Shivam Diaries

Blog

  • Vancouver diary page 6

    I have been here for five weeks now and could see a few places depending on the limited time  my nephew Ramu and his wife Ashu, busy medical practitioners could spare. The Nature has showered Her bounty unreservedly on this land and first taste  of it, I had when I stood awe-struck before the Niagara falls several years before. I raised my head and hands towards the sky to thank the Supreme Power for giving me eyes and an opportunity to view the wonder of His creation:
    ” Shanthaya, roudraya, sowmyaya, goraya, kanthimatham kanthi roopaya thae namha:”
    Whatever little I saw here during the present sojourn too is mind blogging . The zeal of the authorities as well as the  people in preserving the God’s gift,  is amazing. The skill in money-making out of the natural resources is worth studying.
    Vancouver is the largest city in Western Canada, one of the most beautiful cities, ranked as ‘ the world’s most desirable place to live’ in a survey of 140 cities by the Economist magazine’s intelligence unit. Located at the South western corner of the province of British Columbia, it is situated between the North Shore and coastal mountains and the edge of the pacific ocean.
    Wherever you turn, the mountain ranges, some snow-capped ,  greet you. Drive a few miles, you will land at the shore of a lake or at the foot of a water fall. There are 1 million lakes in Canada, claims a plaque on the long corridor of the  ‘Canada Place’, the main cruise ship terminal for the region, from where most of Vancouver’s famous cruises to Alaska originate. From here, You get a mesmerizing view of the city nestled between mountain ranges, while you can watch the Pacific ocean right under your eyes. The sea-jets fly and land on water, the jet boats speed up while raising its head high proudly, the city watches from behind. ‘Are they, husband and wife or father and daughter?’, I wondered looking at the mountain standing like a sentinel to take care of the Pacific Ocean flowing below .
    The  450 feet long Capilano suspension bridge, hangs between two hills. A Plaque displayed on one of the tree-top platforms explains that the canyon flowing 230 feet below was shaped by the sheer force of water ,which manged to erode the solid granite wall creating such a big gap, due to the long term process for  the past 100 million years, consequent to the avalanche of natural forces such as  volcanoes, waterfalls, air, thunder, lightning  etc.Rivers have a natural tendency to reach a baseline, which is the same elevation as the body of water it will eventually drain into.This forms a canyon. There is a demonstration piece of rocks eroded by water- dripping, for the 15,25 and 50 years . A small canal has  formed on the 50 year-block. No wonder that the assault by massive water force for millions of years, could break the solid granite mountain, create a wide crevice of about 500 feet wide and shape a canyon several hundred feet below!
    Apart from the hanging bridge there are several smaller and narrower bridges for cliff walk and treetops adventures. It was exciting to cross the rocking, hanging bridge and tread the tree-to-tree narrow passages enjoying the nature’s abundance all around. I was excited to know that squirrels leap branch to branch, in the sky-high tress and land safely on the land!
    Here is a video show of the Capilano air-walks.
    Had been to ‘Hell’s Gate’-yesterday . ‘Not surprised’, this is what you say. But I tell you, it was an awesome sight!
     ‘ Hell’s Gate’ is the mountain range where the mighty  Fraser River, is forced to restrict  her free flow by sheer physical strength of the mountains – 200 million gallons of water (double the volume of Niagara) per minute has to pass  through the narrowest point of the river just 110 feet or 33 metre wide passage. So, the river thunders!
     “We had to travel where no human being should venture for surely we have encountered the gates of hell”. – said Simon Fraser, 1808, after whom the river is named. We could  witness firsthand what these words really meant to that early explorer.
    Driving  the Scenic Fraser Canyon with its 7 mountain tunnels into the historic heart of British Columbia,  we visited the scene of biggest ‘rush’ on the Gold Rush Trail, where white men who entered in search of gold were beheaded by the natives. The aerial trams gave a birds’ eye view of this historic landmark and the fury of the river in restricting her freedom.
    The Fraser River too in a few million years, might be able to erode the rocks, break her shackles and flow free.
    The video will tells you my ‘hell experience’!
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5tw-utNBdI‎
    From the deck, I watch the thick forest, across the road, with a narrow path which I tread in the evening hours.. It is the abode of a bear, I am told. That could be the reason why the small little birds have built their nests on the top branches of the towering trees and not on the small bushes which are in plenty around.
    In which form am I to worship the Nature? In her most fearsome form with thousand faces and thousand limbs, ‘aneka baahoodara vaktranetram’, creating ferocious volcanoes, furious lightning and thunder, vulnerable  wind and rain, which work for millions of years and smash great mountain walls to carve a timid stream or in her admirably lovely form of an amazing angel , who play with toy-like  squirrels that leap from branches of sky-high trees and land safely on the ground and nil-weight birds  who build safe homes for their little ones on  the terrace of such huge trees?

  • Vancouver diary page 5

    The unusually bright sun, alluring early morning rituals combined with music and poetry, attendance of all the invitees and  appealing food, all made the formal  grihapravesaham to Ramu’s new house in Vancouver, a colorful event.  Sreeram Shakti  Bhattar from the  nearby Surrey Yoga Hanuman temple, originally form Sriperumpathur, inaugurated the event with  auspicious,  pre-recorded nadaswaram music, followed by his Vedanthadesiaka stuthy in Samskritham and then in Tamiz and Vigneswara stuthy. There were three sets of thamboolam with dakshinai  placed next to the manjal pilliar, the turmeric idol of Ganesh, for Mahavishnu , Guru and Brahmanals, learned brahmins and the learned priest made me Brihaspathy, guru for Ramu, for which I hesitated  initially as I thought that position should go to Ramu’s father, ignorant of the fact that the thamboolam  included a new 10 Canadian $ note and coin!  Bhattar’s pooja, with liberal quoting from Tirupavai and other Tamil devotional literature, without leaving the Samskrita mantras behind, would have pleased the gods, as our gods love music . Undoubtedly, it was pleasing for the family.  A few years ago, I participated  in Ramu’s another grihapravesham at Newcastle upon Tyne, near England and the pooja conducted by a panditji  from Allahabad  had no music content though he too followed  the scriptural guidance scrupulously and satisfied  us.
    From place to place, the sampradayam, method of  performing  religious rituals  differ though  all priests basically follow the  Vedic scriptures. In some parts of the country, pradakshinam, circumambulation to the deities are done anticlockwise, an unacceptable method in the southern part.’ Why not, that is how our Earth orbits  the Sun”, I told a friend who raised objection.  In our own part of the country, there is marked difference in Vedam recitation  and worshiping methods between Namboodiries and Tamil Brahmins.
     It is not the procedure but the intend, interest  and dedication that counts .
    Comes to my memory, many marriage celebrations,  I had attended.
    Many Telugus marry after sunset, as they follow the moon’s path . in a marriage I attended during the wee hours, the bridegroom,  who had spent two sleepless nights on his hospital duty, was inattentive with his head sagging , while the priest was dictating the mantrams.
    ” Levura moddu-wake up, you idiot” I alerted him.
    ”Sivudu, I’ am dreaming my girl friends” replied the jovial guy in Telugu, forgetting for a moment that his girl was sitting close by. The bride  was not Telugu-literate but the words, ‘girl friends’ rung the caution bell and she looked at her mother, anxiety darkening  her look.  Her wise mother, all mothers become wise when their daughters are about to be married, heard and understood my friends’ comment well, consoled her daughter,” child , you don’t worry. All his dreams will be over when you enter his life”
    ” Athagaru, eamantunaru- what did you say?” enquired the sleepy guy to the elderly lady.
     The Panthalugaru,  the priest came to her rescue:
    ”Madam says that with love and care, her daughter will never allow you to sleep and therefore you can’t expect any dreams” . The priest laughed loudly and the bridegroom repeated that faithfully. At least that he did correctly.!
    The pandits are always down to earth though their job is to bring down the celestial to the earth below.
    They know how to make  others happy, as the Bhattar did, by elevating me to Brihaspathy for a moment.
    A nephew of mine married a Telugu Brahmin girl and the Iyengar  priest lacing his mantrams with lively jokes and lovely lyrics, made the event memorable. This wedding took place in in the morning hours and though he too is a physician, had no night duty and therefore was not sleepy. More over, he  had to be disturbed from his seat, as an aged guest needed immediate medical attention. He had, therefore no scope  to dream and more over the alert mother in law was keeping a watch on his whispers into my ear.
    Prior to her procession to the  dais, ceremoniously carried by her four uncles in a bamboo basket, the bride had to perform an hour long worship, which included  recitation of Lalitha Sahsranamam  and Gouri pooja, a unique practice.
    In another wedding, also of my another nephew that took place in Gowhati, the mother in law was not to see the bride groom, when his procession entered the wedding hall. His wedding with an Assam Kshatriya girl was memorable, as I  had to act as the priest in the absence of the designed priests’ missing the flight from Kolkatta. I managed somehow, filling up the blanks by devotional verses known to me but when the time for ‘asheervadam’, blessing by the elders came, I became helpless. The ‘akshadai’ the tamarind powder-mixed rice, I handed over to the assembled elders, for placing on the heads of the couple,as a token of their blessings, when the pair prostrated before them, they put on their own heads!  let them too live long and bring out 16 children, though for some of the couple it was too late for the noble act.
    Our scriptures , fortunately  are not water-tight compartments. There is ample room for moving hands and legs .They are only guides for enjoying a happy, healthy, useful life in this  world ; they are not prison manuals or passports  for the life-after.
    Let us tie threads only around the kalasams, sanctified  water pots for worship, and not around us.

  • Fut goes your vow

    ”just now, I took a vow not to tell a single lie to you, Ammalu”
    ” Why to me alone. You should never lie to anyone in the world’
    ”’ But you are my world, Ammalu!”
    ”Fut goes  your vow-  within 40 seconds!”

  • Nothing to be taken seriously

    ”When will you take life seriously?”
    ”Means?”
    ”Rise, eat and sleep in time, dress tastefully, talk more sensibly, be helpful to your your wife and children etc etc”
    ”Then what happens ?”
    ”Then, my friends like Ammini well praise you”
    ” Ammalu, Nair is doing everything you mentioned, but Ammini says that her husband is good -for- nothing . She, in fact, praises me. You know why?”” Because, you are not her husband””Then why are you are doing this dharmopadesam to me?”
    ”Because, you are my husband”
    ”The world is as simple as that. Nothing to be taken seriously”
    ”Why you are laughing, Ammalu?”
    ” Wondering why I took my father’s advice seriously, when he wanted me to marry you.”

  • For an hour, just for an hour

    ”For an hour, just for an hour , keep the negative thoughts away from your mind and see how your face shines.”
    ” How do you know whether negative or positive thoughts are passing through my mind, whether my face waxes or wanes? You are not always sitting before me staring at my face.”
    ”I can watch your face from far and near, from the kitchen or children’s school, even from my mother’s house. No need to put a chair and sit before you”
    ”Are you a magician or some divine soul with ability to see things beyond the curtain, Ammalu?”
    ”I am a wife”
    ” That means you are just a human like you. Then, how is it that I am not able to read your mind even while sitting before you ?. I see many other faces but not yours when I sit face to face with you”
    ” Because, you are a husband. No surprise. And be cautious, even from the sky, I will be watching you”
    ”OMG, don’t go to the sky and spy from that high, Ammalu. A known woman is less fearsome than and unknown danger, away in the sky”

  • Ananthapadmanabham asrayae.

    ”Anantha Padmanabham aasrayae,
    Aadimadyaantha rahitham, akhilasubha daayakam , Sree Nayakam,
    Anantha Padmanabham aasrayae”
    (Swathi Thirunal)
    A great masterpiece it is ! The concept of the One, ‘kaladesavadibhyam ( beyond time and place), with no beginning, middle or end, reclining in absolute peace, though in a wavy ocean, though on a multi-hooded serpent, a tender lotus-stem evolved from the naval projecting a lotus flower carrying the god of creation. The Earth and wealth are at His feet. The Sun and the Moon are His eyes.
    The bliss on meditating on the form of Ananthapadmanabha is anantham, endless.
    On the other hand, if you take Ananthasayanam, literally, you have to answer several uncomfortable questions:
    How can there be an ocean of milk? Will fish survive in milk ?
    How can Vishnu lie on a bed of serpent? How can an umbilical chord grow from his naval, as He is a male?
    How can the four-headed Brahma stay on a lotus seat, precariously positioned on a long stem ?
    What happened to Brahma when Vishnu turns to a side?
    How do people approach the God to serve him morning tea, breakfast, lunch etc?
    Why make our life miserable with all such worries, when Vishu himself is not worried but enjoys His life with all the discomforts ?.
    Another form of amazing artistic talent is the Shiva-Sakthi union, the samayogam of Jagadapithrah: in the Lingam-yoni, form, representing the entire male -female combination, nay the symbol of the universe itself.. Whenever I pour milk on the Shivalingam I see in the bottom part the hands of the Divine mother, receiving the ablution and passing it on slowly to the mother earth. I dread to imagine the top of the Lingam as flat ; I dread to imagine the Lingam standing alone on the earth without the support of its lotus-like lower part. The lower part, staying alone, will be barren, meaningless..
    All the divine forms handed over to us have a purpose, have a symbolic value. If we study and understand the meaning, the joy is immeasurable.
    As Bhatahthiripad said,” Sruti,mathi,madurae sugrahae thasmin thae vigrahae danyaha: ramanthae”
    The fortunate ones, enjoy your easily conceivable form, which is ‘sruti,mathi maduram’ sweet to hear and meditate upon

  • An out-dated doubt

    ” I’m daunted by a damn doubt, Ammalu”

    ” Say, ‘a new doubt”. Is it about the possible permutation and combination of the political parties in the next election?”
    ”No such silly things. My doubt is about the gold chain of  mango-design, your father’s  wedding gift.
     Is it really of 22 carat gold ? ”
    ”Date-expired doubt. Yes, there is date expiry for everything.  Anyway, for your information, it was 24 carrot when gifted, but now it doesn’t contain even a gram of gold.”.
    ”Hei, that is not acceptable, Ammalu. your people never told me about the possible degradation of the ornament”
    ”Look at the mirror. Were you like this when I agreed to marry you? Did your people tell us at that time , that you would become like this.?’
    ” You mean to say that I have lost my luster? ”
    ”What is your own opinion ?”
    ”I am as lustrous now as I was on our wedding day. Gold and God never lose their luster, my mistress. And for the Hindu wives, husband is the God.”
    ”Glad that your doubt is cleared.”

  • Wrong place for the right thoughts

    ” Aren’t you talking almost  non-stop, since we came here ?”
    ”Ammlu, unlike you, I have a lot of wisdom to be conveyed conveyed to the lay men”
    ”Accepted, but not at this place. This is a clinic where people, like you, have come to get their ears tested or to buy hearing aids”

    ———————————————————————————–

“Every one talks high about me, except you Ammalu”
“Haven’t  I paid my highest tribute to you, long ago, when I agreed for our marriage?”

—————————————————————————————-

‘Ammalu, that woman walking along with that man is his wife or mother?”

“Is  she your wife or mother?”
“No way”
”Then, why are you concerned? Keep walking”
——————————————————————————————–
“Ammalu, this is between us; the old lady in our side portion, is pregnant”
“It is not between us; it is between she and her husband. Anyway, as you are curious, she is not old and she is not pregnant.

  • Absorb them oh, Mahadev, absorb

     
    Posted on June 26, 2013
    ( In memory of those innocent devotees who lost their life in the recent flash flood in the Himalayan range)
    Life giver, life-raiser and life-remover are Thou
    Again and again to Thee, I bow.
    A half beat from your little drum
    Awakens the world, oh, what a glow!                                                                                  1
    The second half sends the world to sleep,
    The Sun dries and the moon melts.
    The stars become pebbles to join the sea
    The waves don’t wave, the eyes don’t see.                                                                             2
    Oh, what a pity, if the air can’t breathe
    The Earth can’t move and the Sound goes dumb?
    And then thou dance on the barren land
    Beating the little drum in thy hand.                                                                                             3
    Has that time come now, Rudradev
    To commence thy cosmic dance?
    Why, why did thou vanquish the ones
    Who came just to see you once?                                                                                                    4
    Thy kids are we; we have a right to ask
    Pardon us for our lapses but stop this play.
    Shut thy third eye and open up the heart
    Thou are our way, thou didn’t make us of clay.                                                                            5
    No need now to descend the hills
    To collect skulls, for thy garland,
    Pick up from the Himalayan ranges
    Weep, weep, oh, mother Ganges.                                                                                                   6
    Keep the skulls close to thy chest
    Let the moon and the River on your head
    Sprinkle the nectar all over them
    Absorb them, oh, Mahadev, absorb them                                                                                         7
    Beat thy hand drum, awake the souls
    Let the skulls vibrate with life and vigor
    Let the Moon and the River wash them with nectar
    Absorb them oh, Mahadev, absorb them.                                                                                    8

  • Vancouver diary page 4

    June 22, 2013
    Ashu and Ramu took us,  for a ballet show, last night, staged by their daughter’s dance school. It was awesome, not because my grand niece participated but the  girls gave a memorable performance. ‘Girls’ here, means not only over one hundred kids in the age group of  5 to 10,  about 20 -30 teens and hold your breath, over a  dozen,  probably between 50 to 60 and hold your breath tighter, two or three above 70 too!. ‘probably’ because no one can guess the age of women beyond a certain age and our aging engine will speed up , if we start a research project on that topic. At times, I say truth and nothing but truth, and it is  one of those rare moments,  when I say that the elderly women’s  performance was breath -taking, though the youngster’s performance was fantastic. The ease and charm with which their contracted  frame turned and twisted , their limbs moved in rhythm, maintaining a genuine smile on their wrinkled face though deprived of a tooth or two, showed their dedication and will power . Yes, they danced without make up or donning any designed attire and hence my observation. I’m sure that they would have been masters in the art with long years of practical training. As you know, it takes several years to get expertise in Ballet, as in our art forms, as every muscle in the body has to be skillfully exploited and even a minute mistake or mis-timing will spoil the grace.
    Born in Italy, this dance form spread to France and Russia and then to the other parts of the world. Aerobatics like looping, spinning and flying down, performed in groups with absolute synchronization of speed and rhythm are the basic character of Ballet dance.
    In Indian art forms like Barathanayam, Kathakali etc, there is a message to be conveyed to the audience and for that purpose facial expressions are the prime tool. Eyes, eyelids, eyebrows, cheeks, forehead, in fact, complete face talk . And hands, fingers, legs,  hip , the entire body, aids the face in its task. If necessary the artist may even opt for some faster body movements such as jumping or hopping only to achieve the main objective and not to exhibit their acrobatic skill.
    ‘Rasapradanam’, transmission of feelings, is the main aim our dance forms.
    Anika did a good job, considering her age ( 5 ) and limited training she had undergone. If  she was more interested in watching the steps of the co-dancers than her own steps, she is not to be blamed !  If she was excited in seeing us seated in the front row and was bold enough to convey her happiness through signs and not the sings she  was expected to deliver, it was again natural.
    She behaved in the stage like an actor unlike her grand uncle, who ran away in exasperation.
     Oh, I didn’t tell you that story. That happened during the annual day celebration in my early school days.
    I was good looking then. I was good looking only then!. I was chosen to play the role of
    Sri krishna. I had to enter the stage, singing, singing aloud as there was no mike.
     I walked majestically, wearing a crown, projecting a peacock feather . The glistening paper headgear didn’t slip, nor the gorgeous golden silk cloth from my hip, when I paced before the closed door, for a minute or two. Then, I knocked at the wooden plank with the design of an ornamental door and  sang:
     
    ” Kaamee sathyabhamaa, kathavai thirvaai;
    Kathavai thiravaai viravaai, varuvaai”
    That was an appeal to the angry  sathyabhama, to open the door of her house and come out.
    After a few repeated knocks, which had to be done carefully lest the door would have fallen, appeared unwillingly , my heroin, Sathyabhama, with a swollen face but adorably dressed and jeweled sufficiently to cover the lapses made by her creator. She was not to open her mouth, as she was angry. The director of the play, our head master Pankunni Menon, purposely asked her to be silent as she was notorious for ceaseless chatting . Holding her hand,  I lead her to the chair, kept in a corner of the stage. Good progress.
     
    My next job was to sing another song and comb her hair and continue combing till the song was over.
    ” Marakathamada mayilae,
      Unakku nan manakkurai enna seithaen?” 
     
    My green peacock of great charm
    What have I done for your mental harm? 
     
    That was a favorite drama dialogue bit  of the veteran singer Kittappa of yore, but the problem was an over enthusiastic teacher added more lines of her own and insisted on my singing the whole lot.  Even a genuine lover in his best spirits, will run away, come what may, if he had to keep on combing the hair of his beloved till the song ends. It was therefore natural for me to go crazy.  The idiotic girl, my heroin, was sitting enjoying my discomforts if not my song and even started smiling which she was not supposed to do. I gave her a knock on her head with my closed fist and she screamed, complaining ,’chekka nee ente thalyil kotti’  you knocked on my head, you silly boy’
     I didn’t like her calling me ‘chekka’,  as I was Sree Krishanan, the divine king of Dwaraka.
     I gave her back,’ Podi, vatta bharani- get lost you, big mouthed jar’,  and ran away from the stage. The  applause I received for that performance was never repeated later for any of my subsequent stage plays during the high school or college days, though I never did once ran away from my assigned job.
     
    My another grand niece’s performance was much better. Her skit was unwisely listed at the fag end of her school drama.  The four year old, when pushed by someone from behind the curtain to play her role, held the mike and in chaste Gujarati said addressing the audience, ” it is too late and I am sleepy. I’m going ” . She walked out, with partially closed eyes and drooping head. The audience raised from their seats and applauded.  No other walk-outs would have received such a tremendous applause.