What’s in a New Year….Read on

What’s in a New Year when every second is new?


Seconds change to minutes, minutes change to hours, hours to days, days to months and alas months to years and so on…!

With all pomp and ceremony we welcome the so called ‘new year.’

Resolutions have become a fashion statement

Counting down the minutes to the New Year is the in-thing

Each one is caught in frenzy and knows not how to welcome it

So lo and behold we have several commercial establishments selling and marketing their ideas and ‘help us’ celebrate the ‘new year!’

No doubt, wine and dine is their USP.

So all the party-heads and frenzied heads are buys partying away to glory in the name of welcoming the New Year.

We’re caught in a labyrinth until almost the end of the year and suddenly everything becomes clear to everyone and each one is busy taking big decisions, mostly short-lived!



If there’s a real reason to celebrate, one need not wait for a few seconds to transform into a year!

Every day is new, filled with newness…It is just that we don’t take notice of it and are ignorant about the inherent changes taking place in our day to day lives.

So let’s learn to first take notice of the simpler aspects of life and celebrate the beauty of life, the way it is, everyday…!

Hail Power-cuts!

As all the electrical equipments came to a grinding halt, my afternoon siesta had to cease too, after an inexplicable dream!
Still half asleep, my hand reached to the transistor to tune in to my favourite classical music programme on FM gold.
Lilting notes of the mandolin did I hear then...
Transporting me to a world of gay abandon!...
Amidst these groovy notes off the broadcast waves and sweaty sleeplessness, effort I put in to guess the raga of the song!!
Unsure was I as usual with guesses hovering around charukesi and hamsadhawani ...finally I settled down on Malayamarutham....!!
Nostalgia was the mood created eventually with a few drops of tears trickling down my cheeks...
I soon wait for the announcer to give out the name of the raga of the next song as I had already missed the first one which had left me guessing!
At such times of pleasant crisis, the announcer's piece of information is Supreme knowledge for amateurs like me!
Reach then did I to my Parker to scribble these ramblings on a piece of paper lying on the nearest table!
Now would love to sip in to a cup of caffeine...!
I'd love to savour every sip of my coffee with a relieved feeling of having managed to pen down something after quite a while!!!

Wishing myself a good evening ahead...! :-)

Penning down vs. Keying in…

With technology advancing day by day, no doubt, the Pen & Papyrus have been replaced by e-books and blogs. I-pads and smart phones have become the order of the day and sell like hot-cakes in the market and we have an upgraded version of every invention, almost daily! This has made life much simpler for most of the budding writers. As a matter-of-fact, the pros would certainly outnumber the cons if one is to compare penning down vs keying in for all practical purposes. As and when any thought strikes a writer’s mind, all he/she needs to do is, pull his i-pad out, and type it in! With blog sites like BlogSpot and social networking sites like Twitter, publishing of this ‘thought’ becomes even easier! No wonder, the word ‘tweet’ has come into existence! Even editing is made simpler when you go digital with your work, because of spell-check! The computer also provides you with different synonyms for a word with its look-up function, not to mention the grammar-check it offers too…! With all these factors in favor, anybody with a literary panache and a penchant for writing can definitely aspire to be a full-fledged writer.

Nevertheless, none of the afore mentioned benefits of e-writing can replace the joy of conventional writing… There is an immense sense of satisfaction when one picks his favorite pen and diary to pen down his thoughts. Coupled with this feeling comes a sense of originality and an unforgettable learning experience. For when one writes something in a piece of paper, he is challenged with spelling, grammar and punctuation as against their automated counterparts. Taking out one’s old dictionary or Thesaurus is the best way of learning new words, and when learnt this way, the learning by itself becomes an experience, thereby refreshing one’s repertoire of words. Testimony to all these facts is when you see one of your articles published in any newspaper or columns in tabloids, there is a sense of pride attached to it as against your work being published online!

Overall, with due credit to the latest technology, an amateur like me would advocate responsible usage of technology yet bearing in mind basics of conventional writing rather than being technology dependent even for a simple spell-check!

Freedom-------a one liner

Freedom is like a drug...once you get its essence and begin to experience its nuances, you would not want to let go of it...One would do anything to attain that blissful state...

A tribute to my English Teacher...

Excitement fills up my senses the minute I realize I actually spoke to the professor of my teens!
Some of the building blocks of my vocabulary were laid by this venerable teacher of mine...
Thoughts of you, Sir, lay within me for years together and I knew not how to find you; although we claim "it's a small world!"
And now, lo&behold, like a God-sent gift, I regain contact with you, out of oblivion!
Of carnatic music, Of solitude, of penning. the thoughts we shared are as deep as the ocean...!
I am now tongue-tied as I spoke to you, despite the fact that we still caught up on loads of topics!
Though our conversation was short, it has made me sit down with my soul-mates- my book and my pen; and pen down some beautiful musings on your greatness!!!

Sanathana Dharma, a way of living…

Sanathana Dharma is the true nature of Hinduism. India is a country with profound culture & deep-rooted values, rich in tradition and festivity. Hinduism is one of the gems that we Indians should be proud to adorn ourselves with. On the contrary, this religion is infamous for blind beliefs and customs. Ironically, it is we Hindus who’ve been instrumental for the same.
Many of the rituals followed by us carry immense meaning & importance. When they were initially formulated by our good old seers, they were very well aware of the significance of the same. A renowned space scientist Jayanth Narlikar rightly said that we Indians have lost the “questioning ability” somewhere down the line… The sages of the past used to question their masters when asked to follow something. Questioning is now considered as being disobedient o rather taboo; thereby belittling the very existence of Hinduism.

Prayers, Gods and temples are being out rightly commercialized. Novel ways of pleasing the Almighty mushroom day by day; giving Hinduism an artificial make over. Money rules the roost as always! Brahmins are supposed to be “brahmana bahujana priya,” instead, over the years, quite sadly, the saying has become, “brahmana bojana priya!” Thousands of rupees are spent on Upanayanam; sadly only a few understand it fully and perform ‘sandhyavandhanam.’ It is such ignorance which insults Hinduism. Eg., Vinayaka Chathurthi or Navarathri means only food and bonhomie to us! Why don’t we think beyond? If the rishis of the past could do it then, why not us now? Due respect to the people who perform rites with a sense of understanding though…
Temples & religious establishments are full of lucrative offers. Various poojas are recommended and performed in the name of God, showing us all a live example of materialism in the dress of spirituality! Scriptures exhort that God realization should be the goal of a human being. They also teach us simple ways of leading a life that is gratifying. I believe service is the best way of pleasing God; mere chanting of the Lord’s name would not suffice to wash away sins.
I exhort to all, that ours is a sensible and practical religion which is more people-friendly and sure does not consist of anything absurd. The onus is on us to carry forth this religion and prevent from any form of degeneration; in other words we should be the ambassadors of “Sanathana Dharma” or in simpler terms, “a way of living…”

Memoirs…

Memoirs…

Etched in my mind stands my trip to my little hometown, Kottayam. I get a very summery-feel as I step into my ancestral home in Kerala. A gush of childhood memories came rushing through my mind making me behave like a child! Yes! Really seeking the attention of all my maternal uncles and of course my grandparents! A warm welcome as I enter the threshold of my native home. A breeze of nostalgia just blows across my face and takes me back to my childhood summer holidays!

                      The aroma of freshly brewed coffee beckons me to the kitchen, which is located half a mile away from the entrance hall. This is where I tasted my first cup of black coffee. My heart is pounding with joy and excitement, and I run into all the rooms of the house, just to survey if things have changed or still the same; and as predicted, they had changed, though not fully. Soon I start catching up on family itsy-bitsy with all my aunts and uncles. The house was as full as ever; filled with relatives and students who used to come for tuitions held by my uncles. The traditional “nalukettu” (a long square shaped space in the center of the house) had been converted into a study/ teaching room with a typical blackboard and a few benches, exactly representing a class room. This is where my maternal uncles take classes of mathematics for all standards of children. They are well known for their expertise in tuitions.

                   This house was always my playground back in school vacation days. The house in its entirety has stood tall during all trying times and always is a source of respite and contentment for me both as a kid and as a grown-up. I quickly walk up to my camera pouch and start clicking pics with an eye for detail, wanting to capture every part of my beautiful home. In the event, I go to the picturesque green pond located within the premises of this huge home. Soon I rewind to the day when I went tumbling down and fell into this pond and how my uncle came to my rescue and took me out of it!! Fond memories indeed…! I then take a sneak-peak into every corner of the house with my Canon 4.0 mega pixel cyber shot camera; just wanting to make sure I cover every portion of my home. Gradually, the day came to an end, and upon severe persuasion and plea, I get my dad’s permission to stay over that night so that I can prolong my fun-time with my kith and kin, for I had lots to catch up on!

                        With full of fun and frolic and of course lots of nostalgia, my cameo stay at my grandma’s home drew to an end and it was time to bid adieu to all. With a half-hearted smile on my face, I waved everyone a goodbye and left my home, truly hoping to revisit soon!

                       Memoirs of this are still vivid in my mind and shall never be forgotten, for they are immeasurable and priceless!! Hail Childhood!!!