The Boatman's Cry

Trace my footsteps

2009-02-07T11:28:00.008+05:30

Prize of my life, I dote on you
Someday when I am dead and gone
Trace my footsteps, the paths I trod
And the lands that I crossed
You'll find dirt and you'll see grime
And you might feel revulsion
For the man who you felt divine
I beg of you my little angel -
Please sift a little through the revelations
And look again with your tender emotions
You might find the father you loved
In some cryptic little purgatory
Waiting for his salvation

You weren't asked

2009-02-07T11:24:00.002+05:30

You weren't asked if you wished to be born

You weren't given a choice for the kind of parents you'd want

No one enquired what colour of skin you fancied

Nor asked you if it was dark curls or silky hair that you desired

You've been wrong'd and I am at fault

Still, you say - 'Father, I love you' - and that breaks my heart

Stupid world

2009-02-07T10:59:00.003+05:30

It's such a stupid world dad

The guys selling soap think we are insane

And would buy his soap seeing his latest campaign

Doesn't he know that we've seen it all through

And we have far more urgent things to do

The politicians think that we trust their words

And their promises to change the world

It's time they realised that we allow them the game

Because we got hard work to do

To barely survive and play it by their rules

I see it all

2009-02-07T10:52:00.004+05:30

I see the seasons in your eyes

I see the meaning of my life

I see goodness and I see joy

I see hope amidst the chilling cries

I see the God that created it all

And in your crystal clear eyes

I see the message that

He conveys to the cold human lot

All I need

2009-02-07T10:46:00.005+05:30

Balloons, kites and butterflies

Crayons, picture books and tiny dice

A few friends and some space

Some stories to hear

Some for me to regale

And a good night's sleep

In the lap of mother's warmth

Relax mom

2009-02-07T10:42:00.003+05:30

Don't you worry, mother mine
I shall catch up and I'll be fine
I might be a bit different
than my siblings and friends
But it's okay mom
I just have a different pace
and a different take
on life and the world around.
I am you, mom can't you see ?
You gave me all to set me free.
Relax now mom, and take some rest
God knows you have done your best.
My journey has just begun
To find my place under the sun

My journey

2009-02-07T10:41:00.004+05:30

There could be a bomb lurking around

And it could fell us and split the ground

I saw it on TV the last time it happened

And that wasn't too long ago

I need to make money to drive my dream Ferrari

And I need money for the latest Blackberry

So, I need to get a job with an obscene salary

I've heard that finance is the place to be

The Las Vegas of the free economy

Now I need to get a three letter ticket (IIT)

To kick start my journey

Then for the three letter certificate (IIM)

That will ensure my passport to

The haloed halls of exclusivity

All we own

2009-02-07T10:36:00.003+05:30

Why is everyone so glum ?

Why can't we have some fun ?

Why does dad always frown ?

And why does mom raise her sound ?

Why do you always worry about our marks ?

And why does dad always crib

That the future is bleak and dark ?

Oh why do you fret and grumble

About prices, politics and the fumes ?

Can't you see dad, can't you see mom

The immediate moment is all we own

When I look

2009-02-06T20:49:00.003+05:30

When I look at the tree

I see green leaves, myriad branches

And a beautiful canopy

But they tell me to think about

Deforestation and the ozone orifice

When I gaze at the sky on a moonless night

I see a million fireflies alight

And sometimes when I am lucky

I get to see a star in its last flight

But they tell me to think about

The big bang and the black hole

Why, father ?

2009-02-06T20:43:00.005+05:30

You tell me that hard work pays
And you tell mom softly that only buttering pays
You ask me to always tell the truth
And you tell lies to the police uncle when you break traffic rules
You keep cribbing about today's education, teachers and schools
But shout at me on my low marks and call me a fool

How does one ?

2009-02-06T13:46:00.001+05:30

How does one tell them that there's venom in the air

How does one tell them that things aren't very fair

How does one teach them to give and take a bribe

How does one tell them it's the only way to survive

How does one tell them that schools don't educate

They just teach you the tricks to matriculate

How does one tell them that there's nothing left to hold on

Every thing's perilous and the Gods have all renounced and gone

The gravy train ahoy

2009-02-06T13:44:00.001+05:30

The biggest challenge that todays parents face is - How to peel away the inherent curiosity, creativity and individuality of children in the shortest possible time and slot the child into the gravy train of the majority. The more amenable the child's brain, the easier the task.

Give us nothing

2009-02-06T13:20:00.001+05:30

Give us nothing, they said

Empty space,

An untilled mind,

Freedom from time,

Actually, nothing at all.

But we give them everything

Filled up spaces

Deep fried knowledge

And clockwork rhyme

The angel elegy

2009-02-06T13:06:00.015+05:30

There was a time

when elfs, angels

fairies and spirits

stalked the earth

and salvaged our souls.

Then Satan conspired

fired our petty desires

filled us with fear,

turned us cynical

about goodness and cheer.

The elfs and angels

have gone to sleep

While proud Satan

leads the sheep.

Inheritence

2009-02-06T12:44:00.008+05:30

We inherited a world ravaged by brute war, revolutions and want

We bequeath a world bereft of imagination, wisdom and joy

Proud deliverance

2009-02-05T21:11:00.001+05:30

Ramrod straight - that was the first impression that he made when he walked into a room. As he walked into the hospital room for his last rendezvous with medical science, he maintained his inimitable gait and composure. Cancer was fast claiming it's grip on his body, yet he refused to yield to fear or a sense of submission. In spite of the risks involved, he wanted to take an early shot at the dreaded chemotherapy as a last battle in his fight with cancer. But unknown to us, beneath his unbent spirit there lurked a body that had become weary of the 77 years of a largely struggle-filled life. His sixty years of smoking 'Charminars' and 'Capstans' and 'Panamas' and 'Scissors' had weakened his vitals more than he ever admitted. The chemotherapy drugs ravaged his body in a few hours and broke his fighting spirit. But he held on like an abandoned soldier in a losing war, silent and stoic, for ten long hours before his heart abruptly stopped and he got his proud deliverance.

Destiny conspired with his secret desire to ensure that he did not have to live without his handsome gait and unbroken spirit.

The runaway

2009-02-05T20:14:00.009+05:30

I have heard my grandmother say that he was born after a lot of prayers and supplication to the Gods. He was the first child of a headstrong, liberal minded man who worked as a writer in the local court. He was born in 1930 - an extremely tumultuous time in the country as well as the outside world. As a child he was quite weak and prone to fevers and colds frequently. On the advice of the doctor, his tonsils were removed while still very young and his health made visible improvement. Slowly he would be joined by five more siblings - two boys and three girls. His brother - my uncle - says that he was a hyperactive boy and liked to be always out of the house with his friends - playing, exploring, making mischief or indulging in pranks of all kinds. He liked to be home only to have his food or to sleep after a tiring day. He was not an exceptionally bright student at school but showed a very rational, inquiring mind. His handwriting was impeccable and he was enthusiastic about sports. After completing school he joined a prestigious technical institute in Thrissur. It was an abrupt changeover to a rigid regime at the hostel from his carefree days at home and he soon began to feel disinterested in studies. His father assumed that the boy was having trouble with the hostel food and he changed his stay to a private lodging with arrangements for better food. This went on for a few months but in the end both son and father realised that the whole exercise was futile. Thus my father came back to his home town - a strapping young teenage college drop-out. Freedom came to the country and he was also infected with the spirit of the times. He would spend time in the family shop till evening and then take off with his friends to have a wild time. He would sometimes spend money from the shop for his sojourns with his friends. One day his father came to know of his philandering and lost his mind. When the son walked in home that night, the distraught father caned his favorite child mercilessly and humiliated him for being so irresponsible and errant. The young man's cosy understanding of the world, his premises of love and his whole meaning of life came crashing down. All night he cried and by morning he had made up his mind. Next day he went out a bit earlier than usual. He did not return in the evening. All night and the next day the heartbroken mother, the guilty father and the morose siblings waited for him to turn up. Enquiries were made and on the third day one of his friends revealed that he had run away.

Months later the family came to know that after struggling around for sometime, he had got himself enlisted in the new Indian Army. He would come home a changed man after a long long while.

The first malayalam novel

2009-02-05T19:31:00.011+05:30

'Indulekha' published in 1889 is considered the first work of fiction in Malayalam that qualified as a modern novel. The story revolved around orthodox practices of temporary marital alliances between Nair women and Namboodiri men. Indulekha was translated into English 1891 by the erstwhile collector of Malabar. Chandumenon made important contributions as a social reformer. He was a member of the committee constituted to inquire and report on the Malabar Marriages Bill. His observations on matrilineality among Nairs and polyandrous matrimony of Nair women that prevailed during the time are of historical importance. He was bestowed with the title of Rao Bahadur in 1898 for excellent service. Chandumenon died on 7th September 1899.

Epic creation

2009-02-05T19:07:00.003+05:30

The first work of fiction in an Indian language which ran up to 3,976 pages was written by an accomplished journalist M.K.Menon under the pen name of Vilasini. 'Avakasikal' (Inheritors) , an epic novel had more than 100 characters and took ten years to create. It was published in four volumes and won instant recognition and the 'Vayalar Award' for 1983. In spite of its unwieldy length the story was extremely engaging and the plot was contemporary and gripping. He was the first Indian to become the South-East Asia Director of AFP - the french global news agency.

Giants of Malayalam letters

2009-02-05T18:57:00.003+05:30

A rare photograph that brings together the three GIANTS of Malayalam Fiction - Basheer, Thakazhi and Kesavadev. Second from left is the great thinker, writer and critic Sukumar Azhikode.

Renaissance man

2009-02-05T18:39:00.002+05:30

Lolita

Benoy

Gourmohan

Paresh Babu

Haran Babu

Sucharita

Anandomoyi

Sasi

Baroda

Harimohini

Sathish

Mohim

Abinash

Lakshmi

U N F O R G E T T A B L E

The Vaikkom hero

2009-02-05T16:40:00.005+05:30

When he was 30 he founded a newspaper - Desabhimani. This was in 1915. Right since his early youth T. K. Madhavan showed all signs of a future social revolutionary. He soon plunged headlong into the Temple-entry movement and impressed one and all with his brilliant oratory and organisational skills. He persuaded Gandhiji to visit Vaikkom during the famous Vaikkom Satyagraha. He worked tirelessly to propagate Sree Narayana Guru's ideals and held key posts in SNDP. He was in the forefront of most social struggles in Kerala during that period. At the peak of his selfless service, he passed away in 1930 at the age of 46.

The handsome fugitive

2009-02-05T11:18:00.001+05:30

Born in 1864, G.P.Pillai is considered one of the earliest revolutionaries of Kerala. While studying in college he would write provocative articles against the Travancore establishment. One of such articles inflamed the Diwan so much that he foisted a false case against Pillai and his friends and ordered his arrest. The wily handsome man outsmarted the Diwan's sleuths and with a bag load of books reached Madras where he decided to continue his education. The Diwan's men hounded him in Madras with an arrest warrant but he managed to again hoodwink them. He was later instrumental in the formation of "Malayali Memorial" - an organisation which laid the base for the political movement in Travancore. In 1897,during the diamond jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria's reign, Pillai traveled around Britain speaking at gatherings about India and its aspirations. It was around this time that he published a masterly work called "Representative Indian". His writings and speeches helped create awareness in society about the need to reform but it constantly landed him in trouble with the authorities and he was constantly wrangling with the courts. This led him to believe that learning law was essential and he set sail to England. He returned in 1902 after his bar-at-law with a renewed spirit to take the movement forward. Unfortunately he fell ill and in 1903 the nation lost a dedicated son before he could give his best. He was 39.

The best die young

2009-02-04T21:30:00.003+05:30

Death arrived in the form of acute consumption while his mind was throbbing with an unending flow of words that gave life to his beautiful imaginations, passionate emotions and deep compassion. Changampuzha Krishna Pillai was just 36 but he had already created a huge volume of work that would reverberate among thinking and feeling beings for generations to come. When he was just 20 he wrote the brilliant - Ramanan - a play in verse form. It's still considered one of the best literary creations in the Malayalam language. This book has been a constant best-seller since it's publication in 1936. It's a rare literal minded Malayali who does not remember and hum a few lines of 'Ramanan' once in a while.

Forward movement

2009-02-04T17:38:00.003+05:30

In 1934 a few leaders with socialist leanings got together under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan and formed the Congress Socialist Party which would function under the Indian National Congress. A young revolutionary who had earlier participated in all the major reform agitations ( Vaikom Satyagraha, Salt Satyagraha etc ) was appointed the the Secretary of the Kerala unit. He was P. Krishna Pillai, a school drop-out who had lost his parents very early in life. He traveled all over the country at a young age. When he came back to Kerala and witnessed the social unrest, he was drawn towards the ideas of communism. With the help and guidance of like minded workers like N.C.Sekhar, E.M.S.Namboodiripad and K.Damodaran, he began actively pursuing trade union causes. He organised the famous workers strike in Alappuzha which was the spark that resulted in the 'Punnapra-Vayalar' struggle. Once when he found that the temple-entry agitations were losing steam due to several arrests, he went into the Guruvayur temple and started ringing the temple bell from a pedestal that was strictly restricted to the brahmin pujaris. The guards and the other temple authorities started thrashing him but he kept on ringing till he passed out. The agitation resumed with a renewed vigor thanks to Krishna Pillai.

In 1942, the Kerala unit of the Congress Socialist Party seceded completely from the parent organisation and transformed itself into the Communist Party. Soon the government outlawed the communist movement and their leaders faced arrest and harsh punishment. Most leaders went underground. Krishna Pillai was secretly lodged in a small hut in a village in Alappuzha. While writing some organisational literature in the night, a venomous snake bit him in the hand. The venom acted slowly and he was aware of his slow descent into the unknown. The villagers tried all that they could but in vain. As he lay waiting for his death, he scribbled his last words - "Comrades Forward". He was just 42.

The eternal rebel

2009-02-04T11:54:00.003+05:30

He was Born Kesava Pillai but he changed his name to Kesavadev to protest against the 'caste' system. 'Pillai' identified his caste status. He dropped out of school early as he found regular education to be too slow and docile for the tumultuous age that the country was passing through. He could see that society was frozen in a time warp and there was a lot to be done to wake it up from its slumber to enjoy the fruits of freedom in an equitable way. He was attracted to communism initially for its speed of transforming people but the post revolution mess in Russia under Stalin made him a lifelong critic of communism. He felt that any system that went against basic humanism was evil and had to be resisted. He was a voracious reader and used all his acquired wisdom to influence people's thoughts. He was a fiery orator who organisers were hesitant to invite for his absolute disregard for social niceties while on the stage. He would speak out his mind without any hesitation or fear. Slowly he found his calling in writing. He was a committed humanist aspiring to reform society and he knew how to tell a story. His stories revolved around poor folk in real situations. He mocked at the prevalent social mores and celebrated the resilience of the common man on the street. He brought down literature from its ivory towers to the hovels of fishermen and labourers. His novels were popular hits and many were soon adapted to the screen for its potential to be loved by the mass .

Kesavadev was a life long rebel against anything that was against basic humanism - it could be social mores, culture, tradition, religion, political systems or blind economic growth.

Call of the conscience

2009-02-04T10:45:00.003+05:30

Did they really exist ? They walked this earth less than a century back.They almost lived like us - wearing the same kind of clothes, eating the same kind of food, educating themselves like us in schools and colleges, marrying and rearing families - yet their thoughts, dreams, passions, values and aspirations were so very different. We delve on accumulating wealth, enjoying personal comforts and securing our future all the time. They gladly gave up their comforts, their wealth and opportunities for professional growth to follow the call of their conscience.

Meet K.P.Kesava Menon, the grandson of a ruler of a small principality - Palakkad. Born into a life of privilege and easy pelf, he graduated from the Madras University and completed his bar-at-law from Middle Temple. On his return, he jumped into the national movement neglecting his practice. He also launched a Malayalam newspaper - 'Mathrubhumi' - to espouse the cause of freedom. His commitment to the movement and his dwindling wealth forced his family to survive on the edge of penury most of the time.

After independence, Menon continued to steer the Newspaper and wrote a number of brilliant books in Malayalam. He died at the age of 92 in 1978.

Quicksilver editor

2009-02-03T21:17:00.005+05:30

38 years is all that he lived. But what he achieved in that short time in an era when everything was a hundred times slower than now amazes one no end. He was a BA rank holder. He started his career as an editor at the age of 22. He used his pen to oppose age old customs and malpractices. By the age of 28 he takes a much bigger assignment of running a newspaper from Trivandrum - 'Swadesabhimani'. He uses the paper to criticize the corrupt Diwan. He also brings out several uncomfortable truths about the royal family. Activist journalism in the age of Raj and the Kings puts him in a spot and he is deported out of the state. He takes up writing books. He publishes more than twenty brilliant books including the first biography of Karl Marx in an Indian language. He meanwhile completes his BA in Philosophy. Unbelievable ? His name was K.Ramakrishna Pillai and he died in 1916.

Shaming the gun

2009-02-03T19:55:00.003+05:30

While leading a mass rally demanding the release of all political prisoners and revoking the ban on the Congress, a frail young lady confronts a police battalion ready to open fire at the 20,000 strong crowd. The lady runs up to the commanding officer and shouts - I am their leader, first shoot me down. The police officer is too stunned to react and he is compelled to withdraw his order to use force. The lady, a school teacher turned freedom fighter instantly gets the epithet - The Jhansi Rani of Travancore. She was born Akkamma Cherian and she became one of the leading inspirations for the freedom struggle.

Once the country became free, Akkamma could not adapt to the power games that had begun to dominate the polity and she along with her equally conscientious husband V V Varkey quit the social scene into poverty and oblivion.

Breaking away

2009-02-03T19:19:00.002+05:30

It was 1905. A bright little boy was born to a conservative brahmin family in Thalassery at the northern tip of Kerala. The child turns out to be brilliant and goes on to become a post graduate rank holder from a premier college in Madras. It is 1926 and the whole country is bubbling with nationalistic fervor. The young man Swami Anandateerthan is deeply affected by the way the dalits are forbidden from entering streets or places where the upper caste people reside. He decides to break the tradition and encourages the dalits to walk into the forbidden areas. He even accompanies them to the local temple where he gets thrashed by people belonging to his caste. He doesn't give up. He encourages this diffidence among the lower castes and he makes himself available wherever the dalits get beaten for daring to enter the temples. He soon establishes an Ashram for the education and development of dalit children adopted by him from different places.

All his life he kept striving to establish a more just society based on compassion and universal brotherhood. After six decades of tirelessly fighting superstitions and irrational traditions, he passed away on the 21st of November 1987.

Brother courage

2009-02-03T18:10:00.004+05:30

At a time when lucrative opportunities awaited well educated young men, Ayyappan decided to follow his convictions with the blessings of his mentor Sree Narayana Guru. He was constantly tormented by the social evil of the caste system and decided to dedicate his life into the cause of social reform. In 1917 he organised a grand public feast ( misra bhojanam ) where people of all castes sat alongside and broke bread. The feast was organised under the aegis of Sahodara Sangam ( The brotherhood association ) and was bitterly opposed by the upper class leaders. A group of dalits known as pulayars had been a prominent part of the guests and since then the upper caste people started mocking him as "Pulayan Ayyappan". Soon his movement gained popularity and he came to be known as Sahodaran Ayyappan. Gradually he moved towards rationalism and even goaded his mentor to change his slogan from - 'One Religion, One caste, One God for human beings' to 'No caste, No Religion, No God for human beings'.

Sahodaran Ayyappan was soon elected as a legislator and later made a minister where he tirelessly worked to reform laws that were biased towards the upper caste. He was also one of the founding fathers of trade unionism in Kerala. After two decades of active politics he returned back to social activities till his death in 1968.

Forgotten reformer

2009-02-03T16:58:00.004+05:30

One of the most daring and effective social reformers of this country was a poor illiterate peasant who is little known outside Kerala. Ayyankali was born in a dalit family at a time when discrimination was at its worst. Dalits were not allowed free use of the public roads and their women were not allowed to cover their breasts in public. They were served tea in coconut shells at tea shops and their children were barred from education. The untouchables were also exploited as laborers and were compensated with a few handfuls of grain for their work. Cash was never paid to them as wages. Ayyankali dared to buy a bullock cart and ride it on the main thoroughfares dressed like a gentry with a turban on his head. When the angry members of the higher castes tried to stop him he dared them to fight. As he gradually broke the traditional mindset of his people, more and more of his tribe began to break all the old rules. He even set up a school to educate the dalit children. Once he had the backing of a large number of his people, he declared a strike demanding better wages, lesser working hours, abolishing of discrimination in the tea shops and entry of dalit children in the local schools. The strike went on for a whole year and in the end the upper cast gentry yielded when they realised that without the dalits they couldn't grow paddy in their fields and their children would starve. His organisational skills and his pioneering work among his people earned him the respect of the royal court and he was nominated to the assembly of the Travancore administration.

Isn't something funny about this country where the foreign educated leaders usurped all the credit for all the social reforms and progress while the real activists who risked their lives mostly languish in some unknown corner of the nation's memory ?

An inconvenient voice

2009-02-03T12:30:00.003+05:30

One of the most educated among the freedom fighters, Saifuddin Kitchlew led massive protests against the Rowlatt Act and was arrested along with Gandhi and Satyapal. The peaceful meeting at the Jallianwala Baug in Amritsar was to protest the arrests of these three leaders. Gen Dyer mercilessly ordered his troops to open fire at the unarmed group which resulted in the massacre of hundreds of innocent people.

Kitchlew was the founding leader of the Naujawan Bharat Sabha which nurtured revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev. His oratory was extremely infectious and the British kept hounding him constantly out of fear. He was incarcerated several times. As independence dawned, he started airing his differences with the Congress leadership as he believed that the true inheritors of power should be the peasants, laborers and the workers who form the majority in the country. He was dead against the partition of the country on communal lines and when it happened he slowly broke away from the congress as true to his conscience as ever. He was associated with the Communist Party in his later years and worked for closer ties with USSR. He was the first Indian to be awarded the Lenin Peace Prize.

The defiant sailor

2009-02-03T11:40:00.003+05:30

The first Indian to launch a shipping company was a young, fiery lawyer called VOC Chidambaram Pillai. He started the 'Swadesi Steam Navigation Company' in 1906 as a snub to the British who enjoyed a total monopoly on maritime activities in the country till then. Thus he was a marked man for the Raj and when they got the right excuse, he was tried for treason and sentenced for life. He did hard labour in the Coimbatore Central Prison for almost four years before being let off by the High Court. In the meantime his company had been liquidated and he lost all his wealth in his legal defense. He migrated to Chennai with his family where he continued his writing and organization work. His last days were spent in utter poverty in Kovilpatti and he died in 1936 at the Congress office in Tuticorin.

Babban

2009-02-03T10:12:00.001+05:30

Do you know that the Guinness Record for the longest running play in the world belongs to a little known Indian called Babban Khan ? His play 'Adrak ke Panje' was written under street lights to escape from utter penury. In 1965, a good Samaritan lent him Rs.500 to stage the play. It was a dark humorous take on 'family planning' - a subject that eluded his parents resulting in the death of many of his siblings. After the first few shows, the play became a rage all over the country and Babban went around staging it in every city and town. Soon he started getting offers to stage it in US as well. By 1984 the play had been staged more than 10,000 times in more than 27 languages in more than 60 countries. After a long and satisfying innings Babban left the scene at the height of his popularity. He spends his retirement in Hyderabad with his family occasionally nurturing some young talented actor with fire in his belly.

Unsung Martyr

2009-02-03T09:36:00.002+05:30

At a time when our national leaders were toying with the idea of developing a homogeneous culture overlooking the cultural and linguistic diversity of the country in the name of national integration, one committed Gandhian realised that this was totally against the spirit of federalism which formed the bedrock of the Indian republic. His name was Potti Sriramulu and he was one of Gandhi's trusted lieutenants in the freedom struggle. He undertook a fast on the 19th of October 1952 at Chennai to press for the formation of a separate state for the Telugu speaking people with Chennai as the capital. Rajaji and Nehru prevaricated about the issue till on the 58th day of his fast on the 16th of November 1952, his life ebbed away. Widespread riots ensued all over the south and in three days on the 19th of November Nehru announced the formation of the linguistic states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnantaka and Kerala. Potti's dream of getting Chennai for Andhra Pradesh remained one but his initiative on the linguistic division of the country helped develop the diverse cultures and languages in the country and also ensured the federal outlook of the republic.

Unsung hero

2009-02-02T22:25:00.005+05:30

Here was a man who played one of the most crucial roles during the painful partition, birth and consolidation of this huge nation. His name was V.P.Menon and he hardly gets a passing reference in our History books. He was a senior civil servant in the British Raj and had made his mark for his razor sharp intelligence, hardcore integrity and a vast knowledge of the nuts and bolts of the government machinery. He endeared himself to Mountbatten and was appointed as the chief interlocutor between the Viceroy and the Indian leaders to ensure a smooth transition of Government. His fantastic relationship skills and his single minded sincerity of purpose ensured that he could smoothly wade through a diverse range of personalities and egos and bring them all to a mutually agreeable solution. After independence he naturally became the most important civil servant to the new Government. As his first and most important assignment of his career, he brilliantly and tactfully got the five hundred and odd princely states spread all over the country to accede to the Indian Nation. The smaller kingdoms did not create much fuss but at least in a dozen cases Menon had to use his cunning and Sardar Patel's nerves to bring them to their knees. This whole exercise was done within a very short time and with just a few lives lost. This was a service that he had rendered the nation that was as handsome as it was thankless.

Born as Pangunni to a poor family, V. P. Menon started his working life as a worker in a brick kiln. His restless spirit of adventure took him to many places and one day he landed in Simla where the Raj ran its summer secretariat. Here VP joined as a dispatch clerk in the Central Records Office. In a few days he took it upon himself to read and study all the government records available there and soon he had all the information in his fingertips. Thus recovering a document became extremely easy for all the officers as long as VP was around.

1917 became a turning point in VP's life. The then British state secretary Edwin Montague visited India to discuss the long pending demand of administrative reforms. VP was appointed as an assistant secretary of the reforms committee. He also was a part of the team that attended the round table conference of 1930 to discuss the administrative reforms. VP was then deputed in the drafting and implementation of the India Government Act of 1935 for comprehensive administrative reforms in the country. VP served under three British viceroys - Linlithgow, Wavell and Mountbatten. His relationship with Mountbatten went far beyond the call of duty.

On the new year day of 1966, this unsung hero of the genesis of this country quietly passed away.

C - The great teacher

2009-02-02T17:21:00.009+05:30

Was it for real, or was it all a nice dream ? The picture tells me that I used to smile and it reminds me of a full throated laughter that I think I used to indulge in. I loved having people around and a lot of them used to vie for my company. Life was uncomplicated. One either carried on in their 'secure' jobs or (like me) used their skills to provide services to business houses. We moved into our new home with our newly born baby girl in 2003. As we started adjusting in our new home, never would I know that the world and our lives were going to change forever. The 'anything for more' spirit caught on like wildfire and I could see the attitudes of my clients, associates, friends, why even parents and kin slowly re-adjusting to the new environment. The pace of life suddenly accelerated and gone were the long lazy get-togethers, small talk, rabid jokes and unending bottles of beer. Everyone was suddenly conscious about grabbing opportunities, financial planning, moving up, asset creation, portfolios and the latest gadgets launched. I remember being aghast by the change that had come over my simple middle class parents. With a lot of pain I slowly started getting used to the new way of life. I hardly smile nowadays and the laughter is almost gone. But no one seems to notice anyway. I try to connect with people on an 'insignificant mortal to another insignificant mortal' level. Doesn't work. People just don't want to be shaken out of the grand trip. They brand me and my ilk 'losers'. We are supposedly the guys who whine that the grapes are sour. It's like everyone around is running in a cross country race to enrich their lives and make it more meaningful and here I am lying in the grass, book in hand enjoying the sun. The runners don't even notice me. The few of them who know me look patronisingly at me and make polite noises about my pathetic predicament - tch tch...poor guy he just couldn't fit into the system. Being scared to associate with a loser/fugitive they try to maintain a healthy distance from me. I look at them and all I wish to ask is - Hey guys, running is good as long as you are enjoying it. But I don't know why you need to keep racing on. I am sure you crave to lie down like me and watch the birds and the clouds. Who's conducting the race and what is the prize that you have been promised? Are you scared of dropping out and facing the truth? The truth that however hard you run, however far you go, your cells don't care. They would start dying when their time is done. Sometimes they even revolt, kick the normal course, say 'fuck the rulebook' and create a colony of their own. This colony soon corrupts the straight cells and then they enjoy a morbid dance of destruction.

It's also known as cancer and it is a great teacher.

A study in contrast

2009-02-02T11:30:00.011+05:30

A week at NID - a dream come true.

A few hours at Sabarmati Ashram - blissful.

A guided trip around the Calico Museum - enlightening.

Each moment spent in Modi's Ahmedabad - scalding to the soul.

A rare sane voice

2009-02-02T11:10:00.003+05:30

A lonely sane voice.

'Another world is not just possible, it is inevitable'

The protectors

2009-02-01T22:40:00.004+05:30

The guardian spirit of the village. Found at the outskirts of most villages in Tamilnadu. These colourful statues are worshipped and venerated by villagers to protect them from diseases and calamities. I have always wanted to delve into this wonderful custom and write a book about it. Imagine the photographic potential of the whole exercise.

The G word

2009-02-01T22:26:00.002+05:30

Friedman introduces 'Globalisation' to the ordinary citizen. He helps everyman come to terms with the good and the bad of this unstoppable process. And he loves India.

Shock irony

2009-02-01T22:05:00.009+05:30

More than eighty percent of the world's poor live in Asia and Africa. But it takes an American economist to study human depravation so deeply and suggest ways to fight it. Irony.

Jeffrey Sachs Zindabad ! Your 'shock therapy' sure seems to have reformed you for the better.

Chittur pussy

2009-02-01T21:56:00.009+05:30

Chittur pussy

Beware !

The original maverick

2009-02-01T20:38:00.006+05:30

The story of an extraordinary man written with incredible passion and empathy.

The original maverick - Vincent van Gogh

Lady Iron

2009-02-01T19:28:00.005+05:30

One of the most fascinating and intriguing woman ever who walked the earth. She inherited an awesome legacy without the intelligence, knowledge and the historical/global perspective of the pater. She compensated it with grit, resilience, cunning and power play. Sycophancy and corruption got its respectful place in our democratic system thanks to the lady.

Some economic powerhouse

2009-02-01T19:11:00.004+05:30

Unless we turn our COMPLETE attention on the dispossessed, displaced and disowned majority of this country, we can never count ourselves as 'successful', 'developed' and a 'future power'.

Actually we should all hang our heads in shame for our national aspirations of becoming an 'economic powerhouse' on the strength of a few bombs, some rocketry, a few cancerous corporations and Sharukh Khan

Harsh Mander who ?! ( Most likely question here )

The true inheritors

2009-01-31T17:52:00.002+05:30

I wish this book is made compulsory reading in all the schools and colleges in this country. Every citizen needs to know who (majority) actually this country belongs to, right ?

The forgotten Indian's story

2009-01-31T17:39:00.003+05:30

Perhaps the films overshadowed the novels. About the books all I can say is that once you reach the end of the second book, it breaks your heart to find that the third part of the film trilogy - 'Apur sansar' was conjured up for the film. One misses that story in print like hell.

The ultimate in modern English fiction

2009-01-31T17:19:00.005+05:30

Three great books that disturbs and shakes you to the core. Changed my perspective towards life forever.

Pearls of wisdom

2009-01-30T17:32:00.005+05:30

Four little books

All the wisdom you'll ever need

Image junkies all

2009-01-30T10:54:00.002+05:30

I loved my job - Brand Building

Till i read this book

Have been running since then

Trying to hide

For all the bull shit we create

To delude our wives, our kids, our mothers and selves

And yield to the nymphs of enacted fantasies and dreams

We just let them goad us like sheep

They decide whats beautiful and whats not

They tell you whats right and whats wrong

They have a solution for all your problems

Problems they would first invent for you to fret and frown

What the fuck is wrong with us ?

We pay the fraudster for some cheap delusion

And then we allow him to swindle

Or we get swayed by his bleeding heart caution

And pay him dearly to assuage those fears

We are a generation of dopes

Image junkies living a lie

The flower kids of the sixties were better

They doped themselves and had a great time

Nobody duped them and they feared none

Art of dying

2009-01-30T10:31:00.007+05:30

Death has always been on my mind

I fantasise my last moments often

I try to experience 'non-existence' once a while

All my explorations about the problems of living have always lead me to one single solution - If most people were totally aware of life's temporal nature and at peace with their mortality the world would be a much better place

I have always wanted to start a chain of institutions that enlightened people on the "Art of dying" - Make people look at each moment of their existence from the kaleidoscope of a limited period of time.

Mitch Albom agrees with me.

Mohandas, father of Harilal

2009-01-30T09:44:00.004+05:30

This one's for all son's who have sired sons.

The nation's father who failed his dearest son

A child who ached all his life for an ordinary father

A son who took it upon himself to show the 'Mahatma' that his profound convictions could have holes he couldn't see

Cosmic oneness

2009-01-30T09:28:00.002+05:30

Compassion

Humanism

Existential angst

Emptiness

Betrayal

Pain

Guilt

Acceptance

Cosmic oneness

OVV reaches out to your core and helps you come to terms with it

It's the delusion stupid.

2009-01-29T22:42:00.006+05:30

And all he said was - Stop clinging to delusions and embrace the moment. You owe nothing and you own nothing. The seeker and the sought are but one. Blend with the flow of time and feel the whole universe throbbing inside you.

Being Father

2009-01-29T21:37:00.003+05:30

Jan 2007

Just lost father

Trying to be one

The innocence that we lost...

2009-01-29T17:17:00.002+05:30

Read it

Might help us find our way

Again

The journey

2009-01-29T17:11:00.003+05:30

The man and the journey that showed him his destiny.

Night fishing

2009-01-29T16:48:00.003+05:30

Night Fishing in Lakshadweep

Flying fish and garfish are attracted by burning torches and then trapped by hurling spears called "Chilla"

She got balls

2009-01-29T16:12:00.009+05:30

She digs for the truth

She mocks at power

She provokes the gentry

She uses acid for ink

She disturbs your conscience

She shows you if you don't have one

And she got balls

Heil !

Early lesson

2009-01-28T21:18:00.010+05:30

He was a disciplined man. A regular smoker for most of his life, he loved to be on his feet all day while his magical hands went about improving, assisting, repairing or over-hauling something. He was in his element when the geyser wouldn't work, clothes needed ironing, an official letter had to be drafted or anyone needed any kind of manual help. The first memory of him that I cherish reveals the kind of man he was. We were in Balasore, a sleepy town along the Arabian sea coast. Father worked in the 'Decca Navigator Systems' - a government run institution that provided wireless navigational aid to the maritime on the Indian seas. A huge campus housed the office and the living quarters of all the workmen and managers. I had just started going to school then. It was a small private school with bare facilities. All the children of the campus used to trudge together along the highway for almost four kilometres to reach the school every morning. The office had a jeep and the driver of the jeep, a frail consumptive man had a couple of sons. The elder one - Biju - was my age and we were in the same class in the same school. Most fathers would come in the evening to pick their children to save them the long trudge back. The driver would rarely come and his son would usually walk back home. One day Biju defecated in class not once but thrice. The teachers tried their best but by afternoon his clothes were all soiled and he was reeking all over. My father came to pick me up and he happened to see Biju sitting down completely lost and broken. He went straight to him while I explained what had happened. He then picked up the boy with both his hands and deposited him on the back seat of the cycle. He made me sit on the front bar with both our bags and he cycled slowly towards our campus. I was just five then. But I can still see the whole scene before my eyes. It was actually a very simple act. But what striked me was the way he did it. He would have done it exactly like that if it was me in Biju's place that day. I learnt something extremely precious without anyone teaching me about it.

Some democracy this.

2009-01-28T20:52:00.002+05:30

The twentieth century

2009-01-28T17:41:00.002+05:30

The twentieth century

My favorite hunting ground

Cant ever read and explore enough about it

The most fascinating period ever

Would like to live long enough to sate my hunger for it

Four little red books.

2009-01-28T16:37:00.004+05:30

Four little books that tell me that my thoughts about management aren't crazy and utopian after all.

Read it.

2009-01-27T18:54:00.004+05:30

Have balls ?

Can you face the truth ?

Read it.

Jai ho

2009-01-26T20:59:00.002+05:30

"Slumdogs" of a great republic.

Jai ho !!

I, Adonis

2009-01-25T19:55:00.004+05:30

Art thou Venus

Or nymph divine ?

Oh! why muse on it

Like a love-sick bard

Relish will I

With a child's delight

Revel in the passion

Of youth

Would I Adonis

Proclaim in my dreams

Guiltless orgasms

2009-01-25T19:44:00.004+05:30

Arise will I

From the ashes again

Back astage

To strip life apart

To mock death

With mirth

Once more will I be

Where my mate

Greed's my lust

Find ye me again

Midst joyous freedom

Virgin beauty

Pride and glory

Return shall I

To carnal havens

All I'd seek -

Guiltless orgasms

Passioned exultance

Berserk insane they said

2009-01-25T19:29:00.004+05:30

They say I am

A heathen

A pagan

Carnal and cold

A heretic

A maverick

Acidic

A vain ego

But daren't you sympathise

And seek to ask why

For those were my virgin sins

That's led me to this quagmire

So behold, all you alive

My sins all shall bare I

Look not between the lines

Read on with unfeeling eyes

I said what I thought

And I did what I said

'Oh ! knave arrogance' they said

I didn't believe nor did I trust

All that was beyond reason

Spiritual, divine and sacred

'Oh blasphemy' they said

I mocked at pain, grief

Time and lust

All friends of death

'Satanic Impudence' they said

I stripped down my masks

Walked the streets naked

Condemned friends

Embarrassed others

'Berserk insane' they said

First Job

2009-01-24T21:40:00.004+05:30

1987

First job

Thomson Press

Pre-press Dept

Kashyap

Ginde

Atul

Abraham

Prabhakar

Suresh

Hari

Arun

Praveen

Rajesh

Jyothi

Achan Amma

2009-01-24T21:11:00.003+05:30

Achan Amma

1986

Minicoy Lighthouse

1973

2009-01-24T21:07:00.000+05:30

1973

With baby sister

Balasore

Premises

2009-01-24T20:21:00.002+05:30

1986

Age - 21

A scrapbook entry

Premises of life - early thoughts

Minicoy

2009-01-19T20:03:00.005+05:30

1984 Minicoy Islands

MV Bharat Seema

My first Voyage

Capt. Bose's last voyage

Dr. Dango

CMFRI

Lighthouse

Ibrahim kutty's bakery

Don Manikfan

Kubota Power Tiller

MV Amindivi

Helipad

Bada Village

Kodi

Information Assistant

Char Bathi

Lagoon

Viringili Island

Rajeev Gandhi's Visit

Athirumeduge Hassan

Staff Canteen

Kunhiraman Master

50 Acres

MPSAF

Coral Reef

Hawwa

Bandodi

ICAR

Satellite Centre

Port Assistant

Tuna

Seamen

Koifu

Naval Unit

Loving the dark

2009-01-18T19:51:00.004+05:30

It's been dark for so very long

That 'light' seems like an old phenom

It feels sheltered in this gloom

And the eye singes at any lucence

The air has been noxious for so long

That fresh breeze seems like an old song

It feels like home when one inhales the fumes

What better way to sedate into a snooze

The hearts have been cold for so damn long

That love and compassion seems like fictional prose

When a helping hand stretches out

It looks scary and haunting about

Do you read ova....

2009-01-17T19:24:00.007+05:30

1972, Balasore

Small Town

Huge Campus

Lots of space

Lots of friends

Endless Play-times

Cycle rides

Long walks to school

Father's Charminar's

Enid Blytons

Hardy Boys

Prashanth Date's body odour

Rasika Date's body fragrance

Ice Factory

Post-mortem room

Graveyard

Sudhir / Cancer

Trips to Calcutta

Baby sister arrives

Class topper

GK frenzy

Rains and Floods

Ravi Iyer, Gopal Khandelwal, Lakhbir Singh, Anjan Niyogi, Aarti Narang, Trishna Das, Subba Rao, Mohinder Kaur......

Pathak Sir's pet hate

Miss Sheela Das's pet love

Santhals

Motiganj and Naya Bazar

Cycle Rickshaws

Cyclones and floods

Elder brother's yearly visits

Father's gizmo filled office - red, blue, green lights

Crackle of the Radio Transmitter

Master calling red, master calling red, Do you read....ova ?

Illustrated Weekly of India

Sunday

Amritha Bazar Patrika

Radio Ceylon

Tape recorder with spools

N.R.Achan's Fiat car

Hero in a school play called "Short cuts to success"

Durga Puja

Mahalaya

Mr.Dey - Father's colleague and our family photographer

Seeking the core

2009-01-16T17:20:00.005+05:30

If truth is what gives you the fix

And you are ever seeking the core

You are no better than the tripper

Always on the hunt for more

The 'real' always eludes

And your hunt never ends

But you need your high

And you keep stripping the known

Like a baby peeling onions

Unlayering on in search of itself

The boatman's call

2009-01-15T20:57:00.006+05:30

It's a one-way ticket my friend

A few springs and summers is all you got

To delve around and find your ground

Why then have you pitched your tent

With the opiated mob on a lost errand

Hop in to my boat my friend

I have been waiting for long

The boat has turned old and weary

But your call to ferry will turn it strong

I know not what lies on the other side

It could be hell, limbo or paradise

But does that really matter

When the flight is all the soul aches for.

The search

2009-01-14T19:29:00.005+05:30

You are always searching, she said

I seem to have lost something dear

What exactly dad ?

I really don't know little angel

But I can feel its absence all the time

I remember seeing it in my granny's grey eyes

And feeling it on my father's warm palm

I could smell it on my mother's wrinkled face

And it poured out of my English teacher's words

I saw it on the pages of "The Illustrated Weekly"

And I heard it in "The news read by Surjit Sen"

I felt it sharp when a dying old man awoke the nation

They called him JP and he didn't want a dime

Now, I keep looking for it everywhere

Only to grieve and despair

I see it in your bright eyes today

But I wonder if you can retain it till I die

The beginning of the end

2009-01-12T22:22:00.009+05:30

If schools can't spur these in children

It's the beginning of the end

Of beauty, peace, love and compassion

Just another day...

2009-01-12T18:40:00.002+05:30

Another day passes by

Sensex down 300

Satyam gets new saviours

While Raju savours lemon rice

Israel kills a few more kids

And Obama shifts and sighs

Sujit, my lensman friend calls

Havn't shot a frame, he says

Since branding lost its chime

What an eye the bloke had

When he used to shoot for fun

Before being paid to shoot panties and gum.

It's the annual day at school

The kids have gone with mom

To watch our son perform

As one bodyguard among many

In a play that espouses the missionaries cause

They made the students pay

For the production of the play

Oh merciful Lord in heaven

Thy servants here err in thy name

But forgive them and let them be

For, they are just innocent sheep

Who forgot your list of sins and shame

Blinded

2009-01-11T18:10:00.004+05:30

In a world bereft of light

The blind could lead the way

But a world blinded

By flashbulbs and arclights

Will grope its way to the grave

Where's my voice ?

2009-01-10T20:25:00.005+05:30

Noam Chomsky speaks for me

Arundhati Roy shouts for me

Medha Patkar shrieks for me

Shanti Bhushan argues for me

Aruna Roy pleads for me

Sainath feels and writes for me

Harsh Mander stands up for me

And the spunky Teesta Setalvad fights for me.

They go about in their missionary zeal

People look up to them in awe and sigh

But when I try to speak or shout,

They shut me up if they don't take me out.

My corporate experience.

2009-01-10T18:57:00.009+05:30

Slow down I said

You simply shrugged

Take care I said

The auditors will, you said

The quality sir...

ISO has been paid, you said

The productivity sir...

SAP will get it right you said

Sir, the communication....

We got the latest systems you said

There's lack of motivation sir....

Some HR exercises will bring it on you said

Our reputation and image ....

The PR Agency will spruce it up you said

High employee-turnover sir....

Ha good riddance to bad rubbish you said

Recruitment's are difficult...

No issues, we'll multi-skill them all you said

No checks and balances sir...

Naah...there's enough of balance in our accounts you said

There's no feeling of ownership sir...

Hey only we need to feel that you said

There's a lot of pilfering going on....

That's part of our innovative incentivising you said

The managers don't feel empowered....

Power corrupts, haven't you heard ?

There's no work-life balance....

Now what the heck is that you said

Innovation and intelligence are ignored sir..

They wouldn't be if it was all credited to me you said

There's no recognition for good work...

Flattery makes people ambitious you said

There's a lack of freedom sir...

Freedom removes fear you said.

There's no joy and happiness....

Makes people lazy and inept you said

You seem to have all the answers sir....

I have to, I am the boss, remember ?

Then what am I here for sir..?

That's the only one I haven't figured out yet.

Practising non-existence

2009-01-08T21:57:00.004+05:30

How many companies did he start ?

How many books did he write ?

How many famous sons did he sire ?

How many battles did he win ?

How many songs did he sing ?

How many people did he heal ?

How many did he kill ?

How many cars did he drive ?

How many experts did he hire ?

How many millions did he make ?

How many did he lose at the stake ?

Now, all he wishes for

Is a bit of the sun

A bench to sit

Some crumbs to munch

A few drops of coarse rum

And some sleep

To practise non-existence

Lest you pause.

2009-01-08T21:33:00.003+05:30

Colour it wild

Read deep meanings

Create fancy toys

Plunge into emotions

Feel connected

Follow your calling

Indulge your lust

Engage your minutes

Lest you pause

Your vision clears

And you discover

The emptiness of it all.

Sustaining in a Crisis. Smart practices for SME's.

2009-01-06T19:44:00.014+05:30

1) Zealously preserve your core culture.

A company survives and grows faster than others because of some core "Values". Suppose your core values are – A free atmosphere, Fair play, Quick Adoption of modern methods, Minimal Micro-management and the Respect for Human Dignity. These values are completely embedded in your organisation's culture and are the bedrock of all the relationships that keep the company progressing – Employee relationships, Vendor Relationships, Client Relationships and Corporate Relationships. ANYTHING THAT DISTURBS THIS CORE CULTURE IS DETRIMENTAL TO THE ORGANISATION. 2) Identify and Create a Core Group The Company Vision can be achieved only if you form a Core Group of Individuals with a long-term stake in the company. All the individuals in the core group need not necessarily have to be extremely talented or highly efficient. But all of them should have integrity, dedication and belief in team-play. Nobody with an appetite for power should be part of the group. 3) People control Systems Systems and Technology are tools to facilitate people to work more comfortably, efficiently and intelligently. People should be controlling these systems to make it as helpful as possible for them to drive the processes forward. Systems should not be controlling people. Neither should systems be used to control people. It's observed that when you have a rigid job responsibility charter as per the system, the analytical and creative abilities of intelligent people get sidelined. Also, the less efficient people get a good camouflage to hide behind. 4) Redirect every one's focus towards the Market and Profits. Every employee needs to be enlightened about the simple need of satisfying the customer for ensuring long-term business with healthy margins. They need to be regularly updated about the need for a healthy growth of the company to support their personal welfare and growth. Information about all kinds of rejection and losses should be promptly informed to each employee. 5) Emphasize on Quality and Timely Delivery

The whole organization needs to wake up to the fact that most products that Indian Companies specialise in, are basically simple and can be manufactured in several other companies in several other countries. Therefore the only way to beat the competition and sustain the client's expectation is by delivering flawless products at the committed time – each time. The core group should have a "do or die" attitude towards this and also drive the same to the last level. 6) Reduce Overload Most companies have been taking on much more assignments than what their systems/people can tolerate. Efficient employees give regular warnings about the impending problems due to overload and minimal facilitation from the authorities but these generally get overlooked in the race for maximising productivity. Most companies make impossible delivery commitments to match industry standards but fail to meet them due to practical bottle necks in the work flow. Wouldn't it be wiser to take up lesser work, execute it with 100% quality on time and safeguard the company's reputation? 7) Spread Goodness / Care in the company atmosphere. The core group needs to be cared like a family. Their family life and long-term interests have to be taken care of. They need to feel that putting in their best would secure their professional careers and protect their families from the vagaries of life. These practices should trickle down slowly to all the efficient people who are identified as assets to the company. The identification of such human assets should be done by the core group. 8) Encourage Critical Voices All employees should be encouraged to voice their concerns / criticisms / comments relating to the process flow, systems and planning. There should be regular "Open House" meetings for this. A tolerant attitude has to be developed among the management and the core group towards all kinds of critical remarks. 9) Develop a second line of command A second line of leaders need to be created in all the areas. This is the only way to make the departments more efficient and utilize the primary leaders for analysis, ideation and improvement. 10) Improve Compensation Lot of dedicated employees deserve a better life. Imagine the effect of a magnanimous gesture on the morale of the key people. There should be only two kinds of people in an organisation – 1) Efficient, happy people who feel absolutely indebted to the company due to the company's magnanimity and care. 2) Inefficient people who somehow got the job but are on the verge of moving out due to the company's discrimination.

The broken toy...

2009-01-05T22:20:00.016+05:30

It won't budge, dear father

It don't run no more

A perfect play-thing it was

Inherited, improved and bequeathed

Since forms emerged from human thoughts

But it's simple beauty was a distraction

A craving for a bigger challenge, an obsession

And thus I slowly ripped it apart

I erred father, I beg your pardon

Now please fix my little toy

And help me redeem my life

That's turned ugly and guilt ridden.

Follow the piper...

2009-01-04T20:55:00.003+05:30

Greed

Fame

Lust

Power

Fear of isolation and death

Pied pipers that we create

And follow meekly to the dust

How does one go on...

2009-01-03T19:45:00.002+05:30

How does one go on

With no trust in a benevolent God

No faith in miracles

And the virtues of the human race

How does one go on

Fuddling and groping around

Scouring for some inner sound

A hint of the spirit and the soul

2009-01-02T17:42:00.010+05:30

Contrary to popular belief an ostrich never buries it's head under the sand.

As for us humans, I am really not sure...

Drive on...

2009-01-01T22:52:00.003+05:30

Keep driving on

Faster than before

Eyes on the wheel

Blind to the road-kill

Celebrate your speed

Count your miles

And keep driving on

For the pot of gold

At the end of the road.

The new year.

2008-12-31T18:54:00.007+05:30

A year older is the world and I

I am looking for my pills

While the year gets a new name

This is all.

2008-12-30T19:42:00.007+05:30

a few grains to ingest

a few elements to digest

a little space

some hope

a small dream

sleep

and someone to touch

Ayn Rand shrugs when I fall sick.

2008-12-29T23:30:00.002+05:30

And then Ayn Rand happened ! Most people of my generation with a passion for reading books would immediately relate to that starting line. For an average middle-class Indian youth, brought up in a culture that celebrates the negation of self and a society mired in caste / class hierarchy, traditions and rituals, Ayn Rand was like a rude wake up call. Many of those young readers would find the premise of Ayn Rand's philosophy - Objectivism - to be just a fluffy piece of imagination and treat her masterpieces at most as interesting works of fiction. But for some, Ayn Rand would become the corner-stone of their future lives. There would be a clear demarcation between their lives prior to Ayn Rand and after. I was clearly one among these.

Having been a non-conformist and doubter all my early life, Ayn Rand gave me all the answers to most of the questions that used to trouble me while confronting tradition and established norms.

I shed a lot of inherited and acquired baggage and set forth on my mission to seek my destiny alone.

Ayn Rand helped me discover my abilities, define my personal values and seek fulfillment in my own evolution and growth.

But if you ask me if I am still in awe of Ayn Rand and her brilliant philosophy, I would say - no. Why ? Ayn Rand's heroes never fall sick, neither do their children or their old aging folks.

Toe the line.

2008-12-28T23:26:00.004+05:30

Do we all have to blindly toe the line ? There was a time when it was difficult for most people to meet the basic needs of survival. Jobs were scarce and salaries were pathetic. People grabbed the first job that they could lay their hands on and then designed their whole lives around it. They would adapt themselves to the needs of the job whether they liked it or not. Exploring their inherent talents, seeking out new challenges or following an untrodden path were considered foolhardy or an escape from responsible living. Yet, some mavericks broke out from the comfort of their moulds, charted new paths and laid the foundation of a world that would completely change the way we live. Today, most educated people have an opportunity to choose their job. The salaries they get cover much more than their basic needs. Most people are in a position to save for their future. Individual talent is recognised and rewarded handsomely. Everyone has the option and the financial cushion needed to take up new challenges or make their own paths.

Yet, most people cling on to their jobs like the old times. They are ready to make compromises on their passions and interests for the comfort of a cushy job and a fat salary. People don't exercise their option of quitting a job that does not give them any satisfaction - even when they have the financial muscle for it. People lead unhappy lives, wasting away their health, talents and opportunities to grow.

I guess people just love to toe the line.

The mystery of it all.

2008-12-27T22:48:00.006+05:30

Was it a Big Bang or a Weak Whimper that created the visible universe ?

Where did the primordial energy particles come from which underwent the bang/whimper ?

How did inert matter motivate itself to co-opt intelligence into it's fold ?

Why did matter want to partner with intelligence and evolve into active matter ?

When did the basic active matter start accumulating more and more intelligence and transform into basic life forms ?

How did the basic life forms acquire the life-preservation character necessary for evolving into smarter survivors ?

Why didn't all the life forms evolve into human beings ?

What are human beings going to evolve into ?

Are we the only planet with active life ?

After millions of years of intelligent creation, is life going to just end in another bang /whimper ?

Medicine for eternal life.

2008-12-26T23:00:00.003+05:30

Every night before going to bed I used to turn my gaze towards the left wall of my bedroom where I used to sleep alone since I was five. On the wall was a small stand that held a framed picture of a goddess, a small brass lamp and an incense-stick holder. That was where my mother paid her respects to the deities, prayed and conducted her little religious rituals everyday. Every evening after I was back from the playground she would make me sit on my bed which faced the divine wall and teach me to chant little prayers in praise of the Gods, thanking them for all the good things and asking them for their continued blessings in our lives. I didn't quite relate to the whole exercise but I liked the daily ritual because I used to find a beatific serenity descend on my mother's face during those few minutes. She really was at peace with everything surrounding her life in those moments and that used to be extremely assuring and comforting. I remember folding my hands and parroting the words of the prayers that my mother would chant before me. Those moments were so fulfilling and complete that I could never bring myself to pray to god for anything specific, like getting good marks in a test or the rain stopping for my father to return safely from the market. For me those moments were meant to be embraced and cherished like listening to a beautiful story or visiting a zoo.

I used to put the real 'asking from God' prayer for later. That was something extremely personal and I would do that only while alone later at night. Every night after dinner I would get into my bed with a storybook in hand. It used to feel cosy and protected inside the cotton mosquito net that resembled a tent and the thick blanket that I covered myself with. After a spell of reading, when sleep would beckon, I would close the book, put it aside and then face the divine wall. In the silence of the night with nobody around, I would look at the kohl laden compassionate eyes of the goddess and pray for the only thing that I ever wanted from the Gods -

Oh all-powerful God, before I grow old I want the doctors to invent the medicine for eternal life. I really wouldn't like to die.

Look the reaper in the eye.

2008-12-25T22:55:00.004+05:30

I am not obsessed with death. But I want to pre-live the last moments of my life in a million imaginable ways so that when death comes calling I can recognise him and greet him with a smile. I think it's a survival tactic that my genes and my experiences bestowed upon me.

Befriending the grim reaper might sound macabre but it has some excellent benefits. Consider these: *I look at everything in life through the kaleidoscope of time - a limited period of time. This gives me a better perspective of situations. * I don't nurture overtly ambitious dreams that would rob me of my leisurely pace and pursuits that give me real peace and joy. * I don't get entangled in complicated relationships that could only bring distress and pain. * I practise 'unattached love' with one and all which means there are no expectations and thus no disappointments. * I dare to walk my own path because I have no fear of the unknown. * I never live beyond my means because I do not wish to leave my family a bunch of troubles. * I keep all my documents and papers updated and clean so that my survivors don't have to grope around when I am gone. * I consider each moment to be my last likely one and thus I keep celebrating my re-birth each moment that I survive. * I look at life always through a new-born's eyes so the awe of existence never ever ceases.

Can someone tell me what could me more pro-life than meeting the reaper and looking him in the eye ?