Of Space and Time

One day I agreed to drop my daughter at her school, she had joined a coupe of months ago.  On the way, I had a nagging doubt and asked her which left turn I should take.  She said she was not sure as she normally took a different route.  Nevertheless I was able to read my bearings and took the correct left turn and dropped her at her school.  But not before lecturing on the need for observing landmarks, directions, improving intuitive spacial cognitive capabilities and understanding at least geographical locations.  She kept nodding her head – I hope she understood what I meant.

On my way back, I got cocky after all the discourse.  Why do I need to take the next right a good kilometre away while I can take the right turn just here.  And so I did.  Immediately I felt happy – the general direction was correct and the road was empty with cool breeze blowing across my face.  It was early morning and I started enjoying the early morning sun light.  Even a bird started calling – far removed from the other right that was soaked in diesel, congested with vehicles and paved with pot holes.

The road started meandering and I sure liked it.  Unlike other roads of Bangalore where after every half a kilometre you hit a fork with three roads with two of them one-ways, this was simple – just one road.  I started to think of the good old days of Bangalore – this is the closest I can come to.  And then I recognized something – my smile widened.  See, my sense of direction and my grasp of land marks have stood by me.  I came closer.  I sure recognized it.  It was my daughter’s school.  After three kilometres all I had done was to end up where I started.

I came back home and ate my words for breakfast.  Of course, I did not tell anyone.

Of Space and Time

Let the animal in you run free

A friend of mine recently narrated an interesting incident. 

Suppose a hungry lion chases a deer and after a long chase the deer manages to escape, what would it do.  Does the deer feel happy that it has escaped; does it feel sad because nature has made him weaker than a lion, does he feel angry and schemes to avenge his to-be killer, or does he feel jealous of the lion and dreams of becoming one.  Nothing - the deer feels nothing. He is on his way grazing and going ahead with life.

Just imagine you are the deer.  What do you feel?

Sometimes, it is better to be an animal with no such excess feelings and emotions that try to overwhelm.  It is not the extreme circumstance that overwhelms but the resultant emotions and feelings following your reaction to those circumstances. It is the reaction what makes you human or inhuman.  Extreme circumstances drive you to take extreme actions and when you are pushed - it is better to let the animal in you run free.  Once you start thinking like one, you suddenly realise you are more human.

Bollywood - Jay Ho!

Who Imprisons you

What happens to creativity?

Burning Oil

Burning Oil, originally uploaded by duncandavidson.

This is just insane. Thousands of sea living lives lost...

Slick

Slick, originally uploaded by duncandavidson.

Not many realise this - as it does not affect directly right away. We have to pay for this humanity! Slick is Sick.

Wanderers

I have been observing this person for the past couple of days. He sat silently in the temple not talking to anyone and not entering the temple always. Sometimes when the heat increased he came inside.

We were taking part in an event that involved reading of a religious text (Srimad Bhagavatham) for seven days. The days ended with a discourse by wise men on the philosophy of life. As is customary in temples, food was served during the entire period.

On the fourth day, I met him at another temple. That is when I noticed that he had a kit but appeared to be in no hurry to go anywhere. From his body language, I understood that this temple was his temporary halting place and the small kit held all of his belongings. He spends his nights at this temple and comes to the other one to spend his days – to have his breakfast, lunch and dinner, free of cost.

When I saw him he flashed a smile of recognition. He introduced himself as chandrashekharan from North Kerala. And then he opened up making his mind to speak in halting english. He is a loner. He has his parents and siblings but never depended on them. He said he just goes from place to place and wherever finds a place he can spend some time (get free food) he spends the time till the next function starts somewhere else.

He said that he does not have anyone but has the entire world working for him, ensuring that he survived. He has gone places throughout India as far as Allahabad, Hrishikesh, Badrinath and Kashmir – traveling alone and without spending a rupee. He says that he gets most help from people around the temples, from police and the army (surprised me). Three times he tried going to Kedarnath and failed – he will try this year too.

Gave me an insight into how people manage to survive and to what extent people are willing to push their way of life.

He said he takes life one day at a time (divided by three – food times). He said he likes the way he lived without knowing what he would like to do with life or how he would spend the next day. He seemed to be genuinely happy. I failed to understand that he needs to do something with his life. At last he made his point – he is interested in the journey of life – not the destination. Go wherever life takes you.

I was trying to compare myself, who gets anxious if a single insurance premium is overdue, with this man who does not know and does not care from where his next meal is going to come from. I sit at a home that I could call mine after 20 years, having a steady job working for someone else, maintaining a seemingly happy family and yet looking forward to reach a destination that is alluringly near all the time.

At 2 am, he disappeared – he continuing on his journey and I staring at the destination. I wonder who the wanderer is – him or me.

Swati - Off to railway station - start of vacations

A Helping Hand

We were a compact gang. Each of us was different – some rich, some poor, some staying nearby and some not so near. We fought each other but had the magnanimity to honour the gang motives. We stuck with each other through thick and thin. And we taught ourselves the art of sharing and of helping each other.

One of the gang members was anxious. In fact, he was absolutely devastated. The examinations would start in a few months and he knew he cannot get through. English always terrorized him. He somehow managed to pass the rest of the subjects. English was the only one subject between being called uneducated and ‘SSLC pass’. This would be his final attempt – he knew he cannot pass and he wanted to pass it desperately so that he can muster some job or the other. His father cannot support him any longer because of family circumstances. He was keen to ensure that he did not add to the family burden but wanted to reduce it by being productive.

The gang got into collective thinking. All of us knew that he can never manage to pass if all of us made him study twenty four hours a day till the exams start.

I offered a dangerous proposition. I said, “I can write for you provided you get my photo in your hall ticket”.

Another friend offered his unique services. He said, “I can get my father to allot an exam centre far away from our place. It means that I can also manage to get the wrong photo to the right hall ticket”.

And so our friend is immediately overjoyed with the simple solution. Everybody go home happy that day. The samaritan’s father reluctantly agreed to do the gang’s beckoning.

And so one day the gang turns up at my house.

One said, “Okay, its time to start”.

I said, “For what?”.

He said, “Have you forgotten? You promised to write for me and tomorrow is the exam day”.

My head reeled. I had not studied and the centre was 200 km away. There was no time to lose. So we took a bike and all of us travelled the entire distance and reached the exam centre the next day morning.

I gingerly entered the examination hall. They found nothing out of ordinary. But exam supervisors sure were curious because I started writing and never stopped. Fast, furious and trying to cram as much as possible. The exam was over in half the time and I came out with my fingers crossed but totally relieved. More so was my gang.

The results were out. He scored 63% in English – the highest of all the exams. He was elated and so was I.

After 25 years, he remains a good friend. He still drives the auto that he started after becoming a qualified ‘SSLC Pass’.

(As narrated by my friend, Jayant Pande – 30^th of March, 2010)