Translations

Original Source: https://www.jeyamohan.in/79162/ Date: 2-Oct-2015 (This article seems to have a translation already. https://thesabarmati.wordpress.com/2015/10/04/toddy-shop-gandhi/ . Didn't notice it until about half of my translation. Proceeding to publish my translation as well). I had been to Vaikom for some Cinema work a couple of days back. Friend Madhupal and Cinema producer Sukumar accompanied me. While returning back, when we were wondering where to have lunch, Sukumar called up his friend and enquired. That friend suggested a toddy shop in a place called Chempu*. This is a place where actor Mammooty was raised. We enquired the place of the toddy shop. It was a shop thatched with palm leaves on the shore of Vembanad lake. Yet, it had several rooms; small rooms to consume toddy in private. It was late afternoon when we arrived, therefore the usual toddy consumers hadn't yet come. Mostly, people had come there for lunch. As Madhupal was an actor, he was given a royal wel...

  Original Source: https://www.jeyamohan.in/168299/ Date: 24-Jul-2022   Dear J, In recent times, whenever I visit the Iskcon temples established in various places, I feel that these temples will form, in future, the support structure of Hindu culture and the modern centers of Hindu worship. The important points that I observed were that these temples follow the same methods of worship in every country they are established, they have the same simple prayer slogan "Hare Rama, Hare Krishna" and anyone who joins that organization, irrespective of their caste, would've the privilege of performing pooja and delivering service. Most importantly, the aspects which we think as not possible anymore due to the apathy of the public and the government, like maintaining cleanliness in temple premises, eschewing from commercializing devotion by selling special tickets, forcing people to buy from the shops that have been setup at the temple entrance are not present in these Iskcon temple...

Original Source: https://www.jeyamohan.in/197129/ Date: 19-Feb-2024   I recently remembered, out of the blue, one of the classes of Nitya Chaitanya Yati. That too, when I was on my morning walk, viewing the huge Earth Movers that are laying the 8-lane roads. "Poetry is an art of misusing words". Amazing line. As he talks, Nitya drops such comments nonchalantly. So true! Aren't all the poetic lines that we remember made up of a combination of words that brings meaning in a way unknown, unusual for us? I was immediately reminded of the word "கண்ணிநுண்சிறுதாம்பு" (Kanninum Cirutampu - translated as knotted, slender cord) and that day became quite radiant for me. That is why grammarians and poems do not get along well. Once you study grammar, poems move away. One more line was remembered. This time by Sundara Ramaswamy. "My father used to say long back that a chaste girl cannot dance". Even though he was mocking his father, it is true to an extent. During ...