Rahul Writes

I iron my own clothes. It saves lots of time and hassles for me. Today when I was ironing my shirt, I noticed how it worked. The shirt I picked up was clean and dried. But merely being clean didn’t matter – it had to be wrinkle free. When I ironed it, it eliminated all its wrinkles and made it appear perfect. But the process of ironing may not be very pleasant for the cloth. After all, it would heat the fabric, and then rubbed on the surface to give that perfect touch. This made me think: the process to attain perfection is almost always through some unpleasant experiences or challenges. It is also reflected in the oft repeated anecdote: gold attains purity only by getting melted in a furnace… 

I kept watching the hot press move, the wrinkles vanish and my shirt becoming wearable… The difficulties and challenges in our life making us and our approach closer towards perfection… 

- Rahul

I still clearly remember the day my grandfather had died. I was in high school at that time. For about a week he was hospitalized in a different city. We used to get updates by phone. Father and uncles were with him. Almost whole of the extended family had gathered in his house and we waited everyday for some good news. But that day we woke up into a morning which was so very different. Grandfather’s body was brought back. They had just arrived and he was still inside the car.  

Though I woke up because of the noise, I still remained in bed. I had sensed what had happened, but I didn’t know what to do. Then I heard someone sobbing. I thought it was inappropriate for me to remain in bed and hence I came out. The person sobbing was my elder sister! I was shocked. I and my sis had grown up fighting and competing for everything, as there was a difference of only 2 years between us. And I used to consider her stone-hearted (because many times she beat me up bitterly). I was so shocked that she was sobbing.  

When I went downstairs, I saw my cousins (brothers). One asked me if I had cried. In a sorry state, I said no, because I was too awkward at the moment to cry. I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know what to say. But I didn’t feel like crying for sure. He said that it seemed so, seeing my eyes. I said it was because of (lack of) sleep. I saw my cousins even smiling – perhaps they were happy to see us and to come to grandpa’s house after a long time. But my sister had cried.  

For a long time, may be even today, I feel sorry that I couldn’t cry that day. My ‘stone hearted’ sis had cried – and perhaps I felt outcompeted. Did that make her better grandchild than me? I don’t know. But she had a heart…  

Part of it was also because of our age: I was younger than my sis, and my cousins were younger than me. But I also realized how different boys and girls were… Even now I can see my tough sister sobbing. And my cousin bros smiling. And I, not knowing what to feel… Are men from Mars and women from Venus?  

- Rahul

I have been married for some months now. It’s natural that I also think I have learnt quite some lessons out of it. That boys and girls thought differently, I had read about in the books long time back; it’s the extent which holds my surprise now. That was to begin with. Some days ago, I reached a realization. If selfless service brings us near to the divine, which I do believe in, women would reach there much faster. In fact, on this front I think only they have a chance. 

How many times do we men do something for them, just for them, without any intent to get something back in life? Many times we do something to satisfy our own ego – to appear as good husbands. Many a time we do things because such good behavior is expected out of us. But how many times in a day does a woman do something entirely selflessly for her man? I think, as many times as there are moments in a day…  

The realization makes us salute the womanhood… 

- Rahul

Our office celebrated the Republic Day one day before actual 26^th of January. Many games and events were carried out for us in the office. A part of the contests was a drawing competition. All of us made drawings on any of the three themes given to us. The idea was to take us back to our childhood days when we took part in similar competitions and won prizes. Colleagues used pencil, sketch pens and crayon – or whatever they got. At the end of the day, all the drawings were put on the wall and three best drawings got prizes.  

If one gave one look at the drawings, one would not be able to correctly guess the actual age of the artists. All drawings looked like those made by children in the age group of 10-15. Even the selection of themes in general was like those of the children, barring a few exceptions. The picture elements – the huts, the river and mountains, as well as the use of colours, and the art in general – all were exactly like those from the juvenile. Noting that, I made an interesting observation.  

When we grow up; its not that each aspect of our personality grows up in the same proportion. That is why children are better than the grownups in many respects. And that is why all of us still remain kids, no matter how old we become. The Drawing competition painted this clear message for us.  

- Rahul

I had developed a boil on the skin of my leg. Within some days, it grew big and became painful. I consulted a doctor and started medication, but for initial days there was no respite. I had decided not to buy the pain-killer as was prescribed due to fear of side reactions. The boil was in no mood to give me any peace; and it pained all the day. Some puss came out initially; later on blood was all that I saw around. I didn’t tell anyone in the office about my illness. It was business as usual for others; but for me it was as if I saw every moment passing by. 

I was in a meeting and we were discussing things. I was as usual at exterior and no one knew what pain I felt within. Suddenly it occurred to me if I could be sure that I was the only one in such a situation?  

Everyday, we meet and interact with dozens of people. Some of them would be friendly, some others not so much. Some would be courteous, some others a bit rude. But many of them would be in a similar situation as I was in at the moment. May be, many of them would also be suffering from some illness which they won’t have told us about. Many others would have some problems and worries in their minds, which we would never know. Therefore, if we don’t find someone at his/her best or courteous enough, we should not judge one at sight.  

We can’t see the whole truth. We can’t see what lies behind a face. Therefore, we should not conclude.  

- Rahul

One day, our office witnessed a high drama because someone fell down! But there was a very useful lesson in the end…  

The time was just before lunch. There was a new person who was working since morning in a glass chamber near my cubicle. I had recently joined the company and didn’t know who he was. Just before lunch, there was a huge commotion near his cabin. When I went there, I found a group of people looking down at a point on the floor. I went in and saw it was the same gentleman, fallen down flat and apparently unconscious! I guessed a heart attack and asked to contact the control room for help. Suddenly, the peon entered the scene in haste and banged his head on the glass door – he had missed to see the transparent but visible door despite crossing it every day! It was a loud big-bang which later left its mark on his face in the form of a big swelling on the forehead. By this time people had made a discovery – there as a moveable chair which was lying broken!  

Moving ahead, colleagues helped the fallen man on his feet. The man was huge – obese to be honest - and in his 50s. His age should generate some sympathy, if his situation was not enough to. The first thing he did after getting up was to say, “I have fallen like this (breaking a chair) for the first time in my life!” His statement appeared to be an explanation in the light of his weight! The high drama continued. He started sobbing, at the apparent ‘insult’ of having fallen down flat breaking a strong chair! Someone proposed and others obeyed – he was given a ‘pain-killer’ tablet. Someone else made the pantry-guy console him with two gulab-jamuns! It was not enough. People from other floors and divisions started pouring in to see the ‘accident’ scene by their own eyes! (People now days have perhaps lost either trust or patience or may be both!)  

When I went for the lunch, another colleague asked me, “Rahul, why did you made the guy fell down”? I smiled and said I had done nothing (even nothing to help him). Next, I heard a huge laughter from another corner. Someone had asked another colleague the same question and he had replied with, “Gire hue ko kaun girayega?” (Who will make a ‘fallen-guy’ fall?) I couldn’t understand the joke! But the laughter it had generated had made me amused! How could they laugh at the poor fallen-guy in his mid-50s? I couldn’t understand it! Until it was close of office hours, when I got to know who the fallen-guy was.  

The guy worked (for too many years) in the administration department and was a devil in the eyes of the employees for his unaccommodating nature. He would often harass them for small mistakes and would not try even a bit to help them. He enjoyed his position as a matter of prestige and since he was in admin he got too many opportunities to throw his weight around. It was because of this reason that no one really felt bad for him when he had fallen down. And hence the joke, “Who can make a ‘fallen-guy’ fell down”?  

His ego of being ‘higher’ than the rest resulted in him getting into such an insulting ‘fallen’ position!  

- Rahul

Jaisa Karoge – Waisa Bharoge: As you sow so will you reap. All of us have heard this saying. Some days back I saw it happening in front of my eyes.  

I was travelling to a locality which was not known to me. I had taken an auto-rickshaw. To my surprise that auto-driver was highly uncooperative (as an exception to the extremely helpful Mumbai auto-wallahs). He was rude, non-responsive to queries and even pretended to be in half-sleep. Before getting into his rickshaw I had asked him about the place and he had nodded in affirmation. But after reaching nearby that place he showed complete ignorance to the place and the lanes. I needed to stop him and get down many times to ask for a proper way to reach. I was angry at his apathy and laziness. It was then that a traffic-policeman stopped him and took him away. When he returned back he told that he had crossed a red light in haste and hence was panelised with a bribe of Rs 100. 

Reaching nearby my destination, I got down and left after paying him the basic fare. He complained about his loss of revenues due to the penalty – apparently hoping that I would help him with some tip. After having that kind of experience with him, the tip was hard to come by.  

His lazy and inattentive attitude not only resulted in him getting penalised by a fine, but it also put me off to help him in anyway. Indeed that was an example of Instant Karma in action.  

- Rahul

How negative attitudes like greed are self-defeating can be seen in one of my recent experiences.  

One of my friends was stuck up in his job and was eagerly looking out for a change. I helped him with fixing an interview with one of my previous employers. I was sure that he would get through and I assured him of a positive result in order to boost him up. Now when this guy saw something coming up to him, he showed some hidden traits. First, he increased his ‘expected salary’ to a level to match ‘my’ own present salary (perhaps showing envy to me). While doing this, he forgot that his educational/professional credentials never matched mine and hence his expectation was unjustified. Secondly, he cooked up his present salary to a very high level in order to justify the demanded jump. When I heard what he salary he had demanded in the interview, I was disappointed because I knew the company could never afford this salary for the open position. The result: even after renegotiating for several months, he didn’t get selected. And he has not got any further opportunities so far. The lost opportunity costed him dearly, and he was left in a frustrating condition. And after this experience I too would never help him again.  

If only he could have been realistic – which was possible only if he didn’t possess greed – today he would be in a much contented position. 

- Rahul

(Life V3)

Help

While I was walking towards home, I saw two small kids coming from the opposite direction. When we got nearer, I saw that the younger of the two had stopped and was looking at me. He would be of around 3, a very lovely young boy, may be from some nearby area When I asked what had happened, he said something while raising and giving his arm to me. I got to know that he wanted me to help him cross the road. I held his hand and made him cross the road. When he successfully crossed the road, he said something in his child's language to the other kid on the other side of the road. (May be they had quarreled and the other elder kid had declined to help him cross the road)

It was interesting to see how easily the kid asked for help. He didn't have any ego, nor did he fear the possibility of being rejected. He also knew it well that there was danger in crossing the road by himself and hence he chose asked for help.

How many times, when faced with a problem, we tend to make it tough by choosing not to ask for a help. If we try on our own, we may be hurt or may end up doing a mistake, or some times we would ask for a help too late We also have fear of rejection, and the worse thing is that our fear is not wrong: we grown ups carry our egos with us.

Still, our life would be much better if we ask for help when required The basic premise is that all of us can't be good in all respects and hence all of us would benefit if we help each other out in our areas of expertise

But no help would come, if we don't ask for it

(Rahul)

(Life V3)

Travelogue and More

Last two weeks I had to make very frequent business trips along with some colleagues. Gujarat, Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Himachal, Hyderabad, Chennai, the list includes many places where I had not visited anytime before. The trips were short, of around one day each and we flew as a means of travel. I would mention about two of them.

I particularly liked Chandigarh: I never thought it would be as beautiful as it is. It's the most well organized and the cleanest Indian city I have ever visited (the competition would be from Tata controlled area of Jameshedpur). Planned housing complexes, wide and very clean roads, not so crowded public places, good restaurants, and much greenery around: it's easy to fell in love with the city. Though I wish I I could have got real feel of life in longer stay. Then the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad were the other revelations. The International Airport at Shamshabad was simply splendid ' the best in India where I have landed in. The roads from airport the city are laden with so many colorful flowers at the center and at both sides: it's a delight to travel through them. Though the city is old and not so much developed like Mumbai, I was told that barring some areas the cost of living is very 'comfortable' here. And yes, I too enjoyed the tasty Hyderabadi Biryani at one of the famous restaurants called Praradise

Here is one snap of the new Airport:

And here, we get a glimpse of the road leading from Airport to the city:

On way back to Mumbai, we heard the news that MNS had gotten into a pitted battle with Abu Azmi and the so called 'North Indian' Samajwadi Party. One of our colleagues was a Maharashtrian who had voted for MNS during the last elections. We started talking about the incident while reading about it in the newspaper. I asked what is the use of such tactics and violence in the name of a language. When no one stops someone from speaking in Marathi then why should some other stop others from speaking in Hindi? This guy had a different view: he said everyone should be forced to speak in Marathi and every MLA forced to take oath in the same language. And he said the city of Mumbai was too crowded and a separate city should be established at some distance and all 'outsiders' (whom he defined as people who came here not before 15 years ago) should be sent away to this new city. I was shocked to see this kind of regional chauvinist and apathetic view as he displayed towards his fellow beings.

The company where both of us work has a pan-India presence: it would lose out in a day if it was forced to keep all its facilities and offices within Maharashtra. The owner of our company is a Parsi ' Parsis in strictest of the term ' were not originally even from India, leave the states like Maharashtra. Many of us, whom my friend wants to shunt out to some other city in hoards, are better qualified and hold better degrees because we have taken education and have worked in diverse locations rather than confining ourselves within one state/city. And yet, it is ugly apathy if he thinks the so called 'outsider' Indians should be dispatched to some other city or sent back to their hometowns.

It seems the root cause of this kind of regional chauvinism is when they see someone who is better than them. Each job that they lose, and each argument too, to a person who is not born Marathi, is testimony to the fact that they should come out of their holes and open up. But it is unfortunate that such regional and linguistic chauvinists take a self-defeating position of 'hating' and 'hitting' at those who are better than them, rather than developing themselves to be able to compete with them. And what to say about the politicians who make their money converting the regional feelings of such individuals into votes.

From Chandigarh to Chennai, India is one. But many of us have still not learnt this basic lesson even though we enjoy the fruits of our freedom and nationhood. Even Biryani would taste dull if there are no varieties of ingredients and spices added in it.

(Rahul)

(Life V3)

Goodness in everything Bad

We were having our lunch in between a long presentation to a client. The top most executive in our company was there with us, along with a senior person from the client's side. They started talking about GST (Goods and Services Tax) that is planned to be implemented from April 2010. The talk turned out into praise for the Prime Minister who has taken the initiative to implement it. I kept listening to the interesting conversation. They seemed to be in a good mood ' as they started praising Congress party for having leaders like Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram, Pranab Mukherjee and others who are very good in economics and finance. Sensing that he was praising INC, the other person tried a trick. He said that the BJP didn't have such leaders! Now I was uncomfortable ' as the talk had turned out to be a free-ki-publicity for Congress! But I was surprised at what followed this remark.

He said he disagreed! He said that Atal Bihari Vajpayee was such a learned man and so highly qualified for the post! Then he mentioned names like Arun Shourie, Pramod Mahajan and the likes and said the BJP government in the center didn't have any dearth of highly qualified and experienced ministers! Next, he said let us take Naredra Modi for example. Narendra Modi has changed the fortune of Gujarat: just look at the Gujarat that was before he took over and what he made out of it in his term in the chair. He said if we are strictly looking from the moral point of view (on post-Godhra riots cases), we can think that he is not a good man: but no one can dispute that he is a brilliant and exceptional leader! I said wow! But, next, he said that he thought that Narendra Modi in his second term was not the same as the one in his first term: he had done much better and much more in his first term in the office.

The entire conversation made me open up my eyes. How often, we rush to take up either of the sides: either we support Congress blindly, or we support the BJP in whatever it does. Either we support the USA in all its actions or we support the Muslim world (Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, etc) and would even support their wrong deeds. At this point, I remember what was said once about Manmohan Singh: "He is a right guy in a wrong party".

What I learnt from this conversation was that we should have the heart to accept good things in all people and all parties. And we should be able to criticize wrong things, no matter from which quarter it comes. This is called a 'balanced' view. The top guy in our company must have learnt it on his way to the top We should get it right too.

(Rahul)

(Life V3) (Personal)

Learning curve is not a straight line!

I think I am still growing up. And who can really grow up without going through the best and the worst of it? Somewhere on the line, I developed a very scary image of two sets of people: Keralites and Christians. And for me, these two sets overlapped to a large extent. And a weird part is that all this happened due to Rediff iLand. Before I made it my virtual home, I had only known our Keralite professor of chemical engineering, whom I revered as a role model. From Christians, I had one of my best friends and colleagues at my work place. Unfortunately, some things happened and my whole impression of them changed. Our core philosophies of life contradicted; I felt they treated their region and religion above the basic human relationships we shared; and I felt that they where emotionless and hardhearted; and the worst part: I generalised this to make such an impression of all Keralites and/or Christians.

Today we celebrated Traditional Day in our office. We went to office in traditional attires like Kurta and Saree, and all varieties of these. She had come to office in a Kerala attire. She had put on a cream white nice saree and lots of jewellery! While our group was having lunch together, I saw her jewellery and complimented her for those. I asked what those were, why those where like those, and if those were artificial ones. She said they were indeed artificial ones and costed only Rs 100. Understanding that I was fascinated with them, she said she can buy it for me if I like to have them. I asked her to buy me a set; I will gift it to my mother. And if mother finds them too flashy, I will give it to my sister. She promised to buy me better ones which have recently come to the shop! :) So nice :)

When I had joined my office, and got to know her, the first question that came to my mind after knowing her name was: she must be a Keralite! And is she a Christian? Her name indicated the first, but the second was not to be sure. When Onam came, all of us went to the Malayali speciality restaurant of her choice and had a Kerala lunch. They had served many kinds of food items and we kept asking her what those things were called. It was all vegetarian food. There is another Christian lady in our office whose attitude is slightly showy. She asked her if they would serve non-veg food too? Now my friend looked at her gently and replied: "This is considered to be a Brahmin's food This won't contain any non-veg!" I wished I could gift her some million jewels ' she loves Hindu culture despite being a Keralite and despite having a name which suspected her of being a Christian! Later on, my doubts got confirmed ' she was indeed a Christian. I was disappointed :) Her voice still echoes in my ears ' "This is a Brahmin's food in Kerala! This won't contain anything non-veg!" My respect for her had grown ten folds that afternoon. Well, ok, I was disappointed that she was a Christian. If she had shown some hatefulness towards Hindu culture or if she had ridiculed some North Indians, I won't have been disappointed: those would have only confirmed my scary impressions towards Keralites and Christians. But she was so much like me! And this was about to challenge the scary impressions in my mind. I say 'scary' and not 'negative' because honestly, and due to my experiences with them (on iLand), the first feeling when I come across any Keralite and/or a Christian would be a scary feeling! I would expect them of being hateful and ridiculing towards Hindus and Hinduism and I would be scared like a kid! But my state of wonderment ended soon

One lunch, we were talking about Bengali culture and customs. We have a very jolly Bengali colleague with us who keeps remembering Kolkata, keeps bringing potatoes in his lunch, and keeps miss-pronouncing some words ' and we love him for each of these! :) Suddenly, she told us innocently ' "My grandfather was a Bengali who converted to Christianity " Shocking? Weird? Misplaced? Or SCARY? :)

Now the whole picture rotated in front of my eyes. The British had their capital in Calcutta and the Bengali bhadra manus had taken up many jobs in the government, becoming sarkari babus. Why did her grandfather convert to Christianity? I thought he would have done so to impress his master and gora senior and to gain his favour to get some promotions in his job. Or may be some of his Gora Sahebs asked him to convert. Or may be some Christian missionaries in Kolkata ' and they are plenty of them there ' brainwashed him. Or was it that he fell in love with a lady from Kerala who was a Christian and hence he converted to impress her? This conversion was not necessary to impress her as such ' so I wondered: was the lady very rich and this guy wanted to get her at any cost and hence converted to her faith to gain acceptance of her parents? All options were negative and scary :) Whatever be the exact reason, it would definitely be in the negative side

So she was a Christian ' but it was because her one Hindu forefather decided to convert to Christianity. She was from Kerala ' but it was because her Bengali grandfather chose to bring up his children that way. Now I didn't know what happens to my initial 'logical', 'clear' and 'conclusive' way of looking at things. Now I couldn't blame her for being a Christian or I couldn't think she was a Keralite; her grandfather changed his family's fate and future by his one action and she was not responsible for the things she had to pick up from her community and religion. After realising this, my judgemental attitude towards what she was and my logical way of looking why people are like the way they are got derailed. Now when I remember her ' I remember her as a very nice woman, who loves Indian culture and appreciates good things in Hindus; who wears beautiful glittering bangles some times, and who will buy better ones for my mother :) Who cares, if she was a Keralite or a Christian? :)

But I wish all of them were like she is

(Rahul)

(Life V3) (Personal)

Lessons from the lost Egg

My new roommate had a weird habit. While sleeping or while awake, he would make certain kinds of noises. His most favourite was also one of the most basic ones: he would keep saying "Ma" or "Mago" aloud. And it was a nuisance for my sleep to be broken sometimes at 5 in the morning or sometimes 5 times in 10 minutes anytime in the day. A friend told me the reason. Since the guy was a Bengali, he remembered Goddess Kali all the time and hence his expression should be na�ve for me. I was not convinced as such. Once I objected to his habit and he looked at me as if I had done a crime. At another occasion I heard him explaining to someone on phone: "When a baby is born, its first sound is Ma." He was surely inspired by mothers Little did I know that just in two weeks his trust on Mother would be tested like this

It so happened that pigeons started entering our room from our window. Many times we would be asleep while the pigeons would come inside and start wandering here and there. He used to get irritated a lot and he would drive them out and close the windows. Some days back I wondered why the pigeons would always try to get on the top of an almirah. I checked the top of the almirah and found something surprising ' an egg! A pigeon had laid an egg over the almirah. Having realised this, I requested him to let the mother bird come inside some times to take care of the egg. He didn't agree.

His reason was practical ' pigeons would make the room dirty. I read some articles about pigeons. I came to realise that baby birds come out of eggs in 17 days and if the temperature is high and ideal, they may come out in two weeks too. I didn't know how old the baby bird inside the egg was. I read that if a pigeon couldn't take care of the egg, the baby inside the egg would die and then the mother pigeon would abandon the egg and move on. I requested him to at least allow the bird to come in for half an hour everyday, otherwise the baby would die! He being a Bengali who ate chicken-curry every night and boiled eggs every morning (perhaps to compensate for fish), I knew he would have little sympathy for an egg. I told him that it was in fact our fault that the bird had been able to lay egg in our room; and now that it had already happened we should allow her in for some more days until the baby comes out! But he said that he would ask the owner of the house to throw away the egg and the pigeon But I thought I could win his kindness by logic

For two days, mother bird would come to meet her egg in the morning. She would sit there without making any noise. As per the instruction of my roommate, I would drive her out and close the window at 9 AM before I went to office. Last night I saw that the mother bird had come back to the window at 10 PM! I silently allowed her to go over to the almirah. She didn't make any noises and went straight to her egg and sat over there. In the morning when I got up, I found her still sitting there! I was happy ' the baby would have got enough care all through the night. My friend, who had not seen the bird coming, thought that she had come in the morning. As per our routine ' I sent her out at 9 AM, closed the window and went to office. Little did I know what he had in his mind. Before I left I also tried to guide him to show some compassion. I told him in short how this bird was one of the most selfless creatures on earth. Unlike us humans who take care of children who grow up and then in return take care of us in the old age, once her baby birds would learn to fly and eat, they would go far away and mother bird won't gain anything personal for her. This is the most selfless and unattached karma that the mother bird was doing ' as Lord Krishna had asked us to do so. He asked what the benefit of the baby birds was. I said they help in ensuring the ecological balance ' as they eat up insects and help spread the seeds of trees too. Sounded like childhood lessons. While going to office, I called up my sister and told her about the wellbeing of the pigeon ' I was doing this for some days

I kept dreaming of the day when the baby pigeon would come out of the egg and mother bird would take her away. I wished it happened on Vijaya Dashmi. I was also confident that no harm would be done to her. Weekend and holidays were coming and I planned to protect her as I would remain in home in the day time too. Life had got a mission ' a dream ' of having a baby bird in my house

But when I came back home this evening, I realised my dream had been trashed in the kitchen's dustbin. Roommate had informed the owner who got the top of the almirah cleaned up. I saw my pigeon's broken nest in the kitchen's dustbin

This was the guy who kept remembering Ma ' Mother - all through the day. And how conveniently he chose to forget that the pigeon was a mother too! I didn't expect him to be a messiah, but the bird had already laid her egg ' all we needed was a few days of patience! But he didn't have a heart to allow her this pleasure of a mother

While all other animals harm others because of their nature rather than having any feeling of right or wrong, we humans are perhaps the most evil beings in this world because we do wrong things while being aware about it. Conscience has never been a burden like this for human beings

While my dream was shattered and the end of baby bird left me in pain, I also realise how we humans should also aim at the stage of unattachment that the birds practice. Nishkam Karma, as Krishna asked us to do and as Mother Bird practices, required me to try my best to protect the baby bird without the end result in my mind. There is no other saviour in this world apart from Bhagwan Himself and if I tried my best to protect the baby bird, I did my Karma. If I now let myself get attached to the bird and her egg, I would hurt myself. Perhaps this is why birds are always happy ' they lay eggs, care for them, teach them to eat and fly, and then move away ' this is what is called Nishkam Karma ' Unattached Work

The difference between a bird and a human is that a bird does all things out of her nature without thinking about how and why she does those. But we humans can think and prioritise ' and hence get options to make choice at each step in our life. I had also got an option not to care for the bird's safety, and my friend had also a choice of letting the bird come alive out of the egg ' and we made difference choices

Only we are responsible for the choices we make and we have always two choices all the time. I hope you would choose to care.

(Rahul)

(Life V3) (Personal)

Want to be like them?

Last evening it had rained abruptly and most of us came back home a little wet. Some of us who lived nearby got fully drenched because we took the chance of walking in the rains. Those who lived a far away were luckier. But not all of them

Today while we exchanged morning greetings waiting for the elevator, one of our colleagues had an interesting story to tell. Last evening he had gone out in the rains but had to stop by the nearby road seeing the ferocity of the rains. He works in middle management and commutes in a scooter. While he stopped there, he saw many of our senior management colleagues leaving for their homes in their cars. This poor chap expected them to stop and give him a lift. But he was shocked to see that one after the other; they kept fleeing without any of them stopping for him! He is a popular figure in the office because of his humorous nature and his head is totally bald, so people won't do mistakes in recognizing him. The matter was of status-consciousness.

While all of us laughed with a clear heart at his miserable condition :), we saw him changing now. May be it was the elevator which had made him feel light, or the comfort of privacy inside six surfaces. He declared: "I have made a vow that I will also buy a car like those senior managers and I then I will also equal to them!"

Nothing wrong in this, but from somewhere, one colleague asked a question: "And when you will become like them, will you also become like them?"

In the chaos of we getting out to get to our respective cubicles ' there was a silence

How often, in the over enthusiasm to compete with and leave behind the bad guys, we ourselves become just like them?

(Rahul)

(Life V3) (Personal)

Wave like a kid does!

The bus had stopped at a traffic signal. I gave a casual glance outside the window. There was something special in that black car! A young kid of around 2 was waving at the bus! I tried to read him and found he was looking at someone in the front seats. He kept waving his hands with a cute chuckle. I moved and tried to find the person he was waiving at. I found it was another kid in the bus! As time passed, the kiddo in the car looked harder and harder as if trying to recognise this boy and he kept waiving and waving his hand. The boy in the bus was slightly older, may be of around 5. This boy was also waiving at the other kiddo, this was the kids' way to say hi to each others, and these two kids were perhaps in another world!

The cute kid in the car was from a well-to-do family. He was in the pink of comfort along with his parents in the car. The boy in the bus was also in his mother’s lap - but his and his mother’s looks told they were from an economically struggling family. But their personal rapport seemed very instant and natural. Indeed children know no economic or class divide - and these two kids proved that in front of my eyes… After a while the traffic started and the car zoomed away. The two kids kept waiving at each other until they lost their line of vision… I sat with moist eyes and a touched heart; while the poorer boy’s mother pulled him closer to herself. May be she had noticed him and wanted to divert his attention. (Will their mothers wave at each other like they did?) Indeed, children are unbiased and pure at heart

Now what if we, the adults, happen to be unbiased and pure at heart? People call us ' childish! I wonder if being childish is a bane or a virtue

This world will try to corrupt you. Stay childish.

And, wave like a kid does!

(Rahul)

(Life V3)

Accidental Findings .

Yesterday I witnessed an accident.

I was walking back to home along with another colleague. It was an after-office rush on the road and the road had become in bad condition after the rains. Suddenly we heard a huge sound of a crash. A motorbike rider had fallen and he scratched on the road along with his bike for about 70-80 feet. Behind him we also saw another young boy fallen on the ground along with his bicycle. It seemed the motorbike had accidentally collided with the bicycle moving in the same direction and both had lost balance. The motorbike rider had suffered a lot, so people rushed to see him.

The place was very near to a tea stall where a lot of boys and grownups also kept hanging on for smoking. At that time a group of layabout guys were hanging on there ' and naturally they came into action. I will call these guys as tapori guys ' because this is their best description in Mumbai :) These tapori guys picked up the motorbike wallah and made the bike stand. The guy seemed to be ok, as he stood up on his own. He was around 28, well educated and from a good family. His bike was the powerful Pulsar. By this time people had picked up the young boy and took him to the footpath. The boy was of around 12, good looking and chubby :) Now this boy had not suffered any visible injury as such. (May be this is because young children fall a lot but are flexible enough not to sustain serious injuries) But by that time the crowd had reached the size of around 50-60, and everyone was worried for this boy's safety, and hence he looked nervous. He sat down on the footpath while people worryingly crowded around him with worries. Someone asked to check his head for any injuries, while someone asked him to lie down. Some ladies stopped walking and reached out to see him. Now something strange and very touching happened.

The bike rider came to this side of the road, walked through the crowd to reach the young boy and checked his wellbeing. When he got confirmed that the boy was alright, he turned back to go to the other side of the road where his bike was standing. I watched in horror ' his jeans had tore off at his left knee - and his knee and the jeans around it were wet. I realised it should be blood By this time he felt pain each time he raised his left leg in order to walk . Everyone was busy with the young boy and almost no one was looking at this guy He walked to the other side of the road. Then he realised that he was in pain and couldn't ride his bike to the hospital. He waived for some auto-wallah to stop but there were none. Then a tapori guy who was very worried for him realised that time was critical. He started the bike and asked him to get on as the pillion rider. Then the guy and the tapori guy left on his bike for a hospital

Now when I look at the incident, what do I remember? The public had stopped their work to see them, while people believe Mumbai never stops. Then the guys whom I call tapori guys in fun, and we most often ignore them as good-for-nothings ' they were the ones who helped both the guys. And the most touching part was when the guy with injured leg walked up to reach to see the wellbeing of the young boy He should be a very nice person

If I think about it then the biker rider was without his helmet. Imagine something more serious could have happened than his injured leg. Then we also realise how unsafe it is to ride a bicycle in Mumbai. And the worst part is the condition of the roads. Barring some particular localities, roads in Mumbai are worse than many other smaller towns and cities.

Many a time we come to know of a person's real character at the time of crisis. By this incident I came to know about three people and their true characters ' the sensible and caring biker rider, the concerned and helping taporis, and the simple and kind Mumaikars

People are good

(Rahul)

(Life V3)

Or half lived dreams?