Bubble Relations

Thunaiezhutu by S.Ramakrishnan (it was serialized in vikatan and later released as a book) is one good book that made me cry more than once. Here is one of my fav chapters in it..I tried to translate it so that it can get some more reach...However as they say 'Translations can be either beautiful as original or true to original but never both'..I don't think what I have done is anyway near to he original...


After a long time, I was watching the famous film "Ethir neechal" on TV
yesterday. It has a scene where Madhu - (the protagonist of the story,
played by Nagesh) is being suspected for a petty theft. Even his best
friend Nayar (played by Muthuraman) suspects him, later when the truth
comes out, Nayar feels guilty and tries to console Nagesh. For that
Nagesh says "Nayar, I don't think you shouldn't suspect me. But death of
friendship is more hurting than death of a friend, I was afraid that it
shouldn't happen to us"

This dialogue haunts me, how true! Just as the water spills from a
glass that fell down in darkness, thoughts of death of friendships started
filling my mind.

A love that is lost remains buried in heart forever. Remembering it and
trying to bring it back in our memories makes one to give a deep sigh!
Believe me this happens. But no one wants to talk about ex-friends. In
the eternal play of time, if it happens that you have to meet your
ex-friend some where you don't want to talk or wish.

Every man has a list of friends who broke away with him. Whatever be
the reason, silly or prominent, Death of friendship is like a leaf that
has withered from the tree. One can never put it back.

Death of friendship doesn't happen at one point of time...it may
apparently look so. The fact is it starts like a small crack in the wall,
which grows over a period of time and breaks the wall. Both friends firmly
believe that the other person is responsible. This would have not
occurred if the cracks were sealed at the right time. However, we all need
get some new friends to hold on, like octopus hands we try to find new
friends to cling to.

During my initial days in Chennai, I was so confident that no one here
could replace my old village friends. People here are my colleague
that's it. Only my village friends can be my "true" friends. But I was soon
proved wrong. Some one with hardly 5-6 months of friendship is able to
replace the vacuum of old lost friend. Like a seesaw friendship always
has highs and lows, it is seldom balanced.

Friendship is quite different from love and marriage, that attraction
is strange. When one gets a new friend, the old friend becomes jealous.
"You-are-only-for-me" attitude always prevails amongst friends' -though
not evidently displayed, it remains in every heart. We all feel
disturbed as a kid who looses his toy.

Just like a kid, friendship wants everything to be told and shared. Not
surprisingly it looses interest soon as kid does.

Lover talks and knows your problem, wife knows without asking, friends
know even if you think of it.

I had a friend in my School days - Selvaraj. A lot of my school days
were spent in his home. We ate, played and slept together. We bought
shirts of same colour, sat in same desk and vowed before our village
Perumal temple that we will remain friends 'forever'. We planned to marry
girls from same house - sisters, planned to built two beautiful bungalows
- alike and adjacent, cars of same make and colour...a lot of dreams
were exchanged in those dark, cool nights we spent together.

We had two unique friends in our village - Nalliya and Ananchi. Nalliya
was a broker - a middleman for selling cows. He was blind right from
birth. Ananchi was always seen with Nalliya, taking him to wherever he
wanted to go. He didn't have any job for himself.

Nalliya had a family of four kids and wife. He had the amazing
capability to distinguish and grade cows just by feeling and by its
suspiration. Ananchi was single, he had met Nalliya in his 10th year and since
then been his friend, his vision for almost 30 years.

Nalliya was short tempered, foul mouthed. Ananchi never spoke a hard
word. Ananchi managed Nalliya's funds and family chores, but he never
bought anything for himself. Ananchi starts his day with Nalliya, leading
him wherever he wanted to go. And ends his day after Nalliya sleeps. It
was quite difficult to understand their friendship, however they were
our "Ideal friends"

Once, Selvaraj and I tried to live like Nalliya and Ananchi...but it
was a difficult experiment... we couldn't remain blind for more than few
minutes. One day we went to Nalliya's house. Collected some sand from
Nalliya and Ananchi's footprints and smeared it on our forehead. We
vowed that we would be good friends like Nalliya-Ananchi. That night we
wore similar shirts, ate and slept together.

In a loom with thousands of cord woven into a beautiful fabric, you
never know which cord is going to cut when. One day, while returning from
tuition, Selvaraj gave his proposition, "I will marry your sister, you
marry my sister". I couldn't understand what he was upto, why was he
talking like that. I replied "No, Selva, we will marry sisters from same
house". But Selvaraj wasn't convinced, raged with anger he asked, "Why?
Why should not I marry her? She considers herself to be too beautiful
for me, doesn't She?"

Without any clue of his ire, I replied "Why don't you better ask her".
This should have provoked him more. He started shouting "If she says
no, I will cut her hair. Do you understand?" By this time I was in my
temper, "Selva, stop talking about my family." Before I could complete, he
pushed me down and walked away. The fall had bruised my knees. I
wished, a snake should bite Selva. I prayed all night for that.

Next day in school Selva ignored me completely. He even befriended one
of the guys whom I detested. I never felt like going or even crossing
his house.

Without any reason, I started hating Ananchi. Why should he waste his
life for Nalliya? Doesn't he have any other friends? Has he lost all
this feelings of love, humiliation, hate, desires? Are these things
unimportant before friendship? I was disconcerted.

At least, I had a reason for the break of my friendship. Many people
never find a cause for lost friendship. A lot of promises made between
friends are broken...vanished in air like the scent of roses. None of the
Gods seem to care or punish for breaking promises. May be the Gods are
pretty confused in understanding who is friend of whom?

The monotonous nature of life is camouflaged in small cycles of
'accidents'. Like the see which keeps reaching the shore through different
waves, we all get friends and loose them...new ones every time. Life is
like those waves, trying to reach the shore. It keeps trying for
perpetual period of time, never accomplish the goal. Bubbles of the sea froth
are beautiful and short-lived. So are the relations.

Flying Elephant

His name was Raja. He was the most majestic one, and fit to be their leader. He had a shining white complexion, huge body, long trunk, sharp coiled tusk and a pair of beautiful wings. Yes, wings.
You don’t find flying elephants here, but they exist.
If you cross seven seas and seven mountains you can reach where they live. It is a wonderland. But they are not visible to all eyes, only those people who are good at heart can see them.
One day Raja was flying around their green skies, they have green skies and blue sun in that wonderland. Suddenly he noticed a 10 headed snake called Kalla trying to eat the young lion cub, Ramu.
Raja descended at once and landed near Kalla.
"Leave Ramu" Raja said strongly. For this Kalla laughed and said,
"Raja, this is not your business. I have caught him and I will eat him. Who are you to ask?"
Raja became very angry and said, "Leave him alone or I will beat you blue, pick your heads one by one and throw your body in to the seas".
"Ha ha ha, lets see who is stronger", said Kalla and he jumped on Raja. They both fought for 3 days continously. The earth shook and all trees fell uprooted. Kalla almost got Raja on first day. Raja was bleeding on his trunk, but Raja was good and never gave up. Though Kalla was very big and has 10 heads he couldn’t fight anylonger. Atlast he surrenedered at Raja’s feet.
"Now do you understand. I can sever your head and throw into the seas, but I don’t want to do that. Get away from here. Never shall I see you troubling little helpless creatures again", said Raja.
Kalla said,"Thank you Raja. Thanks for letting me free. I will never come back here" and ran away from there.
All the animals in that wonderland lived happily everafter without the fear of Kalla.

"Now baby go to sleep. Be a good girl. Remember you should never hurt others"
"But I am not getting sleep papa. Please tell me one more story, that dragon story?"
"I have said that several times. See it is already 10, you should sleep now. Tomorrow I will tell you the story of half human- half cat person"
"Good night papa"
I bid my little daughter goodnight and retired to my computer. Oh! I have to fix this program by tomorrow morning. The very thought of fixing 500 line code drives me crazy.
Won't things be better if software was as easy as telling stories to my little daughter.

லைப்ரரியும் சினிமா தியேட்டரும்

இது என் முதல் தமிழ் பதிவு.
உலகத்தை அளந்தது போல் ஒரு சிலிர்ப்பு.
இது எப்படி வருகிறது என்று பார்த்து, இனி தமிழிலும் பதிவு பண்ணலாம் என்று இருக்கிறேன்.

கடந்த ஒரு வாரமாக எழுத முடியவில்லை..காரணம்? சென்னை பயணம்.

5 மாதங்களில் சென்னை மாறிவிடும் என்று எதிர்பார்க்கவில்லை. அதே மெரினா, அதே மின்சார ரயில், அதே புழுதி கலந்த தெரு. இந்த முறை இன்னும் நிறைய பள்ளம் தோண்டி இருக்கிறார்கள்.

கன்னிமாரா லைப்ரரியில் நிரந்தர புத்தக கண்காட்சி. எப்போதோ கேள்விப் பட்டது, போய் பார்த்து வர கிளம்பினேன். பஸ் பிடித்து ஸ்பென்சர்ஸ் வரை சென்ற நான் அங்கிருந்து கன்னிமாரா லைப்ரரி செல்ல ஆட்டோ பிடிக்க முயற்சித்தேன்.

"கன்னிமாரா லைப்ரரி போனும்பா"
"வராது சார்"

"கன்னிமாரா லைப்ரரி..."
"ஹிஹி..இன்னா சார் பக்கத்து பில்டிங் போறதுக்கு ஆட்டோ கேக்கறியே?"
"அது ஹொட்டல், நான் சொல்றது லைப்ரரி"
"எங்க இருக்கு?"
"நேரா போயி..."

இதற்குள்ளாக பக்கத்தில் இருக்கும் ஆட்டோ டிரைவர்கள் சுற்றிக்கொண்டார்கள்
"இன்னா டில்லி எங்க சவாரி?"
"கன்னிமாரா லைப்ரரி எங்கன்னே இருக்கு?"
"பக்கத்து பில்டிங்ப்பா..."
"அது இல்லிங்க...நான் சொல்றது லைப்ரரி நேரா போயி ரைட்ல திரும்பினா மியுசியம் இல்ல, அது பக்கத்துல"
"ஆமாம்பா அங்கே ஒரு லைப்ரரி இருக்கு"
"20 ருபா சார்"
"15 ருபா"
"சரி ஏறு சார்"
10 ருபாய்க்கு கேட்டிருக்கலாமோ என்று யோசிப்பதற்குள் லைப்ரரி வந்து விட்டது.

2 மனிநேரம் கழித்து வந்து ஆட்டோ கூப்பிட்டேன்,
"சத்யம் போகனும்ப்பா"
"ஏறு சார் 25 ருபா" உடனடியாக வந்தது பதில்.


(பி.கு: பெரிய தொகுப்பு இல்லையென்றாலும், பாராட்டப் பட வேண்டிய முதல் படி. பதிப்பகத்தார் ஜனவரி புத்தக கண்காட்சியில் காட்டும் ஈடுபாட்டில் 10% இதில் காட்டினால் இன்னும் நன்றாய் இருக்கும். வாங்கிய புத்தகங்களை பற்றி
பிறகு எழுதிகிறேன்.)