The year that went by...

Tomorrow is the dawn of a new year. Am recollecting the year that went by. It was nothing short of awesome, considering the fact that my LO turned 1 and is blossoming into an adorable little girl. But when I drift my focus from the happy picture am holding too close to my eye, I see the world, the world that is becoming scarier and more frightening by the day. Its been more than a year since I moved to the US and what is happening around us is building up my fear quotient considerably. For one, I haven't mustered up enough courage to venture outdoors on my own yet. A spike in the crime rates in the neighborhood isn't helping much either. People argue that it is not just the US, robbery, cheating, sexual assaults are on the rise in India too. Whatever the statistics say, when I look back at 2014, the one thing that comes to my mind is Fear! I wish 2015 brings Peace and Harmony!

P.S:  In the year 2015, am again participating in the blogathon organised by Seema/. I don't want to start the new year on a negative note, hence this post is here already :)

Vallamai thaarayo

Subramaniya Bharathiyar - Mahakavi, Freedom fighter, Journalist, Social reformer. But to me, one word is all that comes to my mind - Pioneer! He was not just a pioneer in action but also in thoughts. As fate would have it, he was not understood let alone be celebrated during his time.
How tough should it have been to feel out of place, how frustrating to be forced into a ridiculous bubble of mundane existence - no wonder he derived pleasure in his rebellious acts. It is indeed clear from his life that he saw no fruits for his efforts but that never stopped him. All he had was visions for the future - Free India, Empowered Women, Equality and more. And his dreams were no ordinary, they were vivid as if it was screened for him, exclusively.

வெள்ளிப்பனி மலையின் மீதுலாவுவோம் - அடி 

மேலை கடல் முழுதும் கப்பல் விடுவோம் 

பள்ளிதளம் அனைத்தும் கோயில் செய்குவோம்

எங்கள் பாரத தேசம் என்று தோள் கொட்டுவோம் 

ஆயுதம் செய்வோம் நல்ல காகிதம் செய்வோம

ஆலைகள் வைப்போம் கல்விசாலைகள் வைப்போம்

ஓயுதல் செய்யோம் தலை சாயுதல் செய்யோம்

உண்மைகள் சொல்வோம் பலவன்மைகள் செய்வோம்

Sure, he had some low moments yet he resorted to asking for strength.

சொல்லடி சிவசக்தி - எனை

சுடர்மீகும் அறிவுடன் படைத்து விட்டாய்

வல்லமை தாராயோ - இந்த

மாநிலம் பயனுற வாழ்வதற்கே

சொல்லடி சிவசக்தி - நில

சுமையென வாழ்ந்திடப் புரிகுவையோ

Sounds like he had realized his potential and roared against those who ridiculed him

தேடிச் சோறுநிதந் தின்று - பலசின்னஞ் சிறுகதைகள் பேசி - மனம்
வாடித் துன்பமிக உழன்று - பிறர்
வாடப் பலசெயல்கள் செய்து - நரை
கூடிக் கிழப்பருவ மெய்தி - கொடுங்
கூற்றுக் கிரையெனப்பின் மாயும் - பல
வேடிக்கை மனிதரைப் போலே - நான்
வீழ்வே னென்று நினைத் தாயோ

Although my life is a speck of dust compared to what this great legend had experienced, I derive immense motivation from him to see beyond the moment and believe in what I do, however small, irrelevant or out of the ordinary it might seem today.

Random thoughts on blogging and aspiring writers

I had been blog-hopping today and as always, was feeling overwhelmed at the number of super good blogs I stumbled upon. Every blog was well maintained, every post well written, every idea conceived with clarity! And that brought me back to the ever-gnawing question of what I am doing with this blog. It is neither focused(on specific area) nor is it updated regularly. Still, why should I blog? Shouldn't I be abandoning it? That moment, one of my favorite quotes flashed in my mind.

The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.

On a similar note, I was pondering upon the world of possibilities blogosphere has opened up to aspiring writers. When I read books of an amateur(err, should I say aspiring?) writer, clearly, there is a huge scope for improvement in their work. And when I read a post by Ashok Rajagopalan, I couldn't agree more on how rewriting helps a lot! I wish I could share it with every aspiring writer looking for feedback. But I doubt that it might be mistaken as plain rude and since I don't have much authority on books-authoring-and-such-stuff other than reading and sharing my views in the blog, I share the post here :) Rewriting to make it louder and funnier

Felt dress up

As I have already mentioned in another post, an off topic post is better than an idle blog! So here is a felt dress up as a gift for a little girl. I had so much fun making it :)

Play station ;)

No, not that kind of a play station, LOL! I have been making a play kitchen with cardboard boxes and finally, I brought it to a logical end recently. Here it is :)

I made a small play station(!) next to the kitchen with a magnetic board, felt board, felt dress up and a small track for the train.

P.S: Sorry about the poor quality of snaps as I hurriedly clicked them on my phone before my daughter could wake up!

Characters of Mahabharata: E

Ekalavya

The young prince of Nishada, son of Hiranyadhanus, is a well known character in Mahabharata for the guru dakshina he gave - his right thumb! 

It is said that after Dronacharya declined to take him as his student, Ekalavya learnt archery himself by making a clay idol of Dronacharya and accepting the idol as his Guru. When the Pandavas find a dog's mouth sewn up by arrows that neither harmed the dog nor let it bark, they and ultimately Dronacharya spot Ekalavya, and Dronacharya asks for his right thumb as Guru dakshina. Later, Ekalavya is killed by Lord Krishna in a battle.

There are two interesting perspectives for Ekalavya's guru bhakti. One, which glorifies Ekalavya, states that Dronacharya refused to accept him as a student as he belonged to lower caste and went on to get his right thumb as dakshina to make Arjuna, his dearest disciple the best archer in the world. 

The other perspective, though, reasons out the logic and hidden purpose for Dronacharya's act. It claims that Ekalavya's mastery in archery would not serve good purpose as he belonged to the tribal kingdom Nishada who weren't law-abiding. Also, exhibiting his skills on a dog was not considered acceptable behaviour.

What to name it?

Naming a post as 'I am back' makes sense only when you don't keep coming back umpteen times and give an excuse. But that's what am going to do in this post. Much as I hate to admit, looks like I won't stick to blogging if there isn't some commitment, like a blogathon I did this January. So, to DO IT NOW, I wanted to take part in a blogathon again but being me, I was lost in blogosphere searching for a marathon that suits me. So, i took matters in my own hands and decided to finish off the series on Mahabharata that I started a while back. And also to do some serious reading and reviewing. Yes, I can do it!

llama llama

At times, am scared I will change this blog into a mommy blog. But something is better than nothing, hee hee. And I have the bragging rights in this space ;-) 

It's all about the book llama llama - wakey wake by Anne Dewdney. Its a board book about a day in llama's life from waking up to getting dressed to starting a new day. I have been reading this book to my LO(13 months now) for a while and one day, I asked her to read it for me. And she surprised me by making a couple of actions from the book. Totally thrilled, I started reading out the book with simple actions that she can relate to and within few days, she can read out the entire book through actions.

Thinking about it, this simply reiterates the facts that I learnt from the internet and the book Baby Read-aloud basics. One, repetition is the key. Two, when reading a book to your baby, make it interactive. Make simple actions they can imitate and pause when reading, as if waiting for your baby to respond.

Take a peek into my LO's bookshelf on Goodreads here.

I'm back!

Well...Errr... Hmmm... OKAY, not talking about excuses for abandoning this blog, let me come straight to the post. Its not actually a proper post, its just a comeback. My LO is turning 1 in a few days and I hardly get any time for myself. It seems to me like I have been reading Fahrenheit by Ray Bradbury and Salt Sugar Fat by Micheal Moss forever.

On the brighter side, my daughter's affinity to books looks very positive. Whenever she feels like, she goes near the table where her books are kept and keeps shouting(errr communicating, I mean) that I read it with her. Mostly I have picture books and silly books(check out my LO's goodreads account!). She points to the images in the book and says 'Idhee' for everything which I believe is 'idhu' in tamil meaning 'this'. And yes, she wants me to put it book on the table once done. 

So, trying hard not to contemplate on the fact that without a commitment like a blogging marathon, my blog is dying slowly, let me hope that I will come back with atleast one post a week!

SouthAsian challenge and SheReadsSA

I have been reading a handful of books from Indireads and have mentioned in my previous post about the quality of writing and the stories. I just found about the SheReadsSA initiative and found it interesting and wanted to share. I found the bookmarks so adorable :)

Check out more about it @ http://www.indireads.com/shereads-south-asia/#!prettyPhoto 

Updated Reading Bingo

Here is my Reading BINGO updated,

Characters of Mahabharata: D

Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana, Dushsana:

Dhritarashtra, the doting father of Kauravas. One among those who could have changed Mahabharata, had he chosen to. The blind king, surely deserves respect for being an able king of Hastinapur and a brave warrior inspite of his blindness. 

Duryodhana, the eldest of the Kauravas and the successor to throne after his father takes repeated action to rule of Pandavas from the right to the throne in vain. Even after reaching a consensus, Duryodhana is envious of the Pandavas and with his uncle Shakuni's misleading invites Pandavas for a game of dice, paving way to the fateful Kurukshetra war. On the other hand, Duryodhana is not just depicted as a negative character. His friendship with Karna and his trust on his wife Banumathi get a mention as well!

Dushasana, the second of the Kauravas, devoted brother to Duryodhana and his ally in all plots against Pandavas. He was the one to have dragged Draupadi by her hair to the court and disrobe her. He was killed by Bhima in Kurukshetra as per his oath during Draupadi's humiliation. 

Drupad, Drishtadyumna, Draupadi

Drupad, King of Paanchal and father to Draupadi. A friend of Dronacharya during his gurukul days, had assured him half his kingdom but failed in his words quoting the difference in status. Hence Drona asked for defeating Drupad as his guru dakshina. Arjuna defeated Drupad and Aswathama became the king of half the kingdom, the rest of which was returned to Drupad. Drupad repaid his vengeance by begetting Drishtadyumna through a Yagna and eventually he became the one to kill Drona in the kurukshetra war.

Draupadi, the most sung female of Mahabharata and the most ill-fated one. She was the one to break many conventional rules like being married to five husbands, having a male friend(Krishna), rejecting a suitor(Karna) in her Swayamvar and much more. She lived both a nomadic life in exile as well as the queen of the most illustrious palace of the times. She had the presence of mind to question Yudhisthra's rights to put her at stake in the gamble and the courage to challenge the righteousness of the those present in the court. Her eventful life only justified her being a witness to the the happenings at Kurukshetra war through a boon by Sage Vyasa. 

Drona

Teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas. A doting father who took his son's side and thus the Kauravas' as against his favorite student Arjuna. A biased teacher who favoured Arjuna by asking for an unjust gurudakshina from Ekalavya.

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My blind date

My local library had this wonderful blind date with a book shelf around valentines day. The book is wrapped with clues on it. You pick one, unwrap and find what is inside :)

I took this one. I hope to read it soon :)

Characters of Mahabharata: C

Chitrangada:

A short-lived son of King Shantanu and Satyavati. Satyavati, who wanted her sons to be successors to the throne, ended up with sons who never reached anywhere near fame. 

Chitrangada:

Princess of Manipura who was married to Arjuna during his period of exile. She never left manipura due to matrilineal customs and her son Babruvahana was the successor of Manipura's throne.

Chitrasena:

A Gandharva(heavenly beings well versed in singing and dance) who was also Arjuna's teacher. During the exile of Pandavas, Arjuna went to the Himalayas to perform penance to acquire the Pashupatastra from Lord Shiva. Pleased by his devotion, Lord shiva blesses him with the divine weapon and asks him to pay a visit to his father Indra in Heaven. There, he learns singing and dancing from Chitrasena.

Chitrasena, also defeated Duryodhana, Karna and Shakuni who camped near Dwaitavana where the Pandavas were living in exile. He tied Duryodhana against his chariot and was later rescued by the Pandavas.

Characters of Mahabharata:(B contd)

Balarama

Balarama, son of Vasudeva and brother of Krishna, is the guru who taught the nuances of mace to both Duryodhana and Bhima. That being the reason, he denies to take any side in the Kurukshetra war and stays out of the battle field. It is noteworthy that Duryodhan's end came in a mace fight with Bhima.

Brihatbala

Brihatbala fights against the Pandavas and is one among those who trapped Abhimanyu in the Padmavyuham.

Babruvahana

Babruvahana is the son of Arjuna and Chitrangada, the princess of Manipur whom Arjuna married during his period of exile. He is not mentioned to be part of the Kurukshetra war. Post the war, when Yudhistra decides to perform the Ashwamedha yaga, the sacrificial horse enters Babruvahana's kingdom and a fight ensues between Babruvahana and Arjuna. Babruvahana kills Arjuna as a result of a curse by vasus against Arjuna for having killed Bhishma. Arjuna's naga wife Ulupi then brings back Arjuna to life.

Characters of Mahabharata: B

Bhishma

Son of Ganga and King Shantanu

Grandfather of Pandavas and Kauravas

Bhishma, the actual heir to Hastinapura sacrificed his throne and took the vow of celibacy to make his father's love with Satyavati materialize. And there started the contention for the kingdom generation after generation. Bhishma was the eighth vasu who abducted Nalini, the divine cow from Sage Vashista and was thus cursed to take human form. Throughout his life, he had struggled to protect Hastinapura and the princes of the clan. He got the boon of choosing when and how he would die. At kurukshetra war, Arjuna requested Bhishma himself to show him the way to slain him and as per his suggestion took Shikandi's help. Shikandi being a woman, Bhishma refrained from fighting with her. There are so many retellings of the epic from the point of views of various characters. I wish someone comes up with Bhishma's version as well :-)

Bhima

Strongest of the five pandavas in physical strength, son of Pandu and Kunti blessed by Lord Vayu, thus making Hanuman his brother. There is a mention in the epic of Bhima meeting Hanuman when Bhima went in search of Saugandhika flower as per Draupadi's wish. As a child, Bhima's strength became multifold with the blessing of Vasuki, the Naga King when he was poisoned by Duryodhana.

Bhima married Hidimba and had the famous son Ghatokacha. He was also married to Valandhara and had a son Sarvagga through her. Sutasona was his son through Draupadi.

Bhima had a ravenous appetite and was also a great cook. During the incognito exile, he spent his year as a cook at Virata kingdom.

Bhima killed Duryodhana in a mace fight at Kurukshetra war. His significant defeats include Bakasura, Jarasandha, Kichaka and Dushasana.

Bhagadatta and Bhanumathi

Bhagadatta was the son of Narakasura and the king of pragjyotisha.He married off his daughter Bhanumathi to Duryodhana. Bhagadatta along with his elephant Supratika was known for his ferocious fight in Kurukshetra. His vaishnavastra aimed at Arjuna was  intervened by Krishna and the astra turned a garland in his neck. 

Bhanumathi does not get much mention despite being the wife of powerful Duryodhana. The incident where she plays a game of dice with Karna and is being snatched by him playfully demonstrates Duryodhana's deep trust and friendship with Karna.

Bakasura

The asura who was killed by Bhima when the pandavas were disguised as brahmanas living in ekachakra post the wax palace incident. The village made an arrangement with the asura that large quantities of food will be delivered to him in turns by the villagers which the asura consumed along with the persob who delivered them. Kunti offered to send Bhima in place of their landlord's son when it was their turn and thus came the end of the asura.

Brihannala

Arjuna disguised as eunuch Brihannala during the incognito thirteenth year of the exile. During their exile, Arjuna had a chance to visit Indra's court and was cursed by Urvashi that he will spend an year as eunuch when he turned down Urvashi's love for him. He learnt dancing from Chitrasena at Indraloka and taught dancing to Uttara, the princess of Virata during his disguise as eunuch.

Characters of Mahabharata: A(contd.)

Abhimanyu

• Son of Arjuna and Subhadra
• Husband to Uttara. Arjuna, as an eunuch, taught dancing to Uttara during his incognito exile and was offered her hand when his identity was revealed. Arjuna, instead took her as his daughter-in-law.
• Father of Parikshit, the heir to Hastinapura throne post Kurukshetra war. Abhimanyu died even before the birth of Parikshith.

The widely known and most memorable fact about Abhimanyu is that he learnt the nuances of Padmavyuham, a war strategy when in womb as Arjuna explained it to Subhadra. As destiny would have it, Subadhra dozed off before Arjuna could explain how to come out of the battle formation thus leading to his death in Kurukshetra.

Abhimanyu was the most valiant and notable of warriors of his generation. None of the sons of other Pandavas or Kauravas were as glorified as him. On this note, it may be noted that he was brought up under the tutelage of Vasudeva himself(sons of Draupadi grew up at her father and brother's palace).

Abhimanyu was ordered by Yudhistra to break the Padmavyuha as Arjuna was caught up in another fight. He was promised to be followed by other Pandavas and their army but was prevented to do so by Jayadratha. Abhimanyu who managed to cause great destruction to the Kaurava army single-handedly, was trapped with great efforts  by veterans such as Drona, Bhishma, Duryodhana and Karna. Even after being deprived of weapons one after the other, the brave-heart continued fighting with a broken wheel of his chariot. It was the son of Dushasana, who finally killed Abhimanyu with his mace and still, it is Abhimanyu's name that is remembered by history for his valour.

Aswathama

Son of Drona and Kripi(Kripacharya's sister). 

Aswathama begins his life as a humble son of poor Drona who fakes his desire to drink milk with a paste of flour and water, triggering the events that turns friends Drona and Drupad into foes. Aswathama becomes an ally of Duryodhana in the gurukul and goes on to become one of the few survivors of kurukshetra war. He vows vengeance to dying Duryodhana and sets fire to the pandavas camp at night killing Draupadi's father, brother and sons. This, being an act against codes of war, he does against the warnings of Kripacharya and Kritavarma. He quotes, as justification, the breach of war code by pandavas to kill his father. He is finally captured by the Pandavas and the jewel that he wears on his forehead to ward off fear of snakes, demon and such adorns the throne of Yudhistra. He is cursed by Lord Krishna that he will roam without companion and compassion from others for 3000 years.

Amba, Ambica and Ambalika:

Daughters of the King of Kasi.

Ambica and Ambalika were married to Vichitraviriya and begetted Dhritarashtra and Pandu respectively. 

Bhishma won over the suitors at the swayamvara of the trio on behalf of Vichitravirya but Amba refused as she was in love with King Salva only to end up being rejected by Salva as well. Furious Amba vowed to kill Bhishma in her next birth and was reborn as Shikandi, sister of Draupadi. It is with the help of Shikandi that Arjuna killed Bhishma.

Ambica and Ambalika were subjected to Njyoga, the arrangement of bearing a son with help from a revered person. It is through this act, Vyasa helps them conceive Dhritarashtra and Pandu.

Agastya and Ashtavakra:

Stories of Agastya and Ashtavakra are part of the Mahabharat in the form of narration to the Pandavas on their yatra during exile. It is noteworthy that Ashtavakra, meaning eight deformities, was born with the deformations owing to  his distress(causing the womb to squirm) caused by errors in his father's recital of vedas. Ashtavakra and Abhimanyu indicate that what an expectant mother feels, hears and see have a direct effect on the baby in the womb. On a similar note, Ambica closed her eyes during the act thus making Dhritarashtra blind and Ambalika turns pale resulting in a pale-complexioned Pandu. 

Characters of Mahabharata : A

Arjuna

It is indeed befitting that this series of Mahabharata characters starts off with someone as heroic as Arjuna. 

• Son of Pandu and Kunti(through invocation of Lord Indra)
• Winner of Draupadi's hand, Husband to Subadhra(Krishna's sister), Chitrangada and Ulupi
• Father of Shrutakirti, Abhimanyu, Babruvahana and Iravan respectively
• Grand father of Parikshit, the sole survivor for the throne of Hastinapur post kurukshetrawar
• Favorite and devoted student of Drona
• Converser of the Bhagavad Gita 

It seems to me that the universe or the fate, if I could say so, was hell bent on making Arjuna what he was(compare with the ill fated Karna). First, it was Guru Drona who asked for an unfair guru dakshina from Ekalavya to ensure Arjuna's supremacy in Archery. Then it was Kripacharya and others who prevented Arjuna from fighting with Karna quoting Karna's lineage. Then it was at the swayamvara of Draupadi where Karna, who was then a King was denied a chance(lineage, again) whereas Arjuna disguised as Brahmana was allowed. Then there was Krishna all the time from removing his doubts and hesitations to faking a sunset to kill Jayadratha, slayer of his son Abhimanyu to pushing him to attack Karna at an inappropriate time. Then there was Chitrangada who brought back Arjuna to life when he was killed in war by his own son Babruvahana. Then there were the gods who presented him with divine weapons on many occasions. Even the curse by Urvashi turned out in his favour as he spends the thirteenth year of exile as Eunuch by the name Brihanalla. 

On a different note, Arjuna was blessed with Darshan of Shiva(through penance at Himalayas during the period of exile) and Vishnu(Cosmic form of Lord Krishna at Kurukshetra). However his pride, not tamed even by his encounter with Hanuman becomes the reason for his not attaining the Heavens in mortal form.

More on alphabet A to be continued...

Mahabharat

Whatever is here, is found elsewhere. But what is not here, is nowhere else.

So says the Mahabharata.

As a kid, I enjoyed the stories of Mahabharata but they did not mean anything more to me than the obvious. As I read and re-read, I think am getting an idea of what a great epic it is! So, here I am, trying to read as much as possible on Mahabharata and to inspire myself to do so, am going to do a series of posts related to it. Currently am reading Mahabharata by C.Rajagopalachari. It is more of a compilation of stories than a retelling or translation. The Mahabharata by Ramesh Menon (My next read) is a modern rendering in two volumes. A sneak peak into it makes me want to read it. 

There are so many resources on Mahabharata. Below are the ones that kindle my interest.

• The blog recommendbooks lists a lot of interesting books on the Mahabharata. 
• Mythologist Devdutt pattanaik has a handful of articles in addition to his book Jaya.
• English translation from original sanskrit text by Kisari Mohan Ganguli is available in Project Gutenburg. Also available is the play Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore based on Chitrangada. 
• There is Ashok Banker's MBA series
• There are few books that offer Mahabharata from the point of view of various characters. The famous among them being The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Devakaruni, from Draupadi's point of view. A translation of Bhim's point of view available for download here. 
• I found a podcast here and I am planning to listen to that as well
• Then there is The Difficulty of being Good by Gurucharan Das, an analysis of Mahabharata.

Obviously, there is never going to be an end to this list. Hoping to read as much as possible!

Yay! (BM #28)

The Blogathon is over :-) And I posted every single day from the time I took it up. And I have been enjoying it immensely. This was inspite of the fact that my laptop failed me few weeks back. I had been posting through my iPod touch and it did come with its own limitations owing to which some of my posts had bad formatting and I couldn't read other blogs and comment enough. And auto posting of reviews from goodreads too failed and I couldn't figure out why but ended up posting reviews manually. There were 61 other bloggers taking part in the marathon and I wanted to read all of them. Unfortunately, I did not even cross 20 approximately.

But am so glad that I managed to post everyday and am going to continue with this trend as much as possible. So, as I had mentioned in my post here, am starting off with 'Characters of Mahabharatha' in a couple of days. The couple of days is for me to prepare myself. Still am planning to post updates on this tomorrow.

Another good thing is I enrolled for the online course in Coursera 'Crafting an effective writer' which starts on feb 7th. I hope to complete that too and make my writing a little better because when I read my old posts (especially About me section), am not really happy about the job I had done. 

Putting my objectives in writing definitely makes me more focused :-) and 'Yay!!!' once again for the successful Blogathon and 'Congratulations!' to everyone who pulled it through.

Pinterest(BM #27)

Warning: Cheater post ahead!

One of my recent addictions is Pinterest. http://www.pinterest.com/gaya3manikandan/

Few snaphots of my boards. Join me if you like what tou see :-)

 

Laughing till you have tears (BM #26)

Picking up Maya's prompt for the day :-) This is one of my favorite things to do but amn't lucky enough to have such moments often. I would be extremely jealous if someone said they do it almost everyday or even often. Definitely, laughing-till-you-have-tears would top my list of 'Happiness is...' meme.

I had my not-so-recent memorable laughing-till-you-have-tears in an unusual place. Yes, in a hospital! Not getting into lots of details, we were a bunch of ladies, acquainted at our gynaecologists place, pulling each others legs and laughing like crazy. We looked idiotic, I suppose. But none of us cared.

The next closest thing was when I recently narrated to my hubby how my daughter was trying to suck her thumb holding onto the little tail of a toy puppy(she wants to hold onto a cloth when sucking thumbs and trying to sleep) and it looked so funny. But my hubby couldn't make out what I was trying to tell amidst all that laughter. So that laughing session was one-sided. Sigh! 

Am waiting for the next moment!

ABCs of Mahabharatham(BM #24)

We are just few days away from completing this marathon. And I loved it throughout. Most of the days, I will keep contemplating about the subject for the post during the day and by end of day, I will do a post. I don't want this to end and I have taken it upon myself to carry on with the marathon. 

On a different note, I just completed reading The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakurani recently. I am loving the depth and complexity of the characters in Mahabharatham and I want to read more on this epic.

So,

• Starting February am going to do a A to Z post on Mahabharatham. 
• Since I have not read more on the epic yet, February will be a A-Z on Mahabharatham characters, that is I will pick a character with name starting with A, say Arjuna, Abhimanyu and so on. Am just planning to put down my thoughts about the character.
• March will be a A-Z on emotions depicted in Mahabharatham say F for Friendship, R for Remorse and so on.
• I hope I will do more reading this way and will have something to think about during the day :)
• Since there are only 26 alphabets :-P, I will take off from blogging on random days ;-)

For now, this is my plan. Let me test my perseverance, dedication and reading skills. An 'epic' task, truly!

You Brighten My Day(BM #23)

Because bloggers(read me) check stats every minute after posting

Because encouragement is the only way to complete a blogathon

Because one shouldn't fool oneself writing unread/unfollowed public diary

Because Maya and others confessed here that they are not sure what to comment on certain posts

Here is an idea. Read a post, close your eyes, touch one and put it as a comment :-) 

P.S: If that's too much work, type :-)

Image source: Google

Little Emperor(BM #21)

Let me start with a disclaimer. Just like sun sign traits that work with most people, this Single child Syndrome works with most I have met, not ALL.

Raised as a single child, these people develop a sense of being in their own world. Not introvert. Not silent. Loners, to some extent. May be, I can say they are not accommodative enough.

This is also referred to as 'Little Emperor Syndrome', it seems. What an apt name!

Are you a single child? Do you agree with the stereotyping? 

Why I blog? (BM #20)

TAO Forming a Habit(BM #18)

The Art Of Forming a Habit,

• Be determined when trying to make something a habit. Don't fool yourself.
• Reward yourself when you stick to the habit and punish yourself(not literally, be creative) when you break it. 
• Stick to a schedule, as in Go to the gym at the same time of the day, read before going to bed etc
• Involve like-minded, determined people. 
• Don't stress yourself over it. 

If you still fail, its important to isolate the problem area and find an alternative. Lazy? Bored? Taking it easy? Lack of Time?

Read what is TAO here

Hobbies bucket list (BM #17)

A bucket list of hobbies. Not just for pursuing randomly but learning methodically. Let me come back to check if I do atleast one in 2014.

• Learn a new language. The topper in the list is always Hindi. May be Sanskrit, French, Italian are other choices.
• Know the mythology of various countries, greek myth to start with. 
• Learn a new cuisine. Italian, Mexican are the choices.
• Gardening.
• Learn drawing cartoons.

This is my current list. I feel I should revisit this more often to update(there is not even one outdoor hobby,sigh!) and to remain focused.

TAO Putting a relationship at stake (BM #16)

The Art Of putting a relationship at stake

• Take advantage
• Give unsolicited advice and suggestions
• State your opinion on everything
• Act superior
• Portray a wrong image among kith and kin
• Force into doing something together
• Demand to know details of every mundane chore
• Interfere with official matters
• Assume your choice is the best
• Pass comments about one's weakness

Read what is TAO here

Perseverance is the word...(BM #15)

...when participating in a blogathon. So, grabbing the opportunity for a tag from JanusRamblings .

1. Are you named after anyone? Nope. The name was given by my father's sister(Aunt), I understand. So, my mom gave me a nick name and that stuck unofficially :)

2. When was the last time you cried? I don't make a note :-P though the major breakdown, recently, was when my baby was few days old and I was overwhelmed with the responsibilities *facepalm*

3. Do you have kids? Yes, a well-deserved one :)

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself? Err..hmm, depends on the person, really. Am not someone difficult to befriend but am certainly a tough one to sustain.

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot? Runs in the blood(read, Tanjore) *evil wink* but used only if the receiving end deserves it.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump? NEVER! What would my baby do without me? :(

7. What’s your favorite cereal? Am a VIP(Vadai, Idli, Pongal) person :-D.. okay, I lifted that funny acronym from a drama! Few months back, when we moved to the US, my hubby told me, don't take so much trouble, we will have cereal fir breakfast and I stuffed the abhistoo's mouth with Idlis (Note to self - read that book Salt, Sugar and Fat at the earliest opportunity)

8. What’s the first thing you notice about people? Looks and Attitude.

9. What is your eye colour? Brown. How does it matter? Is there any personality trait associated? :-P

10. Scary movie or happy endings? Happy endings ALWAYS!

11. Favorite smells? Rice thats getting cooked, Baby, New books, Filter Kaapi, Coriander leaves, Smoke from a Homam,  

12. Summer or winter? Something in between :-/

13. Computer or television? Computer, Computer, Computer - one that works at the speed of my mind.

14. What’s the furthest you’ve ever been from home? Bangalore. My family was in Chennai. That was for my first job, then I got a transfer in some 3-4 months :-D

15. Do you have any special talents? Nothing that is special.

16. Where were you born? Chennai. Chennai. Chennai. That is all my life is about!

17. What are your hobbies? I dread this question! Few years back, I suddenly had this realisation that I should have an answer when someone ask me this Q and started reading books for which I already had some liking. And am happy am pursuing it. But seriously, I regret that I haven't taken any hobby seriously since my childhood and now dream of taking up gardening, going for a crash course on Italian cuisine, learning a language and more.Wait, this deserves a post :-D

18. Do you have any pets?  No, anything that wiggles when held are scary! (A baby is an exception, ofcourse)

19. Favorite movie? Abiyum naanum, Vasool Raja MBBS, Vinnai thaandi varuvaaya, Mozhi, Kaadhalika neramillai, Ethir neechal, Server sundaram - to name a few randomly.

20. Do you have any siblings? Yes, an elder sis!

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? To be grown up! In all aspects.

Why are Myths retold? (BM # 14)

Why are Myths retold? Why do we read Myths over and over?

Is it because they are ancient? 

Is it because they involve gods, demi-gods and the like?

Is it because they have morals formulated for humankind?

Is it because of the beauty of narration?

Is it because of the plethora of characters offering a multitude of views and perspectives?

Is it because they portray or might portray the ways and lives of our ancestors?

Is it because they provide the perfect canvas for fantasy?

Reading challenge IQR (BM #13)

Am entering the IQR again this year with a target of 15. Hoping to finish it atleast this year! 

TAO Getting distracted (BM #12)

The Art Of Getting distracted

• Keep adding books to to-read list maniacally when all you want to do is read a book.
• Drool over recipes of food on blogs  till you are too hungry to make that dish for which you wanted the recipe.
• Watch a program on tv, standing with books in hand, on the way to your room to study.
• When you talk to someone you know, watch their facial features keen enough to realise they seem unfamiliar
• Start going through slam books, old collections, certificates of merit you got in kindergarten when clearing up clutter.
• Have a small talk until its too late to pursue your morning/evening walk
• Think about EVERYTHING when you want to meditate

Read what is TAO here

Nostalgia - Comics and stuff (BM #11)

Am not typing a long post. Let the pics do the talking :-)

My 'cultural' bucket list (BM #10)

Here is my bucket list that is culturally inclined. These are mostly simple ones, unique to our culture that I shudder at the thought of being forgotten. I hope I will do atleast a few before I kick the bucket!

• Put Kolam(rangoli without the rang :-P) everyday. Its a simple one but I can give you umpteen reasons why I don't do it. Aren't they unique to our culture?
• Have a Tulsi plant in a proper Tulsi maadam(pot designed for keeping holy tulsi)
• Keep grand kolu every year :-D This one I have no problems doing except that there is some sentiment against keeping kolu in ILs family. But am slowly getting a nod for it :-)
• Visit temples that are few decades old atleast once a month!
• Celebrate every festival(there are atleast a dozen that is important in our family in a year) following the tradition(kolams, food, pooja) properly and with understanding.
• Wear the tambrahm style saree(madisar) on occasions that require it(believe me, people skip it)
• Support indigenised products - local produce, handicrafts, dolls, cloth etc(What an Irony, am saying this sitting in USA! But this is a bucket list, hmmm)

This is all I could think of now. Am sure I will be updating this list. So, what's yours? 

TAO Staying motivated (BM #9)

The Art Of staying motivated,

• Dream about the result. Dreams and feasibility are mutually exclusive
• Stay away from negative energy - people who pull you down, that lazy afternoon nap, anything that you find draining your energy
• Be updated about what is happening in your area of interest. 
• This one is my personal favorite. Don't discuss unless you are ready. While questions, criticism, opinions and suggestions can open up introspection, a unprepared mind might turn it into apprehension.

Read what is TAO here

Introducing Manu (BM #7)

 Introducing MANU, my soon-to-be 8 month old Baby Girl. ****DRUMROLL****

Image Courtesy: http://www.wallcoo.net/

Ofcourse, Manu is not  her real name, its not even her nick name. I stuck to this name(a combination of my and my hubby's name -don't think too much about it, i have a nick name and hence the combination) when I was pregnant with her and created a goodreads account for her. Yes, why not? Am opening up the lovely world of books and imagination to her. It's upto her to decide if she loves it or not. Just that I did it a tad bit early!

Anyways, coming to the subject of this post, I was waiting for her to grow up a little bit so that I can make her differentiate between a book and a toy. I am not sure if she is ready yet but I visited our Library today and was so excited looking at the children's books and I brought her around 8 books :-)

Also, whenever I get excited with a Baby/Children book that I come across, I add it to Manu's goodreads account hoping she will pick up this habit and I can provide with age specific books.

So here it is, the official goodreads account of Manu's linked to my blog, on the side bar and in this post :-) I will update her review errr reactions about the books over a period of time.

Paradise Lost (BM #6)

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” ― Jorge Luis Borges

One such paradise happens to be near my home. What's the big deal with having a library in the neighborhood, you might ask. Having grown up in India, my only access to library in my childhood days happen to the one run by the government with not much of collection to boast of. My mother was a pretty much regular visitor and would check out tamil novels from there.

Later on, the most sophisticated library I had access to was my college library but then that was full of academic books. I badly wanted to visit Anna Centenary library at Chennai but somehow I never managed to.Then we moved here to USA and I found a library near my home. There are libraries in every locality and it is like a part of the local community. 

The first time I visited the library, I was awed at how big it was for a local library, the neatly organised shelves and reading area, self check out and return facility, a 100 books at a time, online catalog and access. What more? A membership gives you free access to check out e-books from Overdrive and you can request for any book from the network of branches and they bring it your branch for pickup. And they conduct storytime, fun sessions, informative sessions for children and adults everyday. There is a bookclub too that meets regularly I believe!

All this raving might seem overhyped but its actually my desperation of what we miss in India. People of India, the government or whomever - we need these first and the McDs, Subways and Walmarts next! 

Reading BINGO (BM #5)

I came across this Bingo reading challenge and it sounds total fun! So am taking this up this year. Details at http://www.retreatbyrandomhouse.ca/2014/01/reading-bingo-challenge-2014/

A tryst with the Almighty (BM #4)

Not long before, there lived(and still lives) a young shy girl. She was born in a community where Lord M in his C avatar was worshiped fervently. She once overheard her father comment about her being an atheist. This was when she was too young to have any opinions but she believed what her father said. Therefore, she grew up an atheist. 

During her primary school days, she was one among the favorites of her teachers so they dragged her into the prayer sessions. She had no choice and would simply be the black sheep in the flock. And finally the day came when she was out of the primary school. She felt relieved and entered the secondary school with a pride that she is all grown up and can now opt out of such prayer sessions.

Alas, the secondary education curriculum had compulsory lessons on Lord M and He contributed a small portion to the overall marks and again she had no choice. She attended the classes without trying to comprehend anything from the lessons because she was an atheist. On the day when students were tested on the subject, she hoped no one else heard her answers. 

But then one of her primary school teachers joined the secondary school and she roped in her ex-students to prayer sessions. With a hesitant mind, she joined the prayer sessions again. On one such session, the teacher found that the prayer wasn't effective enough. May be the teacher knew that someone was not praying whole-heartedly. Not wanting to hurt anyone, she gracefully told her students that non-believers are free to leave. Grabbing the opportunity, she walked out of the hall herself not wanting to hurt the sentiments of others. From then on, she never budged to anyone's cajoling to join them in their madness, madness like that of Gopikas dancing around Lord Krishna. 

As fate would have it, she married a follower of R avatar of Lord M and most of their leisure time was spent listening to Lord R's teachings and hymns. As a couple, they started enjoying the Aham Brahmasmi show on their favorite channel and started giving opinions, jokingly, about the prayer of other devotees. And then she was pregnant and advice poured from everywhere about how her non-stop prayers during her pregnancy is going to have a positive effect on the Baby. Like every mother, she tried her best to give the best to her unborn baby. She started listening to mantras on Lord C, which only a born-believer could understand, she thought. Nevertheless, she tried her best. But deep within, somewhere in her 20s, she had already started accepting that Lord M is the ultimate reliever of pain and misery and bestows peace upon his devotees. Now she yearns to become an ardent devotee but she has distanced herself so much from Lord M that now He is beyond her reach.

P.S: The 'she' is yours faithfully and Lord M is Music!

Glossary

C avatar - Carnatic

Atheist - Gnanam venum gnanam venum doi...

Prayer sessions - Choir

Madness - Antakshari

R avatar - Raja Sir (Ilayaraja)

Aham Brahmasmi - Super Singer on Star Vijay

And yeah, me and my hubby pass comments such as 'sruthi serala', 'gamakkam seri illa', 'sangathi vizhala' when watching someone sing on TV with NIL knowledge of the above mentioned technicalities :-)