Life is..

"Life is Searching for the constant in something variable and searching for the variable in what is constant" - Sundar Narayanan.

(do not know if a quote like this exists already, but writing this independent of any quotes that may exist along similar lines that are out there. If not, this is my quote!)

An otherwise monotonous routine life, and we can still see changes!

Take for example, the annual IBM Kids Christmas party we attended for the third continuous year.

This year, we knew what the kids liked to do and we got them to do everything they liked, at the party. The constants were the photo op with Santa, the big tree, ballons, the clown, the cookie decorating, the caricature stall where they got to pose..

The variables were the hat decorating and the fact that the girls are older by a year!

We have been going to this one person (Big Al) to get the caricatures done for the last three years. We get to see how the kids features change, "in caricature"! He does an amazing job and the kids know they are posing just to find out how different they are compared to last years caricature..

Here are this years pictures..

and here is a composite of the last three years caricatures...

The kids really enjoyed the party, just like the previous years!

Sometimes we should be thankful to powers above and beyond that we are blessed with some sense of monotony and order and at the same time have changes over time that make life interesting for us.

Wishing one and all a wondeful holiday season..

-The Traveling Narayanan's

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What makes a festival festive?

Is it the gods?

Is it all the action?

Is it the crowd of devotees?

Is it the zillion other kids in the crowd?

or could it just be...

Kaathaadis of different shapes,

sizes,

and colors,

A billion bubbles

big ball and apple balloons

screeech screeech screech..

getting your hands on these WMD's minutes after your brother got his apple ballon

flutes galore

click click click click peacocks

and if you are a girl, some lovely nai kuttys (puppies)

glass and rubber bangles

and some paasi maalais from your friendly neighborhood kurathi

and is it?

sweet panju mittai (cotton candy)

thengai burfi and perichchambazhams(coconut sweet and date fruits)

poovam pazham, malai pazham, rasthaali ? (types of bananas)

pala cholai (jack fruit)

Pattani, pori kadalai (puffed rice and roast nuts)?

Do you still have any doubts?

Didn't think so!

ps. All of the above photos were taken between 4th and 6th April 2009 around two sides of the Mylapore temple tank around the Vijaya store corner during the Kapaleeshwar temple utsavam (festival).

pps. The photographers mental age at the time of taking these snaps was approximately 7.258 years.

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