ExpertDabbler

இருப்பவனுக்கோ வந்துவிட ஆசை
வந்தவனுக்கோ சென்றுவிட ஆசை
இதோ அயல் தேசத்து ஏழைகளின்
கண்ணீர் அழைப்பிதழ்!

விசாரிப்புகளோடும்
விசா அரிப்புகளோடும் வருகின்ற

கடிதங்களை நினைத்து நினைத்து
பரிதாபப்படத்தான் முடிகிறது

நாங்கள் பூசிக்கொள்ளும்
சென்டில் வேண்டுமானால்
வாசனை இருக்கலாம்
ஆனால் வாழ்க்கையில்..?

தூக்கம் விற்ற காசில்தான்
துக்கம் அழிக்கின்றோம்!
ஏக்கம் என்ற நிலையிலேயே
இளமை கழிக்கின்றோம்

எங்களின் நிலாக்கால
நினைவுகளையெல்லாம்
ஒரு விமானப்பயணத்தினூடே
விற்றுவிட்டு

கனவுகள்
புதைந்து விடுமெனத் தெரிந்தே
கடல் தாண்டி வந்திருக்கிறோம்

மர உச்சியில் நின்று
ஒரு தேன்கூட்டை கலைப்பவன் போல!
வாரவிடுமுறையில்தான்
பார்க்க முடிகிறது
இயந்திரமில்லாத மனிதர்களை!

அம்மாவின் ஸ்பரிசம்
தொட்டு எழுந்த நாட்கள்
கடந்து விட்டன!
இங்கே அலாரத்தின் எரிச்சல் கேட்டு
எழுந்த நாட்கள் கசந்து விட்டன!

பழகிய வீதிகள் பழகிய நண்பர்கள்
கல்லூரி நாட்கள் தினமும் ஒரு இரவு
நேர கனவுக்குள் வந்து வந்து
காணாமல் போய்விடுகிறது!

நண்பர்களோடு ஆற்றில்
விறால் பாய்ச்சல்
மாட்டுவண்டிப் பயணம்
நோன்பு நேரத்துக் கஞ்சி
தெல்க - பம்பரம்- சீட்டு- கோலி என
சீசன் விளையாட்டுக்கள்!

ஒவ்வொரு
ஞாயிற்றுகிழமையாய் எதிர்பார்த்து
விளையாடி மகிழ்ந்த உள்ளூர்
உலகக்கோப்பை கிரிக்கெட்!

இவைகளை நினைத்துப் பார்க்கும்போதெல்லாம்
விசாவும் பாஸ்போட்டும் வந்து
விழிகளை நனைத்து விடுகிறது

வீதிகளில் ஒன்றாய்
வளர்ந்த நண்பர்களின் திருமணத்தில்
மாப்பிள்ளை அலங்காரம்

கூடிநின்று கிண்டலடித்தல்
கல்யாண நேரத்து பரபரப்பு!

பழையசடங்குகள்
மறுத்துப் போராட்டம்
பெண்வீட்டார் மதிக்கவில்லை
எனகூறி வறட்டு பிடிவாதங்கள்!

சாப்பாடு பறிமாரும் நேரம்
எனக்கு நிச்சயத்தவளின் ஓரப்பார்வை
மறுவீடு சாப்பாட்டில்
மணமகளின் ஜன்னல் பார்வை!

இவையெதுவுமே கிடைக்காமல்
“கண்டிப்பாய் வரவேண்டும்”
என்ற சம்பிரதாய அழைப்பிதழுக்காக
சங்கடத்தோடு

ஒரு
தொலைபேசி வாழ்த்தூனூடே
தொலைந்து விடுகிறது
எங்களின் நீ..ண்ட நட்பு

எவ்வளவு சம்பாதித்தும் என்ன?
நாங்கள் அயல் தேசத்து
ஏழைகள்தான்!

காற்றிலும் கடிதத்திலும்
வருகின்ற சொந்தங்களின்
நண்பர்களின் மரணசெய்திக்கெல்லாம்

அரபிக்கடல் மட்டும் தான்
ஆறுதல் தருகிறது!

ஆம்
இதயம் தாண்டி பழகியவர்களெல்லாம்
ஒரு கடலைத்தாண்டிய
கண்ணீரிலேயே கரைந்துவிடுகிறார்கள்!

“இறுதிநாள்” நம்பிக்கையில்தான்
இதயம் சமாதனப்படுகிறது!

இருப்பையும் இழப்பையும்
கணக்கிட்டு பார்த்தால்
எஞ்சி நிற்பது இழப்பு மட்டும்தான்

பெற்ற குழந்தையின்
முதல் ஸ்பரிசம் முதல் பேச்சு
முதல் பார்வை முதல் கழிவு
தினாரும்- திராமும்
தந்துவிடுமா?

கிள்ளச்சொல்லி குழந்தை அழும் சத்ததை
தொலைபேசியில் கேட்கிறோம்!

கிள்ளாமலேயே
நாங்கள் தொலைவில் அழும் சத்தம்
யாருக்குக் கேட்குமோ?

ஒவ்வொருமுறை ஊருக்கு
வரும்பொழுதும்
பெற்ற குழந்தையின்
வித்தியாசப் பார்வை
நெருங்கியவர்களின் திடீர் மறைவு

இப்படி
புதிய முகங்களின்
எதிர்நோக்குதலையும்
பழையமுகங்களின்
மறைதலையும் கண்டு
மீண்டும்..

அயல்தேசம் செல்லமறுத்து
அடம்பிடிக்கும் மனசிடம்

தங்கையின் திருமணமும்
தந்தையின் கடனும்
பொருளாதாரமும் வந்து
சமாதானம் சொல்லி அனுப்பிவிடுகிறது
மீண்டும் அயல்தேசத்திற்கு!

—ரசிகவ் ஞானியார், துபாய்

———————————————————————————
I got this from my office bulletin board. i don’t know the author. my job was only to convert into unicode. It took me a solid 3 hours.
the mail id in the bulletin board was pandia.rajan/polaris

I suffer from this strange disease. I start keying in and then I can’t stop. So when I read “Why do majority of the NRIs think “Everything is bad about India” in chennaipages and the following comments by Venkittu Sir and prabz(one other blogger i know in person),i could not stop the flurry of thoughts and i could hardly control my fingers either. But I decided I will just publish my thoughts in concise points rather than huge paragraphs.

Present Day India and its people:

NRI’s frustrations are understandable. I think if I live outside India for long enough even I will feel frustrated about India whenever I come here.

We, the people residing in India are responsible for all ills that pervade our society. I don’t blame politicans, we elect them after all. Politicians are as good as the people.

Since we are responsible for all that is wrong, we are responsible to bring about the desired change as well.

A lot of things are not proper here. Every aspect of day to day life is pathetic.

All humans are selfish but Indians have set a new high in selfishness. For us, all common problems are “some others’ problem”. It becomes a “common problem” only when our personal welfare is affected or when our kids can’t go to school or when our wives and parents suffer. All such common problems once again revert to “some others’ problem” once our personal grievances are addressed.

BUT

India cannot be compared with any other nation. The conditions here are incredibly complex and unique.

China - is a communist country. Change always happens faster when there is no scope for debate, freedom of thought, expression. Was not USSR a threat when it stood united?

Singapore, Malaysia - its not fair to compare ants and elephants.

I think its easy to create a new website than maintain one. And also its easy to maintain a small website than a large one with N distinct features and identities.

Which is difficult - staying married to one wife or having many?

Life is always good with a new wife. Same is with a newly planned city in a newly formed country. Life is always simple and prosaic with a submissive wife than one with her own mind and ideas. I think these analogies holds good for countries and governance as well.

The older the country, more the problems.

All is not well with United States of America either. I don’t believe USA, with it’s hegemonistic / predatory policies, will survive another century intact. I may not live to see that but my words will. Maybe I have read far too many Chomsky and Arundhati Roy columns for my own good.

My 25 paisa advice to my brethren living in US:

Enjoy, have fun and make lots of money. I dont want you to suffer power cuts, corruption, water scarcity when its possible to avoid.

But the party will end one day. When it ends, come back to India.
Hopefully when you (or your kids) come back, India will be a much better place to live. Till then, have a blast.

(Like a true Indian, even this stuff was written with a selfish motive. I thought if i am done with this, i can peacefully revert back to that deliverable I have at hand.)

Some links i enjoyed in the last day or two in this context are here and here

Venkittu sir

Thanks for tagging me.
I had already rambled about books in Chakra’s blog comments section.
But thought will do minor upgrades and bug fixes to that:-)

My recent books

Da Vinci Code
BLINK(Raciest non-fiction ever read)
PREY,my first crichton experience - unputdownable. Was thru with it in 24 hrs.
Eleven Minutes(ok.)
The Algebra of Infinite Justice(I worship her language and style)

All time favourites should be

THE ALCHEMIST(Fable)
THE CLASS, DOCTORS, MAN WOMAN and CHILD, LOVE STORY(Fiction - All by Eric Segal)
The Algebra of Infinite Justice (Society, privatisation, globalisation etc etc)
FLOW - Mihali………
POWER OF NOW - Eckart Tolle…
Conversations with God - Neal Donald Walsch…

My humble observation regarding popular fiction writers in English.
They dont change their genre. In that way our “Sujatha” is great.

For eg.
Eric Segal - His domain expertise is Harvard.
Sidney Sheldon - General thriller stuff. Strong female characters…
Robin Cook - Medical Thrillers.
Grisham - Legal thrillers.( Client, Firm .etc)

Archer’s best was ‘Kane and Abel’ i think.
I liked some stories in his short story collection ‘Twelve Red Herrings’.
Especially the one with three endings and one where a girl gets chased in a freeway…
(oru sila kadhaigal onnume puriyalai.)

There is also one e-book i would like to mention
It is James Allen’s “As a Man thinketh“. It is available as a free download.

And another medical book

Reversing Heart Diseases by Dr. Dean Ornish

Uyirin Uyirana books(Tamil version)

Bharathiar Katturaigal (kavidhaigal innum koncham padikanum)
M S Udayamoorhty in Puthagangal
Cho vin “Enge Brahmanan”

There are some books which i’d kept pending.
I use them when there are some guests home and when i need extra pillows.
Adhellam padicha ennai kayila pidikka mudiyaadhu.

Notable among them.

Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham.
Flash MX Actionscript Bible.
Thinking in C++
C# in 21 days(Vangi oru maamangam achu.padicha dhaane 21 days count agum?)

The only professional book i’d read in recenttimes which i thoroughy enjoyed is DON’T MAKE ME THINK by Steve krug - a book on web usability.

To put it in “Sujatha” sir style, the latest “Jalliadi”s in web design are
knowledge of Web usability principles/User centered Design, XHTML, CSS, AJAX(like su do ku in puzzles, this is hot in the job market.
I am speaking nothing but “Satyam” boss, there are quite a number of openings:-)

I, Prabukarthik hereby tag the following:

Kay
IBH
Thennavan
Ramya
Subhakshi
Raj

It’s interesting how the human brain ignores the obvious. We know them, we see them at almost all public places but hardly ever acknowledge their presence.

They are at the traffic signal, going from one vehicle to the next, pleading that we buy that mediocre 5-rupee towel. At many a bus stand, selling books kids their age should not even look at. Cleaning compartments in running trains. At the beach, imploring us to buy a ‘Sundal Pottalam’. And we always see them as a nuisance.

I am no different. On numerous occasions I have reacted to their pleading with a subtle headshake, without even taking my eyes off that sidney sheldon novel.

One day, while traveling from Chennai to Coimbatore, I chose to look at one such boy more closely. He should’ve been about ten years old. I compared him to the boy on my left, seated cozily in his mother’s lap. With proper food, love and clothing this kid in front of me would’ve probably looked better than the one on my left. What was I doing at his age? Certainly not cleaning train compartments for survival for sure. The difference was staggering.

He was no longer an ignorable entity in my conscience. What had happened to his mother? His father? Why wasn’t he in school? What or who made him clean compartments, plead passengers? What kind of money did he make on a day doing this? What kind of a future was in store for him? Who has been more cruel to him? His parents? This society? or God?

To make things worse that day, all I had were a few hundred rupee notes. My neighbor parted with a coin and the boy moved on to the next seat, out of my field of vision. But he stayed in my mind for a long time.

What’d happen when his needs exceeded his means? What would stop him from looting, hurting or even killing me, my family and millions like me when he realizes he has been denied a life for no fault of his? Education, love and guidance will make him a better person but who would provide that in the first place?
And what am I going to do with him? Throw him the coin for the moment, wipe him off my mind and get on with my own life? Or is there anyway I could contribute to make his life better? It struck me that the joys of childhood are only for a privileged few.

I reached my destination that day like all the others who traveled with me. Would that poor kid ever reach his? There are thousands of neglected children who are denied their share of food, clothes, shelter, and other very essential things a child needs. Brutally violated and exploited by ‘responsible’ adults. It is high time we realize that it is the collective responsibility of all of us. What are we going to do? In fact, this is not even charity. We are investing in the future of India. They are as much the future of India as our own kids.

It is pertinent to note that how a poor Muslim lady called Zohara from the economically backward district of Rameshwaram chose to mortgage her jewels to ensure that her brother continued his education. The boy? The Great scientist and the present President of India Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam.

It is when you decide to support, show compassion and guide such kids from challenged environments that organizations like Upakriti come into picture.

Upakriti is a non-profit organization dedicated to the welfare of underprivileged children in India. It is committed to improving their lives by providing basic necessities like food, clothing, shelter, and education and by fostering their ethical, social and intellectual development.

Upakriti works by identifying grass root level organizations whose vision, goals and values align with ours and distributing funds to them, and by being personally involved in their activities. “We must be the change that we wish to see in the world,” said Mahatma Gandhi. Upakriti supports these projects in India.

LOTUS
NEEDS
SOCARE

A lot needs to be done and a long road lies ahead. At Upakriti, we have taken that first step. Baby steps, but a beginning has been made.

Children always have dreams. Big, noble dreams. There is no difference between rich kids and poor kids in that respect. Please join us and together we will make their dreams come true.

Please visit Upakriti.org for more information.

Venkittu Sir,

Thank you so much.
Please send the cheque to the US address as I think it is much more convenient for you.
US address is priyums residence address.
Priya is right now in Ahmedabad on a month’s trip.
She will return to US by July-end, August.
But priya’s husband is there in Washington.

Mylapore address is the concerned person’s address.
———————————————————————————

I first received this as a mail yesterday and did not give much thought.
I informed priyums that I’m putting it on the blog.
But after publishing it I felt maybe I am not doing justice to the readers.
Asking for money is a delicate thing.
After all, the person is 68 years old.
Asking help for a child would have been more appealing.
I even thought about deleting it for a second.
But decided against it for two reasons…

A soul which wants to live well is a soul no matter how young or old it is.
The condition is tricky. It is not just a matter of death.
It is a quality of life issue. The person can be free of agony the rest of his life.
Had it been countries like US, Canada the social security system and the health insurance system would have taken care of such people I guess.

Also, I personally know priyums for the last so many years.
I write everyday because of people like priyums.
She is asking for help because she had been told in no uncertain terms that she is not to part with all the required money as she had done so many times in the past including several kids education.

We still fight over every trivial issue 4 times a week but yes whatever little good qualities i have today is all because of people like priyums.

And yes, hurling stones at priyums is the same as hurling stones at prabukarthik.

On a different note:

i was associated with another organisation called upakriti. i was till recently the co-odinator for one of their projects called SOCARE in bangalore. i quit that as i felt i was not doing justice to that role what with my job, blogs and other N personal responsibilities.

Frequent travel to bangalore was not possible so i thought some other person will do justice to that.

Any bangalore folks, who are interested in volunteering,lease do let me know.
Click here for Upakriti’s newsletter in PDF.

But the project as such and the intention is still close to my heart.

Hi,

This is about my relative who lives in India. Since I have left my job recently and since my relative does not want to depend on me entirely I am mailing all my friends. If you are in the US contribution of 10 or 20 dollars would be helpful. If you are in India please donate as minimum as you can. And if it is difficult for you to send a cheque please indicate the amount you would like to offer mail me and I will take care of it for now and collect it from you later.

MR.S.CHANDRASEKAR, AGED 68 YEARS, RESIDING AT NO.21, MUNDAGAKANNIAMMAN KOIL STREET ? FOURTH LANE, MYLAPORE, CHENNAI, INDIA, PIN: 600 004 IS SUFFERING FROM HEART PROBLEM FOR THE PAST 6 YEARS.

HE HAS UNDERGONE ANGIO TREATMENT LAST YEAR. STILL HIS CONDITION HAS NOT IMPROVED. NOW HIS PULSE RATE HAS GONE DOWN DRASTICALLY. HE HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR FIXING PACE MAKER AT THE EARLIEST, MAY BE BEFORE THE END OF JUNE-2005.

THE COST OF FIXING PACE MAKER AND THE INCIDENTAL HOSPITAL EXPENSES HAS BEEN ESTIMATED AROUND Rs.1.50 LAKHS.

THE PERSON IS OF NO MEANS TO MEET THE EXPENSES.HE DOES NOT HAVE A SON OR A DAUGHTER. EVEN FOR DAY TO DAY SUSTENANCE HE AND HIS WIFE ARE DEPENDANT ON CLOSE RELATIVES.THE PATIENT SEEKS HELP OF KIND HEARTED SOULS WHO CAN CONTRIBUTE WHATEVER THEY CAN TO MEET THE EXPENSES.

PS:
Those who want to send any contribution, may please contact me :

Yay! makkale ellorum innoru dhadavai jora kai thattunga..
For Prabukarthik using his brains is rarer than a Ganguly hundred:-)
The way it went - i thought i will put Mu Ka du in my head and surrender.
Somehow I managed to finish this one in about an hour.
HINDU says its a “very easy” one…

Inimae naan varalai indha aatathukku…

su|do|ku - today’s puzzle in HINDU - Solution 

The puzzle rule is very simple

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3×3 box contains the digits 1 through 9 without repeating a digit.

su|do|ku - today’s puzzle in HINDU  

HINDU has started a new, innovative puzzle section called sudoku.A game that uses numbers, a puzzle that you solve with reasoning and logic.

With HINDU Crosswords, with Ramna gone i never stood a chance.
I think this is interesting and at my level to give a fair shot.

check out sudoku.com

Makkale ellorum oru dhadavai jora kai thattunga.. Namma Ganguly has scored a century.
No.. Not the Basha style oru run adicha nooru run adicha madhiri funda..
You remember the one we get after 99? Andha hundred.
Check out here.

For long I thought Ganguly can score a hundred only in book cricket we used to play during school days sitting at the last benches.

Nalla kaalam porakudhu. Nalla kaalam porakudhu.. dum dum dum….