Visit to Temples - Part 1

Whenever I come to Chennai I never fail to visit temples and there are a bunch of them as my favourites. Apart from which i also visit few new temples if time permits....so this time I started with Thiruverkadu SriDeviKarumariAmman Temple & as usual Mangadu Amman Temple.

Thiruverkadu:
This is the first time im visiting this Thiruverkadu temple; although i have been meaning to visit this since very long time (say about 6 yrs).This is very close to Koyembed (Where i stay with my parents).The temple has a busy street filled with shops selling garlands,statues and picture of god & goddess, some devotional things that people believe in like a miniature craddle to tie it on the sacred tree meant for devotees who aspire for child, and the sacred threads to tie it on the sacred tree again thinking that it will fulfill their wishes. You can see such a cute petty shop in the picture below.

The whole street filled with beautifull petty shops that sells similar items.

On entering the main entrance as usual vinayagar welcomes you into the temple,seated beneath the peepal tree along with nagaar statutes both sides of him,now moving to to visit the main deity karumaariamman's gopuram(temple tower) is covered with gold.

Amman is seen as her body being submerged in the earth, and is covered with silver Kavach(kavasam in tamil) which adds more beauty to the goddess.Godess parvati as Eswari just above the head of karumari is seated with four hands. kungumam,viboothi,theertham along with lemon is given as prasadam for the devotees.
Adjacent to the temple a huge anthill is present were people worship amman in from of naaga valli(snake form) . But i didnt happen to see that .

MAangaadu:
This is my favourite temple i have been visiting this temple for the past 10 yrs. Its a great temple and one of the most powerful too. Like others, this temple has a great legend too, you can learn it by googling.

Kamakshi Amman is the main goddess of this temple. Amman is seen in standing posture in the moolasthanam with a Ardhameru sri chakram.Also you can see tapas Kamakshi in the same temple on the other side.

This is the praharam surrounding the moolasthanam fully built with marble which becomes very easy for the people who does Pradhikshanam around the temple.

I have never asked for anything to the Goddess when I pray as per my mother's advise, not to ask for anything to the God , but just her grace. And she will take care of everything about you. I cant really explain how true my mother's words were.

Picture of my parents and my little one standing in the praharam.

Mangadu Amman has showered her graceful blessing on me in many ways for which i owe her so much.

Divine Thought

I have been watching all the tamil channels right since i came here last week. I was really astonished to see so many channels emerged over the past few years. Most of them offer the same kind of programs which seems a little boring after few days of watching them. Yet i do see few interesting programs in some channels.
One of my favourite is the latest TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam) Live Channel which telecasts some of the sevas at the temple live on the channel. The channel also features devotional programmes, bhajans and religious discourses. For people who cannot visit the temple due to various reasons, this channel is really a gift .

One cannot deny the fact that the divine aura attracts millions and millions of devotees across the globe towards Lord Balaji who is the main deity of this Temple. TTd is accredited for being the second richest temple (first being the vattican church) in the world. The devotional activities for the Lord is awe inspiring. The daily Thirumanjanam or Abishegam done to the Lord and his consorts is a feast to our eyes. All the ornaments set and the vessels used for the Lord are made of Gold.
You can see it from the pictures below. Tried to take a snapshot of the live Tv.

This wonderful service live on TV for viewers should be really appreciated. But somewhere in my mind hails a humble opinion that the Lord is being continuously restless. :)) throughout the day which starts as early as 4.00AM and goes till night, with all the pujas and abishegas and archanas; on top of which millions of devotess leaving their burdens at his feet. Poor Lord has so much of responsibilities in this world to take care of.His inconcievable mercy exhibited over this universe never fails to astonish millions of people including myself!

My typical day

Nothing feels good than seeing a sunrise, as the first thing in the morning with its vibrant color . Breathing the fresh air in the morning gives an unexplainable sense of great feeling that gets rid of sleepiness.

The sounds of birds chirping, along with our man made noises like the car reverse horns, are all the wake-up call for me, every morning. After which i can hear the devotional songs being played in the television by my mom. Ahh, such a simple yet great things which i really adore and i feel its the perfect thing to start my day!


First thing i do right after i get off from the bed is to set right my hair and brush my teeth.Well I know thats what every body does, but what i meant was, I never ever had a bed coffee , ever in my life. I hate it.
Im a morning tea person.(I dont like coffee.) One of the niciest thing in the world for me is the masala chai made by my mom. But today my mom made masala milk as i had some cold/caugh.

This is our flat - Arihant Majestic Tower Chennai, and lives upto its name!

This is the play area in front of our building where i usually take my L.O(little one) in the evenings. But i havent yet started taking him outside this time, as we havent yet recovered fully from illness.
I have briefly explained my typical day in chennai at our house. will post more detailed pics in days to come...

All that glitters are not gold!

Apples are coated with shellac and carnauba wax to improve their shine because consumers prefer to buy shiny apples. Also wax is used for a preservation purpose and then cold stored. A coating of wax helps seal in moisture and therefore extends storage life. You might be surprised especially the imported apples are more than one year old, though it would look fresh.

Food industry people claim that the wax is safe to eat and not harmful for our health.But doctors say that wax coating may cause some health problems as nausea, stomach upset and food poisoning. And if consumed it on a regular basis, it will lead to ulcers and gastric problems.

It might be so confusing to the ignorant people as to whom we should follow. If we think a little bit more about it , our commonsense will definitely ask us to follow the doctor's opinion because they are better persons with the health perspective.

Doesnt mean that you cant really comsume any wax coated fruit or vegetable at all. Or you do not want to really peel off the skin as it contains many good health attributes. It is just the fact. There is always a solution to any problem. Hence with this, you should always rinse your fruits/vegetables with soap and water or with vinegar or with hot or warm water real good, or use vegetable/fruit scrubber, before you eat them.

In case you wonder .....why no posts?

Im on vaccation to Chennai, my home town! And im pretty sure this trip is gonna be little busy with some important events ahead. Yet i would definitely be posting some aritcles as much as i can, whenever i get a chance.

Despite the fact that i hate the long travel to India , about 24 hours door to door! especially when you are sick( along with your little one, who is also sick) is the worst of all ...its good to see chennai again, as it has more than been home to me and so always has a special place.

Still in the process of recovering from Flu. Im all excited with my upcoming posts based on my chennai trip this time.

Fried Ice Cream

Fried Icecream is NO:1 in the list of my dessert favourites! I should seriously thank the one who found this delicious dessert. When i think of my favourite dishes, atleast more than half of them belong to the unhealthy or the so called guilty food category. Cant helpt it!

I happen to taste this at a Malaysian restaurant called 'Penang' , Old post rd, Edison, NJ. That was with my brother and sister-in-law when they visited us, the first time, soon after i got married. My sister-in-law introduced this to me, and thats the start of the story! :)

I havent tried this at home. But i browsed youtube for a video demo , and this is for those who are anxious about it may wanna see this interesting video, & an easy version of making fried icecream.

I know I shouldnt post this , when i am having flu. Actually i took this picture before i could get Flu! That is exactly last week! And that i might forget what to write about it, although the one that i have written here doesnt make much of sense. :))

Abi got Flu

I got Flu and its been 3 days now! its so severe this time that i couldnt get up from my bed. Severe sore throat & high temperature. My little kiddo has gotten it too. Hopefully we'll feel better next week.

And yea, you can create your own newspaper clipping through this link.

Laugh out loudly

Lately i started writing in my mother tongue - Tamil. I am having more fun these days by commiting lots of mistakes and correcting them . well thats how we learn! I'd laught at my self :))
when we talk about laughter, everybody knows it is the best medicine.
When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. In addition to the domino effect of joy and amusement, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.
Laughter, along with an active sense of humor, may help protect you against a heart attack, according to a recent study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore. The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.
Doctors offer a simple prescription that won't bankrupt you and could save your life. "Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system"
So folks laugh out loudly everyday atleast a few mins!

Image courtesy : Internet

என்ன கொடும சார் இது?

சாமியார் என்பவர், மக்களின் நம்பிக்கைக்கு பாத்திரமாக இருப்பவர். ஆனால் இந்த நம்பிக்கை நாளுக்கு நாள் குறைந்து கொண்டே வருகிறது ! அட நம்ப நித்யானந்தா சுவாமியை பத்தி தான் சொல்றேன். யாரை குத்தம் சொல்றது ? மக்களையா? நாமும் மக்களுக்குள் சார்ந்தவர்கள் தானே? ஏமாறுபவன் இருக்கும் வரை ஏமாற்றுபவன் இருந்து கொண்டு தானே இருப்பன். விழிப்புணர்ச்சி தேவை.

என்னத்த சொல்றது? கலி முத்திடுத்து! அவ்வளவுதான்! ஆனா ஒன்னு, இதை படம் பிடித்து சன் டிவி மூலமாக வெளிப்படுத்திய நடிகையின் தைரியத்தை பாராட்டியே தீர வேண்டும். "கெட்டிக்காரன் திருட்டு எட்டு நாளைக்கு தான்! " எவ்வளவு சரியா இருக்கு!

இபோழுது எல்லாம் நம் மீடியாக்களும் பத்திரிக்கையாளர்களும் மிகவும் துணிச்சலாக செய்தியை வெளிப்படுத்தி விடுவது பாராட்ட தக்க விஷயம் என்பேன். உள்ளதை உள்ளபடி படம் பிடித்து போட்டு விடுகின்றனர்! இதை எல்லாம் பார்த்து விட்டு , இது போன்ற மனிதர்களுக்கு வெட்கமோ அச்சமோ வந்து விடும் என்று நாம் நினைத்து விடக்கூடாது .

கௌண்டமணி ஸ்டைல சொல்லனும்னா "அரசியல்ல இதெல்லாம் சகஜமப்ப" அப்படின்னு போயிட்டே இருப்பாங்க!

ஹ்ம்ம்..... " இந்த சாமியாருங்க தொல்ல தாங்க முடியல பா "!!! (Again koundamani style).

Second Year Blog-Birthday!

Today is my blog’s second birthday I am hoping that this year will be filled with good changes & pleasant things.It has been interesting to look back at everything I've written here ,and its gives an immense pleasure and satisfaction which words can not describe. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has stuck by me, remained a reader, linked to me when I've written something noteworthy, and spread the word to their friends. I appreciate it. I really, really do.

Image courtesy : Internet

Classic Cinema Corner - Tamil

Athough im not a movie freak, some movies have def.ly touched my heart. And thats is gonna be the today's post.

1.Karnan :

வாழ்கையின் தத்துவத்தை சொல்லிகொடுக்கும் பாரதத்திலிருந்து ஒரு சிறு பகுதியை முழுநீளப் படமாக்கி இருகிறார்கள். மிக உயர்ந்த எண்ணங்களும், நோக்கங்களும், குணங்களும் உடையவனாய் இருப்பினும், தீயவரின் நட்பு நிச்சயம் நன்மை பயக்காது என்பது இப்படத்தின் கருத்து.

கர்ணன் என்றால் நம் எல்லோருக்கும் நினைவில் வருவது சிவாஜி கணேசன் தான். அதுவும், அந்த இறுதி கட்ட காட்சிகளில் என்.டி.ஆறும் நம்ப சிவாஜியும் சேர்ந்து எல்லோர் மனதையும் உருக்கி இருப்பார்கள்.
2.Rathakanneer :

வெள்ளி விழா கண்ட பல படங்களில் இப்படம் முன் வரிசையில் நிற்கும். ஆணவமும் அஹந்தையும் கொண்டவன் வாழ்கையின் அதலபாதாளத்தில் தள்ளப்படுவான் என்பது இப்படத்தின் கருத்து. எல்லோராலும் கவரப்பட வைக்கும் நடிப்பு கடினமானது தான் என்றாலும், எல்லோராலும் வெறுக்கப்பட வைக்கும் நடிப்பு சற்றே கடினமானது என்பது என் தாழ்மையான கருத்து. இப்படத்தில் எம்.ஆர்.ராதாவின் நடிப்பு, அற்புததம்! பாவம் மனிதர் எத்தனை பேருடைய சாபத்தை வாங்கி கட்டிக் கொண்டாரோ?! இன்னும் சொல்லவேண்டுமென்றால் எம்.ஆர்.ராதாவின் மேக்கப் ! படத்தின் முற்பகுதியில், அருமையான இளம் வயது, படித்த வாலிபனை போல் மிக அழகாக காட்டி இருப்பார்கள், பிறகு அவர் உடல் நிலை குறைந்து சிறிது சிறிதாக அவர் அழகு சிதைந்து போவதையும் மிக அழகாக காடியிருபார்கள்...
3.Navarathiri
இந்த படத்தை பற்றி சொல்லவே தேவை இல்லை. நடிகர் திலகம் சிவாஜி கணேசன் ஒன்பது வேடங்களில் அசத்தியிருப்பாறேன்றால் , நடிகையர் திலகம் சாவித்திரி ஒரே வேடத்தில்s கலக்கியிருப்பார். பற்றா குறைக்கு நம்ப நாகாஷ் வேறு ! வயிறு குலுங்க சிரிக்கவைக்கும் படம். அப்பப்பா.. எதனை முறைகள் வேண்டுமென்றாலும் சலிக்காமல் பார்க்கலாம்.

4. Aanpaavam :
Excellent rib ticking comedy movie. PLs enjoy some scenes from this movie:




5.Uthiripookal :
Driven by lust, a coldhearted married man plots to kill his wife so that he can marry her younger sister. But when the man's father-in-law refuses to grant him his surviving daughter's hand in marriage because she loves another man, the poor girl becomes an unwilling victim in a tragic chain of events. Ashwini, Vijayan and Charu Hassan co-star in this twisted Tamil love triangle directed by Mahendran.
Aswini in the lead role just melts everyone's heart with her humble and subtle role, being the poor wife for the greedy husband. A movie that should be watched for the sheer narrative style and honest story telling. A classic indeed!

6.vedampudithu
Alittle vague story and slightly boring towards the second half, the first half of the story where the little brahmin boy happens to stay at one of the richest man in the village who is a non-vegetarian, are the most beautiful scenes. Satyaraj excels in this film, as does Sarita. Amala (ummmmm) is simply celestial. another beautiful story by Bharathiraja.

7.Idayathai thiudaathe
Needless to say about his hit movie. The thing that most inspired me in this movie is the BGM score of our isai gnani Illayaraja! still rings in my ears... Pls enjoy this beautiful scene:


8.Annamalai
A movie based on friendship, which goes through several goodtimes and badtimes.At a point where Annamalai's best friend becoming his own rival , tries to come up in life and becomes an inspiring business icon and succeeds in his challenge. Also saves his old friend who falls in deep misery. good inspirational movie to watch. Pls enjoy the scene below:


9. Anniyan :
Another inspirational movie that has gained so much popularity lately is this movie where Vikram has played the lead role . Again needless to tell u about the story line. So pls enjoy my favourite climax scene



10.Bommalaatam


I liked this movie because its been so long that i watched a good movie. It was different from the other movies . Another Bharathiraja's good number.



Photos Source : Internet

My favourite clicks part - 3

1. St.Paul's Cathedral Church - London : I just love the curve of the architecture around the church in this picture.

2.Masala Zone : A restaurant in London that had a different interior which interested me to click this shot.

3.Sri Venkateshwara Temple Birmingham :

4.Valentine's Cake 2010:

5. Big Ben : Namma ooru style-la sollanumnaa - 'Manikoondu'ngo!

Big Ben - London, originally uploaded by abigeeth.

Ajith - Thalai's daughter

And while we agree that ALL kids are adorable…you’ve got to admit that some are just more adorable than others. Right? :D Especially if they are celebrity kids, then we couldnt ask for more!
Lately I've just admired Actor Ajith's daughter Anoushka so much. I love how she’s always dressed in the prettiest of dresses and all the other accessories that go matching with her lovely face. I just love the first pictureof Anoushka being carried around by Daddy, It’s such a quintessential father-daughter picture. I can’t help but go Awwww!
Pls enjoy the picture below.

Photo Source : Internet

Snow Blizzard in NJ 2010

Alright, it was fun for a while. Beautiful, really. Took tons of photographs... posted it in my photo community. It was all fun.

We did sledding and had snowball fights and built a snowman. We usually watch movies during very cold winter evenings spent snuggled up on the couch in a big blanket with a hot masala chai.

But now It’s kind of annoying lately. We haven’t seen the ground in weeks and the snow just keeps coming.The roads are really slick and the people are finding it real hard to make it to work. Unable to do day-to-day activities. That makes me feel sick. Specially if its gloomy all the time , we expect to see some sunshines so desperately...

Anyways, pls enjoy the pictures captured during the snowfall this morning at around 10.00AM.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi folks,wishing you all a very happy valentine's day.

Trying to gain every one's love is as hard as a rock but once you achieve, it will be as sweet as honey! So forbid anger & vengeance, Love all and even your enemy as yourself!

Got this cake and flowers at a wonderful store near by. cake from La Bonbonniere Bake Shoppe Rt.27 EdisonNJ, this is one of the best bake shop in the whole town , tastes heaven and worth every penny! hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a great day!

Mahashivarathiri

Today is Mahashivarathiri. Im not gonna explain in detail about it, as you can find plenty of results when you google .Whenever there comes a festival of Lord Shiva i can never forget my most beautiful experience at Tiruvannamalai,which is my mother's native place.

Tiruvannamalai,is one of India's most well known sacred places worth giving a visit. Ramana Maharshi,a saint, lived in a cave on the holy Mt. Arunachala for 17 years and taught the world from his experience of Self-realization. That is where you can find plenty of of foreigners residing to learn about yoga and meditation and seeking for peace and Mukthi Nilai. I feel really bad that why most of us fail to make use of our powerful & precious assets that we got.

We actually lived there for some time during my very early childhood . That's like when i was in my 3rd or 4th grade. We were all staying at our grandmother's house; which use to be a huge one. Plenty of close friends and relatives around. The most popular Arunachaleswarar temple just very close by. We can even see the view of Tiruvannamalai,(Mt. Arunachala). It's fairly a medium sized mountain but it's a powerful place. One can really can feel the presence of GOD his energy radiating from this piece of the earth.

And when i think about the Arunachaleswarar temple, i still get goose mums.... as soon as I put my foot steps into the temple I will feel as though i have entered into a different world which is free from al the bad things that the world consists of. I can smell my peace of mind through the air... this is called the state of " Ekanta - Mukthi" which means - Dwelling in solitude & liberation of man, from the bonds of earth which frees from the birth & death .That will lead us to getting close to the Divinity, the glory of the Lord!!!!

I keep talking about my wonderful experience during my childhood days in Tiruvannamalai. One should definitely visit that place at least once in their lifetime.

Now , i hope you enjoyed the article as much as i did and also the pictures of Mahashivarathiri that we celebrated in a small & simple manner.

Happy shivarathiri to all of you.

Benefits of Home-made yogurt

Everybody is now aware of our health especially our kid's health. Lately we can see most of us going for organic or home-grown or home-made vegetable & products respectively. Im gonna take yogurt topic again and try to make most of the point available or summarized that I gathered from several sources.

Home-made yogurt is an excellent choice of snack for the adults (with lowfat version) and also for the kids ( with whole milk for lean/malnutritioned kids, 2% for medium built kids, and again fat free for obese kids)

Home-made yogurt is a better option compared to store bought yogurt.

Commercial yogurt Manufacturers fill the yogurt aisles with various flavors and brands that occasionally make it difficult to distinguish yogurts. Initially all yogurts contain live and active cultures, but some are heated after they are made which destroy the cultures.

Fortunately, the National Yogurt Association (NYA) established its own criteria for live and active culture yogurt with its Live & Active Culture seal program. Look for the National Yogurt Association's (NYA) Live & Active Cultures seal to ensure that the yogurt you buy contains a significant amount of live and active cultures.

All fermented milk products should be considered functional foods. Why? Because Fermented milk offers so much more than just bacteria: minerals, vitamins, protein, amino acids, L-carnitine, fats, CLA, antimicrobial agents, and much more! A recent study demonstrated the ability of fermented milk to kill H. pylori infections when bacteria alone could not. Another study monitored two groups of people for allergy symptoms. The group that consumed yogurt on a daily basis suffered far less allergies than a control group. In addition, the complex microflora found in kefir have demonstrated a keen ability to stimulate our immune systems, ward of infections from bacteria such as salmonella, and in some cases, even fight cancer.

For kids and especially young girls going through the rapid growth spurts of puberty, getting calcium from dairy products, such as yogurt, may be better for building bone than taking a calcium supplement, suggests a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.


I have already posted the recipe for  Home-made yogurt  in my previous posts. Also pls check out the latest flavoured & sweetened yogurt recipe in my cooking blog.

There are a plenty of yogurt recipes available and i have just made a few at home and im sure everyone knows the recipe for most of the things. Also pls look out for detailed recipes made out of yogurt in my cooking blog which will be available very soon.


Indian Yogurt Recipes:

1. Yogurt-rice /Thayir satham(tamil)
2. Thayir Pachadi ( vegetables in yogurt)
3. Dahi-Batata-Puri (Puri is a flat bread made out of wheat which is deep-fried in hot oil, so that it becomes puffy) Puri is stuffed with Batata curry(potato curry) and topped with grated carrots, yogurt, and sev-(another indian snack made out of gram flour.)
4. Yogurt mixed with sweetned vermicilli and topped with fruits
5. Mor-Kuzhambu - another tamilnadu dish.
6. Dahi vada or Thayir vadai
7. Simply top the home-made greek styled yogurt with unrefined cane sugar!

Some continental recipes made out of yogurt :

1. 
   
   Frozen yogurt or yogurt icecream
2. 
   
   Meat or vegetable kababs with yogurt dipping sauce
3. 
   
   Yogurt parfait
4. 
   
   Yogurt popsicles
5. 
   
   Yogurt smoothies ( with simply any fruit).

Looks yummy is'nt?!! Thats the point. It is a evident that a representation of anything gets more characterisation of the theoritical objects.

Thanks for reading have a healthy & wonderful lifestyle!

Source Courtesy : Natural Stomach Care - Benefits of Yoghurt by Dr.Anil Minocha

Photos by Abi.

Photos a few like - vermicilli yogurt/ yogurt parfait /strawberry smoothie - from the internet.

Quatrain Poetry (tamil):

This quartrain that i happen to read(in tamil) lately has become one of my favourite on the list of poetries i have heard so far. Since i love music its needless to say i also adore the lyrics part of it. My interest thus slowly started to peek on the so called "hi-koo" kavithaigal! I have have been a great fan to read those since long. I read this wonderful "rib-tickling" hi-koo kavithai from the popular magazine "Mangaiyar Malar" . so the poem that i have lately read is here for you :


பல்லவனில் இடிபாடு
பக்கத்தில் தடிமாடு
பெண்மை பெரும்பாடு
பண்பாடு படும்பாடு


Sorry for those who cant read tamil. I can translate the meaning of it for those who are interested upon request.

THanks for reading. Have fun!

Forgetting

Today is my best friend - Jaishree's birthday. We have been best friends for 10 years! cant really believe it. And we became relatives on my brother's wedding , as one of her relative and my relative happen to be cousins! I feel very awful , as i called to just talk to her & forgot about it all. But im glad to have her as my friend as she is very matured, and didnt get upset about it. And the special part is she is gonna be a mom soon.... i cant believe im so forgetful. I absolutely take up the blame , as i have no excuses to make it up . Sorry dear, and wish you very many Happy returns of the day Jai !!!