Tuesday, February 25, 2020

கடத்து காற்றே / Hijack wind

The image captured at Kurangani, near Theni
and it is a highly windy area.
காற்றே, என்னை கடத்தி செல்
உதிரும் இலை போல்
திசை தெரியா என்னை
அழைத்து செல்.
விண்வெளிக்கோ, இல்லை
சவ குழிக்கோ.
சமவெளி கடந்து
பள்ளத்தாக்கில் உருண்டு
மலை முகடுகளை  முகர்ந்து
அருவியில் விழுந்து 
கடத்தி செல்
காற்றே, எல்லை கடந்து.

----------------- --------------------

Wind, hijack me
Like a deciduous leaf
I do not know the direction  
Take me.
Either to space, or
To grave;  
Across plains
Rolling down the valley
Sniffing the mountain ridges
Falling in the waterfall
Hijack, wind
Across the border!

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Benefits denied?

We, a whatsapp group of Muscular Dystrophy patients sent letters to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to include Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD) in the national policy of treating rarest diseases. And it was nice to receive back a letter from Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and we tore open the envelope eagerly expecting a bit of positivity as replay, but it quite disappointing and their replay was a letter that you read below.


My father wrote the letter in English (he, the ret. govt. officer had dealt with many official letters) but they still want a letter in English or Hindi! I actually thought they couldn’t read my father’s handwriting and was thinking to send it again typed in ms-word. But I wasn’t the one received like this but everyone written to them received the same replay exactly except the name and address. I wonder how they could do this exactly to everyone without even taking a glance, but reading and writing our addresses correctly. Huh

Is this happens with every letter sent to centre government from Tamil Nadu? Or their mind-set is registered that any letter from Tamil Nadu will be only in Tamil.  Yep, I know that couldn’t be the right reason to complain but resenting everyone’s letter (without a valid reason) doesn’t make any sense. Though I understand that 100+ members of our whatsapp group (and many other groups of muscular dystrophy patients around India) sending letters to the ministry doesn’t make great changes but we tried to push a coin instead waiting for thing to happen on own or never.

The main reason to include the Muscular Dystrophy in the national policy of treating rarest diseases is to get some special benefits that were denied for this kind of multiple disabilities. Generally genetic diseases like these don’t cover under insurance but if it given the status of rarest disease; we could get a health insurance worth about 15 lakh if any medicines or treatment found in the future. I also applied for the UDID (Unique Disability Identity Card) card based on the existing disability certificate obtained from the state government.  Glad they didn’t made demand the disabled people to appear in person to register for the UDID card and they are content with the information’s available.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Summer Spy


The sun shines as bright 

As winter shields are removed; 

Bare the sky, fall sunlight 

On anything apparent on earth.

The sun supervises, for 

A perfect timing of spring/summer 

And leaves, being fragile 

Fall prey easily to sun’s radiant.

The sun splashed its colour 

Of yellow, on leaves that were green 

As ripe falls to ground; the earth

Becomes a yellow carpet to walk.

The sun changes its path 

A journey from south to north

Emit great radiant, to dry leaves 

Crushed later underfoot.   

Monday, February 17, 2020

RGB Monday

Load of utensils...


And colorful plastic pots and baskets on back of a bike, on the outskirt of Chengalpattu town, near to Chennai. It was shot at morning, so the vendor seems just about to kick start his business day, riding through many streets and nearby villages selling the utensils

Friday, February 14, 2020

Proposal

Pic courtesy: google
She blew his heart
like bubbles; dreams
went in air, transparent
that anyone could see
along the hideaway secrets.

Inclusive of love
that he ever exhibited
went in air, surprised
she felt so to standstill
running down the memory lane.

Eyes meet endlessly
yet, embarrassed to resume
helped herself to compose
a smile across her lips
shy away secretly.

Boy noted the changes
sigh, smile exit his face
and before things turn different
went on knees, confess
as if he couldn’t grab a chance.

Her eyes couldn’t believe
neither refused the proposal
tears down the cheeks
smile full of faces, frozen
when a gentle kiss fall on lips.

Monday, February 10, 2020

RGB Monday

My colorful Pongal Pot



I created this lighted Pongal pot for the last month’s Pongal festival. I painted an old little earthen pot and wrapped led serial light around it and placed a bunch of paper on top for the bubbling shape. I placed it on the balcony during the festival nights and many passers-by take a look on it. 

Thursday, February 06, 2020

TELC Jubilee Church (aka German Church), Kodaikanal

Every time I decide to travel, even if the destination was same, I do some research for any new places to see because I think only if there’s a search for something a travel would be interesting.  And old is something always fascinate me and top my list of places to see, more than anything newly constructed. If you’re a follower of my blog, would know Kodaikanal is a beautiful place where I had yearly vacation in last several years and have covered overall places, but still my search of places haven’t end or doesn’t seem to. And one such place I visited in recent times was the century old TELC Jubilee Church.


Kodaikanal has many historic places esp. churches that are more than 100 years old, built during British regime and TELC (Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church) is a cute little church with unique architecture that really made me wonder have I seen anything similar in construction. It has a cylindrical bell tower to capture our attendance at glance and constructed in granite stones, the church still looks amazing in its original structure and features. As it located on a small hill mound, one need to climb the rock stairs to reach the door front, opening a small wooden gate at the entrance what resisted me further going up close to church.



We visited the church in evening after going through another historical church (which I would write about later) and the weather was pleasant with mild sunshine as we went in search of the church. It took us sometime to find the church as many unknown about it when enquired at the locality and Google maps did wrong locating as well; the church hide away like a treasure in a patch of woods cover above the upper lake road in Pambarpuram area of Kodaikanal. My parents, grandma and bro went up to the church, to capture some photos on my behalf and they were invited by someone in charge, took them around and explained about the church.

Dad, mom and grandma posed in front of church
The church was founded in 1906, by the Germans and the Swedes who emigrated over a century ago in Pambarpuram area of Kodaikanal and the church practiced worship in four languages: German, Swedish, English and Tamil, from the following year. In 1919, the Tamil congregation of different German, Danish, and Swedish Lutheran missions joined together to form the Tamil Evangelical Lutheran Church (TELC). And following the independence of India, in 1947, the Germans and the Swedes agreed to the self-administer of the church by Tamil people and later on to till date the worship is conducted in Tamil by designated priest.  




What I think special about the church was its architecture of German and Sweden, though I have any idea of its architectural style, its unchanged look of ancient beholds. The church still holds the sacred objects leftover by the Germans and the bell outside the church is also a German established in year 1923, and the name of the church is engraved on the bell in Tamil. The sound of bell is heard up to 2 km in radius. I find the entire atmosphere of the church is quiet and being evening, the birds’ noise was pleasant as natural prayers.  TELC Jubilee Church is a different aspect of Kodaikanal, from the regular tourist places, but I hope the future won’t be the same.

Monday, February 03, 2020

RGB Monday

A colorful Kolam from neighborhood...  


Captured from the evening walk (in wheelchair) on the day of Pongal and the Kolam looked bit scattered by the time I shot as it was drawn early in morning. 

Saturday, February 01, 2020

Delight through Sunlight

It was a fresh morning just out of dews, wrapped in warm sunlight as we moved out of the woodhouse in mountains (of lower palani hills in Kodai) the sun was dazzling above the sky even before it was 8 am. It was a coldest night of December blanketed quite in mist, clouds and rain and a day and two night stay at the woodhouse wasn’t different from the mentioned above until we hit the road sparkled in  dazzling sunlight.


The trip to the woodhouse then was a short break from our drive to Munnar, and the weather was awesome at both the places contrary to the splendid sunshine we had on the morning when we moved out of the woodhouse. It was blissful getting into the sunlight from an experience of overcast and mist weather for a week, thanks to the Ockhi cyclone formed in the ocean then, though it created a great damage in southern India it treated us well with multiple waterfalls flowing down the mountains and adventurous drives through dense fog and forests.



Further down the hills on road, the ride became magical with many light and shadow moments waived in front, with sun filtered its energy rich rays through natural foliage. The rain soaked mountains, trees and roads all sparked in sunlight radiates joyful ride and this is something I always enjoy anytime we pick up a return journey in morning. The play with light and shadow continued all the way to foothill but it wasn’t a sunny day all the way to Chennai rather many surprises waited ahead what I could share with image later.


Linking this post with ShadowShot Sunday2