Friday, December 22, 2023
Fault! Whose!?
Tuesday, August 08, 2023
Repetition
One hot afternoon, about 30 years ago, I was walking back home after the daily darshan of Parthasarathy Swami. A particular pregnant woman was walking in the area and seeking alms. She came towards me and asked me give some money.
As a 10 year old kid who was walking alone, I had a only a 25 paise coin and gave to her. She got wild and asked me why I was giving such a small sum and asked for atleast 1 rupee. I got angry. I asked her to return the coin, took it back and walked home, plainly ignoring all the choicest abuses that were rolling out from her.
Since that incident, I had a policy of never giving any money or help to beggars. It hurt me that much.
Back to earlier this evening. We were waiting for a vehicle in front of Madhya Kailash temple. An old man walked up to us and asked for money. I gave him a 5 rupees coin. Some coins had dropped from my wallet. As I was picking them up, he claimed they were his and he had only 1 rupee in his hand. When we reminded him that he had 5 rupees in his hand and whatever was on the floor were not his. He started to abuse and demanded atleast 20 rupees or more.
Me being myself, I was going to take back the 5 rupees and get into the vehicle. I was pulled away from doing that. My brother had to physically pull me away and shove me into the cab that had arrived for us to leave. The choicest abuses were going on today as well.
Times change. Quantity changes. Behaviour and incidents do not change.
Monday, January 10, 2022
Equality?
This is a thought that has been bothering one for a while now.
We are all brought up in a society which has its own restrictions and thoughts. Dresses, activities, behaviour and all else is classified based on gender roles
A woman doing something that is considered traditionally masculine is hailed and considered as part of women empowerment. A woman doing hard-work, wearing traditionally masculine-tagged clothes (shirts and pants etc.) is considered a good thing. Anything that a woman does outside of the traditional definition is considered bringing them to mainstream. It is labelled as removing gender discrimination. It is celebrated even by the so called feminists.
There was even a recent press article which boasted and celebrated the introduction of uni-sex uniform elsewhere. Everyone was pictured wearing pant and shirt. Women who become engine drivers, auto drivers, bus drivers are celebrated.
It all sounds happy and cozy till now.
However, a man wearing clothes in bright colours which are traditionally considered feminine is a taboo. A pink shirt and green pant is ridiculed. So called openminded folks themselves don't even permit such things, let alone appreciate or even approve. It is not about a male wearing a skirt or a saree. It is ridiculed. Such a thing is passed around as a joke.
Sometimes, while a woman in a saree is praised, a man in a dhoti is not treated similarly.
One tends to think that real equality is when no such sexist and gender-biased rules exist. Any person must be free to wear anything they consider comfortable. It must not be commented. It must not be looked at, with any coloured lens.
Real equality is when every person is free to practice what he/she/they consider correct for themselves. That is the mordern and open society that must be aimed at...
interesting conversation overheard at a shop recently
Sunday, February 14, 2021
Bovine Intervention
The recent video of an incident during Parthasarathy Perumal's Garuda sevai reminds one of an incident from about 35 years ago.
We lived in a house situated at a street corner. One of them was road leading to Vasantha bungalow and the other was known to be the milkbowl.
True to its name, it had many families which maintained cattle.
One fine evening during vasantha utsavam, Parthasarathy Perumal was on his way to his bungalow. He came to a halt at the said street junction, for aarthi and mandagapadi.
As we were all standing...
We were all standing and having darshan. It was eventless till a particular cow decided she wanted to have darshan of the Lord. There she came towards the Lord. She couldn't find a comfortable way.
That's when she decided to do whatever is necessary to see the Lord
She started to make a dash and came with full force. Charged with all her energy, she pushed all people on their way. And then in her energy and vigour she came and pushed everyone including those who were carrying the Lord.
And she couldn't control herself there after all.
The final target was Parthasarathy Perumal himself. Unable to bear the impact of her push, he came crashing down.
After seeing him to her content, she happily went back like a silent girl.
In a few moments there was such a melee. Everyone was on the floor.
All people and the Lord were rattled. People then came to their senses, pulled themselves up and lifted Perumal back to his peedam. The entire procession then quickly returned to the temple.
Took some time for people to clean up the place.
Pieces of ornaments and other things which are used to do alankaram for the Perumal were found on the road for the next few days. They were all collected and returned to the temple.
Perumal was not bothered of the incident and he continued to come in his usual way.
Utsavam continued as usual from the next day.
Still in the memory.
As a 5 year old, one was snatched away into the house when the cow came charging. Saw the falling of people from the window.
Such incidents always stay in the memory. Mostly still fresh.
Tuesday, October 01, 2019
Ganeshu - The tambura that wouldn't strum anymore
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Wanderings at Lunch
This afternoon, one was having a solitary lunch. A simple fair of a couple pieces of wheat flour based Indian bread with a tomato based accompaniment and a couple of slices of toasted brown bread. As one was munching, a certain acquaintance from office walks up to one's table and states "enna saar, chappati ellam saapidareenga. north indian aagiteengala" (what sir? you are eating chapathi and all. have you become a north indian?) and walks away.
Left one puzzled. One wanted to go to his table and question him if he is of Irish domicile, since he eating a dish made from potatoes, if he has plans to be identified as a South American, since there is a sufficient dash of chillies in his meal, if he has taken a residence in Jakarta, since he most probably had idly for breakfast on atleast one occasion amongst the past half-a-dozen mornings and some further similar questions.
Well, does it really matter!
Sunday, August 26, 2012
yesterday at the station.
even after all this cross-examination he half-heartedly let me continue my loitering till the train actually came.
oru train-a vedikkai paakaradhu ivlo periya thappaaa:((
