President ,Poly-tricks and Issues

Recently , July 20th to be precise , we had a woman taking oath as the President of India. There was a huge hue and cry over the fact that it would send a strong message to the world that India was committed to empowerment of women and that this would usher in a new revolution and mark the emancipation of women . This election was not without controversy and dirty politics .It was very well known that she wasn't the ruling Congress-Left alliance's first choice . The linguistic chauvinists - Shiv Sena refused to support their old friend's candidate Shekhawat on the grounds that Patil ji was a Maharashtrian and it would be a great honour for Maharashtra. Old timers would remember that the last time around they refused to support the candidature of Sushil Kumar Shinde ( I guess VP post), who was a Maharashtrian. Strange are the ways of these guys! The thing which interested me was the farce called UNPA or Third Front - an alliance of disgruntled regional opposition parties and discredited leaders. Notable among them were our very own Amma , Naidu garu ( Yeah, AP and TN are my own ) and ousted CM's like Mulayam etc . In a press conference Amma was at her belligerent best - "The boorish and churlish language used by the blah blah.... " . Our Naidu garu was nodding his head up and down , sticking out a finger here and there . It was pretty much like GD wherein all others were arguing and one man simply saying "Yeah . yeah.... No No... Errr.. But.. Yeah " . Eventually they ended up being the proverbial dhobi's dog ( Dhobi ka kutta . Na ghar ka na ghat ka - A dhobi's dog doesn't have a permanent dwelling. Neither a house nor the washing ghat ) . Coming back to the July 20th thing , Pratibha Patil seemed so frail and weak that she could very well be called Pratibha Paati . ( Paati = granny in Tamizh ) . At one instance Sonia madam was beside her . I couldn't help but wonder at the aptness of super star's dialogue . Sonia "pera kettale summa athurudhu la" ( Ok I agree. I am a plagiarist. This dialogue was seen in Baada's blog). Sonia even has Manmohan Thatha to dance to her tunes . Let's see what Sonia madam has in store for us , for she now has " Mere do anmol Ratan , Patil aur Manmohan" !

The run -up to the election was also pretty amusing . There was this Shekhawat vs Shekhawat contest. Apparently Patil's husband was a Shekhawat and the candidate contesting against her was our VP Bhairon Singh Shekhawat. At about the same time Bollywood super star Himesh Reshamiyya had roped in the scorching hot Mallika Sherawat for the remix version of the immortal Mehbooba Mehbooba. My friend remarked "Machi she shakes her assets very well da . She should be renamed Mallika Shake-a-wat ". We continued the discussion and felt that Mallika wouldn't be a bad choice for the Prez post. She is also a woman , she is also a Shake-a-wat , she is pretty bold , smart , sexy etc . In short she would be a sensational and sexational first citizen . By the way, what would Mallika be called if she were to be the Prez ? Rashtrapatni for sure!!!

Munnabhai has been sentenced to 6 yr imprisonment . He is housed in some Yerawada jail , in the same wing as his one time accomplice Abu Salem . The place is (in)famous for in-prison , inter gang fights. It reminds me of the jail scene in Lage Raho Munnabhai. Munna and circuit are put behind bars for a day . Munna says great leaders have been imprisoned and they have had roads and margs being named after them. Hats off to Sanju Baba's vision . He perfectly envisaged that he would be imprisoned sooner or later . Now, public sympathy is bound to embrace him . I wouldn't be surprised if there is a Munnanagar / Munna marg soon in Mumbai . For Kollywood actors embroiled in legal issues, this is your best chance. Pain some director to remake Lage Raho Munnabhai , put in hazaar jail scenes and Voila! You have the entire state vouching for your innocence . Pathiban Kanavu Srikanth , are you reading ?? ( His wife has filed some case .)

Will ponder on other issues sometime now .

GOD'S OWN COUNTRY - Trip of a lifetime

Camp Fire ,Thekkady : Very happy


Munnar :Why are you staring at the cameraman ?


Munnar - Webshots


Veega Land, Kochi - What are you eating?


Veega Land, Kochi - Where are you??


Kokku Meena thinguma (or) Uppu Karuvadu (or) Sarakku Vechirken :P


Dil Chahta Hai ?


Allepey backwaters - Exposing eh ?


Jackass



Allepey backwaters - Trying a Neo in the boat


Periyar Sanctuary - You are blessed



Kalaripayattu Veeran - Don't mess with me


Veerans


Thekkady trek - Celebrating Life ( What is the guy fourth-from-right doing? )


Munnar - Unfortunately poor light


Munnar waterfall - The entire gumbal ( Who took the photo then)


Post drying - Towel boys


Munnar Lake - Polluting it eh ?


Munnar Lake - Heaven


Munnar rose garden

KUMBAKONAM-2

Note : Sorry for the inordinate delay. ( As if you have been waiting eagerly ) I have been too tied up with movies, friends, roaming around etc.

We then proceeded to Mayiladuthurai to visit Parimala Ranganathar ( ThiruIndalur ) . Parimala Ranganathar was simply too amazing. Probably one can spend hours analyzing the Thirumugam , the pot belly , chatur bhujam, Thiruvadi etc. Surely one of the most beautiful idols I have seen so far. He is my new favourite .Infact all Ranganathar idols are awesome. Finally we went to the Saivite shrine of Vaideeshwaran Koil. My paati and mom totally avoid going to Saivite temples. She says if it is unavoidable go there and view Lord SrimanNarayana there. Vaideeshwaran Koil is famous for its healing and medicinal powers. ( Vaidya + eeshwaran ) . My Chitthi gave me a small lump of jaggery which was to be immersed in the Pushkarni. I assumed it was eating stuff and popped it into my mouth . Needless to say my cousins had a hearty laugh at my alacrity. As an aside Raghava Swamy at Thiruvallur , is also known for his curing abilities. Infact he is called Vaidya Veera Raghava Swamy.

Finally we returned totally exhausted at 10 pm and after dinner crashed immediately. The next day my Perimma and her sons came. That day was spent totally at home. All of us were together after 9 years. These guys keep meeting at the drop of a hat, I somehow don't get to go Kumbak regularly. When we all last met 9 years back,about 15 of us, we saw Jeans. The next 2 days were also spent at home and the temples. We got an opportunity of viewing Kodai Abhishekam at the Raamar Koil and a first row seat meant viewing without hassles. Back home there was a mini war among my cousins and myself for the Puliyodharai.The dumbass that I am, I wasted time segregating the molagai pieces while they cashed on the remaining part. A nice lesson learnt - females don't vittukuduthufy when it comes to food. The best part of the stay was my virtuoso Paati's heavenly food. My Perimma left that night and it was our turn to bid a sad adieu. Our bus was at 10 am the next day. The return journey was again a torture. I was in the aisle seat and my cousin in the window. It was a classic and literal case of "out of the frying pan,into the fire" when I swapped places for sometime. I didn't sleep a wink thanks to the heat,a modicum of normal conversation also not possible due to the movie.

We reached Chennai late in the afternoon . We went to Thiruneermalai ( 61), 7 kms from Pallavaram. Once again a very beautiful temple and a standard Kollywood temple scene shooting place. This temple has 4 sannidhis with Perumal in different postures - Ninran (stood) , Irundan (sat) , Kidandhan (slept) and Nadandhan (walked). Ninra Thirukolam is Neervanan , Irundan is Shantha Narasimhar (in the Praharam), Kidandhan is Ranganathar and Nadandhan is Thiru Vikraman. There are some legends associated with Sage Valmiki's penance and his insistence on viewing Lord as Neervanan and hence that form. Another legend is about Thirumangai Azhwar's dedication and pertinacity. There was a great deluge when Thirumangai Azhwar wanted to view Perumal in Thiruneermalai. The place was completely immersed in water.So, Azhwar waited there for some six months and then took Perumal’s darshan and the subsequent Mangalasasanam. It is said that we get the palan of visiting three Divya Kshetrams - Srirangam( Ranganathar), Thirupathi (Neervannan ) and third name has decided not to make it's abode in my brain, as a result of which I cannot recollect it here.

This marked the end of a sublime trip. God's own country was to be ravaged by 12 of us the following week. The pictures worth thousand words will be posted soon. Any attempt to describe the beauty of the place would be blasphemous as it is beyond my descriptional ability , due to which I have decided to resort to the easier way of posting pics, in this process ensuring that my esteemed readers and my blog don't miss out my adventures , thus entrenching a deep sense of satisfaction in me and giving me a chance to spurn any tag of "lazy, thus not blogging" !!!

KUMBAKONAM -1

Note : This is my first attempt at spiritual and religious stuff . It surely is not my cup of tea. Kindly excuse me for any inadvertent mistakes that might have crept in. Many fundaes which I have acquired might seem trivial, nevertheless read on .All corrections, bouquets, brickbats are welcome :)

After infinite planning and confusion thanks to my cousin ,I was finally able to make it to the temple town of Kumbakonam with her . We left by a non AC, non deluxe , ear splitting and headache causing DVD coach day bus on Thursday (10th ) at 8am and reached at about 2-30 types. It was a total scorcher of a trip.The first few words of my paati left me sad for the rest of the day - Enna kanna thala mudi poye pochu , karuppa, olli aa irukke. Chennai varache evvalavu nanna vellaya busku busku nnu irunde . Paarka romba kashtama irukku. Looks like glamour enhancement has to be given some serious thought. After thulping awesome food and facing usual stuff like you are eating very less I crashed. My cousin and I set out to cover the local temples late in the evening. The Big Street has a Raaamar koil , Anjaneyar koil, Koorathazhwan Sannidhi, Udayavar Sannidhi and Chakrapani Koil ( Chakrathazhwar - who is an incarnation of Lord's Sudharshan Chakra. Btw learnt that all Azhwars are incarnations of weapons and accessories of Lord Vishnu ) . A small connecting street leads to Sarangapani Koil , which is one of the 108 Divyadesams (No 14 - Thirukudandhai). With the exception of Sarangapani koil we covered all . My Chitthi had just returned then from a week long south tour covering about 25 Divyadesams and we spent the rest of the time with my Chitthi and her daughters.

The following morning we started off with Suriyanar Koil near Kumbak and Uppiliappan Koil and NagaNathaswami in ThiruNageswaram ( 8 kms off Kumbak). Uppiliiappan Koil , another of 108 (No 16 - ThiruVinnagar), is probably one of the most important and famous temples for Vadagalai Iyengars . The Lord was decked in Thanga kavacham - total gold from top to bottom. It is a very rare privilege and my paati and mama who have been in Kumbak for more than 50 years have not been able to witness this grand spectacle. It was a sight to behold and I just could not think of praying anything at upon looking at the Lord. Btw Uppiliiappan Koil is also referred to as Tirupati of the South as He is known to protect every devotee and fulfill each of their desires. The prasadam here is given without salt ( Uppu illadha appan I suppose) and the saltless Puliyodharai was as divine as the ones in any other temple. NagaNathaswami Koil , which is just 5 mins away, has a Rahu Kshetram and is visited to ward off the doshams that are associated with the stars (Dosha Pariharam). Milk is poured over a black idol of Rahu during Rahukalam and is viewed in batches . It is said that the white milk turns blue on being poured. It did turn blue but I felt if white milk is viewed in a black blackground it will surely be seen as some other colour. No more fundaes either on colours and physics or on legends , the milk did appear blue, so I'd better shut up.

This was the first innings for the day. We went back home , thulped again , rested for a while and the second innings resumed at 2-45 types. My Chitthi wanted to go to Koothanoor which has a famous Saraswati Koil . My paati just then intervened and told us to go to Thirusirupulioor, (Divyadesam No 11), which was just 10 min away from Koothanoor. She remarked that the Lord there was so small in the sayanam form that one could easily carry the idol at the hip. The idol was really small but the state of the temple was in shambles. A typical description would be "ee kaka illa koil la" . There was no power either. The temple was small but very airy. The Moolavar is Arumakadalamudhan and the Utsavar is Kripasamudrar.In the Thiruveedi of Perumal, there is an idol of Puli Muni (His actual name is Vyakrapadar).Legend has it that Lord was pleased with his penance and granted him a boon to have the hands, legs and fingers of a Tiger which would enable Puli Muni to cover more Divya Desams .The sayanam is Bhujanga Sayanam.It’s the smallest Thiru Oruvam in Bhujanga Sayanam.The Azhwars felt that Perumal here was too small.So Perumal asked the Azhwars to view his Thiru Oravam in Thirukannamangai ( Divya Desam No 27.Moolavar is Bakthavastala Perumal. I heard it is one of the biggest Thiru Oravams - not very sure about this).

contd. in the next post

WEEKS- BEFORE AND AFTER

May 6th-12th :

At granny's place in Kumbakonam. Cracking food , many cousins, hazaar temples, nice fundaes. A memorable trip

May 13-20th :

Chennai on 14th.
3 temples - Tiruneermalai, Ashta Lakshmi Koil, Tiruvallikeni
Middle finger to mess- did not even register and thulped outside daily.
Infinite movies, many revisions.
Infi hours of crash

May 20th-26th :

Board train today. Munnar, Kochi, Kumarakom, Allepey, Thekkady

May 27th-June 26th :

Hyd :D

June 27th ............. (till maybe I get placed :P)

Sit alone in room without my dosth, sitcoms, movies,books, mug for CAT, GRE, do MTP etc etc

Chennai Nagaram urangum neram thanimai adarnthathu
Veyil sooper aa kollardhu…
Nangu kannadi suvarkalukulle nanum mezhukuvathiyum…
Thanimai thanimaiyo… Kodumai kodumaiyo…


Roughly Translated as :

Its night in Chennai City..
Sun killing me in a sooper manner..
And Wind comes via Ship and its walking on the streets now..
But in my room now…its only me and some candles..
Oh .. its very lonely…and lonely is pain..

There is a logical error I know. How can you have sun in the night ! Just to morph that song and indicate that the summer is horrible right now :P Reminds you of that sardar who wanted to land on sun when a fellow Surd tells him to go in the night :P

TA RA RUM PUM

Listen Rani! Please stop crying. We have had enough of it in Black , Paheli, Hum Tum , KANK . Give us a break.

UNNALE UNNALE

Scene in the airport where heroine's parents do pooja etc : Straight lift from HUM TUM

Scene where the Sada tells the hero to decide between friends or her : Straight lift from DCH

Similar scene where Vinay's friend calls Sada and tells he wasn't there in his room : DCH

The final scenes of Day 1, Day 2 etc : KAL HO NAA HO

And hazaar other straight lifts. Jeeva says " it is a whiff of fresh air ". He was partially right . A whiff of air only - fart . Like Salman's hawa ka jhoka in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Mark my words, stay away from the theatres. Kajol , please teach your sis Tanisha . Acting is not only showing cleavages. The only points worth mentioning are the neat ending, good picturization of June ponaal. The ULLAM KETKUME team has come a total cropper.