Siva Rathiri

Like most Tamils the first thing that comes to my mind on a Siva Rathiri day is the "Siva Rathiri" song from the movie "Micheal Madhana Kama Rajan". All these years I was believing that they danced on a Siva Rathiri day. This year only I understood that they made their "Subha-Rathiri" a "Siva-Rathiri".

This year the Siva-Rathiri was on Feb 17. This year I decided to observe the Siva-Rathiri by keeping awake all through the night. Earlier I read in a book about the rituals to be followed on a Siva-Rathiri day. From the nearby Siva temple, I got to know that there will be five Poojas all through the night in the timings 7:00 PM, 10:00 PM, 1:00 AM, 4:00 AM and 6:30 AM. I decided to got to temple and participate in the Poojas at 7:00 PM, 10:00 PM and 6:30 AM.

Morning as soon as I woke up, I watched the "Siva Rathiri" song that I mentioned in the first paragraph three times. Then prayed to God in home and went to office. Came a bit early from office in the evening. I missed the Pooja at 7:00 PM. So, prayed at home around that time. I went to temple around 9:40 PM, and stood in a big queue. Reached God in about minutes and prayed. Got Prasadam and reached back home. After dinner, I started my Siva-Rathiri. Worked on office tasks till around 2:00 AM. After that I didn't know what to do. Just kept reading some blogs.

Every one hour I was hitting mosquitoes with the mosquito bat all around the house. In that way I was able to keep myself busy. I somehow managed till 4:00 AM. After that it became really difficult to be awake. But still I pushed and managed till 5:00 AM. From 5:00 AM, I started preparing to take a bath and visit temple. Around 6:00 AM, I went to temple again and prayed to God. This time there were not many in the temple. Prayed and came back home, but surprisingly I didn't get sleep. I laid down for sometime on the cot, but still didn't get sleep. So, I started my routine and went to office. I felt very tired in office, but still I was able to manage. But there was a calmness in my mind and a sense of satisfaction.

In the night after dinner, slept early and had a long deep sleep. Thus my first attempt to observe "Siva Rathiri" went successfully.

- SPGR. 

Designated Story Teller

You have to believe me. Like "Software Engineer", "Senior Assistant", "Section Engineer", "Technical Assistant", the "Designated Story Teller" is the job title of a person who came to my little friend Deepak's school. Her main work is to tell stories to the kids. I was surprised to find that such a job exist nowadays. 

When I was a child, it was my grandparents who used to tell stories. Primarily my maternal grandparents and when considering the number of stories told, its my maternal grandfather. I still remember many of the stories told by him. Most of those stories were from him his imagination. One of his famous story was that of a King who makes an attempt to go to a war, but the wheel of his vehicle gets broken. He tries all vehicles right from a chariot till cycle, but the cycle too gets punctured. Finally he decides to go by walk, when he falls into a pit and his leg gets broken, where the story ends. 

But these days, the grandparents neither have the time to spend with their grandchildren nor they have the time to tell stories to them. This situation has given rise to jobs like "Designated Story Tellers" like the Madam who visited Deepak's school. They charge a hefty amount it seems. They come with lot of charts, toys, and using them they tell stories to the kids. I am not sure if kids enjoy them, but got to know that some kids slept while hearing them. This is a success on their part to some extent, since the main intent of telling stories to the kids is to make them sleep. 

Due to the changing lifestyle I think we can expect many such new jobs which we would have never had heard. 

- SPGR.

12th Valantine's Day Celebrations

Last week, on 14-Feb, we celebrated our 12th Valentine's Day in a simple way by visiting the nearby mall with our little friends. Looking backwards, its actually my 17th (???) Valentine's Day. If I go further backwards, I realize that its actually my 35th (???) Valentine's Day.

An interesting activity of me is to watch the couples on the Valentine's day morning. I have come across many interesting stories and situations over the years on the Valentine's day mornings. This year as we walked towards the shopping mall, the first couple I identified appeared more like an uncle & aunty. But who prevents uncles and aunties from celebrating the Valentine's day. As I entered the mall, I couldn't locate many couples. May be because it was early in the morning and it was Saturday which was a holiday for many and the social day would not have started for many. So I could spot only a few.

The couples who celebrate the Valentine's day can be broadly classified into two categories - "the lovers" and "the engaged". By lovers, I refer to those couples who came to know of someone in their known category, fell in love, had the courage to propose and the proposal got accepted, and are strongly believing that one day they will get into wed-lock. "The lovers" couple have certain common traits through which they can be identified. The girl in this group - most of the time - has a mask around her face with only the eyes being visible. "The engaged" are those couple whose partners are identified by their parents and their marriages are arranged by their parents. They got engaged to each other, and are in a period that is in-between their engagement and marriage. The word "engaged" has a special meaning in India, and many mistake this word that they are "engaged" in their phones (which is also partially true). These couples have the full approval of their parents, relatives and the society and unlike "the lovers" they are not scared of anyone and do not worry of anything. They do not have to worry about being "pre-maturely" caught and issues related to that. On the other hand, if "the lovers" are pre-maturely" caught (caught before they themselves disclose about their love to their parents & family), it brings in a lot of associated issues and in the current situation in my country, their life as a lover may come to an end. For the purpose of clarity, in this discussion, let us consider only "the lovers"- the real lovers, since Velantine's day is celebrated on the birth day of St. Valentine, who helped lovers to unite in life. The approved couples do not need any such help.

In the shopping mall, I could see only a few couples. But I saw groups of girls and groups of guys. The group of guys, who had no girl friends were constantly looking at these group of girls, in an attempt to make one. I could understand that Valentine's day is taking a diversion these days wherein, the Guys are trying to get a girl-friend. Contrary to this, I could also locate Guys with two or three girls. They may call themselves friends, but some of their activities do not say so. I remember the statement in a recent movie "Ippaellam friendu friendu sollittu kiss adikarathu than trendu...". Hope I was born after ten years. I never had this culture while I was in college :-(.

Not breaking the universal law, the Guys were spending (or forced to spend) heavily by their girl friends. And the girls appeared to be happy at the receiving end.

I particularly noticed the variety of dresses that girls were wearing. I couldnt spot any girl in saree. Even aunties and paatis were in Chudidhaar. Chudi, Midi, and I dont know the name of other kind of dresses that many were wearing. Guys had no option but to wear the age old shirts & pants.

But in my opinion, India is still not mature enough to this kind of Valentine Day celebration. In US, lovers do not worry about going out with their partners or being caught by someone in their known circle. But here it is not the case. The girls have to wear a mask. And unfortunately if caught in their known circle, their love will come to a pre-mature end (or) they have to face problems that they have not anticipated.

I could see the girls (alone) in "the lovers" group running here and there in the mall when the media's cameras were turned towards them. India will become a super-power (In my opinion) only on that day when the lovers can go out freely without any masks and they can publicly give pose to those media cameras, that are constantly chasing them on the Valentine's Day.

Finally, in school I have written so many essays on "If I became the Prime Minister of India". But if I really became the Prime Minister of India, I will declare February 14 a public holiday. (Belated) Happy Valentine's day wishes to all "the lovers".

- spgr.

Bank Strike, BSNL Strike and the Postal Strike

Recently read in news paper that the bank employees will be going on a strike for four days in a couple of days. This news brought back the memories of telephone department strikes that happened frequently in the early 2000s. I was a PG student in Anna University in Chennai. Since I got admission in REC Trichy, I wanted to discontinue my course there and wanted to the join REC in Trichy. I had to convey some important info about this to my Dad. We had a land-line phone in our home in native. It was a Saturday and morning at 8:30, after having breakfast in the hostel mess, I walked out to the main gate where was a telephone booth. Those were the days prior to the mobile phones. Only a very few had mobile phones. I was surprised to know that the phone booth was closed.

Then, I went out side of the university campus through the main gate hoping to find a open phone booth, through which I can make a call to native. A couple of phone booths on the front side were closed. Since it was a Saturday, I thought that they will open after sometime. So, I entered into the university campus and went out again through the side gate. In those days there used to be a small gate near the library building that opens out to the Kotturpuram Road. I started walking along the Kotturpuram Road. I found a small phone booth. Not a proper booth, just a phone was kept on the table. A man was sitting near that phone. I told him that I wanted to make a phone call to Trichy. He smiled and said that its not possible, since the telephone department was on strike that day. He said that I can make local calls. Also I could call to some districts.

He thought for a while and told me that I can call to Madurai if I know someone there. I was wondering how the telephone network worked in some district and didn't work in some other. He continued to insist me to call someone in Madurai and convey the news to them. I remembered that one of my college mate was in Madurai. But what is the point in calling them, how will they in-turn call to Trichy, with the network blocked in Trichy. I understood that the man wanted to have business through me, and so I left that place. I still continued my search, assuming that someone could show me some way to call to my home land line number in Trichy. I roamed around the roads till 12:30 in the afternoon (remember the search started at 8:30 in the morning). I understood that there was no way that I could call home, and hence returned to hostel. After having lunch in the mess, suddenly decided to take up Pallavan (Express) and go in person to my native, which is what finally I did.

The telephone employees could have striked by keeping their exchanges switched on. When I was studying in 8th standard, I happened to visit a telephone exchange in a rural area. One of my distant uncle was working as a technician there. I was astonished to find that almost everything was automated. I saw huge racks with all sorts of machines, with computer monitors embedded in them, and some message was continuously scrolling in them. No manual intervention was required. They worked on their own. My uncle told me that no manual intervention is required, and periodically the machines in those racks will be maintained, one rack at a time, while the machines in the other rack continued to work. That is, there was no down time.

So, in the telephone department strike, I understood that the employees have intentionally switched off the mains of their exchanges to go on strike. Had they walked out without switching them off, those machines would have continued to work for weeks or even months without their intervention. That made me realize that a day will come, when they no could no longer go on any strike, because, by then, the machines would have over-taken them.

Slowly the telephone exchange was privatized (or partially-privatized???) , and also many private players came in, and slowly the days of telephone employees strikes came to an end. Now I don't think that they can go on strike anymore, and even if they go, there wont be any big impact (in my opinion and understanding).

I also vaguely remember the strike by the postal department employees. After the wide spread use of telephone and mobile phones, the strike by the postal department employees didn't have any major impact on the common man, only thing being that the letters will be reaching a bit late. After the arrival of private couriers, it will be big joke, if the postal department decides to go on strike now.

Recently the employees of the Information Technology sector also have started going on strike. Working in private sector, I know very well how those striking employees can be targeted and made to leave the company on their own. Its all a matter of time. Similarly, there is a very high chance that the same will happen to the private bank employees who are joining the public sector (striking) bank employees.

Keeping my likes and dis-likes aside, let me wish the striking bankers "good luck" in their mission.

- SPGR.

Watches and Pens

Watches & Pens - the two things that can lure me to spend any amount of money and time. When I try to recall when I started getting a passion towards them, I cant identify any particular date or year. It happened. In those days I was referred as Pena-paithiyam & Watch-paithiyam (mad of pen and watches). Now it changed to Pen-Collector and Watch-Collector, looks some what decent. Thank you English.

[Pic: Watch Case]

Recently I moved some of my most recently used watches to a watch-case. When my friend first suggested to get a watch case for my watches, I rejected the idea upon knowing its price. Since for that price, I can get another watch. But after thinking for a couple of days, I got one, since I felt that it will simplify the process of storing and switching them, which these days, I am doing it twice a week. Can you see the white papers around their faces??? Those are tissue papers. Just to extra protect their faces. I can't bear my any of watch receiving a scratch :-). There is one more technique that I use to protect them, which I wont disclose. Its a trade secret. But a watch mechanic found that out when I gave one of my mechanical watches for service and gave a smile.

One pouch of that watch case is empty now . Will be filled with a vintage watch this weekend. Right now the watch is undergoing a complete service and rejuvenation in an expert watch mechanic shop.

[Pic: Pretty Jhalak adoring my wrist]

- spgr.