Navotsavam 2014- Shreya Ghoshal's concert

Navotsavam 2014

I enjoyed Navotsavam 2014 by dipping myself in the most melodious voice of India- Ms. Shreya Ghoshal. The auditorium was full and extra chairs were put. Shreya gave an entrance on stage after the singer Rishikesh of her team sang 2 songs including Galiyan there Galiyaan. He has a good voice.

Shreya started off with Sunn raha hai na tu.. We could only hear her voice but she was not on stage. after singing 2 verses, she made her apperance on stage  dressed in a creamy white and pink Anarkali. I must definitely admit that she is an awesome singer. Songs that followed were all the super duper hits of hers from the film Jism, I hate love stories, Happy new year (this song she sung the first time on stage), Barfi and many more.

She also sang 3 tamil songs- Munbe va en anbe va, Ninaithu ninaithu parthal, Mannipaya.She thanked A R Rahman ji for the most renowned composition "Munbe va". She mentioned that that particular song was enjoyed by people who did'nt even knew Tamil.
She also mentioned an indicident from her past. When she was in her teens, she bought this casette from her local market and it the casette had to be repaired in a week's time listening to it all time. that Casette was none other than "Roja"

 
Some songs from her album were also performed like "teri meri".

She had great energy levels and they way she connected with her audience was really good. the Audience sang with her the songs.She rendered a medley of old Hindhi songs which she liked the most.

The 5 Major priorities in Life

Hi All,

I feel the below mentioned things are the 5 main things in life. When we handle these things fine, one can be called a successful person.Its not money, fame or  popularity..These may vary for every indivudual, but one must definitely realise what is really important for them in life, prioritise accordingly to be HAPPY in life.

To me the five main most important things in life are Family, Health, Passion, Friends and Work. I also prioritize them in the same order. It has taken 20 long years for me to prioritize them.

1. Family
  No one can tell they are an independant  indivudual. This is one of the main lesson that everyone will learn in life. We come in to this world with the help of someone, whom we later call as our mother and we have all the relationships as webs that hold us together and make an indivudual out of us. The major part is played by our family. They mold is into what we are by playing akey role. they teach us to love or hate.  So, the major priority is our family. We need to spend time and take the best care of them. They are the emotional vibrations of us.

2. Health
 One thing which cannot be recovered once lost is our health. They form the physical vibration. When our body is not fit and listening to our mind, we cannot be active performing anything physically.Maintaining a perfect weight is most important thing. Doing Yoga, Meditation, Pranayamam, Walking, Drinking water, green tea, maintaining a proper diet is most important

3.Passion
 Loving oneself is the first and best thing one must do before he/she starts loving anyone in life. Loving oneself is possible only if we do what our heart tells us to do. For a few its their hobby like photography, traveling, being with friends. For me it is being with energetic people of my wave length, art- painting and drawing, craft works, redecorating my room often, reading books that boost my energy levels, listening to music, watching Romedy now, singing loud, playing key board, Shopping, creating and living in a lively environment. I love to do what my heart tells me to do.

4.Friends
 Friends are one of the pillars of everyone's life. If you dont have a friend, I would say you are the poorest person on earth. You can see a friend in your mom, and every other relation in your life. But friends during various parts of life constitute the major function. Contacts and acquaintances are also equally imporatant. We dont know how, when and where people will help us in various journey of our lives.. Spending time with them will relax your nerves. You can boost your energy levels by simply chatting on various topics and manily you can share things with your friend which you might hide from even your family. Friend is really a gift from God. I love all my friends.

5. Work
People usually ask what do you do for living? And the answer from most of the people is I WORK in  so and so company.I would say work is definitly important but it is always not the most important thing that needs to be given the first priority. Many people who dont realise what they are doing in their lives or those who travel their life without a plan give this priority in reverse from work being the first and family being the last  and I see them mostly fail in life. When your profession is your passion, then there is no need to take this as a priority itself.

All your comments are welcome. I just wrote down whatever came in to my mind. 

Navotsavam -An Awesome Concert by Mrs. Aruna Sairam

Hi,

Enjoyed a  mesmerising treat from Mrs. Aruna Sairam. It was not a usual concert she usually delivers. This was something different. SS International has organised Navotsavam the 3rd time. Mrs Aruna Sairam performed on the day1 of the 9 day programme. The Person who spoke on behalf of SS International gave a good speech about the programme and the Lights were lit by 2 of the sponsers and 3 people among the audience.

When the screen opened, we were suprised to see Aruna Amma sit in the middle as Goddess Saraswathi. There were J.Vadhyanathan sir to play Mirdhangam, Gatam Karthik Sir and A lady to play violin to her Right and 3 men each playing Flute, Sithar and Tabla to her left.Also there were 5 girls to her left seated behind  her and 5 women seated to her right.

She started the concert singing  Sama Gna Lole in Hindholam. Following this song was Punnagavarali- Kanaga Saila Viharini Amba. There were slokas chanted before every song from Lalitha Sahasra Namam. Next, she sang a tamil song- En Thai Nee andro- Meenakshi.

Then came the  Navabarana keerthanai of Muthuswami deekshidhar in Anandha Bhairavi- Kamalalaya

 

Ashtaragamalika adding a virtham in one Raga- making it Nine was an awesome treat to the ears. She started of with Kalayadha kalviyum - Karunai Mathi Thavazhum Jaganmohini- Anandha Bhairavi- Sunadha Vinodhini- keeravani- Kalyani- Ranjani- Devagandhari- Nayagi

Thani Avarthanam by the Mirdhangam- Gatam & Tabla was a visual as well as a delightful treat to the  Eyes and Ears.

A Song on Bhavani- in Sindhu Bhairavi followed by the chanting of Ayigiri Nandhini was beautifully accompanied by Sithar.

Aruna Amma sang the song sung in Calvutta to wake up KaliGhat Kalimatha. She said this ong was sung by 3:30 AM- Jago tumi jago

Following this was a song - I must say a Medley- combining the versus of Adhishankarar with a German song . She shared her experience of visiting a Chapel in Germany built for mother Mary, where entering the Krypt- she felt like singing this song. It was nice to hear this song. She had a key board and guitar accompany her. A saw a wonderful musician within Mrs. Aruna Sairam.

I came with lot of hopes that she will sing her usual songs- some of my favourite numbers. Still, I must say I wasn't diappointed much- for she sang- Bhaktha Jana Vatsale.

A R Rahman Ji's Concert- My first joy listening to Him live in concert

Hi All,

One of the most memorable moment of my life- To see Mr. A R Rahmanji perform in front of me live seated in the gallery of Nehru indoor stadium. Thanks to Viji Akka ( My sister in law) for the Tickets. The Show started by 7 PM. We were within the stadium by 5:45 PM and seated ourselves.

The Show was organised by the News7 Tamil channel where the unique thing was all the news personnel are only the Youth below 25 years of age.

It was worth the wait of  1 Hour 20 minutes.The show started by 7:10. The show commenced with the Nadaswarm and Thavil  accompanymnets. Singer Haricharan and one another started with the tamil Song- "Vanga Machan Vanga"

The Mozrat of Madras gave a stunning entry on a chariot accompanied by people who were dressed like Roman solders all in Golden color. The light effect of the show was awesome.

First Rahman started off singing OOrvasi, accompanied by Karthik. Slowly we had all singers joining the show. We had Swetha Menon sing Netru illadha matram ennadhu. Unnikrishnan perform Ennavalae adi ennavalae. A special mention about this song was made by Rahmanji in the beginning. They paid the song a tribute to the Legend, Mandelin Srinivas sir. The Violin Duos- (Ganesh/Kumaresh) Ganesh started with a wonderful aalap of the Raga and then started Unni krishnan sir and the awesome man on Flute.

Forgive me, I am poor at remembering the names. The one who played Flute, Saxs, Sitar & Veena are really worth a mention. Great Orchestra. There was only one miss I can see. I know it is the hardest thing not to miss the beat while performing Live. Kudos to the team.

The woman who sang the classical Numbers- Kannodu kanbadellam, Narumugaye, Minsara Poove received a standing Ovation. Great voice and great efforts. I really loved and enjoyed her sing.

We had awesome numbers - Sa Re Ga Me, Mukkala Mukkapulla, Aathangara Marame, Mady Mady, Konjam nilavu, A new song from the Movie 'I' are special numbers.

The show ended with a beautiful Medly performance where Rahmanji was awesome on his Keyboard.The show ended successfully with the Jai Ho where all the singers got on stage and ended the show. The show ended by 10:40 and I didnt feel Hunger. Agree with the Great versus " Sevikku Unavu illadha podhu siridhu vayitrukkum EEyappadum"

View of Tamil nadu people about our Ex- Honourable Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha

Hi All,

The current scenario of Ms. J. Jayalalitha being arrested is the talk of the town. I have never written anything in support or aganist any politician. I am not a critic. I was astonished as I witnessed this yesterday evening.

I was on my way to visit golu of one of my hubby's friend. On the way we stopped in a bakery to buy some sweets  and biscuits. A Man walked past the bakery. He was fully drunk. He stopped all of a sudden and started blabbering things.. You can imagine how this scene could have been..

He said, he is the most sorrowful person in Tamil Nadu. He asked himself, " Today my son has a Laptop, My daughter has a cycle to go to school. Am I capable of giving such things to my children? No. Who has taken the money of whom? Its her Money. She has taken. Will I not take care of my Mother? does she not have the right to take money from me? She has. " I Know these are the words of the drunk. But still, I was taken aback how tamil people have gratitude towards their Chief minister!. Such is the weight-age of the Goodness she has done to the people.

How to connect Wifi using your PC internet (BSNL)

Hi All,

I have BSNL broadband connection at home. Yesterday I was wondering how come I will be able to use my PC internet in my mobile? My Wifi was visible in my mobile but was secured. This means I need to know the password to login. Where will I get this password? Was wondering how to get my pass word.

Just a little help of Google! ( As usual &) I was able to connect so.. Here is the  process I followed & I think it can help you as well.

Pre- Requisite:
* You should have switched on your PC & internet
* WLAN of your Modem must blink Green  in addition to Power,DSL,Internet & LAN

Now follow the below steps without any second thought:

1. Open any browser  window in computer when u are connected to modem and
hit 192.168.1.1
2.Enter username and password -default is admin
3. Click Configuration in the left hand side tab & click wireless Network
Here are your password in the Security settings
Network Name (SSID) is the name of the Wi-Fi
WPA Pass Phrase is the password

I was happy. Now turned on the Wi-Fi in my mobile. My mobile detected my BSNL Internet named as in SSID. I gave the WPA Pass Phrase & there I was.! Hurray! Connected & accessing internet!
Thanks to Google & the great minds in the world helping in every little things of life!

Hope this post helps people with similar issue get the issue fixed.. Let me know if I can be of any more help in this area!

Thanks,
Ghayathri

My Mehandhi designs

Here are some of the Mehandi designs I made in the hands of people

Gokulashtami special in the hands of  kids

kids wanted flowers, Peacock and Butterfly

Vinayagar Chathurthi celebrations @ Office 2013

Hi,

Here are the pics of the Vinayagar Chathurthi celebrations in my office. Look at the different types of Vinayakas we made.. Your comments are welcome

Pillayar playing tennis ;)

Utensils Pillayar

CD Pillayar

Pillayar with the leaves

ISKON Temple & Prathyankira Devi temple, Chennai

Hi all,

Again a temple visit within Chennai. 

We planned for a evening trip to the 2 temples which are close to one another.

One- Prathyankira devi temple in the IT expressway linking the OMR and ECR and 

the other- ISKON temple -in the ECR road.

Prathyankira Devi temple , Sholinganallur

The Prathyankira devi temple is situated in the IT expressway linking the OMR and ECR Road. It is very close to the Sholinganallur Signal. There are manu share autos operating from the sholinganallur Signal which will drop you in front of the temple. The temple is visible from the IT expressway. Just 1 minute walk down the street ends in the entrance of the temple. There are lots of shops on either side of the street leading to the temple. You can buy flowers, garlands, Turmeric garland, which is one of the prarthana carried on in the temple.

 

Straight in front of the temple, one can see Varahi, the devi with the face of Varaham (the boar) were people give the turmeric Garland, offer to the Devi and take it back home. Wlaking into the temple, you can see Vinayagar, Nagas, Akasha Lingam, Maha Kali's very tall statue. In the middle is the Prathyankara Devi temple. There was special pooja carried on as that was Full moon day or the Pournami. We had the darshan of the Devi. There are also sepearte shines for the Gayathri devi, Ayyapan, anchaneyar, Mahalakshmi in the praharam/ the surrounding of the Devi. 

The ISKON Temple

The Iskon temple is the temple of My favourite Lord Sri Krishna. ISKON is a renowned movement across the world. One can hear the chanting,

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare"

as you enter the temple premisis. The Temple has a beautiful palace like structure . There is a marble Cow and its Calf in the centre of the temple.

 There are steps on either side. Left one to enter and the right one to exit the temple. Climbing up the stairs one cannot take eyes off the most beautiful paintings on the walls and the story explaining the same below. There are pictures like this along the walls surrounding the entire big hall. In centre is Lord Krishna beautifully dressed with Radha. To the left are the idols of Krishna and Balarama posing a dance posture and to the Right is the Vittal idols

 

 

We had to wait in the centre of the hall awaiting Aarthi. Meanwhile there was a satsangam by one of the preist. He made gave a lecture on the topic of purpose of human life and made us chant the Maha Mantra 108 times giving us a Tulasi garland unitl the Aarthi Began.

We had the aarthi darshan followed by prasad. Had a peaceful evening. There was Book stall and donation stalls along before we got down the steps. It was a divine visit on the whole.

We also had the Anna Prasadam and was back home for the dinner! :)

"Hare Krishna Hare Krishna

Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama

Rama Rama Hare Hare"

Useful Links:

ISKON: http://www.iskconofchennai.org/

This Link gives you the entire details of the temple address, timings contact and other pooja details

Prathyankira devi temple: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prathyangira_Devi_Temple,_Shollinganallur

Mysore Trip, May 31 2014

Mysore is one place famous for lot of things. The Mysore Maharaja Palace,Brindavan, Chamundeeswari temple, Lalit Mahal, Mysore Zoo and more. We visited all the above except the Lalit Mahal

We ( Me and My family) reached Mysore by noon around 1 PM by bus. we bought our Lunch and went to the room which we had booked earlier. We had our Lunch in the room and booked a cab to visit the Brindhavan. By the time we went there it was dusk. So we couldn't see the beauty of the gardens. All we could see was the Light and sound show. We walked over a bridge which must be at least a KM long and crowded with people. Walking to the end was a square setup with all pipes. It was just a 10 minute show where we witnessed water dance with all the lightings. It was awesome to watch it dance for the Bollywood songs  like "Nimuda Nimuda"and ended with patriotic songs like Vandematharam and sare Jahan se.

We watched 2 such shows and walked back to the entrance. The day ended well. The next day we planned to visit 3 places before we catch the bus to Ooty.First we headed straight to the Chamundeeshwari temple in chamundi hills. Had a Good darshan of the Devi and took photographs in front of the temple. Also did some shopping through the streets of the temple, had our Break fast and headed towards the zoo. We also witnessed sight seeing spot where our car driver showed us the view of the entire Mysore from the Chamundi hills. He also showed the Big Nandhi.

We went in to the Zoo which was neatly maintained. I really loved the zoo. We could see lot of birds and animals very close to one another in close proximity that we didnt feel that the walk was tiring. Unlike the Zoos of Vandalur which covers long distance, it wasn't tiring. From one horned rhinosorous to Giraffe to elephants, we saw all herbivorous and carnivorous including different types of snakes.

Post visitng the Zoo, we went straight to the Mysore Palace. We did not have enough time to see the palace fully. Still I was awe stuck seeing the paintings in the walls and the dooms. Also it was wonderful seeing the Dias of the King and his Ministers. the Hall was very broad. It was said that the palace became prey of fire sometime and was rebuilt. There were photographs of the royal family and a wax statue of the last king who ruled Mysore.. This much is all that remember now. ( It had been 2 months now). There was Elephant safari and krishna temple by the side of the palace. But we didnt have time to cover all those. we bought our lunch and headed to room, had our lunch by 4 PM , packed and started to Ooty.. A good day and memory it is..!

Gokulashtami Celebrations 2014

Gokulashtami or the Janmashtami, the Astami thidhi  of the month of August when the Lord Krishna was born is one of the festivals I love celebrating. No wonder where you are, little Krishna just spread through your mind and wash away all the thoughts. Just telling his name gives happiness which no other thing in this world can give.

Singing his name, I forget myself.. Here are some of the pics of Gokulashtami celebrations this year. I went to Guruvayurappan temple in Madipakkam, dressing My Varshu as Radhai. She really is. A pretty little kid. The Anna over the temple had organised the evnt very beautifully. There was Thalam - Lights Lit in front of the sannidhanam. The idols of the Krihns and Radhai on the swing were well decorated.

 

There were a group of  women chanting Vishnu Sahasranamam when we entered the temple. The Sannidhanam was closed. The  Thirumeni was Decorating Krishna with Sandal. We waited listening to the slokas being chanted. Varshini got herself busy making friends with other littele Krishnas and Gopikas (I must say, all the Radhas together form the Gopikas).

The event started when this Anna came in front of the dias  explained the Agenda for the evening. He explained as one of the person over there will be the Vasudevar and he will bring the new born krishna from the karagruha (Prison). the little Gopikas and Krishnas will be with him, followed with people chanting Namavalis. It was a wonderful sight watching this happen.When Vasudevar took the little krishna in to sannidhanam, the sannidhi was opened and Guruvayurappan gave darshan as unni krishna or the little new born krishna dressed

Following this event, we had the Uriadi, where every children was given 3 opportunities to break the pot tied on the tree. 2 children broke and they shared the chocolates in it. Following this, was the Kollatam were one radahai and one krishna danced in adjacent surrounding the lights lit in the temple. It was a very beautiful sight to see the kids dance. The event was gracefull. The evening ended with Aarthi of the lord and the Prasadham distribution. Had a wonderful evening!

What Art tells to human beings?

"Art is Long, while life is short"

This is one famous proverb that I like the most. The artistic forms stands out for centuries even after the people die. What those people wanted to tell the others who follow them or their next generations is depicted in forms of art. These historical marvels stand as proof of what to do in life and what not to. Visiting places of historical importance, reading books where the characters tell a lot about themselves and life, one thing is clear, everyone wants to leave a message to others.

Life can be joy, pain, sorrow, solitude, happiness, jealousy,  envy, ego , desire on the land, precious diamonds / gold or women.. It is all how we define or draw our lives. Life is an art. God gives us an opportunity to Draw or Paint ourselves. Each of us have the freedom to do anything out of our lives. We can become an arrogant individual or a kind angel in our lives. We have the capability to take the form of any form of energy in the universe.

Human beings today have grown to the height that they have achieved Marvels. The science and technology has grown to the extent that the world has shrunk and there is nothing that a human cannot see in this world. Today there can never be a place that can be named uninhabited.We see every place in this place vwith the help of satellite. But still, there are a lot more the world has to give us, the human beings. The mother nature has her wings spread to accommodate all of us.

These thoughts run through my mind this morning, just wondering what I need to build me in to, or draw out of myself and create an art out of me which can stand as a master piece/ how can I be unique.. What message must I leave to this world.. Though not a greedy desire, but everyone will have this one thought when they start realizing things in life..

This post is just a random flow of bits and pieces of thoughts running in my mind..

My First presentation at my company (August 5, 2009)

My first presenatation @ my company

It was August 5th, thursday morning I had scheduled a meeting with the entire CROCS account of about 50 people. About 20 participated. Offshore team from chennai and bangalore and sridhar from onsite and Narendra Mukkala made their presence. The session went on well. I felt myself fluent in English and confident. I made my points clear, though was a bit fast. This was the comment I received. Reading audience's response is a tactic I need to learn, for which I need to speak with lots of people.

I am not good at writing, and I try writing as I keep blogging. I know some day I will refine in writing. I find writing, speaking and presenting yourself are some of the wonderful skills to posses by anyone who needs to be successful.

I have seen A R Rahmanji feeling shy to speak up in Media during his earlier days. But he gradually came out of it. Penning down all your thoughts will help you think and understand much about yourself and correct yourself where ever necessary.

Asking for feed back: I missed asking for feed back from every one. This is one of the area which I felt I must develop

Bhajan sandhya (Sweet memories)

Bhajan Sandhya
Bhajan Sandhya, as the name suggests is the event of the evening. We OSAC, Old students of Chinmaya perform bhajans, singing in praise of the Lord. The idea of the bhajan sandhya to my knowledge was initiated by our Ganesh anna, a CHYK. He has always encouraged us in all spiritual endeavors. So planned, we started this event in our school, performing on the eve of our Gurudev swami chinmayanandha's Aradhana day.

Bhajan Sandhya 2008- The first initiative

This was our first year and we started preparing with the songs we had sung in the school bhajans. This year's bhajan sandhya comprised of songs for all the Gods. We had Tabla and Mridangam accompanying us. The singers as in below photo ( top row- from left: Thushara, viji, karthikeyan, Ghayathri, Hema sri; Bottom row: Harish with mirudhangam, mukunth, aravind, shobana, srinidhi,Sriram and Raghavan)

Bhajan Sandhya 2009

We have our school at srirangam. It has a neat campus with a hanumanji temple. OSAC can be called as a group of friends/ people of similar age group performing deeds. Though the Goals and objectives are yet to be made specific, the path we have walked so far has been great. Personally, I felt happiness being ONE with them, ONE among them.

Learning- I would say are many. Team work, understanding of every indivudual, respect for every person, patience, punctuality, dedication, and the list prolongs.
It helped me understand more about myself and my role as an OSAC. I had the wonderful opportunity to co-ordinate the event- LOGIN.

LOGIN is the summer camp we enjoy every summer with kids. I must say I became one among the little kids enjoying, singing, dancing with them. Nothing mattered to me. I lost the identity of ME. I was ONE with them.

LOGIN gave wonderful brothers and sisters who are all fun to be with. No words to describe the fun and happiness. I cherish all the moments shared with my friends.

The trips to kollimalai, thiru eengoi malai, thirunelvaeli, thiruchendur, kanyakumari are memorable. Special mention here goes to our Swamiji, Ganesh anna who has been a guide for all of us.

Finding out my Passion

Passion ( Drafted in 2010)

Passion- I always hear people say I am passionate about photography, music, art and so on. What is this passion and what characteristics this passion has? What makes you feel you are passionate about it? What does this passion brings to you?? Many such questions throbs my mind when I hear this word passion.

I just googled to see the responses of passion:

Passion ( from Latin verb patior meaning to suffer or to endure) is an emotion applied to a very strong feeling about a person or thing. Passion is an intense emotion compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something. The term is also often applied to a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love. Passion can be expressed as a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion towards a subject, idea, person, or object. A person is said to have a passion for something when he has a strong positive affinity for it. A love for something and a passion for something are often used synonymously.

I am interested in many things. Music, pencil sketching, observing/ admiring art forms. travelling are few of my interests. I am inclided towards more artistic forms. I just forget myself reading historic novles of kalki. I think passion helps a man to know ablut himself. What say?? It helps him discover his likes and dislikes.

My Wall Paintings

Hi All,

Here are the wall paintings I made in my home. Hope you guys like them.

Your comments are welcome!

My Drawings during my school days

Hi Guys,

 Here are some of the drawings made by me during  my school days. Hope you like it. As as always comments are welcome. Have named every pic

The traditional girl

.

Swami Chinmayanandha

The tiny man from the Irish tales

The cursed children getting wings ( from the Irish tales)

My First Manager (Even he doesn't know that I made his portrait)

The Beautiful signs of Lord Krishna (The peacock feather and the Flute)

The King with the Ears of the donkey (From the irish tales)

Lord Shiva and Parvathi

Lord Ganesh