Treasure Trove of Life

Most of the people I call these days either begin the conversation asking "Is there a good news ?/When are you getting hitched ?" or the conversation after exchanging pleasantries converges to this. Even the regular taxpayers visiting my office started offering free advice saying it's "the age" to get married. After a long period of inauspicious days, I decided to start with the process, given its complexity and the time it can take. I've seen a meme or something on the internet that said "Arranged marriage is like Tinder but the main difference is that our parents do the swiping." It was on a Wednesday that I was told about the meeting. The girl's father was informed over phone that we would like to meet and he agreed to do it on the coming Saturday. The venue and time were to be decided later and informed. There was no phone call till Friday evening. I was hoping that I don't have to take a two hour bus ride in the summer heat to a...

It's been quite long since I had gone on a solo trip. Firstly, the scorching heat during summer prevented me from going anywhere and then a wedding at the fag end of the summer, relatives visiting me for a week and a transfer kept me occupied. I usually plan a trip during August every year around the Independence Day and most commonly coinciding with some festival. The plan for an annual reunion didn't attain fruition as my friends had other engagements. So, I decided to take a week off and go on a trip to the Hoysala Temples and Hampi.  I had to exclude Hampi which was inundated, from the itinerary.   The plan was impromptu because of the floods in Karnataka and the rivers flowing in full spate. I started on a Saturday morning from Coimbatore and 2 hours into the journey, there happened to be a roadblock.  I reached Chamarajanagara after almost 6 and half hours and immediately went off to Somanathapura.  The Chennakesava temple at Somanathapura is a H...

The royal temples built by the Chola kings, (such as the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjore) were particularly magnificient..... The temple in the Chola kingdom became the centre of social activity. It was not merely a place of worship, but it was also a place where people gathered together.... It was in my Seventh Standard that I first read these lines. Though the history textbook didn't talk in detail about the Cholas as much as they did for Mughals and other empires that centred around Delhi, my teacher compensated for it. Even today, their influence is discernible in places beyond the Indian subcontinent. It was back then, I hoped to visit one of the wonders of the Chola Empire. The Brihadeswarar Temple at Tanjore built during the reign of Raja Raja Chola (r. 984 - 1014 AD) stands as a testimony showcasing the architectural might of the Imperial Cholas. The Brihadeeswarar Temple, Thanjavur Well, Tamil Nadu is a land of temples. You might be an atheist but these temples...

The modern museum has multiple purposes - to curate and preserve, to research, and to reach out to the public. They challenge us and ask us to question our assumptions about the past or the world around us - Kate  Williams Thanjavur with its rich history and cultural heritage has an art gallery, library etc within the premises of the Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was originally built by the Thanjavur Nayaks. It also served as the seat of the Maratha rulers of Thanjavur who belonged to the Bhonsle clan. They patronized arts and literature and ensured that it passed on to the future generations. I am a sucker for museums and artefacts of all kinds. I firmly believe that they are a treasure trove of learning besides serving as an inspiration. Though the reviews online gave a mixed opinion, I didn't want to deviate from my plan. Immediately after breakfast, I went to the museum. Because being an early visitor has its own advantages where you don't have to deal with any sor...

Ever since I had started working in Coimbatore, I wanted to pay a visit to a dad's friend who lives in Uzhavoor. The last I had seen them was in 1998, during a trip to Bombay. The fondest memory I have about them is writing them hand-written letters as part of a letter writing assignment during 5th Standard or so. My joy knew no bounds whenever I got a reply in my name. When my parents planned to come down on a short trip to Coimbatore in November, 2018 and get around, I included this place in our itinerary as the first stop. After a lot of waiting, we finally managed to reach Uzhavoor. The moment we saw the couple, there was a pleasant feeling but with a tinge of sadness. They looked fragile and aunty's Parkinsons disease had taken a toll on both of them. Loneliness was evident as their kids settled abroad looking for greener pasture. After having breakfast we settled down and were having a chat about random things. My father had known them from the mid 70s when he starte...

Often at farewell meetings during superannuation or transfers etc, people talk about their experiences. About how life had been in a particular office, their higher-ups and usually a verbose about the value they had added. Most of them conveniently miss out a bunch of people who worked in the same office. The importance of these people cannot be undermined but it just fails to garner attention ! At my first place of posting, I never interacted with the contingent staff except for an occasional thanks when my table was wiped in front of me or my water bottle was filled when it was empty. But at my current place of posting with just 4 of us employed in the office, my interaction did not pertain to that occasional thanks. In the due course of time, I realized that Kanaga Vijayan or Kanaga Anna (the person employed for cleaning the office) knew way more than I did. It's like the Head Nurse in a hospital knowing things better than a freshly graduated doctor. From my limited expe...