A prayer for the Newyear from Mundakopanishad.

Om!Bhandram karnobhi:Shurunyam deva bhandram pashyemakshabhiyarjthra|
Sthirau-rangosthusht vansathanubhivyarshomhee devhinta yadayu|
Swasith na Indro vridhshrava,
Swasith na Pusha vishwadeva|
Swasisth nasthaksharya aarishtanemi,
Swasith na Brihaspathi dradhunathu||
OM,shanthi:shanthi: shanthi||

Meaning...

Om! 'O' God! With our ears we may hear that which is auspicious,
With our eyes may we see that which is auspicious,
May we during our life allotted by the gods,be blessed with healthy limbs and body,
So that we may praise you.
May Indra of ancient fame be auspicious to us!
May Pusan and Viswadevas be propitious to us!
May Tarksya of unhampered movement be well disposed to us!
May Brihaspathi ensure our welfare!
Om! Peace,Peace,Peace!

This is the prayer taught by Sage Angiras to his disciple Shaunaka in the set of his instructions that constitute the Mundakopanishad.

Vande mataram.

Several momentous events took place that shook India in 2011 and she weathered it all!

Firstly the Ayodhya verdict.Iam going a little back in time to 2010.The decision that made the entire nation hold its breath in fearful anticipation.One man who stood tall taking the situation under controlwas M.Bhagwatji .His fiat to his country men neither to riot nor to celebrate the decision that was to be pronounced ,was remarkable statesmanship. The fact that not a single fire cracker was burst to celeberate the favorable decision ,shows how this man who was always away from public gaze could at the time of reckoning come before us and hold us under his sway in the right way.He held the country together.

Second the tear streaked faces of senior cricketers and the unalloyed joy on the junior one'sin winning the World cup shows that ,to the much reviled cricketers at their thirst for money,that country does come first.

Third,the sad news that Mrs S.G ,who wanted to ensure that all in India are fed was herself unable to feed in those weeks at a hospital.

Fourth the fast of an old man amongst waving of flags by young one's ,that seemed never ending.Every one was caught in a tangle ,unable to extricate from its vice like grip that seemed to strangulate the Constitution itself.
Did my one liner 'Anna take anna' lead to a many impassioned pleas to end the fast first and then talk,do the trick?I will never know.But if so,i am mighty glad to have done my bit for my country.

The unity of the parliament where all its elected members looked like hostages,poor souls and the inspiring speeches that follwed is what democracy is all about.

The senior leaders ,Advaniji,Manmohanji and Pranabda who have the power to make or break in their palms ,though bent in age ,stood tall in their flexibility, magnanimity and statesmanship and stamped on all those running riot in different directions that the Constitution is supreme and democracy is here to stay ,to govern Bharat for years to come.

What a year !Jai hind!

Indian of the year.....'Youth'.
Their prayers in unison was awarded with the World cup and their idealism and determination for rooting out corruption saw the tabling of lokpal bill in the parliament.

Their icons 'Sachin' and 'Anna'.

Note :I had written this a month back.

Red fury.

Powerful winds billowed shaking huge trees ,from bottom to top threatening to snap them like match sticks.Darkness fell but the sky didn't turn black It took a pinkish red hue ,a sure indication of the oncoming rainfall and storm.

Rain drops sliced through at times like sharp icicles and at times poured in gallons forming a heavy curtain .
The scene out in the open was raw , the power of nature unveiled for mortals to view and wonder.
The scene inside , concentrated on a small box ,beaming cosy red carpeted parliamentary hall,the debate on Lokpal was equally furious. The power of mortals over mortals, skillful speeches and emotions.,competing with the fury of the cyclonic storm outside.

I was caught between the devil and the deep sea.Observe natures unchecked fury or of those worthies. The worthy's won !At front of their theatrics and torrent of words the raging storm outside with 100 km an hour wind,seemed tame.

Curiously or should i say co incidentally neither the predictions of the weather man and met bulletins nor that of the anchors and tickers running ,went awry.
Whilst the storm gathered more force late into the night,the drama in the august hall,by then also reached its climax,by the much debated ,riled and eagerly awaited bill being torn to bits and scattering it to the winds,delaying a decision on its fate.
Both predictions were for once, right.

Pal of 2011.

The most chanted name of 2011 is Lokpal,Lokpal,Lokpal......repeat,

The name that was renamed most,yet again Lokpal.The following are some of its illustrious names...

Pshychopal [forbeing a weird idea]Draco cum macro pal[policepowers superceding constitution]Jerk pal[the nerve of the unelected to dictate legsn]and Mobpal.....courtsey politicians especially by those ruling
.
Jokepal,Fakepal,Dhokapal,Jilebipal,Dak pal[postal],Pokka [vai]pal[toothless pal]....courtsey team anna,

Brokepal,quotapal,Centristpal,Malnourishedpal......courtsey opposition,

Finally 'Knock pal'....it is knocking around in parliament.

Modern Mahabharat.

Since there is too much jangling in the tangle for the wrangle of power i'll not mangle it further by dangling my angle and have no go, but to strangle it.

Thoomani madhathu.......Thiruppavai---9

Thoomani madhathu sutrum villakeriya dhoopang kahamazhath thuyilannaimel kan valarum ,maman maghale ! manik kadhavam thaalthiravai.
Mameer avalai yezhupeero?unmagaldhaan oomaiyoandri sevido?Ananthalo?Yemap perumthuyil mandhirapattalo?
Mamayan !Madhavan! Vaikunthaa! yendrendru namum palavum navinre lorempavai!

Meaning:
In a mansion that is made of peerless precious stones , with lights ablaze and swirling in sweet smelling smoke of incense ,my mama's daughter who is sleeping on a soft bed is reluctant to get up!
Wake up ! And unlock the door studded with gems.
Maami! Is your daughter ,dumb?Or deaf? or is she exhausted?Has she sunk so deep into slumber that she is unable to surface?Or is she under some powerful spell ,binding her to her bed?
One who is full of miracles! The consortof Lakshmi! Vaikunthanatha!
We are standing outside in the early morning cold,chanting his names. Will you awaken her?

Inner meaning: 'O' Bhagwan, with faultless sacred body glowing with light of kowledge,radiating wisdom ,we ,who are looked upon by you, as your children ,have no other recourse but to cling to firmly to your self!
Graciously do away with this body, karmas and atma ,that is inimical to the merger with you!

This poetic hymn is one of the many unwithering flowers bestowed by the lumonious tendril [Andal] whose flowers adorned Bhagwan after,first being worn by her.

Courtsey--P.C.Acharya's Tamil commentary on Chithira Thiruppavai.

whither music?

The Goldie's of yesteryear's is what mouldies like to watch on TV in a maudlin, pace.
The DTH like Tata and Sun stealthily retracted their music channels [film and classical] much to my chagrin that was further fanned by the dejection of ,evasive answers to my objections.
So i switch on the the weekend Total recall and other news channels [that ostensibly broadcast bollywood hits of past]to relax to some soothing melodies and watch serene star's performances ,from the past.

They are all as irritating as those on you tube .Getting interrupted every few seconds without playing fully, nonstop.
At least in you tube patience pays, One can see it fully. but on these channels some one starts yak yakking in that gap and even if i tolerate that, the songs are never played fully and another song starts ,with the same treatment .
Wither music?

Krishna's leela.

'O'Govinda,

When your teachings are sought to be banned in a distant,remote,and frozen tundra , with howling blizzards and prowling polar bears ,whose dense populace thirsts more for soma rus than to your nectarine teachings and cannot comprehend your spiritual relevance ,all,an army of them, especially the secular stalwarts are up in arms ,shaking their fists , clamouring for its reversal from here!

But when i blog your sublime teachings in this warm and sacred land of your birth ,with millions of pious devotees,with the melodious cooing of koels and gentle cows ambling by, i have none except my will power and may be 'your will' to ward off your banishment by those tapping with their finger tips!

Kanna ,vun leelaiye leelai,nan yen yenben?

Krishna your sport is truly amazing ! What can i say?

Narayana! Narayana!


Note.I had to re-type the lengthy charma sloka --the teachings of krishna and 'Varanam 1000' the marriage of Narayana with Andal twice due to tricks played on me ,in this den.It is still being played .Vasudeva!Hrishikesava! Adaikalam neeye appa!--You are my only protector.

A prayer for the day----Thiruppavai 5.

Worship ,sing and meditate.Then all your follies will be burnt to ashes.

Mayana mannu vadamadurai maindhanai thooya peruneer yamunai thuraivanai,

Aayar kulatnil thondrum annivillakai thayai kudalvillakam seidha modharanai,

Thooyamai vandhunaam thoomalar thoovi thozhudhu,vaaiyinal paadi manathinal sindhikka,

Poya phizhaiyum phugutharuvaan ninranavum theeiyinal dhoosagum cheppe lorimpaavai.

meaning.

'O'Magician! the son of the soil of northern Madurai [Mathura]

The One who made the huge volume of waters of Yamuna sacred by residing on its banks,

The beautiful and auspicious light of the Yadava clan,

Damodhara !Who brought fame to his mother and her womb,

We are worshipping you with fresh flowers, with a pure heart, singing your praises ,meditating on you and chanting your sacred names.,

So that the follies of our past and the bad consequences of the deeds that we may do unknowingly in future ,will be burnt down to ashes like a piece of cotton thrown into fire!

************************

Note.Today is the 5 th day of Marghazhi month in Tamil calendar.In this month a prayer a day from the 30 hymns of Andal the vaishnavaite saint ,collectively known as Thiruppavai is sung.

Thiruppavai is said to compress within ,the knowledge found in the Vedas.

The choice of words is so good and the spirituality so deep that one can never tire of it ,how many ever times it is recited.

One who has the marks of the rope tied around his waist ,is the meaning of the sacred name'Damodhara'.It refers to Yashoda,tying the mischievous child, Krishna to the stone grinder.

It also refers to the simplicity and the easy accessibility of Krishna.

Continuation of excerpts from my Delhi diary.

4 th December 1975.

The other day when i had been to the documentation centre at Indian social institute i was taken aback to learn that nearly 4 cores of Indians are living on 27 paise as income per day.I felt sick and also frustrated, at me being an educated person and though not rich but also not that poor ,is doing nothing to alleviate this.At least i am aware, whereas there are millions of educated Indians who are either not aware of all these gruesome facts or they are all shutting their eyes to such misery by consoling themselves that it is fate that ' I am rich and they are poor'!

When will this awakening come in educated elite?Finally when it does come will it be too late?That is will it be so late that their very existence may be threatened by the poverty stricken masses that would no longer bear its poverty and misery ?Will the terror of French revolution

be repeated here?

18 th January 1977.Tuesday.

At night heard on radio that we are going to have general elections to loksabha ,in March.

I said that it was a stupid move of I.G and that she ought to continue as PM with emergency and all.But dad said that congress was sure to win and that she'll return to rule for yet another 5 years. If i become the ruler of India i'll become a dictator.

26 th Jan Wednesday 1977.

We thought that my chithi -[-aunt], would take part in the coming elections but she isn't saying that she had no funds.

21 st March 1977 Monday.

It is 6 am and i am awake although i went to sleep only at midnight.Not only am i awake but also my entire family.

We were all woken up by father who had tuned in to the 6 am news the radio and broad casted in a loud and excited voice that I.G and Sanjay Ghandi have been defeated in their constituencies and that janata party was leading .

We are waiting for the 6.30 news on TV.I don't know what to write.We are all generally excited.It was shocking news to us that Indira.G had been defeated and that Janata was in the lead.Although i had predicted 2 months back when I.G announced elections that she was digging her own grave and compared her to Napolean III about whom i was studying then ,.He was popular as a dictator but lost when he became a liberal,I soon came under father's and others confident assurance that IG would win with a thumping majority as she had done so in 1970 ,in the crisis against the old congress.

Now the q on every one's lips is would Indira.g declare some thing more than emergency like martial law or would, let it be and the disunity amongst the janata party would lead to anarchy and chaos?

If latter happens i would be relieved. there would be no BA final exams ,for which i have prepared .scantily..

How selfish i am .

March 22 1977 Tuesday.

News follows news with regular bulletins that Janata party is securing massive votes in north and is way ahead of Cong.Even the Janata party leaders are surprised at this overwhelming support of the people for them.They at the most thought of forming a strong opposition to the Cong in parliament .Now they have to form the govt.

Dailies have splashed the election news from front to back page telling how democracy has such a strong foot hold in India.

On TV i no longer see IG ,for the past 2 days , instead only Jagjivan ram , Vajpayee and others.

I sit glued to the TV from 6 am to 12 pm due to the latest movies and very many lovely programmes shown on the TV to keep us all awake for the election news.

Finally the organisation that assassinated Gandhiji is to become the rulers of India. At home all are predicting that the new govt would usher in an era of communalism.

I am still in dilemma. Do i like democracy or dictatorship? But the important q is what do the masses like?I wish some one or me would evolve a nice new economic programme to revolutionise India.

I am not even studying for my final exams .most probably I'll land with a 3 rd division .Who cares?

23 rd march 1977.Wednesday.

Bhutto has won a thumping majority in Pakistan.Poor IG .Why didn't she rig the elections like her counter part in Pakistan?Once she has used absurd and unconstitutional methods to stay in power why in the hell wouldn't she do such a small thing?mad female.! Being incorruptible where she ought not to be.

The Aggarwals, our next door neighbours who are here till 11.30 pm watching the movies being shown on TV told us that IG was losing in north due to the compulsory sterilisation programme.Any male 7 --70 years of age was caught and sterilised and that villagers would abandon their homes and runaway from their village when ever a govt van turned up in the vicinity.

These excesses may be the work of govt machinery who only wanted to fulfill the specific quota and get rewards ,but the ultimate responsibility does fall on IG and SG for terrorising the common people.

South India which hasn't felt these excesses and hasn't been subject to so much brainwashing on TV and radio has returned Cong in several states.

What do i feel? Whom do i want to rule India?Nothing.No interest.I would like to rule myself.

2nd April 1977 Saturday.

Although i heard a lot about the tortures meted out in the prisons owing to the ''misa' during emergency,it never touched me.But today i read an article in blitz paper.Snehalatha a young actress of 'Samaskara' fame was severely tortured in prison because she was friendly withGeorge fernandes ,who is a minister in Janata govt now,

She was so horribly tortured that her asthma became acute which resulted in the weakening of her heart and she died of a massive heart attack within a few days of her release ,on the eve of announcement of the elections. at an age of 28 .

Blitz had published pieces of her diary. The 1 st one was on 26 th July 1976in which she had written that her asthma had increased ,but there were no doctors to attend on her and none to talk to.My thoughts switched to my life on that day. I had celebrated my 19 th birthday and was generally happy with life. OhI feel so awful!

Till today i had felt that I.G and S.G did a good thing by bringing discipline by imposing emergency,sterilisation etc. But after reading these incidents i hated her like mad.It reminded me of the tortures of Jews under German Nazi's. It is horrible that such a thing should take place in India itself.

********************

PS.My father a bureaucrat met Indira .g often in the discharge of his official duties.He had the greatest admiration for her as well as for Nehru.

PPS.My maternal grand father M.A Ayengar however was livid at IG's meddling in the internal democracy of his much cherished Cong party and was further greatly infuriated and incensed at the imposition of the Emergency.[he was a member of the constituent assembly]His strictures on IG were so severe even at the age of 85, then, that i cannot reproduce them in print!

PPPS.My anger at IG evaporated as soon as the effect of that article wore off.

Regarding commies i have long held them to be incorruptible .[the real one's,like my father was]

Regarding Janata party ,over a period of time i stopped viewing them as communal and started viewing them as the unapologetic spoke persons ,of brow beaten, Hindu sentiments in the only country in the world that practises the unique and ancient religon called Sanatanadharma orHinduism..

Excerpts from my diary.

Since Bangladesh was recently in news and there are discussions raging around whether' too much democracy' is harming India, i once again leafed through the pages of my diary of teen years and this is what emerged.

It is mine no doubt but yet seems like some one else's . It was all so long, long ago .It is a middle class teenagers narration and observations. If it brushes any one's sensitivities ,please excuse that teenager for doing so.

16 th August 1975--Saturday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mujhibur rehman was shot dead yesterday. I feel awfully sorry for him.

Indira Gandhi is always in the news , ie on TV and in movies. It is sickening. But dad supports her like hell, saying that only with her guts emergency was brought and discipline is being maintained. But the rest of us are critical about her measures which she brought about only when her position was in jeopardy.

The general trend of youngsters today is to criticise i Gandhi where as the middle agers especially the office goers support her ,not only because of loyalty but also because they are scared to lose their jobs.

Let us see if India at least develops in these conditions.

28 th august 1975.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am now in the 2 nd year of my graduation at a ,New Delhi college..I have been chosen as the group leader of NSS.Being one is interesting.What is more interesting is the classes i take for the deaf students in a school nearby.

Last Tuesday I had gone there.As both ,the students and i were tired of the usual questions to be asked to them like what does a cat eat or where does a parrot live ? i decided to frame a new one. So I wrote on the black board'Who is Ghandhiji?and asked the students in sign language to draw the person.

One small girl came up and drew a flag and a lady with short hair similar to Mrs . i. Gandhi . I controlled my laugh and explained to her by signs and writing on the board that she had drawn i Gandhi and not the father of the nation.

One cute little boy was over enthusiastic to answer my Q .He sneered at the drawing of his classmate and then wiped it out and started to draw a figure ,very fast.

I saw to my amusement that the kid had drawn in all seriousness ,Gandhi as a person wearing flared trousers ,sporting a drooping moustache with lovely long hair and side locks.Other kids started to laugh and each of them clamoured to rectify the defect.

Finally they drew a bald man with side locks, huge spectacles in shirt and dhoti holding a thin stick and clutching our flag.They all looked pleased at their handiwork.Kids are fun.

Today during the tutorial period at college we all had a heated discussion about Sheik mujhiburRehmans death and the cold blooded massacre of his family.

I was shocked to hear from nearly all my class mates that they preferred the entire family to be wiped out since the surviving members would suffer from lack of political and social status.

I disputed their contention hotly and accused them of being cold blooded creatures.I pointed out that as long as there was life there was hope.

I had the support of only one girl who also felt that killing the entire family down to his 9 year old son was a insane and hateful act.

Yet i felt that the other girls did agree with me deep inside . Whilst i was speaking from my heart they were being calculatedly, logical.

9 th November 1975--Sunday.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As my chithi [younger sister of my mother]had asked us to come over to her place for lunch, dad , harind and i took a bus and reached her house by 12.30

After eating chithi started to tell us about her visit to Berlin and Moscow as a representative of a women's organisation.

When she told us about the concentration camps i felt revolted.It seems that all delegates to Berlin are taken to see this particular camp which is 2 hours journey from Berlin.It is a huge sprawling camp which had on one side neat and beautiful cottages of SS officers and some distance away the quarters of Jews.

12 to 13 Jews were huddled together in a tiny bed made of grass in cold winters as well as in summers.

Then the guide took them to a spot where the Jews were taken on stretchers and shoved into hot ovens,very much alive, so as to get rid of them in the quickest possible way.

Then they were shown the place where young and healthy jewish women were taken to conduct experiments. The SS doctors injected various cancer spots on the body of those healthy women especially on their torso and uterus and let the cancerous cells survive till such times these women were completely disfigured.

At this juncture chithi told me the revulsion she and her friends felt at the sadism of those Germans and found It hard to control their vomiting on that spot itself.

Then she told me that young German children were brought to this camp and shown the manner in which Jews were tortured.When she asked one of the parents as to why they were torturing the impressionable minds of their innocent children,they replied that they were teaching their children to hate war by showing them the horrors of war.

Then my aunt narrated about her visit to Moscow.She proceeded, that as a youngster she was a staunch Communist and it had been her life ambition to visit Russia the land of communism and continued that her very first visit by itself shattered all her ideals and dreams.

She said that she found it strange that there wasn't a single happy face to be seen on the roads. Nobody talked or grumbled or criticised the govt unlike India.

It seems that there are no radio's but only mikes in each street giving announcements from the govt.Even for small consumer goods there were long queues and people stood patiently in the horrible cold awaiting their turn without a single murmur of protest .And if the stock was over ,people returned without uttering a single word to show their disappointment.

Chithi was baffled by this sheep like behaviour and greatly resented this denial of freedom. She longed to be back in India where even in emergency it was much, much more free country than Russian that she was totally disillusioned with communism.

to be contd....

Churn the fire out--SvetasvatarUpanishad.

To the question where is and what is Bhagwaan,the following hymn from Svetasvatar Upanishad clarifies.

**Yekko deva sarvabhoothesu gudaha

Sarva vyapi sarvabhoothanthratma|

Karmadyaksha sarvabhoothadhivas

Sakshi cheta kevlo nirgunashcha|

Meaning:

God who is concealed in all beings is one.

He pervades everything .He is the inner Atman of every being.

He is the overseer of all activity.He dwells in all forms of life.

He is the eternal witness. The conscious being within

But standing apart from that in which he abides and is unqualified!

To the question 'How god is obtained? the following sloka gives the answer

**Thilesu thailam doodhneeya sapirap rothsvarneeshu chagin|

yeva maanthmmaa thamni gruhagthegasow satyenain thapas yognupashyathi|

Meaning:

As oil in the oilseed, ghee in the curdled milk and water in the river bed ,so can' That' be obtained out of the self , through truth and restraint of thoughts and senses.

The method to reach him is given in the following hymn.

**Svadhehmarnim kritva pranav chota arnihim,

dyani marthana byasaath devam pashe trigudvath|

Meaning:

Make the body the lower piece of Aarni [fire churner] and 'understanding' the upper piece and by practise of meditation , churn the fire out!

Re -collection.

Today,16 th Dec, is being celebrated as the 40 th year of the Independence of Bangladesh .It revived to my mind some what hazily the memories of that war ,played out during my early teens.

As I turned the pages of my diary which i had started writing in my early teens and have preserved some of them till date , the following emerges.

17 th December 1971--Friday.

In the morning at the assembly our principal told us that we must collect money for red cross who are helping E Pakistan refugees.That is each class must contribute something for the fund.

I decided that each of us must give Rs 2,then the entire amount will be Rs 100.

After i finished my exams at 10 .30 , i had a sudden inspiration of collecting money from all those living near our school at Secundrabad. My group of friends enthusiastically approved the idea and we divided into 3 groups. We took the hundi's and set forth.

Sowmya and i collected Rs 15, Banu and Raji Rs 4.40,Chammu and Vasanthi Rs 16 .60.When we gave all this money to the principal she was very pleased with us and we all got into high spirits.

As I was in high spirits i read chemistry which never enters my head , easily and well.

Ps .I was in class 9 and 14 years of age.

The pet allergies of my highly sensitive censors.

1.Mentioning slokas, hymns, and philosophies that have a reference to the fundamental belief of Hindu's---re birth.

2.Mentioning the name of the processional deities of the temples i visit.

3.Photographs of Vimanums and idols of temples that i visit.Though the quality of the snap may be poor.

.

4.Photographs of dilapidated temples and the encroachments .

5,A passing reference or a mild jesting of the 2 holy G's.

6.My honest opinion on any matter.Especially allergic of those that are slightly critical of the govt.

7.Allergic to my viewership, lest i corrupt innocent minds.

8.Allergic to my views that they feel might strengthen extreme rights's position.

9.Allergic to my web browsing patterns.Exercising parental control over the sites they deem would corrupt my [54 years old,me!] way of thinking.Like, sites on Hinduism and articles contrary to the views of mainstream media!

10. Finally, allergic to ME.

Some explanations are due...

1 . In several of my blogs of note i find no one harassing Western women similarly placed like me, that is having gone through a traumatic experiences , voicing frankly ,how their religion helped them to turn around and face life by quoting extensively from the bible and give details of the religious congregations[which does not include temple or mosque] they visited along with their observations on other matters as well.No one is forcing them to don the cloak of excessive secularism unlike me though i am also only a private citizen and not a neta, who is being pressurised to do so ,in my personal blog.

7.I have no control over my viewership though i did at the very outset itself requested Vidat's friends[as young as he] not to read my mournful and at times morbid blogs.But if they have persisted ,what can i do about that?

8.This is my personal blog and not a front of any media house or organisation or party.Journalists of all shades fish liberally and shamelessly into my think tank without bothering about the infringement of copy rights or the payment of damages .And the censors-govt- freely intrudes into my right to privacy.Initially this made me very hot and bothered. It still does,but not that bothered as to go to court and further complicate my life.So i have left it at that.

Ps.Even as I was typing this piece there were the usual interruptions and silly distractions,[am i not entitled to a censor,since it has been decided that i need one, of my calibre than this juvenille one?]the stubborn attempts to wear me down.But I suppose the sense of democracy ingrained in all of us prevailed ,allowing me to publish this.Small mercies.

PPs.If my censors are adamant in according me the status befitting Aungsaikyui ,i am pleased enough to stop complaining,and start looking forward eagerly to be bestowed with a Nobel prize for peace in near future.

Thanni paal----Watery milk.

`Every morn in the joint family never failed to dawn without my m-i-l testing the quality of the milk delivered by the milk maid by trying to roll a drop on her wrist and with it invariably failing this ancient test of measuring the fat content by dripping down to the ground ,without standing ground and round [kall sottu--the tamil word] , followed by an half an hour of wordy duel between the two, Accusations and denials ,flying thick and fast.But her persistence generally paid off.

There was a lot at stake at the thickness of the milk delivered as my m-i-l prided herself of serving aromatic, thick creamy , filter coffee to her family and guests.Her day was made by the look of obvious pleasure on every one's face on savouring the taste of her coffee.Her simple pleasure ,contributed greatly in adding complex layers of fat on my once thin willow like frame.

Along with that came uninvited, all the life style diseases associated with middle age and daily visits to the doc ,whose regular refrain was , cut fat and diet.

Few years back Aavin introduced 'diet milk' with great fanfare and I immediately made a card and was delivered off some of the fat,i had accumulated over the years.

Then all of a sudden the official stopped issuing the card for red colored sachets---diet milk, saying that there was no demand for 'thanni paal'. [It has less fat content than the standard milk]

Coupled with the onset of my growing indifference to my general well being , the cavities caused by loss of fat achieved assiduously so far under my watch ful eyes , quickly filled in , making me plod along instead of walking.

I notice that the milk delivery boy still distributes that exotic item thanni paal to a favoured few though our enquiries and enquiries by ever growing line of waddling middle agers and doddering seniors are always turned down by the official at the nearby Aavin office, that the diet milk is in short supply, making us totter around under the weight of our fattened cells and resigning to the fate of being middle aged middle classers lacking the clout of tea shop owners and 5 star hoteliers.

The once all pervading milk maids and milk men have become elusive in this city and the 'thanni paal' is hard to come by.Hence i have no other go but to rely upon aavin hoping that it would increase the supply and distribution of, diet milk.

The knee throb.

It robs you of your contact with the mob,

Enforces your house arrest without a cop doing the job.

A throb that is difficult to fob, shuts off your gab and forces the reduction of intake into the gob.

An throb that bobs up every now and then and takes the garb of hard labour without the heart throb[relief and joy]at the end of that painful throb.

It makes me relive the pain that is nearly 3 decades old , often, without the gain,

Oh ,so sharp and persistent is this deadly barb.

Bramha vidya as taught by Keno upanishad.

Yasya amanth thasya manth manth yasya na ved sa |

Meaning:To that person for whom Brahman is unknown , Brahman is truly known. To that person who considers that he knows The Supreme spirit [ just like the things he knows many things in creation] that person doesn't in fact know.

Commentary:

That is -a person who truly knows Brahman ,knows that he cannot be known through senses or mind.And the person who thinks he knows him is actually having a concept of Brahman. A concept of Brahman is not like realising the true nature of Brahman.

The above Sloka brings out the limitations of human intellect and knowledge to comprehend the Supreme being.

Sloka.Prathi vodhi vindhitam matham amirthvam hee vindhate|

This is the most profound Sloka in this Upanishad.

simply stated--All beings are like electric lamps that glow by the power that is received from the Supreme being, themselves not knowing, it!

Reason, in respect of trying to comprehend the ultimate reality is like the impossible conception of a sleeping man trying to know what he is about ,without waking up!

Sloka:Atmana vindhate veerya vidhya vindhate mritam.

Meaning:Self discipline gives strength of spirit . To one so strengthened there is awakening and the knowledge --that is, the intuitive understanding that Brahman is and is in everything, bestows immortality!

Keno Upanishad.

What is the supreme spirit? By what relation to our experience shall we understand it? This is the subject of enquiry of this Upanishad.

It clarifies in the outset itself that the Supreme spirit or Brahman's nature can neither be comprehended by the senses nor by human reasoning.This is so because the subject, object and means are all identical.It is Brahman by which ,understanding itself functions!

Brahman is that by which the mind thinks.

It is not one of the concepts that can be conceived by the mind.

It is that which enables the eye to see, ear to hear and breath to move.

These functions themselves depend on Brahman.Therefore these senses and mind are unable to comprehend Brahman.

Do not mistake this body that needs looking after, for the soul.

Life is not the aggregate of functions of the body but a function of the highest spirit , in as much as not a thought or a breath or a glance is possible without the Supreme agent.

Why this.........?

Distance la room u ,room u

room colour u white u,

bright skin u boy u boy u,

boy u heart u black u,

type u type u meet u meet u ,my future dark.

Why this kolaveri , kolaveri kolaveri da?

Rama- Rama,Rama-Rama!

Kalala knees, only Indian u,

leg la knees, knees la wedge,

eyes u full aa tear u,

boy u come u ,life reverse gear u,

bhabha ,bhabha o bhabha ,

you showed me out u,

calf u calf u holy calf u,

i want u hear now u,

god i am dying now u ,

he is happy how u

This song for soup moms u,

we don't have a choice u

Why this kolaveri, kolaveri, kolaveri da?

blog song.

PS.This kolaveri song is silly but has pathos.It is adaptable.Especially-- to all those who are in the receiving end of a' raw' deal--like me ,though I could be older than the lyricists mother. It is wry humour.

PPS.These lyrics can be suitably modified by all the affected netizens in wake of kapil's kolaveri.

PPPS.I have grown pretty tired and quite fed up of speaking against the fetters being thrown in succession at the freedom of expression.It is like shouting at a gale.So I have decided to keep mum and try and weather out this latest kolaveri.

Note:'Da' is the masculine gender for the Tamil word 'Di'.It is used genarally between friends whilst addressing one another , like 'yaar', with familiarity and in banter.

It is also usedto address a younger person like a son or a younger brother.

Way to immortality as taught by Katho Upanishad

The journey of life can be safely completed and the supreme abode of Vishnu reached only if one keeps a watchful control over the senses .

The body is like a Chariot to which senses are yoked like horses.The mind is like the reins ,which enable the charioteer ,viz,the understanding ,to hold the horses that is ,the senses in check.The Atman rides on the chariot,and the road is the world of objects over which the senses move.

If the reins are not held firmly and wisely ,the senses like vicious horses will not reach the goal,but will go round and round in births and re- births.

If the man is wise and controls his mind,his senses will be like good horses driven by a good driver.

**Yada sarvam prabhidante hridayasyeh granthya|

Aayi mathyomrito bhavathye thavadh dhanushasanma|

Meaning.When the knots of the heart are untied and man is freed from worldly attachments,he becomes immortal. This is the whole of the teaching.

Commentary:The discipline and meditation that serve to help the Atman to detach itself from the things or the world is what is called Yoga.

This is the sum of the teaching's of Yama to the young lad Nachikates as is embodied in Katha Upanishad when Nachikates relentlessly sought an answer to the mystery of life from the Lord of death.

Upanishads.

Upanishads are the codifications of spiritual thoughts of ancient rishi's ,that form the philosophical part of the Vedas.

They are broadly recognised to be 14 to 18 in number.

This is what Rajaji has to say about Upanishads.

"The spacious imagination, the majestic sweep of thought and the most reckless spirit of exploration with which , urged by the compelling thirst for truth ,the Upanishad teachers and pupils dig into the open secret of the universe, make this most ancient among worlds holy books still the most modern and most satisfying."

"Truth is the only pathway to god and the seers pursue this to reach him.This emphatic dependence on Truth is the dominating characteristics of the Upanishads!"

"Merely to know is not enough to escape the tangle of illusion .Faith and discipline of life are necessary.The illusion arises not so much from ignorance as from attachments. Enlightenment comes with detachment and not with learning".

"This is the main teaching to which all the schools of Hindu philosophy ultimately revert and on which they lay the greatest emphasis."

Whilst comparing rituals and philosophy ,Rajaji has made the following observation,

"Indeed philosophical learning without discipline of conduct [restraining senses] is more to be dreaded than even ritualism without knowledge of Vedanta."