Bheeshmar

மஹா பாரத போரில் பீஷ்மரின் செயல் கேள்விக்குரியதாகவே இருக்கிறது. அவர் போரில் முழு மனதுடன் ஈடுபடவில்லை என்ற துரியோதனனின் குற்றசாட்டை வெறுமனே ஒதுக்கிவிடமுடியாது .
துரியோதனன் ஒரு முறை அவரை போரை விட்டு விலகினால் கர்ணன் போர் புரிய தயாராக இருப்பதாக கூறி நிந்தனை செய்கிறான்.

போரில் வெல்லமுடியாதவர், மரணம் கூட அவர் விரும்பினால் தான் நிகழும் என்று பல கீர்த்திகள் பீஷ்மர் பெற்றிருந்தார். அவர் போர் புரிந்த போது கௌரவர்கள் கையே ஒங்கி இருந்தது.
தேவர்கள் அசுரர்கள் அனைவரையும் ஒரே நாளில் வெல்லதக்கவர் பீஷ்மர் என்று கிருஷ்ணரே கூறிருக்கிறார்.

பீஷ்மர் தன்னை கிருஷ்ணர் அர்ஜுனன் தவிர வேறு யாரும் காயப்படுத்த கூட முடியாது என்று கூறுகிறார் - கவனிக்கவும் காயப்படுத்தத்தான், கொல்ல அல்ல.

பீஷ்மரை கொல்ல முடியாமல் பாண்டவர்கள் தவிக்க தர்மபுத்திரர் நேரில் வந்து அவரை வெல்ல அவரிடமே வழி கேட்பதும் அவர் சிகண்டியை முன் வைத்து அர்ஜுனனை போர் புரிய சொல்வதும் அவரின் பெருந்தன்மையை காட்டினாலும் ஒரு யுத்தத்தில் அது சரியானதாக தோன்றவில்லை.
மேலும் 10-ம் நாள் யுத்தத்தின் இறுதியில் தர்மபுத்திரரிடம் " நான் மிகவும் மனதாலும் உடலாலும் தளர்ந்து விட்டேன். என்னை வீழ்த்துவதற்கு இதுவே தருணம் " என்று கூறி அதன்படியே வீழ்கிறார்.

பாண்டவர்களை எதிர்ப்பது தவறு என்று நினைத்திருந்தால் தளபதி பொறுப்பை அவர் தவிர்த்திருக்கவேண்டும்.

இதற்க்கு சில விளக்கங்கள் கூறப்படுகின்றன.

கிருஷ்ண பரமாத்மா துணை பெற்ற பாண்டவர்கள்தான் நிச்சயம் வெற்றி பெறுவார்கள் என்று அவர் ஏற்கனவே அறிந்திருந்தார்.
அவர்களுடன் சமாதானமாக போக துரியோதனுக்கு பல முறை போர் நடக்கும் போதே கூட அறிவுரை கூறியிருக்கிறார், தான் இறந்தாலாவது துரியோதனன் பாண்டவர்களுடன் சமாதானமாக போகக்கூடும் என்று உண்மையாகவே அவர் நம்பி இருக்கலாம்.
இது ஒரு கருத்து.

பீஷ்மர் தான் விளைவித்த பெரும் உயிர் சேதத்தை எண்ணி கவலையுற்று அதனாலேயே மரணத்தை விரும்பி ஏற்றார் என்றும் கூறப் படுகின்றது.

"ஸ்வதர்மம்" என்ற சொல் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதற்கு 'தன் மனசாட்சிப்படி நடப்பது' என்று பொருள்

மஹா பாரதத்தில் புரிந்து கொண்டதை விட சரியாக புரியாததே அதிகம்.

The school building where I studied from Kinder-garden to 10th std still remains, being converted into a Govt. Burmese school. Could do with a fresh coat of paint though !!

The new house built in 50 th street where our house was.

The size is more or less the same, though our house had only four floors and we resided in the third floor [US terminology] meaning higher ceilings.

Shwedegon Pagoda- in Yangon - Majestic, mesmerizing as ever.

Fittingly we visited this place first !

REVISITING RANGOON

RESURRECTION- REVISITING RANGOON

After a lapse of about 50 years [49 to be exact !] I and my wife visited Yangon [Rangoon] in Myanmar [Burma] on 25th May 2012.
Now Yangon though stripped off the capital stature is still the most important city there. I had mixed feelings when I went.
From what I have wildly read, visiting the childhood places are often catastrophic as the cherished images are lost as one could hardly find any remnants of the past. But I was well prepared. Further I know that if I didn’t visit I will always having that longing !.
I have already learnt from my cyber friend that my house has been demolished and a new one erected. Our timber shop – no trace, even the street name has changed - and I had to have the help of google map to find the street’s new name. Only the school building was remaining being converted into a Burmese Govt School.

After settling in the hotel, arranged by my friend who is now working in Singapore, and adequate rest, in the evening we went to Shwedagon Pagoda as I wanted it to be our first place of visit.
The Pagoda still takes your breath away in its majestic splendor, being the icon of Myanmar.
We were pleasantly surprised to see the settled Tamilians coming forward to talk to us. Almost all were born there and are Myanmar citizens but still they talked Tamil well and maintained the culture. Many couldn’t even name the part of Tamilnadu from where their parents came from.
One family insisted that we should visit their house.

The next day was the D day – to go and see my home places. It was drizzling lightly.
We had one small umbrella bought in Malaysia and the hotel provided us with one big umbrella.
We were dropped right at the entrance of the coveted 50th street by the taxi driver.
I always remembered the street as wide, clean and neat but now I found it was overcrowded with pavement shops, heavy traffic, so much so it is an one way street. Ours was the only big house then.
Now on both sides there were big houses all built wall to wall.
Fortunately the door numbering still was almost the same and we identified our house site with the help of a Tamilian [Krishna] working in the automobile shop on the opposite side. He said that the old house was demolished about 10 years back.
We walked slowly along the road. We saw one internet café and the girl came out and said there is power cut and it is not operative. She understood English and chatted for some time.
We then went to the Varadharajar Perumal temple in the corner of 51st street and we felt as if we were transferred to Tamilnadu as there were tamilians everywhere with name boards also in Tamil..

Then we walked slowly the 5 blocks to our school building in the still drizzling rain.
Our school is in 45th street corner. There was good crowd in the school as admissions were going on in full swing. I talked to the head mistress who could only muster in some bit of English. She regretted that she couldn’t allow me to go upstairs inside the school premises as it is a government school. So I roamed inside and outside the prayer hall.
One difference I could make out was that the empty space on one side-our play area- was built up and there was another stair case [wooden] on the opposite side.
I came out, took some photographs with the rain still drizzling, noted that the Arya Samaj building on the other side was still intact under their possession.
The St.Antony church with the sprawling ground on the next street was also untouched.

Then we took a taxi to our timber shop site.
The canal I remembered on the way side where we used to catch fish was still there but it was foul smelling more than our Coovum. It was largely rain water drainage in our days and we used to wade in and catch fish there. Now it was a sewage canal.
 I could make out the shop site only with difficulty. It was a store now.
When I photographed it the owner came out and queried, being pacified only after my explaining. He didn’t understand English but seemed to make out what I was trying to say !!

 In the evening we went for shopping.
There were many super markets similar to the Nilgris and one or two even as big as our Spencer Plaza. All supermarkets accepted US Dollars but insisted that it must be new without any crease. But they gave change only in Myanmar currency [Kyats].

When I inquired in the hotel about the Kanbe [called “Kambai” in Tamil] place which I thought was quite far away I was pleasantly surprised that it was very near. In fact much nearer than the city center.
In my child hood days once a year we used to travel in arranged buses to the Kanbe area. The place will wear a festive look on that day [Thiruvizha].

Our people had built a Pillayar temple and had a hall built near it where food was served free. Also in the neighbouring temples we had ‘Thee mithi” [walking on fire], Kummi, Mulapari with local songs -sung as by Ramanathapuram district people [ seen in “Subramaniapuram” and “Nadodigal” films].
So next day we went to Kanbe and saw the famous five temples. I was thrilled to see the “Vella [White] Pillayar” temple with the hall as before. The priest told me that it is still run as usual with the all the festivals.
I was surprised to see the good old “trishaw” still running and we had a ride in it too.

 We roamed around Sulepagoda shopping and dined in Indian hotels. We visited the famous Scot market, now called Bo Gyo Aungsan market – quite famous for Gems. I had a taste of real Burmese food- Mohinga- in a restaurant only on the last day. Though it is freely sold in pavement shops it is rarely catered in big restaurants.

Wow ! Golden Myanmar ! Mystifying and mesmerizing as ever !
You have spun a web around me and in its splendor I am only a willing prey!
Hello Rangoon ! [ I prefer to call you that way] I may come yet once again if not for anything else but for loitering in the streets getting immersed in the nostalgia !! So good bye for now !!

IF I WEREYOU

The “If I were you “attitude has solved many a problem for me..
When I was working in Egmore Eye Hospital, a doctor, General Practitioner, came from Andhra Pradesh for seeking opinion whether to implant Intra Ocular Lens [IOL] in his eye after Cataract extraction.
The IOL has been introduced quite recently then and opinion regarding its safety was divided even among eye doctors.
Aravind Hospital, Madurai was going great guns and a few Private Hospitals in Chennai have also taken it up.
After hearing the pros and cons the doctor came to our examination room where we were seeing our ward cases.
He appeared quite confused, exhausted and told me of the different opinions he had heard.
I listened patiently, sympathized with him and after some time said “If I were you I will go for IOL surgery.”
He just sat brooding, turning over and over what I said.
Suddenly his face lit up. He said “ That’s it ! My mind is made up. I am going in for IOL.” and asked me about the best place.
I suggested Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai to which he readily agreed.
After undergoing successful surgery there he came to the hospital to thank me before going to his home in AP.

A similar instance. One day in my clinic I was seeing a case of Cataract operated by me a week ago. She has developed a minor complication- “Iritis’ a sort of allergic reaction - causing redness and fall in vision.- which usually subsides after some time with treatment. Her son was very angry thinking the surgery was not done properly and asked why the complication occurred in an intimidating tone.
I was on the verge of replying in the same trend when I suddenly decided to tackle in a different manner.
“If I were you and not aware of the true cause, I may be even more angrier “I said.
He calmed down immediately and listened to my explanation.
The patient required treatment for about 3 weeks to regain good vision and whenever they came her son was a very quiet and always listened patiently to me.

COMPUTER GENIUS !

COMPUTER GENIUS ?!

Though I am a novice in Computer, in my circle [doctors] I am considered as a genius. Well may be it was because I was amongst the first few who bought desk top computers in our town. The following two incidents show how naïve others are [or were !].

One day a doctor phoned and said that his computer is not starting. Whenever the computer freezes the only solution we know is cut the power off and then switch it on. Usually it works. In this case obviously it didn’t.
I knew another cause and thought to check that up.
I asked my friend to use his cordless phone and go to the computer [No mobiles then ]. I then asked him to check whether he had inserted a floppy disc. On his affirmation I asked him to remove it and try the power off and on routine.
It worked.
The next day when we met he was praising me like anything. “He diagnosed and corrected the mistake without even seeing my computer” he beamed. I politely refrained from telling that it was the only condition I knew.

In the bank I patronized they have installed computers and when I was chatting with the manager the computer maintenance man came and started talking to the manager. After the business talk was over the manager said that he needed help from him and said that he wanted his grand son’s photo as wall paper in his home computer. The manager’s home was in Chennai and the computer man promised that he will come one weekend and help him.
Hearing the conversation I couldn’t keep quiet and said to the manager that it was very easy and he could do it himself.
The computer man protested that it was not so.
As the manager was having the office desk top computer before him I asked him to select any picture in it. When he did, I asked him to open it, right click on it and in the options that opened, tick ‘select as wall paper’. Then when he closed that window and returned to desk top he found the selected photo as wall paper.
The manager was very happy and he tried it again with a different picture.
The computer man muttered some thing and went away.

I asked the manager why that man didn’t explain the simple matter himself. “Did he expect to be paid if he had come to your home and done it?” I asked.
The manager thought for while and replied. “No. I think he just wanted me to be indebted to him for possible future favors.” He grinned and said “But you thwarted his ploy. Thanks!”.