200 - இரு நூறு - दो सौ - two hundred

Oh good....! Coorg post was my 200th post! :)

5th year of blogging. Its good to look back which has both joys and sorrows. Life teaches a lesson and lets us gain from every pain. Lots of changes in the blog, my writing.

I see Susi, Asha, Venki, Raja, Deepa, Krish and more who havent commented wishing me on my 100th post and from there there are lots of changes in my blog including the template and my thoughts as well. Thanks to one and all for reading and commenting all these time.

One change which I had made from there and which I would recommend you all to follow is on the blog title - "live life day by day". No explanations required, however it is try and put in your best to follow it. We miss it at times (I did too...), but still remember it and reclaim it for the life is yours.

Thanks for staying on and keep reading.

Coorg - December 2009

Basic human psychology and philosophy says when we have bad times and stressful thoughts engulf us we got to think on the good times to overcome them. They not only relieve us out of stress but they also give us confidence about future. And also our human mind always tends to think of the tough situations alone. We have to look back the good times. One such is the Coorg trip which happened in December 2009. Almost everyone in the picture has their own issues, problems and stress to relate with. Though it was perfectly planned, everything was miserable as we went there but still it was enjoyable and will stay in our memory.

Bottoms Up:- Narayanan, Lordsun, Selva Kumar, Vijay Sekar, Prakash, Ramesh, Vijay Ramani, Kalyan, Senthil J, Siva Kumar, Senthil M and me.

I am glad and good that I along with Narayanan organized this trip but it was never easy to manage this bunch especially with the distinct characters of each. I call it 12 monkeys with myself one of them as well.

Drive Safe and Responsibly

Two wheeler is the best option to travel in Chennai. Reason is the vehicle is compact and you can just give some cuts here and there and make your way. The other day I was travelling on these routes: Perungalathur-Taramani-Thiruvanmayur-Aminjikarai-Thiruvanmayur-Taramani-Perungalathur. It’s a distance of around 100 kms altogether. I would have not travelled this much if I was using a car or public transport and mostly time was a major factor.

I travel to office by a two wheeler which is 60 kms approx daily. It takes me 45 mins-1 hr to reach office as I travel in the bypass road partially. If I take a public transport it is 1.5 hr – 2 hrs. Although time is saved, the other side of this is travelling long in bike that too in a city is stressful. It is both physical and mental stress. The traffic chaos, people howling and shouting at each other are to be faced daily. All these early in the morning when we got to have a peaceful mind burst a good day. More worst are the accidents on road.

Today there was an accident on road. A couple was knocked down by a call taxi on the bypass road. I have to cross two rail level crossings on the way to office of which one of them is most stressful and dangerous. It is Chromepet Vaishnava college crossing. Almost daily there are accidents on the rail tracks. I encountered two accidents in the past just in minutes they occurred where one lost life and another, the limbs. It’s horrific when I think of it now. I couldn’t help much for the second one other than calling the ambulance and the hospital people were lethargic in answering the call. They were sounding as it was very usual. Part and parcel of their job! I tell myself to have a peaceful day everyday.

There is definitely no driving sense in this city and for that matter in any other city in India. Being in Chennai for the past few months, I’m a victim of this stress and two minor accidents of which my skin is yet to get back normal from the last one. Whenever I see it I remind myself to drive responsibly and safely and its for you as well.

Dream On...

Thanks to kindness, life becomes beautiful
Thanks to love, life carries on
Thanks to compassion, life is endowed with value
Thanks to a grateful heart, life is filled with joy and delight

Thanks to Dream On, China’s Disabled People’s Performing Art Troupe. They call themselves disabled but they left us the thought in us that they are specially-abled than us by their stunning performing arts which was purely mesmerizing the whole crowd for 2 hours.

I got a 500 rs ticket for the show. While the show was on, I thought I should have bought a 1000 rs ticket. Their performances were spectacular and splendid and it was worth paying that money. But while coming out of the show, everyone felt the love they had showered on every individual in the hall. A girl who was on her wheel chair and a guy who was blind, both Chinese, were performing and singing Rahmans "Jai Ho", “Chinna Chinna Aasai” and moreover "Vande Mataram" by heart in Tamil. We couldn’t escape from feeling their love and it was priceless. Money cannot be substituted for it. I came out spell bounded, got few cards of them and their autograph. I am glad I did them for this is an event for lifetime and they are the real heroes in life spreading love and compassion all over the world.

The troupe founded in 1987 has artistes comprising of people who cannot see, hear, walk and touch. Chinese are definitely gifted in performing arts however they are (I'm gonna and have to compliment my chinese friend for this). They go around the world winning accolades starting from the first citizen of the country to the last citizen. They were doing their show for the first time in India that too in Chennai and there was very less crowd.

A R Rahman made it to the show and was there for the full 2 hour show. There are so many troupes like this around the world who don’t visit India because there is lack of infrastructure, sponsorship, good crowd and so on. Somewhere we still lack something which is very basic. I don’t know if it’s called humanity. But I think that’s it. I feel glad that I was there at that event. Let love spread its wings more. Dream On…

While in school there is so much of homework which involves writing as it helps in memorizing something faster. I have followed the same here now. I want to re-emphasize myself to live life day by day and that’s why the header in my blog is changed. Yeah, off late I had missed it, but unintentionally.

January

This month is always good with social events around atleast for Chennai. For those who are there in the city at this time, you have very good options around. My favorite event in the city, the Book Fair has already started. I make it a point to go to the fair every year. If I remember well, it was from my school days I started to be a regular visitor and been 2 years I haven’t attended the fair. Few years back when I visited there, I bought a portrait of Bharathi and laminated it. The portrait was just Rs 5 and the lamination costed me Rs 125.

The next good event is the Chennai Sangamam. It has started just few years ago but a promising event showcasing the cultural strengths of the state. I had been to the first edition of this event while working with the Radio station. It showcases skills and talents of school students as well and I was awestruck by their performances.

Please don’t miss the events. They are the essence of Chennai. Guess I have a bad luck this year as well, but next year I’m going to make it happen somehow. For those who love tennis, the Chennai open is on the way. For those who would like to hit the beach, Marina has a new look now. Wow! Wherever you want to hit, there is something interesting. Chennai is at its best during this season. Don’t miss it!

New Year Day

New Year wishes to one and all. Blogging about the first day of the year is a good thing to do. And doing it on the first hour, first day on work of the New Year; it’s too good. LOL! A survey recently from ASSOCHAM announces browsing social media sites during work increases productivity. I’m doing that only! Actually ASSOCHAM is late in announcing this. I knew this idea long back and that’s why I blog only from workplace.

Well, this 2010 January 1 was a different one for me. I did not even realize it was a New Year day and created ruckus with a dear soul of mine. I went in search of some peace. The place was serene, full of nature and actually a spiritual place. It was Auroville near Pondicherry, South India. Auroville is a place where spirituality is practiced and they say that place is for people who renounce on all kind of religions and believes in the fact and truth of Oneness. Well, then I was kind of in a right place. The entire place is cut off from the external world; there is no traffic chaos on the road - for that matter, there are no proper roads first. It was only dusty pathways which had got formed by itself due to vehicular movement. I went there a day prior to the New Year day. From the moment I started, I was on a different mindset altogether. And after reaching there, it was like I was cut off from the outside world. It’s a dense forest where there are few guest houses here and there and very few people and they were foreigners. I couldn’t go out once it’s dark.

Although it’s said as a spiritual place, there are all kinds of exploitations around. The main feature of Auroville was the Matrimandir which is built for meditation which leads the way to spirituality. I was there around for three days and there were 2 things which pulled me. The first one was a painting exhibition in a place called Savitri Bhavan there. Each and every painting had an explanation which was purely spiritual. The paintings in my eyes looked abstract. But then there were instructions in the beginning itself not to look them abstract and see them along with the explanations.

The second one was a discourse on spirituality. This was the one which made sense and my thinking started. I was able to deeply understand what was being said. Actually I should say I kept getting deep in it by listening to it. Suddenly something stroke in my mind and I came out of the building and was sitting on a staircase. The very next minute I thought why was I inside for that discourse. Is it the right thing for me or is it what I want and my thoughts were;

Life is to live and living is to feel and face whatever comes on the way everyday. It’s all about living with love, hate, joy, sorrow, happiness, sadness, affection, dejection and so on. There are both ups and downs of life. Most of us don’t want to get hurt, get closed ourselves or go seek spiritual! But still we get hurt. When we get hurt most of us lose our confidence in our self or on which hurt us. It’s not the fact! What we lose are the qualities to forget and forgive, changing ourselves for better, embrace people around, and in little we forget to live for better. When everyone learns not to repeat their mistakes, forget, forgive and embrace each other working out with their lows and highs I think life will be beautiful.

I remembered Bharathi suddenly and decided to exit from that spiritual place and went on search of the home where Bharathi lived in Pondy. Unfortunately, that place was undergoing some renovation and I couldn’t check in. Altogether, although I did not choose spirituality, the place was full of nature and yes peaceful. I will recommend that place, but you got to check in with like minded people alone. The rates are pretty nominal to be spent once in a year.