...After the Break!!

The packrats are moving(MA to GA)!! Will get back to regular blogging after we get settled in the new place.

So as not to dissappoint those of you who look forward(!!) to my Friday melody but at the same time me fighting time constraint, I am listing one song.

Vellai pookkal - Kannathil Muthamittal

Wish you all a happy, promising and more peaceful new year 2006!

Friday Melody - Devan!

Did anyone guess 'devan' this week? Anyway, from the listings you could also say it is 'Raga devan' special!!


Devanin kovil - Aruvadai naal
One of the many sweet songs of 'chinna kuyil' Chitra. It just pleases the ears!

Devan thandha veenai - Unnai naan sandhithen
Another lovely melody by IR with Janaki and Jayachandran melting us. Takes you back in time, eh?

Devan Kovil - Naan paadum paadal
Another of 'Mike' Mohan's mike song. The beginning of this song sounds similar to the previous 'Devan thandha veenai' song. Same raaga?

Tis' the time of the year!

Come December and everyone, everything gets into the festive spirit here.

I think, most work places have some fun events organised during this time. At my husband's office, they play 'Secret Santa' and 'Yankee Swap' every year. Somehow adults playing games like kids seemed odd to me in the beginning. But then, the enthusiasm and excitement that these people show to participate in these just amazed me.

For Secret Santa, among the participants, for every person another person is (secretly) chosen as his/her Santa and the week following Christmas, the Santas should surprise their 'kids'. Some artistic Santas would decorate the cubicles with lights, flowers, Christmas trees, wreaths etc. Some would just leave some candies/chocolates every day(like my hubby, gulping some in the process!)! Once, a Santa had gift wrapped every item(even the trash can!) in his "kid's" cubicle!!! During the Christmas party, every person's Santa is revealed and exchanges gifts.

Yankee Swap is even more fun with the gift that we want being grabbed by person after person! The person who picks #1 is the luckiest and #2 the unluckiest! We always used to end up with funny gifts. One year, a person had kept fake lottery (scratch) tickets as gift and the person who got it thought she won, started crying with joy and ended crying minus the joy!!

Friday Melody - Rajni!

Unbelievable?!! 'Chennai-leye mazhai kotto-kottunnu kottudhu, idhellam enna periya, ille'!! I have always been an extremely biased Kamal fan. So biased that I would not even watch a Rajni movie on TV and worse, wouldn't let my family watch it either(another reason for them to be glad about when I left home after marriage!)! The spell was broken by 'Baba'!! Just curious to know what was(or wasn't) in it that even his fans couldn't stand!!

Anyway, 'Bias-less' Balaji was upset about my last week's Friday melody! For quite sometime, I had been wondering (in 'Dhuruvan style') if I should include one Rajni song along with Bharathiar special or surprise everyone with a Rajni spl.! So, here goes to all you Rajni fans, especially my 'F, P& _G' Sadashiv and BB!!

Ramanin mohanam - Netri Kann

Thazham poove - Kai Kodukkum Kai

Iru vizhin vazhiye - Siva

Konji konji - Veera

Vidhiya? Sadhiya?

She was a widow with two children, both of them girls. Her husband had died in an accident and she got her husband's job on compassionate grounds. So, food, shelter, clothing, education and other basic needs were taken care of. The major problem was their health condition. All three often had epileptic seizures. One of them would be hospitalised almost every month. But inspite of all this, they were always positive about the future. They would never complain, blame anyone, even raise their voice. Both the girls had artistic inclination excelling in Kolam(rangoli), sketches, hand work etc. They even did graduation through distant learning programs.

Like all mothers, She too wanted her daughters to be happily married. Everyone in the family were overjoyed when they found a groom from a good family. She did not hide her daughter's medical problems and the groom's family seemed understanding. They did not demand much, not even a grand wedding! She was extremely relieved to have done half her duties now that the eldest daughter was married. Everyone else in the family too felt happy for her. But 'man proposes, God disposes'! She was shattered when her eldest daughter came back home complaining of terrible abuses! More shocking was the news of the groom's mental condition. He was normal most of the times but suffered from violent mood swings at times. Now the groom's family accepted that the groom had mental problems and had been advised that he would be cured after marriage!!!

The Elders in the family talked and decided that the groom would seek medical help and on getting cured would be reunited with his wife. The daughter was adamant about not going back to him but nobody listened. Amidst all these distressing events, She got one of those epileptic attacks which had been on bay for sometime. Again, back to the days of hospitals, medicines etc. Then came the devastating news of her elder daughter's suicide!

This is not fiction. This is a glimpse of the life of a relative of mine. Today is her daughter's 3rd death anniversary. I am a compassionate person but not a strong person. Even when I met her a few years back, all I could do was shed tears. Helplessness is a horrible feeling!

Friday Melody - Bharathiyaar II

December 11th, 2005 is Mahakavi Bharathiar's 123rd birth anniversary. So, I take this opportunity to share another installment of his gems. Today's special features some of his 'Kannamma' songs.

Kaatru velli idai - Kappalotiya Thamizhan

Veenai adi - Ezhavadhu Manidhan

Ninnaiye - Kanne Kaniyamudhe

I have to thank the cinema medium for attractively packaging the works of Bharathi to people like me. Even though I got to learn his poems in School, singing 'Thayin mani kodi paareer...' or 'Om Shakthi om shakthi om' didn't exactly excite me the way the 'kaakai chiraginile' or 'Theertha karaiyinile' in movies did. Anyway, today I enjoy his songs in any style. A few years back, I had asked a friend to record all Bharathiar's songs featured in movies. Since that criteria did not fill the entire cassette, either my friend or the cassette store fellow included some carnatic ones too. Thanks to her or him. Today, it has become an obsession with me to collect Bharathiar songs sung by different singers.

Check out my Earlier special on Bharathi.

Dus, Nau, Aat....(sing in 'Ek, Do, Theen' tune!)!

Like from time to time, Florida sends its weather system to us in the North East, my fellow Floridian blogger friends send me Tag showers! This time it is from TMDB, Raju!!

10 favorites:
Favorite Season: Chennai Winter!
Favorite Sport : Odi pidichu (Tag, is it not in English?)
Favorite Time: Morning
Favorite Month: June
Favorite Actor: Kamalhaasan
Favorite Actress: Revathy
Favorite Icecream: Brownie Earthquake
Favorite Food: Masaal Dosai
Favorite Drink: Flavoured Milk
Favorite Place: Home

9 currents:
Current Feeling: Relief (Prev Post)
Current O/S: Windows XP
Current Windows open: Outlook Express
Current Drink: none
Current Time: 3:20 PM
Current Mobile(s) used: Motorola
Current show on TV: Barney!
Current Thought: What to cook for dinner?
Current Cloth: Fleece

8 Firsts:
First nick: Appu
First kiss: Got or gave?
First crush: Blackie!
First computer: 8088!
First vehicle I drove: BSA SLR!
First job: Trainee
First movie I watched on Pulse Global's Print: ???
First pet: My daughter!
First shave (men)/Hairstyle (women): At age 7

7 lasts:
Last chai (tea): Celestial seasoning's Chai
Last movie: Majaa
Last time I drove: Tuesday
Last time shaved (men) / Beauty parlor visit (women): last year!
Last website visited: bbcnews.com
Last software installed: not my dept. now!
Last pill I had: can't remember!

6 Have you evers:
Have you ever broken the law: Yes
Have you ever been drunk: No
Have you ever climbed a tree: No
Have you ever kissed someone you didnt know: No
Have You Ever Been in the Middle/Close to Gunfire or Bomb Blast: No
Have you ever broken anyone's heart: hopefully!(how many broke mine!)

5 Things:
Things you can hear right now: water dripping(got to shut it!)
Things on your computer table: too many to list!
Things on your bed: pillows, comforters
Things you ate today: Rice, Rasam, Curd
Things in mind: same as above!

4 places you have been today:
Only Home

3 people you can tell anything to:
Amma
Hubby
Sadran

2 choices
Black or white: Black
Hot or cold: Cold

1 thing you want to do before you die:
Already covered in Rainbow Tag

Ajamila

Recently, I read an old issue of 'Anandha Vikatan' where there was an article by Gnani about Lal Bahadur Shastri and the simple life he lived even after he became the Prime Minister of India. Today's polititians might laugh at him saying 'pozhaikka theriyadhavaru pa!'
This reminded me of the story of Ajamila - 'a fallen brahman who was saved from hell by unintentionally chanting the Lord's name at the time of death'. Guess, today's man-kind have learnt that like 'Ajamila', they can engage in wrong-doings all their life and at the end cry out to someone to save them or perform 'parikaram'.

Friday Melody - Sangeetham

It is December and in Chennai, after(hopefully!) all the monsoon mazhai, it is Sangeetha mazhai season. So, this Friday, it is all 'sangeetha' songs.

Sangeetha swarangal - Azhagan
Music by Maragadha Mani. If I remember right, he went by different names in each language. I loved his music. Pity, he did not make it big in any of the language!

Sangeedha megam - Udhaya Geetham
One of 'Mike' Mohan's movies and a good thriller(in those days!) too.

Sangeetha jaathimullai - Kadhal Oviyam
One of the many movies with excellent songs for listening (only! Can neither watch "Kann"an's expressions or Radha's so called dance!).

Short-term Memory Loss!!

Am I getting older or am I a pathetic multi-tasker? This Thanksgiving weekend joins my (huge) list of 'unforgettable day(s)'. Thanksgiving day morning, after tons of planning and rescheduling our trip (to relatives' to spend the holidays) due to weather, traffic etc., with everyone at the doorstep ready to climb into the car, I didn't seem to find my purse! After a quick scan in all the usual places and not finding it, I concluded that I must have left it somewhere during an outing. Thursday being a holiday on account of Thanksgiving, we couldn't do much. Friday morning, in between his precious cricket match, my husband called every credit card company/bank and blocked/froze all the accounts. I called every friend, store that I visited during the previous days only to get a negative! The inventory of my purse discussed a dozen times, my outings reconstructed step-by-step another 'n' times, everyone sharing their stories about how they lost(and sometimes found) their purses, our wonderful long weekend whizzed past! Sunday afternoon, even while driving back home, we were almost set to drive to the Police station to file a complaint. For some reason, we decided to get home first and even before my husband finished unloading things from the trunk, he saw my smiling face and understood that the 'culprit' purse has been waiting in a 'safe place' at home all weekend!!!

(Early) Friday Melody - Kamal IV

An early Friday melody on account of the Thanksgiving long holiday. Today's theme is 'kadhambam'! "Appappe murungai maram yerum tamil cinema vedhalathai 'thann muyarchiyil sattrum manam thalaraadha Vikramadithan' pole thoL kudukkum engal Annathe", wish you all success!!

Anbe Sivam

Kadavul paadhi

Potri paadadi

Annathe aaduraar

Unnaal mudiyum thambi

Thenpaandi cheemaiyile

Engeyum

Drive me crazy!

Got this email forward sometime back.

Driving Styles ...

One hand on steering wheel, one hand out of window. - Sydney

One hand on steering wheel, one hand on horn- Japan

One hand on steering wheel, one hand on newspaper, foot solidly on accelerator... - Boston

Both hands on steering wheel, eyes shut, both feet on brake, quivering in terror- New York

Both hands in air, gesturing, both feet on accelerator, head turned to talk to someone in back seat- Italy

One hand on horn, one hand on holding gear, one ear listening to loud music, one ear on cell phone, one foot on accelerator, one foot on clutch, nothing on break, eyes on females in next car, *** - Welcome to INDIA!

P.S. - If foreigners(and NRIs) are scared of our indisciplined traffic in India, so was I with the disciplined traffic here!! It was such a rude shock to me that I who used to (free style!) ride a 2 wheeler on Chennai roads had to go 'Gajini Mohammad' style to the RMV to get my license!!

Friday Melody - Kamal III

Get up/set up/make up is another specialty of Kamal. So, here are some of the songs from movies where we saw a different looking Kamal.

Ther kondu - Enakkul oruvan

Pudhu maapillaikku - Aboorva sagodarargal

Pachai kiligal - Indian

Vela vela - Avvai Shanmughi


P.S. - Sorry, couldn't link up the last song. The file hosting site is giving some problems. Will try to fix it asap.

Varumaiyin niram sivappu!

I am sure for many of you, like me, the defeat of Chandrababu Naidu and NDA government would have come as a big shock. It seemed as if the masses were mocking at/curtailing the government's steps to improving the economy. Later it emerged that the governments were only concentrating on the outer shine, polishing while the main inner core was/is rusting and decaying. Read this post, Green revolution, by Senthil about how globalisation is affecting our agriculture sector and how the poor farmers are caught in the middle. With nature playing truant most of the time and governments playing political games, the farmer who toils and labours on the field not able to feed himself and his family is so pathetic.

Friday Melody - Kamal II

Today's songs, all sung by Kamalhaasan.

Panneer Pushpangale - Aval Appadithaan

Ninaivo oru paravai - Sigappu Rojakkal

Pon Maanai - Oh Maane Maane

Vikram - Vikram

Muththe muthamma - Ullasam

Boom!

Though there are still debates, beliefs and non-beliefs about 'love at first sight', movie industry had strongly held on it for decades. Then there was a time when directors were bitten by 'vidhyasamana kaadhals' for a while.

Anyway, in recent times, there seems to be a new trend: 'love at the last minute'!! It was in 'Azhagiya Theeye' that I first noticed it with the hero expecting the heroine to fall in love with him suddenly one fine day, 'boom'! As it always happens in movies, the heroine does go 'boom' at the climax. Then, the same happened in 'Gilli' though for a change, it is the hero who goes 'boom' at the last minute. Then again in 'Ullam Ketkume', the hero goes 'boom' in the climax with the heroine happily smiling inspite of missing her flight(Wonder what would have been the female's 'nelamai' if after missing her flight, Shyam shows no change of heart!).

Friday Melody KAMA(A)L - I

No surprises this week! Ofcourse, with 'Annathey' celebrating his birthday on 7th, what else could anyone expect!!

Today, it is some of "Kaadhal Ilavarasan's" duet melodies!

Maunamana neram - Salangai oli

Thallattudhey vaanam - Kadal Meengal

Endhan nenjil - Kalaignan

Poonkuyil - Nammavar

Nee paartha - Hey Raam

Onna vida - Virumandi

Instrumental - Punnagai Mannan

BTW, the rest of the month's Friday melodies will also be Kamal specials!!

For your eyes only!

If your eyes follow the movement of the rotating pink dot, you will only see one color, pink.
If you stare at the black + in the center, the moving dot turns to green. Now, concentrate on the black + in the center of the picture.
After a short period of time, all the pink dots will slowly disappear, and you will only see a green dot rotating.
It's amazing how our brain works. There really is no green dot, and the pink ones really don't disappear. This should be proof enough, we don't always see what we think we see.



Happy Deepavali!

Yaar yaar Sivam!

Senthil's post about Temple for Gandhi reminded me of a childhood conversation I had with my mother. It was around the time when my history lessons talked about the different religions, their founders etc. It embarrassed me that all other religions had a founder, a history etc. whereas Hinduism didn't. My mother, to pacify me, told me that probably Rama, Krishna were Kings who lived so long ago that no documentation exists to prove their existence. She went ahead to say that I need not look upto them as Gods, but as human beings from whose life we can learn morals and lessons. She added, "For all you know, after 'n' thousand years, people may not believe that a person called Gandhi existed!".

The above I had started soon after I commented in that post. But even before I could finish mine there have been many comments and more posts on the same topic! As most of you know that I am a 'confused Desi' and an 'aadha'! So, just pouring out all those that are in my head. I never imagined that one day I would be on this side of a 'religion' argument!!

Definitely a library full of books on Gandhi or a theatre screening archival footages and movies made on him would have been a better option than building him a temple. But like I said in my comment, "In our country, worshipping a person is the way to show their respect, devotion etc." A temple will surely attract more people than a library or a theatre(ofcourse if it does not show 'thalaivar' films). If Mr. Vaiyapuri is genuinely interested in spreading Gandhi's messages and teachings, he could arrange for guest lectures, story recitals, paint the walls with his messages etc. That kid who prays to Gandhi for help with Math paper will in due course realise that no Gandhi, no Krishna, no Jesus is waiting by the door ready to grant boons!

IMO, religions, castes must have been created to bring some sort of order, discipline. Though in the years, with little or no documentation, the interpretations(and interpreters) have taken it in different directions. Stories are told to drive some point, to present morals in an interesting way. We are free to read anything and everything now. We may not agree with everything, follow everything. I am sure we are able enough to absorb the good and discard the bad. In the glorious past, Monarchs might have forced their subjects to worship them. They are still happening in this 21st century, in African countries, in dictatorships (in some state governments in our own India)!

Also, religions were built around fear. Probably with a good intention to make people follow righteousness. Especially, with human beings of that time being more aggressive, less thoughtful this might have been a great way to bring them in line(Like with kids, until they start thinking by themselves, we can scare them into not going hay-wire!). From the kids stage, the human community has probably reached the adolescent (thinking) stage now that th(w)ey are questioning the not-understandables, not-followables.

Friday Melody - 'Ding dong'

Just a reminder that on Sunday the 'day light savings' ends. Yay! We get an hour extra(Once a year our house-hold will be on time!) on Sunday!

Ding dong - Ji
A very lovely melody. The first time I heard it, I did not know which movie it was from, who sang or anything. The picturisation is also neat with no 101 people behind or the hero/heroine in the front exercising!

Irandum - Panakkaran
Another 'ding dong' song.

Oru mani - Kaalamellam kaadhal vaazhga
One of the many nice melodies of Hariharan. I cannot seem to remember anything related to this song/movie!

Peigala - Mahanadhi
It is 'halloween' on Monday. Adhukkaga, enga Annathey paattu onnu!!

C-real addiction!

In Chennai, for that matter, through out India, TV (mega) Serials have become a part of daily routine. I am neither a mega serial watcher nor a mega serial basher. Its just that most people seem to be complaining about their parents/relatives/friends' addiction to these mega serials. Some thoughts that I've been having about its whys and hows.

Recently, a friend called me to find out the name of the movie, 'Kannadi Pookkal'. His parents had come to visit from India and he wanted to rent some DVDs to keep them occupied during the day while he was away at work. He also wanted to know if they were any other movies suitable(!!) for their viewing and I just could not come up with any!! I may be stereo-typing them but really there are no Visu/V. Sekar style movies these days, isn't it? Even the few 'good' movies are about undertakers, immature lovers, murder suspects etc. Probably thats one reason why 'ms' is scoring now as most of them are about families, their problems etc.

These days with most house-holds having both spouses working or living abroad, the elders have nothing but the television to help pass time. I remember my grandfather who would push those boring evening hours going for walks or sitting in his 'easy-chair' and chatting with passers-by! I never realised how tough it would've been for him. That way, how different are we here. We too switch on the televisions the minute we enter home. How many of us don't watch reality shows, Friends(repeated for the umpteenth time!) etc.

I do agree that the creators of these 'ms' should stop competing in writing more sob-sob type stories. Guess, like movie industry which when making few films in those days made quality movies. But once every Tom, Dick and Harry started making movies, the quality deteriorated.

BTW, if you are wondering why I am so supportive of these serial addicts, I am also a 'cereal' addict!! The cereal aisle is my favourite in any supermarket and if my favourite type is on sale or if a new exciting type has come to market, I go bonkers!! I got into this cereal eating habit to set a good example to my daughter. Today whether my daughter has got into that habit or not, I have become an addict!!

P.S. - My mother tells me that nobody gossips these days! First of all, nobody has the time to chat with anyone or they will miss their dear 'ms'. Even if they do find time, it is mostly about the characters of those 'ms'!!!

Friday Melody - 'Thangam'

Thanga thamarai magale - Minsara Kanavu
A feast to the eyes and ears(for both men and women!), huh? Recently, quite a few blogs carried a recent picture of Aravindsamy. It was shocking! But wow! I realised from the comments how much of a competition he had been to the men-folk in his prime!!!

Thanga changili - Thooral Ninnu Pocchu
One of the earlier movies of Bagyaraj. Trademark Ilayaraja melody.

Thangathile oru - Baaga Pirivinai
An old classic with Sivaji Ganesan and Saroja Devi.

Thanga Magan - Batsha
A nice song. One of the few surprises from music director Deva! (Only listenable, for me!)

Thanks to Raju for his interest & support every Friday for this post!

Bias?

Has anyone else felt that BBC is biased when it comes to India-Pakistan? In quite a few of their earlier news reports on Kashmir I have felt that they mostly show the Pakistan side of the story, their point of view etc. But after these recent earthquake in Kashmir, IMO, they seem hell-bent picking on the Indian administration's relief efforts. Check out cruel joke, cold and hungry and do Indians care?

Outsourcing!

Blog-hopping, I come across a lot of book recommendations. Most of them are fictions which I am hoping to read in the (near) future. Deepak had posted this while reading "The World is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman, a non-fiction which seemed quite interesting. Recently my husband suggested that I read this. "The World is Flat" seems to be its inspiration and I was thrilled that I was aware of that book!!

Friday Melody - 'Mazhai'

Its been a rainy week for us here in the Northeast and its been raining in Chennai too. So, what better theme than some 'Mazhai' songs.

Mazhai mazhai - Ullam Ketkume

Mazhaiyum neeye - Azhagan

Mazhai varudhu - Raja Kaiye vecha

21st Century Women

While blog-hopping, I came across this post(is in Tamil fonts) by Ramya Nageswaran. Brings tears to my eyes everytime I think about the post. So much for those of us who think we are in the technologically advanced / developed 21st century!

Check out Goonj

Oru Paatu Paadri!!

Navarathri brings everyone sweet(or salty depending on whether you like sundals or payasam!) memories from the past. In my case, this Navarathri time is next only to my Bank experiences.

Ladies function!! So, have to wear traditional dress, plait the hair, put on some 'muzhams' of jasmine flower and wear a smiley! In short, have to behave like a girl!! If this is not enough, folks would be reminding that neighbourhood 'mami(s)' and 'vaandu(s)' have invited for 'Golu' 2-3 times already and they have already collected their 'vethalai paakku' and that I haven't!! If it is a 1-2 days affair, there is a slim chance of escape. But this goes on for 9 days!!!

So, to get-it-over-with, when I step into one of the houses, an elder of the house will start with 'vaadimma, ippavavadhu vazhi therinjudha?' and end with 'oru paatu paadri'!! This uncomfortable situation is like an examination hall, where even if you know you cannot answer any of the questions, you have to sit an hour before handing over the paper! Here, having come all the way, one cannot go home empty-handed(without the sundal). So, just have to dodge till they give up and in the mean time listen to 'Paatte theriyaadha? Cinema paataavadhu paadu'!! Atlast when I step out of the house triumphantly with the sundal packet, it is time to visit next house and the loop starts again!!

Friday Melody - Mohd. Rafi Spl

Once again, it is celebration time at home. My father celebrates his birthday today. Mohd. Rafi is his favourite singer and so, today's melody is a collection of hindi songs by the mesmerising voice of Rafi Saab.

Madhuban mein Radhika - Kohinoor

Chaudavin Ka Chand Ho - Chaudavin ka chand

Taareef karoon kya - Kashmir ki kali

Tere mere sapne - Guide

Raahi manwa - Dosti

Dear Dad!

Moms somehow get enough or more attention from all quarters. Even while blog-hopping, I found quite a few posts on Moms but not on Dads(Let me know if there are any). I was pleasantly surprised when my brother told me that the day after Father's day(since Father's day falls on a Sunday) his office gave a 10 mins. break to all their employees to call & talk to their Fathers!!!

Another thing which prompted me to make this post is the movie, '5 Star'. One of the character's Father(played by Vijayan) is shown as a strict, hard-hearted Villager who though loves his son does not show it. The Father, in his own stern way, imposes all this thoughts and plans on his son that the son eventually leaves him and the country alltogether. Towards the end of the movie, the Father regrets his actions even though he did everything thinking he is doing it for his son's good. But the damage done is done and he dies never seeing his son again.

This kind of Fathers did(probably still do too) exist in our soceity(though not common in our generation, I guess). I myself know of friends who have such strict Fathers and I have many times felt mad at them. Though we all think we know and understand our parents and their situations well, it is only when we become one that it really sinks in. These days, I am glad that men (and women) seem more mature, more prepared and more expressive of their love and affection to their loved ones.

Friday Melody - 'Chinnanchiru'

Chinnanchiriya vanna paravai - Kungumam
I somehow used to hate this song whenever it came on radio or in 'Oliyum oliyum' in those good, old DD days. Sounds good to me now! Enjoy this Sivaji classic.

Chinnanchiru vayadhil - Meendum Kokila
Sweet song, simple picturisation and featuring one of my favourite pairs!

Chinnanchiru kiliye - Kannukkul nilavu
Just added this song for those who would find the earlier songs too old. Fits my keyword and sounds melodious!

Chinnanchiru kiliye - Manamagal
"Enga veettu chinnanchiru kili" is celebrating her birthday next week and this is one of her favourite songs. Though there are so many versions of this classic in movies, I love this one from the old movie, Manamagal featuring the beautiful young Padmini.

Keerthi & I discussed in my previous Bharathi song post about how this song could very well come under Kannamma, the lover/wife more than Kannamma, the daughter. Any thoughts, clarifications welcome.

Baaa...nks!

Banks have always been a scary place to me, with so many counters(cages, actually), so many coloured slips and perennially irritated people, both inside and outside the counters! Added to it, are all those technical terms which most of the times won't make sense to me. One of the many embarrassing incidents was when my ears failed me to rightly hear the often said 'panam draw pannanam' and I once told a friend that my parents have gone to the bank to 'drop money' and she laughed till her belly ached!

When I turned a 'major', my father announced that I had begun to reap the benefits of the seeds(or units!) sowed in Unit trust of India. I had got a cheque for some 150 Rs. in my name. He said it was my money and I could do anything with it. "Hooray!", I cried and thanked my Dad hoping he was going to hand me the cash. Instead he said that I could cash it (only) in a bank(oh, not again!). Since I did not have a regular bank account, he said that this was a great opportunity to open one. On enquiry we found that most banks needed a minimum balance of Rs. 500!! Anyway, after finding a bank which considered poor people like me, I went along with 'kodi veetu' mama (who had influence there!) one early morning. After a few hours(b'cos of influence, mind you!) of uncomfortable wait with many 'sidu sidu' looks and producing numerous documents, I atlast got to open an account.

After quite a while, I went to withdraw the money. First of all, bad timing, cos' it was the beginning of the month and there was a huge crowd. With difficulty, I found the withdrawal slip and shaking and shivering, filled it up, stood in the queue to deposit the slip and waited for the "token no. xxx" call. Having done so much successfully, I was quite proud and patting myself when suddenly I heard someone screaming 'Aparna, Aparna'. For a minute I thought it must be somebody else but Nooooooooo!!! I ran to that person who was yelling 'yarunga adhu withdrawal slip pinnale sign panname, Che!' The whole crowd was looking at me! Boo-hooo!!!

Then there was this time when I went to the bank to send a Demand draft to my friend. This was my first time dealing with a DD and I, once again, shaking and shivering, entered the bank, found the form, filled, stood in line and handed over the form. After this, I was not sure if my task was over or not. I was debating if I should sit down for a while or just walk away. I was walking towards the exit wondering how my DD was going to reach my friend when asusual I heard the bank employee yelling from behind "your DD, your DD"!

Friday Melody - 'Kaalam'

Fall(autumn) season has started 'officially' since Wednesday. The above picture was taken during the pre-digital camera days at Flume Gorge in New Hampshire. Fall is beautiful(some consolation to endure the long winter) in the Northeast. So, come visit us!

Kaala kaala - Punnagai Mannan
It was those days when only Kamal did any dancing (and so gracefully!) on the screen. I remember how my Anti-Kamal friends used to say things like 'pombala maadiri dance-llam aadararu!'(though the same friends boast about their heroes now as 'ennama dance aadaraaru!!!'). Anyway, wonderful music, great choreography, superbly supported by the talented Revathy. How I wished at that time that I could learn dance from 'Sethu master'!!

Kaalangalil - Paava Manippu
One of the evergreen songs of yesteryear Tamil movies. Superb lyrics of 'Kavingar' Kannadaasan, velvet voice of PBS and enacted by the great pair, 'Gemini' Ganesan and Savithri.

Kaalamidhu - Chithi
A beautiful, moving lullaby song sung by Padmini(in the movie) to her daughter. My mother was always lenient with us when it came to sleep. She will always quote this song when others chided her for pampering us! I dedicate this song to my mother who celebrated her birthday a few days back.

Toronto (contd)

Just one more left from my travel diary, the African Lion Safari in Hamilton, about an hour's drive from Toronto. Since there were a lot of pictures, I thought I'd make it a separate post.

What a great idea to cage humans in their vehicles to see the freely roaming animals [There is one such safari near Bangalore too, isn't it?]! The sight of 'singa raja' Lion or Cheetah did not excite my daughter. But the minute we entered the baboon land, it was electrifying! And then, there were zebras, ostriches, deer, rhinos, giraffes etc all roaming around, occasionally coming and peeping at the vehicles. There are a lot of things to see and do here like train/boat rides, water parks, shows featuring Birds of prey / Elephants. One day is not enough to cover all.

Elephant show

King of the Jungle Rhino

Zebra and a beautiful strange bird giving a fine pose!

Baboon Land!!

Giraffe giving a close-up

Bulls

P.S. - Forgot to mention about the various crazy records that people have created climbing the CN Tower.

Trip to Toronto

The trip, for the most part was to meet friends. So, I list down the few interesting spots we visited!

Hotel Saravana Bhavan - HSB is a 2 min. walk from our friend's house. Needless to say, it was our first outing. We enjoyed a wonderful brunch buffet with Kesari, Pongal, Kichadi, Masala dosai, mini idlis, vadai etc.

Richmond Hill Temple - The temple is the 'largest of its kind in North America' and has the 'tallest Muruga idol in the world'. A big 'ther'(Chariot) welcomes the visitors at the entrance.

Lakefront Promenade Park - One of the lakeside parks in Mississauga. When I say 'lakeside', it is the gigantic Lake Ontario that borders this side of Canada. These Lakes are aptly called the 'great lakes' for they look like an Ocean! A little jealous that this North Americans are blessed with so much fresh water! A great place for water sports lovers . Saw a faint skyline of Toronto from here.

Hippo Bus tour - Went Toronto sight-seeing in this funny looking bus. It is an amphibious vehicle which goes on land and water. The bus went through the narrow Toronto downtown streets packed with people, with the tour guide rushing with the details of the various landmarks. The last 20 minutes was a cruise on the Lake. A considerable portion of Toronto stands on man-made land(the construction waste pushed onto the lake seems to have made a good base for the new developments that includes the CN Tower!)

CN Tower - Every city with a tower like this boasts of having the tallest tower in the world. IMO, it was similar to the Sears tower in Chicago with views of the city, lake etc. One unique feature(I don't know if other towers in other countries has this) here is the glass floor through which you can see the ground below directly(dizzying!! I did not have the courage to set my foot on it even though the glass floor is said to be stronger than the surrounding concrete!). A small airport along the lakeside made a beautiful sight from the tower.

Friday Melody - "Kanmani"

Kanmani anbodu - Guna

Kanmani nee vara - Thendrale Ennai Thodu

Kanmaniye - 6-il irundhu 60 varai

Rainbow Taggu...(bgm: Anniyan 'Remo, remo')

'Me too' tagged by Deepak Giant. Initially, I struggled to find seven things to fill in but now I have seventy things to write down!

Seven things I plan to do before I die:

1. follow 'take it easy' policy
2. find the person who started/created this Tag(empa yosikka vekkareenga!)
3. be a "Naadha/Vasuki(Mrs. Thiruvalluvar) style wife" to my hubby
4. decide on either theism or athiesm
5. learn knitting and make atleast one sweater
6. straighten my teeth
7. make a difference/be a positive influence to atleast one person
on this earth

Seven things that I can do:

1. eat sweets anytime
2. be a reliable, life-long friend
3. appreciate/enjoy art
4. write in a neat hand
5. draw/sketch
6. get emotional easily
7. window shop


Seven things that I can't do:

1. not make plans/schedules/routines(even for others!) in my head
2. forget Family/Friends' special(b'day, anniversary) days
3. make quick decisions
4. write poems
5. pretend(even for fun)
6. forgive/forget
7. stand hypocrisy

Seven things that attracts me to the opposite sex:
1. Simplicity
2. Knowledge
3. Patience
4. Non-temperamental
5. fun-loving
6. Affectionate
7. Understanding

Seven things I say the most:

1. Chellam!
2. Oh, God! or 'Kadavule'
3. Amma... Raamaa...
4. Not bad
5. Semma!
6. ille?
7. I don't know!!


Seven celebrities I want to meet:

1. Ayn Rand /Audrey Hepburn
2. Gorbachev
3. P Chidambaram
4. Thenkachi Swaminathan
5. 'Annathe' Kamal / Tom Hanks / Aamir Khan
6. Nagesh Kukunoor
7. Marie of 'Everybody loves Raymond'(the rest of the cast too!)

Seven people who have to take this quiz:

Anybody not tagged yet, please free to carry on the chain.
mmm... tag Rajni?!! Heard he is doing 7 roles in his next movie!!

Friday Music - Bharathiyaar Paadalgal I

September 11th is Mahakavi Subramania Bharathi's 84th death anniversary. His works greatly influenced my love for tamil language & poetry. He remains immortal through his works.

Ethanai kodi inbam Mahanadhi Shobana

Ninnai charanadaindhen Bombay Jayashree

Kaani nilam vendum Unni Krishnan

Nirpadhuvey Harish Raghavendra

I will post more of his songs (categorised) in the coming days/months.

Back to routine!

I am back from Vacation. The title actually means still trying to get back to routine! I have so many posts ready in my head but have some minor challenges ahead of me in the next couple of days. Will try to resume from Friday.

Happy Ganesh Chathurthi!



Jai dev arathi

'Mangal bappa mourya'!

Appy birthday Kichna!!!

Enjoy some Krishna Jayanthi photos!


Kutti Krishna(s)



P. S. - We are going on Vacation for a week. So, catch up with you all after the labour day weekend. Happy long weekend[this week in India(not for everyone?) and next week in US]!!

Friday Melody - "Kaalai"

Kaalaiyum neeye - Then nilavu
An evergreen 'kaalai' song sung by A M Raja and S Janaki.

Kaalai nera - Amman kovil kizhakale
A very melodius song sung by SPB

Kaalaiyil dinamum - New
A nice song by Unni Krishnan and Sadhna Sargam.

B & P

Recently watched Gurinder Chadha's 'Bride and Prejudice'. It was quite a disappointment. Probably because of my (too much) expectation from the director, with a previous hit, 'Bend it like Beckham' and this, based on Jane Austen's classic novel, 'Pride and Prejudice'.

The movie seemed too rushed. To give 'the Bollywood' feel, every now and then, people were bursting into song/dance sequence(with Indian style music and lyrics in English) that the story has been squeezed and hurried through. IMO, some of the events does not suit(or is it now?) the Indian culture(mother sending her marriageable daughter(s) to Goa with eligible bachelor guys)!!!



Anyway, the only good point(for me) in the movie was Martin Henderson. For once in movies, it was the hero who was the 'doll'! Any girl who has read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, cannot but love William Darcy. I have watched almost every visual version of the novel,

Hollywood P & P (Laurence Olivier, Greer Garson),


BBC's miniseries (Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle)


and even a hindi serial(cannot remember its name). Somehow Martin seemed a better looking Darcy than the other three(In my younger days, I thought 'Thalapathi' Arvindsamy was the perfect Darcy!!).

Even though the parents characterisation is strong in the novel, the actors(Anupam Kher and Nadeera Babbar as the Bakshis) had no scope. I felt it especially since the characterisation(Anupam Kher and Shaheen Khan) in Bend it.. was so impacting. The only character worth mentioning is Nitin Ganatra as Kohli. He was hilarious! Surprisingly most review sites have positive comments about this movie. I guess, Aishwarya Rai is the reason!!

Raksha Bandhan!!!!

Friday Melody

Enjoy some 'flower' songs today!


Poove iLaya poove - Kozhi Koovudhu

Malaysia Vasudevan is not associated with melodies much but this is one of the rare ones.

Poove sempoove - Solla Thudikkudhu Manasu

One of the many melodies of K J Yesudas.

Poo vaasam - Anbe Sivam

A lovely song and picturisation!! What else can I say!

Poove vaai pesum - 12B

After 'Kaaka kaaka', I've begun to like HJ's music. This, I am guessing, was his debut album.

Phoolon ka taaronka - Hare Rama Hare Krishna

And you thought I had forgotten 'Raksha Bandhan'!!


"Poo mazhai pozhiyattum"

1000th Issue of RD!!

I am not a voracious reader but reading is one of my favourite hobbies. Did not quite realise how a teeny-tiny baby could change one's life. Anyway, after a couple of years of break and inspired by fellow bloggers(especially, Balaji, and Munimma who with 2 kids, blog, read, watch movies, write stories etc. etc.!!!), I decided to renew my Reader's Digest subscription as a first step. Yesterday, I received my first issue and it was the 1000th issue of RD!! Let's see if I can live up to the challenge of finishing one book in one month!!!!

Pongi vazhiyum NR-I patriotism!!

Until she was in India, she was as normal as any other Indian, neither felt proud nor sorry for being an Indian, did not contribute anything to the country and hence did not expect much from it , enjoyed Independance days, Republic days like any other holidays either in the company of friends/relatives or watching the 'whatever' day specials on TV.

It was only after leaving the 'porandha maNN' that Patriotism started overflowing! Giving broad smiles to fellow Indians, reading Newpapers from front to back for India news, watching News/documentaries on TV featuring anything Indian, picking up fights with every person who complained about Indian (lack of) facilities or bureaucracies etc. The height was watching Ms Universe/World shows or the Olympics Parade!!! The latest addition is her brightening face when her daughter points to India's map and says, 'India'!!

No prizes for guessing who that 'she' in there is, it is me, ofcourse! It was only recently that I came to know about the Independance day Parade in NYC (from Senthil's blog). My first reaction was 'enna patriotism!'. But when I gave it some more thought, I realised how pseudo-patriotic I have become! Wish Nagesh Kukunoor had shown how Ashwini lived and reacted in the US in his part II of Hyderbad Blues!!

Diversity is both a boon and bane to India. I cannot think of another country in our earth even half as big as India, even quarter of India's population, with as many languages, religions, castes and still as one. Though I say the above sentence with pride, I also feel that a lot of time and energy is spent in keeping it together. When I think of India, I remember most school teachers famous complaint to parents, 'He/She has the potential. If he/she puts enough effort, he/she will definitely come out in flying colours'!!!

Friday Music - Independance day Spl.

A homage to the numerous unsung heroes/heroines of our country whose sacrifices has led us to enjoy this freedom.

Paarukulle - Kappalotiya Tamizhan

If this patriotic song by Bharathiyaar makes us lift our heads with pride now, what boost it would have been for the freedom fighters then!

Tamizha tamizha - Roja

Even after 58 years of freedom, we are still dealing with border problems with our neighbour. Hope that the talks bring peace.

Mile sur

Doordharshan had some wonderful music videos on National Integration in the late 80s/early 90s. I am sure this will be an ever-green favourite with you all too just as me.

Nostalgia!

Long time back, DD used to show animated short films to fill gaps in between programmes. Some of my favourite cartoons used to be 'misusing stop chains in trains', 'cleanliness' etc. While searching for a song, I came across this clip which sure took me down memory lane.

Check it out:
Ek Chidiya Anek Chidiyan

What Women mean!!

Women's Dictionary

Yes = No

No = Yes

Maybe = No

I'm sorry = You'll be sorry

We need = I want

It's your decision = My correct decision should be obvious by now

Do what you want = You'll pay for this later

We need to talk = I need to complain

Sure go ahead = I don't want you to

I'm not upset = Of course I'm upset, you moron

You're so manly = You need a shave and you sweat a lot

This kitchen is so inconvenient = I want a new house

I want new curtains = and carpeting, and furniture, and wallpaper

I heard a noise = I noticed you were almost asleep

Do you love me? = I'm going to ask for something expensive

How much do you love me? = I did something today you're going to hate

I'll be ready in a minute = Kick off your shoes and find a good game onTV

You have to learn to communicate = Just agree with me


P.S. - Guys, the above information is very valuable and essential to Martians(men are from mars, I hear!). So, take a print out, laminate or do whatever you want but keep it handy(I am in need of some good wishes!!).

Happy Friendship day!!

Keep smiling, keep shining
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
That’s what friends are for
In good times, in bad times
I’ll be on your side forever more
Oh, that’s what friends are for

That's what friends are for

Dil Chahta Hai, Dil Chahta Hai
Dil Chahta Hai, Kabhi Na Beete Chamkeele Din
Dil Chahta Hai, Hum Na Rahein Kabhi Yaaron Ke Bin

Dil chahta hai

Mera to jo bhi kadam hain, woh teri hi rahon main hain.
Ke tu kahi bhi rahain tu meri nigahaon main hain.

Mera jo bi kadham hai

mustafaa mustafaa Don't worry mustafaa
kaalam nam thoazhan mustafaa
Day by day day by day vaazhkaip payanam day by day
muzhugaadha Shippay FRIENDSHIP dhan

Mustafa mustafa

Friday Melody

Hoping to have a Friday melody special with a theme(nature, colour as suggested by my dear friend, philosopher and ---guide, Sadhashiv) every week.

It is 'Kaatru' this week.

Kaatrekenna veli - Avargal

I cannot say which one I like the best about this song: the lyrics, the picturisation, the voice. One cannot help feeling elated listening to this song. In the picturisation, the first thing that comes to my mind is the scene where Sujatha hesitates and then goes ahead & plucks a flower where there is sign board saying 'Do not pluck flowers'!!

Kaatre en vaasal vandhaai - Rhythm

Vasanth, IMO, is the best director to come from KB's school(has anyone noticed that alternate movies of his are hits). Like his Guru, K. Balachander, Vasanth too has always given special importance to music in his movies. Enjoy this one from Rhythm.

Kaatril endhan geetham - Johnny

I have never seen this movie but love all the songs. So this is for all you Rajni fans!

From the News!

Blogosphere Report

Hey, I'm part of this Universe!


Reduce your iPod Volume

There is concern that continuous listening of loud music on personal music players(with ear phones) may lead to hearing problems.

L, XL, XXL!!

IMO, one of the most prominent thing that catches the eye of new people in the US is the size! Be it the country, the people, the food served or the items available, it is big, bigger and biggest.

Even before coming to the US, I had a lot of Friends & Relatives here. Never paid attention to where in the US they lived, though. So, when we were to move here, I was overjoyed that I would be enjoying their company often. Only after coming here did I realise how vast this country is(it is three times that of India, it seems). I understood that, 'oh, we live in the East coast too' meant anywhere between 10-1000 miles!!

Most people here are of big-built, not necessarily fat/overweight category. Even now it is sometimes hard for me to tell if a guy standing next to me is a teenager or an adult! So, quite a few of my friends of heavy-built(according to Indian stds.) are so happy here that they don't look big and that they find clothes in the normal(!) section!!

If ever one wants to give up a favourite item, they should shop at whole-sale clubs! The items available are in such mammoth sizes that you would wonder if it will get over at all!! The first time I went to such a store, we were urged to stock up as they were of great deal prices! Even after 2 years, I still had some of the items bought during that trip!! A special mention is needed for our cannot-live-without Indian groceries. Both Sambar powder and Turmeric powder will be available in the same size!! What a contrast to our 'potti kadai(s)'!!

Ah, the Restaurants! This is one place where you can have your 'paisa vasool'. For the money one pays, the food served would be so much food and if unable to finish it, can always ask for a doggy bag and save it for the next meal!! I have never managed to finish a medium sized beverage till now!

Some interesting news!

10th Planet of our solar system

The Universe and its secrets always intrigue me. Ever since my 5th Std Physics master while teaching about celestial bodies, told us about the possibility of life elsewhere on the Universe, I am wondering like many others, 'Is there anybody out there?'.

English speaking Priests wanted!

No Chinese competition this time!!

Aadha clarification!

Blog makkalukku oru sedhi!

Num fellow blogger Keerthi-kku orum perum sandegam. Adhai theerthuvaiporkku... enna kodukkalaam... 1000 comments??

Sorry, sorry! Just trying to help with your Monday blues!!

Anyway, my blog address seems to have made Keerthi curious. Let me try to clarify him (and any others who felt a question mark on their mind). As most people would be knowing, aadha means half in Hindi and I am famous for doing 'arakora' stuff(arakora.blogspot.com sounded terrible)!!

The story of my getting this 'aadha' title.

It all started when I had lent an audio (recorded)cassette to my friend. I am not a person who would buy cassettes just for the sake of one good song('kanjathanam' my brother would say, 'sikkanam' I would say!). So, I used to record my favourite songs from the radio. When my favourite song gets announced, I would come running to hit the 'record' button of our 2-in-1. I generally used to have the cassette ready on the tape recorder but as it happens, sometimes someone would have played it or reversed it and so the existing song would get overwritten or would play after a big gap etc. More interestingly, if you had read my Vividh bharathi post, you would be aware that I listen to multiple languages, genres etc. and so my recordings also used to have different songs(hindi song... half way cut tamil bajan.... quarter way cut English pop... annoying advertisements and so on).

Now you can imagine how my friend would have 'padharified' on listening to my cassette! It was around that time that there used to be an advertisement for a tooth paste(Cibaca, I think) on TV in which a little girl would ask her father 'Aadha kya hai?' and all my friends started to pull my leg about how I could write a thesis on that! And that is how I became the 'Aadha' club President! I am also famous for quitting things half way. It is my hope that the address would remind me not to do it to my blogging!!

Melody Manjal!!

Was listening to "Manjal poosum vaanam tottu..." from Friends the other day when I realised that most other Manjal songs are melodious too.

Like
"Manjal veyil maalaiyitte poove..."(thought this was from 'Udiri pookal'. Which movie is this from?)
"Konjum manjal" (Ullasam)
"Manjal nilavukku..."(?)

Anyway, humming the mellow yellow songs, let me wish you all a good weekend.

Packrat!

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, packrat is one who collects or hoards especially unneeded items[If it is Pack rat(2 words), then it is a rodent which hoards food and miscellaneous objects!]! Anyway, it was along with Caillou(the little fella in PBS Kids show of the same name) that I learnt this word and felt overjoyed that there is a term for such obsessions!

As long as I can remember, I have been a packrat! I would collect almost anything from ticket stubs, feathers, colour paper, jigina paper to paper cuttings, posters, greetings etc. But that does not mean my shelves would be shabby. It used to be my favourite hobby to pull everything out of my shelves, admire everything and arrange them back. Amma would threaten to throw my collections out everytime we moved(and we moved a lot!) but somehow I managed to drag along with me all my 'pokkishams'!

It was only after my marriage when I moved abroad that Amma and my dear thambi got the chance that they had been waiting for! Though I intelligently carried a few of my dearest things along with my 'seeru'(parting from my Aamir Khan posters were the hardest!! Background song: 'Mera kuch saamaan....' from Ijazad)! It was most upsetting when my folks triumphantly boasted about having busted my remaining collections that I vowed not to collect anymore items.

I could not collect things like before anyway as in the first couple of years of our marriage, we moved three times! But these past few years, to our amazement, we have not moved and things have got collected themselves!! And now, my daughter is hoarding little things in her bondu(s)!!!