Woman !!!

I wish all the women, a very Happy Women's day. Woman is the personification of self sacrifice. She is very special. Starting with Mother, then as a caring sister, a friend to rely on and as a life partner. A woman is always part of our life, making it pleasant & beautiful. On this Women's day, i would like to dedicate a poem, my first one, to all the women on earth. Thanks for being a woman.

As i said, this is my first ever try towards writing poems, I welcome your appreciation & criticism as well. Here it is,

When the winds of memories flow,
her thoughts, begin to glow...
sweet were the days when we were together,
i wish, those days, come back to me forever...

The days have become very long,
and the nights begin to haunt...
Magic filled the air when she was around,
am sitting here all alone, looking at life, beyond...

Gentle !

It's quite a wonderful feeling when you come across some gentle gestures from little unknown people or even at not much familiar places you often visit. A flashy smile or a comprehending look from a stranger might well get you out of frustration at times. If you are part of any busy bustling cities, where traffic snarls find it very easy to bug you out of your mind on any given day, these gestures, does make you smile at the end of a hectic day. Let me share some of similar gestures I came across in the last couple of days.

Day 1

On the other day, I had to accompany my mom & sister in law to a nearby doctor. It's a car shed turned into a very neat clinic. As a first time visitor, I was going through all the usual health awareness posters, which are common among all the doctors. One little note, which I felt & I had not seen before at any of the hospitals or clinics, amused me. I only treat, he cures was painted in blue italics on a white colored wall. Even the doctor was a simple person like the words written outside.

Day 2

I was riding through the busy Bangalore roads, which are always crowded, on my Honda active last night. Thanks to on going metro rail construction, traffic woes are getting worse these days. Waiting for the signal to turn green, was having a look the giant machinery at the construction site. The guy on a similar two wheeler came rushing behind me & was honking out loud on me. I had no where to go. With a fully determined anger to shout, I turned towards him. There came a gentle gesture from an elderly gentleman. With a humble smile on his face, that person apologized to me stating a faulty horn switch. Anger vanished & the smile was back on my face.

Smile is indeed a beautiful gesture. Have it ! Be gentle !

Inspirational Kim

For tennis lovers, the year starts with Australian open championship. It is a pleasure to watch the magnanimous athletes displaying their immense talent in front of a large audience & the millions of viewers on television. The quest to win is relentless.

I was heart broken to see Rafa (Rafael Nadal) losing in the quarter finals this year. Being a huge Rafa fan, i was expecting him to defeat flamboyant Roger Federer in the final. My good friend Milind, was pretty much sure Roger will overcome mighty Rafa this time. Unfortunately, both of us have to wait a while to fight over these two great players.


Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

After Rafa's early exit from the tournament, my attention was on Kim Clijsters, the super mom from Belgium, who is playing her career best so far. At the age of 27, mother to a three year old daughter, Kim is definitely on a dream run of her career. She has won four grand slam titles with three of these as a mother. She displays an incredible athleticism & perseverance on court. She is just fabulous.


I was pretty much sure of her win during the recently concluded Australian open. I was eagerly waiting to watch her championship clash against the equally talented Chinese woman, Li Na. Things were not so easy as i had thought. Li Na was indeed a tough opponent to beat. Disappointment loomed large on me as Kim lost the first set six games to three. I thought it is a better time for me to switch off the television & have my lunch. So did i.

After a prolonged lunch & self imposed exile from the television set, very hesitatingly i turned it on to see the post match presentation. To my amusement, the match was still on with Kim serving for the match at five games to three. She had bounced back brilliantly in to the match winning the second set quite comfortably. I jumped with joy & let out a wild scream. Thankfully i was alone at home.

Last four points of the match were won with ease & in style. Kim started her humble celebrations by waving her arms to the huge crowd which gave a standing ovation. She was in tears. This was a remarkable performance. Truly inspirational.

Republic day !

If i recall my school days, the months of January & August were filled with a lot of excitement & fun. Apart from being very prominent in the history of independent India, these were the months when i used to get a chance to participate in all the fine arts & sports activities at school. Finally when the D-days come, with all enthusiasm i used to attend the celebrations.

As the days passed on, professional life got so much big on us that we stopped enjoying those moments. On a same note, couple of years back, myself & good friend Guru, thought of attending a nearby school during these two days. This year too, both of us were lucky enough to be part of the republic day celebrations at 'Holy Saint primary school', located in Jayanagar.

We started the day with breakfast at the Adiga's hotel in Banashankari. I had hot set dosa & crispy vada, while guru had tasty pongal. We reached the school around 8:30 AM. Since we knew the timings of the event, we were on time. Last year we had reached too early.

Watching those little Kindergarten kids dressed up neatly in their uniforms is such an amazing feeling. All were looking so cute & much disciplined to be standing in the rows marked. School management had made arrangements this time with pendals & chairs for the audience. The event was scheduled to begin at 9 30 AM. Teachers were busy in getting all the kids to their respective positions for the march past. Some were getting the flag post ready for the tricolor to be hoisted high.



Standing out
While we were waiting for the event to kick off, guru pointed out towards a girl, of about 12 or 13 years old, who was volunteering to take care of the little kids during the parade. She was given the responsibility of about fifteen students. That girl was running around to ensure each kid is looking perfect. There were many girls of her age who were doing the same as she was, but this girl was very graceful. She was physically challenged. We didn't have the courage to ask what her name was, or what was her inspiration. She was filled with immense energy.

The event
The celebrations began once the guests arrived. After the general salute, chief guest hoisted the flag. National anthem was played by the school band itself. Now it was time for the kids to begin their march past which they did without any hassles. It was a treat to watch these beautiful kids performing. As the other programs were about to begin, we both decided to get back home. It was indeed a very good beginning of the day for us.



I wish you all a very happy Republic day.

Kids !

I always get fascinated by the wonderful gestures of kids. They have a own way of expressing their happiness, anger or their excitement. Sometimes when your energy is down or when you are out of your mood, these kids can make you cheer within no time.

After reaching home from office, occasionally I take a walk to go around & catch up with friends who stay nearby. During one of these journeys, I came across this little girl, who was trying to help his father to close his grocery store. There was something unusual & it was very much interesting which caught my attention that night.

The weather was cloudy & it was about to rain. I noticed a sense of urgency in that little girls’ father, as he was hurrying up to close down his store. As you can imagine, usually there will be lot of stuff kept outside the grocery shops. He was busy in wrapping up all the stuff & keep them safely inside, safe from the rains.

The unusual & interesting thing was this little girl, who I think was about 4 to 5 year old. She was running in & out of the store, with lot of excitement & enthusiasm. She did carry some small stuff, which she could lift, & arranged it inside.

There was a moment when I stopped walking & very curiously started observing that little girl. She tried to lift a bag, which was about half of her height, & may be much more than her own weight, but the bag didn’t move. Regaining her breath, she gave it a second try; unfortunately the bag was very reluctant to move.

I was standing at a close distance from the actual scene. That little girl thought for a while & like a brave soldier, went after it again. This time the energy was high & so was the confidence. For the first time in those few minutes, the little girls’ face showed a glimpse of sadness & mine too.

I was very keen to know what will be her next move. Appa, idanna neene olagade idu, nange aagta illa (daddy, you keep this inside, am not able to keep it) She said these to her father. There was so much innocence in her words which made her father smile & he hugged her in his arms.

There are moments when you feel let down & there are moments like this, which makes your heart jump in joy & inspire you to be happy & smile.

Inspiration !!!

Inspiration is perhaps very much necessary to each one of us. We ourselves can truly inspire our-self. We know the person within us better than anyone else. Inspiring ourselves is the best one can do for the one self. I do speak to myself quite often, and i hope most of you too do, which is quite inspiring for me.

From a last couple of weeks, myself, good friend Ajeya & some of our colleagues are practicing for 5 kilometer Marathon coming up in December. We decided to run on the roads instead of using treadmills. It was all fun & indeed very stressful. When the stress gets the best out of you, we always tend to give up. Such was the scenario with me once. Half a kilometer to finish, i was grasping for breath. I was very much certain to stop at that point, even though the destination was in sight. Then i spoke to myself, regained my confidence & composure to complete the run.

I was very much excited when Ajeya expressed about the same feelings while we were discussing after our practice. He was true to say that the sighting of our destination helped us do our best. Hope to better our time during our next session.

Instead of searching for Inspiration elsewhere, we got to look into ourselves. If we can't find tranquility in ourselves, we can't find it anywhere.

Childhood

Do you cherish your childhood? Perhaps, the answer will be unhesitatingly yes, no matter you pose this question to anyone. Such is the treasure of one’s childhood, which never fails to bring a pleasant smile on your face. The abundant memories of your past will definitely cheer you up, even if you are in a pensive mood. As our lives evolve towards a better phase, as we grow old, we relive our glorious childhood through our kids or nephews or nieces.

my nephew & his friends

Having grown up as a kid more inclined towards sports, I always struggled in academics. Still struggling, I can say. Whenever my wonder kid nephew is around, I do remember my childhood. As a kid, I enjoyed a lot while gardening along with my brother & sister. My job was to water the plants & I always ended up drenched in water & mud. The memories are still fresh when we planted a banana tree in our garden. The preparation was quite interesting. I was six then.

I was very fond of the two boxes full of marbles, which were my brother’s hard earned collection. He used to make lot of toys out of clay. My favorite was a cart, which I used to pull around all the time, with a rope tied to it. Even the wheels were artistically made out of clay.

We were never short of pranks. Railway gate master had a tough time in containing our group of friends. It was a Sunday afternoon when he got hold of three of us, my brother, me & a friend. We used to keep the stones on the railway track, which ran parallel to our homes. Luckily, I did manage to slip away from his clutch & unfortunately my brother & our friend got some punishment from the old man.

During those days, going to school was the toughest time. My mother had to run behind to get me ready for school, almost every day. Mom still laughs remembering those days. Lunch time was filled more with lot of fun & play rather than what it was actually meant for. Annual day celebrations were the most eagerly awaited event for us. It meant lot of roaming around & no studies for a week or two. During one of those, I played the character of a tailor in the drama. Our teachers went through the herculean task of making us memorize our lines & to deliver them in order of appearance.

Those memories are an integral part of lives now. I always fantasize of getting my childhood back. I always wonder if I can go back to the same school, with the same bunch of friends. Time takes away the best & leaves you with a new set, which eventually turns out the best again. Couple of weeks back, I got an opportunity to visit Chitradurga along with my mom. I did visit my school where I completed my primary schooling. It was great to be back at the school, this time as a mere visitor.

my school

After my visit to the school, i did enjoy my early morning trip to the glorious fort of chitradurga. Have a look at some of the pictures. bye for now.

The glorious Chitradurga fort

Million Dollar Baby

I was asked to write a review of a movie, based on sports, for our company’s weekly magazine. The first name which occupied the thoughts in my mind was Million Dollar baby. I had watched it long back & was very much impressed with the story, the cast & especially Hillary Swank’s performance. The way she enacts as a boxer, actually resembles a professional.Luckily, I got another reason to watch this movie again.

Million Dollar Baby is all about a woman’s determination. It’s about a 31 year old Margaret Fitzgerald (Maggie), an aspiring boxer, chasing her dream to win the boxing title. Her ambition, her focused approach ends up in convincing Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), a brilliant coach, to take Maggie as a trainee. Frankie, who initially refuses to train Maggie only because she is a woman, gives in to the reluctant Maggie. Frankie turns her down by saying “Girlie ain’t tough enough”, when approached for the first time.



The movie is well directed by Clint Eastwood himself. The story revolves around the lives of Frankie & Maggie. Frankie is an excellent trainer but is not appreciated enough by his colleagues & his own daughter. On the other hand, Maggie, brilliantly played by Hillary Swank saves every penny she earns to fulfill her dream. Through this journey, both develop a strong father‐daughter bond. Frankie nicknames her with an Irish word ‘mo cuishele’.


With excellent training that she receives, Maggie wins every boxing match by knocking down the opponent in the first round itself. “Boxing is about the respect, get that for yourself & take it away from the other guy”, are the words narrated by Morgan Freeman, who plays the character of Eddie Dupris, Frankie’s friend & also the caretaker of the gym hit pit. Tragedy strikes when Maggie is about to cherish her dream, she is injured in a fatal accident during a match. Maggie never recovers from this trauma. Frankie tries his best to get her proper treatment. The family condition worsens Maggie’s health. The meaning of the nickname is revealed only at the end that translates to “My darling, my blood”.


Million Dollar Baby is worth watching. Let me end this preview with some of the best narrations from the movie –
“Boxing is an unnatural act. Everything in Boxing is backwards. Sometimes best way to deliver a punch is step back! But step back too far, you ain’t fighting at all.”
“If there is magic in boxing, it’s the magic of hiring battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, erupted kidneys. It’s the magic of risking everything for a dream which nobody sees but you.”

The care !!!

It was one of the articles from my mentor, Ajeya, which prompted me to observe people around me. Perhaps, I did observe even before I came across his post, but not as keen as to write about the interesting things which happen around me. This post is about one such experience which I witnessed recently.

It was around 9 PM, I was returning home in a city bus. I had been to visit my ailing cousin brother at Jayadeva Cardiac hospital, located in Jayanagar (Bangalore). Bus was less crowded since it was a Saturday evening. I was seated near the window, looking at the busy Bangalore roads.

Two kids boarded the bus along with their mother. The woman sat in the first seat of the bus & was searching for money in her bag to buy the tickets. My curiosity turned towards the two young girls. Both of them wanted to enjoy the sight from the window seat.

At this moment I went into the flashback mode of my days as a kid {Not black & white era though :-)}. As kids, I hope every one of us waited for the vacations to arrive so that we get to travel to our loved grandma’s grandpa’s villages.

These two kids in the bus went & sat in two different seats, window seats of course, behind where their mother was seated. I think the little girl was about eight years old, around two or three years younger to the other.

The younger girl looked worried. She was repeatedly looking at her elder sister, with a kind of hesitation on her face. I don’t know why but she reminded me of my days as a younger sibling in our family. On the other side, the elder girl was enjoying her journey in the bus, on her window seat. A few minutes later, she sent out a code worded stare at her younger sister, which was well enough for the young girl to promptly take a seat besides her sister.

Disappointment loomed large over the young girl’s face as she missed the jolly ride from the window seat, though her sister tried to pacify by showing her a few things outside the window. Their mother was quite relieved after looking at her daughters seated comfortable & perhaps also the responsibility shown by the elder one.

Sometimes i feel that,at times the boundaries drawn in the name of care can be relaxed. Having said that, i hope every one of us cherish the wonderful memories spent with our brothers & sisters.

With a pleasant smile on face, i got down from the bus at Banashankari.

May I dedicate this post to all the younger siblings? Just kidding.

PS - I usually find it difficult to keep a title for my posts.

The last Seat

Alarm tone at 5 AM & the thought of missing the bus, took me off the bed, & out my sweet Sunday sleep, in a flash. I was returning from my Aunt’s home in Hindupur (Part of Andhra Pradesh, around 3 hours drive from Namma Bengaluru). Bus was about to leave when I ran in to catch it. I was cursing myself to have reached late, which eventually resulted in getting the last seat available (luckily). Literally it was the last seat at the rear end of the bus. ‘This is perhaps going to be a tough, humpy-bumpy ride all the way’ I mused, imagining the three hour journey through the rough roads ahead.

I tried to convince and indulge myself in the lush green view along the roads, but the pot holes made sure to divert my attention towards cursing myself, for having reached late & getting the last seat :-(. I was seated right next to the rear door. Bus conductor & his subordinate were taking rest at the foot-board. Most interestingly, the bus conductor was anxiously reading what his Horoscope, Aries, had to offer for the day in the Sunday herald.

The bus had covered half of its scheduled morning trip as it approached a steep hill. All of a sudden there was a sense of emergency among the bus crew. Main conductor asked his helper to get some packets out of the luggage compartment. They started to make small pieces out of the big bread buns they had in around five to six hand bags. Each bag had about ten to twelve buns. By this time, driver started to honk, though the roads were very much clear. I felt there was something unusual happening.

I started wondering what was going on. Their urgency & my curiosity increased, which prompted me to help them in getting the buns into small pieces. The bus driver started to honk even more, as if to pull someone’s attention towards him or his bus.

Now, the conductor sitting on the foot-board started to throw handful of buns on to the road. My guess was on target. Those guys wanted to feed some kind of animals. Few moments passed, no one turned near the slow moving bus. Honking got intense and the conductor started throwing more bread out on the road. I was getting very eager by this time. ‘okka vachindi..okka vachindi’ (Telugu – One has come..One has come) shouted the guy who was sitting with the conductor, on seeing a crow approaching the bus.

I peeped out of the window to see a crow flying down, at its best speed, to grab the small pieces of bun on the road. The bus crew was all smiling upon seeing the crow. They started throwing all the bread they had. In a few seconds, a huge herd of crows had gathered to have their breakfast. The sky was filled with the black crows. Amazing isn’t it? I had never seen such thing before. A couple of monkeys also joined to get their share of breakfast. Missed my camera to capture these moments.

I had no one but myself to thank for having got the last seat in that bus. Otherwise I would have missed such a true picture of humanity. They are doing it each and every day from the last one year or so. God bless them.
I did enjoy the rest of my journey :-). Perhaps, Its the Joy of sharing.