Day in Pictures !

Did you notice the 'Day in Pictures' slideshow in the new Hindu website ?

It is a collection of pics from different walks of life that is consolidated into a slideshow everyday.

Visit the Hindu homepage at : http://beta.thehindu.com/

Some of them are real good ones and I'm a regular visitor there !

...

Don't surrender your loneliness
So quickly.
Let it cut more deeply.
Let it ferment and season you
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can.

-Hafez, poet (1315-1390)

Courtesy : AWAD mail (9-Nov-09)

Scattered beads

I gathered the ones near by
To see the far off ones still rolling away
Let go the nearer ones
And stretched for the far off ones
To see both the nearer and farther moving away
Scattered beads ...!
Fading Memories ...!

An Interview

Check the below link for an interview with Nandhan Nilekani on UID project.

http://beta.thehindu.com/opinion/interview/article19518.ece

Awesome !

...

"God, grant me the serenity to take the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

A beautiful Prayer !

Spirit of Wipro run

I ran the Spirit of Wipro run this year- my first attempt at long distance running.

While in school, I used to run 1500 m race – but that was some 10 years back and the distance was comparatively less. The run was an eye-opener to me – it was a realization to me that I’m no longer an athlete! My expectation from myself is higher – much higher than what I’m actually capable of.
Have to be more realistic in life :)
But then, I felt happy that I could complete 4kms in 35 mins - not bad !

The run was truly refreshing (not forgetting the sore ankles and strained muscles).

More than 7000 people participated this year, of which around 3700 were in Bangalore. (Someone was telling that it is the biggest single-organization Marathon!) .

This years theme for the run was - Fun , Fitness and 'GO GREEN'.

P.S: Here is the link to an article that was published in the Sunday Magazine of ‘The Hindu’ few months back on long distance running.

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2009/05/03/stories/2009050350180600.htm

Child Labour

Children are the assets and hope of future and Childhood is the most important part of ones life. To be deprived of education at the early age when they are unable to understand the need or use of it is a crime that we as adults are doing to them. It is easy to sympathize with kids on seeing them clean the waste on the tables after you eat or to write articles to enlighten others on the issue but to do the little that we can to help them, requires a ‘resolve to act’ from each of us.

It was the smiling innocent face of a little kid at a Punjabi Dhaba near the office where we go for lunch that prompted me to write something on Childhood and Child Labour in our country. It was the second time that we went there for lunch and this little tot captures the attention of everyone who gets in there with his ‘Excuse Me’ plea when interrupted amidst his work of cleaning the tables that we dirty. The smile on his face is innocent truly oblivious of what he is losing.

Childhood is the most vibrant and important part of our life where we are gifted with the natural curiosity to know and learn, when the curve of learning has a whooping high slope. But sadly, children are the ones who are the most easily exploited.

I was forced to google on Free and Compulsory education guaranteed by our constitution to children below the age of fourteen; at least for the sake of understanding the loopholes in the system which has made the implementation of this guaranteed right a seemingly unrealizable dream. Here are few points that caught my attention.

. India has the dubious distinction of being the country with the largest number of child laborers. Statistics reveal that we have 17 million children working in agricultural, construction, household, manufacturing and various other forms of employment.

. The Supreme Court has already held in 1993, that citizens of India have a fundamental right to education up to 14 years of age. Undeniably, this right remains largely unimplemented.

. Socio-Cultural and Economic conditions of parents force them to send their children to work .

Karnataka now has a State Resource Centre on Child Labour. All individuals and civil society organizations interested to be part of the initiative may contact it. The Centre also plans to bring out a bimonthly e-journal on Child Labour, for which it welcomes contributions from development professionals.

Call Basavraj K, Deputy Coordinator of the State Resource Centre on 26531258 , 26531259 , 26531260 ( Extension number 152 ) for further details.

Time and tide......!

Time management is what I’ve been thinking for a long time now and is one thing that I think I’m really bad at. How much ever I try I end up hurrying at the 11th hour and making a fool out of myself many times (Not(e) that I’m not one otherwise…) anyhow!

What is prompting me to write this now (When I’m actually packed with a lot of tasks, being in office after a long weekend and my application is one that requires a lot of extra stuff on the start of the week- too many weekly reports and jobs to be run), is that I missed my bus for the nth time today in the last three months. However to keep my resolution to not miss my bus I hired an auto, chased the bus and got it 1.5 KMs off my bus stop ( also didn’t want to go back home and make my husband feel sorry for having married me - PJ intended ) Hope it clarifies how I make a fool of my self!.

This time around, I’m going to make a serious analysis of how I managed time to be late .

Yesterday was a holiday and I got ample time to set everything for a good start to a week. I was done with the cooking for dinner before 10 pm. And there was time till 10:30 before we had it. I could have chopped 1-2 onions for the kadla curry I made in the morning with Puttu…Not that I forgot , but brushed aside the idea thinking that I could chop it fresh and my curry would be tastier with the freshly chopped onions..(At least not a bad thought …)…My inclination to perfection to be blamed.

The alarm was prompt when it ran at 5 .But my hand pressed and snooze button without my consent. Maybe J was right when he asked me to set the alarm for 6. But then, I had so many things to do in the morning including the 30 minutes practice session for the ‘Spirit of Wipro run’ that I had planned. But when the alarm rang at 5 I felt that even if I get up by 5:30 I can squeeze in time for all that I planned. Over expectation and unrealistic plans to be blamed. (The practice session for SoW run started a month back and since then till date I’m only planning to practice – My Time Management to be blamed)

Alas! Sleep was sound henceforth and I did not know till 6:30 when I hurriedly got up and rushed to the kitchen. Baked Puttu and cooked kadla curry (half) before I woke J for making tea and mixing the cooked kadla and fried onions and masala.

Had a quick bath, dressed up, packed breakfast (though managed to have tea together) and rushed to the bus stop to find my white bus slowly fading away from sight…!!
Time and bus waits for no woman!

...

I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university. -Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate (1879-1955)

Ethnic Day !

Last Christmas..!!

A lazy day..!!

The day was bright in the slightly cold weather of early winter, another lazy end to a not so busy week. The desktop of my colleague was running slow due to a lower RAM size and I was looking for something to read on the net with nothing official at hand to work on .I offered him to use my desktop and slowly slipped out of the recently packed, with more unknown faces than known, offshore development center of my workplace.

The glimpse of the nature outside was soothing and I set out on a stroll. Though the greenery out was not natural, the warmth of sun seemed original. Slow paced I walked to the other building crossing the gate. All seemed busy and happy. I could hear talks in different tones and pitches around. Nothing seemed to amuse me not even the Malayalam conversation that I heard here and there.

Slowly I walked to the ‘Oxford Book House’ in the ground floor of the Centre Court. The store was relatively empty with only the bookkeeper in his seat. It was long since I went to a book store. I decided to spend some time there ‘window-shopping’. Shobha De’s ‘Spouse’ was the one that had me hooked first. Newly married, I could relate well to many of the topics that she narrated. Read two chapters and I kept the book for a later read. A collection of Calvin and Hobbes adventures was the next to catch my attention. A quick flipping of the pages enjoyed reading few of Calvin’s pranks and I decided to keep it back. A cursory glance at the technical books section “oops..not my cup of tea anymore”. I checked the time and I had spent close to two hours with books...

My colleague would have done with the daily check activities and it was time for me to walk back… I walked out of the book store when the Greeting Card session caught my attention. Just went through few cards.. “Best Wishes on the anniversary of your Job” – yes it was the day my husband completed 9 years in work. Thought I would buy it for him but then it seemed unlikely of me to buy a greeting card, so kept it back. Decided to send him a mail insteadJ.

I slowly walked towards my tower passing the lawn where there were few nests of birds which escaped my eyes for long. Peeped in to check if there were any birds or eggs. There was none.

By then, it started drizzling and I walked back to my seat – empty for some time now.

A lazy friday afternoon.!

As absurd as it can get..!!!

http://www.thehindu.com/2009/08/16/stories/2009081655361100.htm

63rd Year of Independence – are we really independent ?

“ The woods are lovely – dark and deep
But I’ve promises to keep
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”

- Robert Frost

If independence is about ending poverty, ignorance, diseases and inequality of opportunity or wiping the tears from the eyes of every Indian, we still have miles to go before we call India a truly independent nation. Sixty two years since we made the tryst with destiny and came out of the deep slumber of subjugation and slavery under foreign rule, we look back to find an ‘Emerging India’ that has made enormous economic and technological advancement –hotbed of the latest technologies and home to one of the largest technically trained workforce.

At the same time, it is highly disheartening that the progress we made is largely confined to a very small section of us. With more than 40% of Indians living below the international poverty line, there is a large cross section of our people for whom “a day’s meal” still poses the biggest question. The development that we made has largely been skewed with the rich becoming richer and the poor poorer as shown by the increasing Gini coefficient which measures income disparity. With a literacy rate of 65% we still have around 300 million illiterates which is more than the population at the time of independence. With an ever burgeoning one billion plus population we are striving to implement the numerous welfare policies conceived by the central and state governments alike. To add on to it is the red tapestry and corruption in the government and bureaucracy alike.

The national river linking project (NRLP) and unique identification (UID) number program are two such initiatives that once successfully implemented would solve many of the problems that confront us today. The NRLP is the largest water transfer project in the world and would help alleviate hunger and poverty in the agrarian Indian society. And UID would ensure that the benefits conceived by the government reach the targeted population.

Yes, it is true that the Indian sovereign is free to celebrate its national days, culture, multitude of languages and much talked about diversity but there are many millions among us for whom ‘independence’ is just another word in unknown jargon of the fortunate elite few and 'independence day' just another day with lots of tricolour fluttering around.

JAI HIND!

A Murmur in the Trees — to note —

A Murmur in the Trees — to note —
Not loud enough — for Wind —
A Star — not far enough to seek —
Nor near enough — to find —

A long — long Yellow — on the Lawn —
A Hubbub — as of feet —
Not audible — as Ours — to Us —
But dapperer — More Sweet —

A Hurrying Home of little Men
To Houses unperceived —
All this — and more — if I should tell —
Would never be believed —

Of Robins in the Trundle bed
How many I espy
Whose Nightgowns could not hide the Wings —
Although I heard them try —

But then I promised ne'er to tell —
How could I break My Word?
So go your Way — and I'll go Mine —
No fear you'll miss the Road.

Emily Dickinson

Good-By

By Ralph Waldo Emerson

" An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth " - Bonnie Friedman, author

Salma

Introducing Salma.Kindly excuse if you already know this forty plus year old Muslim Tamil poetess and activist. I came across her through the pages of last weeks Literary Magazine of The Hindu. There were two things about her that caught my attention and forced me to Google about her the next day in office . Firstly, pure and raw talent that has no background to boast of and secondly the topics of her literary work. Born to an orthodox Muslim family she was forced to drop out of school in ninth standard since her family considered that good girls would not go to school after a certain age. Married to a still more orthodox family she was forced to write in anonymity under her pen name Salma.But she was determined to give vent to her feelings in writings and refused to be subjugated. Her poems and novels dealt with women in general and muslim women in particular.

More about her at : http://india.poetryinternationalweb.org/piw_cms/cms/cms_module/index.php?obj_id=8126

Below is the translation of one of her poems :

LAKE
Its face dark from pining,
The lake lies placid and still

A few days ago,
Without a moment’s pause,
You had flungYour empty chalices;
andThe lake took them in
Without protest
Another day,
You rinsed your ashtray,
Draining the ash in its waters

Even yesterday,
Scorning our love
Gone sour, you had spat
Furiously on the water

At all odd hours — heedless
Of the time of day —
You had dumped your waste
And cleansed yourself

Today, recalling
None of this, you prepare
To slake your endless thirst
This is no river to carry away
Your effluents in its flow,
But a lake — placid and still

Water, gathered
In a stagnant pool,
Hoards all, losing nothing

...

" Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory "
- Albert Schweitzer

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,

be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly;

and listen to others,

even to the dull and the ignorant;

they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons;

they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,

you may become vain or bitter,

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,

for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;

many persons strive for high ideals,

and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love,

for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,

it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,

be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you,

no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,

whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,

in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

-- written by Max Ehrmann in the 1920s --

Happy Mother's day...!!!

With all due respect

Was just scanning through Sunday magazine of ‘The Hindu’ dated 26-Apr-09, when I was hooked at Vijay Nagaswami’s article ‘With all due respect’.
The article dealt with a train of thoughts that I have been thinking of lately- Respect and Love in a relationship. Any relationship whether it be those within a family, between friends or colleagues should have mutual respect as the foundation on which the relationship is to grow and flourish.
Including a link to the article:
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2009/04/26/stories/2009042650250600.htm

Words & Tears

Words,
You failed me
To sail to shores that
That I always did
When everything else failed me.

Wind is high
Wild and dry,
I should not fall
For, though alone
I have promises to keep
And tears have not failed me yet.

Tears,
You are still with me
I lest knew
You loved me so.
For I always fought with you to remain happy.

World Earth Day

Happy Earth Day...!!!
Let us resolve to keep it safe.

...

The only real thing in life is death..!

Or may be the only certain incident in life...!!!

Outside the US Consulate Chennai

Being asked to report at the Consulate half an hour ahead of the appointment time , I reached there at sharp one o’clock. There was a big Queue outside the consulate and had to stand in the scorching Madras heat for about half an hour before I could find myself in front of the huge gate. I was asked by the guard in front of the gate if I carried any electronic devices . I remembered the Mobile phone which had slipped into my handbag. He asked me to deposit it somewhere outside before I was allowed in. I enquired if there was any place where I could deposit it. He pointed to a policeman standing outside. I rushed to him worried if I will have to stand at the end of the queue. Though slightly hesitant he agreed to keep the phone and said that he would be there in front of the consulate till 8 at night .I thanked him wholeheartedly and rushed to the Gate.
After the procedures and formalities in the consulate it was almost 4’o clock by the time I could find my way out. On reaching outside the gate I searched for the policeman to whom I had given my phone. I located him standing some hundred meters away. I went near him to ask for the mobile phone. He took it out from a cover and said that I had to pay him hundred rupees for having kept it safe. Though the sense of justice inside me revolted against paying him , having received a favor I had to pay him .
Back in the office, I came to know from my friends that this has been happening with many and is not an isolated incident .

[ From my archives: The incident happened in Nov,2007 ]

Fathers

Days-1

Early years……..
Trying to recollect the initial four years of my life…..
Life spent at Kinginimattom…Kolencherry…
Early memories of my childhood…Nothing seems organized…just some scattered and vague pictures of the most beautiful part of my life….
Early years at the picturesque little village of Kinginimattom…the years that laid the foundation of love and peace in me….The years of innocence and ignorance…
“a peace loving little girl” is what my mother wrote about her little one to her colleague… this is the earliest comment I know about me….
I don’t remember my first day at school.. but do have some incidents at Anganvadi still clear in mind..candid and clear as if , if I stretch out my hands I can get hold of time to those days of mine..days I cherish the most…
Kuttan –my best childhood companion, Kunjumol kuttan’s younger sister,Edho..as I called another friend of mine ,Mary teacher, Appachan and Amma are the ones who come to my mind first when I think of those little days of mine.I don’t remember days before I joined Anganvadi…
Once I started going to school the routine was something like this…..
By the time I got up in the morning ..Pappa and Mummy would have already left for office. I would go straight from bed to Kuttan’s house which was only about 100 mts from mine. He would usually be in bed still …I would have to wake him up …almost everyday..for the morning stroll to Saramma chedathi’s house which my appachan didn’t approve of .. but we would go there daily…She loved kids and would daily give us something to eat .From there straight to Panikkan ‘s house which was on the other side of the untarred road which we were strictly prohibited to cross.
They also loved kids and would make me sing songs and tell me my name.
When asked to tell my name , I would tell “ Ari Mulla Muttu Muthu Unni Puthan vava Kunju unni kudukkasan” , this was the name my Pappa had put for me..he taught me one word each day and would add a new word to it every day..and ask me to tell them together…he felt it would help improve my memory…and the chechis there loved hearing me tell this name of mine…and I enjoyed being their pet….and so made it a point to be there every morning..
Both of us would run from there on hearing Amma call us…may be it is time for us to go to Anganvadi….I would be rushing back since our stroll to Saramma Chedathi’s house and Pannikan’s family was a secret that we shared, unless caught on our way back…Amma and Appachan thought that I would be at Kuttan’s house and Veliyammachi and Appachan , Kuttan’s parents , thought that we would be at my house…
Kuttan is my Grandfather’s elder brother’s grandson, which is my second cousin….
Kunjumol rarely joined us those days as she was smaller than us and preferred being at home.Kuttan and I made better friends
Back home it was getting ready for school…Amma had to play merry-go-round around the Jack fruit tree in front of our house to get me to brush my tooth and take bath…I hated the very thought of pouring the first cup of water on my body…but then she would sing songs ,tell stories and get me to take bath..
She would dress me up for school…I remember one frock of mine …One which had a rabbits face with long ears in the front and pajama like bottom..baby yellow in colour..it was gifted to me by my an aunt of mine , Leela Aunty ,my father’s cousin sister when she was back from some distant land ..somewhere in gulf as they call it…
I loved that frock of mine and remember fighting with my Amma for that dress daily…
Most Of the days we –Kuttan and me were taken to Anganvadi by my Velliappan , Kuttan’s Grandfather , my grandfather’s brother..it was a stroll we loved…except for when we came in front of one old house…which velliapan told that was the House of a Pappan…an old appapan with long beard who hated kids…I have seen him only once ,but whenever we came in front of that house we would hold hands and run fast…till we crossed the gates..Big gates…which looked fierce..
Velliappan is no more today..and in place of that old house is a two storied mansion… ..
Anganvadi was a one room building. Mary teacher and Molly chechi were the ones who managd it.Mary teacher taught us the Alphabet of Malayalam , Digits in Mathematics and to count from one to hundred and hundred to one. I remember very vividly the difficulty she had in teaching me to write ‘Ka’ in Malayalam .I would always write the letter upside down .Then she told me it is like keeping glasses for an egg, after which I learned to write the first letter of the Malayalam Alphabet. To this day , that incident comes to my mind whenever I write ‘Ka’ – putting glasses for an egg.
Rainy days were the most eventful in the Anganvadi..We would run out of the room on the first drizzle of the rain and teacher and chechi had a difficult time managing us.
Appachan –my grandfather usually came to pick us up in the evenings.The stroll back home though tired and worn out after the days games and plays are memorable for the “bonda” that appachan would regularly buy for us from a small hotel on the way.It was a routine affair and we enjoyed having them.
Saturdays were special for me , the day Mummy came home early from work.She would always bring something special for me every Saturday .I remember one Saturday..I pulled a chair near to the window , climbed on it and was looking out to the fields from where Mammu used to come walking .On other days Pappa and Mummy came together in our Lamby scooter KBE 420 .They reached home only around 8:30 – 9 and I would have slept by then. So Saturdays were very special for me…that day I spotted her from far…I jumped from the chair and ran to her climbing down the stairs and running through the Aracca fields…and climbed on her on reaching her…Another day..again a Saturday I remember my mom carrying a big lion shaped swing for me..It was a big one and she carried it with great difficulty..I had a number of toys to play with…a duckling..a set of kitchen wares …a lamp…
Sundays ..Of Sundays what I hold close to my heart is the afternoon nap I had with my mom..after lunch..we would lie down on the coat and I would become Mammus and my Mammus would become me and I would act like going to office, working in the kitchen, washing cloths ..singing songs to put her to sleep .Amidst the game some where I would fall asleep and by the time I get up she would have gone to wash cloths ..I would run to behind the kitchen near the washing stone and continue my game there pampering her….She would spread a sheet for me to sit there and play…
Afternoon lunch on Sundays..I don’t remember if it was on Sunday afternoons or weekday mornings ..pappa telling stories to make me have rice..I preferred Pappa giving me food to mammus especially rice because the balls he made of rice were of better shape than those made by mom…Mom’s were oval in shape while Pappa’s balls were perfect round… like the eggs of the Manjakili..in his words…lovely days…
One holiday, as was usual on most holidays I was at Kuttan’s house, playing with a cute little doll which was gifted to him by an uncle of his when he came from abroad . It winked its eyes and I loved playing with it since I felt it winked its eyes when I winked mine…That day I don’t remember where Kuttan was , I was playing alone..and suddenly a leg of my doll …no kuttan’s doll… came out ..little Anu knew guilt for the first time..I tried hard to place back that leg…but failed everytime I tried..I didn’t know what to do ..I knew the doll was more precious to Kuttan than it was to me…I kept it under the bed and ran back home crying all the way back..I didn’t tell it to anyone at home..I kept quite..looking out through the windows..to the way from Kuttan’s house..may be he will not come again..he may not talk to me..he may not play with me. By evening ..I spotted velliammachi from far..I was frightened , may be she is coming to scold me..As she neared I could see the doll in her hand…I confirmed..she is coming to scold me…I ran and hid myself under the coat..Velliammachi came in..and I could hear her talking to Amma..I tried to listen ..it was not about me ..neither was it about the doll..time seemed to be crawling to me…so slow that I felt I had spent hours together under that coat..
Finally, Velliammachi asked “Where is Vava” Kuttan and others at Velliappans house called me Vava…Amma replied “She was there somewhere here”..I heard them calling me…and crawled out from under the coat trying hard to hide the tears that were push opening my eyes...Velliammachi gave me that doll.Through the tears that filled my eyes I could see that the leg was placed back..I winked at Velliammachi and she winked back…..Kuttan’s doll became mine…
I asked her “ Where is Kuttan” . “He has gone to his uncle’s house”

Earth Hour 2009

Switch off lights and vote earth to save EARTH….!!!!!!!!

Initiated in 2007 by WWF – Earth Hour campaign aims at highlighting climate change and its impact on our planet. More than 75 countries, including India have committed to join WWF’s Earth Hour in 2009 and the number keeps growing. Delhi and Mumbai are among 825 cities across the globe that have pledged to vote EARTH this year by switching off lights for an hour.

On: 28 March 2009
At: 20:30– 21:30 IST

Join the campaign wherever you be..!!!!

Visit: http://www.earthhour.in/ for more information and to get registered.

To all my F R I E N D S….!!!

At School,
I always had ears that listened to …
Hands to clap for me
Eyes that cried with mine..
Friends who took me for what I was .

In College,
There was always someone with me..
In spite of my claims of bravery to be alone..
And tolerated my indifference and arrogance
Friends who were there with me wherever I was .

At work,
There was always someone to hug me and say
“I love you the way you are even if you don’t like you”
And “you can do it” even when I was least confident.

Thanks a lot for loving me more than I can ever give back..
Thanks a lot for trusting me more than what I’m worthy of..
Thanks a lot for BEING THERE FOR ME..!!!!

Character

When there are...
No friends to guide and correct
No foes to ridicule and laugh at..
When there is ..
No light..
No sound..
and you are all alone..
what is left with you is your character.

...

Woman – as a child
Games are different,
Toys are so,
But ambitions are as high,
To sprint , fly as high.

Woman – as a lady
Emotions more intense,
Judgments so,
Eyes wider, mind sharper,
To judge, let go and yet live.

God Sees

It was vacation time and Hanna , mother of four, was busy at home, with kids running around her for every little thing. One day she called all her four little ones near and as part of teaching them lessons from the bible gave them a small task.She gave each of them a piece of bread and said that whoever ate the bread without showing God first would win a prize.The children ran in four different directions enthusiastic to win the prize of the day.

The eldest of the four, 12 year old Akshay , returned tired after an hour and said,
“ Mother, I had the piece of bread that you gave hiding God , now today’s prize is for me” . Mother asked “ Okay..tell me where did you have it”.Akshay was quick to reply “I ran to the end of our backyard, climbed up the Pipal tree that was covered with leaves and I had the bread hiding beneath the leaves”“Oh my dear ..you had the bread but God saw you having it .Don’t you remember the story of sachai , who climbed up the fig tree to see Jesus and Jesus saw him hiding under the leaves of the tree.so you failed in today’s test”

By then they saw 10 year old Adith, coming slowly but happily . He exclaimed “ I had the bread at a place that I’m sure God wouldn’t have seen”.Mother asked “ Okay ..where did you have it”.Adith replied “ Mamma, don’t you know the pond far away near the fields ? I dived into the water and hiding under the water had the piece of bread that you gave me , so the prize is mine.”
“Adith, you also failed the test..haven’t I told you the story of prophet Jonah who was sent as a sign to the Ninevites. God had arranged for a whale to transport him to the city of Nineve.He traveled by sea but was still seen by God” .Adith was also disappointed.

By then the third of the group, little Grace had returned from the ordeal .She exclaimed
“ Mamma , the test of the day was indeed tough.I had to search for long to find a place to hide from the eyes of God.But I found out a place ..there is a wardrobe in the kitchen which opens up to the darkness of the room where we dry our cardamom seeds .There in the darkness I had the bread that you gave me..so the prize is mine”
“oh..my little girl don’t you remember the bible verse that tells that darkness cannot hide the eyes of God”.

By then , little Gyan returned disappointed and on the verge of tears.He ran to mamma with open arms throwing the piece of bread , “ Mamma I could not have the bread that you gave and I don’t want the prize. Where ever I went I felt like God was seeing me and I could not find a place to have it..”
Mamma was quick to hug her little one “My little boy..the prize is yours.There is no place that lies hidden in the eyes of GOD”.
She called all four of them near her and recited Psalms 139 verses 1 to 12:

“ O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.You discern my going out and my lying down;you are familiar with all my ways.Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.You hem me in—behind and before;you have laid your hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

[ Courtesy : Prof M Y Yohannan ; Christian Revival Fellowship, Kolenchery ]

Ageing

Resolutions.....

Some Resolutions for the year ahead...It took me two full weeks to find out some meaningful resolutions for the year ahead..not that I was researching on it but was lazy...:)-Thought I would pen them down..( and also publish ..) so that I do not console myself with the excuse that only I knew of it..:)-
1. Read the complete bible once. There is online bible which has the chapters of Bible sorted out such that Bible can be read completely in 365 days
( http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/readingplans/index.php/today )
2. Learn and do Yoga: In fact, I went to join for the Yoga class here in office but it seems many had this in their New Year resolution and were faster than me to join. So they asked me to come and check in the beginning of next month... :(-
3. Read at least one book in a month and post the review of the same. Had this in my resolution of 2008 (though not the review part of it)..However could read (only) the below books.
· Jonathan Livingston Seagull- Richard Bach
· Dabbawallahs of Mumbai - K S Srinivas
· To Kill a Mocking bird - Harper Lee
. Tuesdays with Morrie -Mitch Albom
· The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
· A thousand splendid suns - Khaled Hosseini
· 'Thalamurakal' - O V Vijayan
· 'Jeevithamenna Albhutham'
· Riot- Shashi Tharoor
· Anthem - Ayn Rand
· We the Living - Ayn Rand
( And I became a fan of Ayn Rand's ideas of Individual Freedom )
4. Learn a new language (Either German or Japanese)
5. Have a timetable in life.. Though it may be difficult to have one for the entire day , schedule at least the sleeping hours. And follow it on all days including Saturdays and Sundays...:)-
6. Join for a postgraduate course off-Campus or online . No idea of how I would implement it. Let’s see.
7. On the professional side: Pass the OCP exams in SQL,PL/SQL ,Advanced SQL and PL/SQL...
8. Learn to "Forget and Forgive" more...and keep smiling..:)-
and to greet at least 100 of my friends on their B'days..

Happy New Year 2009…!!!!

Do Not Worry
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? "
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jesus in Matthew 6:25-34

Happy New Year 2009 . . . . !!!