When I sign into blogger, on the right side of the dashboard, there is a panel with links that those in power deem interesting. One of those, today, was "Learn how to start mobile blogging" and "blogging was in the next line. I wasn't looking too carefully and it initially looked like "Learn how to muddle". I already know that.

I come to Chennai way too often. I wanted to go to Kerala with the sis and a cousin and an uncle and an aunt but I thought I'd have work this weekend. I do. But I decided, 2 days ago, that I was bored and didn't want to spend a weekend at work AND I wanted to come for an Ayush Homam. I couldn't come in time for that but... Well, I'm in Chennai again. Chennai is bored of me.

My cousin is taking her son, the one whose had the Ayush Homam that I missed, to Thirupathi to get him a mottai. I remember when his sister came back from Thirupathi, all her gleaming, messy hair gone, she was hardly recognisable. She was very proud of her bald pate and told everyone, pointing to her head, "mottai". Yeah, we can see.

But why shave the heads of kids? India, and Thirupathi in particular, is the biggest provider of human hair to the west for making wigs. I think it was economics which made the people of places like Thirupathi publicize this tradition so much. Why does god care about your hair? Shouldn't he have bigger things to worry about, like World Peace?

In related news, I was mottai'd twice. I have no idea why. There is a picture of me, about 2 years old, freshly shorn and holding a baby deer. Apparently they showed me the deer to stop my crying or something like that. Seems to me that they just waited for my hair to grow back and bang, shaved it off. 2 times! Sadists. I have always had problems with my hair. Maybe that was why. I'm almost 24; I shouldn't be holding something that happened 20 years ago against them. For a very long time, I was very proud that I was mottai'd twice. I have no idea why.

Just spoke to my parents. Apparently first time was normal mottai that they did when I was a year old in Thirupathi. Then after about 6 months or something, I had trouble breathing and my grand father prayed over me and I became okay and he said I was to have another mottai in Uppiliappan Kovil in Kumbakonam. So I did. Because god (my grandfather) said so. I think this was the time the deer was around. I hope they did more than just pray for me.