Wedding Reception

vetti...

Its two weeks since we left college. I haven’t done anything substantial since I left college yeah one could ask if we did anything better back in campus? But I would argue I at least had a routine. Back there in Nehru Nagar I would get up latest by 9:30 -10 run for my breakfast; if there were some class scheduled, show up the face and be back for lunch. Try to escape the heat by running back to the room or get into the AC of NNAC or the library. Then wait for the tea time. Run from room to room to check if there are enough people to play football. The best time at the campus was being spent in the ground playing footer.
Then get cleaned to eat the night dinner. In-between these busy schedules have time to have the brief mokkai sessions (couple of hours).

Contrary to such a planned and scheduled life it’s now a chaos. Can I call chaos? Everyday after get up late at 10 I really start thinking how the day will be spent. There are a lot of thought of how my future will be, that takes a lot of my time!! But still I don’t know what is next in store for me.
I switch on the computer and get online to check if some known face is online. At the same time the TV is on. Though India is out of world cup I find a reason to spend at least 4-5 hours on the cricket match. Yeah in-between Rooney helped me in spending some good time with his wonderful one touch.

At last I have heard from my company and my manager wants me to join a bit early than others. So it might be May 7th THE DAY ill be joining office. It’s my second stint in my life as a working professional. Have mixed feelings, can’t wait to join but experience says don’t expect too much so not that very anxious as well. I am as confusing as ever I guess. Next on year will be critical in my life I know this fact for sure.

Yesterday was a break from the order in the chaotic life that was there since 14th April. I went to my native village, its 20 kms from Thiruvarur. For those who haven’t heard of the place it’s called the Tank City, Famous for Thyagaraja Swamigal (one of the great composers in Carnatic music) and temples. I was there after 10 years and it was a great feeling. My amma tells me proudly that their city is where the present Chief Minister is from. This is obviously visible with the development that has happened over the years. I say “their town” for the simple reason that I have grown in Chennai all my life doesn’t seem to be my town. Still I feel connected to the place.

While I walked on one of the streets of the native village one old lady recognized the family tree I belonged to then said, “Where ever you people are now, you belong to this soil”.
“Cliché” one would say after reading this line but I realized how much people feel for their native place, the place where they really belong to. I felt guilty a hundred times for not having gone back to my village all these years.

I have always wanted to get settled in a village after retirement (early retirement by 40). But I know it won’t be easy. I realized how tough talking to my cousin who takes care of all our farm land. The whole village depends on the water which comes from the canal. The canal is fed by the river cauvery. When I managed to muster enough courage I asked my cousin how many of youngsters of my age (if you people would only agree being 26 is not that old) are still in the village. He sadly said hand few. Most of them either have left after graduating and finding greener pastures or finding it tough in the village went to Thirupur (where Nike t shirts are made) as working labor. So if people in Karnataka Assembly are listening I did see how dry the lands were. This is after good rains last year.

Good thing is the people have not lost all their hope..

Reason we went to our native place was to pray for the family.
We went to three temples : in Ettu kudi – Murugan(Son of Lord Shiva), Thirukovalai - “Kula deivam – Angalamman “ (Kula deivam is family deity) and Mohanoor – Mariamman. I now know where their hope comes from - their faith that GOD has not left earth.

Some more of quotes to add...

This is from the Night Shyamalan movie "Signs"
This is a conversation where Mel Gibson is talking to his brother after a threat from external terrestrials... the tv news reports of a body in the sky in the night with 14 lights over major cities of the world...

People.... break down into two groups ...when they experience something lucky…..group number 1 sees it as more than luck more than coincidence they see as a sign ...evidence, that there is someone up there watching out for them

group no 2 sees that as just pure luck.. happy turn of chance... am sure that people in group no 2 are looking at that 14 lights in a very suspicious way ...for them the situation is a 50 50 ..can be bad can
be good ...but deep down they feel that whatever happens ...they are on their own ..and that fills them with fear.. yeah ...there are those
people

but there is whole lot of people in the group no 1..they see those 14 lights ...they are looking at a miracle and deep down they feel that
whatever is going to happen there will be someone there to help them and that fills them with hope...

to which you have to ask yourselves what kind of person are you...are you the kind who sees the signs or sees miracles... or do you believe that people can just get lucky or look at the question this way is it possible that there are no coincidences...

Some nice quotes

One thing I have started to do recently in BIM is watching a lot of movies.... these movies I would have never even tried if I were to be given a choice. Many of them turn ...actually most of them turn out to be a good movie. I am here quoting a few dialougues which I thought are really great.

I think this one is from "King Arthur"

"Deeds in themselves are meaningless unless they have some higher
purpose... there is no worse death than the end of hope..."

"you and I are not the polite people who live in just poems...we are blessed and cursed by our times..purhaps the curse is in our own
making.."

This one from "Coach Carter"

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us
Your playing small does not serve the world
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other
people won’t feel insecure around you
We were all meant to shine as children do
Its not just in some of us but its in everyone
As we let our own lives shine we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the same
As we are liberated from our own fear
Our presence automatically liberates others

This movie is a must watch movie - "The Beautiful Mind". I think the hero in the movie is John Nash's wife. If not for her patience and faith John Nash 's life would have disappeared among many other ordinary lives. This is the dialogue that John speaks after he gets his Nobel Prize.

I have always believed in numbers. The equations and logics and the
need to reason and after a life time of such pursuits I ask what truly is logic? who decides reason?

My quest is taken … physical, metaphysical through delusion…I have made the most important discovery of my career…. most important
discovery of my life… it is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logical reasons can be found.. I am only here because of you… you are the reason I am… you are all my reasons..

This one again one of my favourite movie called the DEAD POET SOCIETY

"i went to the woods because i wanted to live deliberately. i wanted to
live deep and suck out all the marrow of life! to put to rout all that was not life, and not when i came to die, discover that i have not lived"