CHITHRA - our ishta mitra

Jpatma · Dec 24, 2008

I wasn’t very active member of indusladies.com, but I used to read and reserved my comments. My primary interests were & are meditation, kundalini , esoteric aspects, reiki-universal energy , feng shui etc etc .But of late I noticed iam getting addicted to IL.com and the divine souls that I am able to interact. So I started reading all the previous posts and noted Chithra madam is one of the popular writers and all her posts have high rating , ofcourse there are other contestants for this post (popular writer). I wondered what was in her that the readership enjoyed?

1) Is it the mother or matriarch aspect?
a) Well she does fill in that role for many ladies in IL , guiding, advising without being nosy & to some as companions/friends
b) Her recipes are extremely popular ,beats most of the recipe books because we can revert to her if something is not working. So the aftersales service of the recipes do give a great mileage.
c) Her religious posts on various aspects - ha – beats the vadhiars. Guidance with explanations
d) Various aspects of life – on procrastination, death , etc etc , she gives her view and shows herself as a model

So I note the some readership sees as her mother, while some as friend, while as religious guide, some for reference, some as search engine. What we lack , we seek that aspect in her to fulfill ourselves. Her experience and maturity does speak volume. In this context applied in general we always seek to fulfill our infirmities by looking upto some one and that person becomes popular or dear to us. So the secret of popularity is that you are able to give to others what they need (like chithra ) and the person becomes your favorite.

Applying this principle , we also seek the same in God ,some enjoy the bala Krishna for his playfulness, while romantic Krishna for the rasleelas, while some love Ganesha for the stoicness , while kartik for the beauty and Bhavani maa for the motherliness , Siva for his virility etc etc. The attributes we lack or admire we seek in the God that stands for it and we call HIM/HER -Ishta Devatha . This is how we identify with some God

Well ! the same applies in IL for chithra , as she fulfills some of our needs may it be anything. I prefer to call her Ishta Mitra -chithra (mitra = friend & friend is person to whom we can be what we are without being judgmental and we say our innermost thoughts without any hesitation of being criticized or branded, what we can’t reveal to others can be revealed to our true friend).

What iam driving is that what we seek in human (in this case I have taken Chithra) we seek similarly in GOD. Chithra here is prototype. God made man in reflection of himself

May God bless you.
Jaya
P.S- Chithra didn’t prompt me to write this nor she paid me for it :--)

Devika Menon · Dec 24, 2008

Nice post Jaya,

If we begin to write about Chithra Ma'am, I guess this space would definitely be insufficient . She occupies a lot of space here( and so constructively) and in our hearts as well.But to put it all in a nutshell, I would say her being here right from the inception of this site and being the guiding force of so many youngsters speaks volumes. Her contributions in various forums of hers, is home for us.
Her blogs are my value education classes every Monday. Her very contemporary approaceh maes it extremely easy to gel with her. We can communicate with her on very complex issues and be satisfied with the result.A lot of kitchens are run courtesy her(Wives thanking her for assisting them to win over their hubbies through the stomach), A lot of spiritual learnings are being imparted courtesy her. She keeps us all stimulated enough to want to log in everyday.
I truly wish her all the very best in life. May she continue to be our very own guardian angel!

Im sure you werent paid. Any payment would be insufficient.

Love,
Devika

aishu22 · Dec 24, 2008

Dear Jaya,
You have writtern so well using exact words about our CV.Its all so true.
The term coined by you Ishta Mitra is really superb!:thumbsup
All of us have passion fo cooking,reading books,moral values etc.but it is that we need a guide/catalyst to walk us throught to bring it out.CV has that Magnetic power to make us all realise what we are capable of.

I know very well that many many Ilites have been benefited by her words of wisdom,cookery tips,recipes,slokas etc...But to tell you the truth..What i am today is because of CV. I stand tall and with pride in front of my In laws earning self respect and dignity for myself..... and i owe it to chithra.

Her down to earth and friendly attitude cant be repaid..Unconditional love towards all is difficult to practise and we have a legend living amongst us.

Jaya,Thanks for giving me an opportunity to show my gratitude to CV.

Wonderful post.Keep them coming.

sowminivibu · Dec 24, 2008

Dear Jaya

You have just written what we feel for chith....Yes i feel the reason for her to be so very popular here is because of her dedication and hardwork......I know how bad she feels when her computer doesnt work at times when she desperately wants to clear the doubts that all of us ask in her ask chitvish forum....i look at her as someone more than a friend and very close to my mother.....she can discuss with you about anything and everything and thats exactly what makes her so easy to move with......She is of my paati's age and most of the times envy thanu and ranju for getting such a lovely paati.....i do not see many people in her age work hard so much and that too for strangers.....Its just a virtual id that we carry and she treats everyone so special that makes her so special for us....She is indeed MY ISHTA MITHRA !!!!! If there is somebody to whom i can run other than my mother then it is definitely MY CHITHU !!!I love you chiths for what you are and you are someone whom i hold very special to my heart !!!

lov
sowmi

pavithrasriram · Dec 24, 2008

dear jaya,
chithu as i fondly call her is one amazing individual who i have met in my life her blogs are on various topics and the best part is she has friends from 20-70 years old and i am sure she has touched everyone in a very special way.Her words of encouragement in the feedback forum gives loads of us young cooks so much confidence and also the eagerness to master the art of cooking.
we are all indeed blessed to have her with us she is one superb human being!!!!
love you lots chith
she is definitely our ishta mitra!!!!!lovely write up jaya!!!!!
regards
pavi

Kamla · Dec 24, 2008

Dear Jaya,

What a lovely tribute to our Chithra!

This sure was your X-mas gift to her and very timely coming toward the end of the year.

I came to IL following Chithrakka's recipes. She is the reason that I am here today and I am so happy to be here.

Unlike me, she has been unwavering with her inputs and interactions in IL. That's what makes her stand out. Every time I log in, I am amazed to see her giving new recipes, tips, advice and being simply there for all of us.
An amazing lady. If I can imbibe even a fraction of her perseverance and dedication, I'd consider myself blessed.

It is thanks to you that I am able to thank her once again through this thread for being there...
...And Chithrakka, I do cherish your series on Gita and shall catch up on it without fail. Just needed to tell you that.

L, Kamla

Jpatma · Dec 24, 2008

Dear Devika,
You are lovely soul as i gather from your write ups. What i want to emphasize is Chithra fulfills all our needs ,for our demand she is the supply. Just like Divine. I don't need to say any more.Thanks for the FB
May God bless you.
Jaya

Jpatma · Dec 24, 2008

Dear aishu,
Thanks for the encouragement, we need to acknowledge and thank some one who fulfills our need. We thank God in prayer for everything HE has given us,so to need to thank Chithra ji.
May God bless you.
Jaya

Jpatma · Dec 24, 2008

Dear Sowmi,
You are so sincere in your writing ,Divine has found a way a help IL & that is thro' Chithra ji.
May God bless you.
Jaya

Jpatma · Dec 24, 2008

Dear pavithra,
Thanks. Giving acknowledgement to what we receive is good nature. Let us thank the Divine person Chithra ji. The thought that how Chithra ji helps the group was buzzing in my mind for 2 days and then i thought of penning it down.
Some how i felt she had the attributes of a divine ,let us all pray for her good health.
May God bless you.
Jaya