Figament of Imagination !!!

A link posted by my cousin on face book about a bar being tended by Buddhist monks where the bartender lends his sympathetic ear to your worries and sob stories. They would patiently listen to all you have said and finally would give their counsel and advice should you care to follow it. Here is the link to that story.Buddhist Bar at Japan

What if a similar theme catches up in India?? I let my imagination to soar to a Hindu bar and I visualized that.….we would have bars being tended by half naked poojari’s or the priests, walls of the bar adorned by photographs of all deities instead of scantily clad women or of drinks and background chants of Vedic mantras and religious songs in place of fast remix numbers. New cocktails like the ancient drinks Somras, Sura would become the rage of the drinking public. However a subtle difference in case of such bars in India would be that the bartenders would not be sympathetic compared to the Buddhist monks. Further I am sure they would give counsels involving some pooja to be conducted by them during their free time to ward of worries and pains in one’s life.

Just imagine a normal Indian telling his wife that he is not feeling good and he needs to go to a bar and have a chat with the priest about the current happenings and what the stars foretell for the future…plus couple of drinks . Hahahaha sounds funny.

This post no way demeans any persons or religions but just a figment of my  Imagination!!!

Neither here nor there...floating in between !!!

Few days back was watching a TV program on a local channel about rebirth wherein the host who is a researcher hypnotizes the person and questions about the previous life of the person. Though a great topic the way it has been conducted does not create an interest among the viewers…no wonder it is a late night show. But the theme made me think of the space in between worlds where the wayward souls roam as ghosts trying to fulfill their unfinished dreams. I am not a believer of rebirth or the trapped souls but then I have heard some accounts first hand (I mean from the horse’s mouth as it is told) which are stranger than fiction. 

The first incident took place in the year 1981 at Baghdad, Iraq where I had gone as an Engineer to a company contracted to build a township at Al Baaya district of Baghdad. The construction area had a high ground water table and to avoid infusion of water the company was trenching the periphery of the site to draw out the water and pump it beyond the site boundary. The excavator operator John was assigned to cut the trench during the night since we were operating the project on a tight schedule and as usual we expected certain output by the time day shift operator is on duty to continue it further. But then we found that hardly any progress being done by the night operator. 

On enquiry we were told a strange story by the operator that as he was bringing down the excavator bucket to dig the trench he found a beautiful woman in an Abaya( for those who are not about Abaya it is as dress worn by Muslim women to cover their body)standing below the bucket and she is beckoning him to come out of the glazed cabin. During those days Iraq was at war with Iran and many of the Iraqi women did not have any men folks at their homes, were known to take lovers from the Indian workers. Our operator John was under the impression that the woman in front of the excavator was one of those women… and he was pleased. So he shuts down the machine and prepares to come out of the cabin to meet her… it is at this point of time that he notices that this woman’s feet is not on the ground ….but is floating just above the ground. Being a devote Christian he immediately understood that it is a ghost and he locked himself within the cabin. All subsequent attempts to excavate proved futile since each time the bucket was being lowered this woman used be beneath the same and laughing out loudly preventing him to complete the operation.

We did not accept the story since we were under the impression that the operator had too much to drink prior to his duty and was hallucinating. After a warning he was asked to continue the same work the next night but then similar thing happened and the next day operator stated that he is not willing to work anymore and wants to go back to India. We were joking and discussing this incident at the site office where we had few Iraqi engineers and office staff and they said that it is not a laughing matter as they do believe that Jinn (Ghost in Arabic) exists in this universe and it is quite possible that very Jinn has been interred in the ancient burial grounds that was adjoining the project site. 

While narrating this incident in a family gathering, my father said that a woman in white dress would float down and sit on his cycle carrier behind him when he cycled to his college and the way he narrated the story presumably of a ghost made our hairs stand up!!! I still cannot be sure whether the story is true or he was just pulling our legs.

The next I heard of a Jinn was from my colleague who insisted that his flat was occupied by one. He used to tell that there would be noises from the cub board and laughter from the other room and so forth. We used to make fun of him saying that he is hallucinating and yet he used to never waver from his belief that a Jinn resides in his flat.

The above post is no way demeaning the persons who believe in life after death or ghosts or Jinn but a recount of interesting incidents in my life!!!

Childhood Nostalgia

I have so much free time these days that I let my mind wander through its labyrinth of memories and I pen down some of those experiences here. My memories are quite hazy for all these happened nearly four decades back and each day I try to go back in times of sands and relive my childhood days. Forgive me for the gaps in the post since I have just broached on few incidents of my childhood which are not connected

 

“Sunday means I have to be careful”

Between the years 1967 and 1969 I have had numerous falls and accidents while playing and most of them have taken place on a Sunday. Those days at Bangalore the doctors and the clinics would be closed on a Sunday thereby I had to withstand the pain or discomfort till the next day’s visit to the doctor. I have had dog biting me, cut opening my scalp after a fall from slide in the part and lots of bruises and cuts on a Sunday. One of the major fall I had caused a compound fracture in my left arm and I still recollect that moment even today when my mother ran here and there to so many doctors houses requesting for a first aid towing a wailing me along. We were fortunate to find one orthopedic doctor in the locality and she took me there. The doctor straightened the arm by cracking the bone in two places and used two wooden rulers (scales) as splint and put a temporary cotton bandage and asked us to come to the hospital the next day morning for taking x-ray and plaster cast. The whole night I was in intense pain and I did not allow my parents to sleep at all. Next day morning at Victoria Hospital the bones were reset properly under anesthesia and the arm was cast in plaster of Paris….for a period of 3 months. This was the final straw in the patience of my parent and every Sunday was a taboo and I was subject to lots of restrictions that particular day for nearly 2 years after the incident.

“Cemetery trips for hunting birds”

Being a Brahmin it is taboo to enter a burial ground and yet I used to go with my friends almost twice or thrice a week into huge wooded cemetery adjacent to our house to hunt birds using catapult. For those of you who are not familiar with the catapult, it’s a hand held weapon and it has a V or Y handle with rubber slings and a patch of leather for holding the pebble or stone. The stone held in the patch is drawn back thereby stretching the rubber sling and when released the stone would travel quite fast to its target. I was pretty good with the catapult and during the hunts we would surely fell down at least two pigeons which would be taken by my accompanying friends for their dinner since I never used to have non veg food. There are times that my mom used to find about these trips and I would be forced to have a bath to cleanse myself. I had never been frightened by the ghost stories told by so many of my friends when they learn of my visits to the cemetery.

“My first love …an one sided one “

It was the year 1969 and we were playing cricket in my friend’s house compound and suddenly while fielding I saw a cute looking girl of my age smiling and glancing coyly. She was quite a looker and I was pleased that I was singled out among my friends by her. By the time we finished playing I could not find any trace of this girl in and around our place and I was walking around Wilson Gardens, Bangalore trying to locate her. After couple of days I was able to find out the house where this girl resided. Then on almost every evening I used to follow this girl singing the famous song of the time from the movie Aradhana …”Mere Sapano ki Rani kab aayegi tu “ and thinking back now it seems quite funny that at the age of 12 without any knowledge of sex I have been trying to woo the girl. Maybe the thought of having a girl friend stemmed from seeing my friends elder sisters and the romantic movies of those times. Well this ended within 2 months of start when I was confronted and warned by the girl and her friend of dire consequences and all the smiles and coy remarks by her was just for fun…..there went my first Love down the drains

A Quote which is quite apt to the experience comes to my mind and it is “First love is only a little foolishness and lots of curiosity”…

The past in the present

"There are no limitations to the self except those you believe in." - Seth

A person goes through lots of experiences while growing up and certain statements made by people around you is ingrained in your subconscious mind and does play a very important part in your entire life span. Messages like “Money does not grow on trees”,” Don’t be a Jack of all trades for he is a master of none”, ‘Never steal or tell lies”, Early to bed and early rise makes one  healthy wealthy and wise” or “you need to be pious and religious” and so forth. Have we at any point of time pondered about these statement or phrases at the present times.

Frankly I have always considered these statements as unwanted lecture being given by adults while I was young and at times I have been irked by these since it used to curtail our playing time or for the matter of fact a new toy not being bought. Looking back now I understand the wisdom imparted to us at a gullible age and knowingly or sub consciously has molded our very growth to what we are today. I thank each and every adults who have contributed in instilling these beliefs in me.

Today as a parent when I impart similar belief and thoughts to my children I see a similar reaction in them to what I used to feel when I was young and yet I keep repeating the same things over and over again so that these beliefs are ingrained in their minds forever. 

As long as mankind is there in this universe this would keep on repeating with each coming generation.

Intrinsic worth more important than looks

Last Sunday evening I watched a talk show in Tamil called Neeya Nanna (meaning-You or Me) and the topic for discussions was Judgment of a person by their appearance. Quite an interesting topic to be discussed but the quality of the discussions by some of the participants was much to be desired for certain incidents narrated by them were childish and irrelevant. One of the participants stated that though she has cleared the technical interviews and group discussions in company she was overlooked by the HR in favor of a beautiful looking girl who hardly talked anything during the interview. Other person said that he was overlooked for a job because of his skin color, the other stating because he was fat and so forth. Listening to many participants about their negative experiences  on being judged by appearance was the catalyst to this blog.

We are taught not to Judge others by their appearances and there is an old adage warning “Do not judge a book by its cover “and yet many people cannot help but submit to their first impression of a person in their judgment which is done within a minute of meeting the person. Appearances drive us and it affects every judgment we make. We are taught to look as good as possible so that we are judged positively in all fields be it for an interview or a social event. Yet intrinsic value of the person is what the people have to look for and that is most important. Looks may matter in certain job portfolios but then it is the knowledge base which would reap the benefits and in the present day scenario is difficult for a company to sustain by employing persons on their looks alone.

Judgment by looks is very much prevalent in the society and person not confirming to some preconceived notions are more likely to be rejected and experience problems, like mockery or even discrimination. I have heard of parents telling their children “do not associate with XYZ since he or she looks like a person of bad character”. A stigma is being attached to a person without even knowing the person. Recently was traveling in an auto and we witnessed an accident on the way and the auto driver stated that people who break traffic rules, jumping of signals are north Indians or similarly up north it is that Madrasi do not create any problems. It is wrong on both counts for I personally know of various instances both here in Chennai and in New Delhi where it was quite the opposite.

One of the panelist on the show blind from his birth has encountered mockery discrimination throughout his life span because of his disabilities and in spite of the discouragement he has done his masters has risen to be a principal of a College. His determination to excel and prove himself to the world stands out in the crowd and he said that “discrimination is the mile stone to his success”. I hope that people who feel discriminated for having been judged based on appearance do not despair or lose confidence in themselves instead raise up to the challenge and prove their worth in their field.

Your thoughts on this topics please !!!!!

Why is it me always??

Recently I was talking with a friend who seems to be going through tough times and he was thinking out loud as to why all problems of life keeps cropping up with him and his family. This made me think about this universal question being asked by human beings across all religions whenever they are burdened with problems on a continuous basis during their life time. 

Life is not a bed of roses for every being in this universe, for some it is always patches of thorns. It churns out so many hurdles in one’s life and after each hurdle you clear there seems to be the next one looming which is much larger and complicated bringing the person experiencing it crashing down again and it is at this point of time that one questions themselves……. Why me? The bitterness of having to face never ending problems which seems to come only in your path and not in those of your friends or relatives is quite intense leading to stressful life.

 I know few persons in such situations who blame god for having bought so much misery in their lives but then god is not going to appear before you and wipe out all your misery. A quote by Jewish Rabbi Philip S Bernstein comes to my mind “We have no right to ask when sorrow comes, "Why did this happen to me?" unless we ask the same question for every joy that comes our way.”  How very true is this quote… we never ever say “why me” when good thing happens in one’s lives. 

If you analyze the challenges being meted out to a common man in present day scenario most findings would lead you to shortfall of money in the coffers. But then having money does not mean it is the end of problems in one’s life… for it could be in form of health contingencies, employment, bereavement or for the matter relationships. I do believe that one needs to have definite plans and solutions to counter the different problems being thrown up during the course of life and then surely he/she would lead a contented life in spite of continued challenges.

A couple of proverbs that I came across sometime back strike a chord………… “Not to have felt pain is not to have been human “and “He that can’t endure the bad will not live to see the good “. No wonder elders used to say that there are good times in the offing after some rough patches in life.

Having said all these I would be a hypocrite if I say that I have never questioned myself…why is it me?? I have done it in the past and the answer I got was that … it is because it is your life.  Does this make me unhappy.. no,  but it does make me think of the various ways of resolving the problem or the solution to the hurdle being faced. I have had a very eventful life and I have lived through lots of upheavals successfully till date and I have no regrets.

Life is a great reveler!!!!! Live it as it comes and enjoy each day of it !!!!

Confluence of Medicines!!!!!

Most doctors I have come across in India do not live up to the Hippocrates’s oath (Ethics of medical practice written by the Father of the modern medicine). The main aim for  quite a few of them is to make tons of money in the fastest possible time since they generally tell that they had to spend millions of rupees to complete their studies and that needs to be recovered. One of the ploys to make money is to insist on unwanted test to be conducted on the patient since the doctor get his cut from the recommended clinic or from the super specialty hospital where the doctor is the consultant. Patients have no choice but to get all the tests conducted at an exorbitant cost even if it has been done recently as the doctor does not want to view the report of the earlier tests. It is because of this attitude I have developed mistrust against the people in this profession.

Couple of week’s back I was in for a very pleasant surprise when I visited a clinic along with my wife where she had gone for a vascular check up. Though she was visiting the clinic first time we had taken all other reports of tests done on account of osteoporosis and when we met the doctor who does the initial examination to decide as to which tests had to be conducted there, he wanted to see all the reports and on going through the same stated that most of the tests has been conducted earlier and need not be done once again….Further unlike other doctors who just view the problem stated by the patient, he insisted on going through the x-rays of the problems being faced by my wife … on questioning the doctor if the ortho reports are relevant to cardio vascular he simply stated that he needs to check the entire well being of the patient. It is rare to find such a doctor in present times and further he acknowledges the fact of English medicines limitations and hence his clinic has a combination of English, Natural, Ayurvedic and Holistic medicine. The test package involves consultation with all the fields of medicine mentioned. The aim of the clinic is to treat the patients only by medicines and an operation is just a last resort if it is not possible to cure. Hats off to the clinic and the doctors there ………. This experience does help me to regain my trust for the medical professionals and I sincerely hope more doctors try to practice in similar fashion…….I mean globally.