2008 already!

Happy Birthday Wishes (belated) to Jyotsna.
Wishing A Wonderful New Year to all in the family.
With Love,
Gayathri & Sundaresan

Happy Bday

Dear Jyotsna, Wish you a very very happy Birthday. Hope you had a great day

Akila, Mohan, Vaishnavi

Happy birthday, Jyotsna!

Jyotsna celebrated her birthday yesterday, 29 December. Best wishes and many happy returns, Jyotsna.
The reason for the delay of one day is that Ujwala and Ramesh are visiting us and we have been busy chatting, eating out and so on. They leave for Kolkata this afternoon en route to Dhaka.

Vimala and Jayaraman

Here is VR athimbher

from the 'get- together'

In 1972-73 a get- together of PRS family was organised at Pattabhi mama's behest and with 'Periappa' - Saama- P.S. Swaminatha Iyer's sponsorship.
Youngsters passed around a box camera and clicked away as they pleased...
the two photos posted in this blog are the excavated remains .. What happened to the rest, I wonder.

more to come

Yes Chithappa
I plan to post a few more interesting photos which are in my possession right now.

Photos speak volumes- is it not?

wonderful photos!

Those are really wonderful photos. Just when I saw them, Anuj came online & I immediately gave him the link and went into a full history of our thatha-s! Kappu athai - what a beauty!
I am attending many concerts this 'Season', selectively, of course. The seats in some of the sabhas are so bad, that my back is protesting!
Akila, there is some confusion about what you want to say about appa's smile - I didn't really understand your second mail. After you mentioned it in your earlier post, I too thought that the mouth portion of appa does resemble thatha.
Gayathri

Resemblance

Perippa, Amma says that your smile resembles thatha's and not Ramakrishna perippa's :)

NICE PHOTOS

Excellent pictures of Kappu akka, and PS brothers , after a lull for some time. Thanks Ramaa.
My mind goes to those days, of my inter actions with each one of them. I want to write a few, but no time today.

This is a proof that preserving taking and preserving photos is a useful work. How all of us enjoy these pictures. I am sure that everyone, on seeing them, will stop for sometime and go back to those days and come back with difficulty.

Ramu

Nice pictures

Very nice pictures, all of them. The one of Kappu is particularly nice, a fine example of Pattabhi's patient photography. At a time when all of us had to think a lot about buying a roll of film, he would snap off pictures in quick succession and choose the best ones for printing. Like a pro.

Thanks Ramaa. I hope more are in the pipeline!

The three of the 'PRSundara Iyer's Five'

This photo is a nice one of the Kunja thatha, Venkatta thatha and Pattu thatha - the winsome three. (origin of the photo is unknown; the find is from Pattabhi mama's collection which was with Kannan (Raja mama's son)

p.s. sorry for the typo-error in the previous post Please read boax camera as box camera

This photo is a nice one of Kunja thatha, Venkatta thatha and Pattu thatha - the winsome three.

This casual photo was taken during the get together in 1972-73 with a baox camera.

Kappu athai's photo

This photo is also taken by Pattabhi mama on the same day as thatha-paatti's photo. mama had edited it (the marker line in red), had prints made and distributed them...

on paatti-thatha's photo

The photo of thaatha and jangapaatti was taken by Pattabhi mama at SAARANGI - Thambi anna's house at Kasturi ranga Road. Evidently Pattabhi mama had cracked some joke to make their faces break into those beautiful smiles. The house behind is that of 'sound maami'; paatti and thatha are posing on the path leading to Raja mama's house. That is why Ramu could not recognise...

thank you

Dear ramu thatha, Jayaram thatha, chandru thatha gayathri periamma, akila chitti

i was very happy to see my name and photo in this. Thank u very much.I had great time on my party.Got lot of presents.
Sumanth

Vidya here,
Saw all your messages today. Suamnth was thrilled to read theses wishes.He has become slightly literate compared to last year.As my sisterinlaw with family are here from Dec 13th ,I couldnt see the page earlier.I will be quite busy till 6th jan and hope to come back to update myself with latest happenings.
Sumanth saw PSCpatti thatha's photo and asked me "why is papa patti looking old suddenly?This lady looks like my papa patti."
Okay folks bye for now and see u all soon
Vidya

Resemblance

Do you think so, Akila? Even now, I am not quite able to see the resemblance. What does your father think?

I was looking at thatha and Patti's photo again today and realized that Ramakrishna perippa resembles thatha a lot, especially the smile

Akila

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUMANT

We wish Sumant a Very Happy Birthday.
Mythili Patti & Chandru thatha

HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY RAMYA and ANUJ

Mythili and I send you our best wishes on your wedding anniversary. We wish you Many Many More Happy Returns of the Day.
Mythili athai & Chandru mama

Best wishes

Best wishes (though belated) to Ramya and Anuj on the occasion of their wedding anniversary. Many happy returns!

Happy birthday, Sumant!

Best wishes to Sumant on his birthday today. Many happy returns.

TO GAYATHRI

Was it the wedding day of Anuj Ramya!!
My list was prepared much earlier and I have missed it! Jayaramanna also probably did not have the date in his list.
Nothing to worry, Ramya and Anuj will start a home very soon.

Ramu

Belated comments

Wishing Srikrishnan athimber and Sumanth a very happy birthday.

That photo of thatha and patti is wonderful.

My god is it 2 years since Ramya and Anuj got married!!! Time is flying!!!

photo

It must have been taken by Pattabhi Chittappa only - because Amma is wearing the same sari in that famous picture of her alone, the setting also seems the same.
Happy Birthday to Sumanth.
We had subdued Wedding memories of Ramya-Anuj yesterday - each one of us in a different place just did not have the right mood to celebrate. Just prayed for them at Padmanabhaswami Temple. Two years have rolled past! Please join me in wishing that Ramya completes her Phd fast and sets up home soon.
Gayathri

Thanks, Ramaa!

That's a beautiful picture. Both the subjects look so natural and joyful. Wonder who took it. Pattabhi?

Thanks a lot, Ramaa.

NICE PHOTO

It is a very nice photo of Kunjappa and Janga manni and thanks to Ramaa.
Both of them seem to be in a jolly mood. I am unable to identify the place.

Ramu

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUMANTH

Dear Vidhya

Our best wishes and love to Sumanth on his birthday on 13th. We pray for his good health, and success .

Ramu Sarada

photo

WOWWWWW! That's a LOVELY photo of thatha & Amma! Thanks Rama!
They really come alive in this one!
Gayathri

this is the other half !! (pun intended)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SRIKRISHNAN

Dear Srikrishnan
Mythili and I send you our best wishes on your birthday. We wish you many many more happy returns of the day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

HAPY BIRTHDAY TO SRIKRISHNAN

Happy Birthday and very many happy returns to Srikrishnan

Ramu Sarada

Happy birthday, Srikrishna!

Best wishes to Srikrishnan on his birthday, 10th December. Many happy returns.

I have no pic of his to post. Can any one else do that?

Hi

I have missed quite a few B'days, sorry!
Wishes to Prashant, Vimala chitti, Pavitra.

I could identify the following in that huge pic:
Mahatma Gandhi, Bruce Lee,Saddam Hussein, Abraham Lincoln, Einstein, Mao tse Tung, George Bernard Shaw, Tagore, Sherlock Holmes, Lenin, Queen Elizabeth, Gengiz Khan!, Marlyn Monroe, Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat, George Bush!, Prince Charles, Charlie Chaplin. Phew!!!!
Gayathri

PAVITHRA, MANY HAPPY RETURNS

Many Happy Returns to Pavithra ( sorry, I am late ).
Brig.Kumar was telling me Pavithra`s future plans.
We wish her all the best and success in all areas.

Ramu Sarada

Happy birthday, Pavitra!

Best wishes to Pavitra for her birthday yesterday. Many happy returns. I missed out on the date, as it was not in my list. But the good wishes are no less heartfelt because of that. Here's wishing you all thebest.

Happy Birthday

Dear Pavithra, A very very happy birthday to you.

Akila, Mohan, Vaishnavi

Pavitra at Madame Tussad's museum

30th November - HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAVITRA

We wish Pavitra Many Many more Happy Returns of the Day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAVITRA

Truly amazing

Perippa, that picture is wonderful. I can count the numbr of people I could identify on my fingers!!! :(

Akila

Stunning picture!

See how many of the world's famous personalities you can make out in this extraordinary painting. (Click on pic to enlarge.)

Happy birthday Perimma

Wish you a very happy birthday Perimma and many many more with great health, joy and happiness.

Akila, Mohan, Vaishnavi

Happy birthday, Vimala!

Best wishes to Vimala on her birthday, 28 November. Many happy returns.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIMALA MANNI

Dear Vimala manni

Wish you many happy returns of the day.
Our prayers will continue and it will be deeper today on your birthday, for a complete normal health very soon.
Happy birthday.

Ramu Sarada

KAARTHIGAI

Hope all would have celebrated Kaarthigai and exchanged blessings and wishes.
We also "enjoyed" by lighting some "agal vilakkus" just out side our flat door, which caused some disturbance to others. Sarada made some pori urundais and appam.

I am unable to stop thinking about K.Nagar, where we used to keep lots of agals on the compound wall and enjoy with a big crowd.

Ramu

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy birthday and many happy returns of the day to Bhuvana manni.

Ramu Sarada

Happy birthday!

Best wishes to Bhuvana on herbirthday, 24 November. Many happy returns.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRASHANTH

Dear Prashanth

We wish you a very happy birthday.
Our wishes & prayers are that all your future birthdays should be happier & happier, by your success in all your endevours and ofcourse, good health.

Many many happy returns of the day with full of success.

Ramu Sarada

Photos

Thank you Perippa. Some were taken on diwali, some on Navarathri and others when we went for dinner on Appa and Amma's wedding anniversary this month.

Happy bday

Happy Birthday Prashanth

Akila, Mohan, Vaishnavi

Happy birthday, Prashanth!

Best wishes from the family to Prashanth on his birthday, 21 November. Many happy returns.

Good photos

Nice pictures, Akila. Were some of them taken at a recent restaurant visit to celebrate your dad's 60th Birthday?

Jayaraman

Some new Photos

Here are some new pictures taken on various occasions.

http://picasaweb.google.com/akilarmohan/RecentPics?authkey=7lWY1gf9KoA

Akila

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KARTHIK

Dear Karthik

Wish you a very happy birthday. And congaratulations on your promotion.
We pray for your good health and success.

NOTE" Does anyone know the mail id of Karthik!

Ramu Sarada

Happy birthday, Karthik!

Best wishes to Karthik on his birthday, 13th November. Many happy returns.

(Can someone post a photo of the birthday boy? I have ransacked my computer but cannot lay hands on the pictures that I am sure I have in some folder.)

Jayaraman

Our Deepavali this year!

Ramu Chittappa,
I am sure almost all of us share the sentiments of Deepavali with you. For us, with both Ramya (and Anuj) and Rajiv away, Deepavali could easily become a lonely affair. But as appa and Saradamma are in town, I enjoyed a 'porandaattu' Deepavali eve - had dinner at Prasad's place and could meet J chittappa also. Just missed Rukku athai. On Deepavali day there was a gala get-together of our full family at my sis-in-law Ponnakka's place - and so, there was enough cheer!
Today I am leaving on my next yatra- to Vaishno Devi this time. I will be with 29 others. S will be on his own trip(!)- inside and outside India! I will be away for 2 weeks and will catch up with all of you then.
My Kailash yatra travelogue is taking shape, but is still not complete.

My webcomics - Geeky and Meeky

I'll take this opportunity to convey my belated Deepavali greetings to all PSC family members. I had been following this blog on my news reader for a while, but hadn't logged in for a long time.

For those who are interested, I create a web-comic titled "Geeky and Meeky" and publish it on my blog. The comic strips are mainly technology oriented. The cartoons are drawn on the computer using a mouse (images are not scanned). I thought some of you might be interested.

The URL is: http://hari.literaryforums.org/cartoons/geeky-and-meeky/

You can leave comments either here or on my own blog's comments section.

YESTERDAY`S DIWALI

So, this year`s Diwali is over and each one would have enjoyed it to the best possible extent .
Same with us also. When there is no doubt that my Diwali in K.Nagar used to be unforgettable , it was quite nice yesterday. It was a good change from a normal day, which is required now and then, even for elders.

The Diwali rituals kept us busy till 10 AM . Then there was the usual VISITOR, the TV!!
Oh, how nice it was to see hero Srikanth & his wife ( who were in court till last week for a divorce ) celebrate their first Diwali, how knowledgable it was to hear Vadivelu`s experiences till now, how enjoyable it was to see TV artist couples dance like in cinema, ......................................
All the programmes increased our knowledge on Hindu culture, the importance of Diwali, and other rituals of Diwali. Ha ha.

All the while, our mind was again and again going to all in PSC family and we were thinking how nice it would be to meet all and exchange wishes on Diwali!

Ramu

MY DIWALI NOW

1. It is a nice greeting from Jayaramanna for Diwali. Yes. Let all of us pray for the same.

2. It was nice reading of Gayathri, Ramaa and Jayaramanna`s comments. All of us have forgotten the Bhakshanam making session by ladies, a very elaborate and tedious but enjoyable one. Now, only a small trip to the sweet shop is enough.

3. Now at 07.10 PM on November 07, Diwali eve, me and Sarada are at home trying to find something to do, Mohan & Akila intheir house , Koushik in a bus travelling towards Chennai
and we are now & then talking about our Diwali those days!! We very much want to visit all brothers and sisters in Chennai tomorrow, but the distance & transport discourages us.

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL.

Ramu

Happy Deepavali!

Best wishes to all on the auspicius occasion of Deepavali. May the lamp of peace, good health and happiness be alight in all our homes through the year and more.

Happy birthday, Sashank!

Birthday wishes to Sashank from the family. Many happy returns.

Deepavali

Navaratri & Deepavali seem to have set off many golden memories. Yes Ramaa, I was thinking of the venneer thavalai too, the fire made of dried coconut tree leaves. When thatha allowed us to shave the leaves and separate them from the centre twig to be made into brooms, we felt so proud of the privelege!
Jangamma sat us on a palagai with kolam on it, apply kumkum on our forehead, give us a piece of banana (as we are not supposed to bathe on an empty stomach) and apply a drop of oil on our heads, face, hands and feet.
One vedi would first be burst inside the puja room by appa. We were not allowed to touch our crackers until and even on Diwali eve and we used to look yearningly at the sky filled with light and colour.
As children and men had fun outside, only the ladies would have lot of work inside, and would come out when special crackers like rockets were fired. We prepared a ketchup bottle with sand inside to support the rocket before firing.
Cable Cars, when they came, were a great thrill. They looked like a match box, and when lit, would travel up and down a rope. As we struggled to untie the rope & fix each cable car every time, we found that Ramathaan had invented a simple device by which it could be hung on a hook that could be taken off the rope easily.
While bursting ground chakram appa would stand with a stick at the edge of the cemented area where we put kolam, preventing the chakram from falling off and fizzling out.
The most important thing was we ALL participated and celebrated together.

I add to what have been told of Dipavali at thatha’s KNagar household…

The children used to be woken about 2.00 am; and at that early hours the water in the ‘famous venner andaa’ ( which used to glow like gold at any point of time due to paatti's near obsession for the vessels being beyond clean and glow in their true colours) would be boiling. As the mangalasnanam proceeded – with paatti doing the shatric anointing with oil and the senior atahais monitoring and helping the actual bath, nagaswara vidwan would arrive at about 2.30 accompanied by thavil and othu . He would play mangala isai and thatha used to give him vastram and money with respect and love and he used to receive it with pride and respect. Though I do not remember their faces, by a freak of memory I remember the cloth bag – kaippai - of ochre-like yellow with dull orange red stripes – thin one placed close to a wide one.
The manner in which thatha used to give away the dipavali vastram-panam to all in his payroll / service- Vedam and paalkaarar, to Lakshmi kutty and pattu vadyar – and the way they used to solicit his blessings made us, youngsters, proud of thatha’s esteem and stature.

The children were allowed kambi mathaappu - inserted into the wide end of the midriff of plantain leaf – wire, and the paambu under the strict one to one supervision. Ramakrishna chithappa , Mani chthappa and on occasions peria thambi (?) used to announce the owner and name of the cracker to bring all to silent, expectant attention before seeing each cracker to its end. The thrill that suffused the child whose cracker went burst by proxy knew no bounds.

Kudos to the senior athais. By day-break, all used to be primly dressed with the hair in aarthi –kattal, or combed flat on the skull as the case may be. If the hair was too oily they would untiringly ‘remove’ the excess oil with newspaper and redo the hairstyle.

Eclipses when they ended in odd hours of the night used to offer much to rejoice.

Deepavali

The comments made by Ramu and Gayathri remind me of the Deepavalis that we, as children, celebrated. It was not very different. On Deepavali eve, we would eagerly await the distribution of the crackers. We would sit in a semicircle around appa who would give the items one by one to us. The very young ones would not get the exploding varieties. And the total cost of the patakas per person was only around five rupees. Most of the actual bursting was done by the slightly older children like Ramakrishnan and myself. The lighting of each item was preceded by an announcement of whose it was, e.g. this is Lux's chittu kuruvi!

Now I find that even the younger people are not very keen to rise too early just to burst the crackers.

Nostalgia

Reading about the Navaratri and Deepavali of 'Those days' sent me on a nostalgic trip. With no time to even put down my response, is it any wonder that we yearn for those relaxed times and pace of life! But when (and IF) we stop to think how the time goes, we feel we have not been really doing anything - so what is it that make us go around like mad?
For Navaratri or cradle ceremony as athai-s came for delivery, I had to go to all the houses in K Nagar and invite them. In many houses I would be forced to sing at least one song! And then in our house when people came, we in turn asked them to sing. Jangamma would position herself behind the hall/dining room door, so she could listen and also have a hearty laugh. But we in front of the singer had a very difficult time suppressing our laughter. We would run inside and burst out, then come ut trying to put on a straight face!
Well, I came a long way by the time I was in Bombay and had to judge competitions -succeeded in keeping a blank look while all the singing by the aspirants was going on!
Deepavali - yes, appa would buy the crackers and we would sit in a row in front of thatha and appa would distribute the crackers. What great value each single rocket or flower pot had! Our mental planning about which one we would burst first started days ahead. And when Deepavali was over, the thrill was still there, & we were so happy, and the long wait for the next Deepavali started!
Applying kumkum on the new clothes was an elaborate affair - we would take all the sets to thatha. Thatha showed so much interest and care- spent time with each one, felt the material, enquired about pavadai, chattai etc. Made us feel so special and important. Because all these small things mattered and were important for us.
Vidya, I have not completed writing the full story of the trip. But hope you saw the photos. If you missed the post in our Yahoogroup mail, it is:

http://picasaweb.google.com/gaya3sun
You can also see photos of the kolu and Savitri chitti's grand daughter Sumitra's wedding.

COMMENTS - Nov.03.

1. After reading Ramakrishnan`s 1944 kolu, for sometime, I was imagining Ramki and PCJ in Radha Krishna costume. I remember in my young days also, few K.Nagar kids used to come like that. NOW I see that in Podhigai TV only.

2. Vidya, Thankyou very much for your Diwali wishes . All of us send our best wishes to all of you on this occassion. Have a nice Diwali.

3. Akila: In general, what you have mentioned is the practice and I dont think I can add much.
But, as usual, my mind goes back to K.Nagar diwali.

As children, me, Lux,Lalli, Rama,Ashok, never used to even remember that new clothes are bought for diwali, but we will be eagerly waiting for crackers. On Diwali eve, around 7 PM, all of us used to sit in the hall with our own baskets and Ramakrishnan used to distribute the crackers to all of us, under the supervision of Kunjappa. We were not allowed to burst them that day.

Next day, early morning, after bath, Kunjappa used to sit in the verandah with big bottle of iodex, for any burn injury. Ramakrishnan used to burst our crackers one by one.

Then around 7 AM, all of us will sit and have the sweets and kaarams. Then, since Kunjappa was elder, most of the people used to come home and we used to do namaskaram.

It used to be lots of fun, ONLY because it was a joint family then and ALSO because, all people in all 22 houses in K.Nagar were known to each other. AND the joy of any occasion used to be shared.

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL.

Ramu

Happy birthday!

 

Best wishes to Vinayak who celebrated his birthday on the 2nd October. Many happy returns!

Deepavali

After all the talk about our (traditional) Navarathri, it is time for Deepavali. Our practise has always been to wake up very early, have our "ganga snaanam", rush out to be one of the first to burst the loudest bomb to wake up the neighbourhood, then around 7am leave to visit relatives for namaskarams.

Apart from the above, is there anything that was done in the olden days for deepavali? Would love to know more.

Akila

Navarathri in 1944

During 1944-1946 we were in Vellore where fathr a sub-judge. One year Kappu was with us during Navarathri and we prepared a good golu and she dressed me and Jayaram as Krishna and Radha (or it might have been Rama and Lakshmana, I am not sure) and we went to all the houses in the colony and invited them.

-Ramakrishnan.

deepavali nalvazthukkal

Wishing all my cousins a very Happy Diwali .My diwali wishes to all my mamas and mamis and chitappa,chitti ,periamma and periappa. Maybe I am a week early but i know the week starts here on Sunday and then with the routine and Diwali preparations , it gets too busy.
It was very intersting to read mamas navaratrhi of 50s and 60s. Even we feel nostalgic about our childhood times and the fun we had without tv and this hectic lifestyle.

Gayathri I have been waiting to hear about your experience of Kailash trip.Why are you so silent ? .

HAPPY DIWALI AGAIN!

MANY HAPPY RETURNS RAJAN ANU

Dear Rajan Anu

Wish you a very happy wedding day.

Your marriage is something which will be remembered very well. It was so adventerous.

Many Happy Returns.

Ramu Sarada

Happy anniversary!

Best wishes from the PSCFamily to Anu and Rajan on their wedding anniversary, 1st November. Many happy returns!

Wishes

Wishing Ramya, Sekhar athimbare, Kiran a very very happy birthday.

Akila

Happy birthday, Sekhar and Kiran!

Sekhar (Rama) celebrated his birthday on 29th October. Our best wishes to him. If someone has his picture in his computer, would he please post it? And today, 30th October, is Kiran's birthday. Best wishes to him too. Many happy returns.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SEKHAR

Dear Sekhar (Rama)

Wish you a very happy birthday. Many Happy Returns of the day with good health and prosperity.

Ramu Sarada

Happy birthday, Ramya!

Best wishes from all in the family to Ramya. Many happy returns!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAMYA

Dear Ramya

Wish you a very happy birthday. I think this birthday is one of the happiest for you as both you and Anuj have completed the studies and must be planning to settle down.

Wishing you good health and prosperity in the years to come.

Ramu Sarada

My Childhood Navarathri

Appa and Ramakrishna perippa have added some fuel to memories of my childhood navarathri. We were in Trichy and atleast 5 children in the house at any time. My grandmother used to have an elaborate golu and every evening all 5 of us used to be dressed up in one vesham. After that we used to go about inviting people and singing "Ammami goluvukku sundal"!!! And yes, singing was compulsory. One of the days the girls' hair used to be decorated with flowers, I think it's called poo vechi thekkardhu.

I am trying my best to make Vaishnavi experience atleast half of all the fun we used to have. I wanted to dress her up in veshams this year, but could not as the golu itself was very last minute. Hope to achieve more next year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHARU , RAJAN

Dear Charu and Rajan,

Celebrating birthdays on 24th and 25th.

Wish you very many happy, healthy, prosperous return of the days.

Happy Birthday.

Ramu.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Charu (24th October) and Rajan (25th October)! Best wishes from all of us in the family. Many happy returns.

DUSSEHRA DAYS OF PCRK

A nice one from Ramki. I never knew all that!! Joint family system was definitely a big advantage those days, in many ways, including Navarathri.

These days, many houses are with just one lady, young or old, with just her husband and she has to take care of everything, to the possible limits.

PRESENT TEEN AGE GIRLS, getting ready for marriage, are putting many conditions for marriage, such as, the parents should not be with them, boy should have a very attractive salary with own flat, boy should not have unmarried brother or sister, etc.
What kind of dussehra they will have in future!!!!

Ramu

Navarathri Way Back

I just saw Ramu's reminiscences about Dussera in the old days and it kindled my own memories. I am talking about the 1950s when Appa had retired and we were in Karpagambal Nagar. We had the big Nash car (six cylinders) and I used to drive it with the ladies and children to visit people for Golu. In some houses I would also go in but the problem was Iwould have to sing. In all houses I will get the Sundal and some sweet packets. Once, along with me was Babyraja (Rukku's son) and I was in a mood to sing and went on singing the Javali 'Parulanna Maata' in Kapi Ragam and Babyraja would not let me stop singing it.

The golu in all our uncles houses were quite big and Thambi, Jayaram and I had to go to each house in advance and put up serial lighting. flashing bulbs etc. There was always a sand affair on the floor in front of the golu, either a mountain with celluloid animals and a forrest or a village scene etc. We spent a lot of time in putting up the golu and elders too took a lot of interest. The enthusiasm everybody felt in those days was great and we miss it now.

Once in our Office Annual Magazine I wrote an article (a short story) called 'Navarathri'. That was the time when computers were just being introduced in our Company and my short story was about the traffic jams dueto people driving in all directions to visit people and so how Shaw Wallace (my Company) introduces a system where people register and then give their dates and how Shaw Wallace will tell all the registrants the date they should have the DAY and the car routings so that the traffic jams are reduced and the police are very appreciative of the idea. In the short story I had a dig at our Chairman and said how he asks for a ten year plan and cash-flowchart beforeapproving theproject.

In those days, singing at the Golu was a must and if a person could sing well he/she had to sing at every house. The other side of the coin is that we had to listen to a lot of mediocre singing.

Life was very relaxed then, compared to what it is now.

-Ramakrishnan.

Thanks

Dear All,

Many thanks for your greetings and good wishes.

Sundaresan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SUNDARESAN

Mythili and I wish you many many more happy returns of the day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
mythili & chandru

Happy birthday!

 


Sundaresan celebrated his birthday on 19 October. Belated good wishes from the Family. Many happy returns!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TSS

Dear Sundaresan

Wish you a happy birthday. We pray God to give you good health and happiness in the years to come. Many Happy Returns.

Ramu Sarada

HAPPY DUSSEHRA TO ALL

Happy Dussehra to all. Today is Saraswathi Pooja. Let us all pray the Almighty that all children should do very well in their schools & colleges, with good health and let us seek the blessings of Kunjappa and Janga manni on this occasion.

Navarathri at K.Nagar used to be enjoyable when we were kids there. I think it was between 1952 and 1957.

1. Periappa used to call us ( me, Lux, Lalitha, Rama, Ashok ) to his Boag Road house, before Navarathri . Along with Bapu and Lalli, we used to fill small paper covers with chocklates and keep ready for distribution, eating many without Periappa`s knowledge !
( Can today`s periappas can call nephews like this!!).

( Those days, periappa used to come to K.Nagar on every Sunday at 4 PM with Bapu, Lalli, Bharath,Uma. He will take me, Lux,Lalitha,Rama and Ashok and go to Marina beach. He used to sit on a folding chair near the water and supervise our playing, getting us all eatables in between. He used to drop us back at 6.30 PM.This took place for many many years.)

2. Papa, Rukku , Lux and Lalitha used to visit houses daily in the evenings, in the colony and nearby areas. Me, and Ashok used to wait eagerly for the different " sundals" they bring.

3. There was no "golu" in our house but there used to be some old dolls in a wooden box in the loft. Later, when Kappu akka came to K.Nagar, she used to keep "golu".

4. Among the houses we used to go with Papa, Rukku,Lux , are Sri.CAS, Hema - Vijaya akka`s cousin, Sri.C,A.Ramakrishnan at Adyar, Devarajan Chitkala, where very big golus used to be there. Ramakrishnan used to take us in NASH car.

5. Pooja on all nine days at K.Nagar used to be very elaberate and for the daily " deepa aradhanai" there used to be atleast 15 to 20 people of the family.

THIS YEAR`S POOJA, is coming to an end with simple pooja daily with me and Sarada only, Sarada visiting the other four flats in our building and both of us recalling our young navarathri days!!

Ramu

Address Change

Hi, everybody,

Prasad is shifting house on 1st of next month (Nivember 2007) and proposes to move into our own old flat i.e., Flat No.9, Deepak Apartments, New No.22, Urur Olcotkuppam Road (Off Fifth Avenue), Besant Nagar, Chennai - 600090. I hope the phone number, when shifted, will not change and will continue to be 24913573. Saradam and I are visiting Madras from 29th this month and will be there for a month.

-Ramakrishnan.

Thanking you

Thank you very much for your wishes Perippa.

Akila, Mohan

Chennai Vs. other cities

Much has been said about Chennai and Mumbai. Most of us get used to where we live and develop an attachment for it. I loved and still love Delhi - its wide roads, its beauty (particularly that of New Delhi and that too in winter and spring), the friendliness of the people and so on. But I was certainly happy to return to Chennai. I now hate Chennai for many reasons (already mentioned by others)- the rudeness of the people, lack of consideration for others, utter disregard for laws and regulations and the all-pervading corruption. All these are signs of the decay of civilisation and one dreads to think of what may be in store in the years to come.

The Lord said "Sambhavami yugey yugey". Perhaps the time has come for another avatar to set things right.

Happy birthday, Skanda!

18th October is also the birthday of Skanda, Srikkanth's son. Our best wishes to him. I do not have a picture of him, so am unable to blog one. Tried opening the pictures of the get-together that KK had sent some time ago but they failed to open.

Greetings!

 

18th October is Akila/Mohan's wedding anniversary. The Family's very best wishes to them. Have a great day and a great year!

GENERAL ( FROM RAMU )

1. Vestas RRB has now appointed a replacement for me , in the level of Senior Manager, aged 36 yrs. SALARY: Rs.75,000 per month!!

2. That photo of Jayaramanna is very good. He looks very smart and energetic. I remember to have seen similar photos in Thambi anna`s album. BUT IT IS IN THE WRONG PLACE IN THE BLOG!!. It is just next to my photo of Sashtiabdapoorthi!! ha ha.

3. Ramakrishnan also has expressed his dislike for Chennai. I fully agree with him. It is becoming worse day after day.

When Akila, Gayathri, Vidya are all giving their views on Chennai, I am reminded of that K.Nagar of Chennai, in 1955 - 1965 time. It is used to be heaven. When I feel like this, I can ralise the feelings of Ramakrishnan who has been seeing it from still earlier years!!

Ramu

NICE ONE - (Akila)

I am reminded of this :
One daughter-in-law, daughter, husband, sister, brother, and neighbour of one lady explaining the qualities of that lady to their friends, seperately. How different it will be from person to person!!

Ramu

Nice one

Four men set out to look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first man went in winter, the second in spring, the third in summer, and the fourth during fall. When the four men had gone and come back, they met and discussed what they'd seen. The first said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second said: "No, it was covered with green buds and full of promise". The third man disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last man disagreed with all of them; he said the pear tree was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment. They were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. You cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. The essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of spring, the beauty of summer, fulfilment of your fall. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) It’s not whether you win or lose, it's how you place the blame. --- Oscar Wilde2) Success has many Godfathers , Failure is an Orphan.--- John Kenndy.

Belated Wishes

Dear Neeraja manni, Lux athai, Perippa,

Wishing you all a very very happy birthday, a bit delayed, though.

Akila, Mohan, Vaishnavi

SINCERE THANKS FROM RAMU SARADA

The sashtiabdapoorthi day was a simple but extremely nice one, especially because, blessings and wishes were pouring from one & all.

The ganapathy homam at 04.30 AM, mrithyunja homam at 10 AM and bhagavathi sevai at 7 PM at Matha Amrithanandamayee Ashram here were performed extremely well to the full satisfaction of us. Mohan,Akila,M.Vaishnavi and Koushik were with us and we had a good lunch at home.

We convey our thanks for the nice veshti and saree presented by all brothers and sisters. KN and Rukku were kind enough to come all the way to give the present. We felt bad that we could not visit everyone and take blessings. We could visit only Raju anna and Padma manni.

Thanks to all.

Ramu Sarada

JAYARAMANNA, MANY HAPPY RETURNS

Dear Jayaramanna

Wishing you and Vimala manni a healthy and peaceful life in the years to come. Many Happy Returns .

Sorry , I am late. I have genuine excuses for that but I myself will not accept them.
I feel I have become a little lazy after retirement. I am taking advantage of the Blog and mails and completely stopped sending greetings by post!!

Ramu Sarada

Thank you

Thank you, Ramaa, Gayathri, Sundaresan and everyone else for your good wishes and kind words. It was a surprise to see that old photograph of mine - can't even remember which year it was taken! But the tie, I think, was one brought by Pattabhi during one of his visits to India. He used to bring something or the other every time he visited us in Delhi. There are so many pleasant memories to mull over.

Jayaraman

Happy B'day

WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Chittappa! We have our J chittappa looking soooooooooo young & handsome in this photo! We heartily wish he remains as young, handsome & healthy as ever!
Gayathri & Sundaresan

Happy Birthday, J Thatha!!

Dear J Thatha,

Happy birthday!

lots of love,

Shruti
Prashanth

also from Priya Amma and Shankar Appa

Wishes

Many Many Wishes to Srikanth-Vidya on their Wedding Anniversary.
Happy Birthday to Lux Athai.
And SPECIAL HAP-HAP-HAPPY WISHES
TO Ramu Chittappa on this milestone - Sashtiabda poorthi.
"Vaazhtha vayadillai vanangugirom" -(hahaha- you guessed right -this is the latest influence of Stalin living next door!)

Happy Birthday

MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY , CHITHAPPA

from
ALL of us

Best wishes to Ramu and Sarada

 

 

Today, 13th October 2007, is Ramu's shashtiabdapoorti. Sincere good wishes from all of us in the family to Ramu, Sarada and their family on this auspicious day. May the Almighty bless them with all that is good in life.

BOM/MAD/CBE

I have just read Gayathri earlier posting. I fully agree that Madras is no place tolive in, mainly because of the attitude of the people, their rudeness. In Coimbatore, it is better, much better and I hope the Dravidian influence of the political parties will not spoil it soon. The bad behavious started sometime in 1965 with the Political parties' antiHindi agitation and in fact earlier there was a movement in which Ganesh idols were broken etc and Rajaji simply said let them break them and the movement fizzled out. But the hatred of the so-called upper classes was slowly built up and eventually a stage has come when nobody respects anybody else.

The other problem in Madras is that we cananot drive or even walk on the roads, they are so crowded and you canstantly feel that you are going to be knocked out.

In Coimbatore, the weather and water situation are so much better and this itself aids better behavious, I think.

-Ramakrishnan.

Best wishes

 
 
 

Neeraja celebrated her birthday on 11 October. Lux's birthday is today, 12 October. Today is also the wedding anniversary of Srikkanth and Vidya. Best wishes to them all. This post is somewhat belated, due to unavoidable reasons.

Disappearing laughter

http://content.msn.co.in/Contribute/Lifestyle/UCStory3992.htm

How true!!!

sharing a joke...

Subject

Here is a joke from 1995 – at the height of Business Process Reengineering (BPR aka

Headcount cuts …) meant to bring a little smile in the otherwise serious world of BPR) ; as for me it is an evergreen joke.

“Ladies and Gents !

This is what can happen if BPR is done out of context, without a blueprint, and is performed by individuals that don’t know just what business they are in, who don’t know music! ….Wolfgang AM

A company chairman was given a ticket for a performance of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished Symphony’. Being unable to go, he passed the invitation to the company’s TBM coordinator. The next morning, the chairman asked him how he enjoyed it and, instead of a few plausible observations, he was handed the reply in a memorandum which read as follows:

A) For considerable periods, the oboe players had nothing to do. Their number should be reduced, and their work spread over the whole orchestra, thus avoiding peaks of inactivity.

B) All twelve violins were playing identical notes. This seem unnecessary duplication and the staff of the section should be drastically cut. If a large volume of sound is really required, this could be obtained through the use of an amplifier.

C) Much effort was involved in playing the demi-semiquavers. This seems an excessive refinement, and it is recommended that all notes should be rounded up to the nearest semiquaver. If this were done , it should be possible to use trainees instead of craftsmen.

D) No useful purpose is served by repeating with horns the passage that has already been handled by the strings. If all such redundant passages were eliminated, the concert could be reduced from two hours to twenty minutes.

In the light of the above, one can only conclude that had Schubert given attention to

these matters , he would probably have had the time to finish his symphony.”

ramaa

sorry...

Dear all,

Call it ‘maaya’… or optical aberration… my eyes seem to have played a trick; and I sent you on a wild goose chase. Sorry.

Oops!

Oops one more thing. I just spoke to Sowmya - she was nowhere near Boston or the RudraMahayagnam. The person in the photo sure looks a lot like her, but it is not her!!!
Gayathri

Birthdates

Checking the celebrations this month,
Charu's B'day is on 24th not 23rd.
Gayathri

Happy B'Day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO NEERAJA
from Gayathri & Sundaresan

Check this out

I found this amazing site for all kinds of veggie recipes.

http://veggiecuisine.blogspot.com/

The links just go on!! Just click on links provided to go to other similar sites.

Akila

no more a suspense...

Dear Jayaram Chthappa,
Sorry for the suspense. I did not know how to transfer/ copy a photo from a website onto to a
post in a blog. I saved the image in my file and got stuck there!!!

path to view the said picture is as follows : From www.lokvani.com latest issue - and the preview of articles with just one photo on the margin ... click on the 'more' at the end of the pre-view of respective article/ news item... Click on the 'madisar-clad' damsels and

suspense disclosed - there she is charming Sowmya almost at the center of the group...

Chithappa, how about posting Vimala chithi's oil portrait of paatti on PSCFAMILY?

Welcome, Ramaa!

Ramaa,

Hearty welcome to the roster of 'posters'. I saw the photo - of the Maharuddram group - (in small size) at the website but saw only one. How does one expand the picture and see the remaining photos? And give us a clue on what the surprise is!

Happy birthday, Vishak!

 

Greetings from the Family to Vishak on his birthday, 10 October. Many happy returns.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VISHAK

Dear Vishak

Very happy birthday to you. May God be with you always, giving you good health, prosperity and success, in the years to come. Many happy returns.

Ramu Sarada

check out the photo for a surprise!

Hi everybody,
check out www.lokvani.com - e-magazine latest issue... There are a few good photos of Rudra Maha Yagnam done at Boston. A surprise awaits PSC Family in the group photo of standing damsels.... Ramaa

Wishes and Thanks

I am thanking everybody on behalf of Mohan.Thank you for your wishes and blessings.

Wishing Lalitha athai a very happy birthday.

Akila, Mohan

Happy B'day!

Wishing a Very Happy Birthday & Many more to come
To Lalitha athai
from Gayathri & Sundaresan

Happy birthday, Lalita!

 


Best wishes from the Family to Lalita on her birthday, 8th October. Many happy returns.

Bombay / Madras

When I wrote that Bombay hotels fare favourably against Madras hotels, I knew I was running the risk of sounding pro-Bom & anti-Mad. Perhaps I had already created that impression during our conversation when you were here, Vidya. When I visited Bombay in May, looking at the squalor, pollution, garbage & crowds, I myself wondered why this Bombay-sickness. I knew the answer the moment I touched Madras soil – the insolence & callous attitude of the people is what turns one off.
When I say people, family & chosen friends are excluded. I am really lucky to be blessed with a wonderful family from both sides & I have a wonderful set of friends in both places. I am talking about the autowallah, the petty vendor, the general air of trying to get something without earning it.
You go to a shop, you have to first spell out exactly what you are looking for. If you are specific, the reply will be that such a thing is not available. If you don’t have anything particular I mind, then God help you, because the salesperson decides that you won’t buy anything & therefore not interested in showing his wares. His attitude is one of doing you a favour. Whereas in Bombay, (or in most cities in the North), they are such good sellers that they will charm you into buying more than you had planned! They make the customer feel special & also ensure that you go back to them.
Coming to hotels, the brisk efficiency is what impresses me. Time is money. Each table is served & cleared so fast. Here you see many groups waiting, and still the service is so slow. I will give your Murugan idli a try next time.
A plumber, electrician or carpenter, even the house maid seems much more businesslike –s/he comes, does his job, gets paid, leaves. In Madras, he first tries to talk you into believing that you have given him a most difficult job, which he does as a special favour for you in spite of so many constraints. In both places we have had L&T contract technicians, & I have experienced this difference in their attitude. (I am sure there is a fair share of good & bad in both places.)
Though I grew up in Madras, though I had a phobia about Bombay after the chain snatching incident soon after my marriage, Bombay stole my heart in the period 1992 to 2002. After moving from place to place, school to school, that was an extended stay in one place when we really felt Bombay was our home. And now, as Akila says, after 5 years, I have got used to Madras. But one trip to Bombay & back, the feeling gets reconfirmed once again!
Yes, life in Bombay is definitely not easy. It IS tough. But from the panwalla to the multi millionaire it is the attitude that makes the difference – one just takes it as it is & gets going without whining or complaining.
And I love Kovaipudur –I do not know if I will like Cbe as much as Kvp!

Birthday Wishes

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO
ANU, MOHAN.
Gayathri & Sundaresan

Happy birthday, Mohan!

 

Greetings from the Family to Mohan on his birthday, 5 October. Many happy returns.

Chennai/Mumbai contd...

Elaborating Vidya akka's point, recently Mohan just narrated a conversation he had with his team-mate, who incidentally happens to be a native Mumbai-ite. Seems, the gentleman said he has started liking Chennai to Mumbai, though his native is Mumbai. The main reason for this was the increasing crowd.

Happy birthday, Anu!

Best wishes from PSC Family to Anu on her birthday, 2 October. Many happy returns.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANUPAMA

Our hearty wishes to Anupama on her birthday. We wish her good health, happiness and prosperity in the years to come.

Ramu Sarada

missed the point Chennai/Mumbai

I read Akila's post on Chennai mumbai issue
I love Coimbatore! There can be no other place closer to my heart than Cbe where i was born and grew up.(Incidentally thereis not a single non Cbetorian who will not agree with this,This is another issue altogether). I never liked Chennai for many years.Now so to say I have got used to it nd definitely agree apart from the weather, it is a tolerable place to live in.the

What I was trying to reply to Gayathri is: Mumbai is not the place what Gayathri feels about it. Nor is Chennai such abad place really.I have spent a few years in mumbai too and for a middleclass salaried person in his early years of employment life can be tough then and so it is now.I say this because I visited mumbai last year after nearly 13 years and stayed with a friend and I could only feel everything was much the same.
Vidya

Regarding the "posts" vs. "comments" issue

I read the debate on the "posts" versus "comments" issue on this blog and I kind of understand the logic behind it. On most blogs, there is only one author and the commenters are usually readers. On this blog, most of the reactions to the topics under discussion are by family members who also contribute to this blog as writers.

While it usually easier to keep all discussion under a particular topic restricted to comments on that topic (which makes it easier to follow the entire discussion in one view), I do understand the social nature of this blog which makes it different.

Regardless, I will follow the norm on this blog by posting reactions to topics in new posts.

Also I'll take this opportunity to convey my birthday greetings and best wishes to all PSC family members, young and old, who have celebrated their birthdays recently or whose birthdays are coming up shortly.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

1. Dear Kumar Sekar,

Wish you a very happy birthday. We will continue to pray for the good health, happiness and prosperity of you and everyone in your family.

( I dont know whether you see this Blog!!)

2. Our namaskarams to Ramakrishnan on his birthday. May God give him good health in the years to come.

Ramu Sarada.

Chennai vs. Mumbai/Other cities

Replying to Vidya akka's comments about Chennai and Mumbai, this is a very relative thing. If we have spent most of our time in Mumbai, then Mumbai is definitely a better place than Chennai and vice versa. In my case, any day, Hyderabad and Trichy are the places closest to my heart. Then comes Singapore. Even though I have been in Chennai ever since 2006, I should say I have only got used to the city. I will still not say I like the city. Nothing against the city personally.

Wishes

A very happy birthday to Chandru athimbare, Raju Perippa, Ramakrishna Perippa, Sekar anna, Kumar anna and Varsha.

Akila, Mohan and Vaishnavi

Happy birthday!

 
 
 

Ramakrishnan, Kumar and Sekar celebrate their birthday on 28 September. Best wishes to them from the Family. Many happy returns!