Saturday, November 19, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
പ്രണയദിന ആശംസകള്‍
ആ പൂവ് നീ എന്ത് ചെയ്തു?
ഏത് പൂവ്?
രക്തനക്ഷത്രം പോലെ കടും ചെമപ്പായ ആ പൂവ്....?
ഓ, അതോ!!!
അതെ, അതെന്തു ചെയ്തു?
തിടുക്കപ്പെട്ടു അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നതെന്തിന് ?
ചവിട്ടി അരച്ച് കളഞ്ഞോ -
എന്നറിയാന്‍.
കളഞ്ഞെങ്കിലെന്ത്?
ഓ, ഒന്നുമില്ല.
എന്‍റെ ഹൃദയമായിരുന്നു അത്!!!
പ്രണയം മനസ്സില്‍ സൂക്ഷിക്കുന്ന സുഹൃത്തിനു
പ്രണയദിന ആശംസകള്‍...
ഏത് പൂവ്?
രക്തനക്ഷത്രം പോലെ കടും ചെമപ്പായ ആ പൂവ്....?
ഓ, അതോ!!!
അതെ, അതെന്തു ചെയ്തു?
തിടുക്കപ്പെട്ടു അന്വേഷിക്കുന്നതെന്തിന് ?
ചവിട്ടി അരച്ച് കളഞ്ഞോ -
എന്നറിയാന്‍.
കളഞ്ഞെങ്കിലെന്ത്?
ഓ, ഒന്നുമില്ല.
എന്‍റെ ഹൃദയമായിരുന്നു അത്!!!
പ്രണയം മനസ്സില്‍ സൂക്ഷിക്കുന്ന സുഹൃത്തിനു
പ്രണയദിന ആശംസകള്‍...
History Of Valentine's day
It is not exactly known why the 14th of February is known as Valentine's Day or if the noble Valentine really had any relation to this day. The history of Valentine's Day is impossible to be obtained from any archive and the veil of centuries gone by has made the origin behind this day more difficult to trace. It is only some legends that are our source for the history of Valentine's Day.
The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.
It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time.
The story of St. Valentine has two different versions - the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers.
The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned to counter the monarch's orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested.
While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius' blind daughter.
When Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccesful in his efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.
Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius' daughter. It caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend's imminent death. It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.
Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine's Day.
But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine's Day became definitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of "Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine", credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14. Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems dedicated to the day. In Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are related:
"For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate."
By the Middle Ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through the Middle Ages. The holiday evolved over the centuries. By the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts began to be created on this day and handed over to the man or woman one loved.
This tradition eventually spread to the American colonies. It was not until the 1840s that Valentine's Day greeting cards began to be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine's Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap". It was when Howland began Valentine's cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States.
Today, Valentine's Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are "valentine"s. The "valentines", as Valentine's Day cards are better known as, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.
There may be doubts regarding the actual identity of Valentine, but we know that he really existed because archaeologists have recently unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to a Saint Valentine.
The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors.
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by the name of Valentine. While one was a priest in Rome, another was a bishop in Terni. Nothing is known about the third St. Valentine except that he met his end in Africa. Surprisingly, all three of them were said to have been martyred on 14th February.
It is clear that Pope Gelasius intended to honor the first of these three aforementioned men. Most scholars believe that this St. Valentine was a priest who lived around 270 AD in Rome and attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II who ruled during this time.
The story of St. Valentine has two different versions - the Protestant and the Catholic one. Both versions agree upon Saint Valentine being a bishop who held secret marriage ceremonies of soldiers in opposition to Claudius II who had prohibited marriage for young men and was executed by the latter. During the lifetime of Valentine, the golden era of Roman empire had almost come to an end. Lack of quality administrators led to frequent civil strife. Education declined, taxation increased and trade witnessed a very bad time. The Roman empire faced crisis from all sides, from the Gauls, Slavs, Huns, Turks and Mongolians from Northern Europe and Asia. The empire had grown too large to be shielded from external aggression and internal chaos with existing forces. Naturally, more and more capable men were required to to be recruited as soldiers and officers to protect the nation from takeover. When Claudius became the emperor, he felt that married men were more emotionally attached to their families, and thus, will not make good soldiers. He believed that marriage made the men weak. So he issued an edict forbidding marriage to assure quality soldiers.
The ban on marriage was a great shock for the Romans. But they dared not voice their protest against the mighty emperor. The kindly bishop Valentine also realized the injustice of the decree. He saw the trauma of young lovers who gave up all hopes of being united in marriage. He planned to counter the monarch's orders in secrecy. Whenever lovers thought of marrying, they went to Valentine who met them afterwards in a secret place, and joined them in the sacrament of matrimony. And thus he secretly performed many marriages for young lovers. But such things cannot remain hidden for long. It was only a matter of time before Claudius came to know of this "friend of lovers," and had him arrested.
While awaiting his sentence in prison, Valentine was approached by his jailor, Asterius. It was said that Valentine had some saintly abilities and one of them granted him the power to heal people. Asterius had a blind daughter and knowing of the miraculous powers of Valentine he requested the latter to restore the sight of his blind daughter. The Catholic legend has it that Valentine did this through the vehicle of his strong faith, a phenomenon refuted by the Protestant version which agrees otherwise with the Catholic one. Whatever the fact, it appears that Valentine in some way did succeed to help Asterius' blind daughter.
When Claudius II met Valentine, he was said to have been impressed by the dignity and conviction of the latter. However, Valentine refused to agree with the emperor regarding the ban on marriage. It is also said that the emperor tried to convert Valentine to the Roman gods but was unsuccesful in his efforts. Valentine refused to recognize Roman Gods and even attempted to convert the emperor, knowing the consequences fully. This angered Claudius II who gave the order of execution of Valentine.
Meanwhile, a deep friendship had been formed between Valentine and Asterius' daughter. It caused great grief to the young girl to hear of his friend's imminent death. It is said that just before his execution, Valentine asked for a pen and paper from his jailor, and signed a farewell message to her "From Your Valentine," a phrase that lived ever after. As per another legend, Valentine fell in love with the daughter of his jailer during his imprisonment. However, this legend is not given much importance by historians. The most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not centered on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. Valentine is believed to have been executed on February 14, 270 AD.
Thus 14th February became a day for all lovers and Valentine became its Patron Saint. It began to be annually observed by young Romans who offered handwritten greetings of affection, known as Valentines, on this day to the women they admired. With the coming of Christianity, the day came to be known as St. Valentine's Day.
But it was only during the 14th century that St. Valentine's Day became definitively associated with love. UCLA medieval scholar Henry Ansgar Kelly, author of "Chaucer and the Cult of Saint Valentine", credits Chaucer as the one who first linked St. Valentine's Day with romance. In medieval France and England it was believed that birds mated on February 14. Hence, Chaucer used the image of birds as the symbol of lovers in poems dedicated to the day. In Chaucer's "The Parliament of Fowls," the royal engagement, the mating season of birds, and St. Valentine's Day are related:
"For this was on St. Valentine's Day, When every fowl cometh there to choose his mate."
By the Middle Ages, Valentine became as popular as to become one of the most popular saints in England and France. Despite attempts by the Christian church to sanctify the holiday, the association of Valentine’s Day with romance and courtship continued through the Middle Ages. The holiday evolved over the centuries. By the 18th century, gift-giving and exchanging hand-made cards on Valentine's Day had become common in England. Hand-made valentine cards made of lace, ribbons, and featuring cupids and hearts began to be created on this day and handed over to the man or woman one loved.
This tradition eventually spread to the American colonies. It was not until the 1840s that Valentine's Day greeting cards began to be commercially produced in the U.S. The first American Valentine's Day greeting cards were created by Esther A. Howlanda Mount Holyoke, a graduate and native of Worcester. Mass. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap". It was when Howland began Valentine's cards in a large scale that the tradition really caught on in the United States.
Today, Valentine's Day is one of the major holidays in the U.S. and has become a booming commercial success. According to the Greeting Card Association, 25% of all cards sent each year are "valentine"s. The "valentines", as Valentine's Day cards are better known as, are often designed with hearts to symbolize love. The Valentine's Day card spread with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world. One of the earliest valentines was sent in 1415 AD by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife during his imprisonment in the Tower of London. The card is now preserved in the British Museum.
There may be doubts regarding the actual identity of Valentine, but we know that he really existed because archaeologists have recently unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to a Saint Valentine.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
ചങ്ങാതി തലവച്ച പാളത്തിലൂടെ ഞാന് തീര്ത്ഥയാത്രക്ക് പോയി…
A Ayyappan, noted Malayalam modernist poet whose poems were celebrated for their intensity, meditative beauty and pungent romance, died at the general hospital here today.
Ayyappan, 61, a bachelor whose Bohemian life and `anarchic' poetry won him numerous admirers, was found in an
unconscious state in front of a theatre in the city by local people who informed the police.
Without recognising the poet, the police took him to the hospital where he died at 11.40 am, police sources said. The
body was later recognised as that of Ayyappan.
Ayyappan, born at Balaramapuram in the outskirts of the city in 1949, started writing poems when he was a student. He
joined the Communist party and had worked with CPI mouthpiece `Janayugom' for a short period.
A close friend of late film-maker John Abraham who was also known for his lifestyle similar to that of the poet, Ayyappan was a regular presence at International Film Festivals held in the state.
Ayyappan, who was very popular among the poetic fraternity and the young generation of poetry lovers, had won several awards in his decades-long poetic career including the prestigious Asan Puraskaram this year.
His collections include `Maalamillatha Pampu,' `Onakkazhchakal, 'Karuppu', Balikkuruppukal, Greeshamvum Kanneerum, `Buddhanum Aankuttiyum', `Veyil Thinnunna Pakshi', Kushtaroga, Aspathriyile Dinangal and Thettiyodunna Second Soochi. Apart from this he had penned more hundreds of small poems for periodicals.
The cultural world in the state paid rich tributes to the deceased poet. State Minister for Culture M A Baby in his
message, said Ayyappan was a great poet who inspired a generation. Poets Sugathakumari and D Vinayachandaran lavished
praise on the richness of Ayyappan's poetry.
മുഷിഞ്ഞ വസ്ത്രം ധരിച്ച മാലാഖ..
സ്വന്തം ജീവിതത്തോട് ചേര്‍ത്തെഴുതാന്‍ ആഡംബരങ്ങളോ
പകിട്ടുകളോ ഭൂതകാലമോ
ഇല്ലാത്ത മഹാകവി..
മുഷിഞ്ഞ വസ്ത്രം ധരിച്ച മാലാഖ..
എ. അയ്യപ്പനു ആദരാഞ്ജലികള്‍
Happiness ... Where is it?
Has anyone ever asked, or even if you asked, "I have everything a person needs to be happy, I am healthy, work, someone I love and who love me too, healthy children, home, car, money, and finally everything you always wanted! So why do I get the feeling that something is missing! because I am not happy? "
Well I myself have wondered if I have everything to be a happy person because I have this feeling of failure? And that was when I started thinking about happiness! Where is this the long sought happiness? I'm happy? Can I be happier?
There are people who spend their entire lives wishing for things, making plans to one day be completely happy. They often work with than like the engineer who wanted to be a writer, a doctor who wanted to be a singer, a housewife who wanted to be independent, the administrator who wanted to be a dentist and so follows. They do as they are more convenient and gives them more profit, that is the purpose, always have more, more money will bring more power, more beauty, more status, more love, and ultimately happiness! Really?
Living for the sake of work, are slaves to time and society has no time for nothing, act according to what is expected of them and not want to act, go through life without really living.
When kids want to be somebody (as if they were not), make plans, have a husband, kids, house, cars, and when they think there is the meaning of life, however, still bear the sorrow deep in my soul without even even know it's there, does not have the courage to ask, I'm happy? I'm happy? And when you ask answer, of course I am! I have everything to be because it would not be? But deep down they know they are unhappy.
Work too hard, sleep less than they want, spend more time caring for children, husbands or wives who themselves, have forgotten what really makes them happy, such as the desire to have a time for you, hear your favorite song (alone) , leave the house without telling the world that is mostly the same neighbor, who always has his eye on the clock, controlling their departure and arrival times, or even that husband or wife jealous that links every hour to hear from you ! I know! Deceive me.
There and sleep! When you want and all you want, eat what you want, go to the movies, having sex with whom you awaken the passion that both agree, because the passion has validity, it does not last forever no! Look, do not confuse passion with love and let love for another hour.
Returning to the pursuit of happiness, if we find that happiness lies in having a job, kids, a partner among other things, then the meaning of life becomes to possess something or someone that is not really her or is it a day because their children will grow and one day will leave you, your assets can last up to, but you do not, your work will one day come to an end, your love will be your partner, friend to more passionate, so what you gonna do? Be happy! (If your happiness is boiled down to this.) Or feel like a failure because it left the world go by, maybe now go do what you've always wanted. Travelling! Before you had no time or money is not! And then think, now I can be happy! Living with my grandson who did not live with my son because he had no time, and now thinks he has. Now you have money, status, and even more power and his health is like? It allows you to live fully?
Life does not wait, be happy today, do not be afraid to dare, in work, love, the passions, intensely alive not only add to accumulate material goods for happiness, what are your most precious moments in life!
by Sree
Well I myself have wondered if I have everything to be a happy person because I have this feeling of failure? And that was when I started thinking about happiness! Where is this the long sought happiness? I'm happy? Can I be happier?
There are people who spend their entire lives wishing for things, making plans to one day be completely happy. They often work with than like the engineer who wanted to be a writer, a doctor who wanted to be a singer, a housewife who wanted to be independent, the administrator who wanted to be a dentist and so follows. They do as they are more convenient and gives them more profit, that is the purpose, always have more, more money will bring more power, more beauty, more status, more love, and ultimately happiness! Really?
Living for the sake of work, are slaves to time and society has no time for nothing, act according to what is expected of them and not want to act, go through life without really living.
When kids want to be somebody (as if they were not), make plans, have a husband, kids, house, cars, and when they think there is the meaning of life, however, still bear the sorrow deep in my soul without even even know it's there, does not have the courage to ask, I'm happy? I'm happy? And when you ask answer, of course I am! I have everything to be because it would not be? But deep down they know they are unhappy.
Work too hard, sleep less than they want, spend more time caring for children, husbands or wives who themselves, have forgotten what really makes them happy, such as the desire to have a time for you, hear your favorite song (alone) , leave the house without telling the world that is mostly the same neighbor, who always has his eye on the clock, controlling their departure and arrival times, or even that husband or wife jealous that links every hour to hear from you ! I know! Deceive me.
There and sleep! When you want and all you want, eat what you want, go to the movies, having sex with whom you awaken the passion that both agree, because the passion has validity, it does not last forever no! Look, do not confuse passion with love and let love for another hour.
Returning to the pursuit of happiness, if we find that happiness lies in having a job, kids, a partner among other things, then the meaning of life becomes to possess something or someone that is not really her or is it a day because their children will grow and one day will leave you, your assets can last up to, but you do not, your work will one day come to an end, your love will be your partner, friend to more passionate, so what you gonna do? Be happy! (If your happiness is boiled down to this.) Or feel like a failure because it left the world go by, maybe now go do what you've always wanted. Travelling! Before you had no time or money is not! And then think, now I can be happy! Living with my grandson who did not live with my son because he had no time, and now thinks he has. Now you have money, status, and even more power and his health is like? It allows you to live fully?
Life does not wait, be happy today, do not be afraid to dare, in work, love, the passions, intensely alive not only add to accumulate material goods for happiness, what are your most precious moments in life!
by Sree
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