"சூரிய காதலனை கண்ட வெட்கத்தின் விளைவு, பிறை நிலவு". Humbly, this is one of my poems. I was on a terrace in my Aunt's home looking at the Moon chanting this. I just wanted to eat the moon. Looked so beautiful. To explain the poem, imagine how crescent is formed. The Earth has to be in the middle, between the Sun and the Moon. The beautiful Moon, when looking at the handsome Sun, shy behind earth to show only her face. The result, crescent. Then I thought why is the beauty of Moon is restricted to a grammar of a language. What if I go there, to the moon herself, kiss her hand. Hmmm...
Okay..Now I feel like I am flying, not 'cas I have started flying to the Moon. I have always wanted my Aunt to keep a mosquito repellent in the terrace at nights. Looks like she had forgotten to do that. It is the mosquitoes pulling me up to the moon. He he he...
So I went down to the hall. There was a glass fish tank with two golden fishes. Human instinct pulled me to feed the fish immediately. At first, I thought the fishes in there are happy. But then, I could hear them say "blob..blob..."..."blob...blob...". Could you guess what they say. Now lend your ears carefully. Hear them say, "put me into the river...".."put me into the river...".
Meanwhile, there were a middle aged couple sitting by the sofa. Seems my Aunt had invited one of her college friends for dinner. I was talking to them and while talking on a topic, I could hear the man say that he has given complete freedom to his wife to do this..that etc. How wise!!! My question is, who are you to give her the freedom? Women freedom is with them. You can't take it from them, you never have the right to take it and how come you could give that back to them? The fact is both the fish and Aunty's friend do not know that their freedom is bounded.
They enjoy it though.
It was too late in the night then, I got the permission from my Aunt to have the fish tank with me back home. I let them go swim in the pond (not so clean, but bath friendly) near my home. I saw them jumping in air as if they are trying to kiss me. I left them where they belong to. Now they are truly independent.
I am dreaming about a mission to moon soon. I don't know what to do with the Aunty's friend. He he he....
The Moon, The Fish, The Freedom here are best felt when they are kept in a place where they belong to. Now, where are you?
When I was traveling by the Madras Transport Corporation from T Nagar to Adayar, there was couple with their kids sitting in front of my seat advising something to their kids. Sitting very close to them, I heard them advising their children to call them "Mommy", "Daddy" and not "Amma", "Appa". The family was clearly from an "uncivilized" society with the way they were behaving (Not because that they were spitting outside the bus window, throwing groundnut shells inside the 
bus, etc.) but the way they treated Tamil. I did not understand how people think, they are "civilized" if they talk in English (or any other language, but for Indians English is God) as against their behavior. I am not here to write in support that people should talk only in Tamil or such a kind of thing, but against the way people see their mother tongue as second language these days. But being a Tamil, I would talk for Tamil (for you it might be your mother tongue)
I strongly feel that "Amma" is much much more powerful than "Mommy". Calling "Amma" is like hugging your child by your hands whereas calling "Mommy" is like keeping your child in a trolly (like
the westerners do). It is unfortunate that some upper class here in Chennai are slowly following this style of trolley parenting. The baby has to smell his mother not the smoky road. I would suggest you to say aloud "Amma" and "Mommy" and I am sure you definitely see/smell/hear/feel/taste the difference.
Whenever I sit to eat in a hotel, nearly 60% of all the middle class families suggest their children to talk in English and they too talk to them in English. I understand that preaching kids a foreign language will make them go places. But it does not mean you have to under rate your mother tongue. For me Tamil is not only a language, but a chemistry teacher. Emotions are best expressed in Tamil. I give you an example. Hope you would have watched "Paasa Malar", a Sivaji classic. I bet you would have cried or had at least a soar throat for sometime. Also, no one would 
have missed "Titanic" and hope you would have cried when Jack sinked into the ocean with the beautiful blue eyes of Rose in tears. For me there is definitely a difference between the way you felt for the characters. With your mother tongue, it is the heart that triggers 
tears whereas with a foreign language it is the mind. In Tamil I could say these as "Anuthabam" and "Akkarai".
I have read somewhere that the first strategy adopted by the early British in India was to make Indians think English is supreme than their own local language. They were successful in their first attempt and has an effect until now. I would suggest young Tamil parents to grow their kid amidst Tamil and I am sure you definitely see difference. Kids is sure going to throw you out like you did for your mother tongue, otherwise.
Lets cherish our mother tongue and be "civilized" but definitely do a PhD in a second language. Crocodile shirts, Van huesen trousers, Reebok shoes, Swiss watches, English etc. are not going to make you civilized. It is the respect for your mother tongue.
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