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.

The quest for sour idlies

Today, 23 April 2009, the ruling party of Tamilnadu had called for a strike till 6 pm. Strike or no strike, the day dawned as usual. I had a busy schedule at my office. So I woke up at 6.30 am, half an hour earlier than usual. I felt bit hungry as I woke up. I got ready and just when I was about to start from my room, my room mate warned me, "Today is strike. We are going to struggle for food". I told him that small hotels will be opened, so he need not worry.

My office is just 2km away from my room. I usually walk the distance so that I need not wake up early in the morning for jogging. I used to have breakfast in a small mess on the way. Today I went to the mess and found that the mess was closed. Other hotels nearby were also closed. Thats when I remembered what my room mate told. I had no one to blame. Without scolding anyone, I started walking. Then I decided to save my energy and started looking for share auto. All the share auto drivers had a very good time today; packed autos as no bus on the road. No one showed interest when I waved my hand at all passing autos. I finally crossed the distance by walk. I entered my office covered in sweat, tired with hunger and a load of work to complete.

As I entered, I was greeted by my office attender. Suddenly a spark, I asked him whether he can buy breakfast for me from somewhere. He was very happy to help me and asked whether I want idly, poori, pongal or dosa. I was happy to hear the menu but told him to buy whatever that was available. He returned back half an hour later with a parcel of 6 idlies. He told me that he went from this end to other end, visited so many hotels and finally got them from a shop after standing in queue for 10 minutes (It was like a prince crossing 7 hills and 7 oceans to rescue the princess).

I opened the parcel eagerly and started eating. The idly was so sour that normally I wont eat. As sour as a 2 day old curd. But hunger does not know taste, a common saying here. When I finished my breakfast and started my work, I thought, the strike is indeed a great success.

Mobile Singers

Every day when I travel from my office to my home, I see a truck with blind people singing old tamil songs. The truck, usually parked in a vacant space near the railway station, has 5 to 6 performers who sing for hours together. You can also find 4 people standing about 50 metres away from the truck in different directions, collecting money from the people passing that area.

Every day when I pass that area, I used to donate whatever coins I have. Sometimes when there is no one to collece money in the pathway where I walk, I used to cross the road and reach out to one of them and donate. The singers, the collectors, the musicians are all blind. I wonder, what they will make at the end of the day. Most people donate coins; how many people donate? I don't know. Unlike people who knock every house for donations for so many reasons, these people have an operating cost. The rent for the truck, fuel for the truck and power generator and food for atleast 10 people, it could cross over thousand rupees easily. Since I am seeing them everyday, I assume that they are collecting money more than the operating cost. But how much more? Few hundreds for whole day? I don't know.

All I could do for them now is donate whatever money I can and donate my eyes after my life. Whoever read this post, please donate them with whatever you can. They are brave, determined and self confident people.