sunday stories

It's Ganesh chaturthi.  And I decided to unleash my skills in making sweet " kolukattai" . Thanks to the many cooking channels on youtube, I found an interesting recipe.  Marketing technique- " kolukkatai mould free with 500g pack " ! Decided to try the mould . I made a couple of futile attempts and then gave up. Decided to make my own shapeless " momo-like" kolukattai ! But my cook DID NOT GIVE UP . A couple of attempts,  and he GOT IT .  Finally we steamed the shapeless and the shapely ones ( no body shaming please .beauty is in the eyes of the beholder !) .  With all love presented to the divine form in our altar ( and ended up eating more than I should !)  Religion is to bond, not to fight, A way to unite, day and night. It's not a sword, but a gentle balm  It soothes the soul to keep you calm Let's not divide, let's come as one, And find the truth, beneath the sun.

The national youth icon of India. He died young and lives young ever in our hearts... My hero , my ideal. " He was the unconscious father of Indian Nationalism.He roused his mother land that was starving in superstitions and roused  their civilisational identity " says swami sarvapriyanandha. He was the man who took yoga to the west.yes, he is  the bridge between the east and the west . Subash chandra bose at  the age of 15 devoured  into the writings of Swami Vivekanandha.  He even ran away to become a monk. But the swamiji of the ashram said that his destiny was different.  Gandhiji , nehruji, all of them were inspired by swami's writings. Sister niveditha was starting schools , inspired by his teaching .He met jamshedji Tata on the ship during one of his journeys and they spoke about the future of science and technology in India . The seed for IISc was sown during that conversation. Swami had motivated Jagdish Chandra bose  to start ...

Gift of love from a young girl I have a  letter box outside my room where anyone can drop letters . I open it personally , keep it confidential and take necessary action . This morning there was a pretty long letter from a twelve year old . She had written about her grandparents, about how I was her father's first teacher etc ( I have been at Rajendra for more than  three decades , and we have our Alumni  admitting their children at our school now !) . These lines touched my heart  " Mam, I come and stand outside your cabin many times. But you are always busy" . And today I called her to my room and she spoke nonstop about her family, about how she has saved 150rs to buy gift for her mother's birthday etc . She has recently lost her grandmother ( who used to tell her stories ) and was emotional when she shared her moments with her . And she expressed her wish to learn veena( my children's day surprise for them ) . This deep yearning to learn  move...

At 77 she is still reading , listening to audio books and sports her cheerful smile despite the many health challenges that daunt her. When  I visited her at her chennai home ( in dec 2024) she was wearing a self-designed maxie made from her soft cotton saree . And a pull over from her pure silk saree ( in pic) . I have always admired her ingenuity!  She is Meera athai , my mother-in-law's cousin sister .They grew up together ,  studied in municipal high school , Tiruchengode.  She was married at the age of seventeen. As he two sons started going to school, her husband late Dr.Ramanathan( he was the director at karur vysya bank ) noticed her passion for studying and supported her to complete her graduation. She went on to do her doctorate as well .  She worked as a professor in Loyola college teaching  American and European literature to students.  I fondly cherish the books she has gifted my son when he was young.  " Shakespeare for ...

How can Simple Habits Can Transform Your Life? Read on... Have you ever watched a sunrise and felt its calmness settle over you? Or noticed how seasons arrive right on cue, year after year? Nature has a rhythm. A steady, grounding beat that keeps everything in sync. But somehow, in the rush of daily life, we often lose sight of our own rhythm. Our days become a blur of alarms, deadlines, and screens, and we forget that, deep down, we’re all connected to a natural cycle. This inner rhythm is called the circadian rhythm. It’s like an internal clock that helps our bodies know when to wake up, eat, and rest. By tuning into this rhythm, we can bring a little bit of nature’s balance into our lives. Here are a few gentle habits to get us started. Rise with the Morning Light There’s something deeply refreshing about waking up early, especially between 4:30 and 6:00 a.m., a time known as Brahmamuhurtham. It’s a peaceful window when the world is still quiet, and our minds are natural...

This morning during our school assembly, I took a moment to appreciate the children who celebrated a Green Diwali by choosing not to burst firecrackers. I asked them how they used the money they would have spent on crackers, and their answers were wonderful. Some said they donated to old age homes, others saved it for future class trips, and a few bought plants and some even gifted it to others. Each response was thoughtful and heartfelt. To add to the conversation, I shared a little conversation between two boys, Ram and Shyam. Ram celebrated Green Diwali, avoiding crackers entirely, while Shyam argued that if people stopped buying crackers, it might harm the livelihoods of those small children who work in the firework industry. I asked the children, “If you were Ram, how would you respond to Shyam?” One of our 8-year-olds stepped forward and said, “If we don’t buy crackers, they don’t have to make them.” Such a simple, profound response! This child captured the essence of...