Then and Now

 

Then     and  Now

 

Translated by

P.R.Ramachander

 

(original source http://annaitamiltv.com/?p=3842  .I have deleted  political  comparisons)

 

Then House full of children                                                         

Now  One   child per house

 

Then Elders  told, youngsters obeyed                                       

Now Youngsters tell, elders   are blinking

 

Then Less income, more satisfaction                                       

Now  More income, less  satisfaction

 

Then Job if you learn                                                                    

Now Job is   to learn

 

Then Relations all over house                                                    

Now  No relations   in many houses

 

Then Food was Medicine

Now  Medicine   is the food

 

Then   energy in old age also

Now   tiredness in youth also

 

Then Technology   was service

Now Everything  is only  Technology

 

Then Yogic life

Now  Machine  Life

 

Then Patriots    saved   the country

Now  Politicians are  selling the coumtry

 

Then in films one  slum song

Now Film  is only slum songs

 

Then  we ran to fill  our stomach

Now we are running to reduce the Stomach

 

Then in path of elders

Now in  parties  of youngsters

 

Then only revolution

Now only  failure of crops

 

Then , they went  towards  growth

Now , they go to films   and bars

 

Then we walked with swinging hands

Now we walk with   cell phone  in hands

 

Then cultivated land

Now real estate

 

Then courting   without touching

Now  Mixing  and  hugging in courting

 

Then  relations welcomed us during summer vacation

Now we go to   foreign land   during vacation

 

Then Life  was full of joy

Now   Life  is empty  of emotions

 

Then we lived in true joy

Now we live in false acting

 

My teachers in SMTHS , Chelakkara

 

My teachers  in SMTHS  , Chelakkara

 

By

P.R.Ramachander

 

In the year  1947  , I was studying in a second standard in a Tamil medium Kalasi guda   school in Secunderabad(Near Chithra talkis).I still remember  one

Sri Gopalaswamy  who was  head master  there. He used  to come with a  coat ,

Panchakacham   and a black Topi

 Due  to Razakkar moment  , we  were forced  to migrate to Kerala  .After studying  in Thalavettan para  school in Ayilur , I reached  my village and in the middle of the year  ,I joined  the SMTHS , CHelakkkara. I do not remember  about my teacher  in III standard but I managed  to write  Pareeksha  in Malayalam  and go to fourth standard.We  had just one teacher  . WE used  t

O call  him, Sharodi mesh.I used to recite  Malayalam Padhyam  in a funny way

And I remember  that, I used to be asked  to recite Padhyam   when Sharodi mesh   wanted  to laugh  . I went to fifth    standard.I remember  my teacher  was Krishnan Yezhuthachan.Sanskrit used to be taught by a Varriar  meshu and

Hindi  my Kumara  menon. I studied well   and was considered  a brilliant  student .Ezhuthachan sir continued in sixth standard .I remember  a PT teacher , who was very strict  and a drawing teacher  who taught us lot.I do not remember their names. After  passing out , my father took me  to SEcunderabad  to study  in English medium  school

Corona onam for Mahabali

Corona onam   for Mahabali

By

P.R.Ramachander

King Mahabali   kept   alarm   to wake  up   at  five am,

So that he can  dress  himself up, take  his umbrella,

And visit  his  own country in   India that  is Bharath,

Which was called all over  the world  as “God’s own country”

Even without  alarm he   woke up as  he was  anxious,

To see  the people  of his country  dressed  prettily,

And wearing  the sandal paste  pottu  and he   was ,

Particular  to  see   the poo kalam in each  of their homes

He reached   that  very  early morning    and went  ,

To a pretty  city he liked and saw  a  lady,

Who was pretty  and majestic   sitting in her home,

And that  lady  had tied   an unusual   cloth  around her mouth.

Speaking   through    that cloth  , She   asked kin Mahabali,

“yenthaa  meshe , why  are  you not   wearing the mask,

And if you  walk  like this , the  policeman   will  catch you,

And put a steep  fine  or put  you in a jail?” 

Maveli   could  not follow  “ madam   ,  what is that,

This is my country and  though   all people  are  similar to me,

I will  not go to  the Mosque.”   And that   lady   replied

“Yenthaa , thanikku  Branthu?  Corona  kettitille” kollum.”

Poor Mahabali   was greatly confused  “What  is that?

I have  not even been killed  by  God Vamana or Trivikrama,

How can that  silly  fellow  called Corona  kill me, please say”

That lady said  , “next  street  , they   will catch and test   you”

“If  you are  negative   they   will take   you  to  the government hospital,

And there  , they   will  put  you  in a prison and you  cannot   come out”

Maveli  felt bad   and asked  “what   about  Onam today?”

“Onam with mask  , social   distancing and frequent hand  washing is there”

“You cannot meet  any people with a  visible smile   and all  temples  will be empty,”

Poor Maveli , happy onam, better  go back   and come  next year.” Said the lady

Golden words by Swamy Kripananda variar

Golden words  by  Swamy  Kripananda  variar

That  which keeps on coming and going –two  -  sorrow   and joy

That   which  never  goes away after  coming- two – fame  and bad name

That which comes  , of its own –two  -  youth  and old age

That which comes with us-  two-  sins , blessed  deeds

That  which cannot be  hidden -two – desire, sorrow

That which cannot be   avoided – two  -  hunger, thirst

That which we  cannot separate – two-  relationship, affection

That  which leads to destruction -  two-  jealousy, anger

That  which is equal to all- two-  birth, death

Story man receives a trophy

Story man receives a trophy

By

Story man 

As a boy I told stories to younger children,
And they called me Raja Anna,
AS uncle I have told stories to my nephews,.
They called me as Raja mama and Raja Chithappa,
I had told as Raja stories to my own children,
They both called me Appa
As an old man I told stories to thousands of children.
To them all I was known as Raja Thatha,
And when I arrived this time to my son’s home in USA,
I did start telling stories to my grand son Rahul,
And he immediately decided to call me as “Story man”,
And before Christmas when he met the Santa,
He said he does not need Anything but ,
He wanted Santa to give his story man a trophy,
And yesterday my darling grand son,
For the first time in the life of this old thatha,
Handed over this trophy from his Santa,
To his very , very dear old story man,
And this “story man” accepted it with grateful tears

One year is past and the story man keeps in his mind,
THe trophy he got from his dear grandson Rahul,
And the great trophy decorates his show case

The wail of Gandhari (Gandhari vilapam)

The wail  of Gandhari (Gandhari  vilapam)

By

Thunjathu   ezhuthachan

Translation    attempt by

P.R.Ramachander

(Note

 For very many years , one of my great   desire  was  to translate  this great  piece  of Malayalam literature. It occurs  in Mahabharatham kili pattu by  THunjathu  Ezhuthachan .Since  I did not have that  book, and also  because  I was  not able to get  , my dream was  unfinished. Few days back, my daughter

enacted  the role of  Gandhari extremely well.

Then I requested my friend  Sri Anantha narayanan  Vaidhyanathan for it  .Within an hour  I got the  needed  pages,In my translation   attempt I was not able   to bring   the  emotion of regal sorrow  of his great  work and this is the result  of my attempt  . Pardon me   for all errors and deficiencies.My grateful 

thanks  to my  friend  Sri Ananthanarayanan  Vaidhyanathan)

(When Gandhari   wished to see her sons and relations  who were lying dead  in the

battle field, the pandavas   and Lord Krishna  , took her  toKuru Kshethra.  Seeing the

dead people belonging  to both sides  lying there, with   extreme pain,

Gandhari   told  Lord Krishna)

“Oh   Krishna  , did you not see  , Bhagadatha,

The greatest  among kings   of this world,

Lying on earth   near his   elephant along with his bow,

Fell by the arrow sent by  the   son of   Indra,

Completely   decorating  himself  with blood, OhShiva, Oh Shiva”

.

“The divine son, who has   an auspicious ,

Pretty form resembling    an emerald   stone ,

The son  of ARjuna   whose fame is   beyond   words,

Oh  husband of a Gopi  maiden  ,   your nephew.

Why did   you not  prevent  him being killed

Is getting him  killed , very   interesting to you”            

“Do you not   have   even a slight   sorrow,

Seeing us  weep , with our  mind getting worried,

Is your mind  made  of stone? Though I feel  ,

That even a stone  would slightly  melt seeing all this,.”

“The land   where  DRona   was cremated is seen there

And was    he not a   Brahmin?,Oh mind, would  any one else,

Allow the   cruel Drishtadhyumna    to kill

That   very disciplined Guru?

Except   you  , Oh greatly    wise person”

“Alas , again   on the other side,

My son Dushasana   who has   a pretty body,

Lies there  , his   chest has been opened and blood  has been drunk

And oh son can I bear seeing   your chest,

And Oh Lord Krishna    , why did you  show all this to me,

As the fire   is burning    within my mind, Oh my god “

“Karna , the king   of Anga who is  very important,

To my children, is lying there   without his   ear globes

And his   neck is shining there and   the arrow,

Of the one who is greater  than all archers is lying there, Oh my god

His   body     is very pretty to see and oh god,

What is the reason that  his body is being ,

Torn and pulled   by   the dogs   and foxes , oh god”

“Oh  little one , Oh my  son, oh Duryodhana,

Your golden crown and magic of your  decorations,

Your   pride   and your   greatness like that of  king of devas,

Your majestic   look    and  beauty,

 Leaving all  those things  ,you have also,

Left   your  father  who was very dear to you,

Why did you leave all  that and suddenly depart,

And seeing   all this   my mind  is breaking in to pieces

You who normally  sleep   on the bed of silk,

Are   lying    down  on earth  , in  the bed of blood,

With  the stored great anger, BHeema beat you,

And killed   you breaking   your leg”

Saying all this  with great emotion of sorrow she wailed ,

  “I am not able   to see  all these,”

Gandhari then   ran, fell down on earth, rolled,

Again and again and   then she fainted,

Suddenly she woke  up and left  all her reservations and shouted,

“Oh Kesava  , in this earth  , I have not seen,

Any one    who is as cruel as you”

Gandhari again told   Krishna,

“YOu who have  very many friends,

Along with your entire family would  all  together die like this ,

Without any doubt when thirty six  years  go by”,

“It should   come like that  only ,  is the, ,

Firm desire     in my mind also  , Oh lady,

Good has happened   to you madam and  to me,

Possibly   that   is the resolve of great God.” Said Krishna

Do we have any Rama or Krishna temple in kerala and Tamil Nadu?

Do we have any Rama or Krishna temple in kerala and Tamil Nadu?

    This is one subject of discussion in QUORA

(https://www.quora.com/Do-we-have-any-Ram-or-Krishna-temple-in-Tamil-Nadu)

Collected  by

P.R.Ramachander

I tried to collect   as much information  as possible.I know it is very inadequate  and may be I have committed  many mistakes

1.Kerala

a.Rama   temples

I understand  that  in Kerala   there are about 3300  temples  belonging to various Gods   .Out of them  only  12  of them are  of Rama,

.The most important among them    are  TRiprayar    and Thiruvilwamala..

In almost   all these  temples  there  are  no temple   for Sita.

I understand   that  there  is one stand alone Sita   temple  in Kerala. .There are   also temples   dedicated  to Lakshmana  , BHaratha

And Sathrugna in Kerala.

  In spite  of lesser  number of  temples   dedicated   to Rama,  the major Bhakthi movement  in Kerala   is based   on Rama.Reading of

Ramayana is almost a must in all  Hindu houses

b.Krishna temples

I could not estimate   the number  of Krishna   temples   in kerala.  The most  important   among the  Krishna   temples,

are  Guruvayur  Bala Krishna, Amalapazha Parthasarathy   , Aranmula Parthasarathy and the  Neyyanthinkara Krishnan.

Keralites some   how have fascination to Bala Krishna  and Parthasarathy.To the best of my knowledge  there   are  no

Prathishta  of Goddesses  Rugmani  and Bhama  or Radha  in any of these  temples. THunchathu ezhuthachan     has also

translated  Bhagawatha .But it is not popular

2.Tamil nadu

 Tamilnadu   is supposed   to have 34000  temples.

a.Rama temples

Some one   has estimated that there   are about 60 Rama temples there  .The most famous are  Ramaswamy temple  of Kumbhakonam, the temples in Thirupullqani  , Vadalur etc,Very few of these  temples has  Sita as the goddess  and  Goddess Lakshmi  with various names  are  goddess  in these temples

The AZhvars the Vaishnavite  ministrels of God have sung lot about  Rama,.  In fact , Thiruvachan pillai  has  prepared   a book called “Pasurappadi amayanam by taking   lines from Pasurams.

A great composer called Arunachala Kavi Ramar, has written  A Ramayana using Carnatic  compositions  One of the major adaptation of Ramayana  by  Kamban  is followed In Tamil Nadu

b. Krishna  temples

Possibly   the number  of Krishna   temples  may be lesser than Rama temples  .The most important temples are   the THiruvallikkeni  Parthasarathy temple   and that of  Mannargud/ Thiruvarur , i   Raja Gopala temple . In a few temp0les  Rukmani  and Sathyabhama   are the goddesses.  I do not whether any ancient   translation of Bhagawatha is available.But there  are very large number  of  Vishnu temples  in Tamil Nadu.