- First sip of coffee in the morning with Newspaper
- Chirping of birds in morning silence with the coolness of dewdrops
- First bite of food when you are infinitely hungry
- Entering the last number in a Sudoku
- Eating an icecream when there is noone around to remind you about diet
- Sudden plan for a movie
- Noticing purple flowers in the office campus one fine day when u look up and away from the security and vehicles
- The long night before a holiday
- Finding time for a stroll in a busy day
- Waking up after a wonderful dream
- Playing your favorite song on ipod
- Unexpected call or mail from a friend
- Manager on Leave
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Moments to Steal
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Who is the kid?
"Ladies and Gentlemen. For security reasons passengers are requested to bring to the notification of the airport security any unclaimed baggage" announced the akashvani at the Bengaluru International Airport. A lady with streaks of grey hair hiding the wrinkles on her forehead and heavy woolen sweater protecting her from the chill of 4 30 AM in Bengaluru sat on the bench with a basket. A basket full of stuff typical of South Indian outing - A coffee flask, a small tiffin box with upma in it, a napkin and a water bottle. She was neither aware of the eat-outs at the airport nor could figure out what the announcement meant. She asked her husband in Kannada innocently.
"What are they saying ? Are they saying our daughter's flight has come?"
"No. They are saying that now a days it is very insecure out here as terrorists attack any place. So we should be careful."
"Oh My God. I should have lighted the lamp at home and done the Pooja at home before leaving. You said we dont have time even to take bath and come."
"Of course. You were bent upon preparing the breakfast and then leaving. Now lets just wait. I am already tensed till I see my daughter. Don't talk all this now."
She remained silent as she could understand his restlessness. The clock ticked by and an hour passed. It was the time for the arrival of BA 119 in which their daughter was coming. It was delayed by 20 min. The anxious father kept moving to the display board and back to the bench again and again. His feeble eye-sight would not allow him to check the status sitting on the bench. She could not wait longer and she started her questions again.
"What did you see?"
"The flight is going to come soon."
"Can we see the flight when it comes?"
"No, it will come on the other side of this building. We wont be able to see it. But they will write it on the board when it comes."
"Oh. What about all the luggage. She has to bring it from the other side of the building till here. How do they get down from the plane? Kids are also coming. How will she manage?"
"Even I am worried. But they will give her luggage only later is what she told. Then she can get it on those trolleys we saw others going with sometime back. They put some ladder for her to get down."
"Good they have some facility like that. But what if they don't give her the right luggage?"
"I think they will give. She asked us not to worry"
As soon as the display showed - "ARRIVED", he called his wife - "Come soon. The flight has come." She juggled the basket, umbrella and the small purse that had the cash to start running towards the arrival gate. A young girl of 25 sitting next to her waiting for the same flight interrupted and said -"It will take time for them to come out. Immigration and customs formalities will be there." The terms did not make an iota of sense to the lady. Probably she heard those terms for the first time. She gave a smile acknowledging that she heard the girl but continued her sprint.
Among the crowd holding placards at the arrival gate were these old couple with their eager sight hooked on to the farthest point they could see through the glass doors. There was no sight of any passenger till 20 min. But neither the eagerness nor the strength to stand there decreased. Finally after 40 min, the lady exclaimed - "I can see the kids. Bend down here. You can also see their legs." The old man tried to bend down to get a glimpse. It did not occur to him that it is a matter fo 5 mins that they will be standing right in front of him. It was the joyous moment they had been waiting for. Every second from then was like an year. The last few seconds had them slowly sneaking into the area reserved for passengers to hug the kids and their daughter.
There were smiles and there were tears. For anyone who would have observed them for those 2 hours, it was tough to say that the separation was only 3 months and that their daughter is a 30 year old software Engineer who has roamed the world. For parents, it does not matter, does it? For they don't see a difference between the two kids who ran to them at the gate and their daughter who walked slowly towards them. She always remains a kid to them even if they have to figure out the technological world like a kid trying to learn new things.
"What are they saying ? Are they saying our daughter's flight has come?"
"No. They are saying that now a days it is very insecure out here as terrorists attack any place. So we should be careful."
"Oh My God. I should have lighted the lamp at home and done the Pooja at home before leaving. You said we dont have time even to take bath and come."
"Of course. You were bent upon preparing the breakfast and then leaving. Now lets just wait. I am already tensed till I see my daughter. Don't talk all this now."
She remained silent as she could understand his restlessness. The clock ticked by and an hour passed. It was the time for the arrival of BA 119 in which their daughter was coming. It was delayed by 20 min. The anxious father kept moving to the display board and back to the bench again and again. His feeble eye-sight would not allow him to check the status sitting on the bench. She could not wait longer and she started her questions again.
"What did you see?"
"The flight is going to come soon."
"Can we see the flight when it comes?"
"No, it will come on the other side of this building. We wont be able to see it. But they will write it on the board when it comes."
"Oh. What about all the luggage. She has to bring it from the other side of the building till here. How do they get down from the plane? Kids are also coming. How will she manage?"
"Even I am worried. But they will give her luggage only later is what she told. Then she can get it on those trolleys we saw others going with sometime back. They put some ladder for her to get down."
"Good they have some facility like that. But what if they don't give her the right luggage?"
"I think they will give. She asked us not to worry"
As soon as the display showed - "ARRIVED", he called his wife - "Come soon. The flight has come." She juggled the basket, umbrella and the small purse that had the cash to start running towards the arrival gate. A young girl of 25 sitting next to her waiting for the same flight interrupted and said -"It will take time for them to come out. Immigration and customs formalities will be there." The terms did not make an iota of sense to the lady. Probably she heard those terms for the first time. She gave a smile acknowledging that she heard the girl but continued her sprint.
Among the crowd holding placards at the arrival gate were these old couple with their eager sight hooked on to the farthest point they could see through the glass doors. There was no sight of any passenger till 20 min. But neither the eagerness nor the strength to stand there decreased. Finally after 40 min, the lady exclaimed - "I can see the kids. Bend down here. You can also see their legs." The old man tried to bend down to get a glimpse. It did not occur to him that it is a matter fo 5 mins that they will be standing right in front of him. It was the joyous moment they had been waiting for. Every second from then was like an year. The last few seconds had them slowly sneaking into the area reserved for passengers to hug the kids and their daughter.
There were smiles and there were tears. For anyone who would have observed them for those 2 hours, it was tough to say that the separation was only 3 months and that their daughter is a 30 year old software Engineer who has roamed the world. For parents, it does not matter, does it? For they don't see a difference between the two kids who ran to them at the gate and their daughter who walked slowly towards them. She always remains a kid to them even if they have to figure out the technological world like a kid trying to learn new things.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Din
I know his name. Not sure if he knows mine.
I don't understand what he speaks except for"xyz Ringitts" and he does not understand anything I speak except for the destination and time.
It is easy to guess now that he is a taxi driver in Kuala Lumpur.
Strange are the ways how humans develop relationships. It does not need a language. All it needs is the connection.
I went for a week there, stayed at a hotel and happened to take his taxi on the very first day. Uncertain about the situations and conditions in a foreign city when you are alone, I asked him a for a daily pick up and drop. He agreed. i had tough time explaining "daily" and had to say something like - Tomorrow, tomorrow tomorrow and tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow. Funny isn't it? He came daily and had the same smile. We used to just nod to each other instead of a "good morning" or "good evening". I used to use signs to ask questions like - what are the places to see around? How to reach there? " After a point I realized it is the signs I am using more important and not the language I used for myself. So I used to speak in Kannada and show the right signs using hands and face. It worked.
He showed me how to reach Petronas towers. He took me to Putra Lake. Even in a country of nobody for me, I felt i had somebody when I went with him. Strange trust and confidence that surprised me.
On the last day, when I was leaving I felt - "I might not meet him again in life. No mode of contact. Of course there are no signs on telephone. But he has escorted me everywhere. Unknowingly guarded my safety. When I think of all the possibilities and how bad the world can be, I feel a sense of gratitude for him." When I had a tough time asking for places, how would I even talk about such a complex vague feeling. Of course I cannot.
When I got down at the airport, I was short of cash by 10 Ringitts. I said - "Only 180". He just nodded which said -"Its ok". He left after exchange of smiles. I don't know if he figured our I felt grateful. But it is a good feeling to be thankful.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Random Thought # 8
Thought: A friend is someone who can be source of your happiness and sink to your sorrows.
Reason: Blessed with such friends
Explanation: You don't need heat and mass transfer course for this :D
Reason: Blessed with such friends
Explanation: You don't need heat and mass transfer course for this :D
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Thank you series - Episode 1
For all those who are reminded of Ekta kapoor as soon as you hear "episode" this will not be a never-ending dramatic soap. If you have read "The touch of gratitude" I had mentioned that I keep a list of all those people who have gone out of their way to help me at any point in my life. So I got this new idea of starting a series of articles where I get an opportunity to let the world know that such kind-hearted people live on this earth and also thank them wholeheartedly. So here goes the first one. Since today is Teacher's day, I can as well start off with my teacher.
Kamal Peter
The whole school would agree with me that there is no student who studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya Malleswaram and does not know her irrespective of whether she taught you in a classroom or not. She is not just a popular person but someone whom you can never ignore. If you happen to be at the same latitude and longitude as her, you would not move without noticing her. If you happen to meet and talk to her, you would never forget her. For any person who knows her, the name itself would ring a bell and bring to memories a beautiful,charming and inspiring lady who commands respect from old and young. I wonder how many people would have gone home and looked at the dictionary whenever they heard her speeches in splendid English. But wait, she was a Science teacher. It does not really matter what you teach if you are an all-rounder like her. All said and done about her success story, she is a really nice person to interact with. She understands you, she encourages you, she leads you and she will make you feel important. She is the only one who calls me "Beta" and she means it. A small incident which brought her into my book would leverage that statement.
It is common for teachers to turn into nutritionists during lunch breaks and walk around in the classrooms to find out what and how the children are eating. It is enough work for the moms to ensure all the different nutrients mentioned in the science book are packed in the lunch box. But my mom was unwell to even enter the kitchen at that point of time. My father did a good job of juggling the responsibilities of a bank officer and a father. Unfortunately one day he too fell sick which made me knock the doors of "Iyer mess" as they called it those days to pack the breakfast idli as lunch for myself. She was a sharp teacher who could look through the curries in various lunch boxes to figure out the proportion of various nutrients. A paper packed lunch would not miss her eye. She took to me to the junior lab (It was something that she started. Otherwise lab would be something we would have experienced only after tenth class). She asked me with concern - "Goda, May I ask you why you have packed lunch from a hotel?" As soon as she learnt the reason, she immediately said - "Tomorrow onwards, I am going to bring lunch for you till your parents are fine"
Packing an extra box of lunch while you do it for yourself and your kids might not be a big deal. The big deal is to have the concern to find out and to offer such a help. It was a big deal for me. Ask someone in the desert how big a deal a drop of water is. This is just one of the most memorable of the innumerable ways in which she has shaped my life. I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart.
Madam, you are awesome and I love you.
Kamal Peter
The whole school would agree with me that there is no student who studied in Kendriya Vidyalaya Malleswaram and does not know her irrespective of whether she taught you in a classroom or not. She is not just a popular person but someone whom you can never ignore. If you happen to be at the same latitude and longitude as her, you would not move without noticing her. If you happen to meet and talk to her, you would never forget her. For any person who knows her, the name itself would ring a bell and bring to memories a beautiful,charming and inspiring lady who commands respect from old and young. I wonder how many people would have gone home and looked at the dictionary whenever they heard her speeches in splendid English. But wait, she was a Science teacher. It does not really matter what you teach if you are an all-rounder like her. All said and done about her success story, she is a really nice person to interact with. She understands you, she encourages you, she leads you and she will make you feel important. She is the only one who calls me "Beta" and she means it. A small incident which brought her into my book would leverage that statement.
It is common for teachers to turn into nutritionists during lunch breaks and walk around in the classrooms to find out what and how the children are eating. It is enough work for the moms to ensure all the different nutrients mentioned in the science book are packed in the lunch box. But my mom was unwell to even enter the kitchen at that point of time. My father did a good job of juggling the responsibilities of a bank officer and a father. Unfortunately one day he too fell sick which made me knock the doors of "Iyer mess" as they called it those days to pack the breakfast idli as lunch for myself. She was a sharp teacher who could look through the curries in various lunch boxes to figure out the proportion of various nutrients. A paper packed lunch would not miss her eye. She took to me to the junior lab (It was something that she started. Otherwise lab would be something we would have experienced only after tenth class). She asked me with concern - "Goda, May I ask you why you have packed lunch from a hotel?" As soon as she learnt the reason, she immediately said - "Tomorrow onwards, I am going to bring lunch for you till your parents are fine"
Packing an extra box of lunch while you do it for yourself and your kids might not be a big deal. The big deal is to have the concern to find out and to offer such a help. It was a big deal for me. Ask someone in the desert how big a deal a drop of water is. This is just one of the most memorable of the innumerable ways in which she has shaped my life. I would like to thank her from the bottom of my heart.
Madam, you are awesome and I love you.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Random Thought # 7
How many parts are simultaneously functioning in our body? I don't want the exact answer except that it is a huge number.
In spite of the innumerate ways in which things can go wrong given the permutations and combinations, I feel damn lucky that it is functioning properly :)
In spite of the innumerate ways in which things can go wrong given the permutations and combinations, I feel damn lucky that it is functioning properly :)
Friday, August 21, 2009
Love-Hate relationship
I love :
- My Family
- Friends and the time with them.
- Humour
- Coffee with Newspaper
- SRK
- OR
- Listening to music in nature
- Dancing to Bollywood songs
- Playing keyboard
- Figuring out constellations standing on the terrace
- Spongebob Squarepants
- Books that make me feel "Oh I know something now"
- Baloons
- Bright evenings
- Compassion
I Hate:
- Artificiality
- Sarcasm
- Hypocrisy
- heavy rains and Marshy roads
- Darkness
- Money-mindedness
- Loneliness
- Insensitivity
Sunday, August 16, 2009
P and L
A B C D... This is what we started off with as nursery kids. But as we grow up we are left with just 2 letters out of the 26 - P and L. If you still did not get what it is, it means you still have the kid inside you. Grow up! Of course it is Profit and Loss. The two terms we hear the most in our daily lives in different forms. More so if you are in a corporate environment.
"What do I gain?" or to introduce more philanthropy and unity "What do we gain?". "What is the incentive to do xyz?" The most common questions I heard all day long had made me conclude it is all about gain and loss. More the progress humans are making, farther are we moving from "emotions, humanity, selflessness, care" and all such great words which are only part of books and movies which are again made to make some P :P
I often think about it and move on with my life lest I am left behind. Yesterday I was going on a bike ( Of course Pillion... I have still not become confident enough to ride one myself. I confess.)
I was lost in my own world framing my philosophy when I heard an unknown voice from behind -"Madam" It is rare to to find known people approach you and say a "hi" without a purpose. We have got too busy to do something without this other P. For a moment I wondered what would this stranger have to talk to me in the middle of the road! He continued - "Your dupatta". "My dupatta what??" "Oh it was close to the wheels and could have been dangerous if only he had not warned me". He moved ahead swiftly before I could realize and say a "Thank you". But that left me thinking - "Oh world has still not become that bad after all. There are people still who feel like doing something however small it is when it comes to some strangers life without thinking - How do I care!" It made me smile :)
May be my small world did not create enough such examples for me every day to remind me world is still beautiful. Its not that bad after all. Or
May be I was not looking at the right places and kept pushing myself towards cynicism. Or
May be world is indeed the way I think where such examples are rare to find.
I don't have the perfect answer. Yet I would like to believe I have not been looking at the right places. The article in the newspaper the next day about a guy who distributes slippers anywhere he finds someone walking barefoot was indeed inspiring and reassuring. He has been doing that for 5 years without publicity (the other P). It assured me two things - "Its not that bad after all."
" Well, I have started looking in the right direction."
"What do I gain?" or to introduce more philanthropy and unity "What do we gain?". "What is the incentive to do xyz?" The most common questions I heard all day long had made me conclude it is all about gain and loss. More the progress humans are making, farther are we moving from "emotions, humanity, selflessness, care" and all such great words which are only part of books and movies which are again made to make some P :P
I often think about it and move on with my life lest I am left behind. Yesterday I was going on a bike ( Of course Pillion... I have still not become confident enough to ride one myself. I confess.)
I was lost in my own world framing my philosophy when I heard an unknown voice from behind -"Madam" It is rare to to find known people approach you and say a "hi" without a purpose. We have got too busy to do something without this other P. For a moment I wondered what would this stranger have to talk to me in the middle of the road! He continued - "Your dupatta". "My dupatta what??" "Oh it was close to the wheels and could have been dangerous if only he had not warned me". He moved ahead swiftly before I could realize and say a "Thank you". But that left me thinking - "Oh world has still not become that bad after all. There are people still who feel like doing something however small it is when it comes to some strangers life without thinking - How do I care!" It made me smile :)
May be my small world did not create enough such examples for me every day to remind me world is still beautiful. Its not that bad after all. Or
May be I was not looking at the right places and kept pushing myself towards cynicism. Or
May be world is indeed the way I think where such examples are rare to find.
I don't have the perfect answer. Yet I would like to believe I have not been looking at the right places. The article in the newspaper the next day about a guy who distributes slippers anywhere he finds someone walking barefoot was indeed inspiring and reassuring. He has been doing that for 5 years without publicity (the other P). It assured me two things - "Its not that bad after all."
" Well, I have started looking in the right direction."
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