A Mixture of Opposites

One chapter in any elementary Chemistry textbook is “Elements, Compounds and Mixtures”. If one recollects the definition, a mixture is a physical combination of ≥ two substances that retains their original identities. In our lives, all hope for “compatible” people, who are more conspicuous by their absence. This story is about two girls who happened to lead a part of their life’s journey together.

          There were two room- mates in a college hostel, named Anita and Sunita (Ani and Suni for short). Apart from the roof, they shared an amiable nature, and would go to college together. Suni was two years senior, so her class timings did not necessarily coincide with Ani’s. They started for college together, even if either of them did not have a class then- they followed a routine, and that was a good start for the day. Ani was extroverted and boisterous, while Suni was introverted and silent. Ani was plump and healthy, and Suni was slim but weak. May be because opposite poles attract, they got along well.

పరుషపు మాటలూ, పాడు జపాలూ

మా షెట్టి, రాంప్రసాద్లు కొండంత ప్రోత్సాహాన్నిచ్చాక వ్రాయడానికి భలే ఉత్సాహమొచ్చిందంటే నమ్మండి! ప్రోత్సహించారుగా, ఇక భరించండి! ఈనాటి అంశం- “పరుషం మాటలూ, పాడు జపాలూ”. ఎందుకంటారా? మీరే చూద్దురుగాని!

ఈ రోజుల్లో పాడు జపాలూ, పరుషం మాటలూ, సర్వసాధారణమైపోయాయి. ఎందుకో తెలియలేదుగానీ, అలాగ మాట్లాడేవళ్ళకది గొప్పేమో అనిపించింది. ఆంగ్లంలో మాటాడేవళ్ళైతే మరీను. ఈ మధ్యనే మాకు తెలిసినవాళ్ళమ్మాయిని అనుకోకుండా కలిశాను. మహా అయితే ఐదు నిముషాలు మాట్లాడామేమో కానీ, అంతలో ఆ అమ్మాయి నరకాన్నీ, అశుధ్ధాన్నీ, ఇంకా చాలా చాలా చెప్పలేని మాటల్ని ప్రస్తావించింది. 'టైడ్' వాడకపోయినా అవాక్కయ్యాను. స్నేహితులని బండభాషతో సంబోధిస్తే, అది సాన్నిహిత్యమట! ముక్కుమీద వేలేసుకున్నాను. హతవిధీ, అని బాధపడ్డాను. కాలం మారిందో, నాకు వార్ధక్యం వచ్చిందో తెలియదుగానీ, నా చిన్నప్పుడు ఇలా వుండేది కాదు అని, అనకుండా ఉండలేకపోతున్నాను.

*******

నేను తెలుగులో వ్రాయగలనా? ఐతే ఎందుకు వ్రాయాలి?

నా మాతృభాషైన తెలుగులో ఒకప్పుడు బాగానే వ్రాసేదాన్ని. అంటే రెండవ భాషలో మంచి మార్కులు వచ్చేంత. ఎటొచ్చీ నవలలూ గట్రా చదివేదాన్ని కాదు. ఏ నవలలో అశ్లీలత వుందో, ఏ నవలలో హింసకి పెద్దపీట వేశారో, దేనిలో స్త్రీలను చిన్నచూపు చూశారో ముందుగానే తెలుసుకోడానికి ఆ రోజుల్లో గూగుళ్ళు వుండేవి కావు కదా! అలా అని ఆకాలపు సాహిత్యాన్ని తప్పుబట్టడంలేదు సుమండీ! నేను ఎందుకు అజ్ఞానిగా మిగిలిపోయనో మీకు చెపుతున్నాను, అంతే! అలా చందమామలో కథలు చదివి, పెరిగి, పెద్దైన నేను తెలుగులో వ్రాయడానికి భయపడడంలో ఆశ్చర్యం లేదు కదా!

Book Summary- The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox

Publication Details:

“The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement” by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox; Productivity and Quality Publishing Private Limited, Madras; Special Edition, 2013 (First Published 1984); Rs. 495; 342 pages (299 pages of the novel per se).

Introduction:

          “The Goal” is a physicist- turned- management guru’s explanation of his Theory of Constraints (TOC) in the physical transformation process of manufacturing, through the medium of a business novel. This book also inaugurated a trend for his subsequent novels, which applied and extended this theory. It doesn’t need an intellectual to read and understand this book- it is written for the layman, and therein lies its biggest advantage. This eight million copy best seller is said to be widely used as a case study in Operations Management, and in helping students grasp the importance of strategic capacity planning and constraint management.

BOOK SUMMARY-The Underachiever’s Manifesto by Ray Bennett

The Underachiever’s Manifesto

The Guide to accomplishing little and feeling great

            By Ray Bennett, M.D., 2006, Chronicle Books 96pp. (85 pp. effective), $9.95(Rs.539 by Homeshop18)

            Underachiever? What does this writer want me to do? Does he want me to be a loser then? If that’s not the case, am I to be a pretender by feeling great without achieving greatness? If I had come across this book by myself, some of these reflections would have definitely crossed my mind. Thankfully, I have been spared of this natural thought process this time round, since the recommendation came from one of the serious readers of this page, Nanda. Thank you, Nanda, for the book suggestion.

Book Review - NITYASUMANGALI : DEVADASI TRADITION IN SOUTH INDIA by SASKIA. C. KERSENBOOM

NITYASUMANGALI :  DEVADASI TRADITION IN SOUTH INDIA 

by  

SASKIA. C.  KERSENBOOM

[Publisher: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd. Delhi, 1998 Reprint, pp. 226,  price: Rs 295]

This was a book reviewed by me ages ago. 

INTRODUCTION

Who was the Nityasumangali (ever-auspicious woman) the author was dealing with?  The Devadasi.  How can the devadasi, one of the most despised women, be an ever-auspicious person? Is it just another foreigner’s attempt to love Indian culture so much as to admire the seemingly anachronistic tradition?  Does she justify it?  These are the questions which strike any reader’s mind when she comes across this book and this reviewer is no exception.  A study of the book answers them.

Book Review- Candide by Voltaire (First published 1759)

(Details of Publication: First Published: 1759. E- reprint: 1998, Electronic Scholarly Publishing Project, http://www.esp.org. 98 pp, available free for scholarly and educational purposes, subject to statement of copyright (reproduced in the screenshot below)).

                Candide is considered to be the magnum opus of Francois- Marie Aruoet, a.k.a. Voltaire (1694-1778), a French writer, historian and philosopher of the Enlightenment Era. This novel is said to be the most taught piece of French literature.

            The introduction of the author itself is an indication of what to expect of his book. Yes, the reader can expect attacks on the established arbitrariness of that age. An add- on is a feel of the society of that time. The means by which this task of injecting modern and progressive ideas into the minds of the people is done classifies this book as one to be chewed and digested, despite the chill it sends down the spine of the reader.

Of Leaders and Losers 7. The One who Trusts

          All of us would have had someone who trusted us when a majority around us didn’t. This story deals with such people, who appear somewhere on the horizon but make a profound impact on us, all the same. It is a tribute to all individuals who see the dawn in us while the day is still dark. I’m happy to state that I’ve known many great individuals, who have a special place in my heart. As usual, fact is mixed with fiction to make this story, which actually happened in the life of one of them.

* * *

Teenage and Pimples

          All of us heard of second childhood. I thought I’ll tell you a story of a person in her second teenage. We’ll stick to the same old heroine, Padma.

********************

          Padma turned off the TV after her channel- surfing habit showed her the commercial of “No Pimples- Softy Skin” cream for the umpteenth time. The advertisement featured a fair complexioned girl with red eruptions all over her face, looking eagerly at boys of her college, wondering if any one of them, who were busy with other girls, would throw a second glance at her. Suddenly another girl pops up from nowhere and gives her a bottle of the “No Pimples- Softy Skin” cream and lo and behold, the indifferent girls of the previous scene are now trying desperately to hold the attention of their boys, even as the latter are unable to take their eyes off this “No Pimples- Softy Skin” girl.

Jargon Management: The Management of Internalization

An Amma’s Child had just spent a month in a reputed management institution. Amma wanted to find out how her Child was doing. So, one Sunday evening, Amma calls up her child and this is how they conversed.

Amma (A): How are you, Child?

Child (C): Fine, Amma.

A: How is the weather there?

C: It’s uniformly pleasant. I can say that the standard deviation from the mean temperature is hardly one or two. Meaning, it shows a high measure of central tendency. Since you have a high sensitivity to weather changes, I strongly recommend that you come over here to enjoy better health.

Book Summary – Waiting for the Mahatma by R.K. Narayan

Book Summary – Waiting for the Mahatma

by R.K. Narayan

Indian Thought Publications, Chennai

27^th Reprint 2012, 256 pp, Rs. 125/-

          This is not one of wait to see the emancipation of one’s lot, rather it is of how a selfish individual waits for the Mahatma’s clearance to get married to the girl of his choice.

         

          The protagonist, Sriram, is an insipid person who can be easily influenced by anyone.  He grows up under the loving care of his grandmother, after the early death of his parents.

          When he is twenty, his grandmother hands over the fat sum of money she had been saving in his name.  His irresponsibility  is known immediately, when he wants to withdraw a huge sum of Rs. 250/-, but his watchful grandma restricts it to a decent Rs. 50/-.

Happiness

          Yes, I was missing someone.  I wanted to deny myself of what I was going through – in fact, I had camouflaged myself for a good fifty-two days!  This was the count after I realized that I was actually missing someone.  How many years went by since I actually lost this person?  I have no clue.  May be fifteen years, or, twenty.  Or may be more.  Anyway, now that I realized that this someone has left me (in the lurch!), I decided to place an advertisement in the seemingly vain hope of winning him back.

The Riot of Colours at the Flower Show, Lalbagh, Bangalore

                    Lalbagh was one of my favourite spots in Bangalore, not just for its greenery and the foral clock, but because it's pretty close to the MTR restaurant. I was there in mid- January, and it was just in time for the flower show. My schedule was packed ( I was eager to catch up with a lot of friends), so I was not too sure whether I'd visit the place at all. I managed to be there for the morning walk, but the catch was that one could see the beauty of the show in its famed Glass House only from outside- the show would open only at 9:30 a.m. I could not do much justice in identifying the plants, but I'm sure you'd enjoy the beauty of the flowers.......

The Eiffel Tower could be seen from all sides, but I could watch the mermaid only from one side.

Sunset in Nripatungabetta, Hubli and Tungabhadra Dam

Nripatungabetta is a hillock  near Hubli, Karnataka, from where one can not only have a bird's eye view of the city but behold a beautiful sunset as well. Recently I was there and here are the pics....

Whatte view! Nripatungabetta, Hubli

Twilight, Sunrise and Brightness

I was extremely lucky to get this one on an October evening in Baroda  in  2009

Suddenly, I realised that I was hardly doing any justice to the photo blog. So, let me make a small beginning. I did not want to stop at dusk, because it is followed by dark. So, I fast forwarded the night and took it to the next morning's sunrise......the locations are given in the caption.

Of Leaders & Losers 6. The Valmiki Part II (concluded)

(contd from previous post)

Life cruised on merrily until he bumped into former class-mate of his on one of his regular visits to the station.  ‘Hi, Vishy, are you going somewhere?’ asked Mohan.

‘No, I am here to help someone I know get into the train’, said Vishy.  After the exchange of pleasantries, Vishy learnt that Mohan was appointed as a clerk in the Accounts Department of the Railways, and that he got his ticket confirmed through the Emergency Quota.  Suddenly, Vishy felt odd-indeed, a petty clerk had a right royal way of getting tickets confirmed (i.e., by being a railway employee), while he was dealing in manipulation and earning his livelihood by it! Moreover, jobs in the Railways were permanent, and one could be assured of regular income and lead one’s own life, with no requirement to bribe one’s way through.  The best way to beat bureaucracy was by being a part of it, he felt.  Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by guilt and wanted to get into the railways to be assured of traveling accommodation.

Of Leaders & Losers 6. The Valmiki- Part I

Prologue:

          This is the story of a man who wasn’t a manipulator per se, but sought to ‘adjust’ to the ‘system’, but finally reformed himself.  We know of several people who reformed themselves, but neither do we nor they reflect on such reformation.  This is an amalgamation of umpteen such transitions, accumulated as one as a piece of fiction.

* * * * * * * * *

          Yes, he had understood it, rather proud to have understood.  He’s managed to get the better of system.  How many people have done that? 

Of Leaders & Losers 5. Who should be the Scribe?

          Many times, we think we are doing a great job by being helpful to people in need.  This story attempts to see this attitude in new light.

* * * * * * *

          Amrita held the hand of an unknown person with disability when he was about to step into a trench dug up on the roadside for underground drainage, and thereby, prevented him from falling.  She was glad she assisted a blind person.

She got up!

          Tejaswini’s memory is clear – she’s sure of it.  She was four years old, and was in kindergarten, her first year at school.  She tried to slide during the lunch break.  Before she was prepared to descend, someone pushed her from behind.  She lost her balance, dashed against the sides of the slide as she went down, and had bruises on her elbows and knees.  But, she got up and was administered the tincture.

Of Leaders & Losers 4. Ms. Casabianca is Right

Padma could not make much sense of it.  No, she wasn’t trying to understand the ‘New Year’ mood of the people in the last three or four days of the year 2004.  Nor was she thinking about the cold water poured on such mood by the tragic Tsunami.  Two days later, while in office, she heard one of her colleagues announcing a tsunami warning in Visakhapatnam, and advising them to approach their boss for permission to leave office to care for their families.