Monday, November 30, 2009
peraanmai- watch in theatres
When I watched nadodigal a couple of months back, I was glad that such no nonsense movies are coming in Tamil. I always love it when surprising movie packages come from lesser known directors- five star, azhagiya theeye, kalluri for example. A recent movie that makes me really proud is peraanmai. I had watched some scenes and thought it's going to be different from the usual movie. But it was much more than that- A wonderful and informative package covering so many aspects- patriotism (not the usual vijaykanth patriotism!!!), tribals (It was really nice that the director had touched a largely unexplored subject), space science and even the cute giggle of girls. I have never written movie reviews so far and nor am I going to write one today. All I want to tell you is please watch this movie in theatre- we really got to encourage and support such different and sensible scripts...
Sunday, November 15, 2009
A poem on global warming
I've always opined that we haven't given serious thought about global warming. The news about the international conference that's going to happen at Copenhagen made me think more seriously about it. I found out so many facts that I had been blissfully unaware of. For example, did you know that ten of the hottest years in record are within the past fifteen years? Isn't it time we act, to save us and our children from a living hell?
A small poem that I wrote in dedication of this cause:
The day I came alive, the world was warm and cozy;
In days that came again, the earth is hot and crazy.
When I was a kid, the hills were full of ice;
Then it all melted, now it’s not so nice…
In years just bygone, floods and droughts were rare.
Now they come so often, yet no one seems to care…
All microbes that harm, they grow because it’s warm;
My earth has lost it’s charm, why should I still stay calm?
With every tree that’s felled, there’s more CO2 in the air
Let’s plant some trees, and use papers only when fair
Let’s recycle all we can, it makes our land cleaner
A little care here and there, can make my earth greener
Plastic bags and bottles, real killers they are;
Let’s carry our own bags to shop, and make others aware.
Take the bus, try car pool;
You’ll find it really cool!
TV, computer, even lights, switch off when not in use;
We won’t take them for granted, they heat our earth profuse.
Let’s shun the coal, let’s go solar,
High time we make our earth cooler…
If this poem kindled some interest in you, you can read more by browsing through www.greenpeace.org
A small poem that I wrote in dedication of this cause:
The day I came alive, the world was warm and cozy;
In days that came again, the earth is hot and crazy.
When I was a kid, the hills were full of ice;
Then it all melted, now it’s not so nice…
In years just bygone, floods and droughts were rare.
Now they come so often, yet no one seems to care…
All microbes that harm, they grow because it’s warm;
My earth has lost it’s charm, why should I still stay calm?
With every tree that’s felled, there’s more CO2 in the air
Let’s plant some trees, and use papers only when fair
Let’s recycle all we can, it makes our land cleaner
A little care here and there, can make my earth greener
Plastic bags and bottles, real killers they are;
Let’s carry our own bags to shop, and make others aware.
Take the bus, try car pool;
You’ll find it really cool!
TV, computer, even lights, switch off when not in use;
We won’t take them for granted, they heat our earth profuse.
Let’s shun the coal, let’s go solar,
High time we make our earth cooler…
If this poem kindled some interest in you, you can read more by browsing through www.greenpeace.org
Friday, October 30, 2009
Reliance mobile is such a nasty fraud
Ok, I agree others do fraud too. I have used vodafone and got bills for unused amounts, I've used tata indicom and known how irresponsive they are. But they never made me write a blog so late into the night. But Reliance did. So, read on!
Imagine receiving an sms like this from your service provider "You should marry atleast once in your life. If you get a good partner, you will be happy. If not, atleast you will become a philosopher". I know you curse me for wasting a minute of yours. But imagine if I had to pay for this- one rupee per day. For getting an sms like this daily- many times in a language (Hindi) I don't even understand. Imagine if I got auto-subscribed to this without me actually asking for it (I know, you know me better than to think I would have subscribed for it). This service is aptly named 'bakwas'. Now I send an unsubscribe sms as per their instructions but it never gets done. I keep receiving these sms for 10 days. One day, I get an sms that "Your subscription has been auto renewed at rupees 10 for next 10 days". I send an unsub sms again and get no response. I call the customer care and tell them what happened. The sweet service person tells me "You explicitly subscribed for it and you will have to inform us to unsubcribe. Now I will place a request and it will be deactivated in 24 hours". After 24 hours, I get a bonus. That day's bakwas sms comes to me as 20 duplicate copies. Now, will u permit me to start getting irritated? I call the CC again and they tell me no such request for deactivation has been taken. I tell them, please take in a request now atleast, they tell the same irritating "dialogue" that they are trained to say. After waiting invain for three days, I call the customer care again. This time I get smarter and ask for a service request number. They give me too, cho chweet. This goes on two more times and then I think it's time to react.
I call the customer care and they tell me that there are no services subscribed for me right now. I demand they give me back all the money they have stolen, they tell me they don't have records of the money they have stolen beyond three days. (wow, reliance keeps records only for three days, awesome, and it's my problem if I don't complain within 3 days). I say "I will not put down the phone until u give me back my money". I told you they are sweet, they simply cut my call, giving me no bothers. This cycle happens five times within half an hour, each time me having to repeat the same story to a different "officer". After that, it stops for the day. How? When I call the customer service after that, my call automatically gets disconnected (wow, what an advanced technology reliance, could you use some for ur customers too?!). I try registering a complaint in their website, and the complaint never gets recorded after three attempts. I give up (Isn't that natural?). When I give up, I assume that I won't be taken the 10 rupees one more time. But I get an sms after two days saying "Your next subscription amount will be taken on 31st oct 2009. If you don't want, unsubscribe". I send the unsub sms two times, each time getting a reply "Request can't be accepted now, please try later".* I call the customer service (That was this night). Isn't it time I shout at them? (My state of mind doesn't allow me another choice). The CC officer tells me "Maam you are talking badly, I will have to cut your call. But you know what, he is the only honest person I've talked to in reliance so far (Right from the day I entered reliance web world to actually enquire about getting a reliance connection). Well, hez polite enough to tell me that he will cut the call. I tell him "Ya I know cutting the call is what you guys do, it's your choice". He gives me a lecture that I have to let him finish his sentences and continues the call on that condition (I sarcastically tell him, "we are here to listen to you, please go ahead sir"). He tells me that no such request has ever been placed for unsubscribing. He checks and tells me that I have called them 18 times this month, but never logged a complaint. I give him an interaction number that his colleague gave me for the complaint few days back. He checks and tells me that the interaction number doesn't even exist. (Hello, am I really talking to reliance or is this a wrong number?!) He says one more time that he has placed a request and gives me the interaction number. Now, the game will continue, even from tomorrow, until I will finish my exising balance (and I am sure Reliance will help me in that like a dear friend). After this, I will throw off the phone. I googled for reliance fraud and I saw so many similar complaints, even an opinion poll on how reliance deducts money from customers by unfair means. I have vowed already that I will avoid using Reliance as much as possible- be it reliance phone, reliance fresh, reliance foot print or their broadband or mutual funds or their calling card.
Everyone knows that there have been so many accusations on reliance-Example: How reliance fresh, by providing items at cheap rates that only they can afford (for initial advertisement) have grossly affected the road-side vendors. Let's stop the monopoly of the family. Let's let others live too. So think about it, if you really need to patronise reliance....
More developments on 1st nov 2009:
My bakwas service is still not deactivated ofcourse, again cc officer has taken another complaint today for that. (BTW, yesterday, in a couple of my calls, which I have recorded, they did admit that I had placed some deactivation requests on 22nd and 24th october and it has not been completed due to technical problems. My complaints on other days are yet to be admitted). No reply for my escalation email to reliance nodal officer.
*I have many times seen 2 or 3 rupees deducted from me on days I never called or smsed anyone. (When money gets deducted, reliance prepaid doesn't send alerts of last call or sms charges the way other service providers do.) Today, I tracked it closely and called CC for this. I learnt that they have charged me for the smses i have sent to unsubscribe for that same bakwas pack (It's supposed to be a tollfree number- 155223. But they say that I smsed to 0155223 and so I have been charged. I have checked my outbox, there is no 0 before the number I smsed. Infact I had even received reply from 155223 for those smses (What else, they were "request could not be processed, please try later"). When I asked her to take a complaint, she told she cannot take a complaint for this coz their records showed a zero in front and cut the call. That's reliance for you. If you are already using reliance services, monitor them closely, I am sure you will find out a lot of discrepancies in your bills.
Update as of 6th nov 2009:
Another 10 rupees got deducted on 3rd nov 2009. My BP rose again and I gave a complaint. For the past couple of days, I haven't received that bakwas sms. Now that I've got into the addiction of calling reliance to give a complaint whenever I am bored, I called them right now. To say, thanks for deactivating, but please credit me back atleast this 10 rupees (Afterall, I had complained within 3 days as per ur requirements!). The first person I spoke to, told he'll place a complaint for that and cut the call. The second time I called, a person tells me that I have subscribed to another pack by IVR on Nov 3rd (That's something similar to bakwas, couldn't understand the name). My God, that's the beginning of whole new round, OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Imagine receiving an sms like this from your service provider "You should marry atleast once in your life. If you get a good partner, you will be happy. If not, atleast you will become a philosopher". I know you curse me for wasting a minute of yours. But imagine if I had to pay for this- one rupee per day. For getting an sms like this daily- many times in a language (Hindi) I don't even understand. Imagine if I got auto-subscribed to this without me actually asking for it (I know, you know me better than to think I would have subscribed for it). This service is aptly named 'bakwas'. Now I send an unsubscribe sms as per their instructions but it never gets done. I keep receiving these sms for 10 days. One day, I get an sms that "Your subscription has been auto renewed at rupees 10 for next 10 days". I send an unsub sms again and get no response. I call the customer care and tell them what happened. The sweet service person tells me "You explicitly subscribed for it and you will have to inform us to unsubcribe. Now I will place a request and it will be deactivated in 24 hours". After 24 hours, I get a bonus. That day's bakwas sms comes to me as 20 duplicate copies. Now, will u permit me to start getting irritated? I call the CC again and they tell me no such request for deactivation has been taken. I tell them, please take in a request now atleast, they tell the same irritating "dialogue" that they are trained to say. After waiting invain for three days, I call the customer care again. This time I get smarter and ask for a service request number. They give me too, cho chweet. This goes on two more times and then I think it's time to react.
I call the customer care and they tell me that there are no services subscribed for me right now. I demand they give me back all the money they have stolen, they tell me they don't have records of the money they have stolen beyond three days. (wow, reliance keeps records only for three days, awesome, and it's my problem if I don't complain within 3 days). I say "I will not put down the phone until u give me back my money". I told you they are sweet, they simply cut my call, giving me no bothers. This cycle happens five times within half an hour, each time me having to repeat the same story to a different "officer". After that, it stops for the day. How? When I call the customer service after that, my call automatically gets disconnected (wow, what an advanced technology reliance, could you use some for ur customers too?!). I try registering a complaint in their website, and the complaint never gets recorded after three attempts. I give up (Isn't that natural?). When I give up, I assume that I won't be taken the 10 rupees one more time. But I get an sms after two days saying "Your next subscription amount will be taken on 31st oct 2009. If you don't want, unsubscribe". I send the unsub sms two times, each time getting a reply "Request can't be accepted now, please try later".* I call the customer service (That was this night). Isn't it time I shout at them? (My state of mind doesn't allow me another choice). The CC officer tells me "Maam you are talking badly, I will have to cut your call. But you know what, he is the only honest person I've talked to in reliance so far (Right from the day I entered reliance web world to actually enquire about getting a reliance connection). Well, hez polite enough to tell me that he will cut the call. I tell him "Ya I know cutting the call is what you guys do, it's your choice". He gives me a lecture that I have to let him finish his sentences and continues the call on that condition (I sarcastically tell him, "we are here to listen to you, please go ahead sir"). He tells me that no such request has ever been placed for unsubscribing. He checks and tells me that I have called them 18 times this month, but never logged a complaint. I give him an interaction number that his colleague gave me for the complaint few days back. He checks and tells me that the interaction number doesn't even exist. (Hello, am I really talking to reliance or is this a wrong number?!) He says one more time that he has placed a request and gives me the interaction number. Now, the game will continue, even from tomorrow, until I will finish my exising balance (and I am sure Reliance will help me in that like a dear friend). After this, I will throw off the phone. I googled for reliance fraud and I saw so many similar complaints, even an opinion poll on how reliance deducts money from customers by unfair means. I have vowed already that I will avoid using Reliance as much as possible- be it reliance phone, reliance fresh, reliance foot print or their broadband or mutual funds or their calling card.
Everyone knows that there have been so many accusations on reliance-Example: How reliance fresh, by providing items at cheap rates that only they can afford (for initial advertisement) have grossly affected the road-side vendors. Let's stop the monopoly of the family. Let's let others live too. So think about it, if you really need to patronise reliance....
More developments on 1st nov 2009:
My bakwas service is still not deactivated ofcourse, again cc officer has taken another complaint today for that. (BTW, yesterday, in a couple of my calls, which I have recorded, they did admit that I had placed some deactivation requests on 22nd and 24th october and it has not been completed due to technical problems. My complaints on other days are yet to be admitted). No reply for my escalation email to reliance nodal officer.
*I have many times seen 2 or 3 rupees deducted from me on days I never called or smsed anyone. (When money gets deducted, reliance prepaid doesn't send alerts of last call or sms charges the way other service providers do.) Today, I tracked it closely and called CC for this. I learnt that they have charged me for the smses i have sent to unsubscribe for that same bakwas pack (It's supposed to be a tollfree number- 155223. But they say that I smsed to 0155223 and so I have been charged. I have checked my outbox, there is no 0 before the number I smsed. Infact I had even received reply from 155223 for those smses (What else, they were "request could not be processed, please try later"). When I asked her to take a complaint, she told she cannot take a complaint for this coz their records showed a zero in front and cut the call. That's reliance for you. If you are already using reliance services, monitor them closely, I am sure you will find out a lot of discrepancies in your bills.
Update as of 6th nov 2009:
Another 10 rupees got deducted on 3rd nov 2009. My BP rose again and I gave a complaint. For the past couple of days, I haven't received that bakwas sms. Now that I've got into the addiction of calling reliance to give a complaint whenever I am bored, I called them right now. To say, thanks for deactivating, but please credit me back atleast this 10 rupees (Afterall, I had complained within 3 days as per ur requirements!). The first person I spoke to, told he'll place a complaint for that and cut the call. The second time I called, a person tells me that I have subscribed to another pack by IVR on Nov 3rd (That's something similar to bakwas, couldn't understand the name). My God, that's the beginning of whole new round, OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
why do people like these stuff?
Hi friends,
I have been having a few questions of late:
(1) Why do people like to listen to different renditions of the same song, though the music remains the same?
For example, the original movie song is probably the best (though not always), but still people love to listen them being resung by singers on stages and even participants in competitions.
I can u'stand one reason could be that it is a very different experience listening to music live than recorded. But we even love to watch others sing on TV. Why?
(2) There are so many novels on earth that we still haven't read. But why do we have authors writing new books and people wanting to read the latest novels?
Again, one reason could be that these books will be contemporary and we can relate to it better. Any other reason?
(3) Why are blogs so popular? I can understand if people google to search for facts. But how is it that people are interested in knowing the opinions of other people (which are usually what blogs are), even of people they don't personally know.
(4) Why do people write blogs in the first place?
If you can think of more answers, please, please do comment below :)
I have been having a few questions of late:
(1) Why do people like to listen to different renditions of the same song, though the music remains the same?
For example, the original movie song is probably the best (though not always), but still people love to listen them being resung by singers on stages and even participants in competitions.
I can u'stand one reason could be that it is a very different experience listening to music live than recorded. But we even love to watch others sing on TV. Why?
(2) There are so many novels on earth that we still haven't read. But why do we have authors writing new books and people wanting to read the latest novels?
Again, one reason could be that these books will be contemporary and we can relate to it better. Any other reason?
(3) Why are blogs so popular? I can understand if people google to search for facts. But how is it that people are interested in knowing the opinions of other people (which are usually what blogs are), even of people they don't personally know.
(4) Why do people write blogs in the first place?
If you can think of more answers, please, please do comment below :)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Creating a passionate India
Wrote this essay for a competition in my office. And
happened to win the first prize too! Here it is for u.
We live in a democratic country, where we have the freedom to express our thoughts. Our press and media have the right to publicize what they know. Our children go to good schools. Our women walk independently on the roads. We choose our government. Medical care is at our door step. We claim right to information. Future is in our hands- our own and our country’s too.
Yet, why are we constantly complaining of corrupt authorities, bad weather and mediocre standards of living? We are looking up at western countries, aping their culture and yearning for their luxury. With passion, you and I can make our own country like that.
Let’s dig into the attitude of a typical Indian today. We find bribery the easiest way to get things done. It’s boring to queue up on poll day. Some of us spit on the roads and throw trash on the streets. We use train toilets at stations. Worse, we don’t even spare the roads. We buy stuff without bill to reduce a wee bit of tax. A few look down at a woman’s capability. We employ children and underpay them too! Electricity and water is still wasted, as though our children and grandchildren don’t ever need them. We choose to gain five minutes by not shutting down the computer each day. We hesitate to donate blood. We judge people by their looks and language. Some of us ask for extra plastic bags at shops. We still identify us by caste/religion, and practice untouchability in its subtlest form. We would rather donate for a religious cause than a humanitarian one. We spend our fortunes on the global brands, while bargaining for pennies with the local vendors.
We stare with sympathy (or call it morbid curiosity) at the sight of an accident and just move on while the scene gets to the back of our minds. Even after this, we think of helmets as shields that protect us from traffic cops. Our head wears it when the police are around and our bike wears it the rest of the time. We don’t give way for ambulance though we know it has a better reason to hurry than us. We skip traffic signals and ride on the pathways. We drive on the wrong side of roads, risking the need to bribe a cop. We drive for miles all alone, depleting petrol and increasing pollution, while pooling is easier, much economical and reduces traffic jams.
Why this double standard? My answer to this lies in the attitude and values we carry. How many of us will be ‘ok’ with doing a murder, or a physical assault, or even a small theft for that matter? We know by brought up that they are morally wrong (and legally too!). But when it comes to the misdemeanors, which are left unpunished or ignored by law, we carry a diffident outlook- that it’s ‘ok’ to bribe a police or bunk an electoral poll or to skip a traffic signal. A lot of us teach our children that these are wrong. Education too emphasizes the ethics. Yet we fail to implement them ourselves. Children are our best imitators. They follow us and we end up making a whole new generation of what I would call ‘Humans with mediocre values’. We believe it’s ‘ok’ to skip some rules if they would make our lives a little easier. We fail to realize that it’s costing our society and country the growth we could otherwise afford easily. We fail to realize that it only makes life tougher in the long run. We think it is the politicians, who have to change.
Our selfish mind might ask “Why should I be the one to change?” The answer is simple. We are here today because our society was kind enough to let us come so far. If not for Gandhi (and thousands of anonymous Indians who fought for us without recognition), we would not even be a free country today. If not for the people who fought for women’s liberation, our society would only be fifty percent alive. If not for the people who strived against caste discrimination, we would still be living in a dark world. If not for us today, our posterity would live in a doomed and deprived society- devoid of water, fuel and humanity. Isn’t this enough motivation, to be the passionate citizen?
What can we do, as passionate Indians to revive our lives? We can split this in two phases. The simplest and most immediate part is to ‘Refrain ourselves from doing the wrong things and get ourselves to do the right things’. The second and the more satisfying action plan is to do ‘more than just our duty’.
Let’s talk about the first part first- It consists of casting our votes, doing things the bribeless way, not defiling the streets, switching off the unused lights and electronic gadgets. We’ll stop exploiting the weaker sections and be more sensitive to our ecosystem. Let’s be a little more considerate towards our fellow humans and animals. Not very tough, considering what a difference this would make to our country as a whole.
Let’s come to the second part now- the one that excites me the most. The ‘do something more about it’ part. Nothing on earth can be as rewarding as this. All it takes is a little time- the time we would otherwise spend on reality shows, idol worship and idle gossips. This time could potentially make a whole world of difference- when we spend it on teaching a poor kid or creating awareness of global warming. We can spend it in planting a tree or making the life of a physically challenged easier.
The best part about the efforts we put in here is that they are so wonderfully scalable. When you help someone, the positive energy is simply infectious. That someone passes it on to a few more people. And the chain goes on. Chances are that, the goodwill will be returned to you one day, very soon.
Fortunately, all it takes from the passionate Indian is his/ her own willingness. Nothing more at all. Our mind has a strange way of working. It often does not find out what it has been missing until it gets it. That’s why I say, let’s join our hands and do our bit to create our passionate India. Sooner than later, all eyes will be on us. You and I will be the next Mahatma. Lesser known no doubt, but much revered.
happened to win the first prize too! Here it is for u.
We live in a democratic country, where we have the freedom to express our thoughts. Our press and media have the right to publicize what they know. Our children go to good schools. Our women walk independently on the roads. We choose our government. Medical care is at our door step. We claim right to information. Future is in our hands- our own and our country’s too.
Yet, why are we constantly complaining of corrupt authorities, bad weather and mediocre standards of living? We are looking up at western countries, aping their culture and yearning for their luxury. With passion, you and I can make our own country like that.
Let’s dig into the attitude of a typical Indian today. We find bribery the easiest way to get things done. It’s boring to queue up on poll day. Some of us spit on the roads and throw trash on the streets. We use train toilets at stations. Worse, we don’t even spare the roads. We buy stuff without bill to reduce a wee bit of tax. A few look down at a woman’s capability. We employ children and underpay them too! Electricity and water is still wasted, as though our children and grandchildren don’t ever need them. We choose to gain five minutes by not shutting down the computer each day. We hesitate to donate blood. We judge people by their looks and language. Some of us ask for extra plastic bags at shops. We still identify us by caste/religion, and practice untouchability in its subtlest form. We would rather donate for a religious cause than a humanitarian one. We spend our fortunes on the global brands, while bargaining for pennies with the local vendors.
We stare with sympathy (or call it morbid curiosity) at the sight of an accident and just move on while the scene gets to the back of our minds. Even after this, we think of helmets as shields that protect us from traffic cops. Our head wears it when the police are around and our bike wears it the rest of the time. We don’t give way for ambulance though we know it has a better reason to hurry than us. We skip traffic signals and ride on the pathways. We drive on the wrong side of roads, risking the need to bribe a cop. We drive for miles all alone, depleting petrol and increasing pollution, while pooling is easier, much economical and reduces traffic jams.
Why this double standard? My answer to this lies in the attitude and values we carry. How many of us will be ‘ok’ with doing a murder, or a physical assault, or even a small theft for that matter? We know by brought up that they are morally wrong (and legally too!). But when it comes to the misdemeanors, which are left unpunished or ignored by law, we carry a diffident outlook- that it’s ‘ok’ to bribe a police or bunk an electoral poll or to skip a traffic signal. A lot of us teach our children that these are wrong. Education too emphasizes the ethics. Yet we fail to implement them ourselves. Children are our best imitators. They follow us and we end up making a whole new generation of what I would call ‘Humans with mediocre values’. We believe it’s ‘ok’ to skip some rules if they would make our lives a little easier. We fail to realize that it’s costing our society and country the growth we could otherwise afford easily. We fail to realize that it only makes life tougher in the long run. We think it is the politicians, who have to change.
Our selfish mind might ask “Why should I be the one to change?” The answer is simple. We are here today because our society was kind enough to let us come so far. If not for Gandhi (and thousands of anonymous Indians who fought for us without recognition), we would not even be a free country today. If not for the people who fought for women’s liberation, our society would only be fifty percent alive. If not for the people who strived against caste discrimination, we would still be living in a dark world. If not for us today, our posterity would live in a doomed and deprived society- devoid of water, fuel and humanity. Isn’t this enough motivation, to be the passionate citizen?
What can we do, as passionate Indians to revive our lives? We can split this in two phases. The simplest and most immediate part is to ‘Refrain ourselves from doing the wrong things and get ourselves to do the right things’. The second and the more satisfying action plan is to do ‘more than just our duty’.
Let’s talk about the first part first- It consists of casting our votes, doing things the bribeless way, not defiling the streets, switching off the unused lights and electronic gadgets. We’ll stop exploiting the weaker sections and be more sensitive to our ecosystem. Let’s be a little more considerate towards our fellow humans and animals. Not very tough, considering what a difference this would make to our country as a whole.
Let’s come to the second part now- the one that excites me the most. The ‘do something more about it’ part. Nothing on earth can be as rewarding as this. All it takes is a little time- the time we would otherwise spend on reality shows, idol worship and idle gossips. This time could potentially make a whole world of difference- when we spend it on teaching a poor kid or creating awareness of global warming. We can spend it in planting a tree or making the life of a physically challenged easier.
The best part about the efforts we put in here is that they are so wonderfully scalable. When you help someone, the positive energy is simply infectious. That someone passes it on to a few more people. And the chain goes on. Chances are that, the goodwill will be returned to you one day, very soon.
Fortunately, all it takes from the passionate Indian is his/ her own willingness. Nothing more at all. Our mind has a strange way of working. It often does not find out what it has been missing until it gets it. That’s why I say, let’s join our hands and do our bit to create our passionate India. Sooner than later, all eyes will be on us. You and I will be the next Mahatma. Lesser known no doubt, but much revered.
Monday, July 6, 2009
A day at the fields
Time for another blog… In the past couple of months, I have been in Trichy for more days than I have been at Bangalore.. Particularly because, I hate my job!!! But here again, I have a news. I have resigned my job to take up a more exciting offer, and my last date at IBM is the end of this month…
But that’s not what this blog is about.. It’s about my yesterday.. My brother has come from US.. Yesterday, we went for a field visit, near Manaparai….It’s one of the projects that my brother’s US based non-profit org funds… It’s an agricultural project for a local non-profit org called New Earth Team (NET) that they had funded 1 and ½ years back and my bro went there to see how the progress is. I immediately said I will go with him.. Though Trichy is where I have lived most part of my life so far, I hardly know a restaurant or a picnic spot or a bus route there… (pothi pothi valatha pulla) This wud be a chance for me to go around Trichy, visit agricultural fields, and (most importantly!) give me a topic to blog about!! ;) And yes, it did fulfill all 3 of my expectations…
We went about in town bus all the way till JJ college (As the norm goes, the conductor asked us to board the bus last, so that we won’t block the seat of someone going all the way till Manaparai). Looking out, the way was no different from any long distance buses we take.. Looking in, the movie in the bus was no different from any vijaykanth movie.. The only difference was the naatupura paatis asking me of everyone, which stop to get down (I only wish I knew!!!)
We got down and a guy came to pick us up in a bike.. It’s triples all the way to the fields, with him & my bro….At first, it was scary.. It was the first time I went triples after many years.. And then, the roads were so full of stuffs which cud make the bike skid.. But looks like the guy was an expert at triples.. He rode quite well… There was a group of women farmers (beneficiaries) who had gathered to meet my bro.. It was very entertaining as they brought their hands together, and when I almost expected them to say “vanakkam”, they said “Good morning”…I was clicking photos and videos as my brother inquired them about their progress and as they made appeals for “more seeds, malligai padhiyans and goats” as though he was the naataamai..Oh, for that matter I also saw the typical panchayat place under the arasa maram…(or is it aala maram?!)
Then we went to see the fields.. I have always imagined that fields meant paddy fields… And it’s true in most places now… (Gathered from my bro that people opt for paddy to any other non-traditional crops, thanks to the procurement prices that the government offers to rice and wheat)…But these ones were different.. There were jasmine fields (mixed cropping with okra and eggplant)!!! And there was muthu solam and makka solam fields (until yday, I didn’t know they were different).. There was aamanakku (from which we get castor oil), ellu (from which we get gingelly oil), kambu, sunflower (No candies to guess wat oil comes from it) and so many other crops, each field belonging to a different person… Sunfloweres have always been a fascination to me, I always try to photograph them while on bus, with little success, ofcourse). Yesterday, I got a chance to be so close to a whole sunflower field and enjoyed taking photos of them, with them (amidst the amusement of the villagers at my excitement about sunflowers)…The reason these farmers (all women, while men go out for other work in the town) grow these alternative crops is that it that the place has a scarcity of water.. Unlike water-demanding crops like paddy, these plants demand much less water, for which again, they are solely dependent on rain….I also got bribed with some fresh kothavarangais (My favorite!) from the fields.. After some time I realized what a different image, I had been having of villages from what I saw in the movies. Something totally different from what I would ever see in my life.. I always imagined them to be something that existed in far off places, which I would never see in my routine life.. But no, it wasn't to be so.. They are places close to mine.. Which I often cross when I travel in buses, in trains… Which I had always fancied with a sense of poetry, rather than realism…
The nice thing about these villages (ammapetai etc) was that people were still able to manage a decent quality of life, thru agriculture, cattle-raising, “nooru naal velai”- a government scheme which offers 100 days of work per year to each family with a job card, construction work in town etc… All kids went to schools, government or private… (No dropouts!!!) The only pathetic thing was about the founder of this org called NET who died recently. It looks like he has completely been into this NET for a long time, without caring much about his family, expect their immediate needs. He has left behind his wife (who knows nothing but her family and cooking) and three school-going kids, who now don’t know how to pursue their education. A couple of them have finished their plus two and one girl has finished her 10th. I feel angered by this guy who didn’t plan his own family’s future when planning so many other families’….It was an outright blunder.. Though the kids have passed their exams, they don’t have high marks that will win scholarships. Nor do they know the direction to find one… Now, I am getting know of so many kids like this, who need help (esp in trichy). Though I am able to do a bit for them, I am not able to do much, for four reasons:
(1) There are so many cases I get to know like this, and I find it difficult to choose whom to help and whom not, when I find all of them are genuine candidates
(2) It’s embarassing for me as an individual to ask for proofs that they really need the money, to ask for fees receipts etc
(3) It will be difficult for me as an individual to ask for funds from others to help these people
(4) It will be better to get tax exemption for these
The only viable solution I can think of, is to become a part of organizations who already do this. I know there are many schools and college alumnis, who setup their own small org to do this.. I would like to use this blog as a forum for finding these out. My dear friend who is reading this blog, if you personally know of an org like this, or if you have more ideas on this topic, I am sure you’ll share them with me.. Thank you and see you again
Friday, May 29, 2009
Today's TV-where are we going?
Down the memory lane, there was only one channel I grew up watching- Doordarshan. Some of the programmes we used to watch were so much a part of our lives, that they bring nostalgic memories even now- Chitrahaar, Rangoli, oliyum oliyum- these were our windows to the world of movies. Surabhi, programmes on wildlife, quiz programmes, edhiroli (even vayalum vaazhvum, for that matter) made up our lives. Well, there were a few soaps even- Shanti, Swabimaan, Junoon... Vizhudhugal in Tamil... A few years later, I remember occasionally watching "Balachandharin chinna thirai" and the cable TV movies at neighbouring houses....And a little later, the TV viewers got hooked to the concept of daily serials- day and night. Kaun Banega karorepathi and the likes of it also hit the small screen.
But when I switch on the TV today, the programmes that come are so drastically different from what I used to see when I was young. So different that it is too much for me to take. The English channels influenced the Hindi ones, which in turn have revolutionised the South Indian channels. At first, a few programmes were regionalized- Coffee with Karan, for example, changed the boring ways that interviews with stars used to happen in our channels. Then came the next realm of change- the reality shows. Needless to say, what a misnomer it is. Isn't it pathetic, that a participant says that he only knew about his mom offering angapradashnams at a temple(for his victory) only when he sees the video on TV? Why does the judge have to scold a contestant, with every effort to make him/her cry? Why does the contestant of a singing competition need a makeover? Why do you portray how badly a guy needs to win, because his family depends on his money? Why do you have to bring personal lives into competitions? Why, why do you have to ask audience to vote a contestant to victory, when you have three judges on a show, not to mention the special guest? If you are really interested in people's votes, why do you conspire to make the sms es so costly? Why do you rehearse every argument, every dialogue on the show and then call it a reality show? Why do you talk about chemistry in dances? Why do girls have to expose on the shows, as if they were actresses or models by profession. How long will their fame last? What happens when they are back home, back on the streets a couple of years later, like you and me? Why do you expose small kids in the contests to so much vulgarity?
The most disturbing fact to comprehend here is that, it is changing the way ordinary people live. When actresses dress up scantily and do things that are unacceptable at a middle class home, it is still ok. Because people can easily see the difference between movies and reality. But when a person, much like you and me does all this on TV, it appears so realistic, that our very morals are shaken. The teenagers, the kids, ever realized that we are doing them a world of damage???
But wait, I have only talked about the South Indian reality shows. ( I did not talk about serials, because it should be clear by now, what scale of damage they do to people who watch them- laziness, negative thoughts, addiction and a lifestyle useless to the world). Here comes the other genre of reality shows which, touch wood, has not entered the South Indian TV yet. Yes, you guessed it. Splits villa, Big boss, Roadies, fast and furious etc. It literally bring me shame to watch girls bicker like bitches, swear like it is fashion, cry in front of the whole world, fight for men, dump, cheat, dress like a whore and what not!!! And it disturbs me even more that people whom I know and meet everyday watch these shows so avidly.
Friends, I genuinely have a few questions to ask here, right out of my heart- Are we aware of the world that we are living in? Problems that we are facing? The global warming, energy crisis, malnutrition, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, sexual exploitation, child abuse- the list goes on. Do we spend one third of the time we spend on this unreal and brain blunting TV, on any of these problems? Why not start with these- switch off the lights when not in use....Avoid taking unnecessary printouts.. Avoid using plastic bags...Give our excess food to the needy than throw it in the trash can...spend a small portion of your salary for education, and a little of our invaluable time for people who so badly need it (even within our own family, if we care to open our eyes)...And last, but not the least, respecting people who already do these.... If you had time enough to read this and form a opinion, please do leave your comment dear friends...
But when I switch on the TV today, the programmes that come are so drastically different from what I used to see when I was young. So different that it is too much for me to take. The English channels influenced the Hindi ones, which in turn have revolutionised the South Indian channels. At first, a few programmes were regionalized- Coffee with Karan, for example, changed the boring ways that interviews with stars used to happen in our channels. Then came the next realm of change- the reality shows. Needless to say, what a misnomer it is. Isn't it pathetic, that a participant says that he only knew about his mom offering angapradashnams at a temple(for his victory) only when he sees the video on TV? Why does the judge have to scold a contestant, with every effort to make him/her cry? Why does the contestant of a singing competition need a makeover? Why do you portray how badly a guy needs to win, because his family depends on his money? Why do you have to bring personal lives into competitions? Why, why do you have to ask audience to vote a contestant to victory, when you have three judges on a show, not to mention the special guest? If you are really interested in people's votes, why do you conspire to make the sms es so costly? Why do you rehearse every argument, every dialogue on the show and then call it a reality show? Why do you talk about chemistry in dances? Why do girls have to expose on the shows, as if they were actresses or models by profession. How long will their fame last? What happens when they are back home, back on the streets a couple of years later, like you and me? Why do you expose small kids in the contests to so much vulgarity?
The most disturbing fact to comprehend here is that, it is changing the way ordinary people live. When actresses dress up scantily and do things that are unacceptable at a middle class home, it is still ok. Because people can easily see the difference between movies and reality. But when a person, much like you and me does all this on TV, it appears so realistic, that our very morals are shaken. The teenagers, the kids, ever realized that we are doing them a world of damage???
But wait, I have only talked about the South Indian reality shows. ( I did not talk about serials, because it should be clear by now, what scale of damage they do to people who watch them- laziness, negative thoughts, addiction and a lifestyle useless to the world). Here comes the other genre of reality shows which, touch wood, has not entered the South Indian TV yet. Yes, you guessed it. Splits villa, Big boss, Roadies, fast and furious etc. It literally bring me shame to watch girls bicker like bitches, swear like it is fashion, cry in front of the whole world, fight for men, dump, cheat, dress like a whore and what not!!! And it disturbs me even more that people whom I know and meet everyday watch these shows so avidly.
Friends, I genuinely have a few questions to ask here, right out of my heart- Are we aware of the world that we are living in? Problems that we are facing? The global warming, energy crisis, malnutrition, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, sexual exploitation, child abuse- the list goes on. Do we spend one third of the time we spend on this unreal and brain blunting TV, on any of these problems? Why not start with these- switch off the lights when not in use....Avoid taking unnecessary printouts.. Avoid using plastic bags...Give our excess food to the needy than throw it in the trash can...spend a small portion of your salary for education, and a little of our invaluable time for people who so badly need it (even within our own family, if we care to open our eyes)...And last, but not the least, respecting people who already do these.... If you had time enough to read this and form a opinion, please do leave your comment dear friends...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Rediscovering life in India
Now, it has been more than a couple of months since I returned to India. Since that blissful night when I couldn't control my peeping teeth inside my mouth, seeing my plane landing in the Bangalore airport...
Simple things look so beautiful to me these days- just because they are so unique to my place.
For example, when I was in the train, back home to trichy , I admired the passion and creativity with which Indians build their "Own house". As though these houses had never existed before...
And then, in March, I was staying in a rented house with Yogi, one friend..And we relished the "nila soru" one night... What's a candle light dinner in comparison to nilaa soru...
Next night was a beautiful, windy and drizzling one.. How I enjoyed myself in the terrace, dancing about like a typical tamil heroine always does!!!
And this weekend, I was back to Samarthanam.... You know how flattering it is, when beautiful-hearted kids flatter you with compliments that you really dont deserve...
Ok, ok, I understand how boring it can get when u try to blog something that happened months back.. I'll try to blog more regularly, hereon...
Introspection, and trip to Seattle- Jan 2009
I cannot believe that out of my one year in Toronto, there have been only as many as fifteen days when I did not
have to switch on the stove! All of a sudden, luxury has been redefined for me- as not having to cook.. And not having to take the bus when I step out of the house. As having someone to plan the day for you…Having someone to wake you up.. and remind u to have breakfast!
It was very different an year back! Whining about the food in the PG. Taking an auto to office when I feel like. Beginning my day whenever I want to. Taking a trip home when I feel like it. Chatting with a roommate until 2 in the morning.
I don’t mean to say I am leading a hectic life 24 hours a day, no I cant even do that. But I mean to say I am leading a
life I hadn’t envisaged an year back! But which I took up with an elegant, matter-of-factly attitude when it came to me. I should confess that it was interesting in the beginning. Having the liberty to truly own your day and home. But in some time, it got tiresome. Managing work & domestic chores & the cruel weather…And it’s only human that you can’t just live with the love and care of people thousands of miles away, for 365 days in a row. Sometimes, you need someone’s shoulder, right here, right now...
I used to believe I can live anywhere, alone, acclimatizing myself to whatever the situation demands. I have proved myself wrong more than once. For yes, I can live, but not very cozily, till I make friends in my new environment. My problem is my own innocence and keep-it-simple attitude. For when I talk about friends, I mean it. I mean people who r there for me, who will place my interests at par with theirs, while I do the same. And it takes a while to find such friends. It took me a couple of years to feel at home in college, an year to feel secure in Bangalore and not yet, in Toronto. This is a fact which I assimilated only a few months back!!
Ok, that’s enough philosophy for a while! Lemme tell u how my trip was. Waiting in the terminal, flying alone and getting through the jet lag are not particularly my cup of tea. But sleeping in a cozy bed, being woken at 10 in the morning to have a brunch, getting into a car & going on a trip perfectly taken care of by someone I trust are! So did my days go, carefree and with an option to take responsibility only when I want to. One day we went skiing. It was painful, the shoes were hard on me, the skiis were naughty, yet it was fun- out there in the snow, falling down and getting up, with someone to guide u all the way, and ask u if u r doing okay!!! I should mention that half my days went in online shopping- trying to shop electronics from Canada in the boxing day discounts! Almost the rest half went in shopping in the US- Going to scores of shops to shop a few picky things. Poor things my bro & sis-in-law, though! I appreciate their helpless patience!
One day we went to the Snoqualmie water falls, and then drove back long miles to the Deception pass (a strait), only to find that it was too dark to see anything, let alone enjoy the place. He apologized for having driven me all the way to a hopelessly dark place. Funny him, it was he who drove hard- while I was happily sleeping all the way! He also taught me about a lot of things- worlds I haven’t explored much yet- but really want to, when I get the company that suits- biking, hiking, snorkeling, skiing, snow-shoeing and what not! We also went on the New year night to see the fireworks in space needle (I call it the Seattle version of CN tower in Toronto). Not much of a sight it was, the smoke from the initial fireworks, combined with the low clouds & fog- made a most unwelcome mixture of smog- even as the on-lookers tried to keep up their spirits up with hurrahs to overlook the bad show!
The most important aspect of the trip ofcourse is that my bro and I got to be together for more than a week after a long time. And realized yet again how important it is to get together often! For we still didn’t get enough personal time together! See you soon my blog!
have to switch on the stove! All of a sudden, luxury has been redefined for me- as not having to cook.. And not having to take the bus when I step out of the house. As having someone to plan the day for you…Having someone to wake you up.. and remind u to have breakfast!
It was very different an year back! Whining about the food in the PG. Taking an auto to office when I feel like. Beginning my day whenever I want to. Taking a trip home when I feel like it. Chatting with a roommate until 2 in the morning.
I don’t mean to say I am leading a hectic life 24 hours a day, no I cant even do that. But I mean to say I am leading a
life I hadn’t envisaged an year back! But which I took up with an elegant, matter-of-factly attitude when it came to me. I should confess that it was interesting in the beginning. Having the liberty to truly own your day and home. But in some time, it got tiresome. Managing work & domestic chores & the cruel weather…And it’s only human that you can’t just live with the love and care of people thousands of miles away, for 365 days in a row. Sometimes, you need someone’s shoulder, right here, right now...
I used to believe I can live anywhere, alone, acclimatizing myself to whatever the situation demands. I have proved myself wrong more than once. For yes, I can live, but not very cozily, till I make friends in my new environment. My problem is my own innocence and keep-it-simple attitude. For when I talk about friends, I mean it. I mean people who r there for me, who will place my interests at par with theirs, while I do the same. And it takes a while to find such friends. It took me a couple of years to feel at home in college, an year to feel secure in Bangalore and not yet, in Toronto. This is a fact which I assimilated only a few months back!!
Ok, that’s enough philosophy for a while! Lemme tell u how my trip was. Waiting in the terminal, flying alone and getting through the jet lag are not particularly my cup of tea. But sleeping in a cozy bed, being woken at 10 in the morning to have a brunch, getting into a car & going on a trip perfectly taken care of by someone I trust are! So did my days go, carefree and with an option to take responsibility only when I want to. One day we went skiing. It was painful, the shoes were hard on me, the skiis were naughty, yet it was fun- out there in the snow, falling down and getting up, with someone to guide u all the way, and ask u if u r doing okay!!! I should mention that half my days went in online shopping- trying to shop electronics from Canada in the boxing day discounts! Almost the rest half went in shopping in the US- Going to scores of shops to shop a few picky things. Poor things my bro & sis-in-law, though! I appreciate their helpless patience!
One day we went to the Snoqualmie water falls, and then drove back long miles to the Deception pass (a strait), only to find that it was too dark to see anything, let alone enjoy the place. He apologized for having driven me all the way to a hopelessly dark place. Funny him, it was he who drove hard- while I was happily sleeping all the way! He also taught me about a lot of things- worlds I haven’t explored much yet- but really want to, when I get the company that suits- biking, hiking, snorkeling, skiing, snow-shoeing and what not! We also went on the New year night to see the fireworks in space needle (I call it the Seattle version of CN tower in Toronto). Not much of a sight it was, the smoke from the initial fireworks, combined with the low clouds & fog- made a most unwelcome mixture of smog- even as the on-lookers tried to keep up their spirits up with hurrahs to overlook the bad show!
The most important aspect of the trip ofcourse is that my bro and I got to be together for more than a week after a long time. And realized yet again how important it is to get together often! For we still didn’t get enough personal time together! See you soon my blog!
The spark of life
The Spark of Life...
Back in 2009, three years into the corporate life, I seemed to have lost it- the inevitable SPARK in life, the one which keeps us going. Nothing excited me, everything seemed so ordinary. Incidentally, it was the time for my first onsite visit. My thought was, "Ok, I am going to Canada. The new place will automatically trigger my excitement".
I arrived in Canada. Nothing, not even my life's first snow, impressed me! I even went for ice skating. It was yet another day. Any new place was yet another place. "What's so great about it?" I told myself. So I started being at home, all the time. What's so exciting about going out, after all? It was office then home wherein cooking, eating and sleeping. These were what made my day. Well, cooking did excite me for a few days, but eventually transformed into a routine chore.
People talked about gadgets, movies, Xbox and Nintendo.
“Grow up guys”, I fussed.
"Do you like the latest ifone?"
"Sorry, that’s the least of my interest"
"Will you come for a movie?"
"Sorry, I don’t watch English movies"
"Which Xbox game does u like?"
"Please direct the question to someone else"
But I soon found myself losing out. I realized it wasn’t the coolest thing to say. The plain ignorance was making me a boring person. I recollected what my brother had challenged me years earlier, "What’s so interesting about you? Can you talk on any subject for two minutes?" Back then, the validity of his point had failed my brain. But now, it made more sense than ever. To get over this, I started showing interest, even a bit artificially to begin with. I forced myself to learn things. Very soon, I found myself being able to give so much information to people. Suddenly, I found myself useful, helpful and interesting!
Meanwhile, the monotony of the routine was bugging me- weekends passed off in laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping. Mondays were days of regret, leading to the urge to fast forward to the next weekend. In overcoming this, I started to realize that "Something is better than nothing”, “Let me go out somewhere. Eat out. Go to a movie. Go to a friend's house. Visit a spot. Enjoy the sheer thrill of not doing the regular stuff”.
Suddenly, I learnt a very simple, but important lesson. "Appreciate little things in life. If we take little things for granted, there is no fun in life. And the loser is none, but us". I made sure I spent at least one day of a week outside. At leisure time, I tried to do something that I had never done before- playing tennis, watching a science fiction movie, visiting friends. Surprisingly, life no longer seemed pointless in the remote land. I gained friends. I started living.
It’s amusing how easily we miss the basics of life sometimes. But my moment of truth had already come. Since that day, my years have been exciting, passionate and brimming with life!
Back in 2009, three years into the corporate life, I seemed to have lost it- the inevitable SPARK in life, the one which keeps us going. Nothing excited me, everything seemed so ordinary. Incidentally, it was the time for my first onsite visit. My thought was, "Ok, I am going to Canada. The new place will automatically trigger my excitement".
I arrived in Canada. Nothing, not even my life's first snow, impressed me! I even went for ice skating. It was yet another day. Any new place was yet another place. "What's so great about it?" I told myself. So I started being at home, all the time. What's so exciting about going out, after all? It was office then home wherein cooking, eating and sleeping. These were what made my day. Well, cooking did excite me for a few days, but eventually transformed into a routine chore.
People talked about gadgets, movies, Xbox and Nintendo.
“Grow up guys”, I fussed.
"Do you like the latest ifone?"
"Sorry, that’s the least of my interest"
"Will you come for a movie?"
"Sorry, I don’t watch English movies"
"Which Xbox game does u like?"
"Please direct the question to someone else"
But I soon found myself losing out. I realized it wasn’t the coolest thing to say. The plain ignorance was making me a boring person. I recollected what my brother had challenged me years earlier, "What’s so interesting about you? Can you talk on any subject for two minutes?" Back then, the validity of his point had failed my brain. But now, it made more sense than ever. To get over this, I started showing interest, even a bit artificially to begin with. I forced myself to learn things. Very soon, I found myself being able to give so much information to people. Suddenly, I found myself useful, helpful and interesting!
Meanwhile, the monotony of the routine was bugging me- weekends passed off in laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping. Mondays were days of regret, leading to the urge to fast forward to the next weekend. In overcoming this, I started to realize that "Something is better than nothing”, “Let me go out somewhere. Eat out. Go to a movie. Go to a friend's house. Visit a spot. Enjoy the sheer thrill of not doing the regular stuff”.
Suddenly, I learnt a very simple, but important lesson. "Appreciate little things in life. If we take little things for granted, there is no fun in life. And the loser is none, but us". I made sure I spent at least one day of a week outside. At leisure time, I tried to do something that I had never done before- playing tennis, watching a science fiction movie, visiting friends. Surprisingly, life no longer seemed pointless in the remote land. I gained friends. I started living.
It’s amusing how easily we miss the basics of life sometimes. But my moment of truth had already come. Since that day, my years have been exciting, passionate and brimming with life!
Samarthanam- Apr 2 2007
The Vision of the Blind…
The bones of the Disabled…
A month back, I had got a mail forward from someone about an organization which needed scribes for writing the exams for blind… Already inspired to do some social work, I promptly called them up- Samarthanam, an NGO in J.P.Nagar, 2nd phase, (Near Woody’s). But they had already got enough scribes by that time. But I was already impressed by the motto of the organization- “Instead of pampering the disabled with food and shelter, we give them education.”
Last Saturday, we got a chance to be in Jayanagar.. Not sure of our next plans, my friend and me decided to call up Samarthanam, which was nearby.. We were invited, we went there empty handed since it was such a sudden plan. The idea of visiting them with nothing to donate was bothering us at the back of our heads. We reached there and got in touch with Ms. Vijaya, a lady in the wrong side of 50, surrounded by kids whom she was mentoring.. There were kids who were telling her about their assignments, about exams, marks, future plans… Great atmosphere indeed.. We never minded the fact that everyone was too busy to talk to us! There was a blind gal who wanted to get her assignment done, but her helper(volunteer) did not come that day..Vijaya was promising her to help her with the assignment herself at night… But this gal had to submit her assignment the next day and was in urgent need of help.. We offered to help her since the assignment was in English.. Man, no Webster has words to describe her happiness!!
For a few essay questions, she had typed the answers in her computer and taken a printout. We needed to format them and write it by hand. Initially we found that, while her spoken English was good, her essay was quite disorganized. Later, we learnt that it was the first essay in her life, and that’s y she was scared. BTW, it was Neela’s Foundational English paper in Ist B com. She was doing a correspondence course in IGNOU. Soon, we finished her first assignment and were inspired to do the second. We had divided work in this way: While I read out the questions, help her understand, and extract her answers, my friend writes them down for her.
Her second assignment was a reading comprehension and grammar. Since she was doing that fresh, I had to read to her the comprehension, help her understand and answer.. Their grammar was quite a high standard and Neela was not quite comfortable at it. But once I gave her an example, she managed to answer the rest of the exercise, awesomely well!!! All the time, she told us “I was so scared how I am gonna finish this assignment.. U came like God”.. She meant that each time she said..We wanted to leave at 7.30 PM, which meant we’ll not be able to complete her assignment.. But when Vijaya asked “Is there anyway u could complete?”, we didn’t have the heart to say “NO”.. We wrote her assignment till 9.30, in the process helping her understand her lessons, and entertaining her too…Her determination & dedication were amazing.. They were reflected in the kind of anwers she gave to her lessons..
One example: Use the word “Vital” in a sentence.. Her answer: Education is vital for everyone. This was the way she looked at everything.. We sure had a lot of lessons to learn from her.
One thing that I loved about this institution was attitude..Nobody asked us to spend a penny for them. Instead they offered us tea, paayasam, and invited us to their dinner with love.
They prayed in the evening with nobody to force them.. It was heart rendering to see kids with crutches climbing up the stairs for their prayer.. They prayed before dinner.. They were always busy doing something.. They knew the value of time- much more than us.. The best thing is that when we went there, we never developed sympathy for them.. We never felt sad..We were simply astounded by the greatness of their attitude and abilities..
This is an organization which helped educating the blind, the physically challenged and the poor who had the will to study. It helps them find jobs.. A great task carried on with great sincerity.. I am sure we have a few hours every month to give those humans.. To teach them..To help them with assignments.. Be the scribes for their exams- like the scores of people who already volunteer…
Hats Off to Samarthanam!!!
The bones of the Disabled…
A month back, I had got a mail forward from someone about an organization which needed scribes for writing the exams for blind… Already inspired to do some social work, I promptly called them up- Samarthanam, an NGO in J.P.Nagar, 2nd phase, (Near Woody’s). But they had already got enough scribes by that time. But I was already impressed by the motto of the organization- “Instead of pampering the disabled with food and shelter, we give them education.”
Last Saturday, we got a chance to be in Jayanagar.. Not sure of our next plans, my friend and me decided to call up Samarthanam, which was nearby.. We were invited, we went there empty handed since it was such a sudden plan. The idea of visiting them with nothing to donate was bothering us at the back of our heads. We reached there and got in touch with Ms. Vijaya, a lady in the wrong side of 50, surrounded by kids whom she was mentoring.. There were kids who were telling her about their assignments, about exams, marks, future plans… Great atmosphere indeed.. We never minded the fact that everyone was too busy to talk to us! There was a blind gal who wanted to get her assignment done, but her helper(volunteer) did not come that day..Vijaya was promising her to help her with the assignment herself at night… But this gal had to submit her assignment the next day and was in urgent need of help.. We offered to help her since the assignment was in English.. Man, no Webster has words to describe her happiness!!
For a few essay questions, she had typed the answers in her computer and taken a printout. We needed to format them and write it by hand. Initially we found that, while her spoken English was good, her essay was quite disorganized. Later, we learnt that it was the first essay in her life, and that’s y she was scared. BTW, it was Neela’s Foundational English paper in Ist B com. She was doing a correspondence course in IGNOU. Soon, we finished her first assignment and were inspired to do the second. We had divided work in this way: While I read out the questions, help her understand, and extract her answers, my friend writes them down for her.
Her second assignment was a reading comprehension and grammar. Since she was doing that fresh, I had to read to her the comprehension, help her understand and answer.. Their grammar was quite a high standard and Neela was not quite comfortable at it. But once I gave her an example, she managed to answer the rest of the exercise, awesomely well!!! All the time, she told us “I was so scared how I am gonna finish this assignment.. U came like God”.. She meant that each time she said..We wanted to leave at 7.30 PM, which meant we’ll not be able to complete her assignment.. But when Vijaya asked “Is there anyway u could complete?”, we didn’t have the heart to say “NO”.. We wrote her assignment till 9.30, in the process helping her understand her lessons, and entertaining her too…Her determination & dedication were amazing.. They were reflected in the kind of anwers she gave to her lessons..
One example: Use the word “Vital” in a sentence.. Her answer: Education is vital for everyone. This was the way she looked at everything.. We sure had a lot of lessons to learn from her.
One thing that I loved about this institution was attitude..Nobody asked us to spend a penny for them. Instead they offered us tea, paayasam, and invited us to their dinner with love.
They prayed in the evening with nobody to force them.. It was heart rendering to see kids with crutches climbing up the stairs for their prayer.. They prayed before dinner.. They were always busy doing something.. They knew the value of time- much more than us.. The best thing is that when we went there, we never developed sympathy for them.. We never felt sad..We were simply astounded by the greatness of their attitude and abilities..
This is an organization which helped educating the blind, the physically challenged and the poor who had the will to study. It helps them find jobs.. A great task carried on with great sincerity.. I am sure we have a few hours every month to give those humans.. To teach them..To help them with assignments.. Be the scribes for their exams- like the scores of people who already volunteer…
Hats Off to Samarthanam!!!
As cute as a kid can be- Jan 11 2007
Kids today r getting over ansd oversmart...Here is an incident which happened last weekend, with two year old Deepak, who is Veera Manohar's little joy!
Its 10.30 at night.. We are at Veera's home.. Deepak is in the hall, on his mother's lap... Appa wants him to come to the bedroom.. And Deepak is least interested...
Appa plays a trick to fool Deepak:
He hides himself in the bedroom, persuading Deepak to find him.. Deepak looks at appa till he has hid himself, makes an unassuming turn towards the TV and continues watching TV in the hall...If this wasnt what the bewildered appa wanted, there was more to come!
The unconvinced appa decides to make a second attempt. He hides himself in the bedroom, asking Deepak to find him out. This time, Deepak stands up and starts walking toward the room. He goes towards the bedroom and closes the room from outside (with his dad inside)... Quite unhappy with the result, appa opens the door to come out... Little Deepak stands there, gesturing his hand towards the bedroom and instructing his appa "po, ulla po"!!!!
Its 10.30 at night.. We are at Veera's home.. Deepak is in the hall, on his mother's lap... Appa wants him to come to the bedroom.. And Deepak is least interested...
Appa plays a trick to fool Deepak:
He hides himself in the bedroom, persuading Deepak to find him.. Deepak looks at appa till he has hid himself, makes an unassuming turn towards the TV and continues watching TV in the hall...If this wasnt what the bewildered appa wanted, there was more to come!
The unconvinced appa decides to make a second attempt. He hides himself in the bedroom, asking Deepak to find him out. This time, Deepak stands up and starts walking toward the room. He goes towards the bedroom and closes the room from outside (with his dad inside)... Quite unhappy with the result, appa opens the door to come out... Little Deepak stands there, gesturing his hand towards the bedroom and instructing his appa "po, ulla po"!!!!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Dedicated to Toronto bus drivers
Here comes the guy, who finally dragged me out of my laziness, to create a new blog...I was walking towards the busstop this morning- much the same as everyday, hurrying to catch the bus, when I saw that the bus was already arriving at my stop.. I had to run in the cold with a laptop at my back, a thick jacket, the path full of snow to reach the busstop- and finally, i did catch the bus.. But I was panting for the next 20 minutes, almost until i reached the busstop.. When I was about to get down, the driver asked me- "Are you going to Gordon? I can drop u close by" (I was the only passenger in the bus)... He saved me some walk in the -20 deg celcius.. That simple act of kindness made my day- the thought that there are some sweet people who care, without expecting anything in return..
And then this evening, I forgot my gloves and cap in the bus (half an hour after discussing how I tend to lose my gloves, and why i shud stop it)... I realized it only when I got down and into my next bus and almost thought it hopeless. But the fact that I didnt hav an alternate pair of gloves helped me make an attempt- I asked the bus driver to stop for me, so that I can have a chance to check out the bus I came in. The courteous driver obliged, and luck, I didnt knw u were my friend.. The first bus was also right there.. I asked its driver and went in to get back my accessories..
Thank u all 3 drivers!!! For the kindness with which u helped me today... And all those drivers who brought a smile to my face many times during my stay in toronto...
And then this evening, I forgot my gloves and cap in the bus (half an hour after discussing how I tend to lose my gloves, and why i shud stop it)... I realized it only when I got down and into my next bus and almost thought it hopeless. But the fact that I didnt hav an alternate pair of gloves helped me make an attempt- I asked the bus driver to stop for me, so that I can have a chance to check out the bus I came in. The courteous driver obliged, and luck, I didnt knw u were my friend.. The first bus was also right there.. I asked its driver and went in to get back my accessories..
Thank u all 3 drivers!!! For the kindness with which u helped me today... And all those drivers who brought a smile to my face many times during my stay in toronto...
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