Inspired by Induslady's latest thread-How Did you come up with your user name?

Cheeniya · Apr 8, 2007

Blogs have become the buzzword of the day. People spend more time on writing, reading and/or commenting on blogs than on any other activity. Blogs are age busters. You will find in the world of bloggers, twenties and sixties rubbing shoulders without any discomfort. It’s a place where you enjoy absolute freedom to say what you want. You can expend all your pent up fury on hapless individuals who write lackluster blogs.

You can become a celebrity by following Scott Fitzgerald’s advice that “The easiest way to get a reputation is to go outside the fold, shout around for a few years as a violent atheist, or a dangerous radical, and then crawl back to the shelter.”

It’s a forum where you can paint the rainbow with the colours of your choice. It’s an avenue for aspiring writers where you can have a guaranteed minimum of twenty fans, no matter what you write. If you are a fiercely ambitious writer hoping to become another Arundathi Roy by the turn of the year, there are methods available to boost up your image.

The unseen bond that exists among bloggers is stronger than filial affections. You will find here husbands complaining about their wives and wives about their hubbies to total strangers. All kinds of inadequacies are discussed with unknown people. You find yourself developing a very strong bond with men and women whose real names are not known to you. You find that unknown people with strange names about whose whereabouts you have no clue whatsoever are a greater comfort and a closer ally than your life partners.

There is no wonder, therefore, that more and more men and women of all ages and descriptions are drawn into the world of bloggers. What comes as a bit of a surprise is that the blog bug has bitten the gods too! There is reported to be feverish activity in the abode of gods to reach the highest popularity rating! There is even more rivalry in the selection of handles and, according to the usually reliable sources, some handles are already doing vigorous rounds in churning out blogs at a furious pace. Here are some of them:

The Mouse Rider
The Hill Hopper
The wet head
SeaSupportMe
The Missing Link
The Lion King
bow breaker
Evergreen Hero
Much m(h)arried male
Sharp Shooter
There is intense speculation about the real gods behind these handles. Hope you will be able to throw light on them!

Vidya24 · Apr 8, 2007

Dear Cheeniya,

Good one, short and substantial! You write very well indeed, and almost on every topic under the sun from dosai to blogs to vedantha! I am quite tempted (like the kings of yore) to set a topic and ask you to blog on it!!!!

Ha,ha apart, your blog is precise. I was watching the programme Click on BBC and now have a slick name for blogs,'user generated web content'. You say blogs are age busters, I add they are stress busters too. When I am blued out, I log into IL and am sure to find some cheer or a thought to muse on.

But I gently disagree, that there will be 20 people to appreciate anything one writes. No, I am quite sure that even if one of your blogs did not match the ISO9000 Cheeniya standards, I would be the first to criticise. Indeed sir, blog readers are not desperately reading anything that comes their way. They are as discerning as any other.

But you are spot on about the comraderie and trust that exists among bloggers. At times, blogging communities become gangs with their own codes and tenets of approved behaviour. The anonymity that a fake moniker offers us in blogging is the safest shelter in todays tortured world. In multiple avtars, a blogger would confess and confide almost anything. And therein lies food for another blog- privacy. On principle, I do not ask any blogger with ID like 'Sparrow' or' Elderflower' about her real name. Like nadimoolam and rishimoolam, let not not check blogger IDmoolam--:mrgreen:

Good one Cheeniya. Am becoming addicted to your blogs. And am already addicted to Indusladies.

regards
Vidya

Cheeniya · Apr 8, 2007

Dear Vidya
I feel like shouting 'Naan paasayitten!' everytime I see your positive response to my posts!
Whatever I have said about the affinity among bloggers is out of my personal experience. Maybe, it is my age that makes people believe that I should have enough experience to don the role of a counsellor. I receive quite a few mails seeking my advice on matters that one would hesitate to even mention to a stranger. None of these people even know my real name or whereabouts! But I do take them very seriously as they take me and render whatever help I can. And we maintain our respecive anonymty too!
It makes me happy that there can be people, though totally unknown, who consider me worthy of confiding!
Sri

Vandhana · Apr 8, 2007

Dear Cheeniya,

What a way to start my Sunday. Reading your post over a hot cup of coffee, I literally choked on it , cause i was laughing with your IDs for Gods.

A very well written piece, and ofcourse, like Vidya says, blogs are great stress busters.

Now you have to reply in malathy's thread as to how you came up with your userID. It is interesting, cause everytime i read your user Id, the thing that come to my mind is "Cheeyan" !! So please take the suspense away from us.

Vandhana

Vidya24 · Apr 8, 2007

Dear Sreenivasan sir(Cheeniya),

May I address you by your given name just once--

I also wondered about your ID. I assumed it is a version of, 'Is that you Cheeni?' in Tamil. Cheeni ya? :mrgreen:

I must confess that all along I assumed you were Varalotti Rengasamy since you both same to share the same young at heart joie de vivre and bonhomie. Especially since you sign 'Sri', I reconfirmed my assumption.

Anyway, glad to know that now we have not one, but two distinguished male writers adding colour to IL.

regards
Vidya

Cheeniya · Apr 8, 2007

Dear Vidya
Varalotti and me the same?!!
Sacrilege, my dear lady!
If there is one person in the world who gives me a complex and makes me wistful, it's good old Varalotti!
You have only proved yet again your soft corner for this old man!
Sri

Kamla · Apr 9, 2007

Thank the stars that there are two of you to enthrall us...I mean you and Varalotti.

Like Vandhana...I could not stop myself from laughing while reading the list of ID's above)

Inspite of my activity here, I am otherwise a stranger to the world of blogs. Although vaguely aware, it is only recently I realise that so much was going on in the world of blogs. I prefer to have some sort of intro to the authors of the books I read. After all, they do take up a good portion of my valuable time. I need to know with whom I am interacting with...old fashioned I guess.

You may question my affinity to IL then. But we all know it is quite different here. Most of us do log in with our own names [ not your's truly!] Even if we don't, we end up revealing much about ourselves. The credit goes to M & J! A safe abode.

Glad you blog here sir...L, Kamla

Cheeniya · Apr 9, 2007

Dear Kamla
There is a phrase in Tamil "Aal kanda Samudram" implying that even a mighty ocean dances with joy with its waves when people are around to witness! The awareness that someone is watching us gives everyone the urge to perform better!
With people like you coming regularly to read what I write and encourage me with your kind and affectionate words, need I tell you how enthused I feel being here with you all?
And what more can anyone at my age expect other than a little attention?
Sri

Vidya24 · Apr 9, 2007

Dear Cheeniya sir,

You and Varalotti are two of the nicest things (among the many other nice things) that IL is blessed with. And personally what I like about both of you, apart from your writings, is that both of you seem to be on a high plane of mental evolution, and as such neither one is insecure.

And right you are, I do have a soft spot for you. Any avuncular person reminds me of my dad who is one of God's good men. (This is not a flattery line, but comes from the heart). And I happily add you and Varalotti to that list.

See you round,Cheeniya sir! Stay young forever!

affly
Vidya

Cheeniya · Apr 9, 2007

Vidya
I am touched by your equating me with your dad.
I'll continue to bear an emotional likeness to him through my actions and writings so that I continue to enjoy your love and affection
Sri