Looks like the MIT media lab is in a soup over its dealings with Jeffrey Epstein! While this episode might have been brushed off under the carpet, the modern day media and reporting has aided in throwing additional light into all the misgivings.

Folks who took money from the scoundrel even after him going to jail for his uncouth behavior, need to repent for their actions. Ito San stepping down is a good thing.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/business/media/mit-media-lab-jeffrey-epstein-joichi-ito.html

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It was an old Agraharam styled house. It had a spacious Thinnai in the front of the house where I used to play one pitch cricket all the time with my friends. The space was perfect for 3 or 4 kifs to play cricket. My mamas would also join us once ina while and we had a great time spending at least 1 hour playing there. The Thinnai also doubled up as a Tution center for my Arunachalam mama to take Maths/accountancy tuition to the students from the village. The sessions would start very early in the morning around 6 am and go on till late evening. On a given day, there would be close to 50 to 100 students attending the tuition sessions. Sometimes I used to join those sessions finishing up my 10 std Maths problems or homework. The Thinnai was also our favorite place to hang out in the evenings as a family. I used to sit with Paati on the steps and Thatha used to get his "Easy Chair" out and put it facing the Perumal Koil. The whole evening would pass by so effortlessly as I heard stories from Paati and as we struck conversations with people walking past our house as they returned from work in the evenings. The steps of the house were also very distinct. Couple of them were just large pieces of Granite laid on top of each other. There was one cement step that had been created much later. I can still remember the Kolams paati used to put in front of the house which had the Cow dung as well as Hibuscus flower as decorations as well. Opposite to the house was a large vacant land which had a huge stack of Hay and couple of bullock carts. Behind the vacant land ran the Railway Lines. The trains were so punctual that Thatha used to tell time based on what trains passed through and at which speed. The goods train was a slow moving train whose sound lasted for close to 3 minutes. There were many times when I used to count all the bogies and even wave Byes to the train guard. I have walked through the railway lines and on the side of the railway lines many a times to go to the official Jeeyapuram railway station. Thatha used to take me there to the market streets to buy local stuff or go to the local tailor or shoe repair guy there. On the way to the jeeyaruram station there used to be couple of temples - One of them was the local ellachaami temple.I used to spend a lot of time at the temples around Jeeyapuram. My friend gokul and I used to do the Hanuman koil alankaram and even do the archanai/shlokams for Hanuman every Saturday evening. We would then take the prasadam(naatu chakarai/paanagam that Gokul used to bring from home) around the agraharam and share it with every house. Most of the mama and mamis used to bless us everytime we went and give us 1 or 2 rupees for the upkeep of the Hanuman sannadhi and buying prasadam/Suudam etc.One of my pleasant memories is the weekly alankaram/pujai Gokul and I did at the temple. It always gave a sense of satisfaction. Gokul was a great friend. He always looked after me as I was 2 or 3 years younger to him and was only 7 or 8 yrs old then. His house wouldn't have anything great to snack on or eat but he would always make sure that he shared whatever was there at home. sometimes he would just find Pottu kadalai or kalkandu and we used to be so happy to snack on those. Other friends I used to hang out together were Sethu (Gooch), Chandru , Prem Anand, Raaja. Most of them were elder to me but then they were very cordial and involved me in all the activities we did be it - play cricket or go across the cauvery river to Pluck Kodukapuli or spend 2 hours bathing in the Cauvery river where we played several games in water. My fond memories of Cauvery are with Thatha taking me and my sister chitra fr bath and meticulously applying soap and washing us and then applying Vibuthi on my face/hands/stomach. He used to then do Sandhya Vandhanam and then we used to go back home. The Nila choru we ate during Pournami at the banks of the cauvery wherein it used to be a PotLuck. All the maamis would pitch in with their choiciest food such as Thenga saadham/Puliyam Saadham/Thayir Saadham etc and about 30 to 40 folks would go to the Cauvery banks and eat in the bright moonlit sands. During the evenings, we used to play cricket under the banyan tree behind our house. We also used to play in the Cauvery sands when there was little to no water flowing. Great memories..More to follow as and when I remember....

Dear Paati

May your soul rest in peace! I have very fond memories of you. My oldest memory being in Chennai Besant Nagar when Chitra was born in Veidehi hospital. You were taking care of amma and I used to play in the front of the hospital. You took great care of me, as I was your first grandson. You were always kind to me. Always spoke good of me, encouraged me to achieve. Your god fearing nature is unmatchable. Your poojais every day that spanned several hours is one of the reasons why you were able to keep your calm and go about any kind of hardship with ease. You always prayed for the betterment of others. I vividly remember playing in the thulasi maadam in Jeeyapuram when you would walk in from your early morning bath at Cauvery; and go straight to the mitham and do poojai to the thulasi maadam. Then would start your hour long puujai which used to happen while you walked around the house doing all kinds of chores. I remember helping you with a long stick to pull the 'Madi saree/blouse' that you would wear after bath. You would not mind if we kids touched you before taking bath. You used to make me the choiciest of foods, the Maida cake is still my favorite. I have never tasted anything as good as the Maida cake you used to make. The several hours that you and thatha used to spend in the backyard making therati paal and halwa! I could still sense the feeling of contentment amongst you and thatha when you would see your kids and grandkids relishing the paal cova and the halwa. You used to make me maambazham pachadi and molaguutal which was my favorite. In the backyard thinnai at jeeyapuram, we have fond memories of heating palaa kottai on a coal based stove; you and thatha even trying to make detergent soap by mixing some chemicals thatha bought; thatha shaking bottle filled with buttermilk to convert it into butter... many many sweet memories. The bathroom veragi adupu is also a fond memory. Thatha and I used to put the coconut tree leaves/barks to make the fire and the I used to bath in that hot water. All the grandkids spent a lot of time in the backyard next to the Kinaru well drawing water from it and bathing bext to the well. You used to take me and the other grandkids to the sivan temple or the krishnan koil every day. Sometimes I used to come to the Cauvery with you when you would be so watchful of me at the steps near the water. I used to accompany you when you went to other mami's house in the agraharam - pichu iyer mami, ambulu mami , saraswathi mami and several others. You would gleam with pride explaining all my antics and everywhere you used to say that 'Rajesh , chitra - Rombha chamathu kozhandhael'. My distinct recollection of you is the way you used to pamper and konju me; still stays fresh in memory - Kanna da nee, chellam da nee, mutthu daa nee, raajaa da nee, vellam da nee.. many nany such platitudes which I loved hearing and then watched you do the same to my younger cousins when it was their turn. You were such a godsend to all your grandkids. Your dedication and affection was unmatched. I always wondered how you could provide the equal warmth and kindness to all of us. There was no partiality or neglect to any of us at anytime. You were a superhuman who was so under-appreciated. I have even watched thatha fight with you but you were so graceful and silent most of the times.

I am happy that you were there actively involved in all of my main events - my birth, my birthdays, my poonal, my wedding, my daughter's first birthday. During my India visits, you used to make time to come to chennai and stay as much as possible making all sorts of podi/urugai/omapodi/maida cake etc. How lovely paati. How did I just completely take you for granted. I wish I had the thougtfulness to bring you with me to the USA, show you around and treat you like a queen, which is what you deserved for your 85 years of selfless service. Instead what you got was occasional phone calls and meaningless gifts such as shawls/bedsheets during my visits. You used to ask me for Bengay which I used to feel proud when I got 4 or 5 packs shipped to you however I wish you had been taken care of in a better manner that you didnt even have to experience that knee pain in the first place. We goofed up big time. 

The way you treated your son in law and daughter in laws! What a relationship.. you were a mother to all of them; always wished that they all had the best if health and the least of strains. You used to cook,clean,wash the vessels and do everything to make sure your working daughter in lass didnt have to strain themselves after their day's work. You took care of the kids the entire day and even at night to again make sure yor sons and DILs didnt have to take that effort.

Your best friend was my amma. You and her could talk hours together about everything under the sun. We used to ridicule you both for talking vambu matters but those were just trivial things that you discussed, just the curiosity about every family in the agraharam, every son and daughter in the family, even the cousins. I am sure my amma is going to miss those phone calls and late night one on one talks with you.

I wish your kids and grandkids could have done much more than what we did to you. We could have atleast taken you around India to visit the temples and other religious places. Coming to think of it, we didnt even spend more than a day or 2 every year with you in the last 10 years. What a shame and what a careless attitude. We have had no sense of gratitude to you. Please forgive us for this nonchalance. 

You shall be remembered for your warmth, for your humility, for your grace, for your culinary skills, for your selfless nature, for your prayers for everyone's goodness, for your dedication to our entire family. It is still amazing to realize how you came forward last year even when you were frail and not feeling well to take care of your son, who had lost his wife. You could move mountains with your mental strength. You could win any war - not with any kind of physical might, but with your calmness and prayers!

I posted this on FB where several people spoke good of you and posted condolences. You were such a noble soul. You will be a leading light for me. I face several situations where I tend to lose my calm. I want to remember you and recollect your calmness and hope that you shall be my gudinf light to overcome those situations calmly.

Thank you Paati for everything that you and thaatha did to me and will be doing to me going forward with your blessings.I hope to keep reminding my kids about you!

I saw the news about Gwen Ifill passing away. Very sad to note that.

I got reminded about my blog. i dont think I have updated it 4 years.

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