Scribbles

12 th June - A young man’s birthday I know of a young man, who remained a kid at heart, a sports person, an ardent fan of Carnatic music, a teacher by profession, a student by yearnings, a voracious reader, a pious devout, an orator, a disciplinarian by nature, a story teller and above all a person interested in everything around him. This boy used to wait for someone to drop a udhruni into the well only to dive into it to get it back. He ate happily and loved sweets like no one could ever imagine. He sang endha ro and apdi podu podu with the same passion. He was happy at anyone acquiring scholarly feet in any field. He was impressed with people, who are hardworking and who improved their skills. Almost for last 5 years I used to get a call before 6 in the morning. Every call would start with a simple question coffee saptiya, subsequently followed by what is MCT behind your name? When are you going to start your PhD work? This is usually followed by, ‘find a guide i...

Reading is addictive The busy schedule and everyday routine makes my must read books list lengthy day by day. At leisure when time permits I’m puzzled not knowing which one of  these books would be top priority to read. One fine day a post by Narayanan Swaminathan made my job easier by helping me choose the book I should read first. The post lead me to the hunt to find that particular book. I just gave a buzz to my father and he said he would give it to me. He gave it to me but with a condition to read it at a stretch. And the book is: “En Gurunathar Bharathiar” The book took me to a different planet. It covers a sishya’s take on his Guru, covering various episodes and incidents from the life of Mahakavi, particularly during his stay at Pondichery. Bharathi’s love and affection, his admiration for novelty, the detailed information on the birth of various songs. The very important episode is that, the one on the upanayanam ceremony of Sri Kanakalingam, the author ...