The new year should be started on a positive note. So I thought I'd blog about what makes me smile. The little things that bring the brightness to my face. But before, I'd like to bless everyone to enjoy every moment of this new year. Its the gift given to us. LEt us use it wisely! the 365days, 52 weeks, and my maths is getting a bit rusty, once gone will not come back. So let us smile at 2007 and welcome 2008. Mistakes are natural, to learn and smile is godlike. So may you reach the stars in this new wonderful year.
Two plus eight equals 10. I'm no numerologist. O, wait that should be a 1. Being first (Number 1)is very special! and thus this year is going to be extra special for all. I know, u'll be thinking what rubbish is this girl is coming up with? But hey its our thoughts that matter. And if I think this year is going to be awesome, IT will be!
2007- A year of achievements. India won the twenty20. and i finished the mahabharatham in Tamil. Now that is an achievement, consdering I'd been reading it for 2years. So many other things happened to me and globally, for better or worse, it was all for the best! May the year finish with the rapture and good will it started with, and let us think back for the good times, and memorable occassions we had!
Keep Smiling, as the new year dawns!
Monday 31 December 2007
The US!
Ahh was I naive to think the US had no responsibility? Amma was saying, following Bhutto's death, that America's next invasion will be Pakistan in the name of 'peace'. I laughed it of thinking America has too much on its plate already. But now I realise America not putting there nose into everything, is as impossible as it being 40degrees on top of Mt. Everest. Ahh...I shouldv'e guessed it was through them, that Bhutto returned to Pakistan, and met her fate within 10weeks of her return. Some may claim it far fetched to blame America. But I'm anti - American. And time and time again, they have proved themselves to be the busybodies causing havoc! Vietnam war, Iraq and now this. America must soon realise the world does not revolve around them! Things only work when they come from within. Your average school child could tell you that. You can give them all the resources, but its not going to work without the interest coming from within. I still havn't made up my mind about Democracy in the East. And that's a another whole raging debate. But I know one thing! America's influence is surely a bad omen to achieving anything successful anywhere.
Sunday 30 December 2007
Musharaf
Being an Indian, the bias against Pakistan was innate. But recently I thought there may be hope for the lost country. And my bias was refocused on a sole person. Musharaff. Now there's more the reason to despise him. Musharaff gains my entire blame for the political assasisnation of Bhutto. He may not have executed the act through any means, but inaction itself is a cause. If Musharaf has even little brains, he wouldn't have done such foolish acts. Think back to 1984, Indra Ghandhi's assasination. The country was in kaos. Amoungst these violent acts, do you really believe, you'll be elected in a one man election. In you dreams! Look the world's attention is upon you. Maybe they might give up democracy in the east. After all east meets west is merely illusionary. Yet, things aint going to be too easy for you. Wait for it!
Saturday 29 December 2007
அஞ்சலி
அரசியல் ஒரு சாக்கடை
But it brings out the best in people
Evidence Bhutto
It is not her death that has brought sorrow
But her death has been the last straw
Where thou art Pakistan?
You remind me of 1984
What striking parralels there remain btw you and her?
The countries may be rivals
But you are one
In your ambitions
Success
and Bravery
There are those who can criticise
After all it is the field of politics
But you both made it
and proved your point
I salute your power!
Taare Zameen Par
Ek achie film !
Still in the learning stage of understanding Hindi, a hindi film without subtitles is hardwork. Yet Aamir Khan's 'Taare Zameen Par' was a brilliantly moving film! You've done it again Aamir Khan. I didn't even need the dialogues to tell me, that this is one superb film!
While watching the movie i was thoda upset, as Aamir Khan was not on the screen till the movie hit the half way mark. But his enthralling performance left no sorrows at the end of the film.
It wasn't just Aamir Khan but the entire crew that have done a brilliant job. The protagonist, so small, has the experience of the most experienced. He's a miracle maker.
Without giving too much away, the climax is one of the best I've seen in a while. As is the story, which is non-stop brilliance, from start to finish. The music does only justice to the movie.
I loved the fact that the movie was all about children. There was condemnation against child labour and recommendation for a more child orientated education system which are all, time old issues, we often forget to give thought to. We just accept the tea from the tea boy, or burst the fireworks made by children in Sivakasi. We forget children have thoughts too. We forget their childhood. WE compare, compete and sometimes ruin our own children's future.
This movie is bound to rake in awards. On the basis of themes, it is equivalent to that of 'Black'. Yet the difference is that this is not so heavy, and much more entertaining. Do watch it. It can not be missed! My only sadness is such a movie has not come in Tamil yet.
Still in the learning stage of understanding Hindi, a hindi film without subtitles is hardwork. Yet Aamir Khan's 'Taare Zameen Par' was a brilliantly moving film! You've done it again Aamir Khan. I didn't even need the dialogues to tell me, that this is one superb film!
While watching the movie i was thoda upset, as Aamir Khan was not on the screen till the movie hit the half way mark. But his enthralling performance left no sorrows at the end of the film.
It wasn't just Aamir Khan but the entire crew that have done a brilliant job. The protagonist, so small, has the experience of the most experienced. He's a miracle maker.
Without giving too much away, the climax is one of the best I've seen in a while. As is the story, which is non-stop brilliance, from start to finish. The music does only justice to the movie.
I loved the fact that the movie was all about children. There was condemnation against child labour and recommendation for a more child orientated education system which are all, time old issues, we often forget to give thought to. We just accept the tea from the tea boy, or burst the fireworks made by children in Sivakasi. We forget children have thoughts too. We forget their childhood. WE compare, compete and sometimes ruin our own children's future.
This movie is bound to rake in awards. On the basis of themes, it is equivalent to that of 'Black'. Yet the difference is that this is not so heavy, and much more entertaining. Do watch it. It can not be missed! My only sadness is such a movie has not come in Tamil yet.
Friday 28 December 2007
27th Holiday mood
Amoung other things, I was sitting atop a brick fence yesterday. Time ticked by. Possibly an hour or more. But I have to say, I wasn't bored. Especially when people come up with random questions like what day is it? Its not a first that Iv'e heard that question, but usually it isphrased as a rhetoric, where people dont actually want an answer. They just ask, to jog their own memory. But yesterday, after they asked, they stood there waiting for a reply. Now that's a first! An unexpected question was met with an unexpected answer tumbling out of my mouth. 'possibly, Thursaday, I s'pose', I found myself saying. And I only worked that out by determing that if christmas was on Tuesday, then the second day of the test cricket would be thursday, considering the first day happens on Boxing Day. Trust holidays to make our timing sense all distorted. Days blur into weeks, as there's no more working days, and weekends. ITs all one big puddle. Even hours blur into blocks. During Uni, my day would work by the clock. horay holidays, and I htink time before breakfast, then time until lunch, and then lunch to dad coming home, to dinner. No wonder I found it so hard to answer such a simple question of what day it is?
Friday 21 December 2007
Wednesday 19 December 2007
Parvana
Parvana by Deborah Ellis
Wrote with passion and longing for a country left behind. For a country that once had beauty, freedom, and peace. Deborah Ellis writes with simplicity and takes us to a different world. A world torn by war. Taken through the view of innocent eyes, we entake on a journey that not even a man should go through.
The book is an award winning novel. But having already read the kite runner, Parvana, proves as a less intense, yet still as beautiful a novel, portraying a feminine view of a world so different from ours. Whilst the Kite runner was a novel of friendship, betrayal and caste, Parvana presents a different view. It shows the love for a country, a family. The pride a little girl has. The forgotton past. The hardships of day to day life. And the supressal of feminity, expression and freedom.
Whilst the story is elegantly intertwined within the words and feelings of a young girl. The simplicity and innocence of the girls narrative has an immense impact on the reader's view. We are the judge. We are left to take the side. Uncritically, Deborah has told her story.
The hopeful yet unspoken, unfinished ending leaves a hindering hope that as Parvana finds her family, maybe one day Afghanistan, too, will find its lost past free of external or for that matter internal regimes.
The patriotism for the country is incredible. Deborah speaks through Parvana to let us know, whoever invades Afghanistan, will inevitably face the same defeat. 'They will be kicked out'.
A child, Parvana, squabbles wiht her sister, and refuses to do chores as any ordinary girl. But she is no ordinary girl. She is the warrior. And this becomes starkly evident as the girls dig up bones in the graveyard. The lost childhood of the girl is highly disturbing.
The unspoken question of whether it is right to leave such a beloved country behind, in moments of crisis, is symbollically represented though the character of Parvana's friend.
Having loved THe kite Runner, this is an Australian equivalent from a different perspective. It equally paints a picture of Afghanistan that has been torn apart. A simple read, with a simple narrative, through a simple girl, depicting the extroadinary lives of extroadinay citizens in an extroadinary country.
Wrote with passion and longing for a country left behind. For a country that once had beauty, freedom, and peace. Deborah Ellis writes with simplicity and takes us to a different world. A world torn by war. Taken through the view of innocent eyes, we entake on a journey that not even a man should go through.
The book is an award winning novel. But having already read the kite runner, Parvana, proves as a less intense, yet still as beautiful a novel, portraying a feminine view of a world so different from ours. Whilst the Kite runner was a novel of friendship, betrayal and caste, Parvana presents a different view. It shows the love for a country, a family. The pride a little girl has. The forgotton past. The hardships of day to day life. And the supressal of feminity, expression and freedom.
Whilst the story is elegantly intertwined within the words and feelings of a young girl. The simplicity and innocence of the girls narrative has an immense impact on the reader's view. We are the judge. We are left to take the side. Uncritically, Deborah has told her story.
The hopeful yet unspoken, unfinished ending leaves a hindering hope that as Parvana finds her family, maybe one day Afghanistan, too, will find its lost past free of external or for that matter internal regimes.
The patriotism for the country is incredible. Deborah speaks through Parvana to let us know, whoever invades Afghanistan, will inevitably face the same defeat. 'They will be kicked out'.
A child, Parvana, squabbles wiht her sister, and refuses to do chores as any ordinary girl. But she is no ordinary girl. She is the warrior. And this becomes starkly evident as the girls dig up bones in the graveyard. The lost childhood of the girl is highly disturbing.
The unspoken question of whether it is right to leave such a beloved country behind, in moments of crisis, is symbollically represented though the character of Parvana's friend.
Having loved THe kite Runner, this is an Australian equivalent from a different perspective. It equally paints a picture of Afghanistan that has been torn apart. A simple read, with a simple narrative, through a simple girl, depicting the extroadinary lives of extroadinay citizens in an extroadinary country.
Tuesday 18 December 2007
Jerusalem Syndrome
I was reading the newspaper, and amoungst other things, was feeling immensely proud of the state's top VCE achievers. Especially the blind girl who proved her point! And to all my buddies who've done incredibly well; CONGRATS!
But something else caught my eye too. Jerusalam Syndrome or psychosis. Its when you start seeing things such as the messiah pop out of a historic wall in Jerusalam, or you have a sudden urge to go to Jerusalam, something similar to a sudden urge to sneeze. I don't know if it was meant to be funny or not. It definetley wasn't hard news. I was cracking up. Is this another comedy of the west? Naming a religious state of mind as a medical condition?
Go to India, every thiruvizha, actually just every friday, the most bakthiful (religious) are in similar state of hyperactiveness. Except we call this 'saami vanthidichu'. Not label it as a medical condition.
No recollection, seeing things and sudden urges to go to a religious place shouldn't be a syndrome! Its called faith! The faith of believing, beyond the explainable. Geez, some people have lost the plot.
But something else caught my eye too. Jerusalam Syndrome or psychosis. Its when you start seeing things such as the messiah pop out of a historic wall in Jerusalam, or you have a sudden urge to go to Jerusalam, something similar to a sudden urge to sneeze. I don't know if it was meant to be funny or not. It definetley wasn't hard news. I was cracking up. Is this another comedy of the west? Naming a religious state of mind as a medical condition?
Go to India, every thiruvizha, actually just every friday, the most bakthiful (religious) are in similar state of hyperactiveness. Except we call this 'saami vanthidichu'. Not label it as a medical condition.
No recollection, seeing things and sudden urges to go to a religious place shouldn't be a syndrome! Its called faith! The faith of believing, beyond the explainable. Geez, some people have lost the plot.
Sunday 16 December 2007
D-Day
Its that time of the year again. Where my heartfelt wishes and good lucks go out to all those awaiting their enter tomorow.
I can remember so vividly as if it was yesterday. I was more than 100, 000kilometres away from Melbourne, travelling on the train from Virdhunagar to Vellore. The heartthrobs as the train rolls on. A sleepless night. 2am strikes on my watch. It seems like 10,000 bells are ringing even amidst the noise of the train on the tracks. My eyes flick open, even though I was never asleep. Results are out. And the train is somewhere in the midst of nowher. I calm myself down. The train, as typical of all trains in India, isnt going to get to its destination on time, and in fact, it arrived 3hours late. So I knew, by the time I get myself to a browsing centre, it would be late afternoon, Australia time:6pmish. Not expecting my results for another few hours, and being completely detached from my peers, I relax. I needn't have to answer or worry about anything for a little while more.
The sun rises above the horizon. Its 8am in some part of Tamil Nadu. Having eaten a dosa on the train, and spilling the very runny watery chutney everywhere, I sit waiting for the train to rattle on. It should have been at vellore bynow, cept it has only passed Vizhupuram. I sit dazing out. The mobile rings. Wow Airtel hascoverage. The signal is picking up. O, wait we are at a station. No wonder! I didn't pick it up, I couldnt add to my annoyance by telling my periyappa in Vellore that the train was three hours late. My bro gives the phone to me, apparently periya wants to speak to me. I'm like what! He tells me my marks. Amma had called periya, and periya had called me. Beyond knowing my mark, I was frustrated for that moment. This one emotion overtook any other feeling I would have had at knowing my mark. I was the one who'd gone through yr 12. A year of work. And I was to know my mark after 5other people! Alrgiht...they were my parents and relatives. Still!!1.....this was my mark. Something that took form after 14years of cultivation. I had a right to be the first critique. But then I thought, pfft, big deal, I would never have had the nerves to check the marks anyway. This was an unexpected, less built up way of knowing.
On arriving in Vellore, Periya got me to go give sweets to everybody. Clearly, he was overjoyed. I imagined my parents with the same ecstatic excitiment miles away in Melbourne. A moment of homesickness swept over me.
Yet later on, these moments of joy were dampened. Someone asked, do all people there do so well?...clearly that person had no understanding of the Victorian Enter system, and I was too annoyed to explain it to them, and that no, I aint as dumb as you think I am. Adding to this, the commentry from my mum of how so many people I knew, had done incredibly well. Peer pressure kicked in. I felt crap about my marks. To top it all of, only if I paid full fees, would I get into the uni of my choice.
That moment brought about a change in me. I hated the enter system, for its competitiveness. It was so competitive, that I was feelign the vibes 100,00km away. Man, am I glad I wasn't in Melbourne at that time. I wanted to keep my enter top secret. What right did people who dont even know me, dont even talk to me, suddenly call to ask my enter. U busy body people. The enter was all about uni. And the dodgy unis, seperate an enter for rich people, and normal people.
Come this year, when I walked the steps of Deakin, to start my degree, no one cared what enter you got. It was jsut a few numbers in the end. It meant very little. For such a little thing so much fuss? !
My fellow friends, awaiting your results, just keep smiling however brilliant or worse of you did! It never matters in the end. Its who you are, and what your capable of doing. The enter doesnt determine anything of that matter.
I can remember so vividly as if it was yesterday. I was more than 100, 000kilometres away from Melbourne, travelling on the train from Virdhunagar to Vellore. The heartthrobs as the train rolls on. A sleepless night. 2am strikes on my watch. It seems like 10,000 bells are ringing even amidst the noise of the train on the tracks. My eyes flick open, even though I was never asleep. Results are out. And the train is somewhere in the midst of nowher. I calm myself down. The train, as typical of all trains in India, isnt going to get to its destination on time, and in fact, it arrived 3hours late. So I knew, by the time I get myself to a browsing centre, it would be late afternoon, Australia time:6pmish. Not expecting my results for another few hours, and being completely detached from my peers, I relax. I needn't have to answer or worry about anything for a little while more.
The sun rises above the horizon. Its 8am in some part of Tamil Nadu. Having eaten a dosa on the train, and spilling the very runny watery chutney everywhere, I sit waiting for the train to rattle on. It should have been at vellore bynow, cept it has only passed Vizhupuram. I sit dazing out. The mobile rings. Wow Airtel hascoverage. The signal is picking up. O, wait we are at a station. No wonder! I didn't pick it up, I couldnt add to my annoyance by telling my periyappa in Vellore that the train was three hours late. My bro gives the phone to me, apparently periya wants to speak to me. I'm like what! He tells me my marks. Amma had called periya, and periya had called me. Beyond knowing my mark, I was frustrated for that moment. This one emotion overtook any other feeling I would have had at knowing my mark. I was the one who'd gone through yr 12. A year of work. And I was to know my mark after 5other people! Alrgiht...they were my parents and relatives. Still!!1.....this was my mark. Something that took form after 14years of cultivation. I had a right to be the first critique. But then I thought, pfft, big deal, I would never have had the nerves to check the marks anyway. This was an unexpected, less built up way of knowing.
On arriving in Vellore, Periya got me to go give sweets to everybody. Clearly, he was overjoyed. I imagined my parents with the same ecstatic excitiment miles away in Melbourne. A moment of homesickness swept over me.
Yet later on, these moments of joy were dampened. Someone asked, do all people there do so well?...clearly that person had no understanding of the Victorian Enter system, and I was too annoyed to explain it to them, and that no, I aint as dumb as you think I am. Adding to this, the commentry from my mum of how so many people I knew, had done incredibly well. Peer pressure kicked in. I felt crap about my marks. To top it all of, only if I paid full fees, would I get into the uni of my choice.
That moment brought about a change in me. I hated the enter system, for its competitiveness. It was so competitive, that I was feelign the vibes 100,00km away. Man, am I glad I wasn't in Melbourne at that time. I wanted to keep my enter top secret. What right did people who dont even know me, dont even talk to me, suddenly call to ask my enter. U busy body people. The enter was all about uni. And the dodgy unis, seperate an enter for rich people, and normal people.
Come this year, when I walked the steps of Deakin, to start my degree, no one cared what enter you got. It was jsut a few numbers in the end. It meant very little. For such a little thing so much fuss? !
My fellow friends, awaiting your results, just keep smiling however brilliant or worse of you did! It never matters in the end. Its who you are, and what your capable of doing. The enter doesnt determine anything of that matter.
Friday 14 December 2007
Gifts
The festive season is here. Stars are hanging from signals. Lights shimmering in houses. To top it all off the sun is blazing.
Shopping centres are crowded, clattered with the usual assortment of useful and unnecessary gifts. This just makes things highly complicated when your looking for a gift for ten little, actually maybe not little, young children. There's so many choices. Should I buy them all the same? Are they actually young enough to play with toys, or are toys too good for them these days. I was shocked to see a barbie doll for $2, back in our days, man I'm pretty sure they were more expensive..It must have been or my parents would have bought it for me. hmm...These days kids, are either on the X-box or anything more latest. I feel so old to say I grew up with no nintendo, computer games, maybe just the rare video game and that was a treat! Whatever happened to the good old days. Hmm...Anyways back to my shopping expedition. After 3hours roaming shop after shop, (I'm girl and wouldn't say it wasnt fun) and spending on a whole lot of other things, I finally decided on cricket bats for the guys(not boys) and a 500peice puzzle for the girls(they don't mind being called girls). The price was great and I was feeling pretty proud of my useful presents amoung the unnecessary items that the shop sold.
But then thinking again, I just realised I was teaching these kids to be sexist, by myself setting an example of differentiating between guys and girls. Who was I to judge that girls don't play cricket, or boys don't do puzzles. I myself grew up playing cricket with my bro, although I don't ever remember him doing puzzles. Arghhh now I wont rest in peace until I see the happy faces of both the girls and guys. My worst nightmare would be to see the girls ask for cricket bats. Man presents are the funnest and hardest things ever.
Shopping centres are crowded, clattered with the usual assortment of useful and unnecessary gifts. This just makes things highly complicated when your looking for a gift for ten little, actually maybe not little, young children. There's so many choices. Should I buy them all the same? Are they actually young enough to play with toys, or are toys too good for them these days. I was shocked to see a barbie doll for $2, back in our days, man I'm pretty sure they were more expensive..It must have been or my parents would have bought it for me. hmm...These days kids, are either on the X-box or anything more latest. I feel so old to say I grew up with no nintendo, computer games, maybe just the rare video game and that was a treat! Whatever happened to the good old days. Hmm...Anyways back to my shopping expedition. After 3hours roaming shop after shop, (I'm girl and wouldn't say it wasnt fun) and spending on a whole lot of other things, I finally decided on cricket bats for the guys(not boys) and a 500peice puzzle for the girls(they don't mind being called girls). The price was great and I was feeling pretty proud of my useful presents amoung the unnecessary items that the shop sold.
But then thinking again, I just realised I was teaching these kids to be sexist, by myself setting an example of differentiating between guys and girls. Who was I to judge that girls don't play cricket, or boys don't do puzzles. I myself grew up playing cricket with my bro, although I don't ever remember him doing puzzles. Arghhh now I wont rest in peace until I see the happy faces of both the girls and guys. My worst nightmare would be to see the girls ask for cricket bats. Man presents are the funnest and hardest things ever.
Thursday 13 December 2007
Sunday 9 December 2007
The Smartness that Amazed me.
A little boy asked me if I knew 'what the International Date Line is?' and then went on to talk about some molonium balls, that I had no idea about. I saw the dissappointment in his eyes, when I told him that I knew about the International Date line. But being the teacher, my pride did not give way to tell him, I only knew about it 6months ago, and that many adults, wouldnt have a clue what it is. I'm glad though, that afterwards, my honour gave way to my humility, as I told him I had no idea what a molonium ball was. He proceeding to explain to me in finite details what it was. I'm sure what he said would have been absolutely right.
But then the very same boy, gets told of by another teacher for not thinking, for not listening, for not doing the given maths. The tears that came to his eyes made me feel crap. By teaching, do we teach?
But then the very same boy, gets told of by another teacher for not thinking, for not listening, for not doing the given maths. The tears that came to his eyes made me feel crap. By teaching, do we teach?
Friday 7 December 2007
Wars
Ive always been appalled at wars as a firm believer in Ahimsai, Gandhiji's policy. Regardless of whatever my cousins claim about Gandhiji not being as gr8 as he is proclaimed to be, the policy is fabulous. If only everyone where to follow it, wouldn't the world be a more peaceful place.
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. Two wrongs do not make a right. And the list goes on. Violence never achieves anything.
But try telling that to a nation whose just had two of its trade centres collapse. A nation with the poorest of people. A society segregated by castes. A history of discrimination. A decade of territorial unrest. A lifetime of harassment. Then things are looking widely different.
But Gandhiji grew up in a period like this. He had firsthand experience. Yet he didn't feel the need to succumb to violence. Its all personal choice. Which mother or father wants their child to die at war. When has a farewell ever been anything happy, when your son or daughter is going to war. When has a politician been free of criticism, tension when his country is at war?
Recently i saw a Hindi movie. I have no idea what the name is, or for that matter who the actors are. All I know is that I found the mentality of the soldier in the movie highly disturbing. He was portrayed as a brave soldier who went to seek repentance at the foot of the family in whihc he killed a civilian by accident. The disturbing part was, he distinguished a soldier's death as distinct from a civilians death. A civilians life was held to have higher priority than a soldiers life. Have we forgotten that we all are human? Or does being a soldier strip that humanity from you? I don't understand. If soldiers cannot be human, why do we need soldiers?
Yet in the very same movie, another interesting thought occurred. The bride and groom challenge each other to a shoot out. And then the twist in the bollywood movie. And it happens to be a a computer game where you shoot each other. That sparked a thought in me. If we still need to fight wars, as some believe, why don't we do it through some high tech video game. Lives would not need to be lost, and we can still have 'wars'. Seems like an incredible idea to me!
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind. Two wrongs do not make a right. And the list goes on. Violence never achieves anything.
But try telling that to a nation whose just had two of its trade centres collapse. A nation with the poorest of people. A society segregated by castes. A history of discrimination. A decade of territorial unrest. A lifetime of harassment. Then things are looking widely different.
But Gandhiji grew up in a period like this. He had firsthand experience. Yet he didn't feel the need to succumb to violence. Its all personal choice. Which mother or father wants their child to die at war. When has a farewell ever been anything happy, when your son or daughter is going to war. When has a politician been free of criticism, tension when his country is at war?
Recently i saw a Hindi movie. I have no idea what the name is, or for that matter who the actors are. All I know is that I found the mentality of the soldier in the movie highly disturbing. He was portrayed as a brave soldier who went to seek repentance at the foot of the family in whihc he killed a civilian by accident. The disturbing part was, he distinguished a soldier's death as distinct from a civilians death. A civilians life was held to have higher priority than a soldiers life. Have we forgotten that we all are human? Or does being a soldier strip that humanity from you? I don't understand. If soldiers cannot be human, why do we need soldiers?
Yet in the very same movie, another interesting thought occurred. The bride and groom challenge each other to a shoot out. And then the twist in the bollywood movie. And it happens to be a a computer game where you shoot each other. That sparked a thought in me. If we still need to fight wars, as some believe, why don't we do it through some high tech video game. Lives would not need to be lost, and we can still have 'wars'. Seems like an incredible idea to me!
Monday 3 December 2007
Why orange?
Having been to a few too many swamiji speeches..the bugging question still remains. Why orange? Of all colours why do they wear orange? It must be a very important reason, or else, why would they wear the very same colour day after day. I'd get bored just wearing the same thing two days in a row.
My first point of call was wikipedia. Wikipedia - the answers to all life's questions! What a dissappointment. Well that was a dead end. Not even a mention of orange in swami.
My next advent..was to venture down the treacherous path of asking Swamiji's themselves. Surely they wouldn't blindly be wearing orange without a reason. My first attempt was a couple of years ago. A hot summery afternoon, having sat through 2hours, with slight dozes, I was looking forward to the end. Unfortunately, as it concludes, I get dragged to receive the blessing of the Swamiji. Yes, here's my one time opportunity, I think to myself. And with shaking nervousness, i ask in my pretty crappy Tamil, of why Swamiji wears orange.
I must say, not in a negative way, or in a way of disrespect, but Swamijis are almost as tactical as politicians. They have a way of answering questions, that seem so perfect at the time, and my humbleness adds to this, and then when you think back, man they haven't answered my question. Swamiji said, 'why do doctors wear a white coat?' A question for a question. With all due respect, I smiled and looked dumb. He continued ' It is a matter of identity, in the same way orange is our identity'. Iyoo, was i so dumb? Doctors, being the rich people they are, and after so many years of studying and having no life, don't wear coats cos they want to identify themselves as a doctor. I mean with their 99.95 enter, and brains, and all, at the end of their course, they'd know they are a doctor. They don't need a white coat to tell them. The lab coat, is for safety. So what is the orange code for? Back to square one.
Plan B...forget about it and stop demanding answers. Actually this wasn't on the plan. I guess the question, just went into hibernation mode. It didn't disappear, and a few years later, which is about a coupla days ago, another opportunity arrived. Carpi Diem, yup I seized the day. It was a youth special interaction session by another Swamiji. Although I'd name the spiritual discussion, as other things, which inconveniently lead to a person asking 'Whether BJP would consider renaming the Hindu religion, because it actually means a rogue'. What did BJP have to do with a youth discussion of the religion in Melbourne. Beats me. Anyways, to avoid this inconvenient circumstance, the organiser tactfully and thankfully altered the topic to his attire. Woot! Why miss the chance. My hand goes up asks "Y is it orange?" took a while for him to understand, but Swamiji, explained it was a colour signifying spiritual attachment. Ok all fine. But why????? Why does orange signify spiritual attachment? was the burning question. Of course I didn't ask.
And here i am still bugged with the question. What is it with orange? how come I don't feel all spiritual when i wear orange? Is it me, or doesn't anyone else ask why?
And then...I had this Bright spark. I had this light bulb flicker. Why not search orange in wikipedia. Yes! I mean how dumb! Its going to say Orange is colour. But as believer of following ur heart, I did it anyway. Orange. Wow only wikipedia could up with so inside out info on a colour. Did you know orange is the national colour of Netherlands and its not even on their flag.? Credit to wikipedia. and guess wht...Yes! my hopes and aspirations of wikipedia is not lost.. Under th
e title of mysticism orange is used to symbolically represent the swadhisthana chakra. Finally Ive found the reason. I can rest at peace. But not yet. Now i have to find out why orange symbolically represents the second swadhisthana chakra. Do life's questions ever end?
I'm glad for my little spiritual upbringing. I know what a chakra is, sorry folks not enough to explain it to u. Just search wiki...tht'll help u ;). alright,,,swadhistana chakra is the one associated with breathing. Alright tht was totally totally of the bulls eye. Swadhistana chakra is the chakra associated with genitals. Now it makes sense. According to wikipedia many saints have had to face the temptations of this chakra. No wonder they wear the symbollic colour of the chakra, so it'll help them control their temptations and remain in sainthood. Now it all falls into place.
My first point of call was wikipedia. Wikipedia - the answers to all life's questions! What a dissappointment. Well that was a dead end. Not even a mention of orange in swami.
My next advent..was to venture down the treacherous path of asking Swamiji's themselves. Surely they wouldn't blindly be wearing orange without a reason. My first attempt was a couple of years ago. A hot summery afternoon, having sat through 2hours, with slight dozes, I was looking forward to the end. Unfortunately, as it concludes, I get dragged to receive the blessing of the Swamiji. Yes, here's my one time opportunity, I think to myself. And with shaking nervousness, i ask in my pretty crappy Tamil, of why Swamiji wears orange.
I must say, not in a negative way, or in a way of disrespect, but Swamijis are almost as tactical as politicians. They have a way of answering questions, that seem so perfect at the time, and my humbleness adds to this, and then when you think back, man they haven't answered my question. Swamiji said, 'why do doctors wear a white coat?' A question for a question. With all due respect, I smiled and looked dumb. He continued ' It is a matter of identity, in the same way orange is our identity'. Iyoo, was i so dumb? Doctors, being the rich people they are, and after so many years of studying and having no life, don't wear coats cos they want to identify themselves as a doctor. I mean with their 99.95 enter, and brains, and all, at the end of their course, they'd know they are a doctor. They don't need a white coat to tell them. The lab coat, is for safety. So what is the orange code for? Back to square one.
Plan B...forget about it and stop demanding answers. Actually this wasn't on the plan. I guess the question, just went into hibernation mode. It didn't disappear, and a few years later, which is about a coupla days ago, another opportunity arrived. Carpi Diem, yup I seized the day. It was a youth special interaction session by another Swamiji. Although I'd name the spiritual discussion, as other things, which inconveniently lead to a person asking 'Whether BJP would consider renaming the Hindu religion, because it actually means a rogue'. What did BJP have to do with a youth discussion of the religion in Melbourne. Beats me. Anyways, to avoid this inconvenient circumstance, the organiser tactfully and thankfully altered the topic to his attire. Woot! Why miss the chance. My hand goes up asks "Y is it orange?" took a while for him to understand, but Swamiji, explained it was a colour signifying spiritual attachment. Ok all fine. But why????? Why does orange signify spiritual attachment? was the burning question. Of course I didn't ask.
And here i am still bugged with the question. What is it with orange? how come I don't feel all spiritual when i wear orange? Is it me, or doesn't anyone else ask why?
And then...I had this Bright spark. I had this light bulb flicker. Why not search orange in wikipedia. Yes! I mean how dumb! Its going to say Orange is colour. But as believer of following ur heart, I did it anyway. Orange. Wow only wikipedia could up with so inside out info on a colour. Did you know orange is the national colour of Netherlands and its not even on their flag.? Credit to wikipedia. and guess wht...Yes! my hopes and aspirations of wikipedia is not lost.. Under th
e title of mysticism orange is used to symbolically represent the swadhisthana chakra. Finally Ive found the reason. I can rest at peace. But not yet. Now i have to find out why orange symbolically represents the second swadhisthana chakra. Do life's questions ever end?I'm glad for my little spiritual upbringing. I know what a chakra is, sorry folks not enough to explain it to u. Just search wiki...tht'll help u ;). alright,,,swadhistana chakra is the one associated with breathing. Alright tht was totally totally of the bulls eye. Swadhistana chakra is the chakra associated with genitals. Now it makes sense. According to wikipedia many saints have had to face the temptations of this chakra. No wonder they wear the symbollic colour of the chakra, so it'll help them control their temptations and remain in sainthood. Now it all falls into place.
O But this just raises a thousand other questions about chakras. I suppose the thirst for knowledge is never ending. கற்றது கைமண் அளவு, கல்லாத்து உலகளவு. Till then forever pondering.
On a final note, something that i came across about the chakra, which I found interesting and pondering: on http://www.llewellynencyclopedia.com/article/253
'The main aspect of the second chakra, however, is sexuality. Sexuality is a life force. It is the water that softens the hard Earth and readies it for change. It is a force too often denied or perverted, and being robbed of our pleasure, we are robbed of our power. When we lose our desire, we lose our will. Power and will are attributes of the next chakra, and pleasure and desire are their seed. Sexuality is the flower of that seed. Power and will are its fruits. '
On a final note, something that i came across about the chakra, which I found interesting and pondering: on http://www.llewellynencyclopedia.com/article/253
'The main aspect of the second chakra, however, is sexuality. Sexuality is a life force. It is the water that softens the hard Earth and readies it for change. It is a force too often denied or perverted, and being robbed of our pleasure, we are robbed of our power. When we lose our desire, we lose our will. Power and will are attributes of the next chakra, and pleasure and desire are their seed. Sexuality is the flower of that seed. Power and will are its fruits. '
Friday 30 November 2007
தாவனி வயது
I don't know if its just me, but there seems to definitely be an increase in thavani's in Tamil movies. LOls, i know what an abstract topic to write about. But its amazing and moreover impressive. Finally the Tamil movie industry is doing something worthwhile by promoting this wonderful கலாச்சார உடை.
Ive always enjoyed wearing thavanis. Lols...clarification. ME ain't a pattikaadu, if that's what you were thinking.Wearing it, gives you a sense of youth. YEt at the same time a feeling of maturity. It makes anyone look good, no need to worry about those extra blabs of fat. And from the point of fashion, It definitely highlights the good bits of your body. If ur tall, It emphasises that fact. If you have excellent curves, the thavani will do justice to it.
More ever, there's so much choice to thavani. So much colours, so much materials. And so many things tht you can do to create ur style.
But the movie industry has a habit of always showing things that as a society we don't actually do. And reflecting on my cousins attitudes to the thavani in India, i suspect, my views are a bit out of trend. My cousins find the thavani annoying, restrictive and moreover out of date. But hey you cant deny that you'll only ever get a chance to wear the thavani once!
The thavani is a Tamil traditional costume. The chudithar u wear everyday isn't. Hello, hate to break it to you guys, but the chudithar is from the north. எதுக்கு பறக்கரதுக்கு ஆசை படவேண்டும், or else what's happening to our ancient medicines will also happen to this. Someone else will come and steal it, or we ourselves will forget it. and man has anyone else adopted our thavani, why did we adopt their chudither? Its not even give and take.
The more sadder aspect is that its not just our younger generation who've let the thavani go. I talk to my athai, and she goes why waste your money on a thavani when you can buy a chudithar. Ahhh...we've got our priorities highly mixed up. But then again, I get where my athai is coming from.If we are hardly ever going to wear it, why buy it?
My mum makes me wear the thavani when i go to the temple. But then I don't really have any other occasion to where this beautiful dress. Maybe that's why we've forgotten the thavani? Has occasions to wear the thavani disappeared of the face of earth?
புதுமையை கடைப்பிடிக்கும் பொழுது, பழமையும் அழகும் மிக்க இந்த தாவனி வயதை மறந்திடவேண்டாம். இந்த வயதை கடந்துவிட்டால் இனி ஏது தாவனி?
Ive always enjoyed wearing thavanis. Lols...clarification. ME ain't a pattikaadu, if that's what you were thinking.Wearing it, gives you a sense of youth. YEt at the same time a feeling of maturity. It makes anyone look good, no need to worry about those extra blabs of fat. And from the point of fashion, It definitely highlights the good bits of your body. If ur tall, It emphasises that fact. If you have excellent curves, the thavani will do justice to it.
More ever, there's so much choice to thavani. So much colours, so much materials. And so many things tht you can do to create ur style.
But the movie industry has a habit of always showing things that as a society we don't actually do. And reflecting on my cousins attitudes to the thavani in India, i suspect, my views are a bit out of trend. My cousins find the thavani annoying, restrictive and moreover out of date. But hey you cant deny that you'll only ever get a chance to wear the thavani once!
The thavani is a Tamil traditional costume. The chudithar u wear everyday isn't. Hello, hate to break it to you guys, but the chudithar is from the north. எதுக்கு பறக்கரதுக்கு ஆசை படவேண்டும், or else what's happening to our ancient medicines will also happen to this. Someone else will come and steal it, or we ourselves will forget it. and man has anyone else adopted our thavani, why did we adopt their chudither? Its not even give and take.
The more sadder aspect is that its not just our younger generation who've let the thavani go. I talk to my athai, and she goes why waste your money on a thavani when you can buy a chudithar. Ahhh...we've got our priorities highly mixed up. But then again, I get where my athai is coming from.If we are hardly ever going to wear it, why buy it?
My mum makes me wear the thavani when i go to the temple. But then I don't really have any other occasion to where this beautiful dress. Maybe that's why we've forgotten the thavani? Has occasions to wear the thavani disappeared of the face of earth?
புதுமையை கடைப்பிடிக்கும் பொழுது, பழமையும் அழகும் மிக்க இந்த தாவனி வயதை மறந்திடவேண்டாம். இந்த வயதை கடந்துவிட்டால் இனி ஏது தாவனி?
Thursday 29 November 2007
Bharathanatyam
I went to my first class, with my mum dragging me along. I cried, shouted and finally succumbed, as my protests were nothin but futile. Today I turn back and hug my mum and thank her for the pressure she gave me to attend that very first class. I see so many people doing so many things, I'm glad at least I stuck to dancing. It's not like I'm brilliant at dancing. I had my second thoughts getting through the adavus. O they were horirble. But like all things, you only get the pazham after the kaay. Once we started Alarippu, I loved it. Its a mystical brilliant art form. So much can be expressed, and yet its so structured. Attending just one class makes you relax from head to toe. My worries seem to vanish. I feel so divine for just that moment. Everything is in beat. The nattuvangam, with the song, accompanied by the beat of the legs. It just makes perfect sense.
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