Cats tale.

Loneliness crept into me from all corners of the empty house. To combat it,I flipped open the TV , hurriedly switching channels away from the news one's, that are either shouting matches between politicians, journalists, activists and anchors or umpteen number of discussions on the on going world cup cricket. The panelists and comperes are all the perennial, permanent fixtures.The same old faces.

I landed on a piece on the South Pacific ocean,that was being aired on a Animal channel.It was about the migration of whales and was also simultaneously tracing the voyage for survival undertaken by some English seamen ,stranded 200 years earlier in the same expanse of this vast ocean in a small boat.

The photography was good, Probably taken from air by both, plane and satellite.

Seeing well picturised animals and birds , without too much of blood and gore ,tranquilises me. Animals are free of the noxiousness that humans are prone to.

The narrative that those men in the boat resorted to cannibalism,by drawing lots, reminded me of the case I studied long long ago, in IPC . In similar circumstances, the issue before the court was whether such an act constituted murder? Should the survivors be tried for murder?It was held ,yes it did.

The photography was only of the blue ocean, the whales and picturesque and empty coast lines. It was so good that I fell for the bait, snared in my lair and forgot my resolve ,never to see any programme on this channel.

So I sat through the next with a relaxed heart , full of trust without the slightest premonition to that which was in store for me.It was about a elusive big cat in the forests of South America.

There was this explorer as washed out and dead beat like the one's I keep bumping into in my daily rounds.In my apartment complex,park, super market, beach [early mornings] and in the temple.

He was straddling a speeding motor boat on a river., like one of those ex- Bonds.Even the good looking stars of holly wood and bollywood can be seen only in bits and not in long stretches.On some of these animal shows the camera focuses on these weird hero's close ups ,out and out, giving a wide berth to the animals they are supposed to be filming.

Once I sat fuming watching a duo , the bulky, loutish baloo and his companion, vaguely reminding me of the Ad guru[only vaguely,it would be a insult to our Bharatwasi to be compared to that Baloo in bermudas and bandana] who keeps shuffling into TV news studios on and off,tagging along with an expert on all matters , the one with a shaggy hairdo , a sonorous voice and blasphemous views ,who [ the animal duos] would often get dangerously close to a lion or hyena in the wild and then start whispering incomprehensible gibberish into the camera, on and on ,looking more scary than the fierce and hideous animals they were ostensibly filming!

OK, back to our ageing Bond. I endured his motor boat antics for the sake of that cat. Did he show it after that . No!Instead he was shown ,next ,prancing slyly along the river at night , shining his torch and by getting into unholy raptures over the light reflected back , not from that cat's eyes but off 100's of alligators, swarming the river! A sight that sent shivers down my spine.

This was the last straw. Unlike the last time where I sat through the show stubbornly to see the Chilka dolphin only to be taken for a ride, I decisively cut it short by switching off the TV as I was sure that my patience to see the cat would have been rewarded only with a glimpse of that fabled cat's' tail' and no more.

PS .In order to cheer myself after this wretched episode,I looked up the Internet for some pleasant pictures of our own felines . And here they are----
The leopard is one of the five big cats found in India. The others being the lion , tiger, snow leopard and the clouded leopard. They are found in all types forests,up to 6000feet, in India except in the mangrove forests of Sunderbans.Its nearest cousin is the tiger.The Indian leopard has been classified as 'Near threatened' species.
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat , living in the upper reaches of Himalayas ,above the tree line -- 10000 to 18 000 feet. It is closely related to the tiger.Its body is well adapted for the harsh life in cold mountainous regions. It has a thick ,long and a flexible tail that helps it to maintain its balance in high and steep terrain.It preys chiefly on Bharals or the Himalayan blue sheep . The snow leopard is an endangered species numbering barely 300 in the wild.
The clouded Leopard is a medium sized big cat found in North Eastern Indian states like Arunachal pradesh, above 6000feet . It is a very secretive cat living mostly on tree tops.The cloud like markings on its coat is the reason behind its name. It is listed as an endangered species.


Photo courtesy: Wikki.

Yendiran.

Hugely entertaining! It is no 'wonder' coming from Shankar.Can it be 'small'?

Koiladi Appala Ranganathar.

கோயில் அடி அப்பால ரங்கநாதர் கோவில்

As we reached the temple I was shocked to see its dilapidated condition.It had worsened ,from past.Peepul trees and bushes were growing luxuriantly on its roof and in cracks on the walls and the masonry was crumbling.

From the place of origin of river Cauvery, Thala Cauvery[Karnataka] to its ultimate merging into the sea at Poompuhar [ Tamilnadu], there are five Ranganathars---[Vishnu in a reclining posture ], temples on the banks of Cauvery at various points.AppalaRanganathar or koiladi which is 20 kms from Trichy is one such . Others are ,Sri Rangapatnam at Mysore, Sri Rangam, Parimala Ranganathar at Mailadthurai and Aaramuthan at Kumbakonam

The priest of the temple, pointed out that the reigning deity, Sri AappalaRanganathar was praised in the last and final verse of Namaazhwar,who soon there after shed his mortal coils.

As I waited for the priest to finish his rituals before attending on us I could feel peace sweep over me at the sight of river Cauvery flowing at a distance, visible from the top of the flight of stairs leading to the temple, . The silence enlivened only by by fetching screeches of green parrots flying and conversing in an excitement , privy only to themselves.

We rounded of the day by visiting Ranganathar at Sri Rangam , by sitting through the closing , night time rituals around 10 pm.,in its deserted and yawning premises and by hearing a sweet veena recital --solo, to relax Sri Ranganathar and lull him to sleep. It did the same thing to me.

ஸ்ரீ ரங்கநாதர்  கோயில் கோபுரங்கள்  -ஸ்ரீரங்கம்

ஸ்ரீ ரங்கநாதர் கோவில் விமானம்-ஸ்ரீரங்கம்

Please note. Last year viz-2013 when i visited this temple i was in for a very pleasant surprise .It had been suitably renovated and looked very neat and nearly as good as new .Thanks to the sincere efforts and dedication of a devotee.I have taken the photo and posted it in this blog .Those interested may kindly view them .--2014

To koiladi

We sped smoothly and swiftly on the quadrilateral high ways for several kms before taking a detour towards our destination ---Koil adi --an ancient temple on a small hillock in the corner of a village , beyond which flows river Kaveri, silently and gently.

River Cauvery , one of the panch ganga's ,blue in colour flowed close to the inner rickety road , all the way through. On the other side were paddy fields , hidden behind thick undergrowth,that bordered both sides of the road. The ripening grains glowed golden in the light of the sinking sun ,whilst a column of peacocks walked in a straight line over the clay bunds, in a solemn procession.

We broke journey mid way at Kalanai ,the dam that Karigala chozhan , the legendary early chozha king [1 cent Bc---1 cent AD]had built 2000 years earlier ,to stem the floods of the river and harness it to water agricultural fields. This is a massive dam of 1080 feet of length and 60 feet of breadth built mainly of unhewn rock.It is one of the oldest dams in the world which is still in use!

Is it a co incidence that all the rivers I happened to pass by in the past few months ,are all in full spate, as spectacular sheets of water rushing by in a terrific hurry ?Be it Ganges, or Vaigai and now this aquamarine coloured river Cauvery, the life line of agriculture hereabouts!

The dam wore a festive look , being the Republic day and there by a holiday.Large groups of people , families , friends, young couples were either taking bath or simply admiring the speeding water disgorged in churning white froths, by the dam.

I had to cut short watching 3 black water birds waiting patiently to pluck a unwary fish or two , sitting atop a projection into the middle of the attractive bluish waters , as the sun was dipping and the temple timings for the evening rituals was brief.

As we proceeded further on I saw farmers and their women beat paddy on the tar road and brush the grains into heaps on the road itself. There is much truth in the old Tamil saying ,

'Chozha nadu sor udhaithu'

meaning ---The land of Chozha's is rich in food.

The cabbie had to slow down and go around them .The bullock carts that I thought had gone missing from the country side , were in good numbers, mainly carting sand and mud.

On our way back from the temple , darkness fell , hiding from view the already hidden villages with a mix of pucca, katcha and mud houses ,as there were no street lights , even the grey solar panels I found in other districts was missing here.

We suddenly came upon ablaze of activity conducted with dim lights, the threshing of paddy by a machine, occupying half the road. The silver haired cab driver , who nevertheless drove as rashly as a young lorry driver , slowed down and aired his disapproval of using threshers as that would remove all the nutrition from hay and then said with a resigned note:"Who rears bullocks these days? What does it matter?"the rice with their husks were poured into sacks and were loaded on to a mini van .

Virus.

I was looking for gaiety in the week that isn't supposed to be,

The host whose name rhymes with virus,

not only confiscated the entire screen with his girth ,

But also my piety, for fun and mirth!

This clownish slicker,instead of making me bend with laughter,

Is making me wend my mind on this matter!

Love and separation.

The pathetic state of Sita separated from her beloved husband in prime of their youth, after being kidnapped in a vile and cowardly manner by the king of Rakshas, Ravana, with a fiat that she would have to marry him after an lapse of 12 months, confining her in Ashokavanam --garden in Lanka , is described with great artistry and pathos by the one and only, Adhi kavi , sage Valmiki in Sundarakand in Ramayan.

I have attempted to summarize the same.

Ashokavan or garden was full of trees blooming with flowers. Fruits hung from trees on whose branches hundreds of birds perched . The leaves on the branches were hidden by gaily blooming flowers and they touched the ground under the weight of the fruits, flowers and birds. The air was thick with heavenly aroma and juice.

It was like a celestial garden ,with flowers like clusters of stars. It looked like a second sky with flowers glittering like diamonds. Like a second ocean with flowers of all seasons.It had a spread of trees having the smell of honey.

The ponds were filled with water as sweet as nectar,with lotuses and lilies floating in full blossom.The steps leading into the pond was embedded with diamonds, the bottom made of crystal and precious stones,lined with pearls and corals instead of sand.These ponds were filled with swans, cranes and water fowls paddling gracefully under the canopy of Santaana trees.There were also groups of artificial trees decorated all over!There was a 1000 pillared hall with stairs of corals and platforms of glittering gold.There was a shower of golden radiance with the sweet scent of flowers everywhere. A wonderful sight to behold and breathe indeed!


With eyes like those of a young doe , full of tears ,a cheerless countenance, looking here and there , sighing again and again helplessly, wearing a coat of dust like the radiance of the moon covered by black clouds, Sita sat on bare ground.She looked like one with shattered faith, frustrated hope, like fame that has fallen down by false scandal. Like knowledge in ruin for want of repeated study, a star fallen on the ground.Sita was like a altar desecrated , a lotus pond agitated with torn leaves and lotus, being roughly treated by the trunk of an elephant.

Sita retained her fine looks yet was not charming or lively as she lacked the most excellent adornment of a woman , a husband's love. She had become emaciated due to abduction by Ravana.Her heart was constantly meditating on Sri rama.

Ravana entered the garden followed by 100 's of beautiful wives,all of whom were dressed in finery and covered with jewels from head to foot,like a lightning following a cloud.Ravan was tall with cruel red eyes and was clad in clothes and ornaments made of refined gold.He looked like a funeral mound in a graveyard , that is horrible though decorated.

On seeing this demon , Sita shook like a plantain tree in wind and started sobbing.

Ravan then says " O , wide eyed one. You are endowed with beauty that is unrivaled. I desire you. Respect me. Brahma has made you and stopped ---I think thus. There is not another equal to you in appearance.Don't waste your youth. Become my wife I can conquer the entire earth and gift it to Janaka. Decorate yourself with ornaments, enjoy all the luxuries and comforts of my palace.Invite all your relatives."

Then he continues "O beautiful one what can you do with Rama, clad in tatters, with lost hope of victory, with fortune gone . Roaming in forests , observing austerities and sleeping on the floor. I doubt if he is alive. Even if you are not decorated, seeing you I have no happiness with my wives."

And says " O timid and beautiful one . Enjoy my wealth. Don't waste away .Rama is not equal to me in austerities, might, strength, wealth , brilliance or fame. Forget him and become mine''.


Sita who was thinking only of her husband and on hearing these words shivered and placed a straw between herself and Ravana,indicating the scant regard she had for Ravan andspoke thus

'' I am the wife of another and I am devoted to him.O rakshas how your wives are to be protected , in the same way other's wives are to be protected. Enjoy your wives. One who is not satisfied with his wife , a fickle minded one, other's wives's will lead to humiliation. You are a king with uncontrolled mind and senses , travelling in a wrong path. This wealthy and rich land --Lanka will be destroyed because of this."

And continues " I cannot be tempted with wealth or money. I am with Raghava like sunshine with sun. After making as a pillow that worshipped shoulder of the lord of world Rama, how can I make as pillow some other's shoulders?

" If you desire to live return me to Rama and make him your friend. Rama the righteous one loves those who seek his protection. Other wise he will surely slay you . My husband along with his brother Lakshman will take away your life , with his arrows, like a sun drying shallow waters.I am suitable wife of Rama alone , the lord of this world."

Summoning her courage Sita continues " In all three worlds except you , no one dares desire me ,even by heart, who am the wife of the virtuous Rama ". I wife of Rama is incapable of abduction . This act has been done so that you may be slayed I am sure.I can burn you to ashes with my glory ,but I have not the mandate of Rama.Rama is a elephant and you are a hare."

Ravana becomes angry at her reply and nearly kills her. But his desire and lust subdues his anger and he returns to his palace after ordering cruel rakshas women to taunt, persuade and threaten her into submission and telling Sita that she had only 2 months more to decide whether to ascend his bed or to become a dish in his kitchen.

One Rakshas woman heckles Sita in the following manner

" O Sita , with good eyebrows, by fear of whom the sun will not consume heat, and wind will not blow,by whom trees shed a shower of flowers . Whenever Ravana desired mountains and clouds shed water .If you become his wife the fore most one you can rule over 7000 women . Why aren't you making your mind to be the wife of Ravana the king of kings?

To which Sita replied with eyes full of tears ,

" You are free to eat me . I will not honour your words. although wretched or without kingdom , who ever is my husband , he alone is my master.I am fond of him for ever.Like Arundhathi waits on only her husband Vasishta and like host of other chaste women I am devoted to my husband Rama the best of Ishvakku dynasty.

On hearing this the Rakshas women were enraged , smackingtheir lips, they graphically describe the pleasure they would derive in eating the various parts of Sita.

Sita sank into her body and shook like a leaf in a gale.She was like a fawn lost from its herd and tormented by wolves.

Thus tormented Sita cries out " O Rama with gait of a lion and of pleasant conduct and speech , not seeing you obtaining control of these rakshas I am perishing with sorrow.Won't you make these Rakshas cry the way they are making me cry now?

" Is my heart made of iron ? It is undecaying and without death, By what reason it is not destroying in sorrow?

" Without husband Rama ,what is the interest to me in life or in comfort?

" By whom 14000 Rakshas were destroyed , why isn't Rama saving me? Is he alive or dead?

Thoroughly vexed by her helpless state she decides to take her life ,as the only honourable course open to her . As she has no access to knife or poison she decides to hang herself with her long braid from a Ashoka tree when some good omens changes her mind.

[source ...internet]

Love and separation

There is so much talk of love in the air. Where can one find this emotion a sacred , meaningful and unique one, than is exemplified in the following passages of Ramayana?

Rama on returning to his hermitage after pursuing and slaying the rakshas in golden deer form , stumbles and finds his eyelids fluttering unceasingly. He quickens his pace, longing to see the ardent face of Sita. But the garden around seemed to be drooping and weeping.He realises that some thing untoward has happened .

He says to his brother Lakshman " If princess of Videha doesn't greet me with a smiling face on my arrival , O Lakshmana I will breath my last".Then adds "When I became forlorn with forfeiture of my kingdom, my parents and friends , she stood with me as partaker of my woes. Where is she"?

On finding the hut empty, Rama he rushes out and asks all the trees like mango, sandal wood etc growing in the vicinity whether they had seen his lady love Sita?He also asks the deers, elephants and the master of all beasts the tiger to boldly own up the where abouts of his soft, gentle ,delicate, beautiful and cheerful lady love. When they remain mute , he ventures further into the forest and mistakes creepers and slender shrubs to be Sita. He wandered restlessly among the trees crying out her name aloud shuddering at the thought of her delicate frame killed and gorged by demons. At times he deluded himself that Sita was merely playing with him hiding behind bushes.

Then Rama begs the eternals to locate Sita. He says " Oh Sun you are knower of performed and unperformed deeds in the world, a witness to all good and bad deeds. Tell me ,to one who is writhing in unbearable agony where my lady love is . Where did she stroll off or by whom was she stolen?"

"Oh air whatsoever is there in the world ,where so ever it might be or when so ever it might have happened and which so ever it might be when so ever it might exist ,that cannot be possibly unknown to you . Hence tell me of the lady of noble heritage ---is she stolen, slain or lost in the forest?"

His sorrow turns to anger when he is unable to account for the absence of Sita and when no one comes forward to enlighten him .

He vows aloud ' If my lady love is not returned to me in fine fettle or I do not get even a glimpse of herI will destroy the worlds by releasing all the arrows in my quiver. I will shatter all the planets and devastate the moon and the sun . There will be darkness everywhere . Mountains will be pulverised and oceans drained of water. Plants will wither away and all gods , demons and monsters will be annihilated. I am lenient and benevolent but do not mistake it for weakness.My radiance will quell the sun just as it sizzles the moon!

Lakshmana disturbed by his brothers sorrow and anger musters all his patience and wisdom to calm him. He says 'Tell me who is uncaught by mischance?'The great seer vasishta himself a peer less and faultless rishi lived to see his son dismembered and eaten before his eyes.Did he not over come his grief?"

Lakshmana then pleads with Rama not to destroy the entire universe for the misdeed of a single person and prevails upon him to search for Sita and rescue her from her abductor .

Some snap shots.

Here are some of the photo's I took within the Srirangam temple complex.

This is one of the several pushkarani's--temple tanks within the temple complex . It is adjacent to Ramar's sannidhi
This is a 'ustava mantapam'. The processional dieties made of panchaloka are placed on the podium and worshipped during temple festivals.
This is the famous 1000 pillared hall.
These sculptures looks somewhat similar to those comissioned by Vijaya nagar emperors all over T.nadu. They could be of Naik's of a later date.Since the 14 th century AD the kings of Vijayanagar empire have contributed immensely in preserving Hinduism by making generous grants for repairing ancient structures,making new additions , building temples and in maintaining them. From the most popular and much visited temples to those hidden in remote villages their mighty contribution is there for all to see. Their religious zeal is breath taking and very exemplary!
Khambhar the 10 th century Tamil poet recited his Rama avatharam or Kambha Ramayanam as it is popularily known,in this very mantap , in the presence of Nathamuni a Viashnavite scholar and it was accepted as a holy text there after .It is one of the greatest literary works of Tamil. The 11,000 stanza's relate the life of Rama , based on the Ramayan of Valmiki, in delightful Tamil phrases.
This is the samadhi of Sri Ramanujar . Sanyasi's are buried and not cremated in Hindu belief.To be buried near a temple is very rare .This unique distinction accorded to Ramanujar is in recognition of his tireless service in establishing and propogating Sri vaishnavism .He lived for a considerable period of time in Srirangam, till his final departure.
The garden that lies within is the garden tended by Thondaradipodii aazhwar in 8 th century AD.

Sri Ranga, Sri Ranga.Sri Ranga [ third sequence]

As I stood before Sri Ranganathar ,the very place on which all aazhwars, acharyas and my ancestors have stood since time immemorial paying obeisance to SriRanga, over flowing with unshakable faith and devotion ,I could feel the tears pricking in my eyes.

In a circumbulation of the temple I saw the garden that was so very carefully tended by Thondar adi podi aazhwaar 1300 years earlier. It is lush and green ,with colourful and fragrant flowers enticing one with their hues and scent.It immediately brought to my mind the aazhwars most popular verse ---

Pachai mamaali pol meni pavalla vai kamalasengan,

Achutha! Amarar yere! Ayar tham khozhunde ennum,

ichchuvai thavira yaan poi indira lokham aallum ,

Ach cuvai perinum vende'n arangamanagarullane'.

meaning ----


One who is as pleasant to look at as a emerald green hill is . Whose lips are coral red and eyes are like a lotus,

Achudha, ! lord of all! The fore most amongst the Yadavas!

It gives the greatest pleasure to chant your names in my stay in this world,

Of what use is Indraloka [heaven] though it may be offered to me, o! resident of Sri Rangam, to hold and to rule?

to be contd..

Sri Rangam [second sequence]

The woe begone , crouching statue of Periyar placed right in front of the majestic towers meets the eye.

However thousands of devotees from all over Bharat---north, east, south and west scarcely gave it a glance . They were rushing in large and small groups only to behold 'Vishnu' and seek his blessings.

A group of old and tired looking Belgians were being conducted around by their tourist guide a frisky young sardar.

Arangamanagarullane'. [ first sequence]

We crossed River Cauvery ,by a bridge and entered Sri Rangam, the place very dear to Vaishnavaites,who accord it the importance next only to Vaikuntam.

Sri Rangam is 5 kms away from Trichy .The reigning deity is Sri Ranganatha swamy ,who is enshrined in a huge temple complex covering 156 acres. Unlike, the Angorwat temple complex which has a larger sprawl ,this temple is the only biggest functioning temple in the world!One can see the Sri lankan coast from the top of the 236 feet high Rajagopuram !

All aazhwars and Acharyas since 5 th century AD have sung verses in praise of the resident deity,Vishnu who is in a reclining position over the celestial serpent Adhi sesha and fondly refer to this place as 'Bhooloka Vaikuntam'.

Sri Rama of Ishvakku dynasty is said to have consecrated the deity as is enshrined now in a golden vimana surrounded by lofty gopurams.Sri Rama on the eve of his departure to Ayodhya after his successful campaign in Lanka,handed over the idol to Vibheeshana for his keeping.after the roll of several centuries,the early Chola kings namely Killivalavan of 3 rd century BC developed the shrine and laid the foundations for the huge temple complex we see now.A galaxy of rulers, mainly the Chozhas , the wealthy and the rich and the Vijayanagar rulers contributed greatly in erecting nearly 21 towers and made generous grants for their maintenance through out the ages.In recent years the Rajagopuram dwarfing all other gopurams by its sheer height was built largely owing to the tireless efforts of the 44 th jeer [head] of Ahobila mutt.Ahobila mutt is a monastic order of Sri vaishnavaites headed only by persons who have led the life of a householder and have fulfilled all the attendant duties me and then renounce it and take up sanayas.

Thondaradi podi Aazhwar[ bhakta] of 8 the century AD spent all his life at SriRangam worshipping the deity and tending to the nearby garden ,whose leaves --tulsi and flowers bedeck the deities.He has described Sri Rangam in the following manner in one of his beautiful verses[45] all of which are seeped with bhakthi .


Vandinum murallum solai, mayilinam allum solai,

Kondal meedhanavum solaoi, kuil inam koovum solai,

Underkon amarum solai, anni thiruvarangam ennah ,

Mindar paindhunum soitrai villaki naikku idhumin neero!

meaning .---

Bees hum in the gardens. Peacocks dance in the gardens.

Clouds swirl over these gardens. And koels sing in these gardens.

Vishnu the leader of all Deva's resides in this enchanting garden called SriRangam .

The aazhwar ends the description of this sacred land surrounded on all sides by River Cauvery with the following injunction--

Those who don't acknowledge the residence of the lord of all 'Vishnu' in SriRangam,

Kindly throw away the food you are about to eat to dogs!

Snub fins.

The tiredness of the day's activities and the lull induced by the predictable contents of the daily,was pressing on my eyelids begging me to take a short nap when the programme on Dolphins of Chilka lake in Orissa aired on a TV channel on Animals,made me sit up bolt right and rub away the sleep from my eyes.I couldn't afford to miss a programme on our animals ,could I ? I wish I had !

The one long hour programme was drab and boring.Instead of concentrating on the dolphin , the camera was concentrating on a gigantic bearded character with ear rings , goggles and a cap clamped over a flowing mane and the odd crew!I was forced to watch the humdrum details of their work. How their under water camera broke and how difficult it was to get electricity for their submarines and how odd it felt with 100's of villagers breathing down their backs every second of their month long stay in India.

They seemed to be aghast by the numbers of their audience and disparaging of their presence.Statistically speaking the 100 or so of their real time audience is only a drop in the ocean of our billion plus population.Those poor conscientious villagers were milling around in all probability to keep a watchful eye on these chaps lest they drain the lake of its resources , fish , porpoises and even the brackish water. The memory of these animal specialist's ancestors,siphoning off all our wealth , still fresh in every one's mind.

The dolphins living in the Chilka lake are an endangered species. They are closely related to Orca or killer whales. They mainly feed on shrimps!They are very friendly with the local fisher men often guiding them to shoals of fish ,in return of a catch or two.They are also known as snub fins.
I didn't get this information from that show .

I very much wanted to see this rare species of in land dolphin and there fore persisted on watching the show though my finger hovered several times on the red button of the remote , as I was hoping willy nilly that the cameras would focus on that mammal in succeeding frames than on the various facial and hand movements of that bearded character.

There seems to be no end in sight to my unwary and unwarranted brushes with grey beards behaving as Blackbeard in real, cyber and digital world.

There were moments of hilarity when the channel ran sub titles when a Indian expert on River dolphins explained its unique characteristics in English. I could follow his accent very well and found it difficult to decipher,only when the filming crew spoke in their thick European and biting British accents. The sub titles should have run then.

Finally when my patience started running out and was on the verge of switching off the TV a lone dolphin was shown ,diving up and down, for few minutes.Could I enjoy this graceful spectacle?No ! By now I was on tenterhooks, expecting that bearded character to pop back into the screen any second and irritate me all over again.


The supposedly hero of the show , the rare dolphin had its close ups abruptly clipped off within a few seconds on being aired and the credits started rolling.Again the crew filled the screen,now with their full blown bio data as well.

It exasperated me on no end that I had sacrificed my noon siesta for this buckwaas.Will I ever learn?

Trichy to Srirangam.

Left Trichy early in the morning in one of those gleaming stainless steel buses , that are constantly plying in the streets one after the other in quick succession, to Srirangam.

There was a nip in the air and the chilly early morning breeze spiked into me.The bus was full of primary school kids ,with the Tricolour Indian flag pinned proudly on their uniforms, reminding me the importance of the day ---Republic day [26 .1 2011.]Their young innocent faces beaming with the sheer joy of living was highly therapeutic to one jaded in years and experiences.

A creamy white boy with a shock of jet black hair no more than 10 years of age boarded the bus with his teen aged sister , guiding her to a seat in Urdu. He had the Tri colour Indian flag pinned on the shirt of his school uniform. As the bus hit a pothole he lurched and was about to slip on to the floor when several hands shot out to steady him .

As this charming boy and those beaming kids disembarked , in the very next stop , the bus suddenly darkened and felt empty , though the sun had risen and every seat was taken.

to be contd....

Uraiyur.

Uraiyur which is a few kms away from Trichy was the seat of power of early Chola kings .Karikalan the legendary Chola king of 2- 3 rd century BC is said to have established his capital in this place , on the banks of river Cauvery.

The Nachchiar koil that we visited at Uraiyur ,enshrining Ranghanathar [ Vishnu] is the birthplace of Thiru Pannaazhwaar , the out caste Bhaktha Of RanganathaPerumal of Srirangam. He belongs to 8 th centry AD.He rode on the shoulder of the chief priest of Sri Ranganathar swamy , on the behest of the lord himself , sang few pasurams[Tamil verses in praise of vishnu] and became a Vaikunta vasi [ departed] in the Sanctum itself.

The deep devotion of a Bhaktha, who was a untouchable , and its unqualified acceptance by Sri Ranganathar ,is a classic real time illustration of the assurances of Bhagwan Sri Krishna ,as is enshrined in the following verses of Gita. [ 9 th chapter]

Patram puspam phalam toyam,

yo me bhaktya prayacchati,

tad aham bhakty-upahrtam'

asnami prayat atmanah.

meaning---

Who ever makes an offering to Me with devotion,

Be it of leaf, flower , fruit or water,

That devout offering by a pure hearted man ,

I accept with joy!


Samo ham sarvabhutesu,

na me dvesyo sti na priyah,

ye bhajanti tu mam bhaktya,

mayi te tesu c apy aham|

meaning :


I am the same towards all beings,

None is hateful, and none dear to me,

But those who worship Me with devotion,

Dwell in me ,

And I too dwell in them!


Sri Ramanujar[ 12 th century AD] the preceptor of Sri Vaishnavas exhorted his disciples and house holders to follow a set of duties , one of which is to hold in great esteem all the devotees of Narayana or Vishnu and to cherish them dearly.He also organised the rituals to be followed in Vishnu temples. These are followed in the truest spirit in here.

We had stumbled into the Thaayaar's --Lakshmi's utsavam in which the first honours were received by Namaazhwaar, Pannaazhwaar andRamanuja acharya.Two priests chanted pasurams whilst two others known as Arraiyars sang them.In days gone by the Arraiyars have said to have also, danced in bhakthi whilst rendering the hymns of Aazhwaars.

The two priests reciting the pasurams were chanting in rapid succession the first phrases of all the verses of Peria aazhwaar, Nam aazhwar and Thiru pannazhwar .This procedure known as adhivaravu is adapted when there is paucity in time and in the number of priests or stricken by ailments.The 80 plus priest sitting erect and croaking them [ he has lost his voice] with obvious effort was painful to hear but at the same time very touching.

The sincere and rapid rendition of Tamil verses as well as hymns from all the Vedas and the meticulous performance of all the age old rituals ,honouring the beautifully decorated idols of Lakshmi, aazhwaars and Ramanujar, accompanied by Nadaswaram and mridangam ,in the high ceilinged rock hewn hall of the ancient , temple brought a connectivity that I seldom perceive in the prosaic routines of daily life.


p.s.The above image is the photo of the Rajagopuram of Sri rangam temple and not of Uraiyur.

Trichy to Uraiyur.

Streams of dazzling stainless steel coated buses , with attractive green tinted,glinting glass panes,streaking on the roads greets the eye

Trichy is a reasonably clean city . It has more buses, public and private, plying on the streets than cars.The roads are pedestrian friendly and there fore goes without saying that they are not very compatible with vehicles.

The copper water boilers scrubbed to reddish brilliance occupies the pride of place in most tea stalls that dot the road sides, with steam hissing merrily out of their spouts. These boilers are no longer visible in Chennai , where tea kadai nair's [chai wallas] boil water and simmer tea in ugly sauce pans over gas stoves.