A journey towards Journalism

I have asked a question to Chakki many times- "What was your motive for undergoing journalism course?" She has always answered "I dont know". She still doesn't know the answer.

A person is not born as a journalist by birth. But there are inborn talents that make a person a good journalist- like the ability to write well, enthusiasm to search for new things, ability to express the ideas in mind and many more. I believe Chakki possess many of these skills. This should have helped her at the time of her course.

Chakki did her journalism course in Kerala Press Academy. Kerala Press Academy, is an academy of journalists in Kerala. It was established in 1979. It is a joint venture of the Government of Kerala, Kerala Union of Working Journalists and Indian Newspaper Society. The head office of Kerala Press Academy is located at Kakkanad, Kochi, Kerala. Its primary aim is to foster and co-ordinate activities in the sphere of Journalism. The Academy has set up a full-fledged institute, published books and monographs, organized seminars and workshops and instituted endowments and awards for promoting excellence in the field of journalism.

It is the only one Government authorised institute in Kerala which provides journalism and public relations course.After her course, Chakki did her internship with Deepika, one of the major malayalam dailies in Kerala. She has also worked with Indian Express Daily and Samakalaika Malayalam magazine. Her friends are major journalists in leading newspapers of South India. Just imagine how much spreaded her friendship circle is.

The most interesting factor of journalism couse: The admission procedure for the course is very strict. First you need to pass an entrance test which is very very difficult to clear if you don't have the real talents. The interview is also difficult to clear if you don't have a clear idea about the field.

Can't you believe my words ? Well, take a look into some sample questions asked by Press academy for the entrance examination of journalism course. I am not joking, Click here to see some sample questions.

The classes are handled by guest faculty, who are veterans in the field of Journalism, Communication, Public Relations & Advertising. Chakki was lucky to attend those precious sessions handled by Ms. Leela Menon(Former Special Correspondent New Indian Express),  K.M. Roy (General Editor, Mangalam), Dr. M. Leelavathy(Literary Critic and Writer) and many more experienced hands.

Chakki still says that she liked to do the job of a journalist, but she turned into a software professional. Let's hope that she will get a chance to present her talents before the world.

The foodie

After a break, I am back with my new posts. Well.. this time I have
some interesting scoop for you. Before opening the box of fun, let me
ask you- how many of you don't like sweet dreams ? The sweet dreams in
which you are given lot and lot of chocolates, ice-creams, milk
shakes, chicken fry, burgers, pizza and many more. You will be
definitely confused about what to eat- of course, I am pretty sure
that children will definitely like such sweet dreams of ice cream and
chocolate. And just imagine what you will feel if all flavors of ice
cream say vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, pista, mango, orange, butter
scotch, and many other combinations- cassatta, italian delight, mango
delight and all are there...??


So am I going to tell you about sweet dreams ? No boss. Then ? Dreams
? Not at all. I am going to talk about only one person- about chakki.
When I go with Chakki to any restaurant or roam for shopping, I had

always a question in my mind- Am I in a sweet dream or is this reality

? Because chakki buys special variety of food, which is so special to
me too. Dont worry about bill- she will pay ! :-)
When I met Chakki for the first time, i remember that she invited me

to a restaurant. I was given a special welcome with chicken burgers,

puffs, chocolate bars and sharjah shake. Cant you believe ? Yes, thats
true.
Chakki is a real foodie. I should give her a reward for the food

experiments that she have done. She likes a wide range of food items-

which are so special and tasty.
Chakki is food of arabian food- the shawarma. Want to eat shawarma ?
Ask chakki, she will tell you the shops from where you can get good,
tasty shawarma- she have a good, frequently catalogue of shawarma
shops in her mind. :-)
Like many others, chakki is also an ice-cream baby.. She "loves" to
eat ice creams. She wants to live in a house made of ice cream.. :-)
Chocolate and butter scotch are her favorite flavors of ice-creams.
Another special food item that Chakki loves to eat is Mulaku
Bajji(capsicum fry). Whenever she sees mulaku bajji, she runs to buy
it..!

Any other specials ? Yes, here it is- Payasam. And if it is Aravana
payasam from sabarimala, chakki will make the time empty and clean !
:-) Chakki likes aravana payasam very much. Whats the surprise in
that, right ? Well, listen baby... Whenever chakki's brother kukku
goes to sabarimala, he brings at least 20 tins of aravana payasam for
her ! And now tell me how crazy she is about sweets ?
Now you should have understood what is the meaning of 'foodie'. Yes,
chakki loves food a lot and she is a perfect foodie.

The story of an angel

There are still, so many things to be told about Chakki. I dont have enough words to describe her. Because she is an all rounder, an idol of human kindness.

Unfortunately, she is one of the people who fight with the fate. Now you could see only tears in her face. She has everything around her, but the darkness of loneliness has surrounded her badly. Her life is filled with sorrows and sad experiences now a days. She has got relatives and friends, yet she want to live in solitude. She is used to that. As you read this blog, you may feel like a movie- with lot of fun, lot of curiosity, lot of enthusiasm, and in the climax comes the serious face of reality.

Long years after, when children read posts of this blog, they will feel like a grandma's tale- the story of an angel. Yes- chakki is an angel. She is an angel for me, her friends and everyone around her. With lot of smiles in her face, and with tears in her mind, she will live forever- because she is an angel.

The Blessed Dancer

Dance is a form of art. Ability to perform an art well is a blessing from God. There are millions of people who can sing. But those people become the stars, who can sing well and who can meet perfection with hard work. In that way, Chakki is a blessed dancer, for sure.

Chakki started to learn classical dance when she was three years old. She herself considers as a lucky person to start to learn dancing at the early age and to become favorite student of her teachers. She practised dance under many teachers for years. She considers that it was her teachers' blessings that helped her to achieve all the lucky things in her life. According to her, Gurutham(meaning, the veneration) is the most important thing that a person should have in his/her life.

The encouragement and appreciations that she received from her parents and relatives have always helped her to reach the heights of growth. Now the most intereesting part- Do you think she is the only person from her family who dance well ? No. In addition to her, he sister and her brother have learned dance.

According to her, the person who mostly influenced her life is her mother itself. She is very lucky to get an intelligent, lovable and caring mother- the perfect symbol of Indian motherhood. That is why she, her sister and her brother learned dance. The prizes and achievements that she and her siblings received are difficult to count. Professionally, her mother is a teacher and hence she and her siblings were taught the very lessons of hard work, perseverence, patience and discipline. The fruits of those wonderful teachings are still being the pillars of her family.

She and her brother were the best pair and at the same time the best opponent during the dance competitions that were held in school. She always want to remember those sweetest days- her school days- when she used to participate in various events and competitions. Youth festivals have always bestowed memorable moments for Chakki. She remembers the caring, the tension, public admirations that she received in those days- Yes, those were the happiest days of Chakki.

Do you know how Chakki feels while dancing ? When she dance, she forgets the world around her.She forgets her tension. She forgets her pains and stress. She forgets everything-Yes, it is the effect of worshipping the art of dancing.

But from the past two years, Chakki didn't do a single step in dance. But sometimes when she hears a good piece of music, or a song in the temple, or if she is in a special mood, it is very difficult to control her mind. At that time, her mind is like a little kid, who wants to jump from the lap of his/her mother. She really wants to go back to those sweet days. Hope that she will get her dreams come true.

A person with a mind as big as an Elephant

Dear readers, please don't rush through the title and jump to conclude that I am boasting of Chakki in this blog. Never I do. I would like to tell you about the fact- yes, it is a fact- Chakki is a person with a mind as big as an Elephant. Anyone who had got a chance to talk with her will agree that she is a broad-minded person.

Now I can guess the question in your mind- what is the relation between Chakki and Elephants ? Why I am comparing Chakki's mind with Elephants ? Because Chakki loved elephants a lot. She is crazy about elephants.

Whenver she meet an elephant, she stands and watches it with a curiosity of a child. If she goes to Guruvayoor or any other temples, she rushes to see the elephants there. She used to take photos of Elephants and she have got a good album, full of elephants !

So thats the end of the story ? Not over yet.
Chakki is a regular viewer of the TV program E 4 Elephant. Her parents, sister, brother, friends and relatives know about her passion towards elephant.

She is a great fan of Guruvayoor Padmanabhavan, Mangalamkunnu Karnan, Pampadi Rajan.. Well, who are those guys ? Those are the favorite elephants of Chakki. Chakki has visited the Punnathoorkotta, the elephant sancutury located in Guruvayoor, many times. Punnathurkotta  is a fort and former palace located in Kottapadi, about two kilometres from the Guruvayoor Sree Krishna Temple. Punnathurkotta was once the palace of a local ruler, but the palace grounds are now used to house the elephants belonging to the Guruvayoor temple, and has been renamed Anakkotta (meaning "Elephant Fort"). There were 86 elephants housed there, but currently there are about 66 elephants.
Guruvayoor Kesavan.

The rituals of Gajapooja (Worshipping Elephants) and Anayoottu (Feeding Elephants) are observed here, as an offering to Lord Ganesha. The legendary elephant "Guruvayur Keshavan" was housed here. Gajarajan Guruvayoor Kesavan was perhaps the most famous and celebrated Elephant of Kerala, South India and perhaps the most popular of the temple's pachyderms. Kesavan was donated to the Guruvayoor temple by the royal family of Nilambur in 1916 when he was five years old.


Gajaraja Rathnam Pampady Rajan is one of the favorite elephants of Chakki. Considered as the most ideal tusker from Kerala. His height is10 ft and he is having beautiful tusks, projected forehead and fleshy trunk that touches the ground make him more special. He was caught at Kodand and then only 3 years old. He is considered as the most auspicious elephant of Kerala. He is a leading elephant in all the processions of northern Kerala and one of the most popular elephants of Kerala.

Pampady Rajan

Guruvayoor Padmanabhan is another favorite elephant of Chakki. Do you want to know more about him ? Well, here it is... He is the most popular elephant of Kerala owned by Guruvayoor Temple. He fires the enthusiasm among the elephant lovers by the elegant beauty and the majestic look. People had a strong belief that he had the blessings of Lord Guruvayoorappa. He has been considered as the rebirth of 'Eiravatha' the elephant of King Indra. So his presence attracts the elephant lovers and devotees. He has all the auspicious signs of the elephant explained in 'Mathangaleela' -a book about the elephants. He is also known for his calm and obedient behavior.



There were lot of lucky moments in Chakki's life where she got chance to offer food to elephants. She considers it as a nice, memorable experience in life.

Chakki feeding the elephant

And do you want to know about an interesting ambition of Chakki in her life ? It is to buy an elephant. She always wished to buy an elephant as a pet. One day she told her ambition to her brother. Then he told- "We are living in the middle of a big city. How will you manage an elephant and provide litres and litres of water in this city ?". But Chakki has still the wish in her mind- to buy an elephant. If not, at least she will buy a cat !

A person who carries music in her blood

A person who carries music in her blood...!
Sounds weird right ? Yes. But I should agree that Chakki carries music in her blood.

In my previous post, I have told you about the very special talent of Chakki- the ability to play the musical instrument 'Veena'. Many of you were curious about knowing more about it. Let me unpack some more info about her.

Chakki started to play Veena about four years ago. She was lucky to get a good teacher for practising Veena. Her teacher was Nisha, who has got immense experience in Veena and is a reputed Veena artist. Nisha had her music background nurtured from RLV Institute, Tripunitura and Kalabhavan.

So was it Chakki's ambition to learn Veena ? Nops. Believe me, actually she wanted to learn Tabla. Unfortunately, she couldn't get a good teacher for learning Tabla. At the same time, she wanted to do something different. Don't get surprised- it is her nature that she always wanted to become unique and to do new things, which are less experimented by others. And about Veena ? Yes, the instrument Veena is also unique in its sense. Nobel Prize-winning physicist C.V. Raman has described the veena as having a unique construction. The string terminations at both ends are curved and not sharp. Also, the frets have much more curvature than any other instrument. Unlike in guitar, the string does not have to be pushed down to the very base of the neck, so no rattling sound is generated. This design enables a continuous control over the string tension, and produces more harmonics than any other instruments.

Playing Veena is not that much easy. It requires lot of patience and determination to learn to play it.
The veena is a complete instrument and provides the basic components: Sruthi, Laya and Sahitya. Its main attraction is the mellow tonal quality which is capable of evoking a meditative atmosphere. Rhythum, also known was Sruthi, is very improtant factor in Veena. If you don't have a proper knowledge about Sruthi, it is very difficult to learn Veena. You need to understand the basics and you need to play it in Mind.

After a few classes, Chakki became the favorite student of Nisha. Along with Chakki, there was another student named Jayanthi. Hmmm.. let me tell you something about Jayanthi, otherwise this post or Chakki's life cannot be depicted perfectly. Jayanthi is one of the best friends of Chakki- she is a good friend, batchmate and a caring person.

Chakki and Jayanthi were active participants in musical activites conducted by Kalabhavan. Jayanthi is still pursuing her Veena classes. Unfortunately, our Chakki had to take a break from Veena classes due to her hectic job and schedules. 

And Chakki wishes for attend the classes once more.. She is really missing those sweet days. May God give her a chance to meet her old friends there.

A smile that has changed the lives !

After reading this blog, you may wonder- how this girl made these much of achievements in her life ? What is the secret behind her caliber that drives to attain her goals in different areas of life ?

It is her magnetic smile that attracts the world to her. It is her masterpiece. Her charming eyes and her sweet, kind words will always make our day more better. One of the best thing about her is the helping attitude that she shows to her friends. Whatever help and support you need, you can ask her. She will help you and support you at your difficult times. And if you are taking wrong decisions or wrong path, she will defenitely correct you. It is very rare to find such a personality who lives for others.

Little chakki - When she was three years old.

After reading this blog, many people asked me more about her. Many people wanted to get her as a good friend. This girl has really conquered the minds of people who seek care and support. And there are still lot of things to tell about her. Watch for the updates in this blog...

The Little Dancer

Everyone of us like dancing. Some people can dance well. Some others enjoy by watching the dance. Every dance, no matter what style, has something in common- it becomes the feast for eyes of those people watching it. It also provides satisfaction and happiness for the dancer too. Every artist will become more enthusiastic when he/she finds that their performance is appreciated and encouraged by others. Also, it is the regular practise and dedication that helps to reach perfection.

Now I would like to tell you about Chakki and her dance. Chakki started to practise dancing at early age itself. She knows classical dance- especially Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam and Kuchippudi. She started to practice dancing when she was young, which helped her to become a good dancer as her body was flexible for dancing performance.

Chilanga- the jingling leg ornament worn by a classical dancer

Classical dance requires lot of practise under a good teacher. Bharathanatyam is one of the classical dances originated in South India. Bharatanatyam is usually accompanied by the classical music. It has its inspirations from the sculptures of the ancient temple of Chidambaram in Tamilnadu.

Bharatanatyam, as the name depicts is the combination of:

BHA- Bhava (Expression), RA- Raga (Music) and TA- Tala (Rhythm) Bharatanatyam is a traditional dance-form known for its grace, purity, tenderness, and sculpturesque poses. Today, it is one of the most popular and widely performed dance styles and is practiced by many dancers all over the world.

Chakki - The Little Dancer

According to Natya Shastra, the definition of a female dancer is -"A woman having beautiful limbs, clever, courteous in behaviour, always bold, free from indolence, inured to hard work, capable of practising various arts and crafts, skilled in dancing and songs, who excel by their beauty, youthfulness, brilliance and other qualities all other women standing by is known as a female dancer".
 
To be frank, this definition perfectly suits for Chakki. Her thirst for perfection and attitude for hard work have always helped her to reach the heights of growth. May God give her the strength and support to nurture her in born talents. Chakki used to participate in various dance competitions during her academic studies and she has procured the 'Kalathilakam' award during youth festivals. Kalathilakam award is given to the person who procures the maximum number of wins in various competitions. She used to participate Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchippudi, Thiruvathira and Kuchippudi.

Mohiniyattam, also spelled Mohiniattam, is a traditional South Indian dance from Kerala. It is a very graceful dance meant to be performed as a solo recital by women. Kuchipudi is another Classical Indian dance form from Andhra Pradesh, a state of South India.

Now you may think what are the things to become a good dancer ? Answer is simple- a beautiful mind with a beautiful body. And Chakki is having all these qualities to prove herself to be a good dancer.

Chakki and Veena

Chakki loves music alot. As I have told in the previous posts, she considers music as inevittable part of her life. In her happy and sad moods, music has played a big role. You may think that Chakki is a 'professional' singer. Sorry sir, Sorry Ma'am- Chakki is not a singer. But she sings well.

Then for what Chakki is famous for ? Chakki plays Veena- the Indian musical instrument used in Carnatic music. Chakki started practising Veena long ago. She plays Veena and enjoys others also. She used to go for Veena classes when she was having leisure time.

There are several variations of the veena. Basically, it is a string instrument with two gourd resonators connected by a central shaft, possibly of bamboo, and held diagonally from lap to shoulder. The veena has seven strings. Of them four are main strings that pass over the frets and are attached to the pegs of the neck. The other strings are used as side strings for rhythmic accompaniment. These strings pass over an arched bridge made of brass. They lie flat over the top of the body and are secured to the main bridge.

There are many variations of Veena- Rudra Veena and Vichitra veena are important among them. In hindu mythology,. the patron Hindu Goddess of learning and the arts, Saraswati, is often depicted seated upon a swan playing a veena. Many references to the veena are made in old Sanskrit and Tamil literature, and musical compositions.

It was Chakki's own decision to go for Veena classes. She practised to play Veena in a music institute in Ernakulam. From her own experience, it proves that knowledge of any domain is always an asset to our life.

An old photo - Chakki playing Veena

The Painter of Lives

I am writing this post with lot of excitement in my mind. Because, I would like to let you know something more about Chakki. She is a good painter too. Can't you believe ? Journalism, Music, Yoga and here is another feather added to crown of this beautiful princess- Paintings.

Chakki started the hobby of painting from childhood itself. And as a Zoology student, she had to draw lot of diagrams in academic records. It is natural that zoology students draw pictures, but this is simply awesome !
Chakki's drawings are always a feast to our eyes. In fact, the ability to draw and paint well is an in born talent for her.

Do you know how much struggle and pressure that a seed takes to germinate ? A seed transforms to a plant. The plant needs lot of favorable conditions to grow further- it needs sunlight. It needs water. It needs soil. It needs manure. In order to grow, a plant needs all the above said conditions. So... You may think that I am deviating from the topic. No dear.. absolutely not !

Like a plant needs the "favorable conditions" to grow, a talented person needs the support and encouragement meant from people who are known as "friends". Chakki is lucky that she has got lot of friends who always supported her in her acheivements and growth. Well... I would like to add something specific to this. Chakki has got a good friend, who always has encouraged her talents and appreciated her works. She is none other than Roshni. Chakki and Roshni were batchmates during their college studies. During those days, Chakki used to participate lot of cultural events and has grabbed lot of achievements.

Some of the good painting works done by Chakki:

Believe me, these were painted 12 years ago !

Made for each other

Pleasant morning

The Landlord in the barn

Flying birds

 

Dulhan - Traditional Indian bride

 

Lord Mahavishnu

In fact, there are no more proofs require to discover the born painter in Chakki. With her magical smile and care, she has actually painted the lives of people !

The Busy Bee

Chakki has turned herself to a very busy person recently. If you look
into her schedule, it is clear that she is one of the people with
tight schedules and deadlines.
I have noticed one good thing that we gain while keeping busy is that
we can forget our worries and daily chores. By practising a tight
schedule( I mean a disciplined schedule), we get no more time to think
about the things other than the ones under our consideration.
Now a days, Chakki's daily schedule starts with practising Yoga
classes. After rigorous work out, she will be tired and will be back
to home. It is one of the perfect healthy exercises, because she has
to walk for sometime to reach bus stop, then go to yoga centre by bus,
and reach back. Then she somehow manages to rush to office by bus.
Often she skips breakfast, sometimes she eats a little bit of food. On
some days, she will go to temple and go to office after temple visit.
In the office, it is the schedule of a busy manager. Managing the
daily tasks, planning and forecasting the tasks, discussing the issues
with managers, negotiating with clients and many more things.
Afternoon, she will have snacks or will have only juice or some little
bit of food. There are even days when she never have food. On some
days, she observes fasting, especially as part of Hindu rituals and
beliefs. In the evening, she returns to home. Sometimes, when she
arrives at home, it will be late. Sometimes she will have to attend
office conference calls late night also. In between, she goes to take
bath and after that she eats her dinner.
And the most important fact is that she works everyday in a week !
So she has turned to a very busy person now a days. Sometimes(not
sometimes, often) she never gets time to spend with friends. If you
call her, you may get disappointed of not getting her on phone.
Sometimes (when I say 'sometimes', you should read it as 'often', ok
?) her cell will be out of range. Dont worry, a manager's life is like
that. Great achievers of history like Rooswelt, Abraham Lincon,
Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Alva Edison, Albert Einstene etc were busy
almost all the time in their lifetime. APJ Abdul Kalam used to sleep
only 3 hours per day. Isaac Newton spent nearly more than half of his
time with research and manuscripts.
Hope that one day Chakki will also become a great treasure to our country.

Its all about Cats.

Chakki is fond of Cats. See how many words starting with the letter
'C' is associated with Chakki- Chocolates, Chat, Classical dance,
Carnatic music and now next item is - Cats. She always dreams of
having lot of cats at home, especially those healthy cats with big,

thick tail with lots of hairs on the tail.
Dont get amazed after
reading this, believe me, this is the description that she has given
me about her dream cat :-) Since she is graduated with zoology as
subject, then it is natural that she can have such kind of likes. Now
lets see who is that lucky cat, which is going to get her immense love
and care.

Chakki and Lord Krishna

Chakki is a strong devotee of Lord Krishna. She visits Krishna temples regularly, prays to Krishna for fullfilling her dreams. Just like the old saint Meera Bai, Chakki is somewhat "addicted" to Krishna. Beleive me, you can see lot of Krishna idols and wallframes and pictures in Chakki's home. She visits Guruvayoor temple occassionally and prays there.

Whenever you talk with her, if you tell anything that is shocking, thrilling or astonishing, then Chakki will begin her words with- "Krishna..." or the typical mallu sentence "Ente guruvayoorappa..". I have noticed this many times. I think she herself imagines as a Meera.

Once upon a time, she shared about her interest with music. One of the ring tones that was set in her mobile phone was the classical song starting with "Krishna Ni Begane Baro...". It is one of her favorite ring tones and she keeps it in her mobile phone undeleted forever. Krishna Ni Begane Baro (krishnaa nee bEganE baarO) is a famous classical song in Kannada Language. It is composed in Yamunaa KalyaaNi Raaga by Vyasaraya Tirtha. The Taalam is Chapu.

Lyrics:

The text of the lyric of the song has several versions with minor changes in the words. This happened because many of the Carnatic musicians who propagated the song did not have knowledge of Kannada. A popular version of this famous Kriti of Vyasaraya is given here.

Pallavi:

krishNA nI bEganE bArO.

Anupallavi:

bEganE bArO mukhavanne tOrO. (krishNA nI bEganE bArO).

Charanam:

kAlalandigE gejjE neeladabAvuli neelavarNane nATyavAduta bArO. (krishNA nI bEganE bArO).
uDiyalli uDugejje beraLalli ungura koraLalli hAkida vaijayanti mAle. (krishNA nee bEganE bArO)
kASi pItAmbara kaiyalli koLalu pUSida SrIgandha maiyOLagamma. (krishNA nI bEganE bArO).
tAyigE bAyalli mujjagavannu tOrida jagadoddhAraka namma uDupi SrI krishNa. (krishNA nI bEganE bArO).

Meaning:

The meaning of above lines are given below:

Pallavi: Krishna! Soon You come!

Anupallavi: Soon come and show your face.

Charanams:

1: With anklets on the feet, and blue-sapphire bracelets, O! Blue-hued One, come dancing. Krishna! Soon You come !

2: On the waist, the waistband; on the fingers, the rings; and the neck adorned with the Vaijayanti garland. Krishna! Soon You come !

3: Dressed in yellow Kashi Silk, flute in hand, and with the anointed sandal scent from the body.
Krishna! Soon You come !

4: The one who showed the world in the mouth to the mother, the upholder of the world ! Our own Udupi Shri Krishna !
Krishna! Soon You come !

To find more information about this song, please click here.

Chakki started to practice Yoga

Yoga- Yes, it is the next experiement from Chakki. She started practicing Yoga under a reputed Yoga instructor. You may think that why this blog contains each and every details of Chakki. After all these are not gossips, these are real things about Chakki. Where should we write about chakki ? It should be in Chakki's blog itself, right ?

Chakki starts her day by doing the daily yoga and meditation. Yoga is known to be one the effective exercises for human beings to keep the body fit and energetic. It helps to become a healthy person, to loss the weight and to overcome the physical as well as mental issues. Meditation(known as 'Dhyana') and breathing exercises(known as 'Pranayama') helps to rejuvenate and to gain a helathy body and mind. This helps to reduce our mental stress and gives a good relief for the mind and body.

For past long time, Chakki was having lot of mental agony and she found a way to mitigate it by doing such exercises which could reduce the worries and tension in the mind. After all, she is a manager who has got lot of responsibilities. She needs to take care of the beloved ones who are struggling in life. So it is definitely going to be helpful for her.

What's next ? May be Kung Fu or Karatte, who knows what Chakki will do ?

The factor of 0.00001 %

One day I asked Chakki - "How much do you like your friends ?". She smiled. She hesitated to answer the question. I know that it is difficult to answer. Because depth of friendship is  neither measured in kilograms or pounds, nor it is visible physically. So it is absolutely difficult to answer such questions.

So I shortened the question to her- "How much do you like me ?". What do you think her answer was ?
It was in percentage- 99.999%. I was very curious in knowing the reason behind the answer. Why can't she say it as 100% ? Why she is heistating to round it off ? She told- "I always seek perfection and I can't give 100% with full mind. If anyone asks me how much I like them, I will reply that I like them as much as salt.". She then explained the scenes in the famous play 'King Lear' written by Shakespear.

It was a good food for my thought. We say to our beloved ones that we love them. Sometimes, we please them most, we care them, we make them laugh, we share their sorrows. But after some time, we can see that the people whom we love leave us- some leave us without any reason, some leave us with "so-called" reasons.

So why we give 100% to a person ? It is always better to keep a 0.00001 %. The factor of 0.00001% should be in our hearts. It should remain in our souls. If a person whom you loved most leaves you and if he/she gets back to your life after a long time, then there should be some drop of love remaining in your heart for him/her. That is the factor of 0.00001%.

Chakki believes the single human truth-

“We come to love not by finding a perfect person,
but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly.”

And me too believe the same.

Chakki @ Chat

Chakki @ Chat.. Sounds good right ? By the way, I have already mentioned in my previous post that Chakki is crazy for chocolates. And now I can give you some more information- she is crazy about  Chat too. Chat ???? Yes, millions of people are fond of chattting in Gtalk, Yahoo, ICQ, MSN, Jabber etc. So what is special in that ? Chakki is also very keen in chatting with friends.

Yet, this 'chat' is not like that 'chat'. So what is that 'chat' ? It is all about the Chat shops. The north Indian foods that are available in small chat shops located in many busy streets of the city- Gokul Chat Chop, Yadav Chat Shop.. etc. The Chat is the native food of North India. Now it has invaded the boundaries of South India too. People are crazy about Bhel Puri, Pani Puri, Samosa Chat, Pav Baji, Golgappa, Vada Pav and many those snacks which could magically attract the taste buds of Indians.

Bhel Puri is one of the favorite chat item that Chakki likes. She visits the chat shops whenever she goes for a shopping with her sister or friends. If you want to have Bhel Puri or Pav Baji, why wait ? Just call Chakki and tell her that you need that. She will get you to the nearest shop, she also will join to eat and bill..

Why worry about the bill ???

She will pay the bill !

The Chocolate Baby

If I ever start a chocolate manufacturing company, then the punch line for the products will be "Chakki for Chocolate".. See how the name matches ! Yes, Chakki is crazy about chocolates. Not chocolates alone, she is passionate about any food that is having cocoa as an ingredient or any kind of chocolate flavored food. I have seenmany other people(of course many one of us like chocolates), but she is one of the people who could start her day with chocolates !

She starts with a bournevita in the morning, eats a Nestle Munch or a Cadburies Five star in the afternoon and a Complan in the evening. Sounds crazy right ? Oh.. I would add something more- she skips her lunch often.

So can we call her a chocolate baby ? Yes, chakki is the perfect chocolate baby. And the name 'Chocolate Baby' was not suggested by me, it was by my sweet mom. Whenever I talk about her in my home, she is often referred to as 'Chocolate Baby'. Whenever I meet her, I gift her with chocolates. It is not a habit, it is not a ritual- It is a tradition.


Chakki is very proud to say that she likes chocolates. If you want to buy any gift for her, dont think about any alternative- buy only chocolates for her. She will like any varieties- and of course, she will like the person who buys the chocolates too.

I have heard that in Tamil Nadu, people admire and adore great personalities by building a temple for them. Rajanikant, MGR, Sivaji Ganesan and many more have got their own temples ! If somebody builds a temple for Chakki, then the offerings(nivedyam) will be only Chocolates !!!

Mystery of a journalist

Bini is one of the special people who have got interests in getting knowledge from different areas.

Bini chose the subject for her graduation as Zoology. It is still a question for me why she chose that subject. I had asked her about this one time. I got the answer- "Many of my friends chose Zoology, so I chose it !"
So does it means that she goes with the rule "Follow the herd" ? Never.

She wanted to do something different. So she chose the journalism course and completed it wonderfully.
She knows updated about the things around her.
She has got lot of acquaintances.

So... kahani kya hui baba ? Woh journalist ban gayi kya ???

No.. absolutely not. She didn't become a journalist. Then why did she study that course ?

It is still a mystery !

The beginning of the bond

I would like to remember the fresh morning of 6th June 2007 when I met Chakki for the first time in my life. I was an MCA student at that time and I was pursuing my final year project. The project was to be done using Struts framework in Java and it was quiet new to me. Hence I decided to join an institute where I can learn Struts. I was referred to Focus Solutions in Mamangalam, Cochin by one of my classmates where I could get those valuable classes on Struts.

Soon after joining the institute, I was allocated a project guide, Mr.Ajesh, who was supposed to teach me Struts and to assist me in the project work. I got acquainted with him soon and I realised that he is a friendly faculty there who can teach me a lot of things.

On June 6th, when I arrived in the institute, I was told that one more person is join me with my Stuts classes. When I entered the classroom, I saw a girl who was sitting besides my seat. Her face was bright, good looking, with a traditional natth(a kind of nose ring) on her face. A fatty figure !

On the first look. I thought she is an aged person- someone like a housewife who is interested in learning new things. But to my surprise, I came to know that she is also pursuing a project for an IT firm in Bangalore and she was asked to complete the project using Struts framework.

During the break time, I got the chance to interact with her. Normally everyone will start with asking name of the other person. But this time, it was different. I asked her- "Are you studying for MCA ?". She replied- "I had my MCA studies one year before". Then I asked her name. She told- "My name is Bini".

Then we started talking...

We talked, talked and talked... And it was the beginning of the bond...

An unconditional bond of friendship.

Who is Chakki ?

When you read this blog, you may ask the first question to me- Who is this Chakki ? Well... Chakki is my friend. Oh.. a perfect mallu name- Chakki. Who is this person ?

Dont open google and search for chakki. You wont be able to find her. Discover her through this blog.

If you come from northern part of India, you may have definitely heard about Chakky- Chakki is referred to Gluten extracted from whole wheat flour. The Chakki (Gluten) is cooked as a meat substitute vegetarian curry (Subzi). Sometimes it is called Chikhi.

Is that Chakki that I refer to ? Absolutely not. Chakki is the nickname of my great friend Bini.

The Dream

This story took place two year before. Believe me or not, this is a real incident what happened in my life. Two years ago, one night when I was sleeping, I saw a dream. In that dream, God came to me and told me that I can request any wish to him- only one wish. What should I wish ? I thought, thought and thought. Gold, money, cars, house, cloths, food... Hmmm.. So many options before me. It was absolutely difficult for me to make a wish. So I asked God to give me something whatever I deserve.

God said that I will give you something which is valuable for your lifetime- a good friend. A friend who cares me, loves me, helps me, guides me in every leap of my life, protects me from falling into depths of sorrows and gives a good company to me.

And the very next day, I was gifted a good friend by God. That's none other than my sweet Chakki !