Wishes and more

A very happy birthday to Sundar anna and Aishwarya.

After reading sooo much about Vanaprastham, sannyaasam etc, I just can't keep quiet any more. Simplest way, just do what is expected and do not expect anything at all in return. Just try this for one very simple thing. The effect (to the do-er) is amazing. According to me, nothing can give more happiness if we just do and don't expect. Expectations only lead to disappointments. I might sound like a paatti, but this really works. Am not saying I do not expect, I do. But later if I am disappointed, I tell myself "Well, the fault was yours. Why did you expect?"

I look at Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi) and am amazed each time. She handles so many things with utmost detachment. Even yesterday Her talk in Amrita TV was to be detached but just do. Things cause us pain only when we are overly attached. Well, there's no age to start practicing being detached. Younger the easier.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Aishwarya. many happy returns!
Vimala and Jayaraman

From Ramu

1. Best wishes to Aishwarya on her birthday. Many happy returns of the day.
2. Tamil Nadu government has introduced a new scheme to help senior citizens to pracrice Vanaprastham and Sanyasam. There is a power cut from 9 AM to 5 PM today in our area and this is the third day powercut in the last 45 days.
Ramu Sarada

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Sundar. Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

From Ramu

1. Best wishes to Sundar on his birthday. Many happy returns.
2. Nowadays, we do our routines more as a duty than out of affection - Gayathri, yes. It is very true.
Ramu

Congrats, Akila! I have seen machines that can do embroidery, but not cross stitch. How do you manage to do so many things, what with work & all?! Hats off to you!

Ages ago, at another time, in another world (that’s how it seems now!), athai’s used to come to have their babies to K Nagar. That was a great time of excitement for me. Old used dhoties were cut & the orams adichufied to make small bed spreads for the tiny new born. We had a pedal Usha sewing machine. The pregnant athai was not allowed to pedal. So the hand wheel was used. I used to consider it an honour to be allowed to rotate the wheel while athai did the orams! And if & when I was allowed to do the stitching myself, well, that was the ultimate honour!
Duty & Rights:
Nowadays, we seem to be doing our routine everyday chores (even to our closest family members) more as a duty than out of love.
Hare Ram
Gayathri

Rights and duties

Interesting comments on rights, duties, expectations.

The Gita says, do your duty without any expectation of reward. So what another does or does not do should not concern you. But if you look forward to his or her doing something, that is an expectation. Failing to do something is that person's lookout.

Worrying over children not doing something, which we think they ought to do, falls in the category of an expectation (of a reward for what you have done to them, which was your duty).

Take the display of affection or indifference with equanimity. That is the real meaning of Vaanaprastha--not being affected by what happens around you. However, this is not total withdrawal, which is the next stage, Sannyasa.

Look at my new toy!!!

Look what I've got for myself!!!

My first trial at it was very funny. I borrowed one of Vaishnavi's dupattas (aka, a blouse piece turned into a dupatta) to do the "Oram adichify". The first side was very funny. When I tried the second side, well, it was not great but better than the first.

So, my next mission is to get myself into a weekend crash course on stitching!! So, who else but appa is assigned the task of finding a teacher for me, lol.

As of now, I plan to use this to finish off my cross stitch projects. Am so excited!!!! ::)))

Duty and rights

Reacting to Ramu's post, when I do someone a good turn, it should be as a duty and not thinking of what I can get in return. It is for the other person to consider it HIS duty to do something for me - in return or otherwise.

Jayaraman

From Ramu

Ramakrishnan,
Nice explanation. I do not understand this : " One's right arises only when others do their duty".
News papers say that fake ghee bottles were siezed .
It may be better to make our own ghee from milk. But if milk is adulterated, so it is better to have our own cow. But these days even a cow may be adulterated!!
Ramu

From Ramakrishnan

Hi all,
Let me wish, though late, a happy birthday and many happy returns to Uma, Ram and Jayanth.

Referring to Ramu's two posts:
1. I have read somewhere that the Hindu Religion is based on duties of every one only. The rights of anybody arises only when the other person performs his duty. This is what I read and I am quoting from memory. If one accepts this it becomes easier to tolerate or pardon or ignore if someone fails in his duty towards us (though this is not easy to do without resentment or a desire to punish)and also to do out duty to others without demanding appreciation. If the children do their duty towards their parents without reference to how the parents behave/behaved the senior citizens will not suffer so much today, emotionally or economically. On the other hand, there is not so much problem in the parents doing their duty to the children which comes naturally out of affection and the desire to see that the children are well settled. In Tamil, Thanthai Magarkatrum Udavi Avayathu Mundhi Iruppa Cheyal. Magan Thanthaikkatrum Udavi Ivan Thanthai Ennotran Enum Sol. (Both from Kural). However, with the change in life pattern, the problem now is not so much lack of affection but the need and even necessity to restrict the family size and go abroad for better prospects.

2. Regarding the corruption in the ruling class. Yes, the poor common man learns to smile and since the rulers see God in this smile, they ensure that the number of such people keeps increasing. Today I wanted to buy mangoes and picked up two mangoes and the weight was 750 grams at Rs.48 per Kg. I simply smelled the mangoes (they have not started charging for this), replaced the mangoes and came home and the shopkeeper smiled meaningfully and I returned the smile. Two more persons added to the smiling category.

-Ramakrishnan.

From Ramu

Latest is the arrest of the President of Medical Council for curruption.
Thousands of crores black money is involved in IPL, it is said.
Things like this has become common now in the high society.
Middle income and lower group people keep just watching this helplessly, in spite of knowing what is exactly happening, and continue their struggle. After struggling to face the current situation , they have now realised that nothing can be done and it is better to get used to this and enjoy life.
So, now they have started SMILING always. What a success for the Government. Because the motto of the Government is " see God through the smile of the poor "!!
Ramu

Happy B'day

A very happy birthday to Uma manni and Jayanth.

Happy birthday!

Jayanth celebrates his birthday on the 21st May. Happy birthday, Jayanth. Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

From Ramu

1. Best wishes to Uma on her birthday. Many happy returns of the day, Uma.
2. Best wishes to Jayanth on his birthday ( 21 May). Many many happy returns of the day, Jayanth. When this happy day returns in 2011, you would have completed one year of your studies in US. Wish you all the very best.
Ramu Sarada

Happy birthday!

Best wishes, Uma, on your birthday, May 20. Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

From Ramu

1. Parvathi's ( Ramamurthy mama's daughter) son's marriage is on 17 June at Thambaram. She has taken the addresses of all our brothers & sisters. She asked me to inform everyone. She will be posting the invitation in due course.
2. Aishwarya's brother's marriage is on 21 June Monday at Ayyappa Samajam, Coimbatore.
They will be posting the invitations in a couple of days.
3. Sarada & I will be leaving for Coimbatore by Cheran Express on 17 June ( KN & Rukku also will be travelling with us ). We plan to go to Ram Nagar straight on 18th, visit Brindavan in the day and go to Ramakrishnan's house for 18th night. We will return to Ram Nagar on 19th.
Ramu

Wishes

I completely forgot to wish all birthday/anniversary celebrants in my last post. Guess was totally excited about sharing the crafty pictures.

Namaskarams/wishes to all celebrants so far.

From Ramu

1. From "Enge Brahmanan" of 13 May:
Earlier, when a boy & girl get married, both used to concentrate on their duties as married partners and their duties stood first, before anything else. But these days, once married, they talk of their rights only, without realising their duties.
I very well remember how all my mannis were fulfilling their duties , sacrifising many things!
Ramu

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Ram. Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

From Ramu

Best wishes to Ram on his birthday. Many happy returns of the day. We will do special prayers on this day for Ram, that he should have good health throughout the year
Ramu Sarada

From Ramu

1. Best wishes to Shankar Priya on their wedding day 13 May. Many happy returns of the day.
2. Namaskarams to Raju anna Padma manni on their wedding day.
Ramu Sarada

Nostalgia, summer, crafts

Oh, I remember Jay Shankar anna's wedding very well. It fell exactly during our summer holidays and we came from Hyderabad too. There was a cyclone and we took an auto to the mandapam in Luz.

V's summer holidays are half-way through. Thought would share some of v's ways of keeping herself "busy".

We had gone to the beach and I tried my hand at some silhouette shots of her.

It was a lovely view and wanted to make the best of it. And here's V with her library!!!

And some crafty achievements

These were plain wooden magnets that Mohan got from Michaels in USA. V painted these her way.

And here is a pic of my 5-year achievement.

Both are cross stitch pictures. The carnations was a kit that Anu akka gave me. I loved working on it.

Till my next post, so long..

Wedding anniversary

Best wishes to Raju and Padma Manni on their 59th wedding anniversary today, 11th May. Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Prasad. Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

Raju's wedding

Ramu, Raju's wedding was in 1951. So the 60th Anniversary will come next year. The wedding took place a couple of months before Appa (PSC) retired.

-Ramakrishnan.

From Ramu

1. Best wishes to Prasad. His birthday is on 10 May. Many happy returns of the day.
2. I think this is the 60th wedding day of Raju anna Padma manni.
3. I remember a little of Jayaramanna's wedding at Kumbakonam. I remember that big hall in Vimala manni's house where everyone was seated. I remember the concert of Palani Vijayalakshmi. Gatam was by Vinayakaram as a very small boy.
Ramu

Periava & Vimala chitti

My bro-in-law Viswanathan gave us two books full of photos of Kanchi Mahaperiava & I was happily surprised to find the same photo that J chittappa has uploaded here!
Hare Ram
Gayathri

MAY Anniversaries

Jayaramas's wedding was in Kumanakonam and we all went by train. We had Vijaya's 8 mm Movie Camera and Thambi took colour movie with me as lighting assistant.

Raju's wedding was in Papanasam dam where Padma Manni's periappa Pannai Sundaram was Executive Engineer. It was a very enjoyable occasion since the crowd was entirely the close families. With no other entertainment, Jayaraman and I had to sing our songs again and again. A few days before the wedding, at Madras, I had an electric shock from the electric drill and fell unconscious.

Jayashankar's wedding was in Raja Kalyana mandapam in Lua; Saradam and I came from Hyderabad for the wedding.

I wish all the couples many happy returns and also to all the others who are celebrating their birthdays this month.

-Ramakrishnan.

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, Mythili. Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

From Ramu

Best wishes to Mythlily on her birthday today 8 May. Many happy returns of the day.
Ramu Sarada

S’s eye surgery was quite smooth, only the injection for anesthesia was painful, he said. The wound is healing well. But he is not allowed to get the eye wet for another two weeks! And the regimen of eye drops 6 times a day, ointment has to continue too. He resumed going to office yesterday.
This does seem to be a very rare phenomenon, may be because we do not pay much attention to it. This eyelash pricking the eye started even when we were in Bombay, but the occasions were few & far between. In the last 1-2 years, it became more frequent, the eye got infected badly. Which is when the dr said it would have to be corrected surgically.
Two people have now told me they have the same problem - Jayendra (ex K Nagar)& Anuj's grandfather.
Celebrities slide show is really welcome – our wishes to all the celebrators! 
Peria thatha: I was in Xth std, down with chicken pox. I had a dream figuring Mundagakanniammam temple festival and a buffalo. Jangamma said the latter was a bad omen. Peria thatha died that day. Somehow I remember vaguely some talk about ‘aapat sanyasam’ – I didn’t even know what that meant.
Velukkudi's Bhagavatam is now at a stage which will surely make the listener resolve to strive for no-rebirth. May God take us towards that goal.
Hare Ram
Gayathri

Best wishes to PCJ - Vimala manni

Best wishes to Jayaramanna Vimala manni on their wedding day today 5th May. Many happy returns of the day.
Ramu Sarada

Random thoughts

Gayathri, , I hope the surgery went off well and painlessly. I had never heard of ingrowing eyelashes before.

Those who watch Engey Brahmanan will have heard Cho's explanation of the wife's role during vaanaprastha. Whatever any one may say, it is hard to deny that women have been less than fairly treated in all cultures and all religions in the past. While man, with his muscle, is largely responsible for this, women too have to accept some of the blame. For instance, consider the dialogue written for most (Indian) movies and TV serials and see how women are portrayed.

I have revived the 'celebrities' slide show. The May show features the birthday babies and wedding anniversary observers of the month.

From Ramakrishnan.

Re.Gayathri's posting, Peria Thatha (P.S.Swaminathan) did not take 'aabat Sanyaasam'. I wonder where Gayathri got the idea. He was not the type suitable for Sanyasam either.

I fully agree with Ramu's and Gayathri's comments about the fate of the woman in the Varnasramam. But may be MAN includes WOMAN in this and she can also adopt sanyaasam.

Nowadays, the economic and social structure does not facilitate Vaanaprastham and Sanyaasam for the average man. Like my father-in-law perhaps we should, in our old age, eat what we get(at home, without complaining) and spend all our time reading the Bhagawat Gita, and avoid getting involved with the family affairs. But this can happen only if the wife or one of the children take the load.

Now, the children do not want the parents to go away because they need them to look after their children when both husband and wife go to work and also do some housework, receive courier letters etc. They are often unable to appreciate that the old parents do not have the energy for this task.

Coming to my/our life in Kovaipudur, there have been some showers in the last two and the weather is not so hot. Charu and Vivek are leaving for Trivandrum tomorrow for a three week stay.

-Ramakrishnan.

Peria thatha meaning your periappa - Soundarya Nursery thatha.
Gayathri