A Story

Most stories start with an intention behind them and some start with just a naive thought. Some stories fail because they are never meant to be and some fail because they are never destined to be. In general stories require a clear mind and calm life. Stories in my mind move when my life is running, i.e., when I’m walking. You might argue, who cares if people walk or sit? You are reading this because someone somewhere derived inspiration in some moment to write about something he thought it would be worth reading.

My point is, I saw happiness today. Happiness kicked every obstacle which thought it blinded one’s life. If I’m asked with one moment, it would be, a friend asking another to rest his arms on his neck while walking. Again, you could say we put our arms on our friends daily. For clarification, even Dharmendra never asked Amitab Bachan to put his arms on his neck in the whole of Sholey movie. It requires some affection, some love and some feeling of authority over the other. How can anyone who hasn’t seen the other, other than in dreams, even imagine to have all these qualities? It’s just like asking the people to go cashless in a country still aspiring to be a digitized economy. The people can never let go old habits, neither in money matters nor in friendship, once they have owned it.

As I’ve put my first step with the help of my friends, I thought hard in a walk from BEL circle to my home. People call it mad. I call it time spent to find clarity in my path. I asked myself, should I take another step? Can I take another step with the friends who believed in me? I reasoned myself well saying, I chose to walk with them because I believed in them, each one of them. I remembered my elders saying, don’t back off after you’ve taken your first step, at a right place.  Never back off. After all, which child likes to sit quietly at a place after learning to put the next step right, without faltering?

I smiled at the conclusion. The walk yielded a solution. The solution about a story I loved to write at the cost of my burning legs.

 

 

Friend..

I shook my hand with his hand saying, ‘we should be in contact at least once a week.’ My mental dialogue , a life long companion reasoned, once a week for life long? Impossible. That can’t happen. For no one knows when the life ends. Mathematically speaking, if present feeling is set A and practicality is set B, their intersection is a Null set.

I kept staring as he walked away from us. I knew that there was very remote chance that we’ll meet again, with the same friendship as we parted. I like to observe people who walk away. They carry goodwill of the people looking them from behind. My friends say, I observe people from back to imitate them in the future. I wouldn’t completely disagree with what they say.

‘Don’t look at him. He is gone,’ Rudrappa said with clear tone. ‘…………… emotional…………….’ he said. I didn’t hear any of his words except emotional. I couldn’t listen to him. When I was being emotional about my friend, my heart picked up the word from an external source and connected my feeling to the word. I laughed. I imagined he said, ‘don’t be emotional. Try to be practical. People come and people go.’ I don’t understand practical people, at least who call themselves one. They surround themselves with the people they are possessive about and with people no longer necessary in their life automatically fall in the bucket of Ignorance. When I hear people who call themselves “Pragmatic”, I say in my mind, “My Foot.” Please listen to me again, “My Foot!!”

Everyone had a word to say about my friend. Almost everyone. Someone called my name to speak about my friend. I was thinking. My mind was busy rewinding memories. Suddenly Yogesh declared, ‘Karthik has good words to write. I think he expresses himself very well in writing.’ Actually no. I prepared good 2 sentences to speak when it would be my turn. However my mind took solace in rewinding the moments we spent from the beginning with Ambarish. It was fantastic. It was worth a memory for the life time. I thought I would name a character after him in any of my stories. But Yogesh words made me to write, this same day. This is neither an article nor a story. When I will look back and read these words sometime in the future, I’ll remember how I treated a friend life has introduced me to! He was like a brother, like I love to call him “Meet.”

Marriage special..

Most people won’t disagree with me when I say, life is all about celebrating every moment. Today I witnessed the celebration at my friend’s marriage. Over time, colleagues become friends and we always want good things to happen to them. And as I saw around the function hall, smile was very infectious. Everybody smiled at each other, greeted each other with broader smiles and finally it became so infectious that the Groom, who never smiled, kept smiling every moment I saw him. At one moment I wondered if he was only smiling every moment.

It also brought to me some questions about marriage. How can two different people, in front of so much public pledge themselves to be together forever? Do they not feel over burdened by the responsibility? Do they not feel the pressure of handling not just themselves but also their life partner? Maybe or may not be, but people should ask themselves these questions, think and answer themselves honestly.

Maybe the knot the Groom ties around the Bride’s neck in the marriage has some significance. Maybe he is saying to himself, I’ll swear to untie every difficult knot which you come across in life.

Maybe the Bride could never see the Arundhathi Star which the Groom confidently points to the location which might refer to the unknown and unidentifiable to him himself. Maybe he says to himself, just like pointing to this unknown star we might encounter many unknown paths in life. Just like I’m holding your hand now, I’ll stand beside you in every path we choose to walk together.

When I’m ready to tie knots I’ll read this article again if can find the genuine answers but for now, I’m very happy telling a story.

Fortune and Indian cricket.

It’s already 4 down as I sit to write down this article. If I’m not wrong and as most people won’t disagree with me, it is very likely that it would be 5 nil tomorrow by this time. English as always is such a funny language that it throws up terms which could hurt one’s morale easily, like in the case of cricket- Whitewash.

Dhoni rightly needn’t take this term too seriously in this Australian tour. This was a result which was as clear as the CAT or any other competitive exam result which happens every year. This team lacked the experience, perseverance and the play to win attitude. The bowlers who ran deep bowled with the speed the opposition part timers on any given day could bowl. The batsmen who were horoscoped that they would fail did show their heart but the bowlers always leaked their effort. The team looked like a tap in an old building where the pipe leading to the tap could leak water at places you could wonder. This team wasn’t always like this. The catches weren’t always put down. The heart didn’t always fear for the next moment. The bowler going to the captain and saying, “I’m here captain. I’m the person you should be looking for,” is a statement of great encouragement to the captain leading your side. I wish, Dhoni, while still leading this side and representing this country will listen to these words from a Bowler.

Sun will again rise tomorrow in India and Australia but with time shift. Hopefully the shift in the fortunes for Indian cricket is not too far.

Bilaspur Incident!!

When we were still young elders felt proud in asking us what did we want to do in life and we felt equal pride in answering that A Good Engineer, An IAS, An IPS was what our ultimate goal is. Liitle did we know what exactly they did in life but we knew that they were getting respect everywhere. And one area most of us understood as the best area to the serve the needy and who serves is a Doctor. We always loved them when we were ill because they had an answer for our health issues. The children who answered they wanted to become a doctor exactly knew what they were eying on and how much pain they have to see in life to serve the patients.The journey of a Doctor maybe starts with a pain(the enterance exam included).

The moment I entered my office today a colleague asked me what is the matter with JNU and poster they are linked with? You needn’t graduate in Psycology to understand what the poster said. They were sharing love with “Kiss Of Love” campaign. All I knew about it was, it started somewhere in Kerala and it still is getting maximum likes on Facebook. When an Elite Insitute like JNU(Jawaharlal Nehru university) is shaking grounds with daily sessions, it becomes an interesting NEWS for the whole country. Afterall this country follows the Elite closely.

This country also follows the poor. I better use “Chase” word here. Yes, This country chases the Poor. Unfortunately the chase is On for the life. Sterilisation caused this whole country look upon Bilaspur. I knew the name because “half girlfriend” novel was dispatched to me from the same place. The process to sterilise to what I’ve heard is very painful and it is the only time a woman feels she shouldn’t have ever born as a girl. To sterilise a man is shamelessly isn’t very common in our Country and the financial gift for tubectomy only increases the woman number, especially the poor. The number makes us numb. 83 women have had tubectomy in 3 hours. Just imagine, 1 in every 2 minutes. The doctor and his assistant weren’t kind enough to spare extra second for the pain. They had forgotten the years of pain which finally made them a doctor. I can never imagine the 83 women, one-by-one standing in a queue for their turn to come. The queue was moving fast so were the fates of the women, to doom their dreams to give their children good food with the help they received. Yes, the pain increased to claim 11 innocent mothers lives and may god help others mothers to recover soon.

Maybe after this incident every growing child will rethink to answer if he really wants to be a Good Doctor. Even if he wants to be, will this society allows him to be.

Attention seeker or A warning ?

Al-Qaeda has made an announcement that they are going to start operations in South Asia, named Al-Qaeda in South Asia. Now this is neither a happy news nor they are a good company. They are neither going to provide employment on a rich scale like what a Google Or a Microsoft does nor they are an Institution who deserves an invitation from the Governments to set up their network in the local states. This is just like an alarm to the country which is every now and then asked questions on Counter-terrorism, the Intelligence functionality and the under-resourced Police forces.

I believe this announcement has come because of the competition from ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) who are a bit apolitical grassing even fellow Muslims occupying territory in Syria and Iraq. Al-Qaeda generally carries out the violence mostly against the non-Muslims and has been on a losing streak in various Jihadi groups moving towards ISIS side deserting Al-Qaeda. This means that ISIS is busy fighting the locals, including Muslims who don’t share the common views and are nowhere near to fight the powers such as the U.S or India. And when ISIS has achieved success, Al-Qaeda is still searching for one and particularly here trying to attract the attention of a country eying the large Muslim population, reputed periodic violence and weak state along its periphery.

So why does the announcement come now? Because the country is already weak fighting its own demons- money and power? When the aim is an Islamic state what good is Delhi in Northern India or Chennai in Southern India or Dhaka in Bangladesh being aimed at? Maybe the BJP, now the dominant power in India considered as Hindu party can be a reason. Or maybe because of the intersection point where Modi himself as a part overlaps with the progress of the nation and is determined to save the economy of the country battling its own past sins. I guess big terms like saving economy and bringing back life to the country may not be the terms in the minds of the Al-Qaeda but surely they are bringing into light many factors which can affect the country’s growth both in the short and long term periods.

Teachers Day Special

When I was busy working in the office early in the morning, I heard someone wishing a lady who offered him a free breakfast – Happy Teachers day madam. Then I realised looking at the calendar that today is Teachers day. My mind suddenly moved to the schools where I had studied. We all do have favourite teachers who liked us or whom we liked in our School life. Of all the Teachers who taught me various subjects I remembered two Teachers whom I liked the most. One was Durga Madam who taught Telugu subject at St.Joseph’s Public School and the other Kameshwari madam who taught Mathematics subject at Krishnaveni Talent School. I admired them both beyond the subjects they taught to me.

Whenever I think about Durga madam, even when I’m writing this, I curse myself for not being able to take the last message from her when I left that school. I am a person who values final words more than the time spent with the people. The final byes in our lives are always special and I attach that value to a variable and store it in my life system. Whenever I think about a person that variable keeps blinking in my mind. This is how I value relations in life. On the last day while I was making Sri Lakshmi Madam, then Class Teacher of mine to write in my Slam book, I saw Durga madam pass by my class. Instantly I knew I had to go and meet her and ask her to write some final lines for me. But because I was making another madam to write, the respect quotient came in between which didn’t allow me to go. I hoped to see her somewhere downstairs. I prayed god to make her wait somewhere so that I could meet her once. In the end nothing happened. I searched the whole school for her but found nowhere. I still remembered how disappointed I was that day. Not just that day, to this day when I remember the last day in that school, it hurts me that I didn’t meet Durga madam.

After that I never went back to my school and never got to meet her. I still remember how I used to wish her by phone for every Festival and whenever I was not well I called her to share the pain I was suffering with, with tears in my eyes. Not just the madam, her daughter Kala akka was also dearer to me as she spoke to me like I’m her brother. Durga madam was more than a teacher to me. She was my Mother in the School. I am confident that many more students are still there in the school just like me who consider Durga madam as Goddess Durga. I hope she continues to inspire many like me with her smile for many many more years.

Madam through this blog please take my Namaskaras and bless me. Happy Teacher’s day.

 

HoneyIndian Cricketmoon

Script is a word which needs no classroom introduction in India. From children to spineless everyone is interested in scripts, be it the Cinema or in the Sport most of us love, Cricket.

Honestly there wasn’t so much to write or discuss about the Indian Cricket post England Test Series. That wasn’t a normal death; it was a massacre by the English. The shoulders of the players were dropping; the genuine edges flying everywhere like apples, the batsmen were walking across the stumps as if testing the umpires if they will be given out and anything you name it the Indian Team were busy applying it, in Whites.

And suddenly like the Indian cinema, the reel has changed to what the modern India wants to be, in Colors. Mind you the team still remains young, only the colors changed and so did the mind-set, to rush. It’s the same mindset we all are in our daily lives, from the daily laborer who works hard for his food- to the targets an Engineer is expected to reach by the end of the day.

For some time I want to think about the Indian team in 1990’s and early 2000. Every team wanted to play against us for enabling its players to find some form and I still wonder how some players excelled particularly against India. It was as if they were destined to play against Indian team. With the conditions around then, Azharuddin played the best Cricket one could possibly play in a life time. If he bringing disgrace to the game is real, he striving to excel in the game with building partnerships with the likes of Tendulkars and Dravids is also real. The game won then and still remains winning.

I must admit that I have convinced myself that any article on Indian Cricket in this era will remain incomplete without the mention of Dhoni. I guess with the calculating power he has on the field he must have understood the fact that he is built for ODI’s and never the Tests. You don’t need a degree in Psychology to understand that fact. For now it’s all honeymoon time for Indian Cricket. For all the nightmare summer spent, the rains has brought smiles to the Shastris, the Dhonis, the Rainas and well the Karthiks too. Karthiks because he is doing what he Loves now, Writing, after a long time. Ooh yeah, the one you are reading now.

Talent, must be more than just a word!

Here is an interesting story. As a routine practice in my school every year, there was this special JEE coaching conducted when I was in my 8th Standard. A boy was busy discussing something with his friend while the class was still going on. That enraged the Mathematics teacher who felt disturbed and asked the student to get up. As a natural progression he kept asking different formulae and when he answered correctly, that teacher started asking concepts in Geometry which were new to us. That boy to everyone’s aghast kept answering like bullets from a gun. The teacher fell silent to what he was seeing and listening. Needless to say he admired the boy. The talent has proved its spark.

The talent has put everyone in Awe and a feel of pride followed that we students have seen something extraordinary. He went to IIT and what he did there isn’t relevant to us. The talent had helped him to reach where he had to be and I’m sure no one grudged neither the talent nor him.

I think after a point we sometimes overlook or give too much importance to what we see as a talent. We never allow a talent to flourish. The moment we see a talent, we seek for credits, we seek for accolades and we try to see and judge as to what he has done in life till then. What should have been an end that we put in first and then look at the rest of the picture, which most of the times looks blurred. I fear if this country has redefined the very meaning of talent itself. Talent, must be more than just a word!

Talent sometimes seeks attention. But when that takes obsessive path life takes diverging path than converging towards success. The talent opens up the window of opportunities and when the ability to sense the right door goes down, the talent is the prominent useless weapon to possess. We always want to be The Shahid who has a skiing strike rate but never The Afridi who average is greatly grounding. I fear if the Pakistan Cricket captain can ever sit calmly aware of the fact that, even Afridi must have come to an understanding that he can’t control his talent, which is a pity. Isn’t it?

The talent also invites arrogance and arrogance likes just bootlickers, which is altogether a different topic. I’ll save it for another day.

Whenever you come across a talent next time just hang on and admire the gift of nature without much fuss. It needs recognition not necessarily felicitation. It is always the ability which comes first and the word only follows. Isn’t it? Think about it.

 

 

First blog

Writing is fun, especially if it’s a long lost habit. The last time I wrote, as far as I remember was horribly lengthy and too much complex in language quotient. I was later caught in between the social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook as always is many to one function i.e. you’ve to follow your friend’s updates weather you like or not.

Twitter allowing only 140 characters can only help you to express your words but never your heart out.

This blogging probably can help me balance as to what I want to share and importantly how much I want to. Those who are interested will read and the remaining can ignore just like what we do in Facebook, press the like button and move forward.

Two days back I’d a long ride to Hyderabad and back . The roads were wide, so were the horizons of life. I had a chance to discuss and discover the stars in the night with my brother –in-law. The vast open spaces around me helped me to realize what exactly we miss in narrow minded and narrow roaded city life. The stars are never new to us, so is our inability to recognize the beauty to realize what the nature is offering us. Experience teaches us better than words we see, we hear or the words we read.

My brother –in-law joked that I made a joke of the distance and time when I drove. I only drove and when I cared about the speed the remaining quantities took care about themselves.

When we start enjoying in life, we ignore that someone else is also secretly enjoying, scripting our lives. Our life is like a song. Modulation in song impresses us, swings our moods and finally the song will end. Isn’t it? And that sadly is the irony of song and life.