Hyper Parenting

Happy Vijaya Dasami

Dabble in drawing

తాత గారి శత జయంతి

Happy Birthday Little Guy

Burnout

THE way we’re working isn’t working. Even if you’re lucky enough to have a job, you’re probably not very excited to get to the office in the morning, you don’t feel much appreciated while you’re there, you find it difficult to get your most important work accomplished, amid all the distractions, and you don’t believe that what you’re doing makes much of a difference anyway. By the time you get home, you’re pretty much running on empty, and yet still answering emails until you fall asleep.

17 years of Saptapadi

"Sakaa -Sapthapadha -bhava Sakaayov -Saptha padhaa –Bhaboova" 
By these seven steps you have taken with me, you have become my best friend. 

"Sakyam -the' -Ghame'yam Sakyaath -the' Maayosham -Sakyan me" 
I will never move out of this relationship. God has united us in this bondage. 

"Maayosta -Samayaava -Samayaava Sankalpaavahai –Sampriyov" 
We shall perform all activities together with love and affection. 

"Rosishnu -Sumanasyamanov Ishamoorjam - abhi –Savasaanov" 
Let us be friendly in our thoughts. Let us observe our duties and rituals together. 

"Managhumsi -Samvrathaas smu Chiththaani -Aakaram –Sathvamasi" 
If you are the lyrics, I am the music. If you are the music, I am the lyrics. 

"Amooham -Amoohamasmi saa -Thvam –dhyowraham" 
If I am the heavenly body, you are the earthly world. 

"Pruthivee thvam -Retho' aham -retho' Bhruthvam –Manohamasmi" 
While I am the life source, you are the carrier of the same. 

"vak thvam -Saamaa ham asmi -Rukthvam –Saamaam" 
I am the thoughts and you are the speech. 

"Anuvradhaa -bhava Pumse' Pumse' -Puthraaya- Veththavai" 
While you are the words, I am the meaning. 

"Sriyai -Puthraaya -Veththavai ehi -Soonrurute" 
With your sweet words, come with me to lead a prosperous life begetting our progeny with children.

ఆనందామృత వర్షిణి

Truly enjoyed the congregational singing of Tyagaraja's Pancharatna Krithis at SIFAS. 

సమయానికి తగు మాటలాడెనే

విముఖులతో చేర బోకు మనెనె

వెత గల్గిన తాళు గొమ్మనెనె

దమ శమాది సుఖ దాయకుడగు

శ్రీ త్యాగరాజ నుతుడు చెంత రాగ

Culture of knowingness

On Wall Street, as in some other areas of the modern economy that I could mention, this attitude leads to a culture of knowingness. People learn to bluff their way through, day to day. Executives don’t really understand the complex things going on in their own companies. Traders don’t understand how their technological tools really work. Programmers may know their little piece of code, but they don’t have a broader knowledge of what their work is being used for.

These people are content to possess information, but they don’t seek knowledge. Information is what you need to make money short term. Knowledge is the deeper understanding of how things work. It’s obtained only by long and inefficient study. It’s gained by those who set aside the profit motive and instead possess an intrinsic desire just to know.

Courtesy - The New York Times: The Moral Power of Curiosity

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/11/opinion/brooks-the-moral-power-of-curiosity.html?from=opinion

Fascinating World of Science

Managed to find some time to put together a toy for my son's science exhibition that demonstrates a water pump (Pressure and Energy conversion and transfer).

శ్రీరామ నవమి శుభాకాంక్షలు

సిరికల్యాణపు బొట్టును బెట్టి.. మణిబాసికమును నుదుటను గట్టి.. పారాణిని పాదాలకు బెట్టి.. పెళ్లి కూతురై వెలసిన సీతమ్మ తల్లికి.. సంపంగి నూనెను కురులను దువ్వి.. సొంపుగ కస్తూరి నామము తీర్చి.. చెంప జవాజీ చుక్కను బెట్టి పెళ్లికొడుకైన రామయ్య తండ్రికి.. 

Spring blossoms

జయ నామ సంవత్సర ఉగాది శుభాకాంక్షలు. చక్కగా ఋతు చక్రం ప్రకారం మన సంవత్సరం మొదలవుతుంది, కానీ రాను రాను ఋతువులు కనుమరుగు అయిపోతాయేమో!

Motor racing - Formula1

The 40s conundrum

The 40s are so busy when career and child-rearing peaks collide and we start seeing the outlines of what we will look like when we are 70. It is the time to realize we won't fit back into those trousers kept aside on the expectation that you will soon lose weight.

Eight hours of continuous sleep is life's greatest luxury and being emotional is pointless. We start accepting mortality is no longer an abstract notion. We start realizing that we actually managed to learn and grow a bit and start accepting we know much less and understand the humility of ignorance.

Shirking one's responsibility towards their elders

In India we are bound by a duty of care towards our parents and elders. Today the abandonment of the elderly is an unprecedented phenomenon. The current generation are busy hunting for better prospects in life and, in the process, forgetting about the parental love and support that underpins their success. Success in life and a responsibility towards one's parents and elders are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, they go hand in hand. 

We depend on our parents when we are young. Their care and sacrifices fostered us. And as our parents age they depend increasingly on us. 

We should not forget that the love and affection we bestow on our offsprings without expecting anything in return, the same we received when we were young. 

Paying a cursory visit once in a while and doling out few bucks as if they are beggars - is not what they expect. They deserve our respect, affection and gratitude. 

The true joy of experiencing magic

For the past few years living in Singapore, have been extremely fortunate to witness such spellbinding performances by renowned Indian artists from the classical world, be it Carnatic or Hindustani style of music- both vocal and instrumental and also various dance formats ranging from Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, Kathak etc.

The above photo was from a recent performance given by Johar Ali Khan, a famous exponent of the violin instrument in Hindustani style ably supported by the gurus of Sifas. 

The first linguistic state is no more

In no other Parliament of a major democracy could a Bill with so much at stake be passed without more than a perfunctory debate or without a single vote count on something like 110-plus amendments. A topic which has been debated in the public, required a commission, caused suicides and much damage to public property, and on which strong views were held by rival sides, would never have been passed with such ease if there had been a genuine legislative chamber.

Courtesy - Is Parliament necessary? | The Indian Express

Distraction in life too overwhelming

Short attention spans as a result of constant device distraction whether it is a smart phone or an ipad, sad superficiality and online exhibitionism on Facebook and life geared to 140 characters or less on Twitter - the myriad depredations the social media unfurls - how the screen has taken over our lives. We are slowly forgetting what genuine experience means, losing the communication and interaction mediums we are used to within such a short span of few years upon the advent of social media.

Screen addiction is disconcerting and adding a lot of distraction to the little ones in the family with everyone glued to their own devices and teenagers want to communicate only through Whatsapp, Facebook - wonder how we can keep our minds stimulated and keep them active. Need to see what these new forms of pleasure will bring in.. but sure they are adding a lot of distraction to our lives.

Symbolic ritual welcoming Sankranti

Remember the colour and gaiety of Sankaranti living in independent houses, womanfolk used to compete putting colourful rangoli in front of their houses. But the luxury is not available for apartment dwellers, Kalyani barged onto neighbour's doorway to draw a decent rangoli (ముగ్గు).

A very happy new year

A very old adage and wisdom should be my resolution for the new year - “Count to ten before you speak, you can’t take back what’s already been uttered." Pausing before reacting creates space for passions to cool, civility to get its oxygen and wisdom quite possibly to find its wings. 

A Very happy and healthy new year to one and all.

ఓం సహనా వవతు సహనౌ భునక్తు 
సహవీర్యం కరవావహై 
తేజస్వి నా వధీతమస్తు మా విద్విషావహై 

ఓం శాంతి : శాంతి : శాంతి :