My Musings

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

SAVITHRI - 2015 Part 2 . Read the part 1 here. Part 1 was from 31 October 2015 when Savithri felt pain in her mouth sores. Her doctor at Hosur advised her to come to Chennai for further treatment. Part 1 ended at 15 Dec when she consulted doctors at Billroth hospital at Shenoynagar, and also at Kumaran Hospital, Kilpauk.  Now read further ... On Dec 18th 2015, Friday , Savithri came to KUMARAN Hospital, Kilpauk by 10:00 AM. Ramesh, and Ganesh brought her. The chemo was to have been for 2 to 21/2 hours but shockingly they were told it would last for 20 hours !! Ramesh was advised to take a room and stay for the night. Private special rooms were not available, so he took a Gen ward bed for Savithri. Ordinary saline drips started at 12 noon and continued till 6:15 PM. Vijaya and I left house by 3:45, took the bus 29C, and reached the hospital by 4:45. 13 km from our house. Saline drips went on till 6:15, Savithri was fine. Ganesh was with her. At 6:15 PM, chemo s...

SAVITHRI in Chennai 2015 Part 1. Read the previous experience of 21-04-2008    here Savithri, our sister, phoned on 31 October 2015 (Saturday) and informed us that she is not well. Her earlier mouth-ulcer is giving her pains. I do not know for how many days. I phoned her back on 2 November - the sore is still paining and she is applying some ointment. On 4th November (Wednesday) I phoned her again and she told that the doctor - Dr SHABBIR - told her to come to Chennai for further consultation / treatment. Perhaps a biopsy ? Tuesday, the 10th November was the Deepavali festival and Ramesh went to Hosur. Next day on 11th Nov Savithri left Hosur with Ramesh and Vasanth for Chennai. Biopsy was fixed for 16th November (Monday) at the Kauvery Hospital, TTK Road at 0900 . On 16th, it rained heavily , the roads were flooded. Vijaya and I left house at 09-15 with Arvind in is care. We were dropped at Kauvery Hospital by 9-45. Many tests like ECG, blood, chest X-ray were ...