Log in or Sign up

Have an Interesting Snippet to Share : Click Here
Dismiss Notice

Nothing is indisposable!

Discussion in 'Cheeniya's Senile Ramblings' started by Cheeniya, Dec 22, 2007.

Page 2 of 9

Dec 23, 2007 #11

Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

12,638

Likes Received:

16,943

Trophy Points:

538

Gender:

Male

Vidya24 said: ↑

Dear Cheeniya,

It is not easy to write a FB to your posts. Well, one could read and key in an oh,la,la reply, but then that would not do you any justice. So, here is conceding round one to you!

Is it because the year is ebbing or is it because it is time to ring in the old and ring in the new or is it because the kitchen-sink attitude is raging in economic circle? Atoning my Sins and Nothing is Indisposable- both seem to have a sense of mental and moral evaluation going as the main theme. Is good too, we all need introspection and an approaching new year is the best season.

My paternal grandmother never allowed us to forget that her father was Sir Diwan of Travancore and donated their 'palace' to the Corporation of Trivandrum. We heard it so often, in mellow memory, in loud boastfulness- that we became immune to it. Though when I went to pay the Corporation tax this vacation, I could not help reminscing that a noble ancestor must have walked those corridors at one time.

My father inherited all the family junk/heritage. Massive 9 step kolu padis, Banrutti dolls, easy chairs, meat shelf-, roll-top, Baby Brownie Cameras- the names are all so interesting. A family vastu expert told me that certain mile-stones were blocked in my life since these heirlooms were lying unused, unseen for decades. This vacation, I ransacked our attics. It was such a treasure trove of things and memories. We have preserved our junk lovingly like prize maavadu. From the tram ticket that my thatha used in London in 1935, to the kaapi kottai colour pattu pudavai worn by my gran, to the Rupees 16 nayapaise 45 bill for an iron gate purchased by my periappa- we would be an accountants or a bargain hunters delight. I had no qualms throwing away almost all the junk which included my tricycle and a test paper in Moral Science in which I stood first in 1978. But what saddened me, was while I was throwing away all this, there seemed to be people who wanted and valued it. That made me sad and guilty.

In these times of globalisation, many things have lost relevance. Heritage and memories seem to be the worst casualities . But as you say, in throwing away all this, did I deprive the future generation of heritage,values, memories? To an extent, yes. But to a large extent,no. When I gave away my father's cricket bat, I thought for a week. But I finally decided to part with it. Atleast, I knew my father, I knew how he loved his bat. My child who would never know his grandfather would not have any attachment or fondeness attached to that bat. And would probably throw it away in the garbage. Atleast, I found a young lad willing to swing that archaic bat for a few days. We submit our idols to the elements of the universe after a season, so there is no harm in doing the same to memories and memorablia. It is all in the heart, after all. And in some albums---

Look! You got a cynical grouch like me all mushy---

regards
Vidya
Click to expand...

Dear Vidya
Self-evaluation is a continuous process and is not confined to any specific season though I agree that the tendency becomes more marked during a particular period or the other!.
When you say 'But what saddened me, was while I was throwing away all this, there seemed to be people who wanted and valued it. That made me sad and guilty', I am able to see that one man's junk can be another man's treasure! I remember buying a lot of junk myself from the then Moore Market and to make place for them, I have thrown out my own personal junk which would find its way to the Moore Market for someone else to pick up! Kind of reminds you of Adi Sankara's 'Punarapi Jananam, Punarapi Maranam' in his immortal Baja Govindam.
I have a great admiration for Alex Hailey's Roots. Any one who has read that book would understand the imperative need to establish our link with the past. We boast of our indepth knowledge of Babar's lineage down to Aurang Zeb but the maximum we know of our own goes back to just about three generations because of the 'Tharpanam' we perform. Even there I know that there is a lot of guess work involved in many families! It was not very tough to remember them in the past but the tendency to give up our ancestor's names and instead resort to modern names for our children will eventually cut us off completely from our past!
People would be prepared to spend a fortune to acquire the bat of W.G.Grace or Don Bradman and that's understandable. But there is nothing wrong in the great grandson of Vaitheeswara Aiyyar acquring the bat with which Vaithu scored his only century in a street match!
Sri

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

#11

1 person likes this.
Dec 23, 2007 #12

Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

12,638

Likes Received:

16,943

Trophy Points:

538

Gender:

Male

shanvy said: ↑

hi sri,

I remember hearing from my grandmom, that their marriage cost them just Rs.10...gold was 2rs for sovereign, i think. And even when i was a kid, our provisions used to come at Rs.30/40.

And i and veda still love the thinnai, the vaasal, the mitram, all allocated to their places...without any consultation with a vaastu consultant...
and would love to have a place like that.....

Sri, nothing is indisposable..agreed. we would like to keep everything..but with the space available shrinking, it is a luxury to lot of us to accomodate lot of things.. we are keeping an old murphy radio, of my fil.

I have a copy of soundarylahari, i think it was the first edition come to me, from mil, and to her from her father. I use the same vengala sombu, that my mil did her varalakshmi nombu 45 years back..and would love to give it to my dil (ofcourse if she would want to take it..)..though i can afford to buy a silver one...i keep that as it has the blessings, the poojas everything.
I have picked a mukkappu...of my FIL which was lying in a box..and used it for my son...and i still am cherishing it.....

Old is gold, and old gold is more valuable than the present gold..ho..as V24 says, it is a very nostalgic drive down memory lane..

One thing i do for my kids and generation to come..take pictures of these things..and keep them tagged..and in CD's for reference.
Click to expand...

Dear Shanthi
As you rightly point out, our old houses had fanciful portions like, miththam, rezhi, taazhvaaram, camera room, ukrana arai etc. I don't even know their equivalent now. Those houses even used to smell different!
There is a saying that 'People who forget history are condemned to repeat it'. I subscribe strongly to this saying. A link with the past also provides a link to our family history from which we can learn the pros and cons of various actions. Haven't we heard of kings and rulers avoiding such actions of their predecessors as those that landed them in great difficulty?
I agree with the constraints that hinder the preservation of our heritage stuff and the via media that you have suggested. Anything that would take us back to our hoary past is most welcome!
Sri

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

#12
Dec 23, 2007 #13

Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

12,638

Likes Received:

16,943

Trophy Points:

538

Gender:

Male

Vysan said: ↑

Dear Sri,

Nothing is indisposable.... Great topic and very nicely written... I always believe in keeping and saving things... But slowly it is becoming a difficult task to maintain... Fortunately, my father has not inherited a huge quantum of goods/articles... But we have a huge collection of photos of our family members.... Some of them I have not even met in my life.... We relish and enjoy going through that....

With todays space constraint and cost.... It is becoming difficult to store and keep things... We have no other choice than to dispose off .... Though we would love to keep some of the things which are priceless...
Click to expand...

Dear Veda
Old photos are the best relics of the past! Nothing links us with our past stronger than such vintage photographs. The things that our ancestors used may not give us the same strong feelings of nostalgia as their pictures. I am glad you preserve them.
When I look at some of the pictures of my grand parents and elders, I let my mind fly to their period as I try to figure out what their feelings would have been when they posed for that photograph!
Sri

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

#13
Dec 23, 2007 #14

sathya Gold IL'ite

Messages:

1,459

Likes Received:

68

Trophy Points:

103

Gender:

Female

hello sri..

neelam ilam sivappu, manjalendru
adithiruppom suvatrukku menmai nirangal
thonguvathillaye...pattiyum thathavum
sirikkum padangal..
entha moolayil? kuppaiyil irukkumo?
idam thara maruthu.....
attic kil attam potta ninaivugal eralam
oru puthayale irukkume...
thoosiyum, ettukkaal poochi, thel kadikku
amma vendumaanal bayapattirukka...
inru family tree silar ezhuda...
silar therinthirunthaalum ketpaar thaan yaaro...
disposable syringe etc.,..pharmace co's
saamarthyama nam thalayil kattum anugumurai...
disposable amma appa illamal irunthaal sari...

sathya

sathya, Dec 23, 2007

sathya, Dec 23, 2007

#14
Dec 23, 2007 #15

Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

12,638

Likes Received:

16,943

Trophy Points:

538

Gender:

Male

sathya said: ↑

hello sri..

neelam ilam sivappu, manjalendru
adithiruppom suvatrukku menmai nirangal
thonguvathillaye...pattiyum thathavum
sirikkum padangal..
entha moolayil? kuppaiyil irukkumo?
idam thara maruthu.....
attic kil attam potta ninaivugal eralam
oru puthayale irukkume...
thoosiyum, ettukkaal poochi, thel kadikku
amma vendumaanal bayapattirukka...
inru family tree silar ezhuda...
silar therinthirunthaalum ketpaar thaan yaaro...
disposable syringe etc.,..pharmace co's
saamarthyama nam thalayil kattum anugumurai...
disposable amma appa illamal irunthaal sari...

sathya
Click to expand...

Dear Sathya
Neengal ezhudiyathellam romba sari
Onrai thavira!
Anru photo eduppavargal
Oru karuppu porvaikkul
Marainthu kondu bayamuruthiyathalo ennavo
Photokku pose kodukkumpothu
Sirikka marandanar!
Entha thatha paattiyavathu
Photovil sirithukkondu
Paarthiruppoma?!!
Sri

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

Cheeniya, Dec 23, 2007

#15
Dec 24, 2007 #16

Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

6,617

Likes Received:

2,620

Trophy Points:

345

Gender:

Female

Dear Cheeniya Sir
Comin in late to read your thread has got an unique advantage..which is to relish the replies as much as the lead post. The reply posts add an exquisite "merugu" to your lead post so much so that I sometimes dont mind if i'm time delayed from catching up..but when I have time I have to read it first itself or "thalai vedikum".
I am of the group that thinks everything is disposable. To be treated well and used to potential but to be discarded and not to accumulate junk. Just a matter of necessity. I had to dispose of my inlaws material things after they passed away and it was really painful. All the important things and anything of value where as usual snatched so I was left with what others percieved as unimportant. In this category came my fil's puja vessels which we considered very important and kept with us..also came his old typewriter which my son kept with him and an old clock which my husband keeps with him..So after all they were not all disposable and so everything is not all disposable..
I am glad i retained the letters my husband wrote to me before marraige because in the almost 24 yrs now have'nt recvd/ a single letter though I do get some occassionally good emails..An items worth and value is I think in the eye of the beholder..

Anandchitra, Dec 24, 2007

Anandchitra, Dec 24, 2007

#16
Dec 24, 2007 #17

Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

33,566

Likes Received:

3,756

Trophy Points:

490

Gender:

Female

Dear AC,
You write
I am glad i retained the letters my husband wrote to me before marraige
Sad that, V (the personification of conservative thinking!) never wrote to me before marriage ! But he sent me an invitation printed by his parents - perhaps, he thought, I might "abscond", refusing to marry him. Poor man, I honoured his invitation & promptly got married to him !
I still retain the same & do not lose an opportunity to tell him that he "forced" me (read, invited) me to marry him !
Love
To
Chitra
From
Chithra.

Last edited: Dec 24, 2007

Chitvish, Dec 24, 2007

Chitvish, Dec 24, 2007

#17
Dec 24, 2007 #18

Anandchitra IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

6,617

Likes Received:

2,620

Trophy Points:

345

Gender:

Female

Dear La C
I got some letters and some cute cards..you know they used to have some cards with small children sometimes babies and cute sayings about love and such.I got those cards too..So extremly glad I had atleast that one foresight to retain those precious memorabilia..is nothing then disposable or everything is disposable??!!??

Anandchitra, Dec 24, 2007

Anandchitra, Dec 24, 2007

#18
Dec 24, 2007 #19

Chitvish Moderator IL Hall of Fame

Messages:

33,566

Likes Received:

3,756

Trophy Points:

490

Gender:

Female

Dear AC,
Well, in this case, I would say, (like in general), two negatives do not make a positive !
I think, we interpret "disposable", to our convenience, like your interpretation of Anand's cute cards.The sentiment also counts , much more than the material point of view.We just do not have the heart to throw away some things, however constrained we are for space.
I think, this varies with individuals; not only that, men may throw away their wives' letters as junk whereas, we women, react differently & more emotionally !
Love,
La C.

Chitvish, Dec 24, 2007

Chitvish, Dec 24, 2007

#19
Dec 24, 2007 #20

Vysan Gold IL'ite

Messages:

1,378

Likes Received:

103

Trophy Points:

103

Gender:

Male

Chitvish said: ↑

not only that, men may throw away their wives' letters as junk whereas, we women, react differently & more emotionally !
Love,
La C.
Click to expand...

Dear Chitvish,

I used to store all Shan's letters and used to keep reading.... One fine day... Shan thought we have to clean and all letters gone.... I feel men are more senti & emotional than women....

Poor men folk....

Vysan, Dec 24, 2007

Vysan, Dec 24, 2007

#20

(You must log in or sign up to reply here.)

Page 2 of 9

Share This Page