Which is better?

"ABCD party calls for statewide Hartal next Friday", Vinodh read the newspaper headline. His face turned pale, as another Friday holiday meant another day of PT period gone in school. Vinodh is the captain of the school football team and is touted to be a future Football star. Though he had his daily training sessions from the coach, the boy still in his eighth standard loved to play with his classmates in the PT period. "Why do these people call for bandhs only on Fridays?", he thought. After skimming the dozen and half pages of the newspaper almost at the speed of Chitti(The Robot), he concluded that newspapers are not having anything interesting these days barring the full page promotional ads. With nothing interesting to do on a boring Saturday morning, Vinodh opened his drawing book and started to sketch.

"Da Vinodh! Close that useless drawing book and study your lessons. I heard from Sunil's mother that you have your monthly tests from Monday. I also learnt that Sunil got the first rank in the quarterly exams! What have you got? A worthless tenth rank! He is also like you right? His Mom told that Sunil studies for five to six hours everyday after school. That is how students should be, especially when they are nearing the Board exams and not wasting time like you in doing trivial things", lectured Vinodh's mother. Vinodh got irritated and angry, not with his mother, but with Sunil who actually didn't do any harm to him directly. From that day, Vinodh visualised Sunil as his No.1 enemy, whenever his Mom talked about Sunil and compared them.

Comparison, thus could be the triggering point of enemity, jealousy and the feel of pessimism. I am not sure, whether the tendency to compare is inculcated in our genes by Lord Brahma during the development process. But the comparison process is seen immediately after the product release aka a baby's birth. "Lachchu! The baby is fair and cute but not that fair as Karna's daughter. You know how beautiful the baby is? Probably you didn't get Kumkumapoo for your daughter-in-law as I told. Anyways congrats di Amma!"

Another random conversation that we could hear very often in this time of the year would be " That tall fellow got a rating of 4.6, whereas I am given only 4.59. How come? I will surely go to the HR and demand an explanation for this atrocity. After all, I stay more hours in office than him" Thus from LKG marks to ratings to Dowry(sorry to say, but learnt that it is also compared) people attribute success in something only if they have gained more when compared to others or they start feeling jealous of the so called successful one.

Though there is no denial that we evolve by relating ourselves with others and comparing how good or bad we are, it should also be remembered that what is easy for Tom may not be that easy for Harry and each has their own way.

Who knows Sunil might have been scolded by his mom for not indulging himself in sports like Vinodh. After all, we sadly believe that we and our closer ones are faring poorer compared to our neighbours and other relatives. I am waiting for the day when we understand that everyone/everything is different and hence stop comparing with the so called successful ones.

My sincere advice is 'Why don't you start this journey towards realisation by not trying to compare this post with my previous posts. After all, this post is different from the other so called 'good' posts of mine :)'.

Ekalavya

Recently I got a chance to go through an article in a popular magazine about the transplantation of an arm to an Army Officer from Afghanistan, who lost his arm in a mine blast there. Kudos to the doctors who performed the miracle. Gaining inspiration from that article, I wish to  submit this blog for you.

Arjuna, the champion in the art of archery, came to know about a tribal boy, who has mastered the art all of himself without the guidance of a Guru. It is widely spoken that if he was allowed to practice in such a way further, one day he would beat Arjuna himself. The Prince of Hasthinapura spent sleepless nights over that issue and atlast brought it to the notice of his Guru Dronacharya.

Guru Dronacharya and his disciple set for the woods to meet the young boy. There they could meet him practicing archery. Everytime he succeeded in his attempt to hit his target, he came near a statue made of clay and bowed before it. Drona and Arjuna went near the youngster and praised him for his mastery in the use of bow and arrows. They wanted to know whose statue was that before whom he bowed every time he succeeded in his attempts. The lad disclosed that it was of his manaseeka guru, the great Dronacharya, whom he had had no chance to meet even once. Drona was very delighted to hear that. He hugged the young lad, patted on his back, though he was hatching a plot to undo that poor lad.

"Dear son! I am that Dronacharya, you wish to meet. I am your Manasekaguru whom you worship and I have come here to bless you in person that you shall mature into a good archer and nobody can beat you in this field. By the by your good name my boy?" Drona pretended as if he had much liking for the lad.

" I am Ekalavya. The son of the forest.". Ekalvya was very much astonished to see his guru by his side. He fell at his guru's feet. He was ready to do anything for his guru. Drona told that he was pleased with his performance with the bow and arrow and it was time for him to get blessings from the guru for which he has to offer Guru Dakshina. Whatever the guru asked for should be given as guru Dakshina; then only the blessings of the guru might befall on him and lead him to the heights of glory.

The archer was ready to offer anything the guru would ask for. Drona connived with Arjuna and thought that the young fellow henceforth should not handle his bow and arrows. Hence he asked for the young man's right thumb as guru dakshina. The poor young man could not grasp the ill effects of the demand and without any hesitation cut hs right thumb and offered it to his guru.

A jubiliant Drona with his desciple Arjuna left for Hasthinapura. Arjuna was relieved as he thought that one of his foes was destroyed and he could sleep peacefully thereafter.

After a couple of months, Drona happened to pass through the woods whereby he happened to meet Ekalavya. Ekalavya, as a mark of respect, fell at his feet and asked for blessings. Drona embraced him and enquired  about his archery training. "Perhaps you might have given up archery as you have lost your right thumb" Drona quipped.

"No Sir! I am performing much better than earlier"replied Ekalavya.

" How on earth can you do it without your right thumb? asked Drona.

" Simple Sir. Now I am having a new thumb in my right hand in place of the one you haven taken from me.Thanks to Medical Science and the ardent Medical Practitioners, now I am provided with a thumb donated by a dying patient, grafted to my right hand and it suits me better to practice my archery".

The Great Dronacharya's head sank in shame.

A Paradox

It was a pleasant evening with the Sun God maneuvering his chariot pulled by the seven horses below the horizon. The chirping birds seemed to be bidding adieu to the setting sun. The buzzing insects and the croaking frogs were getting ready to welcome the night. Ramulu's ears were deaf to the these buzzes and croaks, they were hearing only the sound of the gushing water in the river nearby. Ramulu had almost reached the river bank after his travel through the woods for a while. He moved as if in a trance towards the river.

With every step, his sixteen year old heart seemed to get heavier. He wanted nothing but justice. He wanted to know why he had to incur such a loss in his juvenility. He needed answers, though he knew that just answers couldn't douse the rage burning inside him.

He accelerated his walk towards the river; jumped over some broken tree branches and reached the swampy banks of the river. The river was almost full to the brim; so were his eyes. He had been to this place many a times before. But this was different . The affinity and love in his eyes, all these years, with the river was replaced by a blank angry stare. Ramulu was thinking how quickly his friend, this mighty river, turned foe and shattered all his dreams. It had been a week since the river spread its satanic tentacles in the form of flash floods and consumed his entire family and most of his village leaving him all alone grieving for the losses.

The river had calmed and retreated to its usual path, but Ramulu couldn't . He wanted vengeance . With tears flowing out of eyes , he prayed to the Sun God who himself seemed to be sharing Ramulu's rage with his reddish rays. Ramulu then took a handful of mud from the banks and looked at the river like a man possessed .

 "Your hands will get dirty! Take your hands from the window, Rahul", said Rahul's mother. Little Rahul had got excited when his train was moving on the bridge constructed on top of the river. The view of the mighty river flowing under the bridge was enough to excite the 8 year old. After all, he had rarely seen fresh water in such abundance in his concrete jungle. To top it, the view of the setting sun which looked like a red apple made Rahul even more joyous.'How lovely it would be to play in that river', thought Rahul. According to his Dad, that was the same river that acted as the source of drinking water for their city. "See Rahul! The river is almost full which means that we will get drinking water without any trouble for another 2 months. Hope the rains fill it more like last week , so that there won't be any scarcity till the next monsoon. Though Rahul was still too young to understand completely what his Dad told, he had seen the troubles his parents had to go through last summer to get some decent amount of potable water for the family. Just then, Rahul's Mom gave him few rupee coins and asked him to pray for better water levels in the river to the Sun God and throw the coins in the river.

"Oh! The Lord on Seven horses! In your mighty presence, I curse this sinful river which breached its limits and consumed many a lives to go dry and be of no use to anyone. May this river get stripped off its so called holiness!" , shouted Ramulu on top of his voice and threw the handful of mud in the river.

A few metres apart, the 8 year old quietly prayed the Apple like Sun God to bless for good rainfall and better water levels in the holy river. He then dropped the coins in time before the train crossed the river completely.

A curse and a wish expecting opposite results. How would God be able to balance this and satisfy both? Maybe , this is why rivers go bone dry during summer and overflow during Winter. After all, that could be one way to solve this paradox.

The Wait

It was almost 9 in the morning. Shambhu lal was still lying down on his mat. The foggy cold morning was cajoling him to sleep for some more time. But he had to go. He had to succeed today at least. There was no more room for failure . He quickly got ready and went to his destination. Alas! There was a huge line of around 20-25 people waiting before a closed shutter, hoping for the best. Shambhu had been seeing such lengthy queues for the past couple of days and returned back to his home disappointed like the Jarasandha retreating after each failed attack on Lord Krishna in the Dwapara yuga. But Jarasandha aka Shambhu couldn't return empty handed today. He had to believe that that would be 'his' day.He quickly took his position as the last man in the queue. He had to lose the 'last man in the queue' title in a jiffy as there were more and more people joining at the tail.

Shambhu started scanning the people in the queue. There were people of almost all ages, from adolescent to elderly with the middle-aged like Shambhu forming the majority. They were unfazed by the cold weather and were braving the cold by wearing mufflers and sweaters. Shambhu was surprised after finding few women in the queue in spite of the poor weather. There was a hue of sorrow painted on all the faces with a few venting out their anger and frustration with their neighbors in the queue. Shambhu was also having similar feelings and questions. But he knew that that was not the time to get angry. He wanted to move forward in the queue. As per him, he was too far back which would mean that the probability of him not getting his quota was more.

He had many acquaintances standing before him. He could easily seek their help to get for him too. But with the limits and other new rules, everyone would be thinking only for himself/herself. It had been almost an hour and a half. There was no trace of the gentleman aka 'the saviour for these people' in his guarded vehicle. He was getting restless, so were the others. Though it was cold,  Shambhu was feeling thirsty. His hands had started shivering. His knees were getting weak. His vision was becoming blurry. But he stood his ground in the queue. He couldn't give up. He was sincerely hoping that after going through all these, he should get his due and not a board telling to come later. He was praying that not even his enemy should have such a fate.

Just then 'he' appeared out of his vehicle with his bag. There was a loud cheer from the people followed by some chaos. The guard who had come along, somehow managed to restore some order . Once the guy who went behind the shutter, signalled a 'Go', people in the queue started entering one after the another. The more the time it took, the more tensed were the people still in the queue. It was Shambhu's turn. With the sudden rush of adrenaline, Shambhu forgot the pains in his body and ran inside.  After getting his full quota, Shambhu came out clutching it tightly close to his heart. Why wouldn't he? He had been having a nightmarish 3 days. He was not able to sleep or eat well . He then opened his hand to take another look at his hard earned.

Photo Courtesy

 There it was ! In a newer design and style. Shambhu was fondly remembering the days when the people could easily walk in and get theirs at any time. The days, when people like him would sink themselves in the oceans of nectar and enjoying the world as if there were no tomorrow. The days when this magic thing at hand could make the sky their costly roof and the rocky ground their comfy bed .He blessed the guy loudly who came with the stocks . He did a quick check around him before opening his quota. He then gulped it in a single sip. Gone were the chills and pain in his body along with the senses. He then turned back at the guy who opened the shutters of the liquor shop a while back and started yelling "Thanks! Oh Saviour!!" and he fell down unconscious thanks to the liquor hacking his CPU alias brain that just went inside.

The people who were still in the queue to get the liquor didn't pay any attention to Shambhu's theatrics.No one bothered to give a hand to him. They knew once the effect of alcohol subsides, he would come back to senses.After all, who would want to lose their hard earned place in the queue to get the liquor before the stocks run out.

                                                                        

The Believable lies

"Chechi! What are your plans tomorrow?", asked Sulochana.

"Nothing!", replied my mother.

"Oh! I am going to my brother's home and we all will be staying in a hut in the middle of our fields tomorrow night".

"Family get together aano?", asked my Mom.

"Yey!No! Super Moon alle? That's why" came the reply.

My mom was puzzled.

Sulochana continued," It is predicted by NASA that on super Moon day which happens once in 1000 years, due to more gravity from moon, there will be quakes and tsunamis. There are so many posts in Facebook related to this. Didn't you see, chechi?".

"Don't I have any other work?", thought my Mom.

"Anyways if there are quakes, stay away from the electric posts in your field", my mom replied in a sarcastic tone.

There are many such Sulochanas among us nowadays who are easily foxed by the hoaxes and rumours flying all around us in every form. Apart from worrying about the naivety of people who believe such hoaxes, credit must be given to people who could think off such hoaxes, make them believable and trick us, though we know that lies travel twice as fast as the truth like raging wildfires.

The Great Dronacharya in the battle of Kurukshetra, per records happen to be the first major victim of a popular hoax on his son's death orchestrated by the Lord himself. Drona didn't try to verify the news himself but rather depended on other's words.

If it was the immortal Ashwadhama who was rumoured dead in Kurukshetra, many celebrities in the present age are being mercilessly killed by hoaxers in social media.Unlike the Mahabharata days, with the world news accessible through the smartphones with us, people still believe the forwards in social media and not even try to verify the authenticity of the information. This latest fad among the hoaxers in social media spreading false news that a celebrity is no more, is a disturbing trend. 

There are some other less disturbing hoaxes which we see regularly. Most of these would start like "As per NASA release" followed by a warning of Pralaya or other natural phenomena. Not so far ahead is the day when we get and believe rumors like " As per NASA, the sun will rise in the West tomorrow and this rare phenomenon occurs once in zillion years". Even if such a hoax comes up, it would be made very believable so that everyone may be tempted to believe it except for the person in topic, the God on seven chariots.

Rather than falling a prey to such tricks and hoaxes, it is time to remove the rust on our sixth sense and use them to differentiate the truth from the others. After all, the Great Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar has already conveyed the message which I want to reiterate here .

"Epporul yaaryaar Vaaiketpinum Apporul

Meipporul Kaanpatharivu"

Meaning:-

Whatever may be the source of any information, knowledge is to extract and assimilate the truth in it.

Grandma Tales

Childhood is the best phase in one's life. Our minds are free from preoccupations, mental stress and other worries.  Each and everyday we are fed with interesting stories by our grand parents during bed time. Most of the stories will be fantasies with added spice to make us believe that they are genuine. Leisure hours will take us back to that old grandma period and the stories we could hear from them.

Siva Purana says that Lord Ganesa was very much normal when he was born. A handsome, lovable child was he that everybody adored him. But circumstances made him a scapegoat. Failure to obey his father, Lord Siva, caused his head being chopped off by Siva. To appease Goddess Parvathy, Siva had to give rebirth to Ganesa for which he needed the head of any living  creature whom he  came across first, lying with its head directed towards North. At last it was an elephant's head that was to decorate Ganesa. But the story,    my grandma told was something very different from this,

Lord Siva and Parvathy, during their honeymoon days, came across a herd of elephants in the thick forests, enjoying the nature and in their playful mood. Parvathy was fascinated to see that and longed that she and Siva could also roam round the forest like them and enjoy. Hence Siva and Parvathy took the form of male and female elephants and there born the child Ganesa.

At another hour of such playful life, both Siva and Parvathy took the form of Vanaras {monkeys} . That time, Parvathy did not wish to have a vanara child. So the embryo in her womb was transferred to that of Anjana, wife of Vaayu {the god of wind} and Hanuman was born. In that era itself, there were cases of embryo transfer from one womb to another which lead to the modern concept of Hired mothers {Vaadagai thai}.

Further interesting is the birth of Vaali and  Sugreeva. Both were sons of Aruna. It was a total Solar Eclipse day and that the Sun God had no work on that day. So he gave his charioteer Arunan a day's off. Arunan, to have some fun on his holiday, went to the durbar of Devendran where he was prevented from entering the durbar as only women were permitted to enter the durbar on that day. Out of curiosity, Arunan cross dressed himself as a beautiful lady called Aruna and entered the durbar. Noticing a beautiful new face in the durbar, Devendran wished to meet her privately  and hence the birth of Vaali.

Arunan returned to work as usual the next day. His master, the Sun God, asked how he spent his off day and Arunan had to narrate his stories. Sun God was astonished to hear the same and he himself wanted to see Arunan's beautiful lady get up, whence he himself fell in love with him and Sugreeva was born.

Umpteen questions can be asked about the possibilities of such happenings. But a childish mind, an innocent one, naturally  believed all these.

To conclude, let me  quote a few golden lines.

" If it be wrong and upon me proved
     I never wrote and nobody ever read ".

Chithra Gupta

Chithra Gupta, the personal assistant to Yama Dharma, who keeps records of all creatures on earth, good and bad, now-a-days feels the job very cumbersome as the population on the earth has reached Himalayan heights and he is not provided with any assistants to help him in his work. Having only two hands to work with and his old Ezhuthani not so sharp of late, he has to toil hard to record each and everybody's papas and punyas then and there and make a  consolidated statement at the end of each day to be scrutinized by Yama himself.

Umpteen times had Chithra Gupta appealed to Yama to provide two or three apprentices to him to help him do all these works perfectly, but all fell on deaf ears. Old age has hampered Gupta's efficiency and now-a-days he tends to make mistakes, that too very silly ones. Even though mistakes are made by Chithra Gupta, the ill effects of those mistakes take heavy toll on Yama as he has to bear the punishments on that account.

Once, out of mental strain, Gupta wrongly advised Yama to go to Earth and to bring someone back to Naraka  as his days on earth had lapsed, but on arrrival back from earth with the person, Yama noticed that he has brought the wrong person. Yama was confused that he could neither send the man back to Earth nor can allow him to be in Naraka as his tenure in Naraka has not yet started. Caught between the Devil and the Deep Sea, Yama use to scold Chithra Gupta every now and then to which his answer will be like this. " I am aged and cannot manage all alone. I have requested you to appoint somebody to assist me. But of no use. Errors may occur in this circumstance and you cannot put all the blame on me".

Yama thought that something has to be done to avoid such mistakes, as his pride will be at stake, that was how he met Narada, the ever talented Deva Rishi, who can solve any problem under the sun within seconds.

Thus during a Job Fare, Yama also attended as an employer and to his joy, could select a genius in Computer Programming. The selected lad was immediately taken to Yama Loka and for his convenience a brand new Computer with Internet and Wi Fi fecilities was set up. Within a few days, each and every person's bio-data and accounts of  punyas and papas were recorded and Yama was fed with actual informations well in time. The poor Chithra Gupta was sidelined as Yama no longer required his services. Poor man, now he is like a Dharwan to the Computer man in Yama Loka.