TWO

           “What kind of person are you...Good or bad?” Ask this question yourself or anyone around you, the most probable answer would be, “Am sometimes good and sometimes bad, it depends on the situation” or would reply like, “Am good to good guys and bad to bad guys” But the persons who can be grouped as “good” alone or as “bad” alone, are those who had stood in the heart of people and history.

Bad means, being really good at being bad. Like the ‘Joker’ in ‘The Dark Knight movie’. Even in a class, the teacher will remember only the students who score 100 and the students who score 0, because both are special. Scoring zero is as hard as scoring 100. If you think am kidding, think back your own marks. You would have scored 10’s, 20’s… 90’s, 99, and even 100 sometimes. But how often have you scored ‘ZERO’?  Honestly I haven’t scored zero. So next time, never mock at a person who scores zeroJ 

 

                Consider Gandhi and Hitler. Gandhi was very good. Hitler was very good at being very bad. World can never forget both of them, not really because of their deeds, but because they never hid their own self. One proclaimed, “Yes! I am good” through his actions, and another one proclaimed through his actions, “Yes! I am bad”. They were never afraid to reveal the world their own self. Not only them, but many similar personalities, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’, are there in history of our own country and the world. But only the good-bad persons are those who are welcomed everywhere, we call them shrewd and smart. And we find the other kind of persons very different from us, that we cannot accept them one among us. Famous fighter Bruce Lee’s words would conclude this well, “I don’t fear a person who has practiced 1000 different styles of kicks, but I fear a person who has practiced a single style of kick, 1000 times”

                Every one of us has/had this quality of pure goodness or pure badness within us. But we hide this within us, to show mixed qualities, because of personal and social commitments. Every one of us is enslaved to every other’s thought. We fear what society will think about us if we behave differently, if we wear out of ordinary cloth, if I have an ordinary mobile, and a lot more “what will they think, if I’s…” We wear attractive clothes, not to our comfort but to attract others. Many marriages happen because of the same social pressure and status war. We hesitate to help someone injured in accident for the same reason. That’s the same reason why we confine ourselves into boundaries, communities, religion and god. That’s the same reason why we earn money too. Money can never give happiness and content to person. But we still go in length to earn it, not for us, but to earn respect from society. After all, humans are social animals.

                The day we break our shackles of social commitments and pass through the stage where we stop caring what others think about our actions, that day we will be most happy and content even with money just enough to buy three square meals a day, without worrying about next day’s meal.

Beyond Infinity...

Just imagine the following two scenarios…You wake up one fine day morning, and go out for a walk. A robotic bee fiercely flying past you at a speed little more than the speed of light, chasing a drone flight whizzing at a speed twice the speed of light. You return home tiered, baffled by the science defying encounter, and open the fridge to cool yourself with some fresh juice. When the super cool juice is going down through your food track, mom comes complaining to you that the fridge is not working for last one week.

Seems like a scene from some James Cameroon movie? It may be, because, a little physics will help you out to judge that above mentioned events are highly impossible, as they defy two fundamental laws/assumptions of physics that, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light and you cannot obtain work from a machine/system without supplying external power (Thermodynamics second law in simple language). In this article I did like to ask a small question. “Are the above mentioned events really impossible? Why should the laws of physics be always true? What if these laws are proved to be wrong in the near future and whatever we read in our physics texts ceases to be true anymore?”

I wish to group fundamental law into two types. First one can be the type of law that’s framed by careful observation of nature’s ways, like sun rises in the east, or the Newton’s gravitational law.    The second kind of law is of our interest, which reflects the human inability. If we can’t define or explain, why something is happening some way, but not the other way round, we frame it as a law or call it as god or evil. Stephen Hawking’s words fit in here perfectly, “Ignorance of nature’s ways led people in ancient times to invent god to lord over it over every aspect of human life”. Some centuries later, these words will fit in to our generation too. Here I will present two cases were laws of physics are defied by nature.

We all know plants and trees very well, as they are everywhere and are part of our daily life. I am obvious and hope you too are that plants and trees don’t have any motor pumps attached with them. And they are able to transfer water against gravity, from ground through roots to its vital parts, without any external power source. Physics relates this to concept of capillarity and many other phenomenon. If this is possible, why it is not possible to run a fridge or other systems without power?

     Another case which seems to defy Newton’s law of motion which can be simplified as, “A body remains in state of rest, unless and until it is acted upon by an external force”. At this place I would like to mention about “Sailing Stones”, which is found in Death Valley (Wish you had opened your Google tab). These stones seem to defy Newton’s laws because they slide from one place to another without any external force acting on them. Researchers are still presenting hypothesis, but the reason for this phenomenon is still unknown.

Nature has found its way around to obtain work without power, to move without force, and many other ways to defy laws of physics, still unknown to mankind. Mankind grouped these things under fundamental laws. But, as a famous saying goes, “Laws are meant to be broken”, and the day is not too far away. Who knows we may discover a particle or insects somewhere in the universe that may travel faster than light? And a day may come when physics books needs to be re-written.

P.S: Am neither a theist nor an atheist. Just a lover of Nature.

                                                                                       

Breathing Maths

"In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them." -- Johann von Neumann

(A discussion started by my college alumni group inspired me to write this article.)

The theme of the discussion was about, making the students to learn (feel) the applications of mathematics, instead of simply dumping the concepts in mind. On reading that e-mail thread, an incident which occurred during my high school days came to my mind. On a lazy afternoon in my high school, we were industriously solving some mindless matrix problem. Our only goal (including my math teacher) was to get the text book answer. Like a rare astronomical occurrence, I raised a question to my teacher. The question was not on Math.

I asked him, “Sir, what is the use of this matrices and vectors, which we were learning for past six years. Also they occupy first two chapters of the text book every time. Are they so important?” The whole class turned towards me. He looked at me as if I asked him a very silly question for his intellectual capability. After a brief moment he gave me the reply, which I remember until now and forever. It goes like this, “They have two uses. 1. They have 40% weightage in your final exams, 2. When you become a father, some day your kid may ask you doubt in matrices or vectors, and this will make you to help them with it, and that’s what real application of matrix is.” I am not ashamed to tell that I fell for that answer that time, as it is partially true in most case of our educational system.

I don’t know whether he really meant it or said in a funny sense. But whatever it is, his answer has two hidden facts.

1.       The curriculum of our education won’t change for decades to come, as it was the same decades before. Same subjects, same teaching methods, even same laboratory apparatus. It has been nearly 6 years since he had given me that answer, and yet students are reading the same curriculum which I read, same laboratory experiments, teachers working out same kind of problems. Same pattern follows in the case of college education too.

2.       We never applied whatever we had studied. It’s wrong to put it that way. More correctly, we have never tried to apply what we have studied, or never even thought of applying it. Math dies a peaceful death, after our school final exams. Resurrects again during our college math, only to die again half a dozen month later.

Just think for a moment, when is the last time you have been with Math? Most probable case would be, at high school math? 

But the fact is that we are living in a world of math, thinking “math lives only in book”.

             My intention is not to play a blame game on education system, teachers, or students. Or to explain the everyday applications of maths chronologically (as it will eat away hours of your time). But to hit home a simple fact...

Go deep down into anything, and you will find math there.

Everybody's story...

(written on the occasion of convocation day function)

As in any official function, our college graduation day programme too concluded with Indian national anthem, sung by a ‘DVD player’. I don’t know how many proud engineers present there, know to sing ‘Jana Gana Mana’ (I googled, Jana gana mana, as I wrote the above line).  After 52 seconds, my eyes ran through the certificate, which certified me as an engineer. I thought whether the person who certified us as engineers would dare enough to let us, to engineer the construction of his house? Or to fix the trouble in his SUV?  Or invest on us to start a software firm? I laughed at myself and left the convocation hall.

                As I strolled out of the Murugappa hall (convocation hall), I could feel an air of mixed emotions. I could see loads of FB profile pictures in making. Graduates taking photos with friends and families, photos with borrowed medals, weird poses, I guess the black robe gives an intellectual stimulus to anybody who wears. Happy parents looking at their child’s certificate with pride drenched face, friends introducing their families to each other, some guys taking a longing look at their college day crushes and still hesitant to talk. Guys and girls searching their friends, whom they missed out to meet. Small small gatherings everywhere around with loads of laughter and joy. Nobody will believe, if I say that we were total strangers just four years back.

                Its hard to believe that, time has such a power in bringing people together.  Nearly five years back, every friends, crushes, lovers, and enemies present today, were just total strangers, drooling randomly at each other looking for someone they don’t know. It is the first and last day when we treated each others with utmost respect. Parents with heavy heart left their child in hostel half-hearted.

                Those where the days when we took notes in class and series tests had full attendance.  The days when we struggled with standard author books, the days when we feared punishments, the days when we wrote leave letters, the days when we waited for Fridays. The days were seniors seemed frightening.

                Later came the days when we mingled. Names turned into nick names and mock names, so that we forgot the real names of some friends too.  The days passed when we used five notes for five subjects, and came the days were one small LIC diary is enough for a whole semester. Attending series tests became achievements. Seniors were no more frightening. Lab sessions were mostly spent experimenting on friends (batch mates) rather than apparatus. “Why were you absent?” turned into “Are you this class?” Punishments became entertainment and funny.  Standard author texts books turned into local author Xerox. Parents were waiting for Fridays to meet us, after long breaks. Semester holidays seemed boring.

                Unfinished assignments, self signed records, arrears, revaluation, Sunday outings, late night movies, messaging in class room, late night nuttings, e recharges, unplanned mass bunks, exam night tea, wearing friend’s clothes, college petty shop, tea stall, canteen, water doctor, college bus stop, watch man,  bench scribbling and etchings, sleeping in class, first year class, verandah meetings, gym, EEE labs, CS mams, first love, lost love, unproposed love, college walls and roads with infinite memories.

                A light drizzle brought me back to my sense. I could see parents leaving with filled heart, and their children with half and heavy heart.

               

What's the way out?

Read thousands of self-motivational books, hear thousands of lectures by people who ask you to do what you love. Movies and posters saying you money is not everything in life. Gurujis and swamijis mesmerizing you, making you believe that health is more important than wealth. Bottom line is all the above said people, write books, stories, direct movies, lectures, not because they care for you, but because they care for money.

                If they really believe money is not important in life, why don’t they write books for free? Direct movies without salary, and bless people without getting donations, teach yoga and meditation for free?           “Follow your dream” is a fancy word, for which people fall easily. Most of the persons who ask you to follow your dream, are those who aren't aware of their own passion. Motivational experts lecture hours together explaining the benefits of following passion, to the people who haven’t even found their passion yet.

                Assume that you have found your fuming passion, due to some magical spell. First case-You are on safe zone until your passion is something like engineer, IAS, IITs, IIMs, Doctor, CA, business, and so on, Because most probably you will have some backing from parents, society and friends.  On 9 out of 10 occasions, it won’t be your true passion. But the Immense social pressure would have made you believe it’s your passion. Most of the people are doing what they do because, their society thinks, it’s a great thing to do.

“Following your dream” is a like two sided sword. You can’t handle it without hurting yourself or others.

                I sincerely believe that lakhs of people having a common ambition or passion for engineering, medicine, or IAS is abnormal, because if it had been so, technological, medical and economic revolution would have been long begun in our country. We wouldn’t be seeking foreign help for setting up nuclear reactors and aerospace facilities, our children wouldn’t have been malnourished, and rupee value won’t be stumbling.

                Second case-You wake up in middle of a nightmare and find your passion to be something among, sport, arts, music, dance, writing, talking and so the so called weird things. If it’s the case, then no sane father in this country will allow his daughter to marry you. And if you are a girl, then you will get tagged as ‘anti-cultural’, and that you are tarnishing the tradition of this country.

           


    Either you should hurt the feelings of your parents and bear the words of society to pursue your interest, or should dump your passion and live for others.

                                                           
                                                                 What’s the way out?

The story of 'Horses and elephants'

(This is a piece of historical incident. The characters of this story are factual.

 Conversations are imaginary, except for the theme.)

This incident happened in Alexander’s court. It was the tradition of Greek traders, who tour throughout the world, to report to Alexander and gift him the rare artifacts they gathered around. Alexander also held meeting with them, to know about people, economy, heritage and culture of the countries they visited.

                During one such meetings, a trader was explaining to Alexander, “Your majesty! I think you would have heard about a region named India and about its enormous wealth” he continued, “But I guess you wouldn't have heard how big fools they were”. Alexander looked at him confusingly, “What do you mean?” The trader replied with a beaming face, “Yes, they are having high quality horses, strong bulls, and animals like huge mountains, called ‘elephants’” everybody listened to him in utter silence, he continued in a mocking tone, “But those fools, they are using those animals to plough their fields, lift loads and for transportation and farming” A wave of mocking laughter, astonishment and sympathy, spread through the court. One of the ministers commented,”They could have conquered the world using those large number of strong animals; I wish you could have owned those animals, your majesty” Alexander thought, “They are suffering in sun, due to their ignorance”. Court was dispersed after some pep talks.

                Later during that day, Alexander described his teacher Aristotle, about the incident happened in court, that day morning. After hearing every word without interfering, Aristotle paced up and down his room, in deep thoughts. After arriving at a conclusion, he said to Alexander,

                                                                

“Dear Alexander, if really such a land exists where the elephants are used for lifting loads, bulls for farming and horses for transportation, then it should be the most magnificent country in the whole world.” Alexander murmured with curious eyes, “I don’t understand you teacher. Aren’t they wasting the potential of their resources, due to ignorance?” Aristotle replied calmly, “No Alexander, in a place where elephants and horses are used for domestic purpose, it means people and animals are living in harmony as a society. Wisdom is ruling and prevailing in that country. India is a blessed country. ” 

"How big mistake is it?"

Sitting on the sea shore, naturally we look only at the restless waves, waves that travel back and forth without peace. Our vision is limited to the waves. That is why I guess most of the poems on sea, has ‘waves’ as the central theme.

Looking only at the corner of the ocean, we think it’s shallow, restless and unclear. So when we are asked to imagine, draw or describe about ocean, waves are the first thing that comes to our mind and then, sea shore. The ‘restless’ waves and ‘shallow’ seashore.

How big our mistake is, to imagine the ‘restless’ waves and ‘shallow’ seashore as, ‘one big ocean’!

               

     Look straight. Broaden your vision. Envision as long as possible. How majestic is the ocean! How long! How wide! How deep! How clear! How calm! Isn’t this the real ocean? Undivided, deep, wide, continuous, independent. The ocean that has everything within it. Don’t limit your vision with waves, for you may leave without even knowing about the beautiful and serene ocean.

                Similarly, looking at small troubles, difficulties, failures and losses, we imagine it as the whole life. “How big mistake, is it?” They are only the losers, who claim, “Life is pain, hex and, life is full of difficulties”. Remember! They are those persons who never dared to think beyond waves.

             


   If you aren’t blind. If you can see- Dare to see beyond the waves- dare to read, not only the first line of the book in your hand, but through the book till the last line- It is then you can call yourself as someone, who saw the ocean, as someone, who had read a book, as someone who lived the life.

The Child India

School bell for P.T (physical training) period rang in a school. Children of different classes reached the school ground with renewed energy. They got split out in groups and played different games. One such group of boys and girls played together building sand castles. They were at least 7 years old.

                A small boy in that group said, “In today’s class, our teacher taught us to draw the map of India.  He even drew small towns in it! Created streets in those towns and even drew houses in those streets. Can we also draw like that and play within it? But we should draw big map of India in sand first. ”

                This new game seemed interesting to them. So they began drawing India on sand. Marked towns and small houses within it. ‘Child India’ born finally. All the kids inhabited into the ‘child India’. Before becoming the citizens of child India, those 40 little citizens of India, were diversified by class, community, money and lot more things. Upper class Indian, lower class Indian, Hindu child, Muslim child, Christian child, rich, poor and countlessly diversified. But the inhabitants of ‘child India’ had no diversifications, both in soul and sand. The soul thoughts of the citizens of ‘child India’ were the same, undiversified and innocent.

                The citizens of ‘child India’ made schools in their country. They appointed teachers. Cultivated crops, and farms, set up trade. They ran families.  They were in harmony.

                Suddenly one boy said: "Everything is fine. But we haven’t created police".

A tiny girl innocently replied: “We don’t want police. If we have police, then we should make people steal”.

                They dropped the idea of police.

The ‘Child Indian society’ was running beautifully in harmony. But it was time for the school bell.

The time for the citizens of ‘child India’ to get back to ‘real India’.

                                                                 *****

Respected politicians and ‘social architects’ of India. Look at these children quick, before they enter into real India. Learn from them, or at least don’t poison their pure heart.  

At least, let our children live in harmony, in the future.

                                                                     *****

THE PAPER BOAT

When I was in Kinder garden, my parents made me believe, ‘Success’ means reciting alphabets and numbers, without mistake. When I grew into 5^th grade, getting into ‘Top 5 rank’ meant success to me.  When I grew bigger, standards of success too grew bigger. Success meant getting into prestigious institutes for higher studies. I got into one, and thought it’s all over. But life taught me that I had just begun.

                All through my childhood, I wondered, “When I would grow up”.  And now that am a grown up, I worry, “Why did I grew up”. Life was so simple. ’ Home works’ were the only trouble I faced, ’Good byes’ were valid only till the next day morning, ‘Greatest pain’ I felt was due to the scratch in the knee, when I fell down from cycle. ‘Longest waiting moments’ were the ad intervals between the cartoons. ‘The worst character I ever faced’, was that bully who broke my pencil tip.

  

                Back to reality. I stood bewildered. Success wore a thousand new faces, and so did the people.  Everybody had their own definition of success. Success meant to top the college, to lead a college gang, to have a girl friend, to win competitions, to co-ordinate seminars and conferences, to dance in cultural, to do highly creative projects, to do master degree in USA, to secure highly paid job, to satisfy parents, cousins, friends, girlfriend, next house uncle, a nameless well wisher, and it never ends. Each day, every new face I saw, gave a new definition to success.

                Random thoughts hap hazarding my mind, struggling to coin my own definition of success; I strolled through a rainy road, where I saw a kid struggling to float her ‘Paper boat’. Wishing to help her, I took the paper boat and unfolded it.  I read in it, my definition for success, in a shabby handwriting,

“SUCCESSFUL IS THE PERSON, WHO HAD LAUGHED OFTEN AND LOVED MUCH. WHO HAS GAINED THE RESPECT OF THE CHILDREN. WHO LEAVES THE WORLD BETTER THAN HE FOUND IT, WHO HAS NEVER LACKED APPRECIATION FOR THE EARTH’S BEAUTY. WHO NEVER FAILS TO LOOK FOR THE BEST IN OTHER OR GIVE BEST FOR THEMSELVES”

                I silently thanked the kid for ‘paper boat’. She looked gleefully at me, as the paper boat sailed ceremoniously through the rain water.

                                                     “Have you found your ‘paper boat’?”

TO WHOM-SO-EVER IT MAY CONCERN

There are times when we feel completely let down,like everything doomed on us, when we fail in an important commitment in our life or failing in an exam, sport or business or lose of dear ones, or loss of love, etc. Times  when we feel we had hit a rock wall, instead of a fairy tale ending. And when we finally look up, and comes the question in our mind,             “What to do next?”, probably an awkward moment for every one of us.

One thing you should remember in mind during these times is, This is life, a real life, more realistic and more true than in movies and much more true than our imaginations. You might have worked hard and harder than ever, loved someone or something, more than anyone or anything. But it has happened and went out of your hands. All you can and should do is to remain CALM. As Buddha says,

“WAIT, CALM DOWN. LET YOUR DISTURBED MIND GETS CLEARED FIRST. LET THE STORM IN YOUR HEART PASS AWAY. LET PEACE SETTLE THERE. ONLY PEACE CAN GIVE YOU EYES TO SEE THINGS CLEARLY. AFTER THAT YOU WILL NOT NEED ANYBODY TO TEACH YOU ANYTHING. IF YOU GOT CALMED DOWN, YOU CAN FIND YOUR WAY YOURSELF.YOU CAN REACH YOUR GOAL”

Failure doesn't kill you, but it increases your desire to make something happen. After all life’s vast. You have all the time to win back what you lost or to take revenge. When you were a kid, you wouldn't have quit playing "Super Mario", once you lost the first time. So is life. Whatever situation you are in, mountains will always be there..Climb over the mountain and when you finish it, you will find another one, higher and mightier…Never ever hesitate to gear up for that one too.


One last thing you can do to scare away your failure, loss, or what-ever bothers you is this. Look in the mirror yourself and.........................

The Pride in being an 'Indian'

"They(Indians) would not tell a lie for anything in the world and do not utter a word that is not true"
I happened to read this in a travelogue written by Marco Polo, centuries back. I do not know what Marco Polo will write if he visits India now. But his words gave me goose-bumps and inspired me to dig deeper into India's history.

After I strolled through lot of websites and books, I happened to end up on a documentary, "The Story of India" by British historian, Michael Wood, on the history of India. Though initially I watched it to kill my time, very soon I found myself sitting still and listening with all my heart. I saw the passion in his eyes, for my country and its history, in his eyes, which I hadn't felt in me or seen in any other citizen of India(From a platformer to politician).

His enthusiastic exposition of history made me to entirely forget the present and allow myself to be transported as if by magic into the past. He penetrated through the dim mist of 4000 years and transformed into a living reality. When I listened to him, I became afire with enthusiasm, amazed and spell-bound at our cultural wealth and heritage, sat erect in pride and finally moved into tears.

I hadn't felt proud or cried when I saw our I-day parade, nor when I saw 'Chak de India'.
But I cried when a foreigner made me understand the value of our country.

                           I sincerely Thank This man, who made me cry for my country, in pride.

  

The Dog and The Demon

"Thambi...How much do you say for a kilo of onion?", my grandma's old but clear voice stopped the by-passing street vendor. Any street vendor cannot pass through my home, without being stopped by my grandma, who quality checks the commodity (It doesn't matter whether its tomato or Tablet PC's), negotiates the price politely yet strongly, and send them off without buying anything- Everybody have their own hobbies.

Those street vendors too know that she won't buy anything, but they had never hesitated to stop by and bargain equally with her. I don't remember a single day when they had shown their faces off to the old lady's call. I assumed, respecting other people’s hobby was their hobby- Everybody have their own hobbies.

     "Its Rs. 52 per kilo maa", replied the vendor. "I asked for 1 Kg, not for 1 basket of onion" grandma gave an innocent punch. We three know that the bargain will continue for at least 15 more minutes, ending in no purchase. But a shrill scream of a kid, that came from from upstairs snapped off the deal instantly. Grandma shrugged in shock caused by that scream, vendor dropped off his weight balance, and me, I stood blank and my legs forgot that they should run upstairs until my grandma pinched it. In four jumps I climbed the 16 flight stairs, to find the next house kid standing with his legs shivering, hands bleeding, and eyes overflowing with fear and tear. I looked around for a possible cause, there stood Tommy, my pet dog, looking at me innocently with its head tilted to one side, and wagging ts tail.

     It didn't need a detective to guess what would have happened. I know I should wash the wound with clean water and then should take him to hospital. But an unimportant thought disguised itself as the most important issue flashed it my mind. 'Why dogs are always named in English like Tommy, Julie, tiger, Cassie...  and why not they can have Indian names like Anitha, Arun, Raja or Ramya?' My determined mind put aside the sobbing that grew with time and got involved in serious thought. To the luck of that kid, a dumb but logical thought hit my mind unusually soon. 'Perhaps it is the passive revenge, we people are taking against 200 years of British suppression. Insulting them by naming dogs in English'.

     A more confident and anguished scream from the kid brought me back to the real world and I carried him to the hospital. Tommy was already vaccinated so I didn't had the fear of any serious troubles. The doctor said that there's nothing to worry as the wound was due to scratch caused by Tommy's nail. He dressed up the wound and gave the kid a sedative to make him sleep.

     When I came home, I found Tommy tied outside the front gate of home. The kids father who was in dhoti gave me an accusing look as I went to my home. my grandma's face told me stories of commotion caused by him and I understood that he had talked her out to drive Tommy out of the home. I gave her a 'Do something' look, and she gave me back a 'Same to you' look.

    I looked at the kid's father, and said, "So uncle...kid's fine. Doc said noting to worry". He looked menacingly at me as if I tried to feed Tommy his son and said, "But what's sure that this won't happen again?, there are other kids too, its not to safe to have a dog here". I wish I could Untie Tommy and make him to bite that 'demon in dhoti'. So that a menace can be eliminated before Tommy leaves home. But I know Tommy won't bite anybody. He is the perfect example of barking dogs seldom bites. I brought this cute, tiny, shiny, black Labrador, from my friend's home, hiding it in my sister's handbag, so that the bus conductor won't charge for it. I looked at Tommy. He's enjoying the bright sunlight on him, as my home wore a unusually gloomy look anticipating his departure...

     My Grandma finally broke the silence, "Okay, Don't worry, Tommy's a grown up guy, he can find his own food, leave him across the main road near the railway station and come back". Though my grandma said this casually in a steady voice, I didn't failed to notice the longing in her voice. The longing for Tommy to return back home within evening, as the place she said was familiar to Tommy, because he had went walking to that place with grandma lot of times. I know Tommy can surely get back alone from there, and if he comes, then grandma can retain Tommy back by threatening that, "its god's wish that Tommy should be with us, so only he got back all alone, don't get god's curse on you". I untied Tommy trying to hide the excitement because of grandma's plan. But the sugar coated Vicious words from the man, stung our plans. He said, "Paati, Tommy may get hurt due to traffic in that main road, leave him in forest area after that highway".Even before he finished , I know Tommy will be missed in the home for ever. As even a man with six senses and a sickle cant get through that dense forest

     

My head shook firmly in affirmation, as I shifted to plan B. That is to leave Tommy somewhere nearby without telling him. So that Tommy can smell its path back home. This time I completely hid the emotions in my face. I felt quite relived as the demon in dhoti went back into his home.

     I strolled along the road with Tommy, worrying what will he do if he cant find the path back home. But his intelligence and smelling abilities gave me hope. I never imagined, even my plan B,C,D,...Y, Z. will be shattered, because of the voice I heard, "Thambi...Don't go that place alone, I too will come"
Demon in dhoti stood behind me as demon in shirt and dhoti...

---TO BE CONTINUED

Before, After, Now...

Before...
I said, "Love and compassion"- They laughed at me,
I said, "ambition"- They called me a fool,
I said, "My country"- They called me useless and good for nothing.

After...
I said, "Cinema"- They turned towards me,
I said, "Cricket"- They roared in support,
I said, "Corruption and money"- They called me as their, inspiration, support and god.

Now...
I laugh at them.

The Farewell

“Why shouldn't you come with me?  Why is everybody against taking you with me?” my eyes talked with her. As usual she didn’t reply. Not even nano scale difference in her face expressions. So I started walking away from her, but my thoughts were only about her. 

   

  I can’t forget the days she taught me alphabets in a colorful way. As I grew up, she sung me poems, made me laugh with her jokes, and dozed me off with her bed time stories. She neither demanded me to do something nor complained of me. When I grew into my adolescence, she raised more problems. But I solved them as I had understood her. But it’s all over. I said to myself,” I should do away without her now”.

    

 Finally I reached the place where I should bid farewell to her. 

My exam hall. 

The invigilator drooled at me and asked, “Did you left your books outside?”
I simply shook my head in affirmation. I don’t know what pleasure the society is having by parting us.

The Heaven on earth-"The happiest ever summer camps"

                                               A TRAVELOGUE OF HEART

(Inspired by true events)

“Yes sir, the course fee is Rs. 4500 plus taxes”, glamorously replied a feminine voice trained in call management. This telephone conversation took place after I had referred several websites, friends and colleagues, seeking information regarding various summer coaching camps for my sister’s 7 years old kid. Suggestions varied from dance classes, music classes, sport camps, and even camps for developing reading habits (!) and the list went on. Of course! Computer classes are outdated, as the 7 year old is updating her FB status regularly. Finally after several round of short listings, swimming topped the list, as we are basically looking for a ‘summer’ coaching camp, and also because it is an essential survival skill (In case world ends in 2012 by Tsunami wave).

            

    Google spit out 882,000 results in 0.42 seconds, when I googled, “Swimming classes for kids”. My 18 years of academic knowledge felt intimidated by its intelligence.  After collecting details of a dozen of coaching institutes, I segregated them according to fees and safety facilities. I began calling them one by one. My closing conversation with the last in the list is what you read on the first line. Almost all the coordinators or receptionists replied in same way. Finally I zeroed in on a coaching center, mainly because it was nearer to my sister’s place (All coaching centers bragged about world class safety measures, which I obviously know is a lie). After that I cuddled in the warm embrace of my couch for a power nap.

               

  As my mind got relaxed, it floated back to my childhood summer vacations...                                            "Gold fish…..! Gold fish….” Shouted my brothers and sisters looking into the river. I was a little kid that time, which obviously explains my curiosity to take a look at it. So I peeped into the river pushing them aside from shore. “Splashhh!!!” I found myself inside river water, as my brother kicked me into the river. All I saw was, only water on all sides. It was like a Discovery channel’s, deep sea exploration scene, except water was not that clear. I don’t know how much water I swallowed, how many times I swirled, turned, beat my hands and legs in water. Finally bright sun light penetrated my eyes. “He’s swimming, He’s swimming”, I could hear my little sister screaming  in joy. Yes! I was swimming. It took me just 15 minutes to learn swimming. I was breathing heavily. But was swimming.  It didn’t took me 4500 + taxes and a month long course to learn it. Life had been simple yet filled with love and joy in the heaven on earth.  “My Grandma’s home”

               

  It didn’t need any googling, or placing several phone calls ensuring my safety during vacations. After all it was the safest and peaceful place in the earth. It just required Rs. 180 as to and fro travel expense to my grandma’s home, I would rather say, 

“The heaven on earth”-happiest ever summer camp.

               

  It can beat any luxury swimming pool camps, with its backhouse pump sets and lively river flowing joyously. It can beat any cocktail juice parties, with its lively plucked tender coconuts offered with love. It can beat every attractive breakfast, lunch or dinner buffets with my grandma’s steaming hot idlis with red spicychilly chutney for breakfast. Sumptuous lunch ranges with mouthwatering dishes like, vatha kulabu, kaara kulambu, urundai kulambu, special sambar, 7 types of rasam each a day and n number of variety of side dishes. A honorable special mention to my grandma’s exclusive mango pickles, which every time she makes specially for me. Best in the world.  Hot bajjis for evening snacks, will make anyone grab it at the first sight. Not to leave alone, all the delicacies and snacks she made specially for summer vacations, packed in separate utensils.

                

What made all the above mentioned occasions special, interesting and memorable is that, my grandma’s home hosts a joint family, consisting my father’s two siblings and their kids. So I was always accompanied by my gang of brothers and sisters (Totally 11-including my father who is the gang leader).      A five-star buffet lunch is nothing when compared with eating competitions with my brothers and sisters. Not to leave aside the frivolous fights, when someone wrongly counted the number of idlis ate.  Moon light dinner with grandma hand feeding (Not spoon feeding) us in turns as we sat around her in circles. Gang fishing in ponds using net, on weekends. Those where the most delicious fishes I ever ate.

              

  There can’t be any better story teller than my grand ma, except that she doesn’t know English, which made J.K. Rowling take that place in story telling industry. The way she recites stories on her child hood experiences, ranging from ghosts, functions, value of money, and our ancestors, the places she had travelled, made us forget the time and transpired into her world. I can’t ever forget the day when my grand pa took care of me when I got fever. He prepared his hand-made medicine and applied on my fore head and legs, he worried more than my parents. I will never ever forget the childish happiness in his face when I got better.

               

  Being drenched in love and joy for two months, and always the dreaded day came every vacation when I should depart back home. I can’t remember a single time when I departed from my grandma without tears. Every time she will give me 10 rupees while departing, for getting snacks. I value it more than the 6 or 7 digit pay packages, which many feel proud of.

 Priceless memories stay etched deep in heart.

                

Suddenly I woke up due to some feeling of dampness. My tears had moistened my pillow. I washed my face and got ready to go to that coaching center. But a second thought made me book tickets for me and my sister's kid, to my grandma’s place.  “The heaven on earth”

Google is an 'ignorant nerd'- it didn't mention my Grandma's home in its search result for "Heaven on earth"

My first encounter with a strange woman

I was neatly dressed for the occasion, as it was the first time I was about to meet her. I was waiting in her room. I couldn't hear no other sound except the buzzing of air conditioner. The calmness bewildered me. I prepared within myself the things I wanna tell her. "This is your last chance. Don't mess it up. impress her", I said to myself.

Finally I heard the approaching foot steps. The "click...click..." sound of the heels increased. Finally I saw her entering through the door. I took a deep breath and looked at her. She smiled. She smiled at me!!! "WOW" is the only word I can think about her now.

"Hello dear, good morning", words melted away from her. "G..Goo", my tongue stuck to my mouth. "Ow! idiot. what's this?", I thought, "Come on talk, what will she think of you?" "Good morning", finally my mouth gave way for words. "Why are you looking too nervous? Do you need some water?" she sang again.
 "How does she know am nervous? Is she a magician?" I wondered. But I said "No".

She looked poise when she sat opposite to me in the cushioned chair. Her table had two glass cases full of chocolates wrapped in different colors. "She too's a chocoholic like me", I thought. I didn't began the conversation as my mom advised, "Don't be mischievous with her. Let her start the conversation". So I waited.

"Ahem", she cleared the throat. Finally she broke the ice. She looked at me with artificial charm and asked,
















"So dear, what is the sixth letter of alphabet?".
My face brightened and I started to count my fingers, "A...B...C...D..."
That's how my LKG interview began and my first encounter with a strange woman.

The story of 'Laughing Buddha'

Have your ever seen a picture or statue of Buddha laughing?

Where is he? why he is laughing? Here is the story of laughing Buddha. 

Lao Tzu's a contemporary of Buddha. When Buddhism was spreading in India, Taoism was spreading in China. But Buddha and Lao Tzu(Founder of Taoism) where opposite ends of a pole in sense of both physique and philosophy.

Laughing Buddha

 Buddha was a serious thinker, he laughs very rarely (Very very rarely!), whereas Lao Tzu was easy going and mischievous person and was always with laughing face and making pranks. People even doubted whether he was a philosopher at all because of his practical jokes. Buddha had athletic physique, and his face was like a brave army general in his statues. This is because those statues were carved after Alexander's invasion on India. People here loved Alexander which made them to carve statues having his impact. You can see this in his statues in India. Also he was against harming animals, so he hardly traveled in animals. But Lao Tzu had a beautiful 'pot belly' and a round face, and he always traveled in a buffalo. Hope you would have understood how opposite they were in there appearance and physique.

Not only in their appearance but also in their ideas they were different. Buddha in his deathbed said to his disciples, “Every living thing should pass, strive on diligently”, whereas Lao Tzu in his book Tao-Te-Ching wrote, “It is because you do not strive, that no one under heaven can strive with you”. What an irony?

When Buddhism started spreading outside India, its first stop on North-East was China. People there were not much happy with easy going philosophy of Taoism. When Buddhism entered there, Chinese found it extremely strict. So the two philosophical rivers, Buddhism and Taoism mingled and gave birth to a beautiful stream called Zen.

 Zen philosophy is neither strict like Buddhism nor easy going like Taoism. It is proportionate mix of the two and thus Zen dawned and so the famous 'Laughing Buddha' statues, in which you can see Buddha laughing heartily. They are mostly in China. They have mix of charm and mischievousness of Lao Tzu and luster of Buddha and they dint miss the beautiful ‘pot belly’ of Lao Tzu. They were designed in this way to denote the mix of Buddhism and Taoism. Thus Zen and Laughing Buddha were born.

P.S: To know more about Lao Tzu and his work-Tao-Te-Ching

The day when I bribed for the first time

It was a somber Friday morning when my mobile sprang up to life, my friend on the wire,”Hey da...gonna apply for No Objection certificate, you wanna join me?” As I too had need for those, we started with the necessary documents to taluk office.

            It was our first experience at taluk office. So we were quite bewildered without knowing proper procedures. On enquiring a person, he pointed another person who was sitting behind a pile of applications.

            With some hesitation, we asked him, “Sir, how to get No Objection certificate application?”. Without looking at us, he replied, “In Xerox shop opposite to railway station”. We got that quite easily. After that we had a really hard time filling up the application as they asked for too many details. The man behind the pile of applications was also not replying properly for our doubts.

 A neatly dressed man around 30s came near me and asked caringly, “Do you have trouble filling the application?” I was quite happy that there’s someone to help us. But it didn’t last long. I answered his question in affirmative and thought of seeking his help. But he just stopped me with that and asked me to follow him and led us outside the office. He then gave the application to a man dressed in filthily in rags, sitting in platform outside the office. The decent looking man said to me proudly, “He’s the only man who can fill applications in English”.

I was bit hesitant at first and my heart alarmed that he’s moving in for a bribe. After talking with him for a while, I found out that I cannot get my certificate by actual procedure. So I got little tensed, but later decided to go back home. Just before I was about to start, he struck a deal with me, that he can get the certificate I wished for by evening itself (which usually takes 15 days). Even though that certificate won’t be useful to me anymore, I accepted his offer, just because of curiosity. So he showed green signal to that filthy man who fills the applications for him and he started filling the application. The most shocking part which flushed out my face is that, he signed the part where revenue inspector (RI) has to sign (!). When I asked whether it won’t raise any problem, he said that they will be filing at least 50 applications a week in this manner.”

            With corruption so casual in the grass root level, I got ambiguous about the movements by Anna Hazare, Baba Ramdev, and other so called “Anti-corruption crusaders” and the electronic media which made them over night heroes by giving extravagant importance to them. It finally occurred to my mind that a great “Social drama” on anti-corruption had been successfully staged to the whole nation.

I recently heard about a shocking incident from my friend who held an active role in “India against corruption” movement, and recently withdrew from it. He said to me that, he had attended the meeting of the IAC Chennai chapter, and that he directly saw the incidents of bribing in trading of the food items, badges, T-shirts, and water bottles too. The chief guests of the meeting were corrupt personalities. I felt his pain as he said that.

Recent remarks of Markandeya Katju on Anna Hazare which goes like, "This Anna Hazare movement, I have not spoken about it because I am attacked by the media as if justice Katju is some kind of demon. I regard Anna Hazare as an honest man; there is no dispute in that. But what are his scientific ideas? I don't think he has any scientific ideas".

It’s true. Paid media worked like a right hand servant to that movement. Some bigger corporate with vested interests have used Hazare as a tool and accomplished its need, by diverting entire nation with media hype. No common people would have known about the behind the screen activities.

If they wished to drive an anti-corruption movement successfully, it should have started from grass roots. They should have educated people about the lokpal bill. As Hindu’s ‘State of the nation poll’ clearly indicated that, “Only one third of the respondents have heard about lokpal bill and only one-fourth know what it actually is”. My friend I had mentioned earlier also said the same thing that three-fifths of the people who attended meeting didn’t know what lokpal bill is.

No politician or civil society group would be ready to educate people on this, as Lord Brougham’s words goes, “Education makes people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern; but difficult to enslave.”

At the whelm of our 65^th independence, I remembered Sir Winston Churchill’s statement on our independence, after the Gandhiji’s assassination, “When you cannot even protect a old man, whom we protected for 60 years, what are you going to do with your independence?”. The answer instantly flashed in my mind, “Sir. Winston Churchill, with our independence we can get birth certificate to a dead person, driving license to a physically challenged person and we have so much freedom that a common man in rags can sign on behalf of a government official and issue certificates to anybody.”

P.S:

1. The decent looking man handed me the certificate that evening itself.

2. I didn’t used the certificate for any purpose and it’s still with my documents.

3. My friend too got the certificate through another ex-decent looking man.

4. Anna Hazare is busy organizing his next fast.

            

Time for an 'Educational revolution'

Is school education all about securing a seat in premier institutions? At the present scenario, the obvious answer seems to be a “YES!!! What else?” In a famous novel, where the author mentions about getting into the premier institutes, he says, “If you can lock yourself in a room with book for two years and throw the key away, you can ‘probably’ make it there”. This line perfectly explains the situation in our country.

Making advantage from this situation and mentality of parents and students, the coaching institutes are perfectly making a fortune. The parents with the expectation and fear of providing their child a promising future, joins their child in coaching institutes. They are nothing but a locked room with books, not to leave aside the lucrative fee structure depending upon the lock up (!) period, and their proposed coaching method, which gives the parents an elevated confidence that their child will be a Newton, at the end of the course!

                It is after this stage, where the mental attitude of students towards education and learning changes from “joy” to “concepts and formulas”. They are cranked up again and again over years stuffing the formulas into their head, to crack their ultimate competitive exams.

                It’s similar to merely feeding large varieties of datum and algorithm into the memory of a robot, instructing it to perform a predefined set of tasks under respective conditions, which can be technically referred as ‘artificial intelligence’. And it is this sort of intelligence that is being imparted to children at coaching institutes and even at school. This ‘artificially stuffed knowledge’ will have no use except in clearing exams and scoring marks.

                What is the use of solving same conventional problems which has been over a number of times already by number of people? The schools also contribute an equal part in promoting such rotten educational practices. And over the time, the school itself took the role of coaching institutes also, by offering intensive class room programs for competitive exams along with the academic curriculum. Are they providing those programs for wellness of students???... NO, but purely for money. Thus those schools have forgotten their fundamental cause. The sad plight is that such schools are increasing in numbers.

                The middle school level (Grade VI-IX), is the age when students are exposed to fundamental building block concepts and wonders of science and universe. It is at this stage where they should be encouraged to question, experiment, analyze, and feel the science without fear and stress of exams. But unfortunately it is at this age, the children are forced or encouraged to join variety of coaching centers ranging from, IIT-JEE, SAT, to specialized coaching on Mathematics, Physics, and chemistry for their school exams too. At this situation, most of the students get diverted to exam oriented study and forget the real reason for which they should learn.

                It is the part of teacher to kindle the curiosity by asking questions, and not by giving the answers straight away. Teachers should make way for the students to find the answers, as a Chinese proverb goes, “It is better to teach a hungry man, how to fish, rather than feeding him a fish.

               

There is a question ‘How?’ and ‘Why?’ hiding behind everything we come across in our daily life from, ’Why birds fly?’ to ‘How ships float?’ Education is not about last night preparation or two month crash course. It is a continuous process like a rolling stone gathering mass. It begins from day we born and lasts until we die. “Not even a single day should pass without improvement”.

                The solution to all the above issues neither can be given simply in a series of bulletins, nor are the solutions simple to be identified by a single person. As it is a problem which had grown gradually over the years, as should be its eradication too. Like the recent change in CBSE curriculum, a complete evaluation of our education system and redesigning is the need of the hour, as time is racing towards ‘Vision India: 2020’. If this problem is overlooked, then it can pose a serious threat to our nation’s future knowledge resource. To sum it up, an “Educational revolution” Is the need of the hour.