Kattatra Kalaikananchiam - what !?!?!?

I am sure there would be a lot of happy souls to see Wikipedia now in Tamil. But, I was wondering how many in Tamil Nadu would know that 'Kattatra Kalaikananchiam' means Free Encyclopedia.

I am happy too, but am happy not 'cause I can now, read wikipedia in my mother tongue. I am just happy 'cause a popular website has recognized my mother tongue. So would be the case with most of the Tamil wikipedia users. Most of those who have gone through a decent education in India read and comprehend English faster than Tamil. English in India is not just an other language, it is a status symbol, a passport to good jobs, parents believe that it'll help their children be a part of the elite and English is a privilege more than anything.
There are of course a large number of people educated in Tamil, but they are not ardent users of the internet and those who are taking up white collar jobs soon shift to English as their primary language of communication.

The alarming low number of Tamil internet users (who use a Tamil search and search for Tamil web pages)however, cannot be attributed solely to increased use of English, but also to the low availability of quality content in Tamil. Other than popular Tamil E-zines, there is practically nothing worthwhile in Tamil, unlike the case with Japanese or Russian or Portuguese, who have created full fledged networks of information and entertainment for themselves.

So, what really makes me feel happy is that, to me the Tamil wikipedia - is not just a translated site, but a sapling of valuable content that could soon lure all the 75 million native speakers to create a vibrant interesting network in Tamil - My mother tongue.

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous

To the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself. A flower is nothing but an educated weed :)))

I've given you one more reason to preserve our forests and keep it green and clean :)))

[ This photo was taken by Chandru during our last road trip to Kodai. ]

Changing Landscape

When I see tall coconut trees dwarfing mud huts, lush paddy fields dotted with white cranes, a rare lotus pond and thorn shrubs with quails - I know I'm home. This is what i yearn to see when i return home.

Especially the coconut tree farms banking the road, with trees towering towards the sky. There is something special about these magnificent trees, swaying slowly and dancing to the wind. By logic, these trees shouldn't provide any shade, but strangely, the coconut farms are the coolest and the best place to rest. These trees make me feel so calm at heart and so at home.It is also very entertaining to watch the farmers so effortlessly dart up and down those trees to pick coconuts.

Sadly, it will soon not be the same. The tall trees are being replaced by a short and stubby variety. The agricultural department has come up with a new short variety tree that bears coconuts in just 1-2 years whereas the tall variety needs 5 years before it can bear coconuts. Not having to employ farmers to climb the trees reduces cost. A success for the agri dept and a welcome advantage to all the farmers of the southern belt, but to me - it's a loss, a coconut farm will be no different from any other orchard.

I took it for granted that my land and landscape will remain the same. So many childhood memories attached to them. The drive to kodai through the winding roads will no longer be the same. It will be a picture I will miss dearly.

Damned, Freedom of Choice

Freedom of choice is what I have -
Freedom from choice is what I want.

All this freedom of choice - and Every goddamn single choice comes with it's bag of consequences. I spend most of time deciding between good and bad, right and wrong. Only if someone told me exactly what to do - wouldn't life be simpler, the way it used to be when I was a child and there was someone else to worry about the aftermath and I would have so much free time.


I strongly believe (other than the universal truths) that no choice can be completely right or completely wrong. This complicates things even more, the more you know, the more time you need to take a decision. The emotional quotient then kicks in and makes the decision subjective rather than objective. The worst part is, you realize that you can list all the pros and cons, try and make the most objective decision, but the outcome is still going to be random. :(

Now I understand why the magic 8 ball is such a success. It's one of the cleverest things invented - it makes your choices for you. Right or wrong - who gives a damn, what's important is that your choice has been made. In the end, you always have fate to blame.