we came to this place called 'the heaven on earth', when I was eight years old.Father was transfered to jammu from delhi and don't remember whether i was happy to see this so called unique place,for me every place seemed to be the same 'cause we often travelled where his job takes us to.Even the changes in climate wouldnt have made much difference, for now we were accustomed to all conditions,travelling to extreme north and far eastern states.
Here..the nature is dressed to kill..jaw dropping beauty all around,snow capped mountains,pine trees,apples and humble 'kashmiris',tall, well built with cheeks like apples,red and bubbly.
I never had enough opportunity to go around because everything was available inside the military campus.of!course school was little away but we had the army bus for transportation.
The initial months,when our quarter was not allotted ,we stayed for rent outside the campus and there, I experienced something which I will never forget.Although the nature had given everything to this place,the local houses did not have the sanitation facilities as any common house elsewhere would have.
The sanitation was very primitive and unique,all the house had their toliets on terrace and they were just a block of four walls without roofs,inside you have partitions for seperate rooms and each cabin would have two rows of cemented blocks parallel to each other to climb on and sit to relieve ourself,there was no drainage facility and the waste would just accumulate on the cemented floor.Now,every next day a person would come(mostly ladies),who is employed to dispose the waste(all the people who do this job are of the same caste ) with a broom and a big bamboo woven basket.she would collect all the waste inside the basket and wash the cabins ,then
would fold the broom in one hand,keeping the basket on her head and stroll away happliy to dispose,where does she do the disposal I never cared..
Imagine,a day when she falls sick or in case of a heavy rain..uh!! This 'was' kashmir..'the heaven on earth'.
We live in such a vast country where not only the languages,food,clothes,climates differ,even the methods of disposing human waste differ..but still there is a unity in diversity..we are all Indians.
the mighty Indians, the brainy indians.This is a country where a genius called 'Ramanuja' lived,who used to scribble his mathematical theorams on waste court papers,'cause he was employed as 'sepoy' in madras court and who later died of 'asthma' in london because he did not have the physical capacity to withstand the cold in london.His reasoning of infinity is still considers to be a genious work,scribbled on some of those 'yellow' court papers..
'I am proud to be an Indian'.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
journey again..
These days before going to sleep,i get retrospective into my life to see whether i can sift through the years and get something to laugh about,something original that has happened which tickle me still.
Last night,I happened to travel down my memory lane about 20 years and reached,my last year in school,12th standard.That is the year when all extracurricular activies come to an end and all of us bunch together in classroom with our books and the only active organ in the body becomes that grey substance called brain.Whatever we couldn't complete in the normal study hours in school we were taught on holidays..and that was a fun time,mainly because of a solitary reason,we get respite from our monotonous uniforms and can see some colours around.
well! this particular 'extra clas's,i believe physics, was on a second saturday, and the day before ,we boys (9 in strength out of 18,a good ratio to have) dfecided to wear 'mundu' for the day,maybe the first time most of us would try,and wouldn't reveal the same to girls,so that we throw a surprise.
As planned I arrived on time, much before the schedule start,but i couldnt see anyone outside the main gate,which was the actual practice to welcome girls.An unknown fear crept into me,for suddenly i could feel something wrong.I walked along the corridor with weary steps to our classroom at the end of the building,it was a long walk,when i reached the classroom before ours, i saw my mates appearing from inside and my fear became a reality,noone was wearing 'mundu'.
shocked ,more at the insult of being cheated after taken into confidence, rather than the ignonimy of holding pensively at one end of the cloth and holding my bag with the other hand.
Then started the real fun,they had collected a type of fruit or seed from the tree in front of our classroom,which when pressed at the swollen belly would flush out a stinking,sticky liquid.they all got hold of me, lifted my silly clothing and pumped in the liquid,wetting my 'underside'.I was completly overpowered and helpless,the commotion brought the girls outside and some of them giggled in delight,while many others sighed in sympathy.
Unfortunately,it didnt end there,during the whole period in the class, they were having fun.End of the day,when i reached home, my whole clothing was stained and stinking.
Even though,it was an embarassing day for me then, today i could see the funny side of it and laugh a lot.Oh! how much I miss my school days and my friends..
'yaade..yaade ...bas yaade rah jaathi hai'...
chotti.. ye meetti, baathe rah jaathi hai..'.
Last night,I happened to travel down my memory lane about 20 years and reached,my last year in school,12th standard.That is the year when all extracurricular activies come to an end and all of us bunch together in classroom with our books and the only active organ in the body becomes that grey substance called brain.Whatever we couldn't complete in the normal study hours in school we were taught on holidays..and that was a fun time,mainly because of a solitary reason,we get respite from our monotonous uniforms and can see some colours around.
well! this particular 'extra clas's,i believe physics, was on a second saturday, and the day before ,we boys (9 in strength out of 18,a good ratio to have) dfecided to wear 'mundu' for the day,maybe the first time most of us would try,and wouldn't reveal the same to girls,so that we throw a surprise.
As planned I arrived on time, much before the schedule start,but i couldnt see anyone outside the main gate,which was the actual practice to welcome girls.An unknown fear crept into me,for suddenly i could feel something wrong.I walked along the corridor with weary steps to our classroom at the end of the building,it was a long walk,when i reached the classroom before ours, i saw my mates appearing from inside and my fear became a reality,noone was wearing 'mundu'.
shocked ,more at the insult of being cheated after taken into confidence, rather than the ignonimy of holding pensively at one end of the cloth and holding my bag with the other hand.
Then started the real fun,they had collected a type of fruit or seed from the tree in front of our classroom,which when pressed at the swollen belly would flush out a stinking,sticky liquid.they all got hold of me, lifted my silly clothing and pumped in the liquid,wetting my 'underside'.I was completly overpowered and helpless,the commotion brought the girls outside and some of them giggled in delight,while many others sighed in sympathy.
Unfortunately,it didnt end there,during the whole period in the class, they were having fun.End of the day,when i reached home, my whole clothing was stained and stinking.
Even though,it was an embarassing day for me then, today i could see the funny side of it and laugh a lot.Oh! how much I miss my school days and my friends..
'yaade..yaade ...bas yaade rah jaathi hai'...
chotti.. ye meetti, baathe rah jaathi hai..'.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Birthday
Today 37 years before,I was born. Its going to be just another day but somehow i feel the last birthday was quite special for me,it never occured to me december 14 to be a special day anytime before as last year,and i looked forward to the day,this year the same way.but as the life itself is so unpredictable just like people and we expect a lot from life,the simple things to fall in place but it always turn out to be a grind.a hard grinding grind.
What do I expect from myself,going into the next year??hmm just a little bit more cautious,may be age is catching up,work more towards the simple things in life and continue being good to everyone and everything.Lot of ego still there in me which got to be pruned up.Be prudent enough to undersatnd situations better and continue on the path of taking risks and do things which i fear to attempt.be a better person than yesterday and try to do good to fellow human beings.
Proffessionally,set short term goals and achieve it and earn money (something new added).
A wish...!! I dont forget my loved ones ever and try to be there always in need.But then..we are mere humans we tend to forget.so let me be humble enough to admit my smallest mistakes and make people around me happy.
Laugh a lot ,so that even a hint of my grief doesn become pain for others. Meet new people ,read a lot and try to understand life ,closer..
What do I expect from myself,going into the next year??hmm just a little bit more cautious,may be age is catching up,work more towards the simple things in life and continue being good to everyone and everything.Lot of ego still there in me which got to be pruned up.Be prudent enough to undersatnd situations better and continue on the path of taking risks and do things which i fear to attempt.be a better person than yesterday and try to do good to fellow human beings.
Proffessionally,set short term goals and achieve it and earn money (something new added).
A wish...!! I dont forget my loved ones ever and try to be there always in need.But then..we are mere humans we tend to forget.so let me be humble enough to admit my smallest mistakes and make people around me happy.
Laugh a lot ,so that even a hint of my grief doesn become pain for others. Meet new people ,read a lot and try to understand life ,closer..
Friday, December 11, 2009
gender gap
Man and woman,have importance in unison and seperately, as different individuals in life and in any society,be it in home making ,proffession or nation building.The capacity of each gender to perform the same deed differently,relating their emotional and physical attributes contribute to the fullfillment of the deed.
But the gender gap is very much evident in our society,a woman always considered an inferior and submissive gender,eventhough the mental strength and perseverence of a woman is far more superior to a man.Biologically,a woman is more suited to acclimitise to different conditions
and the nature has always provided and reserved the best, to a woman.
Even among the animals,its the female who hold a respected figure in the clan.Among the lion pride,its the lioness who hunt,rear children and bring food to the male,but the king of the jungle is just namesake,the armchair executive.
coming back to the humans and we indians,we limit women to the confinement of 4 walls and shirk at the first instance of empowering them.we don't send girl child to school,though the ability of a girl child to learn and grasp things is far superior to boys.We ignore their views on any issues thinking them to be foolish,while its always a woman that has caused any revolution to take place,think of the adage,'theres a woman behind every man's success'.
Relating facts, of women being set apart from the mainstream or considered an inferior class in the proffessional set up in india,only14% of major companies employ 40%or more women and most of them work in lower levels or in middle management.the disparity in the salaries obtained by women doing the same job as their men conterparts is too high.
A recent survey conducted for gender gap revelas the dismal stage of the indian women,out of the 137 countries surveyed india stand at a poor 114th position.
women,as half of the human capital of india,will need to be more effeciently integrated into the economy in order to boost india's long term competitive potential.India's middle class will see a rapid growth offa very low base,but the shifts in spending are constrained due to the women's realtively low status at least for the next 10-15 years.
surprisingly,the political empowerment is far more evident compared to the role of women in any other walk of life.And we,raise our voice for 33% reservation for women candidates in lok sabha.If the same effort is taken to establish higher rate of girl education and reducing the infant mortality of girl child,we have hope of seeing India as a superpower in near future.and why not,we call our nation 'Bharath Matha',so its the women who are the torch bearers fro this run towards success. and that how it should be..
But the gender gap is very much evident in our society,a woman always considered an inferior and submissive gender,eventhough the mental strength and perseverence of a woman is far more superior to a man.Biologically,a woman is more suited to acclimitise to different conditions
and the nature has always provided and reserved the best, to a woman.
Even among the animals,its the female who hold a respected figure in the clan.Among the lion pride,its the lioness who hunt,rear children and bring food to the male,but the king of the jungle is just namesake,the armchair executive.
coming back to the humans and we indians,we limit women to the confinement of 4 walls and shirk at the first instance of empowering them.we don't send girl child to school,though the ability of a girl child to learn and grasp things is far superior to boys.We ignore their views on any issues thinking them to be foolish,while its always a woman that has caused any revolution to take place,think of the adage,'theres a woman behind every man's success'.
Relating facts, of women being set apart from the mainstream or considered an inferior class in the proffessional set up in india,only14% of major companies employ 40%or more women and most of them work in lower levels or in middle management.the disparity in the salaries obtained by women doing the same job as their men conterparts is too high.
A recent survey conducted for gender gap revelas the dismal stage of the indian women,out of the 137 countries surveyed india stand at a poor 114th position.
women,as half of the human capital of india,will need to be more effeciently integrated into the economy in order to boost india's long term competitive potential.India's middle class will see a rapid growth offa very low base,but the shifts in spending are constrained due to the women's realtively low status at least for the next 10-15 years.
surprisingly,the political empowerment is far more evident compared to the role of women in any other walk of life.And we,raise our voice for 33% reservation for women candidates in lok sabha.If the same effort is taken to establish higher rate of girl education and reducing the infant mortality of girl child,we have hope of seeing India as a superpower in near future.and why not,we call our nation 'Bharath Matha',so its the women who are the torch bearers fro this run towards success. and that how it should be..
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
casteism
..yesterday we had a very scholistic discussion on the prevailing cast system and the umbrella of reservation on top of it.
Division of people on the basis of the jobs they do,colour of their skin ,languages they speak and the culture they follow are as old as 'puranaas',but unfortunately even today the people at the lower strata are downtrodden still.People were mainly catagorised on the basis of their livelyhood.A person who makes shoes is a 'chamar' and one who washes clothes is a 'dhobhi',and each member of his family is supposed to sustain that proffession and the next generation to follow suit.A chamar is born a chamar,lives a chamar and dies the same,he was not given the privilige to be learned and be wise.The so called upper class remained at the high end of the strata on the basis of land they own and power they possess to expolit others.Very sad that our society didnt have the dignity of labour and still continue to reel under that stigma,very different from the western part of the world where the skilled labour is always sought after and pays too.
Now, another cast has added upto the list ,the division of people on the basis of money and political power, another dangerous rift to have.we are slipping more and more deep into the world of ignorance and dividing ourselves among ourselves.
culture,a word which we never understand, often get confused with and we try to bring the ethnic tribes from the jungles to 'the main stream' in the name of upliftment.we purposefully ignore to understand that we are trying to uproot them from their natural habitat and plant them in our world,our culture??we believe living in concrete jungles,driving machines,using internet,eating junk food is a superior culture to theirs and want them to adapt to this.Is this not barbarianism,is this not conversion?have we ever tried to step into their world and understand them? can we ever go to the jungles,not as a tourist and try to survive even a week??They have a culture which is original and they still follow that.its us who are of an inferior race.
But still we dont eat food made by 'them'.still they are untouchables and they have seperate gods,thier women are raped,their children are made bonded labourers for life and noone cares.,
but we still try to 'uplift' them by teaching them 'english',asking them to wear jeans and work on computers.
Casteism is in our minds,till the day we understand that every human is one cast,noone is superior to the other,it will remain.
The next generation should marry from different races,casts,religion and bringforth children of a new breed who are just humans,nothing more,nothing less.
Division of people on the basis of the jobs they do,colour of their skin ,languages they speak and the culture they follow are as old as 'puranaas',but unfortunately even today the people at the lower strata are downtrodden still.People were mainly catagorised on the basis of their livelyhood.A person who makes shoes is a 'chamar' and one who washes clothes is a 'dhobhi',and each member of his family is supposed to sustain that proffession and the next generation to follow suit.A chamar is born a chamar,lives a chamar and dies the same,he was not given the privilige to be learned and be wise.The so called upper class remained at the high end of the strata on the basis of land they own and power they possess to expolit others.Very sad that our society didnt have the dignity of labour and still continue to reel under that stigma,very different from the western part of the world where the skilled labour is always sought after and pays too.
Now, another cast has added upto the list ,the division of people on the basis of money and political power, another dangerous rift to have.we are slipping more and more deep into the world of ignorance and dividing ourselves among ourselves.
culture,a word which we never understand, often get confused with and we try to bring the ethnic tribes from the jungles to 'the main stream' in the name of upliftment.we purposefully ignore to understand that we are trying to uproot them from their natural habitat and plant them in our world,our culture??we believe living in concrete jungles,driving machines,using internet,eating junk food is a superior culture to theirs and want them to adapt to this.Is this not barbarianism,is this not conversion?have we ever tried to step into their world and understand them? can we ever go to the jungles,not as a tourist and try to survive even a week??They have a culture which is original and they still follow that.its us who are of an inferior race.
But still we dont eat food made by 'them'.still they are untouchables and they have seperate gods,thier women are raped,their children are made bonded labourers for life and noone cares.,
but we still try to 'uplift' them by teaching them 'english',asking them to wear jeans and work on computers.
Casteism is in our minds,till the day we understand that every human is one cast,noone is superior to the other,it will remain.
The next generation should marry from different races,casts,religion and bringforth children of a new breed who are just humans,nothing more,nothing less.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
2012.
Its been more than an year now,since I read about the year 2012 and the catastrophe its going to bring on humanity and earth.The feeling of insecurity and intrigue had been eating my consious since then,went on in the search more and more about the predictions by mayans,the chinese and old english oracles and everywhere there is a mention of the year and the date 21st december.
The scientists throught the world say that the year 2012 is the time when a galactic shift take place and the axis of the earth may shift from its original position.This may cause havoc in the biosphere,and the signs are already here to see with climatic changes throughout the world,temperatutre rising and whirlwinds happening almost everymonth in each corner of the planet.
I have this ugly feeling inside me which tells me that something is going to happen just 3 years from now,maybe caused by reading all the stuff,but still... and we cannot do anything to fight nature,we will be just reduced to immobile misery when in contact with the fury.
All those who have known this and all those who will come to know about it,may live a better life from now on.Let this may be our reason to unite, as a species and forget all our hatred and enjoy 'life' to its fullest. love all and be good to nature for we may be pardoned from extinction.
Let us hope this wonderful civilization persist and the 'Armaggaddeon' doesnt happen..
The scientists throught the world say that the year 2012 is the time when a galactic shift take place and the axis of the earth may shift from its original position.This may cause havoc in the biosphere,and the signs are already here to see with climatic changes throughout the world,temperatutre rising and whirlwinds happening almost everymonth in each corner of the planet.
I have this ugly feeling inside me which tells me that something is going to happen just 3 years from now,maybe caused by reading all the stuff,but still... and we cannot do anything to fight nature,we will be just reduced to immobile misery when in contact with the fury.
All those who have known this and all those who will come to know about it,may live a better life from now on.Let this may be our reason to unite, as a species and forget all our hatred and enjoy 'life' to its fullest. love all and be good to nature for we may be pardoned from extinction.
Let us hope this wonderful civilization persist and the 'Armaggaddeon' doesnt happen..
Thursday, November 26, 2009
post 26/11
One year has gone by,since some cowards riding high on lunacy spread havoc among people whom they never knew,for a fanatic reason? or no reason at all,'because an act like such dont have any reasonable reasons.
yesterday,people and media 'celebrated' the anniversary by lighting candles,remembring those who lost their lives and film stars campainging for the 'cause'.The local administration had proclaimed of giving 'damages' to the kins of those who became 'martyrs'??Humans have the tendency to forget and specially our political and beuruocratic fraternity, lot of time has gone by so fast that they didnt have enough time to attend to their promises,because making promises is the only way they can win elections and fool the voters again and again.If we recall, immediately after the incident a chief minister was asked to leave his office,another minister opened his mouth and paid the price,lot of thinking ,lot of postmortem,lot of debates and promises again.
137 lives were lost,each one important for their families and any amount of 'money' thrown at them will not be enough to replace a lost life but we make promises and promises have the importance only when they remain promises.I often wonder when someone is killed this unnnatural way,the govenment anounces a monetary benefit,is it one of the ways by which the government is taking the responsibility of what had happened ??washing their hands clean by bribing people?/it is, a sort of bribing to get votes and get into power the next time again,so that they can be 'responsible' again.why can't the administration learn and at least dont repeat the same mistakes!,because we know no government in the world is perfect.
Now,another debate is in the air whether we should hang the gunslinger who was caught or leave him to the land where he belongs,this will go on for years because our judiciary is so fast that it takes 17 years and crores of taxpayers money to 'compose' a report on the demolition of a monument,which each unfortunate human being saw on live T.V. and ultimately let it 'leak'..oh! funny.
we have spent 1 year and 31crores of rupees on a person who had done this genocide and he is still eating, sleeping and even wanted to tie a 'rakhi' on one of the sisters of this land..uh!it stinks.
Let him be taken to each house where a member was lost and let him stay there,and know what pain he has caused?/and let him do this for the rest of his life, let that be his punishment,for if he stays in the custody of our judicary, many many crore will be spent and ultimately somewhere,someone will make a monument for him and revere him with a garland for his deeds,for this is a land where a 'Mahatma' was killed..
yesterday,people and media 'celebrated' the anniversary by lighting candles,remembring those who lost their lives and film stars campainging for the 'cause'.The local administration had proclaimed of giving 'damages' to the kins of those who became 'martyrs'??Humans have the tendency to forget and specially our political and beuruocratic fraternity, lot of time has gone by so fast that they didnt have enough time to attend to their promises,because making promises is the only way they can win elections and fool the voters again and again.If we recall, immediately after the incident a chief minister was asked to leave his office,another minister opened his mouth and paid the price,lot of thinking ,lot of postmortem,lot of debates and promises again.
137 lives were lost,each one important for their families and any amount of 'money' thrown at them will not be enough to replace a lost life but we make promises and promises have the importance only when they remain promises.I often wonder when someone is killed this unnnatural way,the govenment anounces a monetary benefit,is it one of the ways by which the government is taking the responsibility of what had happened ??washing their hands clean by bribing people?/it is, a sort of bribing to get votes and get into power the next time again,so that they can be 'responsible' again.why can't the administration learn and at least dont repeat the same mistakes!,because we know no government in the world is perfect.
Now,another debate is in the air whether we should hang the gunslinger who was caught or leave him to the land where he belongs,this will go on for years because our judiciary is so fast that it takes 17 years and crores of taxpayers money to 'compose' a report on the demolition of a monument,which each unfortunate human being saw on live T.V. and ultimately let it 'leak'..oh! funny.
we have spent 1 year and 31crores of rupees on a person who had done this genocide and he is still eating, sleeping and even wanted to tie a 'rakhi' on one of the sisters of this land..uh!it stinks.
Let him be taken to each house where a member was lost and let him stay there,and know what pain he has caused?/and let him do this for the rest of his life, let that be his punishment,for if he stays in the custody of our judicary, many many crore will be spent and ultimately somewhere,someone will make a monument for him and revere him with a garland for his deeds,for this is a land where a 'Mahatma' was killed..
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
school.
....a lonely life with only adults and nature around,maybe that would have shaped my character being a little reserved and introvert.dont remember any of my early days in school or nursery to be precise.we were in delhi at that time and i remember just this single,loud noice which would frighten me during my daily walk to school and return.I never asked about it to 'achcha',but i could observe that he knew my concern.The noice came from a single story building on the right hand side of the road on the way,in the mornings.I would hold my father's finger tight when i approach the place.most of the times in afternoons,while returning i would not hear it but i hear it in the evenings when we go to buy milk from one of those milma booths.the palce was more eeire to me 'cause i never found a single human outside the closed door.
It turned out to be a judo class,the thumping sound being the sound when a body was thrown on the mattress below.ooops! a relief!
Then i joined K.V (kendriya vidyalaya sangathan) and started my school journey.i dont remember myself crying on the first day to school,away from the security of one's home and the care of parents.First time in the open big world with lot of kids like me.I certainly would have cried like many others,at least for a day..!I remember the names of some of my classmates even now and can visualize my class room .we all had one wooden desk with the flap on and a chair of our own.of!course have those black and white photographs of each class of students,it was a speciality on those days to take photographs at the end of each year.do the schools still have that ssytem dunno!but these are gems now, in my memoribilia and still feel the pride when i see those now hazy pictures of teens on blue and white uniforms...
It turned out to be a judo class,the thumping sound being the sound when a body was thrown on the mattress below.ooops! a relief!
Then i joined K.V (kendriya vidyalaya sangathan) and started my school journey.i dont remember myself crying on the first day to school,away from the security of one's home and the care of parents.First time in the open big world with lot of kids like me.I certainly would have cried like many others,at least for a day..!I remember the names of some of my classmates even now and can visualize my class room .we all had one wooden desk with the flap on and a chair of our own.of!course have those black and white photographs of each class of students,it was a speciality on those days to take photographs at the end of each year.do the schools still have that ssytem dunno!but these are gems now, in my memoribilia and still feel the pride when i see those now hazy pictures of teens on blue and white uniforms...
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
journey again..
I dont remember any part of my journey as a toddler which took me to all through the eastern and high altitude lands in the country.Maybe that explains my liking for mountains,forests and animals.I am always at home in those terrains,the cool breeze that flows, caressing the long grass and wetting your face with droplets of dew. Cattle grazing in a languid grace,where even time stops and looks at nature in awe.
People of these lands are also like the nature around,with innocence reflecting in their smiles,spreading happiness all around and living life, full.they work in the fields and grow what they need,they are contended with what they have and dont keep any big ambitions,they respect the land they till and it shows even in the methods of agriculture they follow,they dont cultivate the same piece of land throughout the year,giving a period of six months to hybernate and give the land to prepare itself for the next crop.
Road to serendipity is what i would say, which leads to a place in the mountains.Its an honour and I am proud that I was able to live in those beautiful pieces of land,very close to nature and harmony.sometimes...maybe sometimes, I would still like to go there and stay for long..and never to return again..
People of these lands are also like the nature around,with innocence reflecting in their smiles,spreading happiness all around and living life, full.they work in the fields and grow what they need,they are contended with what they have and dont keep any big ambitions,they respect the land they till and it shows even in the methods of agriculture they follow,they dont cultivate the same piece of land throughout the year,giving a period of six months to hybernate and give the land to prepare itself for the next crop.
Road to serendipity is what i would say, which leads to a place in the mountains.Its an honour and I am proud that I was able to live in those beautiful pieces of land,very close to nature and harmony.sometimes...maybe sometimes, I would still like to go there and stay for long..and never to return again..
Saturday, November 14, 2009
children's day
today is children's day and when i called back home,my kids were excited with their histrionics yesterday,they celebrated 'the day,' one day before and enjoyed every bit of it.Narrated the functions with that eager enthusiasm ,which the kids can only have. They participated in fancy dress,with 'chikku' being 'Radha,'chinju','unnikannan and kichu,the 'chendakaran.'unnikannan complaining that 'her' 'pullankuzhal' didnt produce any sound,though she tried her best.'our damsel Radha was at her best,though she wanted to become 'unnikannan',we pursued her to change,telling her that radha was taller. 'the chendakaran' now is adament on performing his feat at the temple festivals.
Their excitement took me back to my school days, when we had all the fun.I miss those days,the most wonderful days of anyone's lives,but the exposure,that the kids get now, is tremendous.At this age they know why we celebrate 'children's day.when i asked my kids,I never expected an immediate reply,but their answer was sponataneous and they pronounced 'chaacha Nehru' with utmost ease.I dont think,at our times I knew so much.
Let us celebrate their joy and be one among them and not lose that innocence which makes this world still a wonderful place to live in.
I also would like to remember that small boy who used to accompany his father to the family quarters at the military camp,where we used to reside and would help polish the officer's shoes,when we were getting ready to go to school.,and the girl who used to lend a hand to her mother in cleaning the 'primitive' toilets in the same camps.This childrens' day is for them too and thousand others who never go to school,who are not fortunate enough..even to know what this day mean..'this day' is same as any other day,earning their daily bread.They cannot afford to celebrate 'cause that would cost them a meal..
Let them be happy too, on this day,'cause'chaacha' loved all of them like flowers.
Let us love every child,for they are..what we were..
Their excitement took me back to my school days, when we had all the fun.I miss those days,the most wonderful days of anyone's lives,but the exposure,that the kids get now, is tremendous.At this age they know why we celebrate 'children's day.when i asked my kids,I never expected an immediate reply,but their answer was sponataneous and they pronounced 'chaacha Nehru' with utmost ease.I dont think,at our times I knew so much.
Let us celebrate their joy and be one among them and not lose that innocence which makes this world still a wonderful place to live in.
I also would like to remember that small boy who used to accompany his father to the family quarters at the military camp,where we used to reside and would help polish the officer's shoes,when we were getting ready to go to school.,and the girl who used to lend a hand to her mother in cleaning the 'primitive' toilets in the same camps.This childrens' day is for them too and thousand others who never go to school,who are not fortunate enough..even to know what this day mean..'this day' is same as any other day,earning their daily bread.They cannot afford to celebrate 'cause that would cost them a meal..
Let them be happy too, on this day,'cause'chaacha' loved all of them like flowers.
Let us love every child,for they are..what we were..
Thursday, November 12, 2009
journey follows...
..most of my childhood was away from home,my most beautiful place on earth ,kerala. land of coconut,land of spices ,the land where the euoropeans landed first,and the land where politics is a part of daily life,every person is aware and emotionally attached to the states' politics.the land where a 'daily' newspaper is as essential as the daily cup of morning 'kattan chaya' and'bidi',where the literacy rate is as high as 80%,which is 20% higher than the national average,the land where girl education is more than above average,compared to the national average..But,the exploitation against women happen the most ,where you find sepearte seats for women in the local transports and where women fear to come out alone at nights,where the fiscal defecit is always on the negative and the most 'commonest'man likes to spend more than he earns,where he spends more than 70% of his income on a house of his dreams,where the cost of living increase on every new project, the government announces..the only state in the whole of the country, where there is no specific distinction from a city and a village,where a common man is in access to every facility a city dweller enjoys,even in the remotest of villages..its really a heaven as everyone proclaim,.there are certain places on this wonderful land, even gods would envy.This land is blessed with all that one could dream of ,as far as natural beauty is concerned.
I am proud that my soul belong here and i speak the language of this land.The village ,which is the land of my forefathers is a tiny one,with believers of all faiths residing in an area of 15 sq.m,in which there are hotels,theaters ,temples,churches and a mosque,primary and secondary schools.
rice fields,planktons,coconut trees are part of the greenary spread across,a small pond is a proud asset to every household,which is becoming a rarity nowadays ,thanks to the land mafia,and the common villager succumbing to the greed,which is obvious in the 'tsunami of power and money that flows..for the destruction of our naive countryside and a commoner...
I am proud that my soul belong here and i speak the language of this land.The village ,which is the land of my forefathers is a tiny one,with believers of all faiths residing in an area of 15 sq.m,in which there are hotels,theaters ,temples,churches and a mosque,primary and secondary schools.
rice fields,planktons,coconut trees are part of the greenary spread across,a small pond is a proud asset to every household,which is becoming a rarity nowadays ,thanks to the land mafia,and the common villager succumbing to the greed,which is obvious in the 'tsunami of power and money that flows..for the destruction of our naive countryside and a commoner...
Sunday, November 8, 2009
criticism
A great day for me,when a 'very special' person came out with a strong and genuine criticism.A comment on an inbuilt complex,which drags my creativity to an extent of self praise.its true that somewhere,on some of the issues that i raise, i sound unreal in my commitment of that issue,maybe the way I present it,i stress on it with more emphasis than required and which result in losing the charm of reading it,and it becomes a personal affair,rather than highlighting the cause.
Or may be,I try to show people around that i am aware of these issues and try to be a bit superior??different??.
Now, only someone who knows me so very well can comment on this..wow!! its an eye opener maybe some kind of an insecure feeling inside me has caused this,which certainly has to be removed,which I was aware of but never dared enough to reach inside and pluck it out.
This is why I say,you got to have few people around you who know you better.better than even yourself. some of the things , even if you are aware,you don't show the courtesy to admit.A big crime that we are showing to ourselves.
Now, when i have become aware,i am at great peace and maybe have become a better person,I was, a few hours before. I don't thank that person,because we know the psyche', of each other so very well, that its just understood,( even if we don't admit that) and its unconditional!!??.Is there someone else,who can do this for me??maybe my kids no one else.
Its a mind game...
Or may be,I try to show people around that i am aware of these issues and try to be a bit superior??different??.
Now, only someone who knows me so very well can comment on this..wow!! its an eye opener maybe some kind of an insecure feeling inside me has caused this,which certainly has to be removed,which I was aware of but never dared enough to reach inside and pluck it out.
This is why I say,you got to have few people around you who know you better.better than even yourself. some of the things , even if you are aware,you don't show the courtesy to admit.A big crime that we are showing to ourselves.
Now, when i have become aware,i am at great peace and maybe have become a better person,I was, a few hours before. I don't thank that person,because we know the psyche', of each other so very well, that its just understood,( even if we don't admit that) and its unconditional!!??.Is there someone else,who can do this for me??maybe my kids no one else.
Its a mind game...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
back to the journey..
it might have been fun ,crawling on all fours....never care attittude.Each moment u see a new thing, which would tickle your curiosity and then let loose to experience it,not afraid of anything.I think this attittude loses at that stage itself,'cause afterwards you are fed with the incessant advices of what not to do.But then, that is the fun.. to do things which are taboo!! for you and the feeling that everything u see is something to be eaten,'cause i feel that is the only worry for you then,to eat when you are hungry,even flames seem to be edible.And this is the period when you can cry really LLLOOOUUUDD, that too in open, full to your satisfaction and to others ire.
ooooooh its really naughty to do things which irritate others and you smile sated achieving that. a sadistic approach heee..
I believe i was not that naughty ,nobody told me so ,at least.. but, i might have given some tough times to 'amma'.well! talking about my 'amma'.. a frail lady,the same as she is now.I have seen some old black&white photographs(real gems) of hers,non smiling even those days too and she was pretty,with thick eyeliners,which i dont like at all,they say,eyeliners are used to enhance a girls beauty,i find it very odd..anyway coming back to amma,a silent lady with some temper and lot of patience .when she gets angry,she talks to herself and rather be alone than spend all the anger at someone.memory eludes me of my initial days with her,but the bond is very strong..more than a mother to me she is a wonderful woman who has had a tough life.Life rarely offered her with enough happiness,lost her father when she was three?!being the youngest in the family of 6,she used to tell a thing or two about her childhood,her school days,pranks that her brothers would do ,(one such i remember about her 2nd brother who would perch up one of those cahew trees..and 'loo' sittting on top of the branches .hey! thats an innovative way of relieving urself,when i see 'uncle' now i used to giggle).And of!course she used to tell me about my father',they studied in the same school and he was a close friend of my youngest uncle.I tried to get more info.about whether she was smitten by his charm on those days itself,but she would stave off saying ,those time 'we were even afraid of looking at boys'. you never know...!! that could be the best period she would have had....
ooooooh its really naughty to do things which irritate others and you smile sated achieving that. a sadistic approach heee..
I believe i was not that naughty ,nobody told me so ,at least.. but, i might have given some tough times to 'amma'.well! talking about my 'amma'.. a frail lady,the same as she is now.I have seen some old black&white photographs(real gems) of hers,non smiling even those days too and she was pretty,with thick eyeliners,which i dont like at all,they say,eyeliners are used to enhance a girls beauty,i find it very odd..anyway coming back to amma,a silent lady with some temper and lot of patience .when she gets angry,she talks to herself and rather be alone than spend all the anger at someone.memory eludes me of my initial days with her,but the bond is very strong..more than a mother to me she is a wonderful woman who has had a tough life.Life rarely offered her with enough happiness,lost her father when she was three?!being the youngest in the family of 6,she used to tell a thing or two about her childhood,her school days,pranks that her brothers would do ,(one such i remember about her 2nd brother who would perch up one of those cahew trees..and 'loo' sittting on top of the branches .hey! thats an innovative way of relieving urself,when i see 'uncle' now i used to giggle).And of!course she used to tell me about my father',they studied in the same school and he was a close friend of my youngest uncle.I tried to get more info.about whether she was smitten by his charm on those days itself,but she would stave off saying ,those time 'we were even afraid of looking at boys'. you never know...!! that could be the best period she would have had....
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
another milestone..
'today is our wedding day',thinking back.. we have come a long way.. and a long way to go further.
Today,when you are not here and as usual, no celebrations either,i would like to tell u that you are a great lady and the immense pain that you are going through, shows how tough the time is and when things get tough, the tough gets going..I salute you for the resilience you have shown,the steely determination with which you have fought against all odds.. Just like a true fighter don't ever lose your ground,you may even fall down,but dont ever throw the towel.you will find me beside you,egging you on..sharing your pain.
Always keep that wry smile on your face and laugh a lot at life..which was never easy with us.
Remember what i used to read aloud for you ,from the book,'power of subconcious mind'..and believe..things will change..nothing can defeat us..
savour the moments of another'unusual' wedding anniversary.
Today,when you are not here and as usual, no celebrations either,i would like to tell u that you are a great lady and the immense pain that you are going through, shows how tough the time is and when things get tough, the tough gets going..I salute you for the resilience you have shown,the steely determination with which you have fought against all odds.. Just like a true fighter don't ever lose your ground,you may even fall down,but dont ever throw the towel.you will find me beside you,egging you on..sharing your pain.
Always keep that wry smile on your face and laugh a lot at life..which was never easy with us.
Remember what i used to read aloud for you ,from the book,'power of subconcious mind'..and believe..things will change..nothing can defeat us..
savour the moments of another'unusual' wedding anniversary.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
More...
the last two days were hectic,reason for the blanks....,and then i understand u need to be motivated enough to get into this tedious activity,tedious.. when ur mind doesnt speak the words u want to..a numbness follow..
well!! but when I have decided to get retrospective into 'the journey',i have kicked myself and 'pronto i'm here again.
But today,i would like to give the journey some respite and address a very serious issue concerning with the land we live on. our beautiful earth.,
10,000 years ago civilization began,and then afterwards, humans became organized in groups,in clans,in tribes,they plouged land,they cultivated,but note more.. only that, what they needed,they used animals but never 'killled' ,they fought but they never waged war,for commerce.,they had their place in this beautiful place called 'earth' and they were happy.They were sated with what they had,they never wanted more..
But now when we got 'education',no not knowledge.. not wisdom,we want more.. more of everything.we want more space to live in,more food to eat..more land,not to cultivate anymore,but to build large structures..no homes to live in but just blocks to be sold and make more money..we fight now and waged war for the same piece of land,which day by day is just sinking,so much so that in a period of 50 years abeautiful group of islands called maldives will go under water and so as a big portion of sri lanka.
we want more..'cause we are never satisfied with what we have, which over time are depleting..but we gather more in this life and then leave behind all that to our children,who also will have more,more ,..of misery ..more.of hatred,more..of treachery more of everything but peace.
We have sown the seeds of more..and they are going to reap the crops of more...
sad..extremely sad that we are still ignorant,,we are still going beyond the sublime balance of needs and necessities..we are unaware that to date,nature has been doing a huge favour to us,the land and ocean have been providing a free ecosystem service in the form of sinks that store co2.As much as 50% of today's co2 emisssions are absorbed by terrestrial and marine ecosystem,but the capacity of this ecosystem service may nowbe decreasing due to temp.increase,acidification of oceans,and land use changes..
today we sit around a table and discuss this at the UN sponsored climate change conference at copenhagen on reducing green house emissions..at the same moment millions of cranes are operating world over in constructing new blocks and millions of trees are cut to provide the land for us to live. waters of the oceans are encroached to build resorts for the ignorant us to enjoy a passtime...
we have to wake up and realize that we are pounding this abode of ours with hammers and hurting it..even though we are living on the threshold of catastrophe, at least we can reduce the pain we give to our children..if we can still live a simple life..
oh! Earth,my heart bleeds for you..
well!! but when I have decided to get retrospective into 'the journey',i have kicked myself and 'pronto i'm here again.
But today,i would like to give the journey some respite and address a very serious issue concerning with the land we live on. our beautiful earth.,
10,000 years ago civilization began,and then afterwards, humans became organized in groups,in clans,in tribes,they plouged land,they cultivated,but note more.. only that, what they needed,they used animals but never 'killled' ,they fought but they never waged war,for commerce.,they had their place in this beautiful place called 'earth' and they were happy.They were sated with what they had,they never wanted more..
But now when we got 'education',no not knowledge.. not wisdom,we want more.. more of everything.we want more space to live in,more food to eat..more land,not to cultivate anymore,but to build large structures..no homes to live in but just blocks to be sold and make more money..we fight now and waged war for the same piece of land,which day by day is just sinking,so much so that in a period of 50 years abeautiful group of islands called maldives will go under water and so as a big portion of sri lanka.
we want more..'cause we are never satisfied with what we have, which over time are depleting..but we gather more in this life and then leave behind all that to our children,who also will have more,more ,..of misery ..more.of hatred,more..of treachery more of everything but peace.
We have sown the seeds of more..and they are going to reap the crops of more...
sad..extremely sad that we are still ignorant,,we are still going beyond the sublime balance of needs and necessities..we are unaware that to date,nature has been doing a huge favour to us,the land and ocean have been providing a free ecosystem service in the form of sinks that store co2.As much as 50% of today's co2 emisssions are absorbed by terrestrial and marine ecosystem,but the capacity of this ecosystem service may nowbe decreasing due to temp.increase,acidification of oceans,and land use changes..
today we sit around a table and discuss this at the UN sponsored climate change conference at copenhagen on reducing green house emissions..at the same moment millions of cranes are operating world over in constructing new blocks and millions of trees are cut to provide the land for us to live. waters of the oceans are encroached to build resorts for the ignorant us to enjoy a passtime...
we have to wake up and realize that we are pounding this abode of ours with hammers and hurting it..even though we are living on the threshold of catastrophe, at least we can reduce the pain we give to our children..if we can still live a simple life..
oh! Earth,my heart bleeds for you..
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The Journey .......
‘what do u call a journey in which the explorer is unaware of its beginning and remains the same throughout, even though he fully realizes what the culmination can be, whichever path he walks, it leads to just the sole destination, a dead end.
This is life, the journey of life.
And thus began my journey, on a Thursday, cold December midnight, in an hospital, in one of the remotest, Northeastern part of India, where a joy of being born begins and ends with the distribution of sweets to people who recede to oblivion the very next moment and to whom, it doesn’t really matter.
But I believe my ‘folks’ would have been really happy,’ cause they gave me a name which ‘suggests’.Afterall, I was the first fortunate one to be born alive after two casualities, before. They say, I did not cry, which was quite unusual ‘then’. Maybe,I forgot to cry, my memory is still the same uh!!. Or maybe, I realized quite early that there is enough time for that,for what I was going to face ahead would need a lot of that.
Memory doesn’t allow me to get into the initial part of my journey, but they say I was a feeble, fragile character who refused to eat to everybody’s satisfaction. My appetite was always put to test and compared to my peers nearby, who gobbled anything and everything that was on offing.Although, it changed quite drastically during my travel later. As they say, people and their behavior are always unpredictable, they change in a jiffy.But,I was liked by everyone,maybe ‘cause of the colour of my cheeks,one of the advantages to be born in a cold part of the country,and more so,’cause I didn’t show any ‘airs’ and jumped shoulders to shoulders when they came,calling. It was fun, savouring the fact of being the centre of attraction of a very big family and being the eldest…….
Friday, October 30, 2009
CASTLE IN SAND
The smooth silky sand, tickled her tiny feet
She wandered far, to play in the sun
And burn her nimble feet
For she was adamant to show her castle
Set on the sandy seat.
Her limbs were red and palms sweat
but she tread on without a moments rest.
The sky turned orange and then a shady grey
She could hear the distant rumble
and heard the croaks were gay.
Birds flew to their far abode,
To find their young ones
frightened and loud.
She walked back, dragging her feet
With soiled clothes and muddy face,
Looking back, she saw her castle
looming large with a shiny glow
and then some drops fell on her brow.
Back at home she prayed
What would she do if it rained?
She hit her bed and slipped to sleep
saw her dreams and started to weep
for her castle was in a muddy heap.
When the dawn broke, she was still asleep
Down on her pillow, buried so deep.
She shivered in the morning chill
and the sun peeped through the window sill.
She ran through the trees,
By the pond, near the temple
to her castle, in the breeze.
She searched in vain
For nothing was left, in the heavy rain.
There remained some lines on the sand
Bent on her knees,
She touched them with her hand.
Tears tickled down her cheeks,
Felt the pain in her soul
Then a hand touched her cheeks
And soothed her jowl.
She was told, her castle was liked
By the god of rain and wind alike
It is gone with them
To be the home of many alike
Small, old, children of the land
Who are not cared and are lonely band
She smiled, now she know
for she had built, a home so special
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