(Date Published: Nov 03' 09) I started to write this way back in sep. But did not complete it. Here is a complete version. The incident I've mentioned in the last few paras hold good for the published date Nov 03' 09 and not for the date Sep 23 as in the blogger.. )

அன்று எனக்கு கண்ணில் நீர் வழிந்தபடியே அந்த நடனத்தை படம் பிடித்து கொண்டிருந்தேன். என்னை அறியாமல் ஒரு சந்தோசத்தை அவள் எனக்குள் கொண்டு வந்தாள். அவளின் அந்த நடனம் என்னை வியக்க வைத்து. அன்று எனக்குள் ஆயிரம் கேள்விகளை கொடுத்து விட்டு போனாள். அதில் ஒரு சில இதோ...

1. "என்னால் முடிந்தால் ஏன் உன்னால் முடியாது?"
2. "உனக்கு என்ன குறைச்சல்?"
3. "இந்த உலகில் என்ன நீ சாதித்தாய்?"
4. "உன்னால் இந்த உலகிற்கு என்ன பிரயோஜநம்?"

இன்னும் நிறை கேள்விகளை என்னுள் எழுப்பிவிட்டு மறைந்தாள் . இதெல்லாம் ஏன் என்றால் , அந்த பெண்ணிற்கு இரண்டு கால்களும் சரியாக இல்லை. இருத்தாலும், தனது தன்னம்பிக்கையால் அவள் அந்த சக்கர நாற்காலியில் அமர்ந்த படியே தனது பாவத்தால் சொல்ல நினைத்ததை அழகாக சொல்லி சென்றாள். அதில் நான் கற்ற பாடம என்னவென்றால் எந்த நேரத்திலும் தன்னம்பிக்கையை ஒருவன் இழக்க குடாது. ஒன்று கை கூடவில்லை என்றால் மற்றொரு கதவை நாம் தட்டி பார்த்து அதில் இருகிறவற்றை நாம் எடுத்துகொள்வோம் என்பதே.

இது ஒருபுறம் இருக்க நான் இப்போது வசித்து வரும் நாட்டில் உடல் ஊனமுற்ற மக்களுக்கு தனி வசதிகள் இருக்கின்றன. அதனால் அந்த பெண் இவ்வளவு தூரம் செய்ய முடிகிறது. ஆனால் நம் நாட்டில், அவர்களுக்கு செய்யும் உதவிகள் அவர்களுக்கு சரியாகப்போய் சேர்வதில்லை. அதோடு மட்டும் இல்லாமல் தானே விரும்பி வந்து உதவும் மக்கள் தொகை மிக குறைவு நம் நாட்டில். இதனால்உடலில் சிறு குறை உள்ள மக்களால் இன்னும் சாதிக்க முடியவில்லை. இதை ஏன் சொல்கிறேன் என்றால், இன்று என் அம்மா பார்வை அற்ற குழந்தைகளுக்கு பாடம் கற்பிக்கும் வசதி பற்றி கூறினார். கடந்த வாரம், சென்னையில் உள்ள மிக பிரபலமான பள்ளியில் கண் பார்வையற்ற மக்களுக்கு பாடம் கற்பிக்கும் நிகழ்ச்சி நடைபெற்றதாம். அதில் கிட்ட தட்ட 120 பேர் பங்கு பெற்றனராம். ஆனால் 60 பேருக்கு பாடம் கற்பிக்க ஆள் இல்லையாம். பாவம். அவர்களும் ஜெய்க்க வேண்டும் என ஆசை படுகிறார்கள். நாமோ அவர்கைளை பார்த்து பரிதபா படுகிறதோடு நிருத்திகொள்கிறோம் .

நம் நாட்டில் அயிர கணக்கான மக்கள் உடலில் ஏதோ குறையுடன் பிறக்கிறார்கள். அவர்களுக்கு நம்மால் முடித்ததை செய்தால் அவர்களும் பயன் பெறுவர், நமக்கும் மன திருப்தி இருக்கும். நான் கூறிய நிகழ்ச்சி இந்த வாரமும் நடக்கிறதாம். நம்மால் முடிந்த உதவியை செய்வோம். இதை படிப்பவர்கள் உங்கள்ளுக்கு தெரிந்தவர்களிடம் இதை பற்றி கூறி உங்களால் முடிந்ததை செய்யுங்கள். என்னால் அந்த இடத்துக்கு போக முடியாததால், என்னால் முடிந்ததை செய்கிறேன்.

சிறு துளி பெருவெள்ளம். ஒன்று சேர்த்து முடித்தவரை உதவுவோம். பிறந்த பயனை நிறைவேற்றுவோம் .

பி கு: அந்த பள்ளி பெயர் எனக்கு சரியாக தெரிய வில்லை. உங்களுக்கு விருப்பம் இருந்தால் எனக்கு இந்த கமெண்ட்ஸ் காலமில் எழுதுங்கள். நான் கேட்டு உங்கள்ளுக்கு அந்த விலாசத்தை சொல்கிறேன்

Kalyani..!!!!

Today, something drove me to listen to Shri. K.J. Yesudas's songs. Everytime I listen to him singing, tears roll down my eyes. I dont know why. I am reminded of how unfornuate I am for not utilising the umpteen number of opportunities that I was given to improve my singing skills.

That said, I was listening to Kalyani Ragam which is one of my favourite raagas. Whenever I listen to this raaga, I am reminded of the events in childhood. The scoldings that we used to get for not getting the "Madhyamam" correctly, making it sound more like Sankarabaranam. At some point of time, we were told that the "Madhayamam" should sound as close as "Pa" in order to get it right. The uniqueness of the raaga lies in the "Madhyamam". It is similar to the raga Sankarabaranam. The raagas are so similar that we have to keep stressing the difference in the Madhyamam in order not to give the perception that the song being sung is based on some other raaga. I realised the importance only when I started to try to play it in Veena. I could actually find the difference when I heard the sounds of the two Madhyamas... :)

The Aarohanam: Sa Re(2) Ga(3) Ma(2) Pa Da(2) Ne(3) Sa

The Avarohanam: Sa Ne(3) Da(2) Pa Ma(2) Ga(3) Re(2) Sa
There are a lot of popular songs in this raaga.
Some famous carnatic songs based on Kalyani raaga are:
1. Nidhichaala sukhama...
2. Unnai allal vere kathi illai amma...





One of popular film based songs is "Kalaivaniye" from Sindhu Bairavi.. Man.. amazing song and again only Yesudasji's rendition. This songs was composed sans Avarohana.. It inspires me in someway. Not by the lyrics, but by the way it ascends. It tells me that, there is nothing that is going to stop me from climbing up in my life. Everything around us(the Universe) conspires to take us to a higher position if we work towards it.

Another song that comes to my mind is "Kannaley kadhal kavithai".. from the movie athma... Not to miss the song from Thalabathi.. "Sundhari Kannal oru sethi".

I am truely, madly, deeply in love!!!!!!!!... (with the music I love) :)

Happened to come across a post regarding boys Vs girls. Suddenly it struck me that of late, there are number of issues seen as boys V girl issues. Be it a TV prog or any other issue. Does two opposite sexes mean that one group should always point fingers at the other?I also came across a news article where one of the prominant faces has started a campaign against men to prove that the are potent before marriage. IMO, this is purely a personal issue and urging the Govt to create a law is ridiculous. I do agree that women have undergone hell in earlier days and is still happening. But will a woman be able to do it when a man demands it? I dont think many women will agree to this.

The improvement in literacy rates among women has come with a package. It has instilled the thought that they can survive in this world without the help of others. This is a welcome change. But, to what extent can this be accepted is a question mark. In some cases the feeling of self confidence goes overboard leading to a lot failures in marraige. Having started to write about marriages, a few issues strike me immediately. In the past few months, I have been hearing many sad-ending marriages, where innocent men were betrayed by women..Was that a co-incidence? I dont know. But it has actually kindled a lot of thoughts in me. What is marriage all about? Is not a give and take "Relationship"? I put relationship within quotes for a reason. Now-a-days, everything has become mechanical. Marriages are no exception. They are like written agreements. Again, there are a few exceptions. Men misbehaving with women and women not able to meet up with the expectations of men, and so many other cases have still not been thrown out of the society. Yet, the issue of women behaving strangely is on the rise.

The Media in the name of reality shows is not sparing anyone. It is happy to come up all shows that increase the rift between men and women. Neither of the sexes can survive without the other. Then why all this? On one of the channels, I see two teams competing against one another. The so called best part of the show is that, one team consists only of men and the other team consists only of women. Atleast, we can be happy that women think that they are equal to men. On the other hand, on another channel, the slave mentality of women is being exploited. It came up with a debate where-in women argue that they are the ones behind men's successes!!!!!!??????? And men sitting on the other team, deny the arguement. Ah! what an amazing way to increase the TRPs. The media instead of addressing the problem, is actually making things worse. Why do some women still want to them to be recognised as behind the scenes? When will this attitude change? When are we going to strike a balance?

I know that the answer can well be matched to an ideal situation. But, cant we actually strive hard to build and ideal situation wherein, women get duely recognised, men are no longer the villians in many girls' life and vice-versa?

Yes, we can build an ideal society if only we identify the problems and stop brooding over everything that we come across. We can build one society if we stop taking up pety issues and crying foul. .The above mentioned issues are only a small portion of the problem before us. If we look deep into all these issues, we might get many such which will years together for us rectify. Yet, we shall be determined to work towards resurrection. Things are changing. To those women who still feel that they need recognition for their men's success:- come out of the slave mentality and stop trying to be behind the scenes . To those who have come out of that and instilled the thought of equality/superiority, we still need men and they need us. So we both are equal. Let us not do what they did to us and spoil each other's lives. We have better things to do!!!

Lets Go Green

Every mood of her's or his can be related to a natural surrounding or a season in this world . Many would love to dance in rain, many would love to be in a natural, greener surrounding, or take a drive on a pleasant and sunny day. We like to associate many things with nature. But do we have any clue of what Mother Nature is going through because of these? Yes. Many would know. But we are reluctant about these happenings and dont want to try and rectify it. Unfortunately, the life of the future generations is at stake. Not to forget the fact that there are many natural disasters like the tsunami, earth quakes, etc which we are already facing. When we analyse the facts, many questions arise. Aren’t we the ones who are spoiling the nature. Aren't we, the so called superior beings, “THE HUMAN BEINGS" the reason for many of the natural disasters? The answer to these questions is YES. We are the reason for these. But it is better late than never.

As many are aware, some of the major reasons for the depletion of the earth are deforestation and extensive use of plastics.

Deforestation in general terms is the mass destruction of forests. It occurs when efforts are taken to turn them to non-forest areas for the sake of urbanization and other reasons without reforestation. The process of deforestation is often a complex pattern of progressive fragmentation of the forests. This might even lead to the forest destruction. The effects of it being extinction of many species, extensive soil erosion, green house effect, flooding, landslides, degraded watershed, denuded upland, destruction of corals along the coasts, silting of rivers and dams.

1. Greenhouse effect: One of the major effects is the greenhouse effect. When the forests become less, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere increases. This leads to global warming as the plants and trees that take in CO2 for photosynthesis are gone. This causes the ozone layer depletion which in turn allows harmful radiation from the sun to enter the earth.
2. Extensive soil erosion: The roots of the trees or the plants hold the soil in place. The fertile layer of the soil is held in place with the help of the trees. When trees are cut, soil is vulnerable to erosion and the felling of trees also leads to landslides
3. Extinction of species: Millions of species get extinct when forests are destroyed which leads to the loss of biodiversity.

The other fatal reason is the usage of plastics. Plastics are a general name given to wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic amorphous materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are durable and degrade very slowly, the molecular bonds that make plastic so durable make it equally resistant to natural processes of degradation. Since 1950's, a large amount of plastics has been discarded. This may not get destroyed in the near future and burning plastics also leads to release of toxic gases. The manufacturing of plastics also produces a lot of pollutants. Except for a few plastics, the recycling of plastics has proven to be far from reality as of now. The decomposition of plastics take millions of years and therefore, when they are thrown away, they tend to go under the soil. This leads to soil pollution. When it rains, the soil is not in a position to take in the rain water as the plastic retards it seepage.

The above mentioned reasons can lead to a lot of complications for the future. In order to avoid this, we can adopt simple methods at the lower levels. Following these can help us save our planet from some environmental hazards at least for time being.

Save Power/Electricity:

• Unplug appliances when they are not in use.
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Save Water:

• Use minimal amount of water for washing utensils and cloths
• Take shorter showers
• Open the taps with conscious decision to use little water.

Save Gas/Petroleum:

• Go for eco-friendly bikes.
• Use public transport to reach destinations
• Walk to near by shops or take bi-cycle

Use of eco-friendly carry bags:

• We can carry recyclable carry bags or cloth bags to buy from the market instead of using plastics

Avoid wastage of paper: Instead of buying new books, we can borrow books from friends or libraries as they save a lot of paper being wasted and also the ink that has gone into printing these materials.

E-wastes: Avoid throwing electonic goods into the trash as e-wastes contain mercury and other toxic items that are already posing a big problem.

Buy Dresses: Avoid buying dresses that need dry-cleaning. This helps in avoiding a lot of chemicals from being used and discharged.

We shall also make it a point to grow plants in and around the surrounding areas which would extensively help us and the environment we live in. Probably, we can present a better environment to our future generation as gift. :)

Am gonna go green. Are you?

Indian Politicians! -Would like to see these in you

The state of Indian politics with so many parties trying to make hay when the sun is shining and the politicians belonging to the parties trying to pull each others' legs for  a seat in the newly formed govt.,  has kindled a lot of thoughts in me. What does a political party consists of? A bunch of politicians who get along with other politicians when their requests are satisfied and ditch them when it is not happening the way they wanted it to happen. Do we have the right set of people representing us? Got no clue about that. But, following are some of the things which I would like to see in the politicians.

• Young leaders leading the nation from front. The older ones paving way for the younger generation to lead the nation and guide them rather than distributing the positions among the older ones. ----E.g. With the new govt taking in-charge the average age of the ministers very high. The youngest being 28 yrs of age and oldest being 77. Agreed that the older generation is experienced. But how long will they be able to govern? There are not many youngsters coming forward to take politics as a career option. Isn't this is a bad sign? Shouldn't they be taught to take responsibilities?
  

• Selfless leaders who don't take up personal grudges to the public but serve the people who elected them. ----   Aren't the politicians elected by us? Shouldn't they be made accountable for the happenings in the country. Rather than addressing a common man's problem in his/her own constituency, why are dramas being staged like indefinite fasts and a separate states' requests for people whom they have never cared for before the elections?
  

• Educated politicians who would be able to understand the scenario and act accordingly.--- There should be qualifying examinations for a person to become a politician and those who don't qualify those exams should not be allowed to join politics.
  

• Politicians who run family politics must be thrown out of power.--- The parties to which they belong should be made invalid. This would allow other eligible politicians to come into power. Those politicians who bargain seats for their family members should be made to publicly made to disown their ticket that they are already holding.
  

• Policians are comman men. They are representatives of the people. ---- All the politicians should be barred from using govt. vehicles at the cost of tax payers'. They should be made to use their own vehicles for transport. There should be treated as a common man's representative and be given the same treatment as any other common man in public places like temples and in public gatherings.
  

• All the politicians should be made to confess their earnings every quarter, rather than declaring their earnings and properties, before filing their nominations.--- The politicians who intend to contest in the elections should be made to publicly confess their properties every quarter. Though this might have some defaulters, with most of the properties in the names of binomees, mere eye washes at the time of elections can be avoided.
  

• Political parties dealing with religious beliefs and castes should be banned.--- This would do a great help to the public as many riots can be avoided. There should not be any religion or caste based reservations for which the politicians raise their voices.  They have to be taught about equal rights for all. 
  

• Political parties coming into power every five years should be made to elect a representative for a  debate in public before elections and then people should be made to judge based on that.
  

• Politicians who are suspected to have committed mistakes should be given a stipulated time to prove that they are innocent.--- Guilty until proven innocent, they should be stripped off their position and rights. If they are not able to prove that they are innocent, then they should not be given a ticket to contest in the future. If this is not done, cases against them get dragged on for years and in those years, with their political influences, they are freed from all the charges against them.
  

• The contracts bagged by the govt(politicians) should be read out in public and the public should be made aware of the processes and the money spent at each and every level.
  

On goes the list of what I want my country's politicians to possess . Am I expecting too much out of my elected bodies? I don't think so. But, if it is the case, then democracy doesn't have any meaning in our country is it not? 

Sahana-The Vakra Sampoorna Ragam

Music has an eternal reach. It helps one in all situations. There are so many emotions involved in each form of music. One form is the Carnatic music which is a system of music commonly practised in the southern parts of India. There are many ragas in Carnatic music.

 I love many for the moods they are associated with and the emotions they create. One such raga, that has touched many hearts is "Sahana". It gives me a complete feeling whenever I listen to this raga. 

Sahana Ragam, as the wiki says is a vakra sampoorna ragam. It has a crooked nature as far as the swaras are concerned, as there is no proper structure followed in the aarokanam and the avarokanam. It is called a sampoorna rag since it has got all the 7 swaras. 

There are many songs that are close to my heart. But the ones in sahana ragam are closer. The songs I like in sahana ragam are:

1. Parthen rasithen... pakkam vara thudithen.. 

2. Intha veenaiku theriyathu

3. Anbe sugama..

And in Carnatic songs, I love these songs..

Vandhanamu Raghunandhana

The mesmerizing effect of this sweet raaga was even more effective when I heard these songs when I closed my eyes and sat on a couch having so many thoughts in my mind on a rainy day. The raaga touched me so much that I stopped thinking about any other matter and started to look for others songs that were based on this raaga.

He-She-It

In the course of Life, strange and weird experiences are no stranger to anyone. To cope with them,or not is left to the individuals experiencing them. 

What if one has agglomerated negative thoughts? How is it going to affect his/her life? Is it worth giving it a thought? What keeps them going beyond a point? Lets try to find an answer to these questions.

Excerpts from a conversation which was misunderstood and misinterpreted due to the cluster of negative thoughts.

He  : I want your opinion in this issue.

She :  What do you want me tell in this regard?

He :  I want to know what you feel about this.

She : I have got no opinion about. It is better unsaid. 

He : Why are you trying to act diplomatically? Why are you like this? You have changed a lot. This is not the person I met and fell in love with. It is very irritating. This is not the first time you trying to be diplomatic. Hereafter, I shall act in the same way as you do when you come up to me for an opinion. Its a lesson to me.

She : If this is what you feel, then I am ready to take it. It is not that I am trying to be diplomatic. I fear that if in future someone comes to know about my opinion, then they might feel bad since this is a sensitive issue.

He : Agreed that this is a sensitive issue. But how could you think that I would ever talk about you like that? The very crux of  our relationship is belief, sharing and being one's self come what may. I sometimes feel that you are not giving your 100% .

She : What? I am not true to this relationship?

(Now, "It" comes to play in her life)

IT : Hey! girl. You are not fit to be in this relationship. You have not been true. You have been a loser all through your life. People have always tried to find fault in you and they have succeeded. 

She : Yes. You are correct. I have not been able to satisfy peopleanything. How will I be able to prove? I am not intelligent, I am not smart. I have not been able to match to his expectations and hence the words "Not 100%" spurred out.

IT : Very true. You have come in terms with me!! Let me guide you. 

(Back into the conversation with him)

She : True. You have pointed out correctly that I ve not given 100%. It hurts. Thanks for everything (cries).

He : Oh! no. I never said that you have not been true. I just wanted to make you understand that you are not giving out your opinion. I ve always wanted you to speak your mind. Nothing else. I am feeling very bad that I've not communicated that properly to you. I cant stand to see you crying. I am extremely sorry.Gotta go. Take care. Catch you later.

She : That is fine. I'll take care. Dont worry.

(He leaves the place hoping that everything will be fine but IT enters again)

It :  Time and again you have been proved wrong. It is impossible for you to be a winner. You are fit for nothing.

She : Yes, I am unfit. I am not going to make it big. Everybody is correct. I am wrong. I ve not been able to give my 100% in anything.

Meantime he tries to catch up with her through mails and messages. He also tries to make her understand that she is worthy enough. But since she is clouded with -ve thoughts, she is not able to lend her ears to any of those explanations given by him. "It" has worked well. Her loneliness has added fuel to the fire. She has aberrated.

(He calls her to make her understand who she is)

He : I am sorry. I dint want to hurt you. I just wanted you to be yourself. I respect your opinion and I want you to be as happy and as chirpy as ever.

(still crying)

She : It always takes time to sink in me. I am not intelligent. I am fit for nothing. This is what I am. From my past experiences, I've learnt not to lend my opinion since I've always been mistaken. I don't want to be misunderstood. 

He : Aha! Now I understand your problem. I am trying to assimilate as many instances to get to know that you are clouded by unwanted thoughts. I've always been impressed by your ability to debate. They've always been a healthy ones. Now I find you in some other world. I can find dwelling in some world of frustration and depression. I fear that you are trying to seclude yourself from the outer world. I am concerned about our future. 

She : No. That is not the reason. Everything is because, I've been mistaken.

He : No. This is not the reason. It is because of the reason that I pointed out. You were not the person who you are now. You have changed. You have argued with me and they have all been very positive. I've always been very happy that you have been able to reason out. You are intelligent enough and you have proved it in the past. You are a talented person. But not streamlining them has led to all these. You have always been very interactive. Now you are not the same person. Come out of your world. This is not going to help you in anyway. Interact with the world. Everything is at your disposal. The world has become small with so many modes of communication. 

Regarding the fear that someone might mistake you, If somebody close to you mistakes you for conveying what you felt, then they are never yours. 

I am feeling bad. I want you to be alright.I want you to think about this. 

( He ends the call and she cogitates. Meantime, It enters her mind)

It : I don't think so what he said is true. You always refrain from telling what you feel. And you are not intelligent as he pointed out. They are just mere decorous words used.

She : No, what he said is true. He has pointed out correctly.When somebody never understands or finds fault in me for conveying what I felt, then how can they be mine? 

I am as intelligent and as competent as anybody is in this world. I've been wasting my talents which I don't intend to do any more. Impossible itself has got "I'm possible". Idle mind has played devil's advocate in my case. I am going to channelise my thoughts and deeds for positive outcomes. I know that it is not an easy task . But I will ensure that I'll never give up my hope. I'll never be complacent and will strive hard to achieve my goal. I have been a winner and I'll be able to win again. I'll not spoil my life by brooding over the past and will make sure "It" never takes over me.

It : Oh! no, I don't think I've got a part to play in your life anymore. I was enjoying your ignorance. But now, I don't think so and have no hope. You've abated me.BOOHOO :(. ( See the negative thought in itself :P) 

Wow!! a ray of hope has entered her. When negative thoughts prevail, the positivity in the environment always fades away and better opportunities cease to be visible. At any point of time, let us not allow the negative thoughts to enter our minds. They just ruin our lives.As they say, Every man is the architect of his own fortune Not that everybody will be booming with positive thoughts, but at least we can be away from the negative thoughts. A small conversation was blown out of proportion because of these crap.This can happen in any body's life. Why should we give room for all this?  Let us take necessary steps to ensure that we don't end up our lives in this crap. More about positive thinking can be expected :)