Rain, Rain Go Away !

                            Rain, Rain, Go Away!
                       Come again another day !

                        Had this popular rhyme could become true due to a miracle,the inconvenience turning into an experience for me at the Dallas Fort worth international airport in US could have  never happened.

                      Really, it is a sorry state of an incidence as well as incident for the passengers with immediate,urgent and prior appointments, engagements, persons with health issues, infants etc.

                     A couple of days before my departure from India, my son living at the opposite of the globe casually said, " Amma, I remember you are going to US through Dallas, Texas.The news is that the state of Texas is in floods." Busy with the travel priorities ,what he conveyed was least assimilated by me and brushed aside.

                 The first leg of the journey, departing at 4.10 AM from Chennai and flying for 4 hrs. and 30 minutes to Doha, Qatar was fine. Hamad international Airport, Doha whose expansion work is going on for more than 10 years seems to be an airport of world class, well connected to many destinations through a wide network of airlines.The service both by the Qatar Airways and the airport deserves to be recorded.

               After a transit of nearly 2 hours at the airport, embarked on the long mission of 15 hours plus to Dallas.On many an occasion discussing my travel to US,letting out my ordeals to be encountered on board for several hours, despite my optimism had no check.Fortunately,time seemed to have taken wings! My long time desire of watching the movie of my favourite star, Kathi, was fulfilled.There were nearly 10 Tamil Movies downloaded in the mini TV.

             To my joy, the fight landed at Dallas,the port of entry, at 3.30 PM, Local Time, 30 minutes prior to the schedule.The immigration took nearly 1 hour followed by the collection of baggage, Customs check, rechecking of the baggage to the American Airlines domestic flight to Kansas City and the Security Check up. Completing all these formalities, had a sigh of relief at 5.30 PM at the gate to board the domestic, final and third flight to Kansas City,from where my daughter's residence at Overland Park is a 30 minutes drive.The gates of the all the terminals at the Dallas airport are well served by the Sky link, only with a bare minimum to walk to reach the gate.I remember even at the Chicago O,hare airport, the passengers have to walk a long way depending on their gates, after alighting the train at the entrance of the Terminal.

         With more than 3 hours to board the flight, walking through the several corridors to while away the time, had the least thought that this airport is going to be my haven for more than 15 hours!

           



         

           

A long lull

                    Three months since my last post! A long lull indeed !

                    It is also going to be a necessary but pleasant break from my work to go to US to welcome my cute little grand prince likely to step into our  kingdom around June 20.

                 The pressure of completing the assignment at the work place, getting ready to embark on the long trip and so many chores kept me off, from recording my recollections.

                My travel from Chennai to Kansas City, especially the second leg of the trip from Doha, Qatar to Dallas, US for about 15 hours was not as tedious as anticipated .

               The unanticipated halt for 12 hours at the Dallas Fortworth airport due to the rains, before boarding my third and final flight of a duration of 90 minutes accepted easily as an experience by me, still seems to be surprising !

This Sunday,Very Much Auspicious

                Today is the first day of the Tamil month, Panguni, the last month of the Tamil year. Next month, the same day is going to be the Tamil New Year's Day. Unbelievable, one whole year is going to get over.

               Today seems to be very " mangalaharam ", boosting up my spirits. Every day, I try to make it to any one of the temples nearby on the way to my work. Mostly week ends and holidays are skipped, unless the day happens to be significant, personally or religiously.

             Today being the Tamil Matha Piraappu, the Siddhi Vinayaga Temple in the adjacent locality was my priority. On reaching the temple, to my great joy, abishekam was going on for Vinayaga, not anticipated by me at that moment and that made my day.

            Today also happens to be the 48 the day after the Kumbhabhishekam of the Mariamman and the Murugan Temple near our house on Jan.26.One Mandalam, 48 days are over.Chanting of the Mantras in the temple reverberate in our house right from the early morning. With the blessings of both the Gods, we could make it to that temple on all days of the whole Mandalam.

          Today, while this post was being typed, there was a call from one of my  my friends, who is also my school and college mate, inviting me to the Valaikappu Function of her daughter.

        Today,that is this Sunday is unique, the word. " Today "is used half a dozen times in this post. !A Big and Special Thanks to All The Gods, that all these fell on a Sunday, to be enjoyed to the full extent.

             

Over to the end of 1970s

    March 08, Sunday  

      Today is the Women's Day. My memory takes a giant leap backwards to this day by end of the 1970s when I was a final year student of my U.G. Course at the prestigious Sarah Tucker College, Tirunelveli.This college has the honour of being the first women's college in South India.

      Even four decades back, we were advanced and fortunate to celebrate this day.Then it was called the International Women's Day.Mrs.Latika Padalkar.I.A.S, Collector of Chennai was the Chief Guest. As the chairman of the College Student's Union, I had the prerogative of spending the whole day with her, right from receiving her at the Railway Station till seeing her off at the station again.

     A Golden Day, painted brightly in the memory canvas.

    Anxious to know how and where that great lady must be now, googled and found that she has settled in Pune. All the photographs taken with her are great treasures.

   A ray of hope to meet her with the pictures of her taken during the Women's Day, on getting a chance to visit Pune in future.

  Salutations to the lady who sowed the seeds in me to take the UPSC examinations. Though that remained only a dream with just getting the application from New Delhi, such elegant personalities continue to keep up my spirits.

May she live long with a good health !

Two Celebrities , Too simple

       Simplicity, I always strongly feel is a great quality to be applauded. It becomes obvious, being found in highly qualified or very wealthy persons. Highly learned individuals make me curious to know the contributing factors behind, be it hereditary, acquired, situational, motivated etc. In this context, Mrs. Sudha Murty, Chairman of the Infosys Foundation and her writings in English, the small stories about ordinary things, made extra ordinary with a message are simply adorned by me. How I Taught Grandma and Other Short Stories, authored by her finds always a place in the gifts given by me. The day,I am longing to meet her may be a golden day in my life. 

      A rare and enviable opportunity, indeed it was, I felt, to spend a few hours with two celebrities,  a couple of weeks back. One is an Indian diplomat in the Indian Foreign Service and the other, a business magnate of national as well as international fame, also with a social consciousness. Meeting and chatting with such dignitaries by the people outside their known circles may happen, at times in the flight or at the airports lounges waiting for the departure.

    A function organized at my work place facilitated such a wonderful get together. Both the guests carried away the audience with their captivating speeches. We felt at ease with the diplomat who continues to serve outside the country. Listening to her perceptions about places and persons were delightful.

   The philanthropic bent of mind and the sense of creating social awareness made the business man endearing to every one.

 

Utopia - Excellent Service

                   Excellent Service, similarly rendered everywhere and every day to every one is sure to make our country a Utopia.

            Utopia, Called " Yootopea " is the  name of a book written by Thomas Moore, which describes an imaginary place or state, where every thing is perfect.

                  Yes, the services at the Passport Seva Kendra, Coimbatore during the renewal of my Passport was awesome. By God's Grace, I had the opportunity to visit a few countries with transit at some of the top international airports. Hence this is not the first time of my exposure to an ambience of high tech. and sophistication Yet, mesmerized and speechless,, was I at the execution of the process at the various counters, that deserve to mentioned as world class.

             Police verification was not required as there was no change in the address. Subsequently the experience of the renewal of my passport from the moment of applying for the reissue, online till the time of receiving the second passport by speed post, all within 72 hours was hazzle free, enriching and pleasant.

Daman To Coimbatore

            Daman, the name may be alien to many of us, except the ones with an interest in places, people, precisely Geography.


          Geography, being one of my favourite subjects, along with English and Maths, the names of the Union Territories and their capitals taught by our great Social Studies Madam, Ms. Lilly Bedford Solomon in a commanding voice, nearly four decades back at the elite St.Ignatius' Convent Higher School, Palayamkottai , the Oxford of South India still resonates in my memory. May her tribes live long !


           Daman, one sentence I know, earlier about the place is that it is the capital of the Union Territory, Daman and Diu, earlier occupied by the Portuguese. Daman, not read about often in the headlines of our state newspapers, though, located in our country, the name goes into a state of oblivion  like the thousands of cities and towns of our country.


          It is ironical that frequent occasions occur to us to get first hand and direct information about some of the countries and cities from conversations with some friends and relatives living in cities across the globe, be it USA, UK, the Gulf, Australia, News Zealand etc. Within our country such known people live either in the Metropolitan or some other big cities, outside our state. Rarely do we get a chance to come across people from many parts of India.

         So, a couple of months back,on knowing that a Professor from Daman was going to be the External Examiner for the Viva Voce for awarding the doctorate degree to my niece, excited  was I to meet him, as he is basically from Tamil Nadu. 

         The Professor, as obvious was not only a man of high academic credentials but also very humble. With his hard work and dedication, he has  made a long way from a town near Coimbatore to the Union Territory of Daman, as a faculty in the Govt. College of Arts and Science by passing the UPSC examinations. A giant leap indeed through education and hard work !

    Getting a chance to chat with him for an hour during lunch was liberal education of the highest order!