A postponed Trip

 I had planned this short trip from 9^th to 14^th October to Chennai, primarily to attend my late mother`s 24<sup>th</sup> anniversary (shrardham) and the marriage reception of a friend`s son. My return flight was booked for Monday 14^th October afternoon.  A friend suggested that I postpone my return by a day so that I could attend an important event hosted by the well-known writer Sivasankari in Chennai.  It was being held to confer the Surya Award to a socially conscious and award-winning writer Ambai and the Akshara Award to another writer Nagarathinam  Krishna under the auspices of  Sivasankari Chandrasekaran  Charities.  Sivasankari, in her welcome address, called it a dream come true project for her. The Award consisted of a substantial cash prize, a memento, and a citation.

 Since I have great regard for both Sivsanakari and Amabai who are also my well-wishers I postponed my return trip by a day without losing any money as Indigo does not charge anything for one postponement. However, as there was repeated news from the authorities about  Chennai getting heavy rains between the 14^th and 16^th of October, I was worried about its likely impact on my return trip. Though there was no rain during the day on the 14^th, as I was nearing the hotel where the function was being held it started pouring and I became anxious about the possibility of my home being surrounded by water. So while I attended the well-organised function,  with the Governor of Tamil Nadu as the Chief guest, and met a lot of friends from the Tamil literary world, I decided to return home without attending the dinner following the meeting. To my surprise the rain had stopped and I had no problem reaching home. Until 9.30 am the following day (15^th) it was raining in fits and bursts without any water logging in front of my home. I booked a taxi at 11 am to take me to the airport.

Around 9.30 am the Varuna Bhagwan decided to prove the weathermen right by coming down heavily accompanied by lightning and thunder.  Within one hour my home was surrounded by water. The water level started rising and I shuddered at the possibility of the water entering my home. as it usually happens every year. One of the reasons I had decided to move to Coimbatore was that I did not want to face another flooding of my home.

In the meanwhile the taxi driver called to say that though the roads were flooded, he would `somehow` take me to the airport provided I agreed to pay him three times the normal fare.   Since there was the possibility of the flight being canceled or postponed indefinitely because of bad weather and on the advice of the family I decided to cancel the trip. My travel agent informed me that the cancellation at the last minute would mean that I would not get any refund.  I said my safety and security were more important than the monetary loss. I also have no regrets about postponing my trip and the loss of money as I got the opportunity to greet both Sivasankari and Ambai in person.

As I have always believed in the saying that `everything happens for the good `I am waiting for some good reason why the lord above made me postpone my trip. Om Sairam

PS. Though the water around my home has receded completely overnight, the possibility of more heavy rains from this afternoon is keeping me on tenterhooks. However, the Tamil Nadu weatherman`s forecast that the cyclonic depression has moved away from Chennai and is on its way to AP, gives me some hope. God willing, I plan to be back in Coimbatore this Saturday.

Nostalgia- Navarathri Golu

My daughter Kavitha`s recent post on her FB page showing pictures of the grand Golu she has arranged this year with the Ramayana theme triggered memories of the simple Golu that my mother used to arrange in the small one-room tenement (250 sq.ft) at the Chawl in Bombay where we were living.

 A few weeks before the start of the Navarathri celebrations she would pull out all empty tins and other containers stored in a small loft above the `Mori` (washroom)in the house. The day before the start of the Kolu she would clear half of the front portion of the house which was both the drawing room cum bedroom. She would start placing the empty containers and other items which could help her assemble a five steps `Golu padi`. This would be covered with a white cloth and some colourful festoons to make the arrangement attractive. Then she would pull out the boxes containing different kinds of dolls, mostly featuring different idols of popular gods, and arrange them neatly on the steps ensuring that dolls conveying a particular theme were displayed in the same padi (step). Dolls featuring different characters in Ramayana would occupy one step and another would feature a potbellied trader, popular as Chettiar, with all his wares. She would make a special effort to dress two -one-foot-high `Marapachi` dolls of a man and woman made in rosewood, appropriately attired to occupy either end of the top step, displaying all the comparatively bigger dolls. The dolls would become smaller as she came down the steps.

 One of the important items on display in front of the steps would be a small pond assembled using a round plate with water. She would pack the sides with mud and sow some `Nava dhanyam` on the first day. These would start sprouting leaves that would grow bigger every day of the nine days of the Golu. As a teenager and eldest in the family, I would assist my mother in making the arrangements. My main contribution was to make a small garden in a corner featuring small dolls of trees, birds and animals. At the centre would be a small hut made of cardboard and paper. One particular year I managed to light up the hut with a battery operated bulb, which became a hit among the visitors, consisting mainly of ladies in the chawl complex.

Since the room was small my mother would invite a fixed number of ladies for receiving the `vethalai pakku` ( Haldi -Kumkum )and prasadam. The children in the community would visit our home every day to get the different tasty prasadams mother would prepare. On the ninth day, the Saraswathi puja would be celebrated with the display of some of our school books and a few other items to represent ayudha pooja. On the tenth day ( Vijaya Dasami) after the puja, the books would be removed and we would be asked to read something to denote `Vidyarambam`.

 On the whole, while it was backbreaking work for my mother managing the house and taking care of the festivities related to the Navarathri celebrations, it was a fun time for the children, although there was no place for grown-up children like me to sleep inside the house, on those ten days. I had to find a suitable place, along with children with similar space problems, in the common passage or the terrace of the building to sleep.

Considering the kind of high-tech grand Golus that are arranged these days, it was a simple Golu which brought great joy to all those participating in the festivities.

 

The wheelchair and me

 In the last couple of years, I don't feel confident traveling alone when I go out of the station.  The reason -the anxiety syndrome that I have developed because of tripping and falling a couple of times. Fortunately,  so far I have survived with minimum or no collateral damage.

While I don`t mind traveling long distances by cars driven by call drivers,  train journeys are definitely a `no.. no` for me because of the long distances one has to walk with baggage in hand, climb steep stairs sometimes,  and the nightmare of using the toilets in a moving & undulating train. Even for travel by air, I used to prefer a friend or a family member to accompany me as it happened a couple of times last year. Besides, I also find it difficult to stand in one place ( like in queuing ) for a long time

In December last year when I was visiting Coimbatore to follow up on a lead I got about getting an apartment in Nana Nani, I found that there was no one to accompany me on the flight to Coimbatore.  So, reluctantly I decided to use the wheelchair service offered by Indigo. Since It was the first time I was using the wheelchair I was self-conscious and imagined that every other guy was staring at me. I went through the check-in and security process, physically helped by the Indigo staff, and reached the Departure gate within 15 minutes of arriving at the airport. I decided that henceforth  I will opt for the wheelchair service whenever  I travel by air.

Every time I am checked in, the girl at the check-in counter personally brings the boarding pass, and gently enquires about the reason why I was opting for a wheelchair before handing over the same to me.  I felt cared for and secure,  traveling alone. I know most of the seniors who travel abroad use this service during their international travels.

 A few days ago when  I was traveling by Indigo from Coimbatore to Chennai,  when the girl asked me the usual question, I decided, in keeping with my policy of making at least one person happy every day,  to be generous with my praise of the wheelchair service of Indigo and how it has made me travel alone with confidence.  The girl requested me to record my comments on their feedback app and opened the app for me.  Suddenly I found myself surrounded by all the check-in counter staff, as they did not have a long line of passengers waiting to check-in. After I finished recording I found a senior staff member presenting me with a  thank you note which contained the following line: `When you bring joy to others, you receive more joy in return`. I was pleasantly surprised that this is what I tell people all the time and recorded it in detail in my article titled `Joy of Giving`. The staff insisted on taking a group photo with me (attached)

 I was delighted that I had made more than one person happy that day. My day was Made!.

 

 

A Hectic Weekend in Chennai

It was a hectic weekend in Chennai. I planned this trip mainly to participate in the function organised by my friend R.T Chari, on 1^st September at Tag Centre, to launch the Biography of Ramakrishna Raja, which I have authored. The news of my visit to Chennai resulted in my receiving invitations to participate in other events. I arrived in Chennai on the evening of 28^th August. As I reached home my son who was waiting for me took me to Sishya School to attend the Junior School Day function where my grandson Thavam was a part of the dance performance by the children of the first standard.  It was  fun to watch the two dozen kids doing their best to impress the audience.

The first meeting I attended on the 29th evening was the one hosted by Kuvikam ( a Tamil Literary group) to distribute the prizes for the winners of the Sivasankari Short Story Competition, where Sivasankari herself was the chief guest. It was a pleasure meeting some eminent Tamil writers at the meeting. This was immediately followed by a dinner of 41 Club 7 (ex-Tablers) at Madras Club, which coincided with the official visit of the President of 41 Club, India. I had to give a brief talk on the history of the club. The delicious dinner  hosted by Narsi & Mridula was preceded by `fellowsip`. An enjoyable evening!

 30^th August, witnessed a small private get-together to celebrate my 82^nd birthday attended by my family and a few close friends. My Sambandhi Naresh delighted the small crowd with his command on the harmonica. The highlight of the evening was the rendering of the song on  lord Ganesa by Thavam accompanied by his sister  Bakthi. Thavam charmed the audience with his lovely voice and his ability to sing in both high and low octaves. It was interesting to watch Bakthi trying to keep pace with her brother. God bless them.

On 31^st evening I was the chief guest at the 57^th Charter night of Madras West Round Table no 10 of which I was a member between 1974 and 1982 and Chairman during 1978-79. The event was held at the   Flying Elephant Restaurant of Park Hyatt Hotel, Guindy. The open atmosphere and dim lighting did not inspire me. Frankly, I was not in my elements giving the motivational talk, I gave that evening. However, that did not stop the dynamic and youthful members of the club from presenting me with a fantastic memento, thanking me for my contribution to the Round Table movement in India.

On the same day,  early in the evening, I had the pleasure of meeting  Shri Indira Parthasarathy, a well-known writer and a Sahithya Academy Award winner at a Senior Citizen Home in Chennai. I presented him a copy  of my biography on Ramakrishna Raja which was being released the following day. Indira Parthasarathy had given the Foreword for my book of short stories. At 95, though physically weak, his mind is still sharp. It was amazing to see him quote from our scriptures effortlessly in response to a query from a friend who accompanied me. I must thank my friend Chari for arranging this memorable meeting.

I have already reported about the book launch on 1^st September in an earlier post. What was the icing on the cake was the six-column report on the book release function in the Hindu following day.  It made my day!

All these activities coupled with the opportunity to connect with my walking friends every morning was enough to recharge my battery. Besides, the cloudy skies with occasional showers made the weather in Chennai tolerable. Hope it continues like this for the rest of my stay in Chennai. I am planning to return to Coimbatore on 10^th September.

In the last six months since I moved to Coimbatore, this is the third time I am visiting Chennai. Two months of relaxed life at Nana Nani in Coimbatore followed by two week of hectic life  in Chennai has ensured that I am having the best of both worlds. As long as I am healthy and able to travel, I intend to follow this routine,  to keep me going. 

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My 12th book released

A biography of Ramakrishna Raja, a tall leader in the Rotary world and a Past Treasurer of the Music Academy, authored by me, was released yesterday ( 1st September) at a packed Tag Auditorium by N.Murali, Director of the Hindu and President of Music academy. The first copy was received by Mr Laxman, Chairman of the Rane group. R.T Chari of the Tag who sponsored both the book and the event, PDG Nagoji Natarajan, and Mrs Prema Srinivasan spoke on the occasion. It was my 12th book in 15 years, covering the 8th genre of writing.

I have done condensed versions of biographies of nine eminent personalities of Chennai and bio sketches of scores of Chennai–based achievers – all published in Madras Musings and released as a book titled `Bright Stars in the Chennai Sky` two years ago. However, I had not attempted a full biography of another eminent personality. I thank my friend R.T. Chari, a close friend of Raja's, who sponsored both the book and the event, and Raja’s family for allowing me to write Raja's biography.

The book is divided into five parts: Ram`s Early Years, Ram as a Quintessential Family Man, Ram - a Cherished Friend, Ram with Music Academy and other institutions, and Ram in Rotary as a Supreme Mentor.

When you finish reading the book, you will realize what a great human being Raja was. He touched the life of anyone he came in contact with. His advice was sought by many eminent people in business, and he was a mentor, nay a supreme mentor, for many PDGs in our Rotary District. He was as popular with every one of his family members as he was with others. He was a rare human being—a gentleman to the core—a complete Gentleman!

So `Ramakrishna Raja – A complete Gentleman` is the title of the book. Designed and printed by Compuprint, It is a thin book with only 100 plus pages packed with interesting anecdotes from Raja`s life which you can read in one sitting.

Once again I thank Chari and the family for giving me the opportunity to write the story of a great Rotarian and friend.

Response to health emergencies in Nana Nani

Almost every senior citizen home claims that it has systems & facilities in place to respond to health emergencies of its residents. As a new resident of Nana Nani, I decided  to find out what happens in case of an emergency for  a widower like me or any single man or woman staying in the community. 

Whenever anyone presses the emergency red button in the bedroom or the toilet, an alarm bell rings on the security counter. One of the guards calls the resident on the intercom to find out the problem and, depending on the nature of the complaint, refers the case to the head of the resident nurses. A team of nurses rush to the room which is expected to be kept unlocked by the resident. They use a duplicate key to open the door in case the door is locked but the latch has not been used inside. If it is a simple crisis they administer the first aid and handle the crisis themselves with the help of the resident doctor. Suppose it is a heart attack or any other major crisis like a bad fall  they alert the  ambulance service and rush the affected resident to a hospital of  his \her choice, while simultaneously informing the family member whose name is registered in the medical record diary in  the room. They do not wait for the family's arrival to admit the patient in the hospital. They ensure that the case is referred to the right specialist and the resident is attended to immediately. In case the resident has no local guardian and the son or daughter has to come from abroad, they ensure a trained attender from  their staff  is available to attend to the resident 24 x 7 until the family member comes and takes charge. The family member is also informed by phone of the progress made in the case.

A similar procedure is followed in case the apartment has an old couple with a full-time attender and one of them needs hospitalization and the other partner is not in a condition to be a caregiver.

What happens if the door is locked from inside and the resident is not in a condition to open the door? In such cases they have no choice but to break the side glass panel of  the door ( so thoughtfully designed) and undo the latch and enter the room and do the needful. There   have been cases where the nursing team finds that the resident is not responding to their routine calls in the morning  to check if he/she is ok and is not seen coming out of the room for his meals  by neighbours or friends, they break open the door to find that the  resident is seriously ill and take necessary steps to give him the necessary medical attention.

Many residents use the services of the vsiting senior  doctor who comes  to the clinic during fixed times every day.  Recommended by the visiting doctor or on their own they consult specialists  for specific ailments  working in the many Hospitals located in Coimbatore. The clinic in the campus does not have a testing laboratory. There are many reputed diagnostic laboratories available in  the city where the residents can get the tests done.

In case of death of a resident inside the apartment due to natural causes, or  if the resident dies in the hospital  and the body is brought to the apartment, it is allowed to be kept for only for four hours in the room. The family is expected to  make the funeral arrangements immediately.  Management provides the necessary contacts to make the arrangements. In case the funeral has  to await the arrival of a son or daughter from abroad, then the body is shifted to a mortuary in a hospital where is it kept until the arrival of the family member. Some family members prefer not to bring the body to the apartment  but  take it  to the crematorium directly.

To check if the emergency bell really works I once pressed the  red button in my bed room. Within two minutes I got a call from the security to know what was my problem and if I need any help. I apologized and told him that I had pressed the bell by mistake. I also get regular calls every morning from one of the nursing staff to check if I am ok. Besides, many residents have told me that the team of nurses headed by an experienced senior nurse residing on campus are very helpful and they respond to emergency calls 24 x 7. As already mentioned they are equipped to provide first aid and if necessary supply medicines needed to give immediate relief from some common complaints of the resident.

I pray to god to take me with my shoes nay sandals on and spare me the ordeal of facing a health emergency that will require the services of the friendly nursing staff in Nana Nani.

Bouquets and Brickbats

 I was attending a meeting of a Tamil literary circle where writer/author Sivasankari was the chief guest. She was giving away prizes to the winners of a short story contest. In the course of her talk, she said creative people should not expect only praise for their efforts. They must be willing to accept both bouquets and brickbats.

 As a person associated with the creative field of advertising for over 45 years, I believe in this philosophy. In fact, when somebody criticizes my effort, it sure does hurt. But after the initial hard feelings, I try to analyse the criticism and try to learn a lesson or two from it. A friend who is a regular reader of my articles once told me that my articles have too many `I`s. I took up the criticism seriously and tried to analyse my articles to see if the criticism was justified. Most of my articles revolve around my own experiences connected with the topic . I am using personal anecdotes where I cannot avoid using the letter `I` often.

 I have used the same policy when it comes to my good friends. My closest friends have been those who tell me to my face if they don`t agree with me on an issue or criticize something I have done- that applies to my creative efforts . I always believe that people who openly criticize you on your face are your well-wishers. Those who praise you on your face but talk bad about you behind your back are better to be kept at a distance.

 These thoughts came to my mind because of an incident involving a close friend recently. I could call him my bosom pal whom I used to meet every day or at least was in touch with him every other day on the phone. Both freely exchanged our problems and also shared the happy tidings in our families. One of the reasons why I had him as a close friend was because he was always frank in his opinions. We were there for each other in our good times and bad times. Though he moved his base out of Chennai sometime ago, I was in regular touch with him over the phone.

Suddenly I found that he had stopped calling me. Irked, when I asked him the reason for his silence I got a note from him saying that he was upset with my frank opinion on one of his creative effort. He also recalled a couple of instances where I had criticized his work in the past.

 I was shocked beyond words. Because he was always generous with his criticisms of my creative efforts. And I always believed that among close friends you don`t talk to please but share your genuine feelings/opinions. I wrote to him and apologized for my indiscretion. We both decided to forgive and forget. However, I wonder if our relationship will be the same.

 Though he may choose to forget me, I can never forget the great times I had with him and the wonderful hospitality I have enjoyed in their beautiful home. Just as I decided not to mourn my wife`s death but celebrate her memory, I would continue to cherish the wonderful memories of our friendship instead of sulking and feeling miserable!