Rameshwaram - Beneath the Surface

In every village in Tamil Nadu, it is common to find a Shiva temple, a Vishnu temple and the gramadevata temple. There will be many other temples too, of course - dedicated to Ganesha, Muruga, and so on - some with historical significance and some that have just come up as a result of devotees' desire to see one in their neighbourhood. 

So, when visiting a place, it is up to us to choose to go to 1, 2 all 3 main temples based on our family's belief system. For instance, if you go to Kumbakonam, you have the Kumbeshwara temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, and Chakrapani, Sarangapani, and Ramaswamy temples for Vishnu. Uppiliappan is normally our first destination as He is our family deity. In Srirangam, there is the Vishnu temple that cannot be missed and Thiruvanaikkaval Shiva temple nearby is equally famous. 

One may say, how does it matter who the presiding deity is. A temple is a place of worship and our prayers is all that matters. I beg to disagree. There is a subtle difference in the energy one feels in each temple. In Siva temple, there is no form to distract us, only a lingam to represent the infinite. It is more subtle, more meditative, more calm.

In Vishnu temples, the deity is more resplendent, bedecked in jewels, with his consorts by his side and other devatas too surrounding Him, depending on the kshetra. Here, with the sanctified water and sadari, the devotee gets more than mere darshan. The lure is His beauty that captivates and binds us to Him in a different way. 

A Few Hours of Peace

Trawling up and down
Scouring east and west
Finally I find my moor
To take a well earned rest

Gathering myself to go
Yet one more day
Binding together my experiences
Planning what to say

Rising with the Falls

The rocks, silent and stoic 

Not ruffled by water gushing all around
Creating a ruckus, making loud noise 

Water, rushing down joyfully

Falling on stones waiting mournfully

Flowing hurriedly to lands unknown

The Discovering

Flooded out, hemmed in from all sides
Health, wealth, and people helplessly standing by

No more, no more, I begged
For how long will this go on, I cried

I flaunted all that I had,
I surrendered, throwing up my hands

Power, fame, friends, all deserted me
Even my shadow played hide and seek

My fortunes waned and waxed like the moon
Joys and sorrows alternated, leaving me in a swoon

Like the tide rising high and hitting the trough
My moods swung up and down on a bough 

Fighting the shackles I tore ahead, 
Drifting rudderless, I felt a dread

Neither here, nor there, I was
And yet everywhere scattered my thoughts

The balance sheet of life showed
There was much longer to go

The good times, yes, but the bad times too?
Will this ever end, I ask you!

Frustrated, I refuse to engage
Watching life go by, like a play

Strange that things still happen
And there is no agony that maddens

Like floating in water I go with the flow
And feel the return of my inner glow

Guided as it were into new journeys
Finding nuggets that shine even without seeking

What I would have grabbed now comes freely
For the joy is in the journey, not in acquiring

With hurdles or free, the path for me is born
To enjoy the flowers along with the thorns

There are no shackles but in the mind
Freedom that waits for me to find

Knowing this, I am at peace
Doing what must be done, and not to please.

The Balcony

It is an open space, meant to be enjoyed
But strangely, it is often met with annoyance

Neglected and forgotten, considered a waste of space
Shut out or sealed, converted into an enclosed niche 

Sometimes no bigger than a box
Even large ones are just a hoax

Finding best use for hanging clothes to dry
Or to house pots and plants myriad

Too much sun, no sights that give pleasure
Mosquitos galore, or just no time for leisure

Excuses many, result just one
Empty space hanging, used by almost none

No promise of memories, no friends lounging
Balustrades, that no hands are holding

Taking up precious real estate, some complain
And even the ones who love it stay away

Oh there, someone relaxing with a book
Finding in the balcony, a cosy nook

A cup of tea, eyes filled with dreams
Distracted by clouds, fanned by gentle breeze

Pausing mid-run to stand and stare
In a space that is a worthy spare.

 

In Pursuit of Happiness

The toys in the shop
Beckoned me to them
Promising me worlds
Unseen at home

Tantrums aplenty
Heartburns even more
I sought happiness
In things with allure

Toys changed form
Replacing what had just gone
And yet there was something more
That seemed beyond my zone

With wheels on my feet
I ran helter-skelter
Gathering and amassing
The more, the better

And I sought for things
Better and better!
And yet I felt
No contentment ever

Why should I?
When I deserve the best
And for things choicest
Continued my quest

Never a pause
Never a thought
Eyes seeking
Not shutting even after I got

I pause and look back
I think in wonder
Did I really journey
On those paths yonder?

Holding them to me
I don't remember
Did they make me happy?
I ask and ponder

I close my eyes
Let my mind wander
Searching keenly
For an answer

And then I sink
Into a state of bliss
Joyful and fresh
Like the first kiss

Nothing, no thing
In silence golden
Just me and myself
To nothing beholden

I find my fount
Sweet and everlasting
A tap I tap
To quench my thirsting

Nectar flows through my veins
I reach my end and thank my gains
Knowing this, I fly free
In pure happiness and unbridled glee.

Pati, Patni aur Woh - My GPS Woes

The year was probably 2008/09, when GPS started becoming a part of the mobile phones. My husband, quick to embrace new technology, installed it immediately and we set out on a road trip. I think to Chettinad, with a stop-over at Trichy. If memory serves me right, we first went to Trichy, rested, and then headed for the Srirangam temple. I have a cousin who lives nearby, so we decided to visit her too.

We started from the hotel in Trichy with the GPS guiding us. We were on a perfectly good highway, doing good speed, when SHE - the GPS, that is - told us to take a right turn. We were baffled, but technology should be infallible, right? So a right we took, and went through narrow roads, hit several roadblocks, and then with many turns and twists, rejoined that same highway!

Now, I view technology with suspicion - that is, beyond a point, I don't like this reliance on it. And, since I tend to be good with routes, I love to rely on my own direction sense. Even if I get lost, that's perfectly fine. I have just discovered something new and I feel good about it, in fact! But, to be deceived by technology! No sir!!!

Of course, in today's world where stopping to ask for directions is next to impossible, I also have to succumb and, once in a while, I allow HER to guide me. But if I have an inkling of the destination and the route, I love baffling her by constantly taking alternate routes and hearing the frustrated 'ding' as SHE adjusts to my idiosyncrasies. If I am alone, I even laugh to myself evilly as I challenge the GPS to guess what I would do next.

Oh, she has her revenge too. She will tell me I have reached my destination some few meters away, leaving me lost and driving around in circles. Suddenly she will stop telling me the directions, and since I don't have a stand to view the maps, the rights and lefts can be confusing. Wait, was it this turn, or the next, or have I missed it?

And, 200 meters, 500 meters! I mean, am I driving with a measuring tape!!! Tell me third right or fourth left. What's this with, 'Turn left in 800 meters'? Now I am in panic mode and sometimes I don't even hear the number (my family knows I freeze where numbers are involved) and may just randomly turn somewhere - and blame HER for it!

So, it's an uncomfortable trio whenever I travel with my husband. I sit tight-lipped when SHE takes us through routes that seem longer to me. "Your usual route must be crowded," my hubby reasons with me. 'Hah!' is all I tell myself, skeptical about the GPS's ability to process the information that we have in our head and upset at his undying loyalty to HER. 

And then I will launch on a tirade, "SHE led me through some narrow bylanes and difficult terrain." 

"You and she have that uneasy relationship," he will respond sagely, as if SHE has a problem because I am the wife!!!

But even with him, SHE often acts up and he thinks it's because of me. "Otherwise, she always takes me through the right route. Only when you are there," he will say grinning.

I had a demo of it today. On our trip from Chennai to Hassan, we were on a familiar route when she suddenly diverted us and soon we were driving through villages with absolutely no traffic but slow going due to the narrow, curving roads. "Can you check on your phone to make sure we are not lost?" my hubby asked. There, see? He also knows SHE is unreliable. And right enough, though there was a 7-minute slower path, she had diverted us to Gudiyattam for no rhyme or reason.

The unnecessary detour,
 taking away from a perfectly straight path
to venturing into village areas

But, soon, I was thrilled to see we were traversing through hillside with Kaundinya Elephant Sanctuary on one side. This was also not a much-used road but well-laid and through hills and forests. Though we didn't sight anything, we did learn that this was the only elephant sanctuary in Andhra!

Anyway, we continued, and somewhere we hit the highway. All seemed to be going smoothly when
again SHE made us take a left - somewhere 20 minutes from our destination. We did, and yet again entered deserted village areas. I have to grudgingly admit that I was enjoying the views, but my hubby thought SHE was trying to make him dump me in some God forsaken place so that she could have him to HERself. 

Of course, he was also admiring a car for its pickup, driven by a lady, and SHE may have felt jealous. 

Ten minutes later, lesson having been imparted and ensuring that we had lost sight of that car, we were back on the same highway and reached our destination without further ado.

But the trip just reinforced my view that the GPS is not to be trusted completely and has an agenda of HER own!