Charan's Feet

Charan, with cracked feet and worn out slippers, climbed down the steps from his one room residence in Dharavi, the biggest slum in Asia. His climbing down was slow in contrast to his rising. As an orphan, he had nowhere to go, no place to sleep, nobody to call his own. Had it not been for Shantabai, he would have been a lost soul. But here he was, owner of one room in Dharavi. His desire to have a family and lead a normal life, would have been fulfilled had he not been a hitman for the local goon. 

After climbing down the stairs, Charan started slowly in the direction of the tea stall. His mind was in turmoil, just like the hot stirring ginger tea. It had been a few weeks since he had noticed the blurred vision in his right eye. No wonder his target practice had taken an aberration. Anyway, after finishing his tea, Charan dragged himself to the clinic where he was asked to wait in the queue. Had it been another day, Charan would have demanded to meet the doctor immediately, but something held him back. When his turn came, he was greeted by the doctor, who immediately pulled out a report, taken a few days back. The doctor’s voice was clear, ‘Your head scan shows an extremely large tumour in the left brain….your blurred vision is a result of this…. I am sorry, but you have a few hours to enjoy your life’.

The shock was visible on Charan’s face and his entire body went numb. His dream of having a family was shattered. ‘Ah yes, you have a healthy body’, continued the doctor. ‘Why don’t you think of organ donation ? This way you will live through so many souls’ said the doctor. Charan, the hitman, would have heard nothing from the doctor, but he knew the doctor was right. With a twinkle in his eyes and faster steps, Charan climbed the stairs to his room. His feet were no longer cracked, they had healed. 

When two MILs met !

Anuja was relaxing on the sofa, watching the television; after a busy day at work. Her daughter, Ira and mother in law, Sumantai; both representatives of young and previous generation, started to share their views on the program on television. Anuja enjoyed the ongoing light discussion in their cozy home with a heavy downpour outside.

The doorbell rang and all three women in the house looked at each other, perplexed, each thought, "who could have come in such a heavy rain ?"

On opening the door, they found their elderly neighbor, Pravaratai; with something in her hand. Her big smile brought excitement into Anuja's relaxed drawing room. All the women started talking with the sound of rain in the background.

"I made chakalis this afternoon for my grand daughter, Nita, and brought for you all to relish too !" Pravaratai's chirpiness and generosity was known to all neighbors. The fresh chakalis and warm chatter, along with the dull television programme, the evening lit up. "My Nita likes only home made chakalis and especially the ones that I make". Pravaratai beamed with pride and chatted on various topics under the sun. "Even my maid mentioned the other day about the new hotel and how it was different in its food. She is such an efficient lady, manages her home and job along with taking care of me".

The abrupt mention of maid got me thinking. Both senior ladies and mothers in law had to keep their discussion to general topics; leaving the daughters in law from the conversation. Obviously, it would not be appropriate to discuss the daughters in law in the presence of one !

My thought process was broken when my mother in law started to praise our maid. Sumantai would not be left behind. She would not leave our maid from the discussion. "Our maid is such an industrious woman, she takes care of her brother's family, goes to the fields for rice plantation and palkhi......."

And so the discussion went on. Both the ladies made great efforts to outdo the other in terms of being lucky on the home affairs front. They enjoyed to keep each other company, but their predominant womanly nature also made them compete; be it their joys or their problems.

It made me happy to know that modern women have found different positive topics to keep them preoccupied rather than gossiping about mundane and usual things. 

Old Vendor

Gunabai, a roadside old vendor was the perfect embodiment of age, happiness and contentment. She would sell vegetables and fruits such as berries, guavas, sweet corn, ginger, etc; sitting on a plastic stool and a wicker basket that would not have held more than four kgs of her ware. Her simple Maharashtrian sari with the pallu over her head would reveal her tanned and cracked skin that literally glowed with happiness on seeing known customers. I always made it a point some thing, just so that she could earn her living. 

One day, I saw big red raw dates in her basket. They were very tempting and I immediately enquired about their cost. "Very nice dates, dear; they are for Rs 40 for half a kilo", she said. 

I was surprised to know the cost of dates for the usual cost was around Rs 50 for the same quantity. I knew Gunabai and did not want her to be in any loss. I immediately told her, "why you are taking less amount ? Your fruit is much better than other vendors and still you are selling it cheap !"

"Oh ! what will I do by taking a higher cost ? I am happy that you like my dates."

Her response surprised me, knowing fully well that people fight tooth and nail to earn the extra buck. I gave her warm smile and purchased one kg of the fruit. Till this day, I am amazed by Gunabai's richness.

Tech Savvy Sherlock Holmes

[This post is work of fiction.]

It was in the spring of the year 1999 that all IT professionals were interested and IT giants dismayed by the breakdown of the famous operating system under the most unusual and inexplicable circumstances. The public had already suffered because of its problem and a lot many important things lost due to technical ignorance and I simply could not but sympathize with those with heavy financial and data losses. 

The bark of Pluto, our landlady's dog, broke my chain of thoughts and I found myself sitting comfortably, half dozing, half looking at the newspaper advertisements in front of my eyes, in the warm room at 29, Baker Street. Holmes was still busy with his program on Java, that's what I was told, though I have no knowledge of computers and people find me funny to say so rather than do a bit of learning on computers which (computer) I think should not be allocated so much responsibility. I have always relied on my wife with running the house and reminding me of my appointments.

"So Watson", said Holmes suddenly, "You plan to take a personal computer ?"

I gave a start of astonishment. This sudden intrusion into my most intimate thoughts was utterly inexplicable.

"How on earth do you know that ?", I asked.

He clicked on his screen saver and turned around to face me so that I was in his full view. "Well, once I give an explanation, please do not say 'how simple it was!'", said he.

"I am sure I will hardly say such a thing".

"Good", so saying he once again turned to face the screen. "I saw you in the mirror opposite to me. You were holding the bun (bread) in your hand as I hold this mouse which means that you were taking computer classes and surely you won't deny the fact that there is a small advertisement on the front page of the newspaper about a second hand computer. Does it all add up now ?", said Holmes with the sneer on his face.

"How simple ! ", I cried.

"Quite so, but only after I explain it to you", saying this he placed a bill in front of me.

"What's this ?", I asked. The whole thing looked as if I had to pay if I asked for an explanation.

"This is what the dealer gave me when I asked him to load the entire software again as yesterday my PC crashed due to a virus in it and today the newspapers are full of such crashes the world over. The analysts are investigating the problem but have not come up with anything substantial. Here, read the note", said Holmes.

'Help required - Gill Bates', was all that was written on the small piece of paper.

Holmes looked worried. I could well imagine his concern, for the computers the world over had crashed and people were still in the dark about its cause. His brother, Mycroft had also sent him a blank email which meant even the governments were getting alarmed.

"Trrrrrr....", the bell rang and Holmes smiled. "That is Mr. Sam, my dear Watson, whom I had asked to look up the people at Microsoft. He's an excellent help and I hope to get a clear picture of what is happening at Microsoft".

The door opened after a soft knock and Mr Sam came up to Holmes. "I need to talk to you in person", said Mr Sam.

"Oh, that's no problem. Dr Watson is a dear and trust worthy friend of mine", said Holmes and gestured me to sit.

After the discussion when Mr Sam left, Holmes was lost in thought and forgot all about my existence. I thought it best to leave. As I opened the door, Holmes suddenly smiled and turning to me asked "Do you like to surf the internet ? If you do, please look into the information section on 'C'". His habit of using the Encyclopedia continued even with the computer, the thought amused me and at the same time, I was also convinced about my friend's madness, but I decided not to ask him an explanation again and get a bill in return. I instead excused myself and spent the rest of the day at my clinic.

The next morning, I woke up early, had my breakfast and decided to walk down to Baker Street. People were gathered around the paper boy as bees to the beehive and I too joined the group, lest I missed out on some important news.

It was there on the front page : 'The  Chermotyl Virus Mystery Solved'. As I read through the explanation, one sentence caught my eye, 'Mr Sherlock Holmes gave his assistance to .....'. The mention of his name was enough to rest my doubts. 'So Holmes had indeed found an answer when he had smiled. I hurried. My walk was as fast as could be.

"Holmes, Congratulations ! I knew you were up to something', I said.

"Have you browsed the internet ?", he asked. As it is, I had not. "Your face tells me that you did not. If you had, you would have known the cause yesterday itself rather than today through the papers".

"Holmes, don't you think, I'm entitled to your side of the story ?", I asked apologizing for my laziness and haziness.

"To begin with, the date coincided perfectly with the 13th anniversary of the disaster at Chermotyl in Ulraine, which made everybody think of a Prussian hand. But that was not so, Watson. In fact, the virus was introduced by Mr Choooong from Taiwar who is a friend of Mr Bates. He took advantage of Mr Bates and loaded the virus which would be activated on the 26th April. He coincided the date well with the Chermotyl disaster to mislead us. The virus affects only a few versions of the concerned operating system. It erases the computer's hard drive and writes gibberish in the computer's BIOS. On activation, the virus would delete the primary partition on hard drive and create 4 new partitions, confusing the processor".

"Once, I got information about all the people associated with Mr Bates, I narrowed on Mr Choooong as he was the only one who had the access to the codes and taking advantage of Mr Bates' trust. And this way, you have one more chronicle to your collection", so saying he sat down to have his breakfast.

As for me, I was as confused about his analytic prowess as I was about his methodical mind, but happy to be with him, always. 

Macbeth's Witches oops Wishes

(Ref : Wikipedia) Shakespeare's witches are prophets who hail Macbeth, the general, early in the play, and prophesy his ascent to king.  Upon killing the king and ascending the throne of Scotland, Macbeth hears them ambiguously prophesy his eventual downfall. The darkly contradictory witches, their "filthy" trappings and supernatural activities, all set an ominous tone for the play.

Macbeth - a book that I read as a teenager, left me always wondering about the three witches. Do witches really exist ? If yes, will I also meet one? Is it indeed possible to know about one's future ? All these doubts gradually ceased to exist as my personal and professional life grew engrossing, busy and satisfying. I realized that our inner strength and interest drive our life in setting and realizing our goals. Even the journey along the way of goal realization is an experience in itself. Friends and well wishers provide the directional arrows to keep us on our track. We neither need the witches nor their prophecy to realize our dreams, but yes; any wrong intentions surely require the support of witches; for it is the witches who merely provide the fuel to the fire of destruction. In fact, the witches are nothing more than mere wishes.

This fusion of human nature and story telling is also seen in our everyday lives. Every individual is an architect or bearer of his or her life. Both roles ie of architect and bearer; are important for the living and gelling of ones life in the man made society. I recall an incident that confirmed it. 

One day,  over cold glasses of nimbu pani in the hot summer sun, five friends were trying to catch up with the happenings in their life after a gap of about five years as a result of them graduating and moving along their chosen career.  The talk started with individual current happenings then moved to family and their likes and dislikes; their individual career and job aspirations; their individual household problems and so on... Each had their idea of happiness and also had problem areas that were either manageable or out of their control. The regular flow of talk about family and career soon progressed to being just individuals. And no sooner, Macbeth's witches also joined in. The distinction in this personal talk happened as soon as negative emotions took over the friends. The 'witches' oops 'wishes' resided for as long as the group thought fit and no sooner they realized the effect of the 'witches' than the group of friends quickly held their words in check. 

The incident is an example of human nature at its best. It dawned on me that dissatisfaction at times leads to the calling of the witches to vent out the frustration. Macbeth probably did not meet the witches but acknowledged his wishes. 

Madness vs Euphoria

 

I feel so much happiness within. The beauty of the world is so great. My body and soul, together is in tune with nature. The excitement brought by mother earth and nature is so much alluring.

The chirping of the birds bring immense joy that I can only feel and enjoy. The rustling of the leaves and the water flowing down the stream over pebbles and boughs, fills my spirit with music that only I can hear. This naturally orchestrated music is neither predictable nor assumed. No one knows the conductor but I can hear the enchanting music.

The mix of dark and blue sky with its shades of white and gray clouds, rising golden sun, the disappearing moon, flying birds; moisten my eyes and drown me in amazement that perplexes me and my soul.

The taste of moist morning dew on my hands and cheeks and nose, brings the warmth of water on my dry parched soul. I feel rejuvenated at being blessed with this splendid sight that I can hardly behold.

I start dancing to the tune that I hear, see, taste and feel. My joy transcends into movements and the rhythm within takes me further towards happiness. The movement of arms and feet is in tune with the rhythm within. 

"Vrrrroooommmm....", the sound of a bike and a shout, "Get out of the way, you mad man .... ", jolts me awake. I find the soft earth turning to black asphalt road, the chirping of birds changing into blaring of vehicle horns, the sky giving way to metro city line, the sound and flow of water turns to a jet of vehicles. None knows where they are going, none exhibits joy on face, none understands me; I try to stop them so that I can share my vision, but not one has the time for me. 

"Are these people mad ?", I ask.

Child Enterpreneurs

The word 'Entrepreneur' has always intrigued, fascinated and perplexed me.

1. Intrigue - it comes due to the curiosity for the word 'entrepreneur', which is used with the term 'child'.  

2. Fascination - it comes because of interest in a foreign word that has become so popular. [Entrepreneur is a French word coined by the economist Jean-Baptiste Say, and usually is translated as, "adventurer"]

3. Perplexity - this is due to the fact that a child, considered to be growing and developing is now getting identified with being an entrepreneur.

It is not everyday that we get to meet real and happy entrepreneurs. I personally do not consider the word 'successful' very important in this description as its a relative term and very contextual. I have had the good luck of meeting a few entrepreneurs in various fields with different skills who had indeed made a positive impression with their break through approach; be it in selling groceries, providing household services or professional assistance. What really caught my eye was a very young gusty mechanic boy working at a workshop near my home. He was not old enough to start working nor did he meet the minimum age criteria. 

The happy boy had a liking for vehicles and would surprise everyone with his strength and knowledge to do the heavy work. Though he was short in height, he would move the two wheelers with ease. He probably attended school too and helped his father in the afternoons. His exceptional knowledge at a young age impressed one and all. 

Being curious, I asked him one day, "How do you manage to do such heavy work ?" To this he very simply replied, "Aunty, I love to look after vehicles and I don't feel this is work". The young boy's prompt and true reply stunned me. I met an entrepreneur who worked because of his interest and love for something and not for the need. This child entrepreneur coined a new meaning to the word.

Virtual Personality

6:30 AM - Alarm rings !
Navya switches off the alarm after a minute. Her eyes are still sleepy and her mind still foggy with yesterdays' late night party. She tries to curse the alarm but her eyes take her to the glass window which is shining with the gentle sun rays. "Ah, the meeting.... an important client ...... lunch ..... dress .... breakfast ........ mobile charger ..... her whatsapp status...", her thoughts now start to get more focused on the situation and things that need to be done. Quickly she takes a selfie with the sun rays behind her. Image posted and status updated to 'woke up to a beautiful morning ! Good morning !'. She has quickly gone through the 25 messages that she received after she disconnected at 2:00 AM. The jokes though funny don't amuse her, the long forwarded messages irritate her. Eventually, the sun rays camouflage the work pressure and irritation within.

8:00 AM - Navya reaches out to the door before checking that she has all things needed like mobile, charger, wallet, meeting papers etc. Her hungry stomach craves for some food but she needs to catch her 8:15 AM local train. Anyway, her flat stomach accentuates her formal attire and hence a quick photo for her friends to see. Whatsapp status updated to 'Purchased dress from LimeRoad'. The impressive dress hides her hunger pangs.

8:25 AM - Navya is seated comfortably in the local and quickly browses her 4G mobile for messages and mails. So many mails on health and exercise explaining the benefits of home cooked simple food along with a 25 minutes exercise routine. Thankfully, a vada  pav vendor comes along and Navya is quick to buy one or else she fears fainting. Such medical emergencies are costly for a girl staying alone in a big city. The messages have made the commute short and at the same time devoid her of observing or communicating with her co-passengers.

9:30 AM - Navya is comfortably seated at her office desk. Her job as a receptionist of a multinational company, is demanding and hectic. The spicy vada pav has only added to a craving for hot cup of tea. Her mobile beeps as soon as new messages pour in. Soon other employees start coming with sounds of pleasantries like 'hello', 'good morning', 'how are you', 'hi u look beautiful', 'new dress', 'looking great', 'missed the bus', 'hi local was cancelled' and 'oh dear ! isn't it good morning'; bringing life into the low ceiling, air conditioner cooled and formal atmosphere. Her friend working in the same branch comes and pinches her arm and asks for a selfie together with her. Whatsapp status is now updated to 'received compliments' and the DP changed to the latest selfie. Her life is like an open book with much to read in between the lines.

1:30 PM - At the lunch table, Navya opens her tiffin that she orders from the local mess. Hot food at last ! Navya relishes every morsel though it is no match for the food cooked by her mother. She herself is a good cook but has no time after the office, shopping, parties, beauty parlors and movies. And to mention her friendship with the man working in another company but the same premises. Her whatsapp status is immediately updated to 'Enjoyed a sumptuous lunch'. The comparison of mess food and home food and her family brings a thoughtful expression but she soon dismisses it for she has to plan the meeting venue and get it ready in time.

5:00 PM - Navya is already packing her things for she is in hurry to catch the local and get ready for a movie with her friend. The messages received during working hours are few but every time the mobile beeps, she is distracted from her work. The latest message from her friend is about the dinner after movie. She quickly posts her message and her compulsive need to update her status gets the better of her. In a hurry she can think of nothing else so her whatsapp status is updated to 'Bye, office ! In a hurry ...'

8:00 PM - Navya is in the multiplex watching the latest star war franchise but she is already thinking about the message from her parents informing her about her proposed meeting with a rich MBA boy that the pandit has approved. She tries to concentrate on the movie but the message keeps on popping in her head. At the end, she and her friend decide upon the restaurant and move out. The bright lights at the multiplex and the joyful crowd deserve a photograph with the people concerned showing the fun and excitement they had. Whatsapp status is quickly updated to 'Enjoyed Star Wars - a must watch'; by the time the waiter brings in their order. Their excited chatter dulls away Navya's turmoil.

1:00 AM - Navya prepares for bed. The watchman is heard shouting 'jagte raho ....' in the distance. A few cars zoom past her building. All is quiet. Navya is fast asleep after a tiring day. The other Navya is still awake for the mobile is yet not disconnected from the network.  Its virtual world out there.

Makes her wonder - is world virtual or am I ?

I am my maid's maid !!

It is a luxury for any working woman to have a house help at home. There is a symbiotic relationship between the woman of the house and the maid servant, that develops over a period of time and bonds the two women together. Though it is a boss employee association, I think we all agree that in a short span of time the two women welcome this association for their mutual interest and eventually respect each other. Maybe, at times, there are misunderstandings or ill feelings due to employee boss issue but finally, no one can do without the other. 

I am no exception to the above universal rule. My maid whom we call 'maushi'; is an elderly lady who amazes me with her energy and dedication. She has always helped me out whenever there have been adjustments related to her and my working hours or taking a day off for taking care of other problems. In turn, I have to follow her instructions on the resources she uses or demands. At times she also treats us by bringing fresh vegetables grown in her farm. Must say there is nothing more relishing than eating vegetables that have been hand picked and also a rarity in most cities. The taste and feel is heavenly. From my side, I gift her with a few necessities to make her living more easier. She is a part of our family and we all are polite and friendly with her. 

We all cherish such a gem of a person and especially try to adjust to any inconvenience caused due to her absence. So, when a few days back, Maushi informed us that she will not be coming for a week as she needs to work in her fields, we all distributed the tasks among ourselves. The distributed tasks were not much of a bother as we did them as per our schedule, though at the end of the week, I must say that our enthusiasm dwindled and we got bored. The next day our maushi was to resume her duty so all thoughts were diverted to her and her hard labour in the fields. We all wondered how tiring it must be to work in the fields after doing household chores. Her tired and rough hands in our imagination had a big impact; we all did the dishes and other things so that our maushi would not have to put in much effort. 

This practice of not burdening our maushi has resulted in us doing the household chores and I feel that I am my maushi's maid. This thought at times amuses me and at times it gives me a sense of satisfaction. 

Aunty Mat Kaho Na !!

Aunty Mat Kaho Na !! This dialogue by the famous actress from 'Hum Paanch', the television serial was and has become so famous as an idea or punch line; not only for the beauty industry but also the health sector, to lure young and very young customers alike. No wonder the first thing that comes to any woman on hearing being called 'Aunty', evokes a sharp reaction, 'Aunty Mat Kaho Na !!'.

The situation is very sensitive for women who are just married or have a small infant, but is more tolerable to women who have grown up kids (?). Such women have been tempered down not because of getting used to being called 'aunty' but because that they take it in their stride (looking at the brighter side) as their kids circle of friends keeps on expanding; or because they have been chiselled with their kid(s) constant demands and needs to pay any attention to their individuality. I happen to be a woman who now loves to hear being called 'aunty' for it means I am a confidante to all the teenage talk and their secret subjects. I get to discuss or meet my daughter's friends and feel like a youngster again in the evenings after a busy day in my office.

It was on one such busy evening after coming back from my office all tired and hungry that I finally decided to visit a dentist for some intermittent toothache that had insisted on its presence during the lunch time. My husband was more than happy to take me to the nearest dentist. His happiness comes not because of the fact that I will be treated for the pain but for the fact that I will have to be quiet during the treatment and worse still have my tooth scratched and drilled, as be the case. A short survey of the available dentists in our locality on a busy n lazy Saturday evening brought us in front of 'Miss Dentist' sign board. The feminist in me immediately opted for this clinic. A short form filling activity and other formalities, we were ushered into the consultation room where we greeted the doctor, a young woman dentist with a hello and explained my problem. The dentist diagnosed the problem and pointed out, "Aunty you will have to go in for a root canal followed by a ... ". With no other option, I decided to continue the treatment and her instructions.

The treatment involved many sessions during which various procedures and treatments were followed during the course of which I used to ask many questions on the need and reasons behind the treatment. Simultaneously I got used to alien terms like my 7 and 8 (ie teeth number), RC (root canal) etc and I would also try to be specific in their language. Our talk at times flowed towards general topics on our daily schedule, our family, etc. The variety in subject was a result of both being talkative. So on my third visit my dentist had started to build her own perspective about me as the inquisitive 'woman' and on my visit, greeted me with a 'Hello, how are you ?'. I did not fail to notice the absence of the word 'aunty' but it was the last thing on my mind for I had to be under tremendous suspense in anticipation for the pain caused due to still live nerves. On my next visit for the cap measurement, I was clearly instructed, "Swapna, you need to have dinner before you come for the final visit and strictly no water for an hour after the capping is done".

'Oh! wow, my name without any suffixes or prefixes was music to my ears even though my tooth was reduced to half its size. After that day and till day, I greet my dentist as 'Hello Doctor' and she with 'Hello Swapna'. The change in the greeting from aunty to first name did not happen because of some beauty cream or beauty treatment; it was more so because of the personality and individuality that was brought out from our conversation and communication.

Being called 'aunty' is not a reflection of our age but more so a reflection of the notion or expectation that the greeter has about you. Adding a suffix or prefix to the name has more to do with giving respect and defining a relationship than to hurt any woman.

‘M’NIK v/s ‘SAI’NIK

Sure, only the title is captivating; reality though, sadly; is quite disturbing. ‘My Name Is Khan’, a much awaited Shah Rukh Khan film has run into a controversy with the Shiv Sainiks. Its sad that movie lovers of a certain region would not get to see the movie in theatres due to the already tense environment that the people involved have created, be it with their words or their egos or their so called ‘wisdom’.

In between, the movie watchers have formed their own opinion of avoiding such tense situations. Money loss, life loss or property loss; are just a few ‘petty’ issues that the people have to handle. It’s indeed wise on their part to actually stay away from such issues and situations.

The people involved in either the film or the political party are doing their best to suit the wishes of the people above them. Ultimately, they are the ones who suffer like the public. The people at the top, though, suffer maximum amount of stress and anguish and a high sense of insecurity.

This whole situation brings one to think that if none benefits then why come up with such self created problems ? Why does one issue lead to the escalation of another issue and cause so much heartburn to others ? Why does one keep ones ego above everybody else’s or everything’s benefit ?

With so much being done for the publicity these days, either for promotional reasons or propagation purpose, who knows what the reality is, besides considering the fact that the somewhere, the public, party and promoters are getting a raw deal.

Migration and 'Im'migration

The first thing that comes to the mind is a flock of flamingoes coming all the way from Siberia to India to enjoy the warm weather. There are other birds and animals who follow the pattern of migrating from one place to another in search of better living conditions. Hardship is just a part of life and adjustment to the different territory is another parcel of life.

The recent past months show a lot of social unrest in some group of people regarding the inter state migration of people to some preferred part of the country. Folks, indeed Mumbai is in the limelight, it has always been and probably will always be.

Times have changed so much. 10 years back, most of the Indians would dream of wanting to work in some foreign land, earn money and lead a comfortable life. Even I was in awe of the stories that I heard; that of being alien in some foreign land and being all by oneself. The luxury that people experienced would also be the focus of many a conversation. The talk also included the warmth that all Indians shared amongst the natives of that land.

These thoughts brought me to another reality - weren't Indians themselves fighting on a regional basis ? The same behaviour was exhibited by the other countries for the Indians. They also felt that the job loss was to be conveniently put on the Indians who it seems agree to take up any work which they would squirm upon back in India. Indeed surviving in a different land is tough.

One of my visits to the Lion Park in South Africa, introduced me to an Australian Lady who had come all the way just to be with the Giraffes. We discussed so many things, talkative personalities that we were. The 30 minutes of conversation made us realize that it is after all just a human to human bonding that matters. No matter what hostility we have towards each other, it is ultimately the bonding also that brings us together.

The migratory birds stick to their flock and prefer the comfortable convenient destination. Even we humans try to be in our own group and look for greener pastures.

The Test

To get a certificate issued by any government organization, requires patience, pertinence and most important a very strong will to tide over whatever hurdles come your way. Right from starting with finding the location of the office to finding the officer in charge, one must exhaust all energy to finally hear of some errors or problems in one's case.

I had a similar such experience of wanting to get a certificate for which I had to take my daughter. So off we went together after the school hours and thankfully ! my daughter still had her 2 pony tails in proper condition. The rickshaw took us quickly to an old looking building and an even older looking office with just enough space for the person in charge to sit and handle the applicants' forms through an even smaller window.

Both, mother daughter duo enjoyed the discussion on the location and when our turn came, handed over the application and were expecting the receipt when lo and behold ! out came the error bug and so off we went to solve the problem. The nearest bank to solve the problem proved to be another platform for a new story. We took the elevator to the first floor and I waited for the door to open. But strange, it was taking quite some time. I was suddenly jolted from my concern when my daughter pointed to the open door behind us ! It was an elevator which had doors on the opposite side. What a fool we must have looked with our backs to the door !

On going inside, we found our waiting number was even larger than could be imagined and so we waited patiently to get our things done. As soon as our turn came the lady at the counter closed down for lunch and all that we two could do was have our lunch too ! But hats off to the punctual lady who really did not take more than 12 minutes, was attending to our request and in a jiffy, we were off to do our first work; which hardly took another 15 minutes or so.

The whole experience lasted for 3 hours and by the time we were seated in the rickshaw for the ride home, I was happy that we had managed to overcome the hurdles that were put forth before us by Almighty Himself and jokingly I mentioned to my daughter, "Hey, we finished the test !" This brought a smile on my otherwise tired daughter and who was more excited about the completion of test rather than the procedure of government application.

On and on we went about the whole experience of crossing over all hurdles and finishing the race. God had indeed tested her patience. But once the 'test of patience' had turned to a race, things suddenly looked bright for my daughter, she was more happy to have won the race and come out victorious. This made me wonder 'How nice it is to look at things from another angle altogether ?' This race suddenly made problems in life more easy to deal with. Its not the difficulties that bother you down for another view is that they are the same difficulties that gave you the tide of victory.

Little hearts, Bigger ideas !

"A clean slate is the best for writing and reading" And so is the child's mind for unraveling the original ideas. It is the reflection in its purest form, with no dust of streamlined thinking and no scratches of objective and subjective knowledge.

Its refreshing to know the ideas of a children. They see the world with their own view, they assess with their own understanding, they enjoy with their own enthusiasm; such is the beautiful world that it becomes difficult for them to comprehend an educated person's teaching.

It was on one such occasion of a mother daughter 'home work completion session' that I asked my daughter of a General Knowledge (GK) question from her book about God making whom as the most intelligent ? I had expected 'MAN' as the answer as per the writing or at the most hearing a joyous and mischievous 'ME' as the answer. But to my surprise, I heard 'GOD' as the prompt and straight forward reply. I was surprised and on giving it some thought, I realized that indeed, my daughter had said the right thing. God, if one believes in, is truly everything.

As a person, I do believe in a super power which I call as GOD. Although, I am not those religious kinds, I do have faith in the Almighty. Whether we follow the religious books or not, whether we tell ourselves of His existence, one thing that I am sure is that the universe is too big to comprehend and bringing uniformity in chaos and chaos in uniformity, does require His divine intervention. Trusting the intelligence and doing our duty unfailingly and with full dedication, benefits all and one.

Situations open your eyes and your mind and this incident of question answer session answered many questions unasked.

Me - The Driver, and He - The Instructor

Different people have different phobias and lucky people have none. God surely knows how to come up with innovative phobias and make people name them. Luckily for me, He did not have to make a big effort. Like most women (let me exclude good and efficient women drivers), I had car driving phobia. For 33 years, I kept myself away from the driver's seat and was happy to be in the back seat, carefully trying to avoid my commenting on other drivers. Its not that I don't drive, in fact I drive to my place of work using a two wheeler, but driving a four wheeler was simply not my domain, or that is what I considered.

At times, I did try to imagine as the driver and came up with a smug feeling as to whether I was driving a car or the car was driving me ! Thats something quite fascinating. I am sure that all the scientists who engineered a 'driverless' vehicle got the idea from people like me.

But to cut the sorry state short, I had to learn driving if I wanted to be more independent in a foreign country, thats what my husband told me. I was simply afraid, its like asking a child to go in the dark and switch on the lights ! I was that child trying to run away from darkness, in the process forgetting to bring in the light. How true ! So many of us try to run away from our fear or our phobias and in the process, we also miss the better side. And I for one, did not want this to happen to me. I decided to grab the bull by its horn.

And so there I was holding the horn, oops the steering wheel of the car after duly completing all the enrollment formalities. I was told of my instructor, Ram by name. I was wondering if he would be those scolding types who would do me more harm than good. There he came, a short thin man with black thin sharp mustache, I would say not more than 30 years of age. I had a sinking feeling as I had a notion that all men with mustache were strict disciplinarian.

With a short crisp clear voice, Ram Sir, as I called him, repeated all the driving instructions; that I had already learnt in my theory class. I was the first student for the day starting at 7 in the morning, with a much lesser traffic and a cool breeze. But I was perspiring sitting with the driving wheel in my hand. But off I drove, taking a turn, putting the brakes, switching gears, looking in the rear view mirror, the list is endless; for all things require coordinated effort and I was enjoying it. I was happy that I DROVE the car, as I stepped out.

The next day proved to be quite good, I was able to take a U turn, change gears and then Ram Sir commented on the improvement. Next he asked me to park the car behind another car and apply the clutch and brake. The bumbling fool I was, I hit the accelerator instead. "Excellent !" was all that my instructor commented. This made me take a resolve not to commit the mistake again.

Who would know, I would invent other bumbling areas ? The next day saw me with a stiff steering wheel, to which Ram Sir coolly said that I need to let go off the wheel and let it steady itself. This made me take a resolve not to commit the mistake again.

Hopefully, I did well on the 4th day and Ram Sir asked me to take the fourth gear. "THE FOURTH GEAR?" Oh, I was nervous as hell. "So do you think the sound has changed ?" asked Ram Sir. "Yep, it does", was my quick reply to hide my ignorance of the effect of the gear. "Well, I have a sore throat!", said Ram Sir. "Hey ! I thought you were talking of the car......... " was all that I could mutter and see Ram Sir comfortably enjoying the joke. After that, even I could not control my laughter and driving further became more fun.

The fifth day proved me as a good student, but not one without faults. I had started getting used to listening to my teacher's instructions and acting accordingly. Ram Sir mentioned before a crossing to see the road and take a good judgement. I like a fool, simply started to see in all directions ! "Hey, you need to just take a view, not enjoy the view !", said Ram Sir. 'Very clever', I thought.

Writing all these humorous incidents, made me wonder of my instructor's role; 'Isn't God doing the same?', I thought. God lets you take your decisions and lead your life, but at the same time, it is He who gives us the directions. It is under His guidance that we take the course that we have already taken, the path that we have already travelled. At times, God puts a difficult situation before us and lets us react; at times he makes us laugh by allowing us to enjoy the journey; but the most important thing to remember is that He is there for us all.

My instructor taught me many things as far as driving is concerned, but the biggest thing that I learnt was trusting myself with the knowledge that GOD is there for me. The past few months had been difficult for me and my husband due to job pressure, but the driving lessons taught us to trust God and follow His directions.

The Purple Eyed Man

Many a times I wonder, about the programmes on television for children, whether indeed the cartoons are kids or grown ups as cartoon kids !! The amazement turns to anger when I see innocence lost and spirit nipped in programs such as shin chan, Ben 10, Conan etc. It also makes me realize that more is yet to come.



The other day, my daughter was since evening talking about "Are you afraid of the dark?", a program which only explores your deepest fears, but causes much of an impact on the developing mind. It was because of one such story that my little one had a nightmare of a purple eyed man chasing her. She woke up at night and tried to find her mother. I was not aware of my daughter's state and the purple eyed man. But she was so clear, she told me her nightmare and all I could see was some purple colour in the dark and my mind still unclear as to the talk going on between us.



I held my dear one close to my heart and she slept peacefully in the cocoon of my embrace. That moment, I felt so much at peace; to see my child safe and breating deeply and happy to be near her mother. The purple colour no longer appeared to be the villain in my child's life, it was more of only a colour; colour that adds life to a painting, gives vibrancy to the other colours.



The morning came with yellows and orange hues;
and then the sky got blue.
What I remember is the colour Purple
for it brought me closer to my little girl.



The purple eyed man is nowhere to be seen;
he was afterall existing only within.
He left when it was morning,
leaving the two of us laughing !



The incident made me think, that in life the fear is only within. Why then do we try to find the world ie outside as the source or cause of misery. It is not that the world is black or white, it has shades of grey too, but what I like most is taking in the colours that are here there everywhere. And on second thoughts, I realized that maybe my daughter missed her father who was away from home for some work. What a menifestation of insecurity!



Have we ever thought of the purple eyed man? Does he not see the colour purple everywhere? In fact he sees the world differently than we do. And don't forget that there are three 'truths'; one is your truth, second is my truth and the third is the real truth. So how can we judge the purple eyed man? He only represents a fear that lies within us. If ony we could do away with our fears ! How nice would it be to enjoy the strengths that each and every individual on this earth possesses ! All of us will be happy indeed to put ourselves to good use and cause.



Television or technology is here to stay, what I can do is let only the impressions of colours make way.