The last week - 2007

...Hi! Wish you a wonderful and a delightful year 2008..

Some motivation for my new year resolutions!

:: Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can't build on it, it's only good for wallowing in - Katherine Mansfield

:: It takes a strong man to swim against the current; any dead fish will float with it.

:: We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them. William Arthur Ward

:: Speak when you're angry, and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret. Lawrence J. Peter

Glow of the STAR

This weekend, there is a very touching piece from Attitude is Everything.
Wish you all a wonderful time ahead!

The Strand I Could Not Fix
By Janet Perez Eckles

Like fog in the morning, the spirit of Christmas had vanished. Still, I shuffled in the garage. One by one, I retrieved the bins I'd stored the previous Christmas. While the aroma of sugar cookies wafted through the air and Silent Night played in the background, I began the decorating.

Placing the nativity scene as the focal point of our family room, I spread the rest of the decorations around the house: red and green candles, musical boxes with winter scenes, and bright red poinsettias framed with green garland adorned with burgundy, velvet bows. They all transformed our home into a lively winterland.

Next, I retrieved three stockings to fill the marked places above the fireplace; each embroidered with our sons' names: Jason, Jeff, and Joe. Once Jason and Jeff's were hung, with tears burning my eyes, I clutched Joe's against my chest.

The empty stocking sears my heart. It's been five years since the Lord called Joe home. Five years that Joe's absence left an emptiness we can almost touch. And five years that God's grace wiped away portions of the grief that flogged our hearts. But often, it's the scorching pain that opens our eyes to a bigger picture.

Years ago, when our three sons, including Joe, were still young, I focused on providing a perfect Christmas; a perfect tree to wrap a perfect celebration. As a result, little things tended to roil in me such as a light strand that refused to shine because of a burned bulb. Annoyed at the glitch, I promptly set off to resolve it -I fussed, I rearranged, plugged and unplugged until frustration grew hot in me.

How foolish and silly. I focused on that one bulb, dismissing the glow of the star atop the Christmas tree. I'd done the same with light bulbs that burned in my life-from broken relationships to shattered plans. Exerting tons of energy trying to fix them, I missed the star-- the one that gave significance to my life.

When that void in our heart aches to be filled, it's the star of comfort that makes it whole. When bitter sorrow robs the spirit of Christmas, it's the star of His genuine love that whispers joy. When a health diagnosis shakes our world, it's the star of reassurance that shines the certainty of new tomorrow's. It's the same star that never loses the brilliance of hope, incomprehensible hope, one we can only embrace when all strands of life burn out.

With eyes focused on the star, I hang Joe's stocking along with his brothers'; not empty anymore-but filled with sweet memories--his wit, laughter, his hugs and kisses.For that reason, God called it His "Morning Star" to dispel our darkness, dry our tears and repair strands we cannot fix.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Perez Eckles is an author and national speaker. She loves to host visitors to her site, and imparts bits of inspiration in her blog. www.janetperezeckles.com

A 'mother'ly blog

The mothers of this world are just amazing. No ordinary words can describe them and even the best known psychometric tools in the world cannot assess them when it comes to the way they love their babies. Of course, even trying to write about it would be a futile exercise as enough has been written and sung already in every possible dialect.

This blog might just be the only one of its kind, where a working mother talks about office, daily routine including the sweet simple nothings, what the baby did, what it enjoyed, how and where it slept, the books the mother read, the little noises the baby made, the movies they went to and even describes the shopping and outings.

The beauty of it all is that the narration is addressed to the baby! What a moving narration! The baby is truly blessed as now there is a daily journal in mother's own sweet words.I didn't dare to leave a comment there as I felt it would be a rude intrusion into the serene world of the mother and the baby. It suddenly appeared as if it's not just a blog but another fantasy world of its own, truly alive with the love and affection of the mother.

God could not be everywhere,and therefore he made mothers.-- Jewish proverb

A mother is she who can takethe place of all others but whose place no one else can take.--
CardinalMermillod

Whatever else is unsure in this stinking dunghill of a world a mother's love is not.--
JamesJoyce

Life on a 2000 acre screen

The travel schedule took me to Hyderabad and the two day stay at the Ramoji Film City was absolutely relaxing, to say the least. Pity there wasn't much time to explore all the areas as the stay was supposed to be work related :(

Ramoji Film City was declared by Guinness World Records as the World's largest integrated film studio complex. Well, when you spread the campus across 2000 acres of land, manned by a team of 7000 people & decorate the landscape with more than 90 different themed gardens, intersperse it with replicas of gardens and monuments from across the country and you need a whole fleet of buses just to take people from one spot to another what else can one expect? It has front facades of international airports, hospitals, post offices, central jails, railway engines, you just name any scene and they either have it already or can create an entire location in hours.

This location also has just received the Golden Pony Award for innovative and excellence by Games & Parks Industry. No wonder!

It offers preproduction & post production resources, 500 set locations, capacity to produce over 100 films simultaneously, more than 50 studio floors, locations, mock ups, set constructions, costumes and stage and an overall assurance that a film crew can just walk in and within days can walk out with a fully complete film ready for release...such is the comprehensiveness of the facilities here. Actually, the owner of this creation also happens to broadcast 12 television channels in multiple languages and the overall production happens here...it also houses the earth station for their bouqet of channels here.

I am not much of a filmoholic but the grand scale of the Film City,the sets and the facilities within the city seemed mind boggling. The Hotel was grand in structure as well as the comfort it offers with a fantastic pool surrounded by still grander tile designs. The professional service from the team here was the high light. The conference rooms are decorated in true filmi style...adding a lot of glamour to the official work.

There was also a practical demo of a stunt scene involving sliding along a rope, kicks and punches, electric flashes, bomb blasts etc ending with a free fall of one of the actors from a height of two story level.

While in the film city, I was thankful to the fact that I was not there as a producer as I could enjoy the grandeur without having to worry about how about the film's collections, or the availability of the actors or any awards!

Mail from up above

Past few weeks had been really demanding and it was not possible to actually put in a decent post. Could only manage few peeks at known blogs but other than that the weeks just flew past. Was checking out the Google Reader - what an amazing tool that saves so much time!

To continue from the Kolkata trip, all the tension and demonstrations quietened down by the same night and still I was amazed at the response of the taxi driver who was to take me to the airport the next day morning. He actually drove to the hotel on the previous night itself and assured me that since he has already parked his car and himself at the hotel itself I can sleep comfortably during the night! This is great customer service. And as luck would have it, our drive to the airport at 5 AM in the morning went quite smooth though we had to drive through the curfew affected areas.

The next stop was Guwahati...and memories flew at me with the same speed as the landing craft. I have spent quite a few years in Assam before moving down South. The moment I landed flipped on my mobile eagerly to dial a lot of numbers....shock...no network for Tata Indicom in Assam :( That finding is the biggest disappointment in recent times. But the ever delicious Tenga with fish more than made up for the disappointment.

The next two days at Delhi went smooth...only I wasn't prepared for the cold evenings and in the outdoor gathering I couldn't leave my seat beside the huge stand having glowing coals throughout the party.

Coming back home, the cold had set in and even till today it is getting chill by the day.

With all the travel and stays at hotels, this anecdote in the in-flight magazine of Spice Jet lightened up quite a bit

Wrong mail ID
"
A man checked into a hotel on a business trip. There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send email to his wife who was expected to join him at the hotel next day.

Meanwhile, somewhere a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. She decided to check her eMail, expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message she fainted.

Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the mail on the screen:

subject: I have reached safely

I know you are surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now, and we are allowed to send eMails to our loved ones. I've just reached safely and have checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was...
"

Caught in Calcutta

அடக் கடவுளே!

நேத்து எந்த முகூர்த்த நேரத்தில் 'south is sizzling, politically' அப்படினு போஸ்ட் போட்டேனோ தெரியல. 'நாங்க இங்க செய்யற கலாட்டாவெல்லாம் உன் கண்ணுக்கு political sizzling-காத் தெரியலியா'னு கல்கத்தாவும் புத்ததேவ் பட்டாச்சார்ஜியும் ஒரு சேரக் கோபித்துக் கொண்டு விட்டனர் போலும்.

காலையில நாலு மணிக்கு எழுந்து நடுங்கும் குளிரில் க்கக்கக்குளித்துக் கிளம்பி 'ரஜினி பட முதல் நாள் ஷோ' போன்ற கூட்டத்தையும் மெட்டல் டிடெக்டர் தடவலையும் சகித்துக் கொண்டு 'மாஸ்க் போட்டு எப்படி மூச்சு விடுவது'லேர்ந்து ஆரம்பித்து பக்கத்து இருக்கைக்காரர் முழங்கையை இடித்துக் கொண்டே எப்படி பேப்பர் படிப்பது, எப்படி இட்லி சாப்பிடுவது போன்ற நடை முறை வாழ்க்கைக்கு மிகவும் முக்கியமான எல்லா பயிற்சிகளையும் முடித்து ஒன்பதரைக்கு கொல்கத்தாவில் கால் வைத்த போது கூட உள்மனதில் எதுவும் தப்பாக நடக்கப் போவதாக உறுத்தவில்லை.

அடுத்த ஒரு மணி நேரத்திற்கு ' லெவல் டூ' ட்ரெயினிங்காகப் பிரித்துப் பூட்டிய பெயிண்ட் போன அம்பாசிடர் காரில் நாராயன் கார்த்திகேயனை முந்துவது எப்படி என்று ப்ராக்டிகல் நடக்க, இடையில் பல ஹோண்டா சிட்டிக்களயும், பல மஞ்சள் பொட்டி பஸ்களையும் இடிப்பது போல் சென்று ஏகப் பட்ட பழி பாவங்களையும் சம்பாதித்துக் கொண்டு ( டிரைவர் செய்யும் பாவங்கள் அவர் வண்டியில் பயணம் செய்பவரையும் பாதிக்குமா? அப்படின்னா நான் மகா பாவியாகிவிட்டேனா? ) பார்க் ஸ்ட்ரீட்ல ஆபீஸ் உள்ளே போனவன் அடுத்த ஒரு மணி நேரத்திற்கு ஏதோ மன் மோகன் சிங் போல நினத்துக் கொண்டு பிஸியாகி விட, பதினொன்றரை மணிக்கு அந்த நாலாவது மாடி கான்பெரென்ஸ் ரூம் கறுப்பு ஜன்னல் வழியா வெளியே பார்த்த போது பயங்கர ஷாக்!

நார்மலா அந்த உயரத்திலேர்ந்து கீழே பார்த்தால் மஞ்சளும் வெள்ளையும் மட்டும் தான் தெரியும். அது தாங்க, மஞ்சள் அம்பாசிடரும், வெள்ளை அம்பாசிடரும்! ஆனால் இப்போதோ மஞ்சள் கோடும் வெள்ளைக் கோடுமாய் பார்க் ஸ்ட்ரீட் கழுவி வைத்த கோயில் பிரகாரம் போலப் பளிச்செனத் தெரிந்தது. கொஞ்ச நேரத்தில் காலையிலேர்ந்து பத்தாவது முறையாக கேண்டீன் சென்று வந்த ஒரு உழைப்பாளி நண்பர் தவறுதலாக காண்பரன்ஸ் ரூம் உள்ளே நுழைந்து, ஏதாவது வேலை சொல்லிவிடுவார்களோ என்ற பயத்தில் சற்றே உறைந்து, உடனே சுதாரித்துக் கொண்டு, பதற்றத்தில் பத்த வச்ச லஷ்மி வெடி - 'பக்கத்து லேன்ல நாலு அம்பாசிடர் பத்திக் கிட்டு எரியுது'

விஷயம் என்னவென்றால் தஸ்லிமா நஸ்ரினுக்கு விஸா பீரியட் நீட்டிக்கப்பட்டதை எதிர்த்து சிலர் ஊர்வலமா கிளம்பி கொடும் பாவி எரித்தல், கோஷமிடுதல் போன்ற சராசரி இந்தியனுக்கான டே-டுடே ஹாபியில் ஈடுபட, போலீஸ் கண்ணீர்ப் புகைக் குண்டுகளை எறிய, இன்னுமொரு யூசுவல் கொல்கத்தா காலை வைபோகம் ஆரம்பித்திருந்தது. சுமார் இரு நூறு பேரை அடக்க முடியாமல் ஒரு மாநில அரசு இந்திய ராணுவத்தின் உதவி தேவை என பிரகடனம் செய்து உடனடியாக ராணுவம் மற்றும் rapid action force உடன் flag march-ம் செய்ய வைத்தது தான் அனைவரையும் கலங்க வைத்துள்ளது.

இதில் காமெடி என்னவென்றால் நந்திக்ராமில் நடக்கும் அக்கிரமங்களை அடக்கு என்றவர்களிடம் 'அப்படியென்ன பெரிதாக நடந்து விட்டது, கற்பழிப்பு, கொலை மற்றும் சில சிறுமிகள் காணாமல் போனது போல சின்ன சின்ன விஷயங்கள் தானே, இது எங்கள் உள் விவகாரப் பிரச்சினை, வேறு யாரும் தலையிட வேண்டிய அவசியமில்லை என்று ஒரு சில நாட்களுக்கு முன்னர் ஏளனம் செய்த அதே மாநில அரசு தான் இன்று ஒரு சிறிய கூட்டத்தை அடக்க இந்திய ராணுவத்தைப் பயன் படுத்தியுள்ளது.

இங்கு சில பெங்காளி நண்பர்கள் விவரித்த அரசியல் விளையாட்டுக்களைக் கேட்கக் கேட்க ஐந்து வயதில் விட்டலாச்சார்யா படத்தில் பார்த்துப் பயந்த பேயை விட இன்றைய அரசியல் பேய் தான் பயங்கர ரூபத்துடன் இருப்பது போலத் தோன்றியது. கலி காலமே தான், சந்தேகமேயில்லை. 'கலக்கப் போவது யாரு'னு கேட்டீங்கன்னா கண்டிப்பா இப்போதைக்கு வெஸ்ட் பெங்கால் அரசாங்கம் தான் என்று தயங்காமல் எஸ் எம் எஸ் எல்லாம் எண்ணாமலே ரிசல்ட் சொல்லி விடலாம்.

இதெல்லாம் சரி தான், நாளை 'மீண்டும் காலையில நாலு மணிக்கு எழுந்து நடுங்கும் குளிரில் க்கக்கக்குளித்துக் கிளம்பி 'ரஜினி பட முதல் நாள் ஷோ' போன்ற கூட்டத்தையும் மெட்டல் டிடெக்டர் தடவலையும் சகித்துக் கொண்டு' என படலம் உள்ளதே, எப்படி சாத்தியம் என்று விழி பிதுங்க கலக்கத்துடன் TV முன் அமர்ந்து இதை எழுதிக் கொண்டுள்ளேன். இன்று இரவு பத்து மணியிலிருந்து நாளைக் காலை ஆறு மணி வரை curfew போட்டுள்ளார்கள்.

அடக் கடவுளே!

This 'n that

Suddenly South is sizzling, politically.

The TN Govt is in the middle of a number of controversies for their statements and their actions which do not seem to align with their coalition partner....In KN, the situation is so volatile and uncertain...Hope all these issues are sorted out soon...Hope they all find peace & harmony in their day today life so that the governments, whoever they are, can think of the interests of common man!

Sometime back I mentioned about the offers by Orange properties for their customers. Well, this week it got even more interesting....it seems those who booked three bed room flats will get half a kilo of ...no, not sweets, but pure gold ! Wow, now that's interesting! Who said we are a poor nation?

The traffic has become ...no I wouldn't select a word now...the traffic control team are trying out a number of changes in the flow but yesterday, it backfired so badly that entire localities got flooded with static automobiles. No amount of stoic silence or the melodious songs from FM can compensate the hour and half time taken to cover just two kms :( May be they are testing the breaking points...

The audio tracks of Sawariya are absolutely stunning! Shaan's voice in 'Jab se mere nainaa' is sheer magic. That is definitely a positive impact while getting stuck in traffic...one can hear this song atleast once in thirty minutes across three different FM broadcasts. No time for movies.

14th November

There cannot be a duller title than this for a post!

Today is Children's Day. Once again all the newspapers have published the usual set of photographs. Once again the schools have taken the children through the same routine. Tomorrow, yet again, life will go back to 'normal'. The vision of the man behind all this? Oh, we will think about it, the same day, next year! After all we are so generous to dedicate one full day every year, right?

The only other leader in India who raised the level of importance for children is Dr. Abdul Kalam. While in office, he was very popular for meeting school children and interacting with them. He had a knack of eliciting their vision for the future. Igniting the young minds and setting them on wings of fire! Once, he got down from the podium and mingled right into a group of 1000 school children and personally answered their queries that were being thrown at him from every possible direction. That's some conviction and courage.

It was a surprise to learn that almost 37 countries celebrate children's day on various days of the year!

Learning the tweaks

The festive mood is thickening; people are relaxed and are having real fun. Malls are packed, roads are unbelievably choked but everyone is in good humour. That's what the anticipation of a festival as colourful as Deepavali does to individuals at all levels.

The newspapers are now weighing almost three times more with all those advertising supplements and beautifully printed colourful handouts. And nothing you buy seems to be coming alone; there is something free for everything! The biggest offer I saw today was for one Orange properties - they offer helicopter services and a free Audi A4 car for those booking a villa by this Sunday. Can marketing schemes get any better?

I too was in a relaxed mood - only those planning to book a villa in Orange properties need to be in tension about where to land the helicopter on MG Road : ) Generally, I hate spending time in front of TV ... and today the programs were particularly bad...guess the channels are all reserving their best for the festival day...and so thought I would hit the laptop.

Till now I was content with playing around with changing templates for the blog but today, as there was time, I started searching around for some information on the net...and boy,did I find information! Millions and millions of pages loaded with hacks, codes and do-it-yourself tips...mind blowing...numbingly excessive... complete knockout.

What is so amazing is that all those experts are eager to help others and have posted every trick in the world for free ! Within the first five minutes in Google, it was clear that all one needs is a willingness to learn and connectivity.

To cut a long rambling short, inspite of zero background in editing templates, today I was able to load a minima three column template, hide the header text and load my custom image in its place! All in a single sitting : ) May be it is nothing but the value added by the net is so genuine and powerful.And once the template was in place, I was playing around with the codes for another couple of hours like a kid in his favourite sweet shop; at one point I got so reckless ( and to my surprise over confident too) that everything collapsed. I had to start all over again but it looked easy the second time around!

Hope you are all getting ready for a wonderful Deepavali celebration. Here is wishing you all great peace & prosperity, perhaps a villa in Orange Properties :)

குழந்தையும் குடையும்

நிற்பது உன் ஸ்டைல்

நடப்பது உன் ஸ்டைல்

குடை பிடிப்பது உன் ஸ்டைல்

'வளர்ந்த பெரியவர்' யார் என்று குடை பிடிக்கும் ஸ்டைலே காட்டுகிறதல்லவா?

Get Rain washed

It is raining in Bangalore;

I went to Cochin...it rained there;

and then I went to Chennai...

yes, you got it, it was raining there too...

...and in my mail, I got this wonderful message from Jeff Keller...about getting rainwashed!

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.

"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied. This young child waited about another minute and repeated, "Mom, let's run through the rain."

"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said. "No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.

"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"

"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly.

Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take opportunities to make memories everyday.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

An interesting pic

Got this from a friend...

Why do these birds look into the tap when there is a vast body of water available across the wall?

Any connections to one's attitude?

A Tag with a name!

I was tagged by Priya.

Thank you Priya, for this wonderful tag which made me pause and look at myself as if looking at a third person.

Rules of the tag.. .

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name.
If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle
name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

This tag basically talks about name words and its description on what you like to say.

I take this tag with my name. Of course there is no middle name and I prefer it this way...

K- Keen; this word kind of describes my approach to almost anything. Well, as an adjective it means enthusiastic, eager. I like doing a thorough job of anything and cannot stand casual approach or half hearted efforts. By the way, the word keen also means 'intellectually acute' - thambattam adikka chance kidaichirukkilla, vittuduvoma? :)

U-Unassuming; which should mean the opposite of pretentious and more close to modest - thambattam ellam chumma thamaasukku thaan :)

M- Measured; yes, this is what most of my friends tell about me...careful in what I speak or do, always weighing before speaking out...I could get boring at times ...would like to become more spontaneous...

A - Affable; though at times I become a bit selective with this quality...

R - Reasonable - in expectations, in relationships, in ambition, in almost everything in life I have a reasonable outlook & demand

Now, I don't know so many people so as to tag one each for the alphabets in my name... so I pass the tag over to you, Sowmya.

Non violence

This ad from Union Bank of India in today's Times of India set me thinking...I too touch MG Road(of a different pin code, of coure) twice daily while commuting for work!

Creative reminders like these and also the fact that the UN has declared 2nd October as International Day for non-violence will develop a renewed interest in Bapuji's principles.And of course there is Lage Raho Munnabhai which packaged MKG in a non-intrusive yet pervasive & modern avatar which generated huge interest in his concepts among all sections of film goers.

What a courageous life! It definitely needs courage to stick to one's philosophy against all odds. We keep telling ourselves about what is correct and what is wrong but in the crunch situation, do we have the courage to stick to our own belief's? Or do we let the pressure carry us along? Do we get influenced by the people or situation around us?

Well, to a common man violence need not mean hitting someone or causing physical harm. Non-violence should be exhibited in simpler ways in life too.

We can see violence in the way some drivers barge their way through a decently moving line of vehicles. The way these people squeeze their vehicles in gaps, where there aren't any, is nothing short of an act of violence. Sometimes I get to catch a glimpse of the expression of the person who had to allow such vehicles to pass...and we can clearly make out that his sensibilities are offended.

People who rev up their engines and drive off before the signal turns green too display an act of violence. And so do the people who honk continuously from behind and psychologically force the guy before them to jump the signal and also the people who drive right into a group of pedestrians crossing the road.

Last week, just after the Brigade road signal there was this auto right in the middle of the road. It had crossed half way but the stream of cars just veered to the left side and kept going not allowing him to move on. I saw that there was quite a distance between my car and the white Omni behind me so I braked to allow the auto to cross. Just when I was about to move, the Omni from behind banged right into me. Obviously his focus wasn't on the red tail lights that were glowing in his face. May be a distraction on the road.

I slowly took the car slightly off the road, and got out to examine the damage when the omni guy, who had stopped after hitting me, suddenly accelerated with all his might and took off almost hitting the other car to his right. And I could clearly see the wide smirk on his face and that of the other passengers in the car with him. What do we call this act as?

Even at work place, sometimes, we tend to offend someone even in a subtle way. Can non-violence be practiced in such situations? I think yes.

Here is a toast to non-violence on the senses of our fellow humans.

If Life is a cup of tea...

In an earlier post I had posted If Life is Coffee...
Here, life is compared to sipping tea!






Life is like having a cup of tea.

You sit by the side of the window, lift the cup and take a careless sip,

Only to realize, somebody forgot to put the sugar.

Too lazy to go for it you somehow struggle through the sugarless cup.

Until you discover undissolved sugar crystal sitting at the bottom...

--- that's Life!

Let the Garbage go by

Often we let someone or some incidence affect us badly! Here is a wonderful write up I came across that talks of 'allowing the garbage go by' and not get dirtied by it. An amazing piece albeit slightly longer one.

LAW OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK - Let the garbage go by. By David J. Pollay
How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you're the Terminator, for an instant you're probably set back on your heels.

However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly she can get back her focus on what's important. Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened.

I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, and I mean without warning, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded and missed the other car's back end by just inches. Here's what happened next.

The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face.

Now, here's what blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck." Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you.

When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did. I guarantee it. So this was it: The "Law of the Garbage Truck." I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore." Well now "I see Garbage Trucks." I see the load they're carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And like my Taxi Driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite Football players of all time, Walter Payton, did this every day on the football field. He would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground after being tackled. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting. Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses. Leaders and parents know that they have to be fully present, and at their best for the people they care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their day. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by?

Here's my bet. You'll be happier. I guarantee it.

Path to Heaven

A picture speaks a thosand words, they say...

Last week I gave myself a grand treat...by visiting my parents! The daily routine had killed many such simple pleasures in life and in the last two years I was so caught up in things that I started visiting them annually. And I also started acting as if there was just no time to even think of any such activity. How stupid of me!

Suddenly I decided 'that's enough of it' and we just drove away. The very thought of me 'deciding what is important' and taking a 'I will do as I please' stance was so exciting & refreshing that there was no stopping! We all enjoyed ourselves so much nobody kept track of what happened in those five days of togetherness.

We also happened to visit some nearby locations. Surprisingly the first thought that came to my mind while framing these wonderful scenes through the LCD panel of my camera was 'how beautiful and nice will they look on my laptop as a desktop image...' and then suddenly the shock hit me. What am I caught up with? Immediately, the camera was put aside and we just took in the surroundings quietly.

Of course, there was no further photo session.

Tender minds

Sometime back the news papers carried an article about this 10-year-old boy who prefers fighting bulls to playing football. He is Rafita Mirabal, the world’s youngest matador,already has 30 bullfights under his belt.

As per the papers he is quoted as saying “I get bored running up and down a field with a ball,” explains Rafita. “But if I don’t turn just right when a bull is charging at me —that’s much more exciting.”

Dad Rafael happily admits to passing on his own obsession with the sport to his son. “I’ve always loved it,” he says. “I used to watch bullfights as a kid, but I never expected that Rafita would become a fighter. “I showed him videos and read him stories and he was hooked. From the age of four we bought him toy bulls and simulated the fight. He talked about bulls every day.”

But there is one matador’s custom that Rafita is yet to carry out — the final death blow. He isn’t strong enough yet to drive a sword into a bull’s heart. “He might just wound the bull and then they’d say it is cruel,” says his manager Jose San Martin, referring to animal rights protests.

But both he and Rafael hope Rafita will start killing bulls by October — a month before his 11th birthday. “He’s almost ready,” says his dad. “He is almost strong enough.”It will be a proud moment for us when it happens.”

What do you think about a 10 year old boy waiting to drive his sword into the heart of his first bull? Even if in his country bull fighting is an accepted sport and there are no laws determining lower limit of age to participate in such a sport.

There are a lot of such situations in India too. There is the case of a doctor couple who made their 16 year old son perform a caesarian and recorded the whole procedure. There is the kid Budhia participating in marathon after marathon at a tender age.

Is it ultimate performance? Or is it deprivation of childhood? Will there be any such thing as a tender mind anymore?

The Young Lion

Yet again, the Friday Story I received from Jeff Keller is an amazing one. No need to add any more superlatives.

The Young Lion
By Orison S. Marden

A young lion, as the fable runs, was one day playing alone in the forest while his mother slept. As the different objects attracted his attention, he thought he would explore a bit and see what the great world beyond his home was like. Before he realized it, he had wandered so far that he could not find his way back. He was lost. Very much frightened, he ran frantically in every direction calling piteously for his mother, but no mother responded.

Weary with his wanderings, he did not know what to do, when a sheep, whose offspring had been taken from her, hearing his pitiful cries, made friends with the lost lion, and adopted him. The sheep became very fond of her foundling, which in a short while grew so much larger than herself that at times she was almost afraid of it.

The foster mother and her adopted lived very happily together, until one day a magnificent lion appeared, sharply outlined against the sky, on the top of an opposite hill. He shook his tawny inane and uttered a terrific roar, which echoed through the hills. The sheep mother stood trembling, paralyzed with fear.

But the moment this strange sound reached his ears, the young lion listened as though spellbound, and a strange feeling which he had never before experienced surged through his being until he was all a-quiver. The lion's roar had touched a chord in his nature that had never before been touched. It aroused a new force within him which he had never felt before. New desires, a strange new consciousness of power possessed him. A new nature stirred in him, and instinctively, without a thought of what he was doing, he answered the lion's call with a corresponding roar.

Trembling with mingled fear, surprise and bewilderment at the new powers aroused within him, the awakened animal gave his foster mother a pathetic glance, and then, with a tremendous leap, started toward the lion on the hill. The lost lion had found himself.

Up to this he had gamboled around his sheep mother just as though he were a lamb developing into a sheep, never dreaming he could do anything that his companions could not do, or that he had any more strength than the ordinary sheep. He never imagined that there was within him a power which would strike terror to the beasts of the jungle. He simply thought he was a sheep, and would run at the sight of a dog and tremble at the howl of a wolf. Now he was amazed to see the dogs, the wolves, and other animals which formerly had so terrified him flee from him.

There is in every normal human being a Sleeping lion. It is just a question of arousing it, just a question of something happening that will awaken us, stir the depths of our being, and arouse the sleeping power within us. Just as the young lion, after it had once discovered that it was a lion would never again be satisfied to live the life of a sheep, when we discover that we are more than mere clay, when we at last become conscious that we are more than human, that we are gods in the making, we shall never again be satisfied to live the life of common clods of earth. We shall feel a new sense of power welling up within us, a power which we never before dreamed we possessed, and never he quite the same again, never again he content with low-flying ideals, with a cheap success. Ever after we will aspire. We will look up, struggle up and on to higher and ever higher planes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Orison Swett Marden, (1850-1924) founder of Success Magazine, is also considered to be the founder of the modern success movement in America. He certainly bridged the gap between the old, narrow notions of success and the new, more comprehensive models made popular by best-selling authors such as Napoleon Hill, Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie, Og Mandino, Earl Nightingale, Norman Vincent Peale, and today's authors Stephen R.Covey, Anthony Robbins, and Brian Tracy.

The Boss

Last week was so hectic that the calender sheet looked as a blur. Clock hands whirred like the wheels of a racing car. I was almost tired but happy with what was achieved. There are times when one aspect of our life takes on such a monstrous proportion that everything else takes back seat. Right now it's work. But I am beginning to get on top of things and by Monday should be in control. Well, enough excuse for not writing a single sensible post in a week, I guess.

But with a blog title such as this, I shouldn't complain. Here's a gem that brought a wide grin and it lingered for a long time right in the middle of all that work.

One day a senior manager, junior manager were travelling with their boss when they find an old lamp. One among them rub the lamp and immediately a genie appears and says: "normally three wishes are fulfilled for one,but as you are three let me grant one wish for each of you..."

The senior manager with full enthusiasm takes the initiative and asks "I want to be in a ship, away from everyone enjoying the beauty...." and the Sr. Mgr disappers.

Now the Junior manager eagerly says, "I want to be in florida with beautiful girls,wine and everthing...." and the Jr. Mgr disappers.

At last the Boss speaks out, "I want them back at their work by sharp 12:35pm"

Moral of the story: Always let the Boss speak first.

If life is coffee...

Have you noticed that as we get along in life and career, over a period of time, we change the way we look at things. Sometimes even we are surprised about how much we have changed. Most people ( like me!) get their minds coloured by events, people & experiences.

In the race to achieve what we want, slowly we get addicted to the struggle. We get so intoxicated with the ladder that took us to wherever we are now that we don't pause to relish what we have achieved. We strive to outgrow the ladder. We forget why we started the race in the first place. The relentless race takes us along, the momentum carrying us through it all.

Think about this...

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said:

"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for each of you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups. Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups.They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."

So, don't let the cups drive you... Enjoy the coffee instead!

The root cause

Right now, at work, I am amidst a lot of activities on improvement & corrective actions. This forward hit it right on the spot!

Two kangaroos were living in a zoo pen with a 20-foot high fence. One morning, both kangaroos were found wandering around the zoo, and were quickly put back in their pen, and the fence was put up to 30 feet. Next morning, they were found outside again, so the fence was made 40 feet high. The fence got up to 60 feet, and still the kangaroos were outside in the morning.

One kangaroo says to the other, "How high will they make this fence, do you think?"

"Don't know," says the second. "Depends when they discover they're not locking the gate."

An important question

Sowmya had raised this question " What do you do if you know that today is ur last day in this world and why?" This was in reply to my comment to her post titled "இறப்பை வரவேற்க்கத் தயாராவோமா? " Not an easy question to field. Hats off to her for such hard hitting posts! Here is my response:

Ok, with due respect to the subject, this might get lengthy but I guess you wouldn't mind!
First of all, there will be no thought to relax or sleep. Benjamin Franklin put it nicely, "there will be plenty of time to sleep when you are dead!"

Then it's time to address the priorities - family, friends and dear ones - telling them how much I have always loved them. To me, this would be of utmost importance. There are times when other priorities of much lesser importance than those individuals have eclipsed my love for those who matter the most ...we tend to be careless in hurting, putting things ahead of people ... but now here is the last chance ...not that I have gone around hurting a lot of them... people who know me can vouch that I am the nicest person on earth :-) Still I know there are a few mending work to be completed!

Then, there will be actions related to what Mel Gibson said in Braveheart " Every one of us will die, but so few of us really live" So living those moments to the fullest again relates to people for me...so I would seek to be among the people dearest to me till...I don't own a single rupee to anyone, not a single materialistic activity pending - so its people, people & people all through.

And then, like Robin Sharma suggests, it will be time to plunge into these five questions to delve deep and become more philosophical about what truly counts / have counted in life: Did I dream richly? Did I live fully? Did I learn to let go? Did I love well? Did I tread lightly on earth and leave it better than I found it?

But, fear? Will I be afraid? I believe Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji when he says "Fear is an expression of the past reflecting the future of the present. When people deny fear, they become egocentric; when they recognize and accept fear, they go beyond it - they become free from it"

I guess that's it. Not very exciting by today's standards, but that's exactly how I would like it to be.

Phew!!! As this Chinese saying goes, " the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time is today" Well, I have quite a few euphemistic trees to plant!. See ya.

Dedication

Be it the smallest task at home or an elaborate project at work, without dedication we cannot achieve much.While there are many theories trying to zero in on what ensures success, dedication is one quality that might find its way into most lists.

Recently, in the Times of India, there was an article about one Rabindranath Bhadra from Kolkata, who gets up at the crack of dawn, hurries through his daily rituals, grabs his lunch satchel and is off to work by 6 am. He returns after 8 pm from his work.

We might ask, "What's so great about that? A lot of people do that daily." Well, we wouldn't ask this question if we also knew that he has not missed a day of work since 1995 when he officially retired. And he does this extra work for free.

“I get my pension,’’ he explains, when asked whether he expects to get paid for his post-retirement work. Here is what they say about him at work “He works better than any regular employee. For him, there are no Sundays or holidays."

And guess what! His wife says “He feels ill if he stops working. We tried to stop him from following this gruelling routine but he became depressed and began to develop cardiac problems. He is very happy working 24x7,’’

Wow! That is one dedicated soul!

Move on

I was watching the movie Guru, by Maniratnam.

Powerful performance by Abhishek as Guru ...so powerful that Amitabh commented that his son has surpassed him in acting...well, the comment was received with mixed responses, obviously, and generally was taken as a promotional statement. ...and A.R.Rahman is magical.

I loved the scene where Guru's trusted deputy asks him, "Some one is throwing stones at us and you want us to just stand and watch?" ...for which Guru replies, "Don't just stand. Move on! Make progress in whatever you are doing!"

What a gem! Throughout the movie, Guru is portrayed with the same spirit...and many a times he says..."I am not capable of hearing the word No"

Just sat back and enjoyed the positive energy portrayed there.

The Empty Chair!

Here is a gem from http://www.attitudeiseverything.com

The Empty Chair!
Author Unknown

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said. "No, who are you?" said the father.

The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I see the empty chair; I figured you knew I was going to show up." "Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the minister shut the door. "I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head." "I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, "Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest." "Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, "I'll be with you always." "Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now."

"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.

"Did he die in peace?" he asked.

"Yes, when I left the house about two o' clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."

Management by Super Stars?

It was late in the night, on board the Kingfisher returning from Delhi. The dinner trays had just been cleared by the efficient crew and everyone was either smiling at The Great Indian Laughter Challenge on their TV screens or just started dozing off. I was lazily browsing through the newspaper when the above visual and the accompanying article in the Delhi edition of Hindustan Times shook me wide awake.



It went like this "Witnessing the resurgence of charismatic leadership in the Rajnikanth persona, the debate about the methods and madness of management by charisma has once again surfaced. Fenzied mobs crazy with their adulation for the leader, who is the star and the center of their universe. A hysteria that gripped Indians and non-Indians across the globe and created history."



Then the writer quotes names of famous leaders and notorious people who used their persona to move followers into action much like the flute of the pied piper and says the same is true of the Rajnikanth effect.



The writer emphasises "The need of the hour is for the saviour who will redeem the masses and restore faith in the system. We need to create a leader who creates followers."
One needs to read the full article to understand the writer's thought process supporting the above statement. It's just amazing :)


The concept linking super heroes with requirements of a great Leader is neatly illustrated under the areas of:


The authenticity
The Image
What the followers need
Tricks of the trade
The ethics debate


The author, Aneeta Madhok, Dean, Center for Human Resources, S.P.Jain Center of Management Academic City, Dubai, sure knows how to throw light into areas never imagined!

Focus on strengths

"It is not what you are that holds you back. It's what you think you're not." - Denis Waitley

What keeps most people from achieving is they spend too much time dwelling on their weaknesses and shortcomings instead of focusing on their gifts.

Ok. There is this story of tiny frogs ...

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a climbing competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began. No one in the crowd really believed the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. Heard throughout the race were statements such as, “Oh, way too difficult,” “They will never make it to the top,” “Not a chance they will succeed,” and “The tower is too high.”

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one—except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult! No one will make it!” More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But ONE continued to climb higher and higher. This one refused to give up!

At the end of the race, all had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

All of the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. They asked him how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal.

It turned out that the winning frog was DEAF!!!

....recently this story attained 'star value' when Rajnikanth quoted it on stage! (Source- Ananda Vikatan- July 4)

How apt! This story is definitely the need of the hour for the entire Sivaji team considering the critical reviews of some section of people. Whatever the verdict is, I believe the individuals in the team have delivered on each of their strengths. The investment of all kinds - talent, people, money and above all sincerity- is visible throughout the film. Who is qualified to judge what is good or bad?

AVM or Shankar never made any show of attempting to do social service through this movie...they wanted to deliver an entertainer and they have done it in a way nobody has ever done before. Even the carpet bombing style of marketing of Sivaji is a novelty aimed at quickest return on investment and definitely not on creating social equality as the protagonist 'Sivaji' does in the movie. Remember the line 'the rich get richer, the poor get poorer' from the movie? Do we really expect the producers to dare go against this in real life?

A movie is a movie is a movie...take it or leave it. And from the looks of it, the takers are having a ball.

ச்சும்மா கதையைக் கேட்டாலே அதிருதுல்ல!

Tag on book

I am relatively new in blogspace and hence it is a pleasure to take my first tag from Shiva. That he also had to teach me what to do with it is another story! Thanks, Shiva.

So, I was tagged by Shiva

kodaihills showcases his talent as well as his popularity.

The book I am currently reading is Celebrating Silence, a collection of short speeches by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in India and abroad. The speeches are grouped under three chapters - The You that you want to change, The path of the goal that is you & You, God and Beyond.

The paragraph(last one as there are only three) on page 123 is from the section ‘Surrender’ under chapter ‘The path of the goal that is you.’

Often people think that surrender is a way to escape from responsibility so they end up blaming the Divine for all their problems. In fact, true surrender is taking full responsibility for everything. How? Take full responsibility and then pray for help. Surrender eventually leads you to self reliance because there is nothing other than the Self.

The preceding paragraph sets the tone for this.

Self-reliance requires enormous courage but surrender takes less courage. A person who cannot surrender cannot be self-reliant. Just as fifty dollars contain ten dollars, so self-reliance contains surrender. If you do not have a hundred dollars, you cannot have a thousand dollars. If you do not have enough courage to surrender, then it is impossible for you to be self-reliant. People who are afraid to surrender are simply fooling themselves, because even a little fear is detrimental to self-reliance.

My first exposure to Sri Sri Ravishankar and the Art of Living was while I was working in Pune. We had the Art of Living basic course in office premises and all of us started off in a fun way. The program changed a number of paradigms, to say the least. It had a huge impact on me and a number of my friends.. by the end of that week I was so alive.

The level of self awareness and sense of peace with myself were at the peak and even now, while writing about it, I can feel the raw energy... Ten days later we found ourselves in the vast police grounds of Aundh meditating amoung thousands of AOL enthusiasts. And the next day, we learnt later, he had a session with top CEOs at Symbiosis campus in about Corporate Governance!

Whenever I feel a bit low, a session or two of pranayam and meditation is all it takes to get back the peace within. And this book really connects.

I guess that would do for now or else I would go on and on. Now the sad part. At this point of time I don't have anyone to pass this tag onto. Guess I will have to wait out till my friends take my bait to enter blogspace.

The Bathtub Test

Recently I came across this one from a friend. Try it, see if you pass

It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started.

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"

Positive FM

Today morning, in Radio City's Breakfast Show (one of the FM radio stations in Bangalore), the RJ was in a festive mood due to their sixth anniversary celebrations. Have the private FMs been around that long? A lot of people were calling in to say that they have been listening to this station right from day one. Every one was full of praises for the service and the RJs. Of course the callers will be rewarded with gift hampers today.

One person said he tunes in every day in the morning because it helps him to start the day in a very positive way. I wondered how. There must be some program on air every morning that conveys a positive note.

Then there was an item about funny rejoinders by 'Vasudev' who speaks as if he is about to have a bout of severe cough...all he said was " every rose has its thorns, every idli has its sambar...ha ha ha..." I seriously tried to look for a positive note in the idli as well as the sambhar. Is he trying to say 'everyone has his match'... or is it 'there is someone for everyone?'

Immediately the next segment began... Uncle Appukuttan Nair. This was something. I don't remeber the entire dialogue but this is somewhat close to what went on:

'Every one comes to Appukuttan Ungle! for advice...be it marriage or migraine...Siddiq had a problem with his girlfriend and she refused to sit on his bike. Siddiq was heart broken when he came to me. I told him, life is like a roller coaster. There will be ups and downs, alle? I told him, forget the smaller issues and look at the larger picture. You will not have any problems in life. Simble, no?' Now, that's a sound advice :)

Appukuttan then sang a couple of lines from hindi film songs ... pyar mein kabhi kabhi aisa hi hota hai...He did a fairly nice job. He continued, 'when I next saw Siddiq he was very happy driving around with his girl friend and cuddling upto her on the park bench. Always ask Appukuttan Ung(c)le, no?'

The delivery was loaded with a typical accent, you have already guessed which one, right?...very soft and easy...nice one.

Immediately after this another caller thanked the station for helping him clear his Engineering exams. Now, how did they do that? Even the RJ was a bit surprised!

Whatever they had achieved in the last six years, right now I am having a good time in the morning traffic.

Discounts

One thing that stands out in our good old daily news paper is the amount of advertisements. Agreed, the revenue from ads supplement the low cost of newspapers. How else could an all colour edition with seemingly endless pages reach our door steps at 6.30 am for just three rupees? In some cities the price war has pegged the cunsumer cost of a good quality paper (colour sheets, remember!) at just Re.1. Amazing to see what competition does for the consumer.

But, the ads about discounted prices are the most prominent ones. One full sheet dedicated to one 'superlative-Mega/Big/Super/ Jumbo- Bazar' or the other is quite common. On Saturdays and Sundays, entire four pages are dedicated to one advertiser.

The one proclaiming 'Everything below MRP' takes the cake and gives item wise MRP vs what is the savings on each item!. There are others which encourage purchase of a set of goods to be eligible for further discounts. There are also these enticing teasers 'Buy 2 get 1 free' which scream for attention and of course further action.

Let's start spending more money to save more money!

Is this trend of publishing MRP and then creating a big noise about discounts a healthy one? Why fix a maximum retail price in the first place? Why don't they include all these benefits in terms of cost and reduce the retail price?

Traffic

Those living in Bengaluru (erstwhile Bangalore!) need not be told about the problems of commuting in slow moving traffic. I, for one, have the previlege of travelling 21 kms, one way, from south end exit till the north exit right through the heart of the city. The travel time takes anywhere from 50 mins to 90 mins depending on time of the day.

Initially I used to get frustrated quite easily but then I learnt to accept the situation. Learnt to accept the inevitable. It ismy decision to continue in these circumstances. Hence, I guess, I am responsible for this. Soon after this slight attitude adjustment the whole thing started getting better. Life is not that bad after all.

I decided to listen to all my audio collection, one by one. Slowly the stock ran out! After all it is almost two to three hours of listening per day. And then I switched over to listening FM....which opened a whole new experience...and they also have interesting 'Traffic Updates!'

I was listening to Radio City. They have this fun tinge to the whole thing. The item was on twisting an existing proverb in a funny way... the proverb for the day was 'You cannot have the cake and eat it too.'... and within minutes the callers started getting back with SMS and calls with their versions on air. 'You cannot have the cake and run away', 'You cannot have the cake alone, got to share with me', etc, etc,

One girl called up to say " You cannot have your boy friend and have your husband too!" She went on to explain - A boy friend does not have any responsibility whereas a husband is responsible for himself as well as the wife. A husband needs to take much more responsibilities than a boy friend. A boy friend is there for the fun part."

Very interesting, indeed!

Even if animals can't talk...

Wow! It is sheer coincidence. Times of India carried this pic. The info ran as:

LION KING: Animal behaviourist Kevin Richardson has such an intimate bond with big cats that he can spend the night curled up with them without the slightest fear of attack. Richardson, 32, who is based in a wildlife conservation area near Johannesburg in South Africa, works his unusual magic on other species too. Cheetahs, leopards and even unpredictable hyenas hold no threat for him.

How relevant to the day's topic! It seems animals need not talk after all! Looking at Kevin cuddling up to the big cats one doesn't feel the existence of any barrier at all. Some powerful rapport! As Pria suggested, body language, signs and lots of love can break barriers between humans and animals.

May be there is actually no need for any sort of conversation. In most relationships with fellow humans, most of the times, the ability to remain silent, the ability to curb the urge to throw strong words at the other person could be the single most virtue that saved the relationship...Thank God...No one has ever reported a broken relationship with their pets!

That makes the bond between man and the animal all the more intriguing and add that emotional bond to the relationship. . .and that explains the longer life that pet owners purportedly have compared to other love deprived souls!

நன்றி கெட்ட மனிதரை விட ...