ஜன்னலில் கோலம்

*கோலமிடுகிறது மனம்...

பேருந்து ஜன்னலில்

மழையிட்ட புள்ளிகளுக்கு.

Big fat Indian weddings… oops!!! Engagements!!!

 I remember one story, in the tamil supplementary reader (of 9^th or 8^th std I guess). It talks about how E.V.Ramasamy, fondly beckoned by tamilians as “PERIYAR” taught the importance of not being a scattergood to his nephew who then became one of the greatest merchants of his time. 

    Having done my UG at an institution bearing his name, I had chances to get exposure to some of his thoughts and ideologies which had left an indelible impression in my mind. One of them was the abovementioned trait of spending money thoughtfully (though I don’t practice it extensively!!!).

    At that time, I used to think, why do people (including those at my home!!!) are extravagant in spending when it comes to marriages, temple archanais etc… If the couple gets married in humble ceremony with few friends and relatives, won’t the relationship last???   - This is flash back…

    Now back to present… I was swept by a wave of happiness when my cousin informed me about her engagement. We had played together and had seen each other grow through years, no wonder I was euphoric. I came running from Chennai to Trichy for the sole reason of attending it.

     Despite having had a tiring lonely journey crossing 320 km and shallow sleep, I rushed to her place happily with my siblings and mom.  Her house was filled with our relatives. It was getting lively with babies’ weeping, kids’ running about, elders busy with preparations for the function, young women giggling and making fun of her etc etc. She was so gorgeous draped in a silk saree and with dazzling jewels that it was difficult for me to believe that she is the same girl with whom we played silly pranks during childhood (and omg… she blushed… for the first time!!!).  Some notorious kids there made me their prey and were teasing me so much. I somehow managed to escape from them and joined my cousin’s friends to make her the prey of our teasing. All these small, small things lighted the day up making it memorable.

    Rituals started with all of us on the terrace and were too boring. My grampa seemed to have been lost in thoughts and when I asked him what, he replied, “During your mom and dad’s engagement, your cousin was in her mother’s womb… Your aunt would purge often and would be confined to the bed… Now, the girl herself is getting married and the transition is making me get nostalgic…”

   Now, I no longer feel that these functions are just means to squander money (though my views about archanais and rituals remain unchanged!!!). They are excuses which we give to meet relations, chill out with kids and pass on the relationship to the next generation. Younger people tend to imbibe the art of organizing through these functions while the elders get nostalgic and relive their past. To meet the relatives gives us a feeling of belonging to a clan. Compared to these, the money spent is too trivial. Nothing comes free of cost, isn’t it??? And marriages and functions related to it are the most memorable events in a person’s that life happen only once (for most people!!! :P). So no harm in inviting all whom we know and making them all the more pleasant.

    I learned that life is not a mathematical problem to be too logical… After all, we are “SOCIAL” animals, aren’t we???

நகர அனுபவங்கள்

*அரசியல் கட்சிகளின் புதிய வழிமறிப்பு உத்தி -

நடைபாதையில் ஆளுயர பதாகைகள்.

அனைத்துக் கட்சிகளும் "பாதை மறிப்பு" கழகங்களாய்.

*சாலைகள் கழுவும் சேவைத் தொழிலாளர்கள் -

மாநகராட்சி குடிநீர் ஊர்திகள்.

*காவல்காரர் உறங்க -

அவர் வேலை நாயிடத்தில்.

*நிறைய குப்பை

ஆங்காங்கே மணல் -

கடற்கரை.

*நகர முடியாமல் நகர்ந்து

முனகியபடியோடி

பிரசவித்துப் பெருமூச்சுவிடும்

நிரந்தர கர்ப்பிணிகள் -

மாநகரப் பேருந்துகள்.

ஞாபகம் வருதே...

பரணிலிருந்து கீழே விழுந்த

ஒன்றாம் வகுப்பு புத்தகத்தில் 

கவிதையாய்... 

என் குழந்தைப்பருவம். 

கவிதைகளோ... உளறல்களோ..

*தினமும் ஒரு தாளை இழக்கும் நாள் காட்டி,

திங்களன்று இரண்டு இழந்தது...

ஞாயிறு விடுமுறையாம்... 

*வாரத்தின் ஆறு நாட்களும் கழிகின்றன

ஞாயிறுக்கான ஏக்கத்துடன்...

ஞாயிறோ கழிகின்றது

"நாளை திங்கள்" என்ற அலுப்புடன்... 

A rendezvous with our ancestors...

    Today, myself and my friend Shobana had a very comic and thrilling experience with our tailed ancestors.  

    We had come to the university for our project work and were out for lunch. We had our lunches packed  in our tiffin boxes and decided to settle down @ the corridor near the Chemistry laboratory. A lady working in our department who went that way, cautioned us about the monkeys which frequented that place and asked us to finish eating as soon as possible. But, having not seen any monkey for a week in the campus, we were sloppy. We were simply chatting for a long time and finally made up our mind to eat. We would not have had even four gulps, 3 monkeys - 2 adults and 1 juvenile, flanked us. 

    The biggest one took control of my tiffin box and Shobana just jumped off the place to a nearby tree. Being an alert person(???!!!), i grasped Shobana's tiffin box in my hand and ran towards her. Both of us gained some courage and were shooing them away. Those tailed menaces did not heed us.  Instead, they were eating heartily from the tiffin box. The juvenile one started inspecting our bags and on seeing that, brave Shobana went near it and just pretended as if she was to beat it. But that courageous vagabond made a fierce cry and came towards her as if it was going to attack her. I shrieked, "Shobana!!!" and she started running.

  A staff @ the Chemistry lab tried to threaten them but was threatened by our tailed friends. He shut himself inside the lab. Many people were watching this from the first and second floors and were enjoying the scene. The lady who warned us was on her way back. At last, it was her and the other workers, who got us the tiffin box back from the monkeys, driving them away with a pole. We thanked her and the others from the bottom of our hearts and sped to the canteen.

   The most funny thing is that a student who was sitting just 2 or 3 feet away from us did not even bat an eyelid in spite of the hue and cry we raised and was busily engaged with his mobile and lap top. Some people reside in their own world, whatever happens around!!!

    After some time, we burst out of laughter thinking about this funny rendezvous.  Those monkeys made monkeys out of me and Shobana!!!

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...