Melbourne Fresh Daily: EAGLE SCULPTURE

Melbourne Fresh Daily: EAGLE SCULPTURE: "Eagle" is a beautiful sculpture standing 25 metres or about seven storeys high. It is by Bruce Armstrong, one of the most important sculpto...

This site if a great one for anyone appreciating the armchair travelling habit. My appreciations always go to the  administrators of Melbourne City.
Most of the suburbs of Melbourne has been covered by Blogger friend Nick. His enthusiasm in sharing his city specials is amazing.

While I saw this sculpture and the narrative, I was wondering about our own cities/skylines of towns, beaches. Apart from installing huge idols of garishly painted , badly done up images of Gods/leaders, we have no appreciation of contemporary art.

Under A Dangerous Motto | Pushpa Iyengar

Under A Dangerous Motto | Pushpa Iyengar

It is so rare , one comes across honest IAS offciials. I felt like sharing it with my blog friends. This is old story, he might have moved on, but at the way in which Alex Paul Menon , another IAS, is on the news, this story is worth circulating.

The Curious Hat: Rural Tech Bio?

The Curious Hat: Rural Tech Bio?

A wonderful write up about a young man, and his interest in taking the BPO to rural area .

Summer - priorities- water management

Ok, everyone is reeling under the heated atmosphere. Another kind of heat is generated at random at home. Whenever a tap is opened, it will give stress to others. " Are they using water judiciously" is the hook that appears in the mind. If it is a helper, she will be more interested in finishing her chores and rushing home, by using the tap full  flow. The alert is more sharper.

                                      (Courtesy Google)

This gives rise to heated arguments, and admonishments.

Meanwhile, the overhead tank, the sump, are almost empty, giving anxiety to the head of the house. The freshwater tap, that is 6 feet under, comes to life, but once a week, for half an hour or so.

The search for the water tanker is on.. then comes the shock that water is costly. Even borewell water. A small tanker of 5 thousand litres costs , in march, 400, in end of march 1100! Welcome to Secunderabad area of the twin cities.

All these dramas are not played out in old city/hyderabad metro water supply areas. It is only on the cantonment stretch, the sinner do not get water supply for summer months. Very fair!

                                   (Courtesy The Hindu)

The citizens/netas are doing their bit. Finding out why / and why not, and the nuances of public administration, where words are used to only explain vaguely , how water supply cannot be regulated,  in Cantonment area.

Anyone who reads that,will wonder,what a dispute between Govt. departments, got to do with supply in my taps? But citizen is the last one to understand and appreciate administrative constraints, or ego problems or lack so sensitivity on the part of officials. They are sitting in big huge AC rooms with water flowing in houses without any problem so cares for ordinary middle and lower class guys. 

Meanwhile many of the houses have decided to take law in their own hands. Many have installed illegal pumps to suck the water , as and when supplied.

 So there it goes, another bothersome hook to alert the mind.When we notice our neighbours using the pumps for suction of drinking water, we get into arguments with them, and  a small fight. Every time we meet them near the compound walls, we need  to avert our gazes with  anger,  to keep our watch over them and our moral high ground.

Yes, we have charged our wells and borewell with rain water harvesting. But what is the use of only two houses in ten doing that?

Anyway , back to the daily grind. When we get the tanker after shelling out 1100, the head of the house has a good night sleep. But he admonishes all concerned, "careful" with a scowling glance at the terrace.I react with a sad,and dejected " may be we have to let those die". he gives me a deadly look and I grin to diffuse the atmospheric.

Meanwhile ,I am raking my brain.
Who is wasting water?
Where is it used more?
How to keep the dog area clean without using too much  water?
How many times should I use the washing machine?
Should I start regulating the supply pipe itself?

Most important , how to keep those plants alive ,and regulate water supply to them.

My domestic helper believes , just by throwing water over any area it gets cleaned, without using the broom, which is a strain on her health!If I restrict her , and start watching, my life gets more miserable. Unless I turn a blind eye, she gets mad at me! She loves  to  throwing water indiscriminately,while watering the plants, letting the water flow out with enough gushing noise alerting the neighborhood!

                              (courtesy Google)

So restricting her is the first job.I have a big talk with her and bring her into the planning and executing stages. "I should wash most of the clothes by hand, and collect the water and transfer it to the plants". easy.

In the kitchen, I get the tap regulated . I also make arrangements to collect the draining water in big basins, and use it for the hardy plants. The soap water is not acceptable to plants. I switch over to dear Rita powder/soap nut powder/Besan .Utensils are washed with utmost care, using paper for cleaning them first and then with little scrub and water.

The tea water and rice washed water are all used judiciously for plants. The plants are getting good nourishment now.

The most important area of terrace garden, needed more thoughts and expenditure. First I bought about 200 plastic plates/ small basins. Placed most of the plants in them. Bought full length pipe and started watering process carefully. For bigger pots, I have inserted pet bottles with holes and poured only that much water into them.
Hey, there is no draining of excess water now. whatever is collected in the plates, holders, is used back . Only fallout is lifting those pots all the time and checking for extra moisture. Tiresome, but temporary inconvenience.

Meanwhile, thanks to those years of re-charging the borewell, it is giving atleast 200 litres of water once in every 5 hours or so. Our daily schedule  ticks with the thought of water pumping, closing the pump, next  scehedule etc ..

Only mangoes and jasmine makes the summer bearable.

Lots of mistakes in this page, but I am mad right now and want to
share it with everyone!

River Ganga , again in news- 2

I had posted in January 2012 about our sacred River Ganga here.

Once again, I see another article published in this lovely page from Gobar Times. I would like to keep harping about cleaning this rivers. And hope readers will bear with me.

Just wonder whether the river will  flow,  in its formal glory in my life time?

மின்னற் பொழுதே தூரம்: பனித்தவளைகள், ஐஸ்வைனுடன் உருவான சர்க்கரைநோய்

மின்னற் பொழுதே தூரம்: பனித்தவளைகள், ஐஸ்வைனுடன் உருவான சர்க்கரைநோய்

Salute to Brave Hearts - Simple folks.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               Photo: G.N. Rao

"In a heart-rending tragedy, eight children between the ages of five and ten years, were killed and 20 others seriously injured when the school bus in which they were returning home plunged into a stream in Khammam district on Tuesday afternoon.

Around 40 students of L.V. Reddy Memorial School were packed into the bus after the driver picked them up from Vepalagadda village in Kothagudam mandal. The bus suddenly fell off a narrow bridge which had no parapet wall across Peddavagu stream, eyewitness in Tungaram village in Chandrugonda mandal said. The driver fled the scene after the accident, but was allegedly assaulted by some irate villagers near Malabanjara village in Kothagudem mandal late in the night.

Six students died instantaneously while two others succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Kothagudem. Local shepherds rushed to the rescue of the children and saved many of them from drowning.

Rash and negligent driving, the narrow road abutting the stream and the poor condition of the vehicle proved fatal for the hapless children, all of whom belonged to families of weaker section."

Courtesy The Hindu

You would wonder why should anyone reproduce the newspaper item as a blog post.

This is a tragedy,yet brave people have made a difference.

I was reminded once again about this, today in my mail. Another person  forwarded this item , which I thought is fit enough to be commended and brought to the notice of all my blog friends.

"Dharma Seethya Nayak, a shepherd, saved 25 children by pulling them out of the water.12- year-old displayed alacrity by hanging onto the window with one arm and pulling six of his friends.The little boy was drowned in applause, appreciation and recognition of his selfless act in saving six children when the school bus in which they were travelling in Khammam district plunged into a stream on the afternoon of March 20. Eight students lost their lives in the accident.

But for someone as young, the praise did not go to Praveen Prakash's head and he remembered his conversation with the cleaner, who was driving the ill-fated bus of the L.V. Reddy Memorial School packed with 40 children. “When I asked him why he was behind the wheel, he threatened to hit me and asked me to keep quiet. Minutes later, our bus nosedived off the bridge into the Peddavagu near Tungaram,” he recalled.

At a felicitation organised by the Andhra Pradesh Balaka Hakula Sangham (APBHS) here on Sunday, he said that after going through the harrowing experience, his only thought was that such an accident should not recur, anywhere in the world.

Soon after the swirling waters enveloped the bus, the 12- year-old displayed alacrity by hanging onto the window with one arm and pulling six of his friends, one after the other onto the top of the bus.

Dharma Seethya Nayak, a shepherd who was watching over his animals grazing nearby, saved 25 children by pulling them out of the water. His initially thought that a plane had come crashing down.

“Such was the noise and once I saw it was a bus, I did what I could, to save the students,” said the brave man who incidentally lost his grandson in the accident.

They were felicitated by Hyderabad Police Commissioner A.K. Khan in the presence of APBHS president Achyuta Rao and others.

Mr. Khan said he would ensure that proposals are sent to Central government, recommending Praveen Prakash and Seethya Nayak for award of the Prime Minister's Life-Saving Medal saying their act deserved recognition at the national-level."

The humane , selfless help by Dharma Seethya Nayak and  Praveen Prakash , needs to be appreciated, this day, when we doubt humanity is dying in our collective psyche.

Here, these innocent people have proved again, that good hearts are alive and kicking.

I salute them.

Rain water harvesting - World Water Day

Today is World Water Day. As I was reading my subscribed blogs, I came across some socially aware pages in regional languages.

One was in Tamizh, written by Ms.Gomathi Arasu at http://mathysblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/blog-post_21.html

The blogger gave a reference to Sri. Vincent -, who is a pioneer in green movement, in his own simple ways. His blog in Tamizh is informative, with many tips on how to live in harmony with nature and how to ensure, that the land stays green. He has lot of innovative ideas on growing plants, in containers, and on terrrace.
http://maravalam.blogspot.in/2010/03/blog-post_10.html

Here is a video uploaded by Sri. Vincent in respect of water conservation, worth viewing and circulating too.
http://maravalam.blogspot.in/2010/03/40.html

Another interesting historical fact about the fall of Agra fort and the deafeat of ShahJahan, by his son, using the water shortage here
http://maravalam.blogspot.in/

Water conservation - A compulsion of our times , is the blog written by Sri.Mohd. Ali here http://pettagum.blogspot.in/2012/03/blog-post_4408.html

Mr.Ali has been vocal about how to save the rain water, and how to harvest it.  I would like to give a gist of what he has explained in the following paragraph.

"Rain water can be harvested, either for direct use, or for storing below the ground level.There are some basic procedures to be followed for storing under the ground level, thus increasing the water table. The rain water harvesting programme instituted by TN government(while Ms.JJ was the CM ) did improve the water table in Chennai.

Another important point is that the existing wells  should not allowed to go to seed, or closed. The rain water can easily be channeled for collection in to the wells. This will surely improve the water table in that area, apart from increasing the quality of water.

The borewells which are dug out above the rock table and not too deep, also need to be replenished with rain water harvesting. This will improve the water levels in the borewells and will be useful in summer months"

I would like to share that , ten years ago, we connected pipes on the terrace, to the dried up well and started collecting rain water. We have also left lot of area unpaved around the house.  Apart from the well, we also let the water flow into the borewell area, to soak the water in.

This summer there is serious water shortage in Hyderabad . There are no tankers available on demand, and it takes 10 days to even get one . The Government water supply is seriously hampered , and they are distributing tankers , if booked, once a month only.

Needless to say, so far , we are getting water in our borewell, sufficient for our daily use. Thanks to rain water harvesting.:-)

Updated on 30th March 2012

This topic is hot right now, hot due to weather,a nd due to lack of water availability.
Here is another link about rain water harvesting, wish Governments and people take notice.

http://bangalore.citizenmatters.in/articles/view/4026-water-gandhi-in-limca-book-of-records?s=rss

Thanks to Water Gandhi, somewhere someone cares.

Added on 13.05.2012 Motehr's day

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/360-degree/water-starved-water-stressed-008
Interesting ideas from an expert! Hope govt. takes note.

புதிய முறையில் மின்சார தயாரிப்பு

This is about generating electricity in a unique way, which is gaining popularity in USA,. I have requested for permission to write about this in English.
Please bear with me till then.
Meanwhile here are the links available on Internet.

http://www.bloomenergy.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._R._Sridhar

I wonder whether it will be possible for our Govt. to consider this idea for easing the power situation. I wonder whether any such move is already on the cards?

Thanks.

Sujoy Ghosh, Kahaani, Hindi Movies

I can hear the exasperation, oh.. another review of the movie.

Fear not, it is not.

I do not want to review the movie . That has been aptly done by our best movie critic Anupama Chopra here.http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Reviews/Anupama-Chopra-s-review-Kahaani/Article1-823366.aspx

I want to say, here,at last, is a director , who know what he is doing. He does it very well. The actors, do not matter, The music, you do not actually pay attention to. The names that role on the screen before and during the movie, do not ring any bell , except some old guards. In fact , I did not even know who the director was. I only heard that he had directed/written some movies earlier and was not talk of the town.

The best part of any good movie is , after viewing it, you wonder, hey, how did he do that? Who is this man who did such a good movie, without any fanfare? How did he keep the suspense tight? Without any glamour?

As soon as the movie is finished, all of you keep talking to each other exclaiming.. oh this is due to this... etc..

You come home, and check Google, and get very little information , but useful one. An interview in TOI here with the director http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-11/news-interviews/31145194_1_kahaani-sujoy-ghosh-aladin



For a long time, the movie's questions and answers linger on. A thriller in Hindi, come on, there in no Hitchcock here to give us an entertaining script, is what many would exclaim.



I would say, yes, here is Sujoy Ghosh , who could deliver a thrilling movie experience , without any frills, with a good dialogue, and a tight editing. All those  actors,from Bengal, hats off to you. At last we are treated to, what Bengal can do to Hindi screens. Simple, unpretentious, and real acting!

                           (Courtesy Times of India)

Vidya Balan, took a good risk , and reaped a big applause. But she could pull it off, because of all those actors who complemented her with their natural acting, all the dialogues that were used to enhance the movie, and the director, who stood out.

Take a bow , Sujoy Ghosh, you have arrived, and in the Cinegoer's hearts.

                              (Courtesy Hindustan Times )

Brutality in marriage, relationship

I chanced upon  the write up by Meena Kandasamy , in Outlook magazine, about the abusive relationship she was in.http://www.outlookindia.com/feedbacks.aspx?typ=100&val=280179

With mounting shock , I went though it . I could not believe my eyes - Meena known for her bold literary achievements, a popular young writer who is a celebrity? Was it a real life story , or a piece of fiction?. Went though to the last line, validating along the way, I found it could be her story. Brutalised, scarred. sad.

Why will anyone write in detail,  about their relationship, baring their heart out? Intimate life becomes a open book, for all, to open anytime and refer to. It needs a lot of courage put the agonizing moments in a relationship ,in words .

May be it gave the author a sense of deliverance sharing it with other though print. It might be setting her free of the events, the shock and the aftermath.

And I hope it did . She is someone who has a wonderful potential to enjoy life and what it offers her. She is not meant to be under some Rakshasha who can posses her body  and soul.

I am sure she is already on to a healing process, and has taken  advices from experts in the field.

I can only wish her to get well soon.

But this post is not only about Meena.

In case you have seen the comments to that article in outlook, there are some people who have hidden under  "male unblocked" and " YHWH',who have vented their frustration in vague sentences. It looks like they are very much against Meena. Secondly, they are cribbing that the males will never talk about their relationships openly, and no media is interested in publishing their point of view.

I only feel, if they find that media is unwilling to publish  their version ,why don't they publish articles in newspapers, cribbing about their life, as an advertisement? who is stopping them from  writing blogs , as many as they want?

 I agree men too suffer in marriages. But they do not have courage to face it. They want to cover it up, to show the world they are macho and the everything is perfect. If it is failure, they feel, the world will treat them as incapable, and they want to be capable you see?

Many of the men who brutalise their wives , are insecure. Insecurity in their outside life, makes them behave like a tyrant inside the house. They are in control only at the house, outside they pretend to be very good, pliable and obliging. But all the time, their anger is building up and they have to release the frustration at home. If the partner is willing to cooperate in this show of strength, gone!!!. From day one the territory is marked, and the woman has to continue to endure abuses, brutality and give up her body , identity and  wont stop short till it claims her soul too. She is left mute and soulless, and the release comes when one of them dies.

This was the pattern in abusive marriages, in our country. The women used to suffer, only the family knew it. No word will spread outside. The society expected her to continue for the sake of children, financial security and " pativrata" image. Lack of support from parents and fear of destitution left them with no choice. And a separate chapter  is needed to write about the  children growing up in such atmosphere. This behaviour was not connected to educated persons or rich or poor. It happened in all societies and economic strata.

But those days are gone. Male unblocked can vent his feeling now, he can go to family, to court, to the parents on both sides, community and get solace. He can forge new liaisons and get out of the marriage too.

Similarly, now , I am relieved that woman have come out in the open about abusive men. The man in question may be a famed professor / write/publisher/ smart political personality/rickshaw puller/coolie/goonda, whatever.

Women are not scared to say what happened. They are not scared , to share their suffering. They want others to know it. They have financial freedom, they have education, they have faith in themselves , and know that their own identity is most important to live life.

 Even after loosing all, in a  abusive relationship,they can build their life once again.

They are moving on, finding  better mates, who can understand them, and treat them as equals.

But, it takes time to catch up. Parents, society, siblings need to give support. I understand the institution of marriage is crumbling, but if marriage is among unequal partners, and it is only brutalisation, it is better to let it crumble.

All those marriages where love and understanding, sharing, rules, is still very strong. There are many young men, who are caring, want their wives to have a good life and are interested in encouraging them to pursue their interests. And it is heartening to not that their tribe is growing.

So back to Meena's story and the comments. I do not know whether it is true or only a story, but it happened to a educated young achiever , is sad.

Whether male unblocked is having any problems , I do not know.

Men and women need to accept that there are problems in their marriages, or with their personalities.

Once they accept and face the issue,, they can  seek  professional  advice from experts, specialists. Find out whether they can solve their problems , if they can give a try to get back their life , with love.

If not it is better to end it and move on, instead of being violent/ bitchy. It is better for them and better for the society.

Pet peeve of the year!

Power Cuts. I can hear the chorus, Awa.. Come on. We are all suffering.

Suffering, alright.  What do we do when we encounter suffering? We try to manage. For some time.When the suffering becomes routine? We try to device methods to tackle it. 

If it does not go, we howl and protest and scream. Oppose.

I would like to add Power cuts to this list of suffering.

It is suffering for the housewife, for the student, for the office goes, for the small scale entrepreneurs, for Industry. For the elderly and ailing , it is nightmare. For farmers it is life and death.

I have added almost everyone, but not added leaders, Big bosses,  govt. department cabins, Big industrialists, and  entertainment big wigs. I wonder, when the power is cut in homes/villages, the above listed people too , are put to inconvenience? I doubt!

Mind you, the people who are deciding when to cut power , the people who are deciding when to increase the production, alternate methods of energy  etc, do not know how it feels to have power cuts.

If you say, it is not true, everyone suffers, I would ask, then why no solace since decades?

Tariff has been increased, I am sure people are ready to pay more even, how come alternate methods to tackle this problem, has not been pronounced so far.

We have had budgets, we have had plans, but power problems are increasing. Is there a blue print for power reforms? If yes, why it was not even discussed?

Corruption is discussed for days in Parliament, but this "Bijlee" is not discussed even one.

I am probably right to say, the persons who matter, do not know about effects of power cuts.

It has been decades, since dawn of power cuts.

There has been any number of plans for development, over 60 years, any number of "Vision statements".

There are young leaders, spending time in huts and share meals, does anyone share power cuts? I have not heard.

While travelling in posh localities, I see billboards, with stars, media and other commercials are shining big, while my suburban household locality is in darkness.

                                         (courtesy Google)

How we live in mayajaaal land. 

We watch apologetic ministers, explaining the fiscal deficit, power shortage, nuclear energy blah blah

Do big bosses have special connections, I wonder, when others in the locality are all sweating it out, and the standing crops wilting? Does the common man have any idea of the power consumption bills paid by the government? Is it available in the public domain?

People! its time to wake up.  Question your ward leaders, question your MLAs, Question your media. Ask what they are doing for changing this situation, the wastage, the uncaring attitude.

Question your leaders, when they say you have to bear it. Question your heroes, when they do not stop wastage of power. Question the local supply office, their bosses, flood them with letters.

As long as we tolerate, and do not ask, things will be "like this only, we are Indians."

                                                        (Courtesy Google )

Change of Name

Yes, I did it. I changed the name of the blog from Dream Spaces to "My clutter , My life"

The reason being, I was told by a good , well meaning , Twitter friend that " dream Spaces" sounds like a real estate blog.:-)

I agreed with him, since the Google search was showing many places for renting!

Hope you will , all , bear with me , and accept this new title with the same enthusiasm, or with a little more enthusiasm.

Keep visiting and post your good suggestions/comments.

Road rage-neighbour

Road rage is the in thing nowadays. I know to call it in-thing is not right. But,I see it all over the roads. In Hyderabad, the traffic is world famous, with no regard for red lights, or safety of other users. Jiske jee me aya vaise chalayenghe. Sab chalta hai. Poor traffic police guys, they do try to challan, for helmets, for light jumping, but how much they can do?

The more the cars, the more the cab drivers, the more the upstart owners of flashy cars, the more “marad” label on the sleeves-guys , show–offs who wants to show who the boss is ,( only on the road,) who are always wanting to be first ( go ahead first ), the more the headache for law abiding road users.

This is not limited to roads alone. The show-off driving can be taken to any extreme. While driving a scooter , guys will press accelerator, and whatever else to show they can speed, they can whrrrrroooom and they are the boss! Imagine them own a car:Itt is headache-time for all around.

Why? I do not understand, God, they have to show off to others, at others’ peril?

This page was in draft for the last two days, as I wanted my reaction to settle down before publishing.

We live in a cul-de sac, with only 4 bungalows on the road. The other side is a big wall. It is a serene road, and a pleasant one. Sadly, for the past year or so, we have a neighbour, who is not, simply , not, for this neighbourhood. He is loud in everyway, his wife will be screaming at her kid, the kid will be screaming at the maids,his co-players , his mother,all on the calm road .

The guys’s car will blare music even when it is parked, and worst of all , his use of horn is hysterical. When he makes a U turn into our lane ( all quiet lanes) his horn will announce his arrival minutes before. He needs to announce his homecoming in whatever style, at whatever time of the day/night, however late, thus disturbing the people who might be asleep.

To top it all, he takes the car in reverse every day with a maximum speed , without horn! He does not care who is in front of him. He will reverse, and he hit one of our workers, mixing cement on the road side , sending him running for his life, and throwing his tools in the air. We were all stunned to speak, he simply accelerated and was out of our colony in a jiffy.
What was appalling, he did not wait to see , whether the worker was hurt, whether he needs to apologise to us( his close neighbours). We were almost boiling with anger and wanted to seek redressal. When he showed up on the road next morning, my husband had to confront him , and all he said was a gruff” Ok, Sorry”. That‘s all.

Needless to say, he continues, honking and reversing in high speed.

Last evening, once again, he did that , and in the bargain, he simply bull-dozed our scooter parked, near our gate, away from the road. Eye witness say, he simply sped away, and after thought came back to keep the scooter back on the stand, and sped away again.

The eye witnesses called my husband, who was shocked to see the scooter damaged! As usual a lot of time went in calming ourselves down, and getting our BP normal, after which I went ahead and called his wife. She was apologetic, “ I will tell him” that is all she said. Does she not know her husband drives like a maniac? He does it always!

So far the maniac driver has not appeared to apologise. Why would he, he does it as a matter of routine, so he wouldn’t be sorry!
What we did to deserve such idiotic human being, educated, rich, uncouth , person in a decent neighbourhood?. Why is he like that?

I am peeved, I prayed to God to give me peace from this guy.

Reading habits, skip, end.

Book reading habit is pretty addictive. Once you start reading, it becomes difficult to disengage from the book and pay attention to what happens in the real world around you. For me, this habit (bad?) goes back to decades.

In our house, my older sister was an avid reader,of what she could manage to obtain. Luckily we studied in a good school, with a good library. But the main reading started off with magazines , like Vikatan, Kalki, Kumudam, kalaimagal, sudesamittiran, ( big pages),Pesumpadam ( not literary enough) , and those wonderful serials in them. I used to be a go between for her book friends and sneak into those magazines once in a while. After we were reasonably older, we all used to read books, with a stiff competition of who is going to read first. While eating lunch/dinner, we used to sit on the floor and keep the book on the lap. Mom used to get mad with a sharp" keep Saraswathi away from Anaapurni". When I used to visit friends’ houses, I used to be the one to look for books and beg them to lend me some!

College was heaven. I had a good friend who was proficient in English and only English. She introduced me to Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I was completely bowled over, and there it started. I tried to read as many books as possible from the library, with the help of my friend , who would decide what I should read next. She knew I was handicapped with the language and was genuinely interested that I should read right books.

There was no stopping since then. I have read in buses, trains, planes, bus stops, rly. Stations and hospitals, office , sea shores, hotel lobbies, airports, and while cooking too if the books was too good. Once I start, I used to read on into the night and go for work the next day bleary eyed. If the book was touching I would cry my heart out too. Even now, though, tears flow a little slowly .

This followed me after marriage too, and I used to find some ways of sneaking in a book , after every one finished their dinner. This was irksome to dear hubby who though the idea of reading and eating was strange. " Cockroach daale tho bhi kha lethi" was his usual quote. Considering that he was the one who used to buy me books by the dozen and addict me to English fiction!When babies came, I used to put them to sleep with me reading a book, and comforting them on my lap.

A discovery that warmed my heart in due course , was, that my son, turned to be like me! He loves books, and is very proud and possessive of his collection. I hate to admit it, but he introduced me to many authors, whom I have not heard of, most of them wonderful ones. (Aha, proud mom). And he also has the habit of reading at the dining table! ( In the genes).

Another habit of mine which irked my family was,my skipping pages. I can’t read big pages after pages of descriptive stuff. I am an impatient reader, and I need to know what the author is hinting at. That was a silly of me; I missed many classics due to this, and later sat through and read them. (Exception - War and Peace). I don't really feel that it diminishes my interest in the book. I have this urge to read the plot and figure it out soon, and in case of mysteries/thrillers, I had to know the ending. I will go through entire books again.P.D.James is the only exception.

My family used to dread asking me about the plot, lest I spoil their enjoyment, by spilling out the details. I can't bear suspense. Same is the case with movies too. In the case of suspense movies, I need to read the plot first and find out almost everything, and then see the movie. I used to upset my husband, by blurting out the ending.

Meanwhile, I found this piece where skipping is justified! http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/jan/05/skipping-parts-of-books-robert-mccrum

More on books later.

Pet Peeve of the Day (2)

Commenting on blogs that I like is an important part of my blogging experience. I feel one has to appreciate other blogger's point of view. Sometimes one has to differ with their views too. So, I comment seriously on many blogs, and enjoy doing it. Most of the bloggers acknowledge it and some don't. I also welcome more comments on my blog. It helps to improve my blogging skills.

If you are posting frequent comments , I am sure you would have come across problems in word verification. One has to use all one's viewing skills to see what the word verification really says. I came across similar views on this interesting blog recently. http://betsyfromtennessee.blogspot.in/

She says:
//On another very troubling subject, I am very very upset at what Blogger has done now with Word Verification. I cannot read the gobbly-goop they are now using. I have never used WORD VERIFICATION on my blog --and have had NO TROUBLE. Blogger has a great spam-filter...

To tell you the truth, I have enough trouble getting to all of my commenters' blogs ---and now, with the new Word Verification, I just cannot do it. If you choose to continue to use Word Verification on your blog, I will probably quit leaving comments. I just cannot do it... Sorry!!

My good friend, Theresa (Texwisgirl) wrote an excellent post last night about this... IF you want more information, please read her post (click HERE)... OR ---if you need help getting rid of the Word Verification, contact me (betsyadams@mac.com) and I'll help you. Thanks so much!!!//

In case you want to try these out, do so and please leave a comment about your views.

Berlin Goes Nuts Over Rare Palm Fruit | Growing From Seeds

Berlin Goes Nuts Over Rare Palm Fruit | Growing From Seeds

I have never seen a fruit like this! /Have you? Please share it.

Re-post

After I saw Mr.Subramanian's comment, I checked out another blog

http://www.arkive.org/coco-de-mer/lodoicea-maldivica/
which give a photographs of the plant and more facts! Amazing.

And more amazing facts Coco-de-Mer or Double Coconut,

or Coco Fesse or Seychelles nut
at http://www.seabean.com/guide/Lodoicea_maldivica/

It is exclusively guarded at Seychelles, export is strictly regulated!



And some interesting view(?) about the nut here http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coco-de-mer-palm-tree-130080

Pet Peeve of the day (1)

Some days , life flows smoothly. the milkman arrives on time, the domestic helper is smiling, the paper is on the doorstep by 7 a.m. , husband is all smiling, great news from children ,no irritating sales persons, no unnecessary door bells, and husband is not at home throughout out the day! Hey, all 8 hours of freedom to do what one wants. It can not get more ideal than this for a blissful time in the silent house.

But, during the first week, it is nightmare time. Living in an independent house , suburban area and having a big dog has is own advantages and many disadvantages. The privacy is fine, the unnecessary visitors are cordoned off, and dog barks at the drop of a bell/coconut/horn. The Garbage collector will come anytime during first week, since he needs to collect his monthly charges form 200 odd houses. The cable guy will also ring the bell/ scream for attention, during anytime of the day. The paper man, the laundryman, and others, keep one busy in the first week.

The stressing visit is from the Meter reading person form our dear APCPCDCL. The system of visiting each house and rolling the bill out of his machine is an event for the first week.

Here are the must do's:

1.We need to keep the compound gate opened, and access to the meter possible. Having a dog is nightmare at that time.

2.In case , the gate is not opened, he will simply ditch your house.

3. If he ditches yours , next month your bill will be double, Consequently , your reading may enhance to the next slab and bill will be exorbitant.

4.It is not that every month the same person comes. Hahaha.. Our department is too smart for that.

They send dept. personnel once, and the next month , another private company person comes for reading your meter.(alternate)

5.The consumers do not know when he will be pleased to visit the colony. There has never been a fixed day for this highly important activity.

6.Any day between first and tenth, and anytime during the day.

7.In case the owners are all working people, they had it. Every time, the neighbors have to be bothered.

8.If you are not able to be around, and get to know that the reading activity is finished for your areas, you need to go to the office and inform.

9.It takes a while for the office guy to even notice you- then they assure that by tenth someone will come for the billing.

10.Once again, you wait, for the arrival of the billing personnel.

This gives a lot of tension to the house owner. But who cares?

Why can't the Department announce the date son which this exercise is undertaken so that the consumers are aware of the date and time?

Or I can shift to an Apartment and forget about independent house/dog/ trees/garden! Or I need to make lots of money to post a Durwan outside my small house.( he may go for smoke /Chai/paan with the neighborly domestic workers ).

Thinking....

Hope to solve this pet peeve soon.

Oscar season 2012

Oscar season has started, and movie lovers are watching it with expectations,and ,some with indifference.

English movies have been part of our movie going experience since the time we were teenagers. The first English movie I remember watching was Benhur , in English , escorted by our School teacher , who was so kind to make us all appreciate good cinema. We were enthralled , watching a colour movie, did not follow any dialogue, except "yes /no", but loved the hero, cried with the crucifixion, heavenly downpour, the river of blood, acts of kindness etc etc.

Courtesy Google



Hyderabad had a movie loving crowd. May be to make up for lack of any other outlet for time-pass, except Tank bund and Public Gardens. We used to have theatres all over the place and movies used to run packed houses, even dubba movies, sometimes. English movies were "happening " time-pass. Not that all the movie goers were elites/English knowing persons. The lower stalls used to be filled with guys mostly from all walks of life , just wanted to enjoy the movie , either action, (James Bond!)/ romance( pretty ladies and other interesting scenes).The advance booking system was not around then.

Therefore Saturday and Sunday matinee time was the best ,to get to see a movie and "sight seeing", due to long Q's in front of the ticket counters in scorching sun. All the good looking ladies with their families, friends were on view. The full glare of the sun, the crowds in the Q and the cars coming gracefully and dropping memsahibs for getting into the theatre -the guys had a great time. All innocent fun.

In the first week , the publicity was mostly by word of mouth. After the first week Saturday matinee, people would ask the crowd getting out, about the movie. During one such adventure, while my husband was looking at the posters of the movie he went to watch, heard someone say in Hyderabadi language " Bah, Yeh Bomma hai tho movie dekna hi nahi, Kuch Samaj mey nahi aathi( If this Statue is there,it is not worth watching. We cant follow anything).

Courtesy Google




There are thousands of blog posts on Oscar Awards from all over the world. Hundreds from India, and a few from Hyderabad. But , here is one blog written about the Oscars, which is superb.

In case you would like .. Please read ..Seeti Maar- Diary of a Movie Lover

http://seetimaar.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

படிதத்தது - சிந்திக்க வைத்தது - தமிழவன்

ஒற்றை மொழி, பன்மொழிக் கலாச்சாரம் - தமிழவன்

ஒரு அருமையான கட்டுரை. உயிர்மை.காம் உயிரோசை வார தொகுப்பு மின் இதழில் வந்துள்ளது. கட்டாயம் படித்து சிந்திக்க வேண்டிய வேலை கொடுத்து விட்டார்!

//இரட்டைநிலை வேஷதாரித்தனம் அல்ல; அதுதான் உண்மை - தமிழவன்


என்போன்ற ஒருவன் வாழ்க்கையின் பெரும்பாலான நாட்களை ஒற்றைமொழிக் கலாச்சாரத்தின் மையத்தில் கழித்தவனல்ல. மலையாளம், கன்னடம், தெலுங்கு போன்ற பிறமொழிக் கலாச்சார மனிதர்கள், இலக்கியவாதிகள், அவர்களின் நடை உடை பாவனைகள், விருந்துகள், விழாக்கள் என்று பரிச்சயம் கொண்டவன்.

ஒற்றை மொழிக் கலாச்சாரத்தின் மையத்திற்கென்றே உள்ள உறுதிகள் இல்லாதவன்; அதன் லாபங்களைப் பெறாதவன். பன்மொழிக் கலாச்சாரங்களுக்கான உறுதியின்மை, 'என் கருத்தைப் போல் இன்னொரு கருத்தினனுக்குக்கூட ஒரு நியாயம் இருக்கலாம்' என்ற எண்ணம் கொண்டவன்.

இத்தகைய குணநலன்களை ஒற்றைமொழிக் கலாச்சாரத்தில் வளர்ந்தவர்கள், வேலை பார்த்தவர்கள், பெரும்பாலும் மதிப்பதில்லை.

தமிழ்ச் சமூகம் எத்தகைய ஒற்றைமொழிக் கலாச்சாரம் என்று யோசித்துப் பார்க்க வேண்டுமென்று படுகின்றது. முப்பதாம் வயதுக்குள்ளேயே தமிழகத்தைவிட்டு வெளியே வாழ வந்துவிட்டவன் என்ற நிலையில் எப்போதும் தமிழகத்தை இன்னொரு பார்வை வழியாகவே பார்த்து வந்திருக்கிறேன். '//





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