. I also got a lot of friends at AID who’ve been very valuable and have played crucial part in my life. I slowly started to integrate my life into AID by understanding and experiencing its concept. It has been a pleasant journey from there on. Though there are lot of distractions for young people at the age between 16 & 30, place like AID provides an opportunity to keep one self not only as a normal human but also promotes thyself to a better position. One thing I understood even before starting to volunteer and also learnt from AID is that volunteer with a sense of responsibility and not as something you want to feel good by doing something good. If you have the later part majorly dominating your thought you’d not be able to think on a bigger picture of what change is. Change yourself from the later to the prior. Be the change yourself!.... you along with a lot many more others can make a better world to life.

Emmossanal Atyachar!!!

Hmmm...... I've been searching for an appropriate title for the content and the context of this blog.. Thanks to Dev D....... got me an appropriate one!. I started to write this somewhere in Dec 08… took quite long to tune it :P.
Generally, most of the relationships evolve on need basis apart from the friendship one gets in school life / college life with their classmates. I would rather replace the term evolve with made and if the replacement is right then it could be rephrased as relationships are made willingly / unwillingly [whichever is applicable] to fulfill a need. In the process, only a very few relationships tend to proceed with mutual willingness. Many tend to proceed with a drive / objective behind it. One more reason for getting into a drive based / objective based relationship which I think is that in our country most of the things get done with the help of love / affection people have for each other. I have noticed this many a times, a work which is pending for a month long will be done if someone so close to the person who need to complete the work rings and request for the same. Love does conquer but the disgusting fact is that there is a blend of fake ness conspiring with purity.
I’m a person who likes to go well with anyone I come across; I used to care for people [most of the people] who were around me. I felt that fulfilling their small wishes as a surprise would cheer them up and will remain ever in their memory. It doesn’t matter to me if people didn’t reciprocate because I generally don’t get deeply involved with many people. I’m very choosy when it comes to opening up with people. I only open up with someone who I respect, admire and look up to. For me, people are more important than anything else. I would literally do anything for those few people in my life.
These were my opinions and I used to strongly follow it, till I realized that I am the stupidest to keep doing things to people without expecting anything back. I came across a few situations where I realized that the people for whom I’ve been doing things have started to take me for granted :P , though I never worried about it as I gave the benefit of doubt and blindly trust people[I don’t want to quote the live example of what happened :)]. I’ve always been used to get things done [I realized this only after a few persons quoted things to me and explained]. I was really taken aback and there are a few things which I can’t tolerate, betrayal is one of them. I also learned that if there is real love / affection between people [in any relationship] then it should reciprocate. People say that Love is giving unconditionally; I’d restate that it is giving / getting conditionally.
I tried to change myself and also discovered that I’m what I have been and can’t be someone else I want to be but I can try and help out myself in choosing out the right people .
Got to read this in a status of a friend “Love people and use things instead of using people and loving things”. Very true!!!!.... We should avoid using people’s emotions!.

மழையோசை

ஜில்லென்று வீசுகின்ற காற்றினிலே

மிதந்து வரும் மண்வாசனையில்

கண்கள் மூடி கனவில் சென்றேன்

கணங்களை மூடி கைகளை விரித்து

காற்றின் முன் கரைந்து நின்றேன்

இங்கும் அங்கும் விழுந்துளிகள்

புவியிலுள்ள இசயனைதும்

கலந்தெனது செவியில் சேர்க்க

ஓசையின்றி மெய்சிலிர்த்து

இதயத்துள் விழுங்குகின்றேன்

இம்மழையோசையை

Hindu Mothers and Imaginary Friends.

I would like to invite you to take a poll on Hindu Mothers and Imaginary Friends.

This is an unscientific poll of people with Hindu mothers, to cross-check the "scientific conclusion" found in a 2009 publication concerning children and imaginary friends across cultures. The sentence in question: "Hindu mothers discourage them [imaginary friends] because they think the companions might be manifestations of past lives and that they may take over the life of the current soul."
You may take this poll if you have had or currently are a Hindu mother. Liberated fathers also welcome :-)

Source of quote to be disclosed along with poll results. Comments appreciated.

Sandalwood Dreams!

The odor of the wind was never so pleasant!,
While I look on the creeping crescent!,
The mystical sounds that floats in the air!,
Jazzes the surrounding much more fair!.

The dusk in the hills piling on the thrills!,
The roads kept growing longer!,
The bonding flourish to be stronger!,
The shoulders brushing to the other!,
Brought the feel of dancing feather!,

The flips and flaps of her eye lid!,
Creating a violence in the silence!,
Nods replies to the unasked questions!,
The 3 mm smile adds a 3 million years life!,
I wish I have so you as my wife!.

When the breeze blowing mild!,
The thoughts going wild!,
While the hands held tight!,
The hearts go light!,
There came a gleam!,
Made me realize its a sandalwood dream!

Shiksha Adhoori IV [Education Incomplete IV]

I've been contemplating to write on this topic for quite a long time, some how couldn't put it on papers... this argues about the way caste system is integrated into everyone's life through education. I remember in my younger days of school education in every book on the front page there will be a printed message of "untouchability is a crime", "untouchability is a sin". We also used to recite a few poems which discusses about the same context and most of us would still / ever remember these lines by Bharati "Jadhigal illayadi papa, kul thazhchi uyarchi sollal paavam" [which translates to "My dear!, There are no such thing called caste, it’s a sin to talk about disparity"]. Wonderful!... The year ends in the class reciting the same poem!. By then I had to move out of the school due to some economic crisis at my home. Looked for a transfer certificate and got it and now I wanted to enroll in a government / aided school there. There was a few schools short listed and finally one of it was zeroed in. When I went for admission we got to know that I was not entitled to get admission because I didn't carry a caste certificate with me which will prove that I am from a Backward Caste. I was not that aware of all these stuff that time and somehow my parents were able to manage the certificate and enroll me in the school.

Some where I got a chance to interact with the head master of the school to discuss about the scholarship which the government provided for students. I initially thought it was on merit basis but the head master threw me a question "What is your caste?". Probably with my knowledge he was the first person in my life who has asked me this question. Having read and studied about the lines mentioned above by Bharati [most of Bharati's such lines are aggressive and we were thought to read those with that sense of aggression], with the same amount of aggression I replied him saying that, Sir I've been taught "My dear!, There are no such thing called caste, its a sin to talk about disparity". Oh!.. I still remember the kind of force with the cane which sensed in my hands. I didn't feel bad about what I did but I actually felt bad that being a head master he should have appreciated the fact rather punishing. He also shouted that I would not be getting the scholarship at all. Some how as one of my relative was a teacher in the same school and after his intervention, I could manage to get the money.

I some how could not relate to the education on caste provided by our schools. At one place you teach caste and creed should be eliminated and at the other place you put on caste as the third field to be filled in every application form you issue. As per my understanding the disparity of humans in the earlier era came in to picture based up on the kind of occupation they did. Some how there were different culture that existed at different parts of the world which lead to even wider difference in their approach towards a certain system which brought in community and within a certain community everyone didn't have all the expertise integrated into them and there came the difference in approach to a given problem [which can be termed as the kind of work they do]. Based upon the utilization of presence of mind, muscle power, thought process etc., further the community had a certain term for identifying like minded people in the name of caste [I'm not good at history and these are purely my interpretations].

Later in the stages based up on the kind of work they do people were termed as untouchables as well by a certain set of "so called" elites of those period [some how I still couldn't understand how all these came] and in the modern era we people after hearing so much of history as well as philosophy started to / starting to move towards a caste / creed free world, but the schools which has the responsibilities to provide /educate the knowledge about why caste and creed came and why it should be eliminated is somehow incorporating the need and necessity as a priority to people [knowingly / unknowingly is a question]... This is what the reason why a lot of younger generation people [inspite things are far far better these days], come up in asking / talking about caste etc., as a primary need for existence. [I have no arguments here about the reservation system which the government has brought in.. will talk about that in a separate article]. For the above said I find the primary fault lies in the education system and the way it handles caste. Until we (try to) change that the education on caste will be always adhoora!