My Musings

July 31st was the Varalakshmi Vratham and we celebrated it grandly. So did our other family members at their houses. At Delhi, Vasu and others celebrated it at Srikanth's place. Manni had been earlier admitted to hospital on 21 July, but she was improving and was, in fact, brought to the recovery room on Aug 1. On July 31, we didn't know what was to happen the next day. At 8-15PM on 1 Aug we got the first news that Manni was again taken to ICU because she developed some complications. Everyone rushed to the hospital to be near Manni. However, her multiple organs started collapsing, her end was near. I was in continuous telephone contact with the grief-stricken family. At 12-10 midnight, Srikanth phoned us the shocking news that Manni has passed away. He and others were inconsolable. They had lost their mother, their guide, beacon of their lives. We at Karpagam Avenue didn't sleep that night, Arvind-Krithika were very busy in booking our flight tickets and Vijaya, I, and...

Manni - Part III - The Rites - 9th - 13th August 2009, Srikanth's house, Delhi 09 Aug 2009 - Sunday - 9th Day rites Got up at 0530; Jayashri and Raji wake up very early and start the routine. Rites started today. Sastrigal came at 0715. Vasu, Sridhar, Srikanth, Ravi performed the rites, left out from Day 3. ஜீவன் இறந்த உடனேயே உலகை விட்டுச் செல்வதில்லை. அதற்கு வேறு ஒரு உடல் உருவாக்கப்படும் 10 நாட்கள் வரை இவ்வுலகிலேயே இருக்கும் என்கிறது கருட புராணம். அந்த ஜீவன் இந்த 10 நாட்களும் தங்கியிருக்க, சில கருங்கற்களை நிலத்தில் ஊன்றி, மண்ணினால் நன்கு மூடி, அந்த கல்லில் ஜீவனை ஆவாஹனம் செய்து, 10 நாட்கள் வரை தினஸரி எள்ளு ஜலமும், சாதமும் (பிண்டம்) தந்து நித்யவிதி செய்ய வேண்டும். இறந்த உடனேயே கல் ஊன்றவேண்டும்; இது முடியாதபோது, 7-ஆம் நாளோ அல்ல்து 9-ஆம் நாளோ கல் ஊன்றலாம் (ஆனால் உத்தமம் இல்லை) . கல் ஊன்றிய பிறகு தினமும் வாஸோதகம் எனப்படும் துணி பிழிந்த ஜலத்தாலும், திலோதகம் எனப்படும் எள்ளு ஜலத்தாலும் தர்ப்பணம் பண்ணவேண்டும். பிணடம் சமர்ப்பிக்க வேண்டும். இது நித்யவிதி எனப்படுகிறது. முதல் ...

PART II - 02 AUGUST to 08 AUGUST 2009 As written in Part I, Manni was admitted in Ayushman hospital, Dwaraka, near Srikanth's house on 21 July 2009 for suspected pneumonia. She was in the ICU, her condition erratic at times, but generally improving. On 1st August at around 6-30PM, she was brought to the Recovery room as her condition was stable and vastly improved. As all of us heaved a sigh of relief, suddenly and without any symptoms, her condition turned bad at 8-30 or so and she was rushed back to the ICU for emergency medication. Unfortunately she could not survive this and she passed away at 1210 midnight on 1st-2nd August. ஆடி, சுக்ல, துவாதஸி 02 AUGUST 2009 - Sunday - Cremation We were informed of this shocking development at 1220 AM and we were stunned. Vijaya and I decided to fly to Delhi immediately and Arvind & Krithika booked our airtickets at 2 AM for the 6-45 flight. Sugavanam also was to come with us. We left our house by 0415 in a calltaxi and picked up Sugav...

Our Manni, Mythili (Kamakshi) came into our family on 23 April 1956 when she married our அண்ணா Chandru (Ramachandran). Our Anna - Manni had 4 sons and 3 daughters. Anna started his career in Indian Postal Dept. They lived in various places during Anna's employment, Tirupapuliyur, Devanmpattinam being the most notable places. They educated all their seven children in Cuddalore / Tirupapuliyur. By 1984 Anna retired as Subpostmaster. After the marriage of their second daughter Usha in 1988, they shifted to New Delhi in the same year, breaking their connection with Tamilnadu for ever. Anna passed away in New Delhi on 5 June 1989 after a brief illness. Manni continued in Delhi. As the years went by, Anna's children started growing in economic status. Though Anna was not there physically to see his children grow and prosper, Manni was there all along, guiding them, counselling them, sharing their joy & happiness at every step. In fact, Manni was like mother to all of us in GRS ...

JAYARAMAN On Thursday, June 4th, 2009 Jayaraman had a "minor mishap" at his home in Vadapalani - he fell down when trying to sit in a chair. Feeling a lot of pain, he got himself admitted in Sri Ramachandra hospital, Porur by 2 PM. I saw him in the hospital 3 days later, on Sunday 7th of June. He is to be in the hospital for 45 days as per doctors ! Many in the family visited him. We went to the hospital again on 15 June. Jayaraman got discharged on 21 June from SRMC. Admitted in SRMC for the 2nd time on 16 July. We went to the hospital on 18th and saw Jayaraman. He was discharged on the evening of 21 July 2009. At home now, Jayaraman is walking with the aid of a walker , but still complains of pain in the knee-joint. VIJAY Vijay was behaving oddly since 6th June, according to Jayaraman. No one actually knows what is the exact problem, but it was guessed that Vijay may be, just maybe, taking alcoholic drinks. Jayaraman put him in a deaddiction centre at Perungudi on ...

எங்கள் பாட்டி By SRUTHI, VIBHA and Others Kamu paatti as all of us call her was an extremely lovable person. She loved all her grandchildren a lot starting from Santosh to Srinath. Our paatti was born on 3rd June 1935 in an orthodox Brahmin family in Thanjavur. She was brought up on the musical soil of Thiruvaiyaru. She had a good knowledge of Carnatic music and often visited Thyagaraja Temple for Thyagaraja aradhanais. She had enjoyed her childhood at the belt of Cauveri, playing, bathing in the river and studying with her 4 brothers & 2 sisters. Kamu paati was married in the year 1956 at the age of 21 , to our thatha G. S. Ramachandran lovingly called as ‘Anna’ by his brothers and sisters, at Kumbakonam. Our kollu patti named her ‘Mythili’ after marriage. They started their married life at Cuddalore. Since our ‘Chandru’ thatha was a well known post master in South Arcot district, our patti got the pet title "post office mami". They have lived in lot of places in South A...