Thiruvallur - Land of the exotic Veeraraghava Swamy temple

Happened to visit , my dad's once upon a time , workplace, Thiruvallur ( My dad was working in Thiruvallur for HM). Too crowded and believe me , for such a small village, it has nearly 2 to 3 marriage halls in every street. Very very narrow roads with buffaloes and pigs all around. A typical village of its kind in all ways. The main reason to visit the place was to see the VeeraRaghava Swamy temple in the middle of the village. Gigantic gopurams gave us a warm welcome. Some construction work was going on in the temple with stones and mud all over. The presiding deity was in His "Anantha Sayanam" posture. What a huge statue. Believe me , the sculptors in those times have been really artists. One cannot take away their eyes from those mammoth statues. This temple is supposedly one of the 108 "Divya desams". If u plan to travel somewhere enroute Thiruvallur, make sure you definitely spend some time in the age old temple. It is definitely worth a watch.

Life is too short - Utilize it to the fullest extent !

Sometimes, I have seen people lamenting that their Life is a waste and that they havnt really achieved anything in it. But it is a fact that all of us have made a significance in someone else's life.

There are people around us who really value us and long for our company. We all have the same feeling towards most of our pals. The only fact is that we donot realize it to a greater extent, simply because we get whatever we want from them most of the times. The real pain comes its way only when we lose them for some reason. Instead of blamming others , or lamenting about others when they are with us, let us all try to cherish every moment with them.

ECR- An exotic drive !

More than 2 years now since I had gone for long drives with my parents. The last long weekend was a good chance that I made use of to bring back the old memories of the happy long drives with dad and mom. This time it was the ECR and the temples along the way. Lots of pit-stops along the ECR. The vibrant Bay of Bengal was all along her way with us. The old VGP ( people still visit it), MGM, Crocodile park, Mayajaal, Puri Jagannath temple, Thirunindravur , Muttukaadu, Kovalam , Thirunindravoor and lot to go. We visited the SaiBaba temple at Krishnan Karanai, a small village 10kms before Mahabalipuram. Too good a place to forget oneself and get the blessings of the Almighty! The gorgeous Ganesha made of marble welcomes us into the temple. There is a long pathway leading to the big meditation hall with a statue of SaiRam looking divinely at us. What an atmosphere it is! Truely Amazing! After the huge meditation hall, is a small place that houses "Lord Meru". Then we can see the Dwarakamai and the need tree which further add to the beauty of the place. The whole place is called the "Lendi Gardens" named after the Lendi Bagh in Shirdi. It was a real amazing experience visiting the temple. Best place to get a good peace of mind. Do visit when u find time !

Mamallapuram - Divine Architecture

Happened to visit the age old Pallava city , Mamallapuram recently. What a beautiful place it would have been during those days. Now it is all littered around by the local folks and the visitors[:( ] A real plight to look at our heritage being spoilt by our own fellow mates. The "Sthala Sayana Perumal" temple , one of the 108 "Divya Desams" stood evident for the magnificient Pallava architecture. The temple was built around 1600 A.D. The environment around the temple is just a complement to what is inside the temple. Belive me, it is full of waste and trash all around the place. In addtion to this, are also a number a mindblowing master pieces by our ancient sculptors that are worth a visit. It is worth watching the place once if u are the kind of person, who would love sculptures.

Youth For Seva - A good thing that each of us can try

Youth for Seva (http://www.youthforseva.org/) is an organization that brings college students, professionals and qualified folks to teach poor kids in the locality.

This helps achieve a kind of satisfaction, which ofcourse might not be immediate.

Donot expect any results from the kids immediately. It is definitely not possible.

Spend as much time as u can with them. This develops a good amount of patience in yourself.

U can select a time convenient for you to be regular in helping them.

Try out folks. Am sure there is something exciting waiting for u !