Pavizhamalli Bloom

There is a sense a deja vu when this Pavizhamalli blooms!

It blooms in the months of September -October. I have vivid memories of this flower right from my childhood.  I lived in  Postal and Telegraph Colony on the first floor.  My neighbour's garden downstairs had this tree and my early mornings would be filled with the sweet smell of these Pavizhamalli flowers.  As a young boy,   I  often used to run to the garden in the morning to get those flowers that were all strewn on the ground.  We usually pick it from the ground as we cannot directly pick it up from the tree. I always wanted a home on the ground floor so that I can also have the tree in my garden,  as the owner of the tree would always give us a dirty look when we go to pick flowers.

These tiny flowers bright white petals and the dark saffron very short stock was a sight to behold.  There was also an untold competition as too who gets the most flowers. We used to clear the entire ground of flowers, so fast,  so that others do not get the flowers.  Sometimes friendly neighbourhood aunties would waylay us by taking some flowers from us but with a big smile.   After getting a basketful, my job back home is to make a garland stringing the flower with a needle and a thread.  And adorn it to the Ramar Photo,  the presiding deity in our swami room of our house.  It was a sight to behold.  This continued for years.


Then we shifted to our own house and we have our own garden and we have our own Pavizhamalli Tree.  Flowers bloom in September/October. But as I grew, I lost the patience of picking up the flowers.  I  pick a  few and most of it goes unpicked.  But I have a strong attachment to the flowers.

Around three or four years back, my late mother was very sick and was hospitalized.  It was early October. Doctors had given up hopes and so did we.  I used to come home every morning from the hospital cook and take food to my mother.   There was Pavizhamalli bloom again.  I used it to take these flowers to my mother and tell her about how these flowers were in full bloom and the entire ground underneath is filled with the flowers.  She would silently stare at me. 

Now, with my childhood lost and my mother gone, it is bloom time for Pavizhamalli and I search for all the things that I have lost in the sweet smell of the flowers.

A Responsible Ganesh devotee?!

It's Pillayar Chathurthi once again! I have woken-up from my hibernation to write this blog.  There is a trend that is in vogue this Ganesh Chathurthi! It tests my devotion to the Lord.  One website questions "Are you a responsible Ganesh devotee?".  I probe further and find out they are talking about eco-friendly Ganeshas.  Ganesha made from recycled materials, Ganesha made from natural colours! and to top it all a Ganesha that grows into a tree! The limit of marketing gimmicks and the best way to earn a fortune. They cost somewhere between Rs.1,200  to  Rs.4,000.

We all have posted it on Social media and have become the champions of  environment.  But all this at what costs?  

It is just a status symbol.

I personally buy Ganesha , that is made of clay , which is brought from a nearby village and it costs rs.100 or above.  We fight with that frail looking villager bargain and buy.  That monochrome Ganesha is the most eco-friendly of all!

But at the sametime, we market the eco-friendly Ganesha by sharing the pics of tree ganesha.  How many of us really buy it? 

Is there a logic behind the costly eco-friendly Ganesh? 

It does not stop there.  A website sells microwave friendly earthenware that costs somewhere above Rs.1200.

Jago Grahak ! Jago!

Get the clay idol from the street! and stop being a Pseudo environmentalist!(Atleast for Ganesha's sake!)

Ganesha is the most simple God.  He is ready to reside in any form from cow-dung !  (Holy Cow!) to turmeric!

Help the villager near than funding startups that see business opportunities than the real cause! 

More Sinned against than Sinning

"More sinned against than sinning",  says King Lear in desperation.  But it is used more with Shylock.  Today when I turn the newspapers I can’t help equating Donald. J.Trump  with Shylock.  Let me also tell you I am not an expert on American politics and its implication.  First Donald has won a democratic election that was conducted as far as I know fair and not rigged.  There was no Arizona formula, rings in meatballs or containers of cash caught.

I think it is a tight slap on the faces of Journalists.  Same was the case with Modi, Assembly Elections, etc.  I was watching a news show where one of the editors was saying that it is high time we start reporting news and not opinions.  It is also a wake-up call to the journalists and psephologists that people do not care about what they say are the poll issues or whatever wave you predict.  Media you have crash landed onto earth, now report! Don’t from opinions.

The next thing that people cry about Trump’ is his  views on  Muslims.  Again the fact is yes!  It is a  truth that we need to accept.  When the whole world in is the grip of fears of attacks in the name of a particular religion, I see it as the natural reaction.  Let us remove our masks of being liberals, I have Muslim friends and my sister had rented her house a Muslim who stayed in the house for 8 years and he left the house brand new as had taken possession of it.  In spite of all that, I still feel that someone like Trump should put a stop to terrorism in the name of religion. He reflected the view of the layman on the road, not the person who sits and talks in newsrooms.  Let us face it, it is our duty and Muslims in particular to lift the misconceptions about the religion.  (About any religion for that matter)
All about the tapes leaked and swearing it is skeletons in the closet.  Don’t we have any? And to tell America has denied a woman becoming  a President,   I find it illogical.   You cannot elect a person based on gender.

I also see a lot of Americans protesting against the election of Trump.  What were u doing before elections?  Swallow the bitter pill, you need it, u can’t just be worried about soccer anymore.

I am not saying that Trump is a  Pure soul what we have seen is, with responsibility people have mellowed down.  And Politician’s poll promises. do I have to say?  For all Indians and the Indian Media, it is America's  turn to become swadeshi.  You worry because your green card dream is shattered.
Remember I have equated him to Shylock in the beginning and Shylock did not get his pound of flesh!

Hi Friends!

It has long been my unfulfilled dream of writing a blog. I wanted to write but I was also worried as to who would read my blog!.  I was also worried about  exposing my ignorance and what not.  But few things made me write this blog. I consider this an outlet to express myself and have my say, whether the world likes it or not!

As my first blog I would like to talk about two things that changed my life forever.  I was a below average student at school  and I was happy with performing on stage, quiz,                 d ramatics.

In my college days,  I chose English Literature.  I continued with stage activities, got prizes, did well in studies and got a job as a Lecturer with a self-financing college in Pudukkottai.  I would call the "things ", life , milestones life, two in number.

The First:

I was like any other  youngster with an Eng. Lit. degree looking down upon anything that was written in local tongue (Tamil).  One of my colleagues gave a novelette by Jayakanthan , It was titled "Rishimoolam".  It turned page with scorn  as I crossed the fourth page I was glued to it.  The story deals with a  boy's yearning for the love of his mother bordering on Oedipus Complex , his life after his mother's death , his life at the house of  his father's friend and his wife (Mami),  a childless couple.  His  relationship with the lady of the house which becomes physical accidentally  , thus making him lose balance of his self and making him a recluse.  The whole world would revere him as a saint but the thought of that one incident remains a thorn in his heart.  Even the Mami see that as an act of a child but this guy loses his self forever.  What would one call it ? Madness or the stillness of a renounced soul!

  Reading this pulled me into a vortex out of which I never came back.  The greatness about Jayakanthan is he never judges people.  He presents them as they are no judgements!

  Don't Judge anybody!(till date  difficult to follow) 

The Second:

I was in-charge of the guests at the college I worked with.  One day I was told that one  Dr. Namazhwar was visiting and I need to accompany him to the college.  I never knew who he was.  I received him at our college gate .  I was shocked. I saw a  man with a turban and shawl and he never looked like a scientist.  I took him for granted and I was just exchanging pleasantries.  It was March and I was wearing a tie , shoe and profusely sweating.  He immediately said with a smile "It is because of people  like you, our country will never grow!" I was shocked.  He further added, " Look at  the climate  it is very hot and you are dressed like this, Can't you think?"

I changed forever.  I didn't throw my tie and shoe away as the college demanded it and it was the matter of my Idli and Sambar(Bread and Butter I hate!)

But I started to think from that day!  Wearing tie and shoe , just reading English books, doesn't make you modern or up to date!

Think Global! Act Local!