Mr. Connect + Develop

To market, to market to buy Know-it-all services.
Connect externally to Develop a lot of Lather.

Euphemism for - I find external partners for Modeling & simulation services in the spaces of CFD, Process simulation & supply chain analysis and integration.

I finished a year “Buying” for the R&D folks at Soap Company Inc. The only significant remark that was broadcasted my way, through this period was- You are smart, you’ll figure it out. A fat lot of help that did.

GP, as I’d like to refer to this posts protagonist, was always contrarian to the practice of “Buying”. He believed that the bunch of us Buyers needn’t even exist.
GP was from the Knows-it-all department. He helped R&D trounce Marketing, worldwide, thrice in the Snob-of-the-year contests for FYs 07 to 09.

He picked me up when I was a rookie (a.k.a pariah) and wasn’t getting too much help from my own peers. Very perceptive coach -Step back from what you are doing, he used to say. There was a simple uncomplicated allegiance, a promise to always be there, to catch me if I fell.

I hate it when friends go away. It makes the walk seem like a trudge, till we meet another good friend to companion us through the next few milestones in the journey of life.

Today was his last day with Soap Company Inc. as Senior Know-it-all.

Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Management

I am thicketed in qualifications!

I, mucastic, from July 2008, end my academic pursuits in misplaced certainty and begin my career in placeless mystery.

Prahlada and an introduction to Harikatha

I have been fascinated with mythology and astronomy ever since I was 3 feet tall ( or short?)
This past week, I have been at a loose end (usually in the evenings) and have been allowed to indulge in these once more. I sit across one of my parents and prod them into narrating an interesting snippet from Indian mythology. It usually starts with a “story please”!
On one such evening, in response, my dad fished out an invitation from Tattvaloka, to attend a Harikatha by R Aravamudan.

“Average age will be fifty , Paaa!”

“So?...You wanted to hear a decent angle on a well-known story, right?”

Prahlada Charitram.

I wanted a story. For the moment, I’d keep my protests at the tip of my tongue and generously vent my agony incase the event turned out to be as geriatric as I presumed!

In the newly built, neatly designed Tattvaloka building, sitting in the Abhinava Vidyathirtha Hall, I watched a statuesque “vagyakara” of about 60, perform as he quoted with ease from the Vedas and Upanishads, sang traditional carnatic pieces and modestly offered philosophical insights in telegu, tamil and sanskrit.

As Gowri Ramnarayan once said of Prahlada Charitram “A story we all know backwards!”, it was about the 4th avatar of Lord Vishnu in the form of a man-lion (Narasimha) who manifested to prove Prahlada’s bhakti and vanquish his father, the Asura-king, Hiranyakasapu.

Sri Aravamudan’s theory that with one of the following 6 qualities, people endeared themselves to Lord Vishnu in His human form :
Love – the gopikas who danced and played with Krishna
Fear – Kamsa who had been warned that Krishna would dethrone him, died at His hands
Hatred- Sishupala had his head sawn off by His Chakra
Friendship- Pandavas who were “chosen” to spearhead Krishna’s “Gita” campaign
Devotion- Prahlada benefited with His implicit appearance whenever he called for Him.

But it still didn’t answer 2 questions.

First, why Hiranyakasipu as a target?

It all started when the accursed duo of Jaya and Vijaya (the gatekeepers of Vishnu Loka) approached Lord Vishnu to hasten their mortal release.Lord Vishnu suggested that they be born as Asuras three times and that He, in his avatar form, would come down all three times to vanquish them, thus assuring their salvation.
Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu (Varaha and Narasimha)
Ravana and Kumbhakarna (Rama)
Sishupala and Dantavakra (Krishna)

Second, how Prahlada as a devotee, an asura’s son?

Now Prahlada was a queer case where an Asura-child had been born devout!
It is said that, with Hiranyakasipu in deep penance, Indra attacked his kingdom taking his pregnant wife hostage. Sage Narada is said to have intervened on grounds of unfairness and taken custody of the asura-queen. All through the gestation period, Narada sang the glories of Lord Vishnu.
While the queen slept, the little child in her womb lay awake listening…
The child was born a great Vishnu bhakta and he was named Prahlada.
Therefore, when Prahlada requested His protection for the asura-progeny, a pleased Lord Vishnu granted it.

As it turned out, with His protection assured, Prahlada’s asura-progeny developed arrogance and acted in ways that weren’t conducive to harmonious living.And everytime, the lord needed to intervene in his avatar form to check the precociousness of this race.

Prahlada’s grandson Mahabali was tamed by the Vaamana avatar,
Mahabali’s son Banasura was tamed by Lord Krishna.

By marrying His grandson Aniruddha to Banasura’s daughter Usha, Lord Krishna effectively brought to end Prahlad’s asura dynasty and inducted them into the deva-kshatriya race.

It truly leaves one in awe of the Divine Planner.Lord Vishnu consciously orchestrated his manifestations such that they tied in with the fateful agenda of his devotees.
For a person who is running low on mythical tales and imagery, listening to such theory being spewed out at harikathas, it isn’t in his place to complain about the average age at the hall.

Invitation to list

In one of my pre- MBA interviews, I was asked to name 10 people I would have liked to invite to dinner.
Until this question was asked, I believe, the interview was turning out to be a dry affair. Every ordinary question lifted off 'interview-guides' and I was providing clichéd answers without batting an eyelid.

I liked the B-school. However, with every question I was losing enthusiasm and confidence.
I was to wade through another standard interview which didnt allow for limited exploration.
How to let the panelists in on what interested me?
Then this question. Colors, the universe, motives.....
Here is the list I gave.

Adi shankara,
Galileo,
Da Vinci,
Birbal
Blaise Pascal,
Oscar Wilde,
M.K.Gandhi,
Rukmini Arundale,
David Lean,
Heinrech Harrer

What would your list be?

p.s- I did make an admit to the B-school.

Mylai

Mylapore, a cultural hotbed, is said to have existed even before Chennai. I have heard numerous legends named whose cultural roots or meanderings saw them in Mylapore. It is from the myth of the Kapaleeswarar temple that Mylapore got its name. The deity and his consort-Kapaleshwara and Karpagambal- bestow mortal release from the ultimate kundalini-the kapaala (the mind) upon those who seek it through supreme imaginative thought.Legend has it that an accursed Goddess Parvathi worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of a “myil” (tamil for peahen) here.


In the month of Margazhi, enroute to the temple, early mornings in the empty Mada streets sees various enthusiastic groups singing the many lines of the Thiruvembavai or chanting the Arunachala kirthanavali with endearing gusto.

However, it is The Mylapore festival that has, over the past few days (Jan 5-8, 2006), infused new vigour into the ethosphere of Mylapore.
The collaborative efforts of the Mylapore Times, a local paper, Sundaram Finance and the residents of Mylapore has seen the festival grow from a local play-ground Kolam competition to a full-fledged artistic event.

Now the original Kolam competitionhas come out onto North Mada Street complete with roadblocks and police regulation where 200 individuals exhibit their heightened dexterous skills.

The main events usually take place in the Rasi quadrangle with classical song and dance recitals, TheruKoothu and lively tamil literary discussions.

Come dusk, on Pitchupillai street, the students of Fine Arts, Stella Maris exhibit their colorful textiles and offer to apply designer mehendi for visitors.A student of the Govt. School of fine arts was a crowd puller for his instant portraits and caricatures.

A Mylapore heritage Walk was also organized in this festival, on the eco-friendly and still existent cycle rickshaw that wound its way through the narrow streets of Mylapore, Luz and Santhome.

A little fuel in Sundareewarar “food” street, a pause to recollect and savour the very essence of Mylapore, I took in the heady throng of this festival as I walked past the temple.

As I wandered back home through the closest bylanes of the temple, I noticed a photo exhibition that had contributions from residents and admirers of Mylapore.
There were restored photographs of The icons courtesy of professionals like Sathyam Studios and amateur shots of the common man and his private celebrations through generations. As I survey these, I noticed a familiar ancestral face spring out of the snapshots from history, Shri Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar.
He was apppointed Asthana Vidwan of the Mysore palace during the time of Krishnaraja Wodeyar.

Now, outside our home in Mylapore, in the soft glow of the evening lamps, I remembered the 4 generations that lived here and contributed to my home’s cultural essence.
In their lifetimes, they spoke of vibrant Mylai Decembers.
The soothing weather, comparing notes on expositions and hurrying to the Kapaleshwarar temple betwixt to catch the “deeparadhana”

After having just taken in one, I understand what it all meant.

Margazhi

The Tamil month of Margazhi symbolizes the dawn of a new day in the abode of the Gods. Every morning of this month women wake well before sunrise, bathe with seasame oil and herbal paste, light the lamp and offer their prayers to Katyayani(Goddess Durga).
With the strains of the Thirupaavai and Thiruvembavai drifting in the alleys, they then clean out their courtyards sprinkling water.
The women proceed to decorate their porches with rice flour in the best designs from their repertoire. Traditionally, neighbourhood women would compete with one another to come up with the most innovative and speedily executed design, referred to as a Rangoli or Kolam.
It’s as if these welcome the Sun to peep out of His little hideaway below the horizon, the first streaks of light splattering the sky and coloring the void of the night, and later, energize Him to shine on through the day.

Growing up in a town called Bharuch, an eight year old, I remember waking up each morning during Margazhi, to the sound of my mother tidying up the porch. I would run up to her and look at her expectantly.She would smile.
That would be my green signal to lunge for the rice powder and start off on a new Kolam(Rangoli). Later in the day, I would catch my mother fondly looking at my artwork!

I remember being thoroughly pleased and was determined to repeat this routine every year.

As I grew up, however, being preoccupied with many other activities and events - shifting to Chennai, being new at school, negotiating college, dealing with my sister’s leaving home to study, each year, I missed this simple joyful routine.

This December under a beautiful full moon (Poornima), as we lit lamps on our front porch, bidding twinkling adieu to the tamil month of Karthigai, my mother murmured, “ You were very deft with your fingers for an eight year old, mucastic.”, I knew she was referring to the Kolams.

The next morning, the first dawn of Margazhi , I stood stooping over the porch,with rice powder in hand, waiting.
I hadn’t done this in a long time.
All of a sudden seeing my mother standing at the doorway, smiling the way she used to, made me realize why at eight I loved doing this.

The Kolam?-It turned out to be a simple one, but it was a start.

Now, the past few days, my mother and I have been excitedly planning designs for the entire week.
This Margazhi is special.It isn’t like Bharuch.
Yet, it is peacefully expectant.
Most important, the old memories have come a full circle and I don’t wish to let a single new moment slip unnoticed into the past.
As for my Kolams, I find that they are actually getting larger,intricate and better!

The Rains in Chennai

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