Cambodia Travel Log - The Way I See It

I could not express further how awesome Cambodia was to us during our short vacation on end of June'16. Definitely its a must-visit holiday spot just to dive in some historic filled laid-back place.

Just to make my vacation more memorable one, I have compiled few 'picture alphabets' that i picked up along the 4 days vacation. Ideally, I planned to snap a scene/item that resembles a letter from the alphabet; but in reality, it is pretty hard to find items for certain letters. Nevertheless :

AMOK - NO! it doesnt mean rampage or whatsoever. Its a chicken/fish dish sauted in creamy coconut sauce with certain Khmer Spices like Kampot peppers, lemongrass etc.. Certainly tasty but the coconutish flavor gets deep into your throat. This dish is the first Cambodian dish and probably the most i have eaten throughout the holiday. The friendly tour guide of ours, showed us a good eatery spot with some reasonable price.

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BABAW - I had this rice porridge during my last day holiday in Cambodia; Phnom Penh to be spesific, as my breakfast. Hearty and felt wholesome. This was the most Cambodian flavors that i can take at that time to feel equally as a Cambodian and a satisfied tourist to keep me going for a long journey in Phnom Penh. Filling indeed!

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CHOEUNG EK - One of the memorable places that I have visited. Till this time now i still can recall  each bit of it. This killing fields screams EVIL-HORROR-SAD-TRAGIC all together. It has a stupa filled with nearly 5000 human cranials in 17 storey high acrylic glass 'cabinet'. During our fun trip to Cambodia, this was the only place that folded in deep sense of sympathy to Cambodians who were the victims of Khmer Rouge army force. I did not go to the Tuol Sleng Museum which was near the city, but this trip to The Killing Field was more than enough. Bones were everywhere in this place. Not a place for the soft hearted! 

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DANCE THEATRE / Robam Tep Apsara - The most easiest way to feel Cambodian at a instant. Haha!! With just USD12 entry (this was considered to be medium class show; there are more expensive ones than this), we got ourselves various dance shows of Cambodian culture and a whopping variety of Khmer food buffet to smack your lips. We had our Apsara Dance show at Kulen II Restaurant in Siem Reap after city leisure time; in which was a good ending to our first night in Cambodia. A wholesome experience!

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EL CHE - Now this is not and never can be Cambodian symbolism. This picture was taken during my night out in the legendary Pub Street a.k.a. the street where you find least Cambodians and most white folks. Tourism in Cambodia had force flooded huge range of foreigners idealism and influence into the nightlife of Siem Reap; which made the name and reputation of the street as equally iconic as ElChe. When i stumbled upon this random wall art, it only reminded me the Cambodian equivalent of revolutionist and radicalist Pol Phot. Read about them; you will find certain things in common.

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FUNKY BUDDHA - As you see it, you only can imagine a hipster with a weed in his hand painting this. LOL. A sudden eye candy within the Old Market of Siem Reap which you can find alot of things for alot of needs. The image of Buddha (Bayon style artistry) with a modern twist is one of the artisty besides wood carving, hand made jewelries and etc that you can find around Siem Reap.

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GARUDA - Now this guy is as famous as Michael Jackson in Cambodia. Its all over the Siem Reap City where the symbolism of eagle-head man (as depicted in Hindusim) can be found on shirts, buildings and certain artistry. The old Khmer beliefs was based on mostly Vishnuism (as i see it) with tiny bits of Saivism. Then, of course later blurred by Buddhism and its various sects. Now, the new practice of Cambodian people are Buddhism with little hints of these icons.

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HOTEL BUS - Yes! You read it correctly. This one i strongly recommend to those who love to experience new things. Its a bus with sleeping facilities (with pillows and mattress)  that takes you to destination that has long travel hours. We departed from Siem Reap for Phnom Penh using this. Many said the road will be bumpy, the driver will be hasty and gonna take alot of time (6-7 hours indeed); but my journey only took 4.5 hours with smooth ride. P/s : smelly tourists, unforseen foreign sleeping partner, firm mattress with sandy 'finishing' are some of the heads up i can give you if you are about to travel in one of these.

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INFECTION - No, not HIV or anything similar! I had terrible insect bites despite of the few mosquito repellent patches whilst i got my foot massaged in a massage parlor. Beware of any types of infections though!

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JAMBIE RED SEED - Now, this was tripping me off. When i was a kid, this thing called Jambie Seed (in Bahasa Melayu, we call it biji saga) was usually found in abundance in our school compound. Not knowing what to do with it, the girls will be collecting this for one of their games. Surprised to see the seed turned into a hand made neck piece which was priced at USD 25. Hahahaha! One man's trash is another man's treasure!

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KHMER -CHAM WAR - This was an amazing detailed painting of the depiction of Khmer-Cham War. I saw this enormous painting in the Angkor NAtional Museum, and every bit of the painting were explained by our tour van driver @ tour guide Mr Sithol. He was so proud to say that, the Khmer won over the Chams (Mostly native Muslims) back then. Im pretty sure he wasnt one of the Chams.

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LADYBOY - I thought they only exist in Thailand or something. It caught me by surprise when i saw crossdressers in the middle of Siem Reap Night Market. I was watching what they got to offer for sometime (FOC! woohoo) and noticed how 'soft' they were with their super high heels and overmakeup faces with revealing clothes. They were doing seductive dance moves with each other and groping asses; they even had a bid fan just to blow off their mini skirts, just to make it extra spicy. It looked pretty saddening though. To impress the crowds by impersonating as some one else. 

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MASSEUSE - Back in Cambodia, I had everyday foot massage; not because I'm tired, but because of it is cheap. There were 1 dollar massage, 2 dollar massage all over. But if you are thinking of a relieving good massage, then you might want to really survey before you opt for it (can be pricy though). Few massuese that me and my friends had were all came with their own tragic stories. Sick parents, cheated by husband, single mom of 3 at the age of 24, and so many more. Nevertheless, they get a minimum wage of USD70 or less in a month. Hmmmm.. Sounds like corporate exploitation in a third world country with strong cultural heritage *should ring a bell to some*

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NATIONAL PRIDE - This is really funny to me. Beer is their national pride. But is not a joke when I say you can get cheap free flow beers here. The night life in Siem Reap is just as similar as you can find in many other developed city with huge tourists crowd, various street foods and cafes/bars. 

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ORKHUN - It means Thank You in Khmer. The one and only pronunceable, memorable word in Khmer for me. I had my 'special' Khmer class from a waiter @ footballer who was so attached in serving us for a coffee break we had in Siem Reap (Temple Bakery in Pub Street). When i use it to acknowledge some anonymous Cambodian, they went all smiley and happy. 

TIPS : learn some local language if you are a tourist. Makes a difference.

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PLAYFUL KID - This kid was feeling F-A-B-U-LOUS when he knew I am taking a random photo of him. Saw him when I finished a little tour around Angkor Wat (which in fact, a must see in Cambodia) about 9am and then heading to have some breakfast. The kid was playing happily with his fellow buddies. Even though the food was under the par, it was a quiet an experience. 

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QUENCH - This was awesome. Super cheap fresh juices around the streets with varieties of sweet local fruits and the common ones. Really helpful during hot day time or just when you feeling like slurping some smoothies. 

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RATANAKIRI - The Ratanakiri Coffee is native to Cambodia from Ratanakiri Province (which by the way also beautiful place worth to visit - I just googled it). I bought this coffee with little bit of price cause the smell of it is just so heavenly. A good way to support local products.

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SILK MARKET - Cambodia is one place that screams cheap shopping; for those who are good at bargaining. A little tip is, get yourself shopping very early in the morning (esp in Siem Reap), because they believe in a thing called 'morning luck'. You can even find equally cheap outfits in Phnom Penh Night Market too. 

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TUK TUK - You cannot resist to travel around in Siem Reap/Phnom Penh without one of these. Gets you to places in just 2-4 USD (and of course, only if you know how to bargain). Windy and bumpy ride across the city is one hell of a experience. Some drivers will 'allure' you to take their ride by pestering you or following you wherever you go.  Sometimes they even get too pushy till you just give in by taking their service. Hmmmm -_-"

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USD -  Ohhh yeesss! Everything in Cambodia priced at USD. Depending on what exchange rate that you are currently having, this could be a curse or blessing that will determine how you will be spending in Cambodia. I spent almost USD 300 in total for all of my activities, lavish foods, tour guide, Tuk Tuk rides and entry fees to some tourist spots in Cambodia (3 days in Siem Reap and a day in Phnom Penh).

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VIVA MEXICO - A catchy Mexican themed restaurant in Siem Reap & Phnom Penh with decent foods and definitely friendly waitresses. Its perfect spot to hang out while having a long chat with you buddies, serve the net (ie update a blog ;P) or just take a moment to just observe the surrounding and indulge in the atmosphere. But, yeah there a lot of bars. cafes around in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh just like this. 

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WOODEN RONEAT - In Malaysia, we have similar form of musical instrument which is apart of Gamelan. This one made of wood.  I was knocking on it pretending I was a perfect Roneat player whilst waiting for my friends to finish their shopping. I have witnessed it being played during my visit to The Cambodian Cultural Village

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Quantifying God

 

Hindu. I was born into it. like so many other Hindus.

the one that right next to me who am I working with, he was born into a Muslim family. not so great piece of information; realizing the fact that many other born into some sort of different religion.

 

being born in different religion, some claims that The One is in singular form. some claim he/she/it is in the plural form. He is omnipotent, omnifarious, omniscient, omnipresent and a lot more weird word that could be used to describe the Great one; like we know it.

 

the whole idea of describing God is gross.  don't you think that it is utterly pathetic to declare that you 'know' Him, given that: you never met him, zero knowledge of his whereabouts, clueless on his looks, behavior, sense of morale & characters. people are fighting over centuries just to declare that they have more profound knowledge on God than anybody else. just ponder about it. all those wars, massacres, suicidal threaths etc, just to reinstate what THEY THINK IT IS RIGHT. they think they know Him. they think they follow Him. they claim that they are His obedient & pious (or should I say vicious) earthlings.

 

with the religion system being very much secondarily passed onto others, people do not have ANY clue the actual/real/ultimate truth about God. we recognizes God as what our parents told us. as what those preachers illustrated to us. as what described in holy books. ironically, very few of us get to experience God by ourselves, despite all these guiding sources. those holy crappy theory that says "you need a river to guide you to the vast ocean" idea is what we human believe to achieve. we want to get to God based on what it has been pictured to us.

 

fluffy clouds-filled heaven, white tall figure of God, ungodly bass voice that entice you (im thinking of a male's voice, but yah you can picture it as anything you want) .... those are the pictures that pops in your head that YOU WISH TO SEE the first thing when you are dead. how many of us beg to differ on that? how many of us think out of the box for once? we are so afraid to let go what we know in search of what we should know. more or less, we are 'cultivated' to scripted plot of being born as human- living a life- ultimate purpose-death-afterlife. and happens to be that, throughout the years of living, we realize greatest piece of knowledge at the very brink of our death. too late to dwell in it.  all those information that we know about religion are scripted with some reference to holy books and things that great sages/prophets/messengers told us IN WHICH could have diverted very much from what they originally conveyed over the freaking thousands of years.

 

 

recently in Malaysia, there was this huge hype on Mr Zakir Naik (just google about him) coming to Malaysia and preaching about the differences of religions and how Islam prevail to be the only ultimate religion. isn't that funny? I might believe it if the Holy Prophet himself come and preached it rather than a bookworm who reads-it-all preached  and claims that he found the Answer. we can say that he (and many other religious preachers of different sects) did not met God face-to-face in the first place. even if he did, he will not be telling everyone to abandon the religion that you believe in and start to follow some other religion. basically you do not have to. Jesus did not do it. Muhammad did not do it. Even Buddha didn't. during the time they exists, they did not come across Hindu-Islam-Jewism-Christianity-Buddishm at the same location.  Even If they did, they had the immense self-enlightenment to foresee all the religion only leads to one purpose; one God.

 

we fail to recognize that piece of knowledge. we fail to decipher that the small truth behind all of those thousands of pages of the holy books actually dictates, Him as in  only in ONE form. The One. Singular. Distinctive.

just like a coin with two sides. So singular yet plural in perspective.

maybe, just maybe, the four headed brahma is also The Ra himself. maybe too Allah. or perhaps, He was in the form of Muhammad/Buddha/Jesus. we would not have any clue to say "It Cant be". we will never know. as it always meant to be. just like HE intended in all of the creation.

 

 

and yeah, here we are trying to "understand" his creation. claiming to "know" him. quantifying him yet in the first place failed to embrace the purpose of human existence. just like fitting in jigsaw puzzle with no picture in it. stupid maybe?

 

religion is self journey. self realization is key to spiritualism that all religion preaches.

haha! what a paradox. we have so many holy books preaching stories but yet, not one triggered the Ultimate Truth to anybody. and perhaps, if it would have; well maybe I am just not aware of it. Just like the other 7.4 billions of crooked-heads roaming on the Earth.

 

 

Life & Feedback Control Loop

optimism is self amplifying feedback loop

being as an engineer, we were thought about theories, concepts and things. of course most of it end up in junk box. one of the subject that i was fascinated about was Control Theory. the subject is about theories on how to control mechanical robots/equipment just by the means instrumentatio/electrical or in laymen term, automatically.

what is amazing about Control theory is, just some weird looking math formulas and concepts that can ACTUALLY move things and do things for us. cool aite??

control theory is extremely vast knowledge; and not to mention its application varies from aviation to mechanical automation.

cutting things short, one basic concept of control theory (or one of the basic concept) is feedback control theory. feedback theory in short is comparing current value/parameter with desired/setpoint value/parameter, and making continuous adjustment till current parameter (almost) equivalent to setpoint value.

so feedback theory tries to eliminates the error produced by certain chemical/mechanical process to operate machinery, equipment to be in desired range. to me, it really sounds like a philosophical life lesson. imagine the 'System' if the picture above as 'LIFE' and substitute 'Controller' with 'Attitude' and 'Sensor' with 'Realisation'. makes pretty perfect sense isnt?

now this is so nerdy; i know.. but when you realise things that revolves around you, constantly teaching you positive matters, it is totally up to our consciousness to accept it ; or even embrace it. its so positive to reflect our deeds, to look back what we have done wrong and start a revolutionary or perhaps motivating routine that will keep the dharma fire burning!

that thinking my friend, is the million dollar attitude that winners possess :D

Yendharo' Mahaanu Bhaavulu

as usual, listening to music and passing the ticking clock again. Youtube is great. comedy, tears, sickening stuffs to magical moments. it has everything. its like a library of emotion that most want to show off to others. to me Youtube opens up possibilities of you learn stuffs. good and bad.

awesome rendition of classic kirtana.. be sure of listening to it!

recently i came across a beautiful video of carnatic-contemporary fusion. its all originated in India, where people do mashups of music world just to see whether its working. LOL. and guess what, IT IS WORKING~!

this spesific piece is using Telegu kirtana as the lyrics with guitars and what not, in which the contemporary element comes in. the song is entitled as Entharo Mahanu Bavulu (There are so many Mahaans). It is said Sage Thyagaraja created the song after came in person with lots of gurus, sages, and mesmerised by them.

what caught into me was, even a music genius of his time could feel modest to very ground till he creates a song and dedicate his bhakti (devotion)  to them. it is simply amazaing a guy with much knowledge could even admit that he does coexist with greater men. in WHICH, most men would not admit. we men, mostly think we are the greatest this alive. we think the world revolves around us. EGO. BOASTFUL. NOT GOOD.

the first line of the kirtan reads :

Yentharo mahaanu baavulu, anthariki vandhanamulu

there are so many Mahaans, to all my salutations

it is very rare that a man would agree or accept another man's wit and intelligence at ease. there is always the 'gate' of egoism that block us. the idea of Sage Thyagaraja himself felt so modest really made me thinking, how many of us feel modest and grateful of being surrounded by intelligent people? how many of us does not feel jealous of another man's knowledge..? and how many of us try to respect and learn positive things from a greater man with humble heart?

thing to ponder...

Bakti Pop : Pure Genius Or Utterly Bad Mashup?

I am not sure of what you know about the internet, but it is definitely opens up your damn world into vast land. few years back, I've came across a new sort a music; Bakti Pop.

its like a massive fusion of two unmet world. "Carnatic-sized Devotional Tamil Songs" meets pop rock culture of the west.

it is exactly like dipping Vanilla Egg Pudding into Sriracha sauce for no reason. that would be the metaphor suitable for the fusion of these two world.

it is utterly genius; i feel, when you rejuvenate old carnatic fashion into much more happening nowadays tunes. or in some cases, trying to put devotion in a very authentic and revolutionary way; to

many would argue this is pure violation  and disgrace to the original song. but for me it sounds pure devotion. its like, you express your pure devotion by what you know.

check out these comments that i came across, all while im enjoying fusion attempts by Susheela Raman and some by Music Mojo and Coke Studio in Youtube.

here are some of my favorites.. there are whole lot of variety, but these are most talked/commented. indulge #purejoy #soulmusic #revolution

maybe we should enjoy what is there more, than we put all our forces to fight for petty things #justAthought :P

Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.  Plato

Praying To Myself

if i pray for something now, would i definitely register my wish to His Must-Do-List or just as a placebo for me to calm the shit down?

having said enough about religion and its mystical order of things, homosapiens came to a desperate point where it makes perfect sense for anyone to do anything to achieve everything. 

drinking holy-blessed liquid, slaughter a living creature, poke needles through dolls, take a ritualistic aura cleansing bath and so on... from money to 'honey', u name it, peoples always  wish for things, and will pray for those things to happen.

so i got a question.. what will happen if we pray? what just happen there? of course all of the psychologists have a lecture to brief you about how prayer works, but, YOU as a die hard devotee of religion, what do you expect when you pray?

is it like, u just assume everything will fall into the right places? or is it like God listens to you and will deliberate the correct path for you? or at least, what is actually made you think the prayer through religion is effective solution?

something is missing aite? it make perfect sense to me when you say "Im praying to myself" rather than "Praying to God", because when you pray to yourself, you are telling the power in you to work things right, put things in order for you to achieve the prayer. 

for me, when you pray; pray to yourself, it is like reinstating of what you should do, recollect things that is under your control and put that to work. for example, i pray for a BMW car; automatically we would know what to do to get a BMW car. our logical mind tells us that. and if we put forth determination and unquestionable efforts, we would slowly heading to a path where, you would be pressing the accelerator pedal on your luxurious BMW.

the power to own things is right there in our very own 1.3 kilogram brain.

maybe that is the boring part after all. where even thinking the idea that we should 'WORK for it' is already tiring and hence we rather skip the logical reasoning and opt for more 'spiritual' or 'holisitic' approach of praying, where we 'blindfoldedly' believe that when you pray (without hardwork) it will be totally all right.

"a person of own consciousness and logical mind, does not need a Holy book or a religion to preach him on what to do."

-vijendran b

all i'm trying to say is, pray more honestly to your self. ask your self the rationale. tell yourself on what to do. drown yourself with positive thoughts. gratitude and be humble of what's under you. and of course always put sincere efforts to everything and all will just fall right in its place.. like a universe-synchornised-harmonius jigsaw :D

Smoky Woman

recently i have stumbled upon a level-headed short film titled Meesai. to say level headed could be little misleading; but the truth is it feeld like tight slap on plump face.

i dont know of what purpose cigarettes were created in the first place. what was the first person who created the cigarettes was even thinking? burning materials into ashes and sucking in the smoke creates a warm cozy  feeling, and that is worth spreading around? or it just caught up as a sensation?

a-n-y-how...  this chemical filled 'phallus' that we are inhaling, subliminally created its own standard of gentlemen-hood. from that, it creates a clan made of the like-minded gentlemen. it gave class, manners and even some sense of power.

however when comes to smoking, there is a issue of gender that vaguely transform the whole matter into issue of morality. when guy does it it is totally negligible, but one see a lady pumping her lungs to inhale chemical fogs, BAM!!  there you have it; a deviant adamant creature. conservative society directly labels such women as a person with lack of morality and all sort of crap.

does a phallus all it takes to even smoke? or is it the fairer sex must not smoke?

thing to ponder...

Needy Woman, Greedy Woman

in a world where gender equality is in bloom, let us not discriminate women in such cheap manner.

  think equality, preach equality and practice equality.

The 'Kanavan' Conundrum (2/3)

(continuation from The 'Kanavan' Conundrum 1/3)

in Indian arranged-marriage practice, family gets the priority to choose the bride/groom. in most cases, consent from bride/groom is just a trivial peremptory head nod. 

regardless of his character (good or bad), Tamil culture urges woman to soulfully accept their spouse and indirectly tells them to live with 'it'. from fable of Nalayani to Sangam culture of Kannaghi, monogamy is a part of Tamilians practices (whether true or false, it up to your discretion) 

now, imagine a persona who is a young Hindu virgin. being taught of that marriage is life's ultimate goal. sentimental and psychological warfare of the society towards the virgin to get married fast and accept any kind of husband only after the family/relatives consent. the persona in poem is grudged over the feeling to accept unknown guy as her spouse.

She enters temple during the festival of Navarathri, looking at majestically adorned Goddesses. with hope of getting good husband she prays to the three Holy Sumanggali (married woman); however her mind ponders, could any of these Goddesses grant her wish, taking into account that their own spouse themselves are not in perfect nature (though being Almighty!)

thinking all that in her cluttered mind, she decided to just accept 'whatever' that will come in future :D

indulge.... 

புருஷ லட்ச்சனம் - PURUSHA LATCHANAM

varna malargal
வர்ண மலர்கள்
ayiram mantiranggal
ஆயிரம் மந்திரங்கள்
nei vilakughal-udan mupperum theviyargalai
நெய்  விளக்குகளுடன், முப்பெரும் தேவியர்களை
pottri paadum kanniyargal,
போற்றி பாடும் கன்னியர்கள்
urughi valibaadum onbathu iravughal
உருகி வழிபாடும் ஒன்பது இரவுகள்


kuruthi kasiyum sathaigalai unna marutthal
குருதி கசியும் சதைகளை  உண்ண மறுத்தல்
muundru theivangalaiyum pottri paaduthal
 மூன்று தெய்வங்களையும் போற்றி பாடுதல்
onbathu iravukkum kolu vaitthal
ஒன்பது இரவுக்கும் கொலு வைத்தல்
alaviilla bakthiyudan vaenduthal
அளவில்லா பக்தியுடன் வேண்டுதல்
ivai yaavum seithu vara, tirumanam kittum yena, amma sonnaal..
இவை யாவும் செய்து வர,  திருமணம் கிட்டும் யென அம்மா சொன்னால்..


sattru neram manam urughi vendum pothu
சற்று  நேரம் மனம் உருகி வேண்டும் போது
yevvitha kanavan vendum-yena naan yosittaen...
யெவ்வித கணவன் வேண்டும்யென நான் யோசித்தேன்...
paazhil uuri, panatthil puralum kaarmegha polivudan,
பாலில் ஊறி, பனத்தில் புரலும் கார்மேகக் பொலிவுடன்
paampanayil palli kondey paatha sevai ketkum
பாம்பனையில் பல்லி கொன்டே  பாதசேவை  கேட்கும்
irupennai manam seithavanai pol vendam!
இருபெண்ணை மணம் செய்தவனை போல் வேண்டாம்!


pothiya arivu sirantha kalvi irupinum,
போதிய அறிவு, சிறந்த கல்வி இருப்பினும்
uunathirku oppaagha vinothamaai naanghu talaiyudan,
ஊனதிற்க்கு ஒப்பாக வினோதமாய் நான்கு தலையுடன்
arpa pughalukku poi pughalntha oruvan vendam!
அற்ப புகழுக்கு பொய் புகல்ந்த ஒருவன்  வேண்டாம்!


sambaal puusi, idukaadu kadanthu,
 சாம்பல் பூசி,  இடுகாடு  கடந்து,
avvappothu agoramaai , kaiyaenthi tirinthu kondey,
அவ்வப்போது அகோரமாய் , கையேந்தி திரிந்து கொண்டே
thirumudiyil poo ondru, mathi ondru, pen ondru-yena maraithu
திருமுடியில் பூ ஒன்று, மதி ஒன்று, பெண் ஒன்றுயென மறைத்து,
ooraar kisu-kisu pesum padi vaazhum kanavanum enakku vendam!
ஊரார் கிசு கிசு பேசும் படி வாழும் கணவனும் எனக்கு வேண்டாம்!


thattam veetil purusha latchanam ippadi irukkaiyil,
தத்தம் வீட்டில் புருஷ லட்ச்சனம் இப்படி இருக்கையில்
entha theviyaridam, naan kai kuuppi ketpen?
எந்த தேவியரிடம் , நான்  கை கூப்பி கேட்பேன்?
arpa ulaghil siranthavan irupaan-yena yenni,
அற்ப உலகில் சிறந்தவன் இருப்பான்யென யெண்ணி
maangalya baaghyam tharuvaayena kettaal taghumo?
மாங்கள்ய பாக்கியம் தருவாயென கேட்டால் தகுமோ?


shristikkum naanmughan, pothiya nalla aanmaghanai padaikkavillaiya?
சிருஷ்டிக்கும் நான்முகன், போதிய நல்ல ஆன்மகனை படைக்கவில்லையா?
alla, muuvulagilum siranthavan yarenum illaiya?
அல்ல, மூவுலகிலும் சிறந்தவன் யாரேனும் இல்லையா?
vanthavan eppadi irunthaalum,
வந்தவன் எப்படி  இருந்தாலும்
aravanaithu sevai seivaithey
அரவனைத்து சேவை செய்வதே
pennin tharmam (vithi)!
பெண்ணின் தர்மம் (விதி)!


manjal kunkumam yena
மஞ்சள்  குங்குமம்யென
maangalyam saubaagyam yena
மாங்கள்யம் சௌபாக்கியம்யென
pathi bakthi kartpai kaattu
பதிபக்தி கற்பைக்  காத்து
tavamum sevaiyum seithu
தவமும் சேவையும் செய்து
sarvam irai avan oruvaney
சர்வம் இறை அவன் ஒருவனே
vantha kanavan pokkatthavan-ayinum
வந்த கணவன் போக்கத்தவனாயினும்
avan paathamey gathi deva deva!
அவன் பாதமே கதி தேவதேவா!

please feel free to comment or give feedback or correct the grammar/poem itself. do send your valuable comments :D
ps : pictures attached for illustration purpose only :-)

The 'Kanavan' Conundrum (1/3)

marriage in modern terms has become a thing of style; it is a trend for marking social statuses with intricate ceremonies/rites and lavish reception. for Indian society, marriage is a huge constitution worth thousands of dollars in which most Indian family put it as a 'life's goal'. most will understand by the cheesy term of 'settling down'. marriage is exaggerated as if it a liberation for happy life.

being as complicated as it is, women is a core 'center piece' of marriage. especially Indian marriages. with the rules and rites that one must follow, it does not stops right there. the regulations and social conduct on 'how woman should behave' after marriage also pre-destined on woman's fate.

since the times of Mahabrata till now, i would say, women are regarded as baby-making-machine and less traces of self respect is given. in Indian cluster, freedom of woman ends with humble notion of Thaali/Mangal Sutra. it is very hard for Indians to look at women as equal to men. worst to say, maybe in any other culture too.

Women fast for betterment of children and husband. they only allowed to marry once. re-marrying is considered filthy. dowry seem to be 'predetected price listings with social status'. they wear Thaali, they wear pottu as a sign of belonging of another man. to me all these seems like psychological arrest to show inferiority to a man.

being clutched in such manners, women are not encouraged to go out on her own accord without husbands regards. in total contrary, men as husbands don't fast for women, able to remarry or practice polygamy without social distress. more we talk, the more we will digest it as double standard-ness.

People tend to barricade a woman's freedom and here life after marriage totally changes into new perspective. Society puts mental pressure on woman that, they are bound to their husband no matter how corrupted he is. talking about that, a perfect example come to my mind. The story of Nalayani.

" It is stated that in an earlier birth as Nalayani (also named Indrasena), she was married to Maudgalya, an irascible sage afflicted with leprosy. She was so utterly devoted to her abusive husband that when a finger of his, dropped into their meal, she took it out and calmly ate the rice without revulsion. Pleased by this, Maudgalya offered her a boon, and she asked him to make love to her in five lovely forms. As she was insatiable, Maudgalya got fed up and became an ascetic. When she remonstrated and insisted that he continue their love-life, he cursed her to be reborn and have five husbands to satisfy her lust..." 
- source -                    -click here for more on Nalayani -

the character of Nalayani that appears in Holy scriptures urges woman to become a total devotee to her husband although even he is a leprosy-affected bad tempered guy who gave no pleasure to his wife. that kind of sentimental threat is pressured every now and then on woman, among Indians especially.

though there are men fights for gender equality, rites and practices that undermine woman still exist. what we need is, challenge the old conservative practices with questions. give fresh thoughts to withering old thinking and start to view life from a new perspectives. rites and rituals should reflect our civilization and not our close mindedness.

புதியதோர் உலகம் செய்வோம்

ps : pictures attached are for illustration purpose only. feel free to comment and criticize.

Lonely nights & Sweet Memories

imagine being parted from your sweetheart. life seems like passing through meaningless days and hours. every portion of your routine seems to be lifeless. that is when the memories of fresh love will spur your mind. 

imagine experiencing lonely nights. everything seems to be incomplete. sense of detachment. until you see something around that will trigger your memories about her. could be a mug, lamp, a SMS or even pillow. random things with numerous reminiscence.

this poem written in Tamizh dedicated to all lovers with lonely nights.my attempt on Tamizh poem done with Paint (could be a great Goodnight SMS too  :P ). indulge :-)

ularntha thendral

  kalaintha nitthirai

    veghu tuurathil nilavu

      madi saaya talai anai

        aayiram kurai-yodu iravu iruppinum

          un ninaivu ondrey santhosha kanavadi!

photo :http://solitarysailing.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-nights-tale.html