Lockdown and Chicken Pox

I was quarantined for 15 days during the COVID-19 lockdown. Not because of Corona but because of Chicken Pox! 

First things first, I had neither got chicken pox in my 38 years (you know my age now) nor have I had a vaccine . Not sure if I had it in my previous births but I realize immunity works at the “body” level and not at the “Athman” level. So it was perfectly fine for me to get this now.

My daughter was shocked when she came to know about this. Her thought process was interesting - “how can we vegetarians get chicken pox?”. She would have probably suspected my food habits. I had to explain her that this is not caught from chicken and had to put an effort to come out clean.

You can have two schools of thought to treat this, 

1. This is caused by Varicella family of virus. Do symptomatic allopathic treatment like paracetamols, anti histamines, Calamine lotions … 
2. Believe in traditional treatment methods
• Cool the body with buttermilk, tender coconut and sorts.
• Apply neem and turmeric paste on days of shower. Have a shower on the 7th, 9th and 11th days of the illness. Use neem leaves to get relieved from itching.
• Have a bland diet - no oil, no tadka.
• Listen to the words of elders at home. My mother in my case.
• Take rest. Sleep on a saree, soft cloth.
• Maintain cleanliness around you.
• Use neem leaves to alleviate itching.
• Pray to the Goddess Mariamman / Shitaladevi (that’s how She is known in the North).

I am someone whose principles are RIGHT(ly) :) oriented and I am from Trichy where one of the guardian deities is Samayapuram Mariamman - I chose option 2. 

An interesting episode:

Well, I had a special experience for the first time in my life on 7th of April. And this is what happened,

> On the said day, I started feeling hungry from 2 AM. The good boy that I am, I din’t wake anyone up for food.

> Finally, I woke up at 6 AM and went on to brush my teeth (I unfortunately have this habit!).

> When I cleaned my tongue, probably I did a “Deep clean”.  

…………At that moment, a rush of divine energy erupted from somewhere around my Mooladhara and the Swadishthana chakras;

………… similar cosmic energy came from outside on my left, right, center…;

………… I saw it, a bright white light, and darkness; 

…………I tried opening my eyes but the energy wouldn’t allow; 

………..I closed them, there was peace everywhere; 

………..And …. TADDA; It happened!;

…………“Prakash, Prakash”; I heard my father, mother and wife calling out; 

………… I opened my eyes, they helped me sit on a chair;

……….. I was drenched with sweat. It was intense;

…………I saw all of them. Wanted to tell them but couldn’t;

……….. After half a minute, I came back to the mundane world.

Well, in simple worldly words - I bloody fainted and fell on the floor and scared the hell out of the people at home :(. And this happened for the first time in my 38 years (you know my age again)

Now the explanation: I had one paracetamol on day 0 thinking that I had common flu. That caused severe acidity and subsequently led to acid reflux (cosmic energy rush) & a total black out.

Now the message: Given that the organ systems of the body will be challenged during this time and there will be general weakness, any medications would do more harm than good.  Better to avoid.

The illness will run its course and go off with symptoms peaking for 2-3 days and then fading away - 102 deg fever, weakness and a feeling of being disoriented, digestive problems, blisters, severe throat pain and so on. I started feeling fine from the 5th day and steadily on the path of recovery now (23rd day). Few crusted blisters here and there and I know those will also go off in a couple of weeks!

It is interesting to know the protocol followed for hundreds of years for this illness in our country. And how that compares with the “modern” practices,

> Neem leaves on the entrance of the house. That would help others understand that there is someone with chicken pox in the house and they will avoid entering the house. Compare that with the printed notice reading “This house has inmates suspected of COVID-19 and quarantined …..”. Why waste paper and printing cost?

> People from outside wouldn’t enter the house and similarly inmates of the house avoid going out to other houses, functions, temples … - thereby following “Social distancing” rules.

> The patient himself will not come out of the designated space separate from others, maintains a separate plate, glass, a pair of dress … - simply put, “Quarantined”

> The patient is not allowed to see the mirror - avoiding the psychological effect that one has to see blisters on their face.

> The patient is disallowed from exiting the confined space till 3 showers and to go out of the house for 2 more weeks - to “Break the chain of Tx”.

> By adding the divine element to this, they had ensured that the rules are not broken. Genius! - “Mera Bharat Mahan”

I know I haven’t written for years now. Somehow got motivated to write about this one. Will try to be regular. No promises though!

Cheers

Prakash

CHO - Courage; Humour; Outstanding intelligence

Sri. Cho Ramaswamy or simply "Cho", a person whom I have admired all my life passed away today. As Tamil Nadu is slowly limping back to normalcy after Ms. Jayalalitha's loss, here came one more shock! It is not that all are expected to live forever, but TN seems to be losing all its intelligent people in a hurry :(

Well, Cho was a friend and guide to Ms. Jayalalitha. No wonder they had similar traits.

Cho to me was what I have outlined in the title.

He was multi faceted - as can be seen from the roles that he had don. A lawyer, playwright, actor, thespian, director, editor, political analyst, author, spiritualist and what not - I am very sure, my list is not complete! He was just a man of extra ordinary intelligence.

Some of his notable literary / theatre works (I have read / seen) are - "Unmaye un vilai enna", "Muhammad-bin-Thuglaq", "Engae Brahmanan", "Mahabharatham Pesugiradhu", "Saraswathiyin Sabatham" - it was just amazing that he could pick up genres ranging from out and out comedy to politics to history to deeply spiritual topics and just produce an impeccable epic!

His political acumen was mind blowing (I am just running out of adjectives). He had a very clear perspective on all national and international issues - be it political, economical, spiritual, art affairs - and he never shied away from writing what he thought. He would easily be the most ethical journalist that could have walked this earth. He was friends with everybody and earned their respect but he was an equally harsh critic - whoever it was. No bias! No nonsense! He took it upon himself to correct what he thought was wrong - 2 events that stood out - 1991 efforts to dissolve the DMK government (law and order) and 1996 efforts to oust the ADMK government (corruption).

But there was an element of humour in everything that he said and wrote - It was the intelligence in the humour that makes it even more enjoyable. He was an exponent of quick quips & on the fly responses. His responses to readers' questions in Thuglaq or his addresses in Thuglaq anniversaries or his responses in interviews - all are special!! It was this humour that made everybody admire and respect him all the more!!

I will miss you sir! But after today, heaven would be an even more enjoyable place!

Jayalalitha - A Phenomena!

I haven't written a blog for years now. But I thought I will write one as a tribute for the leader, who I adore the most!

A winner in whatever she did - "Amma" & " Puratchi Thalaivi" - as she will be fondly remembered, J. Jayalalitha will be a name that will forever be etched in Tamil & Indian, political & cinema history.

She possessed immense artistic talents not just in acting and dance but also in music. Her oratorical skills are unquestionable handling Tamil and English with ease - be it addressing the masses, campaigning for elections or addressing the press or discussing with national leaders - she came up trumps!

Woman of phenomenal grit and courage, she had an impeccable maturity in understanding issues. This made her an astute and bold decision maker. She had her perspective on all issues - simple or complex - and she stood by her views, come what may!

Of course, she had her downs. The depths to which she fell at times (like 1996 elections when she lost in Bargur and ADMK won just 4 seats, the cases against her & disqualifications) would have made normal people lose their lives. But the tenacity and resolve with which she rose from all those adversities will be a lesson for all. I used to wonder if phoenixes were modeled after her! Some of her decisions may have backfired and her mistakes may have been very costly - that is when I remembered she was human!!

She was the darling of masses. Her every scheme would be targeted towards people - her perennial allies. Her caption had always been "Makkalaal naan. Makkalukkaaga naan!". So true, that the people of Tamil Nadu made her their Chief Minster 6 times which included a repeat mandate this year - a feat only MGR managed after Dravidian parties started ruling TN. The charisma she had was comparable to MGR's proving her to be a worthy successor.

Her death is a monumental loss to the country. TN will surely miss her strong leadership who would leave no stone unturned for the state's benefit and when it comes to law and order, there is hardly any other leader who dares to take steps the way she does! The center will miss her perspective on important decisions.

Given the fighter (and winner) she was, I am still coming to terms with the fact that she is no more. Her adversaries were aplenty - just that "death" had joined the list!

Jayalalitha is an irreplaceable icon ! A phenomena ! Only death could defeat her. Did it, really??

Thiruvannamalai Girivalam - Errata

Very heartening to see the number of hits to the Thiruvannamalai post. I am humbled and am bound to correct one fact in the post. I should have done that sometime back. Sorry about not doing it.

Ner Annamalai:
This is not the place where The Hill will be viewed straight, as mentioned in my earlier post. This is the shrine, where on Tamil New Year's day (சி த் தி ரை  -1, Chithrai - 1, April 14/15) every year, Sun directly falls on the Lingam. A marvel indeed!! There is an illustration of this in front of the shrine also.

Btw, I had the blessing of Arunachala to perform Girivalam 2 more times after that :)

Cheers
-Prakash

CWC 2011 - 'E' for "England" or "Extra ordinary"

Well... My first blog of this year and I felt it's best to blog about the cricket world cup!!

First of all, yesterday was a great day for Indian cricket. We stopped the Australian juggernaut yet again!! We stopped their test winning streak, ODI winning streak and now knocked them out of the world cup. This blog is not about the famous victory, but about something else that I wanted to blog about for sometime now.

England - They are an extra ordinary team. They have beaten the Windies and the Pakis to get the unpredictables tag. What else could you say about the team that defeated South Africa bowling them out, batted well and deep to tie with India chasing a mammoth score, defeated the Windies in a crucial low scoring game. BUT - they almost lost to Netherlands and lost to Bangaldesh - a match that they had under control till Shafiul their No.9 came in - and to Ireland - who can forget that match - after scoring 330+ and having removed half the Irish side for less than 120, they did something that only extra ordinary teams are capable of doing!!!

Now, they have a QF match against Srilanka. Everybody expects SL to win, given that the match is in SL - but, who knows what's gonna happen. They have the prospect of playing against SA again (unless the Kiwis have other plans) and what's more - facing India (hmmmm.... errr ..... ufffhhh ... oops - or Pakistan) in the Finals. Given the way they have played, I won't mind betting on England emerging as champs :)

BTW, Wishing team India the best for their Semis at Mohali.... Go India Go!!!!!!!!

-Prakash

One for 2010

Well, Well Well ...

Absent for a full year. I was skeptical when I was typing this as to whether my account in Blogger will still be alive !!! Fortunately, it is.

Writing this on the last day of 2010 - just to avoid a ZERO entry in one whole year. After all, 2010 is such an important year in my life. My status changed from commited to Married :) My friend once joked - "If you are a processor, wife is the application that takes up the maximum utilization". True. I din't even have the time to ............ blog :) - if I may give that as a reason. Bottomline - I was very lazy, though I had a lot to write about. I could have written about,

My engagement experience - courting a half baked smile because of being under the video light constantly and being the centre of attraction for the first time.

My wedding experience - Enjoying the last 2 days of bachelorhood (nothing that I did anything worthwhile when I was a bachelor!!). More video light - more attention - too much of sweat because of the April temperature at Oppiliyappan Temple.

My honeymoon experience - Wait Wait Wait ... - purely from a travelogue perspecctive :) :) The beauty of Manali, the skiing experience, River rafting at the Beas, the snow capped view from our resort and couple of days at Delhi.

Temples - Girivalam at Tiruvannamalai with wife :) Doddamallur NavaneethaKrishna Swami temple, Madhya Ranga and Adhi Ranga temples thereby completing my all Ranga temples visit (Antha Ranga is at Srirangam in Trichy), Nimishamba temple et all.

Cricket - Series wins and the no.1 ranking in test for India, Australia's slump, Sachin's 50th test ton, CSK's IPL and CL wins, spot fixing and what not. All the best to the Indian team for the 2011 WC.

Movies - like Guzarish and Inception - which made a mark.

Still, something made me not to write a blog this whole year. Whatever it is, it has taken a year for my 51st blog to come :)

Hope this year makes up for the drought last year - Wishing you all a GREAT 2011 ...

Cheers

Prakash

As ManiKantan to See ManiKantan

Firstly, a great round of applause to me.... This is a special blog - My 50th .......... :) :) :). Thanks everyone for bearing with me !!

I made my third trip to Sabarimala starting Dec 8, 2009. Sabarimala trips are special because of the procedure involved. In addition to the 40 day fasting and the Irumudi, swamis (Ayyappa pilgrims) carry other specific stuffs too. As Kanni swami (First timer), one should carry a stick called "Saram" to be offered at a place called "Saramkuthi" as you go atop. The second year swamis will carry a sword made of wood to be offered at the same place. And in the third year, the swamis are called "Manikantan" (Mani = Bell, Kantam = Neck) meaning bell in the neck, as they take a small bell tied to their neck and offer it right at the Sannidhanam (Sanctum). This was special. This was my third trip and hence the title :). Btw, Lord Ayyappa is called ManiKantan as He was found on the banks of Pampa with a bell tied around his neck.

This time was a special experience for me, as we started early (at around 08:30) on Dec 8th. The lunch we had at Dindigul needs a special mention. Superb taste and service at Hotel Saravana Bhavan near the bus stand. We reached Erumeli at 20:00. Had Petta Sastha, Dharma Sastha and Vavuru Swami Darshan as usual and started to Pampa at 22:00. We reached Pampa around 23:30. Took a dip at Pampa in the midnight. Great experience!! Luckily, it was not very cold that time :). We started the ascent at 01:00 on Dec 9th. Reached the top to join a the tail of a 2 km Q :). It was a worthy 8 hr wait and at 09:30 we had the Darshan. Ayyappa, greeted us with His Ghee Abhishekam posture :). Felt happy and tied the bell in the Sannidhanam :) Legend has it that, anyone having this bell at home will get a baby boy. So normally people will snatch the bell even before it's tied. But luckily for me, one swami said he will wait till I tie and then he grabbed it and ran away :)
This time though, we did a lot of moral policing in the Q. We saw people with Irumudi on their head smoking, people running and jumping the Q et all. I think, Sabarimala pilgrimage is all about control and patience. If someone lacks any of these virtues, they are better of not undergoing this rather than spoiling the sanctity of this Holy thing. Well, my personal opinion!!

We had two more darshans of Ayyappa and one of the Malikapuram and started the descent. I had a severe cold and the cetrizine I had in the morning compunded with lack of sleep the whole of previous night made be very drowsy and it was extremely difficult to climb down. In addition to this, the sun was shining bright (no doubt, it will at 13:00 :)) and hence it was hot. It was Ayyappa, who helped me climb down as always :) Well, as said during our moral policing act, we even shouted at some instances and perhaps Ayyappa thought we needed a lesson on patience :) We climbed down safely by 15:00 of course after having our regular Kappa Kanji :)

Of we went to Pattanamthitta, where we took bath in a river around 17:00. Great refreshment and then we reached Kulathupuzha around 20:15 and the darshan was closed for the day. We stayed in the temple mantapam for the second consecutive year :) Had a great sleep.
The opening of the sanctum woke us up at 04:30 on Dec 10th. Had darshan of Kulathupuzha Balakan at 06:00. Of to Ariyankavu and AchanKovil and reached Kuttralam at 12:00. With little funda from Anand and Prasad had the time of my life in a water fall. Went to the 5 falls and it was JUST GREAT. We even had a massage with hibiscus oil and bathed. Of course, all of us got sc***ed with severe cold after that!! Of to Palani to see my favourite God, Subramanya. Special winch and special darshan ticket hepled us to have darshan of the special God in less than an hour :). We left Palani at 21:00 and reached Hosur on Dec 11, 04:30. Swamiye Sharanam Ayyappa!!

This trip is special for one more reason too. After I came back, I went to Trichy and on Dec 20, 2009 - Sunday - something memorable happened which most of you would know :D. Well, I need to change my relationship status to "committed" from "single" in many places!!!
Cheers!!