— Now that the dust and din created by our discussion and mud-throwing on sagotra weddings,sandhya vandanam and other substantial subjects have settled down, shall we discuss some mundane issues, helpful for our life in this world not necessarily for the one beyond that?.
I am listing a few topics, which comes to my mind voluntarily and it is for my respected friends in this group to substantiate, supplement, discard or dissociate from all or any of these.I am only outlining the thoughts and initiate the discussion:
1. Self employment for our community men and women,though may not be exclusively but substantially;
Opening business establishments, in small and large scales, individually or in groups,with or without the support from our Associations,matoms,samjams etc.
1a. Small scale–schools,shops, hotels, vegetable out lets,catering, cooked-food-delivering units, murukku,cheedai, appadam, vadaam, vattalmaking units, manjal podi,mulakai pody and other prouder preparation centers, dravyam for pooja, temple,madam etc. Vegetable gardens,
flower gardens, vaazhai thottams, etc
Health clinics, diagnostic centers, ambulance services and other health related units.
1b. Big scale — Hospitals, professional colleges, housing complex ,star hotel contracts for public works etc, Huge amount is required for this purpose but my feeling is that we will be able to mobilize fairly a good amount. The NRI s,specially those from the oil countries, might come forward, if we are able to produce a fool-proof production plan.
2. Could we make use of the brahmin houses which are lying unused and some in dilapidated conditions in our ancestral villages so that their will be no necessity to dispose them of to other group people,which in long run, will deprive out temples of the festivals. poojas, bajan and other ‘paripaadikal’ peculiar-to our community ?. Villages are loosing past their originality and our villages have a very unique identity which has to be protected for the benefit of our children and theirs. Many Nair tharavadus, unfortunately, have been mercilessly pushed into oblivion by the onslaught of the multistory mansions.That should not happen to our agrahaaramsand our ponds! Let us assemble every year on a particular week in every village and preserve their pristine charisma. Once half-a dozen of us get down into the pond and start the cleaning process many locals will join. Some one can go to the nearby school or college and invite the students; they will rush out enthusiastically.
My friend sri.K.V.Anantha narayanan, in a recent well-written article, ventilated his grief on the plight of the poor brahmins assembled near the Kalpathy Viswanatha swamy temple ther, anxiously awaiting for the call for a free meal and a four-annas dakshinas.. there is not a pinch of exaggeration in that narration.I have witnessed that assembly of those unlucky ones in this world,whom others called then and surprisingly even now, as grabbers of benefits from the store-house of other communities. I have witnessed poor brahmins walking miles holding a pattakodai, to protect their head from the torching sun and pouring rains,just for a meal or four-annas dakshina.
My ‘Agnimeele purohitam story,ends with my eyes swollen with tears of the plight of a vaadyar mami, known to me. I do lie but that story was the narration of my sad experience.Their were many mamies like that. Ask the senior in this group,if you do not trust my words.
‘Angam harepulaka booshanam” was nothing but Sankara Bagavatpaada’s shedding of tears from his swollen eyes. Cheenu said that he wept after reading my narration.How much Acharya would have wept at the plight of a helpless poor house -wife who wanted to pour a few grains of biksha into the cupped palm of the young sanyasi from the neighborhood, but had no means to do that.
Our fathers, grand fathers and their elders have suffered a lot .Our mothers,grand mothers and their mothers have wept inconsolably due to poverty.During my stroll on the bank of the Thames or Rhine, while lousing through the avenues of fashion-flowering Paris or lakes-laced Switzerland, or spending sleepless nights in my children’s house in Baltimore,Florida or New jersey I have been thinking about those unfortunate ancestors. The reason is personal- there was no enough money to pay for the fire-wood and varatties, cow dung-cakes needed to burn the body of an ancestor of mine into ashes. Ignorance and superstition sucked the life of another ancestor when she was in the peak of her youth. You may call it the play of fate; I will not.
On the sidelines–now you know why I become furious and loose my mental balance when undue praise about our past is paraded and uncharitable comments are made about our children who have crossed the seas to earn their bread and to channel some support back home so that the parched abdomen of their parents or grandparents receive some showers before they are torched again by the final fire.
Let our children or their grand children go and settle in the Moon or Mars,if they want to and if they get an opportunity,if that will help them to escape from the pangs of starvation.