tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-296878282012-02-18T00:22:24.712+05:30People I see.. Stuff I hear.. Thoughts I think.. These I write.Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-19004856935814566052011-07-17T09:52:00.002+05:302011-07-17T10:09:00.247+05:30

What is Bhakti? It can be generally translated as devotion and Webster gives 'religious fervour' as its meaning. Does this mean that atheists cannot have devotion? How can explain this to different people from different walks of life? Most of all, how can we explain this to children who are influenced by what their parents think?Theists - It is very easy to reach out to theists and say: devotion

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-63871155362962845422010-11-04T06:35:00.002+05:302010-11-04T06:48:52.074+05:30

A long gap of more than year in my posts... yet, life moves on at a pace that is baffling at times. Lots have happened in this year.I stopped posting when I sent my younger one to school!! Okay, that sounds actually weird when I put it down in writing. Why?? I should have actually had more time to post more frequently... and yet I did not!Ah! I found a better use of my time :-) And what was that?

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-4557541258470591502009-07-14T12:00:00.003+05:302009-07-14T12:21:49.247+05:30

6.50 am Hari wakes up and says "I want the computer". Hey! first brush your teeth, then take a bath, then eat breakfast and then if you have time, we'll see.For about half an hour I don't hear anything and I am busy getting breakfast and lunch ready. Suddenly I look at the time...7.20 am HARI!!! WHERE ARE YOU?? YOU OUGHT TO BE AT THE TABLE NOW. OK MOM! Let me finish bathing.I am at my wits

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-86939083685293789802009-02-06T09:33:00.006+05:302009-02-06T09:50:08.892+05:30

Not one morning passes by without Hari's polambals. He has to say atleast 23 times "I don't want to go school". These would be followed by lectures on1. Its good for you2. You don't want to be illiterate. Do you?3. Don't you want to be a tech director like appa?4. You have to do some work or the other to survive.etc.. etc..My next strategy was - "you have to look after cows." I was stunned when

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-69250233771294720562009-02-02T08:20:00.000+05:302009-02-02T09:23:43.122+05:30

Come Friday and I don't want it to come!! Before the weekend begins I am already planning how to stuff it with all the pending things. By Saturday afternoon I finished about 10% of the work and suddenly I remembered Bala's cousin's husband was on his way.He wanted to meet two more cousins and Bala's mami too. It was easier to meet at one place. All of them arrived and plans for having dinner in a

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-81633400693029220962009-01-19T13:13:00.000+05:302009-01-19T13:13:01.080+05:30

Peter or petering is a slang that is widely used to denote those who love to show off their knowledge (or ignorance) in something that is totally alien. For eg., I was somebody who did not know a thing about the computer, net, middleware etc etc. After marriage, I started petering about CORBA and middleware (thanks to the evil of continuous checking of emails and writing code by my husband). The

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-11897466355233768352009-01-08T11:55:00.000+05:302009-01-08T11:58:00.189+05:30

A hot summer’s day.The harvest is over.The lands await ploughing.The ground is parchedAwait the rains like Chatakas.The brilliant Sun is furious.People venture not from their homes.As the train crawls,I see not a soul – Not even a cow.A village or two pass byAnd the third is seen.From the distance I noticeA half-naked urchin.No shirt, no shoes.He runs as if his life depends on it.As the train

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-81142561637734569732009-01-03T16:30:00.004+05:302009-01-07T13:23:20.186+05:30

"எனக்கு நினைவு தெரிஞ்ச நாளிலிருந்து" music season has always created a sense of excitement in me. It was a season of endless kutcheri hopping, eating out and gossip. When I was young, I remember going for concerts with my Dad. The two that I vividly remember were S Balachandar at MFAC and S Kalyanaraman in Academy. I was thoroughly impressed by the former because I was learning violin then and

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-40864393509343960152008-12-10T09:56:00.002+05:302008-12-10T10:07:07.926+05:30

In a effort to pen my thoughts in संस्कृतं, I have started a blog in samskrtam.

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-52664791625912337062008-12-08T11:53:00.002+05:302008-12-08T12:39:58.106+05:30

When we look at what sort of research work can be considered for a PhD degree, translation is definitely a no-no. Why? There is no individual contribution, value addition or in-depth study involved in literal translation of any work.Personally, I feel it is a routine job once the initial spadework is done. For eg, translating open source software strings would not be easy if a glossary of common

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-18263740235493697882008-12-06T08:35:00.003+05:302008-12-06T10:26:53.965+05:30

For the past 1.5 years I have been working as part of CDAC-GIST team, translating open source software into Sanskrit. CDAC recently released a CD of software tools and fonts in Sanskrit on November 25th at Tirupati.Click here to read the press release.Thats the official post. A more personal post follows.

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-76774563590637381912008-12-01T11:39:00.002+05:302008-12-01T12:03:31.880+05:30

Relatives Galoreyammadi!! enna koottam da saami!! (What a crowd!)Hari has seen more relatives over the past three months than in his entire five years of life :-)Am I happy? yeeessss...Am I irritated? maybe...But on the whole its been wonderful. Let me begin at the beginning.We arrive at Madras and mama with pranav come from bangalore. Stay with us for two days forcing me to cook 3, 4, 5... no no

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-20775839167554021082008-09-21T15:29:00.002+05:302008-09-21T15:47:36.875+05:30

Hari participated in two competitions today and won 1st in Tamil and 2nd in Sanskrit recitation. Okay, I just can't stop peethifying about this to all and sundry - pandal pottu, serial set vechu, mikela thaan innum sollavillai :-)Now to the topic. Competitions are one more thing that I have missed during my stay away from Madras. Till I left college, every recitation and oratorical competition

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-89895826920246850482008-08-23T12:00:00.000+05:302008-08-23T11:53:58.803+05:30

For the benefit of those who do not know the story of The camel and the Arab...Once upon a time (I love stories that start with this) an Arab was traveling in the desert with his camel. When it was night, the Arab put up a tent, tied the camel outside and he slept inside the tent. The night air was quite cold and the camel asked the Arab if he could put his head inside the warm tent. The Arab

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-30710334231058028232008-08-23T11:26:00.002+05:302008-08-23T11:35:52.610+05:30

Varalakshmi vratamFirst function after coming to madras. I was invited to a house in my complex. I went there at around 6.30 pm. There was another lady with two kids having a nice tete-a-tete about music teachers in Adyar, their paths in musical training, etc. WOW! that was something I had missed in Pune. Every household has someone or the other learning music or have learnt music during

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-3543059488493312032008-08-22T17:58:00.003+05:302008-08-23T11:26:53.106+05:30

PHEW!!At last am back to where I started. Lots of good things happening. Hari is settled in his school and Bala as usual enjoys going to Porur listening to "idhu sema hottu machi" :-) I am waking up to how Madras was and is - the same... no difference. Just that I am older and no wiser.Hey! don't go away! This is not going to be a page in my diary!We had a bunch of people coming in and going. I

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-71554139034903432152008-07-15T17:12:00.002+05:302008-07-15T17:31:49.171+05:30

If you want to read while you are at work, Click here.If you want to cheat your boss while you soak in poetry, Click here.If you think you miss out on the pleasures of seeing the printed word, Click here.Ok!! All three links lead you to the same place.1. In school, I remember reading a lesson on The Art of Letter writing.2. A Google search led me to this wonderful quote The Lost Art of Letter

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-61792792770456290612008-06-06T11:02:00.002+05:302008-06-06T11:16:57.579+05:30

1. When is Sundu's next FEED?2. Is Sundu on 2 milk FEEDS or 3 FEEDS per day?3. When do babies start on solid FEEDS?4. Is is time for Hari's FEED?5. Hey! What about my FEED?OOPS! Thats not the FEED we are talking about. This FEED has something to do with reading snippets of your favourite blogs, sites, etc etc in one place. (am not sure if I got that right!!)Okay definition over. Now do I want to

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-38534773227392670862008-06-04T19:21:00.001+05:302008-06-04T19:25:31.149+05:30

This college is quite oldWith the sea in front of it.Bungalows are departments and Rooms are halls converted.The green windows in itAre slowly eaten by rust.Walls are cracked beyond repairBut shelter a dove and pair.The sand is brought by windTo cover the floor and us.Paint forever is falling on usPrematurely old are we.The botany students of oursNeed go nowhere for flowers:For, here we have them

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-48213908807263507482008-05-30T20:34:00.003+05:302008-05-30T20:46:18.862+05:30

My niece visited me for a few days. I was amazed to see a wonderful difference in her. I still remember her as a small four year old who looked at Bala, my husband, and shot daggers with her eyes, for snatching away her dearest அத்தை. But the one I see today is a very sweet little girl trying to be a grown up in almost all matters, EXCEPT VEGGIES :-)My cook had made cauliflower sabji and madam

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-61991459106759154512008-04-12T07:18:00.002+05:302008-04-12T07:22:22.824+05:30

Can't say my latest. It has been there on and off for the past 6 years. But now I am working on this seriously and furiously.

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-37385515707301656032008-04-06T22:08:00.000+05:302008-04-05T22:12:11.672+05:30

Yet another day had dawnedThoughts and arguments had formedAs I saw my salwar and sari,I donned my Jeans in a hurry.A morning guest had come.I smiled and said ‘Welcome’.The regular – ‘Oh! You’ve grown so tall!But when I saw you, you were smallAnd what are you doing now?’‘Sanskrit’, I said with pride.‘Pity’, he said aside.‘Scope?’, was the arrogant question.‘A lot’, was my exit line.At college she

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-43900610828181708332008-04-05T06:38:00.004+05:302008-04-05T15:31:45.583+05:30

WARNING! may be a bit on the senti side.Why would anybody want a family?This line of questioning has been the latest topic of discussion between Bala and I.... whenever we get the time, after exchanging notes on regular stuff like bills, children, office, work, society vambu etc. etc. etc... Oh I forgot! After both kids go to sleep :-)Before marriage, edho ponom, vandhom, saptom, thoonginom....

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-32543975580483898482008-03-07T13:10:00.001+05:302008-03-07T13:11:31.248+05:30

Lonely, does he shineA black curtain behindWith none to help in his workOf lighting up the world.I feel not the need for peopleLike my beautiful workerAlone I like to live in this worldEnjoying an eloquent silence.As I revel in this thoughtStars come out to remindOf society which gave me lifeAnd I depend on it.

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-69527379177846799692008-01-01T10:06:00.000+05:302008-01-01T10:20:39.368+05:30

The wind blew with a mighty force. The coconut trees danced in joy. All at once it seemed as though They were seconding the wind,Challenging me to a duel with Nature.A battle within myself – A warning from my practical selfAnd encouraging wordsFrom my romantic self.An incurable romantic that I was,I stood trying to resist the wind.The coconut trees seemed to tell meThat it was impossible.But

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-12668223003233935562007-12-27T06:13:00.000+05:302007-12-27T06:14:51.432+05:30

Hey! Guess what? I'm majorly into blogging now. Check out My blog.We do keep hearing/seeing this often as a signature in a lot emails nowadays (why! even I have a signature set up :-).... It is definitely fun to write... give in to your creativity..... realise long buried dreams of becoming a journalist, author, poet, reporter etc. etc.. etc... as long as you know who reads your blog.Here I am

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-35684189963061680902007-06-18T11:24:00.000+05:302007-06-20T10:17:40.851+05:30

Candid CoffeeThere are two methods to be followed. Incase someone prefers "degree kapi" follow method 1. If there are no specifications follow method 2.Method 11. Keep the milk on the stove as soon as the first round of decoction is ready.2. Always turn the stove to sim and let the milk reach to boiling point slowly. (R) there is actually a taste difference in the coffee when the stove is on full

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1160536049174729782007-06-18T08:36:00.000+05:302007-06-20T10:02:58.043+05:30

Decoction DiscussionHave you made coffee decoction using the regular manual filter? Now there are a few steps to be followed.1. Set water to boil with a lid on the vessel. (Reason) heat is not wasted.2. While the water is boiling assemble the filter and add coffee powder till it fills half of the top chamber. (R) Too much powder - longer time for decoction to filter. Too less - might as well use

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-13759176049031822882007-06-17T10:18:00.000+05:302007-06-17T20:22:20.162+05:30

Congratulations!! The stork has delivered! I had my second baby Sundaresan (Sundu) on May 3rd. Shyam had his baby Anjali (Anju) on June 13th. Okay. So? What’s the next step? Take pictures. Done. Next? Upload them for friends and relatives to take a look and analyse feature by feature, step by step... Sundu being a month older than Anju, he has had more photos taken, more people

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1158131931804197552006-09-13T12:47:00.000+05:302006-09-13T12:58:43.646+05:30

Milk Can ManiaPlacing a milk can in the refrigerator is quite tricky to master. Align the sides of the can with the sides of the refrigerator in such a way that the handle is to your right. ReasonGetting the can out is easy when the handle is facing you. More cans fit in one shelf this way.Caution1. Make sure you don't buy all groceries at the same time, else you will have a tough time stocking

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1157341960577007402006-09-04T09:09:00.000+05:302006-09-04T09:22:40.590+05:30

Switchboard sequenceWhen you need to flick a switch on or off on the switchboard, follow this procedure. Position your finger at right angles to the face of the wall and press on the switch. Be sure that no part of your hand rests on the wall.ReasonBlackening of the portions of the wall below the switchboard is an ugly sight in most homes. Caution1. Don't go near the switchboard thinking of your

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1157092263628840732006-09-01T11:53:00.000+05:302006-09-01T12:03:21.653+05:30

Icecream eating procedure.Cones are not allowed. Take a cup with one scoop of icecream. Wait for it to start melting. Then eat the melted portions first. As you proceed slowly from the sides of the scoop, the rest will also melt.ReasonYou will catch a cold otherwise. By eating only the melted portions your chances of getting a cold are less.CautionNever think about the pleasure you might get out

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1156995312471749932006-09-01T11:36:00.000+05:302006-09-01T11:52:16.830+05:30

The number of people I have come across in my life is very less when compared to many people. Yet, every one of them has managed to reveal an idiosyncrasy of some sort. I have noticed that there is a thin line that separates the ones that are humourous from the ones that frustrate people around. The thin line is defined by the term "People around". Follow this experiment with every one of the

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1155707200001056122006-08-16T10:37:00.000+05:302006-08-30T10:25:26.123+05:30

This is one of the many titles that I would like to remember Thyagu thatha by.I was a late entrant into his stock of stories. My brothers were more fortunate to get a good measure of his imagination. My introduction to Mahabharata was not through Rajaji or Vyasa. It was through Thyagu thatha and straight away from where the Pandavas were living in the forest. I initially thought that his stories

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1154524403750082102006-08-02T17:56:00.000+05:302006-08-02T19:40:48.953+05:30

I thought of titling this post "Three days with my 3 1/2 yr old". But poor fellow, he was sick for the first two days. So not fair on my part to blame him for giving me a frustrating experience.Today he was feeling better on the whole, yet I did not send him to school because he had a few bouts of stomach ache now and then. When there was a respite from the pain, he seemed to make up for the lost

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1151244024600157762006-06-25T19:23:00.000+05:302006-07-18T18:54:00.320+05:30

The small para on alarm clocks in the blog on Hari's new school has inspired me to write a bit more on this. I don't think I did justice to the status held by an alarm clock in every Indian household.Every normal Indian household will have an alarm clock. The day starts with the alarm clock and ends with it. It is usually the chosen favourite of the head of the family. Whether he goes to work

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1150709597059939352006-06-19T14:52:00.000+05:302006-06-19T15:03:17.070+05:30

A note on why teachers are called 'aunties' and how different they are.My brother's daughter Shreyasi started going to a Montessori School in Madras from the age of 2.5 (?). She was the first child I had seen daily from her birth. All my spare time was spent with her. So naturally I was very curious as to what she did at school. The first thing that struck me was she talked about some aunty who

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1150722141820440642006-06-14T12:36:00.001+05:302006-06-21T15:40:43.020+05:30

The first post was threatening to be too longHey! I forgot the most important part of 'My School life - Second Phase' and that is the training finds its extension at home. Did I tell you that I keep an alarm and wake up nowadays? Let me give a brief on why this alarm thing is such an important factor in my life.I have always and still wonder why the concept of alarm was ever invented. I think the

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29687828.post-1150269404096482362006-06-14T12:36:00.000+05:302006-06-19T18:23:24.656+05:30

Is it an institution for my son or me? I think both.When I came out after writing my last exam at 12th boards, I was actually feeling relieved, unlike others who were more worried about what the results would be... how difficult would IIT entrance exam be.... would they get into a good engineering college... etc.. etc.. I had none of these apprehensions. I was absolutely sure I was going sit for

Visalakshihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11023574346006075879noreply@blogger.com1