A Happy Reunion

               A big thanks to my cousin and his spouse for organising the wedding of their daughter in the last week of August in Austin, that coincided with my visit to my daughter's house in Kansas.

               My last visit happened to be a great reunion of the three classmates in the city of Detroit.This time Austin turned to be the venue for the joyous wedding as well as the memorable meeting of siblings, aunts, uncles, relatives, niece and nephew from far and wide.

              The happy announcement of the wedding of my cousin's daughter at Austin, his home for more than twenty years was known to me five months prior to my departure to US.The very moment, I decided to attend the wedding.More than being my cousin,younger to me by two years and exactly of my immediate younger brother's age, he was very much a childhood friend for both of us in Tirunelveli, our hometown till he left for Coimbatore for his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees at the prestigious and magnificent Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. 

           On the occasion of the birth of my son in late 1970s, the greeting cards congratulating on the arrival of the new one, not common in those days sent by both of them, my cousin, a student of TNAU,Coimbatore and my brother of the Regional Engineering College, Trichi,now renamed NIIT are still cherished by me as treasures.

         In those days of living together in the same town paved the way naturally for strengthening the ties with the extended family members, developing an intimacy, the quality of compromise, feeling of security etc.No games with the computers, ipads but all outdoor games like Kabbadi, Killi, Pambaram, so on under the canopy of the branches  of the Mango and Tamarind trees. 

     For us girls with no gender bias of excluding boys, indoor games galore, naming a few are Cards, Thayakattam, Pambukattam, Pallanguzhi and Kalachi, a game  played by the girls with the throwing and catching of seven pebbles one after one in rhythmic motion using both the hands.Can there be a better indoor exercise for the entire arms, wrist, eyes and above all developing a focus with the eyes and a power of concentration with the mind simultaneously!Not the days of indoor equipments for exercise, investing a sizable amount!

    Going  to take bath and swim in the great perennial river, Thamirabharani, the life and pride of Tirunelveli, playing Pandi, other games and drawing water from the well could act as conditioners for physical fitness.

    Be it Kapparichai livu, Quarterly holidays,Arapparichai livu, Half Yearly holidays,Muzhu Parihcai livu, Annual vacation, a commuting by a town bus with the fare  of 20 paise  could bridge the gap of five miles between our houses.It was also fun going to movies, discussing them, taking sides with the great  heroes of those days, Sivaji and MGR, Jayshankar and Sivakumar.

    The crown of all the feathers is the visit to our family temple called Malai koil, nestled in the beautiful, sylvan settings of the Western Ghats.

    Above all drenched in the love and care of all the aunts, uncles, Achi and Thatha, the golden days of the childhood, partly enjoyed by our children could only be heard but rarely experienced by most of the kids of the future generation!

    

Grandpa Turned Corporate

             A very Senior Executive in an MNC, that is my younger brother was nothing but a wonderful Thatha to my grandson, Jiji of four and a half during his stay with us for three days at the residence of my daughter at Overland Park, Kansas.

            My brother was on a purely personal trip to US to attend the wedding of  a cousin's daughter at Austin, Texas. En route he had a break with us.Despite being a busy executive, he graces us with his presence on all the auspicious occasions of our big family, be it a Wedding, Engagement, 60 th B'day or 80 th B'day.Yet it would appear that he was physically present with his mind full of preoccupations about work.True, that the face is the index of the mind.

          The picture became totally different for the three days,on playing the role of an affectionate grandfather perfectly. Jiji also felt very comfortable calling him Thatha, hundred times a day, getting glued to him at home or at the outing or on the drive to his preschool or swimming class.Both of them were kids in their role play, reciting of rhymes and dance. All this seemed to be a typical flash back of the good old happy days,he spent with my son of the same age during his vacation from the IIM nearly three decades back.

       These days," Tension " has evolved into a buzz word even with the toddlers, a word unknown and unsaid by us till a few years ago.

       The best panacea is taking time off to disconnect the modern gadgets and reconnect with a mind cent percent charged only with love and care.

         

Uzhavar Sandhai at Kansas

                            Uzhavar Sandhai, only the name is Tamil but the Farmer's Market of the Kansas City where I felt very much at home with the crowd, is thousands of miles away from our home state

                           A couple of weeks back, while sharing my reflections on Adi Velli and missing my nativity,never had it occurred to me then that soon my visit to this Farmer's Market would make up for the loss and carry me very much to our local markets.That may be the daily Uzhavar Sandhai, just a ten minutes walk from our house at Coimbatore, other weekly Sandhais  within a radius of three kilometres from our residence, the mammoth Friday Sandhai at Sulur.The attractive Sandhais pictured in our Tamil films mostly in the fight scenes can be a perfect replica of the Farmer's Market here minus the hero and his enemies.

                  One side we can see  colourful tents selling garments, in an other stall small toys are heaped and so on.Then the long roofed corridors with the farmers standing behind the tables with their products on the table in small bowls called baskets.The tags with the price per basket is on the table.Their vehicles mostly vans and trucks  used for transporting their farm proucts from the farms can be seen parked near them.Right from our Vendaikkai, Katharikkai, Kothavarai, Murungaikkai , Vazhaipoo, Avaraikkai , Araikkerai, Murungaikkeerai all very fresh directly from the farms beckon us to buy everything.

                 What was so  joyous,surprising and exciting was the sight of the Pachai Sundaikkai,green and raw. Even in our hometown, Coimbatore, this Sundaikkai  is got   mostly from the kitchen gardens and rarely available in the markets. This Sundaikkai is very much relished by my daughter.During her visits to our hometown,at times it is sad that she has to forgo them, neither available in the kitchen garden nor in the market.So what else can make a mother happy to find the beloved vegetable of her kid in a faraway land, which has become her home!

             This green Sundaikkai is sold as Thai Brinjal or Pea Eggplant.Here Brinjal is tagged as Eggplant in all the Indian Stores and so also in the online cookery recipes.Our Brinjal and sundaikkai is much used in Thai Cuisines.

           Tender coconuts and Karumbu Juice delighted us as it was hot here in the mid of August.Similar to our Sandhais, cookies and eatables, not branded are displayed and sold in small sack.A number of small shops like our petty tea shops with the sound of the music could be spotted round.

           What made me happy and feel at home is the surging crowd holding the children in the hands or pushing  them in the strollers.Such a crowd has not been witnessed by me so far in the hospitals, big malls or even international airports.

            One more aspect of this Market worthy to be recorded is only cash payments, quite contrary to the system of swiping the cards everywhere even for transactions of less than five dollars.This seemed to me a different side of US.In and around the market,men singing and seeking arms could be sighted.

          Be it it India or the US, markets and masses go together!

          That is universality! 

            

Two Prime Ministers Meet

                 

Nanbenda!

                    True Friends ! This was the title given earlier. What immediately comes to one's mind is a long time friendship or a friend in need, as the adage, A friend in need is a friend in deed.

                  This interesting friendship, at the age of less than five, true to the age is beyond the nations, colour and race.

                 My beloved grand son, Jiji, four and a half years old had been studying in a pre school and that was closed in June, July and the first week of August. So he was admitted in a different school during the break.

             Every evening Jiji used to return from his class and ramble on about the happenings at school. Landon was found to be his close friend.Daily Landon's name would figure in his talk.

           In the first week of this month, Friday was the last day for Jiji in the summer class.The following week his old pre school was going to be reopened.On the last day Jiji was late to school. Landon was eagerly waiting for Jiji. On seeing him, Landon became wild with joy, hugging him and showering him with toys. 

            Back home after dropping her son at the school, my daughter was little upset, that the dear friends  would not meet each other on Monday.I chided her for not clicking them in her phone.Later,to our pleasant joy, the teacher had mailed a picture of both the boys, titled The Best Friends.

          During Jiji's return from school in the evening, to our surprise there was a tag attached to his bag with Landon's name and a contact no. Jiji' father had gone to school to pick him up.The teacher told him that Landon' mom had already picked him up, sticking a note of her contact number on Jiji's bag.What a momentary thought and presence of mind ! My son in law had given our contact no. to the teacher to be passed on to Landon's mom on Monday.

        Both the moms talked over the phone.Dates were scheduled, rescheduled and finalised for the two Prime Ministers to meet.

        A week later,yesterday, being a Sunday, both the Prime Ministers had their high level talks, playing and having snacks and ice creams in an indoor play area.

       Sadly, both the friends parted after an hour with a heavy heart !

       

The Irresistible Call of Adi Velli

           Looking back at Coimbatore,the music of the devotional songs  from the nearby temples, the decorations and the colourful garlands outside the temples, the rustling of the glittering silk and semi silk sarees of the women folk, their hair adorned with Malligai Poo, a sight very common on the road,in the commuters to work and also at work, people thronging with the Vettrilai,  Pakku, Pazham and Thengai to the temples in the evening, are more than enough to declare that the Friday must be a special Friday like Adi Velli.        


         Thousands of miles across the oceans from our place, as long as we are inside the house , everything is very much Indian, to be true, very much like Tamil Nadu,even Coimbatore with the same food,all the items A- Z, from Vazhaipoo, Vazhai Thandu, Murungaikeerai available at the 5 or 6 Indian stores within a radius of 3 kms, all the Tamil Programmes telecast by the popular Tamil Satellite channels, the Poojas performed for all the festivals at home, inviting the ladies for Thamboolam on auspicious days can bring a festive fervour inside the house but never the ambiance of the parts of our country interwoven with the celebrations of not only Adi Velli but any religious or national festival.

      But we made it to the local Hindu temple, at a drive of 20 minutes on the first Adi Velli, which also happened to be the first day of the Tamil month, Adi.

     Adi is also the month, when people offer Adi Kouzh to Amman and distribute it to the devotees.My mother, an Octogenarian with an unflinching courage enjoyed the prerogative of preparing a very big pot of Koozh with the aid of the maids and offered it to the people with the Murungai Keerai, which is said to be the combination for the porridge in Chennai. 

         This year is the inauguration of the offering of the Adi gruel by my mom. For years, Annadanam is offered at our door steps on the occasion of the Arupathu Moovar Thiruvizha, a rare celebration of the 63 Nayanmars at the Shiva Temples but a grand festival of the Kapaleeswarar temple in Chennai.With the falling of this festival on convenient days in the year make me take off from my work to go to Chennai and enjoy the Thiruvizha.

      Next year, let me be a part of this Adi Festival with my mom in Chennai and invoke the blessings of the Goddess.

Dear son ! We are so proud of you !

             Occasions galore to be proud and delighted on knowing that our products, both in the professional circle and personal circle, top at various levels in their academic pursuits, career path ,reach greater heights at the IT industry, enter the medical fraternity to serve the humanity, pass the UPSC Examinations to become Collectors, Police Officers, migrate abroad to top Universities for higher studies, work and assignments, qualify to be Chartered Accountants,accomplished writers, singers,dancers,eminent sports personalities,so and so. The listing, definitely is to be infinite. 


           In this context, what moved me very much in recent times is the noble, undaunted and unselfish decision of my friend and erstwhile colleague's son to join the Indian Army to serve the nation.Needless to say, a topper both at the school and at one of the renowned Engineering Colleges in the city of Coimbatore, with excellent academic scores, multiple placements in various MNCs and bright prospects of getting admission for a Master's Degree into premier institutes within the country and off the shores, this patriot has brushed aside all the offers .

          Clearing the tests at different levels held for five days,especially the rigorous ones for physical fitness, in the first attempt,despite being a strict vegetarian, abstaining from eating even eggs,recruited as a Lieutenant to serve in the Permanent Commission,recently he left for Dehradun for training in the Indian Military Academy, just within two months of completing his Engineering degree.  

                   
        It deserves to be recorded that he is the only child for his parents, born a few years after their marriage with the ardent prayers to various Gods.His mother during our days of working together frequently used to remark that her son becoming a great professional was never her desire but to turn out to be a good individual .Her lofty ideals, no doubt, imbibed in her son have moulded him  into a valuable professional. As per the sayings of the universally renowned Tamil poet in the globally acclaimed couplet, Thirukural

            Eendra Pozhudhin Peridhuvakkum Thanmakanaich
           Chaandron Enakketta Thaai
                   

          The parents must be really proud, gifted to be blessed with such a precious son.He called on us to get our blessings. It must have been our privilege to have called on our dear son.Nevertheless,with all our pride, happiness and encouragement, consoling my friend with tears welled up in her eyes, anxious about the risky job, was not that easy.

            Other than using this platform to express my boundless joy about the innate qualities of our son,it is also a medium to reveal my wish that the world should be one and every body kith and kin of a large family as visualised by our illustrious Prime Minister, Nehru.

            The content of an essay of a school student in an Essay Competition at the National Level, qualifying him to speak at the UNO, published in The Hindu, a few years ago remains indelible in my memory.To that " large hearted boy " the whole world is one and the various divisions into different countries and boundaries  exist only to facilitate effective administration.

          
            Such a scenario, soon to become true, the days are not far away, when the defence people are free from risks, safe and secure,only to help the people in times of inevitable distress,natural calamities, within and out of the country.

           Perumal Devanpatti,a small village near Srivilliputhur enjoys the rare privilege of sending at least one son from each family to the Defence .With the blessings of the Goddess Muthumariamman, the presiding deity of the local temple, every one has returned safe and continues to be safe in guarding the nation.My fervent prayers to Her to safeguard our son and all the other sons, serving in the Defence sector.

          With such youth, having noble and patriotic bent of mind, the days are fast, for our country to become a super power, turning the vision of our charismatic President, Dr.Kalam into a reality

        Congrats and Hats off, our dear son ! We are so proud of you !Definitely  an icon for the posterity, you are !May God bless you with all peace and prosperity in your life!

 

             


            

Mother Nature, Impartial and Just.

           The whole country of US can be called a great blessing of Nature with each of the 50 states, having to offer something, renowned or less discovered, to the people with the time and mind to admire its Beauty. It always beckons men to enjoy the exotic Niagara, the lovely Miami Beach, the strikingly colourful flowers in Spring,the explosion of myriad colours in Fall, the formidable Pacific Coastline of California,The majestic Rocky Mountains,the towering Redwood trees,some of them, even 300 feet tall, icy Alaska and so on.

          Nature must have also plans of showing the other side of its face, quite contrary to the lovely side, a thing of joy for ever.Hence some parts of the country often becomes  victims of Nature's fury, in the form of Tornadoes, Hurricanes, wild fire and flash floods.

          To cite an instance, the tragedy and the devastation caused by the storm, Katrina in New Orleans, in 2005 telecast in the TV. channels are still fresh in the memory.Two months back in the month of April, a train blown off the track in the same place is yet an outcome of the wrath of Nature.

          The trauma of witnessing if not the heavy storm but little gentle, preceded by the sirens was undergone by me during both my visits.

         On May 25,2011,at 11 AM, the siren sounded in Overland Park, Kansas, where we reside.Being my first time experience of being exposed to these frightening sirens,my daughter and myself with our Jiji, an infant of not even three months, ran to the basement, grabbing the necessary things like milk for the baby.My son in law at his work, with the least idea of the forthcoming storm, it was a nightmare for us alone, the baby in our lap at the basement for nearly two hours.

          What made the situation very alarming was the outbreak of one of the deadliest storms in US, that devastated the town of Joplin, in the neighbouring state of Missouri, just 257 Km. from our place, a couple of days back. More than 100 people were killed.The damage was heavy, ripping off the roofs of the Mal mart and shaking off the St. John's Regional Medical Centre .All these visuals from the channels, flashing in the mind, not memory,words are out of place to express the agony.Later, the confirmed reports came out with the tragic loss of 158 lives and the damage to the tune of 2. 8 billions

                 By God' Grace, impact of the thunder storm was not much in Overland Park. On telling my daughter to come back to India, rather than facing such crisis, she retorted, " Amma,Think of the entire population of Overland Park,if not the country.Can they all migrate to other places?"

                July 6, 2015.This time, the warning and the storm at about 6.00 PM, the whole family at home was joined by an other family living in an apartment.Again rushing to the basement, as the saying,united we stand,with ten of us together,the situation was overcome, undaunted, of course, with the prayers going on silently in each individual.The sounding of the sirens, the howling of the  high winds and the torrential pouring of the rain could be counted as one of the life time experiences,lasting for 40 minutes.


            Mother Nature, though furious at times has to be hailed for being impartial and just as  Nature knows no discrimination between the prince and the pauper; the natives and the visitors !