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 

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...

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...

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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!

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!

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!!!

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"!!!!