Dear God,
This was my "Goodbye" to Satyam....
My friend and well wisher,
You have received this email because you are one of the very few I have known and interacted with during this cathartic sojourn. Easily one of the finest individuals, you have been kind to me and helped me facilitate exchange of thoughts from time to time. Regardless of the nature of interaction or capacity, I am happy we got working together, making every endeavour a meaningful and realistic one.
You have also been the one I could relate to easily, and in no time. We may not have accomplished as much as we envisaged. All the same, my association with you will remain etched in memories for a long time to come.
Today was my last day in office. I couldn't have left here denying you the privilege of knowing that - you deserved it of all. As I write to you, my current phone number is being deactivated. I will apprise you of a new number shortly.
In the interim, please write to me on ramtherock@hotmail.com; Look me up "Aham Brahmasmi" on Facebook and Orkut. I would really like for us to be in touch.
God bless you, always.
Ram
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Nadodikattu I (The Wandering Wind)
Dear God,
At long last I am back talking to you. Call it lethargy or smug, I have just not been up to anything lately.
Slowdown, job/pay cuts have left all of us drained emotionally. I needed to break free, escape to a place away from this pandemonium. An unplanned, almost overnight decision put me on a train to my hometown, Palakkad.
As I set foot in your country, I knew this was going to be a memorable and a rejuvenating trip. It had rained the night before and the aroma of Earth almost jump-started my senses.
Thottam house, the ancestral home from another century stands tall and proud in the hamlet called Chandrasekharapuram. One look at the structure tells you that it has weathered many a violent storm, has stood the test of time and has become a significant part of history and legacy. The insides have scarcely been modified ever since I have known it. Every element in the building still goes strong and carries generations of memories. I have vivid memories of scampering around the house with Thatha (Grandpa) chasing, trying to keep speed. I was born here and although spent very little time after, I have always been drawn to the house and the village folk.
Thinnai (Front yard), the house and the Kollai (Backyard) constitute to the Thottam House.
A recently modified gate that rests on two ageing (albeit, gracefully) pillars welcomes you into the Thinnai, into Thottam House. The slanting Ottuperai (Roof made of mud) forms the parasol. Thinnai is lined with plants/trees bearing flowers like Shoe flower, Lily, Bougainvillea etc. Most of the flowers are used as offerings to you during the morning Pujai (Puja). A Nellikkai (Gooseberry) maram (tree) at the foot of the Thinnai keeps popping its produce onto the Ottuperai.
The insides of the house comprise of Ullu Thinnai (Sit out space), Macchikullu (Store), Your room, Adukullu (Kitchen, there are two), rest room and Macchimellai (Attic).
Kollai (Backyard) is love beyond poetry. Dotted with tall trees and now an unused well, it is but natural for poetry to flow here. Quiet is abundant here. Trees and birds alone have the right to utterance, if any. The thicket that forms when branches embrace each other is divine abode. Coconut and Jackfruit trees are like an epidemic, really! Every house here, as elsewhere in Kerala is embellished by these trees. So we call upon Kunjuraman's services to get some coconuts down and feast on them. Kunjuraman to me is the real Spiderman, the real Superhero. He can go up the tree in almost no time and send those fruits flying down like it was a routine day in office. Oh! by the way, Kunjuraman runs errands for houses here including gardening, cleaning up wells etc. Back to his exploits, I feasted on at least three of them, along with the fruits that lined the walls inside. What thrilled me truly was that I had them for free versus having to spend about 8/- back home in the city.
"Green is the colour" goes the Pink Floyd ballad and how truly so. Hard as you might try, you cannot escape the greenery around - the Paddy fields, the trees, the hedges etc haunt you, in a good way of course! The end of the Kollai opens into the perennial Attangarai (a tributary of the great Bharatha Puzha). This is my favourite place here. I can thrive on this place, the sounds of the waters battering the rocks within, the fish biting into your legs etc. I believe the fish can bite into germ-infested wounds and heal them. The force of the current undulates onto your back giving you an almost therapeutic massage, one you cannot get at the plushest of Spas in town. There is so much to hear here - the birds, the splashes, the swaying of branches etc are nothing less than a beautiful composition. The sand encircling this beautiful stream shines in all its glory when the Sun embraces it at noon. Unfortunately, not too much of the sand is now left with realtors digging into it for construction purposes.
Part two follows.....
At long last I am back talking to you. Call it lethargy or smug, I have just not been up to anything lately.
Slowdown, job/pay cuts have left all of us drained emotionally. I needed to break free, escape to a place away from this pandemonium. An unplanned, almost overnight decision put me on a train to my hometown, Palakkad.
As I set foot in your country, I knew this was going to be a memorable and a rejuvenating trip. It had rained the night before and the aroma of Earth almost jump-started my senses.
Thottam house, the ancestral home from another century stands tall and proud in the hamlet called Chandrasekharapuram. One look at the structure tells you that it has weathered many a violent storm, has stood the test of time and has become a significant part of history and legacy. The insides have scarcely been modified ever since I have known it. Every element in the building still goes strong and carries generations of memories. I have vivid memories of scampering around the house with Thatha (Grandpa) chasing, trying to keep speed. I was born here and although spent very little time after, I have always been drawn to the house and the village folk.
Thinnai (Front yard), the house and the Kollai (Backyard) constitute to the Thottam House.
A recently modified gate that rests on two ageing (albeit, gracefully) pillars welcomes you into the Thinnai, into Thottam House. The slanting Ottuperai (Roof made of mud) forms the parasol. Thinnai is lined with plants/trees bearing flowers like Shoe flower, Lily, Bougainvillea etc. Most of the flowers are used as offerings to you during the morning Pujai (Puja). A Nellikkai (Gooseberry) maram (tree) at the foot of the Thinnai keeps popping its produce onto the Ottuperai.
The insides of the house comprise of Ullu Thinnai (Sit out space), Macchikullu (Store), Your room, Adukullu (Kitchen, there are two), rest room and Macchimellai (Attic).
Kollai (Backyard) is love beyond poetry. Dotted with tall trees and now an unused well, it is but natural for poetry to flow here. Quiet is abundant here. Trees and birds alone have the right to utterance, if any. The thicket that forms when branches embrace each other is divine abode. Coconut and Jackfruit trees are like an epidemic, really! Every house here, as elsewhere in Kerala is embellished by these trees. So we call upon Kunjuraman's services to get some coconuts down and feast on them. Kunjuraman to me is the real Spiderman, the real Superhero. He can go up the tree in almost no time and send those fruits flying down like it was a routine day in office. Oh! by the way, Kunjuraman runs errands for houses here including gardening, cleaning up wells etc. Back to his exploits, I feasted on at least three of them, along with the fruits that lined the walls inside. What thrilled me truly was that I had them for free versus having to spend about 8/- back home in the city.
"Green is the colour" goes the Pink Floyd ballad and how truly so. Hard as you might try, you cannot escape the greenery around - the Paddy fields, the trees, the hedges etc haunt you, in a good way of course! The end of the Kollai opens into the perennial Attangarai (a tributary of the great Bharatha Puzha). This is my favourite place here. I can thrive on this place, the sounds of the waters battering the rocks within, the fish biting into your legs etc. I believe the fish can bite into germ-infested wounds and heal them. The force of the current undulates onto your back giving you an almost therapeutic massage, one you cannot get at the plushest of Spas in town. There is so much to hear here - the birds, the splashes, the swaying of branches etc are nothing less than a beautiful composition. The sand encircling this beautiful stream shines in all its glory when the Sun embraces it at noon. Unfortunately, not too much of the sand is now left with realtors digging into it for construction purposes.
Part two follows.....
Monday, August 10, 2009
Wasted life
Dear Mr. Editor,
I have often believed that wavelength is a definitive and tangible term rather than just a feeling. Here's a comparison to demonstrate that:
1. Your name (Mohan Sivanand) sounds South Indian and I am a South Indian too.
2. You sport spectacles and so do I.
3. Apart from the fact that this is bread and butter, you appear to be committed to the language. This is evident from the prefaces, articles and some of your responses to emails from readers.Trust me, I have the same attitude towards English - I have written a bit (blogging) and I read a lot.
4. Considering you started your career while in Kerala, I assume that's your native. It is mine too!
Just a handful to bring out tangible coincidences. So what's the moral of the story, you ask? Well, since our wavelengths match, do you think you could get me a job at Readers' Digest?
Here are some reasons that may help you work on an answer:
1. We have been subscribing to the journal for the last 3-4 years. Avid fans of the monthly, the courier guy has been promptly delivering them at noon when dad's not home. This enables me to be the first to lay hands on it.
2. My father has gone crazy picking up those RD collectibles that will someday roll into the sweepstakes.
3. I have a profound respect for language and an undying passion for words.
4. I am between jobs and can use a job (Part time will do too) to capitalize on my skills.
5. I do not have any formal education in journalism or mass communication for fitment. All the same, I think I have a natural advantage with the language. So if you think I am worth a try, I could send you bits of what I have written in the recent past for you review.
Any role will do, I just need to be amongst words.
Let me also guess what you would do after reading this outlandish piece of junk:
1. Rubbish it like you would with any other junk you receive by the hour.
2. Share this email in a group and have a good laugh.
3. Maybe this will never even reach you, your office administrator might have a strong mind to consider this SPAM and junk it.
Sir, please help!
Of course, there was no response. I mean why would there be!!! What was I thinking.....
Dear God,
Don't let the title or the account take you aback. I am still trying to figure out why I wrote that ridiculous piece of junk - is it excess free time, joblessness or sheer foolishness? That's the email I had written to the Editor, Readers' Digest...
I have often believed that wavelength is a definitive and tangible term rather than just a feeling. Here's a comparison to demonstrate that:
1. Your name (Mohan Sivanand) sounds South Indian and I am a South Indian too.
2. You sport spectacles and so do I.
3. Apart from the fact that this is bread and butter, you appear to be committed to the language. This is evident from the prefaces, articles and some of your responses to emails from readers.Trust me, I have the same attitude towards English - I have written a bit (blogging) and I read a lot.
4. Considering you started your career while in Kerala, I assume that's your native. It is mine too!
Just a handful to bring out tangible coincidences. So what's the moral of the story, you ask? Well, since our wavelengths match, do you think you could get me a job at Readers' Digest?
Here are some reasons that may help you work on an answer:
1. We have been subscribing to the journal for the last 3-4 years. Avid fans of the monthly, the courier guy has been promptly delivering them at noon when dad's not home. This enables me to be the first to lay hands on it.
2. My father has gone crazy picking up those RD collectibles that will someday roll into the sweepstakes.
3. I have a profound respect for language and an undying passion for words.
4. I am between jobs and can use a job (Part time will do too) to capitalize on my skills.
5. I do not have any formal education in journalism or mass communication for fitment. All the same, I think I have a natural advantage with the language. So if you think I am worth a try, I could send you bits of what I have written in the recent past for you review.
Any role will do, I just need to be amongst words.
Let me also guess what you would do after reading this outlandish piece of junk:
1. Rubbish it like you would with any other junk you receive by the hour.
2. Share this email in a group and have a good laugh.
3. Maybe this will never even reach you, your office administrator might have a strong mind to consider this SPAM and junk it.
Sir, please help!
Of course, there was no response. I mean why would there be!!! What was I thinking.....
Dear God,
Don't let the title or the account take you aback. I am still trying to figure out why I wrote that ridiculous piece of junk - is it excess free time, joblessness or sheer foolishness? That's the email I had written to the Editor, Readers' Digest...
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