Hey guys and girls ...I have a great news for you....for those of you who are fond of chocolates it is a music to your ears and chocolates to your mouth(my attempt to create phrases haha)
If you happen to be associated with Pondicherry in some way or the other...and also if you could appreciate the peculiarity and the speciality of the city(state)....Bakers Street is in teh making..
Well whats this Bakers Street....is it another cake/coffee shop????...if this is your question my answer is NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Bakers street is something which is very unique...You might think this is what everybody says....youre wrong again if you say so...
It is totally Indian...Indian chocolates....which could cater to the world...born in India to rock the world....first of its kind....It is being floated by my friend Srinath Balachandran along with his partners...Srinath,now a well known chocolatier in Pondy who has made a name for himself in this industry in the recent times....I loved his chocolates and more than that the passion he has for making great chocolates which are better than most international brands I have tasted...He knows that I am not a keen chocolate lover too but I couldnt resist the temptation....You should taste to believe what I say...
But you have to wait for a couple of more months...Bakers Street is getting ready to have its launch around September...situtated in Lal Bahadur Shastri Road in Pondy...soon to be a great landmark...
The guy is on orkut too http://www.orkut.com/Profile.aspx?uid=9624258363976413435
All the best guys....Rock the world....Be Indian
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Thiruveezhimizhalai...Mysteriously Divine......
Recently I had to visit Karaikal(Pondy State) for my friends Nikkah(islamic wedding)....I had planned my trip in such a way that I could visit Thiruvizhimizhalai...a very ancient Shivan temple in the Nagapatnam district if I am right...
I had no clue about the existence of such a temple till my friend singer Vijay(kris) had told me about it and about the specialities of it..He has a real flair for temple visits especially an affinity for Lord Shiva(the destroyer among the trinity of Hindu Gods)....
Anyway lemme not get into those details now....
I had taken the East Coast Road route via Pondy(tamil fanatics pls forgive...I am used to calling it pondicherry and can't get easily accustomed to Puducherry) Cuddalore,Chidambaram upto Mayiladuthurai...From Myladuthurai I had to ask for Thiruvarur route and had tocross Peralam town and go upto Poonthoattam village where there is a temple exclusively for Goddess Saraswati(goddess of education and arts).From there we had to take a narrow road upto Thiruvizhimizhalai ...the road is actually used by the local ppl to reach kumbakonam town....
Even the locals were not aware of the existence of this temple and we had to ask few spiritually or rather religously inclined people who directed us where to turn...There is a small unsurfaced mud road which leads to the temple....
The moment we saw the grandeur and the mammoth structure which was concealed till then, we were speechless....Oh my God!!! what a temple...The total area of the temple could easily be around 6 acres or something....We initially had trouble in finding out the entry point of the temple....
The huge walls encircling the temple is not less than 30 feet tall and at least 4 feet in width...one of the strongest structures I have ever witnessed for sure....The moment we stepped into the temple we could really feel something very different which is totally inexplicable by words...Sound of silence which I call it wrapped us instantly....We crossed the pathway and went into the main Prakaram and I realised the structure is in the form of concentric squares or rectangle(if only I could figure out the whole place within the short span of time)
My friend had told me already that the temple is not very popular even among the locals except for some rituals and functions conducted on auspicious days...There was no one in the temple and we had to go in and to our surprise could not even find any priest...We simply had to pray ourselves,prostrated before the Deity ( a huge Shiva lingam inside a very scantily lit main prakaaram)...We could find works of Thirugnanasambandhar,Arunagiri Nathar and few other saints ,carved on granite stones plastered on teh walls of the temple....
I later found the priest who was very reluctant (probably bcos of the monotony or whatever).He didnt even show Deepa Aradhanai to the deity...just gave us some sacred Ash(Vibhuti) and vanished ( to my surprise he locked the temple when we were praying)...
Then we started our Pradakshanams(going round the main deity) and there were many deities and different types of lingams murugan,ganapathi small temples,Chandikeshwarar,Kala Bhairava and so many others...
Adjacent to the Shivan temple is the temple of Devi(his consort) ..there was no one their as well....Nevertheless the atmosphere and the climate was just too perfect for a great darshan...
I was told that Thirugnana Sambandhar was given padi kasu(not sure what it is) i guess it is some gift money by the Lord himself....
The place has been mentioned in many ancient tamil works of various great saints....
AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA
I had no clue about the existence of such a temple till my friend singer Vijay(kris) had told me about it and about the specialities of it..He has a real flair for temple visits especially an affinity for Lord Shiva(the destroyer among the trinity of Hindu Gods)....
Anyway lemme not get into those details now....
I had taken the East Coast Road route via Pondy(tamil fanatics pls forgive...I am used to calling it pondicherry and can't get easily accustomed to Puducherry) Cuddalore,Chidambaram upto Mayiladuthurai...From Myladuthurai I had to ask for Thiruvarur route and had tocross Peralam town and go upto Poonthoattam village where there is a temple exclusively for Goddess Saraswati(goddess of education and arts).From there we had to take a narrow road upto Thiruvizhimizhalai ...the road is actually used by the local ppl to reach kumbakonam town....
Even the locals were not aware of the existence of this temple and we had to ask few spiritually or rather religously inclined people who directed us where to turn...There is a small unsurfaced mud road which leads to the temple....
The moment we saw the grandeur and the mammoth structure which was concealed till then, we were speechless....Oh my God!!! what a temple...The total area of the temple could easily be around 6 acres or something....We initially had trouble in finding out the entry point of the temple....
The huge walls encircling the temple is not less than 30 feet tall and at least 4 feet in width...one of the strongest structures I have ever witnessed for sure....The moment we stepped into the temple we could really feel something very different which is totally inexplicable by words...Sound of silence which I call it wrapped us instantly....We crossed the pathway and went into the main Prakaram and I realised the structure is in the form of concentric squares or rectangle(if only I could figure out the whole place within the short span of time)
My friend had told me already that the temple is not very popular even among the locals except for some rituals and functions conducted on auspicious days...There was no one in the temple and we had to go in and to our surprise could not even find any priest...We simply had to pray ourselves,prostrated before the Deity ( a huge Shiva lingam inside a very scantily lit main prakaaram)...We could find works of Thirugnanasambandhar,Arunagiri Nathar and few other saints ,carved on granite stones plastered on teh walls of the temple....
I later found the priest who was very reluctant (probably bcos of the monotony or whatever).He didnt even show Deepa Aradhanai to the deity...just gave us some sacred Ash(Vibhuti) and vanished ( to my surprise he locked the temple when we were praying)...
Then we started our Pradakshanams(going round the main deity) and there were many deities and different types of lingams murugan,ganapathi small temples,Chandikeshwarar,Kala Bhairava and so many others...
Adjacent to the Shivan temple is the temple of Devi(his consort) ..there was no one their as well....Nevertheless the atmosphere and the climate was just too perfect for a great darshan...
I was told that Thirugnana Sambandhar was given padi kasu(not sure what it is) i guess it is some gift money by the Lord himself....
The place has been mentioned in many ancient tamil works of various great saints....
AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Sakkarai Amma......
Last week,I had the opportunity of visiting a temple in Thiruvanmiyur which is built for a saint called Sakkarai Amma(whose real name I was told was Anandambaal)...
It is on a small lane off Kalashetra Road which streches from LB Road to Kalakshetra.....a few hundred metres before reaching Kalakshetra...
Although there is a board outside the temple we dont get to realise if there is a temple bcos it has apartments on either side ....
The moment you walk past the temple arch and step into the premises ,we can realise that there is some kind of divine presence and speciality about the place.The broad passage to the temple has coconut trees planted at regular intervals..
After removing footwear there, we could climb few stairs and go into the temple..There is the idol of the saint Sakkarai Amma...Poojas and rituals and mantras are chanted as usual but money is strongly refused by the priest(who also works for free as a service)....
There are lots of trees and greenery around the temple...On the northern side of the temple there is a statue of its founder Dr.NanjundaRao...The southern side of the temple has a meditation hall .....There is a special beautifully landscaped pathway that leads us to the amazing meditation hall which has nothing but silence and a great aura...we can feel the divineness.....It may sound unbelievable but the truth is it rained only on top of the meditation hall when I was inside and not even a wet spot outside....incredible....it may sound....
The priest told me that the saint lived from 1854-1901.She was from somewhere around Tindivanam and she got married at the age of 8 and after her husbands demise she entered monkhood,travelled to many parts of the country,met many great saints like Ramanar,Vivekananda and so on....Finally she came to Thiruvanmiyur where she attained Jeevamukti(deathless Samadhi)....This temple was built in that very same place and she is believed to exist there till now and chanting of lalitha sahasranamam could be heard occasionally .....
It is on a small lane off Kalashetra Road which streches from LB Road to Kalakshetra.....a few hundred metres before reaching Kalakshetra...
Although there is a board outside the temple we dont get to realise if there is a temple bcos it has apartments on either side ....
The moment you walk past the temple arch and step into the premises ,we can realise that there is some kind of divine presence and speciality about the place.The broad passage to the temple has coconut trees planted at regular intervals..
After removing footwear there, we could climb few stairs and go into the temple..There is the idol of the saint Sakkarai Amma...Poojas and rituals and mantras are chanted as usual but money is strongly refused by the priest(who also works for free as a service)....
There are lots of trees and greenery around the temple...On the northern side of the temple there is a statue of its founder Dr.NanjundaRao...The southern side of the temple has a meditation hall .....There is a special beautifully landscaped pathway that leads us to the amazing meditation hall which has nothing but silence and a great aura...we can feel the divineness.....It may sound unbelievable but the truth is it rained only on top of the meditation hall when I was inside and not even a wet spot outside....incredible....it may sound....
The priest told me that the saint lived from 1854-1901.She was from somewhere around Tindivanam and she got married at the age of 8 and after her husbands demise she entered monkhood,travelled to many parts of the country,met many great saints like Ramanar,Vivekananda and so on....Finally she came to Thiruvanmiyur where she attained Jeevamukti(deathless Samadhi)....This temple was built in that very same place and she is believed to exist there till now and chanting of lalitha sahasranamam could be heard occasionally .....
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Story...
I spent my time today mostly in writing more chapters of my novelthat started a few days back, which I seriously intend to publish in a month or two....I know what you people must be thinking inwardly...jack of all trades but master of what??? still to find that out....
The whole thing of writing in me was triggered when I wrote the lyrics for the album "Mudhal Mazhaiye" and also when I had travelled to US last year for FETNA Convention 2006 New York City....
After the concert,there was a small gathering where great tamizh scholars like Arivoli Gnanaprakasam and Ku.Gnana Sambandhan were giving a speech...
How could I ever expect to be called and address people amist such scholars but I was called and for a minute didnt know what to do....I somehow started my speech quoting Patanjali Yoga Sutra in Sanskrit and its relation to the tamil subject being spoken etc....I cracked jokes in between as I am always confident with humour(at least) :))
I spoke about the topic that why Tamil has shrunk over the years and how we had failed to market(if you may say so) the language at the international platform...whereas a relatively newer language like Hindi has taken a comfortable seat as a national language from being a local dialect of UP and a part of Bihar..etc etc
Two of my friends from childhood,Karthik Nagarajan(who is a US film maker lately) and Anand Vasudevan who had travelled from Texas and Georgia respectively had gone to my room.Not finding me there, they had somehow reached the banquet hall where the gathering was happening...They were shocked to see me with the mic and this time for a change doing the talking and not my usual singing stuff...I could see them with their checked in and cabin baggages from where I was...They patiently waited....kept passing some comments between themselves..probably pasanga kalaasikittu irundhaanga I suppose...
The speech went on for almost 10 minutes and I concluded before I was asked to :)) hahaha
After that people came upto me and asked me to stay for couple of weeks more and speak in few more meetings across USA which I politely refused telling that I am a musician and not a tamil scholar or any scholar in the first place....
Nevertheless my confidence about my tamizh has been steadily getting better with time....
The whole thing of writing in me was triggered when I wrote the lyrics for the album "Mudhal Mazhaiye" and also when I had travelled to US last year for FETNA Convention 2006 New York City....
After the concert,there was a small gathering where great tamizh scholars like Arivoli Gnanaprakasam and Ku.Gnana Sambandhan were giving a speech...
How could I ever expect to be called and address people amist such scholars but I was called and for a minute didnt know what to do....I somehow started my speech quoting Patanjali Yoga Sutra in Sanskrit and its relation to the tamil subject being spoken etc....I cracked jokes in between as I am always confident with humour(at least) :))
I spoke about the topic that why Tamil has shrunk over the years and how we had failed to market(if you may say so) the language at the international platform...whereas a relatively newer language like Hindi has taken a comfortable seat as a national language from being a local dialect of UP and a part of Bihar..etc etc
Two of my friends from childhood,Karthik Nagarajan(who is a US film maker lately) and Anand Vasudevan who had travelled from Texas and Georgia respectively had gone to my room.Not finding me there, they had somehow reached the banquet hall where the gathering was happening...They were shocked to see me with the mic and this time for a change doing the talking and not my usual singing stuff...I could see them with their checked in and cabin baggages from where I was...They patiently waited....kept passing some comments between themselves..probably pasanga kalaasikittu irundhaanga I suppose...
The speech went on for almost 10 minutes and I concluded before I was asked to :)) hahaha
After that people came upto me and asked me to stay for couple of weeks more and speak in few more meetings across USA which I politely refused telling that I am a musician and not a tamil scholar or any scholar in the first place....
Nevertheless my confidence about my tamizh has been steadily getting better with time....
Monday, July 2, 2007
Shivaaaaajeeeeeeeeeeee....
First of all I like to admit that I am a Kamal hassan fan....Nevertheless....I cannot restrict myself from enjoying and appreciating the performance of Super star Rajinikanth in the latest talk of the town Shivaji.....
With due respects to Director Shankar,A.R.Rahman,K.V.Anand and the crew for their hard work and toil, the film is carried by the superstar......His youthful looks(soooo much better than most of his previous films),splendid stunts, terrific Timing sense and comedy paired up this time with the handsome comedian Vivek(my great friend as well) has taken the film above comparison....
Shreyaaaaaaaaaaa......wow....looks simply perfect and sculpted and I am amazed to see that she can act as well....which is unusual for such glamourdolls...
Saw the movie in Inox the first day first show and was thrilled...
Sahana song still reverberates in my ears....
Motthathula Paerae Kaettaalae Adhiridhu......
With due respects to Director Shankar,A.R.Rahman,K.V.Anand and the crew for their hard work and toil, the film is carried by the superstar......His youthful looks(soooo much better than most of his previous films),splendid stunts, terrific Timing sense and comedy paired up this time with the handsome comedian Vivek(my great friend as well) has taken the film above comparison....
Shreyaaaaaaaaaaa......wow....looks simply perfect and sculpted and I am amazed to see that she can act as well....which is unusual for such glamourdolls...
Saw the movie in Inox the first day first show and was thrilled...
Sahana song still reverberates in my ears....
Motthathula Paerae Kaettaalae Adhiridhu......
Sunday, July 1, 2007
VEERAAPPU
The audio of Veeraappu was released last evening...Thanks to D.Iman for the nice song..The moviecast has Dir Sundar C on the lead with Gopika as his lover girl...I personally loved singing the song and hope it attracts the masses too..Again a soothing soft melody(goes without saying that people don't wanna use my voice for Kutthu song types)...Anyway D.Iman is an amazing talent and a pleasant person to work with...
Pls post your opinions about the song
Pls post your opinions about the song
Back to blogging...
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Hey
This is Harish Raghavendra..the singer... most of you might know ,lots of you might ask whose this guy? Anyways...I have started blogging from today.I have tried doing this a year back but gave up for some bizzare reasons unknown even to my own self...Anyways I love to learn more.Just a toddler I am ...
This is Harish Raghavendra..the singer... most of you might know ,lots of you might ask whose this guy? Anyways...I have started blogging from today.I have tried doing this a year back but gave up for some bizzare reasons unknown even to my own self...Anyways I love to learn more.Just a toddler I am ...
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