Thatha (granpa)-Quo Vadis?

Thatha-Quo vadis?

By

P.R.Ramachander

Anna (elder brother) and Akka (elder sister) will become mama (uncle) and Mami (aunty) when they cross the thirties. The role that they have played till then changes a lot. They were studying and leading a happy carefree life till then. Suddenly the new mama has to work and work a lot, to earn lots of money. His sisters get married (Mami?) and take up the job of running the house. The job is much more difficult than mama’s job. But the world does not recognize it. Nowadays, she has not only to manage the house but also work like her husband and brothers. Naturally she is surrounded by tension and is edgy. This state of affairs goes on for a long time. Children come in to the house. They become annas and akkas and slowly are groomed to become mamas and mamis. It is at this time that the mama and mamis realize that they have to become thathas(granpas) and Pattis(granmas).

    While Pattis who are healthy continue to be a part of the household management , by providing help in cooking and looking after the grand children, The thatha who was till then wedded to his work is left high and dry. Suddenly he finds that he has nothing to do.

The pleasant chit chat with children, the intermissions in the kitchen over planning of menu, discussions about future of their children etc are again not there. Since Thatha had spent most of his life in talking with friends in office, he does not know any of his neighbors. His friends have all become thathas and rarely move out. He finds that his children are earning much more money than him and are not bothered about the small wealth that he has. His grand children who prattle sweet nothings in English do not understand why their Thatha is so morose. The only friend in the house (his wife who is a Patti) is extremely busy looking after the needs of his grand children. Nobody seems to be interested in politics or newspaper. He, not being used to sit in front of the idiot box, finds it very boring.  He broods and worries. This makes him imagine all the sickness that he has only heard.

   Then comes the next stage. Patti who was needed as a service provider is not able to move out due to arthritis. Her grand children do not like the food prepared by her. .They would prefer north Indian food, pizzas and burgers. The brooding gang becomes richer by one more member. The sick tired people in the house are doubled. Suddenly the mami of the house realizes that, there are two useless people in the house, who have to be looked after. The home that was heaven becomes hell to thatha and Patti. If God gets angry and presents them with serious sickness, they crush themselves into dust.  A nurse or a nurseman is appointed to look after them. Some mamas and mamis think that it is too much of a botheration and send them to old age homes.

   These old age homes do not help them much. One hundred percent of the occupants of these homes are brooding thathas and Pattis who start cursing the world and the social order from morning to evening. Of course God has been kind enough nowadays. Many of them fall prey to Alzheimer’s disease. This blessing disease makes them forget everything and possibly they are no more brooding. He has also been kind enough to recall them back after some time.

    What can we do about this pathetic saga? We can definitely keep ourselves very busy by engaging ourselves in some hobbies or social activities. It would be preferable that as long as the physical dependence does not set in, we live alone in our house .We (Thathas and Pattis) are a very influential lot. We can surely build up Senior citizen homesteads like those existing in USA. In such societies we can build up a social culture of our own without disturbing, the youngsters. WE can organize day care centers with transport facility so that  when the Mama and Mamis go to office and Akkas and Annas  have gone to college, we can be safe and build up a social life in such centers.. We can contribute a lot with our knowledge. We can surely teach lot of poor children at our home. If we are of the talking type, we can do fund collection for several good deeds. We can visit old age homes (if we are not already in one) and bring cheer to those lonely souls. We can help our friends and their wives, if they are sick. What I am trying to say is that, we should make others feel that these Thathas and Pattis are also very useful members of the society.

Pulacode Veeraraghavan Visweswaran - My dearest friend and elder brother

Pulacode  Veeraraghavan  Visweswaran - My dearest friend and elder  brother

By

P.R.Ramachander

       When I was  about 8 years old  , due to the Razakkar  movement in Hyderabad  , me along with my  little sister   , brother   and mother  moved back  to my native place , Chelakkara. Being brought   up in a town, every body looked very strange to me. One day my father   brought  home  a young , white   and very thin boy who was   3-4  older than me  . His  laughing face    and innocent out look of life  made him my friend immediately. My father told me that he   was also studying in my school and  that boy was   his incle’s son.   Next day  Veeramani mama   came   to our home   and took me and my sister    to their village   which was called Pulacode .  Mama had some skin problem   and to a young boy  like me  he looked strange . He was   the son of one of those   richest  person in our  village  , well known as  Pulacode  Rama Pattar but  fate  somehow took away all the riches that he inherited.When I saw him  , he was  able  to maintain himself only because my father  was sending him  money every month. .We were both treated  as royal guests and  enjoyed our stay in Pulacode . Along with him there   was his sister Cauvery , My father’s chithi  . Visweswaran then became a regular visitor to my place.   After  few months my father   informed  me  that his uncle is no more   and he is taking Visweswaran   along with him to Hyderabad   to work in his hotel.  I did not  know  the implications much at that time.

     A few years later  my father   took my mother   who was very sick to Hyderabad  . Me and my sister  were left  in care   of another   family in the village  .Later when my mother came back cured , she told me that  Visweswaran took care of her   in the hospital completely  ,  A few years later  I went to Hyderabad to study in English  Medium School  . Visweswaran was working in our hotel.  I was staying with Visweswaran along with several boarders , who were all  middle aged men. My only friend of my age   was  Viswesawaran.  The next four years  we both grew  up together , went to same pictures , went  to the zoo together , went to Golkonda   fort together,  learnt how to fly kites together , learnt how to spin tops together, ate  food together  in different hotels on weekly holiday   of our hotel . Four years  later my father   had to sell the hotel   and go back to our village .My father   arranged   for the marriage   of his sister with his uncle in Trichy   ,Visweswaran started    working for his uncle in Trichy.  It was at this time  my mother  underwent another operation  in Trichy and it   was again my Visweswaran   who looked after my mother.  After   three more years  I  joined for my studies  in Annamalai   university   and had to travel through Trichy    four times a year  , I enjoyed those unforgettable visits to Trichy   and at one time  I came to know  that Visweswaran left Trichy  and had gone to Madurai  .He wrote to me  that  most of the days  he could eat only temple Prasadams in the noon and nothing else . At that time Sri A.R.Sethumadhavan   who considered my father as Guru came to our native place  to get my father’s blessings   for starting a hotel at Vizag,   I suggested to father   to send  Visweswaran to Vizag and he started    working in Hotel Ooty, there   , It was at this time that  I started studying in Calcutta.   Again during vacations I could spend lot of time with my friend. Once when he was admitted to hospital  due to  Jaundice ,  I went to Vizag from Calcutta   and took him to my native place  . He was cured  and returned back  to Vizag . He was made a  partner  in that big hotel  and later started  his own business. There   was  nothing in the world that   he did not know about me and there   was nothing I did not know about him.  .After  studies I was appointed   as a gazette officer  in a  small village near Mangalore  . At that  time  my father arranged for marriage  of Visweswaran with Mohanam who was  my sister’s class mate   and my play mate   when I was a child . They lead a  happy life   and every year  both of them  used to come to Vittal. Visweswaran had a daughter followed by a son. I got married and I also had   a boy and a girl. At that time  I got  transferred   to Rajamundry.  Almost every month we used to meet each other  , By that time,  my younger   brother got married   and settled  in Mumbai.  By his influence  , he arranged for the marriage  of Vsweswaran’s daughter . By that time Visweswaran   had  struggled and educated his son.  Visweswaran    and Mohanam shifted    to Mumbai. They were  struggling really hard. It was at this time that  the son of Visweswaran  got employed in USA.  One of those   unfortunate days Mohanam breathed her lost  . In spite of very severe back ache   I reached Mumbai travelling in a Bus  . We cried togather    a lot  ,This was   fourteen years back .Once Visweswaran asked me to write poem on his Mohanam  so that   he can paste it below her picture  ,I did it.

I advised  Visweswaran to get his son married  , almost  immediately   after  his dear wife’s death   and he agreed to it   and the marriage was celebrated   within a year of her death.

      The USA govt did not  give VISA to Visweswaran   to visit his son. Possibly   no one knows  except  my family and my brother’s family   about the struggle called life   that he underwent then on. His  kidney started failing   and he breathed his last about  3 years back .

      The only person whom I can call   as my own elder   brother is no more there. All  my cousins used to call him Ammanchi  and  for my nephews and my children he was  Bheema Mama, His infectious smile which used   to keep me happy , now  remains  only  as a dream .Though  no one notices  , within my heart  I cry for my greatest friend. The cane chair that he painted, the Dosai Kal which he   got cut and almost   everything  in my  home reminds  me of him. Tears   flow  from my eyes , when I see   them. When my wife   wants  to repair  or paint some thing, without realizing I tell her  , “Visweswaran   will come soon and   do it.”

My elder  brother   definitely   must be in heaven   and I am sure  he makes  it a habit to bless   his younger brother Raja . His daughter   who is in Mumbai considers me as her  father’s brother  and  never fails   to call me   every month . I also consider   herself as my elder   daughter .Life goes on. Rarely God sends such angels  like  Visweswaran   to this world .His greatest contribution is that   he added   joy and happiness     in the life  of  many  people  of this world.Had he been alive next year  he would be celebrating   his 80th Birthday.

English rhymes for Schools in Kerala

 English  rhymes   for  Schools  in Kerala

P.R.Ramachander

(When we were little kids  , we were mesmerized by    the pretty rhymes    that were   taught to us in Malayalam class. Should we not     translate    them in to English and teach those   rhymes    to our English students in Kerala  , so that  they  grow in the culture of Kerala and not in the  culture   of the English or American children?  I have attempted to translate them . Learned people who are much better   than me can possibly translate them better  . Will some body make   this reach     the ears of Chief minister   of Kerala?)

1.Onnum onnum randu

(Here is a fascinating rhyme teaching children to do addition, and also attempts to teach  general knowledge))

Onnum onnum randu, 
Kayum kaalum randu; 
Onnam randum munnU, 
Thengayin Kan moonu; 
Onnam munnum nallu, 
Pashuvinn kaalu naalu;
Onnum nallum anchhu,
Kayyil viral anchhu; 
Onnum anchhum aarau,
Vandin kal aaru, 
Onnam aarum ezhu; 
Jnayar thingal ezhu, 
Onnum Ezhum ettu ; 
Dikkukal ellam ettu.


English equivalent

One and one makes it two,
Legs and hands are two,
One and two makes it three,
The eyes of coconuts are three,
One and three makes it four,
The legs of the cow are four,
One and four makes it five,
The number of fingers is five,
One and five makes it six,
The legs of the bee are six,
One and six makes it seven,
The days of the week are seven,
One and seven makes it eight,
And the directions round us are eight.
.

2.Kaale , Kaake  Koodevide?

(What a fascinating and charming rhyme . What a great concept to teach our little  babies?)

Kaake kaake koodevide
Kootinakathoru kunjundo
Kunjinu theeta kodukkaanjal
Kunju kidannu karanyeedum
Kaake kaake nee tharumo
Ninnude kayyile neyappam

English equivalent

Crow, crow, where is your nest,
Is there a baby in the nest,
If you do not feed the baby,
That baby will wail and cry,
Crow, crow, will you give,
The Appam* that you have in your hand.

*Appam-sweet pan cake .

3.Punkozhi, Punkozhi

(This    rhyme perhaps introduces  the Kerala early morn to the little one)

Punkozhi Punkozhi,
Kuvunathu  endinnu punkozhi;
Poovukal vidarum , vidarum nerattu,
Punkili padum nerattu;
Neram pulram nerattu,
Aare unarthan kuvunoo?

Cock, Cock, why do you crow, oh cock
When the sweet flowers open,
When the pretty birds sing,
And when it is the time of dawn,
Whom do you want to wake up?

4.Vaa Kutuvi

(The baby tells the sparrow  it would help him to build its nest .What a wonderful notion.)

Vaa Kuruvi,
Varu Kuruvi;
Vazhakka mel iru Kuruvi
Naaru tharam, Chakiri tharam,
Koodundakkan Koode varaam 

Come sparrow, please come sparrow,
Sit on the plantain fruit,
I will give you rope,
I will give you coconut fiber,
And I will come and build a nest for you.

Happy thiru onam to all of you

Happy Thiruonam  to  all   of you.

            P.R.Ramachander

  

        The people   of Kerala believe   that   they were   once ruled by Mahabali    in the perfect manner and 

due to his fight with  devas , in spite  of his being    a great devotee , Lord Vishnu    sent him to Patala . Mahabali asked a boon   that   he would like to visit his subjects   whom he loved   once in a year . He is believed   to come on  Thiruonam day  to Kerala. His subjects    do not   want to disappoint   their great king . So  the entire Kerala   plays a   game , so that   their king  sees them happy . Here   is a famous song   which  recollects   the rule  of Mahabali.  .Happy Onam to you all.

Maveli Naadu vaanidum kaalam

(When  the Great  Mahabali    was ruling  our country)

Transiteration of lyrics

http://vimalsuresh.com/2012/08/15/onam-song-maveli-naadu-vanidum-kaalam-lyrics/

Translation   by

P.R.Ramachander

1.Maveli Naadu vaanidum kaalam

Manushyarellarum onnu pole

Aamodathode vasikkum kaalam

Aapathangarku-mottilla thaanum

When  the great Mahabali was   ruling our country,

All the men     were    uniformly   alike  ,

It was   a time when they all lived   with joy,

And there was not even a little danger   to any one.

2.Maveli Naadu vaanidum kaalam

Manushyarellarum onnu pole

Aamodathode vasikkum kaalam

Aapathangarku-mottilla thaanum

When the great Mahabali was ruling our country  ,

All the men were   uniformly   alike 

 It was   a time when they all lived   with joy,

And there was not even a little danger   to any one.

3.Aadhikal vyaadhikal onnumilla

Baalamaranangal kelkkanilla

Dushtare kankondu kaanmanilla

Nallavarallathe illa paaril… illa paaril

There were neither  sufferings    nor diseases,

No one had heard   of infant    deaths  ,

None could say   they had seen a   a bad human being ,

Only good people   were  there  in this world… in this world

4.Maveli Naadu vaanidum kaalam

Manushyarellarum onnu pole

Aamodathode vasikkum kaalam

Aapathangarku-mottilla thaanum

When the great Mahabali was ruling our country  ,

All the men were   uniformly   alike 

 It was   a time when they all lived   with joy,

And there was not even a little danger   to any one.

5.Kallavumilla chathiyumilla

Ellolamilla polivachanam… polivachanam

Vellikolaadikal naazhikalum

Ellam kanakkinu thulyamaayi… thulyamaayi

There is no theft    nor was there cheating  ,

Even  to a weight of  a single gingelly  , there were no lies , there were no lies,

All  types   of silver balances    and   of different type of measures

 Weighed/measured  accurately  …accurately

4.Maveli Naadu vaanidum kaalam

Manushyarellarum onnu pole

Aamodathode vasikkum kaalam

Aapathangarku-mottilla thaanum

When the great Mahabali was ruling our country  ,

All the men were   uniformly   alike 

 It was   a time when they all lived   with joy,

And there was not even a little danger   to any one.

5.Kallapparayum cherunazhiyum

Kallatharangal mattonnumilla

Kallavumilla chathiyumilla

Ellolamilla polivachanam… polivachanam

Lying big measure   and  inaccurate   small measures ,

And    the   cheating  activities   were  not there at all,

There  is no lying acts  , nor cheating.

 Even  to a weight of til , there were no lies , there were no llies

6.Maveli Naadu vaanidum kaalam

Manushyarellarum onnu pole

Aamodathode vasikkum kaalam

Aapathangarku-mottilla thaanum

When the great Mahabali was ruling our country  ,

All the men were   uniformly   alike 

 It was   a time when they all lived   with joy,

And there was not even a little danger   to any one.

Avani Avitta (Upakarma) Manthras for the year 2014.

Avani Avitta  (Upakarma) Manthras    for the year   2014.

 Compiled by

 P.R.Ramachander

   AS per my usual practice I am    putting the Avani Avitta/Upakarma Manthras for the year 2014.  For the fourteenth year in Succession.  When I started  doing it, such Manthras were   not available  over the interne. But for the past few years   very large number of people are  putting  these  Manthras   in their web sites and blogs  .But still   very few people put the relevant  Manthras    for  Rig Vedis and Sama Vedis.  About 10000 people have made    use of my compilations last year. The Manthras   for this year are given as follows:-

1.Yajur Veda  Avani Avitta manthras  (10-8-2014)

http://brahminrituals.blogspot.in/2014/07/yajur-vedi-avani-avitta-manthras-2014.html

2.Rig Vedi Avani avitta Manthras    for year 2014.

       Rig Vedis   do their Upakarma on  Sravana(thiruonam)  Nakshatram  in the month of Sravana(Chingam) , which is a must for them.  In spite of that majority of the compilations   say that their  Avani avittam is on  10-8-2014  , which occurs in Kadaka Masa. A few of them are of the opinion that it is on  7-9-2014 (Sravana Nakshtra in Sravaa Masam) ,. Please do follow     what your Guru says regarding it ,

1, Rig Vedi Avani Avitta   Manthras on 10-8-2014

http://brahminrituals.blogspot.in/2014/07/rig-vedi-avani-avitta-manthras-10-8-2014.html

2,Rig Vedi Avani Avitta   Manthras  7-9-2014.

http://brahminrituals.blogspot.in/2014/07/rig-vedi-avani-avitta-manthras-2014-7-9.html

3.Sama Vedi Avani avitta Manthras  2014(29-9-2014)

      Like all the usual years , this year  the Avani avittam   is on Ganesh Chathrthi day    for Sama Vedis.

It is given in

http://brahminrituals.blogspot.in/2014/07/sama-vedi-avani-avitta-manthras-2014-29.html

        I hope you would find it useful  .  Ramachander

Homage to my friend DR.D.Sundararaman

     My   friend and class mate  DR.D.Sundararaman passed    away  in New Jersey   on 17^th July  .  I felt extremely sad on hearing this through the internet   from one Sri Mahesh Krishnamurthy  in his blog in world press.  Many of you might have read my friends write up    about his interaction with Maha Periyavaa , in his  book  “I lived with God “. Any one reading it is bound to shed tears .

   It was in the year 1957   that  , I joined   the Annamalai Universtity for my B.Sc (Hons)   in Mathematics.  Bidding farewell  to me in my native place of Chelakkara  , my father   told me that, , he himself has to starve along with my family     so that  I get  educated.  The only dress that he gave me where  six Mul Veshtis(White  Veshtis without  border) and a few  very badly stitched   shirts by the village   tailor. Unfortunately   I could   not get admission in the University hostel. Fortunately one of my distant uncles    of my mother was living in   Chidambaram  .  On the first day of our class , I noticed  that among the thirteen of my class mates  , only one  was wearing Veshti like  me. Apart from that he had also a tuft(kudumi) . All others in the class were extremely well dressed. Naturally  our extremely poor circumstances    attracted us towards each other.    His name was D.Sundararaman. He was also living in Chidambaram    town   , with a devotee of Maha Periyavaa  .  There were city buses from university  to Chidambaram. Both of us preferred to walk   the 4 km   daily together. I understood from him that his  father was one Doraisamy Sastrigal who was    in the Kanchi Kama Koti mut . Seeing Sundara Raman’s  brilliance   Maha periyava  had requested his devotees   to look after his education.   He also wanted  my friend to keep   a Kudumi. Our friendship grew extremely strong during the three years   of my study   in the university. WE used to visit near by temples together  . I still remember    how visited   Vadalur  on a Thai Poosam day . We had also visited    Thanjavur and Trichy together. At the end of the three years , I managed   to write an All India entrance test   and got admission in ISI, Calcutta.  D.Sundararaman got a job of lecturer in Annamalai university itself  . Later he did his Ph.D. and went to work as a professor in some  middle eastern country  .He  also did work in Institute of MAT science , Madras     for a few years . Then he went and settled in USA as a teacher  . We both used to exchange letters   and  have visited each other’s homes  and   kept   our friendship burning bright  . About   a year back , he contacted me to contribute an article    about Goddess Kamakshi  , in a souvenir   to be brought out by him  to honour  the priest of Kamakshi temple ,who was his friend.  We did talk to each other . I feel extremely upset and sad today   that my friend who used to call me “PR squared  “ is no more  . I am praying God to give that the great soul permanent salvation .  

Happy father's day to my great father

Today  is the Father’s day  . I have crossed   the age of 74   and my mind went back    to my    father.  My father whose name was P.R.Rama Iyer   was poor hotelier   in Hyderabad  and  had only completed   his education   up to third standard  . But he was an extremely wise    and intellectual person. Of his own he had   attained  mastery in Malayalam, Tamil, Sanskrit  , Telugu, Kannada    as well as Marathi and could easily read  all English newspapers. He was the first book worm that  I saw as he was a compulsive reader who   read anything  published in any of those   above languages. As a result   he was an extremely   wise person , who could give guidance to large  number of people who approached him., He was  madly involved    in the independence struggle of India. Due to his extreme poverty and  the need to look after    his  dependents , he  only read  volumes of literature   relating to our country  .He was a subscriber to   a paper called “Harijan”  which was being published  by the great Mahathma .He  was an expert in astrology which was our family  tradition. Though all his children were special to him  , fate made  me  live   along with him for a  very long time  without my mother and  siblings . He  used to talk to me about  what he knew   as well  as his ambitions.  He was forced to sell   his hotel due  to labour problem  and retire to the village. He told me that his ambition was    to make us all great   and he knew that without education this was not possible. He told me that  he would educate me by tightening his wants and by taking loan. He wanted me  to study well   and then  do all that   was needed   to realize his dreams. For  the next eight   years  I studied  in various colleges  and universities   staying in various hostels . I could manage  to get some scholarship   to finance part of my education. By the time  I came back and got a job my family   was in dire financial straits . Then my penance started  to fulfill  my father’s dream along   with my little darling younger brother . Years of struggle along with my father   and mother  lead me to the realization of my father’s   dream.

      Today   I remember him as the guiding spirit   and   the thirst of knowledge  of my life, If I say   to him,

“Happy father’s day “, he would perhaps  laugh    and say to me , “Konthe  , what is this nonsense?’

So I want to tell  him  who is in heaven , “Appa , I would have been nothing without you and all that things which other people consider   as my achievement are all yours . Appa,  I miss you even at this ripe old   age.”

                                                                                P.R.Ramachander