Prodigious commoners

          Inspiration - what's that??? That which emanates from men who made it very big in life??? Does it take a persona in the lines of Dr.Kalam, The Mahathma, Ms.Kiran Bedi to inspire us??? Hmm... Not necessary!!!

         These Chennai days are teaching me so much than did the insulated, secure days at Trichy and the fun-filled yet shielded days at Tanjore. Each day dawns with the list of regular ordeals which confront me without fail - crossing the road (thanks to the signals @ anna univ entrance and santhome church!!!), the backpack which makes 50% of my weight only to pull me back during walk, squeezy travel in mtc etc.,  In this process, i encounter men, as common as you and me (or rather me alone!!!), who make impressions, which do not get eroded that easily!!!

         The first person i am going to mention is one who does one of the difficult jobs - being a bus conductor. Most of these men, as per my observation, are very short tempered and shout to the top of their voices to keep the situation under control. Can’t blame them though!!! But, this person was very cool despite the moderate crowd. The ladies, who were standing, were made to sit after he made some men sitting in the ladies side to stand. He apologized for having dashed by mistake, someone who was standing near me. Unlike others doing his job, he was very polite and called everyone "நீங்க", "sir", "அம்மா". Usually, the passengers would be called "நீ", "அது" etc as if they were inanimate!!!

       As you may know, Kamarajar Salai leads to the Tamil Nadu legislature from Santhome via Rajaji Salai. From 9:30am, the traffic in this road would be flooded with VIPs' and their escorts' cars. Unfortunately, one day, i got held up at the signal where 3 roads converge in front of the Church. There were two traffic policemen managing the traffic for a VIP's car to pass. I had to cross the road and was waiting there for more than 15 minutes. At last, the VIP's car passed and we were signalled to cross the road. When i crossed, one of the policemen said, "சாரிம்மா... ரொம்ப நேரம் நிக்க வெச்சிட்டோம்..."(meaning "Sorry, we made you wait for a long time"). I was really surprised and gave him a smile and sped.  Despite the fact that it wasnt a part of his duty to apologize to a puny creature for something he wasnt responsible for, he did!!!

         The final one is somewhat funny. That was the day of my "Data Mining" semester examination which dawned in a less rainy and cloudy manner than the previous day. I was speeding to the bus stop with the book in my hand. After five minutes or so, when i had crossed less than half the distance, it started raining!!! That too very heavily!!! The function i ran to search for the umbrella in my bag, returned "void"!!! Adding to the downpour, the vehicles which passed by did a great job splashing water and drenching me and my book fully. Fortunately, i got a seat in a bus. But the worst part was that, my book was fully damp with one page missing and the other pages sticking with each other. I could do nothing but to curse my absent mindedness which was worsened by the exam tension. There was a lady, who seemed like a construction worker sitting behind me. On seeing my pitiable plight, she offered a plastic cover to have my book inside it. Needless to say, it was the need of that hour and i thanked her from the bottom of my heart. She gave me a kind smile and got off the bus. 

          So, to conclude, please go to the first paragraph!!!

Exam blues:( plus Random memories of UG life :)

     Now that i am done with all the examinations in my life (hope so :-/...), a rewind of those i have taken in my life becomes quite obvious for a nostalgic. 

      

     Right from my school days, these wretched events called exams used to tire and frustrate me. In-spite of being a very keen listener (only during school, as a matter of fact!!!), would not score high grades in the examinations due to minimal study at home. Maybe, that made me susceptible to all the worst grades earned during college :) 

      Came the tenth standard examinations which were played spoilsport with by the Cricket World Cup 2003. Most people of our batch prepared for the first "big" examination of our lives with eyes meandering between the books and the television!!!  Anyway, by God's grace most of us put up a decent score!!!

       Fortunately, or unfortunately, my entry into an Engineering College happened unplanned. I eliminated electronics and electricals since they were bitter lessons in Physics for me. Dad eliminated Civil, Mechanical etc for he thought that they were not "girlish" enough and would make his daughter weary. We zeroed in on "Computer Science" as somebody told me that it is "the student friendly" course which would never require hard core hard work as other courses do.

         First semester saw me being a "padips, aako" or however you call it. Constant visits to the computer lab (for i was a bio student @ school), early rising and regular studying, new tasks of getting my laundry done, cleaning utensils etc - believe me, i was this good girl during the first semester. Coming to the exam episode, scored fairly well. But i was very happy about my performance in the C programming lab exam!!! I think that was the first and last lab exam that i did very well!!!

        Then came the other semesters, with unforgettable relationships blossoming and me getting to be my "real irresponsible, lazy self". Studying was confined to the nights before the examinations with me, Ilakki and Sangee literally trying to get our heads into the books. We called those sessions "study sessions", but studies would take place only as a diversion from pulling each others' leg, my singing, sangee’s stories and ilaki's funny encounters with the seniors. To add fuel to the fire, students would be provided tea the night before the examination. We would happily waste half an hour or so just for getting it from the mess and drinking it. Once, ilak kicked me by mistake and made me limp for a day or two during a semester examination. That was very funny indeed!!! And for those exams which we studied alone, i would be dozing off often with Viji motivating me to study. She was a very patient creature trying to make me and Mahesh study. Alas!!! All her efforts would go in vain. She would even call us for snacks to refresh our "tired" minds. We go with her, eat them and be back to sleep!!!  Ah!!! Those beautiful days are being treasured in my heart!!!

         NCC was a different experience altogether exposing the unexplored side of our personae. NCC 'B' and 'C' certificate exams also had theory elements in them. Here too i had very good company in the form of Viji and Ilakki. Donno how i cleared those examinations with 'A' grading!!! God's grace again!!! They were one of the most important exams i attended since my morale had a great boost after the results were declared!!!

      For the past three semesters of my M.E., my semester exam preparations would find me sitting in a room all alone, with books in my hand, yawning, dozing etc... Exam preparations in solitude casted an abominable lull over my tormented mind...  I really missed you Viji, Ilakki, Sangi, Mahesh... :'(     

Futile laments :(

This is one more of my "delayed", sorry, "very much delayed" posts... 

Some incidents in the recent past have left me skeptical. "Do we live in a democratic country???"... "What on earth is this caste system for???"... etc etc

INCIDENT 1: My fragile physique gave me another opportunity to be at home for 10 odd days last month when i was taken ill. The medic at the hospital wanted me to come again the same day with my blood test results. With great difficulty and pain i got ready for the hospital visit that evening only to find out that the transport flow was solidified owing to a politician's "mega" meeting at the other end of Trichy. (I clarify that im not a supporter of any political party!!!). How many others would have had their daily life affected due to extravagant meetings as these??? At times, i do doubt whether ours is a democracy in the real sense. Anyway, I, one among the commoners of this republic, i think, can do nothing but to lament.

INCIDENT 2: Me and my room-mate Athira were beckoned by the Warden sister at hostel to interact with some girls who have joined CEG and their parents to clear their doubts about the hostel. They threw us sooooooo many questions about  mess timings, everyday menu, bus routes, frequency of buses etc etc. We were patiently answering their queries when one of the girl's mother, who looked well educated asked us, "நீங்க christian ah???" (meaning "Are you a christian?"). I was a bit perturbed by this odd interrogation and politely answered "இல்லை aunty" (no) and tried to divert the topic. She reverted back with another "INTELLIGENT" question which was, "நீங்க எந்த சாமி கும்புடுவீங்க??" (meaning "which god do you worship???"). She had asked me which caste i belong to in an indirect tone but poor me... I could not catch up the implication... Adding one more to my "astute answers", i innocently replied, "சிவன், விஷ்ணு, இந்த மாதிரி தான் கும்பிடுவோம்" ("as all hindus do, we worship sivan, vishnu only"). My goodness, i realized her intention only after some time and felt very bad on how i have made a fool of myself. Never before was i put forth an awkward question as this. She seemed well educated and talked about whether NIT is better than CEG...  Compared GATE and TANCET... blah blah blah... but  not ready to see a human as a human...  Dont know when this virulent caste system, plaguing the society will come to an end.

INCIDENT 3: This shoots back to my stint at home due to my battered physique. This one is kind of humorous. I got on a bus from the hospital to my place and found all the seats occupied. Inspite of many ladies standing, almost all the seats were occupied by valiant menfolk. I bet, i looked very ill and weak. Not even one noble soul was magnanimous enough to offer me a seat. A man, may be in his early 30s was ogling the girls who were standing when i was glancing whether anyone is willing to make me sit. The icing over the cake was that he was sitting in the Ladies' seat. Here i would like to express my appreciation to Chennai men who stand up instantly when seated on a ladies' seat, on seeing a lady stand.

Social changes, with all their noble intentions, fail to percolate down our rigid minds. 

So when are we gonna change???

An year @ CEG...

     I dint even think of entering Anna University or doing PG when i was @ UG... But destiny had other plans and now i am a CEGian. 

     Soon after the counselling, the following thought engulfed my mind. "Hmmm, great that I have landed in one of the prestigious institutions of the country!!! But, will i be able to cope up with the environment here??? The fellow students would be very intelligent and i am going to be the odd man out in the class. Great professors are going to handle classes and i am going to sit blinking throughout... Only God gotta save me..."

     But i am happy that i was proved wrong by God.  Most of my classmates are very unassuming and amiable  in spite of their deep academic acumen. We discuss the difficult concepts taught in the class and learn together. We dont hesitate to help each other. 

     And the teachers... They are fantabulous... Really havent come across teachers with such deep subject knowledge. They are very friendly and down to earth too... However trivial are the questions put forth , they answer with a smile. I was taken aback by the spontaneity and flair with which Dr.K.S.Easwara Kumar used to handle data structures classes for us. Though i failed in all the Data Structure internals, used to really enjoy the lectures.

    There are some unforgettable things which happened. One was, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY with the girls wearing saree. I dared not to think that something like that would happen in a PG class. I think ours is the only PG set which had stood apart from others. That was the brainchild of Swetha and  kudos to her!!! Another was our class meet up with the Karkys @ Elliots Beach. It was my first time to meet one of the teachers with his family and our classmates. The meeting was followed by our playing heartily and getting drenched in the salty waters of the sea . I interacted with some of my classmates for the first time there!!! Had great time with you folks!!!   Nd personally, i had watched a couple of films @ theatres with my classmates , which were unforgettable.

    My friends in the class are very caring and concerned. While most of my classmates have an unquenchable craving to LEARN, there are few people for whom SCORING is the primary concern. They go to the extent of even comparing their marks with others' and behave like KG kids. And there are a few others who think so astute of themselves for having got done a work from others and dont realize the benevolence of the person who helped them. 

    There is a person, whom i would like to mention in this post to make it complete. Its Meena Akka., my  classmate sitting right behind our bench and sharing a good rapport with almost everyone in the class. A few days before the first semester examinations, i met her in the campus and was lamenting to her about my poor performance in the internals and my fear of getting an arrear. She induced confidence and courage in me with her words. Thank you ka... 

    I thank all my classmates and the teachers who had made my life @ CEG, a great time... Thank you...

malarial dayz :-(

my goodness...

27th march to 7th april... malaria episode - II... hellish dayz... 

i would like to thank all the good souls who helped me go to trichy and took good care of me, esp suresh anna and shobi... 

i  was admitted in the hospital for more than a week at trichy...

just imagine... no sleepin, no msgin, no chattin, no buzzin etc etc. but only vomitin, cryin, nd starin d ceiling...

my aunt stayed wid me at the hospital and took gooooood care of me... my mom, dad, granny nd grampa would visit me everyday with loads of advices on how to take care of my health...

the tablet for malaria, chloroquine evokes vomiting... i need to eat some solid food to take tablets... but cant eat due to the former reason... feelin like laughin now wen i remember me running to the bathroom to vomit after every meal... the whole ward would look at me with pity...

though i was feelin very uncomfortable stayin in the ward, had some pleasant experiences too... 

a muslim granny was in the bed next to me... her son saw me running to vomit and his heart melted... he voluntarily got a bottle of water from my aunt and prayed with it, chanting some verses... he asked me to drink it as it had been blessed by god... was really moved on his benevolent gesture... in these days of religious intolerance, we do have such noble hearts...

a doctor would visit the ward everyday... one day, she asked me "குட்டிக்கு எப்படி இருக்கு இப்போ???", thinking that im a school-goer and was surprised to know tat im a pg student... she used to be strict yet kind... I went to the hospital a few days after my stay at the ward for a check up and she had come in front... but, me, an idiotic person, did not notice her in spite of her smiling at me... tis too, i came to know from my mom who was coming behind me... 

i donno y i do this often... physically present, but mentally roamin elsewhere... really feelin bad about it... gotta visit her sometime later and thank her...

nd gotta thank the most important person, GOD, the almighty, who had blessed me... there weren't many classes due to the department symposium  and the submission of all the assignments got postponed... i thank beulah for helping me contact the teachers during my absence... the teachers were also kind enough to permit me to handle seminars and submit assignments a bit later... they ll be in my prayers...

nd last, but not the least, used to get some random thoughts during my stay at the ward and jotted them down... though i cant call them poems, relived the days where i used to get prizes for penning some poems during schooldays...

ll share that too wid you....:-D

குறுகிய மனப்பான்மை

    நான் தற்பொழுது தங்கியுள்ள விடுதியில் பிற மாநில பெண்கள் அதிகம். அவர்கள்  அண்டை மாநிலத்திலிருந்து படிக்க வந்தவர்கள்.

   மார்ச் திங்கள் 13 ஆம் நாள் நமது புதிய சட்டப்பேரவை திறப்பு விழா நிகழ்ச்சி சிறப்பாக நடை பெற்றதை நாமனைவரும் அறிவோம். அவ்விழாவை விடுதியில் தங்கியுள்ள மகளிர் கண்டு களிக்கும்  வண்ணம் தொலைக்காட்சி முடுக்கி விடப்பட்டது. நானும் என் தோழிகள் இருவரும் தேநீர் அருந்தி கொண்டே விழாவை பெருமை பொங்க கண்டு கொண்டிருந்தோம். அவ்விழா தொடக்கத்தில் "தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்து" பாடப் பெற்றது. அதைக் கேட்டவுடன் நானும் என் தோழியும் உணர்வு பொங்க எழுந்து நின்று மரியாதை செய்தோம். இதை பார்த்த அந்த பிற மாநில பெண்டிர் கேலி செய்து கொக்கரித்தனர். அதை கவனியாமல் நானும் என் தோழியும் பாடல் முடிந்தவுடன் தான் அமர்ந்தோம்.

     நாம் ஒரு இடத்திற்கு பிழைக்கவோ படிக்கவோ செல்கிறோம் என்றால் அந்த கலாசாரத்தையும் மொழியையும் மதிக்க வேண்டும் என்ற அடிப்படை நாகரீகம் கூட இல்லை அப்பெண்களிடம் ...  நம் வசம் இருக்கும் கல்விக்கூடங்கள் அளிக்கும் கல்வி மட்டும் வேண்டுமாம் ... நம் மொழி கேலிக்குரியதாம்... என்ன ஒரு இறுமாப்பு...

அவர்களின் மொழியே தமிழிலிருந்து பிறந்தது தான். இதை அறியாத அவர்களின் அறியாமையை நினைத்து சிரிப்பு தான் வருகிறது. என்ன முட்டாள்த்தனம்... "தமிழை கேலி செய்து தங்கள் மொழியையும் அவமானப் படுத்திக்கொள்கிறோம்" என்பதைக் கூட அறியாத அவர்களை என்ன செய்யலாம்???

   அந்த மொழிக்கு மொழி வாழ்த்தும் கிடையாது...  நம் மொழி போன்று பண்டைய பெருமையும் கிடையாது. இதே நாங்கள் தேசிய கீதத்திற்கு எழுந்திருந்தால் அவர்கள் அப்படி செய்திருப்பார்களா?

   இதை கண்ட பொழுது எனக்கு ஒரு பழைய திரைப்படப் பாடல் வரி தான் நினைவுக்கு வருகிறது...

"ஆயிரம் கைகள் மறைத்து நின்றாலும் ஆதவன் மறைவதில்லை"....

அந்த முட்டாள் பிறவிகளுக்கு கடவுள் சிறிதேனும் அறிவை அருள வழிபாடு செய்வீர்களா தோழிகளே, தோழர்களே???

Letters to the almighty...

Almost six months have passed since my entering this wretched city, Chennai...

During the first few months here, i used to get ill often and feel very lonely... Used to get confused and would worry about my health, academics, career etc... I would be around with a sombre expression on my face... as i am the first girl in my family to a PG in engineering, i have to fulfill the expectations of my family na... that thought used to increase the pressure on me...

Those days, i did not have anyone to confide with as i had not got close to anyone here (thank god, now its not so....!)... And to vent out my sorrows, i used to write letters to god, sharing with him all that which bothered me at that moment... and had not forgotten to thank him too when something good had happened :-)... The letters used to be in தமிழ் + English. It would be like me talking to god...

and now, when i see those letters which are being treasured and preserved by me, i tend to relive those moments, thanking him for the blessings he had showered on me helping me to overcome my worries...

Believe me, it is the best stress buster...

Early morning... In the bus...

Last morning, we were in a bus, on our way to the college.  

The bus couldn't have been more crowded. I was literally getting squeezed up by the ladies who stood beside me. 

Suddenly, a lady, who would be in her late 40s, started throwing abuses at a man, who would be nearing his 60s saying that he was dashing her deliberately. This made the man go wild and he started abusing her in return. He bawled that he dashed against her by mistake since the bus was crowded.  Both of them were profaning each other. They did not heed many college boys who were laughing and poking fun at them for their stupid act. When an elderly woman told the lady to keep quiet, she reacted by saying that the elderly woman was that man's accomplice. Now, the elderly woman started to vociferate. 

Actually there was no mistake on that man's part. In a polite manner, the lady must have asked him to move.

The indecent behaviour on the lady's part triggered a series of unpleasant scenes in the bus. 

And, to top it all, i heard a student saying to another, "Someone has dashed our hindi mam". Just cant digest the fact that she is a teacher. See the example she is setting to her students. Being a teacher is something noble. A teacher has to be very responsible.

Bothered about her students :-(...

First outin...

yesterday, a sudden plan was chalked out by my classmate Ms.Meena to watch the movie "விண்ணை தாண்டி வருவாயா" ...
i joined her with four other girls...we dint know the bus route but somehow managed to go to the theatre... we got ther 30 minutes before the show and were sittin in the entrance, munching snacks offered by meena akka and sheeja... with great xpectations, we went inside the theatre and the screening of the film started.
the film, is really really an annoying piece of work by gautam menon. but for silambarasan's acting and rahman's music, i couldnt find the film worth watching. trisha's character is a bundle of confusions. the heroine first refuses the hero's love (concealing her love for him), befriends him then, makes him land up in an altercation with her brother, plans to get married to someone else and halts the wedding when the priest asks her for her willingness to marry. wait, this doesnt get over. she reciprocates the hero's love inspite of having promised her dad that she would not meet him or talk to him... she goes around the city with the preposterous hero, at last asking him to get away from her life without a valid reason... and, the hero, being a film maker, makes a film named after his ridiculous lover based on his love story (to torture audience as we have been tortured by Mr. Gautam )...
my advice to you folks is that "PLEASE DONT GO FOR IT"...
But the outing on the whole was enjoyable. thanks to meenaka, sivasankari, sheeja and athira.

A funny encounter

A few days back, i went to a lab with internet facility in the college. As in all the colleges, footwear has to be left outside. I was engrossed in a work for about 4 or 5 hours and when i came outside, found my footwear missing. The people working there helped me to search it, but our search was in vain. "Somebody has stolen it", they said. 

There werent any shops nearby .  I was startled as to what to do. 

I thought, "What would have been  the situation if the footwears werent invented????".... Then i started walking towards the bus stop bare footed with people on the way giving me odd glances.... Reached hostel bare footed only...

Just imagine how much importance we give to our appearance and attire... 

I was relating this incident to a classmate and she said,"Youre great da... Had it been me, i would have called my father up and would have made a big fuss"...  And then only did i realize that i have managed the situation in the way it had to be...  I think this is one among the rare situations which i have handled thoughtfully...

Though i had missed my favorite pair of footwear ( which was stitched by the cobbler whom i had described in my second post in this blog  ), this incident made me realize my tendency of not caring too much about what others would think about my attire...  and a little happy about it...