My Musings

NEW YEAR EVE. On the New Year eve (31 Dec 2009), Vijaya and I went to Mylapore. Collected a NY calendar from Lakshmi Vilas Bank. To Giri traders, and there purchased a lot of books. At the Music Section we saw heaps of the latest DVD of Smt Vishakha Hari – Sri ANDAL THIRUKKALYANAM; we promptly purchased one. Then to Sri Kapaleeswarar Koil, my most favourite koil. Onto South Mada Street, we purchased vegetables for tomorrow’s Thiruvathirai Pandigai. No place like South Mada Veedhi for vegetables – this is my firm view. To Ramakrishna Math Bookshop and purchased two copies of Srimad Bhagavad Gita. One of these is for Padma akka, to whom I am giving as a New Year/Pongal Gift. Back home, Arvind told we are going for dinner to EDEN restaurent. This restaurent is just 4 minutes’ walk from our house!I ate Roti with Dal Tadka; Vijaya had Rumali Roti with Aloo Gobi. As we neared our home, Vijaya and I decided to go to the beach to see the Sea water in the Paurnami moonlight. It was a ...

Our life at Besantnagar started on 28 Nov 2009 (Saturday) On the morning of 29th Nov, I explored the areas in the locality – the Elliots beach is about  7 mins walk, Sri Vallabha Vinayakar koil 10 minutes, bus terminus 9 minutes, Sri Ratnagiriswarar koil 7 minutes, Saroja’s house 15 minutes, vegetable shops 6 minutes walk. All very nearby and convenient. The house has three bedrooms. A large garden on the three sides of the house. Three balconies of which two open to the garden. The third one is a closed one. Very airy and brightly sunlit. No need for either fans or tubelights. Incidentally, Aditi likes the garden very much. After some difficulty (“address proof” needed) we got the Gas connection on 8th Dec, thanks to Mrs Tilakam Mohan who helped us. The first refill on 9th. We got the Aavin Milk card on 11th (“address proof”). My BSNL telephone was connected on 1st Dec and activated on 2nd. Broaddband configured on 5th. ACs were fixed by 2nd. Arvind’s BSNL phone activ...

One year has gone by since KVS athimber left us last year on 25 Nov 2008. Yesterday (Wednesday, 9 Dec 2009) was the Varusha aptika Sraththam. We two left our house by 07-15 (arvind dropped us at the bus stand) and we went by 47A and 71E (from Taylors Road); reached Ambattur by 9 AM. Sastrigals started the rituals by 1045 and it was over by 1245. 2 brahmanals ate. Then we had meals. Apart from Padma akka, Prakash, Rajeswari, Srividya, we were the only two extra. Srividya’s husband and daughters didn’t come because of exams. Rajeswari and Srividya prepared the entire sraththam meals. Saroja and athimber came there by 6PM. After night meals, all of us slept there. Thursday, 10 Dec 2009: Today is the subhasyam (grekkiam). Jayaraman, Kalyani, Purnima, Rajeswari’s parents, KVS’s nephew Ramakrishnan and his wife (total 11 + 4) were the additions today. The rituals started at 0945 and ended at 1145; we fifteen ate by 12 noon. Rajeswari and Srividya prepared the meals. We took rest till...