Lalit - may your soul rest in peace!

My cousin bro Lalit Mohan has left this world on 21st Sept coz of an road accident just minutes from home. He was someone who I could confide anything and everything. We grew up together and we were partners in pranks, mischiefs and fun.

Just the thought that all that is left of him "is the good times we spent in the past, '' pains and he is now only in the mind. Miss u buddy. No words still to express my mind, its just too heavy and big a loss...

Lalit with his just born daughter Ila in Bangalore
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Lalit at the Chennai house
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along with my friends in Bhatia Gardens, Chennai

Following beautiful tribute from my cousin sister , is touching our hearts and is a testimony for what Lalit is to all of us..........thank you ... this means a lot to us and we feel really proud....

-----------------------------

Son. Brother. Husband. Father. Friend.......

Lalit was many things to many people.

And the bottom line is that we were all just very, very lucky to have him in our lives.
Who is to say that 29 is too short?

Brief as his life may have been, he still lived one that was pure, full and free from petty anxieties. He learned, traveled, pursued, understood and discovered things that half the population twice his age have never experienced.

Do not weep for he is in a better place than we can all imagine. The Creator takes away those who are dearest to him so be thankful that his life touched yours, however fleeting it may have been.

MoMa/ Sundari Aunty (his Dad and Mom):

Be proud. Be very proud. You two set the foundation and provided the care and guidance that shaped him into the person we all remember. Your son was kind, generous and full of positive energy that was felt by everyone around him. Continue your lives in the knowledge that you two created something truly beautiful together, which will only inspire the rest of us. Your son is smiling and happy and forever safe in the hands of the Creator and will never ever shed a single tear again. His earthly passing has only guaranteed his future abundance of joy and happiness.

Rama (his wife):

We should all thank you for reciprocating his feelings when you did and showing him the meaning of true love
and for giving him the greatest gift of all – your child together. For this alone we will be forever indebted to you. It was you who made the last decade of his life one that was full of new promises, experiences, passions, confidence and undeniable satisfaction. You were his rock and a love like that will never die. He is your guardian angel now. You must embrace life and learn to love again for that is what he will want.

Malu (his Sister):

If you have ever wondered what the purpose of your life is, then this is it. You are the captain of this ship now and it is you who will proudly steer this family forward. It is the very same Creator who took your brothers life that spared yours. Now is the time to be brave and to mark your presence in this world. Keep your brother’s memory alive for your niece and for your own unborn children so that they may benefit from the goodness of his legacy. Your parents need you now more than they have ever before. Hold them, protect them and remind them that Lalit is now in total comfort and peace.

Ila (his daughter, celebrated her 1st birthday on 29th August in Chennai):

What a precious gift you are!

Your dad is a thousand winds that blow.?
Your dad is the diamond glints on snow.?
Your dad is the sunlight on ripened grain.?
Your dad is the gentle autumn’s rain.?
When you awaken in the morning’s hush, your dad is the swift uplifting rush?Of quiet birds in circled flight.?
Your dad is the soft stars that shine at night.?
We will not let you stand at his grave and forever cry.
For he is there. He did not die.

And lastly, in the words of a poet both Lalit and I shared a mutual respect for;

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand
and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

======================

A sincere nice tribute to Lalit from his cousin sister Bindu Thampi, Florida.

Taking a cue from Deepa's beautiful message, I wanted to share some of my cherished memories of Lalit.

I still remember his big wide eyes as a child, standing at the railway station with his dad admiring all the "gooss trainss". His taste for Energy flavoured milk, right from babyhood - with loud cries everytime the bottle got empty - right through his teen years. The funny way he sang hindi songs as a child. Especially the song that had his favourite munchie item in it, "Chowpatty jayenge vel poori khayenge....". The way he enjoyed eating chocolate even as an adult, savouring every bite and tempting onlookers.

His appreciation for all the fine things in life while still maintaining simplicity in lifestyle. His fun attempt at growing an afro and looking pretty cool in it!!! The zany kurtis he liked to wear that matched his fun spirit. Our unforgettable trip to Esselworld, Mumbai where he didn't mind sqealing loudly on the monster rides to mask our screams and kept us in splits all through.

The softness in his eyes when he looked at people he loved. A big smile that always reached his eyes and lit up his entire face. He never complained about anything and always shrugged his problems away. All in all I would say there are only pleasant and happy memories of my bro in my mind. While we will all miss him so much, we cannot deny the fact that he lived his time happily and to the fullest. His last 3 weeks in Australia were the happiest times for him and his family of three. He taught us that there is so much to look forward to in life. Rama: he had shown you a glimpse of what he wanted life to be like for you. Please take that vision and build on it for you and for Ila kutty in his loving memory. That's what he would have wanted most. I'd like to visualise him flying - like he always wanted to.

love,

Bindu.

=================================================

With my in-laws and Premi @ Burj Al Arab, Dubai.

WHERE TO TAP

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!

A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"

So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer ........................ $ 2.00

Knowing where to tap ............................ $ 9998.00

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference.

http://www.tradergav.com/2007/09/04/tapping-or-knowing-where-to-tap/

Indian

Is Onam becoming a money-spinning festival?

My bro Ashok, sent the below article to all my family members and after reading, I thought that I should have it posted in my blog, so here it goes

There was this interesting article from The Hindu that I happened to read earlier today....
is Onam becoming a money-spinning festival?

My bro's take: Who really cares as long as the 'spinner' and the 'spinned' have fun !!

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Festival of Onam, from legend to mirage
V.R. Krishna Iyer


How Kerala's once-egalitarian festival has been vulgarised by commercialisation


Onam as a festival is an ancient tradition that makes the people of Kerala rejoice, across community divisions and regional differences. It is based on the legend of Mahabali, a ruler who was extraordinarily generous to his people who were all peers in prosperity. His socialistic governance was ended by Mahavishnu. But Mahabali expressed a royal desire to see his people in the same prosperous state at least once a year. This desire is manifested in Onam, which every non-penurious family celebrates. This legendary event over 10 days is marked by flower carpets, feasts, fine new clothes, gifts... Businessmen now give a bonus to their employees, and middle class youth imbibe intoxicants. All this put together, the occasion makes the people as a whole an egalitarian fraternity with dignity and excitement. However, of late this grand occasion has been entirely vulgarised by an outrage of commercialisation. The mafia and the merchant class exploit it in every dimension. The craze for consumerism by the new wave of money-making mega-business groups is abetted by the media who profit from a surfeit of advertisements. Glitterati, gluttony and luxurious pleasures are exaggerated beyond measure.

Some newspapers, in addition to their regular daily issue, distribute special supplements with a glut of advertisements. They are rich in illusion, tempting the youth and the fairer gender into expenditure beyond their means.

Onam has today become robbery, bankruptcy and alcoholism, fleecing the spirit of the festival. Even flowers are sold in shops. No more the tradition of children picking flowers from nature and displaying beautiful designs in front of every home and institution. Now more than ever before, everything is shopping and drinking and allied extravaganzas. What a pity that the socialistic pattern of society, with a secular content, is drowned in corporate business, ruining families by corrupting it to beg, borrow or steal and buy the joys of the flesh.

This cultural counter-revolutionary process must be extirpated, the poor remembered and the true ethos of Onam restored to its pristine state of universal happiness in spontaneous felicity.

Let me recall the legend. When Mahabali was the ruler of the world and was generous to everyone in philanthropic excess, Mahavishnu tested the measure of magnificence of the people's prince. He incarnated as a humble and diminutive Brahmin and requested the ruler for a three-foot stretch of earth as a gift. Maveli readily granted it, not knowing that the request was coming from none other than Mahavishnu, the Infinite Power. The first and the second paces of earth covered Maveli's whole kingdom. "Where is the space for me to put my foot on the third step?" asked Vamanan, the dwarf.

The King never refused a gift and so, for the third step, he offered his head before Vamana. Down went the king into the bottomless depth. But as he descended into oblivion, the humiliated royalty, beloved of his subjects who were prosperous in equal measure, realised that the midget Brahmin who begged was really the Lord of Universe. He made a prayer expressing his last wish: 'Lord, give me an opportunity, once a year, to see my dear subjects who were ever happy during my time, to behold them in the same happy mood as they were when I was with them".

The Lord, in his mercy, granted this glimpse of glory.

Onam is that occasion and all are happily equal as Mahabali comes to the earth and graces what was once his kingdom. The emperor and the subjects in limitless delight celebrates Onam day, and everyone rejoices by getting a gift from the elders and receiving the blessings of Mahabali.

My bro Ashok, sent the below article to all my faily members and afterreading, I thought that I should have it posted in my blog, so here it goes

There was this interesting article from The Hindu that I happened to read earlier today....
is Onam becoming a money-spinning festival?

My take: Who really cares as long as the 'spinner' and the 'spinned'
have fun !!
------------------------------

Festival of Onam, from legend to mirage


V.R. Krishna Iyer


How Kerala's once-egalitarian festival has been vulgarised by
commercialisation


Onam as a festival is an ancient tradition that makes the people of Kerala rejoice, across community divisions and regional differences. It is based on the legend of Mahabali, a ruler who was extraordinarily generous to his people who were all peers in prosperity. His socialistic governance was ended by Mahavishnu. But Mahabali expressed a royal desire to see his people in the same prosperous state at least once a year. This desire is manifested in Onam, which every non-penurious family celebrates. This legendary event over 10 days is marked by flower
carpets, feasts, fine new clothes, gifts... Businessmen now give a bonus to their employees, and middle class youth imbibe intoxicants. All this put together, the occasion makes the people as a whole an egalitarian fraternity with dignity and excitement. However, of late this grand occasion has been entirely vulgarised by an outrage of commercialisation. The mafia and the merchant class exploit it in every dimension. The craze for consumerism by the new wave of money-making mega-business groups is abetted by the media who profit from a surfeit of advertisements. Glitterati, gluttony and luxurious pleasures are exaggerated beyond measure. Some newspapers, in addition to their regular daily issue, distribute special supplements with a glut of advertisements. They are rich in illusion, tempting the youth and the fairer gender into expenditure beyond their means.

Onam has today become robbery, bankruptcy and alcoholism, fleecing the spirit of the festival. Even flowers are sold in shops. No more the tradition of children picking flowers from nature and displaying beautiful designs in front of every home and institution. Now more than ever before, everything is shopping and drinking and allied extravaganzas. What a pity that the socialistic pattern of society, with a secular content, is drowned in corporate business, ruining families by corrupting it to beg, borrow or steal and buy the joys of the flesh.

This cultural counter-revolutionary process must be extirpated, the poor remembered and the true ethos of Onam restored to its pristine state of universal happiness in spontaneous felicity.

Let me recall the legend. When Mahabali was the ruler of the world and was generous to everyone in philanthropic excess, Mahavishnu tested the measure of magnificence of the people's prince. He incarnated as a humble and diminutive Brahmin and requested the ruler for a three-foot stretch of earth as a gift. Maveli readily granted it, not knowing that the request was coming from none other than Mahavishnu, the Infinite Power. The first and the second paces of earth covered Maveli's whole kingdom. "Where is the space for me to put my foot on the third step?" asked Vamanan, the dwarf.

The King never refused a gift and so, for the third step, he offered his head before Vamana. Down went the king into the bottomless depth. But as he descended into oblivion, the humiliated royalty, beloved of his subjects who were prosperous in equal measure, realised that the midget Brahmin who begged was really the Lord of Universe. He made a prayer expressing his last wish: 'Lord, give me an opportunity, once a year, to see my dear subjects who were ever happy during my time, to behold them in the same happy mood as they were when I was with them". The Lord, in his mercy, granted this glimpse of glory.

Onam is that occasion and all are happily equal as Mahabali comes to the earth and graces what was once his kingdom. The emperor and the subjects in limitless delight celebrates Onam day, and everyone rejoices by getting a gift from the elders and receiving the blessings of Mahabali.

Cars I wished . . . but changed my mind later on. . .

Dodge Caibre - 2 Litre, Front Wheel drive, Crossover Sedan

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Dodge Durango - 5.7 Litre, 4x4, 8 Seater

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Dodge Nitro - 3.7 Litre, 5 Seater, 4x4, V6

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Mitsubishi Magna - 3.5 Litre, V6.

Wonders from the desert ! ! !

click on the picture to view in an enlarged form to understand it better

This is a picture taken directly above these camels in the desert at sunset. It is considered one of the best pictures of the year. Look closely, the camels are the little white lines in the picture. The black you see are just the shadows!!

New Air India paint scheme. . .

New Paint scheme of Air India, after its official merger with Indian. All the aircrafts will eventually get re-painted to this new scheme and Air India will become an carrier with a large fleet.

They have also re-styled their interiors for th B777 and also are in the process of getting the smaller aircrafts A319, A320 and A321 with PTV on every seat as a standard fixture.

Air India Cargo has been started again and now they have a fleet of 2 x Airbus 310-300 and 3 x Boeing 737-200 (Classics)

Boeing 787 roll out...

Boeing 787's roll out from the assembly line to the paint shop.

Enjoy the pic's



pictures: from airliners.net

If only !!!

The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.

Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him.

"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.

After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you.

He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D.Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

LIVE TODAY. "There are two eternities that can really break you down. Yesterday and Tomorrow. One is gone and other doesn't exists........So Live Today."

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Got this as mail from Unnyettan. Wish if only I can have this much confidence in changing my attitude and outlook. If only.......

Divorse - if only...

Power of punctuation...

Power of punctuation demonstrated, but also in the process, how clever it can be when used with
intelligence.......thank you Unny.

An English professor wrote the words:
" A woman without her man is nothing"

on the chalkboard and asked his students to punctuate it correctly..

All of the males in the class wrote :
"A woman, without her man, is nothing."

All the females in the class wrote :
"A woman: without her, man is nothing."

Punctuation is powerful !!

FIVE PHILOSOPHIES OF LIFE.... (Shared Thots...)

"DON'T LET SOMEONE BECOME A PRIORITY IN YOUR LIFE...
WHEN YOU ARE JUST AN OPTION FOR THEM....."
----------------------------------------

"NEVER CRY FOR ANY RELATION IN LIFE ....
BECAUSE FOR THE ONES WHOM YOU CRY
DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR TEARS
AND THE ONE WHO DESERVES WILL
NEVER LET YOU CRY.
---------------------------------------

TREAT EVERYONE WITH POLITENESS
EVEN THOSE WHO ARE RUDE TO YOU,
NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT NICE
BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE NICE.
---------------------------------------

NEVER SEARCH YOUR HAPPINESS IN OTHERS
WHICH WILL MAKE YOU FEEL ALONE,
RATHER SEARCH FOR IT IN YOURSELF
YOU WILL FEEL HAPPY
EVEN IF YOU ARE LEFT ALONE.
---------------------------------------

HAPPINESS ALWAYS LOOKS SMALL
WHEN WE HOLD IT IN OUR HANDS.
BUT WHEN WE LEARN TO SHARE IT,
WE REALIZE HOW BIG AND PRECIOUS IT IS.
------------------------------------------

REFLECTIONS:

PATIENCE IS WILLINGNESS TO BECOME WHAT WE CAN.

NOT READINESS TO ACCEPT WHAT WE ARE.

-------------------------

FREEDOM IS THE RIGHT TO BE WRONG.

NOT THE RIGHT TO DO WRONG.

--------------------------

WE SPEND THE FIRST HALF OF OUR LIVES,

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE OLDER GENERATION,

AND THE SECOND HALF

TRYING TO UNDERDTAND THE YOUNGER GENERATION.

--------------------------

I DON’T DRINK BECAUSE I WISH TO KNOW WHEN I'M HAVING A GOOD TIME.

---------------------------

TRUTH EXISTS.

ONLY LIES ARE INVENTED.

---------------------------

Love and Marriage - A Revelation

Got the below stuff thru mail... Liked it very much and thought that this has to be posted in this blog only and not on CaPrIcIoUs. . .

so here the story goes...
----------

A student asks a teacher, "What is love?"

The teacher said, "in order to answer your question, go to the paddy field and choose the biggest paddy and come back. But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick."

The student went to the field, went thru first row, he saw one big paddy, but he wonders.... maybe there is a bigger one later. Then he saw another bigger one... but maybe there is an even bigger one waiting for him. Later, when he finished more than half of the paddy field, he begins to realize that the paddy is not as big as the previous one he saw, he knew that he has missed the biggest one, and he regretted. So, he ended his search and went back to the teacher with empty hand.

The teacher told him, "...this is love... you keep looking for a better one always, but when later you realize, you have already missed the person...."

"What is marriage then?" the student asked.

The teacher said, "in order to answer your question, go to the corn field and choose the biggest corn and come back. But the rule is: you can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick."

The student went to the corn field, this time he is careful not to repeat the previous mistake, when he reach the middle of the field, he has picked one medium sized corn that he felt satisfied, and came back to the teacher.

The teacher told him, "this time you brought back a corn.... you looked for one that is just nice, and you have faith and believe this is the best one you get.... this is Marriage."

=====================

I'm back in UAE !!!

In case I have missed out to inform any of my friends and well wishers, I'm now in United Arab Emirates consulting with a company known as"Realtychek" performing business in the booming Dubai Real estate market.

I was here for a year (2002 - 2003) and then moved out to study in Singapore and also to seek better opportunities, but this city has again provided me with a shelter to try and grow. My friend working here since 10 years says "once u have a feel of Dubai, u will always be drawn back to it".I think this is true and now I d not regret even a bit for this decision of shifting base from Singapore to Dubai.

This city amazes me to no limits, its growth, its vision and its openness to do business is something that I am unable to explain.

I have taken up a house in Abu Shagara area in Sharjah on rent with furniture's and fixtures and my wife is to join me soon and this excites me to no limits. New challenges and opening in the work front and me finalising the house in Sharjah etc, makes me feel more responsible and driven.

The support in all possible ways from my brothers, Sister's in Law and parents is something what I am blessed with. I have a great family.

So all said, UAE has become my home again and I will give it my best shot to make this re-entry to mine and my families advantage.

I'm Married !!!

Well, its been a very long time since I had put in something in my man blogs, somehow could not get into this. I used to always postpone the blogging things and then enough is enough, let me at least blog this now. Y keep delaying stuff...

I am married to Premi since January 7, 2007. The marriage (thali kettal) was at Guruvayoor and then the rest of the ceremony with lunch at CSN Auditorium at Ottapalam (This is the same place where my eldest bro Anand got married as with few other cousins)

The experience was nice and quite unique and quite tiring too with all the camera lights and directions to listen to from the camera guys. My cousins had a good time c'ing Premi and me being tossed around by these people and little did they do to save us.

Anyway and I had our friend Madhu and Manu for the wedding and it was nice to have had them around. They had driven all the way from Cochin to Guruvayoor and then to Otap. It was fun with them around. They have created a very good impression with my family and so .......

I am guide blessed I feel as we had the presence of majority of the elders in my family for the marriage and being able to get their blessings was something I wouldn't liked to have missed at all. Was really happy to have had the whole family gathered to make the function a grand one.

So here are the pic's:


Reception was arranged at the Green Park hotel in Chennai on January 11, 2007. The food was good as with the ambiance.



So here I am now "a married man"...

Home video

Our home production, creative ideas from Madhu and enacted by Shine Jacob. I'm glad that the vido has been acceted in both 'youtube' and 'googlevideos'

links

Google Videos - Yezhai's tale

Youtube - Yezhai's tale

Try these out!!!

I'm engaged and soon to marry...

This is a late post from my end, but then I made up my mind today that I have to definetly post... and no point in postponing this...


I am now engaged Premi Menon from Ottapalam, Kerala on July 16, 2006 and the marriage is fixed for January 07, 2007 again at Ottapalam. (details as and when things shape up)

She now lives in Bangalore with her parents and is working.

Ila. . .

Lalit & Rama have become proud parents.

Very happy for them and wish them with abundance good fortune and life.

SHARED THOTS...08.09.06

From my uncle Mohandas from Kuwait;

Shirley sent this beautiful and moving tale...of how sanity can prevail over emotions... a short and

powerful tale of forgiveness & love, and how just one wrong word could have made matters irrevocably worse.....

A baby boy was born to a couple after eleven years of arriage. They were a loving couple and the boy was the gem of their eyes. When the boy was around two years old, one morning the husband saw a medicine bottle open.

He was late for office so he asked his wife to cap the bottle and keep it in the cupboard. His wife,
preoccupied in the kitchen totally forgot The matter.

The boy saw the bottle and playfully went to the bottle fascinated by its colour and drank it all. It
happened to be a poisonous medicine meant for adults in small dosages. When the child collapsed the mother Hurried him to the hospital, where he died. The mother was stunned. She was terrified how to face her husband.

When the distraught father came to the hospital and saw the dead child he looked at his wife and uttered just five words.

QUESTIONS:

1. What were the five words?
2. What is the implication of this story?

Scroll down...












Down.







Down...









Down...












ANSWER :

The husband just said "I am with you Darling"

The husband's totally unexpected reaction is a proactive behaviour. The Child is dead. He can never be brought back to life. There is no point In finding fault with the mother. Besides, if only he had taken time to Keep the bottle away, this would not have happened.

No one is to be blamed. She had also lost her only child. What she Needed at that moment was consolation and sympathy from the husband. That is what he gave her.

If everyone can look at life with this kind of perspective, there would Be much fewer problems in the world. "A journey of a thousand miles Begins with a single step." Take off all your envies, jealousies, Unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears. And you will find things are Actually not as difficult as you think.


MORAL OF THE STORY

Sometimes we spend time in asking who is responsible or whom to blame, Whether in a relationship, in a job or with the people we know. By this Way we miss out some warmth in human relationship.

ENJOY SPIRIT OF ONAM

my uncle's attempt to takes all of us down the memory lane......

ENJOY SPIRIT OF ONAM FESTIVAL AND THE GRAND SADHYA TODAY, WHEREVER YOU ALL ARE.

If there is time to stop and reflect......as we race along....

recall earlier Onam get togethers with mother and father at Guruswamy Mudaliar St, and all of us toddlers...from Radha (only teenager),down to Kunju, with Shanthachi & Babyachi (late teen beauties ),taking charge for the pookalam and all of us going round the neighborhood to collect all possible flowers.. intruding into the private compounds nearby and once straying into MS.Subbalakshmi's house, being chased by her dog, and then her watchman.. only to be forgiven by her and allowed to pluck more... the sheer joy of coming back home with baskets full of
flowers... once Shantachi approves the collection, it sends a thrill of achievement for all of us..... we sit round and prepare the pookalam... bigger than last year... getting bigger and bigger...sivalingam flower used to be most prominent..followed by shoe flower, there was that yellow variety in abundance...ahhhhh, the smell from that sivalingam flower ... i can get it
now.

And then after a few years, at Lloyds Road, this pookalam got to be the biggest.... maybe many of you will remember the photograph taken of Shanthachi in her green sari and looking stunning....aniyatan fell for this picture... and a couple of more pictures taken which are on the patio of Krishna Kripa, even today... mother used to toil from early morning cooking all the varieties with that smoke filled kerosene stove and firewood place... house used to be
filled with relatives as if there was no dearth of mouths to feed, with the full regiment of us, marching about ....

by this time all of us were into our teens ... That was the last Onam with Shantachi around ... the
first Onam, after her marriage was awful... we boys organised a pookalam in a hurry, all the time talking about how we missed her..that was in '65..

Onam for the next few years was confined to going to Attan's house from the hostel, to enjoy the real tasty spread from the beautiful young vibrant adathiamma. her culinary skills belied her age then (...and even now)!

The first Onam after marriage at Deepak Niwas and many that followed thereafter, was like a community lunch ... so grand was the occasion, that almost the entire Nandambakkam village used to converge at PS's house... invited or not... each felt had the right to walk in... and was treated as an honoured guest... years later, the grand pookalam of Rajini used to be the highlight...gone were the sivalingam, shoe, yellow flowers... substituted by colored powder of all
shades, some flower to justify "poo" of kalam...flowers if needed had to be purchased from
mambalam market...no one had time... gone was the excitement of going round and plucking them ....

The Onam with Sundari... all by ourselves at Cochin with Lalit as a toddler... his excitement knew no bounds with the chance to throw flowers around the main door (entrance to flat)... malu followed later to share in this excitement ... process of plucking thumba poovu is still fresh ....

the last Onam at KrishnaKripa with mother and father is crystal clear...1987... we had gone from cochin.. the pookalam then was simply the best I can recall...since 1964...Unniattan was in charge and with him around, anything had to be simply 'Grand'.. the small porcelain idol of Krishna at the centre of a huge circle filled with flowers (purchased of course), in various designs mixed with coloured powders ... photos are there... the sadhya... mother being there to serve... urging us to have more...

Dubai Onam days were filled with very happy get togethers of myself being in the lead role..with all nephews niece and families...the numbers expanding with years..... sadhya packets were purchased on few occasions from Sunrise rest' ... and for several Onams, between 95-2004, Sundari's special touch for 'sadhya vibhavamgal' delighted the taste buds of of all of us and several special invitees always there.... sadly "pookalam" got reduced to a few flowers ... no time...no flowers... no plants...

Onam... the day brings something special ... joy and thrill is always there...at its best enjoy in reality, at the worst in "virtual reality" in recollections, as it is today for me.... being in Kuwait... another working day, but no one can stop my mind enjoying all the bygone thrills.. and to share with you all....

hope you have time to read this.... I am also, as busy as all of you... but had to get up one hour
earlier to share this special memoirs..... that continue to inspire every generation with sheer joy
and thrill ...

enjoy the day..

love and cheers,
mohan/mama/atta (achappa also be included)

newly added friends

This is my new set of friends in Singapore introduced through Madhu and Mercy. These guys are really humorous and interesting esp Vimal and Ganesh. Cools people to be with.

HE vs SHE

1. The family picture is on HIS desk.
Ah, a solid, responsible family man.

The family picture is on HER desk.
Umm, her fa! mily will come before her career.

2. HIS desk is cluttered.
He's obviously a hard worker and a busy man.

HER desk is cluttered.
She's obviously a disorganized scatterbrain

3. HE is talking with his co-workers.
He must be discussing the latest deal

SHE is talking with her co-workers.
She must be gossiping.

4. HE's not at his desk.
He must be at a meeting.

SHE's not at her desk.
She must be in the ladies' room.

5. HE's not in the office.
He's meeting with customers.

SHE's not in the office.
She must be out shopping.

6. HE's having lunch with the boss.
He's on his way up.

SHE's having lunch with the boss.
They must be having an affair.

7. The boss c! riticized HIM.
He'll improve his performance.

The boss criticized HER.
She'll be very upset.

8. HE got an unfair deal.
Did he get angry?

SHE got an unfair deal.
Did she cry?

9. HE's getting married.
He'll get more settled.

SHE's getting married.
She'll get pregnant and leave.

10. HE's having a baby.
He'll need a raise.

SHE's having a baby.
She'll cost the company money in maternity benefits.

11. HE's going on a business trip.
It's good for his career.

SHE's going on a business trip.
What does her husband say?

12. HE's leaving for a better job.
He knows how to recognize a good Opportunity.

SHE's leaving for a better job.
Women are not dependable.

Does God Speak???

This will give you the chills........GOOD chills.

A young man had been to Wednesday night Bible Study.

The Pastor had shared about listening to God and obeying the Lord's voice.

The young man couldn't help but wonder, "Does God still speak to people?"

After service he went out with some friends for coffee and pie and they discussed the message.

< face="Comic Sans MS" color="#0080ff" size="7">Several different ones talked about how God had led them in different ways.

It was about ten o'clock when the young man started driving home. Sitting in his car, he just began to pray, "God...If you still speak to

people speak to me. I will listen. I will do my best to obey."

As he drove down the main street of his town, he had the strangest thought to stop and buy a gallon of milk.

He shook his head and said out loud, "God is that you?" He didn't get a reply and started on toward home.

But again, the thought, buy a gallon of milk.

The young man thought about Samuel and how he didn't recognize the voice of God, and how little Samuel ran to Eli.

"Okay, God, in case that is you, I will buy the milk." It didn't seem like too hard a test of obedience. He could always use the milk. He stopped and purchased the gallon of milk and started off toward home.

As he passed Seventh Street, he again felt the urge, "Turn Down that street."

This is crazy he thought and drove on past the intersection.

Again, he felt that he should turn down Seventh Street.

At the next intersection, he turned back and headed down Seventh.

Half jokingly, he said out loud, "Okay, God, I will".

He drove several blocks, when suddenly, he felt like he should stop. He pulled over to the curb and looked around. He was in semi commercial area of town. It wasn't the best but it was n't the worst of neighborhoods either. The businesses were closed and most of the houses looked dark like the people were already in bed.

Again, he sensed something, "Go and give the milk to the people in the house across the street." The young man looked at the house. It was dark and it looked like the people were either gone or they were already asleep. He started to open the door and then sat back in the car seat.

"Lord, this is insane. Those people are asleep and if I wake them up, they are going to be mad and I will look stupid." Again, he felt like he should go and give the milk.

Finally, he opened the door, "Okay God, if this is you, I will go to the door and I will give them the milk. If you want me to look like a crazy person, okay. I want to be obedient. I guess that will count for something but if they don't answer right away, I am out of here."

He walked across the street and rang the bell. He could hear some noise inside. A man's voice yelled out, "Who is it? What do you want?" Then the door opened before the young man could get away.

The man was standing there in his jeans and T-shirt. He looked like he

just got out of bed. He had a strange look on his face and he didn't seem too happy to ha ve some stranger standing on his doorstep. "What is it?"

The young man thrust out the gallon of milk, "Here, I brought this to you." The man took the milk and rushed down a hallway.

Then from down the hall came a woman carrying the milk toward the kitchen. The man was following her holding a baby. The baby was crying. The man had tears streaming down his face.

The man began speaking and half crying, "We were just praying. We had some big bills this month and we ran out of money. We didn't have any milk for our baby. I was just praying and asking God to show me how to get some milk."

His wife in the kitchen yelled out, "I ask him to send an Angel with some. Are you an Angel?"

The young man reached into his wallet and pulled out all the money he had on him and put in the man's hand. He turned and walked back toward his car and the tears were streaming down his face.

He knew that God still answers prayers.

THIS IS A SIMPLE TEST....? If you believe that God is alive and well, send this to at least ten people and the person that sent it to you!!!!!!!!

This is so true. Sometimes it's the simplest things that God asks us to do that cause us, if we are obedient to what He's asking, to be able to hear. His voice more clear than ever. Please listen, and obey! It will bless you (and the world). Phil 4:13

This is an easy test, you score 100 or zero. It's your choice.

If you aren't ashamed to do this, please follow the directions. Jesus

said, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father."