Balaji Ramakrishnan

It was raining heavily in Chennai about a week back. No power, no internet, no bath (water had to be preserved for nature's calls and emergencies ;) ) , moderate eating (to avoid emergency situations)... and hence I had to spend the time somehow. I had not been feeling like reading any book ever since I completed a boring book by Nikita Singh, don't remember the book name right now. It must have been six months now since I read any book fully. This unprecedented vacation forced me to restart my reading habit again. Nothing unread in my shelf tempted me as much as the "Scion of Ikshvaku". It's cover looked too good, created a good first impression. After reading the book, I felt that anything less than this cover design would mean a disrespect to the book. I got an urge to write something about my experience reading this book. I have difference of opinion with myself in calling it a review rather than calling it a recommendation. We know what Amish is capable o...

Have I become ruthless? Or have I become a yogi? I don't know. I didn't feel like crying when my grand father died, when my grand mother died and now when Meenu patti has died. I love them a lot though, they had a lot affection towards me. I have always felt that they will always remain in our memories in this janma. I have always been able to console myself, thinking so. I am a fan of Meenu Paati, beyond being her grand son. I have had the opportunity of being with her in the same street in Sathyamangalam, Agraharam for four years. This post is dedicated to her, a post about what I understood about her. She was a motherly and affectionate person: We moved in to Sathyamangalam, Agraharam, Bhimar street when our ancestral house was still under construction and unsuitable for cooking and living. Paati was kind enough to extend help to us for few months. People of those days, kind of, welcomed these kind of opportunities. They would get angry if we hesitated to take their he...

Onsite is the dream word for almost all people working in IT sector. It is always associated with lots of money. A single guy or girl who goes onsite for 2 or 3 years, is sure to buy a property in India soon after he/she returns or when they are still there, which will take more than 7 or 8 years for a person working in India, on average. It is also related to getting exposed to new culture, new people, etc. We can't forget the binding factor, the 'You are also Indian, I am also Indian' effect. I mean, they may be foes inside India over river Kauvery issue or Mullai Periyar dam issue or any other issue, but when they are in a foreign land, they have to help each other and they mostly will. A person working in distant land will always be considered genius than someone working inside India, which in reality may or may not be true. One of the most regular things discussed during free time in office is this dream onsite, visa processing, etc. The moment someone gets their vi...

        சிவபெருமானை நினைத்தால் எனக்கு உடனே நினைவுக்கு வரும் விஷயங்கள், திருவண்ணாமலை, ரமண மகரிஷி, எழுத்தாளர் பாலகுமாரன், இசைஞானி இளையராஜா, திருவாசகம், ஆத்ம ஞானம் ஆகியன. ஏதாவது ஆரம்பித்து "ததக்கா புதக்கா" (amateur) என்று எழுதித்தான் பார்ப்போமே.         எப்பொழுது நமக்கு (குறைந்தபட்சம் எனக்கு) இறைவன் தேவைப்படுகிறார்? சில நேரங்களில், "என்னடா பாலாஜி, நம்ம ஒன்னு நெனச்சா வேற ஏதோ எக்குத்தப்பா நடக்குதே ?" என்று தோன்றும். மனதில் அச்சம் தோன்றும், "உனக்கு உண்மைலையே திறம இருக்கா ? இல்ல நீ ஒரு வெத்துவேட்டா ?" என்று. இதைப்போன்ற தாழ்வு மனப்பான்மையும், அவமானங்களும், இயலாமைகளும் தான் நம்மை, "நம்மளோட அறிவுக்கும் சக்திக்கு அப்பால என்னமோ ஒன்னு இருக்குடா!!" என்று சிந்திக்கவும் வைக்கும்.          அதன் அடுத்த நிலை, தோல்விகளாக நம்மை வந்து தாக்கிக்கொண்டே இருக்கும்பொழுது, "எவ்வளோ நாள் தான் நானும் வருதப்பட்டுட்டே இருக்க முடியும்? சொதப்பறப்ப எல்லாம் வருத்தப்பட முடியுமா? வெற்றி, தோல்வி எது வந்தாலும், ...

I have been traveling from Bangalore to Chennai every weekends just to spend time with my family and especially my niece Haritha. I don't have any regret traveling every weekend, as her cute expressions, baby talks, naughty plays are worth the painstaking weekend travels. I am right now obsessed with her baby talks and would like to capture them all here, to cherish them later... தூச்சி = தூக்கிக்கோ தாச்சி... ஆ ஆ ஆ = தூங்கறேன் மய = மழை பட்டா = பட்டாசு அன்னா பட்டா = அண்ணா பட்டாசு வெடிச்சான். நாமா நாமா = ராமா ராமா கா கா மம்மம் பீபீ. நாமா நாமா = காக்கா பேப்பர் மேல வெச்சிருந்த மம்மு'ஐ மட்டும் எடுத்துக்காம பேப்பரோட எடுத்துது. பேப்பர்ல இருந்த மம்மு கீழ கொட்டீடுத்து. யாராவது பேப்பரோட எடுப்பாளா? ராமா ராமா!! [Based on a true story ;) . This scene helped Krithika feed Haritha that whole day!! Yay!!] ஐ = hifi ப்ப = குப்பை உவ்வா மன்னு = காயம் (உவ்வா), மருந்து போடு. பட்டு = காயம் பட்டூடுத்து பூத்தா = மூச்சா சால் = chair பதூன் = பலூன் வாத்த = ஓட்டை பனு = பிரணவ் பானானி = பா...

Amma keeps telling ‪ joke-bites‬ time to time, but this one was worth sharing... few weeks back, kuckoo, tamil movie was put in Vijay TV and we started watching it. Sruthi, came back home and ... Sruthi: Eppidi irundhuchu kuckoo padam?   Kavitha: Nalaa irundhuchu, aana konjam slow'ah poechu?   Amma: Yen slow'ah poechu nu theriyuma?   Me, Sruthi & Kavitha: ???????   Amma: Avanga rendu paerthukkum kannu theriyaadhilla ?? adhanaala dhaan!!!   Me: sappaa ‪ mudiyala‬

I am a Hindu and yet a lover, acceptor and respecter of other faiths as well. I recently happened to listen to Dr. Zakir Naik's lecture on Islam. I really felt he is doing a good job of taking his religious scriptures to his people (Muslims). This is the real need of the hour, to understand one's scriptures and walk the way his/her religion has advocated, as every religion advocates love. I should also admit that I however could not agree any religious conversion, which he does.  Conversion part apart, Dr. Zakir Naik seemed to be knowing Hindu scriptures as well, and that is when I felt ashamed of myself, I(I assume most) didn't know about Hinduism, as much as he did. I decided to become knowledgeable in Hindu scriptures, however I was sure I will go slow and steady in the journey.  I found this book 'Essentials of Hinduism' very small in size, unlike other religious philosophical books. I bought this book, yet I was sure, it is not going to be as interesting a...