Deepavali Bonus!

I got my Deepavali bonus! Vi'jai-ho'! ".com" Vaazhga!!

Even though the celebration for Kamalhassan's 50 years in Cinema has been going on since August in Vijay TV, I have been unable to contain myself ever since pictures & articles about the grand event that took place in Nehru stadium last month began emerging!

Atlast, 'kanden kondatathai'!!!

The program was fairly neat and organised, categorised decade-wise, talent wise with oliyum, oLiyum performances in between. K Balachander & AVM Saravanan made short & sweet "oosi vedi" speeches having already said much more in the 'thodarum sarithiram' episodes. The Radhika segment was the "sara vedi"! Rohini's poetic speech & Revathi singing 'inji idupazhaga' were 'maththappu'! The absence of Kushboo, Ambika/Radha amongst his heroines was surprising!

The much anticipated unplugged with SPB & Hariharan was a mini "poochetti". Mini because after the CBE extravaganza 'Kamalum Kadhalum', anything else might seem low-key! Vivek's rocket speech was asusual enjoyable. It was puzzling to see Kamal sitting unusually grim faced almost through the entire time, his expression brightening once in while and notably when Shruthi sang "one is the loneliest number"!

The function-shy Ilayaraja made exception to attend his sahodarar's mega celebration. But the "10000 wala" speech came from Rajni!! He was unbelievably Mr. Perunthanmai-kanth! When Kamal came atlast to the dias he seemed genuinely emotional! Kudos Annathey!! You absolutely deserve this accolade!

In those yesteryear DD only days, 2 Kamal songs in Oliyum oliyums, chitrahaars /chitramalas would lead to big elated discussions. Now after happily drenching myself in the Grand event Kamal shower, it is sad to find all my Kamal fan blogger friends in dormancy/hibernation. Even my best friend and fellow Kamal fanatic is in a non-approachable situation that I had to make this Deepavali release myself!

Iniya Deepavali nalvaazhthukkal!!

Achchamundu achchamundu!

Nope, not a(nother) review of the recently released movie. But ever since I heard about the movie, it's been of some interest to me. Be it the new& nice cast of Prasanna & Sneha, the desi setting of the movie or the director of the movie, Arun Vaidyanathan. In my pre-blogging days, when there weren't many tamil blogs, Arun's blog was one of the few tamil blogs that I followed. He used to post about his short films, movie reviews etc. but had to shut it down because of some nasty commentators. When bloggers(whether you know them personally or not) come under the limelight, it feels the way a friend does. But now having come to know of the theme of the movie, I am all "achchamundu achchamundu"!

Once upon a time, in Damil movies, the hero was the epitome of goodness! Then there was a time when all heroes were anti heroes. Ipellaam, orey the yadhartha heroes dhaan! The perfectly odhavakarey college/high school drop outs, drinking & smoking in every frame! Is that Anbumani Ramadoss saar giving that 'I told you so!' look? But luckily or unluckily, the red carpet - Bangalore ishtyle stories will not make it on Damil screens!

And what is with Jeeva and sodhappal endings? From 'Ram' to 'Dishyum' to 'SMS'... aiyo! yempa ippadi?

Gone too soon!

The only news that penetrated and made us to pause during our vacation was the passing away of Michael Jackson. This past weekend, the news of his fans all over the world performing his songs to commemorate his 51st birthday took me down memory lane too.

My interest for western music started (& faded) with his rise(& fall!). In the late 80s and early 90s, 3 of us friends used to sit glued to the radio sets (rarely together but mostly in our own homes) on Saturday nights to listen to the one and only western music program on Madras B and discuss the songs the following sunday morning. It used to be a competition to learn the lyrics of the songs! MJ's was a particular favourite. Screaming 'Ambey... Ambey' for 'Bad' or feeling goosebumps listening to 'Man in the mirror' or giggling to the 'Girl is mine' seems like yesterday! When cable TV entered and brought MTV home, watching the videos of Thriller, The smooth criminal, Black or white were so awesome!

A (US return)friend of mine in college sort of gave me the idea that MJ wasn't as popular in the US as in India. So, the first time in the US, when someone asked me whose or what kind of music I liked, I wasn't sure whether to say Michael Jackson or not. Then he himself added, "George Michael? My sister used to be crazy about him"! I was about to blurt, 'George Michael, Michael Jackson, I guess all Michaels' and gulped it at the last minute and saved my face for the person talking to me was a Michael too!!

Like most celebrities, once again, in the manipulation contest between the media and the celebrity, the media wins!

RIP, Moonwalker!

P.S. - And bye, bye Chandrayaan! Some consolation!

Malayala Melody

Our back from India items include all the usual ones like eatables, clothes, memories etc. plus a few children's VCDs everytime. A1 has graduated from 'Amma inge vaa vaa', Thenali Raman/Panchatantra animated stories to music/dance VCDs this time! Enjoy a few samples here. Feel free to suggest any other musical videos featuring children singing/dancing.

In an unrelated note, idhu ennanga combination, Mr India Sridevi - Thayir vada desigan...

Senti-mental!

Summer holidays meant going to paatti/thatha veedu for most Indian kids. Guess, the desis are continuing and saving the tradition now! We made our 'thaai manney vanakkam' trip this summer. It was A2's first trip to India and my first time with 2 kids on the mega flight experience(not bad at all!).

The last couple of months just zipped past packing & unpacking from one place to another, attending several functions(thoroughly enjoyed vazhai ilai kalyana saapadu!) etc. that after my return I had to go thro' the photos to realise what really happened! None of the usual NRI stuff like cinema theatre visit, shopping or sight-seeing this time b'cos of clingy A2! A1 went on an amusement park-adanam in every place with whoever available!!

Atlast people have started to get bored of mega serials and now it is Music/dance shows that rule India. Aaha, enna timing that I got to witness the mega final of Super singer 08 and Surya's sashtanga namaskaram to Kamal in vijay awards!!! And what 'phonnu, cell phonnu, blue toothu, black berry, blue berry.... idellaam dupe... SMS dhaan top!! Chiyaan, nee asathu ba!!

I guess, it's quite common in most house-holds that the porandha veedu and pugundha veedu have totally different lifestyles / pazhakka-vazhakkams! Every trip some stuff gets left behind in India, mostly accidentally & some purposely! It was so funny that on one side, I can dig into all those treasures and more while in the other, even if I came back missing my flight, the stuff would've been donated! Now back home, to deal with all my household collection mountain, I am wondering if I should go my usual 50-50 method of holding onto some as memorobilia and trashing the rest. But now the problem is that there is adidhadi as to which is memorobilia/trash & to who!

Deepening, darkening Grrreen!!

The economic slowdown, the green shift etc. are making the once termed 'cheap Indian mentality' not cheap anymore! 

Bringing your own bags to stores are welcomed and I see people sporting these store logo-ed green bags everywhere!(oh, I miss being the odd jolna pai!)

I was surprised to see the following printed on Target's plastic bag

10 Ways to Reuse Your Target Bag

1. Tiny Trash Can Liner 

2. Doggy Duty 

3. Water Balloon 

4. Road Trip Rubbish 

5. Soggy Laundry 

6. Ice Pack 

7. Toiletry Tote 

8. Kitty Litter Liner 

9. Tomorrow’s Lunch Bag

10. Care Package Padding

(aaha, appadi vaanga vazhikku!!)

Even my kindergartener has caught up with the Reuse-Recycle-Reduce mantra but her ishtyle is always the unexpected! She doesn't let me throw anything in the bin now(even the flimsy store bakery boxes). After the use of her favourite tools: scissors, glue, colors (Cut & Paste & Decorate) it becomes a "gift for Amma"!! 

Whether I (get to) use or not, I love to clip all those coupons that I find and add to my handbag clutter. But compared to her, I don't know if I will even qualify to be Kadhalikka Neramillai Sachchu style, raanikku saamaram veesum chedi!!! 

It is nice that all newsletters are sent(or atleast have the option) in e-mail saving paper. But isn't  it just light green since electricity is used to power those computers?

People, please stop giving those free T-shirts for anything and everything! Most of them are of gigantic sizes and others have outdated logos(how to wear a T-shirt with prints Digital 1999 or Black Friday 2006!)

Hubby's office celebrated a belated Earth Day recently (on a day he was off!). A few days back he proudly brought back his green kit containing a couple of green re-usable bags(with grocery on the other hand in a store plastic bag!!), a green tips sheet and other pamphlets in logoed plastic bag! One of the green tip was about carrying your own mug to the coffee shop & reduce trash! Everytime we had to get doggy bag/food to go from the restaurant, my hands would itch to get a container of my own but never got the courage(what if aththaan declares, "That's it! No more eating out")! Anyway, like the jolna pai, I'm sure the day is not far away when everyone will come to restaurants with their adukku tiffin box! 

Kaapi & Tea

This post has been brewing in my mind for quite a while now but what with the spring fevers and spring breaks! Next to sweets, the kaapi/tea comes in my irresistible list! I try to limit one of each per day but any bonus is absolutely relished. As a kid, Amma made it more special by banning it for kids. It was an absolute triumph when Amma, vexed with our pestering, lifted the ban! Till date, the thought of hot kaapi  is my boost to the chore-some 'waking up in the morning'! 

For Appa, anything more than 1/2 tsp of sugar in the kaapi is panagam but the rest of us would enjoy the kaapi with a generous 2-3 tsps of sugar. But that made it impossible to enjoy kaapi anywhere outside of home. Especially, in the kalyana mandapams, in the plane, at Starbucks etc. Initially, it used to be embarrassing to ask for more sugar packets at the counter all the while wondering how this sugar crazy land is content with one teeny-tiny sugar packet for the giant lotta of coffee! Also, it took a long time to realise that the little too milky cafe latte is the one which is as close to our kaapi from among the big list of capuccinos & espressos in the coffee shops. 

Even though the filter kaapi wins hands down and it is worth waiting for the thick dicoction to drip & fill the filter, there is no time for these indulgences during the hurry-burry week days. As it is my dislike for microwaved milk has raised a few eye brows. Whatever the beverage, I only prefer the good old pongalo pongal stove boiled milk!

Like the English language, the other British custom left by the British and adopted by some Indian families is the afternoon Tea. With a couple of biscuits and soothing hindi songs from Vividbarathi, it was bliss. The best tea I ever had was at a roadside tea shop in Mettupalayam! Tea is good if someone makes it for you. And making tea for one person is torture! Hubby is from a kaapi and kaapi only family! After several ghajini attempts, this got him hooked onto tea so much so that these days he gets Chai Latte from Starbucks for both of us!! 

Lately the kollywood movies can be categorised into the kaapi or T type movies. Kaapi types are from big banners, big casts, big names and copied/lifted from foren films. (Originali)T types are small budgets, new faces or forgotten faces, too realistic, sad and/or gory! There are few boost/bournvita type movies but don't stay in the mind too much!

Anyway, as per the tradition of including arusuvai (of including veppam poo & mango pachidi) on the Tamil new year's day to signify the ups and downs of our life, I am thinking may be I'll start a tradition of having 1/2 cup of unsweetened kaapi and 1/2 cup of sweetened kaapi! To all my Virodhis and Friends, puththandu vaazhthukkal!!

Vattam, Maavattam!

The Appas, Ammas, Athais, Mamas of desis who come to visit the states spend most of their time converting $ into Rs or vice versa. But as a pudhu ponnu in the states, I appavi-ly use to exclaim, "haiyo, tape recorder 55 dhaana! Vangidalamley?" much to the horror of Hd! Then came the icing, sales tax! Especially with all prices ending with a .99, the final payment always seem a mockery! To my knowledge, I always remember paying either the MRP or sticker or the kadakaran sollara price at stores in India. Or if one is really lucky with no 'no bargain' signs, can even come out of the store with a big grin having saved Rs. 2!! Here in the States, if one is lucky enough to live in a no sales tax state or even in the vicinity of such states then orey the alattals dhaan!! To save 5%, we used to drive 50+ miles in the North East! 

It was a revelation that not just the tax, driving rules, immunizations, speed limits and many other things varied from state to state. And when we moved here, it went another step further,  the county level! With our city lying across 3 counties, it took me a while to understand the county level rules, tax(take the right turn and save 1% sales tax!), school systems etc. Anyway, all this build-up is for my latest bungle. 

As a pudhu ponnu in the states knowing nothing about the big deal about long weekends and the mandatory big plans for trips that one has to make and with an absent-minded professor hubby who might thankfully remember on Sunday evening that the following Monday is a holiday, I took over the holiday planning committee chair(wo)man post. All was well until this past President's day long weekend. With hubby having a holiday, relatives' kids having a holiday, Balavihar on holiday and even the stock market enjoying a holiday, not in my wildest dreams did I imagine A1's school district county would be sincerely working on President's day! Now hereafter, every holiday I will be subjected to the "Are you sure its a holiday for me today?" 

Slum God!

When the hares of bolly, kolly and all the o'llywoods were racing for the os'car', slowly, steadily and smartly ARR has won the 'ஞானப்பழம்' (gyana pazham)!! Congrats to Madras Mozart(!!)! More than all his recent awards, its his acceptance speech with a punch(billion people in GG, in tamil at Oscar)that really was more surprising! "இவ்வளவு முத்து கூட உதிருமா இவரிடம்(Ivalavu muthu kooda odhiruma ivaridam)!!"

I like "கஷாய"(kashaaya-isn't that the opposite of masala?) movies even though I am an emotional party(you know!)! I have been keeping my fingers crossed for our ultimate gutsy கஷாய director Bala's latest கைவண்ணம்(kaivannam), 'Naan Kadavul'. Before I had kids, a couple of dozens of handkerchiefs and I was all set to watch those real movies. But now, emotionally and mentally weak, I have to muster enough strength to sit through those serious stuff. Having not been able to watch beyond 30 mins of 'Slumdog..', severe penance, I mean, preparations are needed to see kadavul, I guess!

Something something!

In our local Indian store, the newest attraction is 'Madras Samosa'! It's only around the late 90s, that Chaat houses started creeping up in Chennai but now there is a local version of the Samosa??  The crust of this new entrant is crispy which makes me wonder if some wrap (tortilla or wanton wraps) is used for the crust. So, does that mean from scratch preparations are punjabi(?) samosas and semi-homemades (Sandra Lee ishtyle) are Madras versions?!! If so, what wraps do they use in Madras?

Sometime back during a discussion with A1(my older one) about eating habits, I happened to mention that my grandma often said kids can & should eat anything & everything and that they are even capable of digesting stones. These days the pulses / lentils/ dals' (especially tur dal) quality has come down a lot.  Either it takes too long to cook(some don't cook very well even after an over-night soak!) or there are impurities in them. So, when A1 discovered a stone in her food once, she asked me, "do you want to test my digestive system, Amma?" 

Repeat-u!

A2 stepped into infanthood from babyhood. A2 is still too young to comment/reject Amma's homemade cakes but for A1 the yummy cake with icing from the store is worth waiting!

December in Chennai is kutcheri season and here in the US, it is 'jingle bells' season. I was remembering how some people used to get tired with the ''oliyum oliyum' team in the DDO(doordarshan only) days for featuring appropriate songs around the pongal, navarathri, Christmas festival times("போச்சுடா! இன்னிக்கு ஒரே பொங்கல்/கிருஸ்மஸ் பாட்டா வெப்பான்!"). Also, repeat programs wasn't much welcomed in DDO days, isn't it? But I am grateful to the numerous channels here which repeat old comedy serials. Even if I've watched it numerous times, some serials like Friends, Everybody loves Raymond, Cosby show, Spin City etc. are so enjoyable that I don't mind watching it again and again! And the entire cast in some shows(Spin city, Everybody loves Raymond) are just too too good!

Once again, its the time of the year, to say goodbye to one and welcome the next. It can be just another year for some or a new beginning for others. Whatever, asusual, wishes for a happy year ahead. Ey meri Guzarish(Asin, you lucky girl! First Surya then Kamal and now Aamir-a!! BTW, the credit shows Javed Ali/Sonu Nigam. Who has actually sung the song?) !

Andrum Indrum

In my grandma's generation, coconuts were got directly cut down from trees in the backyard, then fibres removed, outer shell cracked open, white edible part grated and used in cooking;
In my mom's generation, coconuts were bought from stores and then outer shell cracked open, white edible part grated and used in cooking;
My generation, frozen grated coconut packet is cut open and used in cooking;
My daughter's generation might just read it in the ingredients section of ready-made meals!!

In my grandma's generation, they hardly knew their exact birthday;
In my mom's generation, they were aware of their exact birthday;
my generation knew to celebrate their birthdays;
my daughter's generation start planning their birthdays as soon as that year's party get over!!!

அன்று கிளி ஜோசியம் பார்த்தார்கள்
(Andru kili josiyam paarthaargal)
இன்று டார்ரொ ஜோசியம் பார்க்கிறார்கள்!!
(indru tarrot josiyam paarkiraargal!)

Digital(l) age!

Ever since I heard/saw in the news about television broadcasting in the US going all digital from February next, it's been unbelievable that there are television antennas in this part of the world and that there are users too!! It looks like eons now those good(!) old days in the then, Madras with most houses showing off (multiple, sometimes!) antennas which was crows' kuttichuvar' for their daily discussions. There had been numerous times when we had to dance with those antennas moving it in different directions to get some decent audio or grainy video.

For me, digital age started with those Rs. 35 digital watches. Aaah, those were the days! Now almost every room in our house has a clock with digital display like clock radios, cooking range, cable box etc. that sometimes I doubt my clock reading skills from dial clocks!

When my husband bought his first digital camera, I thought it was an unnecessary expenditure(little did I know, mega pixel count was in competition with mega serials!). Although I agree that digital cameras help us record every smile, every step, every milestone of our little ones, it is no match to looking at a physical photo album. And with the numerous pictures sitting in supposedly organised, appropriately named folders, it's become so tedious to find 1-2 specific ones from the chakravyugam! I fondly remember those 24-36 film roll camera days when finishing a film roll was a big task followed by the wait for the prints('aanandha avasthai'!). The look on our faces at the photo lab - priceless(can be 'Salangai oli' Jayapradha style or that podi payal style!)!

Ragasiyamaai...!

"Can you keep a secret?" asked a (relatively, at that time) new friend. Why and how she trusted me with that big secret which I had to keep for 2 semesters is still beyond me. But the hardest of all was when on the big secret reveal day, I had to pretent as if I was hearing it for the first time infront of the rest of the gang!!

Recently read this in a fwd message

3 fastest means of communication

1. Tele-phone
2. Tele-vision
3. Tell to woman

Need still faster - tell her not to tell anyone.

LOL!! But that's because most Men have communication and/or memory problems! When my friends prided about having conspired with my husband for my surprise baby shower, I was glad he remembered about the party and taking me there!!

I used to be a better secret keeper in my younger days probably b'cos I didn't talk so much then! Infact, I was so good that it upset some close friends later when they found out that I hadn't shared some of the secrets with them!! These days I am having to do a lot of 'mennu-muzhungi' to guard secrets. It is easier if we know how long we got to keep it a secret and if we don't have to mingle/face the concerned parties.

Having said all these and with a blog mostly about me(2), what secret have I got to share for this tag of yours, mitr? :)

Lost (and found) in translation

Isn't it a shame that perseverance like some other qualities like innocence, shrewdness which as children we casually and effortlessly master but let fade with age? It is both amazing and bugging when after lengthy discussions with a child about why (s)he is not allowed to do something or why (s)he is not ready for something or why (s)he cannot have something, the child goes back to square 1 the very next day(and the next day and the next day...) and asks 'Can I have/do it?' just in case Amma forgets and let her/him have/do it!! But then, thinking about it, as parents, we do persevere in repeating some gems handed down thro' generations hoping they would echo like 'அசரீரீ' in their later years just like it did/does to us.

எடுத்தால் எடுத்த இடத்தில் வை(Eduthal edutha idathil vai) - The most common 'asareeree', I guess! Even if you are an organised person, if your spouse/partner is not, then 'searching...' is unescapable!!

கண் பார்த்தா கை செய்யணும்(KaNN paartha kai seiyanam) - If there are things strewn on the floor or water dripping from a faucet or see any unfinished task, my hands will go 'para-para' because of this gem from my grandfather!

Do you hear any (more) of these 'asareerees'?



Cho says in Muhammad-bin-thuglak, 'அரசியல் ஒரு சாக்கடை, அதில் எது வேண்டுமானாலும் கலக்கலாம்(arasiyal oru saakkadai, adhil edhu vendumaanaalum kalakkalaam!)!' Not-so-very-similarly, English language has a lot of kalakkals! Didn't know that a word's language of origin gives clues to its spelling! Kudos to those kiddy bees! Anyway, coming to my point, I'm wondering how some English words got totally different meaning in India. Like how 'smart' got to mean beauty instead of brains. How wild 'assault' got tamed to mean 'casual'? And how 'hold on' became to function as bus' stop chain!!

Truth (sometimes) Triumphs!

Writer Sujatha's passing away was shocking inspite of the knowledge about his poor health and hospitalisations in the recent years. For many of my generation, reading(novels) mostly meant in English language but the limited reading in Tamil would definitely include his works. I really admired the balance with which he dealt with science and religion.

Long time back he did a Q & A in Junior Vikatan. I remember someone asked him about 'maru jenmam'(rebirth) and I vaguely remember his explanation about how it can't be true sighting that the human population has always been on the increase. Now thinking about it, according to Hindu religion, rebirth can be as any creature and not necessarily human, right? So, if we take the total count of all life forms on this earth, will it be a constant no? That all those extinct animals are reborn as humans now?

Vaimaiye (sila samaiyam) Vellum was my very first attempt in reading a 'thodar kadhai' and not surprisingly it was Sujatha's. Talking of truth, when I read reports about person(s) confessing to a crime in India, I can't help doubting if (s)he is the real culprit? Is (s)he being framed? etc.(too much of movie influence?) Similarly, I can't help wonder why and what prompts people to confess to their crime after many years!

தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்து - தமிழ்நாட்டில மட்டும் சொல்லாதீங்க!!
(Tamil new year wishes - say not in TN!)

Going, going.... green!!

It's been months since I wanted to post on this topic but by the time it got the chance to see the light of day, all these have become old news!! Anyway, better late than never!

Green - never been my favourite colour. Probably because the colour is always associated with raw, dirty etc. in Tamil. The colour's association with our arch rival neighbouring country could have added to it. In my nenavu theriyadha vayasu, Amma tried to get me a parrot green with rose border pattu pavadai but luckily the store didn't have that combination and I ended up with a peacock (neck) blue with rose border pattu pavadai! But in the recent years, the dislike for green has begun to change like tamil movie hero-heroine's modhal-pin-kaadhal style(starting with 'pachai nirame', may be?).

After pillayar suzhi with this, information super highway (mis?)led to very many scary articles about pesticides in produce, rBGH hormone fed cow's milk etc., that I began 'organic-organic' chant. Like (mythological) Markandeyan's parents I had to choose between short life-spaned almost-never-on-sale organic produce or pesticide friendly regular produce. A friend was helpful enough to add to the confusion commenting that since proper regulations aren't yet in place for organic farming, even her garden vegetables can get passed as organic produce. Appo aadha-aadha(adhanga, 50-50!) dhaan!

Next it was time to buy a new washer-dryer. The kathukutty armchair environmentalist was all for the neela nira energy saver tag. For the budget which would have fetched a laundromat size washer-dryer, we ended up with a petite front loading W/D(Now about the comforters... which can't be washed in our petite machine... Should I wash them in non-energy saving-laundromat machines or replace them every season?). Oh, btw, the uncomfortableness and back-ache caused from loading the clothes crouching infront of the machine will go away when visitors' exclaim, "oh, front loading machine-a!". ;)

Now what is the use in having energy saver appliances if one is using environment unfriendly detergents! Chi-chi-chi! Try, try and try again with detergent names starting with eco, bio in Whole Foods or Natural/Organic sections of Supermarkets. With Indian cooking, Curious Georgina(s), any detergent will need some extra help, isn't it?

Since the beginning of the new year, 'Going Green' has become 'hot'(almost topping the new resolution list!!) Like SVSekar says in 'Ellarum Vaanga', 'ella porukki pasangalum namma technique-y follow panranga'! So, in TV, magazines and everywhere there is tips, tips and more tips to go Earth friendly.
First in the list is car pool and/or switch from gas-guzzling vehicles. Except to work, we never let my husband go anywhere without us(hey, he gets to drive peacefully on the car pool lane!) and so what if in place of Accord we have Civic now, it is hybrid!
Next in the list is energy conservation - shut off unnecessary electrics. Hey, we are from a country where it is in the genes like our elders to follow people from behind and shut off lights/fans even when they just step out to get a glass of water! 'Yaar kitte pesureenga', huh!
And then there are those recycle/reuse plastics(anga dhaan naama nikkaromey!), run dishwasher/washing machines on full loads(overload pannamey irundhaley perusu!) etc. etc. on which we don't need any more lessons!
I mostly adhere to and even change my lifestyle if it would mean doing my bit for the Earth/Environment but for #1 in this recent article in RD - Iyaa, mudiyadhaiyaa!!

Taare zameen par

Preschoolers, A1(my older one) & B are good friends. B's mom often complained about this boy, C who bullied B at school. From the teacher, we came to know that C was not only troublesome but a troubled kid too(his parents were in the midst of a divorce!). After learning this, I kind of sympathised with C than with B. Don't know if I would have been as sympathetic had the bullied kid been mine. During one of my visit to the school, C once told me, 'A1 doesn't like me!'. I didn't know how to react. My heart went out to this little boy who for no fault of his, was undergoing stress at this young age. C no longer comes to school. Wonder which parent won custody of him!

Update

I am not done yet, like A1 says! I was in a hurry to publish my post on the special leap day of the year! Anyway, while browsing through the TV channels, I landed on 'Supernanny' programme recently after a long time. I told my mom about this programme and she was appalled at how kids were disciplined. "Manushaal illadhadhanaaley ennannamo seiyaraangapa, indhoorley" was her comment!

When A1 was in her terrible 2s-3s stage, I thought these Supernanny, Nanny 911 etc. would be interesting and helpful in learning to handle toddlers. But after watching a couple of episodes, I realised what a gem A1 was and more, I didn't want her catching me watching it for I feared she might think, 'oh, ippadiyellaam pannalaama!' I've often wondered, how those children captured on camera would feel years from now!

Mahanadhi

Sa...d movies, always make me cry!

அதுவும் மஹாநதி-யை பார்க்க எவ்வளவு தைரியம் வரவழைத்துக் கொண்டாலும் முடிவதில்லை, முழுவதுமாக பார்க்க!

Echo

In those good old DD only days, there used to be a programme called 'Ediroli' where viewers sent in their comments, suggestions about the week's programmes. The one & only highlight of the programme was that the name of the Sunday evening movie MIGHT get revealed! Does something like this exist in any of the Channels these days? Lately, I've been catching up on some of the Tamil channel programmes and my letters to the imaginary 'Ediroli' team.

Watched your(Sun TV) "Koottu Pongal" with Pushpavanam Kuppusamy, Nithyasree and Lakshman Sruthi shown as part of the special Pongal programmes. The concept was novel where Pushpavanam Kuppusamy & co sang a folk song and based on its raagam, Nithyasree sang a classical song and Lakshman Sruthi & troupe sang a film song. Only the choice of songs by Lakshman Sruthi was 'naaraasam'!!!

The other musical programme called "Pattikaada Pattanama" compered by Gangai Amaran with Manika Vinayakam, Gana Ulaganathan and co on the Pattikaadu side and Harini, Tippu, Haricharan, Jaydev & co on the pattanam side was quite enjoyable. It started off well with both teams singing songs based on a theme like Bakthi, Pengal etc.(Especially hilarious was when for the 'thaikulam' theme pattikaadu team sang 'ammadi... ponukku thanga manasu' and the pattanam team retorted with 'ammadi.. athadi..'). Kadaiseeley, konjam sodhappal!!

"வாயுள்ள பிள்ளை பிழைக்கும்" என்பற்கேற்ப, இன்றைய தேதியில், தமிழ்நாட்டில் பேசத்தெரிந்தால் போதும் பெரிய ஆள் ஆவதற்கு!!

In Vijay TV, the 'Neeya? Naana?' is the jolly kind of 'Arattai Arangam'. The Kalyanam, Rasipalan topics were interesting. The compere, Gopinath doesn't let any discussion to grow into an arguement. Surprisingly, he speaks good Tamil too! But the casualness that has come to this kind of speaking in public is making people say anything and everything without shame! In the rasipalan episode, one boy proudly told the audience how he scored less than 300 marks in his 12th Std and how when everyone said he couldn't get into any college, one josiyar predicted he would definitely get into a good college. The boy proudly showed off his AMJain college ID card!! "இழுத்து ஒரு அறை விடவேண்டுமென்றிருந்தது. என்னால் தலையில் தான் அடித்துக்கொள்ள முடிந்தது"