RIFLE RANGE BOY

We brag, exert our authority, struggle for the course we think is right, and our ego. We fight for our rights and continue to do so. Sometimes we cling on to our convictions till breath leaves us. We do it because we think it is the right thing to do. It is our dharma to act so, and failing to impart our life lessons is sacrilegious. The law of Nature must be upheld at all account, and it is our God-given duty to do so.   In that process, we break many hearts, we shed many a tear, invoke misery in others. We, however, feel no remorse because we know we did the right thing. Sometimes it kind to be unkind. Being the elder one with greater power acceded by hierarchy means leading others is a given thing. Pandering to the need of the majority and garnering popular votes are just not acceptable. There is a divine decree to uphold, or is there? Now that twilight has passed, and Sun had set you, all is left are memories of you - anger, dislikes, idiosyncrasies and memory of strict stares....

Usually, I do not give too much importance to things that are spiritual in nature. I just simply join the bandwagon to keep people, especially my loved ones, happy. Like when I, the first born to my father, was summoned to perform certain rights on the first anniversary of his death, I just obliged. I knew it would make my mother happy to see my father 'sent off' to the ethereal world in a proper manner. It does not matter that my parents towards the tail end of his life, could not stand each other but that is another story for another day. The purpose of the prayers on the day of first death anniversary is to remind the soul of departed that he is not forgotten here on Earth. By invoking the forces of Nature, appeasing the feminine forces and cajoling the spirits of the ancestors, it is hoped that the deceased will keep a cursory eye on the wellbeing of the living. Do these things really happen or is it just another mumbo jumbo set up to put the element of fear of t...

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are all gathered here today to commemorate the union of 2 love-birds of the 70s , of my uncle and auntie, Dato and Datin M S Murthi. What better way to re-live the past then to go through some old photos. Memories and experiences stay longer in our memory bank than our material gains in life. Let us all go back in time now and later come back to the future! The ballad of Dato and Datin starts with the story of a young girl who grew up in Bukit Mertajam. This is probably one of the earliest images of Datin. Unless of course, the organizers decide to conveniently sneak out the photo which was mandatory those days, a photo of a half naked 6month- old lying on the belly! This is a family shot of in Penang Hills. The next picture carries a story. Out of the blue, when they were staying in Kulim, apparently when Amachee was away with some work, Tata (Datin’s father) decided to get her dressed, comb her hair, placing a ribbon on her hair and decided ...

Parents’ 50th Wedding anniversary and Amma’s 70th surprise birthday party ( Powerpoint presentation) Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Mr & Mrs Shamuganathan 1960 Just in case you are wondering what this function is all about, we are gathered today to share the joy of celebrating my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, and at the same time to my mother’s surprise 70th birthday party. Firstly, I am so happy that many friends from near and far (as far as Belgium) have obliged to partake in this meaningful event. Thanks to Anneka and David for joining us. Once they heard of this function, they immediately changed their plans to visit Cambodia, paid the fines for changing their ticket and decided to join us in this surprise function. Many words of thanks to Dato M.S. Murthi who was equally if not more excited than all of us in making this function a reality. To hold a surprise function like this is no easy feat, one has to do many things under cover and in this aspect, ...