Ethhai chonnal pitham theliyum

I warn forehand : This is going to be a rambly rambly post. For I am not thinking but letting my fingers flow with my thoughts..

You know there are times when you suddenly realise something that you have forgotten for a long long time. Likesay a classmate's name who was at "friends" with you at pre school. You never forget somebody who hates you for you come across them again and again and yet again!!. Life does not give you a chance does not??

You are kinda on a different plane going "hmmm..yeah. that was bad. I wish I had remained..pre school...kalpana. rajamani..rasi.." HEY!!! RAJAMANI!!! How often had I wished to remember his name. This curly haired fellow..now after 12 years. Bang!!!

I often go on sprees like this. Yesterday I was listening to Lalitha Sahasranamam on MIO. Suddenly I heard the name " SoDasaKShi" .HEYYY...That was the name of the Thayar in Thennagur's Madam!!!

Man! If you ever get a chance visit Thennagur near Chennai. It is on the way to Kanchi(I guess). There is a saivaite madam there. The presiding Goddess flanked by all accompanying Gods and Goddesses..Her name is SoDasaKShi. Aha!! Her beauty. Man. She was one Goddess I never never fail to remember : except for Her name. I have racked my memory a thousand times for Her name and it turns up here in US of A after 3 years of being packed away into the tiny tiny little brain cell and stored away for posterity!! or so it thought. (Namba yaar nu kanchutom la!!!)

You know :It is kinda goeoey goeoey feeling inside you. A red eyed horn(:))) praising you suddenly though there is a white robed somethingamajig reminding you ought not to have forgotten it in the first place!!!.

I just melt in happiness when I do stuff like this. When patti and I used to sit together and rack our brains for a particular hero in a early 60's movies. Appa arrives and hey Presto!! That was Ranjan!!!.

Appa never forgets stuff from the movies..He was a person who used to cut college and roam about the day before the exams. But only on the day before the exams as he painfully reminded me later!!!

It took me back to those lovely days. Back from school early. Discussing Movies,songs,playwrights and the other spectrum of Tamil literature(yes you guessed it!! Patti was a teacher!!) Aaathichoodi, Naladiyar, Purananooru, Kapiyas..

Me cross legged wide eyed! Patti enlightening me on the life in TN in the pre british period. Of Dhanushkodi that was sunk. Of Thirupullanai which used to the most ferocious of the seas of India. Of the poets who had to face hunger and humiliations before they finally won laurels.

Close my eyes..See the picture of the poet who sang "Naarai Naarai sengaal narai..kandanam enume"..in the knotted cold with no roof above his head.

About the context. There was this king(no idea whom. Hidden in a brain cell. Probably surface in a millenia from now) who had the doubt of expressing the beak of a Naarai(a species of Cranes). "How do they talk or explain about the beak of the crane" was the million dollar question he put forth to his country. Now being jobless and not at war!! You can very well sympathise with him.

Today we would have broken off one from its proper place and showed it to him(if the species still exists). But the poets of the land :having no other business themselves: set about this task with vigour.

But there was a poor one from Sithimuthiyur travelling to meet this very vetti king. He did not know of the question and was despairing on finding lodgings for the night.(Now this is what I call important). His quest went in vain as all the poets all over the land in search of 1000 pon varahans had gathered around and furiously scribing away.

He repented having come at all. Forced to spend the night in a bough with no upper cloth to even protect from the cold, he is reminded of the happy existence in his own humble house. He cries..

"Naarai Naarai sengal Naarai,
Pazhampadu panaiyin kizhangu pillanthenna
Pavazha koor vai sengal naarai,

Neyum nin manaiyum thenthisai kumari aadi,
vada thisai eeiguveer aayin,
emmoor sithimutharangam sendru,
...
...(brain cell's fault : nirmal will correct in comment :)) )
kandanam enume.

Now the king was travelling incognito and heard this. He got the answer to his question immediately. "Pazham padu panaiyin kizhangu pillanthenna".. one whose beak is as red as the split open "Panan kizhangu". So he calls him to court and rewards him..

All's well that ends well.

Now I better end this now for otherwise I might end up becoming a memory. (I see your red eyes and angry grimaces at so long a post!!!)

But why did I start writing this story?? Forgot. Will try to remember later and blog again..

Have a safe weekend.!!!