Save our Temples

It's time we realize our culture is being wiped away!!!

If you care forward this....IF NOT Delete!!!!!

 

Why are we Hindus taking all this lying down. Why is there an IAS officer as head of every temple? Can they dare go to a Masjid or a church? Please see the article and decide for yourself.

 

Foreign writer opens our eyes

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Act of 1951 allow State Governments and politicians to take over thousands of Hindu Temples and maintain complete control over them and their properties. It is
claimed that they can sell the temple assets and properties and use the money in any way they choose.

A charge has been made not by any Temple authority, but by a foreign writer, Stephen Knapp in a book (Crimes against India and the Need to Protect Ancient Vedic Tradition) published in the United States that makes shocking reading.

 

Hundreds of temples in centuries past have been built in India by devout rulers and the donations given to them by devotees have been used for the benefit of the (other) people. If, presently, money collected has ever been misused (and that word needs to be defined), it is for the devotees to protest and not for any government to interfere.This letter is what has been happening currently under an intrusive law.

It would seem, for instance, that under a Temple Empowerment Act, about 43,000 temples in Andhra Pradesh have come under government control and only 18 per cent of the revenue of these temples have been returned for temple purposes, the remaining 82 per cent being used for purposes unstated.

Apparently even the world famous Tirumala Tirupati Temple has not been spared.   According to Knapp, the temple collects over Rs 1,300 crores every year and the State Government has not denied the charge that as much as 85 per cent of this is transferred to the State Exchequer, much of which goes to causes that are not connected with the Hindu community. Was it for that reason that devotees make their offering to the temples? Another charge that has been made is that the Andhra Government has also allowed the demolition of at least ten temples for the construction of a golf course. Imagine the outcry writes Knapp, if ten mosques had been demolished.

 

It would seem that in Karanataka, Rs. 79 crores were collected from about two lakh temples and from that, temples received Rs seven crores for their maintenance, Muslim madrassahs and Haj subsidy were given Rs 59 crore and churches about Rs 13 crore. Very generous of the government.

 

Because of this, Knapp writes, 25 per cent of the two lakh temples or about 50,000 temples in Karnataka will be closed down for lack of resources, and he adds: The only way the government can continue to do this is because people have not stood up enough to stop it.

Knapp then refers to Kerala where, he says, funds from the Guruvayur Temple are diverted to other government projects denying improvement to 45 Hindu temples. Land belonging to the Ayyappa Temple, apparently has been grabbed and Church encroaches are occupying huge areas of forest land, running into thousands of acres, near Sabarimala.

 

A charge is made that the Communist state government of Kerala. Wants to pass an Ordinance to disband the Travancore & Cochin Autonomous Devaswom Boards (TCDBs) and take over their limited independent authority of 1,800 Hindu temples. If what the author says is true, even the Maharashtra Government wants to take over some 450,000 temples in the state which would supply a huge amount of revenue to correct the states bankrupt conditions.

 

And to top it all, Knapp says that in Orissa, the state government intends to sell over 70,000 acres of endowment lands from the Jagannath Temple, the proceeds of which would solve a huge financial crunch brought about by its own mismanagement of temple assets.

Says Knapp: Why such occurrences are so often not known is that the Indian media, especially the English television and press, are often anti-Hindu in their approach, and thus not inclined to give much coverage, and certainly no sympathy, for anything that may affect the Hindu community. Therefore, such government actions that play against the Hindu community go on without much or any attention attracted to them.

 

Knapp obviously is on record. If the facts produced by him are incorrect, it is up to the government to say so. It is quite possible that some individuals might have set up temples to deal with lucrative earnings. But that, surely, is none of the governments business?

Instead of taking over all earnings, the government surely can appoint local committees to look into temple affairs so that the amount discovered is fairly used for the public good?

 

Says Knapp: Nowhere in the free, democratic world are the religious institutions managed, maligned and controlled by the government, thus denying the religious freedom of the people of the country. But it is happening in India. Government officials have taken control of Hindu temples because they smell money in them, they recognize the indifference of Hindus, they are aware of the unlimited patience and tolerance of Hindus, they also know that it is not in the blood of Hindus to go to the streets to demonstrate, destroy property, threaten,  loot, harm and kill.

 

Many Hindus are sitting and watching the demise of their culture.  They need to express their views loud and clear Knapp obviously does not know that should they do so, they would be damned as communalists.

 

But it is time some one asked the Government to lay down all the facts on the table so  that the public would know what is happening behind its back.  Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not secularism. And temples are not for looting, under any name. One thought that Mohammad of Ghazni has long been dead.

HARD REALITIES.........

Hinduism remains the most attacked and under siege of all the major world religions. This is in spite of the fact that Hinduism is the most tolerant, pluralistic and synthetic of the world's major religions

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Pleasant Ooty Trip

Srishan's first trip to ooty was quite interesting!!! We wanted to go by toy train, but unfortunately no reservation could be made. We decided to drive by car as we wanted to go via coimbatore. When Maalu paaki and Degaluru kaaka accompanied, Srishan was all the more delighted. We reached coimbatore by evening and then met our relatives. Then we stayed there overnight and left the next day thinking we could cover Aliyaar dam before climbing uphill. Srishan was excited becoz we had told him that he could go on boat, horse ride , and also to the park. When we were short of time, we decided to cut the Aliyar trip and go straight to Ooty. It was very nostalgic for me as I was visiting Ooty almost after 12 years. Second, I wanted to go to my school, my X place of residence and get more nostalgic. We checked in at Clubmahindra, as we had confirmed accomodation. Had our lunch and then after relaxing for a while, we left to the Lake. We asked the local automan, and he said we can take either an auto or have a walk. But walk seemed a little late to book a boat. We took the auto, and Srishan was very delighted. Once reaching the boat house, he saw the motor boat, peddle boat and the Row boat. He wanted to go on a boat, he kept asking us " dhotunaa thonaanaaa" When we got the ticket for a Row boat, we explained him how a row boat should be operated to sail on water. He liked that very much, he enjoyed for few minutes, then asked "Srishan yoying thannanaaanaaa" meaning Srishan rowing pannalaamaa??

I said, the rows are very heavy, and srishan has to grow big to lift them. For now appa will do. He then imitated how his appa did rowing and also enjoyed the scenic beauty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSTDWzXXxHE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk5gqmkz2Gs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIC3hXDliDA

Then he also wanted to go for a horse ride, and he was particular on a white one. But somebody else took white, so he has his turn on a brown, with much hype given by his father ( :P illati avan climb pannirukka maataan ).He enjoyed the horse ride thoroughly and refused to get down. 

We came back taking a bus to the busstand, had a tea at a local aavin shop and then a brief walk led us back to the Resort. There was bonfire and some games were hosted by the CMH organisers for the holiday activities. I took Srishan there, and he was silently watching the crowd. When they played some loud music, he started to ask me to take him elsewhere. Then we came back to the restaurant and had a sumptuous dinner ( buffet). CMH is known for exotic items, and desserts. Then we went to sleep. The rooms are like row houses, and each one has a dry kitchenette and a neat washroom. We had the fantastic view of the race course from our resort, making the stay all the more delightful. Rather , the busstand, racecourse, and part of Ooty was seen from the resort. My x residence was quite close to this place ( say 2 kms) and i could have walked all the way. But did not find time for that. The very next morning, we were surprised to see two horses in front of our room. One Black and one Brown, both looked good. Srishan was all the more excited, and since he was familiar with a brown horse, this time he asked me for a brown horse ( dhown hosla thonanaa) in his own style. I told him that the brown horse has not had its breakfast, and so we will take the black horse. Initially he hesitated, but then found that Black horse was also equally interesting to take a ride. This time around I accompanied him on the horse ride. Then we had breakfast and then went to Doddabetta, the tallest peak in South India. We walked further down at Doddabetta for a good warmup after a heavy breakfast. Srishan was all the more enthusiastic to walk along, After a considerable walk, he simply sat down at the nearby parapet.and rested for a few seconds before we continued. Then we took some snaps We also went to the tea estate/museum, where we saw the making of Tea and purchased some tea packs. Also we bought some homemade chocholates. Then we came back to the resort and had lunch. In the evening we wanted to go to the children's park. It was  a big mistake, instead we could have gone to the lake and enjoyed at the park there.  In the children's park, all the equipments were old, and not maintained properly. Also we were promised a toy train ride for 7 rounds, but the operator took us only 5 rounds. and we had to fight for two more. Then we saw that the lake was just a mile away and started walking towards lake, thinking that we can get back and take the car. It was more than a kilometer, and it was getting darker. We could have made a boat ride again, had we skipped the children's park. Alas, the boat ride was also closed. Srishan enjoyed some bubbles and then we came back all the way to the children's park where we had parked the car. Then we came back to the resort and felt that the extra walk was tiresome. Then after dinner we hit the bed. The next day we had breakfast and then went to the bottanical garden. We stopped at my school entrance and took some snaps, and i was all the more nostalgic.Then at the botanical garden, Srishan enjoyed running around, trying to rollover but just posin,enjoyed bubble blowing....

Then we came back and had lunch at resort and then left towards mysore cherishing a memorable trip.

No escape from School

School memories all always pleasant to Cherish. I thought so, but when I woke up this morning, I realized  that I had a dream.

I was just blank, felt guilty and ashamed for not having done my Maths assignment!!! With just an hour left for the next class to start, I remembered that I was the only defaulter. I turned to my right and saw Aruna Patil sitting and in front of me was chicku, vaguely recognized the other faces. It was a new period introduced, and was called silent period. Some teacher came in and was supposedly supervising us, We all ought to be quiet through the period. I just then remembered that Sumathi miss gave this assignment the day before and the very next hour was her period, after a break of 10 minutes. I hardly had 40 minutes in all, and i was blank. I quickly turned to Aruna, and asked her if she has done the maths assignment. She replied that she finished it yesterday itself. I was surprised, there were 40 problems in all, and it would atleast take 2 minutes for each if we knew the formulae byheart. I asked her to show me her work. She opened her bag , with least interest, and showed me her assignment. It was done in a chart, folded into two, and torn on the sides. I asked her how it was torn, and she replied that it so happened when she was travelling by bus. Then I opened my bag and found two charts that I had brought, ( surprisingly the same two charts that Srishan tore two days back :P ) and though I has no other option, I simply decided to use them for the assignment. Then I again turned towards Aruna, and though I dint have the time to understand each problem, I just asked her how she did the first one, becoz I simply did not remember anything that Sumathi Miss taught the previous day. She just started explaining me , when the teacher who was supervising noticed us talking. We were actually whispering ,but she found out. She came straight to me and said," this is Silence Period, and you spoke, I will cut 10 marks from your assignment". Then she turned to Aruna and said " Aruna, nee mattum enna , school topper aitaa, unna patthi ella background um enakku theriyum, Kalaigowriyum, Pushpavum sollitaa yerkanave enakku, You were taking border marks in 6th standard" Ironically , she joined  this school only in 8th Class, and She could not have been topper until board exams :P

I couldnt just control my laugh in front of the teacher, as I knew she was not telling the truth, but given I already got the punishment, I had to keep quiet. :P

My cellphone was ringing loud and i realised that this was all a dream!!! Same old school, Same friends, Same benches, Same kind of dreams :P

LoL

ஸ்ரிஷன் தமிழ்க் கவிதை - Varun mama vodadhu

ஒன்றிலிருந்து அறுபதுவரை எண்ணுபவன் யார் ? 

ஓயாது மூன்று பேராய் சொல்லுபவன் யார் ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF0DQsuHRF4

மாமா நீ குழலூதென்று கேட்பவன் யார்? 

நாராயணன் புகழ் பாட சொல்பவன் யார்? 

ஆழ்வார்கள்  ஆச்சாரியர்கள் நாமம் நவின்று 

தமிழ் ஆங்கிலம் சமஸ்க்ரிதம் அனைத்தும் பயின்று 

எங்கள் ஆழிமழை கண்ணா நீ தானடா 

விண்கள் வெல்லும் எங்கள் வேந்தன் நீ தானடா

தாயின் மூலம் அன்பு கற்று 

தந்தை மூலம் பண்பு கற்று 

பாட்டியின் மூலம் பாசம் கற்று 

பாட்டனர் மூலம் பொறுமை கற்று 

உடையவர் சொன்ன நெறியை பற்று 

என்று தான் நான் உன்னை காண வருவேன் 

அன்று தான் உன்னை தூக்கி முத்தங்கள் தருவேன்

Srishan's memorable Thirukannapuram Trip

We had planned a trip to Thirukannapuram for the Maasi utsavam. We booked the forward journey to Kumbakonam by bus and from there to Chennai by train and back to bangalore by train. Srishan had the heights of joy when i told him that we would travel by big bus to Kumbakonam. When his father was back from office, his joy knew no bounds, he jumped, he hopped, and he ran round and round, and said " buslayo trainlayo ponananaaa" meaning bus layo train layo pogalaama??

We had booked a cab to get dropped at the ABT office at Madiwala. From there onwards, we waited for around half an hour, and Srishan was watching all big red and white busses. His obsession towards yellow got wild when he said , "dhig yeyoo dus na poghananaaa?" meaning big yellow bus la poghalaama?
I told him that we would go by big white bus only and not yellow bus, as yellow buses are meant to be school buses. Then we boarded the bus around 9pm. He was all the more excited and started counting the visible buses around him. He said "koo white dhuses" meaning "two white buses". We were surprised at his careful usage of plural words. He slept initially with slight difficulty, but then later on found his own comfort position and slept until we reached kumbakonam. When we alighted at the bus stand, he said "chakanathani saarangathaani sevikanananaa" meaning "Chakrapani Saarangapani sevikalaama?"

Then we went to the room we had booked to get ready. There I gave him bath and then he changed to his white kurta and pyjama in which he was always at ease.

We went to Saarangapani temple first and had a beautiful Darshan. I gave some cornflakes and Srishan preferred eating the chocos more :P

From Saarangapaani we went to Chakrapaani temple. After having a nice darshan there, we were just about to come out of the temple, and somebody called Srishan near him. It was the mathalam man who had a mathalam in his hand, he asked Srishan to beat using his hands, and Srishan enjoyed doing that. There wasnt enough light, and to blame my cellphone that did not have enough memory, I could not capture the moment. Then we went to ThiruVelliangudi, which was in some interior place from Kumbakonam. Thanks to Senthil anna, who was our saarathi this time as our previous trip. He took us with careful planning for us to have darshan at temples which we could not go in the previous trip.

At Thiruvelliangudi, only the bhattars are taking care of everything, and the Darshanam was awesome. Kolavalli Ramar was simply astounding. Moolavar - Srungara sundarar - was on bhujangasayanam, and did not have Changu Chakram in his hands. Instead , Garudazhwan had them in purapadum nilai. The bhattar explained that this darshanam is equivalent to prostrating at all 108 Divya Desams. The Sthala Vriksham was Kadhali ( here Sevaazhai) and we had the prasadam, it was really sweet. Then we went to Therazhundhur - and had dharshan of Aamaruviyappan. That is when we came to know that Swami Vellukudi Krishnan was also coming there. Second time we were blessed to prostrate Perumal standing beside him. The first time was last year during our trip to Thirukannapuram for Maasi Utsavam, we had similar instance at Thirunaagai - Soundararaja Perumal Koil. This time we were happy that Aacharyan thirvullam was enormous to have such an experience again. Swami was blessed with Perumal's garland, and he instantly wore that on Srishan, and blessed him.
Then we had the prasadham at temple, but Srishan had very little. Bhattar at Therazhundhur temple requested Swami to bless him at his thirumaligai, and we also went there, to give some food for Srishan. There Srishan had some private moments with Swami, enjoyed on the Swing along with Swami, and also expressed his knowledge of Sanskrit words that he has been learning - Dhola( Swing) Kupaha( Well) and also identified a few of the Azhwar Acharyar fotos on the wall.He also told the Guruparamparai names, and Amangaar of Therazhundhur Bhattar watched him keenly and smiled. Then he had kesari to his delight as prasadam and some curd rice with his much fond dry grapes. Then Swami asked him " what is my name?", he said "Kishnan" , he asked " Yaaruda unnoda Acharyan?" and Srishan pointed to Swami. Swami said, " naan illa, unnoda Acharyan Swami Mudaliandan" Then he asked ," Unnoda Peru yaaru vecha theriyumada?",Srishan was blank, Swami said " Nanthaan unnaku peru vechen theriyuma?" Srishan said "Swing la ukanananaaa" meaning " Swing la Ukaralamaa". Swami made him sit next to him and started patting him on his thighs. Srishan did the same to him. Then after some time he got down and started running around and enjoyed on his own. After having memorable moments there, we left to Thirukannapuram and reached there around 3.30. Swami's Upanyasam was to start around 4.15 after the Kaithala Sevai of Sowriraja Perumal. I had to change Srishan's dress as he had made his white dress literally brown. I missed Kaithala Sevai in this period. But then enjoyed Swami's Upanyasam for a while. Then Srishan said that he wanted to go and enjoy at the pond " theethaku poghananaaa?" meaning "Theetha ku poghalamaa?" I took him there and he enojyed watching the pond for say half and hour. Then we came back into the temple and he was playing all along until the Upanyasam got over. Then we walked over to find his father, and Swami was coming towards us. A few bhaktas were prostrating him and many were following him. Srishan went upto him and said " Krishnan Swami" in his tone of calling family members. I was surprised and so was his father who was a few steps behind. All people were smiling at Srishan, and surprised at his bold move. Swami said "nadakattum nadakattum", then we went farther and relaxed for some time and then also had darshan of Sowrirajar's Sesha Vahanam. Then followed by dhadhiaradhanai ( dinner) and then left thirukannapuram without having the anubhavam of Purappadu and Muniyadharaiyan Pongal. We wished we have it next time.

Senthil anna took us safely to Mayiladuthurai and we waited for some time. The train was very late,. We were supposed to board by 11.20pm but could board the train at 12.10am. Srishan kept telling " Reda blueaa yellow a green a endha koo koo kain nu theyaadhe" , that he doesnt know what color train he would be travelling in. When he saw blue train , then he stopped telling this sentence. Then we boarded the train. Srishan slept immediately, as he was deadly tired after all day events. Then we reached chennai the next day morning around 5.30. The train had made up for the lost time. We took bus to SIET and then auto to home. Srishan loved all the vehicles we travelled on. Then he slept royally until 10.30 that day. In the evening we went to play bubbles on the terrace. Srishan had company of Varun ( 6 months elder to him) and both of them chased the bubbles with all the excitement. Then on monday he enjoyed with playdoh at home . In the afternoon around 3.30, we took bus to Parthasarathy temple, and he enjoyed walking inside the temple. Then we came back by bus and he slept in the bus our of tiredness. We took train to Bangalore at arnd 11.15 pm. For that too, we took auto to station and he just loved that travel. He was awake and kept watching all around. telling " yellow koo koo kain la poghananaaa" for his obsession with Yellow color that has happened recently .Then i said, there is no yellow koo koo train, but we can go by blue koo koo train. Then he was counting the other trains and uttered the plural forms correctly. Then when the train started moving, he slept immediately. We reached bangalore this morning and he was awake until we took the bus to KR Puram. He slept in the bus and slept at home as well until 10.30. Even now he is so excited talking about his travel by bus and train!!!

Alter Ego Then and Now

It has been a long time since i met my best pal at college. Since our first meet at college, we have shared a lot of things, she was like me, carefree and good to all. Noori, we used to call her shortly. Till the last day at college, we have been together at the class, canteen, ground, busstop, Trainstation, train!! What not :) We watched movies together. I have been to her home a couple of times, and she has come to my home a few times. After college life, we got job at different places, and lot of things changed. But all the moments we were together were cherished. It is now six years since last day at college. Life has moved on so much,two years back she told me that she was getting married. It was a year back that Noori pinged me once to convey that she was going to be a mother. Today, i have no clue where she is, no mails, no phone :( I wish I could get in touch with her again, lots to share Noori, hope all is fine with you and your family.

Best Wishes from your dear Nith

தாமசத்தயும் பொருத்து அனுக்ரஹித்த சம்பவம்

It was a long day for us, and indeed a blessed one. We went to perform pooja for our vehicles.Srishan was excited to be on the driver seat for the first time,lot of things at his disposal! he did not know what to press, what to hit!!!

When the pooja was over, we took him out of the seat and he cried for pulling him out. So we took him on a ride around our compound, and then played with him for sometime. In the afternoon we had guests at home. Then Srishan had a good sleep for three hours, assuring that the rest of the evening would be peaceful for him. When we decided to attend Swami's Upanyasam at West Mambalam, rain was in our way, and we were not sure if the open school ground would be safe for a 22 month old!!!

Then we thought, this is after all a small hitch, and we took off. When we reached the school, the road was completely jammed and it was drizzling. I took Srishan and ran into the corridors of the school. It was somewhere near the second standard class room that I got place to stand, and most of them were also standing along the corridor. I was not sure what to do, but knew that Srishan was really hungry. So I quickly mixed his cereal, and tried to distract him from the startling crowd. He was telling dhaai dhaaai .. ( bye bye) every now and then, and i assured him that once we see his father, we can leave. I told him , it is raining as much as it rained at Govardhan, and Krishna umachi took the Govardhana giri in one finger. He was listening to my stories,and finished his dinner.

The topic was

SrI deSika stotra-s - 14. SrI kAmAsikAshTakam

Swami did start with his tempo, but people were running for shade becoz of the downpour. Then slowly they found places to sit and listen in peace as the rain slowed down.

I was quite comfortable now, and the rain which was pouring at its best, finally stopped. We got down on the ground and saw that there was some space to move around sans water. We went to a place where my husband could easily identify us. He quickly came to us. I told it was not a good idea to have come in rain. Given the rain had stopped, we could move around the ground. Then he asked me to go to the first floor, where some chairs were put up. I took Srishan to the first floor, where we safely found a place near the auditorium, and there was this UKG chair which i used for Srishan to sit comfortably.

Srishan was in his own world with slate, balpam, Notebook and Sketches.

I was helping him with few pictures now and then. When I realised that he wanted to sleep, I got up and took him. To my surprise,Swami also finished the day's session. So we quickly slipped out of the place to get his blessings at the principal's room. We also spoke to Principal, and she was very sweet. Srishan told her his name ( seeee....shaaannnnn) and she was very happy for that.

We asked her if he had passed interview answering her, so that he could an get admission in the school!!! ( :P)

After seeking Swami's blessing, we still wanted to stick to our plan and get darshan of Sri Venkata Krishnan at Thiruvallikeni. Swetha , whom we had found a new kinship with in also came with us.

We went to the temple, with the hope that it would be fag end of the day, and people would have actually be leaving. We were surprised and thrilled to see the rush as much as a normal day at Thirumalai.

"Puratassi Last saturday" was the factor!!! Then we realised that we did not have enough money to buy special ticket for all of us . With all the thAmasam we had been there, but Aacharyan Thiruvullam which was Swami kadAksham led us to have his darshan without much delay. Soon we came out and thanked the Swami who helped us.

What an apt say, Swami Desika's thirunakshatram reminding us of his words in DayAsathakam

"ahamasmi aparAda Chakravarthi"

This is a truly blessed day!!!

Apaara Karunyam, mattrum oru anubhavam

When we left for chennai by road, we thought about Thiruputkuzhi and Sriperumbudur!!! My husband said, we will go to both the temples,and then to chennai. When we approached Thiruputkuzhi, the temple was actually on the other side of the road, we had to take a right turn. Somehow, since Srishan was asleep , I was not very sure if we should take a right turn. Then we swiftly moved ahead, I thought there would be another gracious moment for that.

When we approached Sriperumbudur, we went into the town, but got stuck at the traffic , and it was already 8.30 pm :(

Hoping to have a darshanam of Emperumanaar, every second at the traffic jam looked like a dissapointment for us, rather the eagerness increased. We took a U turn, hoping to come out of the place, and then took the NH, and the road that connects from chennai to Sriperumbudur, This time there was no traffic, and we reached the temple in 5 mins. We ran quickly, with Srishan almost awake. It was paramaanandham for us to find that the temple was open, due to Navrathri, Thayar had Unjal Sevai and we reached to get her blessings and prasadham. Then the bhattar of Emperumaanar Sannidhi opened the door for us, and we had the immense blessing of Thamugandha Thirumeni. With all the content in mind, and tears in eyes, we left to Chennai.

காவிரி ஸ்நானம்

கிருஷ்ணா ஜெயந்தி கொண்டாட ஒரு அருமையான சந்தர்ப்பம் கிடைத்தது. நாங்கள் மைசூர் சென்றிருந்தோம். அங்கு காவேரி நதியில் நீராடிவிட்டு கரிகட்டா என்ற சிறிய மலைக்கு சென்று வெங்கடேச பெருமாளை சேவித்து விட்டு பின்னர் ஸ்ரீ ரங்கா பட்டணம் சென்று அரங்கநாதனை தரிசித்தோம். ஒரு பக்கெட் நீரில் குளிக்க அடம் பிடிக்கும் ஸ்ரிஷன் அன்று காவேரியில் குதித்து விளையாடினான். உடல் நடுக்கம் எடுத்த பின்பும், போதுமா என்று கேட்டால், இல்லை என்று தலை ஆட்டினான். எனக்கு சிரிப்பு தான் வந்தது. இதற்காக நான் காவேரி அருகில் வீடு வாங்க முடியுமா?

Our trip to Melkote

This is not the first time we had a darshan at Melkote, but it was special because we had been on the auspicious day of Chithirai Thiruvadhirai - The birth Star of Swami Ramanujar. The previous trip was indeed memorable as we had been to Thondanur and Saligramam as well, since it is special due to the blessings of Swami Mudaliandan who had been to Saligramam and Swami Ramanujar who had been to Thondanur.

On our previous Utsavam trip to melkote, it was the fourth day of 10 day Utsavam, and we could attend the goshti where they recite the hymns sung by Azhwars each day. On the final day of the Utsavam, being the Saattrumurai, Thirumanjanam, Purappadu ( Swami blesses the people around the temple going through the streets) and other recitals.

This time, Srishan was the highlight, I have been telling him since morning, that we were going to Melkote to prostrate before Ramanujar ( Thamar Ugandha Thirumeni - One who was idoled by his most beloved disciples ) He was overjoyed, in first place becoz we were taking him out, so he could see traffic, lot of trees, and things of interest. Half way through, he slept in the car seat. We took the Nice road, and cut down our time on traffic by almost half an hour. We started by 12 noon and reached by around 3.15. Srishan woke up, and so I fed him with some cerelac. He also did his usual routines. Then we went inside the temple to find the Thirumanjanam over, and alankaram done. The goshti was there, and around 250 to 300 people. We got the thirumanjana theertha prasadam and also Swami's blessings. Srishan was startled seeing too many people around, but delighted with the prasadams he got. One of our relatives also recognised us and spoke. Then we had a close darshan of Ramanujar. Then we went to have lunch, around 4 PM. Though it was quite late, we had good lunch( Thadhiyaaradhanai) at Vanamamalai Mutt. The highlight was Swami Akkarakani Srinidhi serving us all. I was telling Srishan that he is the one whos CD we play daily to listen to Poorvacharya Stotra Mala. Then we came back and saw that the sannidhi was closed. Srishan had walked inside the temple as a full pradakshinam, and was even more delighted on climbing the steps to the sannidhi of Pillai Lokacharyar. We could not stop him from doing that , he kept on insisting that we hold his hands when he climbs. At one point of time, We just left him, and saw that he was trying to climb the steps on his own. He was too enthusiatic to climb. The next event was Purappadu at around 7 pm. It would be too late for us to return to bangalore, so we left around 6.30 pm. Reached by around 10pm.

Two things amazed me in this trip!!! We were blessed to be there on Swami's thirunakshatram and Acharya purushas were serving and showed their humility

http://picasaweb.google.com/chudamani.ravi/ThamarugandhaTirumeniOnChitiraiThiruvdhirai2010#

Try to follow them - Emberumanaar Utsava kondaattam

10 Principles Koorathazhwan

FALL IN LOVE WITH GOD

Pray with sincerity humility and gratitude for atleast 15 minutes a day.

RESTRICT FOOD CONSUMPTION

Eat anything only after offering it to God.

MEDITATION

Meditate on the beauty of God, at least thrice a day,

atleast a minimum of 3 minutes each time. Chant Sri Vishnu

Sahasranamam (the 1000 Holy Names of Lord Vishnu) once a day.

RESPECT FOR ALL THAT IS HIS

Strive to lead a life in which you will never hurt

a fellow living being for any reason.

MONEY

Earn to live, educate, support and serve and not for

the sake of pursuing materialistic desires.

CHARITY

Donate however little it may be to noble causes.

Feeding the needy is the highest form of charity.

CONTENTMENT

Be happy and content that you are His. Thank your preceptors at least

once a day for blessing you with this awareness.

ABSOLUTE FAITH

Place complete trust in the supreme LORD. Do not go against His way.

SELF – CONTROL

Strive to live a life free from selfish desire and anger.

Always adorn a peaceful smile; it will work on others and on you too

Stack building

http://www.youtube.com/user/chudamaniravi#p/a/u/0/3utpXsWAJtc

SRISHAN building stacks

Bugs here and bugs there

After Darisanam of Thiruvengadamudayaan at Thirumalai, we came down and went to Govindarajapatnam, and had the blessings of Govindarajar. Since the time was 6pm already, we decided not to proceed to bangalore, and instead stay there overnight, and then drive the next morning. So we took a room at the Srinivasam Complex there, and stayed that night. When we checked in , it was already 10.30 pm, so we thought we could sleep until 5 am and then start. We had shock after we switched off the lights. In few minutes, my son who was in deep sleep started to cry like he had seen a monster :( We were wondering what could be the reason. I thought he might have had dreams about the head shave, and frightened. We switched on the lights and saw that he was crying with his eyes closed. Then we saw bed bugs all over his bed. We took him out of the bed and thoroughly searched him all over, and made sure he did not have any on his body. Then we removed the bed spread and saw that there were more bugs. I was reminded of the MUMMY movie, I felt really sad for taking this decision to stay there for which my toddler was suffering. Then we took him to another room where we applied odomos and i put him on the lap and made him sleep. I had to sit for the rest of the night and wrap him in towel, to keep him away from bed bugs and mosquitoes. It was a very horrifying experience which I hope doesnt happen to anybody else.

Back home we took out all our luggages carefully and kept them on the veranda, searched them thoroughly before putting the clothese to wash. People going to stay in such places, beware of bed bugs!!!!

Blessings came in bundle

Offlate I was not getting any time for blogs. But i thought this was worth a blog, as i experienced it myself. When we started to come to chennai, it was already 7.45 am and we wanted to reach before 2pm as the VIPs of the inauguration of Assembly were coming on the same day. To make things worse, my son could not digest the milk he had in the morning and threw up. We had to change his dress and then make him feel comfortable, after all he was a toddler. He had 1 idli and then after some play he slept. Thanks to the car seat my Sis in law has given me, he could sleep comfortably. We were crossing Sriperumbudur around 12.15pm, my husband asked me if we could try a chance to worship at the temple there. We changed our course to the temple, and reached in 2 mins. There was absolutely no crowd, i was surprised, as it was a saturday. Then we found that the temple was almost closed, and there was one small portion of the door open. We still did not leave hope, and wanted to check if the sannidhis were open. So we rushed in. For me, it was like a dream. I have been showing Ramanujar's photo to my son, and he used to recognise it, and say aaaa aaaaaa. He says that for every other thing though. The grill was locked, but there came a person from inside, he opened the grill for us, and the Swami incharge of the sannidhi asked us to wait a minute. He then pulled the screen and let us have the blessings of Emberumaanar, which was when i got tears in my eyes. My son was asleep when we had just reached the temple, and as i had taken him on my hands, he had woken up, wondering where he was, pointing to Gopuram and Dwajasthambam and a lot of other things which he usually keep pointing. This time, he was in joy, and when i asked where is Emberumaanar, he pointed his finger to the Moolavar, and then we felt so blessed. We then came back with prasadam and realised what a timing it was, that Ramanujar gave us that drive to go and seek his blessings. Indeed in bundle!!!

Krishna Consciousness

Now time to write another blog, and i thought it is very necessary to say that we often forget who we are, what is the purpose of our life, and our very relationship with God. My niece is 2.8 years old, she came here to spend time with my son. She loved doing all that I do to him, except that she could not feed him cerelac. She used to give him bath, apply powder, and also change his nappy. My sis in law used to tell her eat time stories and also sleep time stories. All Krishna leela. When we were going on a jolly ride through ECR, we happen to cross the crocodile park, and I asked her, if she was interested in watching crocodiles. She immediately said that if she goes inside, then crocodile will catch her legs - "kau nu kaala kavvidum". Then I asked her what she would do??? She replied that she would call "Krishnaaaaaa". I asked her "What will happen?" , she replied, Krishna will come down on Garuda vahanam,and will let his Sudharsana chakra to open the crocodile's mouth and save her from it's clutches. I was simply stunned by her reply, and the way a bedtime story has seeded in her mind. We often think that any success or failure occurs because of our efforts only and fail to accept that we are not independant identities, but God's creations. If we are always conscious about this,then we can realise that all our efforts are only due to his grace and all the result attributes to him. So we can perform our duties without worrying about the result. If such small stories can impact the minds of young child, why not we give our progeny all the satvic thoughts as early as we can, not worrying about how they would take it, ofcourse. :)

My Favourite videos

Mother is born when the child is born

For any women who has gone through her first pregnancy and delivery, there are N number of doubts, questions, and points to ponder. To make things more fussy, if there are 10 people around, there would be 22 suggestions, all contradicting one another :) on how to handle the baby and mother. This happens when you are surrounded by people who are your well wishers, who have gone through this phase , at some point in their life, and wish to make sure you get the benefits or the experience as they did. Not bad, but it could confuse us,because, the time and environmental conditions which they had is not the same now, and so may not be applicable now.

From how to hold the baby, clothing, feeding, bathing, soothing, and to look after self health, every mom has her own experience. Confidence is the best tool at this time. Only the mother would know by instincts how the baby is keeping his/her health. So , no matter how many suggestions you get, you got to follow your instincts on how your baby feels. Try to analyse what is best for the baby, feel as if you were the baby, then half of the questions would be answered. The beauty lies in how prompt the decisions are taken. 

Leasons from Day1:

1)Talking to the baby more, makes the vocabulary building strong for the baby. You never know, they learn from day 1 on earth. So never assume that they did not respond to you, so they did no notice. It is like sowing the seeds and just giving enough water. Don't expect the saplings to shoot on day1. But underneath , they are growing a tree :)

2)The more good words and positive sentences we use, the better it is for the baby. 

Studies have proved that a child learns at an infinite speed within the first six years, which cannot be matched by the amount that he/she learns in entire life.

3)Allow him/her to be on his own. Expecting the baby to do what we want does not make sense. Instead, giving the baby the right inputs from when his/her vision is good and from when he/she can hear ( which is from day one on earth ) is what we can do.

 Though initially for about a month and a half, the vision would just be within 2 feet, and just black and white shades, it is good to keep him/her engaged with play cards and let him/her learn at him own pace. 

4)Use Common sense over conventionalism. That helps a lot.

5)Consult your parents on food habits to keep the baby healthy, because every portion of meal that the mother takes will flavour the milk she feeds.

6) Dont let the baby be overcrowded by Visitors. Instead, tell them politely that the baby needs some time before he/she can be handled. 

7) Try to spend more time with the baby and understand his/her needs better. Nobody can beat the confidence of the Mother in handling the baby. 

8) Continue to be calm as you were prenatal, so that the baby sure gets the traits that are Satvic.

9) Make a routine for the baby to listen to music and teaching.

10) Browse the following website for useful information -http://www.drketan.com/breastfeed/

11) Share this with all the new mothers. :)

- Mom since 6-Jan-2009

Nithya Ravi

How to make ur Bundle of Joy a real BUNDLE OF JOY :)

After a long time, i thought i should put up a post so that all women who are ready to carry a Bundle of Joy can know how easy a labor could be made,and all men who wish to help their wives out, can sure share it with them. Every women who turns a mother will first have a fear or a thought in mind, as to whether she would be able to give birth to a baby as a normal delivery or it would be a C section.

For all those thoughts in mind, there is one answer, it is not in our hands, and we dont have to worry about that. Moreover, we have to bear in mind that we can create a conducive environment for the featus to make sure he/she chooses a normal delivery to see this earth . True, God only knows how to direct the baby to see the world.

Then how do we create a conducive environment? The answer is

Do’s:

1) Being Calm and composed

2) Listening to mild and good music,preferably on speakers.

3) Listening to Vedic Chanting ( for those who want to know more, there is a album by Tatwamsi Dixit - A Vedic Pundit ) for the mother's to be. you can purchase that and listen to it daily, until delivery.

4) Good exercise routine which does not have any lifting, straining sorts- walking is considered best - may be 2 kms will be good, you can start from 4^th month when your vomiting and giddiness has stopped.

5) Good sleep ( In the first trimester, you will automatically get sleep.You may be drowsy for more time.

6) Reading out loud, talking to your baby as if she was in a pouch like Kangaroo. Studies have proved that the baby starts listening when she/he is 5 months in the womb.

7) Drink good amt of water

8) Always have a positive attitude.

9) Feel everyday as if you are living another beautiful day today :)

Don’t’s :

1) Loud Music – NO , Loud Noise – NO , Dance , Alcohol , Passive – Active Smoking – NO NO NO

2) Drinking Plenty of water may sometimes lessen the necessary salt content in our body, so try consuming as juices, lassi etc. Canned and Tinned food –NO NO NO

3) Lying on stomach –NO NO NO. From fourth month onwards try to stretch along your side. For a while lying on the back is ok, but try to minimize that time.

4) Don’t try any exercise without consulting your Physiotherapist. They will suggest prenatal exercises.

5) Avoid lot of coffee and tea in a day.

6) Don’t apply deodorant under arms.

7) Don’t use any new products – Example - hair removing creams.

8) Don’t panic for anything.Increase in blood pressure is harmful for the baby.

Upto third fourth month, do take mother horlicks or any malt that has DHA. This helps in the brain development of the baby during pregnancy.

Every person is unique and every constitution would behave uniquely. So dont compare yourself with anyone.

I had a beautiful experience with my pregnancy and labor. First of all , inspired by my sis-in-law, I chose to listen to lot of music and kept myself engaged all through. Throughout pregnancy i had set a routine to follow, and i strictly did. I would wake up at 5.30 in the morning, and then have a quick shower, and get ready. I would have a cup of milk - with some malt added, and leave for a walk at 7, and cover a distance of almost 2.5 kms, slowly but steadily. I would be back home by 8.20, the way included 2 temples,and no traffic roads- which meant no pollution. This is a kind of blessing in disguise, as the immune system is also good throughout - the more u interact with nature, the more healthy you become. Then I had my breakfast at 8.30, some activities, books to read, music to listen to. At 12.30 my lunch would be there. My mom ( in law) was on dot, and i feel that i m blessed to have her as my mom.

Then some good sleep after about an hour after lunch. This helped me to digest what i ate, and i dint slog. Then in the evening, some mild pre-natal exercise. Dinner at 8. Never forget to include a fruit in the diet. Avoid Pineapple and papaya.Rest are ok.

Chennai has its own activities to keep the ppl engaged. I used to go to all kutcheris in mylapore , during Nov-Dec Season. Dont forget to pamper yourself on a short road trip during 6th month. Coz that is when u can travel.

During 8th and 9th month keep only short distance activities, and make sure your hospital is at a short distance. Having all the records ready makes it easier for a smooth procedure.

I was going nearby to kutcheris and discourses, until the day before labor. On the day, I had mild discomfort in the morning. The countdown started in hours. I got admitted at 9 .30 and I was told that i m in pre-term labor. By around 12.30 pm, I was in labor, and by 3.23, our Son saw this world, with God's grace. It was a normal delivery, thanks to the activities and routine that I was able to follow.

In two days I was dischargd, and back home. I wish every mom-to-be to have a pleasant experience, throughout and after labor.

Real experimental driving experience

Driving is always interesting when you know the rules and you want to go out for a while. This time, i had to take amma, paati and chithi along with me, not a big test , just to the next street. We went to listen to Upanyasam on Upanishad Kadhaigal for a week. My job was to first drop them at the gate, and then park the vehicle in such a manner that it will be quick and easy for me to come back ,without any problems. The road where this Hall is a real mess, and the surprise is that the residents themselves park their vehicles outside their houses, which added to the crowd of fourwheelers there. The day i would never forget was when I went and parked my Santro in the direction away from the hall, which made things worser for me when i had to come back. I decided to start a bit early to avoid last minute traffic. So i went and started my vehicle, luckily there wasnt any traffic at that time. So i decided to make a "U" turn in that road itself ( how dare i ?) without thinking about the consequences if some vehicle turns up. Things were fine until i almost did make a "U" turn 75%. THen i realised that there were vehicles coming in both the directiion, neither i could go back , nor i could move front, due to the vehicles parked outside the houses. I got a rough look from two drivers who came in the opposite direction. Luckily, two ladies who came from the Hall, took out their vehicle, which eased our bottleneck situation, and allowed me to move further. This time, i was embarrased, because, the whole street was blocked becuase of me and even Swami was stuck up with the car and waiting for me to move. I learnt a lesson, not to take chance in narrow streets.
:-))

Driving school and License

Every person would have an experience in obtaining his/her driving license. I too had two memorable occasions. The first was when I wanted MC-WOG ( Motor Cycle Without Gear) with my TVS-50, when I was in std XII. My father had arranged an appointment at the RTO office, and I went along with my brother to obtain the license. This happened when I was at Hosur. We took the TVS -50 out on a hot and sunny day and reached the RTO office at 9 sharp. There were lot of people waiting outside with their applications which were to be scrutinised, but I had a calkwalk, and finished my written test ( we had one) where I was told the options and was asked to mark two of them wrong. Then I was asked to drive and show hand signals and then make a "8" pattern. Then I was told to collect the license in three days.

We started back home, when the real trouble came in. Few minutes away from the RTO office, on the National Highway, my TVS stopped moving. It was a tiresome job to pull the vehicle all the way about a kilometer before we could find a repair shop. Then we reached home by 2 in the afternoon, and I was exhausted completely.

It is now close to 7 years since this happened. Now when I think about yesterday, the day when I obtained my LMV and MCWG licenses, I am still wondering as to how the day did not change much to my favour, but the technology has developed well enough to make things better for all.

First of all I have to tell my experience of going to the driving school. My father in law took me and enrolled me in the school. It was all exciting for me, as I was going to drive a four wheeler first time in my life, my long time dream of long distance drives in Super Highways with a melodious number in the player flashed my mind and thrilled me. I was waiting for this to happen.
But When I took my first class, I was told to sit in the back seat and observe how they drive ( my peers who are learning ) I was not much delighted. I knew I had my turn too. So I was quiet. The second day was even more dull. I was asked to sit in the back seat, the car went to another branch at adyar. There was working model of the driving Unit( A steering, Accelarator, Break, Clutch ) and I was taught
to change gears. Then my class was over. I asked lot of questions to the guy who taught me, and he asked me which class it was. I said this is my second day. He was surprised, that I were asking too many questions.

Then on the third day, I was allowed to sit in the driving seat. I was very delighted, and the driving went smooth. I was learning and was very pleased that the first day went really well. When I came home and said this to my husband, he told me that the instructor would have dual clutch and break to control from the other side.

The next day when I went for my class, my first job was to confirm that there was dual clutch and break. Then only I realized that he was controlling the whole thing. I convinced myself that I would be on my own when I finish the class.

After 10 classes were complete, I thought I was on my own,wanted to test that, and took the vehicle to besant nagar. That day I realized that I was not even half way through. I stopped the vehicle many times, got stuck at speed breakers, and was about to hit a person, luckily he realized that I was coming behind, and he jumped off the road. Then I took reverse so fast that my father in law and driver got scared.

Then only I realized that I have to learn a lot, practice a lot.
Everyday I used to get up by 5.20, and go for the class at 5.45, sometimes i would get the vehicle soon, sometimes it took as long as 7.00Am. I was very irritated on those days. Patience is virtue was the only thought running in my mind that time.

After twenty classes, I was somewhat confident, took my chithi's son with me one day, and practised on the gullies of triplicane. Ahm, that was a nice experience.

It was time for my license on 20th Jun, I was told to bring a foto. The rest of the paper work was done by the driving school ppl. I went and collected my papers and was told to go to the RTO office at tiruvanmiyur.

When I reached RTO office, there were atleast 20 people from the same driving school. We were asked to go to tiruvanmiyur beach. We submitted our papers and went there. It was a hot sunny day. Thanks to the twenty people who were sharing their grievances with the experience they had in the driving school like me. We all started conversing as if we studied in the same college. We had to wait until 11.45, and then the Inspector came. We were split into batches and I had a tough time as my group had to wait as we would be tested by a different inspector. So we had to wait again. I had my lunch which my mom had packed for me. Then the wait continued until we came to know that no other inspector would come, but the one who is already engaged would finish that batch and then come to us.
The best things was that the vehicle from the driving school did not start, and the first person who started had a tough time. I was very blessed, that I had brought my own vehicle.
In our batch also I had to wait until he finished two rounds, then I asked him if I could take the test since I had brought my vehicle. He asked me to follow his car.( The one in which he was taking test for the other people). I took a U turn and then followed him until two streets. Then he asked me to go. I was waiting to give my two wheeler test when he said that it was ok. So I came back to the RTO office. Then I had to collect my papers back where the Inspector had marked PASS. Then I collected my License at around 4.30 pm and then left the place. Not much difference between the days that i compared, but the technological advancement that made me wait for three hours to get my license instead of coming back after three or four days.