DECEMBER MUSIC SEASON IN CHENNAI

Hi friends, 

Music is an art that puts sounds together in such a way that people like or find it interesting. It includes singing with voice or playing musical instruments. The word music comes from the Greek word Mousike. It means "art of the Muses". It means a person, especially women, who is a source of inspiration. The Muses were the nine goddesses who symbolized the arts and sciences.

In 1000 CE [Current Era], Guido D'Arezzo made many improvements in music theory. He first improved and reworked standard notation to be more user-friendly by adding time signatures. Then he invented SOLFEGE. It is a music education method used to teach pitch and sight singing of western music. This is the vocal note scale: do, re, mi, fa, la, ti, do.

I do not wish to elaborate any further. Music has its own history. It relieves stress and strain. It gives solace to the soul. It gets you peace of mind. It makes you forget the present and your worries. It is divine. All people do not have the capacity to sing. Years of practice is needed. The training has to start early in life when the vocal chord is flexible.

Some people, though not able to sing, maybe appreciative of the music. They may be knowing the nuances of music. They get happiness in listening. The third category neither knows singing nor the nuances of music but simply enjoys music. Most of people love music. Those who do not enjoy music are unfit to live.

Carnatic music is divine. It is very difficult to learn and to perform. Only a few people show interest. Modern music has taken its place. When I was young, in Srirangam temple, they used to play Thiruppavai by M.L.V. in the morning. I have interest in Carnatic music, especially after my marriage. I give below a list of ten songs which I like the most.

1.  Sri Chakra Raja                      Raagamaliga            Sudha Ragunathan
2.  Sobillu Sabdhaswara              Jaganmohini            Radha Jayalakshmi
3.  Chinnanjiru Kiliye                  Raagamaliga           G.N.B
4.  Ongi Ulagalandha Uthaman   Arabhi                      M.L.V
5.  Banturithi Kolu                       Hamsanadham        Radha Jayalakshmi
6.  Krishna Nee Begane Baro      Yaman Kalyani        Yesudass
7.  Chamaja Vara Gamana          Hindolam                 G.N.B
8.  Alaipayudhe Kanna                Kanada                     Sudha Ragunathan
9.  Radha Samedha Krishna       Kalyani                     G.N.B
10.Thaye Yashodha Undhan       Thodi                         Madurai Mani Iyer

In Chennai, there are Sabhas that give patronage to Carnatic music during  Dec 15th to Jan 14th or Margazhi, Tamil month of Lord Vishnu. Many talented singers, old and new, are given opportunities. My wife is a good singer and interested in attending music programs. Though we do not have the time, we go for the programs of the following vidwans.

1. Sri  Jesudass,  2. Ms. Sudha Ragunathan, 3. Sri Unnikrishnan, 4. Sri Kadri Gopalnath in saxophone, 5. Sri U.Srinivas in Mandolin [till he was alive], 6. Priya Sisters, 7. Chinmaya sisters, and 8. Ranjani Gayathri.
[Para 1 and 2 Wikipedia]
MAY GOD BLESS YOU.

Sri K.J.Jesudass                                                             

Ms. Sudha Ragunathan.


Sri Unnikrishnan

Sri Kadri Gopalnath.                                                       

Sri Mandolin Srinivas.

Priya sisters

Chinmaya sisters

                                                  
                                                      Ms.Ranjani Gayathri  
                                                     
                                                           

GRANDPARENTS THEN, AND NOW

Hi friends,

Now the child is sent to school at the age of 2 or 3. There is Nursery, pre-KG, LKG, UKG, etc. before 1st standard. The situation back in 1950 was different. I was admitted directly to 1st standard when I was 5. I did not carry loads of books on my back. I took only a slate made of thin Cuddappah stone. Later it was changed to a tin plate to avoid breakage. 

The school was between 9 AM to 12 noon. We had only 3 periods. We went to the school only with the slate and a chalk pencil. There were no notebooks, books, lead pencil, pen, eraser, water bottle, shoe/socks, uniform,  tiffin-box, etc. There were only 3 subjects, English, Tamil, and Maths. There was only one teacher for all the subjects. There was only one class per standard and one teacher took control of 2-3 classes. 

The teacher would write alphabets and numbers on a blackboard, which I re-wrote on the slate. He would put a tick mark which I proudly showed to my grandparents. They told everyone how intelligent I was. I played in the evening. We had two cows. The Konar milked the cows. My grandmother gave me fresh milk. We used only kerosene lamps at night. After the sunset, we had our dinner.

After dinner, I sat on the lap of my grandparents on the lawn under the moonlight in a cot made of coir rope. There was no mosquito then. My grandmother told me stories from Mahabharata, and Ramayana and taught me Sanskrit Slokas. My grandfather taught me Maths and Tamil. It was always an oral and memorizing type. The morals they taught me are of immense value even now.  

He started from the easy one and moved on to the difficult one. He taught  Numbers 1 to 100. Then Tables from one to ten. I had to repeat it again and again so that it got into my memory. Once a Table is over, I had to repeat it every day so that I did not forget. He would then move on to the next table until we reached 16. Then he taught me 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 tables. The present generation does not know anything about these tables and they use the calculator.

He would then take up Tamil. He taught 7 days of the week, 12 English months, 12 Tamil months with its Sanskrit equivalent, [eg. chithirai-mesham], then 60 years and 27 stars in Sanskrit. There was no writing. I had to repeat whatever he said and memorize it. This coaching was about an hour every day. While studying, usually I fell into sleep on my grandparents' lap. They would put me onto the pillow and covered me with a blanket.

By the time I reached the 2nd standard, I was thorough with all the above lessons and knew them by heart. Even now I know them which the present-day children miss. That was the role played by the grandparents then. They are not given their due place in the family and are ignored now. MAY GOD BLESS YOU.

THE AGONY OF A DEPRIVED OLD SOUL

Hi friends,

Hey, do you remember me? I am your father. I turn 85 today. You may not remember it. I want to talk to you. I know you are very busy. You have work to attend to, children to take care and you are running here and there, to make money.

You are wealthy. You have all the money in the world. You have given me the comforts. How long I can lye on this cot? How long I can stare at the ceiling? How long I can listen to the same music? My back pains. Just hold me up for a while.

My hands are shaky. I am unable to hold and read the book or dial the phone. My eyesight is failing and the letters are small. The broth, the maid gives, is tasteless. I miss your mother. If she is alive, life would have been heaven.

Please sit near me and look at me. See my cloudy eyes. The grey hairs are withering. The skin has become shrunken and wrinkled and eyes cataracts clouded. It is due to age. You are smiling at me, but I see no love in your smile. 

Loneliness kills. Do you see a father in me? I have lived my life. I love you so much unlike anyone else in this world. I would spare anything and everything just for sharing a few minutes with you. You feel sad when you read about the death of old people. 

Your heart bleeds when people die suddenly when they are young. But you do not even care to notice I become old every day just before your eyes. You are only busy making money. Still, my love for you remains the same even at the time of my death.

I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. Someday, you will shed tears for me and you will feel sorry that you did not have the time to spend with me. I love you so much and your sorrow will touch my heart deep.

We are together now. We shall talk, heart to heart, not as a father and son, but as friends. I may tell you something about myself and about life. I decided to have you in my life because I wanted someone to share my love with. But you are very different. 

I know you fully well. You are my son and I love you so much. Let the time slow down for us to talk. Speak with your heart, and I shall know your heart. Life is very short. So please come and we shall share at least these last moments together.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER

Hi friends,

Both of them were sisters. Their parents were neither rich nor poor. They had already performed their daughters' weddings within their capacity. They had died in a road accident. They were gone without even seeing their grandchildren.

The elder daughter was Abirami. She was 30, calm, quiet. wheat complexioned, homely, and studied up to the 10th standard. She was married to a farm labourer. She also worked in the field. They had two children, at the age of 8, and 4. Their income was just sufficient to meet the ends. 

Abirami cleverly managed the family. She gave importance to education so that the children would be well settled in life. Her husband also cooperated with her. So they worked hard, earned more money, spent less, and saved for their education. The children also understood the parent's difficulties and studied well.

The younger daughter was Annapurna. She was 25. fair, attractive, beautiful, intelligent, graduate, employed, and getting a good salary. She was married to a bank manager, with a good salary, car, house, etc. Theirs was a love marriage. When her parents objected, it was Abirami who persuaded them to agree. They had a 2-year-old boy

That day was Annapurna's wedding day. They always celebrated the whole day going out. This time, her husband was not able to spare the whole day due to official duty. They decided to go out in the evening. Annapurna was happy and she had prepared sweets and tiffin. Her husband had promised to come by 5 PM.

Annapurna got herself and the child dressed up ready. Her husband came in time, went for a bath, returned soon, and got himself dressed up. She served him sweets and tiffin. When they were about to leave, Abirami entered the house.

Annapurna was very happy to see her sister and thought she would also join them. Her husband also was happy and welcomed her. He was on good terms with Abirami's husband and also close to their children. He knew about their financial difficulties and he had helped them on many occasions.

Annapurna received her elder sister warmly. She had a lot of love for her. She cared for her and visited her often with gifts. She did not forget that her present life was only due to the blessings of Abirami. She offered her sweets and invited her to join them. She expected that she would accept her invitation.

Abirami hugged her sister with love. Then taking the little boy on her shoulders, she gave her a tiffin box and said " You are like a daughter to me. I know today is your wedding day. I  prepared some sweets for you. I would have come early but the bus got delayed. I have to go back and I cannot come with you. I have come with a purpose". 

"Our mother gave me a gold chain for my wedding. I wanted to give it to you at your wedding. But I had pledged it to pay school fees. Only yesterday, I got it back. Immediately I got it polished to give it to you on your wedding day. My husband also agreed". She put the chain on her neck and started leaving. Annapurna was stunned by her majesty. They are BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER.

BALANCED MIND IN ADVERSITY [பாதகமான நிலையிலும் நிதானம்.]

Hi friends,

When I finalized the wedding of my daughter in 1997, I wanted to give some useful information along with the invitation. I selected an incident from Maha Bharatha that teaches something important to our life. I give below the English translation. We learn from such sources that lead to knowledge, success, happiness, and peace of mind.

When the Pandavas were in exile, one day while returning after a hunt, they were tired and rested under a tree. The eldest brother, Yudishtra, was thirsty and asked his last brother, Sahadeva, to get him some water. Sahadeva went in search of water and in the distance he noticed some birds, indicating the availability of water. He saw a pond and decided to drink some water before taking it for his brothers. 

When he was about to drink,  a voice [YATCHAN] told him that the pond belonged to him and before drinking the water he should answer his questions, otherwise, he would die. Due to extreme thirst, he ignored the voice, drank the water, and died on the bank. Since Sahadeva did not return, Yudishtra sent his next brother Nakula.

For Nakula also, the same thing happened. Then Bheema went and met with the same end. Then Arjuna came and in anger sent an arrow in the direction of the voice, drank the water, and died. Surprised that none of his brothers returned, Yudishtra was worried and came to the pond. He was shocked and surprised to see all his brothers had died. He thought what would have happened. 

At that time, the YATCHAN told him how his brothers ignored his warning and died. He said, the pond belonged to him and before taking water they should answer his questions. If you also ignore me, you would also meet with the same end. Yudhishtra thought for a while, found reason in his demand, and asked him to put the questions. The questions and answers are as under:

What makes the sunrise daily?
Brahman
What makes a man know that he is safe?
Courage.
How a man becomes intelligent?
By listening to the elders.
Which is heavier than the earth?
A mother who carries humanity
Which is farther than space?
Father.
Which is speedier than the wind? 
Mind.
Which is more worthless than the grass? 
Worry.
Who is the friend during yatra?
Knowledge.
Who is a friend at home?
Wife.
Who is the friend of a dying old man?
"Dhaanam" what he has given, which alone will go with him.
Which is the biggest vessel?
Earth.
What is pleasure?
Good conduct.
What one has to leave to win others?
Pride.
What one can lose without any worry?
Anger
What one can lose to become rich?
Greed.
Is Brahmin by birth or character?
Birth and education are not requisites. A person without character is not a brahmin.
-- Even after a good education, a person without character is not a brahmin.
--Good character alone makes one a brahmin.
What is the wonder of this world?
After seeing people die every day, one believes that he is going to live permanently.
---This is the wonder of the world.

Then Yudishtra answered all other questions. The YATCHAN, happy with his answers, permitted Yudishtra to drink water. He then offered to give life to one of his four brothers and asked whom did he prefer? Without any hesitation, he said that he would prefer to get back Nakula. The YATCHAN  asked him, "You are fond of Bheema and without Arjuna, you cannot win the war, then why do you prefer Nakula?"

Yudistra's reply was noteworthy. One must see the condition he was in. He was tired and thirsty. He had lost all his brothers and was grieving. The YATCHAN did not come in person. In such a situation, how a person would react?  Yudistra's reasoning was wonderful. He said, NATURE PROTECTS A PERSON FOR HIS RIGHTEOUS LIVING AND NOT BHEEMA AND ARJUNA. THE SAME NATURE KILLS A PERSON IF HE FAILS TO FOLLOW THE RIGHT PATH. 

He then explained that his father had two wives. One was Kunthi and the other was Maathri. For Kunthi, he was the eldest and for Maathri, Nakula was the eldest to perform last rights. Even in adversity, he had a vision, balanced mind, and fair thinking. It should be the nature of a person. The YATCHAN appeared in person and gave life to all his brothers and blessed them.

ON THE CENTENARY OF MY FATHER

Hi friends,

Recently, I met my mother in Jan 2016. She reminded me of my father's centenary and asked me to write an article on him. I wish to try my hand and hence this article.

My father was born on 6th Aug 1916. He was christened as Narayanaswamy by his parents after his grandfather Shri Narayanan. In those days, they used to name the grandchild after the grandparents and if the grandparents were alive, then they would name the child after great grandparents. Nowadays that system is long forgotten. Even if some people wish to follow, for record purposes some other fancy name is given.

He was born in a village called THINNIYAM near Anbil in Lalgudi taluk. His father was a Mirasdar ie an agriculturist looking after family lands. He was the last among six children consisting of four sons and two daughters. His father died when he was eleven and only his mother took great care of him from then on. He was good at his studies and he wanted to do engineering but could not do so due to family reasons.

So, he studied under one Shri Narayanaswamy and passed draftsmanship course and joined the Madras Govt. in Public Works Dept as Draftsman and then became as Head Draftsman. His mother and my maternal grandparents [my mother's parents] met in marriage and wanted to have an alliance between the two families. My father then married my mother Ms.Rajalakshmi on 1st April 1938 when my mother was 12 and father was 21. The marriage took place in VALADY village near Lalgudi.

My mother was the only daughter and her father was also a mirasdar looking after agricultural lands. In those days, Govt job was considered a boon and people gladly came forward to give their daughters in marriage to such boys. In addition, my father was handsome, very fair, with curly hair, and athletic body considered as important qualities for marriage. At that time, my father's salary was Rs.25/ per month. This was the early part of my father's life. He was good at his work and was well respected by all. He had worked in all major irrigation projects in Tamil Nadu viz., Periyar, Manimuthar, Vaigai dam, etc.

From 1941 to 1963, he had nine children consisting of 6 sons and 3 daughters. In those days, family planning was not in vogue and people considered terminating a pregnancy as unethical and also they believed that a child was born not only with a mouth but also with a pair of hands and that they would look after the parents in their old days. Later on, people reduced the number of children and it is still debated which is correct.

No one on this earth is completely perfect. Everyone has his plus and minus. My father is not an exception. The only point is, which is more, either the plus or the minus. I have observed my father from close quarters and I can count for all his qualities. Also, education and exposure play a major role in the making of a person. Considering his background, I summarize his personality as under to the best of my knowledge.

1. He was a devoted son. Irrespective of the shortcomings of his mother, he obeyed her and made her happy till she breathed her last. He never uttered a single word that would displease her. She was the person who taught him everything from the age of 11 and for that noble cause he repaid in full. To listen to the mother and to make her happy even for a single day is a difficult task. He was a devoted son throughout her life. I can proudly say that my father was like the "Rama" to his mother. He also looked after his in-laws with love in their later days.

2. He lived only for his children. His ambition was that every son should be an engineer and every daughter should marry an engineer. He had a great passion for that profession. Knowing his income and the number of children, he led a planned life so that the education of the children was in no way affected. There were occasions when three of his children were studying in college at the same time and he was able to manage their expenses.

3. He was a very simple man. Simple to the core. While he wanted his wife to be on silk Saree always, he wore a very simple dress. He used to buy one piece [about 20 meters] of the famous M.S. Long cloth of Mettur mills, which we now use for making a pillow cover, and stitched five white shirts and also bought five handloom dhotis with a black border made from Nagercoil. His shirt was with full sleeves half-open at the neck with two gold plated buttons used for decades. These five sets would last for 3 to 4 years. He wore only white and no colour dress. He traveled only by bi-cycle. His old Hercules with airplane seat was famous in his days.

4. He was a man of great self-respect. He never wanted to be at the mercy of others. He believed in the policy of giving and not taking. He was against graft and corruption. Though his position gave him opportunities, he never took any bribe and lived on principles. I still remember the occasion when he chided me for getting the newspaper from my neighbour.

5. The charity was his another virtue. He always wanted to help the poor. I know how he has helped his relatives even when he was not well to do. On all Saturdays, he used to keep 4 anna coins and gave to poor people who came to his house for alms. I have seen him providing food also to old people. I know his friend and colleague whose name was also Narayanaswami. My father helped him financially for the conduct of his daughter's wedding.

6. Telling the Truth was his another virtue. He never lied and never liked people lying to him. He used to tell me that if you start lying, you will always live in fear and you will never be bold to question the wrong.

7. He believed in accountability. He said only accounting will make you progress. Otherwise, you may not know where and how you have spent the money. One must see his growth every year. My parents used to write the accounts for the day at 8 PM every day. Even a 10 paise expense was accounted for. I followed his advice and wrote accounts and I have seen my growth. His policy was to spend for necessities, avoid the comforts and forget the luxuries.

8. He was a good sportsman. When he was working in Manimuthar and Vaigai, there were clubhouses in the site. I had seen him playing games. He played ball badminton, tennis, volleyball, ring ball, football, table tennis, kabaddi, athletics, and cards. He played ball badminton at the state level. He never played cards staking money. In Vaigai dam there was open space before our house. I was 10 and he was 38 or 39 then. One day, I challenged him to catch me on the run. You know the speed of a boy. But he caught me within 20 feet with his dhoti folded at his waist. Such was his alertness and speed.

9. His motto in life was: Do your duty. Make your parents happy. Help the poor and then Pray to God. There is no point in praying without doing the other three. If you follow this strictly, even God will come to see you.

Considering his plus, his minus was negligible. When I say "Tributes to my father" I should not write about his minus. But I should be fair. I found two drawbacks in him. First, he was short-tempered.  When other people made him unhappy, he lost his cool easily. Secondly, he rarely expressed his love for his kith and kin outwardly. However, he was a great human being, instrumental in bringing up successful children. He breathed his last in 1985 at the age of 69. Now his clan has grown with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren totaling 64 people. Each and every one of them is loving with each other and are leading a happy life.

This family, THINNIYAM/VALADY CLAN has grown well due to his BLESSINGS. I am 71 now and I know my father since 1953 when I was 8. I can only visualize how he would be happy if he is alive today. He could not enjoy the pleasures of life for the sufferings he had undergone to lay the foundation for bringing up this family to great heights. Everyone is well educated and well-positioned and live in unity, love, and understanding under the able guidance of our mother who is 90 now. On this occasion, I take this opportunity on myself and on behalf of other members of this family,  to thank the great man for his untiring services which brought this family to its present position. We all pray to Lord and thank Him for giving him as our FATHER.

GRAND CHILDREN A REAL PLEASURE.

Hi friends,

The very purpose of marriage is to get children. But they do not find time to enjoy the company of their children. They are in pursuit of money for their livelihood without which life will be difficult. But grandparents are different. They have all the time in the world to enjoy their grandchildren. When compared to the parents, the grandparents are the blessed ones. 

I got my first grandchild, a boy when I was 54. Being the first child, the love, attachment, and feeling were more. He was named Pranav by his paternal grandmother. He was cute, intelligent and never gave problems. Until he was 2 or 3, I used to carry him everyday morning and evening for a walk. He used to tell the names of all the cars on the road.

For some time I used to take him to the school and to bring him back home in my motorcycle. During the journey, we had wonderful rapport. I used to tell him lion and mouse stories which he used to listen with awe. Later he said it was boring. Children grow fast and they develop interest elsewhere. Slowly you lose interest when you get more grandchildren and when you become old.

I have two grandsons through my daughter and one granddaughter through my son. My daughter has gone to the US. Hence acquaintance with grandsons is minimum. But we stay with our granddaughter. We enjoy her company all the time. We see her grow every day. She is cute, intelligent, calm and pious. I love her very much. I post below some of the videos taken while she was a kid.

My grandsons are in no way lag behind. The first one Shri.K.Pranav has learned clarinet. His guru is the famous Shri.A.K.C.Natarajan. He has almost completed his lessons and arangetram has taken place. The second one Shri.K.Keshav is learning violin. His guru is Ms. Radhika from New Jersey in the U.S. I am very glad to post below the videos of their performances.