In spite of being an historic city which welcomes countless tourists all year round, She is also a place where people live, work, learn, fall in love and die. Sometimes she will draw your attention to her history or to great art and architecture. But at all times I try to highlight the authentic, whether it be serious, ancient, amusing or modern.
A Cup of Coffee in the Square will give a personal introduction of her ,getting beyond the normal tourist sights and giving some clues to what it might be like to live in her .
Lets go have a cup and few words round the square !!!
The story of Chennai as a city began on a deserted stretch of sand some live Km long and two Km wide of the east coast of southern India, overlooking the Bay of Bengal.
A tourist visiting chennai will tend to be directed to its history and in Chennai that history is extraordinarily rich. But culture is a continuing process which moulds her cosmopolitan character.She is famed for her marghazhi dance – when the music season is in full wing as well anyone here can tap their foot for dappankuthu- endless dancing to funeral drums.
Engraved in memory as Madaras, she is always praised as “ a metropolitan city “.She applauses herself as she shines with the oldest surviving temples ,multi-domed mosques ,cathedrals for those who have religious bent of mind.
She boasts of the It industry which slowly bridges the economic barrier,spending power is on the upswing and young people are growing more confident. You can see her confidence on the streets and in the way mobile phones are proliterating.
She launders for a fair skin but her men are mostly dark and women with a graceful smile (no matter what the colour is !!!) Fewer women are willing to wear the traditional and elegant sari; they prefer the more egalitarian comfort of the salwar kameez or even trousers and skirts. Yet, despite the process of modernization, issues of caste and community to underpin a society that is in the process of discovering itself.
Earlier, limited to her main artery such as Anna Salai or Mount Road, now she is experiencing an influx of newer, modern shopping centers all over the city.Her coffee date can end up to merge hearts “A lot can happen over a coffee”- that’s the mantra of café coffee day .a long drive – her East coast road drives you mad.Name it for any occasion would land you up in a bazaar (yeah that’s pondy bazaar ).
She is a chatter box where her official language is Tamil – an ancient dravidian language dates back to around 300 BC .This girl seduces you with a warm welcome “ vanakkam “ with all her surplus love……………
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Celebrate the woman in you.
A woman is characterized more on the account of her looks than her thoughts Its a case of beauty over brains. Women who have managed to succeed despite all odds are admired and envied enough to make page three tittle-tattle. The rest bravely face the onslaught daily on account of their apparel. Its a sad story indeed when girls are made to conform to a dress code to prove their decency or even save them from the attack of society. Thus what cannot be cured must be endured!!
world may require behavioral changes in a woman wherein she has to assert certain mannerisms to project her strength of character. However the same could be achieved without attire change or losing the placidness of being a woman. What is needed is to replace the ideal woman concept with that of a complete woman. Like every individual a woman needs to be strong to be complete. This strength need not come from becoming feminists and taking to the streets. It simply takes a little understanding of your rights, and asserting them when most needed. Its what I call a silent revolution. Liberation of a woman in terms of her personal development and through the exercise of her rights with gender equality is in essence the liberation of the society. The day we recognize the strength within us, we would discover our true identity beyond the frontiers of our immediate bonds.
It is said that it takes a woman to make a house a home. Adorning the assorted facets of relationships, whether as a daughter, a sister, a wife or a mother, a woman tries to develop her personality within the bonds of these numerous names with which she is addressed daily. Sadly, in playing these roles to the best of her ability, she has often lost her real self, her true identity being put on a backburner.
The lack of, and in certain cases, the complete absence of gender equality in our own homes makes its visible appearance in our daily routine. Girls are taught different value systems than boys. Our personality develops under the shadows of a latent fear lurking behind us always. I am sure one is all too familiar with the typical `mom- sit properly, don play boy games, come home before dark, it a girls job, don’t compare yourself with your brother. you are different, The list could be endless. The segregation process commenced insentience. What is sad about this entire scenario is that it is we, as mothers, who instilled these fears in our daughters. May be the idea of their security takes prominence in our minds, but what it does to the psyche of a young girl is unimaginable. It has often led to the birth of an inferiority complex lasting us a lifetime. My mother did it to me, so I do it to my daughter; after all times are not safe enough for our gender. Instead of educating girls various ways to tackle tribulations, we are taught how to fear them, circumvent them and even compromise with them as providence. May be its time we found a better way to clench this issue if we wished to revolutionize the outlook of and towards woman in future. Trepidation of the unknown makes one insecure. Instilling self-confidence to embark upon any alien, unpredicted situation is the best way to counter that latent fear, making buoyancy the key ingredient that goes into making of a better personality. Its like a lioness that does not fear even the elephant, more than double its own size.
So, the next time you take your morning cup of tea, devote a little thought to how best you could make a difference in your own life and that of your daughter, your female friend or colleague. Its an on-going struggle, the significance of which you have to appreciate if anything has to revolutionize for a woman in the man world. Pledge your allegiance to your own gender and learn to celebrate the woman in you.
world may require behavioral changes in a woman wherein she has to assert certain mannerisms to project her strength of character. However the same could be achieved without attire change or losing the placidness of being a woman. What is needed is to replace the ideal woman concept with that of a complete woman. Like every individual a woman needs to be strong to be complete. This strength need not come from becoming feminists and taking to the streets. It simply takes a little understanding of your rights, and asserting them when most needed. Its what I call a silent revolution. Liberation of a woman in terms of her personal development and through the exercise of her rights with gender equality is in essence the liberation of the society. The day we recognize the strength within us, we would discover our true identity beyond the frontiers of our immediate bonds.
It is said that it takes a woman to make a house a home. Adorning the assorted facets of relationships, whether as a daughter, a sister, a wife or a mother, a woman tries to develop her personality within the bonds of these numerous names with which she is addressed daily. Sadly, in playing these roles to the best of her ability, she has often lost her real self, her true identity being put on a backburner.
The lack of, and in certain cases, the complete absence of gender equality in our own homes makes its visible appearance in our daily routine. Girls are taught different value systems than boys. Our personality develops under the shadows of a latent fear lurking behind us always. I am sure one is all too familiar with the typical `mom- sit properly, don play boy games, come home before dark, it a girls job, don’t compare yourself with your brother. you are different, The list could be endless. The segregation process commenced insentience. What is sad about this entire scenario is that it is we, as mothers, who instilled these fears in our daughters. May be the idea of their security takes prominence in our minds, but what it does to the psyche of a young girl is unimaginable. It has often led to the birth of an inferiority complex lasting us a lifetime. My mother did it to me, so I do it to my daughter; after all times are not safe enough for our gender. Instead of educating girls various ways to tackle tribulations, we are taught how to fear them, circumvent them and even compromise with them as providence. May be its time we found a better way to clench this issue if we wished to revolutionize the outlook of and towards woman in future. Trepidation of the unknown makes one insecure. Instilling self-confidence to embark upon any alien, unpredicted situation is the best way to counter that latent fear, making buoyancy the key ingredient that goes into making of a better personality. Its like a lioness that does not fear even the elephant, more than double its own size.
So, the next time you take your morning cup of tea, devote a little thought to how best you could make a difference in your own life and that of your daughter, your female friend or colleague. Its an on-going struggle, the significance of which you have to appreciate if anything has to revolutionize for a woman in the man world. Pledge your allegiance to your own gender and learn to celebrate the woman in you.
Monday, September 20, 2010
கவிதை....
இப்பொழுதெல்லாம் நான் நிறைய கவிதைகள் எழுதுகிறேன்.
'எதைப் பற்றி' என்கிறீர்களா ?
எது பற்றி வேண்டுமானாலும் .
என் மனதுக்கு என்ன எழுதத் தோன்றுகிறதோ அதை எழுதுகிறேன்.
உண்மையில் எனக்கு கவிதைகளை வாசிப்பதைவிட
கவிதைகளை தோற்றுவிப்பது மிகவும் பிடித்திருக்கிறது.
பிறர் எழுதிய கவிதைகளை வாசிக்க நேருகிறபோதெல்லாம்
'இதெல்லாம் என்ன கவிதையென்று பெரிதாக எழுதிவிட்டார்கள்'
என்கிற எண்ணம் எனக்கு ஏற்படுவதுண்டு ? கவிதை எழுதத் தெரிந்த என்
நண்பன் ஒருவன் கூட இதையே ஒரு முறை சொன்னபோதுதான்,
'இப்படிப் பலபேருக்கும் தோன்றுகிறது போலிருக்கிறது' என்று
எனக்கு தோன்றியது.
ஒரு கவிதையோ கட்டுரையோ ஒரு வாசகனுக்குப் பிடிக்காமல் போவதில் விந்தையில்லை.ஆனால், 'கவிதை'.. ? அது எப்படி கவராமல் போகலாம் ? ஒருவேளை 'வாசகன்' என்கிற நிலையிலிருந்து நோக்காமல் 'கவிஞன்' என்கிற கர்வத்தில் பார்ப்பதால் இருக்குமோ ?
இல்லையே.. பேருந்தில், இரேயிலில் பயணம் செய்கிபோது
பார்த்திருக்கிறேன்.துணுக்குகள்,கதைகள்,ஏன்... 'கேள்வி - பதில்' பகுதியைத் தேடிப் பிடித்து படிகிறவர்களைத்தான் தெரிகிறதே தவிர, பக்கங்களை புரட்டி.'கவிதை' எதுவும் இருக்கிறதா என்று ,ஒரு எதிர்பார்ப்புடன் பார்ப்பவர்கள் யாரும் இருப்பதாய் எனக்கு தெரியவில்லை. ஏன் இப்படி ?
நானும் பார்க்கிறேன். எந்தப் பத்திரிக்கை யானாலும்,
கவிதைக் கென்று ஒரு பக்கம் ஒதுக்குவ தென்பது ஒரு சடங்காகவே
மாறியிருக்கிறது.இது ஏன் ?' என்றுதான் புரியவில்லை.
'கவிதை'- அது எப்படியிருந்தாலும் -ஒரு 'இலக்கிய' அந்தஸ்தைப் பெற்றுத் தந்து விடுகிறது என்கிற தவறான அபிப்பிராயத்தின் காரணமாகவே பத்திரிக்கைகளில் கவிதைகள் வெளிவருகின்றனவோ ?
என்ன திடீரென்று கவிதையைப் பற்றிய ஆராய்ச்சி என்கிறீர்களா ? வேறொன்றுமில்லை. என்னுடைய குழப்பத்தை உங்களில் யாராவது தீர்த்துவைக்க மாட்டீர்களா என்றுதான்..
'எதைப் பற்றி' என்கிறீர்களா ?
எது பற்றி வேண்டுமானாலும் .
என் மனதுக்கு என்ன எழுதத் தோன்றுகிறதோ அதை எழுதுகிறேன்.
உண்மையில் எனக்கு கவிதைகளை வாசிப்பதைவிட
கவிதைகளை தோற்றுவிப்பது மிகவும் பிடித்திருக்கிறது.
பிறர் எழுதிய கவிதைகளை வாசிக்க நேருகிறபோதெல்லாம்
'இதெல்லாம் என்ன கவிதையென்று பெரிதாக எழுதிவிட்டார்கள்'
என்கிற எண்ணம் எனக்கு ஏற்படுவதுண்டு ? கவிதை எழுதத் தெரிந்த என்
நண்பன் ஒருவன் கூட இதையே ஒரு முறை சொன்னபோதுதான்,
'இப்படிப் பலபேருக்கும் தோன்றுகிறது போலிருக்கிறது' என்று
எனக்கு தோன்றியது.
ஒரு கவிதையோ கட்டுரையோ ஒரு வாசகனுக்குப் பிடிக்காமல் போவதில் விந்தையில்லை.ஆனால், 'கவிதை'.. ? அது எப்படி கவராமல் போகலாம் ? ஒருவேளை 'வாசகன்' என்கிற நிலையிலிருந்து நோக்காமல் 'கவிஞன்' என்கிற கர்வத்தில் பார்ப்பதால் இருக்குமோ ?
இல்லையே.. பேருந்தில், இரேயிலில் பயணம் செய்கிபோது
பார்த்திருக்கிறேன்.துணுக்குகள்,கதைகள்,ஏன்... 'கேள்வி - பதில்' பகுதியைத் தேடிப் பிடித்து படிகிறவர்களைத்தான் தெரிகிறதே தவிர, பக்கங்களை புரட்டி.'கவிதை' எதுவும் இருக்கிறதா என்று ,ஒரு எதிர்பார்ப்புடன் பார்ப்பவர்கள் யாரும் இருப்பதாய் எனக்கு தெரியவில்லை. ஏன் இப்படி ?
நானும் பார்க்கிறேன். எந்தப் பத்திரிக்கை யானாலும்,
கவிதைக் கென்று ஒரு பக்கம் ஒதுக்குவ தென்பது ஒரு சடங்காகவே
மாறியிருக்கிறது.இது ஏன் ?' என்றுதான் புரியவில்லை.
'கவிதை'- அது எப்படியிருந்தாலும் -ஒரு 'இலக்கிய' அந்தஸ்தைப் பெற்றுத் தந்து விடுகிறது என்கிற தவறான அபிப்பிராயத்தின் காரணமாகவே பத்திரிக்கைகளில் கவிதைகள் வெளிவருகின்றனவோ ?
என்ன திடீரென்று கவிதையைப் பற்றிய ஆராய்ச்சி என்கிறீர்களா ? வேறொன்றுமில்லை. என்னுடைய குழப்பத்தை உங்களில் யாராவது தீர்த்துவைக்க மாட்டீர்களா என்றுதான்..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)