My Musings

Prior to 1990, we had only Postal Money Orders if we have to send money. Banks issued Demand Drafts. Though they were highly useful those days, they started losing usefulness as te=he years rolled on. Some simpler, faster mode of transmitting was needed and the Govt of India founded the National Payments Corporation of India NPCI in late 1990s. It formulated many rules and regulations with the guidance of RBI and Indian Banks Assn. In 2005s it took shape and   India has not turned back after 2005. NEFT / RTGS Year 2005 saw National Electronic Funds Transfer and Real Time Gross Settlement (NEFT and RTGS). The structure of the Banks were standardised - the Cheque Truncation System CTS was evolved with standardisation of Cheque leaves for faster clearing. Each branch of every Bank was allotted a unique Code - Indian Fnancial Systems Code (IFSC). It is a 11 character Code, first 4 alpha (name of the bank)   next a zero and the last six the branch code. Using NEFT, one can s...

FLUFFY, TASTY, HEALTHY The AATTUKKAL in our Tirupapuliyur house was in the முற்றம் behind the kitchen. It was permanently cemented to the platform. A huge one, this Aatukkal was the main instrument for my mother to make batter for those lovely, tasty Idlis, dosais, adais, Vadais and what not. For several years since early 1950s. My mother would take the exact measure of rice required for the family, and then the dal, soak them in different vessels overnight, she will grind these next morning in the Aatukkal. She will rotate the KUZHAVI with one hnd and push the rice / dal towards the pestle with the other hand. This is a hard job but she continued it, week after week, year after year. Once the two batters are ready, she will mix them in a larger vessel, adding salt. Then keep it overnight for fermentation. Next morning, the MAAVU will be swollen and ready for preparing Idlis. With (small onion) Sambar and coconut and pacchai milakai Chutney ready, she will steam the ...

Savithri Last Rites I have been writing re the illness to Savithri since 2007-8. She has the dreaded C and was being treated for it during 2016. Chemo therapy at Kumaran hosp and Radiation Therapy at the Billroth hospital Chennai. However the C grew beyond medication and since Aug-Sep 2016, she didn't have any medicines. Her food intake also decreased day by day. During the last two weeks of Sept and the first 10 days of October, her condition became pathetic. No food, no mobility. no talking ... 11-10-2016  TUESDAY ----   DEATH . At the end, on 11 October 2016 (Tue) she breathed her last by 1-15 in the afternoon. Ramesh informed us about the death at 3-30 PM and we two rushed to Nolambur immediately. There she was lifeless, inside the ice box. Oh my God, we couldn't bear this sight! Our sister Savithri who was with us for 73 years is no more. We went to Nolambur with Priya and Rajesh in their car. Later Subha and Magesh and Venkat came to see her...

This year, 2016, Appa sratham was on 13th September 2016, Tuesday, at our house 3, Kalakshetra Avenue, Chennai. Avani  Sukla Dwadasi. We performed it in Hiranya roopam. The sastrigals came at 7-10 and completed by 8-00. Arvind, Krithika, Aditi, Arjun joined us. Sri VENKATESA SARMA and his brother Sri Venkatachala Vathyar came.  (1000 + 1000) This is the second Sratham we are performing in Hiranya roopam. {First Sratham without my brother Sugavanam who passed away on 27 August 2016 at his house} Rajappa 14-09-2016

SUGAVANAM, (aka Krishnan). my younger brother passed away on the early hours of Saturday the 27th August 2016 at his house in Radhakrishnan Nagar 1st Cross street, Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai 41. He was born on 19 October 1946 , and died on 27 Aug 2016 at the age of 70. He was the 8th child to our parents GR Subramania Iyer and Sampoornam. and was born at Salem. He was suffering from Cancer for the past 4 years and particularly during the last 3 months he was just sleeping, eyes closed for 24 hours a day. There was no consciousness at all and he never uttered a single word during this 90 odd days. Vijaya and I were in Bangalore when the news came (5-40 AM) and we two and Ashok and Neeraja came to Chennai in Ashok's car and reached Thiruvanmiyur house by 4 PM. Susha and family had left for Delhi on Thursday only (25th) and they rushed back direct from NDLS station. Pattu Manni had also come. Later Vasu, Srikanth came from Delhi, Suresh, Sudhakar from Mumbai, Rama from Hyderabad....

This year, 2016, Amma sratham was on 27th June 2016, Monday, at our house 3, Kalakshetra Avenue, Chennai. Aani Krishna ASHTAMI. We performed it in Hiranya roopam. The sastrigals came at 7-10 and completed by 7-40. Sugavanam was very ill, he didn't attend. After the Sratham was over, we went to his house with the Akshatai.. Arvind, Krithika, Aditi, Arjun. Sri VENKATESA SARMA and his brother Sri Venkatachala Vathyar came.  (1000 + 1000) This is the first Sratham we are performing in Hiranya roopam. {My brother Sugavanam passed away two months later on 27 August at his house} Rajappa 28-06-2016

Savithri vacated her own house at Hosur and shifted to a new, more spacious, rented house on 27 November 2014. Vijaya and I went to Hosur to help Savithri in arranging the new house and allied works. Read here about the new house and photos. During the late 2015 and early 2016, Savithri fell ill and had to be treated at Chennai; so she shifted to Chennai by Nov 2015. The house was just locked up, unused. By March - April 2016, she decided that she will not be returning to Hosur, taking her health conditions. She decided to vacate the house. She and Ramesh went to Hosur on 1st May 2016 and vacated the house. Disposed / discarded some items, took away some items to Chennai. Final shifting on Tuesday, the 3rd May 2016. She lived in this house from 27-11-2014. A good and comfortable house. Rajappa 6-5-2016

Srimati RUKMINI DEVI,  was born in a Brahmin family of Madurai on this day Feb 29th in the year 1904, and today her 112th Birth anniversary is being celebrated all over. A woman of great beauty of thought and of mind. A woman of elegance, and a woman of great vision. A dancer par excellence, she was responsible for not just elevating the status of Bharatanatyam to its present level, but also in establishing the KALAKSHETRA FOUNDATION, an institution that teaches not just dance but all forms of art to this day. She married Dr GS ARUNDALE, a British theologian, in 1920 when she was just 16 years old. Her first public performance was in 1935, which was attended, amongst others, by Srinivasa Sastry, CP Ramaswami Iyer, and P Sivaswamy Iyer. KALAKSHETRA FOUNDATION was started by her in 1936. A huge and sprawling complex amid a thicket of trees in Thiruvanmiyur. It is a gem of an organisation, imparting the pure Indian ethos and culture. There is a road nearby the Foundation named a...

From 22nd February 2016 to 29th February, there was a six-part Dance Drama at Kalakshetra Foundation [Rukmini Arangam] daily from 6 PM to 9 PM. First day, it was SITA SWAYAMVARAM on 22nd - Vijaya went with Lalita and Kumar. 2nd day none of us went. 3rd day on 24th I went with Vijaya it was PATHUKA PATTABISHEKAM. On 25th, 26th, there were no programs. On 27th we didn't go to Kalakshetra but went to URUR Olcott Kuppam Festival at the Besantnagar beach (at the Kuppam). On 28th Sunday, we two went to watch the 5th part CHUDAMANI PRADANAM. On 29th Feb, it was the sixth and the final Part - MAHA PATTABISHEKAM. We reached the Arangam very early and so could get good seats. Today also it was a great program. We were wonder-struck at the enormous amount of work that has gone into this. Excellent. Rajappa 1-3-2016

On 13th February 2016 , Saturday, evening as we walked along the Besantnagar beach we saw a small crowd arranging this and that. We could identify the famous Carnatic musician Sri TM KRISHNA amidst them. Curious, we waited .. at 6 PM TM Krishna started singing on the beach sands. Glorious evening. He sang three, four songs for 90 minutes. The crowd has swelled by then. By 8-30 PM we returned home. It was a refreshing evening. Next program is on 27th & 28th involving the Kuppam youth. On 27th Feb 2016 , a Saturday again, we were in Kuppam at 5-00 PM itself. Today, many chairs were arranged but it was on the beach sand at the Urur Kuppam. The Vizha was to start by 5-30 but started at 6-20 only. Parai Melam by the Kuppam youth was exhilarating and foot-tapping. It was followed by Villup pattu by the girls of the Kuppam. Then a couple of Bharatanatyam performance - excellent ones. The Corporation's street cleaners who had toiled during the December (2015) floods ...

On the morning of Thursday, the 25th February, 2016, I saw in the paper that a photo exhibition is being arranged at Alwarpet on Sri Kailasanathar Koil, Kancheepuram from today for a week. I made inquiries via email and found the address of the location; at 4 PM took a cab to Kasturi Rangan Salai, Alwarpet and Mr Amar Ramesh, the photographer was waiting. We saw the fabulous photos of the 1300 years old Koil. Fantastic. We walked all the way from Alwarpet to Luz Corner and took an auto back home. Nice experience for both of us. Rajappa 26-02-2016