Thursday, October 11, 2007

I WON INDIA THE TWENTY 20 WORLD CUP

      I WON INDIA THE TWENTY 20 WORLD CUP
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india won  the iaugural  twenty 20  world cup at the wanderers in  south  africa. people will say  it was because we had a very young and  enterprising bunch  of  cricketers; because dhoni  was as an astute captain;.because yuvraj batted well; pathan  bowled well  and because the team  functioned well  as one single unit.  but the truth  is.........
my wife settles for a serial  any day to  a cricket match. but she was happy to see  a cricket match  that lasted only forty overs. it did not test her patience. she switched on  the tv. in  the normal  circumstances i  do  not permit my wife to  sit  with  me when  i  am  watching a cricket match. i will  not let her touch  the  remote control because she brings bad cricket news with  her presence. she hates to  accept it, but keeps away.
india was winning. pakistan  had lost 7 wickets  for 100 odd runs. and there were only a few overs remaining. then  came misbah  ul  huq and tanvir. they started sending the ball  out of the park. tension  started mounting. from  104 -7  the score went upto  140-8. tanvir was out. at 104 -7 my wife said:"now pakistan  cannot win.16  overs are completed.50 plus runs in  4 overs with  tail enders batting. impossible". she was thrilled. and was glued to  the tv set. "madam  , this is cricket and luck  can  change any minute". i said.  she  gave a wry smile. and then  the sixer shower started. suddenly it was 140 and my wife was rattled. she switched off the tv.  i was tensed and was not watching. when  she came  to the sitting room  i   asked her just one question."which  was your channel?". "star sports", she said.  i made her sit  there. i  went to  the bed room . switched on  the tv. i changed the channel  to  espn. suddenly sreeshanth  clean  bowled  tanvir. rp  singh  bowled gul. it was 141 for 9. i cried aloud" we are winning". my wife walked in.
then  came the assault from  misbah. it was the last over. pakistan  required 13 in  6 balls. the third was sent over long for a huge six by mibah. pakistan  needed only 5 to  win. my wife was shattered. "we wont make it" she said and walked out. as she was going out came the fourth ball from  joginder sharma. misbah  tried to  spoon  the ball  from  outside the off stump  to  fine leg. he almost made it. but dame luck  was with  me and india. the ball  went straight to  sreeshanth  who gladly accepted the dolly. AND INDIA WON.
now for the readers; how many of you will  agree with me that  it was my idea to CHANGE CHANNELS that won  india the inaugural  twety 20 .  i bet many will.  no  more tinkering with  luck . and my wife says she shall  keep  away so  that india wins. poor girl.
Posted by praful at 19:08:04 | Permanent Link | Comments (31) |

Friday, September 14, 2007

FROM CHANGANACHERRY, WITH LOVE

appa, sat back  in  his rocking chair. he was very relaxed. he had just received a call  from  his daughter  in maryland, usa. she was joining him  and her mother chinnu for  a month's vacation  soon. "goodness me. ". he said to  himself. lots of laughter. non  stop  chatter by his daughter and her two  children, a walk  on  the riverbank  in  the evenings and of course  a mighty spread of his wife's culinary expertise on  the table, three times a day till  his daughter goes back  to  USA.

chandrasekharan nair -appa- was excited. "chinnu", he called out. "my beer please".   "mintu  is coming home.is n't she"?. chinnu  could read his mind. she knows appa like the back  of her palm. she knows he gets excited only rarely; only when  her children  come home or when  india is winning a cricket match.  "i  get you your drink". she said loud, from  the kitchen.

appa sat with  his chilled beer. he drank  the first glass fast. the second one went in  a jiffy too. the third was not too slow either. and soon, he was in  that happy world of his own.

two  decades is not too long, he now knows. mintu, his elder daughter, took  her degree in  engineering  and was keen  on  her  higher studies abroad. she was fortunate- took  her masters from  michigan and got a fine job and settled down. she found her partner in  life on  her own. another nationality, another culture and a totally different society. but it was her choice. she was happy.  appa always wanted his children  to  take their own  decisions.he did not ever interfere. he wanted them  to  think  outside the box. never wanted them to  be just  a face in  the crowd.

the younger one neena did well  too. she majored in  science  and joined her sister in  america.she took  her  masters and started teaching in  the same college where she studied.

god has been  exceptionally kind to  me, he used to  say. he had no  problems either, or he found solutions. his wife was happy too.

appa has great regards for keralites working abroad. be it america, europe, australia, anywhere. what appa likes most about the keralites  is their   adaptability. a keralite can get used to  any situation, any country, any culture and any food habit. no  wonder a keralite is at  home  ; be it in  europe  at  a dinner table  with  continental  food  served or wearing a thai  dress  or speaking spanish in madrid. with  that burning desire to  live well, they gatecrash  any where  and  be  a part of the system without much  fuss.

the nostalgia, a keralite  enjoys is exceptional. he loves his native festivals.he looks for the best in  traditional  dresses, cooks the best of native foods and be with  friends exchanging pleasantries. so  a vacation  in  his homeland  is a time to  cherish.  he lives it up.

keralites are a special  breed in many ways, appa thinks. he loves his place of birth. he loves his family  and comes home  at every opportunity. this love for the family has made the state prosperous; for it is the money he sends home  that helps many families  live decent lives. now, with  the communication  so  simple,easy and inexpensive  he is in  touch  with  his family at the click of a mouse. kerala, as the tourism  department  says, is "god's own  country". appa laughs sarcastically. "it is god's own  country , alright. but never god's own  people". appa feels. and he has reasons. keralites within  kerala are at times led by  a queer philosophy  that often  tolls  death knell  to  the state."we have everything, -educated people, natural  resources and everything  that is required to  make it truly "god's own  country". but we love to  live in  poverty  in  the midst of plenty. most of our 44 rivers have dried up.our roads are not  easily motorable.water transport is almost non -existent. electricity inspite of the many hydro  electric projects  is palpably inadequate.we hardly have industries worth  any mention. appa is disturbed. "our anxiety  begins  and reaches a crescendo by the middle of each  month because if the remiittances from  abroad fail  by a day  or two payments cannot be made". some toil, some others enjoy the fruits of the toil". appa is hurt by our attitude.

"i  have always worked very hard, all my life. i  still  do". he pointed his right index finger to  the five  hectres of land he was cultivating.

"i know appa.  you say  this  every time you drown  your third beer. you  and your land".chinnu  pretended annoyance.

"i know i loosen  up after a few beers. but i  open  my heart only in  front of you, chinnu". appa was apologetic.

the lady smiled. she in fact was very proud of her husband.

chandrasekharan nair was an honest, hard working government servant. he had served his department-notorious for malpractices and corruption- judiciously. the only complaint his co-workers ever had about him  was that he was too  upright a man  to  be a government official. he had never accepted any bribes. no  recommendations welcomed. his motto was "justice to  all; irrespective of caste and creed". he took  decisions  by himself and held himself accountable. never ever passed the buck  so  that he could be safe. none above him  could undermine his  grace and poise. on his retirement day, as the registrar general, many wept, literally. he had brought in  a system  in the department whereby ordinary citizens  could easily the assesss the progress of their files. the long wait in  the office and the anxiety regarding files  vanished during his tenure. chandrasekharan  nair was appa-father- to  all. people in  the locality came to  him  for advice on  many things. that  included land disputes, money borrowings, marriage councelling,

and you name it.he was a superb judge. he was also  an agriculturist of repute. from  vegetable gardens to  medicinal  herbs, he had all kinds of plants. he also  had a poultry farm. also  a hand in  pissiculture.he assisted small  time farmers with  seeds, advice on  organic farming, composting and helped them  financially too.

"god has given  me plenty" he used to  say. "if  i  dont share it with  the needy, it is a crime. and i  must share my knowledge  with  my people".  chinnu  always stood by him.

appa went back  to  his thoughts again."we keralites have two  faces" he said to  himself; "the rebellious, haughty, arrogant  keralite fighting for everything back  home in  kerala.the other keralite living outside his native land  adapts to  different  living conditions, language, culture ,earns a name for himself  with  dedication, application and a high  level  of intelligence". appa could not  understand why this happened?

he salutes a few outstanding  keralites who  belong to  the second category. came the name of dr.swaminathan, the father of green  revolution  in  india. appa remembers the 60s  when  america sent shiploads of wheat to  india  free of cost to  overcome famine here. few realised that it was no  favour. most of it were not good enough  for even  cattle feed.dr.swaminathan changed the entire scenario. today  it is self sufficient in  food production. then  the king of white revolution  dr. verghese kurien ,better known  as amul  kurien for the "amul" brand of  milk  and milk products. the  once sleepy village of khaira in gujarat  is a pilgrim spot for students and heads of co-operative societies.dr.kurien  taught the poor illiterate men  and women  the art of sophisticated dairying. amul  kurien  changed the lives of many  thousand villagers. then  there is the konkan  railway chief e.sridharan who  presently heads the prestigious delhi  metro.dr.madhavan  nair, the space research  chief is another extra ordinary  keralite.

there are many more, appa knew. how could these people make names for themselves appa thought. firstly they are exceptional  leaders. secondly they are recognised and are given  free hand to execute their projects. but the most important factor is that they are not living in  kerala, in 'god's own  country'.

"another beer please, chinnu". appa was very excited. he was thinking about the great keralites who  made their marks in  life.he folded his hands and held them  in front his chest and prayed for their  welfare; in fact he prayed  for all  keralites  living outside kerala. had it not been  for them, there would have been  no  kerala in  the world map.he knew they represented the great traditions of the state and its culture  the world over. he stood up. saluted the imaginary hoard of keralites  standing in  front of him.

"Appa, again", chinnu  walked upto  him  knowing fully well  that he would hug and kiss her in  that mood. she was right again. he hugged her.kissed her on  her cheeks.

as he stretched on  his sofa he prayed again  for the success of keralites  striving hard to  change the world.

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Posted by praful at 14:42:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

THE KING IS NAKED

to say loudly  that the king is naked one needs courage and character. when  mahatma gandhi, the father of the nation   boldly asked the british to  quit india, he knew he  was challenging a goliath  head on. non  violence was his weapon. so strong was his conviction that india belonged to  indians that  he did not budge an inch  even  at the risk  of severe punishment  from  the british  masters. he fought and won  india freedom  is history. 

nelson  mandela was not that very lucky. he hated the white ruling south  africa. native africans were slaves, literally.and they  were treated like wild animals. but unlike gandhiji who  spent only a few years in  jail during the freedom  stuggle, mandela spent close to  three  decades in  isolated confinement. but he did not give up  till  the mantle of power was handed over to  his people. sheer courage and character almost impossible  to emulate. 

martin  luther king fought for the rights of blacks in  america. he was a political  activist and champion  of civil rights movement.he won for the blacks right to  vote;desegregation  was made a law and labour rights for the blacks  came into  effect. non violent resistence, martin  luther king  knew was the most potent weapon  available to  the oppressed people  in  their struggle for  justice and human  dignity. mahatma gandhi, he said , embodied in  his life certain  universal  principles  that  are inherent  in  the moral  structure  of the universe  and these principles  are as inescapable  as the laws of gravitation. 

mind you, these  great men  were fighting against the establishment . there are  many wanting to  fight for justice  and human  dignity. and want to  serve the humanity. but most people back out when  they have to  face the  rigours and cruelty of the establishment. physical  and mental  tortures  of the most inhuman  nature  are to  be encountered. only men  of high integrity, honesty  and  rock  solid determination  can  face such  situations. no  wonder you donot see men  like mahatma gandhi, mandela and martin  luther king  in  everyday life. these people knew for sure that  they could be crippled both  physically and mentally. the establishment, they knew, would try every trick  to  destabilse  the mass movement. money and power of sorts would be offered, they knew, to calm  down  their quest  for rights of people. the estblishment feared their popularity and power of command. they also  knew that it was a losing battle fighting the great many oppressed and hapless multitude under the able leadership of  such unassailable  personalities.

i come to  crux point. to say  the king is naked , you have to  have guts and conviction. the art of saying "NO" , to  me is the same as saying the king is naked. both  expressions bring out the man/woman in you.we cannot become a mahatma gandhi  or a mandela. but we too  must establish  ourselves as a force to  reckon  with. we should not be just faces in  the crowd.  

in everyday  life we come across situations where we can  either give up  easily  to  make some people happy. but in  doing so  you make yourself unhappy. is this situation  worth  the bother? i do  not think  so. you must be of service to people around  you. you must be interested in  their welfare. but that should not be taken  as your weakness and you should not be taken  for granted. if that happens  you are looked upon  as a spineless thing; not a man  of character. you are there, then, for people to  play with. dont become a laughing stock. be polite, but be firm. dont let people around you take the carrot and you settle for the stick. DO  NOT,EVEN  FOR A SECOND, THINK THAT YOU IMPROVE YOUR IMAGE BY  OBLIGING TO  PEOPLE  FOR  EACH  AND EVERY THING.  

when  you think  something is wrong call  your shots and say  an EMPHATIC NO. say  the KING IS NAKED. and call  a SPADE A SPADE.

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Posted by praful at 12:56:31 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday, September 10, 2007

the texan's shoes

                   "For god's sake mr.mathews, get me that girl  back. without her, it is like groping in  the dark. please". the CEO was down  and out. he wanted his secretary then  and there , right in front of him.

 mathews, the manager, gave a wry smile.

mathews prayed hard. he too wanted lakshmi, the CEO's secretary back. for obvious reasons. with  she in the office, everything worked well. she knew the CEO well. knew his likes and dislikes. put in  order all  papers. gave him  his work plan. advised him  on  what was in  store for the day. simply smooth  sailing; but not always.

"she will  come back  sir"' he said. "she cannot live without THE TEXAN'S SHOES". 

"shut up. you and your texan's shoes". the CEO let go  his anger in hoarse words.

lakshmi joined the company for just one reason. she wanted to be home with  her child by 6 in  evening. and this 

 job near her home served the purpose.

but she got a taste of what was in store  the very first day. The CEO wanted a particular file on  export correspondence. she placed it on  his table. "you fool, how dare you keep  both  import and export correspondences in  the same file". and he flung the file at her. lakshmi  melted, literally. somehow she gathered enough  courage to  say"this is my first day.i don't know who  keeps what and where".

"damn you". the CEO let go  another howl."i dont care who  does what . i want papers properly filed".

in  walked mr.mathews and he whisked lakshmi  away before things more unpleasant happened.

laksmi was soaking wet inside and outside. her throat was dry. she thought she would faint.

"sorry dear. i am actually in  search  of a person  who  would enjoy the TEXAN'S SHOES.you almost suit the bill. relax. i am  with  you". his concern  for the hapless lakshmi  was very evident. but she did not understand what the texan  shoe was.

lakshmi  got used to her CEO's outbursts. it became part of the office routine.

she was happy,otherwise. the pay cheque was excellent. perks were attractive too. and she made friends in  the office.  but again she was on  the razor's edge most of the time.

came another explosion. this time it was a greetings card. the cover in which  it was sent was smudged  slightly in  one corner.so tiny that only her CEO could locate it.  the volcano erupted."this goes to  the most renowned professor in  oxford. what will  he think  of my office. careless, irresponsible.no.no. get me another card and get out, you fool".

poor lakshmi wept. she did not know what to  say. again  mathews came to her rescue. "it looks as if the texan's shoes do  not fit you too. but do not lose your grip.hold the reins. you will  be ok".

the CEO was a happy man that day. three exports were made that day. the cargo was loaded without any incident .the ship left the port.. his daughter became a mother that morning after 7 years of marriage.he sat down  to  dictate a letter. he offered her coffee and biscuits. cracked jokes. talked about his days in the college in  oxford.

one would never believe it was the same person  who  exploded every other day and made people do  the tight

rope walk.

seven secretaries in  4 years, mathews once told her. "see, no one complained about the working conditions;or salary or perks. those are excellent.but who can spend 8 hours in  a lion's cage six days a week? one can never predict his moods. he cuts you to  pieces one minute. offers you coffee next minute. when  you anticipate a whiplash, you get a hug. and you look  for compliment you get a kick. you never can say  where does the roulette stop.have no emotions. that will  help. it is difficult, i know", was his advice.

once she called lakshmi  after an  outburst. "i know i am an  impossible person. even  i  cannot work  with  me. but dear lakshmi,please learn  to  bear with me. i admire your honesty, hard work and efficiency. please learn  to  work  with this eccentric".

tears came down  lakshmi's eyes. she kept her right hand on  her chin and kept her eyes on  the files on  the table.she reminded him  of her father who  beat her one moment and bought her toffees next .

came another day  and another squabble. this was regarding a letter to  the chief minister

 criticising industrial  policy. lakshmi  had typed the letter and had given  it in  the despatch. she was on leave the next day. the letter was posted only a day later. the volcano  erupted. "why do  i  pay you a fat pay cheque? for your honeymoon? i  toil  here. you people enjoy holidays. you can  go  home for good".  the CEO was fuming. his face red hot.

lakshmi  took up  the challenge this time. she typed out her resignation  letter and went to  the CEO. he read  it and threw it on  her face. "how dare you do it?" he asked.  "i  donot rise to  your expectations. may be another person  will  do  a better job. i  am  quitting". lakshmi  just managed to  convey her feelings. "shut up". the CEO was raving mad."why should you resign  for the mistake i  made"? he asked. there had been  a few corrections to  be made. i went and collected the letter myself from  the post office. i made the corrections and posted again. that was the cause of the delay. and you fool, why do  resign  for my eccentricity, "?. he burst out   laughing. lakshmi was confused and almost choked.in front of chopping block one moment and in the lap  of god the next moment. was she in  a state of trance, she did not know. "why did you shout at me",she gathered enough  courage to  ask  him that much. " you silly girl, i  am  no  god, understand that. i make mistakes. simple. go, do  your job. i too  have things to  do". 

"storm in the cup  again,lakshmi"? john  mathews was smiling as he welcomed her outside CEO's cabin. "the texan's shoes seem  to  fit you well". he said as he went past her. lakshmi  nodded. 

"strangest concotion  i have come across in  my life". she said to  herself. 

the CEO was sitting with  another CEO of another company. lakshmi  was there taking down  notes. the visitor asked her boss:"tell  me in just one sentence, what is your greatest asset here"?. the boss was cool and he said softly;" my greatest asset sits next to  you".  but before he completed the next sentence, he called her a silly joker. 

never ever can  fathom  this man . she thought.

it was a quite saturday afternoon. lakshmi  was totally unwound since the CEO was away in  Delhi. she was in mathews's cabin. "sir, i am getting used to  this tight rope walk. if he does n't call  me "fool" at least 3 times before noon  i feel  bad. my note pad should  fly around as a matter of right,every day. "shut up", i must hear at regular intervals". 

"good to  hear that". mathews said. "the stick  and the carrot " act is keeping you in good shape. now , i feel, you are matured enough  to  hear the TEXAN story. 

the tough, rough  texan  walked into  a shoe shop  in  downtown  texas. he sat on  a stool. the sales girl  came to  him.

 "look, i need a pair of wooden  shoes.knee high, fit enough for both  horse riding and for working in  the fields".  she brought a pair . he wore them. walked up  and down  the shop and sat down."tight on me. they crush  my toes. it hurts too". he said. "no  problem sir, i get you another pair". 

the texan  laughed loud.  the girl  was wonderstuck. she did not understand why was he laughing. the texan  calmed her. "listen, young lady, i am  a very busy man. i have over 10000 cattle heads. over 5000acres of wheat field.plus piggery and poultry . you get me". the girl  nodded.  "i get up  at 4. wear this tight shoes. and my day begins.  she grunted.    

 my toes hurt. skin  is peelig.

  "hmm".

my wife comes saying the hay stalk  caught fire. with  these tight shoes on  i go to  put out the fire. mind you, my  feet take the toll of the tight shoes. i get help. put  out the fire in  an  hour.

another"hmm'.

"comes the message that some robbers stole my cows, about one hundred of them.my feet are already swollen. even  walking is difficult. but still  i jump  on  the horse back  and run  after the robbers. my aides join me. and after a great struggle i  get my cows back. jesus, my feet are hurting". the sales girl was keen  now. she looked at the texan  anxiously.

"do you know what could i  have been thinking then"? the cowboy asked.

"no clue sir". she admitted her helplessness. 

"my aching feet, young lady, my aching feet". he jumped up. " think  of my ecstacy  on  removing the shoes and freeing my feet. think  of the immense pleasure  i  get on  placing my  feet  on  the cold cement floor". 

"great" said the sales girl.  

 "mind you, my day has only begun. i sit for the breakfast. i  get a luke warm  coffee and  toast worth  no  mention. turned eggs is not well  done, and my wife knows i  hate half cooked yolk dancing in  the plate. i throw it on  her face and walk  out of the kitchen.what could i  have been  thinking then? asked the big man  in  jeans.

 "the pleasant evening with  your feet on  the cold cement floor".the girl was smiling.

 "you got it baby,you got it".  the chief looked a very satisfied man. 

"all  kinds of problems  creep up  till  i settle for  my drink and dinner in  the evening. i get my swollen  feet out of the tight fitting shoes. skin has peeled off in  many places. and the pain  really bothersome. but i  have 3-4 large pegs of cutty sark. hot onion  soup. sirloin  steak  rare. large salad. and some music. .THAT'S heavenly my dear girl, heavenly". 

 " i  agree, sir".  the girl  could fathom  his contentment and satisfaction  at the dining table, with  hot food in  front  and his swollen  feet firmly placed on  the cement floor. 

 "the cool breeze tickle my feet. blood circulation  has become normal. and the whiskey is hard. soup  hot. i am  in  cloud 9".can  anyone dream  of such  ecstatic moments,everyday?" 

 "no  way sir. you are lucky".  the girl  could only agree.

"can  this happen  if i  buy  a wellfitting pair of soft shoes?".  "no, sir" came the reply. 

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lakshmi's daughter fell ill. the bronchial  ashtma was severe this time. lakshmi  stayed by  her bed in  the hospital for 3 days. she reported to  the office on  the fourth  day.

"it is the doctor who  treats the patient.not you. and what can  you do  in  the hospital?showing emotions. weeping?looking for sympathy from  people around? i tell  you, rubbish. go, stay  with  your daughter till  she gets married. your pay cheques will  reach  you every month. is that ok"? he was shivering with  anger.

Lakshmi  lost her cool  too. "if i  cannot sit by her when  she is   sick   and in  bad shape, i dont think  i need this job".

"get out". the CEO was red hot in  the face.

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lakshmi  stayed home. it was almost a week since she left the office.

she was feeding her daughter that day. it was almost noon. The CEO called mathews."go,  get lakshmi. i am ashamed of my  behaviour. apologise to  her on  my behalf and bring her back.now".

the car halted in front of lakshmi's house. mathews was stretching in  the back  seat. he walked out. went into  the house.

there were animated talks. sobbing. pacifying. and  eerie silence. 

when  the car left for office  there were three occupants, not two. also  there was plenty of laughter.

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Posted by praful at 12:34:03 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Thursday, September 06, 2007

THE VIRTUAL DOSA

                                             THE VIRTUAL DOSA
     Sujata, my brother in law's wife, is an affable lady and a great cook. She 
     enjoys making good food and loves to share it with everyone around. She 
     does not expect even a thank you for what she gives. She loves people. And 
    shares her happy moments with all of us. Good food for her  is just an 
    addendum.

     My grand children, when they visit us in kerala, make it a point to spend 
     most of their time with her because she makes excellent dosas. She can 
    spread the dosa batter like a saree on the floor; as simple as that. Like 
    what they do in restaurants, she does not turn the dosa over. And the razor 
    thin dosa comes out, crisp and light brown. She has coconut chutney and 
   dosa podi to go with it. The children eat them by the dozens; no 
   exaggeration please.

   Now to  'VIRTUAL', the title.


  Technology goes through the roof every minute, so to say; especially in the   
  field of information technology. Everything that is new and trendy today is
  obsolete tomorrow. And this is where I came across the word 'VIRTUAL'. The
  computer scientists have invented so many virtual things; you can virtually
 feel the smoothness of a saree; you can virtually smell a rose; you can
 virtually touch a film beauty. A never-ending line of virtuals.  At 64, it
 is mind boggling to me. It amazes me as to how these scientists bend
backwards to invent 'believe it or not' wonders. Not that these are
commonplace now, but they are on their way to become as common as chapatti
and dal or rice and sambar.


Now that was virtual for my dear readers from what little I know of VIRTUAL
in scientific terms.


Back to dosa.  My daughter sapna makes excellent dosas too. And she has a
dosa kallu [pan] that has a convex curve good enough to hold a litre of
water. Dosa pans are generally flat. The kind of curve that my daughter's
pan has is unusual and funny. And I picked up a quarrel with her once over
her pan. "You could do with a new pan, young lady", I said. And she glared
at me, the intensity of anger 'virtually' crushing me to smithereens.  "You
know appa, this is my life line. You say I change this pan. Will you
exchange me for a younger daughter".  And she flared up. Very fortunately
my wife walked in and she calmed our daughter. Attachments, affection, love
and sense of belonging are different in the eyes if different persons. My
daughter sapna froze me to a chunk of ice that day with her outburst. She
was right, anyway.



Now  we go  for the bull's horns.
My wife and I went to her place last month in vizagapatnam.   Her children
have grown up. They have school from 8am. Her husband goes to his office at
9. She herself goes to school at 8.30. That was the time I saw her
elegantly completing her pack lunch job her children, her husband's
breakfast and her own pack lunch. Dosa reigns supreme in her menu even
today. She takes a few dosas. Her children eat a few and carry to school a
few. Her husband sits down to  enjoy a few dark  brown  dosas.  Dosa
everywhere.
And I experienced a strange phenomenon.  She still owned that dosa kallu
over which we quarreled many years back. With regular use it was shining
inside, the gleam of metal showing affection to my daughter. There was a
certain amount of grandeur about that piece of metal She, I believe, even
talks to that dosa pan.



She was making dosas.  She half filled the ladle with dosa batter and
spread it right round the pan, a bit more than a foot in diameter. She
spread the batter fine and even. When she finished it the batter was well
spread and it gave a hissing noise. And she emptied only one half of what
she took. Goodness me, can this happen. I have heard of virtual smell,
virtual touch and virtual feel. But can there be a virtual dosa; a dosa
without batter.  My daughter proved it possible. One. Two. Three. She went
on and on and on. Everyone had his stomachful. They also packed their
Tiffin box with dosas. When she left the kitchen I quietly opened the
container to see what was left in the container. It was half full when she
started it, ALMOST  half full  when  she left.



Today I say sujata makes excellent dosas; but she needs batter. My daughter
sapna can make equally good dosas even without batter.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Posted by praful at 22:05:56 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

GOD FEARING- WHY SHOULD YOU FEAR GOD?

  

it has amazed me, always; the term GOD FEARING. fear god. that's rank  stupidity.  you can  agree or disagree.

but please listen  to what i  have to  say  before you call  me stupid.

to  me god is the supreme power. right from  childhood i  have been  hearing about the greatness of god. he is benevolent, loving , caring, concerned and punishes wrong doing severely.he is the creator of this earth and all  its animate and inanimate things. he controls lives of all  living things. he decides the time of death  of all  living beings. he controls the sea,the land,wind and the sky. he is the supreme power. 

you agree to  all  that i  say. you will, if you  believe  in god. if you dont believe in god, this article is not for you. such  is the power of god that you can  only be his subject, never his master. he leads you, not you lead him. however great and imposing scince and technology may be, your efforts are destined to certain  limits. you can  say you decide your destiny; but is nt that statement  laughable. your very existence is controlled by various factors  over which  you have no  control. right from  the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat and the work  you do  there is that unseen  hand of god guiding you. it is amazing. even  the president of the united states of america, the supposedly supreme power on earth is  unable  to  fathom  the power  of his enemies and take precautions inspite of the fact that he has the best of brains and technology  under his control,  forget the  stranglehold he has  over the world community.he has the best of metereology. but still  he could not prevent the katrina devastating  new orleans. he has the best of aircrafts and  satellite spying and intelligence network. but still came the 9/11 and how many died. why did columbia burst in  mid-air?   he and his NASA has the most sophisticated  technology and equipments that one can  dream  of.

you might think  why i  talk  of only america? obviously because the most powerful  country is unable to  prevent disasters. who  else, then, can.

back  to  GOD FEARING. i  have touched the tiniest tip of the iceberg called GOD. if you believe in  this phenomenon tell  me why you you should fear him. he can  upset your apple cart,not you, his. he does not need your assistence  or co-operation  or goodwill  to  make things happen. he controls every heart beat.

do  you have to  fear such  a power. his aim  cannot be to  distroy our world and our existence.if it was, i  would nt have been  here to  write this.  he is there to  better the mankind and all  that is there in  the world. you fear him  if you dont do  things right.you fear he punishes you for your wrong doing. not that wrong doers are always punished ,at least we dont see them  being punished. crime and punishment in  the eyes of god,  is a trillion  dollar question. you and i  have no  clue over it. fear him  not, for he is for your peace and happiness. fearing is giving him  the face of a demon or a monster. he is not that. if you care for yourself, your family and the society and are concerned about the welfare of everything around what you transpire is love and not fear. god does exactly that.

therefore LOVE GOD,NOT FEAR HIM.

good day friends.

   

 

Posted by praful at 07:42:53 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |