NOSTALGIA 8: MOTHER THERESA OF MY FAMILY

NOSTALGIA 8: 

MOTHER THERESA OF MY FAMILY

BY P.S. SUNDAR

March 16, 2014

I write this on June 20, 2008 – the 23^rd anniversary day of my wedding with Shyamala.  Soon after getting up at 5 am, I prostrated gratefully in front of the photos of my late parents and her late parents who had the foresight to arrange the alliance resulting in Shyamala becoming the most precious gift of my life. Events flashed back as I remembered my describing Shyamala as ‘Mother Theresa of my family’.

In October 1987, we were blessed with a son whom we named Vignesh.   He grew up like other children until he started going to school in Coonoor when we discovered that he had problems of walking fast, running or jumping.  Our friend, Dr K. S. Pothi, diagnosed that Vignesh was suffering from that rare disorder called muscular dystrophy.   “There is no cure for this growing disorder.  It wastes the muscles, makes the patient immobile, cripples him to wheel chair and chokes the breathing system to death.  The end can come any time”, he said.

Shocked we were, but from then onwards, it was an unending trial of looking for light in the long tunnel.   Acupuncture, acupressure, homeopathy, ayurveda, physiotherapy, callipers – the poor child underwent all tortures in the name of treatment.   One evening while Vignesh was in fourth standard, he fell incurring a fracture, but never ever did he walk thereafter.  We came across Dr K Gunasekaran of GK Siddha Hospital in Perambur, Chennai, who instantly became our friend and helped a lot for treating Vignesh through ozhichal, pizhichal, othadam, oil massage etc.   Shyamala shifted to Chennai with Vignesh where he studied for eight years and I kept shuttling.   

We decided not to go for second child to give undivided attention to Vignesh.  He should not be treated as a rotten brinjal to be thrown away and fresh one bought for replacement.   Every working day, even when Vignesh was in Plus Two, Shyamala took him to school, attended to his toilet requirements, fed him and brought him back in the evening.  She bathed him.   She helped him to move pages, open books and on his computer in which, he was excellent.  Although there were servants, Shyamala had to physically lift him a few times each day.  She could never be away from him.  She did all this without a wrinkle on her face so, Vignesh should not  feel that he was a burden to us.

Shyamala received compliments when Vignesh bagged rank in Matriculation public exam.   But, on October 21, 2003, Vignesh, Plus-Two student, breathed his last.   His school Headmistress told me, “We used to pray that at least for all the trouble your wife took, Vignesh should be all right”.  That’s when I replied, “If there is someone whom I can describe as Mother Theresa in my family, it is she, it is she and none but she!”.

We wound up our Chennai establishment immediately and in the five three years, are living ‘together – still alone’ in Coonoor with both our parents and our only son dead.   Now, Shyamala is giving a new meaning to my life with her affection.  Today’s anniversary was in this backdrop.  

NOSTALGIA 7: FAMILIARISING WITH SMS

BY P S SUNDAR.

March 14, 2014

That was the time SMS was catching up among youth. Elders had no clue to this .. in fact, they were even annoyed that English was being murdered!!!  In that backdrop, a nationalised bank came out with a Dictionary on SMS to help all communicate 'effectively' in the new environment. Herewith my article published in The New Indian Express on Jan 4, 2008:

ICON 8: IDENTIFIED BIRDS

ICON 9:  IDENTIFIED BIRDS

BY P. S SUNDAR

March 5, 2014.

Over the last fortnight, I had been presenting separately the list of Bird species identified by the different teams during their survey on Big Bird Day in the Nilgiris on Feb 16, 2014. These are available in this Blog as ICON 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7. 

For a closer understanding of the spread of the Bird species, I devoted substantial man-hours analysing them, to the extent possible, in categorised species.  My attempt is to exclude repeats but to include mention of all zones where each species has been identified.   This is an analysis of the compilation received from Jamuna Raju and G B Henriksen and a collaborative study of my articles of Birds identified in the different zones as appearing separately in the ICON series.

I can count 71 species and 192 total including sub-species. 

In the list below, the birds identified are shown as M for Masinagudi team guided by Octavious Bunshaw and Vijay Krishnaraj, UB for Upper Bhavani team guided by G B Henriksen and A Sivalingam, O for Ooty tea guided by A Bheeman Bheeman and N G Manojkumar, C for Coonoor team guided by Manoj Sethumadhavan and Allen Murphy and K for Kotagiri team guided by N Dharuman.   

In this context, I recall my observation in my article in this Blog under ICON: 2 BIRDS AS ICON OF THE NILGIRIS: 

I wish to record the fact that ornithology enthusiasts Jamuna Raju, SRK Ramasamy and G A Vikram created avian history in the Nilgiris on Feb 16, 2014, by opening the first chapter of Big Bird Day in the mountainous district where birds love to live and people love to watch the birds.  

Purple Sunbird (M, UB, O, K)

Crimson Sunbird (M, C)

Loten’s Sunbird (M, C)

Purple-rumped Sunbird (M, UB)

========== Spotted Dove (M, UB, O, C, K)

Laughing Dove (M)

Red-turtle Dove (M)

Eurasian Collared Dove (M)

Emerald Dove (M, UB, C, K)

========== Rock Pigeon ( O, C)

Nilgiri Wood Pigeon (M, UB, O)

=========== Greenish Warbler (M, UB, O, C, K)

Tickell's Leaf Warbler (M, O, C)

Blyth’s Leaf Warbler (M, O)

Clamorous Reed Warbler (M)

Blyth's Reed Warbler (M, C, K)

Blyth's Leaf Warbler (M)

==========  Nilgiri Flowerpecker (UB)

Pale -billed Flowerpecker (M, UB)

Thick-billed Flowerpecker (M, K)

Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker (M)

Yellow crowned Woodpecker (M)

Streak throated Woodpecker (M)

Flower Pecker (O, C)

============= Jungle Myna (M, UB, O, C, K)

Common Myna (M)

Southern Hill Myna (K)

========== Jungle Crow (M, UB, K)

House Crow (M, O, C)

Long Billed Crow (O)

=============

Yellow-eyed Babbler (M)

Common Babbler (M)

Jungle Babbler (M, UB, C, K)

Puff throated Babbler (M, UB, C)

Yellow-billed Babbler (M)

Indian Scimitar Babbler (UB, C, K)

Rufous Babbler (UB, K)

Twany Bellied Babbler (C)

============= Red-whiskered Bulbul (M, O, C, K)

Red-vented Bulbul (M, UB, K)

Yellow-throated Bulbul (M, UB)

White-browed Bulbul (M)

Yellow –browed Bulbul (M, UB, C, K)

Black Bulbul (UB, C, K)

Grey-headed Bulbul (UB)

================  House sparrow (UB, C, K)

====== Pond Heron (M, O, K)

=======  Shaheen Falcon (UB)

===========  Black winged Kite (UB, K)

========== Oriental-honey Buzzard (M, C)

White-eyed Buzzard (UB, K)

Common Buzzard (UB)

======= Crested Serpent Eagle (M, UB, C, K)

Black Eagle (M, UB, K)

Black Eagle juvenile (K)

Eagle (O, K)

=========== Hoopoe (M, UB, C)

========= Indian Robin (M, UB, C)

Oriental Magpie Robin (M, UB, C, K)

Indian Blue Robin (C, K)

=========== Oriental White-eye (M, UB, O, C, K)

============ Rose-ringed Parakeet (M, C)

Plum-headed Parakeet (M)

Malabar Parakeet (M, UB, C, K)

========== Bronzed Drongo (UB, K)

Black Drongo (M, O, C)

White-bellied Drongo (M, UB)

Racket tailed Dringo (K)

==============  Indian Black Bird (UB, O, C)

=========== Barn Swallow (M, UB, O)

Red-rumped Swallow (M)

Wire-tailed Swallow (M)

Ashy wood Swallow (M, C)

Hill Swallow (M, C)

Streak Throated Swallow (M)

Common Wood Swallow (UB)

==========  Blue Rock Thrush (K)

Blue-capped Rock Thrush (C, K)

Orange-headed Thrush (K)

Malabar Whistling Thrush (UB, C, K)

Nilgiri Laughing Thrush (UB, O)

========== Asian Fairy-bluebird (M, UB, C, K)

====== Shikra (M, UB, O, K)

======== Bar-winged Flycatcher Shrike (UB, O, C)

Long-tailed Shrike (M, UB, O, K)

Bay-backed Shrike (M)

Rufous-tailed Shrike (M)

Brown Shrike (M, C)

Common Wood Shrike (M)

==========  Golden Oriole (UB, O)

Black Hooded Oriole (M, UB)

Eurasian Golden Oriole (M)

======== Small Minivet (UB, C, K)

======== Junglefowl (M, UB, O, C, K)

Red spurfowl (UB)

Indian Peafolwl (UB)

========  Brown Fish Owl (UB, K)

Mottled Wood Owl (K)

Indian Eagle Owl (UB)

=========  Black and Orange flycatcher (UB, C, K)

Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher (O, C, K)

Asian Brown Flycatcher (UB, K)

White-bellied Blue Flycatcher (C, K)

Asian Paradise Flycatcher (UB, K)

Rusty Tailed Flycatcher (C, K)

Brown breasted Flycatcher (C)

Nilgiri Flycatcher (UB, O, C, K)

Verditer Flycatcher (M, C, K)

Tickell's Blue Flycatcher(M, UB, C, K)

Canary Flycatcher (UB)

Kashmir Flycatcher (UB)

Brown-breasted Flycatcher (M)

===========  Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (UB, C, K)

Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (M)

=========  Malabar Trogan (UB, K)

========== White- breasted Waterhen (M, O, C)

Greater Flameback (M, K)

Lesser Flameback (UB)

========= Vernal Hanging Parrot (M, UB, C, K)

=========== Ashy Prinia (M, UB, O, C)

Jungle Prinia (M)

Grey-breasted Prinia (M)

========= Brahminy Starling (M)

Chestnut-tailed Starling (M)

Grey Wagtail (M, UB, O, C, K)

==========  Forest Wagtail (K)

White-throated Wagtail (O, C)

White-browed Wagtail (M)

Yellow Wagtail (M)

======== White-browed Fantail  (M)

White-spotted Fantail   (M)

=======  White-Rumped Spinetail (UB)

======== Pied buschat (M, UB, O, C)

======= Common Stonechat (M)

======== Common Iora (M, UB, C, K)

======== Great Tit (M, UB, O, C)

===== Asian Koel (M, UB)

====== Greater Coucal (M, UB)

========== Common Hawk Cuckoo (M, UB)

Pied Cuckoo (M)

Branded Bay Cuckoo (K)

Grey-bellied Cuckoo (UB)

=========== Scaly-breasted Munia (M)

White-Rumped Munia (K)

========= Green Bee-eater (M, UB)

Blue-tailed Bee-eater (M)

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater (M, UB, C)

Blue-bearded Bee-eater (UB, K)

===== White-cheeked Barbet (M, UB, O, C)

Coppersmith Barbet (M, UB)

========= Rosefinch (M, UB, O, C, K)

=========== White –throated Kingfisher (M, UB, K)

Common Kingfisher (M, C)

========  Swift (C)

Crested Tree Swift (UB)

======== Golden-fronted Leaf Bird (M, K)

Leaf Bird (UB, C)

========

Whitte-bellied Tree Pie (C)

======== Nilgiri Pipit (M, UB, O)

Paddy Field Pupit (UB)

========  Brown Cheeked Fulvetta (C, K)

==========  Black Leaf Tit (UB)

Black-lowered Tit (UB)

========== Common Tailor Bird (M, UB)

============  Crested Goshawk (UB, C)

====== White -Rumped Vulture (M, K)

======= Common Kestrel (M, UB, C)

======  Eurasian Blackbird (K)

========== Jungle Bush Quail (M, UB)

========  Common Moorhen (O)

======= Common House Martin (M, UB)

===== Brahminy Kite (M, UB)

Black Kite (M, UB)

Black Shouldered Kite (M)

========= Peacock (M)

======== Malabar Pied Hornbill

========= Chestnut-shouldered Petronia (M)

Long-billed Vulture (M)

Little Spider Hunter (M)

Blue –faced Malkhoa (M)

Indian Silverbill (M)

Crested Treeswift (M)

Little Egret (M)

Eurasian Openbill (M)

Red-wattled Lapwing (M)

Darter  (M)

Lesser Cormorant (M)

Lesser Egret (M)

Intermediate Egret (M)

Glossy Ibis (M)

Green Sandpiper (M)

Humes white throat (M)

Indian Nightjar (M)

Indian Roller (M)