The hairy secrets

It was one of our  family get together The family members were having fun and chatting with their peer level relatives, discussions were flowing touching across many topics, like studies of their kids, what extra feats each one is good at, culinary tips, shopping experiences, preparedness for the forth coming festival, nuisances of unwanted messages from advertisers. This is when the topic started drifting slowly towards "Hair".

Are we not somehow  fascinated about hair?

I Receive at least a few sms from advertises claiming that they can control hair fall, delay baldness, enhance hair growth, and even implant fresh hair, you move on to TV channels you can find  an array of advertisements on a range of products, hair oil, shampoo, hair colorant, lice control.

Well we all might agree that we do have a special reference to hair as one of the most important natural gift which has the capability of enhancing our looks and never missed to pocket the complement that “you have  beautiful hair”

We at least spend a considerable time on doing our hair, be it short or long, combing and brushing and setting it in its place is what we love to do, and not to forget, the comb is the only cosmetic carried by men,thou he is Bald,And hair  is also one of the most envious procession for both men and women,  we never miss to spell a wow when u see a girl/lady with long voluminous bouncing hair and many a times we automatically would like to touch and  feel our own hair to compare ourselves on our standing.

I Think each one of us would have undergone that dreadful experience of undergoing our heads being shaved, crying/wailing before it  and at least seen our hairless head a hundred times in the mirror  and again cried seeing how ugly we looked with that hairless head.

Well coming back to our luncheon discussion about hair, one of my sister in laws was narrating the tough time she had ,in pursuing her teenage son for a haircut, while a few were lamenting that visiting a saloon for a haircut is one of the most priority items on men’s list. A few of us were complaining about the irrational decision that our teenage girls had done with chopping off the long dangling tresses with a short hair which they felt was more manageable, this is when my brother added spice to this topic stating that girls/ladies felt liberated when they could do away with their long hair, it gave them confidence and a feeling of freedom, and at times it was a way of saying to the other gender, Hum kise se kum nahi< we are not inferior to you in any way >. On the contrary the moment boys show resistance to have a haircut is an indirect way to express that they have grown up. Further, cutting the hair and grooming it short was extending a feeling that someone was interfering with their freedom, and perhaps cutting short the hair of a man was an act of taming him. He also said if men are allowed to grow their hair long they become very powerful, thou this was more a general statement, some thinking on this really made a lot of sense.

Don’t we have a general perception that girls with long hair neatly plaited, are highly accommodative, submissive, pious and homely, while those with short hair are highly arrogant , dominating and modern. Contrary to this guys who are well groomed and clean shaved are preferred against men with long hair(playfully called samiyar), when I just recall men with long hair, at least a few images which came to my mind were those of Lord Shiva, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Mahaveer, Baba and invariably all sadhus and sidhas,and of couse some of our inventors and scientists, who are really powerful. And those  extraordinary bad men what you see in movies and serials.

In general conversations,we refer hair in tamil as both very useless stuff or too great a one .,people who speak tamil may enjoy inserting a few slangs used and have a good laugh

GODLINESS

Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder this is the adage and we all know that what appears beautiful to me might not attach the same resemblance to another,There can be no second opinion that man or woman right from their childhood to their old age have an eternal desire to feel and look pretty /beautiful/attractive and when they walk past at least a few eyes should follow them and a pair of heads should turn around to have yet another glimpse of the charm that has passed by.
Well ,when this is the general perception I might not hang out from this homogeneous group, so I also started following some ways and means to make me appear more pleasant/attractive, Having very little idea on managing beauty.I had to fall back on stufs that would give me some information  about how to regain that beautiful face or how to add value to my existing face,how to avoid problems of achene ,whats the best way of washing your face,AND HOW TO GET THAT GLOW ON YOUR FACE.
Now, my turn for a search started, every piece of paper or magazine that contained a few  beauty tips became my wild possession.And to expose my ignorance  there were many suggestions given,regarding using certain face wash, moisturising creams, herbal products,etc,etc to add to this there were a series of question answer session appearing in the magazines and TV, each query was replied with some tips, saying apply ,milk cream with rice flour,mix curd with honey and lemon, mix  multtani muttai and rose water,give liberal massage of olive oil, sun oil etc apply tomato paste, smash papaya and apply, you get smooth skin if you apply banana paste, well the list was end less and so also the ingredients. each time I read something or heard someone say a beauty tip I Was urged to try it out to see whether there was any  enhancement.
 well in the midst of all these things some one suggested that visiting a beauty parlour and getting a facial done would really set aside many of the ill go ts and you will get rejuvenated. Okay why discard this suggestion, So I stepped into a near by parlour, the worker there started working on my face, I had to ask her many times what she was doing and she kept replying,its cleaning,moisturising,removing black heads,steaming, applying a fruit pack, so on and so fourth, after spending a couple of hours and a couple of 500 rupee note I returned back home to see for some remarkable change, but was getting a reflection that was as the same, now some one said the glow would only last for a few days and this process should be continuous.and its effect is  short lived.With this experienceI was convinced that the only people who are gifted with that eternal beauty and
who have a universal acceptance as the everlasting beauty and who makes us freeze  with his/her dazzling glow and that type of halo is none other than our beloved deities, who"s beauty,  charm and grace,cannot be matched.In the recent days  not having  much to do    I had the opportunity of seeing more television(in terms of time) and it so happened that it was all festive time combined with navarathri and every channel was bringing some live pooja to your living room. thanking GOD for his blessings to have given me an opportunity to have such a detail dharshan I started following the ritual and abishegams ,each event was a blessing and thou the sequence may get jumbled the items used were drawing my attention, oil.sandal,coconut water,curd,honey,rose water,milk ash(thiruneer),panchamirtham(fruit mix) and now and than the idol was given a steaming with incandescent. well are these items not some of the primary elements used for a facial., haven't we heard that the secret tip behind the ravishing beauty of  Cleopatra was that she bathed in milk ,
Besides their merciful glances,dazzling charm and enchanting beauty and well defined features, are these continuous  abishegams  ADDING TO THE DIVINITY. IF ITS SO I GUESS WE TOO CAN REGAIN OUR LOST CHARM A ND THAT GODLINESS.with some tips as listed above     

"your name please"

Oh oh times are changing very fast what ever i guessed and defied as impossible or ridiculous is now happening to me. I did not believe that as you grow in age you lose your senses little by little and your memory too, I was making fun of people when they said there memory skills are poor or because that was my strong hold too. I never had  a phone book ,scribbled addresses on papers or referred to notes to recall any incidence cause I used my memory to store it, of late i feel difficult even to recall known names,and I am scared where someday i may forget my own name too. Yeah when i said this, I just got a flash of my memory kindled where i recollect  that a house fly(commonly called as Ee) was one day engaged in cleaning its house and as every one else do it was recalling certain incidents and memories.Aha this was the time when it suddenly,wanted to recall what its name was  ehm,  no use, any amount of crushing its brain cells did not give it any relief. So it was restless. Aren't we too restless, when we forget known things? and cannot recall such as the name of animals ,places and some beginning of favourite tunes,so what do we do start calling some of our favourite pal/sisters/brother/friend pose this question and get some relief so too the House fly set off to find out.What its name wasa
As it went out it sighted a calf which came zooming, so the fly,thought it would give some relief, so asked the calf  kozhu kozhu kanre en peyar enna?(oh chubby calf what is my name). The calf replied,saying what do i know i am too small ask my mom over there, she may be of some help. so the FLY NOW WENT TO THE MOTHER COW THAT WAS grazing and asked stating kanren thaya en peyar enna(oh mother of the calf what is my name?) The cow said how do i know ask my cowherd, he may be of some help, so the fly now set off to the cowherd and repeated Thayae maeikum aayane en payar enna?(cowherd of mother cow what is my name?) The cowherd too was helpless and said i am sorry i really don't know try asking this cane in my hand whether it knows so the fly repeated in the rhythmic from and asked the cane aayen kai kole en peyar enna?(the cane in the cowherds hand what is my name?) The cane too felt sorry and said i don't know why don't you ask that plant from where i have been made,so the fly went to the bamboo tree  and asked kol valarum kodimarame en payar enna?(bamboo tree from which the cane is extracted what is my name) the bamboo tree too expressed its inability and said why don't you give a try with the crane which is sitting on my branch and check your luck. the disturbed fly now with more tension,approached the crane and said........kodi marathil irrukum kokae en payar enna?(the crane on the bamboo tree what is my name?)the crane too said i does not know but offered help by saying why don't you ask the pond which i frequent and see whether you succeed, so the fly now went to the pond and asked the pond,koku varum kulame en payar enna?(the pond which is frequented by the crane what  is my name?)The pond too negated and said i am sorry i have no idea please have a check with the fish that lives in this water,
the fly any way ha dto know what its name was so continued with its format kozhu kozhu ....... kulathil vazhum meenae en payer enna?(fish living in this pond,what is my name?) the fish too gave up saying we do not know however the fisherman who nets us might be smart enough to clear your doubt, the fly approaches the fisher man and repeats .kozhu kozhu kanrae....... meen pidikum kosavanee en payer enna?(oh fisherman what is my name). this man too was in his wits so said i do not know try your luck with the net that i use,The fly went to the net that was spread for drying over the grassy land and enquired, kosavan veesum valaiyae en payer enna?(net used by the fisherman what is my name)The net directed the fly to check with the green grass on which it was spread so the fly recited......valai verithirugum pullae en payer enna?(grass could you tell me my name)the grass too shook its head saying no and told to check with the horse which was stabled which feeds on i.So the fly went to the horse and repeated   ..............      enn payer enna....?(grass eating horse whats my name)the horse never wanted to send away the fly with out extracting some work so casually said kindly give me some grass to fill my self i will tell u.The fly obliged cause anyway it was to find out what was its name,so brought a huge bundle of grass the horse ,after having its stomach filled.was very happy and started to neigh  ehEe,ehEe,ehEe, oh my god the fly recollected that its name is" Ee,"thanked the horse profusely and started back home. well this story/rhyme when narrated in school  made us to wonder, what a silly story it is can any one ever forget their name, but as we grow up we understand that it is possible to forget many things and at times your self too, if you Have DEMENTIA, little did the fly know that it had a serious medical problem.But we are aware that this can happen to many of us because nowadays we are so much driven with electronic gadgets that every info is stored in the mobile  ipad, iphone and computer. Iam so glad that the house fly suceeded in decoding its name due to its simplicity,but guess how difficult it would become for us with such fancy,multiple complex names "God save us from such an eventuality" AND LET US ALL STORE WHAT IS OUR NAME ON OUR MOBILE.because we rarely know what is our number because we never store it on our mobile and so also our names

when ruins speak up

I always wonder how passionate people are, about visiting new places and spending time relaxing . Thou the concept of holidaying,and going to places has gained large attention in recent years,But people often wanted to change the monotony of life,hence at least planned some days out visiting relatives, which was more economical,ands sometimes to holy places as a pilgrimage  to pay our thanks to the GOD for the good that has happened and to wade away any evil,beyond  this visiting places was a dream,which has come true,due to the multiplicity of airlines, a product development in the tourism industry,compelled pestering by our kids and of course the social pressure to keep up that you too had planned a holiday.well i also had planned a visit to Andaman a few years back,beyond the natural beauty that the island had to unfurl, the most fascinating and memorable,thing was the visit to the Andaman jail and the sound and light show,well the narration about toiling of the inmates was made by the tree which was witness for all that happened, which still remains, while the characters are dead and the sufferings and.such incidences are stored as memories in the grains of sand of the lovely beaches which,receive millions of people.
two recent incidents have made me to recall what the ruins would hold and how memories are lost until saved in some ones heart

Incident1: a few decades back we shared the pleasure of staying with my brother who was given palatial govt quarters,a white building surrounded with huge trees,plants and a veiled compound, our presence there would make the whole area lively,our mornings would start with a few sitting out in the veranda,sipping,our morning tea,browsing the papers,while a few kids would be enjoying their tricycle or bicycle ride ,my mom busy plucking flowers for making them into a mala,the kitchen brimming with activities to ensure that every one supposed to leave are fed and taken care of, the maid a the backyard,assisting in cleaning or washing, and as time progresses,people will start leaving for,schools,colleges work and for other business,the liveliness that was amid used to draw the attention of people passing thro on the roads, time changed and we have moved out but i happened to cross this building on my way to work only to see that it was occupied by different people with their own preferences.but a few years back it was declared as abandoned and work started for its demolition.when ever portion of the building was transformed into rubbles my heart ached and memories flooded down regarding our stay there,today the building is gone,many of the trees too have gone and a new building is coming up, i guess the soil there would behold the lost memories of happiness that was once there andwould  keep haunting as dreams.

Incident 2

i was on my way back from work i saw a huge JCB put to work it was sincerely bringing down the once famous Dasaprakash hotel, the demolition work was in full spree,and advertisement board also claiming that a posh,unaffordable,luxury apartment is coming up was establishing that this name would get erased from the memory of chennalites.there will be no dasaprakash signal, no hotel,no functions and no land mark as dasaprakash, only to be replaced by some dwelling unit to be filled with new people,.well,i have been to dasaprakash, with my dad and mom and sister ,while we were waiting for a medical seat counselling, i have organised a few official functions there, attended a few marriages, so also many people would have had occasions to carry memories of their own about this building which is just a rubble now to be built in.

These a just few examples, but the list would go on like the well on which i would sit and spend endless time looking into its depth, the easy chair which i would sit and drowse with an open book, the trees,under which time was spent to rest. who knows might be the the trees around us the rusting air the birds and insects too keep conversing about such things only we don't hear them

THE GOOD FIGHT

The world we live in is made of so many rules we but  we simply follow in the name of disciple, many a times we are let to feel so small at the behest of authority, where suddenly you feel that what ever authority you have has been nullified and you are simply at the mercy on them.well this would also apply to the troubled, starved devotee who takes on a pilgrimage to    Tirupathi,with one vision that some how he should have a glimpse of their favourable god and during that brief moment THE LORD ALMIGHTY should have eye contact with him,alas what happens the nearer you move towards him the pressure exerted by your co devotees and more by the security who just shove you out, Deny's you even that short glimpse and out from that group the only question that each one asks each other is samiya,partiya?(did you see god) well such instances are many and the insults you undergo are very many.
yet another place where you get hurt, insulted and helpless is when you are in hospital,having admitted your dear ones that small reassurance that he/she is fine is the paramount need of the hour,so we start queueing at the entrance/icu,many times you do undergo this feel that a preferential treatment is given by the security man,He would be allowing every one in, suddenly becomes,conscious the moment he sees you try's to stop you saying you do not have a pass you are late by whisker and the visitor time is over,well these can only be lame excuses,when you try to question his arbitrariness he is annoyed and treats you just like dirt,some take this humiliation with remorse, some would like establish the malafide behaviour,but then often you are left to fight a lone battle, in fact you will not be surprised to see that the security man has more sympathisers than the one who needs consideration.For courage and virtue are bad words in the present days.
so goes the insult list, which can be added up with your own experiences, which many a times we shy away even to share it with our dear ones,thou we may justify the act as apart of their duty,the inner intuition tells us that such negations ARE purely for the pleasure of saying NO. And such ridiculous rules As OBSERVED BY  COELHO "sometimes THE WORLD ask us to fight for thing's we do not understand and whose significance we will never discover ".but the feeling that you had the courage to stand up the humiliation and fight for a cause which you believe is true, gives you immense satisfaction and strenght

A SMALL OBSERVATION

Life is always woven around with contradictions and due to our preoccupied mind we rarely observe people places and articles around ask and even at times fail to logically analyse certain things and just agree that it has to be like that, well even this thought came to me only after reading yet another book of Paulo coelho were in he himself had said that certain things have logic  behind them like having buttons on the shirt  in the front which is for convenience , but having a qwerty key board has no logic(any contestants).well with this spark now i have started questioning the logic behind many things even like kaka en kaka enu kathuthu?

well i was recently out to a place by flight,which is always a dreadful experience,between the take of and landing their exists a vacant space,you can see no moving trees or posts as in the trains,never hear the crippling of birds,listen to those noises of vendors nothing ,even passengers next to you resolve to remain silent either with eyes shut or open,and me also following the same but, i preferred to just observe whats happening around me

well the first attention was towards the cabin crew and their dress code, why were all girls dressed in short skirt with a zip at the back,which was inaccessible ,tight shirts, and a hair do with a puffed bun which had to be put in place with so many hair pins,high heeled shoes,and a thick paste of kajal for the eyes and not to forget that dark lipstick,who had defined this dress code for them, are these people not the first to respond in case of emergency, the skirt was so tight that their steps were measured, then how would they run and reach anyone if required,will they not trip and fall while running with a high heel in the flight,by and large all of them were pretty,there were not there for a Barthnathya performance than why so much of make over, who has defined this, and why none of them have pointed out the practical difficulties, well i guess they would have fallen trap to the belief that this has to be like this,where no logic or reasoning is required .

well my second attention was drawn towards two kids and their mothers  The kid were so restless, kept on screaming in high decibel shrills,many a time he/she was calling out for his father who was just occupying a few seats away,the father never uttered even a single word nor nod,in acknowledgement of child's tantrums.

The mother was just taking that strenuous effort of holding this child in the cramped seat,avoiding all those eyes which gave a look when the child's cried,she had no weapon of distracting the child beyond that feeding bottle what she had.Never did i hear the mother nurturing it with lovable words,trying to soothe it and put to rests with the magic touch what many mothers had or use the threat that boochikaran would come or rather wee willi winki(modern mom) if he doesn't keep quiet, well this just kept me wondering whether,mothers have lost the art of child rearing,well it was beyond my level of reasoning i could only see that as the height inability

well now it was landing time, and as the descend started visibility of a few lights twinkling in far vicinity and the gradual increase in numbers and that celestial beauty of a million lights of different colours opened up, that's when i realised how long it has been since i saw the open sky and the twinkling stars, i guess its been years that i have relished seeing stars.The rhyme twinkle,twinkle little star has to be reminded and we should all go out and show to our kids this is night sky ,those tiny shining lights in the distant end is the star,which is as big as the sun , if not  we may even forget what stars really look like, so lets take time to see things around us work and leave more on convenience,ra.ther than following others without reasoning or logic

childhood

Oh oh with this fast phase of life and the kind of pressure that we shoulder on .Many a time we do curse ourselves to have grown up into adults. We often wonder how nice it would be to be a child again. i guess every one of us would have seen the feeding bottles and that Dal rice which was offered to our siblings with some envy and desperation that ,we have been denied it because we have grown in size.So also the type of restriction that has been injected to us as we grow in the name of good manners,Don't shout,be gentle,don't be adamant,respect others give attention to what others say,don't interrupt when some one speaks,be regular to school,don't confront your teacher. well the list would be quite exhaustive and would never end.
Well while this factor has been on my mind, today i happened to see an incident which gave me a reassurance that we can  still have the fun and excitement of a child and much more, but the price and risk that we  have to take is too huge. Any guesses ?how this can happen ?well all that you have to do is become a politician   and get elected to the parliament, you will realise that you have been returned your childhood,well if you still have any doubts about this just watch any TV channel that gives you an coverage on what happens in the Parliament, its really good and enjoyable