Hurricane Nisha

Chennai was left shattered and dark for the past two days. Thanks to Hurricane Nisha which made candle light dinners possible in every chennaiites home, with the EB authorities suspending power due to fear of of short circuits. While people started opening small boat shops, the Hurricane slipped away silently into the seas after making most of the damages on Wednesday and Thursday. 

         Our municipal corporation were gracious enough while constructing roads. Seems like they had bigger plans of converting the roads into swimming pools during rainy seasons, to give the Chennaiites a feel of lake riding through the mount road and adequate preparation before the next Tsunami strikes.

       EB authorities were delighted at the possibility of shutting powers indefinitely as a precautionary measure. They were able to save power with water logged streets and flooded area levels reaching past EB posts. If that was not enough, dams were opened to prevent them from breaking. What an idea ? Finally the residents of Velachery could do nothing except to borrow sailing skills from their vyasarpadi residents and making thermocoal cuttings to sail across their homes. 

       The water level in my area reached a peak and had higher chances of entering into my home. If it were not for God's mercy, the rain would have swept across our house leaving us in despair exposing us to infectious diseases and breeding grounds for mosquitoes. I could not relate to the woes of the ailing families caught in isle of waters surrounding their house. Truly it must have been a devastating experience to be dealt with.

       I could not imagine how Noah's days would have been when the rain poured continously for six months incessantly. It must be true that the water reached mountain tops. Thank God. We were fortunate enough to escape such a downpour. But still be on the watchout for potholes in the centre of roads(even .. TAR toads). Don't easily put your vehicle through a water stagnant area without knowing the area road before hand. 

       The TAR roads in my area were the first to succumb to rain forming dentures and fissures with every vehicle falling into its depth making it even more problematic. Adulteration to the core. God save us!!

The Answer my friend... is blowin in the wind...

Ed Ames Song Lyrics :

From the canyons of the mind,
We wander on and stumble blindly
Through the often-tangled maze
Of starless nights and sunless days,
While casting for some kind of clue
Or road to lead us to the truth,
But who will answer?

Side by side two people stand,
Together vowing, hand-in-hand
That love's imbedded in their hearts,
But soon an empty feeling starts
To overwhelm their hollow lives,
And when we seek the hows and whys,
Who will answer?

High upon a lonely ledge,
a figure teeters near the edge,
And jeering crowds collect below
To egg him on with, "Go, man, go!"
And who will ask what led him
To his private day of doom,
And who will answer?

On a strange and distant hill,
A young man's lying very still.
His arms will never hold his child,
Because a bullet running wild
Has cut him down. And now we cry,
"Dear God, Oh, why, oh, why?"
And who will answer?

(Full melody the rest of the song)

If the soul is darkened by a fear it cannot name,
If the mind is baffled when the rules don't fit the game,
Who will answer? Who will answer? Who will answer?

In the rooms of dark and shades,
The scent of sandalwood pervades.
The colored thoughts in muddled heads
Reclining in rumpled beds
Of unmade dreams that can't come true,
And when we ask what we should do,
Who? Who will answer?

'Neath the spreading mushroom tree,
The world revolves in apathy
As overhead, a row of specks
Roars on, drowned out by discotheques,
And if a secret button's pressed
Because one man has been outguessed,
Who will answer?

Is our hope in walnut shells
Worn 'round the neck with temple bells,
Or deep within some cloistered walls
Where hooded figures pray in halls?
Or crumbled books on dusty shelves,
Or in our stars, or in ourselves,
Who will answer?

If the soul is darkened
By a fear it cannot name,
If the mind is baffled
When the rules don't fit the game,
Who will answer? Who will answer? Who will answer?
Alleluiah! Alleluiah! Alleluiah!

Annie J. Flint - An extraordinary poet with extra ordinary disabilities yet how?

1. He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
   He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
   To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
   To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
2. When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
   When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
   When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
   Our Father’s full giving is only begun.
3. Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
   Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
   Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
   The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
4. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
   His power no boundary known unto men;
   For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
   He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Prayer to my God

O Thou who camest from above,

the pure celestial fire to impart
kindle a flame of sacred love
upon the mean altar of my heart.

There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return,
in humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart's desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up thy gift in me.

Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make my sacrifice complete.

Love - What is it and how do the present generation fight it ? Yes , How do they win their love ?

'Love' is one of the most sacred words I have ever heard. While there are several types of love as identified by ancient Greeks -- Philo , Eros and Agape . This post discusses the second one which is the most confused as we know.  

Eros is a type of bond shared between a boy and a girl mostly involving romantic relationships.

Some see it as a passage to express their care for someone while others take it as a relationship to satisfy their personal desires and momentary needs. The present day love barely stands on the pillars of media projected love relationship.  Some fall prey to adoloscent infatuation confusing friendship  with love. These to some extent owe their share to peer pressure and the society we live in. Shakspeare once talked about , " Love at first sight ." Well , I am still trying to figure out whether he was drunk when he wrote that :) . Looks and beauty are not a good point to start with your so called 'Love'. Sadly , what Shakspeare said is irrefutably the plight of human beings. Each one will find something different and appealing in others in their first meeting or in due course after spending days together.If it happens the second way, I feel it’s well and good.

 

I have seen people swapping girl friends just like switching channels on a T.V . To those light hearted souls , it is just another mischevious page in their dairy of life - probably beefed up with colour and fun-filled days. They are always on a lookout for someone to support and be with them through their darkest and happy times. Things get topsy curvy when a break-up happens owing to family problems and ego clashes. Some stand against all the odds fighting their way to achieve what they want. Others simply compromise that they were not really made for each other and be on the backfoot , embracing the family and live in memories of the good times they shared - once upon a time. 

 

The last question which comes between people who love is -- How are they going to break the jinx with their family ? Some take a daring attempt to answer this question combating the sorrows and difficult situations thrown by the society while others simply succumb to it , paving way for their parents happiness and social acceptance. It's left to the individual.It all depends on how mentally prepared the couple are. With a society which bases its pride and existence on caste , love is still a blasphemous word to most of the Indian families. They are simply not ready to let off their pride to accept an inter-cultural marriage. Their fears are justified - we should not simply ignore the fact that they will be treated as social outcasts by their own relatives.  Still,  there are good families who are more interested in their children's future , who let go off their caste and family relations , to stand beside the couple and acknowledge their love. But rarely do we find such scenario. 

 

More on the cause and effect , the bonds shared between lovers and who are successful in future posts.

 

A breathtaking testimony

Click here for reading an amazing testimony by Dr. Srinivasa Bhattachary

Sometimes we need somebody to help overcome our ignorance. Hope it helps you in the pursuit of the truth.