Grass On The Other Side

They grumble when it rains, they grumble when it's cold and then they grumble when it's hot.

And I wonder why? The weather is not something we can control. It's got to be cold during winter, hot during summer and timely rains are actually a blessing. Complaining about the weather is not a smart thing to do.

Those in college can't wait to get out and start their career and those who are already employed yearn for their college days.

There is the famous hindi saying about shaadi ka laddu- 'Jo khaaye pachthaye, jo na khaaye lalchaye'.

Even the smaller things - There are those who have straight hair want to get it permed and those with nice curly hair spend lots of money to have it straightened.

One of my favorite anecdote is about the restaurant. Suppose we go to a restaurant with friends and each of us orders what we want. After we are served, somehow, what our friends have ordered always looks better than what is in front of us.

Why does this happen, I wonder? Why is it so hard for some of us to appreciate what we have? Why yearn for what's over or worse - what someone else has?

My Latest Wish

I came across this picture while googling images for 'Darjeeling'. Isn't it beautiful, awesome, amazing (add other superlatives)? I am so taken in by this scene that I want to go to Darjeeling, ride the 'Toy Train', catch a glimpse of the mighty Himalayas, breathe a lungful of fresh air...
(Sigh!)

One Of My Favorite Jokes

Read this somewhere

It's every man's dream :
To be as handsome as his mother thinks,
To be as rich as his child thinks,
And have as many affairs as his wife suspects!

My Blogging Type

Your Blogging Type Is Thoughtful and Considerate

You're a well liked, though underrated, blogger. You have a heart of gold, and are likely to blog for a cause. You're a peaceful blogger - no drama for you! A good listener and friend, you tend to leave thoughtful comments for others.

What's Your Blogging Personality?

Obedience

"Obedience"- That's a word I haven't heard or read recently. Neither in the media nor from friends and relatives. I remember, when we had letter writing assignments in school in both hindi and english. We would be asked to write a letter to a parent, which would be signed, Your obedient son/daughter, aapka aagyakari beta/beti.

Has obedience become old- fashioned now? Have parents stopped giving aadesh because children don't listen anyway. 'Let me live my life and you live yours', seems to be the motto.

Forgive me for being old fashioned but I think parents need to tell their children, especially about our culture and traditions. There is no excuse for not carrying on some of our timeless practices (that would be another post). I imagine children telling their parents and grandparents - 'I love you' (but don't tell me what to do).

Whatever happened to "Maathru Devobhava, Pithru Devobhava, Guru Devobhava, Acharya Devobhava, Athithi Devobhava"?

My Solo Trip

The most adventurous trip I have ever gone to is the trip to Tirupati, alone.

After finishing my final year B.E. exams, I was quite anxious about my results. My brother was in Bangalore that time. At home in Chennai, I pestered my parents that we make a trip to Tirupati. Since they couldn’t come, I went alone.
The train was at 6.30am. I believe it was 6.28 when I reached the station as I had to run to get in and reached Tirupati at 9.30am.
After visiting the temple at Tirupati, I started the uphill journey by foot from Alipiri, alone!
Once uphill, I made my way to the Uttaradi Math for accommodation, remembering the way my brother showed when we had gone there 6months earlier.

I had packed only 1 blanket to keep my luggage light. What I didn’t know was that it was terribly cold there during November. In the middle of the night, I woke up, shivering and I saw a lady sleeping, had a shawl folded and spread on her pillow. I woke her asking, ‘Ajji, swalpa nim shawl kodee’. (Please give me your shawl). She did. Thank you Lady...

In the morning I had a refreshing (to mind, body and soul) bath at the famous Pushkarni and joined the looooong queue of Tirumala for the darshan of Lord Venkateshwara.

It was the moment I had waited for the last several months. The darshan is truly magical as anyone who has had will know. The Lord was dressed in silks and ornaments from head to toe. It takes a seasoned pilgrim not to be disturbed by the TTD people who push you and to concentrate only on Him.

In the laddu queue which was opposite the temple those days, I stood in the shade, that made a security person tell me ‘Po ma laddu teesko’ pointing to the counter meaning ‘Go and collect the laddu’. I thought to myself- there are at least 30 people waiting already; if I jumped the queue won’t they attack me?

Well what do you know just then trays of the much awaited laddus arrived and when that person told me again, I quickly rushed to the counter and collected my share of prasadam (yeah, out of turn)!!

It was about 4pm when I reached Tiruchanoor the abode of Padmavati, wife of Sri Venkateshwara. After Her darshan, I remembered (wrongly) that my train back to Chennai was at 5.30pm from Tirupati.
I rushed to the station only to find the train had left at its scheduled time of 5.25p.m. My watch showed 5.30. What difference a few minutes could make!

Anyway it ended well as I took a bus and reached Chennai bus stand by 10pm. It was 10.40pm when I reached home and I had exactly 10Rs. left in my purse. Truly, a memorable trip!

Calvin And Self - Esteem

Calvin: "The bad grade is lowering my self- esteem"
Mrs. Wormwood: "Work harder so you don't get a bad grade"
Calvin: "Your denial of my victimhood is lowering my self- esteem."

Sometimes, it's easy to slip into the 'victim' mindset.

It's tempting to blame parents, teachers, bosses and circumstances for things that have gone or are going wrong. I know people who have spent a major part of their lives pathetically blaming almost everyone around them for their state of affairs.

Isn't time too precious to be spent in playing the blame game? So much energy is wasted in ruminating and wishing 'If only...' Parents always do their best with the available resources at that time.

I've always wondered why is it so hard for some of us to let go of the past, knowing fully well that it can't be undone. Why doesn't acceptance happen sooner?

Invisible Calvin

Reminds you of Emperor’s new clothes doesn’t it? That was some story!!

There’s a saying in kannada when translated means, ‘The cat closes it’s eyes while drinking milk stealthily and thinks no one is watching it.’

"I am Looking For A Girl..." - Part 7

'We are a combination of orthodox and present day requirements.'
(this guy's been in IT for too long!)

"My family love family values, and they love to live together. "
(ah, the ideal family)

"My younger Brother is a Business man, he is doing High level business. His qualification is MA., MCA., doing MBA and Ph.d.(computer).He haave a car , he earned multicrore valuable assets. He haave 3 elder sisters and one elder Brother,all are married and well settled . Myself take care of him. He is clean habit , poius,We are seeking a Fair bride with clean habit well educated and well settled, height-5.0" to 5.7" , weight -47 kg to 60 kg.in any FC/ BC in any community ,any religion with in INDIA."
(thats a lot of varied degrees!)

"i have good charecter i have very good family baground
About My Family :we have orthodox family. About My Partner: fair and good girle"
(seriously, spellcheck?)

"LET ME TELL ON MYSELF I HAVE DONE BE IN MECHANICAL FROM BANGALORE INST TECHNOLOGY BANGALORE
INTRESTS:SWIMMING,WELL
Family: elder sister married in BOMBAY. elder brother married. i am last"
(im not telling anything!)

The Biggest Disease Is The Feeling Of Being Unwanted

“Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.” Mary Kay

"The biggest disease is the feeling of being unwanted." Mother Teresa

How true are these lines! Isn't that an important need?

Although I wonder how important each of us is. I mean there is what's called "V.I.P" but does anything stop because one person is not there? Is anyone indispensable? How long will anyone mourn should we die?
It's not who we are but what we have - the knowledge, looks, power, youth or money. But minus all of them isn't each person still worth something?

KT

In Mahabharata, Lord Krishna says 'When a person dies, what we really lose is the knowledge and experience that the person takes away with him or her'. That's why when Bheeshmacharya was on his death bed (of arrows), Krishna gets Yudhishtira and his brothers to listen to Acharya's sermon. This forms an important parva in Mahabharata.

Even in the corporate world we hear terms like, 'Years of experience', 'Knowledge sharing sessions' and 'Lesson Learnt'. Before leaving the organisation give all the information to the next person!

I wonder why sometimes we don't learn from those who have more 'experience' in life than us. The older people in our family or friends circle who have gained a wealth of knowledge by living, making mistakes and having learnt from them.

I am glad I spent 4 years in my ajji's house during my college days. Initially I used to fight and argue with her over many things but then I learnt to see the wisdom in what she had to say. Some of her many advices were, "Trust in God, obey your elders and work very hard", "Learn to be grateful for what you have and don't grumble".

My father's favorite advice was, "When money is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, everything is lost". Now that neither of them are around, their memories and words are my treasure.

Although their advice doesn't sound pleasant, in the long run they are proved right.

Importance Of Punctuation

A profile on blogspot.

Age: 15
Gender: Male
Zodiac Year: Monkey
Occupation: I'm studying guys.
Location: India

A Memorable Visit To Udupi

A long cherished dream came true last weekend. I visited Udupi for the first time with my mum and brother. 3 days of great food, scenic locations, darshan and most of all some QUIET!

After reaching Udupi on sunday afternoon, we had a (great) lunch first and darshan next! As per custom, we first visited the Chandramouleeshwara, Anantheshwara and then Krishna at the Krishna Math. He is 'Muddhu Krishna' no doubt. He is so endearing!



In the evening we went to Paajaka, the birthplace of Madhwacharya (above pic). Durga Betta - as the name suggests, is a temple for Durga on a hill top. Both places are calm, serene and full of positive vibrations. In Paajaka, we could see the spots related to the events in Acharya's childhood. Like where he started his 'aksharabhyasa', the tamarind tree where he repaid his father's debt through tamarind seeds which turned to gold in the hands of the creditor.

On monday afternoon, after a great lunch at Udupi Math, we hired a taxi to visit the nearby places: First stop: Anegudde Vinayaka at Kumbhasi. The name Kumbhasi rang a bell with my mother and I and we enquired if this place had anything to do with Saint Sri Vadiraja. It did. Hoovinakere which is only 4kms from Kumbhasi is the birthplace of the saint. On the way to Hoovinakere there are paddy fields on either side and the greenery was a relief to our tired eyes! We saw the field 'Gowri gaddhe' (above pic) where Sri Vadiraja was born. There is a small idol of the saint within the field. This visit was unexpected and we were happier for it.

Next stop: Hattiangadi Siddhi Vinayaka. Then Kollur Mookambika. The road to Kollur has thick forests on either side. After darshan we left for Sringeri. Night stay.After darshan the next morning of Sringeri Sharadamba and the other sannidhi (below pic), we knew one thing - we have to come back again to this serene ashram. The place has such a calming effect.

Next stop: Dharmasthala. Greenery again and it had started to drizzle! 'Beautiful' is the word I could think of as we approached the place. The Manjunatheshwara linga is consecrated by Sri Vadiraja. The most crowded of all the temples we saw so far. Judging by the number of people, I guess this could be one of the richest temples in South India.


Anyway, after a good lunch we left for Kukke Subrahmanya.The road was covered with thick forest on either sides (again!). It was a treat for my eyes that only looks at the computer monitor otherwise. There were many streams along the way and I asked the car to be stopped to take pictures.

Kukke Subrahmanya is frequented by those who have Kalasarpa dosha in their horoscopes. The river here is called 'Kumaradhara' and the main deity is Subrahmanya or Karthikeya who killed the demon-snake Tarakasura. There is also a Samputa- Narasimha temple built by Madhvacharya and the idol is worshipped by the Saint of Subrahmanya Math. It is such a quaint and quiet place. We stayed on there as our bus to Bangalore was at 9.30 P.M.

It was the best trip I have had in a looong time. The next long weekend is during Christmas....

It Irks Me

It irks me to see people wear inappropriate clothes to a place of worship. I am a temple regular and I always wear a salwar kameez and a dupatta.
Saree would be ideal for women but salwar kameezes are accepted almost everywhere (recently, even in Guruvayur, Kerala). I don't see why girls should come dressed in jeans, capris and tight, short tops to a temple.
If that's what they are wearing while travelling and only 'dropped by' at a temple, I still think it's not ok. Would they go to a party with oiled hair and old clothes? Why this indifference to temples? Do they want attention or are they trying to break a tradition and feeling good about it?
It's etiquette to follow dress code whether it's a place of worship or place of work.

'I am Looking For A Girl...' - Part 6

"WITH KNOWLEDGE OF KANNADA ,AND SHE MUST BE RESPECT FOR PARENTS AND RELIGION.IN ONE WORD I WISH MY PARTNER SHOULD BE MODERN BY LOOK AND RELIGIOUS BY HEART.. MY FAMILY CONSISTS OF ONE YOUNGER BROTHER HAVING HIS OWN IDEAS,MOTHER IS HOUSE WIFE AND FATHER IS STATE GOVT EMPLOYEE. "
(In one word- really?)

"I am putup from Challakere in Chitradurga Dist. My father is retaired Master. I have cool minded and having knowledge in acting, script writing, composing, editting,etc. I am working in Management college as Asst. Librarian. Staying alone, want to be a Mane Aliya in future Honestly. Looking for: self respected, homely. religious and community respectable. lovable to all, good looking, always cheering attitude, working in any field My Family: My all parents, brother and relatives are in my native place with own house "
(Aliya Mane Tholiya)

"I AM BRAD MINDED, ALSO GOOD NATURE, GENTALE MAN BEHAVIER, I AM ASLO WORKING AS COMPUTER OPERATOR.Looking for: GOOD LOVING NATURE, BRAD MINDED. "
(Looking for Angelina?)

"I am a Adjustable person. Does not talk much. but not reserved. Like to listen what others say. Soft hearted and simple person. Like to listen to music and watch movies. Love to travel and calm, scenic places. I am pursuing AMIE and MBA. My Family: Father is also in engineering buisness. His ancestors are from udipi. Mother is a home maker. she is from kasargod. Brother is an ICWA, working as AGM in MNC. Living seperately. His wife is a housewife. Sister MCOm, Former railway player, working in Railways now in bombay. "
(Your father's ancestors are not yours?)

"HI HAVING CYBER CAFE'S , Simple lifestyle. I'M THIN SHAPED BODY,ENJOY AND MY FAMILY MOTHER, SISTER & HER BABY GIRL NAME CHAYA SIRI. MY CYBERCAFE IS TO BE IN THE TOP THREE OF WORLD . It is growing bit faster. WITHIN A YEAR 3 TO 8 SYSTEM IM PLANNING TO TAKE A BIG PLACE WERE I CAN PUT ATLEST 30 TO 40 SYSTEM Looking for: GOOD IN NATURE UNDERSTANDING & FRIENDLY WHO IS ABLE TO ADIVES & PLAN TO IMPRU OUR FAMILY STATUS. My Family: I'm having 1 sister who is married at presently she is living with us due to illness and her baby chayasiri who is such girl with friendly natureMy bother in law who is ass pro in bio-chemistry in centrals collage bangalore. "
(thanks for making me laugh)

My First Homepage

I created my first Homepage about 6 years ago, at the following URL: http://geocities.com/ag_sreedevi/ I had the photo scanned (didn't have a digital camera those days). Edited the text several times and was quite proud when I finally posted it online!
My homepage is not about me. I didn't know that a homepage was a place for us to write about ourselves!!! Anyway, I didn't have much to write then.