கோடை மழை / Summer rain

Pic by Jeevan (from archives)

வேர்க்க விறுவிறுத்த காலம்

கோடை மழையில் இன்று ஜிலு ஜிலுவேன.

உஷ்ணத்தின் உச்சகட்டம்

இன்று மேககூட்ட பக்கம்

பொலிவிழந்த பச்சையிலைகள்

புதிதாய் வண்ணம் தீட்டியது போல்

தாகத்தின் விளிம்பில்

வேகமாய் உறிந்து திர்த்தது பூமி

The season of vigorously perspire
become cool in the summer rain.

The pinnacle of warmth
got clouds side this day

The faded green leaves
as newly painting

At the edge of thirst
the earth sucked away quickly. 

Balsam bloomed @ home

First time I saw the balsam in Valparai, on the Western Ghats and it was bloomed in gorgeous red! Impressed in its beautiful and colorful flowers, my grandmother collected some seeds from there and sowed at our flower pots and in her backyard. The plant grows very fast and looked like small trees grown in pots, but they haven’t flowered and we also stopped watering the plant and later cleared the pots to plant other.

The balsam plant, which is native to the Himalayas has colorful blossoms and also sweet scented. Just look like an orchid growing in the wild, the balsam plant grows in hilly regions and does not require much watering. The plant grows in large numbers and sometimes the whole mountainous region where the plant is seen is covered with pink or red. The balsam plant has a unique way of propagation, which develops seed pods that burst and spreads the seeds far away.

The flap of a petal which looks like a helmet and this plant is also called the policeman’s helmet. The plant grows for two to three feet and flowers profusely, have leaves bright green in color growing in central arrangement and have wavy edges. The balsam blooms almost similar to rose flowers, look like roses from far and only the fact that they don’t have thorns.

The balsam grows and blooms during summers and beginning of rains, has shown blossom now at home and not from our pot, but the tenants who share our house in upstairs. They have kept their flower pots in front of our house, which we water daily since they haven’t occupied quite yet. 

Summer sprung

Shimmering in sunshine

Brilliant colors exhibit…

Enrich the already exists.

The golden sunlight

Glitter and gleam

Enhance the earth

With intense heat - light

Provoke favorable weather

Only to a part of it!

Footnote:

The picture was composed at home during morning time when sun was shimmering around! 

Vote to transparency

A day ahead to the 16^th Parliament election in India for the state of Tamil Nadu, I am looking forward to exercise my franchise as usual in the afternoon while there were fewer crowds in the polling booth. Situated less than a km from home, I have decided to go in my power wheelchair, since I have voted twice already in the last parliament and legislature assembly, I hope there won’t be any difficult this time as well! Already many began to ask me the usual question that rose during election time, was, for whom I’m going to vote. Actually when I come to know there was a youngster, age 26, was contesting in my constituency from Twinleaf, I was overwhelmed to vote him but later I dropped the idea since I couldn't find any individual conducive from his side, rather being a doctor he praise for only the party leader and no public service background out of the party. So I decided to support iLa Ganesan from National Flower, who is a senior leader and bachelor with wealth of just 0.3 million… a transparent being on his personal and public life, even I have difference of opinion on his or his party’s policy, I believe he deserve being a parliamentarian and the National Flower, a hopeful successor for next regime to drag away the corrupted and deceitful Hand!

I have decided long back not to vote for the Hand or Rising-Sun, so the decision was likely to make between Twinleaf and National Flower and while looking out for their candidates for my constituency (of South Chennai), I felt good with both of them. One being an active youngster and another senior man, both has different political backgrounds (one being a son of former speaker and the senior is a long time party worker and disciplinarian) and it was the first election for both of them. Being a youngster myself, I have dreams of central and state were ruled by younger people, but standing from their individuality or capacity to work individually on social field rather being a screwed doll. I don’t think the Twinleaf candidate is eligible for what I was expecting (even I know I deserve nothing to comment on others), I have the right to chose my candidate and I find iLa Ganesan is best and I like to vote for his transparent being and let National flower flourish.

I add here a link on iLa Ganesan's interview!

From the outskirts of Chennai

I had a small outing last Sunday with my family on the outskirts of Chennai, taking a detour among the countryside and few forest routes leading all the way to my grandfather’s village on the Chengalpet-Thiruporur road. Rather taking the usual routes of ECR and OMR, I went on the roads that are alternate but not far from the IT Corridor and about 15km of stretch that was explored by me for the first time. My uncle suggested me this route that has big lakes (without traces), some patches of reserve forest and villages alongside farm lands. It’s quite out of traffic and the smooth road helps enjoying a leisure ride, breathing fresh air that blend with the village scents and fields of green and harvested lands producing different scenes to sight.

We had our lunch at the tree shades, shattered on barren or waterless lake and felt hot only for minutes out of the car where we used to the afternoon breeze, which pleased later when temperature soar down. We also forget to switch on the A/C once back in car and began to move with the environment that has something to share or capture enough. We find number of nochi plants gown on the roadsides, which helps in driving away misquotes but we aren’t sure will it survive if uprooted and replant at home. So dropped the idea of picking it up and the plant produces a smell which was sweet odors.

We drive past into few villages along with my grandfather’s and had a look at his abandoned home that turned to be worst in condition seeing it after five year. While back we took the OMR and then turned towards Kovalam, as I liked to see some birds on the backwater… but I was chanced little with the sights of heron, few painted storks and cormorants at distance. We also stopped at the Thiruporur market to purchase some fresh vegetables and greens, which we usually do if whenever come across this town. Because the vegetables sold here are harvested by the local farmers from their fields and the greens is one we could find many here.

Following were pictures from my outing: 

Scenic harvested land

Field of sesame

A farmer plowing his land using ox 

Gushing water from a village pump-set

Thiruporur Murugan Temple... under renovation

Thiruporur market

Painted stork at the backwater

Indian pond heron