The mystery of unmatched garments

Warning: I think this post is going to be a little lengthy post.

A few years back when my uncle got married, he purchased dresses for all the relatives. He took most of the relatives to dress showrooms and let them select the dress. Even then, as always, a few relatives are not satisfied with their own selection. One of my grandma asked another grandma (both distant relatives) whether they can exchange their sarees. The latter refused saying she liked the green saree and cant exchange. The funny part is, on the marriage day the green saree actually turned out to be gray saree. She was shocked to see that she had actually took a gray saree thinking that it is green. We all made fun of her saying that she is wearing the uniform of sanitory workers (No offence). So how does green turned to gray?

Have you ever wondered why an apple looks red? Does it emits red light? The skin of the apple has some natural pigments that has a character to absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect certain other wavelengths. So a red apple absorbs wavelengths corresponding to blue and green and reflects wavelength corresponding to red when white light falls on it. You would have learnt in school that white light is a mixture of Red, Green and Blue. An apple will look red only in white light. Assume a situation, a tray of apple in your bed room with a blue night lamp. Will the apple look red or blue? It will appear gray or black as the pigment in the skin of the apple absorbs blue and reflect nothing. Be careful while wearing socks in your bedroom under night lamp. You can wear a blue sock and a black sock under red lamp thinking that you are wearing a pair of black socks.

Next time when you go to a textile showroom watch the lights. In most places there wont be white lights. Just like a jewellery shop where all the lights will be yellow to make the gold jewels more attractive. Shop owners use slightly coloured lamps to make the dress materials shining. When you select matching blouse, two garments match under that light but when you go home you will see variations. It is similar to the sock example where two colours that are no where near match in a particular light. However the variation here will be only minimal; but large enough for you to visit the shop again.

In my grandma's case, I assume that she took the gray saree under a greenish light. So Girls, next time when you go to select matching blouse take more care. It may spoil your mood before a function and Boys, it may spoil the surprise gift to your girlfriend.

A Living out of Garbage Bins

Every street in Chennai has a huge garbage bin, courtesy Neel metal fanalca. The garbage bin is where we throw all the rotten waste of our home. But do you know some people live out of these garbage bins? Yes, there are a lot of people.

Some gypsies who earned their living by selling chains made with tiger nails or Bear's hair (they claim that) are no longer able to do that as no one is showing interest in these products nowadays. So some of these people have started to make a living by collecting waste papers and polythene bags. These papers and bags will then reach waste paper shops. You can find these people exploring the garbage bins and collecting the wastes. They also use some good tools. They carry a stick with a long nail in the top and they use it to pick the papers. I recently found a man using an iron rod with a thick magnet at the tip. He used it in garbage bins and in roads to collect metal pieces. I guess they can make more money from metals.

So how they grow in this? here is a man who visits all the garbage bins in my locality. He rides a fish cart (A cycle with three wheels which is used to carry small load). He brings gunny bags with him every day. He explores all the garbage bins, ransack them and collect all that will be useful to him. He fills all his bags, throw it in the cart and leave the place. Best of all, he comes early in the morning before the Neel metal fanalcans plunder all the garbage in the bins. I have photographed him along with his fish cart for you.




In a few months, he can buy a motor powered fishing cart and in a few more years he can buy a truck on his own and collect the garbages and he can grow. I am not making fun or joking here. Anything is possible with hard work.

So, bottom line: If you think anything is waste, think again.

The tale of Neyveli Anjaneyar

We visit temples more often. But have you ever wondered about the history of a temple? Two days back when I went to my native, my sister called me to drop her at the Anjaneyar temple. I was surprised to hear that as I was not aware of any Anjaneyar temple in my locality. Then she told me that it is a small (very small) temple in the Mandarakuppam-Township main road. Then I remembered the temple. It is a temple that originated 12years back.

12 years back (I was studying 7th then and we used to travel in school bus in that main road), a speeding lorry crushed a group of monkeys that tried to cross the main road. It was ofcourse an accident. The monkeys crossed suddenly and the driver of the lorry could not do anything. The guilt of killing a monkey, related to Lord Hanuman, can be terrible even though it is an accident. So this lorry driver burried the bodies of all the dead monkeys in the vacant space near the main road, placed a small statue of Lord Anjaneyar, lighted a lamp, prayed and left the place. This picture shows the first statue placed by the lorry driver and you can also see lot of lamps which people light everyday.During my school days I occasionally used to see one or two people praying at the temple.

The temple remained as it is till I completed school and joined college. I never noticed the temple when I went to my native during all these years and I went to the temple with my sister two days back. As I heard, a slightly bigger temple was built adjacent to the previous temple with a bigger statue. I have photographed the new statue here.

Now, there is a separate pujari for the temple. He is living just behind the temple. Every day there is a half an hour pooja at 6 p.m and the temple door is never closed. When we went for the evening pooja, there was atleast 40 people in all ages were present there. Small kids to age old people. The pujari told me that every day someone comes with pongal, sundal or vada and offer to the god and later distribute to all the devotees. Moreover, they offer special pujas on all the auspicious days and 'Moola Natchathram' days every month. They also have this tradition, the pujari has two laminated sheets with songs praising the lord. He randomly selects two people, one male and one female and give it to them to sing or recite the slogams and songs printed in the sheets. Luckily for me, I got the sheet. I joined with a few old people there and recited the slogans. My sister later told me that she is visiting the temple every saturday for the past 4 months and she tries to get that sheet every week; she had got only once and that I am very lucky.

I believe that this small temple will grow into a big place of worship in the next few years. If you ever happen to visit neyveli, please visit the temple. It is located near the Mandarakuppam bus stand in the main road to Neyveli Township.