Champakaranya Kshetram

Mannargudi, situated on the banks for the river Haridra, was referred as Champakaaranyam, Vanduvarapatti(filled with bees) and Vasudevapuri. Sri Rajagopalaswami temple was built by the Chola king Kulottunga I (1070-1120 AD). After the Chola kings the Nayak kings of Tanjore took interest in the renovation of temples built earlier and as a result the temple at Mannargudi was improved with many gopurams and outer prakarams.

It was the seventh day of Navarathri celebrations at Shri Rajagopalaswami temple and the utsava moorthy Shri Rajagopalan along with the Nachiyars were out in the vasantha mandapam to bless the gathering in the Kalyana thirukolam. This temple is referred as Dakshina Dwarka and it is believed that this place was a Champaka forest in the puranic days and the granthas call this area as “Champakaranya Kshetram”.

As a procedure of worship in Vaishnavite shrines, we took the permission from Hanuman seated in the outer gopuram with the gadha in one hand and Sanjeevi Mountain on the other and Garuda in the inner prakaram before visiting the sanctum sanctorum. It is believed that Garuda informs Mahalakshmi about our visit and she inturn request the Lord to bless their children. We prostrated near the Garuda Stambha placed in front of the Lord's shrine, 54 feet high and is made of a -single stone. This is again a procedure followed in Vaishnavite temples to propstrate at the Dwajasthambam before we enter the temple.

In stand at ease “Tribhangi” pose (3 curves in his body) surrounded by calves and with whip in one hand (cattle rearing pose) he is in command of his creation and creatures leading us to his home and the other one pointing towards his feet showing the Charanagathi tatwa – “Maam Ekam Charanam Vraj:” A bunch of 3 keys hanging from his waist represent the trigunas (Rajo, Tamo, Satwa) gives us an opportunity to choose the right key to enjoy the gifts of life. Perumal in Kali Yuga manifested in this kshetram as Sri Rajagopala and performed the same lilas as he did in Mathura and Dwakara for the sincere Rishis who missed them in the Dwapara Yuga because of their penance. The whip that he is holding in his right hand is not pointed at the cattle or at us and it is not to harm or inflict cruelty to his children, but rather the whip points towards him and is to attract people.

The beautiful gold Golusu (ankle bracelet) adorning his anklet, earring in one ear shows that there is no difference between him and Lakshmi. This tatwa also reestablishes that the nirguna, nishkala of the soul is and that there no bedha between male and female soul and all of us being a part of him. Utsavar is called “Shri Vidya Rajagopalan”. We can see the same message being conveyed in Shaivism where Devi resides on the Vamabaga of Shiva and they are together in the rupa of Ardhanareeshwara. Whether you call him Shiva or Vishnu and whether you call her Parvati or Lakshmi the tatwa is the same. There is a very beautiful kriti “Ardhanareeshwaram” in the raga Kumudakriya.

Muthuswami Dikshithar in his krithi describes this swarupa of Perumal as

nArIvESadhara vAmabhAga murArE
shrIvidyArAjaharE shrIrukmiNI satyabhAmAshrita

It is believed that once Radha had left her jewels and clothes on the shore and had gone down to bathe in river Yamuna and Krishna at that time cross dressed as Radha and played a prank on her. Radha didn’t realize that it was Krishna and she made noise about her missing clothes and jewels. Krishna quickly tried to undress but before he could finish he was shooed away by the villagers. Thus the ankle bracelet and earring stayed with his forever.

A solid gold Mahalakshmi pendant adorning his chest and 2 inch oval Emerald (astrology and gemology believes that emerald represents Mercury and Vishnu is represented by Mercury in all horoscopes) laced with diamonds in the periphery looked more beautiful on his chest.

The Thayar is called “Seng (red) Kamalam (lotus) with ravishing smile effusing karunyam in her eyes. Her names in Sanskrit are Hemabjanayaki and Raktabjanayaki. On her sides are Rajanayaki on the right and Dwaranayaki or, the left. She has four arms. The utsava moorthy, Mahalakshmi seated on a Padmam manifest as Gajalakshmi with elephants on either side. She wears a beautiful pendant etched in gold with the image of Sri Rajagopalan in the standing posture with a whip sat in the center of the diamond pendant.

The 7 feet high dwi-bhujam moolavar Paravasudevan is of Salagramam accompanied by Sri Devi and Bho Devi on either side. The little Santhanakrishna lying on top of the coiled Sarpa with the right toe in his mouth smirks at the Maya (cosmic creation). It is believed that issue less couples are blessed with children upon lifting and praying to the Santhakrishna by reciting Bala Mukundhashtakam written by Adi Shankara with atmost devotion and sincerity. There are small shrines in the temple dedicated to Rama, Sita, Lakshmana, Garudalwar, etc.
The temple signifies the unison of all three 3 sects of Hindu philosophy – Advaita, Dvaita, Vishistadvaita. Muthuswami Dikshithar in his krithi “Sri Rajagopala” refers to this temple as
vishiStAdvaitAdvaitAlaya mAm pAlaya.

There are many Vahanams in the temple of which Panchamukha Hanuman (Hanuman with five faces) is worth mentioning. Garuda Vahanam and Horse Vahanam are plated with gold and are said to have been donated by a European officer who was cured of his colic on offering worship to the Lord. Many festivals take place in this temple throughout the year and theBrahmotsavam is celebrated in the month of Panguni (Marc April). The Utsavar in Vennai Thazhi (Krishna in a seated pose with a pot of butter) falls on Panguni Ammavasya and attracts large crowds from all over the country. Sri Rajapogalan dressed as Mohini avataram in one of the ustavam days and on Hanumantha vahanam parading around the town also draws a lot of crowd.

This is a very ancient temple and has figured in the Mahabharata, Brahmanda Purana, Skanda Purana, Narada Purana, Sriranga Purana and Tirupati Purana.Though Azhawars have not visited this shrine there is a beautiful kriti by Sri Muthuswami Dikshithar, one of the Trinity Composers “Sri Rajagopala” in raga Saveri sung in praise of this deity and the temple.

Raga: sAvEri / Tala: Adi
P: shrI rAjagOpAla bAla shRHNgAralIla shritajanapAla

A: dhIrAgragaNya dInasharaNya
cArucampakAraNya dakSiNadvArakApurInilaya
vishiStAdvaitAdvaitAlaya mAm pAlaya

C: smErAnana sEvaka caturAnana
nArAyaNa tAraka divyanAmapArAyaNa kRta
nAradAdinuta sArasapAda sadAmOda
nArIvESadhara vAmabhAga murArE
shrIvidyArAjaharE shrIrukmiNI satyabhAmAshrita
pArshvayugaLa kambujayagaLa nIrasampUrNa
haridrAnadItIra mahOtsava vaibhava
mAdhava mArajanaka natashukasanaka
janaka vIraguruguhamahita ramAsahita

When I asked a Vaishnavite scholar why Azhawars have not sung in praise of Rajagopalan and Paravasudevan, they had convincing reasons.

4000 Divya Prabandham vanished for 1000-2000 years and it was Nadha Muni who brought back the Prabandham. Some Paasurams could have gone missing.

Azhawars must have visited this Kshetram and must have been spell bound by the beauty of this perumal they never found words to express his beauty in the form of Prabandhams. Sweetness of sugar, honey, jaggery can only be tasted but can never be described in words.

From a Rat(tler)

This is an exceprt from the mail that I sent today to our building managers at work.

This is to bring to your notice that there is a security breach in our premises. Our security guards must be fired for letting these guys in without an access card. We’ve spotted two black hairy creatures, 6 inches long with a short snout and curly tail on the second floor wandering during day and night without any access cards. Before you think of others choices, they are mere gutter rats.

My computer mouse complained that these rats are jumping and hopping over her even during the day. I don’t know if this just an infatuation or is it something more or is it breeding season? These rats leave wonderful traces of their poop as memorabilia, I don’t know about the other traces on my mouse. I have sanitized her again this morning. This is case of serious sexual harrassment at work and needs HR intervention.

Should I think that I am being visited and blessed by the Lord Ganesha pal? I know I have a little Ganesh on my desk I don’t know if he is attracting visitors, if so his fan following is creating lot of trouble for me.

On a serious note, I hope you understand that there is a health hazard associated with rats wandering in our premises. We also run the risk endangering our network cables and other paper document. I request you to take necessary action at the earliest.

Sillinu Oru Kadhal

Every couple secretly wishes to be together atleast for 7 births when they are in love, may be this wish changes once they are married. Sillunu oru Kadhal is the 7th time Surya and Jothika have paired together in reel life before they tied the knot in real life. Debutant director N.Krishna has done a fine job getting the best out of Surya, Jothika, and Bhoomika. There is never a dull moment in the story and before every hairpin bend in the story there is song or a humor sequence to prevent us from getting emotional bruised.

For those of you missed Surya-Jothika’s wedding or never got invited to the wedding, here is a chance to see more than just a normal wedding on the wide screen.

The first half of the movie reminded me of best sequences from Roja, Alaipayuthey and Mouna ragam. The first 15 minutes reminded me of the movie Roja with Jo being portrayed as girl who doesn’t subscribe to arranged marriage. Jothika pleads the Ganesha on the temple tank, but may be has heard too many women and has turned deaf? Vadivelu’s humor was nothing out of the box, but the timing and punch dialogues made it enjoyable. The wedding song reminded me of the sequence from the movie Alaipayuthey, but the old wine is the new bottle is still tasty. The song Avalukenna Ambasamudiram in Seerkazhi Siva Chidambarm’s voice resonates in my mind. The lyrics are really catchy and very aptly written for the couple - Vaali a job well done. 6 years of wedded life goes by in Bombay without any hiccups in relationship and with odes and loads of love. For those who are not enjoying their married life and kids there are sequences that will make you long for one. Surya as a doted husband and Jothika as an understanding wife always gave each other space to do their things. Typically workday struggles of a DISK couple (double income single kid) is perfectly portrayed on the silver screen. Kids always add flavor to life when it turns insipid. The little girl steals the show and adds pep to the story. Without much effort the first half of the story moves fast in its own momentum.

The real test for the Director and the actors comes in the second half of the movie. Jothika in search of the insect box unravels the story for the second half. Her insect box search turns out to be a deadly can of worms ready to be opened. For spouses it is not a good idea to exchange stories of their life before marriage. Sometimes past haunts, Jothika doesn’t stop with just reading his diary. She goes that extra mile to go and trace Surya’s ex for no reason. Bhoomika makes a fragrance full entry at that point. The very name evokes the same fragrance when the first rain drop rain hits the parched earth. She is an earthly angel.

While the first half of the story shows the love after marriage the second shows love before marriage with a different person. Dichotomy in human life and mind will always stay. Every few minutes brings a different flavor, dimension and a contrasting personality hidden in every character. This half of the story exposes the ruffian Surya filled with rage and romance. Santhanam, Goutham’s friend is a promising North Star to be watched. Soft and fragile Bhoomika comes back as a hard shelled oyster that gave the pearl to Jothika with no repentance. Conservatively dressed Bhoomika comes in tank top and jeans with a let down hair in the latter part. Jothika seems to have completely enacted the role of a woman ready to sacrifice her husband and later changing shades to a possessive wife who wants to fight back for her husband. New York Nagaram song is penned down with lot of emotions and tuned to show the pangs of separation between the husband and wife. The climax is not very new or different but it is done in a very tasteful and matured way and this is where the director really scores.

It has the right mix of what it takes to make a commercial movie.

Positives:
1. Fresh fragrance Bhoomika
2. Jillunu oru Jothika
3. Lyrics soaked with emotions
4. 2 resonating songs
5. Screenplay and dialogues
6. Comedy was fitting to the story
7. Enough scope for acting – Surya, Jothika, Bhoomika
8. 95% of seats filled for a night show after 3 weeks
9. Picturization of songs
10. Camera angles capture the best of people, emotions and places

Negatives:
1. Director could have avoided showing those intimate moments between Surya and Jothika. Now that they are married it feels like peeping into their bed room.
2. Replicating sequences from movies like Roja, Alaipayuthey, Mouna Ragam.

With today’s Tamil movies caught up in women sentiments, violence, and gundas, Sillunnu oru Kadhal belongs to the genre of matured love story. Our expectations just went higher, Krishna we’ve raised the bar now. Definitely a film that parents can watch with kids and teenage children without any embarrassment.

Vettayadu Vilayadu

The movie should be titled Vettayadu Vettayadu instead of Vettayadu Vilayadu. It is a 150 minutes bloody movie that starts and ends with murder. The movie is absolutely devoid of humor and there is just one song that sprinkles a little romance. It is an amateurish way of connecting dots and investigating a crime scene. The movie lacks intelligent scripting. Apart from showing our own Forensic and investigating team in poor light, Gautam has diligently under estimated NYPD capabilities and their intelligent quotient.

Kamalhassan plays the role of a Police officer in the movie. Kamal, one who transforms his look from movie to movie and according to every character has failed to stay trim and fit in this movie. The entry scene for Kamal is poorly thought and scripted. It fails to set the mood and expectations of viewers. With corpulent waistline, double chin and saggy facial muscles, Kamal looks old and needs a rejenuvation trip to Las Vegas. He comes in plain colored shirt all throughout the movie to mask his plump figure. May be is that how our Police officers look? Kamal goes to NYC to investigate his friends murder and meets Jothika there, the next door occupant at the same hotel. Then he reels out the entire flash back of his life, wife and their short marriage.

More than 25% of the movie was shot in NY and surrounding areas, but the cameras have failed to capture the best of the city.
If you have watched Gautam Menon’s previous movie – Khaka Khakha, this movie is no hard to crack. The same kind of story chasing serial killers and bringing them to justice. It makes me feel if this is a sequel of Khakha Khakha.

There is nothing much to relish in the movie in terms of camera angles, direction, and Kamalini Mukherjee. Jothika was pleasant looking even without make-up. Singer, Bombay Jayashree and lyricisit Thamarai together have given another hit song. Probably the only thing that you want to remember when you recall the movie while forgetting the gory murders and violence.

Gautam needs to go back and read some Sidney Shelton books to portray murder and crime scene investigation in a serious light. The movie fails to meet the expectations of the audience. There is nothing that you can call different or exceptional. Old wine is a new bottle is tasty, but this one is not.

A few surprises:
1. It was a sold out night show for a weekday
2. There was an 80 year old grandma in 9 yards saree waiting to see Kamal romance, but she left very much disappointed at the end.
3. Kamal falls in love with his women, both Kayalvizhi and Aaradhana at first sight. It feels very juvenile and insipid.
4. Bad screen play, below average script, average performance by all cast.
5. Bad picturization of songs and specially NYC

Home Sweet Home

Do we have a choice or are we compelled to don these roles and identities with no choice? Today life is all on the move, in different cities, with different people. We assume multiple avatars within minutes and switch roles within seconds. In the wee hours we jump in the shower, we hit the road when the brightly lit neon’s engulf the city. Half awake we pull the strolley to the check-in counters at the airport. Forgetting the energetic cuckoo birds with entertaining morning sangeet we are compelled to hear the arrival and departure announcements at the airport. Blue tooth conversations, wait at airport lounges, living out of boxes, long taxi rides, claustrophobic accommodations, sleeping in hotel linens and eating in foreign cutlery have become the norm of the day.

But don’t you feel you are missing something in life? Be it a long day, a weary one or the most happening day, don’t you want to come back to the nest at the end of the day? Some things are close to our heart, some people are angels and some places are heaven. Home is a place that brings all three together. Even birds and animals come back to their nest after going around the town all day. The word house is just a framework of bricks put together by architects and civil engineers and masons, but the word home is bound by love, affection, care and life. With freedom and sense of security we are able to let our thoughts free, let our minds go for a walk while the body rest under the roof comfortably.

Be it an old couch, regular mattress, ordinary pillows, cotton sheets, plywood dining table, and tacky wall hangings there is nothing in the world that can give more comfort than one’s home. The peace that embalms the mind when you walk in the door is priceless. The security that you get from lying on your own bed, cuddling with friendly pillows and blankets is irreplaceable. Doors and locks that suffer from joint ailments are symphony to our ears. This makes me wonder why characters in Ramayana and Mahabaratha wanted to come back home.

Be it the prettiest home in a posh locality or a tattered one in the dingy corner of the city, there are fond memories and emotions associated with our homes. I remember the aroma of freshly brewed filter coffee that emanates from the kitchen and mom’s touch that turns it into tastiest coffee in the world. I remember running around the house trying to hide from our parents after the exam results. I love watching the entire world rise and fall standing in my balcony to the chirp of the birds giving the background score. The morning sunrise and the evening moon rise are standard backdrops in my mind. Watching the rain come hard from my windows while mom makes some hot pakodas and then surreptitiously venturing in the rain with the dreams of owning and sailing paper ships.

Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to. ~John Ed Pearce

Whether you are a Queen, king, soldier or a pauper, we become the king of our homes. Epics like Ramayana and Mahabaratha glorify the importance of home and kingdom. Be it West or East, Home coming is an important day. Lord Rama’s home coming is celebrated as the Diwali in Northern India. With more Indians flying away to faraway land, there is a special feeling when they take the fight back home. Dirty streets, crowded market places, polluted cities are heaven. To empty nesters home coming of their kids is festive day in their calendar.

In this plastic transactional world, home is the only place we feel rested mentally and physically. The sense of belonging and security that a home brings can never be recreated. We plaster our homes with our emotions – happy and sad and light the home with relationships. We have memories associated with each room in the house and sometime when you sit down and think about it we realize there is lot of be savored and appreciated in life.

Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life's undress rehearsal, its backroom, and its dressing room. ~Harriet Beecher Stowe

Share your thoughts and vent the nostalgia about your home, rejoice special feelings associated with your rooms and about hometown here.

Growing old is mandatory; but growing up is optional. ~Chili Davis

31 birthdays have gone by and I am racking my brains to pick out the best one. But then I stumbled upon Robert Orben’s quote and I am thinking if the best is really yet to arrive.

The best birthdays of all are those that haven't arrived yet. - Robert Orben

I don’t think so….It has been a wonderful day. My friends make my world and they’ve filled my heart with happiness. Thanks for remembering this far away soul and keeping awake late at night to send in your wishes. I am overwhelmed by the cards, messages, gifts and emails. Life will never be the same without each one of you. If I had to make wish it would be to ask you to stay back in my life forever.

Sharing my Kodak moments with you....

S(h)ame Sins – Novel ways to confess....

I found this article on NY Times very interesting….

With controversies about Church, Vatican and Priest simmering down, a Church has found another way to invite people to confess their goriest sins and darkest secrets. About a month ago, LifeChurch, an evangelical network with nine locations and based in Edmond, Okla., set up mysecret.tv as a forum for people to confess anonymously on the Internet.

The Internet already offers many places to confess, from the dry menu of sins at http://www.absolution-online.com/ to the raunchy exhibitionism at sites like http://www.confessionjunkie.com/ and http://www.grouphug.us/. It is impossible to know whether these stories, like much on the Internet, are sincere or pure fiction.

One of the best-known sites is postsecret.blogspot.com, an extension of an art project in which people write their secrets on postcards and mail them to an address in Germantown, Md.