Happy Days are Here again.

to All our
Fellowbloggers and friends we wish A Very Happy Christmas
and a Peaceful and Prosperous Newyear.

remembering....

Appa's
birthday falls on 30th May. he would have completed 85 years of good life .As mama and I were communicating and reminiscing,today morning wethought we are still wondering about him.

he was a complete Father. a good husband.patient thatha.Dutiful son to his parents and I know he was a fantastic understanding father-in-law too.

We should, atleast I know I should try and follow him in being sincere in all the efforts put in,trusting each and every individual's basic honesty and getting the most out of them .

. He was a topclass executive in his own way managing all kinds of persons coming either in his proffessional years or Personal life.Always maintaining cordial relationships ,never complaining,compassionate and forgiving.

Emulating Srirama in all his deeds .He always evoked a sense of well being and Happiness in me and ofcourse in all of us.These words are not enough as an eulogy to my father.will write about him again.App a we all love and remember you.

Ammavoda santhoshamaa IRUPPEERKAL. enruthaan nambukiren. some few words about thatha in our life.;APPA bought us our very first Radio Resa in 1957.I may be wrong in the year,but since there is only mama to dispute this,and I know he would not think of doing that,(dhairyamaa ) --I can say this.
Appa went to Madhurai one day and we waited I, mamas and Paatti for his return.It was a long wait. after sunset and long past after our dinner time,I could not remain inside and came to the small gate to the street in our Thirumangalam house .
And waited there. roadlights were few in those days.and only a tall post will have small yellow bulb giving out litte golden light to the street.And I saw Thatha coming back in distance with another personfollowingcarrying something on his head.

My excitement knew no bounds and I was so happy and relieved to see Thatha coming back.the Radio was secondary.After thatha paid that porter 1 rupee for the help, we opened the brown package.There it was! the new shining radio! our family member, the new Reesa.Atonce I tried to tune in.Thatha asked us to go sleep and promised we can work on it together in the morning.the radio came with an ariel which should be strung on two poles on the terrace of the house.So we went to sleep on that saturday night sleeping very close to the new presence and inhaling the very woodsy, very new radio smell.

The radio had two bandwiths, one medium and one short wave. My only wish was to ,locate Radio Ceylon.Thatha will listen to Thamizh News from Delhi and Thiruchi vaanoli Nilayam on exactly 7.10am and 7.15pm. and the 9 o' clock english news."Vaasippathu Poornam Viswanathan,Panchapakesan,and later Saroj Narayanswami".The english news was read by Melville Demello.


Our Day to day news good and bad, exciting and dull all came from this wonder called radio.On every morning the programme meant for fareastern countries like Indonesia,Malaya,Burma and Philippines came on air.I used to listen all of those 45 minutes.


Those were the days of non commercial airtimes.Paatti was always listening to good carnatic music and one Maadhar nighazhchi in the after noon.I guess this reflects all the middle class families story in the 50s.
posted by வல்லிசிம்ஹன் at 5/30/2006

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The Unsung Heroes and Heroines

Thinking and reminiscing is happening here to me in Chicago
more than what used to be the case,
compared to our Chennai life.

It cannot be true if I say it's because I have more time to sit around?
No way.
I have not been this busy since the children's school and college days.

Then it used to be a whirl of
people visiting,kids,playing ,homework,school visits
and shopping.

And of course visiting elders as and and when I(I)
needed to visit them. When I needed their comforting arms,
consoling words.
And when they were too ill and were becoming aged,
I was afraid my world was not secure anymore.

Tried to ignore the facts staring at me.
They were the stars,guiding all the time.

They were my grandfather,grandmother,
parents,uncles and aunts.
How do you pay back all the attentions,
care spent on you unconditionally?
There is one proverb.

''Affection always flows down.''
It never looks up.

I found a new way.
To make for the loss of appreciation
I should have showered upon our elders,

I just started calling upon the existing old people.
First came my immediate relatives.
I never knew one or two words or a single action of going to that extra
mile
can make their lives that more
easier.
Then came the parents of friends.
My life took on a special meaning to my own
day to day activities.

All these could be achieved,
with the help of a book I happened upon.

It was a biographical novel about Srimathi.Savithiri Vaithi.
founder of Monday Charity Club,
And Vishranthi--- The home for the Aged and Helpless.

If anyone can inspire so many people
towards good deed and make the housewives
feel more proud of themselves
by helping others ,
the credit goes to this simple lady.
Hope I can achieve the same serenity I see in her eyes,

After all I HAVE come around ,
and the time has come of being a senior
citizen myself.,
and the days of wanting to communicate more,
and spend life with more precious thoughts
and actions.
A WARM MARKAZHI AND A
HAPPY CHRISTMAS GREETINGS TO ALL.

Are you sure?

We are sure about so many things in life.
We do as our mind leads us and
decides for us.

Then comes the doubts.
Is this right. Maybe we could have done the same thing
in someother amicable easy way.

Take this trip we are taking.
It is going to be sometime
before we return.
Till the last minute the confusion lasted.
so many arrangements to safeguard the
house against ,
natural hazards,
manual hazards
curiosity hazards......
it goes on.
Trust me, it is noo easy job to lock a living house and say byebye,
take care of yourselves
until we return.
Do I sound sentimental? Yes I am.
As you grow older your priorities change. your wandering lust (!)
is not what it was.
You are attached to your morning walks.
you are attached to the to temples.
continuous calls from your friends,relatives.
you are going to miss your Thamizh papers and magazines.

Ofcourse everything is available abroad... for a higher price.
well that is Life.
:-0)

will keep in touch.
bye for now, my dear blog friends.
Happy Blogging.

Feelings

It is hard to feel unhappy when you are among flowers
and children.

Somehow music soothes the soul
whichever mood you are in.
either it can make you more happy
and depending upon
whom you associate those songs with and

what they mean to you can make you cry too.

when I hear religious music, bajans that are sung in light rhythm and tone I feel secure.
It should be the same with everyone.

Early morning thoughts, prayers that include
your friends and foes alike
can make you more positive towards them.

I read long back, when someone has really done you some harm,
the Best way is to pray for them sincerely.

You can hate the ways of that friend or person.
But should pray for them sincerely and give up the resentment.

I know it is tough to pray for someone who has wronged you.
But atleast taking the bitter
resentment out ,,
will purify your system.
And make us more of a complete person.

Only when you hold on to the resentment it can eat into you soul.

I thank the person who decided to share his thoughts this way. And I am posting here these lines,
so atleast one or two people can benefit.

with best wishes for a beautiful peaceful world.

Would you please laugh?

These are some of the pictures I found in the net. They were so hilarious I thought I would post them here.

along with those pictures ,I am posting
the jokes sent to me by a friend. enjoy.



Have You Seen The Signs in The Office?>

1. In an office:> TOILET OUT OF ORDER..... PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW.


2. In a Laundromat:> AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT.

3. In a London department store: BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS>

4. In an office--
WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK
THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY
PLEASE BRING IT BACK>OR . . .FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN>

5. In an office:> AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE> DRAINING BOARD.

6. Outside a secondhand shop:> WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING -

BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING>YOUR> > WIFE ALONG AND
GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?> >> >
7. Notice in health food shop window:> >> > CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS> >> >

8. Spotted in a safari park:> >> > ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR> >> >

9. Seen during a conference:> >> > FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON>THE> > 1ST FLOOR> >> >

10. Notice in a farmer's field:> >> > THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE,
BUT THE BULL> CHARGES.> 11. On a repair shop door:> >> > WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL >DOESN'T> > WORK) We all need a good laugh, keep on smiling.

The Land of Precision,Beautyand Honesty.and Cows

The word peace did not come easy to Switzerland'
They had to struggle for it. They chose to remain neutral after so much hardships and loss of humanlives.
Now Swiss is a haven for so many thousands of various races of humankind.
The land of beauty and plenty must have been an attractive piece of
land for many europeans to own.
But this group of men fought for their land and have maintained their integerity through difficult times,
and now they are enjoying their individual freedom.
In the above photos I have tried to capture
the happiness and peace I felt , when we were staying there for sometime
last year.
They respect their country and its sovereignity.
That no one should interfere in their lifestyle or cause any kind of damage to their historical monuments, their serenity is something they are very particular about.

Sometimes , infact all the times when we were surrounded with so much beauty,plenty of everything, fresh vegetables,milk products, chocalates and good weather I used to envy their wealth of everything.
I wished we can export some of them to our own India.

Maybe if we are more friendly, more country conscious,
more aware of our own land involved with otherpersons worries,less self centered may be may be with so many maybes we can achieve some sort of prosperity that I saw there.

Steve Irwin

That I never understood people going after wild animals to just take photographs.
and I have never came to terms with the passion they show , going through impossible hardships,
and life threatening moments.
If someone else is watching these shows with snakes and crocodiles
I would wonder what makes them admire these channels.

I would rather watch funny animal videos.
Still one show captured everyones attention.
All of us will be criticising Steve Irwin for all the risks he was taking. especialy with the crocodiles.
It will be so horrible to watch him
play with them. stalk them and escape at the last minute.

Just because I could not understand his motives
in doing all these (he was for preservation of crocodiles) stunts
I was still sceptical.
And today's news about his instant death caused by sting-ray,
came in and suddenly we felt very sad for that bubbly guy.

his tough outlook , and his dangerous projects have come
to a sudden standstill.
And I do not think anything was worth
losing your life over.
But that depends what we want from life.
our sympathies are with his wife and kids.

My new BLOG IN TAMIL

As it happens with incorrect planning, my favourite first blog has gone somewhere into the oblivion.
Have started a new one called "villiputhursri.blogspot.com"

Hoping to recapture the same magic that inspired
me to write in the first place,
here is to everyone.
Happy Blogging.

Flowers Say the Sweetest.

I AM HAPPY TO BLOG.

MacKenna's Gold!

When I happened to hear the BGM of "mackennas gold'' movie it just brought me back to the drawing room and TV which was broadcasting
Gregory peck and Omarshariff starrer. From an important job of making my first coffee of that day.



It took me back to those years of 70s in which this movie made to the theaters of Coimbatore.
though I was afflicted with the movie bug,
I could not leave the very young babies of 4,2,and 11 months old and go gallivanting anywhere, let alone movies..

So when my little brother came to CBE for his christmas holidays, I just grabbed the opportunity
and we decided to go to a latenightshow in a theater ,(I think it was Central).
It was a western blockbuster, with a name that will attract anyone.

I can still feel the first thrill we felt
when we saw the buzzard sitting on a high rock waiting for someone to die in the desert below.
And the MUSIC!
It was spellbinding. The opening shot shows a Native American old and tired riding an equally old horse.
as book lovers and western novels' fans will know,
the rules of ambushing somebody to protect oneself is accepted.
THe scene shows the old man trudging along,and the instant he feels someone following him he becomes alert.
he slides into the rocks and aims to shoot the intruder.
Mackenna, the hero of this movie is searching and patrolling the trails for a gunman and his gang.

He hears a shot and ducks and take cover on the same second.
This scene and the following magical moments have stayed with me
from that day.
the Haunting and booming voice of Jose Feliciano singing the theme song,
Ol' Turkey Buzzard'
rings out and grips the viewers.
what follows is a saga of Hollywood Complete original mindcapturing narration of americans hunting for the lost Spanish
gold.
An Elected Marshal of law and an outlaw trying to outbeat each other.
Omar Shariff fitted the character of a complete killer ,with a little sense of humour and sarcasm.
Of Gregory Peck I cannot elaborate. Because what I write about him will be prejudiced and most of us women were crazy about him.
enough to say he portrayed the tough gentleman who has " this
map inside his head".
each and every dialogue was etched in our memory.

we went to see the movie again after sometime.
and after some years.
and after some years.
years later we bought the DVD .

THe magic still remains.
The romance, the fights between apaches and the gold group.
the river ride,
the Golden Valley,
the dialogue delivery, the beautiful scenes,

the earth quake there and finally the ride into the sunset.
Everything is the same.
Anyone willing to see MACKENNA AGAIN?

NILAIKKUM UrAVUKAl

 

kaalinga narthanan

 

UCHI PILLAYAAR

Thiruchi Uchi Pillayaar kovil Malaikottai Pillayaar has been with us right from very young age. our holiday train took us through Trichy and Srirangam.
Paatti used to point out the lights of uchi pillayaar and srirangam temples.We will get up and sit and watch the lights go by.

I would watch out for one little street light giving a dull glow to the lone path leading to somevillage.

Later when my own family formed and shifted to Trichy for 4 years,we found a house with a terrace. and was thrilled to see the familiar malaikottai lights glowing.

On that day onwards Pillayaar become my morning and night time guarding and guiding light.
Nobody can deny THAT light source is THE inspiration and stregth in our lifes.
When I go through some problem or other, I will just come out and look at Him.
again before going to bed I will stand there and pray and thank for goodday.He is there always for us. and

surprise of surprise. He went ahead of me to USA, to be of assistance to us. during our grandson;s birth. Like sri Thayumanaswami
.when I entered my daughter's house I saw the Malaikkottai Pillayaar sitting on the wall as a mural painting with malaikottai as background., as big as you can imagine.

thats what I call brotherly affection!!! Enga Annaa
I would like to mention here that my boys refer me as one more
Pillayaar in the family.
Thats why this brother reference.

ThuLasi,Kavitha kalaiththal vaaram pillaayaarukku
kozhukkattai. prasaadham

.

THE ARCHIES

our friends

These were the people that fascinated us through out our teens,. that is when they came into our book stands.Harvey comics was a magical name.

A kingdom of fun,eats,wit ,goodness conquering evil.

Before these cartoon characters were introduced into our life,

we were blessed with long hours of freedom once after the school was out and vacations started.

The beginning of holidays were marked for celeberation.

some of us were taken to cartoon movies,some of us were given indoor games like Trade,Monopoly andChess.

Each chose what he or she wanted to. Girls were more for Pallaanguzhi and playing with stones,sozhi .evenings were more fun,because that meant we will be allowed to get out of the house.

Every game included good physical activity.Where ever we were children played the same game. one group versus other.

No dashing cars or heavy vehicles to be afraid of,except for occasional cycles. Motorbike was unheard of until mid sixties.

That was the way we were., until the advent of comics.

Archie,Casper,Wendy,Lotta,Richie Rich and their friends made us more occupied with our time. Whatever Internet is bringing us today

was long available to youngsters through these books.

We could look through the pages and go into the world filled with plenty of wonderful adventures..

Beginning of sixties saw Kalki magazine bringing out chithirakkathaikaL.

One I remember vividly was Vijayapuri veeran.The hero was a very tall person taller than a normal boy. He would need a cot of very long length to sleep in. He would walk thru forests with his long strides and carry the people he wanted to help on his shoulders.If I am wrong about any of this fact please let me know.

some of you who happen across this podt may wonder why all the glory write up of yesteryears,decades.

Because of the simple telephone call from my daughter to send some reading materials for our grandson to read and enjoy the habit of being with books rather than the computer games

which are a little strain on the eyes. and more preoccupation with scoring and scoring more.

Hope I can find some of the books we saved long back and send it through.

I do not know whether these books are available as new editions.Atleast these pictures I could gather from google. for that I could ask them to do the same.