Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Surprising soul

In-between the non-stop rain for the last one week, we had a small break for sometime on Sunday so I thought to go out to survey our city, but it turned as a surprising evening for me. Somehow it’s not the rain or the city! It’s a person belongs to charm.
Mr. Andysam
We were yet to move out and just minutes to go, Andrew come against us to completely surprise! It sensed me like ‘not sure’ when he said he likely to visit Chennai in the first week and never informed then came before me as a quite surprise put me wordless! We really became close friends in the last couple of months and I know him for sometime through Flickr.

He is a person I never seen before being such young and enthusiastic in his age of 65! I astonish seeing his many interesting photographs and lately I become a fan of his huge zoom lens! I have talked to him couple of times and I really enjoy his gossip and he used to share stories with me about his earlier life in Chennai and busy life in pune. He’s a great example for life after retirement and more like a young man he works almost and manages a huge site project in Infosys Pune. In between he travels a lot and captures wonderful pictures.

The first thing that spots him was his coat he often wears. He hugs me before I come out of surprise and he introduce me to his friends as one of his best friend and it was dream come true for both of us. Andrew hoped to meet me, even in between heavy raining and it’s just minutes that save us together and seems it won’t be a matter even we left home, we would have returned to meet this young man and I’m so much interested to meet him.
Group photo with Andrew
(from left) Isaac, andrew, richard, me, dad and mom, maya is sitting below.
After sometime in home, knowing we’re going out he interested to join with us and we went to Marina beach. In between his busy scheduled taking sometime to spend with us is indeed special to me. We had a photo walk inside the service road along the lately developed nature’s pool (staying rainwater) opposite to Vivekananda house in marina beach.

He brought his huge lens Sigma 150-500 mm APO-OS especially to show me, because as I said before I like it very much. He gave it to me to click, but I can’t bear it as it weights 2kg! I wonder then, how he carries this much weight wherever he goes. Along with his friends Richard and Isaac, the evening goes off with great enthusiastic and fun and they’re like very young guys teasing each other.

Usually the marina beach would be crowded immense on Sundays, but being a rainy day and a ban on playing cricket inside the beach throws off less people. It was bikers who were like taking away the charge instead of cricketers racing here and there, splashing rainwater and gushes there joy blindfold.

There were children playing on the rainwater pool and dogs enjoying in the water, some families come across while few vehicles get water washed. First time being their after almost beautification works are done on marina, it doesn’t sense any different!

Andrew shoots some pictures with his huge lens, and one of his shot on an eagle that fly’s far away was simply awe... After conveying good bye to Andrew and his friends with huge hug, we spent sometime off the pool water with cousins and left home after an hour.

Monday, November 09, 2009

தமிழகஅரசே / TN govt.

State of marina
தமிழகஅரசே
முழுக்க நனைந்த பிறகு முக்காடு எதற்கு?
நகரமே நீரால் சூழ்ந்த பிறகு
முன்னெச்சரிக்கை நடவடிக்கை குறித்து ஆலோசனை எதற்க்கு?

நாட்கள் எவ்வளவோ இருந்தன
சூரியன் சுட்டேரித்தது
ஆனாலும் மெரினாவை அழகு படுத்திய அரசால்
சாலைகளையும் கால்வாய்களையும் சீர்அமைக்க இயலவில்லை

அன்றைய அரசால் கட்டப்பட்டது மெரினாவில் நீச்சல்குளம்
2004 சுனாமியால் உருவானது விவேகானந்தர் இல்லம் எதிரே
குளம்!
இன்று அது மழைநீர் சேமிப்பகம்.

இரவு முழுவதும் உறக்கம் தவலைகளின் அலாரம்
தடுமாறி ஓடும் வாகனம், தார்சாலைகளின் அவலம்
ஏரிக்கரைகள் ஆக்கிரமிப்பு, அரசு வழங்குகிறது ஆவனம்
என்று விழிக்குமோ அரசாங்கம், அதன் எல்லையோ வானம்.

Tamil nadu government
when u drenched why do u need a veil?
When city was surrounded by water
what consultations on precaution act do?

There were so many days
sun baked and fried
even the govt. that beautified the marina
can’t renovate the roads and canals.

The then government builds swimming pool in marina
2004 tsunami creates the pool opposite to Vivekananda house!
Today it was a rainwater collection.

Throughout night slumber, frogs alarm
confoundedly running vehicle, tar roads condition
lake banks encroachment, govt. presenting document
when will awake the govt., which’s boundary is sky.

Friday, November 06, 2009

City words

We all almost live in a city, we have long list of words to use and here we go by taking a word and expanding it by creating more words.

It’s very simple. Take a word from your city and think about the things related to it and write a list. The idea was captured from Jan’s blog and it’s very simple, but interesting. If you like, go and write your list and add in the comment. I have also added few links on the list that get u to my pictures that related to the words.

My word is ‘beach’

restless waves
golden sand
rising sun
crimson moon
beautiful sunset
variety of shells
sea foam
cool breeze
pavement
pedestrians
sitting platform
pretty girls
boys playing cricket
Ice crème barrow
spicy chili baji
balloon shooting
roasted corn
car parking
ticket collector
hot couples
get together
lighthouse
fishing boats
fishing nets
leaders statue
monuments
mounted police
skating floor
cafes
sundal and murukku
Aagaya Thamarai (beach plants)
small crabs
faraway ships light

Thursday, November 05, 2009

பேனா / Pen / Balpen

பால்பாயின்ட் இறந்துவிடும் மை தீர்ந்தவுடன்
ஆனால் பவுஃண்டேன்
எழுதிக்கெண்டே இருக்கும் நாம் மை ஊற்ற ஊற்ற

A ballpoint dies soon ink goes dry
but the fountain
sprinkle letters forever we flow ink.

ps. somewhere the fountain links with sprinkle, so I turned word 'write' in tamil to 'sprinkle'.

The same one from Anya in dutch!

'Een balpen waarvan de inkt snel droogt
vul de fontein
schrijf letters altijd als de inkt vloeit.'

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Eagle sight and lodge

The lodge we stayed in Thiruvannamalai has a wonderful view of the hill and the temple tower. The balcony close to the room has some space to breeze and watch what happens around. It was a wonderful sight of an eagle that circle above the sky for sometime, came close to view and I don’t remember seeing an eagle such closer, but later it came down to peek and took away a log and flew away towards the hill and disappeared as my eyes pursuit.
eagle sight
I clicked some pictures, but nothing comes quite like this at least. I feel this comes out well as it falls down close to the temple tower background. It seems the bird is nesting somewhere so it picked the log.

It also reminds me the eagle that used to circle the Thirukazhukundram hill around noon and what they say is the eagles comes down everyday to fetch the food dedicated to god and what remained is distributed as ambrosia to devotees. In this way I thought is there any story behind this eagle also?

Even we got a wonderful room to stay comfort, I like sitting on this balcony and watching the town. It’s a well equipped lodge with narrow veranda, underground parking and lift. It was just like come to ooty or kodaikanal, the room was almost cool, and it’s been long time we stayed together with our family (along my uncle’s family) and I do wish such exist.
Thiruvannamalai