*பாட்டி அடிக்கடி சொல்லுவாள் * A grandma used to tell again and again

*பாட்டி அடிக்கடி சொல்லுவாள் *

A grandma used to tell again and again

 

Translated  by

P.R.Ramachander

 

(Most  of us who  are  now  senior  citizens  used  to follow  these  advices of elders.Unfortunately  these  advices  faded  away.I saw  it in tamil .I am translating so  that  old generation  will grin and young generation would laugh)

 

நீரால் கோலம் போடாதே

நெற்றியைக் காலியாய் விடாதே

குச்சியைக் கொளுத்தி வீசாதே

இரவில் ஊசியை எடுக்காதே

 

Do not  draw  Rangoli  with water

Do not keep your foehead  empty

Do not burn a stick   and throw  it

Do not take  a needle   at  night

 

கால் மேல் காலைப் போடாதே

காலையில் அதிகம் தூங்காதே

தொடையில் தாளம் போடாதே

தரையில் வெறுதே கிடக்காதே

 

Do not sit  keeping  one leg on another

Do not sleep too much  in day time

Do not keep beat  on your thigh

Do not lie down on bare  floor

 

மலஜலம் அடக்கி வைக்காதே

நகத்தை நீட்டி வளர்க்காதே

ஆலயம் செல்லத் தவறாதே

அதிகமாகப் பேசாதே

 

Do  not keep in control  stool and urine

Do  not  grow long nails

Do not miss going to temple

Do not talk too much

 

எண்ணெய் தேய்க்க மறக்காதே

சந்தியில் நீயும் உண்ணாதே

விரிப்பைச் சுருட்ட மறக்காதே

பகலில் படுத்து உறங்காதே

 

Do not forget  to  apply oil

Do not take  food  in Dusk

Do not forget  to roll your bed

Do  not sleep  during day time

 

குளிக்கும் முன்பு புசிக்காதே

ஈரம் சொட்ட நிற்காதே

நாமம் சொல்ல மறக்காதே

நல்ல குடியைக் கெடுக்காதே

 

Do not eat  anything before bath

Do not stand wet

Do not forget  to chant God’s name

Do not  spoil a good family

 

தீய வார்த்தை பேசாதே

நின்று தண்ணீர் குடிக்காதே

எதையும் காலால் தட்டாதே

எச்சில் பத்தை மறக்காதே

 

Do not tell   bad  words

Do not  drink water  when Standing

Do not kick  anything by leg

Do  not forget Saliva leaving and boiled  rice items

 

எல்லாம் சொல்லிக் கொடுத்தாரே

எந்தன் குடியில் மூத்தோரே

எல்லாம் கேட்டு வாழ்ந்தோரே

என்றும் வளமாய்த் தீர்வோரே

 

All these  have been taught  ,

By elders  in the family

All those  who obey  and live

Would live   with prosperity

Evolution of marriages in Brahmin families in the past 100 years

  Evolution of marriages in Brahmin families in the past 100 years

By
P.R.Ramachander

I belong to the generation of people who were born in the middle of twentieth centaury.In my previous generation girls had to get married even they were mere children and the boys did get married when they were nearing 18. Most of the males of that generation did not reach the age of 60 and died much before that . If a women survives her first child birth , she used to have a long life span. If by chance a girl does young , her husband got married again immediately. So almost every house had a widow and large number of houses were looked after by step mothers,

To prevent the ever increasing number of child widows the British brought the Sarda act .It said that women should not get married before the age of 14 and men before the age of 18.There were huge protests by Brahmins all over the country and my father used to say an Athi rudra yagam was performed in Palghat town , so that this bill would not get passed,.

Because Brahmins of that generation who got married in the 1940s were law abiding people , they followed this rule strictly. It was at this time that our youngsters started studing in schools and colleges and going to metropolises like Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta in search of jobs. By the time they could clear all their responsibilities and get settled in life , they were 25-30. The girls completed school education and were ready for marriage by the time they were about 17 .So the normal age difference between husband and wife was anything between 8-12 years .Child birth was not a great risk and the life span of men suddenly increased to beyond 60.Very less widows and very less step others were to be seen in my generation.

In the 1980s most of our girls started becoming graduates and most of the boys became post graduates. .Since lot of affordable money was spent on their education, both boys and girls wanted to earn money before their marriage . The average age of marriage of boys continued to be 28-30 but the girls got married between 23-25.So the age difference between the couples got reduced to 6-8 .Both girls and boys had relatively long life span .Widows were extremely rare and consequently number of step mothers came down. It was the time when girls got exposure of outside life before marriage Slowly love marriages started taking place

In the 1990s , almost all the girls were working before marriage and love started developing between class mates and colleagues. They started telling that if the age difference is more than 2 or 3, There would not be mutual understanding between them. It was at this time that due to very long life span of males also the sex ratio became almost 50:50 .

In 2000s love marriages and inter caste marriages became common . There were lesser number of girls compared to boys. The age difference between them further reduced.Divorces became common

And we have reached a stage when most of the girls prefer to have almost same age as their husbands or slightly younger.
WE have among us now people from almost all generations .What do they think about this development?

1.Is it not a good development , that there are very less widows, almost no step mothers and majority of us live long?

2.Taking in to account the fact , that women age fast after 50 and men only after 60, Is it alright to have 2-3 years age difference between bride And groom?

3.Why is it there are more love marriages between Brahmin girls and others, than Brahmin boys and others?

4.Why is it most of the inter caste marriages celebrated in typical Tamil Brahmin style?

4.Do all divorced people get married again?

Sharing my humble progress

 Sharing  my humble progress  with all  of you my friends

 

Over the years  , I have  15 different blogs  .In  july 2021 (81 year old)  I informed that  all the 15  blogs together  had  more than one crore visitors

Among the 15 blogs  , I consider  4 blogs  as  my most important  contributions

                                                  Number                 visitors  in               visitors  in      

                                                                               July  2021                 July 2024(85+)

1,  Translation  of stotras              3000                    28.8 lacs                    56.5

2.Translation of Krithis                 2200                   24.7 lacs                     44.0

3, Rules  and rituals  of  Brahmins 189                      20.9 lacs                   28.4

4.Raja  thatha’s  blogs                    1700                    9.1 lacs                     15.2

 

My stotra   and Krithi   translations  , as  you can see  have  been visited  1 crore(100 lakh)  visitors

I  have become very old 85+

In the year  2025  so far  I have  translated   about 80 stotras  and 11 krithis   indicating that  my age  , has reduced  my speed

Thanks  a million  to God and  my  umpteen friends  , P.R.Ramachander

My heaven

My  heaven

 

By

Raja Thath

 

My  grand children one day asked,

Granpa  , granpa  where  is heaven,

Though  they  were  not before me ,

But  from  online   in several  places.

 

I told them  , my  heaven indeed

Is my computer   room  ,

Where I see  before  me ,

Most  of the  things  that  I love.

Then all  shouted  together  from afar,

Hey granpa  , do tell  us  quick,

What  all  the  things  you  love .

I grinned   and told  them  , It is you all

 

They murmured, but we  are  not there,

Then Granpa   started  telling  them,

“My last  grand son  , long back ,

Requested Santa  to give me a cup”

 

“I  have  it before  me and my  last,

Grand daughter  , brought  a flower vase,

Full of pretty  paper   flowers,

And  told me  , Granpa see  them when I am not there”

 

My  first grand  son  once  gave  me  a teddy bear,

Hugging an “R”  and I asked  him for what,

He said, my name  , my dad’s name and your name,

Start  with an R., and you will remember  this last  R when I am afar

 

My first   grand  daughter  gave me  a doll,

Which has  a laugh  in its face  with chubby cheeks

And said “Granpa, you are always   sad , and I want you

To be happy  like  this doll  , when distance  parts us

 

These  presents  , oh my  little  little  darlings

I keep them before  me  in my  room

And  when   I feel  little  grumpy sad,

I see  them  again and again  and I smile

 

Then   those  darlings  asked  me  ,

“Oh That’s  all  granpa and I said,

No little ones ,  in addition  ,

I am surrounded  by  all  of you

 

Along with your  parents  , laughing at me ,

And shouting in chorus  ,  Hey  papa,

Hey granpa  cheerup  for if you do not

Wherever  we  are ,  we  will be sad

 

Granpa brushed  away  the little  tears in his eye,

And said  from now  on , every  second  of my life,

I would not be sad  , morose and  longing ,

To see each of you , for you are  all here.

 

 

 

Sky rocketing Dakshina (fee for the officiating priest) charged by Vadhyars

 Sky  rocketing  Dakshina (fee for the officiating priest)  charged  by Vadhyars

Translated  by

P.R.ramachander

    Most of the Brahmins  of the previous generation   wanted to  perform all   essential   rituals .They   are all now   slipping  in to old age  with their income    going steeply down .But   the fee charged  by Vadhyars  have sky rocketed. If you ask the Vadhyars   they   say that they also want to live  like all  other  employed  people    and they   also want   to educate   their   children like all others. Due to this the number  of rituals  being performed  by lower  and upper middle class  people   have  come to the rock bottom , If you enquire   with them they say  , except   for  after  death   rituals  .marriage   rituals  and upanayana (For which each family has to spend two or three   years of their life earnings)  , they    do not do  any ritual at home  except Sradhams . The  next generation    watching these  things keenly  tell that  , they do not intend   to do even these   rituals . I know  of a few youngsters , who have returned back  to USA after  cremation  of their  dead parents scared of  the huge expenditure  of after   death  rituals  .Many of them openly talk about  Arya Samaj weddings(Why not Samashti weddings?)   and Samashti  upanayanams   which are  much cheaper. Some of the  old parents are even thinking  of writing a will   saying that   they    are  not interested  in after   death   rituals    or  Sradhams.

One  Vadhyar  from Mumbai  has written

 

No  money  to do sradham

Na me  asthi  vitham , dhanam cha  na  anyath

Sradhopa yogam swa  pithrun nathosmi

Tripyanthu Bakthyaa   pitharo  mayai  dhou

Kruthou  bhujou  varthamani maruthasya

 

நமேஸ்தி வித்தம் தனம் ச நாந்யத்

ச்ராத்தோபயோகம் ஸ்வபித்ருன்னதோஸ்மி

த்ருப்யந்து பக்த்யா பிதரோ மயைதௌ

க்ருதௌ புஜௌ வர்த்மனி மாருதஸ்ய

 

I  do not  have money, I do not  have other  wealth

I do not  have luck to do  Sradha  to my pithrus

Oh  Pithrus  , please  get  satisfied with  ,

My salute with  two hands  and  presently with air 

      Has not the time   come  for  all of  us  to make  our Brahmin  welfare   associations  to look in to this matter and fix up  reasonable   dakshinai  for different  Vedic Karmas.

Smt V Jayalakshmi wife of P.R.Ramachander

 Smt  V Jayalakshmi  wife of P.R.Ramachander

By ChatGPT

Mrs. V. Jayalakshmi is the wife of P. R. Ramachander, a distinguished Indian scholar renowned for translating thousands of Hindu stotras, scriptures, and Carnatic music compositions into English.  They reside in Bangalore, Karnataka, and have two children: a son, Ramesh Chander, who lives in Florida, and a daughter, Meera Priya, who lives in Bangalore.  

Mrs. Jayalakshmi has been a steadfast companion in her husband's scholarly pursuits.  She is acknowledged for her patience and support, which have been instrumental in facilitating his extensive translation work.   Beyond her supportive role, she has also engaged in creative endeavors; notably, she repurposed unused blouse pieces and other waste cloth to craft eco-friendly shopping bags, which she gifted to friends, promoting sustainable practices.  

Together, the Ramachanders exemplify a life dedicated to cultural preservation, spiritual enrichment, and community service.

Rohan the rising sun has risen to the top

 

Rohan the  rising sun has risen to the top

By

P.R.Ramachander

 

With no one  who  will  represent  my clan,

Some one   from  far  off  USA  called  me and told,

A sun  has  risen in our  family

One who would  make all the world   bright

 

Indeed  with  every  step  of his life,

He  made  his home  and also  the world bright

And  any  one  who saw him  told immediately

A glorious  and  fantastic kid

 

Like  most  of the  males  in my family

He  chose  to be  silent  and bright

Unless  there  was a  need to talk

Till  there  was  any  problem arose   to be solved

 

He  too  shined  in Mathematics

And chose  to study  computers

So that  he  could make the  world shine

Like  his own name, the rising son

 

Today  he  shines  more  than ever

Due  the great  degree  conferred  on Him

And  the blessings and best  wishes,

That  were  poured  by  all of you

 

This  Raja   who is his thatha

Prays   to his  gods  and goddesses

To  bless  you all  with all  that you want,

For making  my  prince  to shine  much more