Chennai Aerial View

Kathipara Bridge, Adyar Bridge, Madras Port/ Harbour, Mylapore Kapaleshwar Tank and finally Koovam River dipping into the Bay of Bengal

Bonner's - World's Largest Christmas Store

Visiting Bonner's Christmas store in Frankenmuth is like visiting the world of Christmas. It is the spirit of christmas that touches you silently but sweetly as you enter this german town few miles away from Detroit.

Assembly Polls 2009 - People of India..............

Another guest blog of mine got published in IBN live

http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/assemblypolls2009blogs/2607/53952/results-and-what-does-it-mean.html

Here is the extract

Friday , November 13, 2009 at 19 : 30
Umasree Raghunath | Chennai

Assembly Polls 2009- Results and what does it mean?

After having closely watching the assembly poll results, its time for a recap of the results and find its inner meaning.
1. People of India do not want to rule this Nation in the name of Religion or Language. WE are still secular in our thoughts and actions
2. People of India want a change. Its not the Obama effect change, but the change within.... that is most wanted at the time. Towards consistency in growth and development
3. People of India besides everything wants Peace & Security. Protection against terror, swift action in times of need, recovery process and rebuilding post tragedies.
4. People of India's first aspirations are simple needs. Home, water, food, education and retirement plans. Which ever government can cater to these basic needs survive elections
5. People of India's long term objective is a global vision. The vision of intelligence, perservance and power. Today which ever government encourages the global outreach is elected to power.

Simple Ideology and Principle of selection: There are few things like political greed for power, money and supremacy common in all parties. But for those who share a bit of it atleast with the common man is better than the rest.

Once again Kannadasan!!!

It had been a very hectic day, but on the way back from office, the discussion amongst our friends in the car went around Kannadasan...aspiring my love for his lyrics once again.... his lyrics, his life and his intellectual brilliance. I could not resist to stop writing about him again!!!

Kannadasan- No Nobel prize can be enough or No Award can glorify the magnificiant amount of literature he left to this world. Amazing. Today every lyricst and a tamil song will have words from this great poet and writer

In my search on him once again, I found an amazing link to his songs

http://www.tamilnation.org/literature/kannadasan/lyrics.htm

No wonder every word of it, is true. Everything is within. Within us, within our lives, within our values and within our system

I wonder why no one in Tamil Literature try to translate these lyrics to larger audience or may be I am not aware....but imagine at 6000 lyrics, 5000 poems, near about 232 books and loads of manuscripts still with the family...what an immense wealth of knowledge.

Let me try my first ever translation of this great piece from the great master:

mayakkamaa kalakkamaa
manadhilae kuzhappamaa
vaazhkkaiyil nadukkamaa

My English Version:

Are you in the the daze or maze
of inner confusion in the heart
Or of the turbulences in life??

vaazhkkai enraal aayiram irukkum
vaasal dhoarum vedhanai irukkum
vandha thunbam edhu vandhaalum
vaadi ninraal oaduvadhillai
vaadi ninraal oaduvadhillai
edhaiyum thaangum idhayam irundhaal
irudhi varaikkum amaidhi irukkum

English Version:

Thousand tales makes a life
Upto the streets lies the pain
What ever may be the distress upon
once you stagnate, that will live on
once you standstill, that will live on
strongness of heart to face whatsoever
will let the peace sustain till the end



--( how true, most of us dont expose our pains outside our homes, most of us dont leave the baggage, the heaviness of the past and pains to move forward...great lesson)


aezhai manadhai maaligaiyakki
iravum pagalum kaaviyam paadi
naalaip pozhudhai iraivanukkaliththu
nadakkum vaazhvil amaidhiyaith thaedu
nadakkum vaazhvil amaidhiyaith thaedu
unakkum keezhae ullavar koadi
ninaiththup paarththu nimmadhi naadu

English Version

Make the poor heart a loving palace store
writing day and night the poetic verses galore
Dedicate the happiness of the day to the God
Seek the peace in everyday life in the Lord
Seek the peace in everyday life in the Lord
Millions are worser than what you are
Remember that to regain the peace at par.....

Beautiful verses and far more insight into the life's realities... and those who know to learn from them will move on towards betterment, peace and glory to themselves and to others around them.

Kannadasan endra kadalai marubadiyum thondum neram................

Every day is a gift!

From any day that teaches you the value of life, becomes a day of gift from God. Blessed you are, for you see the next sunrise!

The value of life is known to a person who just missed death. Remember the gratefulness thousands of people felt as they ran safe from WTC collapse, remember the happiness of hundreds who escaped violent terror attacks in Mumbai in 26/11, remember the day when the pilot became the god to the people who got landed in a frozen river. Every day becomes a gift ever since one comes across such a day.

10 April 2004, is such a turning point in my life, where me and my child were saved by my husband from a unwanted but scary fire accident at home...ever since, to us every day is a story of success, story of god, and his gifts that emerged out of hard work, faith, sincerity and perseverance. Why so ever it happened, who so ever did it, what so ever be the motive, it all ended fine for us. We never looked back. We never forget it for the lessons are great to learn from.

Emerging from turbulence's of life needs extra energy and strong mind. Traumas, tiring days, sad events are all indispensable from life. But those who look beyond imperfections and tiring situations, look forward for better things in life. Those who learn this lesson.... are sure to learn and realise that every day is a gift of God. Live it to the lees.....

Thanks to my beloved sister Yamini celebrating her birthday today, for she was the most prominent person who gave me the courage to take things in my stride and move forward. Happy Birthday Sis...one way the new lease of life is a gift of your thoughts and positive actions....Love you!

The Name Crush!!!

Its all in the name! Yes, Name. The big names. I was wondering from the time I read Abinandhan's blog, on what are those names that I love so much...It was a very easy answer

1. Narayani
2. Ranganayaki

I know, lot many who know me so well will wonder, what the heck they are? I love the name, the meaning and the essence and for all those out there having these names...I just love you for you have got the two names that touch my heart always.

Thankfully, I have both the names in my family... I managed to give my daughter the first name and call her Narayani Aishwarya...Wow, i just love this

Second is Ranganayaki...thats my elder brother-in-law Krishnan's mother's name... though she is no more, the name is so powerful and beautiful that I just love her too... yeah, I also know a lecturer in college called Ranganayaki....means beautiful and colorful stage actress...infact its the name of concert of Srirangam Ranganatha swamy...

Ironically, both names mean the same. Manifestations of Goddess Lakshmi.

Narayani Namosthutey...there is no Hindu marriage in India, that doesnt end without these words while tying the knot.... and the golden temple for Goddess Narayani is sure to make this name much more powerful and reknowned.....

Successful, And dying young?!!*???**!!

2 deaths recently disturbed me alot. One is of a 28 year old collegue with 5 yr old daughter succumbed to low BP and cardiac arrest...had ever she would have thought about it? And the kind of cold attitude with which the news was received and broadcasted...made me think to wonder if we are living in a purely machine world and lost all human touch to our routines:-( Shame! Here its all business, profits, and we people are also nothing but just another "Resource".... time to think in which world we are heading to....

Second is the death of Ranjan Das, Head of SAP India, a fitness freak, hardworking and highly inspiring young and dynamic leader....died one morning after his workout. Hailing from upper middle class, we dream big things. We aspire behind our dreams and spend days and years in building career. Making it big going away from families, fun and simple living. Stress is not a part of our lives, but the very routine. In the few hours we get, we are busy socialising, hobbies, families, and priorities that make us forget that our machines also need some rest and maintenance. Here its our physical and mental machines I am talking about.

In the quest of success, growth and enablement, we go far away from our own people and relaxations into the world of artificial partying ( that only ends up with headaches the next day), travel and bustling routines (that doesnt let us pause for a moment of silence and self-thinking) and into priority based lives.... both personal and professional. Added to all this, is the stress our families have to live with us... rather bear with us or get away from us...that again resulting in handling undue emotions.

Rajeev Motwani, Ranjan Das, Sowmya devi are just few examples of people who dreamt big, kept achieving and died young, leaving behind grieving children and spouses. For the fast moving corporate world its real time to think big! Think big on work life balance, stress busters, simple life styles and acceptance of the Mantra- You should be alive to enjoy what you achieved. Or else, the struggle is meaningless. So take care folks....

Its a lesson to me tooooo!!!

Mid-life crisis setting in! Sooner may be!

Suddenly in midst of a busy day, I took one minute back from my laptop and was wondering what is happening to me these days...a dawn of realization that its almost 10 years that I started to work and build a career (hope so!), and in the process making so many adjustments and compromises in life. I called about these compromises as Re-Alignments in life in my book "Never Say Quit".

Just the next minute, I rang my mentor and friend in India, and asked him on how about getting an admission for me in the Law College. I am sure, I drove him crazy!! For one reason, he knows its my childhood aspiration and for second reason, my career got set in a totally different direction altogether in the last decade of work. Strong feeling that I would make my place in Law, truly makes me think to restart it all over again...Goodness, whats happening...Suddenly I find my kid of my height, grown up and having her own aspirations and goals, my man greying even better, wrinkles started to show on my face, and all old friends are busy with their different ways of lives!!!

10 years of hardwork, perserverance and the results! Overcoming personal tragedies, owning a two bed room apartment, a small family car, few short holidays,long family time in US, a book in making, hundreds of inspiring collegues and friends, four inspiring managers, professional awards and recognistions both inside and outside office, Inner wheel,Counselling and rebuilding so many families around, golf, couple of TV shows with the family, new borns in the extended family and Aishu's music, friends and hannah montana becoming part of our lives with her fantasies...then.few tragedies, losing few loved one's, fire accident, fantasies, betrayals and hurt..losing my unborn son.. Is that all? I am sure, I am doing better but could have been much better!!! Over the years, me and my husband became very close and understanding making our's a real happy family. In the last few years, I have been building up a unique bonding with my mom, that I failed to understand as a child or a teen. My sisters and their families are my internal strength and my mentor is my anchor always...Still, I feel the life is large to contain more and I have so much to do!!!

How fast and how quick! Much more work to do!!! So many things, planning my child's higher education, our retirment lives, taking onto freelance journalism, complete learning German and few more languages, getting into either law or film making, travelling across India first and then the world, help all friends to the extent possible, build an old age home (that’s Raghu's dream), and finally manage to have a pet dog at home...(Aishu wants it always!Me tooo!), create a terrace garden, build a home library, grow mushrooms (yes, you got me right, wanna provide employment opportunities to women with small endeavours around), and finally retreat into the silence of our final destination - pondicherry- to the abode of Ashram and its serenity, divinity and silence...

Huh! Real Mid life Crisis I know! I am in! But Thank God, I have a purpose to live. A purpose to Aspire, A purpose to dream for and live on! I am sure, we all go through these anxities and also know to handle them. Good Luck!