Dew

It was a rainy evening and I needed a quick stop because I was not carrying an umbrella. I spotted a women’s garments store. It looked a quiet little outlet ( Really smart store ) that sold almost everything that a woman would need. I did have a few things to pick up too. So thought, while I wait for the rain to stop, might as well check out the shop's shelves. There was a young chap working at his counter with a calculator and a laptop. All around him were stuff that a lady would need. I was surprised a bit by the comfortable look he had on his face amidst what would be an alien set up to me if I were a man.  I quickly looked around for a lady sales clerk. I did not find anyone. I asked him if they had a lady to assist me with my queries on the things that I wanted to buy. He quickly said they did not have a lady on staff. I chose to walk out of the store. Albeit, conservative South Indian woman’s mentality that may have made me do that, I still wonder how stores emp...

… Whenever I hear this word, my mind recalls the image of the seashore and a single file of footprints. The famous poem of Footprints is about how the child learns that the single set of prints are those of God who carried the child in times of trouble. It was a rainy evening in Bangalore, yesterday. I was listening to Rahman’s high-energy music and was literally dancing in my mind to the tune, with my feet racing and pacing to the notes in the song. I got drenched in the rain and happily so, after a long time. I was just enjoying myself thoroughly when I saw a footprint on the concrete pavement.  Just one file of footprints to me seemed to tell a history note -  of someone who had walked on the pavement, as soon as they had finished making the cement layer on the concrete pavement. How careless!! was the first impression. The concrete dried, pavement became operational, but the footprint stayed. I smiled. This morning, on my way to work, I got off the bus on...

I think about someone who was upset when we spoke earlier today. I see a temple at the crossroads and say a quiet word of prayer for the person. I look down on the pavement and see an insect writhing, in an effort to be moving again. I drift off in thoughts... For some reason, I am able to connect the dots and see the Universe's message for me. The person is struggling too. A lot of pain it must be. I wish and hope it gets soothed and healed by a miraculous touch of the Universe.  I recall from school: Make me beautiful in your eyes; Make me truthful in your ears; Make me strong in body and in mind; Make me gentle, good, and kind; Help me, dear God, to do my duty always; Wherever I am let me do my part!. That makes me wish if there is something I must do, I better know! The Universe is what I trust in. As an afterthought... I did not help the insect back on its track. I have never done to date. Too bad, I realize late. Hours later, I get off a bus, headed homeward. ...

Enjoy Life! What could it be really?? On a casual yet, planned conversation yesterday with a friend of mine, he mentioned: "Somewhere along the way, we have forgotten to enjoy life". The ‘we’ referred to most people in the Indian sub-continent. I could not agree more. An hour ago, in the Monday morning traffic, window-seated in a bus, I was listening to a very famous Tamil poet’s song: Chinnanchiru Kileye sung by a voice that practically can stop me on my tracks: Unnikrishnan. Oh! it was divine - the whole experience! I watched the fresh green leaves of the Gulmohar trees lined up on the road, sway in a perfect choreography to the tune. [I enjoy Bharatanatyam, the South-Indian classical dance, so much that I start mentally choreographing some really good musicals as I listen to songs. I did not chance to perform in twenty plus years now, still, the love of Bharatanatyam has not faded one bit in my being.] The experience was all the more engagingly enjoyable and ...

As the auto driver was narrating the agony of the pregnant woman in labor and her husband, whom he took to the government hospital in Bangalore, all the pain from the past came back to my mind… A Grinding, Churning, Creaking pain in the pelvic joint… Closed Eyes...Gritting teeth….Eyes shedding tear drops but the tear drops do not dare to trickle down the cheeks…Hands moving to the belly unconsciously trying to check the little baby inside...Worried looks on all the faces around…A sudden relief…. Words spring up.. Vocal cord breaks open the silence and says “God, this is impossible to bear”! The kith and kin fervently pray for the strength of the woman. You just read the most minimal, realistic, verbal visualization of the throbbing effect of labor pain that most women get to go through. And it repeats… and goes on and on until the final creak, and first cry leading to dried tears on the new mom’s face. (It is impossible for me not to recollect my own blessed chances...

Two medical doctors aged 60 plus were my co-passengers today. They travel from Bangalore to kuppam every day to PES medical college where they profess and practice medicine. The 1 hr 15 min journey by Lalbagh express with them radically changed my views about many things in life. They introduced themselves and I was surprised that they travel every day to teach in an institute. I hope to be able to recall and collate what I understood today for the betterment of the willing minds. When asked about the long travel every day to work in a different state, that too dealing with many surgeries in a row,many lectures back to back, many outpatient interactions once in a while, the lady doctor who is an Anaesthetist says " If you are passionate about your work, you will be able to take all efforts to make it happen". LESSON 1 - PASSION The topic turned to medical facilities in rural India. I got to know that most people get to come to them after the problem becomes a threat to life ...

Of late, I have been thinking about this phrase : Going Blank! A ''Fill in the Blank'' question in school.. A blank white paper.. A blank greeting card.. A blank cheque.. A blank Word Document.. A blank Compose page on an email window.. A blank canvas.. All these blanks have definitely posed as a "scare" or a "feel of void" or "don't know what to say feeling" to each of us more than once in life. More scary is the feeling of going completely blank in the mind!!!! From a recent read, I learned that : friends, books, movies, television, games, hobbies, cooking, travel, spiritual and emotional quests, children, work, and even crossword puzzles or Sudoku keep your head from going blank and insane!!! Lets devote time for things totally out of our tangent in life at least once a week to remain sane.  

Vayu Vajra, the air-conditioned buses that ply in Bangalore. It was a moderately sunny day in Bangalore, last week. I decided to step out on a long journey. Journey from Whitefield to Koramangala by bus is definitely a long one especially if it has to be two hops in between. A Vayu Vajra came by and I decided to just take the bus. I knew it was a longer route but I always prefer taking the first available bus than waiting for long hours in the bus stand. If I do, my patience battery generally goes low and I am known to invariably take an auto. This day, I didn't want to take an auto soon enough. The best thing about this bus is its very spacious, or so it mostly seems. Less crowded in the off peak hours as it is quite expensive. Students and working professionals are the usual passengers in this bus. This also means a lot of things : You get to see fashion, trends, technology trends, styles, and books. I took an aisle seat which I never do if I get a window seat ...

I came across a beautifully hand-written book title in a hospital's reception desk. I could not help asking, "is it hand-written or printed?". The counter clerk was visibly pleased that the work got noticed and said it was hand-written. Such beautiful script it is, the Cursive. I recalled some of my friends' handwriting that I have admired throughout my school days, and I still do. Mine was also once in the list of award-winning hand-writing. Today, after years of leaving school I find it very hard to write a legible piece of text in a notebook. The other day I had to write a note to my daughter's class teacher in her school diary. Pathetic is the best word I can use for my hand writing at present. Surprisingly, all the cards or wishes that I write still come out neat!!! Which is a good news. But, I want to work on my handwriting. I managed to find someone who has a really good hand writing in the same hospital and asked him about how he manages to keep his...

The technical writer in me was compelled to read this on my way to the laboratory in a hospital recently!!!.  YOU  might be the  NEXT !!! The capitalized letters were marked in Red Bold . This sentence was followed by a diagram that seemed out of a medical text book -Which means no one other than the author of the source text or a doctor is going to be able to follow it. The text below this sentence spoke about cervical cancer, a dreaded disease in the recent times. And I simply could not digest the fact that the reader is forced to believe that she is the next person in line to be affected.  I always believe in being positive, more so in a hospital where people are fighting many disorders.. For a person walking into a medical laboratory, this board educating the importance of cervical cancer in a very negative note is super annoying.. The advertisement was supposed to be a warning to all women of all ages to have their systems checked for the Big C diseas...

I remember reading this in one of the office emails I received one fine morning. There was another email from the sender saying ' Sweets at my Desk. First come first serve'. Now, I was a new joinee and didn't know if you have to know the person to accept sweets from them to share their joy or would it be a dishonor of the invite to just let the email go unnoticed. When I was still deciding, I saw this message from the same person saying he was generally feeling happy. I am quite choosy with the sweets I take and generally keep it minimum unless it is my favorite Gulab Jamoon ( yeah, that is for a later reference for the readers.. in case you plan to send me a box of sweets for some reason... if not anything else, the same ' am feeling happy ' reason ). The email made me go over to this new friend's desk and share the joy..I really liked the second email message.. that's the only reason I went over. Took a Dhoodh Peda and ate it fully for the first time!...

Never a great animal lover, but I always have thought that they are  nicer than human beings. I always think that people in the pretext of caring and loving animals unintentionally harm them and curb them of their freedom.. And besides am super scared of animals, whereas never of human beings... ideally it should be the reverse, I know!!! When I was on my usual walk one morning, I saw a cow approaching our main gate. Instinct said that the cow would stop by my gate and it did!!! Surprise of surprises, as for the first time I could guess the move of an animal right in my life. On the cow's eyes, I saw a look that I don't know quite to explain. I just decided that I will go inside to fetch a banana for the cow to eat. Again a bold move according to me.. Also wanted to make sure that the cow does not misunderstand my going in as indifference.. I still don't know where I got this kind of compassion from, but was glad to know this undiscovered truth about myself . I gest...

Pournami in Tamil means Full Moon Day. I was coming back from the temple and the power went out as usual. These days, the power cuts in Tamil Nadu is hitting the newspapers every day, so I wont waste my energy on it trying to tell you how I detest the idea of power cuts in the name of power saving when all it takes is just a little effort from whomsoever it concerns to set it right... Anyways... this is too much by itself.. Lots of energy drain ... The full moon day was fast approaching.. Or was it the same evening, am not sure. The moon shone bright and beautiful as I started walking back homeward from the temple. It had been quite a while since I took this route.. but never in so many years on a full moon night when there was no light at all. Cool evening breeze( Early summer evenings are always breezy and nice in my town.. and I guess so in many tropical places..) and the moon lit night sky made the evening a wonderful experience. The roads were not new to me, but those m...

This is something I never would have said or believed early last year... I do agree that silence teaches things, but also like to say that silence is never completely possible in this seemingly complicated and problematic world... This evening when I was on my regular walk on the pavement of my house, the house where I have spent all my childhood and girlhood days, I simply looked up for no reason when I thought about the ageing factor in me and my parents and the familiar neighbours whose young faces ( phases) I once knew.. True, the old phase, sadly, I never knew or realized until today's introspective evening. The house had been repainted last year and the blue exterior didnt fade in all the rain and storm that my town went through over the last whole year. But then, there were many memories that helped me spot alll that was missing in the once beautiful backyard. Could be due to the Tsunami, the Thane, or the many cyclones and monsoons over the years, when we lost most of...

It has always been nice to receive a 'Happy Women's day' wish on this day, the 8th of March. Never stopped wondering why declare a special day for Women, given that the world would not exist without women. Reminded of one song in one of the Women's day celebrations : Lately I've been wondering whatever could we do, if we hadn't any women in the world.. Every blessed fellow would be looking very blue, if we hadn't any women in the world.. True.. the world will cease to exist without womenfolk. There have been umpteen write-ups, forwards, poems, and stories on the various achievements and capabilities of women. We have all known, seen, heard, read, and probably realized too. I had one such realization recently. I was on a train to Mumbai from Chennai. I love train travels for the reading, the chips and snacks, the window seat and the beautiful scenic views that sweep past you in a bearable speed that makes the train travel totally worth every minute.. And most...

Its been quite a while since I saw such a neat little village in India. I know that Palghat, a district in Kerala had about 64 villages and each of them had its own temple, pond or lake, and wells. I also remember someone telling me that these villages are kept very neat and clean. The picture that you see here is that of a village called Chembai. This picture shows the houses on one row. The coconut trees act as the divider line. There is another row of houses on the other side. Just two rows of houses make the entire village. There are two temples in the village and one in an adjacent lane. The village residents make it a point to visit at least one of the temples before 7:00 A.M each day. The day's routines - cleaning the house and back yard, daily prayers, washing clothes and vessels and breakfast are done in a regular pattern. Every house you see is kept so spic and span. In most of the houses we could see very old people, very happy with their own way of life, totally oblivio...

It was quite a sight to see cheerful people in the flight to Chennai from Muscat yesterday. After a long time I heard this kind of non-stop chatter and talk. For those who know me, it is not difficult to believe that I love to talk. The announcement said that we have landed at Chennai Airport and there was a huge round of applause and whistles.. It was the first time I have ever heard so much noise in a flight.. So also the first time I was home-bound on an International flight too. The set of students who were all cheered up, were graduates from a specific US-based university. They had to fly back to India from Muscat for a reason I won't know. As soon as we landed, there were non-stop applause, whistles and cheers. Noise - first time in a long time for me. It was easy to smile. Then, there was the immigration counter where I was stamped an entry to my own country. The Tamil translation of the word immigration made more sense than the English dictionary meaning. You are basically ...

The Good God must be a super-good artist... At least that's what the scenic mountains on the way to Alhuta Caves conveyed to us. I never knew that mountains with all shades of brown without a single speck of green, can be so beautiful until I came to Muscat. I get to see a mountain range when I look out the window of my house, but never really took time to analyze them more than a quick look in the morning, noon, evening and night. I love the border color the sunshine of the day gives to this mountain range. Here are some selected snaps of the mountains that caught our eyes over the two hour drive to the Caves. The time of the day defines the shadow on the mountains and the contrast it renders to the original brown color. The clear sky adds an extra touch finishing touch to the scenic portrait. On a close-up you can see a lot of shades of brown, orange, yellow, and blue and green. The Alhuta museum clarifies the colors to be mineral-rich rocks that are believed to have been formed ...

We always take things for granted.. and life has its own way of teaching us the lesson of valuing every single thing that we have.. We were almost done with shopping for groceries that evening... In the hypermarket that seemingly spreads to acres ( at 9:45P.M when you are hungry and have lost all energy to take that next step forward, even a market seems so vast!!!) I rushed towards the vegetables section to look for curry leaves. I have been missing it a lot since I came to this city. In the last two shopping trips I had not looked at the right counter I guess... I had never found curry leaves.. My kitchen and the 'would-have-been-excellent-with-a-garnish of curry leaves' dishes have been missing curry leaves.. Although most of us search for the leaves in the plate and take time to heap them all aside, our cooking is not complete without that touch of curry leaves... When I searched all the racks in the green leafy section of the market, I found little packets neatly price ta...

Yes, that is an adapted quote: A quote from the cover pages of one of the student hand book that I bought last year said: We will either find a way or make one. Very inspiring!!! I recently moved out of corporate and presently looking for freelance assignments online. Never been a freelancer before so was fiddling with the mouse, clicking some links on the Google search results.. I am amazed at the multitude of job openings available in the market from individuals, small scale business owners and large scale companies. Some of the jobs are too surprising!!! Like, write a thank you card and you get paid!!! This one made me click the link.. not to consider taking up the job but to see why someone wants to employ people to write thanks.. It means the employer is so keen on sending thanks and that there are too many thanks cards to be written and so is willing to employ someone. The link indeed had this job description!!.. Then there are a lot of other assignments that offer jobs for peopl...