வெண் குடை

மழை நீர் துளிகள் கண்டதும்
      நீ உயிர்த்தாய்
உன் அழகு தோற்றம் கண்டதும்
      நான் சிலிர்த்தேன்

-- தானேஷ் அம்மா

Color Chiks / Easter Chicks

This happened long back.. must be when I was 6 or 7..

When I happened to see a man having about five dozens of colorful chicks in a closed basket, I wanted to buy set of them, one chick of each colour. But my parents told, all would turn them white in two weeks time. 


I came to know that these chicks are given artificial colours. I was under impression that those were painted with color after it was born. Later came to know that in some places, the eggs are injected with the dye and the chicks are born in the color of the dye. Even this dye in not permanent and the feathers eventually come in the normal color of the bird.

Many places have made it illegal to dye baby chicks as it makes more people impulse buy them, and eventually dump them when they are no longer baby chicks.
 
I had not seen those stuff after that. Recently I came across a man with similar basket with colourful chicks inside in Chennai. 

It is still found in market. If my son had seen that , he would have pestered us to buy.

--Dhanesh Amma

குட்டி குறும்பு [8] - தாத்தா உன் வயித்துலயும் பாப்பா இருக்கா ?

தானேஷுக்கு அப்போ ரெண்டு வயசு. அவங்க அத்தைக்கு பிரசவ நேரம் நெருங்கிய சமயம். அத்தை நடப்பதை போல நடந்து காட்டி எங்களை சிரிக்க வைத்து கொண்டிருந்தான்.

வெளியில் சென்ற தாத்தா உள்ளே வந்ததும், தாத்தாவையும் அவர் வயிற்றையும் பார்த்து " தாத்தா உன் வயித்துலயும் பாப்பா இருக்கா ? " என்று கேட்டான். உள்ள பாப்பா இருக்கிறதால தான் தாத்தா வயிறும பெருசா இருக்கு என்று அவனாக புரிந்து கொண்டு கேட்டான்.

இல்ல தம்பி. கேர்ள்'ஸ் வயித்துல தான் பேபி இருக்கும் பாய்ஸ் வயித்துல வராது என்றதும் , ரொம்ப சந்தோசப்பட்டான். 

பாவம் சின்ன பையன் பயந்துட்டான் போல. எங்க தன் வயித்துலயும் இந்த மாதிரி பாப்பா வந்துட்டா என்ன பண்றதுன்னு..
 
-- தானேஷ் அம்மா

Marriage and Arundhati star

Hindu marriage ceremony has a event where bridegroom shows Arundhati to his wife.

Arundhati is one of the double star. It is attached to the star Vasishtha. Double Stars (visual binaries) are two stars that move around together gravitationally bound to each other.


Like this double Star, the couple are expected to be together for ever.

Hmmm.. Good one.. But stars are possible for view only in the night or rather after evening and till dawn. But people of this generation do see the star under the hot sun after tying the holy knot.

I know.. readers might be interested what could have happend at my case..
[Our marriage happened in a hall. We could only see the concrete ceiling with white paint only. We had so much of rituals to be followed and people were not ready to go out to open sun to have a look at the sky.  What's the use ? No one would be able to identify a star when the sun is glowing hot. I was asked to look at the ceiling and my uncle asked if i see the star.. i smiled back. he told Arundhati is not just one star you will see two stars. I know you cannot see in ceiling, but the myth is followed that we see the star and should live like the couple. I nodded my head. ( that I understand the point) ]

When everybody knew that a star could not be seen in a ceiling why do they ask us to see?

They could have taken a video of the twin stars and show us at the time in an electronic gadget.

In fact they just tell us about the star and ask us watch out in evening.



--Dhanesh Amma

Life style changes... (part 2)

Read: Life style changes (part1) here.

Our life has entered to more comfort zone with the arrival of machines for everything. like cleaning , washing , cooking etc. We were able to save considerable amount of time. With the arrival of ready made food available at the market, life has gone more comfortable even. 

We have got disadvantages too with the life style changes. It has become a culture , cook for a day and eat for more days since we are storing things in fridge.Pediatric for my son said, please give fresh cooked food for kids. Don't give old items stored in fridge.

My father was telling, he did not have any vaccines those days. True. Even I did not have these many vaccines which my kids are having. Check out here for the current list of vaccines for kids in India.

Now, they are working on vaccines for cancer. Next generation will have more number of vaccines. Kids are the ones to suffer with the lengthy vaccine list.
Still, with the combined vaccines for multiple diseases like the one explained here , list is becoming comparatively less.

We can have a more comfortable life, if people give importance to keeping surrounding clean. But who really cares of it. People think, as long as their house is clean, they are safe. 

People blame the corporation staff for not doing their duty properly because of which lot of flies and mosquitoes are there. But who throws those garbage on street ,drainage and on road, instead of dust bin ?

They say health is wealth. It is possible with proper food and  clean surrounding.

P.S: Post completed with Part 2 with the above punch line

-- Dhanesh Amma

குட்டி குறும்பு [7] - விளையாட வா அத்தை...

 தாணு , அப்பா , அத்தை சாப்பிட்டு கொண்டிருந்தார்கள். வழக்கம் போல தாணு பாதி வயிறு நிரம்பியதும் எழுந்தாச்சு.

அத்தை சாப்பிட்டதும் ஊருக்கு கிளம்பனும். அதனால அத்தை சீக்கிரம் சாப்பிடு என்று சொல்லி கொண்டிருந்தான். எதுக்கு தம்பி என்றதும் , என் கூட விளையாட என்று சொன்னான்.

அப்பாவும் , அத்தையும் பொறுமையாக சாப்பிட்டு கொண்டிருந்தார்கள். அப்பா , அத்தையிடம் சாப்பிட்டதும் கிளம்பலாம். லேட் ஆக போகுது என்றார்.

அதை கேட்டு , இரு நிமிடம் அமைதியாக இருந்த தாணு, "அத்தை அப்பாகிட்ட சாப்பிட கொடுத்துரு . அப்பா சாப்பிடட்டும். அது வரை நாம விளையாடலாம்" என்றான். 

அவனால் சாப்பிட முடியாத போது , நானோ அவன் அப்பவோ அதை சாப்பிட்டு வேஸ்ட் பண்ணாததை கவனித்து , அத்தை சாப்பிடாட்டி வேஸ்ட் ஆகிடும்னு அப்பா சாப்பிடுவார்னு சொல்லிட்டான். ஆனால் அத்தை இன்னும் சாப்பிட்டு முடிக்கவில்லை என்பது அவனுக்கு புரியவில்லை.

-- தானேஷ் அம்மா

Crow calls

A crow was making a call , when Dhanu was chatting with me. He told me, "Ma, crow is making sound"

I replied him, "Yes. It is calling another fellow crow by making sound as 'kaw kaw'"

I was thinking that, he would then ask me a question, why it is calling another crow.
However he responded, "No amma. you are wrong. it is not calling 'kaw kaw', it is calling "Kraw Kraw".

He was not ready to accept crow will call as kaw kaw. He said, "listen carefully again. It is saying 'Kraw Kraw' only.

In fact, during my child hood days, I too have observed and thought , crow is making sound as Kraw, may be that's why it is referred as Crow in english but we tamilians refer as Kagam or Kakka in tamil.

On a second thought, Instead of  "kaw kaw" what if we call as "kraw kraw" ? I am sure crow would be right in front of us to pick the food. Readers may give a try if you are not ready to believe me.

Crow has different types of calling based on situation. refer to the link here  for hearing its different calls

Conversation with Dhanu on Crow made me recollect the happenings during my school days.

 We used to feed crows and few became regular visitors to our home at morning 8AM when we have breakfast. They would keep calling till we open back door and give food. We give some snack be it a papad or  biscuit when food is not ready or available at home.

Appa would keep food for crows and sit for breakfast. When we have food, few crows would come and empty the food we had kept. It would keep calling us to give more. Appa , who does not will to move out to keep food, would toss out the idly pieces. Some crow would pick and fly away, some would pick and sit on compound wall and eat.  One crow would just pick the food , come to door and sit on the wooden frame on floor and eat. I am sure it was ready to come inside the room and dine with us.

We cannot just like that identify a crow from group of crows, But crows can identify us easily.

The crow had well acquaintance with us and became a pet bird. It would not fear to come near us and pick the food from our hands. I even shot a photo of my sister feeding that crow.

--Dhanesh Amma