தாத்தாவைப் பற்றி...

திண்ணை தொடர்பதிவில் என்னை யாரும் இணைக்கவில்லை. ஆனால் தாத்தாவைப் பற்றி பல முறை எழுத. 
நினைத்தேன்.

What was that old Thatha's name? He was a tenant in the front room of the house at Kanchi!. We were with mother ,and I was the PR of the family. Though did not know that time :-). I was hardly 8 years, but very silly and all playful. Missed my Dad most of the time, but did ot realise it then.

The diwali with that Thatha was fun. His room was overlooking the Thinnai  and he would be sitting regally on the Thinnai wearing pure white clothes and be clean all the time!

He bought some crackers and made me fire them.

I was wearing new " cheeti" pavaadai and mom was a little worried that i may burn myself. As usual Akka came and cautioned me and went back room, but I was on cloud nine firing gifted crackers . I might have been over enthu and Thatha could not answer my silly querries, He was tired I suppose.. but when  burnt my hand , I screamed ,  he scolded me!

Mom gave up on me , but Akka spread some oil on my palm. The hightlight was, I avoided the Thinnai for some days, fearing his wrath.
Why I remember him most is, because of the remark he made about me. He was approving my sis who was calm , docile, and "adakkam". Here I was tall for my age, and like a butterfly, on my feet all the time. He could not cope with my activity based life. 

He was a palm reader guy. he said after reading my palm  " she will never achieve anything big! She is too attention deficit. she cannot reach any heights, nor she will study big studies( Periay Padippu). "

That was what I remembered most of the time. Whenever I fell down in life 
and lost, I remembered his prediction. Then I come up with a vengence. 
I proved him wrong. My sisters and family think that I am the best of all!

But I still get his voice when I fail, and I use it to climb my next step .

Thanks thatha!

Now I know you should never ever discourage children with those mighty words!.

Noble PRize for you know who?

Outlook- Ramachandra Guha

//Nobel Longings 

After my talk, a lady comes up and introduces herself as a doctor, and an advisor to the Peace Institute. The names I had mentioned were all very good, she said, but surely it was time that the peace prize went to an Indian? She mentions the name of a fellow townsman of mine, a man who has grown long hair, given himself four fancy initials (HH/SS), and whose name is also that of a very great exponent of the sitar.

The Norwegian doctor had heard that this man had brought peace to Kashmir, and had promoted organic agriculture in thousands of Indian villages. She had been asked to promote his candidacy for the prize, and indeed the man himself had been to Oslo several times recently. She asked me if I would give my opinion on the matter.

I answered that so far as I knew, there was no peace in Kashmir. I observed that what the West refers to as ‘organic farming’ we knew as rain-fed agriculture—and that it is nothing new. Where there was no canal water and where they had little capital, millions of Indian farmers had, for the past thousands of years, grown crops without the use of any chemicals (and without any spiritual counselling) whatsoever.

Finally, I suggested to the doctor that if not giving Gandhi the prize was a scandal, awarding it to my fellow townsman would be an even bigger scandal.//

How sad!