I love taking photos of food displays. It was one such opportunity this afternoon. Enjoy one click from it. To view more collections, please like my fan page on FB and enjoy regular updates on it. Ramesh Menon Abu Dhabi – Clicks and Writes
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Almost one month ago, it was an impulsive instinct to travel all the way to a distant part of the city to meet one of my close friend. Reaching his home, I realised his mother was not well, but not in a serious state of illness. As we (me and my wife) reached his home, she was sleeping. Talking a while to him, I felt restless, as I had met her a few times before and was feeling her presence and ever smiling interaction with us whenever we visited their home.
I slowly went inside and stood watching her near her bead. She was in a half sleep state. I slowly called her, Amma… suddenly she woke up and looked at me. His son, by now came near us, and asked her in tamil Amma, ithu yaaru theriyuma ( Amma, do you know who he is?). With the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, she said.. Nalla theriyumo… unnude friend.. ithinu munnadiyum inke neraye vaatti vanthirukku, eppadi theriyamal irikkum (I know well… your friend… he has come here several times before.. so how i dont recognise him)…
She was in full joy and spirit and had two or three spoon full of sweet we prepared and brought to her.
We left her home in good spirits and memories…
A month later, back on another unplanned and emergency visit. I got to know as I landed that she is in a serious condition and in ICU and that too surviving with the help of ventilator. I was continuously in touch with him and equally turbulent state of mind, and was determined to complete a pilgrimage already planned to Sabarimala.
Immediately upon my return to Bengaluru from my pilgrimage, I rushed with my wife to the hospital where she was in a critical condition. I had taken the Vibhuti from Sabarimala. For a change, that evening during visitors time , there was no visitors to see her, as she was in already there for some days. We somehow managed to reach the hospital, just 20 minutes before the scheduled close. As we stood near her and observed her, she was already in her final part of the journey from this world, which we never realised. With folding hands and prayers, we prayed for her relief from that painful condition and applied the vibhooti on her forehead and stood near her. As we patted her hand and legs, we felt she realised an affectionate a lifelong presence. We remained there for some more time and left the ICU ward with folding hands and prayers.
After spending some time with my friend, we left to our home. The next day, early morning, we received an sms on our mobile from our friend informing us about the demise of his mother.
Parvathy Rajagopalan (78), wife of Late Rajagopalan, formerly of the INS, Kochi (Ernakulam) mother of Jayashree, Kumar and Nathu (Vaidya Nathan), who passed away in Bangalore on Monday, 22nd October 2012 morning, did not leave this world forever.
This is the reason, I am writing this blog post. She did a great thing as she left this world. She donated her both eyes.
The staff from Narayana Nethralaya came home and collected her eyes well within the stipulated time.
Her mortal remains were taken for cremations, but she lives now in this world, giving vision to two deserving blinds.
I salute her, and her children for the courage and generosity and timely presence of mind to donate her eyes after her death. How many of us will do the same? A point to think about and courageously fix in our mind for action later.
In case you fix on it, here is the link for you to contact:
Reading about the ongoing nature’s calamities happening in the US and in India in the form of Super storm Sandy and Cyclone Nilam, I just recollected and would like to share you my experience of travelling to the southern tip of Dhanushkodi, where Indian Ocean meets the Bay of Bengal. To reach the tip, one has to travel a distance of 22 kms from Rameshwaram, which could be done only using a 4×4 through marshy lands and sand strips close to the sea. The day we travelled was cloudy, and even though it was noon time, it was getting darker and darker with strong winds and waves reaching closer to the trail of our vehicle. The photo in this post is an abandoned fishermen’s point. The confluence of both the oceans became invinsible as it started raining heavily and we were left with no option other than to abandon our stay there, without even coming out of the vehicle for even a few minutes. Although, I had taken exteme caution to protect my camera, it became totally difficult for me as the wind and rain started covering me and my equipment all over, and we felt it is no more safe to be there.
If it was the case on a normal and calm and quite day, imagine, how it would be on a day when the nature is at its full fury. It made me realise one important point. At certain point of time in our life, we just can’t do anything, just watch and undergo the motions as it happens.
I pray for the safety of all those people who live in the path of these two natural calamities at this point of time and those who are currently in the sea for fun or profession to return safely.
A photo taken at Dhanushkodi, taken on 23rd October, showing reminiscence of a church which was destroyed during the cyclone of 1964. The devastating 1964 cyclone regarded as one of Asia’s fiercest cyclone of 20th century destroyed the village Dhanushkodi on Rameswaram Island. The place can only reached by foot or with a 4WD vehicle. Sri Lanka is about 31 kms away from this tip which joins Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal.
For a Pravasi (non-resident indian) from a gulf country, this was one of the greatest site to remember for a long long time. With hardly any rain where I work, the rain clouds and the heavy rain that followed the breeze, although dangerous for our drive ahead, was really a memorable event. Who’s the person who wrote – rain, rain go away……I wish, he was here with me enjoying the hot summer.
ClicksandWrites 
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