Life Happens….

It works, if done with faith…..

Life is a series of cause and effect task sequence.

-          Period of bliss

-          Period of dormancy

-          Period of dilemma

-          Period of conflict, rage, longing and wrecked self esteem

-          Period of revelation

-          Period of focused, intensive and enriching work

-          Period of bliss….

Its boring if we try to structure or conceptualize the events of life, for it appears so ad hoc, choc a bloc and chaotic because its often much elusive to our common intelligence . But if kept a tab on, it occurs to us that its all a pattern woven through so perfectly only to be snapped out, if at all, by the hands of the Almighty.

Period of bliss is natural to the being. Characterized by the ability to appreciate even the simplest pleasures of life, which is in itself the savoring of life. Deepest insights and perspectives are always borne and made obsolete by the simplest of life happenings and observations. Keeping it simple may defy reason but, if we admit that human life can be lived by a reason, the possibility of life can be destroyed. Why waste time seeing the tragedy while other side of the same coin is comedy.  Laughter, sadness, anxiety, jealousy, sloth, lust & zest are nothing but the creations of human intellect, thereby owning the power to hold them under reins. Its personal choice that defines the source of fun, for no one knows what defines the other. Beats continue, rhythm occurs, tides rage, clouds drift, dew drops & life happens.  A fixed definition and consistency gives meaning to it & since knowledge precedes awareness, it helps in increasing its scale.

Life just happens, but its futile to wait for it to happen….

Let go…..let it free….it’ll find its own best way possible, for it is in its very nature….

Keep faith, it works……and remember, world existed before us, and will continue to be, after us.

Void…..Ad Infinitum…..Void

” If there is light in the soul,
There will be beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person,
There will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
There will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world. “

- Chinese proverb

” It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing. “

- From the play ‘Macbeth’ (Act 5, Scene 5, Page 2), by William Shakespeare, on life

Gen Y have had always been about rhetorics. Aim as “upstaging your contemporary” being the norm (pun intended, since its the era of reality shows). Then, after all the brouhaha, confronted with the same old question, to qoute the catchy ad line of Samsung, “What’s next?”. Thus, a spate of episodes, each well-defined by its own birth & death points, some engendered by need while some taking form being the consequences of pure whims & fancies, entails as a cascade of events in one’s “life”. Simply speaking, but sadly, sounding equivocal, the psychological revelations & the self explorations caused by the continuous evolution of mankind, paved way for the man to have his moment of epiphany & discover the various births & deaths in his single life. Just to mention off the cuff, the junctures defining point of death of various episodes may come out as a grand finale’ or a deadly catastrophe. But more often than not, the latter giving way to self mental enhancement & personal growth. Anyways, the point made is, there is always scope for a lot of din (unless you are a yogi or you live in strict adherence to the art of living classes). Some apposite analogies for the aforementioned picture of life would be, incomprehensible scribbling of a small child on a paper note making it seem dross, unintelligent gibberish doled out by a person in dotage, discordant music devoid of any string of coherence & colored pebbles strewn ad lib all over the place without any specific pattern. Lots & lots of unassorted noise sans meaning, pattern, reason & emotion, for a perplexed & flabbergasted onlooker who would invariably be ushered in to apoplexy. Thus stating an overture to this article, “life, starting from nothingness, ending as dust (again void), is nothing but energy, which can be played as a crass cacophony or be very well versed into a harmonic music, all based on our…..choices!!”

Spiritualists & Intellects have long been concocting the recipe for a happy & fulfilling life, as part of which they have laid out many hard & fast rules to which our life is to be conformed. While striking out every such rule which doesn’t align with our logical reasonings, nevertheless, one basic rule remains. The rule about birth & death. More than a rule, it happens to be such a blatant universal truth. One who has taken birth, have to die some day (unless we discover some elixir making us all immortals!). So, its about the life between the two void endpoints. A life which we are definite of, that is happening around us. A life which is defined & filled by our actions & moves forward as the result of our actions. Though, perceivably, it seems our life & actions are restricted by the two endpoints, there have been instances of some lives from yore, yesteryears & present being held at high esteem on the pedestal of hearts of human populace. Lives of Jesus Christ, Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, so to speak. The common strand connecting all these lives being the “message” conveyed through their lives, message being their lives, message of values, having enough credibility to be passed on for generations. Values such as love, brotherhood, humility, kindness, diligence, patience, hard work, charity, honesty, equality, liberty, thirst for knowledge, sense of belongingness to nature et al. Living as embodiment of the values they preached, the values which were proven to be indispensable for worldly & spiritual fullfillment, their actions went on to make them immortal of sorts, inspiring & influencing the generations to come. Thus they were freed of the bondage or “samsara” of life & death through their actions & choices. They went on to live for ad infinitum in people’s thoughts & emotions with the values they endorsed, having positivity writ all over their life. The trick was simple. They had the multiple choice question with options as positivity & negativity at various junctures of life. And they chose being positive everytime.

Enough of touring the firmament. Let’s get back to the ordinary, just another, aam aadmi, leading a simple life having or wielding the least amount of influence or change in others. There are many instances of simple acts of kindness, which goes on to become the unforgettable, life changing & ever inspiring entities of the life of people affected by such acts. Sure, there are many unsung heroes among the ordinary folks. But does the spotlight matter when the act itself has enriched the lives of the doer & the beneficiary? When the going gets tough, they can find recourse from such enriching memories. The memories which emboldens thier faith in love & value of their innate goodness. Today aam aadmi is being robbed, raped & killed in the most ingenuous of ways by netas & babus. For an outsider, oblivious to the happenings of political scenario, its so convoluted, yet done in full public glare, that he/she might end up thinking that corruption is institutionalized. Moral decadence is writ all over the society which becomes increasingly tangible at the higher rungs of political ladder. A honest person leading a life of integrity binding his family in love would seem out of place. A cloud of doubt intimidatingly hangs over the milieu, preventing the expression of love, but breeding contempt. But, the biggest irony is that knowingly or unknowingly, majority of the ordinary populace despises the predicament & wants a change in plight. If a faction of thousand people are taken, when one neta or babu is pillaging, rest 999 people are working towards mitigating the damages made by him/her. Else, what explains the economic growth, the least, so to speak. So, people are innately good. At least, most of them. But apparently, in the endless race of satiating the vicious circle of needs, somewhere, somehow, many a times, they tend to lose values. Foundation shattered, the mental clarity becomes fogged. Tension ensues. Life then simply becomes a game of fulfilling personal desires. People start making meaningless noises, cease to understand each other, everything becomes for “name sake”, and continue creating & conquering things, that later proves to be of not much value to self & society as whole. Love is interred & life becomes crass cacophony. Soulless. An abominable lull entails. Life becomes the just another story told by an idiot signifying nothing. An aftermath of flayed roots & wavering minds due to the seminal effects of negativity allowed to sift in gradually for no reason other than the absence of positivity.

When at a zenith phase of life, people often get tricked into thinking that its them that others are deifying. Adulation & eulogizing blinds the reasoning & it evades people’s sense that humans have always & only worshiped the “energy” that is flowing through & oozing out of the person under spotlight. Once the energy is gone, its the end, just like a light being put out. Only the pedestal is valued, not the person. To be worthy of the pedestal, one must acquire & exhibit the needed quantum of energy in the required form, be it in the form of having the top market value or being at his/her professional best or having made a groundbreaking scientific discovery. The yardstick for success just remains the energy, which when gets exhausted, spells the doom of the player. He/she will be very easily & effortlessly forgotten before long. This has been the norm for eons & invariably continues to be for no particular reason. People who persist & persevere, holding fast to the spotlight, tiding over all conundrums, are those whose good sense prevail, works towards enriching themselves with the energy & are always on the quest for finding novel ways to do it. But a person to be immortalized (at least for a time after his/her prime), there should be something in him/her that is beyond energy. Values. Values of humility, honesty & integrity. Among these, my personal favorite is humility, which I believe has the magic of winning maximum hearts. A humble person always remains accessible to & for anyone, anytime. Such a person continues to live in the hearts & minds of people at least by being an example or epitome to quote from or to draw inspiration from. A result of enshrining positivity to the core at inner sanctorums, besides the objective attitude for performance.

I believe, there are two Fs associated with each person. “Flaw-ridden” & “fabulous”. Every other person has their own flaws & discrepancies, discriminating them from Gods. Also, they are uniquely fabulous in their own way, making them more humane. One’s flaw may deserve criminal culpability for another & one’s pro may not seem much of a boon to the other. Nevertheless, both the Fs together define one’s personage. Awareness precedes solution finding. It depends on the amount of honesty with which one embraces the truth of two Fs, that one is able to cope up with & wriggle out of “relationship hassles”. Often, “letting go” proves to be the solution. Not only as a gem among people’s skills, but, to surrender, many a times is a sign of love winning over ego. Reasoning may defy, but does it stand any value when held against blissful co-existence, enriching lives. It takes a lot of courage to kill one’s ego & let go, to accept & embrace the other. A ramification of thinking positive in the first place.

Thus we saw at least in the few cases, how a simple concept of positivity, taking myriad forms, goes on to affect people in the most simplest of ways & strive to bring in goodness, peace & most importantly life & soul in the mere existence. At best, its just a choice. Thinking positive, refines the thoughts. Thinking positive doesn’t come or carry with it the traditionalism or obsolescence of sounding doctrinaire or the monotony & uncool tinge of doing right. Thinking positive can very well be linked to thinking anew, out-of-box & more importantly being cool, modern, evolved & civilized. When negativity is at large, often, focusing on positives only leads to innovation. It brings in structure, pattern, discipline, form & consequently a meaning to this chaotic life. A certainty amidst the uncertainty.

The sad fact is that most people, more often than not, think & act positive without the knowledge of doing so, out of compulsion, in do or die situations, when the options weans down. Though their actions may cause them the well deserved fruition, the part of enrichment of their lives with the energy & satisfaction spawn from knowingly doing a right thing & acknowledgment of the same, evades them. Randomly, lets take instances of people having random thoughts, such as a retired, proud army man, reading a daily, shocked, deplored & pitiful at the decadence to which nation is plummeting, the shame brought on by the slew of scams unearthed each day, a teenager guy for whom each day presents itself as a challenge to find new & innovative ways to woo his girl, a family person facing midlife crisis, trying to make the ends meet. In all these cases, the thoughts are vastly varied, though the importance it holds in the respective people are the same. A positive approach in all these cases gives a solution to these people, along with the constant confirmation that they are innately good & are capable of being so. The common strand of positive approach if resorted by all, will result in emanating a positive vibe about the society as a whole. Instead of getting entangled to a vicious circle of fulfillment of petty needs, people can get enlightened of living a good life with dignity & meaning, leaving remnants for posterity as a buttress to hold on & as ballast to build upon which the future ideas. Thus, attaining salvation from the two void endpoints & living for ad infinitum.

Happy Onam !!

“Onam“

The first time this word got etched into my memory was when I’d to mug up a 4th std essay question about the regional new year & harvest festivals across India. To name a few from my memory, of the other festivals I’d studied about, along with it, all symbolizing either the “new year” marked by the calender of the regional tribes & ethnic people or celebrating their “harvest” citing their year’s hardwork & toil on fields, were, Bihu in Assam,  Ugadi in Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh, Vasanth Panchami in West India(Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan) &  Baisakhi of Punjabis. And of course, there are many more to this list, thanks to our India being, culturally & traditionally, such a rich & diverse nation.

Having lived in North India during my formative ages, I was largely oblivious to the practices & traditions in Kerala, let alone the yearly visit during Onam time to our remote hamlet in Kollam district. Onam is a 5 day festival. 1st day, Uthraadom, 2nd day, Thiruvonam, 3rd day, Avittom, 4th day, Chathayam, & 5th & final called Pooruruttathi. There is an adage that “5th onam, panchaamritham”.

Flashes of childhood memory include frenzied scourging of flowers from gardens, decorating Athapookkalam( a flower bed adorned in special shapes), tying up temporary oonjaals (swinging chairs)  on our 20 year old mango tree, hanging around with newfound buddies along paddy fields & ponds, a visit to our local temple, chitchatting for a long time under the neem tree near it. There are breathtaking views which we just savor for its beauty & pass it off without any fussing around, clicking snaps, carrying digi-cams. Often during cycle rides with buddies along countryside, if we are lucky enough, we get greeted by local people having some affiliation or loyalty towards our ‘tharavaadu‘ & get treated with lots of sweets for a short sojourn at their place

Back home, there is the prospect of donning onam special, brand new ‘jubba’ & ‘kasavu mundu’ & to appear utmost dapper. For the required effect of onam, the level of being dapper should atleast match Lalettan in ‘Aaramthamburan’, in the scene he comes completely dressed as ‘thamburan’ when Manju Warrior comes asking for him. Then, of course, there is the sumptuous “sadhya“. No Italian, French or Chinese cuisine can ever substitute the naturalness or sanctity of an Onam sadhya. Draped across a banana leaf, in a particular pattern, the various ethnic concoctions along with the ‘unadulterated’, original rice, ripe, right from paddy fields, leaves you mesmerized with its taste, only forcing you to fill your tummy to your heart’s contend. As an aperitif, atleast 3 varieties of payasams will be there. Mostly it’d be semia, ada & ari payasams. After devouring all, it gives an unparalleled high & euphoria & lulls you to a deep slumber.

The trademark figure of onam I’d always preserved in my mind to awake in me the festive mood, had been of a middle-aged man, potbellied, ‘kasavu mundu’ clad in traditional kerala style, carrying a wooden umbrella, with thick curly mustache & wearing a king’s crown. We call him King ‘Mahabali‘. According granny’s take, myth has it that, a long time ago, an Asura (demon) king called Mahabali ruled Kerala. He was a wise, benevolent and judicious ruler and beloved of his subjects. Soon his fame as an able king began to spread far and wide, but when he extended his rule to the heavens and the netherworld, the gods felt challenged and began to fear his growing powers. Presuming that he might become over-powerful Lord Vishnu transformed himself into a dwarf called Vamana and approached Mahabali while he was performing a yajna and asked for alms. The Vamana asked for a simple gift — three paces of land — and the king agreed to it. Vishnu in the guise of Vamana then increased his stature and with the first step covered the sky, blotting out the stars, and with the second, straddled the netherworld. Realising that Vamana’s third step will destroy the earth, Mahabali offered his head as the last step.Vishnu’s fatal third step pushed him to the netherworld, but before banishing him to the underworld Vishnu granted him a boon. Since he was attached to his kingdom and his people, he was allowed to return once a year from exile. Onam is the celebration that marks the homecoming of King Mahabali. It is the day when a grateful Kerala pays a glorious tribute to the memory of this benign king who gave his all for his subjects. This is just one version of Vamana-Mahabali story. There are indeed many legends associated to this festival. Also, thwarting all mythological beliefs, there are speculations abound that this is just a festival marking ‘new year’ or harvest time for farmers & ethnic groups.

However, for me, & I believe, for most of the average keralites around, onam is an ostentatious festival marking extravaganza & richness. Its the time for new dress, great food & partying around all the time. A total gala time. Even poorest of poor take the liberty of the occasion to indulge in some luxury. Time for the nuclear families to connect with their extended family. Share pleasantries, inquire about welfare, have long chitchats, cook together, laugh together, dine together, booze together, enjoy a trip together & in short, have some real fun. Without losing out on the identity & sanctity of the occasion, keralites relish the festival in its true spirit even with some spiritual enrichment visiting temples & places of worship to seek blessings for another fresh year at start of the onam days.

On this occasion I felt obliged to share with you all some historical significance of the festival. So I scraped off some snippets of information from here & there across the web & thus presenting it to you:-

Ethnic art forms that carry the imprint of cultural tradition of the festival:-

Kummattikali: A form of mask dance, a ritualistic art form that originated in the southern part of Kerala. It is one of the popular art forms, which portrays characters inspired from the Ramayana and from other folk stories, which have gained prominence in the rustic life of Kerala.

During the Onam days these groups of dancers clad in the mask and adorning themselves with leaves and grass, visit from home to home collecting small gifts and entertaining them. The songs that accompany have a devotional touch. An instrument made from the trunk of areca-nut tree in the shape of a bow, named ‘Onavillu’ provides the rhythm for the ritual.

Onappottan: It is a kind of ritualistic art form seen mostly in the southern part of Malabar, especially in Kannur, Kasargod and Palakkad districts. The characters usually visit households in the month of Chingam. It is believed that ‘Onappottan’ brings prosperity, after the long drought days of Karkkidakam (Malayalees believe that the month of Karkkidam is a ‘Panjamasam’). Onappottan comes to houses with his face painted in red and has a crown, along with a bell in his hand. He also has an umbrella made from the palm leaves. In some places, the character will be accompanied by percussionists with chenda and illathalam. Usually, children are dressed as Onapottan. But, nowadays the Onapottan seems to appear very rarely in these parts of the state.

Pulikali or Kaduva Kali: It is one of the recreational art forms seen across Kerala during Onam. This special art form is celebrated with much delight, and its origin is traced back to about 200 years. The pulikali or kaduvakali performance revolves around the theme of tiger hunting, where the participants paint their body with yellow, red and black paints and dance to the beats of udukku and thakil. This art form is seen all over the state, but it is in Thrissur where the real exuberance of the fest can be witnessed. During the fourth day of Onam festivities, the puilikali troupes from all over the state assemble in the Swaraj Ground, Thissur, to display their skills. It is one of the most colourful of all art forms.

Thumbi Thullal: It is performed mainly by women. Clad in traditional Kerala attire, a group of women sits around to perform the thumbi thullal. In the middle sits the main performer. The thullal is accompanied by melodious songs sung by the group, and joyful clapping, adding fervour to the performance.

Kaikkottikali: It is also known as thiruvathirakali, in which a group of women moves around a traditional lamp, dancing to the tunes of the songs that they sing. The participants usually wear the traditional saree, along with jasmine flowers in their heads. The songs that they sing during the performance are known as thiruvathirapattukal, which is a separate entity in Malayalam literature. These songs are usually sung inspired by the marriage stories of the mythological heroines like Parvathy, Sakuntala, Rukmini, Sathyabhama, Seelavati, Seetha, etc. In some parts of the state, the male community also indulges in this particular art form.

Vallamkali: It is another ethnic and enchanting performance during the Onam days. Hundreds of people rowing a snake boat to the tune of the ‘vallappattu’ amidst the cheerers is an enchanting sight. ‘Aranmula Vallamkali’ is one among the popular boat races here, which has about 300 years long tradition. It is also known as ‘Uthretathi’ vallamkali as it falls on the uthretathi day of Onam. Even though these myth and ethnic art forms have originated according to Hindu mythology, the people celebrate Onam with equal participation across cast and creed.

And, of course, the legendary Onam song

“Maveli nadu vanidum kalam
manusharellarum onnupole
amodathode vassikkum kalam
apathangarkkumottilla thanum
adhikal vyadhikal onnumilla
bala maranangal kelkkanilla
kallavumilla chathiyumilla
ellolamilla poli vachanam
kallapparayum cheru naziyum
kallatharangal mattonumilla ”

“Maveli nadu vanidum kalam
manusharellarum onnupole” !!

The translated version:-

“When Maveli, our King, rules the land,
All the peoples form one casteless race.
And people live joyful and merry;
They are free from all harm.
There is neither theft nor deceit,
And no one is false in speech either.
Measures and weights are right;
No one cheats or wrongs the neighbor.
when Maveli, our King, rules the land,
All the peoples form one casteless race” !!

Strange how the translated version appears much shorter !!

With that,

“Elaavarkkum ente hridayam niranja onashamsakal !! “

Love

Vishnu Sivaprasad

[ P.S. Yesterday evening I got back from my hometown after celebrating it big time with extended family. Thought of writing a post, took out my netbook, but, alas, to my serious dismay, the power on switch won't budge. Something wrong with its spring mechanism. Swearing some choicest of cuss words on samsung hardware makers, I'd to abandon my dear netbook. Seriously pissed off with the issue . Anyways, there is 1 year warranty & that  should cover it. However, pls do pray for speedy recovery of my netbook ]

“Belle”

[Caution:- Most of my guy friends would find the laudatory parts of the post utmost atrocious, contrived & meritorious. But truth be told, truth is to be told, right ]

Female. Goddess. Woman. Mother. Lady. Girl. Lass. Daughter. Sister. Wife. Bride. Girlfriend. Femme fatale……Belle.

“Behind every successful man, there is a woman“

“Cleopatra’s beauty & charisma remains the axis about which the history revolves. Had her nose been shorter, the whole face of the world would have been changed”

“Woman“. Always been a subject of deep introspection & wonder, have continuously mesmerized me with their close association with the words “character“, “passion” & “unpredictability“. The adjectives for them would go in line with the words such as, “deep“, “profound” & “complex“, thanks to God, for endowing them with double the amount of convolutions as in men, making their thoughts & emotions all the more complex & at times, inconceivable to superficial & rational reasonings.

When brought into this world, anyone, anchors his/her first connection/bond, both physical  & emotional, with mother. The whole karma of conceiving, delivering & bringing up a child, demonstrates to us the greatest virtue of woman:- “Patience“. Patience, in suffering the burden of carrying a child in her womb for months, suffering the excruciating pain of delivery, tolerating the vagaries, torments & tantrums of a newborn, until he/she attains an age of maturity & sensibility. Sometimes, even after that, till the life’s end.

Next relevant & pervasive nature of female gender in general, is their inherent affinity towards either whimsically fancied or at times deeply convicted “vagaries” in their own opinions & perceptions regarding & attributed towards the opposite sex. I’ve often felt, there are no other species existing, that can change their viewpoints & standings with utmost credibility as that of a woman, that too, often, within some impalpable space of time. Due to this same fact, they are the most universally compatible, to sudden, immediate changes in scenarios, even if that includes relinquishing a long term habit, a day to day schedule or estrangement from a loved one. Its very much unlikely of a case we encounter, where a woman, lady or a girl fret over a broken relationship, or over a sudden demise or estrangement of someone close. Its mostly men, who do the job of “righteously worrying” about it. .Of course, the individuality matters, but, I was talking in a generic sense.

Attribute next in line of this wondrous gender is the blazing fire of passion they cherish for the subject of their interest. Regarding this aspect, they go by the adage in Malayalam, of cut throat execution ,

“Onnukil aashante nenchethu, allenkil kalarikku purathu“

Be it dancing, singing, painting, theater, philanthropy, household & like, woman in general, tends to  pursue their field of interest & live it to its full potential more than men. The fervor & ferociousness reflects right on their face. Take any field, though at forefront there may be only a few female faces, their arduousness & vigor will be evident from the immortal statuses they have attained in those fields. Be it Mother Teresa, Arundhati  Roy, Madonna (sole one regarded at par with Micheal Jackson), Amy Lee, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, to name a few, you would have noticed a thin thread of ‘blazing passion‘ that connects them. This gender is also known for their far-fetched experimentations that often land them into doing ‘wild’ acts. For instance, Lindsey Lohan.

Next comes, “Solidarity of character“. More often than not, it is in females I’ve noticed an inherently present high self-esteem. The concept of ‘self-esteem‘ comes so naturally to them, that they don’t need the aid of a psychologist or psychiatrist for that matter. And prevailing to their high self-esteem is a set of rules that they have forged up for themselves, to which, they remain till death, strictly adherent. No matter how close a person can be to them, a momentary infringement or breach of one of their golden rules can make him/her the victim of their acrimonious anger & hatred. The anger & hatred goes its way with no regard to the extend of harm caused to the victim. .In contrast to this, if you preserve their dignity & integrity & be faithful till end, there are no other species who have conceived & exercise the meaning of ‘love‘ & ‘fidelity‘ to its entirety, than the female gender. They remain righteous & faithful in love till end, provided the deed is reciprocated. All this manifests the immense strength of their character & how important they are to them !!

With all the above mentioned attributes credited to their halo, the female gender remains to be the most unpredictable & inconceivable species of all. The features mentioned make up only a very l’ill part of them. To own a conviction of them as a whole, is indeed an impossible task for any man. If history be analyzed, the reason behind many large scale aftermaths have been “women”. But time and again they have proven to be the stronger sex, emotionally & intellectually. Lately, a friend of mine tweeted, “female is a more evolved version of humans, evident in their hair itself”. Found it so funny, that I remained in hysterics for 5 whole minutes !!

“Belle” !!

Love

Vishnu Sivaprasad

[ P.S. Firstly, credits to my dear buddy Adith N.S. to make me familiar with the works of pop-stars mentioned above....Thanks man . This piece of work is no inference of any kind of research. Solely based on my own observations, perception, conviction & viewpoints. I do admit, its specious & flaw ridden, but there is no effort to justify it. Heartfelt apologies to all my female friends if I've hurt your feelings anywhere in the post. For a profound insight into the topic, pls do wait for the upcoming piece of work in http://www.harishanker.net/ ]

A good old wise man….

Disclaimer:-

” All rights reserved. Any resemblance to places or people(living or dead) are purely coincidental. Inspired from a real life story. Product strictly meant for entertainment(if it works ) & try not to let it be a matter of ridicule. “

Today:- 4th August 2010

About three & a half years ago….

Trivandrum district, Kerala. A typical engineering college & hostel (not at all a rarity of times, but symbolizing the trademark of the city). An unassuming young l’ill lad, a novice to this renowned fraternity. Obnoxious, self-centered, lost, apprehensive, reserved & angry, but largely gullible. Life had taken an abrupt & very much unexpected turn for this goody. Uprooted from a life of ease & comfort, somewhere in middle-east, he was replanted to God’s own country, without any prior notifications or survival preparations. The problem with our friend here was in his psyche. All his friends had flocked to greener pastures & here he was alone,stuck up in a new city, new country with no immediate acquaintances. Attributing a lot to eye-candy visuals of  developed countries, while seeing this third world country as downtrodden, he was having a tough time coping up, all the while, feeling low & angry. With no options left, the guy set out on the pursuit of creating a social circle for himself, often falling prey to the scurviness of God’s own people.

Out of all the misery & troubles bestowed upon our pal, there was one fact remaining as the sole shine of hope. “Freedom“. He wasn’t immediately answerable to anyone. Could go anytime, anywhere he wanted, could meet anyone he wanted, could eat anything he wanted, all this without the usual constraints or limits. More importantly, he had the monthly allowance, more than that was needed to sustain him through, with a trendy enough lifestyle. Now here laid the most important problem. “Money-management“. Our dear never knew the meaning of the term “frugality“. Always trying to making it up for the inner contentment, the guy kept on squandering money for the futile pursuits, private transport & costly restaurants. As they say, you can never get enough of what you really don’t need. He even went on to the foolish extend of fancying that “treating friends” is indeed a good deed bringing blessings!! To make the matters worse, the word “accountability” was also missing in his dictionary.

Now the story begins. After keeping apart for daily basic expenses(which by now was NIL), our dude had exhausted remaining of the month’s allowance on material pursuits & was taken aback when college authorities came up with a new type of fees with some fancy name. After getting mollified through phone for half an hour, Dad relented & complied on ‘refilling’ the account on the very next day. As is the case with the coming of every, very much anticipated events, guy was sleepless throughout the night & was eagerly waiting for the morning to arrive to go & empty the ‘refilled’ account.

As always, not breaking the protocol, he hailed his most favorite private transport, “auto”(bus service, he considered below his status). Purse was empty, but thats okay, after all they were heading to the nearest Federal Bank ATM. Having an entire auto all for himself was indeed a matter of pride & pleasure for our hero. The only issue with auto service, if ever, he had, was with some uncouth, blabbermouth auto drivers, screaming over traffic & fares, but nevertheless, considered some of them as family who were warm enough to discuss their personal problems and issues. The present auto driver, around 60, was neither of the two, being very much reserved. To our friend’s dismay, Nalanchira Federal Bank ATM was out of cash. Back at those times, “any card, any ATM” concept wasn’t yet materialized. Dejected, after explanation, auto driver complied to head to the second nearest Federal Bank ATM, LIC, Pattom. Presumably, the driver wasn’t busy (unlike many) & had an inclination to help. At LIC, Pattom too, same fate. Out of cash. Next stop, Statue. Meter running. Scorching noon heat. Same, out of cash. Our helpless, restless & apprehensive friend was turning increasingly angry & irritated. But all the while, driver keeping his silence, cool as a water melon, kept on suggesting next in line ATM locations. Meter running. Headed to Vellayambalam ATM. Might have been the last in the list. As expected, same situation, out of cash, there too. By now, it was quite certain that none of the Federal Bank ATMs in the city had been refilled for the day. Cursing the authorities, now the biggest worry plaguing our hero’s mind was to somehow pay off the auto driver without much hue & cry. But the reality was in stark contrast to his beliefs. Auto driver somehow guessed the plight of our tragic hero (not having a single penny to pay him) & spoke for the first time:-

Driver:- “Boy, did you have your lunch?”

Now our sick dude was seriously perplexed & taken aback by the question. Forgoing all the dignity & ego, he explained his pitiful plight to the driver.

He just smiled & said, “Saaramilla mone, varuu, enthenkilum kazikkam”.                    (“Doesn’t matter, come lets have something to eat”)

He took the boy to a nearby restaurant. Bought himself & the boy two meals with fish curry. Unassumingly, struck up a conversation. Talked about his own son of the same age studying for some degree program, & various other random things. Also gave some simple money-management tips. Consoled our now greatly relieved lad about the ATMs getting credited by evening & assured of dropping him back to his hostel. After dropping the guy back, the good old, wise man even offered some money if needed for some immediate expenses. Our boy duly declined the offer & took driver’s ph no. to pay him back when his account got credited.

By the next day morning, boy’s account was credited. He duly paid the kind driver his auto fare, thanked him profusely & promised to ask for his service in future.

AARRGGHH!! enough of this mask & veil throughout the story!! The boy is myself & that day I studied a hell lot, which were right in front of me, but always failed to take heed of.

Love

Vishnu Sivaprasad

Have your choice…!

Coffee or a smoke……an Italian cuisine or a trivial veg delight……climbing a flight of stairs or taking a lift……private transport or a public one……be an inventor for ourself or be clever at the expense of others……be a euphemist or give it straight between their eyes……guard against rejection or fall in love, fearlessly……play it safe or have l’ill bit swashbuckling……easy life or an adventurous one……follow dogma or be original……bluff it out or have the will to apologize……be a cynic or be a builder……inertia being the guide or following your passion……wilt under criticisms or be bold with our convictions.

CHOICES…. the building blocks of our life….the minutest to the most prominent of them we make, defines us, as a complete person, to the core. At each juncture of our life, it provides us with a set of choices, on which depends the future of our life then. Sure, as they say, past never dies. If we allow even the slightest space for it to vent off, it’ll find its way to reincarnate & take shape to manifest itself to others. But then again, its our choice, to fight the temptation and choose the better. Now what is required is a degree of strong decisiveness & determination on our choice. When its achieved, all logical reasonings comes to our aid, taking shape from nowhere, supporting our choice.

For past couple of days, intermittently, I remained fuddled & irritated. Had to keep a continuous check on my optimism & positivity to prevent it from wearing down. Some trivial, silly past issues were plaguing my mind, inconsistently, taking shape from tit-bits of conversations here & there & from some visuals. It was carving out inside me, an artificial me, full of doubts. Hours passed by & I realized, other than wearing down my self-esteem & grace, the thoughts then lurking my mind, didn’t come out with anything productive. I chose to ignore, to nullify the thoughts. Surprisingly enough, after sometime of reassuring myself, logic began to take shape from void, giving myriad of reasons supporting my choice & conviction. Priorities were reconfigured & happiness prevailed thereafter.

Often God Almighty takes us through the rugged terrain, for us to realize our choices & to choose the correct one. It then depends on us to choose correctly & get through the sticky situations as winner OR to dwell upon tragedy or terrible experiences & perish at our own will. Of course, the sense of understanding & comprehending about the choices in front of us & the ability to take the right decision only comes of with age & experience. Minimum 15-16 years of age. Often I’ve heard my friends explaining why it took them 15-16 years from their inception to land up being an atheist.

No matter how glorified or downtrodden our past had been, its the choice which we make at present, that decides the future. Some subtle choices can lead us to a level of contentment, happiness & success that is often well beyond our scope of imagination. Anyways, there remains some major choices that leaves a lasting impact on our life. Just to summarize a few for you:-

1. Choice of our words:- Words spoken out of mind & a weapon used out of control have the same detrimental effects. Polite words, are always the best bet. Euphemism won’t do any harm, both to the speaker & listener.

2. Choice of friends:- Keeping apart few, very special & influential people we idolize in our lives, its always the company we keep, that continues to influence our daily lives throughout. Sometimes some people are fully justified in their own niches, but are “simply” incompatible with us. So we should keep guard of such things & form relations that are mutually nourish able.

3. Choice of life partner:- Now, this is not for people who are polygamous or those who believe in “live-in” relations. Of course, I too respect such concepts, & to a great extend, personally share the same viewpoints. But this point is exclusively for those who believe in the concept of “marriage“. Myself, not learned enough to preach upon the sanctity that should be kept in the temple of marriage, but sure enough, if we are going to share our personal space(both emotional & physical), then better it ought be with an interesting choice, for the mutual goodness. For, mind & body should attain oneness to achieve salvation.

4. Choice to be the WINNER(winning attitude):- No matter in what, if we play or work, just for winning or with the sole aim of landing up as a winner, there is an untold & inexplicable joy in it. Only losers say playing for the “sake of playing” is in itself great. Strive to be the winner at your own terms!! Being part of a game, or being the best in it is one thing, but being the game changer or the rule maker or trend setter is the most important thing.

Its OUR life. We have an obligation to make it as exciting & happening as possible. Have your choice…!

Love

Vishnu Sivaprasad

My dear “Kunjannan”

Timeline:- 1993-1998. Place:- Ramakrishna puram, New Delhi. My LKG to 6th std. Of course, sense of comprehending about things & events around must’ve taken shape only by 2nd std or so. Sketchy memories include early morning hastened dressing up & mom sprinting along with water bottle & bag to catch up with the school bus, long evening strolls with dad(me riding in tricycle), dusty roads & crowded markets, wearing mufflers to prevent catching cold during freezing winters & running rickety coolers during scorching summers(A/Cs were a rarity, moreover, nobody could afford those at that time), double decker rides, long walks with mom to Shiva Temple, safely securing in hands the offering, being a pot of milk & all the way continuously getting reprimanded for spilling the milk around, cows loitering around residential areas, grazing and me being a quiet l’ill lad in one corner of the class & never putting the hands up for even the easiest of the questions asked by the teacher. Life in Delhi was fun. Or, may be, must’ve been. I don’t know. Now it seems like iam writing out someone else’s story. I don’t, now, relate to, in the slightest of ways to that person. But one thing was certain. One thing or memory that remains still in a corner of my heart & which is deep treasured. My greatest prospect at those times when holidays arrive(especially nearing Onam). Going back to the hometown hamlet in Kerala, to my sweet l’ill grandma(mom’s mom) & my loving ‘kunjannan’. Of course, cant miss out 4 days of picturesque journey in Kerala Express scathing through several states & cultures. Trains were still feeding upon coal & not yet electrified. Official Indian Railway caterings & acquaintances formed just for 4 days. Still remember those fog ridden Gwalior station where we would be having long early morning stops for crossing, without fail, in every journey. Always be indebted to the Indian Railways for such sweet memories. (There are some other sweet train memories too, out of context, but will be discussed in later posts ).

My most cherished memories of hometown hamlet, Kallada, Kollam include stealing ripened tamarinds stocked up in ‘bharanis’ when everyone was fast asleep, grandma taking me for all temple fairs & buying me sweets & toys, & of course the Onam feasts. Then comes the most important person, with whom I still identify that hamlet. My Kunjannan. Kunjannan is my mom’s, cousin brother’s son, one year elder to me. A simple, down to earth, humble, fun-loving, gullible, innocent, typical village guy. Infact, he must’ve been my first close friend. By birth, he was a cricket freak. Favorites being Hanse Cronje & Mohd. Azurddin. Yeah!! , 2 most scrupulous ones for being top choices. He was the one who taught me to play cricket. He has a sister, but she was too young to play with us. So we use to set out on our pursuit of cutting out a wooden bat & finding ways to buy rubber balls one after the other after loosing it on to every ‘superb’ sixers. We all were a joint family so everyone used to live together in this one big ‘tharavaadu’(a castle like). Kunjannan & his family were our immediate neighbors. But whenever I was home, he used to come over & stay. We used to keep awake till late nights to finish off watching all ODIs & test matches without missing any, mainly for his satiation, for I was never interested in this godforsaken business. Everyday, all evening we use to play & after getting freshened up, I use to go along with him cycling, for long rides through countryside. In this hamlet, everyone knows everyone by their bloodline. Always I was awed at his simplicity & humbleness while talking to others & the great regard with which he used to introduce me to them. 10 days before Onam, we should make this ‘Atha pookkalam”, a design made with flowers, & me & kunjannan would set out to steal flowers from others’ gardens.

Now this guy was a multi-talented chap. Used to sing & paint & had got an exclusive collection of himself. He never took any art of living classes, but was full of positivity & optimism. Encouraged & helped out everyone with their endeavors. I could always connect to him openly & discuss freely with him all my issues. Though he was just 1 year elder to me, he was way too much mature for his age. His family’s financial conditions were always poor, but that never hindered on his high self-esteem. No matter what, he always preserved his high level of integrity & dignity. The most dreaded moment comes when the day of departure to Delhi arrives. And without fail on every vacation, on that particular day he would be nowhere seen in the vicinity. May be, because he couldn’t bring himself to bid me farewell. When I left for Qatar after 6th std, all he asked of me was a decent cricket bat, which till date I’ve been unable to gift him. Moving to Qatar, I lost complete touch with him. Though the pangs of separation was there at the beginning, somewhere down the line, he ceased to exist for me.

These days, though it is very seldom that I visit my hamlet, whenever I go, Iam acquainted with him. He is the same good-old, simple, innocent, village guy. I dont anymore share the same rapport or intimacy with him as we had in those childhood days, but he is very much concerned about welfare while talking & manages to take his time out to help me with most trivial of doings. He did his B.A. Literature in Malayalam & is now a teacher at an elementary school. He is a real person, with real friends & real people surrounding him. He doesn’t have to & never puts up a facade of diplomacy. Cobwebs have surrounded me & don’t know whether there at all is any innocence left in me. I wish I could be half as real as him.

Now if you ask me what is real name, i just really don’t know. From time immemorial I’ve been calling him “Kunjannan”. My dear Kunjannan.

Love

Vishnu Sivaprasad