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Showing posts from February, 2006

What I Missed While Walking Past the Kanchi Mutt

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A place I passed every day without really understanding it. As a kid growing up in Malleswaram, devotion wasn’t something we discussed — it was just in the air. The smell of agarbathi in the evenings. The noise of vendors lining up on 8th cross before a festival. The quiet expectation that you showed up, bowed your head, and moved on. Ganesh Chaturthi. Varalakshmi Vratam. Deepavali. Janmashtami. Ugadi. The calendar moved, but the pattern stayed. The Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham in Malleswaram was part of my daily route to school. Not something I questioned. Not something I deeply understood. Just… there. Every morning, on my way to school, I would slow down for a second in front of the Mutt. Just enough to bow my head toward Kanchi Kamakshi from outside the gate — and then hurry along before the school bell. It was a ritual for as long as I can remember. I don’t know if it came from devotion. I did it because my parents did it. The street...
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Weathering Heights!

When I was in India, I used to wonder why the Europeans and Americans get so excited when they see the yellow metal shining in the sky. What's the fuss all about! It used to be mind boggling to see them attach so much of importance to the Sun God. But it didn't take me long to figure out. First in Stuttgart and now in Rolla. I still remember the day I landed in Stuttgart. The whole land mass was covered by the white moss that could throw anybody into depression. The pall of gloom would transform to something really miserable. That's when I realised the significance of the Germans' statement. It is a great feeling to feel the sun penetrating your skin and giving that soothing touch. It is a different matter that summers in India are pretty difficult times, but that waft of sunlight does certainly takes away your depression. That's how I felt last week when Rolla was dipping to sub-zero temperatures. The weather here is as fickle as a wife (Sidhuism! Adjus...
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Moto....

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After a lot of thought, I decided to toe the line. Yes! finally picked a mobile from Motorola (V360 to be precise). It is always fun to get something new and when it is an electronic item, it is all the more fun. I was meddling with the features all afternoon that the realization of wasting time dawned in a little late actually! But you should have a look at my new phone. Just check out the link This phone has an mp3 player with an add-on memory slot. I have just got a 64MB TransFlash Micro SD card which I was pretty excited about. If a media player with 64MB sounds interesting, imagine the latest release from SONY with its new model W950 on Feb 13. This phone has an FM radio and of course a walkman phone with a memory capacity of 4GB!!!! Technology truly path-breaking!!!
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Vegetarianism....

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When in one of those highly contemplative moments where time seems to be at a standstill, one gets a wide array of thoughts transcending across momentary happiness driving (stray)thoughts of wisdom that seemed no where within your thinking boundary. As I was reflecting on the past seven months of stay in the United States, I thought of the little things that can so easily get magnified at such moments. This is purely from a religious perspective. As the vedas proclaim, a Brahmin should never cross the seas. It sounded funny when my friend told me about this initially. I was of the view How does it matter whether a Brahmin crosses the seas and the oceans? In what way is he going to be affected? Being a strict vegetarian, I have to pour over the contents of any small item that I purchase here. Anything can get into your stomach in any form! All sorts of animal based ingredients lurk in the most innocent of meals, and the clear winner in such a product is undoubtedly Gelatin. To ...
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