and dreams of a faraway place;

A traveller on the plane sees the farmhouse

and dreams of home.

The Greener Grass

                             Guess, that’s the irony of life. Human desires know no bounds and are far from satisfaction. It’s often a pre-requisite for every individual (consciously/unconsciously) to gauge the light in a gathering. But is it really a necessity? – That still stands out as a million dollar question!  

What started out innocently at kindergarten with comparison of dress, school bags and other miniatures, which led to the squabbling and tantrums to get the other-so-nice object, continues to grow subconsciously with us, and royally twines its life with us. Only that what started out as a Mickey Mouse pencil box and hot wheels plastic cars continues to apple iProds and a shiny ever so ”Hot wheel” metal cars. But on second thought, do the apple iProds and metal Hot wheels satisfy us really? Not so, thanks to another acquaintance turns on the light shower on top to talk about the Berry-prods (yea yea the Berry which is Black in colour) and a shinier metal car he owns, constantly trying to push the tiny nagging feel over the corner of his head, which says, ‘iProds cud be better than Blackberry’! Voila!!! No one’s satisfied at the end!

So, where goes the peak aspect of human lives – Emotion? Well, the above could be classified as one type of emotion – jealousy! Barring that, what happened to the other finer aspects of human lives? Let’s start simple with three 4 letter words – L.O.V.E., C.A.R.E., L.I.V.E. Simple to spell, but in truth very difficult to find. Out in the ever-so fast revolving world, most of the homes are turning into houses, devoid of the above 3 simple factors. Result – The grass is always better on the other side. “Oh, his American siblings and their families are doing so well!” The American sibling’s wives think “Oh, his Indian sibling’s wife has everything she needs to raise a perfect family!” would be an almost cliché thoughts going around in most of the households.

Let us think where we are going wrong with this conspiracy. The other day, when my sister and I were going to the office, we had to pull over in the signal. Out of Monday morning blues combined with the monotony included long ride to office, I was staring out of the window, without much options left.  There was this tiny 2-ish something kid trotting in the corner of the road, in the scorching sun all by itself. Alarmed, I followed its path to the source and I spotted a man walking before. Somehow the situation convinced me to the assumption that this guy was the kid’s father. Much before I started was absorbed in a state of pity for this tiny thing, an incident that followed, shook me off-hand and made a deeper hole! The man stopped in front of a local wine shop, and turned to look at the kid. The child was crying and managed to close the space between them and hugged the man’s legs. Now this man pushed the clinging child off and went into the shop without a second look. Almost tear welling at eyes I was seeing what the child had to do. Yea, naturally the child still crying followed the man into the shop. The signal turned green and we had to go. But was it in fact green around me? NO, definitely not!

Where does that lead us back to? Bingo the 3 simple words I had spelled out before – Love, Care, Live. Had there been even a bit of Love, the man would have not let the small child walk without sandals to the mercy of the cruel sands – Let alone the scorching sun here! Was there a bit of Care involved, then the man would not have let the child follow him to a wine shop on a Monday morning 9 ‘o clock. LIVE? Now, that would be a parody here. Would it be Live or let Live? Was it Live, then the man would not have decided to walk to a local wine shop and decide to deteriorate his life and health. But, if he had also decided to Let Live, then the poor kid mayn’t be turning into the father’s current replica 20 years later! There we go again. Life is very simple to be Loved, Cared for and Live it to the fullest extent, and thereby letting lives also blossom on the way ahead!

Green or not green, sorry to break your bubble folks, Home rules way beyond any other place and Mom’s food scores better than American Chopsuey at a far away glittery place.  

LIVE AND LET LIVE … MAKE WORLD A HAPPY PLACE!

L.O.V.E., C.A.R.E. & L.I.V.E.

          ’TEACH INDIA’ – strikes chords? A few months back we had the Times of India, advertising for the need for volunteers to help educate kids. Remember the white shirts with blue letters ad? Kudos to this daily, as it put in a great effort, to turn it into a reality! With college semesters done in june, i was just idling my time, spending more than 3/4 of a day being online(pl guys don’t ask me wat i was doing, i hardly recollect it myself !!!)that i eventually stumbled across this site through google, and though i kind of made out it was about teaching, i could not draw a clear picture about what exactly the programme was. Excited a little, i signed up for the volunteer list, and expected a mail to pop inbox the very next day, asking me to heed to some place and teach a pack of kids. But, even this mail, decided to take it’s own sweet time(the other one being my call letter ). After a wait of almost 3 months, there was a mail from team teach india. Pretty excited, i opened the mail to tell me that the team had finally reached my name in the queue(it was almost like a job queue), and was finally asked to attend an orientation programme, which would help me choose an organization near my place of stay.  At last, i was to be a member of team PAVITHRAM!!!

          I was sought of feeling squeezy, because i had no idea what i had to do. I spent almost an hour in search of the address and finally found it a narrow lane, with innumerous small box-shaped flats. I was directed to a place that was a plain 100 sq feet area by the edge of the road, which was covered 4 sides with plastic sheets and asbestos sheet for the roof. I got down from the bike and stood there uneasily not knowing what to do. All of it vanished the instant i stepped into that place, where there was 40 odd kids ranging from standard 1 to 8 screeching “Gooooooooood eveeeeeeniiiiiiiingggggggggg miiiiiiiiisssssssssssssss!”. Now dont laugh at that, i know it is quite funny me, being addressed as miss . i was immediately confronted with loads of questions. “miss neenge than enge puthu teacher a?”, “entha standard ku edupeenge miss?”, “miss engalukku edunga miss!”, “miss miss round adipeengala unge bikele, pl misssssss?”. I was literally lost amidst, when there was a roar of voice instructing them to stand up for prayer. It was Mr.Jyothi, a local resident who had offered to spend the evenings taking incharge of the kids, and maintaining silence while the volunteers, take classes. This ‘Jyothi mama’ (as they called him) , was indeed a stern man, who didn’t hesitate to tap(a bit less than beating) the kids to bring them into control. All of them stood up staright joined their hands to recite a prayer. I was then joined by 2 other volunteers, who instructed me what ought to be done. It was not like a classroom teaching, rather was more like a tuiton centre. We were to help them out with their homeworks, teach them the basics of all subjects.

          These kids, man are truly awesome. None of these kids are a less on their ability and talent, only oppurtunity deprived. Like for example, there was this kid in 1st std, who asked me to help her out with a few additions(3+2 say). I asked her to hold out 2 fingers and count after 3. Nw, i’ll tell you exactly what she said – “Misssssssss, appadi ille miss, naan solran. 3 in your mind, 2 in the fingers, 3 after, 4, 5 (dont forget to read it in a sing-song manner)” . I was actually surprised. These kids are no less in thinking, but putting their thoughts down was a huge problem. Like believe me or not, almost 1/2 the class did not know to write their name in english!!!!!! So we thought we would start on with basics. We had a session where each kid was asked to write their name in board and introduce themselves in english(it was a nightmare to them), but all of them had a great deal attitude, wherein they wrote down their mistakes and showed me the next day! It was only later, by the month end, i came to meet Mr.Harish Kumar, who started the pavithram. He was one sweet person and i instantly felt like respecting him. We discussed on how we could take better steps , and decided on dividing the classes into 3 groups. 1-3, 3-5, 6-8. This settled, it was also decided that instead of doing with homeworks, each day was to be dedicated for a subject and start on with the basics for each group individually. This, proved to be quite successful, and we saw the kids showing a grade of change in activities and studies.              

          Fun, never ceases with the volunteers, themselves being students (into college). We have these sessions of word building, sentence completion, quiz, games, anthakshari, what not! We started becoming more closer, more like a family unit. And surprises also never ends, as these kids keep surprising you a lot everyday in some form or the other. I was really very touched when a girl gave me a dairy milk on her bday . We celebrated children’s day in a great fashion. Had speeches delivered by these kids, dance, music, games, art-competition, story-telling, etc. It was whole lots of fun. Mr.Harish, bought some pencils and chocolates and we distributed them to everybody(i was reminded of my school days as this was a ritual done there). Actually, there is a lot to learn from the kids. Happiness and smile-always topping the list, adjustment, helping(the kids of higher grade help the smaller ones with their subjects sometimes), curiosity(its present in a humongous amount in them), and lots more. Sometimes, i feel happy about my call letter getting delayed. If not for that, defenitely i would have missed these times. Sometimes, i also feel like ‘Those were some of the best days of my life!‘

Team Pavithram,Teach India

            Evolution apart, where is this leading to? A great hero ? An automaticly chosen leader ? A kewl guy ? Maybe possible, for those in their fantasical world! Those, who want to live in the world of Popoye and let out smokes in continuous ring shape or heart shape or whatever shape. Those who choose to live a world of mirages where reality, is a word forbidden. The most sadest or ironical part of this scenario, are the part of the six billion, who do not smoke, yet are forced to inhale the stenchy, hazardous smoke! Cancer, tuberculosis, heart disease, blood pleasure, blah blah blah, the list is quite endless. Now, am not this cold-blooded steel- boned feamle who says, let those who smoke be infected and spare the non-tobaco population. Of course methods and techniques need to be adapted to stop this so called addictive habit smoking! It is a much appreciative initiative effort by the government to ban smoking in public places, though a slight twitch of saddening thought, that such an issue, should be forced into a law, where people fail to understand that it’s done for their sake! This, quirk of fate, can be very aptly elucidated by the report on one of the magazines, which quoted quite an intresting or funny piece of news, where people claimed that only smoking is banned, and they can still turn onto the Hookahs in the recreation clubs, pubs and lot other famous joints and continue their venture, as, it seems that the ingredients used in them contain very little level of tobacco content in them-Now do you see my point!?!

            Statutory Warning : Smoking is injurious to health! Well, does it make any sense at all? On top of it being printed in a readable font size in the product cover? Now, this is the part where the segregation between the population comes into picture! Ones who smoke(active smokers) and the ones who do not(passive smokers)! The former ones, make it their choice to go and have a fag knowing about all nuances of what they are doing, forget the innumerable reasons they provide(am depressed, lonely, bored, curious, and other nonsensical stuffs). But where does that leave the latter ones, who are left out with no choice but to take in the smoke too, in turn making them vulnerable to lose out on their lives too! Not that i do not appreciate the essence of the law enforcement, i do, but i think this is just going to be another case of helmet-fine-story! All said and done, nobody can be blamed and no one can change the scenario, except the choosen ones, who can decide to make finer choices!!!

Looking forwad to the change!

Stay Cool, Quit Smoking!

* Your mom serves you paper roast with sambhar.

* You sneak past the security withot paying fine for being late.

* You manage to clear all the papers and actually get an A+ grade.

* Its somebody’s birthday, and your evening is scheduled with treat.

* You get phone call from your friends after a very long time.

* Its drizzling with cool breeze when you are walking alone.

* Some uncle returns from America and brings you a cartload of chocolates.

* Your friend borrows your bike and returns it with the petrol tank filled.

* Its pouring cats and dogs and you snuggle up in your mattress with a bowl of icecream to watch a movie.

Catch a Tiger by its toe!

Does strike a chord, isn’t it? Who wouldn’t remember the days of the kinder garden clay artisans who claim their first ever made flower or snake or ball or god knows what shape is the best ever possible wonder! Play all time, no study thrust upon, people always around to pamper you and let you go around with your whims and fancies, those days mark the ever enjoyment period-yet sad, because we don’t understand it’s magnitude and go gaga over a silly doll or cry over lollipops and cotton candy. Those days are ever heaven period with innocence at its peak, and no devil thoughts to share the credit.

The first change happens with the transition to the primary school days. The days of taking immense pride in showing off the undersized lunch box filled with that time delicacies – noodles, pizza(home-made of course ), puris, parathas and watch everyone turning green with envy and heads turning from all sides to call out your name to see if they can have a share! A time where “why can’t I be her/him?” thoughts start creeping in as the devil starts entering the mind in angel covered form. But still those are days where we are unmindful of what others think about us, screeching through the school corridors are run dashing through the winds playing, falling, laughing, whew, those are true good times!

Then comes Middle school days, where ‘you are no more a small kid, you are a grown up now’, so expected to have lots of responsibilities. No more does Barbie makes sense at home. In comes home works, a crap called television that holds the most top priority in your life! Come to think of it, you actually enter your teens, where cool is the ‘IN’ thing at this glorious period! Now the devil walks straight out of its cover, into your mind, which was once all sugary, nice sweet angelic! Suddenly parents become bossy, siblings become pesky, and friends become snooping! Well at least one thing happens out of this period, you gain access to the school library full-fledged J !

Now its time for High school and Junior College, or should I say show time! Suddenly snoopy friends become blood-mates in this era. It’s the time, you actually turn off the tv to study, thanks to the public exams. Nevertheless partying has never stopped in terms of cultural events. Come any school cultural, hands shoot up in mid air and names fill in forms at rapid speed, not bothering to check what events our names actually get registered for(This laid the foundation for the future O.D.s in colleges)! Endless hours of tuitions never was a pain when road side pani puris and bakery samosa channas was present on an endless scale. Now we go in to terms of being adults. No more is balloon tapping fun, cartoon network great, pillow fights at home exhilarating , actually spending time at home by itself becomes a lot obsolete. We tune ourselves into the machine life. We ourselves become machines. Then with the end of exams, drowns a whole 15 years of magnanimous school life!!! Then begins college, now that’s a whole more enduring period of the devil-ship ruling the mind at the apex with zeal!

Down with quantizable number of years of life, I wish with true heart that THE CHANGES CHANGE. Not saying growing up isn’t fun, but staying a child is more fun J. Am happy for one teeny-weeny bit of change that has not happened in me – licking chocolate (dairy milk) out of hands and eating an ice cream from a cone, dripping it all through the way!!!!!!!!!

The Toddler Way!