Hi,
Today is Father's day!I got to know that only by evening when I got a forward message from one of my friends.
"A great man who spares his life..Hides his feelings..Ignores his happiness...Accepts the pain...Forget his comfort ..Struggles at work..All to make us comfortable and happy ...to make our life without struggle..
So don't hurt that gentle dad..Think of you dad..I 'm proud to be my daddy's kid."
I didn't forward that message to my dad though I felt like ...
Anyway,I don't need a special day to remember my dad nor to tell him that he is very special to me ..He knew it..
I am very of proud of my dad and he is my hero,from the time i can remember till now..Almost all girls will be like that only but, anyway for me, my dad and the bond we share is very special...
Everyday we will talk and not even once he missed to ask me "when are you coming?..this weekend ,eh? And every time I hear this ,I will feel like packing my bag and rushing back home ..he he
Earlier ,in college and now in office, I used to get so much comments for going home frequently..But ,I always feel good to consider myself like that...Only very few could understand in real sense the value of those attachment and sentiments which others mock as "silly home sickness"...
Almost all we see around are attached to their family but the difference is, whether they consider spending time with their family as something interesting ...Most of the people (I know) thinks opposite...
I have heard my friends saying "It is good to stay at home for 2 days,more than that,it's boring ..."
I am happy that I don't belong to that group..I am in Bangalore and in a month, more than twice I used to go home...
Oh..Wait ..I have to go now..I ll complete and post the blog after one hour...
Hey,I am back..again some problem in keeping the time..Its almost 2 days gone..:)
Keeping in mind ,my favorite quote "Better late than never", let me post this ...
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
What to comment?
It was mere curiosity that prompted me to know what actually happened behind the world’s biggest Industrial disaster, Bhopal Tragedy -1984, which occurred even before I was born.
From the little knowledge I have, I perceived it as a major industrial accident occurred due to some sort of negligence from the management.
But now I can’t reason all that happened under a single term “negligence” nor I can describe it in one sentence.
I will be quoting directly some text from few of the articles I have gone through because I don’t know how to put all this in my own words, without hating the country I belongs to.
So, let it be more factual……
Those were the beginning of the age when India greeted foreign investments as a part of “National & Industrial Development”. There was absolutely no question of rejecting a proposal put forward by the biggest chemical companies in the world – Union Carbide to start a plant in India.
From the day 1 of its entry, all the rules and regulations were changed to accommodate the giant fish without even giving a glimpse on the basic safety and security measures to be followed in starting a chemical plant in an urban area. India was an easy place for them to buy and start the unit because all our authorities cared for, was some extra cash in their pockets.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As per the records:
• In 1979, zonal regulations in Bhopal were changed so that Carbide could set up a plant, manufacturing deadly pesticides in the heart of the city's most densely populated areas.
• In December 1981, a gas leak at the Union Carbide plant killed one worker.
• A year later, in January 1982, there was another gas leak in which 25 workers were hospitalized. Workers protested that there was design defect in the plant that made it unsafe but the protests were ignored.
• Two years later Union Carbide sent its US experts to do an audit. The team noticed leakage in the plant.
• Union Carbide CEO, Anderson knew about the 1982 safety audit of the Bhopal plant, which identified 30 major hazards and that they were not fixed in Bhopal but were fixed at the company's identical plant in the US
• In September 1982, UCIL de-linked the alarm from the siren warning system so that only their employees would be warned about the leakage, and not the neighboring residents.
• A year later, another leak was reported from the plant which left 100 residents hospitalized.
• On March 4, 1983, Bhopal lawyer Shahnawaz Khan served a legal notice on UCIL. But on April 29, 1983, in a written reply, UCIL's Works Manager denied the allegations as baseless.
• Between 1983 and 1984, the safety manuals were re-written to permit among other things switching off the units that cooled the Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas and prevent chemical reactions.
• On December 3, 1984, the disaster occurred when gas leaked in huge amounts. No warning given to the residents of the leak or what precautions to take.
For three years, Bhopal journalist Rajkumar Keswani kept warning the administration that the Union Carbide plant was unsafe. His last article Bhopal Sitting on a Volcano was published just months before the tragedy.
In fact, the then Chief Minister Arjun Singh assured the Madhya Pradesh Assembly that he personally inspected the Carbide plant, and all is well…………………
On December 3, 1984, the extremely toxic methyl isocyanate started leaking from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Close to 800,000 people were exposed to the deadly gas, 3,800 people died and thousands became disabled, with many dying thereafter.
So this is the story about the biggest industrial tragedy in the world. There are no comments to put because the feeling this tragedy have kicked in you or me is a mixture – a mixture of shock, grief, pity, anger, fright and frustration .
Humans can easily forget and forgive, especially Indians. The great Indian value system!
So we chose to forget and keep everything to ourselves…
Going on… What happened next??
Circulation of various newspapers and magazines increased for few months with colorful cover pages. Stories after stories came with pathetic pictures of victims, debates carried out on every corner scrutinizing the reasons and impact and government busy handling to ‘normalizing’ the situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anderson flew into Bhopal four days after the gas leak. On the same day, 7 December, 1984, he was arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. A few hours later, Anderson was escorted like a visiting dignitary to Chief Minister Arjun Singh's plane and was flown to Delhi. Soon, he was out of India, never to return.
The United States has declined to extradite him, citing a lack of evidence!
Court actions so far:
Dec 4, 1984: A case is registered against Union Carbide. The chairman Warren Anderson is arrested but later released on bail by the Madhya Pradesh police.
1985: India claims $3.3 billion from Union Carbide in an American court.
1989: Indian government and Union Carbide strike out-of-court deal, Union Carbide gives $ 470 million
1992: Part of $ 470 million disbursed among victims. Anderson declared fugitive from law for ignoring court summons
2001: Union Carbide refuses to take responsibility for former Indian arm’s liabilities
2004: Supreme Court orders government to pay out rest of $ 470 million paid by Union Carbide as compensation
June 7, 2010: The verdict: Eight persons comprising the Indian management of UCIL convicted; Warren Anderson not named.
It took 25 years to convict eight persons, with a possible jail sentence of a maximum of just two years.
They were held guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.
Inside Story:
A Bhopal judge ordered that Union Carbide's properties should be attached to court because their executives were ignoring court summons. Two years after,
Justice A M Ahmadi reversed that decision. The company was allowed to sell its properties. The agreement was that the money would be used to set up a trust and a 500-bed hospital which would treat victims of the tragedy at no cost to them.
CBI had filed a charge sheet against Anderson and all the other accused under Section 304(2) where the maximum punishment is 10 years. But the case was converted to 304 A - which is meant for car accidents - by then Chief Justice of India A M Ahmadi.
Two years after that, in 1998, Justice Ahmadi became the chairman of the hospital trust for life. Ahmadi claims the Supreme Court asked him to chair it. But in truth,
the appointment was made by the Trust constituted by Union Carbide.
At present, the hospital set up for the victims has become a super specialty medical facility for the rich …….
Now, all are trying to find out the person who helped Anderson to flee from the country!!
Isn’t it obvious that all the supreme authorities at that point of time were helping him?
Be it Prime Minister, Chief Minister or Chief Justice!!!
Why pointing figures on each other and try to search in dark when all know the answer?
Why rehabilitation of the suffered people still not complete?
Why we are investing crores on researching Moon & Mars when 1000s are dying here like worms?
Why are we not trying to solve the current issue rather than trying to make headlines?
• Company abandoned the polluted factory site allowing it to poison Bhopal residents.
• The company won’t disclose the composition of the poisonous gas (the company still claims this is a trade secret), thus preventing doctors from properly treating the 120,000 people who are still sick.
• Company lawyers ensured survivors only got between US$300-500 compensation each, if they were 'lucky', for their ruined lives.
• Dow Chemical took over Union Carbide in 2001 but it claims Union Carbide has 'settled' the issue of Bhopal
• Despite being wanted in India and by Interpol, Indian and the US authorities have been inactive for the last 18 years on extradition of Anderson.US authorities claimed they could not find Anderson and India has not pursued his extradition from the US for fear of damaging US investment and trade.
A US journal wrote empathetically on the situation:
“Possibly spurred by Anderson's discovery and growing protests at home, the Indian Government has formally filed an extradition request with the US. Better 18 years late than never. The order is likely to be ignored by the US and, no doubt, India hopes it can relieve pressure at home while relying on the US inaction”
This is the image the Great India reflects………
Be proud to be an Indian……
From the little knowledge I have, I perceived it as a major industrial accident occurred due to some sort of negligence from the management.
But now I can’t reason all that happened under a single term “negligence” nor I can describe it in one sentence.
I will be quoting directly some text from few of the articles I have gone through because I don’t know how to put all this in my own words, without hating the country I belongs to.
So, let it be more factual……
Those were the beginning of the age when India greeted foreign investments as a part of “National & Industrial Development”. There was absolutely no question of rejecting a proposal put forward by the biggest chemical companies in the world – Union Carbide to start a plant in India.
From the day 1 of its entry, all the rules and regulations were changed to accommodate the giant fish without even giving a glimpse on the basic safety and security measures to be followed in starting a chemical plant in an urban area. India was an easy place for them to buy and start the unit because all our authorities cared for, was some extra cash in their pockets.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As per the records:
• In 1979, zonal regulations in Bhopal were changed so that Carbide could set up a plant, manufacturing deadly pesticides in the heart of the city's most densely populated areas.
• In December 1981, a gas leak at the Union Carbide plant killed one worker.
• A year later, in January 1982, there was another gas leak in which 25 workers were hospitalized. Workers protested that there was design defect in the plant that made it unsafe but the protests were ignored.
• Two years later Union Carbide sent its US experts to do an audit. The team noticed leakage in the plant.
• Union Carbide CEO, Anderson knew about the 1982 safety audit of the Bhopal plant, which identified 30 major hazards and that they were not fixed in Bhopal but were fixed at the company's identical plant in the US
• In September 1982, UCIL de-linked the alarm from the siren warning system so that only their employees would be warned about the leakage, and not the neighboring residents.
• A year later, another leak was reported from the plant which left 100 residents hospitalized.
• On March 4, 1983, Bhopal lawyer Shahnawaz Khan served a legal notice on UCIL. But on April 29, 1983, in a written reply, UCIL's Works Manager denied the allegations as baseless.
• Between 1983 and 1984, the safety manuals were re-written to permit among other things switching off the units that cooled the Methyl Isocyanate (MIC) gas and prevent chemical reactions.
• On December 3, 1984, the disaster occurred when gas leaked in huge amounts. No warning given to the residents of the leak or what precautions to take.
For three years, Bhopal journalist Rajkumar Keswani kept warning the administration that the Union Carbide plant was unsafe. His last article Bhopal Sitting on a Volcano was published just months before the tragedy.
In fact, the then Chief Minister Arjun Singh assured the Madhya Pradesh Assembly that he personally inspected the Carbide plant, and all is well…………………
On December 3, 1984, the extremely toxic methyl isocyanate started leaking from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Close to 800,000 people were exposed to the deadly gas, 3,800 people died and thousands became disabled, with many dying thereafter.
So this is the story about the biggest industrial tragedy in the world. There are no comments to put because the feeling this tragedy have kicked in you or me is a mixture – a mixture of shock, grief, pity, anger, fright and frustration .
Humans can easily forget and forgive, especially Indians. The great Indian value system!
So we chose to forget and keep everything to ourselves…
Going on… What happened next??
Circulation of various newspapers and magazines increased for few months with colorful cover pages. Stories after stories came with pathetic pictures of victims, debates carried out on every corner scrutinizing the reasons and impact and government busy handling to ‘normalizing’ the situation.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anderson flew into Bhopal four days after the gas leak. On the same day, 7 December, 1984, he was arrested on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. A few hours later, Anderson was escorted like a visiting dignitary to Chief Minister Arjun Singh's plane and was flown to Delhi. Soon, he was out of India, never to return.
The United States has declined to extradite him, citing a lack of evidence!
Court actions so far:
Dec 4, 1984: A case is registered against Union Carbide. The chairman Warren Anderson is arrested but later released on bail by the Madhya Pradesh police.
1985: India claims $3.3 billion from Union Carbide in an American court.
1989: Indian government and Union Carbide strike out-of-court deal, Union Carbide gives $ 470 million
1992: Part of $ 470 million disbursed among victims. Anderson declared fugitive from law for ignoring court summons
2001: Union Carbide refuses to take responsibility for former Indian arm’s liabilities
2004: Supreme Court orders government to pay out rest of $ 470 million paid by Union Carbide as compensation
June 7, 2010: The verdict: Eight persons comprising the Indian management of UCIL convicted; Warren Anderson not named.
It took 25 years to convict eight persons, with a possible jail sentence of a maximum of just two years.
They were held guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.
Inside Story:
A Bhopal judge ordered that Union Carbide's properties should be attached to court because their executives were ignoring court summons. Two years after,
Justice A M Ahmadi reversed that decision. The company was allowed to sell its properties. The agreement was that the money would be used to set up a trust and a 500-bed hospital which would treat victims of the tragedy at no cost to them.
CBI had filed a charge sheet against Anderson and all the other accused under Section 304(2) where the maximum punishment is 10 years. But the case was converted to 304 A - which is meant for car accidents - by then Chief Justice of India A M Ahmadi.
Two years after that, in 1998, Justice Ahmadi became the chairman of the hospital trust for life. Ahmadi claims the Supreme Court asked him to chair it. But in truth,
the appointment was made by the Trust constituted by Union Carbide.
At present, the hospital set up for the victims has become a super specialty medical facility for the rich …….
Now, all are trying to find out the person who helped Anderson to flee from the country!!
Isn’t it obvious that all the supreme authorities at that point of time were helping him?
Be it Prime Minister, Chief Minister or Chief Justice!!!
Why pointing figures on each other and try to search in dark when all know the answer?
Why rehabilitation of the suffered people still not complete?
Why we are investing crores on researching Moon & Mars when 1000s are dying here like worms?
Why are we not trying to solve the current issue rather than trying to make headlines?
• Company abandoned the polluted factory site allowing it to poison Bhopal residents.
• The company won’t disclose the composition of the poisonous gas (the company still claims this is a trade secret), thus preventing doctors from properly treating the 120,000 people who are still sick.
• Company lawyers ensured survivors only got between US$300-500 compensation each, if they were 'lucky', for their ruined lives.
• Dow Chemical took over Union Carbide in 2001 but it claims Union Carbide has 'settled' the issue of Bhopal
• Despite being wanted in India and by Interpol, Indian and the US authorities have been inactive for the last 18 years on extradition of Anderson.US authorities claimed they could not find Anderson and India has not pursued his extradition from the US for fear of damaging US investment and trade.
A US journal wrote empathetically on the situation:
“Possibly spurred by Anderson's discovery and growing protests at home, the Indian Government has formally filed an extradition request with the US. Better 18 years late than never. The order is likely to be ignored by the US and, no doubt, India hopes it can relieve pressure at home while relying on the US inaction”
This is the image the Great India reflects………
Be proud to be an Indian……
Saturday, June 12, 2010
It's raining....
How could I miss to write a line in my page when it's raining outside..
It was when my friends started teasing that I stopped writing about it in my blog..But, sorry my friends ..this time it's too tempting.. i can't stop myself..
My first memory of rain is of a day when I was small..I was making paper boats and crying when it got drowned in rain...That day my dad and brother taught me how to hold an umbrella and save my pretty little boats..I was so happy n excited to hold that umbrella .following the boats till our gate..
Then it move on to so many pictures....
Faces of my old friends...when we waited excitedly in the school varandah for the rain to stop....to start playing..
Confusing college days ..wondering whether to enjoy the feeling of the rain or to be bothered of the dress I wear...
Laziness to get up and go to office when it's raining...
Days when I forgot to take my umbrella and got drenched..(Secretly, I loved It ,though my hair looked horrible and my sneezing shocked my friends...he he )
Above all it's the longing to go home that hurts ..missing my mom's scoldings ,dad's loving voice and sweet fearsome quarrels with my brother...I don't know..Rain make me miss my home and dear ones so terribly ...
But its only thoughts that take you back to those days not the time..
Then my mind will scroll to future..plans and dreams ...100s of them ...dancing in each raindrop that I count...
It's very easy to wait and hope for good things to happen when it 's raining..
That's why I love rain so much....
Athira
Friday, June 11, 2010
Just Words....
Life is moving very fast...days flips like pages...
Sometimes I feel that I have left so many pages blank ...in my diary too...I know..that's life..We can't make everyday a part of our memory just like the people we see around ..only very few remain...
It's raining outside....Here in Bangalore ,rain is a mess...making dirty pools and traffic jams...Making everyone grumble as the sky darkens...still i love it...
Sometimes I feel that I have left so many pages blank ...in my diary too...I know..that's life..We can't make everyday a part of our memory just like the people we see around ..only very few remain...
It's raining outside....Here in Bangalore ,rain is a mess...making dirty pools and traffic jams...Making everyone grumble as the sky darkens...still i love it...
Monday, April 5, 2010
Women's Reservation Bill
Women's Reservation Bill
Why people getting so worried that only elite class woman will be voted to power if the women’s reservation bill gets implemented?
...99% of the men who are currently in power are in so called “elite class”. First, ask this folks who oppose reservation to pick at least 5 politicians who are not corrupt and not in the “elite class”. Why taking only the example of Rabri Devi, how many of our male politicians are educated? What all foolish and embarrassing stunts our male politicians make everyday? Why no one is there to comment all those actions as something connected to gender?
Women in all arenas should realize this attitude as an insult and decide not to vote till this bill gets passed or to vote only for women irrespective to the political parties.
I will never consider woman as weak. But our society has built a culture that control and limits the potential of women in the name of values and customs. This should change. The slowly progressing women empowerment activities won’t make much difference in the attitude of men towards women. For that, women should be a part of ruling system. In our present day context, it will never be materialized without a strong “push”. And this bill will act as a trigger for women to participate and force men to make women participate in governmental affairs.
The bill for increasing the salary hikes for MLA’s were passed without a question and why this one taking so long? Are the male politicians getting scared to share the power?
Women should not vote till the bill gets passed. If men want the power, let them have it .If they think, women are not capable why they need our vote. Let men vote and rule. We should show our support towards the bill by not participating in election till we get the bill passed. Don’t let it be another political drama by the politicians to get vote for the next election!
Why people getting so worried that only elite class woman will be voted to power if the women’s reservation bill gets implemented?
...99% of the men who are currently in power are in so called “elite class”. First, ask this folks who oppose reservation to pick at least 5 politicians who are not corrupt and not in the “elite class”. Why taking only the example of Rabri Devi, how many of our male politicians are educated? What all foolish and embarrassing stunts our male politicians make everyday? Why no one is there to comment all those actions as something connected to gender?
Women in all arenas should realize this attitude as an insult and decide not to vote till this bill gets passed or to vote only for women irrespective to the political parties.
I will never consider woman as weak. But our society has built a culture that control and limits the potential of women in the name of values and customs. This should change. The slowly progressing women empowerment activities won’t make much difference in the attitude of men towards women. For that, women should be a part of ruling system. In our present day context, it will never be materialized without a strong “push”. And this bill will act as a trigger for women to participate and force men to make women participate in governmental affairs.
The bill for increasing the salary hikes for MLA’s were passed without a question and why this one taking so long? Are the male politicians getting scared to share the power?
Women should not vote till the bill gets passed. If men want the power, let them have it .If they think, women are not capable why they need our vote. Let men vote and rule. We should show our support towards the bill by not participating in election till we get the bill passed. Don’t let it be another political drama by the politicians to get vote for the next election!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thanks...
There are days, which unknowingly set our mood in reverse mode, picturing everything as nonsense and meaningless. Unfortunately it was one of those horrible days with a late wake up alarm, unsuccessful hunt for matching dupatta that ended up in change of outfit in last minute, rushing back all the steps back to my room on 2nd floor to get the office ID and a scolding face from Cab driver for making him wait for 10 minutes!!
At office I found my system unusually slow, temperature abnormally freezing and sleep dragging me to bizarre dreams.
A scream made me jump from my sleep. I found everyone anxiously looking around. Security alarm broke the silence with its high pitched squeal .I smelt something very odd and in spilt of a second all our eyes stared to a single point. Smoke pumped in, through our door splits. First it formed a thin line showing its path, changing fast to a cluster of clouds and then spreading the semi black smoke around. Panic struck the floor. I could hear only worried shouts as we rushed to emergency exit. My wits raced for a reason.
I heard my friends calling me and pushing me towards the crowd making me realize that I was moving slow creating another crowd behind me.
Something is wrong. I couldn’t see more than the shoulder of the person who stands before me but I felt the arising tension .The emergency exit is not opening. It some how got jammed!!
Before I could think of anything I heard another scream. Big flames of fire were getting everything, our systems, chairs , papers...We all started running to the other phase .I was too occupied to get scared but my mind kept on racing .My family ,my friends, my dreams. I didn’t have any logic on what I thought. Someone was holding my hand and urging me to move fast- a girl which I didn’t like at all .Why she has taken that effort to take care of me ?She might be hoping for my support too. But I was too horror stuck even to move my little finger. Again the crowd stopped moving causing another confusion .I heard some one whisper in total fear “Its fire every where…”.My heart was beating fast. Is everything ending here? Is that life all about? So many pictures flashed in my thought, my home, my family... How they going to hear this news? My eyes filled...Will I see them again... Oh! I want everything back. I thought of 1000 promises to please the god. .But no answers I got. Loud blast of systems and electronic gadgets cracking in fire petrified me .Some shouted to break the glass window but no one could reach near it… I was too scared to cry or to speak…I thought of the fire, burns and pain. ..This cannot be real. I cannot be in this situation...I should have taken leave today…I shouldn’t have come to job at all... Why no one coming to rescue us…I felt myself choked by the harsh smell of smoke, my eyes burned …I turned around and something hard hit my hand….
I was startled to hear the laugh. Two of my colleagues were standing near me and were laughing. Just one moment ago one of them were holding a stick and trying to break the glass pane. How can he laugh now? Is everything fine now? Confused on “how”, I managed to utter “Thanks...” and smiled gratefully, they saved my life…..
It took few seconds for me to realize that I was dreaming, that too at office, dozing of by my desk!!!!!!! My friends were having a laugh of life explaining to all, how funny it was to see me waking up startled with a strange expression and then suddenly smiling delightfully saying thanks!!!!!!!!!
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
At office I found my system unusually slow, temperature abnormally freezing and sleep dragging me to bizarre dreams.
A scream made me jump from my sleep. I found everyone anxiously looking around. Security alarm broke the silence with its high pitched squeal .I smelt something very odd and in spilt of a second all our eyes stared to a single point. Smoke pumped in, through our door splits. First it formed a thin line showing its path, changing fast to a cluster of clouds and then spreading the semi black smoke around. Panic struck the floor. I could hear only worried shouts as we rushed to emergency exit. My wits raced for a reason.
I heard my friends calling me and pushing me towards the crowd making me realize that I was moving slow creating another crowd behind me.
Something is wrong. I couldn’t see more than the shoulder of the person who stands before me but I felt the arising tension .The emergency exit is not opening. It some how got jammed!!
Before I could think of anything I heard another scream. Big flames of fire were getting everything, our systems, chairs , papers...We all started running to the other phase .I was too occupied to get scared but my mind kept on racing .My family ,my friends, my dreams. I didn’t have any logic on what I thought. Someone was holding my hand and urging me to move fast- a girl which I didn’t like at all .Why she has taken that effort to take care of me ?She might be hoping for my support too. But I was too horror stuck even to move my little finger. Again the crowd stopped moving causing another confusion .I heard some one whisper in total fear “Its fire every where…”.My heart was beating fast. Is everything ending here? Is that life all about? So many pictures flashed in my thought, my home, my family... How they going to hear this news? My eyes filled...Will I see them again... Oh! I want everything back. I thought of 1000 promises to please the god. .But no answers I got. Loud blast of systems and electronic gadgets cracking in fire petrified me .Some shouted to break the glass window but no one could reach near it… I was too scared to cry or to speak…I thought of the fire, burns and pain. ..This cannot be real. I cannot be in this situation...I should have taken leave today…I shouldn’t have come to job at all... Why no one coming to rescue us…I felt myself choked by the harsh smell of smoke, my eyes burned …I turned around and something hard hit my hand….
I was startled to hear the laugh. Two of my colleagues were standing near me and were laughing. Just one moment ago one of them were holding a stick and trying to break the glass pane. How can he laugh now? Is everything fine now? Confused on “how”, I managed to utter “Thanks...” and smiled gratefully, they saved my life…..
It took few seconds for me to realize that I was dreaming, that too at office, dozing of by my desk!!!!!!! My friends were having a laugh of life explaining to all, how funny it was to see me waking up startled with a strange expression and then suddenly smiling delightfully saying thanks!!!!!!!!!
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Monday, February 8, 2010
life
The big old house exhaled ageing in every inch. Unkempt courtyard with a creaking gate gave me the first impression of confusion, “Do anyone stays here”? As being there, often, my mom confidently walked ahead with me tailing her quite uncertainly. It was more than 10 years since I have gone there and the picture in my memory was totally different from what I was seeing. There was an adjacent building with lot of big white pillars all around instead of walls, with polished stones coloring the floor in black, white and red, where we as children used to dance and play. At the corner there was a big statue of Krishna which made me confuse it even as a temple.
Now I found the whole structure converted as another house with a different entrance.
There were walls between the two houses; i could feel myself getting a sort of gloominess...like entering into another world...
Nothing happened when we rang the door bell except the noise of chirping birds which I hardly find musical at that moment. To my annoyance mom again rang the bell and before I could scold her I heard a feeble voice. “Who’s is there?”...The same question got repeated in different voice modulation all indicating a week body as its source…I couldn’t hear what my mom talked over that wooden window, I could hear only muffles.
“Open the front door, it is open”-I was again surprised as I obeyed my mom’s word and pushed the front door open. This was the room that made me teach the meaning of the word elegant .It is still afresh in me the moment I asked my dad why he said this room is so elegant. And from then it is always this room that comes to my mind whenever I think or compare elegance.
But now to my utter disbelief the big spacious room was made small by walls, once shining floor has been cracked, cobweb adorning the ceilings and a big table occupying most of the room with bundled up books and newspapers all over it. The only things I found familiar were the old clock that still strike the time correctly even though the faded glass make it difficult to read and the ‘tamburu’ which was kept at the corner ,sheltered partially with a dirty cloth, showing its broken strings covered in cobweb.
The startling cough drew me to a nearby room; he was there, without tooth he resembled an innocent child. His eyes twinkled with his old smile but I felt a pain .He was urging all of us to sit and was talking this n that. When silence crept in I jumped in with some silly questions …But there was moments when there was nothing to converse. Silences... Silences making us feel a drift, meaningless in talks which we carry on and I couldn’t make out the feeling I saw in that old man’s eyes – shyness of being weak, agony of being helpless and something more which I label as acceptance.
Sometimes we long for intrusions, at that moment when topics dried up there was a loud noise near the big pool. Door swing open and an old lady came in; one of his relatives who stayed there to look after him…She was fine-looking though age and life made lot of dark shades all over her face. .I found the same note of resignation and lost sparkles in her smile n words…But I was surprised to see how much care she put to make us comfortable...I can without doubt call her loving.....
I sat there sipping my tea, simply listening to my mom... she was talking and making everyone smile, telling many old stories when they all were young, how lively they were n d place …enjoying their holidays like festivals...Slowly all started to talk and smile happily again recollecting all those wonderful days, explaining to me each n everything.. Showing me the old photographs and big paintings that filled the walls...at that moment I envied my mom so much….She brought a warm happy feeling back to that small crowd...She used to go there only for vacations when she was small, still she is so close to everyone…Knowing all the people around , stories around .. Sometimes I feel she talks too much but she talks so naïve and straight that I couldn’t feel like stopping her...
When I walked back to the gate, I asked my mom what happened to them. And I got lot many strings of answers... government regulations that tied most of their land, confused siblings who struggle between traditional convictions and new world, heavy bundles of customs and culture that made them too weak to move forward, inability to break the walls made by caste n way of life, lack of exposure cocooning them to their own world..And finally she told me with a sigh, “They forgot to change with the world and finally got lost”…
Strangely I thought of that old clock which welcomed us with a foggy shadowed glass...Time is moving but no one can easily make out time correctly with that faded glass….
As we drove back home, I felt like I missed lot of things…not me alone but we, the present and future generation…
Just like my world sometimes seems both strange and amusing to my mother I too find her young life lot of different from what I had and having…I doubt if I could ever bring anyone to any place like my mom have lead me there.… A place with lot of greeneries, river, temples, ponds, birds and familiar people all round....with lot of stories and so much loving and sincere blessings…
But the journey kept on reminding me the words on my office desktop calendar which I never noticed before
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” –Charles Darwin
Ye, though very sad to admit that is life all about…
Now I found the whole structure converted as another house with a different entrance.
There were walls between the two houses; i could feel myself getting a sort of gloominess...like entering into another world...
Nothing happened when we rang the door bell except the noise of chirping birds which I hardly find musical at that moment. To my annoyance mom again rang the bell and before I could scold her I heard a feeble voice. “Who’s is there?”...The same question got repeated in different voice modulation all indicating a week body as its source…I couldn’t hear what my mom talked over that wooden window, I could hear only muffles.
“Open the front door, it is open”-I was again surprised as I obeyed my mom’s word and pushed the front door open. This was the room that made me teach the meaning of the word elegant .It is still afresh in me the moment I asked my dad why he said this room is so elegant. And from then it is always this room that comes to my mind whenever I think or compare elegance.
But now to my utter disbelief the big spacious room was made small by walls, once shining floor has been cracked, cobweb adorning the ceilings and a big table occupying most of the room with bundled up books and newspapers all over it. The only things I found familiar were the old clock that still strike the time correctly even though the faded glass make it difficult to read and the ‘tamburu’ which was kept at the corner ,sheltered partially with a dirty cloth, showing its broken strings covered in cobweb.
The startling cough drew me to a nearby room; he was there, without tooth he resembled an innocent child. His eyes twinkled with his old smile but I felt a pain .He was urging all of us to sit and was talking this n that. When silence crept in I jumped in with some silly questions …But there was moments when there was nothing to converse. Silences... Silences making us feel a drift, meaningless in talks which we carry on and I couldn’t make out the feeling I saw in that old man’s eyes – shyness of being weak, agony of being helpless and something more which I label as acceptance.
Sometimes we long for intrusions, at that moment when topics dried up there was a loud noise near the big pool. Door swing open and an old lady came in; one of his relatives who stayed there to look after him…She was fine-looking though age and life made lot of dark shades all over her face. .I found the same note of resignation and lost sparkles in her smile n words…But I was surprised to see how much care she put to make us comfortable...I can without doubt call her loving.....
I sat there sipping my tea, simply listening to my mom... she was talking and making everyone smile, telling many old stories when they all were young, how lively they were n d place …enjoying their holidays like festivals...Slowly all started to talk and smile happily again recollecting all those wonderful days, explaining to me each n everything.. Showing me the old photographs and big paintings that filled the walls...at that moment I envied my mom so much….She brought a warm happy feeling back to that small crowd...She used to go there only for vacations when she was small, still she is so close to everyone…Knowing all the people around , stories around .. Sometimes I feel she talks too much but she talks so naïve and straight that I couldn’t feel like stopping her...
When I walked back to the gate, I asked my mom what happened to them. And I got lot many strings of answers... government regulations that tied most of their land, confused siblings who struggle between traditional convictions and new world, heavy bundles of customs and culture that made them too weak to move forward, inability to break the walls made by caste n way of life, lack of exposure cocooning them to their own world..And finally she told me with a sigh, “They forgot to change with the world and finally got lost”…
Strangely I thought of that old clock which welcomed us with a foggy shadowed glass...Time is moving but no one can easily make out time correctly with that faded glass….
As we drove back home, I felt like I missed lot of things…not me alone but we, the present and future generation…
Just like my world sometimes seems both strange and amusing to my mother I too find her young life lot of different from what I had and having…I doubt if I could ever bring anyone to any place like my mom have lead me there.… A place with lot of greeneries, river, temples, ponds, birds and familiar people all round....with lot of stories and so much loving and sincere blessings…
But the journey kept on reminding me the words on my office desktop calendar which I never noticed before
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” –Charles Darwin
Ye, though very sad to admit that is life all about…
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