Pictures with SriramI have uploaded the first set of pics with Sriram and his sister's husband's brother's daughter Mrithula. She is the cutest kid I have ever come across..She is only 2 years old - but she can sing the entire Sutrum Vili song from Ghajini! Very very intelligent! And the way she calls me "Arjuna Mama" is just out of the world! :)..I love kids! just love them :)..
She accompanied us to the Vaitheeswaran Kovil in Ponnamale high road..Very cute :)...
Click the flickr badge on the right hand side (scroll down) to see the pics with Sriram..I will upload the other set soon..
Met Arunachala - atlast!!Ok guys, for the past 2 days, I was in Tiruvanamalai :)..Just came..My feet are full of blisters after the Girivalam..So me in pain..Will update about the trip in detail tommorow..I am sorry for not uploading the pics :(..I forgot to take the camera to Sriram's house :(..Will try uploading it asap :)..
First things firstFirst of all, I couldnt go to Tiruvanamalai :(..The rain has played spoil sport to all my spiritual plans1 :(..Its so upsetting! I was so eager to go to Tiruvanamalai, but its been raining cats and dogs the whole week and the whole place is in a mess! I was also supposed to drive to Chidambaram with Sriram and that has also gone :(.. The entire Chidambaram has become isolated due to floods..People are dying here because of floods! So I was not in a mood to blog and was just sitting inside my home watching TV and the skies! So yesterday, Sriram and I just went to Spencers to buy a craddle for his sister's new born baby in Landmark, and I bought some gifts for the baby..Also bought by favourite board game Monopoly and played with my sister! Today I am going to see the new born baby and also Sriram has suggested a trip to visit a old huge Shiva temple 20 kms from Chennai near Ponnamale..I will be going there..
I will be uploading the pictures today in my blog from Sriram's house. Do check it :)..
Chennai trip (Saturday19th and Sunday 20th)I am leaving to Tiruvanamalai tommorow - so will be out of action for 3 days. I will come back and update this post..Ok , lot of things happened within these 2 days..I met Aatma, Vatsan, Jeevan and Anand today..Took pics of them..Also went to Spencers with Sriram yesterday..I will update about all this and my trip to Tiruvanamalai with photos this thursday..
Jeevan has already put up a post on the meet :)
C u soon :)
Chennai Trip (Wednesday 16th - Friday 18th)Yesterday, nothing much from my side..My neighbour wanted me to see his new farm house he is currently building near Mahabalipuram. This is about 10 km from Mahabalipuram near Thirukalukundram..There are about 10 houses..all Srilankans..They have bought lands and are building farm houses...Quite a good place..Lots of vegetation in there..The drive to Mahabalipuram via East Coast Road was too good...Surprisingly I didnt eat out yesterday!
So to cover it, had a nice podi dosai and vadai at Vasantha Bhavan today from breakfast. I got up at 2:30 am in the morning, since I couldnt sleep..For the whole week I have been waking up so early..Still not yet recovered from the jet lag! Went to the gym at 5:00 am, had breakfast in Vasantha Bhavan then went with my mother to the Maha Prathyangira Amman temple near Sholinganallur (near the VGP beach resort)..It is a very powerful amman temple and the amman has the face of Narasimha..Its in an isolated place, but somehow my mother found out and she goes every friday to this temple. I have taken some pictures and I will upload them tommorow since these sify internet guys didnt have the driver for my camera..So I need to get it from my house..
For lunch I went to Vasantha Bhavan again and had sweet corn vegetable soup, naan, masala kulcha and cauliflower manchurian (dry).Man the cauliflower manchurian is too good..its so crispy and I could hear the krick sound whenever I munched the fried cauliflower..yum yum!
It seems Atma gave me a call today, but I wasnt there..So I will speak to him today and most probably I will arrange for a mini bloggers meet tommorow..Will give u all a call to confirm..
Chennai Trip: Tuesday and Wednesday (15th and 16th)I went and joined the newly opened Blue Moon gym yesterday night. They charge 250/- for registeration and another 770/- for a one month membership..They have 3 treadmills and that was enough for me..Yesterday night, I kept to my promise and didnt go to any restaurants to eat :P..Today morning got up at 3:30 am in the morning and went to the gym at 5:30 am..While returning I got some dosais from Hotel Saravana Bhavan and some special vadais from Hotel Srinidhi for breakfast :))..Couldnt control :P...Just went to the Prima's Bakery to get some Cashewnut tarts, Buns, Paneer Puffs and some brown bread! I luv the cashewnut tarts in Prima's..Prima's being a lankan shop is the only shop in Chennai or probably India who make Cashewnut tarts..In Srilanka we call it Cheese cakes..Its too good...MY all time favourite cake..Not too sweet..But damn good!
Certain things that piss me off in Chennai is the lack of respect for lives! My uncle who was complaining of severe chest pain went to the Sundaram Medical Foundation to get admitted. And do you know what they said? They dont have enough beds to get him admitted and asked him to go to some other hospital! Then he was admitted in Cherian's hospital..My aunty was telling me, that a similar incident happened to her son as well..When her son had fitz, and was shaking terribly, they rushed to this same hospital, and it seems that the doctor who was supposed to treat was not there in the hospital! I have noticed these things while I was in Chennai..There is no respect for human lives here! My mother's aunty who was like my grandmother was treated in a very bad way when she was in a hospital..She was virtually thrown onto the wheelchair! No respect for individual lives!
I am never bothered about the dirty damaged roads, pollution, etc etc..Infact I always liked it..This gives me a different feel to what I experience in London..I always wanted Chennai to be what it is..I dont want to see posh roads and expensive cars roaming around..But the attitude of people is just sick! They dont care for human lives...The medical facilities are for the rich..I just wonder what the poor people do! At this moment I would like to thank my Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba for starting the super speciality hospitals in
Puttaparthy and
Bangalore and providing free treatment, operations for all irrespective of caste,creed and sex. I would like to open up a hospital here in Chennai as well so that the poor people get benefited. But with these ridiculous looking Chief Ministers ruling Tamil Nadu, I dont think that would be feasible!
Some interesting things that I noticed:
1)Suhasini Episode - I wonder what on earth is happening to the tamil people!
2)Shankar lauches a new film with Vadivelu as hero! Its called "
Imsai mannan irandam Pulikesi"!!! That was a shocker! Shanker is producing it and some director is directing it!
3)Tamil Murasu is sick! Its another newspaper that is so partial (DMK)! Yesterday they were criticising our Millenium Star Captain Vijayakanth for keeping quiet regarding the Suhasini episode! They were saying he has switched off the mobile phone and is very scared to answer them..all typical bullshit stuff!
I will be meeting Adi today I guess..I couldnt meet him since he was busy yesterday..but today will try to meet him..
Chennai trip: Monday and Tuesday (14th and 15th November)Yesterday, I went to the party held by the Indo-Polish Chamber of Commerce & Industry in a very good newly built star hotel in G.N Chetty Road near Hotel Residency. My next door neighbour was invited and he wanted me to accompany him and his son to the party. I didnt want to go, but my mother insisted that I accompany them..so had to go! I hate going to parties!The hotel was awesome!I heard that the hotel was built by a minister who also owns 3 colleges!! I dont know from where they get their money from! I spoke to some of the polish people around and was telling them that my PhD supervisor was also a polish..There was a cocktail party initially. They were serving Kebabs, Chicken tikka, Baby Corn bhajjias, Mushroom manchurian,Badam Gheer, drinks etc.. I just had some chicken tikka and my favourite guava juice. Then there was a buffet and I was just cursing myself since I had my lunch at 6:30 pm in the evening and I wasnt hungry at all. The food looked just awesome! Out of the world! The menu consisted of naans, pulovs, roasted chicken in red wine, crispy fish fry, paneer masala, vegetable manchoorian, bread butter pudding etc.. I just had the fish fry and the bread butter pudding..The fish fry was just awesome!
Today morning went to the Tiruverkadu Karumari Amman temple along with my aunty. She was doing a 108 sanghabhishekam today and so I accompanied her to the temple. Unfortunately, her husband got a mild heart attack! He was admitted in the ICU in Dr. Cherian's heart hospital.. He is undergoing loads of tests...I was thinking that I should also get some tests done especially the treadmill ECG..After the sanghabhishekam, the iyer gave us chakra pongal and puliyodharai. Man, I just love the chakra pongal..Loads of ghee and its too sweet..I can still smell ghee on my fingers.. yum yum ( Kutty priya - vaayir eriyutha :)) )...
I cant stand puliyodharai though :)...
I have decided not to go to any restaurants for this week! I am on a diet now for a week!
I may meet Adi today if he is free :)...Will keep u updated :)
Chennai welcomes me with a Bang!I am in Chennai :)..Before I start the topic, I wanted to say that Chennai really welcomed with a Bang! A Big Bang! Yes, some stupid motorbike driver came and banged my car from behind when I was heading home from the airport! An idiotic motorbike driver suddenly turned towards us, and my driver put a sudden break, and after 10 seconds, another idiotic motorbike driver came and bashed my car up from behind! My car is quite damaged now! That was quite a good welcome ;)
The plane journey to Colombo was good..The only hindrance was the transit flight was delayed by 2 hours in Colombo, and I ended up waiting for 7 hours! I was furious about this delay and went to the Srilankan Airlines reception to give some dose to the receptionists..But when I went there, some beautiful lankan receptionists welcomed me, and me being a women friendly person, couldnt do anything! I ended up chatting(??) to them and was telling them my personal life history since they wanted to know why am I going to Chennai? The one who was chatting to me was so pretty and she was kind enough to get me some free sandwiches and coffee ;)
I arrived home, slept for some time, called up my friend Sriram who was waiting for me without going to Bangalore. I met him and his parents, sister and cousin in his house..Then Sriram, his cousing and I went to the newly opened Saravana Bhavan in Ashok Nagar..Since we were not hungry we just ate little..The menu was:
Mushroom Soup,
Masala Pappad, Cauliflower 65, Poori Masala, Rotis, Naan, Vegetable Stuffed Naan, Vegetable Kofta, Dal Butter Fry..that's all - not much ;)
Then we being real food buffs, went to have icecream in MÖvenpick in Anna Salai! We drove from Ashok Nagar to Anna Salai to have dessert! Sriram wanted to have puddings in Le Meridien! Since I am on a diet ;) - I preferred having little icecream! The ice cream was too good - but the bill was bit expensive - Rs 795!!!!!
Today morning, went to the Chandramouleeswarar temple, then when I was in Nungambakam, I had a dosai and a special vadai in Hotel Raj Bhavan with my mother and sister. Now I am sitting and typing this from the Sify browsing center. I need to write down all ur numbers and I will give u all a call soon :)
Destination ChennaiI will be in Chennai this sunday! I always preferred British Airways to take me to Chennai, but the return journey starts at 4:00 am in the morning and that's ridiculous! It completely spoils my system since I never use any outside toilets! Yucky!So as usual I am flying by Srilankan Airlines..even though I like their services and the beautiful lankan air hostesses, I hate the 5 hour transit time in Colombo. I always make it a point to eat the chicken sandwiches in the airport restaurant. I just love them :).
I usually do not have any friends in Chennai considering the fact I lived there for 15 years..since contrary to my blogger image as a friendly,funny person, I prefer sitting in my home (
Parvati, u hearing me :) ) and chatting with my mother rather than moving around with friends! The only friend I meet while I am in Chennai is my best friend
Sriram who luckily will be in Chennai inspite of his busy schedule in South Korea! So will be roaming around with him. Last year we drove to Mayajaal in East Coast Road to play "bowling"..I taught him how to play and unfortunately he beat me in all the games we played! So this year let me see, what happens :) This year I have some new friends to meet..yeah I am talking about my blogger friends. I plan to meet
Prabhu Karthik,
Jeevan,
Aditya,
Anand and interestingly my dear blogger friend
Aatma will also be in Chennai next week for 5 days :)..So I will be meeting him as well :)..
Anand and I will be having some marathon discussions about philosophy and religion, but still
Anand prefers me to tell my love stories rather than discussing philosophy!
As usual I will be visiting my Divine Father's place in Tiruvanamalai. This time I plan to be there all alone for 3 days! Circumbulate the Holy Hill, meditation and also need to do some retrospection about my
character,spiritual progress and
death! I wanted to stay in Ramana Ashram, but they say that foreigners need to register with the police and that is a tiresome process..So will be staying in Hotel Arunachala as usual! I am just waiting to step my feet into my Father's Heavenly Abode! I will also visit Tiruvanamalai again along with my mother before leaving to London.
I also make it a point to go to Puttaparthy every year to have dharshan of my Lord Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba along with my mother. I am not sure about the roads in Andhra (because of the rain)..but lets see..If He wills, then I will be there..
Then my usual visits to my favourite restaurant VB aka Vasantha Bhavan..The tandoori food is just awesome..Just waiting to hog the naan, cauliflower manchurian and malai kofta! Yum Yum!
The morning breakfasts at Srinidhi ( a small restaurant near my house in Anna Nagar)..I will be having my usual Podi masala dosai (no ghee) with 2 crispy mouth watering special vadais! Awesome!
Will also catch on some movies especially Cheran's Thavamai Thavamirunthu..I also have to watch Asin's movies in the theatre since I have never watched her in the theatre! Just waiting to clap when her name comes on the screen ;)
Not to forget my daily trip to the Chandramouleeswarar temple near my house and the weekend trip to Kabaleeshwarar temple in Mylapore and having dinner at Vasantha Bhavan..
Wow - this is life man! So guys, see you from Chennai
if and only if the plane lands safely else I will catch you from
Sivaloka! How I wish, going to
Sivaloka was so easy!
Rama - Prince and Principle
(
Dedicating this post to Parvati)
(
Warning: Huge Post - Those who are not interested in spirituality, can check my previous post :) )
The name 'Rama' is the essence of the Vedas; the Story of Rama is an Ocean of Milk, pure and potent. It can be asserted that no poem of equal grandeur and beauty has emerged from other languages or from other countries until this very day; but it has provided inspiration to the poetic imagination of every language and country. It is the greatest treasure inherited by his good fortune by every Indian.
Rama is the guardian deity of the Hindus; the Name is borne by the bodies in which they dwell and the buildings in which those bodies dwell. It can safely be said that there is no Indian who has not imbibed the nectar of Ramakatha, the story of Rama.
The Ramayana, the epic that deals with the story of the Rama Incarnation, is a sacred text that is reverently recited by people with all varieties of equipment, the scholar as well as the ignoramus, the millionaire as well as the pauper. The Name that the Ramayana glorifies cleanses all evil; it transforms the sinner; it reveals the Form that the Name represents, the Form that is as charming as the Name itself.
As the sea is the source of all the waters on earth, all beings are born from 'Rama'. A sea sans water is unreal; a being sans 'Rama' is without existence, now or ever. The azure Ocean and the Almighty Lord have much in common.
The Ocean is the abode of the Almighty, as myth and legend proclaim; they describe Him as reclining on the Ocean of Milk. This is the reason behind the title given by Valmiki (son of Prachetas) the great poet who composed the epic, to each canto, Kaanda. Kaanda means water, an expanse of water.
It also means 'the sugarcane'. However crooked a cane may be, whichever section you chew, the sweetness is unaffected and uniform. The stream of Rama's Story meanders through many a curve and twist; nevertheless, the sweetness of Karuna (tenderness, pity, compassion) persists without diminution throughout the narrative. The stream turns and flows through sadness, wonder, ridicule, awe, terror, love, despair and dialectics, but the main undercurrent is the love of Dharma (Righteousness, Morality) and the Karuna (Compassion) it fosters.
The nectar in the story of Rama is as the 'Sarayu river' that moves silently by the city of Ayodhya, where Rama was born and where he ruled. The Sarayu has its source in the Himalayan Manasa-Sarovar, as this Story is born in the Manasa-Sarovar (the Lake of the Mind)! The Rama stream bears the sweetness of Karuna; the stream of Lakshmana (his brother and devoted companion) has the sweetness of Devotion (Bhakthi); as the Sarayu river joins the Ganga (Ganges) and the waters commingle, so too, the streams of tender compassion and devotion (the stories of Rama and Lakshmana) commingle in the Ramayana. Karuna and Prema make up, between them, the composite picture of the glory of Rama; that picture fulfils the heart's dearest yearning for every Indian; to attain it is the aim of every spiritual striving.
The effort of the individual is but half the pursuit; the other half consists in the Grace of God. Man fulfils himself by self-effort as well as Divine Blessings; the fulfilment takes him across the dark ocean of dualities, on to the Immanent and Transcendent One.
The Ramayana has to be read, not as the record of a human career, but as the narrative of the Advent and Activities of an Avatar (Incarnation of God). Man must endeavour with determination to realise through his own experience the ideals revealed in that narrative. God is all-knowing, all-pervasive, all-powerful. The words that He utters while embodied in the Human form, the acts that He deigns to indulge in during his earthly sojourn, these are inscrutable and extraordinarily significant. The precious springs of His Message ease the Path of Deliverance for mankind. Do not look upon Rama as a scion of the Solar Dynasty, or as the sovereign of the kingdom of Ayodhya, or as the son of Emperor Dasaratha. Those correlates are but accessory and accidental. This error has become habitual to modern readers; they pay attention only to the personal relationship and affiliations between the characters of the story they read about; they do not delve into the values they represent and demonstrate.
To elaborate this error: the father of Rama had three wives; the first was such and such, the second was of this nature, the third had these traits! Her maids were of this ugly type... The wars fought by Dasaratha, the father, were characterised by these peculiarities... those specialities... In this manner, fancy leads man astray into the region of the trivial and the colourful, making him neglect the valuable kernel. People do not realise that the study of history must enrich life and make it meaningful and worthwhile, rather than cater to the appetite for paltry facts and petty ideas. Their validity and value lie deep within the facts and fertilise them like subterranean water. Wear the glasses of Bhakthi (Reverent Adoration) and Sraddha (Steady Dedication); then, the eye will endow you with the pure Wisdom that liberates you and grants eternal Bliss.
As men squeeze juice out of the fibrous cane and drink only the sweetness, as the bee sucks the honey in the flower, regardless of its symmetry and colour, as the moth flies towards the brightness of the flame, ignoring the heat and the inevitable catastrophe, the Sadhaka (Spiritual Seeker) should yearn to imbibe the Karunarasa (the expression of the emotion of tenderness, pity and compassion) that the Ramayana is saturated with, paying no heed to other subjects. When a fruit is eaten, we throw away the skin, the seeds and the fibre. It is in the very nature of Nature that fruits have these components! Nevertheless, no one will eat these on the plea that he has paid for them! No one can swallow the seeds and digest them. No one will chew the outer rind. So, too, in this Rama-fruit called Ramayana, the tales of Rakshasas (demons, ogres and the like) form the rind; the wicked deeds of these evil men are the hard indigestible seeds; sensory and worldly descriptions and events are the not-too-tasty fibrous stuff; they are the sheaths for the juicy nourishment.
Those who seek the Karuna-rasa in the Rama fruit should concentrate more on the central narrative than on supplementary details that embellish or encumber it. Listen to the Ramayana in that mood; that is the best form of Sravana (process of spiritual listening).
On one occasion, Emperor Parikshith fell at the Feet of the Sage Suka and asked for instruction on one point that was causing him dire doubt. "Master! One riddle has been worrying me since long. I know that you can solve it for me and that no one else can. I have listened to the narratives of the lives of my forefathers, from the earliest, the great Manu, down to those of my grandfathers and father. I have studied these stories with care. I observe that in the history of every one of these, there is mention of Sages (Rishis) attached to the monarch, some learned scholar-saints who are members of the court, attending durbars and sharing the business of government! What is the real meaning of this amazing association of scholars (who have renounced all attachments and desires, who have realised that the world is a shadow and a snare, and that the One is the only Reality) with kings and rulers playing subordinate roles and counselling them when asked? Those revered elders will not, I know, engage themselves in any activity without sufficient and proper reasons. Their behaviour will ever be pure and unsullied. But, this makes my doubt unsolvable. Please enlighten me."
Suka laughed at the question. He replied, "You have asked a fine question, no doubt. Listen! The great sages and holy scholars will always be eager to share with their fellowmen the truth they have grasped, the sanctifying experience they have won, the elevating deeds they have been privileged to perform, and the Divine Grace they have been chosen to receive; they seek nearness to those who are in charge of administration, those who are adepts in ruling over peoples, with the intention to use them as instruments for establishing and ensuring peace and prosperity on earth; they implant high ideals in their minds, and holy ways of fulfilling them; they prompt the performance of righteous actions, in accordance with just laws. The monarchs too invite and welcome the sages, seek out the scholars and plead with them to be in their courts, so that they can learn from them the art of government and act according to their counsel. The monarch was the master and guardian of the people; so, they spent their days with him for the estimable purpose of realising, through him, the yearning of their hearts: "Lokaassamasthaah sukhino bhavanthu - May all the worlds be happy." They were eager to see happiness and peace spread over the world. Therefore, they tried to equip the kings with all the virtues, fill them with all the moral codes of discipline, arm them with all branches of learning, so that they may rule the realm efficiently, wisely and with beneficial consequences to themselves and their subjects.
There were other reasons, too. Listen! Knowing that the Granter of Joy to humanity, the Mentor of human morals, the Leader of the Solar line, the Dweller in the Heaven of Eternal Bliss, will take birth in a royal line, Sages who had the foresight to anticipate events, gained entry into the durbars of rulers so that they may experience the bliss of contact with the Incarnation, when It happens. They feared they may not get such access later, that they may miss the Bliss they could well garner. So, they profited by their vision of the future and established themselves in the royal capital, in the thick of the community, longing for the Advent.
"To this venerable group belonged Vasishta, Viswamitra, Garga, Agasthya and other sages (rishis). They had no wants; they were monarchs of renunciation; they sought nothing from any one. They were ever content. They appeared in the audience halls of the emperors of those days, not for polemics and the pomp of punditry or for collecting the costly gifts offered to such disputants and guests, or for decorating themselves with the burdensome title those patrons confer on the persons they prefer. They craved rather for the Darsan (Bliss of the Vision) of the Lord and for a chance to uphold Dharma (Righteousness) in human affairs; they had no other objective."
"The kings too in those days were immersed in thoughts divine! They approached the hermits and sages in their retreats in order to discover from them the means of making their subjects happy and content; often they invited them to their palaces and consulted them about ways and means of good government. Those were days when there were sages with no attachment to self, and scholars with no craving for power; such were the men who tendered advice to the kings. As a consequence, there was no lack of food and clothing, of housing or good health, for the people of the realm. All days were festival days; all doors were decorated with green festoons. The ruler felt that his most sacred duty was the fostering of his people's welfare. The subjects too felt that the ruler was the heart of the body politic. They had full faith that he was as precious as their own hearts; they valued him as such; they revered him and paid him the homage of gratitude."
Suka explained the role of the sages in the royal courts in this clear downright manner before the large gathering that was sitting around him.
Have you noticed this? Whatever is done by the great, whichever company they choose, they will ever be on the path of righteousness, on the path of the Divine; their acts will promote the welfare of the entire world! So, when the Ramayana or other narratives of the Divine are recited or read, attention must be fixed on the majesty and mystery of God, on the Truth and Straightforwardness that are inherent in them, and on the practice of those qualities in daily life. No importance should be attached to extraneous matters; the means and manner of the execution of one's duty is the paramount lesson to be learnt.
God, when appearing with Form for the sake of upholding Dharma, behaves in a human way. He needs must! For, He has to hold forth the ideal life before man and confer the experience of joy and peace on men. His movements and activities (Leelas) might appear ordinary and commonplace to some eyes. But, each of these will be an expression of beauty, truth, goodness, joy and exaltation. It will captivate the world with its charm, it will purify the heart that contemplates it. It will overcome and overwhelm all the agitations of the mind. It will tear the veil of Illusion (Maya). It will fill the consciousness with Sweetness. There can be no 'ordinary' and 'commonplace' in the careers of Avathars. Whatever is seen and taken as of that nature is really 'superhuman', 'supernatural', deserving high reverence!
The story of Rama is not the story of an individual; it is the story of the Universe! Rama is the Personification of the basic Universal in all beings. He is in all, for all time, in all space. The story deals not with a period that is past, but with the present and future without end, with beginningless eternal Time!
No ant can bite, without Rama's Will! No leaf can drop from its branch, without Rama's prompting! Sky, wind, fire, water and earth - the Five Elements that compose the Universe - behave as they do for fear of Him, and in tune with His Orders! Rama is the Principle which attracts - and endears through that attraction - the disparate elements in Nature. The attraction that one exerts over another is what makes the Universe exist and function.
That is the Rama principle, without which the cosmos will become chaos. Hence, the axiom:
If there be no Rama, there will be no Panorama (Universe).
-
"Rama Katha Rasa Vahini" by Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Ganesh Hegde - The best choreographer in India!
I recently came across a mind blowing music video called "G", sung, composed and choreographed by Ganesh Hegde. Man - he is just awesome! That music video is the best choreographed video I have ever come across..I always wanted to choreograph the introduction song of a hero in this way! :) When u see him dancing, Farah Khan, Prabhu deva and others are just peanuts! Ganesh Hegde had choreographed "Mitwa" in Lagaan," "Its magic" in Koi Mil Gaya and many others..Interestingly this album has been endorsed by Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachan, Hrithik Roshan and many others! That tells u how brilliant he is! :)
I have been always passionate about dancing (not the classical stuff!)..and have been "break" dancing from the age of 7! Now days when I break dance, I tend to break anything that is in my way ;)
I somehow managed to get his video for the song "Main Deewana" but if you guys (dance lovers) want to see it - u must be prepared to download a 38MB file - that too the server is too slow - it could take up a hour or so! But its worth checking it out - since u will be definitely blown away!
The video download link: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WOCYSAWN
Another interesting remix song I heard is "Kya Khoob Lagti Ho" by DJ Suketu (the remix version from the old film Dharmatma) - I really liked it especially the female voice was damn good, especially when she sings "jeevan ha kara sapna, abu sacha lagta hai"..just too good! Not to forget Udita Goswami (who is starring in this video) was just.....
Oops, I dont want to comment on that - else my dear friend Krishna would become too philosophical! :))
Om Saravana Bhavaya Namah
Today is the last day of Kandhar Shashti and the worse thing was I came to know about it only yesterday! I have been eating non-veg without knowing Kandhar Shashti was going on! :( - Ok since Lord Murugan and his Divine Father understand me very well, its fine! They wouldnt mind ;) So let us all read about Lord Muruga now :)
Murugan in Tamil comes from the Tamil word 'murugu' which is said to connote the six qualities: Beauty, Freshness, Fragrance, Sweetness, Divinity, Joy. He is meditated upon by the six-lettered mantra ‘sa-ra-va-na-bha-va’ . The six syllables connote Him who manifested as a personification of Auspiciousness, Light, Splendour, Bounty, Purity and Infinite Prowess. Saravana-bhava therefore means the one who is a combination of all these. The Chandogya-upanishad speaks of Skanda as the Supreme Being. The word Subrahmanya itself means the one who originated from Brahman in joy and is inseparable from the Bliss of the ultimate Reality. God Subrahmanya is primarily the preceptor who imparts the highest knowledge. His six faces confer the light of wisdom, grace, austerity, mantra-sakti, victory over evil, and love. The six hills which are especially sacred to him are signified by the six chakras in the human body through which the kundalini rises to travel to the Supreme.
Kandhar Anubhuthi sung by Saint Arunagirinathar is a beauty. It had such an impact on me. For eg., check out this verse:
Verse 51 of Kandhar Anubhuthi :
Uruvaai Aruvaai Ulathaai Ilaathai
Maruvaai Malaraai Maniyaai Oliyaai
Karuvaai Uiraai Gathiyaai Vidhiyaai
Guruvaai Varuvaai Arulvaai Gugane
Translation:
"With form and formless, what is not and what is,
Flower and fragrance, gem and radiance,
Body and Soul, Salvation and rules of righteousness,
O Lord Who comes as Guru! O Guha! Bestow Thy Grace."
Explanation:
"O Almight Lord Guha! O Supreme Being Whom comes with form and
without form, as what is and what is not, as flower and its
fragrance, as gem and its radiance, as body (universe) and soul
(universal spirit) that pervades and animates, as the rules of
righteousness and Moksha, and as the Guru! Bestow Thy Grace on all"
This verse is a spontaneous and ecstatic outpouring of Saint Arunagirinathar's highest experience of God, composed in a simple, melodious and majestic syle which lulls one into a spiritual mood even as one recites it.
If you would like to read about Saint Arunagirinathar, please do visit this link:
http://davidgodman.org/asaints/agirinatha1.shtml
SRI SUBRAMANYOHAM!
A prank I played yesterday! - lolI recently received a marriage invitation to one of my close friend's marriage. He had sent it to the whole RECT-ian yahoogroup. So yesterday when I was bit bored, I just played a prank to see how many people do actually read the mails before replying. So what I did was, I wrote the same with some changes and sent it back to the 3 yahoogroups I am associated with. What I found out was majority of the people do not even read mails before replying :)).. They dont know the content and they just read the Subject line and reply..Check it out ;) Anandji, I am turning out to be
Jaga Nataka Suthrathari :P - lol
Original Marriage Invitation which I received:Subject: xx's Marriage!Dear all,
Hope you are all doing fine! I know I have not mailed you in past for quite sometime! Sorry about that.But I have a good news to share with you and I request you to come down for the occasion and wish me. Yes...Iam getting married on ** of November to **. She is also from ** and marriage will be in **. I will send the formal invitation once it is ready,but just wanted to convey this good news to all of you, so that you could plan accordingly. I will be very happy if you all come to the marriage and wish me.With the formal invitation, I shall provide the venu eand timings information. You are cordially invited forthe marriage :-) Please consider this as a personal invitation and I request you to attend the same with your family and friends.
Thank You
Your lovingly
****.
The prank invitation I sent to my yahoogroups!:Subject: Arjuna Sathiaseelan's Marriage!Dear all,
Hope you are all doing fine! I know I have not mailed you in past for quite some time! Sorry about that.But I have a good news to share with you and I request you "not" to come down for the occasion and wish me. Yes...I am "not" getting married! I will "not" send any formal invitation, since there is no marriage, but just wanted to convey this good news to all of you.Please consider this as a personal invitation and I request you "not" to attend the same with your family and friends.
Thank You
Your lovingly
Arjuna Sathiaseelan ;)
A reply I got - lolSubject: Re:Arjuna Sathiaseelan's Marriage! Hi arjuna,
nalamaai vaala valamaana vaalthukkal.
Mmmmm Ponnu yaarunnau sollavea illa....
Dwaraka – Rise and Fall
Dwaraka has a special importance as one of the major Hindu pilgrim place, known as the capital of Lord Krishna's Kingdom. It is also an important historical monument. The region of the west coast, where Krishna was to settle the Yadavas was full of flowering and fruit-bearing trees. Here grew the nagacampas, grapes, coconut trees and many others. It was the land of the hunter Ekalavya. Dronacarya had also lived here. Krishna decided to built a new city here and laid the foundation at an auspicious moment. He named the new city Dvaravati. Much later the poet Magha in his Sisupalavadha, sarga2, describes in slokas 31 onwards, the city of Dwaraka, sloka 33 can be translated:
"The yellow glitter of the golden fort of the city in the sea throwing yellow light all round looked as if the flames of vadavagni came out tearing asunder the sea."
Dwaraka on mainland which was one of the busiest ports of the Mahabharata Period met a sudden end due to the fury of the sea. After the Mahabharata War Krishna lived for 36 years at Dwaraka. At the end, the Vrshnis, Bhojas and Satvatas destroyed themselves in a fratricidal feud at Prabhasa but Krishna did not interfere to save them. The portends of destruction seen by Sri Krishna who advised immediate evacuation of Dwarakaare stated in Bhagavata Purana. Dwaraka abandoned by Hari (Krishna) was swallowed by the sea. The submergence took place immediately after Sri Krishna departed from the world.
Construction of Dwaraka
Interesting descriptions about its construction are found in Puranas. "Fearing attack from Jarasangh and Kaalayvan on Mathura, Shri Krishna and Yadavas left Mathura and arrived at the coast of Saurashtra. They decided to build their capital in the coastal region and invoke the Vishwakarma the deity of construction. However, Vishwakarma says that the task can be completed only if Samudradev, the Lord of the sea provided some land. Shri Krishna worshipped Samudradev, who was pleased and gave them land measuring 12 yojans and the Lord vishwakarma build Dwaraka, a "city in gold". This beautiful city was also known as Dwaramati, Dwarawati and Kushsthali.
Book X of the Bhagvata Purana says, Krishna used ‘his supernatural yogic powers’, in a crisis of battle, to transfer all his people to Dwaraka where he could protect them from the enemy in ‘a fortress inaccessible to human beings.’
“The Lord caused a fortress constructed in the western sea. In the fortress he got built a city twelve yoganas (96 miles) in area and wonderful in every respect. The building of the city exhibited the expertise in architecture and the skill in masonry of Tvastr, the architect of the gods. The roads, quadrangles, streets and residential areas were constructed in conformity to the prescribed tenets of science of architecture pertaining to city building. In the city, gardens planted with celestial trees and creepers and wonderful parks were laid out. It was built with sky-scraping, gold-towered buildings and balconies of crystals. It had barns built of silver and brass which were adorned with gold pitchers. The houses therein were of gold and big emeralds.”
Destruction of Dwaraka
At the time of the death of Shri Krishna, who was hit by the arrow of a hunter near Somnath at Bhalka Tirth, Dwaraka disappeared under the sea.The information and material secured through underwater excavation off Dwaraka corroborates with the references to the City of Dwaraka, made in the Great Epic Mahabharata and various other Sanskrit literary works. In Mahabharata, there is a specific account about the submerging of Dwaraka, by the sea which reads thus:
"The sea, which had been beating against the shores, suddenly broke the boundary that was imposed on it by nature. The sea rushed into the city. It coursed through the streets of the beautiful city. The sea covered up everything in the city. Even as they were all looking, Arjuna saw the beautiful buildings becoming submerged one by one. Arjuna took a last look at the mansion of Krishna. It was soon covered by the sea. In a matter of a few moments it was all over. The sea had now become as placid as a lake. There was no trace of the beautiful city which had been the favourite haunt of all the Pandavas. Dwaraka was just a name; just a memory."
A beautiful song..I am currently hooked to a very nice melodious song..Its hindustani based and its damn good! I really liked it..Its from the film "Taj Mahal" composed by the great Naushad. This film was released in May 2005, and I just got the chance to hear this beauty!
Ajnabi Thehro Zara
Just listen to Preeti Uttam's voice - just divine - the voice vibrates! Too good! I just love her voice!
My all time favourite advert!
Have u guys seen the new Surf Excel advert? Its an amazingly cute advert! This is my all time best advert! It just reminds me of the bond I used to share with my sister when we were kids..
In this advert, the brother and sister walk along a muddy road, and the sister accidently falls into the muddy puddle of rain water and starts crying..the brother seeing this..gets wild..and jumps into the puddle and starts throwing punches asking the puddle to say "sorry" :), while the sister says "adi anna, nalla adi"..then she feels happy that her brother has bashed the puddle up, and starts smiling..the brother seeing this is very happy and walks along with his sister with a triumphant smile on his face :)..This advert is so heart touching..so cute..The kids are so cute and the brother reminds me a lot in appearance :)
Reminds me of those days when I used to steal money from my aunty's purse, buy frooties for me and my sister and then get caught while giving the other frooti to my sister! Gone are those days :(...
I have uploaded this advert (the hindi version) for those who havent seen it :)..
http://rapidshare.de/files/4368419/Daag.wmv.html
You just need to click the link, the click the free button (scroll down then click) - then u will get the link. Its under 6MB, but worth the download! Just amazing :) - I was searching for this advert for almost a month and finally got it!
Future of our kidsI have been contemplating on this topic for a very long time. Time to post this for another series of discussions :) . I have been quite worried about the future of our kids. Their marriage lives in particular. Why?
I have some cousin sisters in their early 30's who were born and brought up here and they grew up with our religious traditions, and now they are finding it hard to get their proper match! They want someone who is brought up here! They also want their bridegrooms to follow our culture and traditions. There is no proper match for them and they do not want imported guys from Srilanka as well since even though they follow our traditions - their mindset is still British! They are finding it hard to get the right match and they are struggling to get married now! This sign is quite worrying for the future of our kids.
Say for eg, I get married and have children (preferably one or none!). Now me being a palaya panjagam (or a guy who still follows the old traditions) - I will be making sure that my children are influenced by our eastern traditions/culture and religion. I can never compromise on that considering the fact that if I have a son -
I would prefer him to be a Saint! :)Now my worry is - say in the next 25 years when my children grow up, marriage is going to be a big problem! Since my children would very much influenced by our tradition and me being a strong believer in my religion and traditions - I can never compromise on their marriage! But will I be able to find a proper match for my children who are also similar to them? Or will they be able to find their suitable match?
Remember this is in the next 25 years..Since from what I see and experience now is - children who grow up here are mostly influenced by the western culture and their kids will definitely be influenced by the western culture. For eg take the case of my cousin brother who grew up here - he can understand tamil but can't read, write or speak. But fortunately his wife who was born here can speak tamil! But I am quite sure - their kids are not going to speak tamil since they converse in English. Even if his children follow our religion and traditions- they would still have a western mindset.
So my questions are - how would you like your children to grow up? Would you prefer them to follow our traditions? Or would you just leave them to grow as they want - find some Tom, Dick or Harry and look after their own lives and lose their traditional identites? How do you forsee the future of these kids who grow up in Western countries? Any measures that can be taken?
