Ninaipadhellam nadandhuvittal...

TV-la thannoda mugam varanum-nu ninaikara jadhi jaasthi, adhaivida jaasthi TV-la thanoda mugam marundhuku kooda vara koodadhu-nu ninaikara jadhi. Idhula naan second type. Kalyana veetuku pona kooda video aal pakkathula light pidicha kooda "ayyo camera"-nu odiduven. Ofcourse, edhuku oru nalla samacharathai pei padam madhiri aakanum-nra nallennam dhan.

Naanga PG classes-la 3 per, romba romba amaidhiyana adakkamana ponnunga, endha faculties-kume engalai theriyadhu, endha students-kume naanga irukara idam theriyadhu, avalo amaidhi. Usha-va, adhu yaaru (ayyo avala?!) appadinra alavuku adakkam naanga (seri seri, appadiye oppositedhan). Adhula oru nallava enkitta sonna, "Usha usha, en thambi-oda friend edho channel-la edho program-ku host-a irukan. It is basically a chat show, edhavadhu cinema star-a vachikittu niraya college pasanga pesara madhiri oru show. Indha episode-ku edho aal shortage-am, en thambi ennai koopidaran, neeyum variya"-nu ketta.

Naan refuse pannen, ayyo TV-a, chance-e illa, naan matten adhu idhu-nu solli edhuvum work out aagala. So sari ok, gumbaloda govinda dhane, naama appadiye pinnala olinjikkalam-ntu ok solten. I and my friend, her brother and 3 of his friends ellaruma serndhu Annanagar-la iruka some Y restaurant (enna per, marandhu poche)-ku ponom, angadhan shooting-ntu. Vazhi fulla pulambitrundhen, vendam di, en family-la yaravadhu partha college time-la enna panra-nu keppanga-nu. Appuram naane samadhana paduthinten - eppadiyum idhu 6 PM show, namma veetla yo relatives veetlayo illa therinjavanga yaarum andha time-la poyum poyum college show ellam parka mattanga, vera edhavadhu nalladha parpanga-ntu decide pannintu I braced myself for the programme.

Kodumai 1: Indha programme-la pona week-lerndhu cine star varardha niruthitangalam! Ada paavingala, veruma 6 per pesardha enna program-nuya poduveenga? Kodumai! Seri ok, the ever-optimistic Usha decided that this would be an attractive reason for people not watching the show.

Poi andha restaurant-la utkarndhom, they gave some actress name, and avangalai pathidhan pesanum-nu soltanga. Munnadi niraya item vera vachitanga. I wasnt interested in eating, but andha camera manushan kept asking us to eat. Enpa, naanga enna bagasuran-oda children-a enna, lunch-um saptutu ingayum vandhu kottikaradhuku? But again, pesama irukardhuku idhu vazhi-ntu naan paatuku eduthu saptiturundhen, enna pesama irundha there would be no chance of me appearing on TV! Clever, eh? Appapo ennoda muthana mozhigalai udhirthuttu, naan pattuku vedikkai parthutirundhen. Finally the shooting got over, and we went back to our college.

kodumai 2 - This programme was scheduled for 6PM some tuesday, naan aniku college mudichuttu konjam late-a veetuku varen..my Mom confronted me, "enma edho programme-la vandha poliruke?" Naan udane, "he he, adhu edho indha vino sonnama, adhan..., unaku eppadi therinjadhu?" appadinu ketten. Then I got the shock of my life! Apparently, ennoda mama amma-ku call panni, "Ippodhan TV-la Usha-va parthen, super-a pesarale"-nu pottu koduthirukar. And in the next 5 minutes, my periappa had called her up saying that he is watching Usha in a restaurant talking well about something!! Aaha! idhu ennada idhu, ivanga rendu perume veetuku thalai madhiri, ivangale parthuttangala? The reason they gave was, edho channel matthite vandhangalam, correct-a indha channel had come up with my face! :(

kodumai 3 - Seri ok, relatives kitta dhan manam pochu-nu ninaichen. When I went to college, anga adutha adhirchi..ovvoruthara kooptu visarikaranga. "Enna Usha, TV-la parthen naan unnai? Adhu eppadi andha mokku mokkara saapatai?" Ennalum menmakkal (adhavadhu naan pesinadhai mattum sonnavanga) menmakkale!! Idhunga naan saptadhai mattum kuthi kuthi kattaranga! idhula oru jandhu, "usha enaku sema siripu, andha camera man unnai mattumdhan main-a focus pannan, and avan focus panra mukka vasi neram nee saptute iruka!! Ha ha ha, eppadi Usha ippadi sapta nee?" Grr grr..ada paavi cameraman, naandhan kidaichena unaku? That was the worst kodumai, naan face vara koodadhu-nu sapta, andha jenmam naan sapdaradhai shoot panni iruku!!

kodumaiyin sigaram - Seri ok friends and relatives-kitta ella manam-um karaiyeriachu-nu ninaichuttu oru naal college kitta poitrundhen, a guy who went by me came closer to me and then commented to his companion "Enda, indha ponnudhane naama pona varam TV-la parthom?"

Kettadhum koduppavane Krishna Krishna..

This is a post intended only to express my feelings on my visit to ISKCON, and absolutely NO offense meant to the society (en solren-na I havent yet formed what I want to write yet, edhavadhu ekku thappa oru stmt vittutu mattida koodadhilaya :D adhan, but loooong post, beware! )

Nethu Jenmashtami, so I had been to the ISKCON temple here in Soho street. Naan ISKCON devotee kidayadhu, but I was curious to know about it and to see how the celebration is. So seekirama velai ellam mudichuttu veetuku 6-ke vandhu, ready aagi romba seekirama 9:00-ke veetai vittu kilambitten. The festival was supposedly till 1:00 AM, and had begun in the morning.

1 national rail, 2 underground tubes pidichu andha idathuku pogumpodhu it was around 10:30. Ulla nuzhainja udane a lady said hare krishna and edho sandana namam vachanga, and I didnt know I was supposed to say Hare krishna, and I said hello. Appuram as I went in, I saw that a foreign sanyasi was lecturing in the main hall, but I couldn't get in coz there was no space. Seri-nu andha chinna area-va suthitrundhen, it is actually a residence with the main hall in the first floor, and a room upstairs and an affiliated restaurant downstairs. So keezha mela ellam parthutrundhen.

Then I sat down on the stairs, and was watching people..2 ladies nalla vambu pesitrundhanga, 4 young girls were selling kitchen towels, fany necklaces saying the devotees can gift to Krishna (seriously, kitchen towel vachittu avar enna pannuvaru? So I decided maybe they give the money to some non-profit org or they give away the towels to some non-profit org) but most of them were chanting hare rama hare krishna with the rudraksha mala hidden inside a bag, indha bag avanga kaila mattikaranga..en? adhuku neat-a andha malaiya kailaye vachikalame?

Then keezha vandhen, and I got into a discussion on "why Krishna consciousness, appadi enna krishnar qualify aarar"-nu. Now, I am not saying Krishna shouldnt be, but like I said I was curious to know about the society, and I needed a good answer to convince myself. So why not Vishnu consciousness (afterall Vishnu-oda avataram dhane krishnar) or Brahma or Shiva or even Lakshmi? Oru foreigner was chanting nearby, so avarai kooptu kettom. Naan indha question ketta udane romba neram yosichar (idhellam therinjudhane accept pannirupar Krishnarai God-a? En yosichar therila), and he said "Krishna is the superior God, and the others are demi gods according to mythology; you know, he is the king, and the other gods are ministers in his kingdom".

"But, I have read a few mythologies, nowhere does it say Krishnar is king and others are ministers..." (innangada idhu, ippadi naama padichadhe illaye?!)

"Oh well, umm...there is this story where Brahma hides Krishna's friend in a cave, and Krishna manifests himself as his friend, and when Brahma returns after sometime, he finds the friend alive"

(Idhu enna kadhai, naan padichadhe illaye) "oh yeah?"

"And in some other story, they say that Krishna is the king"

"which story?"

"have you read Krishna book? it is said in that.. "

"But Krishna is an incarnate of Vishnu, right?"

"yeah, vishnu and krishna are two forms of energies"

"so why did you choose Krishna energy, what makes it better than the other?"

"umm..maybe another person will be able to tell you better, my english isnt good"

**Bulb** ada enakudhan! No offense meant, aana oruthar Krishnar-ayo illa Vishnuvayo Hindu religion-la eduthukarar-na he will have his own reasons - enaku kuladeivam, vinayagar azhaga irukar, krishnar ennoda friend madhiri adhu idhu-nu. But adhe complete faith to the extent of having a kudumi and wearing saffron cloth and chanting the mantra, and not even from the religion, you need to know why you are laying your faith on, or atleast why you have accepted the fact that this God is superior. But ippadi matter-e theriyama Krishnar-na?

Naan, being an agnostic, am trying to find the truth behind divinity (or the lack of it), so ennoda idea behind having this discussion was to get somewhere near the truth behind divinity (Krishnar-o shiva-vo, yara irundhalum avar divine-a, is he the entity I am searching for) and place my trust, avalodhan. Che che, naan desperate soul ellam kidayadhu, but I believe every human needs an entity to place trust and belief on, so that he can shift his burden on that entity. Ethanai naaldhan en kodumai endhu endhu-ne sollikaradhu, I need a scapegoat to say needhan idhuku karanam :)) j/k, but I think I have made my point.

So oru mutru peradha question-oda, I went into the mainhall for the chanting before the harathi, and everyone was so passionately singing hare rama hare krishna mantra. Oru foreigner music ellam pottu padrar, and the crowd was repeating it, and i also joined coz i liked it. Close to 12 AM, thideernu oru ponnunga kootam barged in and stood before the screen near me..enaku sema kadupu, naanga inga nikkarom thideernu vandhu muttitu nindha enna artham-nu. I realized that the screen was hiding Lord Krishna, and that they had come for a front-seat vision of him. Anyways, by that time, the beat of the chant went to a high decibal, and these ladies started jumping up and down. (Adhennamo enaku artificial-a irundhadhu, en-na they stop when they are tired and smile to each other, and thideernu kaiya thookitu jump panranga..total bakti paravasam-na tiredness theriyuma?)

The clock struck 12, and the screen opened to show a *so beautiful* Radha Krishna...I was stupefied by the beauty of Lord Krishna and his consort, that for a few seconds I couldn't think of anything else. Wow, amazing!!! Appurama konjam vizhippu thatti, I prayed him, and decided others need a go to stand close to the idol, and left the place.

Thirumba vandhadhu oru kodumai, kadaisi train miss panni, mazhaila nanainju bus pidichu, national rail pidichu veetuku vandhu iniku joram vandachu :)) But, I still have that question in my mind, why Krishna? Is it because we need some identity as God and Krishna being popular was chosen, or is it that Krishna indeed is the best? Aana onnu, I appreciate the people who dwell in the belief that there is Krishna for them and attain peace by thinking of him, blessed are the souls who have found their companion and guide :) Enna bhakti one should have to be able to make this society grow?

Vandhen vandhen meendum naane vandhen..

Ore adiya periya periya aapellam vizhudu enaku..and I decided I'd rather use my blogsite to vent instead of talking to myself at office :D

Motham 3 issues ore samayathula missile attack madhiri - one is an exam, the other two came out of some session I attended at work. Enga office-la appapo exam ezhuda solliduvanga, romba naalache college padichu, brains-a overhaul pannunga oruthadava-ntu. Podhakuraiku promotion-ku necessary-nu vera soltangala..naanum nominate panninten. Aana naamadhan edhayume sariya panna maatome, I messed up with the intranet site and ended up scheduling the Advanced exam first and the foundation course second! :(

Indha manga organizers ezhudara engakittaye invigilator arrange pannikonga sollitanga :)), so as usual ellarum en pakkame thirumba, namaku romba vendiyavara parthu invigilator-a pottuten :D Sema match fixing, oru pint offer for every question-tu. Naan enna irundhalum nermaiyin vakurudhi, nambikkaiyin marupeyar etc etc etc illaya, so copy ellam adikka maaten, neenga ellam pozhaichikonga-nu udhar vittuten.

Vizhundu, vizhundu vizhundu (niraya per satchi idhuku) padichen Sat and Sun(enna irundhalum veeravesama pesitenla, so ennaiye sabichitte padichen :( )..ofcourse onnum vilangala - naama enna school-laya padikarom purinju padikaradhuku? Enna subject-nellam solla matten, idhuka ivalo scene vidara-nu yaaravadhu thuppita avamanam :D, so ipodhaiku adhu mahakashtama paper-nu vachipom. Oru weekend-a ivalo pazh pannitome-nu oru chinna varutham, but still "karka kasadara" appadinu gandhi thatha soltare, so padichitte irundhen.

Monday vandhadhu, naan seri Usha therinja invigilatordhane, unnoda kolgai ellam mootai katti vai-nu exam center pona...naan member-a iruka committee thalai anga nikkaran!! ada paavi, ivan edhuku invigilator-a inga vandhan-nu naan padari adichu hall-kulla ponen, partha en pinnadi utkarndhu exam ezhuda arambichuttan!! Adhu kooda paravalla, en kooda exam ezhudina micha punniyavanunga Foundation course, and I was the only one writing a different paper!

Paper-la padhi question-ku answer therila, ellam out of syllabus (naan padikadhadhellam out of syllabus dhane), so Inky pinky ponkey pottu 30 mins-la test mudichutten. 1 hr duration, so micha nerathuku enna panna mudiyum? Invigilator sema smart-a vera irundhar, so sumar 22 mins andhaalai sight adichuttu (unfortunately, that samiyar was looking outside), idhuku mela unnai yaralayum kapatha mudiyadhu Usha-nu Submit button p..r...e...s...sitten..

Woooow, I just couldnt believe my eyes when I saw that I had scored well!! Sema sandosham, and moreover romba naala aasai pattundhen exam-ku padichu exam ellam ezhudanum college madhiri-nu, and I was even thinking of joining some MBA course. How many of us miss exams and the tensed moments before the exams? I do!