Nap Time

The cheerful child becomes grumpy 

when sleep catches up;

He rubs his eyes and nose 

Whine, uninterested in anything. 

The wailing child becomes silent 

When placed in the cradle to sway; 

To sing a lullaby, the baby sleeps. 

The entire house falls silent.

Amid the outer world's din, 

The tinkling chimes at intervals 

Make the baby feel calm. 

An hour and a half passed that way.

Before an alarm blares, 

The child begins to cry and moan,

With all chors come to an end.

(my nephew Kavin quietly sleeps in the cradle)

RGB Monday

Nephew's colorful underwear

I observed my nephew's underwear drying on the bed the other day and thought it was cool and colorful, so I decided to photograph it for fun. On April 26th, my nephew Kavin (younger brother's son) will be six months old. It's amusing to be around. He arrived last month from his maternal mother's home, having completed his fifth month because it is customary in our culture for the baby and mother to stay in their maternal home for 5 to 9 months after delivery before coming to the in-law's home. 

He's charming, intelligent, and naughty. He rolls onto his tummy and tries to crawl ahead, but he gives up because turning is easier for him. When he is awake, time passes quickly. And while he sleeps, we can work quietly, but he doesn't wake up to noises unless we address them aloud. It allows me to watch movies even when he is sleeping. He's in a good mood, and his delicate strokes genuinely caress me. He has a happy face and regularly smiles, even while he is crying. He chuckles. Lol 

Jalagamparai Waterfall, Yelagiri

Trip to Yelagiri, Day 2, follows:

On the second day of our trip to Yelagiri in February, we decided to visit the Jalagamparai Waterfall in the foothills of Yelagiri, on the other side of the mountain. At the Albatross Luxury Suite—where we stayed in Yelagiri—they gave us a simple yet delicious breakfast (as a complimentary); thanks to the chef, Manikandan, I enjoyed his cooking. 

We left the cottage around 11 a.m. when everyone had finished getting ready. Traveling with a baby is not easy, and we cannot force anything or any plan to match our comfort rather than the needs of a baby. If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that we traveled to Yelagiri with my 4-month-old nephew, Kavin. 

The Jalagamparai waterfall is around 37 kilometers from Yelagiri, and we had to travel up to the district capital, Tirupattur, and turn left to get there. The road to the waterfall is very scenic and travels around one-third of Yelagiri's mountain; through farmlands and small villages, we reached the waterfall, and from the parking lot, the upper part of the falls is visible. 

Once we left Tirupattur, there was no restaurant or eatery on the way to the waterfall, so we bought our lunch ahead in Tirupattur and ate it after visiting the waterfall and getting out of the area; because there was a lot of monkey nuisance. 

The waterfall can be reached only by stairs, so I stayed in the car.  My father, who had heart disease, also avoided climbing the stairs; my mom and the others who climbed up were the ones who took these waterfall photos. The Jalagamparai Waterfall, which pours out of the River Attaaru and through the valleys of the Yelagiri Hills, cascades down from a height of 15 meters to form a beautiful waterfall. 

Adjacent to the waterfall is a beautifully constructed Murugan Temple in the form of Siva Linga. However, there is another way to get there, which includes a flight of stairs to climb, so they were just able to see the waterfall. The Linga-shaped temple was shot through a crevice in the rocks on the route to the waterfall.

Jalagamparai Falls does not always have water, and its water source is dependent on the rain that falls over the mountains. The monsoon is the best time to visit Jalagamparai, which occasionally faces floods and is quite dry during summers. While it was still winter when we arrived, the water level was low, but it was adequate for a few people to have a cool shower at a time. We weren't planning to bathe in the falls, so it didn't matter to us. 

There's a Vishnu temple at the foot of the hill from where the stairs begin to climb. And there are about 75 steps to reach the falls. We visited the falls on Monday and although it was a workday, there were so many people there that it made me wonder how packed it would be on Sundays.

We saw most of them leaving the place (after taking a bath in the falls) in mini trucks and vans. Some were cooking with big vessels as families in the woods adjoining the parking lot of the falls. It's a beautiful place to visit with family and friends, and it appears to be an amusement for residents of local villages and towns to unwind on weekends. 

We returned to the cottage by evening, and climbing the hill was pleasant; we made it a point to stop at a few viewpoints to capture the view of the plains. Because of the winter season, there was a haze beyond a point. We saw the sunset at the foothill park, where we had our evening tea.

Albatross Elaichi Luxury Suite, Yelagiri

Trip to Yelagiri, Day 1 Arrival, follows:

Although the check-in time was noon, we arrived at the Albatross Elaichi Luxury Suite in  Yelagiri at about 4 p.m. We ordered tea as soon as we arrived, and it was a welcome break from the journey and a way to digest the late meal we had eaten before climbing the hill. 

I love their trendy villa sign.

The Albatross is a beautiful and comfortable place to stay in Yelagiri. They offer luxury villa suites at a reasonable price! There are many accommodation options available at Yelagiri, and our preference was an individual cottage away from the center of tourist attractions as we wanted a calm stay. 

There were fewer cottages in Yelagiri that met our expectations (accessible in a wheelchair and elevated no more than a step or two) at a reasonable price. While there are resorts and hotels with easy access, our budget and expectations differ, so we choose the one that makes us feel the most at ease. 

From the front gate, a GoPro shot of the villa in super-wide mode. 

We saw the Albatross villa suites first on Airbnb and subsequently obtained their phone number from their website. The owner was kind enough to respond to our inquiries and send us images of the property, which we promptly reserved. The property has a modest lawn in front and backyard but is beautifully maintained; each suite has a flower bed outside, and I loved the hibiscus and roses that bloomed to add charm to the villa. 

The beautiful front yard and driveway, as well as me. 

I liked everything about this place that looks simple, clean, and welcoming. 

Each suite has a living room and a bedroom with an attached bathroom; both the rooms have a queen-size bed, plus a television, couch, and dining table in the hall. They also offer free wifi, which we didn't bother to check as we use our mobile data, and a/c in the bedroom. 

Bright winter sunset at Yelagiri

Being a late winter season, the weather in Yelagiri became cold after sunset, just as the day had begun for us in Chennai with fog. I can feel the cold, which is half the temperature of Kodaikanal or similar to Thandikudi, where we visit (and stay at my uncle's woodhouse) regularly until 2019. 

We had no plans for that day because I wasn't sure about other places (accessible by wheelchair) besides the lake and nature park that I had seen on my previous visit. I wasn't interested in seeing those places again, and I had no plans for the trip other than to see what unfolded along the way. 

Another specialty of staying at the villa is the delicious food cooked and served by their chef, Manikandan. They gave us complimentary breakfast for the two days we stayed there, and for the first-day dinner, we ordered dosa and uthappam. As a side dish, he gave chutney sambar and chicken gravy. Though it was very spicy, it treated the taste buds. 

Night, we slept in the living room bed while my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew slept in the bedroom. Although the night was quiet, we got to listen to various bird sounds at dawn and dusk because the property is just across from Yelagiri Bird Park. I couldn't get to the bird park even if I stayed directly across the street since the surface was not suitable for wheelchair access. 

Albatross is an excellent place to stay, especially for families. They don't allow bachelors, and you can't drink or smoke, so I recommend it. The rooms are simply decorated with wall stickers and painted frames to cheer us up during our stay. The gated villa offers car parking on the premises, and it feels secure with CCTV. The staff who are staying next door are on-call round the clock. 

Trip to Yelagiri, Day 1 Arrival

Last week we visited Yelagiri—my first trip in the last three years—a small hill station in the Tirupattur district of Tamil Nadu. It was a three-day family trip with a two-night stay at a cottage in Yelagiri, which we booked in advance. It was planned as a short trip in a short time, and we weren't sure until we paid in advance for the cottage, as we had some health issues, but we are glad nothing popped up, and the trip went smoothly. 

Yelagiri is about 230 kilometers from Chennai, according to Google Maps. The travel duration on Google Maps is 5 hours; however, due to terrible roads, it took us nearly 7 hours, including breakfast and lunch stops. The construction of flyovers at several crossings caused frequent detours on the Chennai-Bangalore route up to Vellore.  

We haven’t driven on the highways much in the last two years, so we didn’t get stuck on the FASTag (an electronic toll collection system in India, administered by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI). From Chennai to Vaniyambadi—where the road turns left to reach Yelagiri—there are three toll gates; we hadn't considered the FASTag until we were close to the first toll gate; those without a FASTag must pay double the fee. 

So right after crossing the first toll and paying double the amount, we got the FASTag from the same booth; it's open for recharging or instant installation of the FASTag. A FASTag sticker was paste to the top left corner of the car's windshield, and it functioned right away, so we didn't have to stop at the toll gates from then on, but rather slow down for the sensor to scan the tag.

FASTag is a system that works on recharge, similar to prepaid mobile phones, and if we fail to recharge or maintain a minimum balance amount, we had to pay twice the toll fee. So there is an additional charge for us to check the balance before picking up a trip on the highway. 

Highway with colorful shrubs 

Hills on highway nh48

The FASTag has a tie-up with Paytm to make recharging easier, and even if we fail to recharge but have a balance in Paytm, then the fee will be deducted from that.

We bought our lunch in Ambur, which is well-known for its biryani! So obviously, everyone's choice is the world-famous biryani, but I preferred vegetarian, to make sure the trip wasn't troublesome. While traveling, I try to avoid non-vegetarian dishes as much as possible, but on the way back, I like the same. 

Though I didn't eat biryani, I searched for the best biryani in Ambur, and Rahamaniya emerged as our top choice after reading positive reviews. I say the biryani was delicious and lived up to the promise (I admit that I took a few mouthfuls to get a taste), but the biryani that we ordered to take away was missing a piece of meat. For some, it was a significant letdown in addition to the flavor.

The restaurant should consider this to avoid negative feedback from customers who come in search of delicious biryani after reading positive reviews.

While looking for a nice place or shadow to have our lunch, we came close to the foothills of Yelagiri and decided to have our lunch outside Amma Park at the starting point of the ghat. We were a group of five adults traveling with my nephew Kavin, my brother's 4-month-old baby. It was also one of the factors that contributed to the delay. We arrived at our cottage at 4 p.m., and the journey from foothill to hilltop took only half an hour, even though the distance was 12 km. 

As if waiting for us, the staff of the cottage (Albatross Luxury Suite) welcomed us with a smile and helped unload the luggage. More of that later. 

New Year with Nephews

We celebrated our new year by cutting the cake in the wake of the New Year, keeping ourselves awake beyond midnight like usual, but unusual about this New Year was the cake and nephew Jeswanth. After 2015 I stopped cutting cakes for the New Year, not that I don't celebrate the new year, and though I lost interest in cake cutting, the real reason was no one to celebrate. 

For the New Year 2013, all my cousins met me on New Year’s Eve and stayed at our house all night to cut the New Year's cake and celebrate with joy. That was the last time I enjoyed the New Year and later years were just we 3 - me, mom, and dad - woke up till midnight, watching television, which boomed with a loud greeting of the happy New Year and a few greeting calls from dear ones beginning our year. 

Usually, my brother used to go to bed early or visit his friends on New Year’s Eve, so it was only the 3. Now, after shifting to the native home with my uncle's family in the adjacent portion, we have at least a few people around, but I still miss the cousins' company with whom I find delight. This year, my uncle's family came up with a surprise cake, and the arrival of my nephew is the reason behind it. This being his first new year (and first time seeing a cake), he was excited only to pick up the cake to eat rather than cutting the cake.

My nephew's activities have increased a lot these days, it's fun to watch them, and he's eight months now to sit and crawl on his own, and except for the time he sleeps, it is hard to control. Keeping an eye on him has become a must. He was kept awake till midnight to cut the cake, but unhappily, he has kept away from eating the cake as we can't feed him the same without consulting the doctor because he just got well from diarrhea.

Kavin - my other nephew and brother's son - 2 months old, visited us last week. As per custom, a newborn baby has to stay at his maternal parent's home for at least 5 months before moving into the paternal home. So, they stayed only for two days, and he's too little to have fun as he smiles and cries at the same. He notices the movements and sounds to either smile or cry, and he's someone who sleeps all day and is awake through the night. So, his wake-up time is too little in the day times to play. 

Nephew Jeshwanth and the New Arrival

My nephew Jeshwanth is almost six months now - by November 3rd, he completes the same. His activities have enhanced now, and he flips, frequently lies on his stomach, and tries to crawl at a snail pace. And it is funny to see him move forward by lifting his butt up and down. 

Jeshwanth from sister-in-law's baby shower last month.

He approaches and tries to grab things with his tiny hands and tries to feel us by touching our faces. He's quick with his gesture, and at a glance, it looks like he is hitting us, but the next second he shows tenderness and smiles that are so innocent to sense. He tries to mimic the words or sounds we emit (by twisting his mouth) though only air exits his mouth the way he observes us amazes. 

He screams when his happiness rose, and giggles when we make funny and silly sounds. And he's quiet other than those and uses wakeful eyes when watching television. But we never encourage that habit when he comes to our home, but his eyes go over it due to colors, and his favorite is the bright yellow of Chennai Super Kings (IPL cricket Team). My father used to watch IPL, and whenever he sat on his lap with a match at the same time, join him to watch colors. 

I added a short video below on  Jashwanth giggling and flipping. 

To add joy to the same track - to add another boy to the family, my sister-in-law delivered a baby boy (today). The family goes through an overwhelming joy, and on the other hand, we anticipated normal labor but had to go through cesarean since the baby turned overweight. The baby and the mother are doing well. And they are expected to be discharged in a day or two. The baby and the mother would go to their maternal home directly from the hospital to stay there for a few months before coming to our home, so we had to wait sometime to see the baby. 

Masks and Events

Masks have become mandatory in the period of the pandemic. Just because I didn't go out much, I did not experience the difficulties of wearing a mask much - except going through my brother's engagement and marriage last year, and the baby showers of my cousin at the beginning of the year and sister-in-law's yesterday. Mask doesn't become a matter in my life. I wear a mask only when I go for an evening walk on Sundays or guests visit our home. Since the members in our home follow the protocol sincerely leaves me pretty casual at home, and even seldom do they miss a thing or two, I remind them in earnest. 

The difficulty I experience - wearing a mask - is most difficult to speak and respond through a smile. It's not easy for me to lift my hands above the elbow unless I use a board or the wheelchair tray to support the hands, so usually, my response to those gestures by hands to say hi or bye is replay through a smile and headshake.  I got mild neck pain yesterday at the sister-in-law's baby shower responding to the relatives and friends visited the venue. I wore a mask the entire occasion, though it wasn't much difficult to complain rather than talking and responding to the guests, I hesitated to speak and converse wearing the mask. 

I saw two kinds of people at the event, those who wore the mask and those don't. And there's a third kind that masks the mouth alone or covers their cheeks. It has been proved that the events like these are the spreading ground of Covid, and keeping this in mind, we invited only close relatives and friends to count about 100 total, but it reached out of hand to about 150 members. 

I decided to stay in a corner to keep distance myself from others. I also minded them neither they check me nor not; I tried to stay away until finding me on their own. I like to interact with people and hear stories from their corners, and occasions like these are bridges to connect with people from distant relatives and friends, but now it is out of reach due to pandemic block. Though we know it's a temporary block, the occasion like these are limited in my life as I don't attend every event that takes place in our family, the pandemic has suppressed the leftover chances. 

The venue (of the event) is close to my house, so I went there in my wheelchair, and the hall located on ground level made my attendance easy. My uncle accompanied me to and fro the hall, And also, the event ended well, and those who could not attend the wedding (due to the cyclone then) made a visit to bless the couple. It's also one of the reasons for the rise in the number of visitors. 

Instead of turning better, the situation in our state continues to be the same or to say the cases of covid is slightly rose in last few days increases the anxiety. This event was something possible only because of the decrease in covid cases and relaxed lockdown. It's all in our hands to make such events possible only if all followed the protocol and sustain self-discipline.

RGB Monday

My parents decided to visit my maternal aunt's home and then to Mamallapuram to invite some relatives to the next week's baby shower of my sister-in-law. Taking this as an opportunity, my parents decided to take me out on Saturday, as I haven't gone out since lockdown 0.2; I also visited my aunt's home after five years.

I want to visit my aunt's home sometime and gladly took this opportunity, though I didn't get into her home as we had a short time as we arrived there in the evening. But surprisingly, aunt decided to accompany us on our drive to Mamallapuram, and that way she could spend time with us.  Later we dropped her off at a bus stop on the way home, and she immediately got on her bus and reached home on time. 

It was nice to come out after a long time, and I  could see many changes around me, and some remain the same as before. I could see houses and buildings in bright colors and many developments in road construction and flyovers, easing the traffic. I shared above is one of an apartment painted in different colors in the neighborhood of West Tambaram. I also got a series of sunset shots from the ECR to share in a future post. 

Jeshwanth as Krishna

Krishna Jayanti (Aug 30), or whatever it's called in other parts of India, is a Hindu festival that marks the birth of Krishna, a Hindu god. According to mythology, many tales are told relevant to Krishna; and he's a popular figure among the women for his naughtiness, and for every mother, their child represents Krishna, so on the occasion of Krishna Jayanthi, they dress their children as baby Krishnan. And this seems like a tradition in every Indian Hindu family who has a baby at home. 

I don't remember me dressed as Krishna or have a photo, but my brother had been dressed this way, followed by my cousins walked the same path. No matter who, kids do look adorable in whatever way they dress. And now, my little nephew too joined the tradition, and at just 4 months, he's too young for this play. I have seen kids who don't cooperate easily to dress up fancy, but amazingly Jeswanth was very quiet and posed cutely. 

The general notion that children would cry was missing on him, and he would cry only when put to bath, so it wasn't an issue dressing him, but once excited, his movements become rapid, and nothing stays on him. It's not easy to keep things in place if the kid's cooperation was nill. In this way, I admire his attitude, and anyone seeing his photos was amused, and I hope you guys too feel the same. 

Krishna Jayanthi isn't a festival celebrated on my paternal side. It was my maternal parents who had cows and did dairy business. In mythology, Krishna is mention to be around cows, and he was also portraited as a cowherd, so naturally, Krishna was inspired to be their favorite deity to celebrate. Being a milk producer, they do not buy dairy products from outside as they produce the yogurt, butter, and ghee they need themselves. And butter being the favorite of Krishna, they offer all their dairy products, including homemade snacks, and celebrate the festival by placing idols of Krishna and cow-calf. 

Mom celebrates the festival by drawing little footsteps from the house entrance to the prayer room in the belief of welcoming Krishna into the home. Mom introduced this tradition at home after married into the family, and from then, she follows it annually. 

Happy 3rd month

My nephew Jeswanth, born on 3rd May, complete his 3rd month. The charming little kid is making life happier! You perhaps know how significant he was to me to give me the tenderest feeling of love and precious moments of life.

The little boy identifies me and smiles as I talk to him, and he also tries to speak with me that sound only ooo and haa, and those are moments I would cherish forever. It was his cuteness that spellbound me as I take in his glimpses of smiles and innocently staring quiet eyes. 

In the expression of a sports person – perhaps a boxer, but who knows, he may become one as he is already kickboxing with his hands and legs. lol 

The boy is available at any time of the day, or whenever we brought him home, there isn't a place for worry. He's such a stressbuster, and I couldn't think what if he moved to his house in 2 months. Though I know he would be visiting us often as ours was his maternal home, I enjoy his presence as much as possible.

Jeswanth, my newfound delight

The Covid seems took a back seat in our state (wishfully slip to a nil stage soon), and we switched into a night lockdown mood since almost all activities are allowed in the state up to 7 pm; we happily continue to downgrade in numbers. Among a lot of negative things crunching us for more than a year and a half, and though we have practiced living among them, there's always a longing for a positive effect. And one significant effect that caused a lot of cheer was my newborn nephew Jeswanth.

My sister (cousin) delivered a baby boy last month, and he instantly took all our attention towards him, and passing a day without seeing him was like something. He's cute, just like every other newborn baby, but he looks special to me in all ways. It's been a long time I felt a baby, and now he has given me that chance with soft touches and gentle strokes on him. I loved the way it feels though I don't know how to define it, it feels nostalgic, reminding me of the distinct essence of my cousins (as babies) who clung to my heart.

I was amused to think that his mother is one of the cousins who I remember carried in my hand, and now I bear another coming out of her. The little boy just started to look at us, and staring into his eyes is magical and mystical as we never know what goes into his mind or is he really staring at us. He's precious and mind-blowing to keep away anything that bothers us in his presence and enclosed by his tiny fingers for grasp feels awesome.

I'm just looking out for words to define his presence. I'm glad we live next door, so it was easy to watch him and bring him home to play. She's my father's brother's daughter, and being her first delivery, she was looked after by us according to the custom; she will be staying with us for about five months. It excites me as I could see him growing sometimes. The last time I came close with a kid was my other nephew, Barath, who doesn't even care to meet me later, but my love for him will remain the same. Then came my former neighbor's kid Achu, who visit us daily since we lived in the same compound before they went on transfer.

The little boy sleeping on dad's lap

Jeswanth is my newfound delight, though I don't believe he will be different from others; I decided not to think anything further rather enjoy his presence and gain cheerful memories to cherish forever.

Personal losses from the pandemic

I lost two of my uncles last Sunday to covid. Both are cousins of my mom; one was her father's sister's son, and another was her mother's sister's son - the one I mentioned in a previous post who was in the hospital under oxygen - are aged less than 55. Do covid see the age? The well do immunities survive along with early detection and prevention with mask and social distancing. 

Though we are not much acquainted with the paternal cousin of my mom, she got a lot of memories with him as she used to spend her vacations at grandpa's village playing with her cousins. I have stayed in their village during our vacation too, but I never remember seeing him there; perhaps he was out of the village on a job, our first intro was at his marriage. He was a flooring contractor in Mysore. More than 100 employees are working under him, and a lot had benefited from him. The youngsters from his village and family circle hired by him acquired flooring and become contractors themselves later.

I have been to Mysore twice, and both the time we stayed at his home and looked around the places. The first visit was after his marriage (1997), and the next was 10 years later, by then when he had three little kids. Only 2 weeks back, his elder daughter's engagement took place, and only my mom and brother attended the function following the preventive action. He has just built a big house in his village, and since the outbreak, he stays in the village with his family and makes monthly a visit or two to Mysore.

During one such visit after her daughter's engagement, he got the infection and spread it to his family. Many others who returned to the village from Mysore also had the infection, and they spread it for their share. He was on the ventilator for the last 3 days before he breathed last.

He's a respectful person, and during our visit to his house in Mysore, he treated us with such delight and made sure we are comfortable. His son just admission to medicine, and another daughter at college should be missing his father's support, and his family was dependent on him. Even though there won't be a problem with wealth, but still, the void left by him irreplaceable. 

Almost it was the same with my other uncle, the maternal cousin of my mom, though he isn't a big businessman or someone possession enough to leave their family to feel secure. His death was something that really shattered us, and we never thought he would die as he responded so well for the treatment of more than 10 days in the hospital with the aid of oxygen. And he passed away within a few days of discharge and while eating his breakfast at home.

He's not only mom's maternal cousin; he's my dad's cousin sister's son. So, he's related more than a way to us, and how could we not say his death is a tragedy when there's a series of death in his family. In 2019 his father passed away, and the following year he missed his mother, and in Dec 2020, his brother-in-law died prematurely, which has quite shaken their lives.

He's the one who motivated me to use a computer since he owned a DTP shop, and after I dropped out of school, I started learning computer, and it was through him I bought my first computer in late 2000. Because of the job of long seated, he got a serious back problem and was forced to change his work pattern. He shifted to various jobs, but he couldn't sustain a permanent job or income. He has two sons - one is doing engineering 2nd year and another studying in high school - and the elder boy is a smart and humble being.

I really need to say, his wife, who is also my cousin, is down to earth. And I have never seen someone as patient as her. She has gone through a lot of trouble due to the contradiction with her mother-in-law, but all the time, she was the one to step down, and she never complained about it.   The way she brought up defines her character, and I've seen her from my childhood, and she hadn't changed till now. There won’t be anyone who dislikes her, and what she exercises is all pure love and care.

It was not less than 6 months since she lost her beloved brother, who had been a great support to her financially and emotionally, and I couldn't imagine what kind of mindset she should be now. I could only feel disaster. I truly wish for the welfare of these families, and losing the family heads needn't a definition, and it's definitely a thorn trek for these families to reach the various summit. I hope they are motivated in some way to look forward to driving. Peace

I don’t think I need to define the situation in India as the world watches us; uncertainty continues as we are into the 6th day of the whole lockdown in our state Tamil Nadu. Keep us in your thoughts, please.

Covid Continuation and Personal Touch!

Covid hasn't changed its face in India and continues to storm ever stronger. Our state Tamil Nadu is increasing with cases at a range of 1000 per day. Since the assembly election results on Sunday, the yet to form new government has tightened the restrictions to an almost state of lockdown, leaving open the essential shops and limited public transportation. Whatever the government, without people's cooperation, nothing going to work out, but I could see a positive response, or accepting tendency from people, perhaps they continue to see the fierceness of covid 19 on every platform they roam and from their own circle of people. 

Last week one of our family friends died of corona. He's a barber, as well as an artist, who plays the traditional musical instrument Nadaswaram. He has played at all our family festivals, and everyone in our family circle knows him, and he's the only one who had cut my hair from childhood and trim beards once I started to grow. Since the early 90s, he owns a barbershop under the house of our grandpa's, and he succeeds the shop from his father as he becomes old and passed away later. So, until I was able to walk, I cut hair from his shop whenever I visit grandpa's house, and we never paid him, and he used to debit the amount from the rent.

It really saddens all of us, and we couldn't believe he's no more, and before the news become certain, I truly wished it shouldn't be him. I know he's somewhat indifferent wearing the mask, so I stopped calling him lately since the beginning of 2nd wave of covid, and I think now that I made the right decision. We couldn't share our condolences with their family or attend the funeral due to the covid. I wish he rested in peace.

One of my uncles and my mom’s cousin is admitted to hospital for nearly 10 days due to the covid infection, and he has been kept on oxygen. But his condition is far better from the day of admitted, and once his oxygen level becomes stable, he would perhaps be discharged. I have seen the indifference in wearing masks at both the persons I have mentioned above, and their conditions have certain created an impact on others, the importance, and need of wearing the mask.                

I think the people's anticipated price to realize the significance of covid seems so high. The consciousness is something I guess hasn't been obtained well by anyone, including some well-educated to realize what happens around them; forgetfulness is something natural, but how come one forget easily the terrific scenario taking place all over the world. Over a year, shouldn't we have learned to live with the mask? 

The health workers', doctors' lives are oscillating over life or death in preventing and curing the infection, but our roles weren't much greater, and their anticipation wasn't that much. Simple, wear a mask and stand or talk at a distance from each other is enough to improve the situation and quickly get us back to a normal lifestyle. Everyone is stuck in some cage, and liberation is a must to cheer up the body and mind that has been exhausted overseeing the destruction of lives and livelihoods due to covid 19. It's every Indian's responsibility to save our country, to act according to it.  Let's work together.

Spiritless Pongal Festival?

2020 exists no more, but it took away the happiness and festival spirit with along. I didn’t decorate the Christmas tree or put lights for Christmas and New Year, and now with Pongal, in 2 days I couldn’t feel excited in the usual way.  Pongal is the only festival that leftover to speak the tradition and culture of Tamil people living all over the world and it is a common festival that communicates our lifestyle and unites the people to support and thank farmers for their continuous work of feeding.

Every year we used to draw colorful Kolams, aka Rangoli, in front of the home to add auspiciousness to the festival, and boiling milk and rice in a mud pot, on top of firewood, is another kind of gesture greeting farmers and nature, and also helping the pottery workers.

I always love celebrating a festival beyond its religious beliefs and rituals, as I believe festivals are mean to gather people and celebrate the spirit of togetherness. Pongal is a social festival and farmer’s festive so wishing for their wellness is important and being a pandemic period, we had no option other than limiting our celebrations although our celebration is always restrained to two families. But this year is gonna be celebrated in the kitchen itself. Hehe

Talking about the past year will only make it sadder than happier, and it is a year the world will never forget for the number of losses mankind faced, but the consoling fact was nature restored its place even if it is a temporary phase.  Personally, 2020 is a devastating year for us apart from the pandemic Dracula sucking the life from all over the world, some lives were lost in our family circle and a couple of them were quite unexpected. Though no life is lost for COVID-19, my uncle’s death was the most sent tremors into our family than the cousin who died leaving back two little kids. No life is left to comparable and life is a life that is replaceable by anything but we haven’t been close with that cousin to deeply feel the pain.

This cousin is a good-hearted guy, and kindness would melt in front of his smile, and he had never raised his voice or think to hurt anybody, but he died out of high pressure and cardiac arrest. Perhaps because of this, he hadn't shared his problems with others, and this is a problem with many of our reserved types is to suffer silently. He’s a project manager in a reputed IT firm and an affectionate kid to his mom and with a problematic married life, should I need to define the challenges he got in front of him to cease his life?

My uncle is just 6 months younger than my dad and thus they are like best friends and whatever it is dad only call him first to know his thought before proceeding. I would say he was an iron man who lived among us, and his support to our families is significantly strong and there’s nothing he unknown, and has great grasping power to workout things at observing.  It was him, and it was on his captainship my brother’s wedding in November held successfully. But he couldn’t live less than a week to see them lead their life or any of our future events.  

We meet him frequently or to say at least once in a week or two, it was hard for us to think or feel he’s no more but we feel regret for our aunt who misses him the most as a loving wife. They lived like made for each other and as a cool and casual couple.  They lead any of our functions from the front and now seeing her confined to home hurts really. I hope she returns to normalcy and continues the way she was earlier. I know she too knows life has to move on, more than any of the other, as she already came over her daughter’s demise a decade ago. My thoughts go for her…

Thank you

Lappy back and A short video/photo slide of Bro’s wedding

The laptop is back in its former condition, and I'm glad the technicians saved the laptop nor should have looked out for new. To everyone’s amazement, my laptop survives 9 years without any major repair! There won’t be a surprise if it comes up with another issue because I’m in a situation to install anything additional to the system or force anything out of its circuit. I’m happy I could blog again, and I wish this laptop last some time to celebrate our 10 years partnership. lol 

Brothers wedding photos selection was going on my laptop and this setback with the laptop delayed the progress of sending photos for the album. I took some photos from the wedding folders and made a short video or photo slide with the Clips app on the iPhone to send to friends and relatives as Whatsapp messages. The app has some animation clips, and I used them to enhance the photo view. I share below the video for your views. Watch in full screen for a good show.

My Brother’s Wedding Story

Before I go ahead, I need to say I wasn't in mind to post this blog because we faced a great loss to pluck away the happiness instantly coming out of the wedding mood. The unexpected loss of one of my uncles shattered us to pieces and left us in a great void of grief. I should make a post soon on this ironman, who had been greater shoulder support to our family and who also conducted the wedding from the front.  

Despite the pandemic restrictions and alert and alarming Nivar cyclone, the last week's wedding of my brother went on well and trouble-free as along. What we anticipated wasn’t far disappointing, but instead, reversed in order of what we planned.

We headed to the wedding hall earlier than we planned as we had no idea when the cyclone would hit hard or reach its extreme, so we informed the cook to prepare lunch for us,  and the bride’s family too reached the hall by the afternoon for the evening reception. There’s a custom that the bride should be invited only from the temple rather than going straight to the wedding hall had been broken down by the Nivar cyclone.

The day the reception and wedding was surrounded by gusty winds and pattering rain, agree to blow along the resonating Nadhaswaram and Thavil – our traditional music instrument used in weddings and any auspicious functions. Our family friend Selvam and his team of instrumentalists hit the notch in their playback instruments. Perhaps because this’s a wedding everyone looked out for for a very long time, and the enthusiasm hasn’t left him alone.

Everything went on planning or timing we set on other than fewer disappointments. We anticipated more people for the reception and less for the marriage, but the cyclone kept the twist, thereby reversing the order. The threatening Nivar cyclone had kept away many people from attending the evening reception as many don’t want to take a risk paid a visit to the morning wedding. But there weren’t people up to our expectation, and we understand the situation wasn’t favorable to us and there’s a waste of food for about 200.

Glad we decided to advance going to the wedding hall and halted there for the night, instead of coming home and return in the morning, like how we planned first.  Sure it would be a bad idea to execute our former plan in the gusty wind and rain, and our stay at the wedding hall was comfortable too. The room allotted for us on the ground floor was spacious with two king-size beds, reminding the cottages we hire during our travel,  was convenient to stay and watch every aspect of the wedding.

The night wasn’t easily forgettable apart from the gusty wind and rain blasting outside, there’s something disturbed the sleep, and it was a cold night that didn’t allow us to use to twin a/c in the room. The bride and the groom looked fair at their wedding/reception outfits and makeups what didn’t go right at the engagement.  After the wedding, the couple went to Tirupati to fulfill the request from the bride’s side.

I wore the mask thoroughly at the wedding, while many didn’t care a bit. I keep insisting my father wear the mask. But during the rituals, it goes off.  I keep the mask away only when I got to pose for a photo!

We were worried about conducting the marriage in the pandemic period, but the cyclone steered the wheel differently. We stayed at the wedding hall till everyone leaves and we moved out only after loading the things the bride brings home as Seeru (gifts from her parents) in the mini-truck, and we also made sure that we didn't miss anything. We are almost content with the happenings at the wedding, and the couple is happy, and the sis-in-law is quite calm and familiar to practice though we haven’t met before. And everyone had our part of smiles through the event.

A group photo of our beloved families after the wedding session and the one standing 2nd from the right (with a big mustache) is our uncle who passed two nights ago in a heart attack. 

Preparing for Bro's Wedding

Brother’s wedding arrangements were going in full swing, and with only two days left for the occasion – of Nov 25^th evening reception and Nov 26^th morning marriage – the invitation process came to an end with Panthakaal on Sunday. Panthakaal is a pre-wedding ritual, where a wooden pole is planted in front of the house (a few days ahead of the wedding) after prayer for a trouble-free wedding ceremony. In the bygone era, word of mouth was the only source of communication; so pole planting ensures the passers-by get to know about the wedding and also the good news is passed to others.

Now, following the Panthakaal, Nalanggu is performed on him for the remaining days to the wedding. Nalanggu is an activity of applying turmeric paste on the cheeks, hands, and feet of the bride and groom by the married women, and as a blessing, saffron is applied to their forehead. Mostly it’s a 3-day ritual, and we are having guests visiting us every day to perform the rite, and my brother is at hold at home from Sunday.  Other than relatives, we invite friends and neighbors to visit us to perform the ritual, and for me, I get something special to eat at home in the evenings and at night as we have guests.

Everything goes well until now, and our house got a cheerful look like the wedding lights that set home in the festival glow. But not to forget, the Nivar cyclone is nearing us and threatening to mess the celebration mood as it is predicted to strike exactly on the dates of the wedding. We have no option other than facing anything that comes our way, but we hope the cyclone passes off quickly before the event began.

The last few weeks were kind of huff and puff for the parents, and presenting the invitation has kept them away from the afternoon naps and our bedtime to past 11 pm. My uncle's family next door has taken care of me while my parents were away on an inviting spree, we still can’t reach out to many of them as we got a very short time, and the pandemic is another troublesome kicking ass as well. Conducting a marriage in a situation of social distancing and mask-wearing is a different experience we’re looking forward to, and hope things work well for us safely and securely.

In memories of Maya!

She came rolling into my life like a snowball

The furry coat, like snowflakes, goosebump

As she comes caressing around the legs

To lay head, cozily around the wheels

In hope, I won't hurt her, as I lived up to her.

 

She forced into my life like a syringe 

Though it hurt, she eases the pain to the least

Like an ointment over the wound, her licks  

Wet the heart, to hate her, to become impossible 

Unavoidable trouble to walk all our paths to delight. 

 

She’s someone I fought to forget

As her memories are quite fond, to forget

Never did I felt pain like this at the heart

Missing someone ever been closer, to

Share space in the bedroom for eleven years. 

 

She's pressure on life to always end with a cheer

And I ever got angry with her for human error

The black marble eyes often convey a message

Of love, affection, and care in reciprocation

I never dream of her staging a lifeless drama.

 

She’s truly an angel in the world of us

Still, I keep away her thoughts, yet a year to pass

Nothing disturbed me like what she did in my life

The furry soft were spike sharp when I feel at last

She departed, leaving us in the clutch of hearts.

Ps. To know more about her (Maya) click Here