My own little world

Aishwarya Rai Bachan to act with Thalaivar !!!

2008-01-24T20:22:00.000+05:30

It is almost certain that India’s most sought after actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has signed the mega movie ‘Robot' directed by Shankar. Aishwarya Rai will play the lead role as the pair to India’s biggest superstar Rajinikanth.
Sources from Mumbai say that the deal was struck by yesterday (January 23) noon. It is said that Aishwarya would be paid a whopping amount of Rs 1.5 crore for the film. The amount, it confirmed, will be the highest salary received by an actress in India.
As we have mentioned earlier, Rajinikanth has been trying to cast the beauty queen in his film right from the days of ‘Padayappa’. His dream to cast her has finally come true in the biggest movie of his career.

Courtesy : India Glitz

JalliKattu

2008-01-16T22:54:00.000+05:30

I was happy to hear the news that there was a ban on Jallikattu. Though it is associated with tradition and culture and stuff, i dont think its a good sport to play. Hitting the animal and infuriating it, and then fighting with it doesnt make much sense, but our folks thought different and the ban was removed this year with some conditions. Similar bans should be imposed on the bali kudukkara concept as well. How ever such things take lots of time to change.

Vijay TV is different !

2008-01-16T21:58:00.000+05:30

Vijay TV has and is being different always in the small screen. It has broken the tag associated with TV soaps and serials. Right from Salanam, Idhu Oru Kadhal Kadhai, they have captured the attention of youth and once the youngsters at home start seeing stuff, other folks are forced to initially and slowly they start liking the same ;)

Some interesting programmes
1. Neeya Naana - This one is really kewl (most of the time ;)) esp with Gopinath anchoring the show in a brilliant manner.
2. Kana Kaanum Kalangal - All the children at school are a big fan of this !
3. Idhu Oru Kaadhal Kadhai - Youngsters and Office goers come on time to check this one out is wat i hear these days..
3. Super Singer , Super Singer Junior - This one did bring out so many young talents (though i didnt like the melodrama and hype that they created with the kids crying etc.)
4. Jodi No 1, 2, 3, 4, ,... personally i dont like this much except for the first episode.
5. Paadum Office.
6. English movies dubbed in tamil (they are fun to watch at times ;))
7. Cofee with Anu .. this one is also pretty interesting though it was better with Suchi's peppy questions .
8. Swami Iyyappan and Sai baba - No other channel has this bakthi stuff now !
9. EQ 2 - a college group event
10. Thirundidu Sesame !!
11. Grand master
12. Reel Padhi Real Padhi - this one is really kewl
13. Madan's Thirai Paarvai - madan's thirai vimarsanam
14. Cinema Kaaram Coffee - this is not that great i wud say.
15. Kalakka Poovadhu Yaaru - a comedy galatta
16. The world famous Lollu Sabha !!!! - I dont have to say a word about that i guess ;)

Though Vj TV re makes the stuff from the parent tv Star, its far better than what other satellite channels are trying to do , by just imitating what Vj TV does (including the sets and rules !!!). I would say almost each and every program has been remade in some form or other in other channels.. But still Long Live Vijay TV !!!

Pongal Rangoli !

2008-01-16T21:17:00.001+05:30

Paneer Butter Masala

2008-01-16T20:09:00.000+05:30

Ingredients :
1. Paneer - 200 gms
2. Onions - 3
3. Tomato - 3
4. Masala spices - Cinnamon, Cloves, Elachi - little
5. Cashew - Few.

6. Butter - 3 tbl spns

Method of preparation :

1.Cut the onions, tomatoes to fine pieces.
2.Grind the cut onions, tomatoes, cashew nuts with the masala spices(Cinnamon, Cloves, Elachi) to a fine gravy/paste (The cashewnuts will give more thickness and taste to the gravy).
3.Fry the cut panner pieces in a kadai with oil till it turns golden in colour and put in warm water till u add it to the gravy.
4.Simultaneously put the gravy in a kadai and cook the same with butter till the raw smell of onion and tomato is gone and the gravy comes to a red/brown colour .
5.To this , add chilly powder and salt, panner and some more butter and allow it to boil , keep it on stove till u get a good flavor.
6.Garnish with cut corrainder and serve hot with cut lemons and onions.

Can be used with phulkas, naans, or with rice also.
Happy Eating !!!

Hanuman Chalisa

2008-01-08T20:59:00.000+05:30

My own fabric painting on my salwar !!!

2008-01-07T00:22:00.000+05:30

Roses !!! - Glass Painting

2008-01-07T00:19:00.000+05:30

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Flower bouquet !!! - Glass Painting

2008-01-07T00:17:00.000+05:30

Peace !!! - Glass Painting

2008-01-07T00:14:00.000+05:30

Merger !!!

2008-01-07T00:11:00.000+05:30

I have merged the 4 different blogs to one for easy maintenance and tracking !

Carrot Kheer

2008-01-07T00:09:00.002+05:30

Ingredients :
Carrots - 2
Milk - 3 Cups.
Ghee, Cashewnuts- little.
Sugar - as appropriate.

Method of Prep :
1. Cut the carrots into slices.
2. Cook the carrot slices in milk till they become soft and the raw smell is gone completely.
3. Grind this in mixie or juicer with enough sugar and more milk, till carrot disappears completely!!
4. Fry cashews in ghee and mix with the kheer.
5. Serve chilled.
This is a very easy to prep kheer. Tastes very nice and has very less fat :)

Jeera Rice

2008-01-07T00:09:00.001+05:30

Ingredients :
Jeeraga Samba Rice - 1 Cup. - We can get this rice in the market. This has a nice flavour and is used for this rice. If its not available, we can use normal rice also.
Cumin(Jeera) - 1 tbl sp
Ghee - 3 tbl sp
Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch.
Salt - as appropriate

Method of Preparation :
1. Cook rice seperately with enough water.
2. Heat ghee in a kadai and add the jeera and fry till it becomes just light brown, (Dont let it turn black, that will spoil the rice )
3. Add the cooked rice to this with enough salt and mix well .
4. Garnish well with cut coriander leaves.
5. Serve hot with raitha or potato fry.
This is a very healthy and easy to prep rice !

Peas Pulav

2008-01-07T00:08:00.001+05:30

Everything similar to the previous recipe. Just replace the vegetables with Peas alone and Peas Pulav is ready !!!

Vegetable Pulav

2008-01-07T00:04:00.000+05:30

Ingredients :
Basmati Rice - 1 Cup
Coconut Milk Extract - 2 Cups
Carrot, Beans, Potato, Onion, Peas - All finely cut.
Garam Masala items - Cinnamon, Cloves, Elachi, Bay leaf.
Salt, oil as needed.
Lemon - Half

Method of Prep :
1.Take Coconut Extract, ready made is available in the market these days else Grind coconut with water and take the extract and strain through the strainer. Make 2 Cups, 1 Thick and 1 thin one. Or take 11/2 cups of extract and 1/2 cup of water.
2.Wash rice, and fry with a tsp of ghee.
3.Cook rice with the 2 Cups of Coconut extract for 10 mins in the pressure cooker. Squeeze half a lemon in this. This helps the rice retain color and also remains separate after getting cooked.
4. Boil all the cut vegetables(except onion) seperately, in such a way that the colour is not lost while cooking.
5. Heat oil/ghee in a kadai and fry all the masala items, and add cut onions and fry.
6. Add the cooked vegetables and rice and mix well.
7. Add salt as appropriate.
8. Serve hot with raitha.

French Fries

2008-01-07T00:02:00.000+05:30

French Fries : I prefer eating them at Marry Brown only, but still thought i will try once at home also :)

Ingredients : Potatoess and Oil.

Method of Preparation :

1. Scrap the skin of potatoes and wash them well.

2. Cut them into finger like pieces.

3. Put them in salted water for a while.

4. Wash them again a couple of times.

5. Spread them on a piece of cloth till moisture is gone.

6. Deep fry in Oil.

7. Mix salt, pepper and mirchi and serve with sauce !

Oothappam

2008-01-07T00:00:00.000+05:30

Tonight , i suddenly wanted to eat oothappam.. first thought will go to HSB and have , but today being a sunday it was bound to be crowded hence plan dropped. So next step, prepare it on your own and believe me it was oooosum :))).

Ingredients :

Dosai Maavu

Onion, tomato, capsicum, coriander leaves finely chopped and green peas.

Method of preparation :

1. Take 1 1/2 ladles of dosai maavu and pour it on the tawa. Don't spread it much , just spread it a little. Make it little more thick in the centre so that it comes out fluffy.

2. Take all the cut vegetables and spread it finely on the oothappam.

3. Pour oil and fry well.

4. Once its golden brown , turn it on the other side and fry again.

5. Remove from stove, and serve hot with chutneys.

Arachuvita Sambhar

2008-01-06T23:58:00.000+05:30

This is one recipe i wanted to write for looong... many of friends had asked me to post this , so here it goes. A simple daily do-able one.

Arachuvita Sambhar :
Ingredients :
Vegetables of ur choice : Few famous combinations :
Small Onions (sambhar vengayam)
Drumsticks (murungakkai)
Ladies Finger (vendakkai)
Tomato, Big Onions, Potato.
or any other vegetables of ur choice
Thuar Dhal - 1 Cup
Coconut - 1 Cup
Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized one.
Dhania - 2-3 teaspoons.
Red Chilli - 6
Fenugreek (Vendayam) - 1/2 spoon
Kadalai paruppu - 1/2 spoon
Pottu Kadalai - 1/2 spoon
Turmeric Powder , Salt Coriander , Curry leaves.

Method of Preparation :
1. Fry dhania,vendayam, red chilli, onion in a spoon of oil .
2. Add coconut,kadalai paruppu and pottu kadalai in the end and remove from stove.
3. Grind together this fried mixture to a smooth paste.
4. Soak thuar dhal in water for a while and pressure cook the same.
5. Soak tamarind in hot water for a while.
6. Boil the tamarind extract till the raw smell goes.
7. Cook the vegetables that u wish to add in sambhar seperately.
8. Add salt and turmeric powder to this and the cooked vegetables.
9. To this add the ground mixture.
10.Mash the thuar dhal nicely and add this to stove.
11.Add water and allow to boil.
12.Garnish with mustard,Coriander and Curry leaves.

Chole

2008-01-06T23:55:00.000+05:30

Ingredients :
Kabuli Channa - 1 cup
Onions - 2
Tomato - 2
Potato - 2 (If u need more quantity add potato or u can skip this)
Spices
Cloves, Cinnamon, Elachi, Maratti Moggu, Anas Flower, Sombu, Kasa Kasa, - All little
Turmeric Powder, Chilli Powder, Salt - Per ur requirements
Jaggery - very little.
Oil/Ghee - for frying
Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
Lemon - 1

Grind together
Ginger - small piece
Garlic - If u prefer garlic (not sure of the quantity, 1 or 2 pieces should do i guess)
Green Chillies - 2
Red Chillies - 2
Grated Coconut - 2 tsp
Cashewnuts - 6

Method of Preparation
1. Soak Channa for 10 hrs and pressure cook along with the potatoes.
2. Grind together all the spices with finely cut onions.
3. Blanch tomatoes in hot water and make a thick puree.
4. Heat oil/ghee in a pan and add the onion paste and as it gets fried add the tomato puree with little turmeric.
5. Add the ground masala and chilli powder, salt, jaggery to this and keep in low flame till good smell comes.
6. Add the channa and mashed potato to this and add water based on the thickness u need for the gravy.
7. Keep in stove for another 5 mins.
8. Remove from stove and garnish with coriander leaves
9. Serve hot with rotis, with a piece of lemon.

Vegetable Briyani

2008-01-06T23:50:00.000+05:30

I make vegetable briyani or veg pulav quite often , but somehow it wasnt all that satisfactory esp the colour of the briyani, but today it turned out real good, just the right colour and taste i shd say ;)

Ingredients :

Basmathi rice - 1 Cup

Carrot(2), Beans(10), Capsicum(1)(Red & Green ones), Potato(2), Onions(2), Tomato(2),Cauliflower - We can change it as per ur taste and quantity.

Pattai (Cinnamon) - 1 inch piece

Elakkai (Cardamon) - 1

Krambu (Cloves) - 3

Maratti Moggu - 2

Anas Flower - 1

Bay Leaf - 1

Aji-No-Moto - just a small pinch

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Garam Masala Powder - 1 spoon

Coriander leaves - a small bunch

Lemon - Half piece

Oil/Ghee - For frying.

Grind Together

1 tsp grated coconut

1 tsp Dhania (Coriander seeds)

Cashewnuts - 8

Red Chilly - 5

Onion - 1 (Just roast it over the flame directly)

Method of Preparation

1. Wash and soak the rice for 10 mins.

2. Cut all the vegetables into small small pieces.

3. Blanch tomatoes in hot water, remove skin and make a thick puree out of it.

4. Boil the vegetables till they get half cooked.

5. Heat oil/ghee in a pressure pan and add the spices and fry them.

6. Add finely cut onions to this and keep frying.

7. To this add the ground paste,tomato puree, turmeric and keep frying till u get a good smell.

8. Add the boiled vegetables to this and continue to fry.

9. Add 2 cups of water and squeeze half a lime into this.

10. In a kadai , add half a teaspoon ghee and fry the basmati rice for 2 mins

11. Once the water boils, add the rice to this and pressure cook for 10 mins.

12. Remove from fire, add a spoon of garam masala and ghee.

13. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raitha.

Corn Capsicum Masala

2008-01-06T23:46:00.000+05:30

This is my latest favorite dish, tasted it once when i went to kolkatta recently.

Ingredients :

Sweet Corn Kernels - 2 Cups

Capsicum - 2 Big ones

Onion, Tomato - 2 Big ones each

Pattai (Cinnamon) - 1 piece

Krambu (Cloves) - 2-3 pieces

Elakkai (Elachi) 1-2 pieces

Red Chilly powder , Salt - as per ur need

Cashewnuts - 5-6

Oil/ Ghee - for frying.

Prep Method :

1.Cut the onions, tomatoes, capsicum to fine pieces.

2.Grind the cut onions, tomatoes, cashewnuts with the masala spices(Cinnamon, Cloves, Elachi) to a fine gravy/paste (The cashewnuts will give more thickness and taste to the gravy).

3.Cook the capsicum and corn in a kadai with oil/ghee. Cook till the raw smell of capsicum is gone and the corn also gets cooked.

4.Simultaneously put the gravy in a kadai and cook the same with oil/ghee till the raw smell of onion and tomato is gone and the gravy comes to a red/brown colour .

5.To this , add chilly and salt and some more oil/ghee and allow it to boil , add the cooked corn n capsicum keep it on stove till u get a good flavor.

6.Garnish with cut corrainder and serve hot with cut lemons and onions.

Can be used with phulkas, naans, or with rice also.

Happy Eating !!!

Mehendi laga ke rakhna !!!

2008-01-06T23:42:00.000+05:30

Diwali Diyas -- handpainted !!!

2008-01-06T23:41:00.001+05:30

Garfield !!!

2008-01-06T23:40:00.001+05:30

My first ever glass painting !!!

2008-01-06T23:39:00.001+05:30

Glass Painting !!!

2008-01-06T23:38:00.001+05:30

Am soooo glad to post this cos i think i am doing something which i also enjoy doing :) This all started in Odyssey Adyar, i was just trying to find some sorta gift for my friends when i spotted this. It was a starter kit from fevicryl on glass painting , and one on fabric and terracotta. Got both of them and started off the same day! After few initial pieces, this one i really liked :) The yellow one is the completed one, waiting to be framed :)

Darling Darling Darling

2008-01-06T23:24:00.001+05:30

Film Name : Darling Darling Darling

Year of Release : 1982

Director : K Bhagyaraj

Starring : K Bhagyaraj, Poornima Jayaram, Suman

Music : Shankar Ganesh

StoryLine : Raja (Bhagyaraj) is the son of the watchman at an Ooty bungalow. The owner is a rich industrialist, whose daugther Radha (Poornima Jayaram) was best friends with Raja back when they were in school together. Years later, Radha returns to Ooty after having studied and lived abroad. Raja is still in love with her, but she remembers him as just as the watchman's son. The film starts with a musical chair competition for little children in a convent. The final round is with two children, one boy and one girl .. yesss u are right, the Hero and Heroine. The baby artist is Baby Anju who acted in Uthiri pookal, Keladi Kanmani and is now acting in lots of mega serials. Back to the story.. the kids don't sit on the last chair , giving up for the other to win :) That's the intro , and then comes our Hero KB who has all his childhood photos and is still in 'Divine Love' with his childhood love! Poornima arrives from abroad after her studies(dont ask what!) with a bunch of friends(typical 80s movie style!).They then derraa pootufy at the heroine's guest House for a looong time. Radha just remembers Raja as the watchman's son and no special feelings, is amused by Raja's actions and thinks he is mentally imbalanced. After a number of incidents she comes to know about his love but asks him to forget such ideas as she is already engaged to Suman. Suman comes in as the typical rich, stubborn bad guy who ill-treats Raja, the servant at home. A series of incidents follow that develops sympathy and love in Radha's heart towards Raja. But then now comes the twist, Sendamarai Radha's father is caught up in a financial crisis and seeks the help of Suman's father. Now Radha is forced to marry Suman, and all arrangements follow. At the end however , Suman's dad reads the dairy of Radha and comes to know of all the mattersss and gets them married ;)

Few points to mention :
Anju as the child artist is very cute.
So is Poornima Jayaram,with very little makeup she looks good (except for the intro).
KB continues 2 place flowers for a dog for 15 years jus becos Baby Anju asked him 2!
You get to see pictures of MGR and costumes of his time in this movie as well ;)
Livingston and Pandiarajan play a small role as station master and watchman respectively.
The little sister of KB has done a neat performance.
Poornima Jayaram addressess KB as Mr.Raja thro' out the movie till she falls in love with him.
Suman - of now Shivaji fame plays a negative role here.
Poornima's Dairy is the Hero/Heroine in this movie :)
Dance movements of KB definitely deserve a mention in the song Ye azhagiyae.. !!!
Bhagyaraj is married to Poornima , i think it was after this movie !

About the Director : Beginning his career as an assistant to directors G. Ramakrishnan and Bharathiraja, Bhagyaraj is recognised for his scriptwriting talent. Bhagyaraj often cast himself in the lead roles of the films he scripts and directs, effectively carving out a niche for himself in the actor-auteur vein. His style of film making is notable for its relatively elaborate, witty, and double entendre-laced script and socially-themed framework. His on-screen personae are typically characterised by their ironic sense of humour and intelligent bravado and his big glasses !

Vadakkumnathan

2008-01-06T23:22:00.000+05:30

Film Name : Vadakkumnathan

Year of Release : 2006

Director : Shajun Karyal

Screenplay : Girish Puthenchery

Production : Baba Creations

Starring : Mohanlal, Biju Menon,Padmapriya, Murali, Shammi Thilakan, Vineeth, Risa Bava, Babu Namboothiri, Madambu Kunjukuttan, Vijayan Peringodu, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Kavya Madhavan, Sona Nair, Remadevi, KPAC Lalitha

Music : Ravindran

Lyrics : Girish Puthenchery

Cinematography : S. Kumar

Editing : Hariharaputhran

Storyline : Iringannoor Bharathan Pisharody, professor at the Sanskrit University, a very knowledgeable man with a keen interest in the Vedas, astrology and Kathakali, author of several critical works and winner of numerous awards, is the central character of Vadakkum Nathan. Meera is his student and murapennu.Though Bharathan does not encourage it, Meera often tries to take advantage of the relationship even in class.Both families have agreed to their wedding and a date has been fixed. But when the auspicious day dawns and the bride arrives at the mandapam, she realizes to her utter dismay and desolation that the groom has disappeared.Gloom settles over the household. Meera is inconsolable.Years pass. No one knows Bharathan's whereabouts. Even death is not ruled out.Then one day his mother and uncle on a pilgrimage to the holy shrines of Haridwar, Kedarnath,Rishikesh and Rudraprayag, meet Bharathan on the foothills of the Himalayas.From there unfolds the touching story of Vadakkum Nathan. The film opens with Bharathan's mother and brother (Kaviyoor Ponnamma and Biju Menon) getting to Haridwar to perform some religious rites for Bharathan, who is given up as dead. The mother luckily spots Bharathan on the banks of the holy Ganges. But Bharathan is not normal. The relatives think he is on a hallucination trip.At times he shows some eccentric behaviors which even disrupt his sister’s marriage proposal. All thinks that his behavior is caused by smoking pot, which he incidentally started using a few days before he ran away and everyone hates him. Then one fine day, It is his brother who stumbles on the fact that Pisharody is mentally ill. The papers relating to his treatment, found in his suitcase, were the give-away. So they come to know of his mental distress, a case of extreme depression. Now that everyone is aware of his problem, instead of running away from his illness he turns around and faces it. He straightens out, one by one, the troubles caused by him with the help of Meera. They get married and live happily ever after ! Few Points to mention :
There is no larger-than life stunts, songs and dialogues.
Everything carries a matter-of-fact attractiveness. Mohanlal as the troubled professor is singularly top rate.
His face throws up myriad expressions. It is an amazing portrayal of mentally disturbed man.
Padmapriya has proved that she can also shine in performance-based roles.
The music of Ravindran is another major plus. Special mention must be made of "Kalabham Tharaam, Gange and Oru Kili Pattu".
S Kumar's camera is also vital to the film's feel.
Shajoon Karial has given a serious film with all the right touches. He has eschewed the urge to go commercial. You can crib on the length and speed of the movie. But that is insignificant considering intrinsic essence of the movie.Vadakkumnathan deals with inner demons and depressions of a highly-skilled Sanskrit scholar. Backed by some lilting music, Vadakkumnathan at once tugs at your heart strings as well as soothes your jangled nerves. The pace maybe slow, but it is pregnant with poignant pauses. Full marks to director Shajoon Kariyal for making a film with conviction and clarity. There is no effort to shortchange the audience with ersatz entertainer. Vadakkumnathan deserves a watch by all those who love and value cinema, especially good cinema.

Iniya Tamil Puthandu Nal Vaazhthukkal

2007-04-13T14:21:00.000+05:30

The month of Chitthirai has arrived and with it the Tamil New Year’s Day; April 14th – an occasion for celebration for Tamilians all over the world. Greetings of “Puthandu Vazthukal”, (Happy New Year), are exchanged with fervour on this day, which is supposedly the day when Lord Brahma (The Creator of the world, according to Hindu mythology) started creation.

The day starts with viewing the 'kanni' (the auspicious sight) at dawn, in the expectation that beginning the New Year by looking at auspicious or favourable things will bring good fortune throughout the year. The auspicious things include, gold and silver jewellery, betel leaves, nuts, fruits and vegetables, flowers, raw rice and coconuts. This is followed by the ritual bath and a visit to the temple to pray for a prosperous and happy New Year. After which, the Panchangam (almanac) is read. The ladies adorn the entrances of their houses with ‘Kolam’ (design made with rice flour) and deck the doorway with mango leaves.

The highlight of the festival is the 'Maanga Pachadi' (a dish made of raw mangoes, jaggery and neem flowers), which is at the same time sweet, sour and bitter. This signifies all the different aspects of our life.

Regional Variants of New Year
We have a host of new year festivities that are unique to the particular regions on this vast country. Characteristic of the Indian cultural mélange, Hindus in various states of India celebrate the new year in their own ways. And not all of these fall on the same day!

The Hindus of Nepal begin their new year Nava Varsha in the third week of March, and the people of Kashmir start the Kashmiri Lunar year - Navreh - in the second week of March.

It's Ugadi in Andhra & Karnataka!
The Telegu and the Kannada New Year falls on the first day of the month of Chaitra (March-April). People in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states in the South of India believe that Lord Brahma began the creation of the universe on this auspicious day of Ugadi. People prepare for the new year by cleaning and washing their houses and buying new clothes. On the Ugadi day they decorate their houses with mango leaves and "rangoli" designs, and pray for a prosperous new year, and visit the temples to listen to the yearly calendar - "Panchangasravanam" as priests make predictions for the coming year. Ugadi is also an auspicious day to embark on any new endeavor.

Bring in the Goodies on Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra!
In Maharashtra, the new year is celebrated as Gudi Padwa - a festival that heralds the advent of spring (March-April). Early on the morning of the first day of the Chaitra month, people finish their ablutions, wear new clothes and decorate their houses with colorful "rangoli" patterns. A silk banner is raised and worshipped, and greetings and sweets are exchanged. People hang "gudis" on their windows on this day to celebrate Mother Nature's bounty. A "gudi" is a decorated pole with a brass or a silver vessel placed on it.

The Bright Baisakhi of Punjab
"Baisakhi", traditionally a harvest festival, is celebrated on the 13th of April every year, marking the Punjabi New Year. People celebrate the joyous occasion by performing Bhangra and Giddha to the pounding rhythm of the dhol and rings in the New Year. Baisakhi also marks the founding of the Khalsa brotherhood by Sikh Guru Govind Singh.

Shubho Naba Barsha on Poila Baishakh in Bengal!
The first day of the Bengali new year falls on the 13th or 14th of April every year.Called "Poila Baishakh," it's a state holiday in the eastern state of West Bengal and a national holiday in Bangladesh. To welcome the new year or "Naba Barsha", people clean and decorate their houses and invoke Goddess Lakshmi, the bestower of wealth and prosperity. All new enterprises begin on this auspicious day, as businessmen open their fresh ledgers with "Haal Khata"- a ceremomy in which Lord Ganesha is summoned and customers are invited to settle all their old dues and offered free refreshments. The people of Bengal spend the day feasting and participating in cultural activities.

The Boisterous Bohaag Bihu of Assam
The northeastern state of Assam ushers in the new year with the spring festival of Bohaag Bihu or Rongali Bihu, which marks the onset of a new agricultural cycle. Fairs are organized where people revel in gay games. The celebrations go on for days together, and it's a good time for young people to find a companion of their own choice! Young belles in traditional attire sing "Bihugeets" and dance the traditional "Mukoli Bihu". The festive food of the occasion is the "pitha" or rice cakes. People visit each other's houses, exchange gifts and sweets and, greet each other a Happy New Year!

Kerala, Wish You a Happy Vishu!
"Vishu" is the first day in the first month of Medam in Kerala, the beautiful coastal state in southern India. The people of this state - the Malayalees - begin the day early in the morning by visiting the temple and seeing any auspicious sight, which they call "Vishukani." The day is full of the elaborate traditional rituals with tokens called "Vishukaineetam", usually in form of coins, being distributed among the downtrodden. People wear new clothes - "Kodi vastram" - and celebrate the day by bursting firecrackers and enjoying a variety of delicacies at an elaborate lunch called the "sadya" with family and friends. The afternoon and evening is spent in the "Vishuwela".

Bulb !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-07-06T12:49:00.000+05:30

This is a real incident and resemblance to anyone ALIVE is purely intentional !!!!

My dearest friend Mr. A is our hero here !!!! (Prasanna Srinivas .. un naming conventiona naan

kadan vaangikaren pa .. for this blog alone ;) ).
To give u all a heads up ... Our hero is a romantic hero .... lots of gals, lots of fun ,,, anda

Hero ...... [;)] Manasula... mahesh babu, kamal hassan, saif ali khan, sharukh khan idha maari

ellam ninaippu .... ( as most of u know already !). So a friend of his or rather a frnd of all of

us calls him, and poor thing , lets see wat happens !

[Ms.K]:: Hiiii Mr.A.. Hey,How are u ??????
[Mr. A] :: Hiiiii (konjam vazhiyalss) I am fine fine fine , u ????
[Ms. K] I am gud !
[Mr. A] Hey i am in a meeting .. ok ?? will call u soon after this ok ??
[Ms. K] hmmm ok ...
[Mr. A] u are Ms. N rt??? i will call u back for sure ..in jes 30 mins DEAR... byeeee...
After half and hr ..... Our hero calls back ....

[Ms. K] :: Hello ..
[Mr. A] : Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii "N" sweeeeeeeeetheart ........ (ipppo semma vazhiyals ;)))) )
[Ms. K] :: Surprised, decides to play the game for some time ...

They continue talking ... poor Ms. K .... konjam tension aayita...

After 10 - 15 mins she says ... Innum a ennai Ms. N nnu ninaikkare ??????
Our Hero is shocked .. only a little.... romba intelligenta he finds out the voice immediately

and ...

[Mr. A] :: Oooooooooooooooo ... Hi [Ms. V] Dearrrrrrrrrr !!!!!!!!!, how are u da ?????? neeyaaaa

???? sorrry da ... romba sorry kannna .... eppadi irukkke ?????

Paaavom [Ms. K] romba nonduta ....
[Ms. K] :: sigh .... ivan thirundave maatan poola :(

She manages to talk for another 5 mins ... and then
[Ms. K] :: Innuma enna [Ms.V] nnu ninaichutu paessare ????????
And now u know all abt the title of the post !!!

p.s: It has been reported that Ms.K is still hospitalised and is recovering from the shock our Mr.A gave her

p.s part 2 : climax coutesy : Rams !!!

Nikaah ...

2006-06-02T14:34:00.000+05:30

It was Ayesha's wedding with Asif yesterday. All dressed up , myself and rad started for the marriage. We reached the marriage hall 10 mins late ;) to find that the bride and the groom are yet to arrive :D. They arrived 10 mins later. The men and women were seated seperately, men on the ground floor and women on the first. It was a very simple ceremony , The priest read few verses from the Quran. Her father came up with two witness and she signs a document. The groom then signs the document and the marriage is registered. They are married !!!. The groom then comes up and takes the girl down. Friends and relatives wish them . Dinner follows ...
A very simple ceremony :-)

Bhel Puri !!!

2006-03-22T23:23:00.000+05:30

Bhel puri -- one of my favourites. Very simple but very tasty.
Its sweet, hot, spicy u get all tastes in that !
I once tried convincing(actually fighting) my gym trainer saying it has very less calories and i wud like to have it often but as u might guess he thought otherwise, anyways let me leave that .. I have no plans of leaving my bhel.

Today i saw a packet from Haldirams that said Instant Bhel puri. Of course i bought one and tried it. Its very simple. U have all the ingrediants and the different sauces or pani that u will want. The 'Katta' paani and the 'Meeta' chutney. Just take all of it and put it in a bowl , mix well and here u have my favorite ready.
It saves all the time u take to prepare the sweet chutney and the katta chutney and the taste is quite good.. Believe me !

Thought will share it with all!
Here goes my Bhel Puri -- Swahaa.

Its been almost 2 full days with Bombay Jayashree, Unni Menon ...

2006-03-21T01:56:00.000+05:30

Partha mudhal naale sings Jayashree (from VV) and it goes on ...
This is the only song thats been on winamp and my ipod for almost 2 days now.
I keep hearing it , and everytime somehow the song is still fresh and too good to hear !!!!

Karadaiyan Nonbu Special !!!

2006-03-14T22:23:00.000+05:30

Karadaiyan Nonbu (pronounced 'Car-a-dye-on Nomboo') is a festival of special significance to married women all over Southern India including states like Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh.(But i think its a different name, but the same ritual).This is observed for their respective and prospective husband’s well being and that the couples should remain together always.

Especially observed by the women of Tamil Nadu, Karadaiyan Nonbu, is celebrated at the conjunction of the Tamil months Masi and Panguni. It is to remember the great battle won by Savithri - a mythological character - over the God of Death - Yama, not by arms or ammunitions but by her clever arguments to regain her husband’s life. But, it was Savithri’s genuine prayers and bhakti to Goddess Gowri that has given her the strength and wisdom to win back her husband's life from Yaman, the Lord of Death. So,women offer their prayers to Goddess Gowri or Kamakshi following the footsteps of Savithri to plead for a long married life (Dheerga Sowmangalyam - they pray for longevity and welfare of their husband).

Savithri was the daughter of king Aswapathi who ruled Mathra. She was married to Sathyavan, son of another king, according to her wish. Despite Naradha’s warning that Sathyavan would die within a year of marriage, Savithri married him. But as a devout wife, she started worshipping Goddess Gowri to protect her mangalyam, - that is, to change the fate and give her husband a long life. On the first day of Panguni, the following year, fate snatched away Sathyavan suddenly. When Yama appeared to take away the life of Sathyavan, Savithri did not give up easily. She argued with Yama, and regained the life of her spouse and in addition begot four more boons too! And they lived happily ever after. Thus goes the story....

So following the tradition the nonbu is observed every year by all women to protect their mangalyam. Normally the Nonbu is observed just before the onset of Panguni, when the last few hours of Masi are left. The exact time to carry out the Nonbu would be told by the family 'vadyar mama'. The pooja room at home is lit with the traditional lamp (kuthu villaku). Kolams are drawn (Arisi maavu will be used for this) in front of the pooja room.Plantain leaves will be placed in order according to the number of women and girl children in the household. If the number is an odd one, one more leaf will be placed for the Goddess. On the right corner of the plantain leaves will be placed the thamboolam along with a banana. The main item is the sacred yellow cotton string - Saradu (tied in the middle with some flower), which the vadyar mamas'normally give to every household well in advance.
On this day, two special dishes are made and offered to the Lord. One is a savoury signifying Lord Siva and the other one is a sweet signifying Goddess Shakti.(Karadais and vella adais are specially made for the occasion with rice flour,jaggery and Kaaramani - a red coloured dry beans). The adais are then placed on the plantain leaves along with 'Vennai'.
Then, every one (married women and even young girls) have to take a sort of vow in front of their offering to offer the same (" Urugada Vennaiyum oradaiyum naan tharuven - orukaalum en kanavar ennai piriyadirukkanum") meaning that year after year - their only wish being that of a long life for their spouse and tie this sacred yellow colour thread around their neck.
After offering the Nivedhyam to the Goddess, the older woman (usually paati else amma) in the house ties one of the Saradu placed in front of her to the Ambal picture in the pooja room.The next day few adais are given to a cow.

Among the many festivals of South India, Karadaiyan Nonbu is more a renewal of the faith in the tradition.

Courtesy : A few sources on net and my amma .
Pictures : Pooja Room at my home using my A520 !!.

Vellicham

2006-03-14T21:06:00.000+05:30

Karadaiyan Nonbu being a valid reason, i managed to escape from office at 5:30 PM :)
Hurray !!! When i came out from the parking lot it was bright,(vellichama irundudu).
My eyes were reluctant to accept the light and brightness, I put on my helmet and stared driving . After a looooong time i am out at this time of the day .. It was too good, people going home after a hectic day (i mean non IT folks ;)) still traffic not at its peak. Passing thro Ashok Pillar, K K Nagar, spotted a lott of kids going to tutions, paatu class etc. Moms dropping them off, doing to near by temples, kaigari kadai's etc. The city was buzzling with activity. I have been missing all these for almost 2 years now. The time i come home usually, the city is calm , people are taking rest , watching 'Manaivi' or 'Kuttram'. Its only the moon and a very few silly ppl like me returning home :(.
Today i am blessed to watch the sunset.
As i enter amma said 'Daily ippadiye vanda nanna irukkum le'!!!
Aaamam ma aamaam ....

Will follow up soon with Karaidaiyan Nonbu Spl Blog!!

My Life rating !!!!

2006-03-12T00:09:00.000+05:30

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.2
Mind:	7.6
Body:	7
Spirit:	7.9
Friends/Family:	4.3
Love:	2.9
Finance:	7.7
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

This is how my life got rated in the "Rate my Life" Quiz on monkeyquiz.com. How well it reflects my life pattern today is something i wudnt comment upon, but rather leave it to u folks ;)
Take it once for fun and see wat it says !

Cho Chweet ...

2006-03-11T00:36:00.000+05:30

Semma thalaiveli evening(friday !!!).
Office lendu escape ;)
Directa veetuku varalamo ???!!!
No, adan thalaiveli aache , so went to my favorite restuarant on my way back home for a 'cup of coffee'. (Ore ore cup coffee than pa..)
While i was sitting in the hotel , a family walked in. There was a 3-4 yr kid also. She was like so cute that everyone in the hotel was looking at her. Paavom adhu, she too realised that and u know became kinda consious, feeling shy etc. The ppl who serve were trying to be nice to her, got her a special chair and all. The girl was all smiling , too happy listing out all the delicacies she wanted to eat !. Then the waiter came along and softly patted her cheek . She immediately climbed down her chair, looked at him, rather stared at him ;) and went down to sit with her grand pa ... It was really a wonderful reaction !!! We like playing with kids, but poor kids, poor cheeks ...

Make the difference u can...

2006-03-10T23:08:00.000+05:30

I was chatting with my colleague this morning about work, people etc. She was checking her mails, and there were lots of mails from a group. Nose being a little long i asked her if it was her college gang . But then she said NO,it was an NGO. It didnt hit me straight , thats when she said it was an organisation that they had started (a group of her friends).Initially they started doing small things, helping around as much as they can. And now they have got all the legal stuff done and they are a fully functional NGO. Getting help from all their friends, friends friends etc (we cud use orkut here)they are making all the difference they can to the people around. Now I dont wanna write as to how I felt when I heard this etc .. U know it.... Lemme get some more details on this and will post the same ...

Light.. Air .. Land.. Water ..

2006-03-07T00:18:00.000+05:30

I choked .. gasped for breath , struggling to breathe, unable to move, i lay there a piece of matter , unaware of wats happening ouside. Slowly thinking back i remembered i fell into this tunnel some time back,dunno how i fell down here, from then on its been bad , sad , depressing, gloomy, all the negative adjectives can hold good. There are many currencies scattered all around the place. Currencies of all countries probably even those that i am unaware of, wardrobes full of clothes. But very little light , there was little food and water initially, all over by now .
I move up two steps to be pulled down three. Scrambling I still try to get out in search of light, air , land, water .... A streak of light at the end of tunnel, a ray of hope somewhere keeps me alive ...
It sweats and I wake up to reality ..
Do I find light , air, land, water ???

Back after a break

2006-03-06T23:30:00.000+05:30

Dunno y , but the link got down ..
After republishing the blog for quite some time .. its now up and running :)

Ingae Ingae

2006-03-05T22:25:00.000+05:30

Composed by VidyaSagar, Pa Vijay as Lyricist and Sung wonderfully by Shankar Mahadevan for the Film 'Poi', I liked this song a lot.

Ingae Ingae oru paatu irukku ...
mettu pooda kadal kaatru irukku ..
Yedho Kadhai solla kathirukku ...
yaarai ingae edhir parthirukku ...
Kavidai in kallam idhuvoo ...
Kaadhalin mugam idhuvo ..
Idhayangalin uyir thudipoo ..
Ilakiyathin mozhi paeyarpoo...
enna idhuvo... sollvadhu yevaroo..
enna idhuvo... sollvadhu yevaro..
iraiva idhu nyayam thana ...
undan idayam kal il thana ..
iraiva idhu nyayam thana ...
avan sonna kadhal andha kadalukku than ..
aval sonna kadhal avan udalukku than ..
avan enavo avalai vendran ..
aval enavo thannai vendraal ...
irudiyile kadhal enavo vendru vitadhe ingae ingae ...
iraiva nee thotru vitai ..
kadhal idam nee thotru vitai..
tamil kavidai ondru pirandhadhu ingae..
kadal kadandu vandu thavazhndadu ingae ...

Hear it once ..

Karai Nalladhu !

2006-03-04T22:31:00.000+05:30

All of us wud have said an 'ah' when we first saw the surf excel ad .. A boy and his younger sis are on the way back from school , when the girl falls down in mud and dirties her uniform. Unhappy with that she cries. To please her the boy falls in the puddle and kicks the water !! Finally he says 'sorry bol diya' or sorry solliduchu .
Finally the ad finishes with 'Daag ache hain' or 'Karai Nalladhu'. A wonderful ad !!!
Similar to that is an Ad i think from Hutch , where a dad plays with his year or two old kid and takes his picture wid a camera mobile. The kid takes away the mobile and looks at the foto and throws the mobile off !!!. Just a passing thought

Wedding Bells

2006-03-04T19:04:00.000+05:30

This got started when i was watching the movie 'Kalaba Kadhala'. The guy gifts his wife an 'Oonjal' (Swing) for her b'day. In the whole movie one thing I liked was this ' Oonjal' . It was a cute small one but attractive. I got reminded of the oonjals we have at our ancestrol home in Palghat, then slowly thoughts drifted to the oonjal ceremony in all Tambram marriages. Now that many of my friends are getting married, thought why not take some time to see wat all rituals we have and wat they signify. Googled for my some time , thot will share wid all ..
The following is extracted from few sources on the net(www.mypandit.com,www.creativeweddingcards.com/Rites/), expert comments from maami's and is a mix of all i cud relate.. Tamil Wedding is a two day event hence this blog is a bit loong ;)
The steps of a Vedic wedding and their significance :

Panda Kaal Muhurtham It is customary to invoke the blessings of the family deity to ensure that the wedding preparations proceed smoothly. Usually, this small ritual is performed one day before the wedding. The pole is adorned with turmeric powder, mango leaves and 'kolam'. The 'pujari' performs a 'puja' by sprinkling turmeric, 'kumkum' powder, yellow rice and flowers amidst the chanting of Vedic mantras. The pole is then fixed very firmly into the ground and an 'arathi' is performed. Prayers are offered so that the 'pandaal' should remain strong and firm throughout the ceremonies.The family of the bride and the groom pray to the deity who is symbolically represented by a bamboo pole.

Receiving the Groom When the groom and his family arrive at the wedding hall on the morning one day before the wedding, they are welcomed with a tray containing offerings of flowers, paan supari, fruits and mishri. Rose water is sprinkled on the groom. The bride's brother applies a tilak (dot or line) of sandalwood paste and kumkum on his forehead and garlands him. The bride's mother offers the groom's parents offer a sweet dish prepared from condensed milk. A senior female member of the bride's family performs aarti (a small ritual conducted as a mark of reverence) and welcomes them. It is also customary to break a coconut to the ground as this is believed to help ward off evil spirits.

Vratham This ritual is somewhat similar to the Panda Kaal Muhurtham. It is usually performed a day before the wedding by the family of the bride as well as that of the groom. They recite Vedic hymns in the presence of a priest (Vaadyar) and seek the blessings of a family deity. Next, they invoke the blessings of all their ancestors and pray for their intervention in removing those obstacles that threaten to disrupt the wedding proceedings. Following these ceremonies, all married women from the groom's family participate in a ceremony called Palikai thellichal.

Pallikai Thellichal The family of the bride begins this ceremony a day before the wedding. Clay pots are filled with grains. Married women from both the sides sprinkle water on the pots filled with nine varieties of grain. During this ceremony, the others present sing traditional songs to the accompaniment of music. The next day (the day after the wedding) when the grains sprout, these pots are immersed in a pond so that the fish in the pond may feed on the grains and bless the newly-weds abundantly.

Naandi This ceremony involves honouring a few Brahmins with gifts and sweets. The Brahmins are invited to represent the souls of the ancestors of the bride and the groom. The families seek their blessings before beginning the marriage proceedings.

Jaanavaasam A tradition which is rarely practised these days. The groom gets into a decorated car and is escorted to the wedding venue by a large and joyous procession of family and friends. Professional musicians accompany the procession and play traditional wedding music. Sometimes there are also fireworks to celebrate the occasion. The girl's brother garlands the groom and receives him at the Wedding hall to the accompaniment of traditional music.

Nicchiyadharatham The bride's parents perform Ganesh Pooja in the presence of the officiating priest. The bride is also present during the ceremony. Tamilians have great faith in the Elephant God, Lord Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. The groom's side gives the bride a new sari. She wears it with the assistance of her sister-in-law. A tilak of chandan and kumkum is applied on her forehead, while the pallav (part of the sari near the border) of her sari is filled with fruits, paan-supari, turmeric, kumkum and coconut. A garland of flowers is tied around her waist. Aarati is also performed for her.

Reading of Lagna Pathirigai The priest formally reads out the wedding invitation. Details on 3 generations of the lineage of the boy and the girl and other information on the muhurtam and venue is announced. This is followed by an elaborate dinner.

The above mentioned are done on the day previous to the actual wedding ceremony ..
On the Day of Wedding we have ...

Mangala Snaanam The mangala snaanam is the auspicious and purifying bath that the bride and groom must have in their respective homes on the dawn of their wedding day. Before the bath they are anointed with oil and a tilak of haldi-kumkum.

Kasi Yatra This is an interesting ritual and adds an element of colour and drama to the occasion. After the mangala snaanam, the groom pretends to leave for Kashi, a pilgrimage center to devote himself to God and a life of prayer. He carries a walking stick and other meagre essentials with him to imply that he is not interested in becoming a householder. The girl's father intervenes and requests him to accept his daughter as his life partner. He exhorts him to fulfill his responsibilities as a householder and thus follow what is written in the scriptures. The groom relents and returns to the pandal where he is received by the bride.

Exchange of Garlands This ceremony is full of fun and gaiety. The bride and the groom exchange garlands thrice. They are teased by their relatives. For instance, they pull the girl away when the boy reaches forward to be garlanded by her, and vice versa. The bride and the groom's uncles (mother's brother) have to hoist them.

Oonjal When the couple finally succeed in garlanding each other thrice, they are made to sit together on a swing. Married women from the families give spoonful of milk and banana pieces. They circle rice balls around the couple in circular motions, in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions and fling them away. This rite is believed to prevent evil forces from disrupting the wedding ceremony. Another rite to achieve a similar end, involves the womenfolk going around the couple four times, holding in their hands a lamp or alternately, a container of water. Songs called Oonjal Paattu must be sung during these rites.

Kanyaa daanam Here, the brahmachari meets his prospective father-in-law. The bride's father welcomes the groom when he comes to the mandapam (place where the wedding rituals are carried out).The mandapam houses the sacred fire around which the wedding ceremonies will be conducted.The bride's mother applies kajal in the groom's eyes. The bride's father washes his son-in-law's feet. Through this gesture the father conveys that that the boy is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and believes that he will support and take good care of his daughter. The bride sits on her father's lap with a coconut in her hands. The father and bride offer the coconut to the groom while the bride's mother pours water over the coconut thus symbolising the 'giving away of their daughter.' The groom's parents gift the bride a nine-yard sari and a blouse to be worn for next moment, the auspicious occasion of tying the mangasultra

Maangalya dhaaranam(Muhurtam) With the help of her sister-in-law and other aunts the bride changes into a nine-yard sari and again enters the mandapam. A sack of paddy is placed on the floor. The bride's father is seated on this and the bride sits on her father's lap. The sack of paddy symbolises good fortune and abundance in terms of material and spiritual wealth. The yoke of a farmer's plough is touched to the bride's forehead. This gesture carries the hope that the couple will always walk together, by each other's side to pull the plough of life. The priest and relatives bless the mangalsutra or sacred thread and hand it to the groom who ties it around the neck of his bride with two knots. His groom's sister ties the third knot much to the rejoicing of everyone accompanied by the drums of the melam. The three knots symbolise the marriage of the mind, spirit and body. There is no Veda Mantram for tying the mangala sutram (auspicious thread) around the neck of the bride by the groom. The latter takes the mangala sutram in his hands and recites the following verse:

mAngalyam tantunAnena mama jIvanA hethunA
kaNThe: badhnami subhage! sanjIva Sarada: Satam

(meaning: This is a sacred thread. This is essential for my long life. I tie this around your neck, O maiden having many auspicious attributes! May you live happily for a hundred years (with me).

Paani grahanam After maangalya dhaaranam, the groom lowers his right palm and encloses it over the right hand of the bride. He covers all the five fingers of the right hand of the bride with his right palm through this act of paani grahanam. He recites mantras in praise of Bhaga, Aryama, Savita, Indra, Agni, Suryan, Vayu and Saraswati, while holding the bride's hand. He prays for long life, progeny, prosperity and harmony with the bride during their married life. The closed fingers of the right hand of the bride is said to represent her heart. The paani grahanam ritual symbolizes the bride surrendering her heart in the hands of the groom during the occasion of the marriage.

Sapta padi During this ritual, the groom walks with the bride to the right side of the sacred fire. All along, he holds his wife's right hand in his right hand in the way in which he held her hand during the paani grahanam ceremony. He stops, bends down and holds the right toe of his wife with his right hand and helps her take seven steps around the fire. At the beginning of each step, he recites a Veda mantra to invoke the blessings of Maha Vishnu. Through these seven mantras, he asks Maha Vishnu to follow in the footsteps of his wife and bless her with food, strength, piety, progeny, wealth, comfort and health. At the conclusion of the seven steps, he addresses his wife with a moving statement from the Veds summarized below:

Dear Wife! By taking these seven steps, you have become my dearest friend. I pledge my unfailing loyalty to you. Let us stay together for the rest of our lives. Let us not separate from each other ever. Let us be of one mind in carrying out our responsibilities as householders (grihasthas). Let us love and cherish each other and enjoy nourishing food and good health. Let us discharge our prescribed Vedic duties to our elders, ancestors, rishis, creatures, and gods. Let our aspirations be united. I will be the Saaman and may you be the Rk (Saaman here refers to the music and Rk refers to the Vedic text that is being cast into music). Let me be the upper world and let you be the Bhumi or Mother Earth. I will be the Sukla or life force and may you be the bearer of that Sukla. Let me be the mind and let you be the speech. May you follow me to conceive children and gain worldly as well as spiritual wealth. May all auspiciousness come your way.

Pradhaana homam After sapta padi, the couple take their seat on the western side of the sacred fire and conduct pradhaana homam. During the conductance of this homam, the bride must place her right hand on her husband's body so that she gets the full benefit of the homam through symbolic participation. Sixteen mantras are recited to the accompaniment of pouring a spoon of clarified butter into the sacred fire at the end of recitation of each of the mantras. These mantras salute Soma, Gandharva, Agni, Indra, Vayu, the Aswini Devas, Savita, Brihaspati, Viswa Devas and Varuna for blessing the marriage and beseeches them to confer long wedded life, health, wealth, children and freedom from all kinds of worries. One prayer -- the sixth mantra -- has a sense of humor and provides deep insight into human psychology. The text of this mantra is: "daSaasyam putraan dehi, patim ekaadaSam kRti". Here, the groom asks Indra to bless the couple with ten children and requests that he be blessed to become the eleventh child of his bride in his old age.

Stepping on the grinding stone After pradhaana homam, the husband holds the right toe of his wife and lifts her leg and places it on a flat granite grinding stone known as "ammi" in Tamil. The ammi stands at the right side of the sacred fire. The husband recites a Veda mantra when he places the right foot of his wife on the ammi:
May you stand on this firm stone. May you be rock-firm during your stay on this grinding stone. May you stand up to those who oppose you while you carry out your time-honored responsibilities as a wife sanctioned by the Vedas and tradition. May you develop tolerance to your enemies and put up a fair fight to defend your legitimate rights as the head of the household in a firm manner, equal to the steady strength of this grinding stone.

Sammandhi Mariyathai
The families of the newly-weds exchange clothes and other gifts befitting their status during this ceremony.

Laaja homam After ammi stepping, a ceremony of doing homam with parched rice is conducted. Here, the wife cups her hands and the brothers of the bride fill the cupped hands with parched rice. The husband adds a drop of ghee to the parched rice and recites five Veda mantras. At the end of each of the recitation , the parched rice is thrown into the sacred fire as havis (offering) to Agni. Through these mantras, the wife prays for long life for her husband and for a marriage filled with peace and harmony. At the end of the laaja homam, the husband unties the darbha belt around the waist of his wife with another mantra. The husband states through this mantra that he unites his wife and ties her now with the bonds of Varuna and invites her to be a full partner in his life to enjoy the blessings of wedded life.

Griha pravesam This ceremony relates to the journey of the wife to her husband's home. The husband carries the sacred fire (homa agni) in a earthern vessel during this journey home. There are many Veda mantras associated with this journey. These mantras pray to the appropriate Vedic gods to remove all obstacles that one can experience in a journey. The bride is requested to become the mistress of the house and is reminded of her important role among the relatives of her husband. After reaching her new home, she puts her right foot first in the house and recites the following Veda mantra:
I enter this house with a happy heart. May I give birth to children, who observe the path of righteousness (dharma)! May this house that I enter today be prosperous forever and never be deficient in food. May this house be populated by people of virtue and pious thoughts.

Praavisya homam After griha pravesam, a fire ritual known as praavisya homam is performed by the couple to the accompaniment of thirteen Veda mantras from the Rg Veda. Jayaadi homam is also part of the praavisya homam. This homam offers the salutation of the newly married couple to Agni Deva and asks for strength and nourishment to discharge the duties of a grihasthas for the next one hundred years. After that, the bride shifts her position from the right side of her husband to his left side. At that time, once again, she recites a Veda mantra invoking the gods for blessings of children and wealth to perform the duties of a householder.
At the end of the above homam, a child is placed on the lap of the bride and she offers a fruit to the child, while reciting a prescribed Veda mantra. Yet another mantram asks the assembled guests to bless the bride and then retire to their own individual homes peacefully. During the first evening of the stay in her new home, the couple see the stars known as Dhruva (pole star) and Arundhati. The husband points out the pole star and prays for the strength and stability of the household thru a Veda mantra. Next, the husband points out the Arundhati star to his wife and describes to her the the story of Arundhati and her legendary chastity.

ReceptionAfter the series of religious ceremonies, the evening reception marks a tone of informality with the guests meeting the couple and conveying their best wishes to their families.

Katta Saddam The next day after the 2 day affair, the boy's side leave the marriage hall and proceed to their respective homes. The bride's side bid adieu and provide them with all the condiments like rice, dal, tamarind, coffee powder, appalam, pickles etc. They also give packed cooked food which include coconut rice, lemon rice, tamarind rice and curd rice.

Can it continue as friendship ?

2006-03-04T18:44:00.000+05:30

As usual my friend and me were discussing about marriage, love etc ... (Most discussions seem to revolve arnd this in the recent times !) when we were talking about what and how people react when someone proposes and how do u take the relation further . When someone says 'he/she' likes u , thats something which we should appreciate if we are not ready to reciprocate. (by reciprocate I mean getting married etc,.). I find it silly to see people actually turn faces away from that chap/girl. Having been good friends so long , how is it so easy to ignore someone ??. Cant we still be good friends ? Or will it be just a coating ? Will Friendship be a facade ? I still feel its possible to gracefully say 'NO' and continue ..

Namma Pattanam Chennai Pattanam

2006-02-27T14:19:00.000+05:30

Endiru dee.. poolaam vaa .. enga pooradhunalum tiffin saptutu poongo... eno kangal un mugame kaetkiradhe .. eno kaalgal un idame varugiradhe ...lukka chuppi bahut huyi saamne aaja naa.. kahan kahan doonda maine .. aiyo cha kosu kadikkaradhe ma ..mmhmm
lav : oye ippo nee endrukka pooraya illaya ??.
me : cha evalo nalla paadinen theriyuma, poodi naan engayum ille
lav : grr grr..
seri finally me got up after a paduthasana this sunday afternoon.
me : Seri enga pooganum nnu sollu lav ,
lav : engayachum poolam vaa indha weekend engayume poolam namma ..
me : hmm seri va polam
Started from valsaravakkam, passed though our school where we had studied for 12 years, things have changed , new buildings .. old ones modified , it looked all different. though it was just an alley behind , it was as though it was years since i saw the place. Was going straight in arcot road, AVM theatre, Vijaya Hospital, Kamala theatre, Vadapalani murugan kovil , vadapalani saravana bhavan... liberty flyover.
me : straight a poota ? ille left a ?
lav :un istam it doesnt matter to me ...
me : signal changes... seri nnu left eduthen ..
Passing by the Mahalingapuram kovil , driving beside the tall walls of Loyalo college , we went straight. Nelson Manikam road lead us to the Poonamalee High Road,
A new multiplex is being constructed , prob the proposed pvr type complex..
Taking right , we passed throug aminjikarai, crowded streets, market place, entirely diff to the Nungambakkam area which we crossed 2 mins ago .. Different people , different lifestyles, ....
Shenoy nagar vandudu, pachaiappa's college entrance , Hey kabaleeshwarar kovil poolama ??
lav: yes good poolam vaa ...
me : okie..
Passing though Ega theatre, Sangam Complex, Kilpauk Hospital , Kilpauk College, egmore area, Park railway station, Rippon building . Idhu thane Central Station paaru !!!

Central Railway station , at our left ,GH with an enirely new look,and MMC next
Straight from Central , took right , Island Grounds .. a big consumer exhibtion was going on , Gaint Wheel etc .. ore gumbal ... Crossing that we reached Marina, Napier's bridge(Iron bridge) , Ayuthu Ezhuthu Suriya flashed in front of my eyes , missed a signal , escape...

Anna samadhi , MGR samadhi & Madras University to my left and right.. Wow Marina is anytime a cool place.. lots of people , lots of families, too many kids... everyone is enjoying life le, the way they like !! Cool breeze , smooth drive on my activa, Queen Mary's College on the right, the beach on the left, we continued our journey across light house , chennai police head quarters ... Santhome church a wonderful piece of architecture marvel , St. Beeds school , passing all that Greenways Road, Malar Hospital we reached adyar ..
lav : hey enna dee adyar vandute , mylapore poolaya ??
me : ille inikku sivarathiri , so mylapore area ve touch panna mudiyadhu kannama , we will go elsewhere .. Astalakshmi kovil poolam enna ok va ? We have never been there le . So finally with a goal we proceeded to Besant Nagar via Gandhi Nagar Adyar , LB Road, thiruvanmayur .. Posh houses , these areas were always one of my favorite places, roaming around besant nagar , stopped to ask a auto wala , and found our way to the temple thro Kalakshetra Colony .
Just next to the lapping waters of the Bay of Bengal, better known as the Elliot’s beach in Adyar, is located Asia’s only Mahalakshmi Mahavishnu temple wherein also reside the eight lakshmi’s – Sri Aadhi lakshmi the Goddess of health, Sri Dhanya lakshmi the Goddess of food, Sri Dhairya lakshmi the Goddess of courage, Sri Gaja lakshmi the Goddess of luck, Sri Santhana Lakshmi the Goddess of children, Sri Dhana lakshmi the Goddess of wealth, Sri Vijaya lakshmi the Goddess of victory and Sri Vidya lakshmi the Goddess of education. The temple was fairly old, traces its history from the year 1976. Going inside , we decided to take the 10 Rs ticket and get to see the lakshmi's earlier than those who have been waiting for an hr or so.. ( I am reminded about my friend's nephew a 5 yr old claiming this as "Cheating" in a similar circumstance) we went ahead and was totally surprised to see the temple built very different . We had to climb 2 floors thro narrow pathways and worship the Goddesses , still bewildered as to why they had chosen such an architecture, we had a good Darshan. A very different temple indeed, sat for a while in the sand and decided to return home !!!
This is Chennai , my good old city .. Chennai Chennai than !!
Back home for the next session of paduthasana with loads of good memories !!!