'Child Nectar'-Chinnanchiru kiliye kannamma..

I picked up puppy from bus stop, I had time till Meena returned from hospital and just sat in the balcony with a book. The sun’s rays were directed towards the wall and I could feel the warmth over my ears. I came inside and sat in the sofa. Television is least used by me at home. I called out puppy and he told that he will come in a minute. Without changing his school dress, he was playing with the neighbour’s girl baby. All playthings were strewn over the corridor.

I just continued reading through the book. Somehow it was depressing to read, though written by my famous author. I was not in a mood to read something serious. Felt lazy to do anything.  Just then she peeped through the door, head shaven, with a big smile, cooing and tried to lift herself up clutching the edge of the door.

the book.

Meena was entering the house at the same time and told “eh, mamavai thedi vanthuttiyadi?”(Came in search of uncle?) . She lifted her up and placed in my lap ridiculing me “can’t u see that she wants u to put that book off”. I lifted her and came inside calling puppy to come inside and change his dress. She pulled my glass, and then my pen and immediately bought them to her mouth.I placed her on the dining table and wrestled the pen from her. Our maid had made gulab jamoon and had allowed the fried soft balls to soak in sugar syrup. I took a jamoon in a cup and spoon , mashed it and started feeding her. The drool, the smile, her relish, all made me more enthusiastic in giving her small tidbits.Meanwhile I too had one jamoon suppressing the guilt of indulgence.

what is she having in her mouth?

I placed her down the floor while Meena came to the room. “Hey, what have you both done to my dining table?!” exclaimed Meena and started wiping up the sugar syrup. When I pointed fingers at her, she was already putting my mobile into her mouth.  I quickly snatched it from her, I punched in certain keys, made a call, scrolled the screen and thank god, it did work and the taste was good too.

பிள்ளை கனியமுதே கண்ண்ம்மா,
பேசும் பொற்சித்திரமே
அள்ளி அணைத்திடவே என்முன்னே
ஆடி வரும் தேனே
- பாரதியார்.

‘Child nectar’, my dear

 You are a talking portrait

With your tottering walk and pranks.

Honey, you tempt me into lifting  and hugging you

-Bharathiyar. 

the next day evening - she smelled of Johnson's baby soap

                                  Chinnanchiru kiliye kannamma - Priya sisters.

A translation which disturbed me..

I sit here past my sleeping time..I was requested to search for few songs and lullabies.. and an added request ( i thought ) was to translate the poem of Vaishnva janato. ( but it was meant for me to google search and learn the meaning)
 After finishing, I felt that it is not for me..
the Email excerpt i would cut paste..


All said and done..
i misunderstood the last line..
i thought you wanted me to translate the poem.
but as i translated.. i thought.. it is something which should be ideal. flawless..
and it doesn't apply to me..
I read your mail..again and there you had asked me to google search the meaning for vaishnava janato ..
i am not perfect ..i am not flawless..I am a Man.. I take into kannan, who treats me well with all my blemishes.. and i do not want to be that idealistic..
anyways I hate ppl preaching me.. even if it is you
that is why i seek saranagathi
accept, me, my dear kanna.. with all my wrong doings.. I am a mere mortal.. hari tum haro.. would be the best.. meera bhajans, azhwar pasurams, all are sayings of prapatti or ultimate surrender.. keeping in mind our inadequacies..
naan appadiththaan kanna..
virumbuvathum veruppathum unakku vittathu..

any ways i have translated the poem.. and sending it to you.. read it in the morning.

Vaishnava janato.

The followers of Vishnu,the vaishnava  tribe
Are those who serve him without pride
Compassionate, knows a fellow’s pain
Virtues extolled, never does complain
Pure are his acts, thoughts and words
Blessed be his mother, in all the worlds
Doesn’t covet, speak ill nor does lie
Steady is his mind, in praise or in fie
Detached, righteous, without deceit
Avarice, lust and anger do forfeit
The name, Rama, stirs his thought
All places holy, swirls his heart
The poet Narsin would seek such man
Whose virtues redeems his whole clan

saravana

Blossoms Dropped..

He made his way amidst the trees

Splashing corals from beneath the seas

His mane of ocher turned just white

As he rose, fiery and bright.

She stood to see the arch, his way

A sight to behold each passing day

Passion swept her swooning mind,

 She longed, to walk along his wind.

His smile had blessed her gentle face,

She took his hand to be his grace,

But his smile  did bloom many a flowers

Passion shared amidst his towers

Wretched became her heart with pain

She swore to see him never again

She fell, and from the ash did arise,

A tree which blooms before he would rise..

His rays would touch but only the stem

The blossoms would fall, away from his hem..

  (Last Sunday, when I went to my brother's place, this Parijatha tree was in full bloom.I mean,by the time I took photos, these flowers were dropped to the ground.. I knew there were so many mythological stories woven around this flower and that these flowers were adored by Kannan..The one which took to my fascination was the story where a princess falls in love with Sun-God only to find that he has many wives..So she kills herself and from the cremated ashes, this tree arises.

( I promised to write a post today, in exchange to know what book has been sent for the new year.Came home after  a medical camp only late in evening and so was not in a mood to sit in front of computer.. But this story and pic was in my mind for so long..பதிவு எதுவும் எழுதாமல் நிம்மதியா இருந்தேனுன்னு நினைச்சுட்டிருந்தேன்?! யோசிக்காம செயல்படுறது சுலபமா இருக்குது.. I thank all my friends who kept prodding me to break my silence.. and  for their concern..)

I need a break...

I need a break, for sometime..
The reasons may be many..
Hope to come back soon..

Baby booties... :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sriraamkalingarayar/6265323102/

அழகிய பாதங்களை
சிக்கென பற்றிட
துறவு அணிந்து
தவமிருக்கிறதோ?

( Waiting in penitence?

Wearing the robes of Ochre

to hug those beautiful feet?)

 வாங்காமல் சென்றாலும்
கொஞ்சி விட்டு செல்லுங்கள்
இவை அணிந்த பாதங்கள்
நன்றி சொல்லும்..

( Never bother if you don’t buy them

Just blow them a kiss

The legs which fit into them

Would thank you..)

 பார்த்து வாங்காமல் போன
ஏக்கம...
இதற்க்கும் இருக்கிறது
காத்திருந்து தழுவாத
ஏக்கம்.

 

(Glanced and never bought,

They too have the longing

To have shown and never bought)

 பாதங்கள் வளர்ந்து விட்டால்
தூக்கி போடாதீர்கள்
பின்னாளில் நடக்காத நடைக்கும்
கதை சொல்லும்

 

(Do not throw away

When the feet have grown

They would tell stories

 Even of the walk

Which never happened)

 தங்கி இருந்தால் மகளுக்கு
அணிவித்திருக்கலாம்
உன்னை போன்ற எத்தனையோ..
கொடுத்து வைக்கவில்லை
உனக்கும் எனக்கும்..

 

(If she had stayed,

I would have bought

So many like you

We were not gifted

 Both You and me)


 இழைகளால் உன்னை பின்னும்பொது
அறிந்திருப்பாரோ?
இறைவனே இதற்க்கான பாதங்களை
வடிவமைக்கிறான் என்று?

 

(Would they have realized?

When you were woven

That God himself had designed

A pair for you?)

 வலை சன்னலை மூட நினைத்தேன்
இன்னுமொரு கவிதை என்றாய்
யோசித்து பார்த்து சிரித்தேன்
நீ ஒரு காவியத்துக்கே உரையாவாய் அல்லவா?

 

(I hoped to close the web window

You asked for another poem

A smile spread my surprised face

“Why? you gonna become

A cover for a Poem!?”)

It is difficult to maintain a separate Tamil blog..What to do when Nothing flashed to write in English.. Tried hard to translate those Tamil poems..Though both set in free verse, I liked the Tamil ones better . That is why I put the translations in bracket

Chasing the rainbow.

The sun shone very brightly when I sat in the balcony with the novel. I  came inside and switched on the tv. Nothing was interesting me. I hate these lonely days. Meena and adhi had gone to Coimbatore for some family function  and I stayed back because of hospital commitments.I switched off the tv and  opened the front door. There was this rainbow forming from yercaud hills and with a big curve, going somewhere towards an another insignificant hill.  Sasmita, our neighbourhood girl was standing near their gate. She is of Adhi’s  age. I pointed towards the hills and showed her the rainbow. She told that she couldn’t see anything. I asked her to come near, showed the rainbow and then asked her to make a wish. I told her ‘when you see a rainbow, you have to wish something. Your wish would come true’. She nodded and then asked “Uncle, where is adhi?” I told he will be coming on Tuesday. Then I told her that  I am going to find out where the rainbow starts. She had an amused look on her face.

I went inside, quickly changed to some simple clothes, took the novel along with me ( thought I will sit somewhere on the side walls on the road and read till it darkens) and went to my bike. The foothills itself is some 3 kms from our home.  As I went along, there was a slight drizzle, never in any means bothersome. Then, I crossed the road to opposite side to take photos of the rainbow from my mobile camera.  As I started climbing uphill, the rainbow started fading. Probably I was inside the production unit. It was just faintly visible. The other end too was not much discernible. The sun , from the opposite side was still bright. There was this usual place, where adhi and myself would station the bike and go hiking up the hill or sit there watching the vehicles move by.

I continued driving the bike. The first stream showed up, fresh and  clean waters erupting through the rocks just beside the road. Yercaud itself was some 20 kms from there, can be easily reached within half an hour. I had no idea of going to yercaud, but just wanted to see how many more streams form in this side. Two, three, four.. there were so many. I saw a girl standing in front of one of the streams, alone and was wondering  what she was  doing there. I went forward, there was  this another person standing over the parapet turning towards the sun. Crazy ppl , as crazy as I was, to have come alone along this road. Another  3 kms upwards, there was this bigger stream, and a small teashop. I stopped there , took some photos of the stream, sipping tea and wondering, how I missed adhi today. He would have enjoyed, definitely we would have atleast soaked our feet in the cold waters.

The horizon was turning dark, and I turned the bike towards the city. The cold wind clamping my  t shirt. I had to plan for dinner tonight. I was surprised to see the girl and the guy ( seemed not yet married) station their bike near the same stream and then chatting happily, ( Oh, war and peace..Good, good).

As I reached the foot hills, there was this big truck parked in front, and a big tummied police annachi  directing all bikes towards one side of the road.. OMG, I forgot to even get my wallet, no driving license  in hand, No one at home to fetch it too. I pretended to search my pockets. He came towards me and told ‘ Karnataka vandiya?’( is this Karnataka registration vehicle) I just nodded my head , cursing myself as to why I came in such a hurry. He let the first person in front of me go, and then came near me. “ Drinks saptirukkengala sir” ( have you consumed alcohol?sir?) I was bowled by his politeness.. ha ha, I was becoming  normal, This , definitely I need not worry, at least now. I told an assertive "NO".. He smiled and told “ Polam, vandi registration a maathunga” ( you can go, change the vehicle registration). I smiled back, relieved and powered my accelerator. The rainbow had disappeared by that time..

Rainbow from flat

Rainbow where it starts

Rainbow where it ends

Inside production unit. Disappearing rainbow.

first stream

How I wish I had company

green all the way

Smolensk? War and peace.

Fresh stream, joined down by another.

Just beside the road.

Darkening horizon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. This is my hundredth post. Is this something to be happy about??

Love shared..

This I wrote in bits and pieces.. the psalm itself  was read from an open Bible while waiting for my friend to get ready.. The page inspired me to think of the words and write something.. Weaned.. but not orphaned.. were the thoughts that were going on for a few days..Google searched to get the psalm.

photo courtesy - Sri raam kalingarayar.

My heart is not proud O lord,

My eyes are not haughty,

I do not concern myself  with great matters.

Or things too wonderful for me

But I have stilled and quietened my soul

Like a weaned child with its mother,

Like a weaned child is my soul within me..

Psalm 131

 I do not know, how far those words apply for me..have I stilled and quietened my soul? Do I not concern myself with matters which are great, desires which are materialistic? when I think of that, I remember another pasuram by Nammazhwar.. somehow I connected both the shepherd and the cowherd..the english translation too written sometime back while sitting simply in clinic..

Love shared..

Weaned, but not orphaned,

Held, but not burdened

Loved ,and so set free

Bond unseen, like roots of a tree

Cast, answered, by a rolling dice

Of fate, which wrought some joy and vice..

Always but, you did hold in place

A mere pawn though, safe and cared.

The hands are but of your own grace..

That plays and mocks,  and the  love shared..

The Nammazhwar pasuram..

' கையார் சக்கரத்தென்  கருமாணிக்கமே !' என்றென்று 

பொய்யே கைம்மை சொல்லி புறமே புறமேயாடி 

மெய்யே பெற்று  ஒழிந்தேன் : விதிவாய்க்கின்று  காப்பாரார்?

ஐயோ! கண்ணபிரான் அரையோ இனிப்போனாலே ..

நம்மாழ்வார் 

"Disc adorned lord, My dear  black pearl"

My tastes lie low, In vain I praise thou.,

My false love you claim, To flaunt as pure and true.

My heart is locked with yours, In divine grace and bliss

Will I stop the flow? lest others? stop this Love?

Could I cease to bond? 'Kanna!' my dear, My lord!

Nammazhwar.

I thought there were not much mystic poems in tamil.. Haven't read Rumi In Persian, Don't know the meanings of Abhangs.. But these 4000 verses, still sung in some temples, though with some mechanical recitation, captivates when read and savoured alone..

Probably religion also is a sort of exaltation., when will I become sober?