Iyengar Paribhaashai (Special Lingo)

    Iyengar paribaashai (special lingo) is something  to know if you wish to know  about Iyengar  culture.The “Iyengar paribhashai” for food is a kind of lingo that Iyengars (a sect of Vaishnavite Brahmins in Chennai) who say these things for cookery.For them  Samayal is “Thaligai”.–an expression for cooking. In general, the term “Amudhu” (Amirtham or…

Iyengars of Cricket

Tamil Nadu’s Iyengars of Cricket——-                     By      Vengrai Parthasarathy (San Diego) (Author’s Note: As an Iyengar I am proud to write about Iyengar cricketers who have made a mark in this prince of games. This brief article is in no way intended to downsize others who have represented Madras/Tamil Nadu and India with distinction.) The…

Idli-Dosa Shoot-out

IDLI-DOSA SHOOTOUT By Vengrai Parthasarathy   The Egmore Friends met again, as they usually do on Sunday mornings, at the Udupi Pankaja . They had their cosy corner where they expatiated on their pet themes and peeves.  This time the subject was ,” Idli or Dosa? Thimmappa, a Dosa aficionado, spoke first. What he said in praise…

A Lesson Learnt

Vengrai Parthasarathy <vengrai@hotmail.com> 8/26/07  A  LESSON LEARNT Vengrai Parthsarathy Life is one long saga of learning. Some lessons, we learn from our parents, some from our teachers and most in the school of hard knocks. Here is the  lesson  I  had  learnt from  from an old lady. I visit the temple in Triplicane frequently though I…

Life’s Little Ironies

LIFE’S  LITTLE  IRONIES  BY Vengrai Parthasarathy     In the simple annals of  Sadanand’s life there was no newness or   spark of excitement. To all outward seeming , every day was like yesterday, for this seventy-year old.    A  typical day?  After tossing in bed till the wee hours of the morning, the world of Sadanand  would suddenly come alive to the roar of the…

Sacred Margazhi and Sri AndaL

Spring Awakening–Thiruppavai (US Brahmins–5th Decr.’14 Inbox x Vengrai Parthasarathy <vengrai@gmail.com> 8:26 AM (11 hours ago) to Vasanta, Gopal, Rohini, Partha, Parthasarathi, Vijay, M.K. 7 MARGAZHI MONTH  -Spring Awakening  Fri Dec 5, 2014 9:26 pm (PST) . Posted by: “Vengrai Parthasarathy” *SPRING AWAKENING —Sublime and Sacred Month of MArgazhi — Vengrai Parthasarathy** The Tamil month MARGAZHI (December-January) , also known as Dhanur Masa,is considered a special, auspicious month.…

Tagore’s “Chainless Mind”–Vengrai Parthasarathy

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vengrai_Parthasarathy Rabindranath Tagore (aka Gurudev) was the first poet of the Indian literary canon to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1915 for the collection of his poems, GITANJALI- ( Prayerful Offering of Songs). Tagore, was an authentic Indian and patriot who sang proudly of his Motherland and of her…