Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Thought For The Day
Thought For The Day
A man's habits are not an index of his character
A man's face is a reflection of his thoughts
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
The Leftovers...
The Leftovers....
My dad's 60th was approaching and I was totally oblivious to it.My wife started planning for it 6 months in advance, and only then I realized, "Oh it was supposed to be an occasion."
I was not really enthusiastic about it but then I let her have her way. She's a really sweet woman.
I was wondering why was she doing all this for her father-in-law, was she trying to be a good daughter-in-law ? Was she over-doing things ? or was she doing all this for "social status" ? You can never understand this entity called woman and when she becomes your wife you feel you could have cracked the Da Vinci code but yet wouldn't have understood the motive behind your wife's actions. Anyways I let her have her way, after all I loved her and wanted her to be happy.
So finally the D-day came and all arrangements for the celebration had been made. We called all our attai's athimber's, chittapa's, chitti's, (basically different names for uncles and aunts in Tamil) . My wife invited all her friends in her social circle.
The main part of any celebration in any part of the world is the feast. Good food is supposed to draw blessings from all elders. All people came and partook the meal. There were many diabetic and many with BP but none spared the food. They ate for the sake of eating.
The most attractive part of the meal that we served was the dessert and that happened to be "Pal Paysam" (rice kheer / pudding) which is my favorite dish. It is the south Indian equivalent of "Rabdi". The food was being served and I waited and watched.
One of our relatives who finished her food came and told me, "Paysam Nalla Irruku, Ana....Munidiriparrupu thaan kammi" (The payasam was good...but there were very less cashewnuts) .
I said, "Seri Mami Adtha Dharva Anju Kilo Mundiri Poduvom" (Yes, the next time we will put 5 kilos of cashews )
Another diabetic thata came and said, "Payasam la chakkarai jasthi, diabetic patientsku speciala paysam pannanam ketaiya" (There was a lot of sugar in the kheer, next time make special payasam for diabetic patients).
I said, "Seri thata, adtha dharuva Sugar free pottu paysam panuvom" (The next time we will use sugar free instead of sugar in the paysam)
Comments trickled in like this. I was wondering, how was I to expect blessings from these "blood relations" of mine when they complained of such trivial things. First of all where they eligible to bestow blessings ?
Finally everything was over and my wife was attending to the guest, giving them parting gifts. Even as she was doing this I went to the kitchen and saw a lot of "Pal Paysam" left.
I walked across the street and saw group of poor kids playing. I called them,"Pasangala enga vango" (Hey kids come here) and gave them the bowl of paysam. Their face lit up with joy and happiness.
They asked, "Indha Paysam Edhukku mama" (On what occasion are you giving paysam ?)
I said," Inniki Yen Appa Porandha Naal" (It is my dad's b'day).
Then one kid said, "Appaku porandhanaal Nal Vazthugal sollungo, avaruku noor aiyusu" (Convey our best wishes to him on this occasion. We wish him 100 years)
I just smiled and wondered whether any of my relatives ever wished my dad on his b'day. Giving these kids food gave me much more happiness than serving food to the so called relatives.
I never dreamt that "the leftovers" could give me so much joy.
Soon my wife came and asked, "My, my this function was a success. Did you enjoy it ?"
I said, "Yeah it was great." I was winking at the kids and they were giving the most genuine smiles ever.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Diamonds Are Forever
Diamonds Are Forever
I had been dating her for 2 years nowAnd today was yet another date with her, which I was eagerly looking forward to.
The special thing was that both of us happened to be in Paris by accident
It was her b'day and she looked more beautiful than ever
We were in a restaurant that over looked the streets of Paris
I was enjoying every moment
An accident date in Paris !!, that to with my girl and that too on her b'day.
Could I ask for more !!!
We had finished our dinner and were enjoying the live music. Both of us love music.
Just as she was lost in the lilting music I startled her by slipping a diamond ring onto her finger
You should have seen the look on her face. She immediately gave me a tight hug and cuddled into me
I was taken over, I hadn't expected this from her but then I reacted normally. I didn't let my emotions give away
Then we both started dancing.
Soon we were heading back to the hotel room
We were walking along the streets of Paris hand in hand
She then started staring at the diamond ring. It was shining under the full moon.
She kept staring at it for long and said, "Wow ! It looks so beautiful"
I just kept smiling, I knew she was about say something more.
She then said, "Do you like it ?"
I was smiling, I knew she was in love with it.
I said, "Shall I etch your name on it ?"
I wanted to see her reaction
Now she smiled mischeviously . She knew I was kidding.
She said, "No. It is so beautiful why do you want to etch my name on it."
"Putting my name on it won't add to the beauty ? Leave it alone."
Then she tightened her grip on my hand.
She then asked, "Is diamond the most precious thing in the world ?"
Now I was awondering what she was hinting at. But then just for her satisfaction I played the second fiddle
I said, "Yeah, I think it is."
She then held both my hands and said, "No diamond is not the most precious thing in the world"
"Diamond is a symbol of the most precious thing in the world. Diamond is a symbol of Love"
Then she came closer to me, fell in my arms. I looked at her eyes, they were filled with love. I gently stroked her hair feeling the softness.
She then said,
"Diamonds are forever, and so is Love"
I just looked at her, she looked even more beautiful now.
I hoped that time wouldn't pass. I just wanted to live in that moment forever !!!
New Age: Vision 2036
New Age: Vision 2036
22nd November 2036
I am happy, that I am living today. I just returned from my university’s 55th Convocation. Our Chancellor has left back a legacy which the world treasures even today. I am not saying that our university has become one of the most famous universities, but in fact it has become the best knowledge centre in the whole world. It has become the monument of Human spirit.
It all began in the year 2008. At start of the year we congratulated ourselves that we were born when the world was at the launch pad of the most revolutionizing technologies and innovations. But then certain events changed the course of the events to unfold.
We all pictured the future as very rosy with all the technological advances. The first event that happened was the rising inflation of our country. No one took notice of it, but it was sign of greater things to come. Then there was this great economic crisis. Lehmann brothers became bankrupt and looked like many other brothers were going to file for bankruptcy. The great corporate giants started crumbling and with them the world economy. Again we were like “okay guys cool, all this bad time will get over.” Just when we began to accept that all this “world economy” was a but a calamity conjured up by greedy entrepreneurs , came India 26/11.
Terror struck at Mumbai’s Taj and other famous places. The shocking fact was not the ease with which these monuments were destroyed, but the ease with which the terrorists took human lives. We were like do we ever want to usher a younger generation into this world after all this.
We all said “enough is enough”. Forget the future of technological advances. We had a crisis at hand and we had to something about all this. First of all this “economic recession” or “global meltdown” as the financial experts preferred to call it. Call it by whatever jargon, the ground truth was that all this was caused by excess greed of man. Imagine the Indian cricket team was reduced to 8 members by 2015 due to economic recession. What to do jobs were becoming scarce !!
Just when we were coping with this economic crisis, came the nature’s wrath. She was angry that we had misused her, or that was we attributed the crisis to. There were earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and new calamities which we couldn’t name but only describe. Oh yeah we used to call it “global warming”, and man it just took the wind out of us.
By 2020 we were technologically advanced but spiritually stressed. It was at this time we all were forced to look up and see what made us what we are. Instead of attributing the current state of affairs to the economic recession, natural calamities, global warming etc we realized that it was due to the “Moral recession”
Yes people, I’m talking about the recession in our value system. It was a time where we had to concentrate on our spiritual gains and not on material wants. We had to live like spirited human beings and not technology driven zombies. We all were discovering the “art of living” a healthy life
Throughout these times our university stood as the beacon of hope. Life went on as usual , unaffected by the world crisis. It was because that place never lacked values. There was no crisis, no moral recession. Students lived there in ambiences that we consider primitive, something like those old days of 1980’s. But the fact was that they weren’t living in primitive ambience but were living in healthy environs. For God’s sake they were breathing fresh air, and we in the technologically advanced environs were breathing internet signals, cellphone signals, satellite signal punctuated sometime by “fresh air conditioned air”.
Their faces were filled with energy and happiness, and we with all the money we were proud of looked like stressed zombies. Man we had to learn something from them. They had a secret that the world needed.
We understood that the world had to embrace their way of living. Our lives had to be full of spirit and healthy living than technological domination.
From 2025 onwards it was about changing the way we lived. We wanted to live healthier lives. The new mantra was “healthy living”. Now you can call it by many names like, “art of living”, “spirituality” etc. The bottomline was that everyday when I wake up I must feel happy and peaceful. We must feel good inside. We must feel happy to exist and live everyday of our lives.
Embracing a new way of life was welcome and challenging. People began cutting down their greed and artificial relations. Social virtual networks were done away with. We began to say good bye to artificial cyber relations. We learned not to say “Hi” over an email or a text sms or a voice sms. We learned to see our dear ones personally and spend quality time with them. Snail mail came back into fashion. People spent time penning down letters to their dear ones, it just shows how much you love them. People began to see that interenet, cellphones, technology was not important but the human spirit was important.
Yeah it was difficult to change to living the new way. But man it was a disaster to live like we used to live. Change was……(can some one tell me a stronger word than mandatory).
People changed, changed for good. Whenever we looked like we may fall back to our old ways of living we only had to look at…our university.
The world had become one. Not that the physical boundaries were broken, but mental inhibitions had been shed. The citizens of the globe were united in thought and human spirit.
I am really glad that I am present to see this day. Guys so if you were dreaming that from 2008 technological advances dominated the future you are mistaken. There were technological advances, but what advanced most was the human spirit !!
22nd November 2036
I am happy, that I am living today. I just returned from my university’s 55th Convocation. Our Chancellor has left back a legacy which the world treasures even today. I am not saying that our university has become one of the most famous universities, but in fact it has become the best knowledge centre in the whole world. It has become the monument of Human spirit.
It all began in the year 2008. At start of the year we congratulated ourselves that we were born when the world was at the launch pad of the most revolutionizing technologies and innovations. But then certain events changed the course of the events to unfold.
We all pictured the future as very rosy with all the technological advances. The first event that happened was the rising inflation of our country. No one took notice of it, but it was sign of greater things to come. Then there was this great economic crisis. Lehmann brothers became bankrupt and looked like many other brothers were going to file for bankruptcy. The great corporate giants started crumbling and with them the world economy. Again we were like “okay guys cool, all this bad time will get over.” Just when we began to accept that all this “world economy” was a but a calamity conjured up by greedy entrepreneurs , came India 26/11.
Terror struck at Mumbai’s Taj and other famous places. The shocking fact was not the ease with which these monuments were destroyed, but the ease with which the terrorists took human lives. We were like do we ever want to usher a younger generation into this world after all this.
We all said “enough is enough”. Forget the future of technological advances. We had a crisis at hand and we had to something about all this. First of all this “economic recession” or “global meltdown” as the financial experts preferred to call it. Call it by whatever jargon, the ground truth was that all this was caused by excess greed of man. Imagine the Indian cricket team was reduced to 8 members by 2015 due to economic recession. What to do jobs were becoming scarce !!
Just when we were coping with this economic crisis, came the nature’s wrath. She was angry that we had misused her, or that was we attributed the crisis to. There were earthquakes, cyclones, tsunamis and new calamities which we couldn’t name but only describe. Oh yeah we used to call it “global warming”, and man it just took the wind out of us.
By 2020 we were technologically advanced but spiritually stressed. It was at this time we all were forced to look up and see what made us what we are. Instead of attributing the current state of affairs to the economic recession, natural calamities, global warming etc we realized that it was due to the “Moral recession”
Yes people, I’m talking about the recession in our value system. It was a time where we had to concentrate on our spiritual gains and not on material wants. We had to live like spirited human beings and not technology driven zombies. We all were discovering the “art of living” a healthy life
Throughout these times our university stood as the beacon of hope. Life went on as usual , unaffected by the world crisis. It was because that place never lacked values. There was no crisis, no moral recession. Students lived there in ambiences that we consider primitive, something like those old days of 1980’s. But the fact was that they weren’t living in primitive ambience but were living in healthy environs. For God’s sake they were breathing fresh air, and we in the technologically advanced environs were breathing internet signals, cellphone signals, satellite signal punctuated sometime by “fresh air conditioned air”.
Their faces were filled with energy and happiness, and we with all the money we were proud of looked like stressed zombies. Man we had to learn something from them. They had a secret that the world needed.
We understood that the world had to embrace their way of living. Our lives had to be full of spirit and healthy living than technological domination.
From 2025 onwards it was about changing the way we lived. We wanted to live healthier lives. The new mantra was “healthy living”. Now you can call it by many names like, “art of living”, “spirituality” etc. The bottomline was that everyday when I wake up I must feel happy and peaceful. We must feel good inside. We must feel happy to exist and live everyday of our lives.
Embracing a new way of life was welcome and challenging. People began cutting down their greed and artificial relations. Social virtual networks were done away with. We began to say good bye to artificial cyber relations. We learned not to say “Hi” over an email or a text sms or a voice sms. We learned to see our dear ones personally and spend quality time with them. Snail mail came back into fashion. People spent time penning down letters to their dear ones, it just shows how much you love them. People began to see that interenet, cellphones, technology was not important but the human spirit was important.
Yeah it was difficult to change to living the new way. But man it was a disaster to live like we used to live. Change was……(can some one tell me a stronger word than mandatory).
People changed, changed for good. Whenever we looked like we may fall back to our old ways of living we only had to look at…our university.
The world had become one. Not that the physical boundaries were broken, but mental inhibitions had been shed. The citizens of the globe were united in thought and human spirit.
I am really glad that I am present to see this day. Guys so if you were dreaming that from 2008 technological advances dominated the future you are mistaken. There were technological advances, but what advanced most was the human spirit !!
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