the glowing twilight years

The wonderful music recital by Anuradha and Sriram set me thinking about the bright facet of the 60 plus years....after all they are not so bad that one should crib about growing old..I now see how much freedom it has given me...free of the fetters and shackles of family chores of everyday life, the space to do what i like or enjoy...thats a lotof privilege, come to think of it!!I can wake up whn i please, go to bed late or early depending solely on how i feel, catch up with old songs, new songs, listen to them, enjoy and even try to learn those I wanted to master and perfect. I relish the time I get early in the morning at daybreak when I go to the terrace for a gentle walk, prayer chanting and just simply watch the sun rise in all its glory. The bonus is the basking my skin gets in the morning sunrays, which I am told is very good as we grow old and need all the Vitamin E and D we can get from the sunshine. I love the morning duty of drawing a kolam or rangoli after washing the floor. The next job is to pick flowers from our garden..what a delight to see so many flowers bloom..it takes about a whole half hour just plucking them them..then another hour and half making garlands of them for our gods and goddesses.I make a mental calculation of the number of garlands I have to make for the day..Mondays are for Lord Shiva, Tuesday fr Durga, Laxmi, Saraswathi and Murugan, wednesday for Vishnu and Saraswathi, , Thursday for Guru or Dakshinamurthy and friday for Devi , Saturdays are for Hanuman and Vishnu, Sundays for Suryaand ganapathi. Ofcourse we cant ignore Vinayaka any day....Same goes for our Kula devata Angalaparameswari devi.
If this activity isn't enough, there are the TV shows I watch with avid interest...especially the culinary shows. The idea is to learn some new dish, easy to cook and good to eat, for my grandkids..I do try them out too. My husband also likes some of them,,,IF they are healthy stuff...he is a health freak.!!!!
There is ample time to browse the internet, interact on facebook, check mail, reply mails etc etc.Internet also has facilitated finding what we want..whether it is a song or its lyrics..It helps you explore new genres of music..I have benefitted so much from all of these...Thanks to internet.
I have always been interested in sewing and embroidery. I find time to smock a frock, embroider a saree or do some fabric painting. Yet another interesting way to spend time is to do a scrapbook or two...Making a scrapbook with all the picures and tidbits about my grandkids has been a very refreshing and gratifying experience for me. Reliving my days in Singapore when my kids were bachelor kids, going through all those brochures on Sentosa, Science Centre, the MRTs schedules, my own travelogues,,,have all become possible with ease.
Grooming is important at every stage of one's life...These days we find time to make an appointment at a spa or a reputed ayurvedic massage centre and just go and enjoy the relaxation. That day we have a simple healthy meal so that we are rejenuvated for the next few months..
One thing to remember is to NOT be preoccupied with or chase money or material things when we have crossed 60. However much we may be tempted to rake in more moolah, it is OUR CHOICE to be satisfied with what we have.. If we have enough to live a fairly decent life , that should keep us happy.This is exactly what me and my husband are trying to achieve. I am also divesting ourselves of all things ..gadgets, trappings, that we do not need or have outlived their usefulness so that we have less things to worry about.
My husband enjoys reading on a variety of subjects..tamil novels, shortstories, watching old tamil movies40s 50s 60s movies, doing meditation and yoga, cooking what sweets and savories he likes to indulge in  once in a while and also preparing herbal fruit juices...his health concoction....and his brisk morning walks for which he has been noted and emulated by our flatmates
I immerse myself in poojas on tuesdays and fridays and love to communicate with the divine when I do so. My new revelation is that bhajan singing can be a very divine experience. Just love the show Bhajan Samraat which is aired on Sankara TV..Then last but not least is the interest in Astrology...Not a day passes without hearing the forecast for the day.This is followed by an armchair pilgrimage to all the temples that they show on all the TV channels. What a privilege to see them at home and not moving a finger.. As if this not all, I find time to read many bhakthi magazines we buy....
Another pastime is to note down home tips, culinary tips, health tips from ageold magazines I have preserved  and also write notes on temples, customs, rituals, pareiharams etc etc in another diary...old diaries find new use now like this!!!!
With all this activity, where is time for boredom or useless thought and deeds? Edgeways there is time to catch up with old schoolmates, collegemates and job mates via phone.
I am not minimising the duties we still have towards our children. The idea is to NOT interfere in their lives. If and when they need help they will ask and then we will do what is required. Else we mind our business and they theirs. That gives them their space too.
The one wish I have not been able to fulfil is to visit oldage homes and do some social service.
I hope I have painted a gold streaked rosy picture of my twilight years and hope that all who read this have a same one too..GOD bless

sixty plus...the mellowing and chastening years

I turned sixty last year ie 2011. I dont feel old, rather I feel young at heart and am still as enthusiastic about most matters as I have been over the years. Infact,I am more determined now to ensure that I preserve my singing voice( God has blessed me with a good voice ) than I ever was before. I used to take my singing prowess for granted!!!!.I am also very concerned about keeping good health and being mobile and agile. I take pains to see laziness doesnt creep in innocuously. That can be physically crippling in the long run.. It was so apt that my daughter bought me Shoba De's book about turning sixty and living a full life.
What  I intend to write about today is not any of the above mentioned matters...I am surprised about my slow transformation into a more mellow, chatened and forgiving person..I confess I wasnt  much of a forgiver.when slighted or hurt.Today I feel sympathy for those who hurt me , slight me or is rude to me.Why is this happening? I thought about it deeply this evening when I was strolling in the terrace after saying my prayers. I attribute this slow transformation to Divine grace, the power of prayer to change attitudes and also my age. Every single day we live beyond sixty is a boon. Therefore they are not to be wasted in vengeful, angry feelings. This decade after 60 makes one think a lot about the purpose of one's life and what one wants to achieve before one passes off.. Then the whole futility of illfeelings gets magnifies and one realises that peace , calm and happiness is experienced if one accepts every act  with resignation and detachment. I still get quite furious when my mather chastises me or gives me advice to be pleasant to all even when i dont feel so towards them. Nevertheless, I want to try and overcome my petty drawbacks,surmount my weaknesses and live the rest of my life a better person.
Here is how I want to do it..1. Try my best not to talk about anyone unnecessarily and never ill of anyone.
2.Not  to interfer in anyone's affair, or proffer advice unless asked for  it.3. Pray more every day so that I get God's grace and support. 4.Eat less, Sleep soundly, exercise ,walk, daily..5.Think like a child.6. Don't read between lines and dont dissect words spoken.
I feel lonely when i dont have conversations with people. ..I understand now that people are all busy and dont have time.. Lerts face it...its a dynamic and busy world.. If I can some of these in the next one month I shall write a continuation to this blog with updates. Wish me luck, followers of mine....

democracy or dictatorship...in politics and in social sphere

A notice pasted in our apartment notice board has urged me to write this blog. We all know that politics has gotten so rotten that it is not for nothing that Bernard Shaw so long ago remarked that poilitics  i s the last resort of scouldrels! Even a Anna Hazare with best and noble intentions is not able to make much headway so far. His efforts are systematically thwarted at every step and move.  Dictatorial tendencies are staring at us and we are nearly told that nothing can be done with corrupt officials, ministers and the like. There is no political will,,,,not that there are no means even when there is so much bold and startling evidence against the culprits..That being the scenario in politics we would expect to find some kind of honesty, peace and harmony in our social milieu.. It seems to be no different here too. Only the scale of operations is much smalller. In this case also it is use of public funds for common social good,  Seldom are the contributors to the fund even asked an opinion when a function is arranged or expenduture incurred. It is handled by a bunch of people who claim to be administering the whole thing. That does not give anyone the right to do as he/ she pleases. It is done in a spirit of service to humanity and is purely honorary work. No remuneration can be expected or should be. ( let alone take it themselves!!!).
Politics being so unclean these days, people have lost their patriotism..It is due to the scams, corruption and aggrandisement by politicians..Patriotism cannot be purchased by whipping or by putting conditions, issuing strictures or by threatening.. The confidence of the concerned public has to be reinvoked by good action, lending a ear to their problems and acting justly without fear ot favour. Jayalalita is doing just that. I hail her strategy. You cannot force people to come out and celebrate Independence day or republic day when their present sentiment may be that we were better off under the British. Likewise when there is general discontent, dissatisfaction with the way things are moving socially, how can one expect willing ot happy participation?It is like an invitation to a wedding with a note  in a corner of the invitation saying...good food and presents await those who attend the wedding..!!!
A more refined and diplomatic approach is imperative, The above reeks of immaturity, pettiness and a lack of class! I have the same feeling about cash prizes and doles before an election. It is almost like prostitution  in thought and word! As we climb higher in technology , our thoughts, deeds and action s should also be at a higher plane. Mediocrity seems to have set in ..lets cast it away before it engulfs us totally...