Remembering 2007 30th August the eve of my son's wedding at Guruvayoor Shri Krishna Temple.

The pre wedding reception went off grandly.

Late into the night, I found as if my voice had deserted me. I could not utter a single word. To top it all ,a torrential rain started. My heart skipped a beat. I prayed ardently to God to make the sun shine before the wedding was conducted.

A Delhi neighbor chanced to call late nigh saying he was in Guruvatoor and where he should come in Guruvayoor. I panicked as I was not able to speak at all.

I managed to tell Venu's name. Don't know whether he understood.

The friend with whom I was sharing my room had told me we could go to the temple at dawn the next morning.

Seeing the rains, she said if it rained in this way it would be difficult to go.

So I thought of relaxing and getting up a little way early.

At the break of dawn, I heard my friend bathing.

I was finding it difficult to wake up so early and have a bath but geared myself up and went to have a bath after she came out.

The water was very cold. There was no geyser and one had to wait for a staff to bring hot water.

I managed to bathe in the cold water also forgetting my sore throat.

We proceeded to the temple. To my delight, it was only drizzling.

As the wedding procession set towards the temple, the Sun God was shining in all His glory. I was really happy to see my friend from Delhi at the wedding.

Surprisingly, having the cold bath with a really bad throat did not seem to have aggrevated the situation.

Indeed God's small mercies to an ardent prayer and positive thinking..

Reminiscences

 My Reminiscences

It was January Eve, of 1978 when my doctor got me positive news about my pregnancy. Venu had a New Year Eve party with colleagues and took me along. He was congratulated for going to be a father and all cheered for master Venugopal.
My due date was set for August 8.
Since master venugopal was refusing to come even when it was 11 August, the doctor treating me told me to get admitted on Monday 14th if no pains experienced to undergo a C- section.
On 12 th Saturday at 11.30 pm. I started my birth pangs. When it got severe,I went to my parent's room. My father who always felt I was a weak child was very anxious for me and looked really worried.
The pains went on till morning.
Venu came with his mother. Seeing me the first thing she said- Anu you have to be strong. You have to undergo more severe pains. I was shocked and asked her whether there were more severe pains than this. She simply smiled and consoled me.
Venu had already told me giving birth was a small affair as his mother had delivered 6 children.
At 8 am, a taxi was called. I was to have my baby at the famed Woodland's Nursing home in Kolkatta.
I was made comfortable in a room where a nurse taught me some breathing excercises whenever I experienced pain.
My mother sat with me and later it was venu's mother who sat with me throughout consoling me.
At 4.30 pm I felt something burst inside me.
I was immediately.wheeled into the labor room. Saw Venu and my father waving at me.
From the time I was wheeled into the labor room till 6.30 I was only asked to exert. Then doctor found baby's head was too big.
Next moment found the nurse with what looked like a pair of huge scissors being used to get baby out. It was 6.47 pm.
The sight of the joyous bundle with head full of curly hair, and a curly lock on its forehead made me forget my trauma.
It was placed on my chest and I saw it looking with half opened eyes at the light shining in the room.
I experienced being patched up inside out till my second trauma came to an end at 10. 30 pm. My mom at the first glance at me said in Malayalam- God's grace ,it's a boy. Venu had always wanted a daughter.
What we got is God's gift.

An Inspiring lesson

 

In an episode in Mahabharatha, Duryodhana misbehaves with the daughter of a tribal king. The king and his men wait for a chance to capture the evil Duryodhana. He is captured and sentenced to death. He is tied to a pillar and given three days to atone for his sin. But being arrogant he refuses to relent.
Pandavas being in exile hears about it. They are happy saying Duryodhana is facing his karma for all his wicked deeds. Yudhishtra, who always stood for dharma, rebukes his brothers saying that Duryodhana is their brother and needs help. The four Pandavas are aghast at their brother's decision and says they will not accompany him to save Duryodhana..
Yudhishthira takes his bow and arrow and proceeds to the exit. As he proceeds he says- If Duryodha is killed, how will the humiliation of Draupadi.be avenged? What will happen to Bheema's vow? If we don't save him now, we will be going against dharma. The brothers understand, pick up their bows and arrows to be with their brother in his task.
If all of us thought like Yudhishtara not with our hearts but with our reason, our hearts full of vengeance, corrupted minds and negative thinking can be overcome.

Follow your head not heart

 In an episode in Mahabharatha, Duryodhana misbehaves with the daughter of a tribal king. The king and his men wait for a chance to capture the evil Duryodhana. He is captured and sentenced to death. He is tied to a pillar and given three days to atone for his sin. But being arrogant he refuses to relent.

Pandavas being in exile hears about it. They are happy saying Duryodhana is facing his karma for all his wicked deeds.Yudhishtra, who always stood for dharma, rebukes his brothers saying that Duryodhana is their brother and needs help. The four pandavas are aghast at their brother's decision and says they will not accompany him to save Duryodhana..
Yudhishtara takes his bow and arrow and proceeds to the exit. As he proceeds he says- If Duryodha is killed, how will the humiliation of Draupadi.be avenged? What will happen to Bheema's vow? If we don't save him now, we will be going against dharma. The brothers understand, picks up their bows and arrows to be with their brother in his task.
If all of us thought like Yudhishtara not with our hearts but with our reason, our hearts full of vegeance, corrupted minds and negative thinking can be overcome.

The Face of Evil

 

  The Face of Evil

  Evil approached

  innocence shivered

  where is God when blooming

  buds are crushed

  gore and bloodshed

  have become the way of life

  Man has no control over

  the seven deadly sins

  who will close Pandora's Box

  and bring normalcy

  on earth suffering for man's sins?

  time is a great healer, a great teacher.

  will Time teach Man to respect all living things

  and bring back laughter and happiness

  at home and hearth

  allow buds to bloom

  and make earth the Eden on earth.

Evolution of Man

The Evolution Of man
It is an age old factor that Man evolved from the apes.
It is also believed that Man, whom God named Adam, was created by Him because He himself felt alone.
There was peace in Heaven. Man was not filled with the Seven Deadly Sins and lead a carefree life.
Then God decided to create a Woman to do away with Man's loneliness.
God created a woman out of Adam's ribs and He named her Eve.
Eve and Adam spent their time peacefully and happily in Heaven.
Then Satan entered. He did not want any happy people in Heaven.
He lured Eve into eating the forbidden apple. Both Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit.
They realized their nakedness and was ashamed to be in front of God.
They ran away from his presence.
God banished Adam and Eve from the garden as punishment for defying his command.
Then started the gory behavior of Man.
He was engulfed with all the seven Deadly Sins which continue even now.
There are people who don't practice as they preach..
Ego is destroying them.
People go to temples, donate in lakhs into hundis but shoo off beggars.
They spend huge amounts on precious items, but haggle with poor vendors. As the saying goes- Penny wise, pound foolish.
I believe that if one has accumulated wealth in their banks, use it for some humanitarian purpose.
There are starving children and elderly. Use the money to feed them. Don't just leave it to their Karma. You will have good karma.
Full credit to organizations and humanitarian industrialists who go out of their way to serve the needy.
If more wealthy people come forward to help the needy whether be it for medical purpose, education, daughters' weddings, building shelters, earth will be a happy place.
Also, the greed of Man is destroying nature.
Mother Earth is showering Her fury to teach Man a lesson.In spite of it, Man remains unruffled.

Man's EGO and stubbornness to grasp good advices is creating havoc.
EGO fully explained Edging God Out.
Coming out of one's ego gives one inner peace and there will be world peace..

The Little Boy

This is the story of a little boy now grown up married and a father.

He had his initial schooling in kolkatta. He had more girlfriends than boyfriends.

He used to threaten them in the first language he learnt Bengali. 'Ami tumake ranna kore khabho meaning I will cook you and eat you.

Then he used to be overly friendly and invite them home saying he will make dosas for them. All this while in nursery.

When his father used to come from Dubai , he used to bring perfume bottles.

Once the mother was startled when the boy's principle asked her for a bottle of perfume. She said the little one had told her his father had got perfume bottles.

The mother had to gift the principal a perfume bottle.

He shifted to Chennai with his parents.

He was admitted in class one in a reputed school.

When his mother went to pick him up, she found him sitting facing the wall in a corner.

When enquired, the teacher said he spoke too much.

The mother wondered in which language he would have spoken.He could speak Bengali. Sure the children in class would have been more fluent in Tamil which he was yet to pick up.

Then he and his parents moved to Africa where he got admission in a British School.

Luggage was nil and he had a pleasant time.

Then it was back to Chennai.

Got admission in a school in Chennai through recommendation when half yearly tests were about to begin.

He had plenty to note down and study.

When the mother went to pick him up, a girl student came and enquired if I was looking for my son. She pointed out to him playing in the school ground and requested the mother not to scold him. She had helped him with writing all his notes.

Another boy, a classmate used to rush when the boy came to school, take his bag and carry it to the first floor while the hero used to follow him like a king.

Then it was Hyderabad. and Delhi.

In Delhi, he used to bring all the friends home who had scored less marks than him and then ask their marks to impress his father.

In Delhi too he had a lot of female class friends. They used to come home and tell the mother how helpful he was.

One day the mother asked him why he should have so many girlfriends and he answered Main Bhowra Hoon, Ek Phool se Kaam Nahi Chalta.It means, he is a bee and one flower is not enough.

His father was insistent he take up Engineering. He was very interested in Hotel Management. The father told him HM can be done any time, doing Engineering was the best option.

In fact children are not supposed to be forced to do something they don't like.

But he managed to pass his Automobile engineering, his father did not rest, enrolled him in a reputed College in Benguluru to do his MS in Automotive Engineering and then an MBA.

He should be thankful to his father for these qualifications.

But as fate willed, he has started living his dream of being in the Hospitality Industry. He is a famous food blogger and enjoying what he is doing alongside his main work.

His son too seems to be going the father's way as he is very keen on cooking.

All readers might have guessed.

The boy is Pravin Menon my son who also calls himself Pheno menon.