I Have Got All The Three Items Which I Got Today For Free From Amma, My Maid Said!

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The 'Small Bus' (Amma bus!) in Chennai, with Amma's photo in the front and her party symbol (two leaves) painted on the sides!

The interior of the 'Small bus'

I saw one of these buses today morning when we went for our morning walk.  It looks neat! This will cover the interior roads of our city, I was told.  I saw two buses in our road which is quite long with many arterial roads and full of houses, but no bus comes in this route.  People have to walk a long way to catch buses and autowaalas,  as you know, charge a lot for short distances.  It will be very useful esp. for the elderly people who live here. 

The Hindu says, 'Demands are pouring in from residents of north and west Chennai for small buses in more routes in their localities. As of now, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) is operating 50 small buses in 20 routes mainly covering the southern suburbs and some parts of the city. Residents of several areas that are poorly connected want the small buses to fill in the gaps'.

This is a very good move by Jayalalitha, our Tamilnadu CM (Amma!).  Her 'Amma canteen' is a hit.  She is opening them even in hospitals, which is a boon for the patients and their caretakers.  She is going to offer medicines in subsidised rates, which is also good.  Amma water is subsidised!  But, is THIS needed?

'Cinema theatres... latest Amma-branded subsidy from Jayalalithaa'

Our maid said that she gets 20 Kgs. of ration rice a month, for FREE! Got a saree and dhoti and Rs.100/- for pongal festival!  Yesterday, she got one fan, one mixie and one grinder, for FREE! Grinder and mixie...what a combination!  She already has got all the three gadgets at home!

SHE SAID THAT AMMA COULD HAVE REDUCED THE BUS FARE INSTEAD OF GIVING ALL THESE THINGS FOR FREE! How sensible!

But, offering freebies is like encouraging people to stay idle without working hard for their living.  Most of the men in our maid and her colleagues' houses drink and stay idle at home.  This will give them one more reason to stay idle and drink with the meagre money they earn.  Rice and other things are coming home for free.  Women will be made to keep their mouth shut! Our maid also said that 'current bill kuranjaa nallarukkum' (It would be nice if Amma reduces electricity charges!).  But then, how will her party people make money? Closing the liquor shops means, no money for doling out freebies! Hmmm...politicians!

During Karunanidhi's rule, he gave for free, TV sets.  My sis in law also went and got it because if she didn't, the middle men will swallow the money! It is sleeping in her attic.  Her maid and many people sold them for cash! Most of the freebies are sold.  Goats were found in the butcher shops in the villages with govt. seal, our veg. shopwala said. All these freebies have Amma's or Appa's (Karunanidhi's) photos.  So it is easy to recognise!

But, as is our nature, we will vote for the better person...every leader makes money.  Which one at least provides something in return  is better, we feel.

So, Amma will come back!

I read this just now! Amma is barging in in Delhi too!  Mr. Modi, watch out!

ON A PLATTER: People at the ‘Amma Unavagam’ Pongal celebration 2014 at Tamil Nadu Bhawan, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

Hope she will build toilets in the slums esp. and public places, all over Tamilnadu.  Like she is remembered for the 'Rain water harvesting', she will be remembered for building toilets too! With Amma pictures?! No problem! It is a GOOD deed, seriously!



P.S.: I have included her (Amma's) name in my tag, 'People whom I admire'! I admire her guts, though a bit eccentric!



Pic.Courtesy: The Hindu (These photos are better than mine.  Mine were mobile photos!)

Flowers, Flowers... Selvi's Life Is Full Of Fragrance!

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Selvi!  I had been watching Selvi, the flower lady, for the past 3-4 months now.  We go for our morning walks at 5.30 am.  When we go, we see her husband setting the table with plastic sheets for his wife to place flowers on them for selling.  When we come back on the same road at about 6.15, Selvi is always there, arranging flowers for selling! I had not seen her one day and asked her what happened. She said that she missed the van that morning! Then I was curious to know about her routine...blogger nature!

She wakes up at 1 am everyday! Takes her bath and THEN have her morning tea! The van carrying women who are flower sellers, at about 2 am comes to her doorstep to pick her up.  The van takes them to the flower bazaar market.  She buys flowers for around Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 everyday, according to the demand.  She sells most on Fridays and on festival days.  She spends another thousand on those days, it seems.  She gives flowers on a daily basis to some 28 houses, regularly.  One muzham flower string (Muzham is from our middle finger tip to our elbow) of jasmine or Kadambam (string of mixed flowers) or saamandhi (butterfly gardenia..wiki says so!) costs Rs.20.  If she buys them cheap, she sells them cheap! 12 roses cost Rs.10.  My maid ties strings in the afternoon for her neighbour who is a flower seller.  She offers Rs.2 per muzham as labour charge!

Selvi, the flower vendor

Different varieties of flowers

Panneer rose (This flower has got a nice typical rose fragrance)

The panneer rose and jasmine have got fragrance, so I prefer buying them.  The pooja room will smell of roses and jasmines! Saamandhi stays fresh for nearly 2 days, so I like saamandhi too! The jasmine season has started now and when it is cheap the flowers in the strings will be closer! The cost also reduces to Rs.15.  It used to be Rs.3 or Rs. 5 earlier, even a couple of years back.   The money mostly goes to the middle men, so it is costlier now!

I noticed many honeybees on the panneer roses.  They sting her often, it seems.  She applies Vibhooti (the sacred ash) on them to contain the pain of the sting!

I asked her when she goes back in the morning.  She said that she stays at the place until 7.30.  Then keeps the table aside and leaves.  I have noticed a tender coconutwala standing there and selling coconut in daytime or somebody else.  Another lady sells flowers on the same tables in the evening! She seems to be Selvi's sister in law! Unlike Selvi, this lady's muzham, the length of the string is smaller! Selvi smiles all the time and gives extra flowers and tulsi/vilva leaves (bael leaves) also as extra helpings alongwith my routine purchase of one muzham jasmine and Rs.10 roses!).  This bonus is exclusively for regular buyers, she says!

She has got two sons.  One is studying and one is working, she said.  Her husband helps her in the morning in setting the tables here and helps her in cooking too, which information made me very happy!

I admire these people who work sincerely for their living.  They seem to be happy people!

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Wordless Wednesday!

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Arnab, Are You Watching...?! If Not, Watch And Enjaaay!

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This is really Hilllarious!

I am doing a post on this funniest video, just to watch it again and again, whenever I am off mood!

People who are not familiar with Indian politics/cinema/TV, I have given below the links upon which this video is made! All are blended together to make a funniest khichdi! watch the second and third video first and then watch this, to enjoy more! For people who enjoy the comedians in our politics, watch straight!




'Times Wow' is the Channel!  Rahul Baba is Uday Baba! 'Arnab' is too good! Well...duplicate Arnab!

This is Rahul Gandhi (Our PM aspirant of THE Congress party!) and Arnab Goswami's (Times Now TV Channel's Editor and anchor) most talked about interview in Times Now Channel.  Here, Arnab is very soft which is unlike him and Rahul is childlike! I feel sad for Rahul Gandhi and feel sad for us Indians to have this inefficient, childlike person who is projected as the PM Candidate...huh, shudder...



This is the famous Arnab and Meenakshi interview in the Times Now, 'never ever' interview, it is called!  Whether she is right or not, Meenakshi is brave enough to argue with Arnab...great! 'One on one' interview...Lol!




'Kejriwal' is coughing which is famous now! Exchanging dictionary is hilarious!

'Arnab' says in the end 'Subscribe to this channel! I will not stop talking until you subscribe to this channel!' Does he (real Arnab!)  like Mangowala lollipop?!!!

This video was released on Thursday and got more than 8 lakh hits!

Play it again and again like me and enjoy! This is just fun...


To know more about the team TVF who has produced this video, click here 
and here 

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Having Your Portrait On The Wall... Top Priority! How Many Of Us Will Have?!

I read this 'Chinese proverb' list recently! This one sounds good! Let me comment on each stage!

 1.  At one, YOU are the top priority
 Parents are there to take care of us! Enjoy their pampering without any thought!

10. At ten, academic excellence is the top priority
Study, study, study...starts! It was very easy for me, since no one pressured us in those days! My children were happier at this stage than most of the present children!

 20. At twenty, getting dates is the top priority
 For us, the parents were pressurised to send off the daughters out of the house in 'marriage'.  Some clicked and some carried on! Some were lucky enough to get what they wanted, I was one among them!

 30. At thirty, a good career is top priority
 Yes! If you don't, your life will be miserable!

 40. At forty, keeping your body in shape is top priority
 Very true!

 50. At fifty, beating others at mahjong is top priority
 We don't have mahjong but others are here! Start enjoying life as we wish!

 60.At sixty, keeping IT up is top priority
 Yes!

 70. At seventy, remembering something is top priority
 Very much! I will know in another decade!

 80.At eighty, moving around is top priority
 I think so/might be!

 90.At ninety, knowing directions is top priority
 Should we be there to experience this?!

100. Having your portrait on the wall is top priority!
 Will I?!!! This is left for our childrens' priority! We won't know, so tension nahin     lene  ka!

Try to be good as much as possible, true to your conscience! You will be happy always! It applies to me too, I know!

I liked this list! What do you feel?

These babies made me happy always!

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