The Confused Commoner

Ever since I could think and act on my own, I am more confused and at crossroads. Like the typical child of a conservative family, I implicitly followed and believed what my parents did and decades after they are gone, I still have no reasons to change that belief.  Spirituality was a common faith undergoing in the family though rites were not as religiously done, more due to the social and economic conditions prevailing then rather than the belief and willingness ! I remember my dad performing elaborate sahasranamas in my early days. Then came the days of Sai bajans with the prasad being the best of attractions! Now, i realize that the many bajan songs of that time , nearly four decades after,  are still fresh in my memory and I could recite them even now, without a pause ! Despite the years at Mylapore and the traditional bhakthi towards the Sankaracharyas at those times, my father never had a strong following for these acharyas and so it never got into me. I remember the streets being spruced up whenever there is a visit but, true to my parents' belief, they never excited me. But, one clear thought that was imbibed from my father was, whether you believe in some God or god men, never hurt the thoughts and beliefs of their followers !

As I grew up and started thinking on my own terms , I did realize that these enlightened elders do have something to excite people. Whether they are God or not, I couldn't care less, but so far as they are able to relieve the pains and  assuage the minds of the needy in the accepted way, I am happy and I decided that we need to coexist. But, as days progressed, the way in which the learned sadhus and god men got caught in the quagmire of controversies was very disheartening, to say the least. Initial shock was the arrest and subsequent political discussions on Kanchi Sankaracharya

The latest is the controversy surrounding the property and the leftovers from Sathya Sai Baba. Everything was fine until the God men was breathing and within days of his passing away started all insinuations- cash chest at his place, unaccounted bullions being stashed away by the powers that are close to Prashanthi Nilayam, the foul publicity of 98 KGs of Gold, 300 KGs of Silver and hundreds of crores of cash.... the news, accusations , insinuations and the rumor mill doing the rounds non stop. I am not a great follower of these beliefs and I am not interested in the veracity of these but what hurts me is the falling from the pedestal of once the mighty and highly revered ! The common man who throng these seers and Sadhus- what do they expect from them? Some soothing words, guidelines to their battered soul and directions. If these gurus are going to falter- at least accused- they are left like orphans in the street. I pity them and sympathize with them.

The common man require some guiding spirits- someone to whom he /she could approach, when at cross roads. They do not require your wealth, your powers through political connections. Just advice/guide them.

A word of caution for the common man- It is your decision to choose any of these sadhus as gurus. But, in this material world, be prepared for anything. My personal opinion on the subject is different but one thing I am convinced is that there are enough Gods to follow across our temples and this should be enough through our life time. I feel i can focus on these and understand them better rather than spending my energy on living and walking Gods. God and religion are personal to everyone and you have a right to choose your path ! God Bless.

Kodai - 2011

Despite my hanging the proverbial gloves in Dec 2010, I could not find myself planning for a break out of Chennai, due to various location based commitments . Once we realized that things are under control, we took upon the earliest opportunity to freak out. The usual touring team was short of one ticket- my daughter - who wanted to serve her employers more rather than spending time with the same old parents- and so we set out to Kodai, my favorite jaunt, this time only for 3 days. After a day at Madurai, going down the memory and other traditional lanes , we landed up at IOB's Holiday home. Though the travel by a private van was not that pleasant, as the travel agent virtually took us for a ride grouping us with other sight seers, all the strains and displeasures vanished on setting foot at Kodai and the holiday home was a beauty to stay at. Freshly painted and well maintained, the first comfort zone was created by the warmth of the Manager Mr. Kannan S Iyer, who made us feel at home.

The guest house "Stony Croft" was at a slightly elevated level and provided a panoramic view with the surrounding mountains.  A stroll outside and the view from the balcony, when once the chill became effective as the day withdrew, seem to become the favorite activities ! Having seen the Coakers walk and the Parks more number of times than the young travel guides roaming around, we decided only to explore on foot rather than visit any of these places. The initial trek through the gradient was reminding us of our age since our first visit in 1985 and next time onwards we became wiser to save the breadth by hitching on to any available vehicle. The look and walk around the lake is always a pleasure and Kashmir's words can also be applicable to a large extent that "If there is a paradise on earth, it is this. It is this". The cool, crisp air, a brisk walk in the early noon time, few lazy boats making more noises paddling than moving and with no agenda- it was a great time. The understanding of the boat riders and the ice cream vendors was evident in the boat veering to shore at the site of a vendor ! The young ice cream vendor taking strains to remove the paper cover littered into the lake by the customer, was a pleasant sight. After repeatedly travelling around the few hill stations in South India, for the past 25 years, I truly realized the meaning of chilling out- a calm place and no crowded sightseeing agenda - a great way to unwind. Amazing to realize what such a relaxed atmosphere could do- you can discuss, read or simply watch the scenes and put up your tired feet- great way to unwind. Everytime, we resolve we had seen enough of this place and not to return for the next couple of years- but it is the beauty of Kodai, that ultimately wins !

Preparedness !

Heard on the Television that the more the hits taken by a stone, it matures into a better statue ! How true it is . Most of the lessons in this world are learnt through experiences , though one always start with text books. We always believe that things will always be rosier for us - assume and take things for granted. Whenever we see an incident, we sympathize  and safely assume that this shall not occur to us! If you could dwell for  a few minutes on the topic, one will realize how short are we on preparation for the eventualities. As a  typical common man, we travel only along the positive sides of occasions and desist from going through negative paths. Instead of always dwelling on negatives, occasionally, it pays to encourage such thoughts too!

For instance, when we obtain a loan from any bank, we never bother to read the fine prints. When we open a bank account, we never bother to specify a nominee. I know of people who consider it a bad sign to even think of nominations ! Can you believe that the major proceeds of a PPF account without a valid nomination will go to the Government coffers ! How does it feel to see your hard earned savings being gobbled up by someone because of your thoughtlessness ? When in the unfortunate event of any such incident striking us, we feel about the lack of foresight or silently suffer the consequences.

Past few months, added some more pages to my already badly dog eared experience book but I feel it is worth sharing with my friends. If one has an ailing elder in the house, what are the suggested precautionary activities, that we need to take:

• Make sure that the bank accounts of the person are in "Either or Survivor" operational format, wherever possible.
• There are some bank accounts like specific categories of Pensioners, where the rules does not permit E Or S status. In such cases, ensure that only a minimum balance is left in the account and the rest is transferred to a joint account.
• Despite E Or S status, please also specify a nominee for the account. After indicating the nominee, please insist on an acknowledgement form the bank and preserve it.
• Make sure that the above are made for all Savings accounts, Fixed Deposits and Safe Deposit Lockers.
• If the account holder is unable to sign the cheques, due to ailment or age,  you can arrange for a power of Attorney to be made, so that the operations in the account are not hampered. Approach a lawyer and he will guide you. Take my word - it is a simple process, which could save a lot of heartburns later.
• Make sure that the Deposit Receipts, Bank pass books, Credit and Debit cards, Locker keys are kept at a safe place and properly intimated to the next of the kin.
• It is advisable to maintain a Journal or a Notebook, indicating all such items and this could act as a single source of reference to the family.
• In case of immovable properties, please make sure a Will is written- it saves a lot of complications. Please approach your lawyer for the same.
• Getting a succession certificate is a thankless job, which i will not curse even to the worst of my friends. The number of trips you need to make, the lack of system and records at the office will frustrate you and when the activity is achieved, you will not care less about the status of the Lokpal bill !

The above are fresh from the experiences and if there are more, I will come back to update this !

சில்லுனு ஒரு காலை

விடிகாலை எழுந்திருப்பதே ஒரு சுகம், சிலருக்கு . அந்த சுகத்தை அதிகரிக்க , ஒரு நல்ல காபிக்குப் பின் விறு விறு என்று நடப்பது இருக்கே- அது தனீ சுகம். நடக்கும் பொழுதே பல விஷயங்களை பார்க்க முடிகிறது. தூக்கக் கலக்கத்தில் பால் வாங்கச் செல்லும் மாமாக்கள், அவசரமாக பேப்பர் போடும் சிறுவர்கள், இன்னமும் வாசலில் கோலம் போடும் மாமிகள் (வேலைக்குப் போகாதவர்கள் போல), புதிய காரை துடைக்கும் அவரை, பெருமையுடன் பால்கனியில் இருந்து பார்க்கும் மாமி... இப்படிப் பல பேர்கள்.. பல காட்சிகள் 

நடப்பவர்களில் பல ரகம் - புது shoe  , புது track suit, காதில் Ipod சகிதம், இறைக்க இறைக்க பத்து அடி ஓடியபின் அடி வயிற்றை அடிக்கடி தொட்டுப் பார்ப்பவர்கள், தம்பதி சகேதமாய் கிளம்பும் சிலர் திரும்பி வரும்பொழுது சண்டை போட்டுக் கொண்டு பத்து அடி தள்ளி நடந்து கொண்டிருப்பார்கள். இந்த காதில் IPOD மாட்டுவதில் எனக்கு உடன்பாடு இல்லை . நமக்கு யோசனை பண்ண , அசை போட ஆயிரம் சமாச்சாரம் இருக்கே !

காரிலோ, பைக்கிலோ போகும் பொழுது பார்க்க முடியாத பல சுவர்க் கிறுக்கல்களை கவனிக்கலாம்- அண்மையில் ரசித்தது- Tomorrow comes everyday, today is available only now-make the best use of it ! இவற்றை எல்லாம் பாத்துண்டே நடக்கும் போது நாற்பது   நிமிடம் போவதே தெரிவதில்லை. இதில் தினம் தினம் மாறிக்கொண்டே இருப்பது, கார் ஓட்டக் கற்றுக் கொள்பவர்கள். முன்பெல்லாம் நிறய ஆண்கள், சில பெண்கள்- வர வர கதை மாறுகிறது உண்மயிலேயே சந்தோஷமாய் இருக்கு- ஆனால் அங்கு அம்போவென்று காத்துண்டு இருக்கும் அப்பாக்களைப் பார்த்தால் தான் பாவமாயிருக்கு. வரப்போர நாட்களில் ஏறப்போகும் சாலைப் போக்குவரத்து போலிசுக்கு ஒரு சவாலாகத்தான் இருக்கப் போகிறது

Country of Diversities?

Times of India reported today that there is a crisis looming as "godowns overflow with grain". With the godowns already full and the Kharif harvest to happen in the coming months, there is a possibility that the harvested grains may rot in the expected monsoon. The farmers, who are expected to benefit from the bountiful harvest are also frustrated and threaten to throw the paddy on the streets and declare a crop holiday. This being the case in places like U.P and M.P, the state of Bihar continues to get a short supply of food grains. There are also reported starvation deaths from other corners of the country. This, I remember, is not the first year we hear about the shortage of storage space. 


It is not an uncommon feature to hear about floods in some parts while the other parts of the country reel under 'unexceptional drought' and people in metropolitan cities buy water at Rs 15/= a litre?


The power position is never discussed until April/May and suddenly come summer, the authorities plan for power cuts ranging from one to five hours ! Can this be advanced with a better vision and power saved during Jan to March, could be better spread during summer peak, to avoid discomfort.


Is there a plan to bridge the gap?  We actually do not seem to have shortfalls but in trying to bridge the gaps, we seem to be falling short ! A better planning with a farther vision should make the living a lot better? Will the concerned authorities act please?