Money matter

I never planned what I do then, but thought someday it may exist from mind. I didn’t wonder, because I know the bud one day will bloom into flower, but what seems is will it fragrance or not. Certainly it’s unpleasant to me, because the matter is of money. Though I am unemployed so does money seems idle to me, where it comes through is not from my hard work or brilliance. I think is there no life without money? And more than any relationship does money distributes the silence and peace? I felt am nothing in the world, what I do survive seems dump, but there is only hope and evidence my parents. And much glad even more than anyone there are friends whom truly care and love for what us. I learn what friendship means from my dad and his friends, apart from the values they support certainly foremost. I see much evidence in past what glimpse that money is nothing a matter at all when it comes to caress. I strongly believe there is no powerful than human and nature. Everything got a price in this world and even we move beyond for that to simply missing the most.

I no need search for an example, the person in my mind at every motion of our lives he exists. Where money is nothing a matter he proved and his conclusion is the proof. My uncle Shyam is the only person behind our comfort, wealth and peace. Without him we are unsettled, his ability is reasonable the world forgets sooner his depart. I see all starts don’t shine brighter, not that they aren’t special, because they are away and inability to glow, like human in understanding. Basically when we understand the need, money is nothing a matter. Money is a path to move, where we see and experience is vivid glow. I could easily think without any intention in the world, not planning tomorrow, and the only thing to misery is who carry me without values. When thinking about value, money come first sending human behind. Even a talented is dismissed by money and a feel comes does everything leads to money. Money is a source of life, but we can’t eat them right; since we rule with money and what we earn is nothing belong to us when it comes to human, the only souls remain forever. There is no intension or distraction behind this post, but something gets me flow.

I find this post interesting on kolam.

December – The fascinating month

The December derives many a things to cherish; esp. the December cold is the favorable time of the year, where the Chennai infamous for its hot weather experience a sensation of cold, the dew dawn is remarkable throughout this month and beyond. During this time, the mind craves to wake up early to experience the free of cost air condition from the worldwide winter season and to be in Chennai or any other place this month cheers the warmth inside blanket, where we never want to get out of it ;)

I wish to travel a lot during this month and the dew dawn is never refreshing like anything esp. for me and if there’s a choice I will choose this month to explore places on surface and even breathing the tremble cold of hill stations. There are few travels I took during this month are most fascinating in my rides and my first time to Valparai in Dec 2008, near Kovai or Coimbatore is rejuvenating even thinking now and almost riding around the pristine mountains and stunning country sides of Pollachi and Erode is evergreen.

One pleasant evening of December, near Kanyakumari 

Last year on the same month, I was around the southern tip of India –Kanyakumari, enjoying the simple stay and travel among the wind energies and roaring rock waves with settings of sun and nip in the air were appreciably. On our way back, climbing the Sirumalai (Small Hill – which isn’t very small like the name refers) on the Natham-Dindigul main road is fascinated by its quite tranquility and rich in small banana plantation, the cold wind will enforce you to hold embrace even there was bright flash of sunlight and the couple of villages or colonies as they mention there inhabited to horseback packed products grows around the hills.

The December has something distinct feature as fragrance, stretching both the wings of hot and cold and the real odor of it could be experienced only in villages, while they produce smokes in evening to warmth as well driving away the mosquitoes that breed mostly in this month or season, after rain. The cow dung smell was something enrich during this time, where most of the houses are swish swashed to cow dung sprayed on the courtyard before drawing a beautiful Rangoli or Kolam (a design created by using flour) to flourish their homes, which is a tradition followed esp. during the Tamil month of Margazhi – which begins at the middle of December.

The music and dance has been great conjoin to December, where many a concerts and dance festivals hold everywhere across Chennai, I have no idea about the vibes it creates, but hope it has something wonderful, only those passionate about could express right. Overall, the December has an enchanting climate unlike any other month or season; I too believe each season/month has its own essence to cherish; the December has a distinct sky with glorious setting of sun, which I well observed during my Kanyakumari visit.

Gates on Pvt. Beach lanes off ECR

Last Sunday I went for a brief drive on ECR (east coast road), with one of my visiting cousin and the other who drive me always, and as a part of ride, I come across few by-lanes (between VGP and ECR Link Rd) that led to private beaches. I like visiting these lanes from very long back, and I enjoy the quietness and isolation provided by these lanes, all lead to deserted beaches.  Couple of times, during the days I used caliper shoe, I went there to practice some walk in the empty roads and have taken trails in my power wheelchair when it was newly bought.

It’s been long time I checked these lanes and beaches, so decided to do it in the afternoon of Sunday. As we turned into one of the lane, I was left in awe to see the road that were once pretty, was almost damaged (due to work on underground drainage) and looked uneven to drive. But I enjoyed doing off-road on the cut across road in our mini cooper (Suzuki Swift) and spent some time on the end of sandy beach. I find at least a couple of eatery, ice-cream vendor and a balloon shooting at the end of few lanes that open to beach.

While come back from one of the lanes, I suddenly got an idea why not capture some of the gates on the lane to use at the good fences meme. There are many farm houses and private guesthouses on these lanes, and each enclosed with a pretty/neat/variant gate for each of the entrance. I captured about 10 gates, but all from the slowly moving car as I hesitate to halt in front of each gate and to be not warned by the watchmen or captured by the CCTV! So only half the photos came out decently to share here: 

A planked gate gives a look of modern  

Gate in style of picket 

Gate to an open plot

A sliding gate... adorn by a beautiful kolam/rangoli

Linking this post for Run a Round Ranch's Good Fences

Celebration of Harvest – Pongal Festival

Pongal, the traditional festival of Tamils is left by two days. Tradition is something I always admire and I believe everything has some scientific reasons behind our customs and traditions what in later days turned relevant to faith. Pongal, the harvest festival of south India is a thanksgiving to farmers, cattle’s and nature in support of cultivation, though it is celebrated all over India in different names and custom, the core intention was to stand up for the farmers who the reason for our daily food.

A simple Pongal  kolam or rangoli from the neighborhood, last year.

Mostly, Pongal is a festival celebrated grandly and traditionally in villages and small towns where the farmers and the related sources exist. But in cities I feel we almost lost the touch of real essence of Pongal – the earthen pots, which brings a connection between earth and us and in combination of firewood produce a distinct flavour what any other utensils could promote and the bubbling up of pot with rice is another cheerful part believed to bring auspicious to home and hope to life. And that’s why I try to celebrate Pongal in traditional way each year, even though we couldn’t live up to farmers and villagers dedication I try the best to convince parents to celebrate/cook Pongal in pot and firewood.

I see Pongal brings new spirit to life and by celebrating the festival I feel grateful for the farmers and anything related to farming and food processing. ‘Suriya Pongal’ is another aspect of the festival devoted to prime source Sun (Suriya-n) where the Pongal pot is placed in open area where the sunlight falls, and by boiling the rice from newly harvested crop is a way of thanking its light and energy fuelling in cultivating crops. And ‘Thai Pongal’ is another term refers to Pongal which meant the beginning of Tamil month Thai, according to Tamil calendar, and the month when the harvest begins is believed to bring hope and ways to live with harvested grains.

A earthen pot on firewood stove  getting ready to cook Pongal, from the previous pongal festival a couple of years back.

This year the Pongal extends into the weekend, following Pongal, Maattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal on 15, 16 and 17 respectively to 18 and 19 as weekend. Though the holidays doesn’t going to do anything with me or change across, but I could end up watching TV programs on special days after try to make firewood Pongal in the balcony, just like the previous year, and others could be the routine. One thing special about this Pongal is I gonna watch the programs and movies in my new big Led TV. Lol

Though Pongal is a piece of cake to us compared to villages and small towns where the celebration is whole, I always try to connect the feel and think back the times at grandparents’ home and visits to villages on Maattu (Bull) Pongal to take part in their celebrations, where cattle’s are decorated and their shelters being cleaned and worshiped and kids taking joy rides in bullock carts, to cherish myself to pick up the energy to go further. I think a festival mood couldn’t be enrich unless added some people to make my belief true that festivals are to be celebrated together with people rather making it a custom to celebrate alone or mark it as holidays only. I always wish to celebrate festivals along with people or at least surrounded by dear ones. I wish people from India a Happy Pongal and Makar Shankranti!

Pongal 2020

Mom's colorful floral Kolam

It’s more than a week since Pongal passed off gracefully, and as expected we had a traditional Pongal made in earthen pot and firewood stove into the balcony, just like the previous year. The day began with mom and aunt drawing colourful Kolams at the gateway and below the balcony (what you seen in the previous post) and we got ready wearing the latest cloths and skipped the breakfast to have an early lunch with Pongal. Mom arranged for the bricks and firewood a day earlier to the festival and late in the morning of Pongal aunt joined mom in preparing Pongal and arranging of things.

The Pongal pot bubbled up well and sustained in its overflowing state sometime for me to capture the moment.  Though it is believed as a sign of welcoming the year and good harvest, I see the real happiness and concern was getting together with the family of uncle and thanksgiving the nature in unison because Pongal isn’t a religious festival to hold back into the home, it is a dedication to farmers and nature what coexists in deciding our food and stepping out of home is where lies all. Other than the day with Thai Pongal, with holidays extended up to 5 days wasn’t anything special and the television programs weren’t interesting and the movies relayed were also already watched in online streams. As usual I went around the neighbourhood to capture Pongal Kolams drawn in front of the houses and found very few color Kolams drawing my attention. And I think of sharing it in another post.

Pongal Day

It’s my wish to celebrate the Pongal in the traditional way, even though we had no way to bring the old style of the pongal, which celebrates, in village sides. This year we (Tamil Nadu) faced a new equality pongal with out seeing the religions all were gather and celebrate. As I said in my recent post most people in cities use the other vessels than sand pot to cook pongal. I had a point that I should not give it, so urged my parents to buy a new sand pot for the pongal, even though we had a old pot, I needed only new ones. Wake up early to do not miss the special programs on TV; the pongal was over flowing from the Pot when the sun was on the top, rushed to click a snap of it.

Placing the pot in the center of the kolam on the opened gateway, it naturally took us to the traditional way, when we showing the camphor adoration to the pongal pot, and the sun; shouting Pongalo Pongal was very warm that we had a best one forever. We also got some support from a neighbor for the equality pongal. The best wishes would be from them, as they feel happy by the way we celebrate it and we also shared the sweets and pongal with them. I felt that in my apartment most don’t likes to share the festivals or the enjoyment with others, except some whom like the one who comes forward interestedly to share the pongal. Now I really miss my old neighbors in my old place who are even ready to put love fight with us for their share in our pongal. How sweet it was!!

The place was very silent, only parents, my grandma and me were presented to worship the sun. My bro was off from this as he was wandering with his friends for the first day ticket for new release films. Even thought it was bore time, I was happy that we are celebrating our festival in good mood.

Bhogi day

The 4 days of Pongal celebrations has end! As I can tell this year I had a best pongal’s forever, my parents agreed with me to celebrate it with my wishes. The Bhogi plan was to wake up early and visit my cousin’s bhogi celebration, but when we reach, he was sleeping and my aunty has burned some thing. I have noticed some Bhogi fire’s near my place and took some pictures, it was funny to click the fire that the kids were asking are u from SunTv. Even though the pollution board and police warned of burning tyre, I saw some used the tyres to burn, but the awareness has helped the people, compare to last years this year the smoke was low and the fog was little. This would be the first time I went to beach early morning after my childhood, the place was very silent, many were going walking and got a good view of sunrise. I should tell I give my mom more stress to draw big Kolam before the gateway, some of my neighbors have gone to their homeland in their cars, so we got much space to put big kolams. I need to share more about my pongal and Mattu pongal, will do it in my next post ok. (click on the pic to see big)

Social Women

I like to tell u about a women, who have a good care on our society.

I used to see a woman, every day near our house, every morning she used to sweep the entrance of every shop. When walk on the road, if she finds any stones or paper or any garbage in the road, she pick up and put it on the dustbin. Many people will walk on the road but on one will think to pick the waste paper and put it on the dust bin. Up to 6.pm we used to play with our friend in the street next to our house. When the time come 6.pm many children’s will gather on the front of a Ganesh temple near our house with there school bags, we also go there to watch what they are doing in front of the Temple. I used to go there to see what they are doing in front of the temple, I was surprised, because the women who I saw picking papers on the road is teaching lessons for the kids near the temple. She also used to advice us to go and study in your home. On every Friday my mom used to take me to that Ganesh Temple. In every temple I have see only male priest, but in that temple this women was a priest. I wonder to see that temple, because the temple will be very clean and her decoration for lord Ganesh will be very beautiful.

After watching her activities, I asked my mom about her. Who is that women

My mom told me that every one call her mame, she is a widow and good educated. Mom told that she has worked as a teacher in a school, some years back. One day she had felled down and wounded in her head, so some times she used to get fix & sworn, because of this her school has dismissed her, she argue with the school for re-return but they dint take her argue and send her out. But she dint worry and sit, she like to use here education to students, so she took a pledge to take her education to the students who are poor and cant go to school with there family problems. So she started teaching the poor children’s in the temple, who are living near the temple. She teaches the students without getting money form them, because all of them are very poor kids. She also works as a priest in a Pillaiyar (Ganesh) Temple near our house. We don know where she is staying, but the people in our area call her and give food every day. My moms also some times give her food and she also used to help my mom for taking water, putting kolam (drawing in flour) and sweeping our gateway. After some day, some gang people did problem and , said not to allow her to do poojas for god. so they spread wrong words like she was mentally affect so we should not allow her inside the temple. After these incidents she stopped her priest work, but she dint stop teaching lessons for the kids. I our area some people gave her space to take lessons for kids. Two years back when she was waking on the road she got fix and sworn that time a car hit her, and she died. She dint have any relatives or kids, so our area people have gathered and done her final ceremony. She has a good care on our society, and likes to keep our country very clean and does many help for our area people. I don’t know why the got is taking such a good people to him.

RGB Monday

Half baked in light and shadow. 

All days are same these days or to say every day seems like Sundays after the implement of lockdown. Just felt it was Monday today and decided to cheer up with a colourful image while there is sadness, fear and uncertainty rules the globe right away. Here I share my aunt’s colorful Kolam drawn for the Tamil New Year (April 14) in front of our house and it was a day passed like any other day. The lockdown is extended up to May 3 here and the covid cases are only at rise but it was bit better in our state Tamil Nadu where there is good numbers of recovery and less death ratio. I see some people continue to blame the govt. for lockdown as if they purposely doing it to punish them… I wonder where they lose their senses in perceiving the fact or failed to understand the progress of Covid 19 when everything they connected speaks the same. This attitude is really bad and perhaps this makes them act indifferently and disobediently to put others life at risk. Hope all stay home and stay safe.