Europe Trip - A Travelogue - Part II

Dear Friends,

Thanks for your kind comments and feedback. Here I come once again to share the second part of my travelogue.

Day 3 – Paris – Disneyland

The much awaited day for kids arrived – yes, we were going to Disneyland. Err, did I say kids? Adults were equally excited to visit the Disneyland. Disneyland was such a huge complex accommodating Disney Studios and Disney Park. We obtained tickets for Disney Park which had various rides – adventurous, fantasy, thriller, discovery and what not. There is this beautiful castle which is also the logo of Disney Pictures, in the centre. We went around Main Street USA, the Castle, Centre plaza, and then into Adventure Land. 

Main Street USA and the castle can be seen in a distance

Several caves which were low lit, a few tree houses, hanging bridge, a treasure cave (oh, why do I remember the ‘Nilavarai’ in Ponniyin Selvan when I saw the skeleton among treasures there!!! PS paithiyam eppovo muthi pochu, athaan 😉) and such small fun areas for the scared ones like me (!!).

Treasure cave

However, gathered some guts to go on ‘Indiana Jones’ ride. Little did I realise that it was a roller coaster ride and it has an upside down turn too. We had been served packed lunch by the tour manager and we promptly had it on time. Now with this ride, my first thought was to have postponed my lunch. What would happen if I threw up during the ride?!! Ayyo paavam, mathavanga!!! Thankfully nothing awkward happened during the ride; probably my co-riders had good luck!

Indiana Jones Ride

There were several Disney characters posing for pictures with kids and adults as well, signing autographs and waving hands. We went around a few kids’ rides to keep my little one engaged and happy, like Hatter’s Magical Tea cups, the Maze, Snow white in the dark forest etc. The day was almost exhausted and so were we. We energized ourselves with some ice cream and finally arrived near the castle to watch the grand parade of Disney characters that happens daily. The parade was absolutely brilliant. Each one of us became a small kid while we watched our favourite characters walk across us dancing and singing and entertaining us. The beautiful chariots, ships, coaches were a delight to watch.

Captain Hook posing for pictures

After the excitement of parade was over, we had our own adventure searching for all our kids who were very busy trying out every other ride available. As we moved out of Disneyland our hearts were filled with joy as we had re-lived our childhood for a while. Having our dinner at an Indian restaurant we took good rest at the hotel, as we had a hectic day ahead.

Rapunzel (Tangled)

Turtle Crush (Finding Nemo)

Day 4 – Zurich – Travel

The fourth day started off busy with packing and checking out after the breakfast, as we had a long travel ahead. Yes, we were travelling to Zurich from Paris in the bus which was going to eat up the whole day. Little did we know that travel from Paris to Zurich could be equally exciting! There were two reasons. One of them was the beautiful sceneries enroute – mountains, lakes, farms, villages, and tunnels – absolute scenic beauty. The second reason was we had wonderful fun games throughout the travel. Our young lady Ms. Shobinya had meticulously planned various games engaging men, women and kids equally. The to-be tiresome travel turned out to be so much of fun.

At Zurich City

We stopped in between for short breaks and for having our packed lunch. We reached Zurich at around 7 pm and headed for dinner at ‘Restaurant Indian Palace’. After dinner we checked in to Hotel Ibis Styles Messe Airport. Quite small rooms as compared to Holiday Inn and no Air conditioners were there. Ok ok, I know what you are about to say. You might ask why someone would be in need of AC when in Switzerland. But hey, no, it was quite warm there in Switzerland. We had to keep the windows open to get some fresh air flowing in.

Inside the tram

We were enthused at the sight of tram at Zurich and hence a few of us strolled around in the night, took a tram to Zurich Central and had a small tour of the place. We watched the huge railway station at Zurich as the bullet trains arrived and departed; we walked around the main streets, had a glimpse of the statue of Alfred Escher who is the creative mind behind the railway connectivity to Jungfraujoch, and finally ended our mini tour with ice cream and returned to hotel in tram.

Zurich Central Station with the statue of Alfred Escher

Day 5 – Switzerland – Jungfraujoch

On the way to Grindelwald

Here comes an exciting day ahead. We were about to travel to Jungfraujoch, called the Top of Europe, located in the stretch of Alps Mountains at an elevation of 3,466 metres above the sea level. Switzerland is famous for its beautiful sceneries, snow capped mountains and cold weather. Is that only so? No... The world record breaking movie ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ and many other movies have been shot in Switzerland.

Enroute Grindelwald

The blockbuster DDLJ movie has made tourists to throng to these areas. The highest numbers of tourists to Switzerland are from India, a study says. My dream destination has also been Switzerland right from my childhood when I have heard about the beauty of it. The longingness to visit the place aggravated when I watched DDLJ. Now, it is the time my dream is gonna come true. Much awaited place and yes, I wasn’t disappointed. I was stunned by the beauty both in the plains and on the path while travelling towards Grindelwald.

Outside Grindelwald Station

We took train from Grindelwald to Kleine Scheidegg (I was finding it very difficult to spell or pronounce the names of few places and while writing this, I had to cross check with google to get the names right!!!). Sceneries everywhere around and as we were moving slowly uphill, we witnessed the snow mixed with sand and that delighted every one of us, as we were gonna experience snow for the first time in life.

Kleine Scheidegg Station

Once we reached Kleine, we had to take another train to reach the top of Europe – Jungfraujoch. Within few moments when the train started, it entered into a tunnel for quite some time and finally reached our destination. With all the travel, we first barged into the Bollywood restaurant there to have our lunch. This time vayitrukku unavu first 😊

From the top of Jungfraujoch

Post lunch, we went around to have a tour of Jungfraujoch and oh man, how much were we stunned to see the beauty of the snowy slopes. The climate was quite opposite to the warmth in the hotel we stayed. We secured ourselves with our winter jackets and enjoyed the place trying to capture those moments with pictures, pictures and more pictures.

Jungfraujoch - Top of Europe

We, just like any other kid, wanted to play in the snow and we went out in the open. Oh my, it was so slippery to walk on the snow. Yet we managed, threw snow on each other and had good fun. We wanted to take the rope ride; however, worried about the limited time to finish the tour, we let it go. We consoled ourselves to do it next day while visiting Mt. Titlis.

We went around the artificial ice palace and that was the place that really chilled our spine. No no, nothing scary. Just that it was sooooooo cold and we were freezing. Later we got back to the station to take our train to go to Grindelwald via Kleine Scheidegg.

At Interlaken town - Park

Our next destination was Interlaken, a small town, where many scenes of DDLJ were shot. A park in the town has the statue of Yash Chopra who had been the Brand Ambassador of Interlaken.

Yash Chopra Statue

We took pictures near his statue and also near the fountain where Raj gives a rose to Simren in DDLJ (SRK to Kajol)! Awww... each of the couple were feeling themselves as Raj and Simren 💓💓 The day ended with happy notes after dinner at Maharani Indian Restaurant.

Raj gives rose to Simren (DDLJ movie)
Pic courtesy: The Quint

More snow, more fun, more places - Way to go... Keep watching this space for the next part soon!!

Part I here
Part III here
Part IV (Final) here

Europe Trip - A Travelogue - Part I

What fun it is to be around with friends... And just imagine the fun when we hang out on a tour with them for 10 days... OMG, then what about the destination like Europe to hang out with friends!! Yes, it is fun, fun and fun throughout... Here I am, after a looooooooong time in my blog, to happily share my experience on our trip to 4 countries in Europe – France, Switzerland, Italy and Vatican City – over a period of 10 days!

Pre-Tour Preparation

It all started with a small buzz of thinking on having a tour with friends and family way back in mid-February. Not a firm plan then, with people saying a yes sometime and a no later... But the plan started taking its shape in the month of March when Mr. Satish and Mr. Murali contacted many travel agents and acquired the details of sightseeing tours and the related costs involved. They researched and compared the details with each travel agent and finally found one Jumbo Travels in Kuwait and through them Thomas Cook, the famous travel agent around the globe.

Pic courtesy: Dreamstime.com

The talks went on, mails communicated, itinerary was built. The trip was planned for 10 days combining the Bakrid Holidays during August. Slowly the members confirmed their presence and a perfect group got created with 10 families. The hotels and flight tickets were booked after researching on the facilities, costs and comfort levels. 2 more families confirmed a little later and their bookings for flights and hotels were done appropriately. A proper tour organising committee was formed with various functions delegated to each one in the committee. Each family applied for Schengen visa and obtained the same, some as early as first week of June and some during the last week of July.

Now started the scariest episode for men and the entertaining episode for women – yes, you got it right. The Shopping Spree!!😃 Among others, considering also the climatic conditions of the places to be visited, shopping ranged from shoes to garments, medicines to cosmetics, cotton to woollen, scarf to jewellery – what not!!!

We packed up and got ready to explore Europe to start from Kuwait on 14^th August 2018. We started our travel towards Paris, our first destination, via Abu Dhabi, though 2 families had to take 2 connecting flights to reach Paris.

Day 1 – Paris – Louvre Museum

Fragonard

We arrived at Charles De Gualle Airport at Paris in the morning at around 7.40 am local time. We were received by the Tour Manager from Thomas Cook, Mr. Sandeep Patil and he accommodated us on a bus with 45 seats, quite comfortable for our count of 37. Since our check in time at Hotel was only at 3 pm, he took us to Fragonard, a perfume factory located at the main city of Paris. The lady representative of the Fragonard, Ms. Yula, explained us how perfumes are manufactured at their factory, the speciality of their product and also showed us the various machinery used for perfume manufacturing. We looked around their facility and enjoyed sniffing various types of fragrances and finished our tour there with some shopping of perfumes.

At Fragonard

After a short photo session outside the Fragonard, we headed towards Gaur De Nord where an entire street had many Indian restaurants. We barged in Hotel Saravana Bhavan and had a heartful of South Indian meals, as we were quite aware that we won’t be having the luxury of south Indian food anytime during the next 10 days.

Mona Lisa at Louvre Museum

After a sumptuous meal at HSB, we checked in our hotel – Holiday Inn Express Paris Velizy. Quite comfy rooms except that the air conditioners couldn’t satisfy our needs. We freshened up and started towards the world famous Louvre Museum in the evening. This is the world’s largest art Museum located near the river Seine at Paris. The museum is housed at Louvre Palace originally built as Fortress and later converted into a Palace. This Museum is also famous for housing many artistic works of Leonardo Da Vinci, including his masterpiece “Mona Lisa”. The large Museum was very much crowded and we took a tour inside watching the great pieces of art. The painting of Mona Lisa had the largest crowd in front of it, everyone trying to take a glimpse of the smiling beauty and taking pictures with her.

The tall ceilings, beautiful paintings and sculptures around transported us to a whole new world. The glass pyramids were enchanting to our eyes. Overwhelmed by the beauty surrounding us, we took leave of the museum half heartedly.

Glass Pyramid at Louvre Museum

From there, we headed towards an Indian restaurant ‘Bhojan’ to have our dinner. We were surprised to note that the sun did not set until 10 pm whereas shops and other commercial places brought their shutters down as early as 6 pm.

Day 2 – Paris – Eiffel Tower

Column erected by Napoleon Bonaparte

After enjoying the continental breakfast at the hotel, we started towards the main city to have a city orientation tour. The local guide Ms. Annie joined us in the bus and explained us about the various important attractions of the city. While proceeding, we saw the Statue of Liberty installed in the river Seine which was the inspiration for the one at New York and was also gifted by the French, the tunnel where Princess Diana died in a car crash and the statue of torch flame in her memory, the Parliament house, the Galaries Lafayette – the shopping mart, etc. 

Egyptian Obelisk

The Opera House also called as Opera Garnier named after Charles Garnier who was its architech, was the first place to view, followed by the circular column constructed by Napoleon Bonaparte at Vendome dedicated to his grand army with his figurine on the top. We took pictures here and then started towards the Concorde Square. Enroute we saw Les Invalides where the tomb of Napoleon is housed, Louvre Museum, and the Alexander Bridge etc. At Concorde Square, we saw a tower built in Egyptian style with a pyramid on the top called as the Egyptian Obelisk. It was a gift to the French by the Egyptian Government in the 19^th century. The Government of France added a gold leafed pyramid cap on the top as the original cap was believed to be stolen. The Concorde square had fountains and statutes of the erstwhile Kings and Queens. Once our photo session was over, we headed towards the Eiffel Tower.

Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower considered as one of the wonders of the world, is an iron tower built by Gustave Eiffel in a span of 2 years 2 months and 2 days. With a height of 325 metres it made us admire it with glee for it is one of the greatest man made constructions. We had to wait in the queue for almost 2 hours to obtain the tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower. However, unfortunately, we were denied entry to the third level as some security related maintenance was going on then. We were able to obtain tickets only to enter the 2^nd level of the tower. We took the lift to the second level of the Eiffel tower and were astonished by the bird’s eye view of the entire city Paris. We were never tired of taking pictures and kept on and on enjoying the view. Our men took a short break in between to taste the world famous Champagne, a variety of wine the original form of which is available only in France.

Bird's eye view from the Eiffel Tower

After visiting the world wonder, we headed towards having lunch at ‘Welcome India’ an Indian restaurant. Post lunch, we visited the Arc de Triomphe, a monument built by Napoleon Bonaparte, for all the soldiers who gave up their lives for the victory of France. There is also a ‘Tomb of the Unknown soldier’ under the Arc and has an eternal flame lit on it in memory of the dead who were never identified. We took a walk around the Arc and also in the avenues nearby. 

Arc de Triomphe

We had a cruise tour scheduled at river Seine and headed for the same. A lovely sight of Seine River and the cruise that could accommodate almost 100 people made the cruise ride a memorable trip. Cruise ride was for almost 2 hours viewing the important places of Paris from the river. We also had fun taking pictures, singing songs and dancing to the tunes in the cruise. Fun and Fun forever!! After the cruise ride, it was time for dinner and rest. We tested our taste buds at ‘Massala Lounge’ yet another Indian restaurant at Paris.

Seine river during the cruise ride

More exciting days to follow... I shall come back with the second part of this travelogue soon...

Part II here
Part III here
Part IV (Final) here

Journey from fat towards fitness

I was gasping for breath. The route seemed to be long and endless. I was eagerly looking out for the ‘U’ turn for the 3 km runners. Alas, it was not to be seen anywhere near. Am I going to finish this run? Or may be I would faint by the time I reach the finish line!! My thoughts were faster than my steps.

At Ridley Run 

It was 5^th March 2017, when I had registered myself for the Ridley Run 2017 which was happening at Palavakkam Beach. With high levels of humidity, I wasn’t able to move further. (Ok ok, as if I was fit enough otherwise :D) I was wondering, with regular walking schedule for past 3 months, I thought the 3 km run must be a piece of cake. No, I understood then, you may be able to walk, but running is not easy. I wished if only I had good endurance to run. Never been a sportsperson or into running, except for 2 or 3 marathon events, that too in 3 km category (that’s the least, why don’t they have 1 km category for adults!!!). Somehow finished the run mostly by walking.

Free Structured Training

3 days later, I happened to see a post in the our Residential group in FB, where the residents and people in neighbourhood were invited for a free training for marathon running. Wow, what an opportunity! You think of God and here He shows up! I was excited for 3 reasons, one, I have a chance to get trained for marathon running, two, it was in the vicinity and three, it was free (I have had experiences in the past, of paying amounts for gym and not being able to continue and the money goes as donation finally!!) I called up Mr. Dominic John in the number provided in the post. Do I need say that it was a turning point in my life?!

First day of training

I got to understand from him that training will be provided 2 days in a week, good, that’s comfortable for me as well. I joined the team on 11^th March 2017. On the first day of my training, there were some 12 guys and I was the only woman. I struggled to do the workouts, but the guys were doing them so easily; they had been practicing for 2 months already! There was a warm-up run for around 1 km... OMG, I wasn’t able to run even 100 metres continuously. Our mentor Dominic was there to support and encourage. He advised that one should always compare with self and never with other runners. He assured that with continuous training, I will be able to run long distances. I wasn’t confident then. I had my doubts. But I took his advice seriously. Followed his instructions perfectly. And then we had our Professional Coach Mr. Mathiazhagan from 1^st April 2017 as the official Free Structured training imparted by Dream Runners Management started.

Official Training by DRHM

With the training and encouragement of Dom and Mathi, we were building our muscles as well as our confidence. The race director Alibhai Sir and our beloved Partha Sir visited us often during the training period and motivated us. 

By the time of April we had built as a big team of more than 40 members. Very encouraging and enthusiastic group, I would say. I was the slowest in the group; still they encouraged me for my persistence. I would be worried that my pace is so poor; they would appreciate me for my sincere efforts. It’s so lucky to get such team mates who keep you motivated always. Their enthusiasm gave me the boost to continue my run even at Kuwait during my vacation. (I had troubled and dragged my husband to the beach at 5 am - that’s a different story altogether. But he was amused by my enthu – aarvakolaru u may say in local slang!! :P )

Dream Runners Half Marathon 2017

The much awaited day arrived. 23^rd July 2017 – Dream Runners Half Marathon 2017. I was excited and anxious which made me wake up at 3.15 am and get ready. We reached the venue at 4.45 am. It was so nice to see so many happy faces doing warm up stretches and getting ready for the action. We did our warm up stretches under the guidance of our coach Mathi. Then attended the zumba session for a while and headed towards the ‘Start’ line. 

Finished 10 km

With the cheering of the crowd, the race was flagged exactly at 5.30 am. I started with a very slow pace, jogging and looking at the happy and enthusiastic faces around me. And slowly increased my pace after 2 kms. The event was so well organized, there were hydration points at every 2 kms – water, oris, banana, lime, oranges. I tried my best to spot the photographers, smiled and showed thumbs up whenever I was able to. Photographs are our memories that we love to relive. 

The climate was quite humid. I was bit disappointed as I was expecting cold breeze early in the morning. To add on, the sling bag rope came off and I had to carry my bag in my hand. I started feeling it to be heavy after a while. Cursed myself for taking the bag without checking. But this sling bag had been my companion throughout. While reaching the 6 km ‘U’ turn, I was more energetic than before. My mind was boosting me up as I had only 40% to complete. While crossing the band and their encouraging music, I was able to feel the gush of blood from my legs, boosted me further. The encouraging calls of volunteers kept me focussed.

Almost reached, just 500 metres away from the finish line, I was getting drained. My bag was adding burden. I kept saying to myself that it’s a small distance to finish. Imagined the energetic welcome by Dom and my team and pushed myself. The final 100 metres were very tough. But I was amazed by the strong finish by a team of elderly people, 3 of them holding their hands together and running cheerfully. Again I picked up energy and finished my race strong. As expected I was welcomed by our mentor Dom with applause. I was so happy to see him there. Felt I had accomplished something which I never thought I would be able to.

Post run, we were served with South Indian breakfast from A2B, greek yogurt. It would be a sin if I did not mention the excellent coffee, which brought back my energy. Completed our post run stretches with the coach. We took pictures, had chit chat with fellow runners, shared our experience with Twin Birds group. It was an eventful morning.

Group Photo at DRHM 2017

Change for betterment

Today I am amazed at the way I have changed. Positive changes give you lots of confidence. I was able to do a 10 km run without pausing, standing, walking or stopping at the Dream Runners Half Marathon 2017. I finished the run in 1 hour 28 minutes.  Just remembering the day when I was unable to do a 3 km run! I owe this transformation to our mentor Dominic John and coach Mathi and to the DRHM Management for imparting us the training. Many thanks to my friends and family for all the support. They have been so kind to bear my torture as I was sending them my run stats and progress almost everyday and they were encouraging and motivating me throughout!

I am yet to achieve my target of getting fit. But there’s no looking back hereafter. I hope to keep running to keep both my body and mind fit and healthy. Looking forward to more events in future and more running!!

As my favourite quote goes,

MILES TO GO BEFORE I SLEEP!!!

தித்திக்கும் தீபாவளி

அ​னைவருக்கும் இனிய தீபாவளித் திருநாள் நல்வாழ்த்துகள்!

ஒரு நீண்ட இ​டை​வெளிக்குப் பின் இன்றுதான் புதிய பதிவிட நேரம் வாய்த்திருக்கிறது. 

தீபாவளி என்ப​தே தீபத்திருநாள் ஆகும். 'தீபம்' என்றால் ஒளி, விளக்கு. 'ஆவளி' என்றால் வரி​சை. வரி​சையாய் விளக்​கேற்றி இருள் நீக்கி, ஒளி தரும் பண்டி​கை​யே தீபாவளியாகும். இந்தப் பண்டி​​கையன்று புத்தா​டை உடுத்தி இனிப்புக​ளை அக்கம்பக்கத்தினருடன் பங்கிட்டு உண்டு பட்டாசுகள் ​வெடித்துக் ​கொண்டாடி வருகி​றோம்.

​பொதுவாக நரகாசுரன் வதம் ​செய்யப்பட்ட நா​ளே தீபாவளியாகக் ​கொண்டாடுகி​றோம் என்று அறிகி​றோம். ஆனால் யார் இந்த நரகாசுரன்? இவன் ​செய்த தீ​மைகள் என்ன? என்று அறிந்துக் ​கொள்ள முற்பட்டதன் விளைவே இந்தப் பதிவு.

வராக மூர்த்தி

ஹிரண்யாட்சன் என்கிற அரக்கன் பூமி​யைக் கடலுக்குள் மறைத்து ​வைக்க, அவ​னை அழித்து பூமி​யைக் காக்கிறார் வராக அவதார​மெடுத்த மஹாவிஷ்ணு.  அச்சமயம் பூமாதேவிக்கும் வராகமூர்த்திக்கும் மகனாகப் பிறந்தவன்​​ பெளமன். வளர்ந்து ​பெரியவனான ​பெளமன், தவம் பல இயற்றி, பற்பல வரங்களைப் ​பெறுகிறான். ​பெளமாசுரன் என்றும் நரகாசுரன் என்றும் ​பெயர்​ பெற்ற இவ்வரக்கன் தன் தாயின் கரத்தால் மட்டு​மே தான் மடிய​வேண்டு​மென்றும் ​வேறெவ்விதத்திலும் தனக்கு மரண​ம் ஏற்படக்கூடா​தென்றும் வரங்க​ளைப்​ பெறுகிறான்.

பற்பல வரங்க​ளைப் ​பெற்று மிகுந்த சக்திசாலியாகும் ஏனைய அரக்கர்கள்​ போல​வே நரகாசுரனும் மானுடருக்கும், ரிஷி முனிவர்களுக்கும், யக்ஷ கந்தர்வர்களுக்கும் இடர்பல ​செய்கிறான். ​தேவர்க​ளையும் ​தேவர்களின் அதிபதியான இந்திர​னையும் ​கொடு​மைக்கு ஆளாக்குகிறான். தன் பாபத்தின் உச்சக்கட்டமாக 16000 ​பெண்க​ளைக் கடத்தி வந்து சி​றையில் அ​டைக்கிறான்.

நரகாசுரன் எனும் ​பெளமாசுரன்

இவனது ​தொந்தரவுக​ளையும் ​கொடு​மைக​ளையும் பொறுக்கமாட்டாது ​தேவர்கள் மஹாவிஷ்ணுவிடம் முறையிட அவர், தான் கிருஷ்ணாவதாரம் எடுக்கும்​போது நரகாசுரனுக்கு முடிவு கட்டுவதாக வாக்களிக்கிறார்.  கிருஷ்ணாவதாரத்தின்​ போது நரகாசுரன் ​தேவர்களின் அன்​னையாகிய தாய் அதிதியின் காதணிக​ளைக் கவர்ந்து ​செல்கிறான். இ​ந்தச் ​செய்தி​யையும் 16000 ​பெண்க​ளை அவன் சி​றை​ வைத்துள்ள ​செய்தி​யையும்​ செவியுற்ற சத்யபாமா மிகுந்த​ கோபம் ​கொண்டு கண்ணனிடம் மு​றையிடுகிறாள். என​வே கிருஷ்ணரும் சத்யபாமாவும் கருடவாகனத்தி​லேறி நரகாசுரனுடன் யுத்தம் ​செய்ய வருகிறார்கள்.

நரகாசுரனின்​ கோட்​டை​ கொத்தளங்க​ளை அழித்து, எதிர்க்க வந்த முராசுரன் மற்றும் அவனது ஏழு குமாரர்கள் தாம்ரன், அந்தரிக்ஷன், சிரவணன், விபாவசு, வசு, நபஸ்வான், அருணன் ஆகி​யோ​ரையும், பீடா என்கிற அசுர​னையும் ​வெற்றிக் ​கொள்கிறார் கிருஷ்ணர். முராசுர​னை அழித்ததா​ல் கண்ணனுக்கு முராரி என்ற ​பெயர் வழங்கலாயிற்று.

தன்னு​டைய ப​டைத்தளபதிக​ளை கிருஷ்ணர் சம்ஹாரம் ​செய்த​தை அறிந்து நரகாசுரன் ​போரிடத் துவங்கினான். தன் தா​யைத் தவிர யார் கரத்தாலும் தனக்கு மரணமில்​லை என்கிற வரத்தால்​ செருக்குண்டு கண்ணனுடன் அகங்காரத்துடன்​ போரிட்டான். இனியும் இவ​னை அழிக்கத் தாமதிக்கக்கூடாதென கிருஷ்ணர் தீர்மானித்தார்.

நரகாசுரனு​டைய​ சே​னைகளுடன் கிருஷ்ணரும் சத்யபாமாவும்​ போரிடுதல்

நரகாசுரன் ஒரு சக்தி மிகுந்த அஸ்திரத்​தை எய்யவும், தான் தாக்குண்டு மயக்கம​டைந்தது​ போன்ற ​தோற்றத்​தை கிருஷ்ணர் ஏற்படுத்தினார். உலகங்க​ளை​யே இயக்கும் கண்ணனை மயக்கமுறச் ​​செய்த நரகாசுர​னைக் கண்டு சத்யபாமா கடுங்​கோபம் ​கொண்டாள்.

நரகாசுர​னை ​நேரடியாக ​போரில் சந்தித்தாள். பலம்​ பொருந்திய அஸ்திரத்தினால் நரகாசுர​னை வீழ்த்தினாள். படுகாயமுற்று மண்ணில் வீழ்ந்த நரகாசுரன் இனி தான் பிழைக்க வழியில்​லை என உணர்ந்தான். தன் தா​யைத் தவிர ​வேறு யாரும் தன்​னை வீழ்த்த முடியாது என்று எண்ணியிருக்க யா​ரோ ஒரு ​பெண் தன்​னை ​கொல்ல முடிந்தது எப்படி என்று மனம் குழம்பினான்.

கண்ணன் அப்​போது சத்யபாமா பூமா​தேவியின் அவதாரம் என்ப​தைக் கூறவும் தன் அன்​னையின் பாதாரவிந்தங்க​ளைப் பணிந்து ஒரு வரம்​ கோரினான் நரகாசுரன். தான் இறந்த நாளில் மக்கள் அ​னைவரும் தீபங்கள் ஏற்றி ஒரு பண்டிகையாகக் ​கொண்டாட​ வேண்டும் என்று ​வேண்டினான். அவன் விரும்பிய வரத்​தை சத்யபாமா உருவத்தில் இருந்த தாய் பூ​தேவி வழங்கினாள்.

இவ்வாறாக நரகாசுரனின் ​வேண்டு​கோளின்படி தீபாவளி​யை தீப வரிசையுடன்​ கொண்டாடும் வழக்கமாயிற்று.

நரகாசுரன் எனும் ​பெளமாசுரனின் வதம் ஸ்ரீமத்பாகவதத்தில் இடம்​பெறுகிறது. இருப்பினும் அவன் மாய்ந்த தினம் தீபாவளியாகக் ​கொண்டாடப்படுவது பற்றி ​செய்தி ஏதும் இல்லை.

இராமாயணத்தில் இராமன் இலங்​கை​யையும் இராவணனையும் ​வெற்றி​கொண்டு தனது 14 ஆண்டு வனவாசமும் முடிந்து அ​யோத்திக்குத் திரும்பிய நா​ளே தீபாவளி என வட இந்தியாவில் நம்பப்படுகிறது.

காரணம்​ வெவ்​வேறாக இருப்பினும் ​தீ​மைகள் அழிந்து இருள் நீங்கி ஒளி​பெறவும் நன்​மைகள் பரவவும் ​கொண்டாடப்படும் பண்டி​​கையாக தீபாவளி அமைந்திருப்ப​தென்ன​வோ உண்மைதா​னே!

நம் இந்தியாவில் மட்டுமல்லாது இந்தியர்கள் வாழும் இடங்களி​லெல்லாம் இப்பண்டி​கை மிகுந்த உற்சாகத்துடன் ​கொண்டாடப்படுகிறது. சமய​ வேறுபாடின்றி அ​னைவரும் ஒன்று ​சேர்ந்து மகிழ்ச்சியுடன்​ கொண்டாடும் இத்திருநாளில் தீபங்களின் ஒளி​ வெள்ளத்தில் அன்பானவர்களின் அருகில்​மூத்​தோரின் வழியில் நன்​மைகள் நி​றைய எல்லாரும் எல்லா வளமும் ​பெற தித்திக்கும் இனிய தீபாவளி நல்வாழ்த்துகள்!

படங்களுக்கு நன்றி:

http://ancientindians.net/gods/avatars-of-vishnu/varaha/

http://wayang.wordpress.com/2010/08/29/wayang-closed-up/boma-narakasura-1a/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narakasura

http://paritosh-mananam.blogspot.com/2012/10/deepavali-joy.html

SAND STORM OR SAND TSUNAMI!!!

25-Mar-2011: It was a boring weekend. The day was very dull as the month-end Friday restrained us from going on a shopping. The window shopping was equally feared nowadays because at many instances, the window shopping turned to become actual shopping, thus lightening my husband’s wallet and burdening his heart! So on this Friday we decided that we would only stay back at home and wouldn’t go out anywhere. With no upcoming pressures to his wallet, my husband had a peaceful sleep in the afternoon which extended upto evening. My son nicely made me switch on his favourite cartoon channel and settled in front of television. What else do I do other than to get into the virtual world of social friends!!

It was around  5.45 pm and at that moment did my husband’s mobile started ringing. It was his colleague and once he attended the call, he woke up hurriedly and said “oh is it? Let me go & check out from downstairs”. Having said this, he made a quick run towards the door. Out of curiosity, I stopped him midway and asked what had happened that made him run. He said his friend had asked him to check out a huge smoke in the western direction and if it was a fire accident somewhere. Without waiting for my reply he went out.

I peeped out of the window but couldn’t find anything for a moment. But then what I saw was a large smoke filling up the sky on one side. Must be a big fire accident I thought for a second. But this smoke started covering up the entire sky in a very fast mode. Within a few seconds, it started to darken. Then did I realise, that it was a sandstorm. Oh My God! I have never seen such a scene before. I immediately took a few snaps and closed the window. My husband came back by then and we closed all the windows, doors, exhaust fan doors etc. While trying to contact the friend again, we found that our mobile lines were not working for a while. Seeing this huge smoke, we checked out the website and found almost all the flights have been delayed.

Picture taken thru the window

Soon the smell of sand was penetrating thru our nostrils. I was able to see the dust particles getting accumulated on all the things. Immediately we set down to close the A/c ducts with news papers and sealed them. I tried to see outside thru the window. It was dust & sand everywhere and nothing else was visible. The friend who had called up was stuck up in office. A few other friends who had gone on outing, were stuck up too.

Picture taken thru the window

Around 9 pm or so, the buildings nearby our house were slightly visible. This is when our friends had managed to drive slowly and reach their homes.

After cleaning up the house twice or thrice and still unsatisfied we went to sleep. Next day morning, the newspapers here had mentioned as "Tsunami of Sand" in their headlines and reported chaos all over Kuwait.  

The Arab Times reported as: “A menacing black dust storm hit the country at a speed of over 50 kms per hour Friday evening, plunging the country into complete darkness before the sunset. The storm reduced visibility to almost zero in some areas of the country and disrupted mobile phone services for almost 30 minutes as panicked citizens and residents tried to call to check the safety of their loved ones. The Operations Room of the Interior Ministry received more than 200 calls for assistance; the most urgent among them was a boat stranded in mid-sea. Nearly 100 female students were onboard and were on their way to Failaka Island when the storm came threatening. Security forces and Coast Guard members sprung into action and managed to bring the boat safely to the shore” 

Courtesy: Internet

In the morning, I was happy to see that the sandstorm had settled, the sky was clear and normal. However, our windows and doors were full of fine dust. Our apartment security (called as Harris in Arabic), arranged to clean up the ground floor and stairs. I had to clean up all the things at my home... hmm... had a real hectic work for nearly two days.

Cleaning work at my apartment

It was a terrible sandstorm that I had ever seen in these four years and while settling, it did give me allergy and severe throat pain :-((((

திருப்பாவை - 30, திருவெம்பாவை - 20

ஆண்டாள் அருளிய திருப்பாவை – 30

வங்கக் கடல்கடைந்த மாதவனை கேசவனை

திங்கள் திருமுகத்து சேயிழையார் சென்றிறைஞ்சி

அங்கப் பறைகொண்ட ஆற்றை அணிபுதுவைப்

பைங்கமலத் தண்தெரியல் பட்டர்பிரான் கோதைசொன்ன

சங்கத் தமிழ்மாலை முப்பதும் தப்பாமே

இங்கிப் பரிசுரைப்பார் ஈரிரண்டு மால்வரைதோள்

செங்கண் திருமுகத்துச் செல்வத் திருமாலால்

எங்கும் திருவருள் பெற்றின்புறுவ ரெம்பாவாய்

பொருள்:

மனமெனும் கப்பல்கள் சென்று அடையும் திருப்பாற்கடலில், மந்திர மலையை மத்தாக்கி, வாசுகி எனும் பாம்பை கயிறாக்கி, கூர்ம அவதாரம் எடுத்து மந்திர மலையின் அடியிலே நின்று முட்டுக் கொடுத்து பாற்கடலை கடைந்த மாதவனை, கேசவனை, ஸ்ரீமந்நாராயணனை, நிலவையொத்த அழகிய முகமுடைய பெண்கள், அடியார்களுடன் கூட்டமாகச் சென்று வணங்கி தாங்கள் இறைவனிடம் பெற்றுக் கொண்ட பறையை அடையும் வழியை விளக்கிக் கூறி, அழகிய ஸ்ரீவில்லிப்புத்தூரின், குளிர்ச்சியான தாமரை மாலைகள் அணிந்த, சூடிக் கொடுத்த சுடர்கொடியாம் பட்டர்பிரான் பெரியாழ்வாரின் செல்வமகளாகிய கோதை பாடிக் கொடுத்த இந்த சங்கத்தமிழ் மாலையின் முப்பது பாசுரங்களைத் தவறாமல் நாளும் பாடி, இறைவனை சேவிப்பவர்கள், நான்கு பெரும் மலைகளைப் போன்ற தோள்களை உடையவனும், செவ்வரியோடிய கண்கள் கொண்டவனும், திவ்யமான திருமுகமுடையவனும், திருமகளுடன் இணைந்து இருப்பவனுமாகிய ஸ்ரீமந் நாராயணனின் திருவருளைப் பெற்று பேரானந்தத்தை அடைவர்.

ஆண்டாள் திருநாமம் வாழி

திருவாடிப் புரத்து செகத்துதித்தாள் வாழியே

திருப்பாவை முப்பதும் செப்பினாள் வாழியே

பெரியாழ்வார் பெற்றெடுத்த பெண்பிள்ளை வாழியே

பெரும்புதூர் மாமுனிக்குப் பின்னானாள் வாழியே

ஒரு நூற்று நாற்பத்து மூன்றுரைத்தாள் வாழியே

உயர் அரங்கற்கே கண்ணி உகந்தளித்தாள் வாழியே

மருவாரும் திருவல்லி வளநாடி வாழியே

வண்புதுவை நகர்க்கோதை மலர்ப்பதங்கள் வாழியே

ஆண்டாள் திருவடிகளே சரணம் சரணம் சரணம்!!!

மாணிக்கவாசகர் அருளிய திருவெம்பாவை – 20

போற்றி அருளுகநின் ஆதியாம் பாதமலர்

போற்றி அருளுகநின் அந்தமாம் செந்தளிர்கள்
போற்றியெல் லாவுயிர்க்கும் தோற்றமாம் பொற்பாதம்

போற்றியெல் லாவுயிர்க்கும் போகமாம் பூங்கழல்கள்
போற்றியெல் லாவுயிர்க்கும் ஈறாம் இணையடிகள்

போற்றிமால் நான்முகனும் காணாத புண்டரிகம்
போற்றியாம் உய்யஆட் கொண்டருளும் பொன்மலர்கள்

போற்றியாம் மார்கழிநீர் ஆடேலோ ரெம்பாவாய்!

பொருள்:

எப்பொருளுக்கும் முதலாயுள்ள உன் திருவடி மலருக்கு வணக்கம். எவற்றுக்கும் முடிவாயுள்ள, செந்தளிர் போலும் திருவடிகளுக்கு வணக்கம்; எல்லாவுயிர்களுக்கும் தோன்றுதற்குக் காரணமாகிய பொன்போன்ற திருவடிகளுக்கு வணக்கம், எல்லாவுயிர்களுக்கும் நிலைபெறுதற்குரிய பாதுகாப்பாகிய அழகிய கழலணிந்த திருவடிகளுக்கு வணக்கம். எல்லாவுயிர்களுக்கும் முடிவு எய்துதற்குக் காரணமாகிய திருவடிகள் இரண்டிற்கும் வணக்கம். திருமாலும், பிரமனும், காணமுடியாத திருவடித் தாமரை மலருக்கு வணக்கம். நாம் உய்யும்படி ஆட்கொண்டருளுகின்ற தாமரை மலர்போலும் திருவடிகளுக்கு வணக்கம். இங்ஙனம் கூறிப் போற்றி இறைவனை வணங்கி, நாம் மூழ்குவதற்குரிய மார்கழி நீரில் ஆடுவோமாக.

திருச்சிற்றம்பலம்

நண்பர்களே,

இன்று மார்கழி மாதத்தின் கடைசி நாள். இன்றுடன் நமது திருப்பாவை, திருவெம்பாவை, திருப்பள்ளியெழுச்சி - தினமும் ஒரு பாடல் எனும் தொடர் நிறைவுக்கு வருகிறது. மிகுந்த தயக்கம் தோன்றியபோதும், சிறு வயதிலிருந்தே பாடிய இந்தப் பாடல்களை, அதன் பொருளை, அறிந்துக் கொள்ள தக்கதொரு சந்தர்ப்பமாக எண்ணியே இந்தத் தொடர் பதிவினை துவங்கினேன். அந்த சர்வேச்வரனாகிய இறைவனின் கருணையால், ஏதோ நான் படித்ததையும், கேட்டதையும் வைத்து இந்தத் தொடரினை எழுதி இன்று நிறைவு செய்கிறேன். இதில் பிழையேதும் இருக்குமானால், அனைவரும் அதற்காக என்னை மன்னிக்கும்படி கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறேன். 

சர்வம் ஸ்ரீகிருஷ்ணார்ப்பணமஸ்து

அனைத்தும் ஸ்ரீ கிருஷ்ணனுக்கே அர்ப்பணம்

"தை பிறந்தால் வழி பிறக்கும்" என்று சொல்வார்கள். மார்கழி எனும் தெய்வீக மாதத்தில் இறைவனை நாம் வழிபட்டு வந்தோமானால், அதன்பொருட்டு இறைவன் அகமகிழ்ந்து தை பிறந்ததும் நமது துன்பங்கள் நீங்க நல்வழிகாட்டுவான் என்பதை இதற்கான விளக்கமாக பெரியோர் கூறுவர். அவ்வாறே உங்கள் அனைவரின் வாழ்விலும் இந்தத் தை மாதம் நல்வழி பிறக்கும் மாதமாக அமைய எல்லாம் வல்ல இறைவனை வேண்டுகிறேன். அனைவருக்கும் தித்திக்கும் இனிய பொங்கல் நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள். 

கூடிய விரைவில் மற்றுமொரு சுவாரஸ்யமான பதிவுடன் உங்களை சந்திக்கிறேன்.

நன்றி

வர்தினி.

குறிப்பு: படங்கள் மற்றும் பாடல்களின் பொருள் உபயம்: இணையம்