Disturbing!

I'm perturbed about what I've seen and heard from the media and hope like mad that they're indeed just speculations by overzealous journalists to heat up the 'TRPs'. And may those snippets be the farthest from the truth.

 (a) Cocking a snook.

       Shah Rukh Khan, as we're aware, has been banned from entering the Wankhede stadium at Bombay
       for his obnoxious behaviour directed at a poor security guy at the gate, during one of the matches of the
       last year's IPL jamboree. He didn't even have the courtesy to apologise to the beleaguered guard for his
       boorishness, saying that his daughter was manhandled by him while the media's eyes, covering the event,  
       said a different story.

       The problem is that many of our celebrities expect to be treated like the royalty of old. They enjoy
       and expect pampering as their birthright, forgetting the simple fact that their exalted status is courtesy
       the common man who sees their movies.

       His team, 'the Kolkata Knight Riders', is playing a match at the venue in one of the coming days. And
       he's been quoted as saying, "I don't want to sound politically incorrect but what will they do if I enter?
       Shoot me?" .....Impetuous and arrogant! I only hope that good sense prevails upon him and he stays out
       of that place. Celebrities must understand that their fans would be thoroughly let down if they did not
       maintain decorum commensurate with their iconic status. Apologists might laugh it off by saying that it's
       his style!?

       I'm a fan of his and he'd definitely let me down if he chose to make an entry, defying the ban!

   (b) The Chinese checkers.

         There are reports, despite government denials, that concessions have been offered to China to end
         the recent face-off in east Ladakh. Indian forces seem to have agreed to the removal of bunkers built
         by them in the Chumar region, close to the LAC(Line of Actual Control). These permanent structures
         facilitate the Indian Army to keep an eye on the Karakoram highway.

         Sincerely hope that the story is baseless and one's only too happy to note that we can make the
         Chinese wary by our proactive measures on the border, which is the genuine right of a self respecting
         nation.


Tailpiece.

As I'd said at the start, let the stories above be mere conjectures and should be treated with the contempt that they deserve!
       

Monkeys for peanuts!

I dunno as to how the monkeys are gonna react to this statement of mine. And I've made it in connection with the education system currently, prevalent in our country. There are many private players along with the government institutions, vying for honours and I daresay that the presence of the former category has enhanced the quality of education - at least, in Kerala from the statistics about their performance.

But having said that, there has been a dangerous slide into converting the entire set up into a money making racket. Teachers are hired and fired, many a time, to suit the whims and fancies of the management or at times, even to force 'free thinking' teachers to submission. The students' all round growth and welfare seem to be the last priority. Let me cite the goings on at a co-ed school that's in my neck of the woods.

From the last five years' performance, the school has had good results in the competitive examinations and the institution was being ably guided by an efficient and a no-nonsense gentleman, as its Principal. He'd ensured a sense of discipline among the students and their teachers and laid emphasis on the all round development of the school's fraternity.

Well, he's been sacked recently. Many teachers have been dismissed citing 'division fall' - a situation when the strength of the students dwindles, necessitating the reduction in the number of divisions per class. Fair enough, if the axing is based on the vintage of induction, starting from the recent and if you're to ask me, more importantly, the performance. But the sacking - in this case - has been arbitrary and smacks of nepotism because of the following factors:-

  (a) The vintage of induction was given the go by.
  (b) A particular teacher, in the good books of the management, seems to have influenced the decisions. The
       details had come up thanks to an investigative media, in that, the teacher was smarting because her rival
       could get a chief guest of the school's choice for the 'Annual day' thanks to her family connections! She's  
       been able to 'fix' her rival by having her booted out!!
  (c) The parents-teachers association has been clamouring for the teacher's reinduction!

How can the students grow up to be decent and responsible citizens if brought up by wily teachers like the one narrated above? And how did that teacher get recruited in the first place? That needs a thorough look see!

Such cases are not in isolation. A court has asked a school in Thiruvananthapuram to reinstate the teachers that it had sacked citing similar reasons.


Tailpiece.

People into decision making in the education sector seem to forget the fundamentals viz:-

      (a) Teachers have a very important role in society as they mould the country's human resources of
           the morrow.
      (b) The quality of people being inducted into this profession has to be excellent and there can't be a
            compromise.
      (c) To attract the best talent into the pool, they've to be offered an attractive remuneration.
      (d) If there's a climbdown, one's gonna get monkeys...... for peanuts!

PS.

I'm reminded of my teachers who'd a great contribution in the way I've reached where I am. They'd shown me and my friends that a teacher's job was not a '9 to 5' one, but one that began from sunrise to the silent hours - during the self study period - before we hit the sack. Of course, it was a boarding school all right but the cardinal point was that each one of them was genuinely concerned about our growth - in the right manner!

   

Traversing through time.

It was bad news that had begun the day for me. My classmate and friend has been tested positive for a malignant growth in his colon. He's on the heavier side and has always been at the receiving end of our playful taunts because of his ample girth. We're good friends at school and have indulged in boyish pranks, managing to evade getting caught by the authorities through deft moves every time!

Gregarious and active, there was never a dull moment with him around. But with the medical revelation, has he lost that peppiness? All of us have told him, in no uncertain terms, that there was nothing insurmountable about his condition by citing scores of cases that have had happy endings. Though he did give a patient hearing, there was that faraway look on his face and a slight hint of a loss of confidence - a state that can happen to anyone of us at the initial stage!

I'm sure he shall overcome and bounce back to being his original self.

As I took leave of him, he hugged me and whispered into my ears, "Find time to visit me more often. I can't tell you as to how much your words have helped me". I'd quickly turned my head away and cracked a PJ, as  I disengaged myself because it was getting to be mushy.


Tailpiece.

As I backed my Chevy out off his porch and with him waving at me, my eyes had misted and I was reminded of a quote that I'd seen recently which was, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel". I only hope that I was of some help! 

These are the things that I see.

Seeing a number of things happening around, I've zeroed into a few of them which has fascinated or bewildered or even amused me. Are they the direct result of seeing 'what's-on-offer' on television or do they signal the trends of the present times? Do I endorse them? In a sense, no; but who am I to endorse or do otherwise except from the responsibility implicit in me of being a responsible citizen? And it's my firm belief that every generation has the right to chose what they need, make their mistakes and learn lessons from them and are to be assisted when they get back seeking your advice. At that moment when they're with their chips down, no amount of condescension on your part or the 'I-told-you-so' attitude is gonna be of any help. Empathy is all that they require and they'd see the light of reason - I'm sure about that. So, here I go on some of my observations:-

     (a) Tattooing all over.

          It's become a craze and the protagonists insist on having them displayed on the prominent parts of
          their body. Probably, they're trying to convey their attitude to the others but what it possibly could
          be has missed me. Is it defiance or is it a fashion statement? But what bewilders me is the pain one
          undergoes while the tattoo is being inscribed. Crazy diagrams, names or even statements are on
          display and what defies me ultimately is the way young moms and dads indulge in this strange
          pastime!

     (b) The craze for bakery delicacies.

           Children crave for instant noodles, wafers, toffees and aerated drinks that's justifiable. The thrill to
           be having something like the numerous children seen on the advertisements gives a sense of  
           satisfaction and an ego boost besides reiterating the fact that their parents can afford them. My
           own nephew, Kripashankar studying in class VI, comes for movies with me to have his share of
           'Lays' chips, popcorn and Frooti. But if anyone is under the impression that he isn't concentrating
           on the movie thanks to his gastronomical incursions, then he's gonna get flummoxed as the youngster
           would be able to recall the film - frame by frame - much after one's left the cinema! He, like many
           other kids, has a weakness for the sweet named 'Kinderjoy', not so much for the eatable but for
           the miniature statuettes that accompany as compliments!

     (c) The piercing of the body.

          Another case of exhibitionism but what baffles me is the readiness to undergo pain to have rings or
          similar ornaments adorning the pierced spots - ears(in case of the boys!), upper ear-lobes, the central
          cartilage of the inner nose, the eye brows and the navel button. I must confess that I begin to feel
          the pain whenever I see such stuff.

      (d) Continuous texting.

            Continuous texting on the cellphones is common sight. Each one's keen to convey what he or she's
            doing along with the eagerness to know what its recipient is up to. In the process, they're quite
            oblivious of the things happening around in their immediate vicinity! And I'd rather leave out the
            cell phone conversations - it's a tool to effective communication, you see!!


Tailpiece.

Having said the foregoing, I seriously wonder as to whether these are meaningful observations, in the first place, or are they the misplaced apprehensions of an elder? I shall leave that to be answered by the others!             

How long do you wanna live?

Researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of the Yeshiva University in New York have successfully slowed down the rate of aging in mice as part of their experiments. Have they found the 'fountain of aging"? And if the key to aging is eventually found what would its ramifications be?

The researchers claim that the hypothalamus - a small region of the brain that plays a fundamental role in growth, development, reproduction and metabolism - holds the key to slowing down the rate of aging throughout the body. By manipulating the levels of the molecule known as NF-kB(nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) within the hypothalamus, they're able to achieve success in increasing the longevity in mice.

Let's assume that this process, in all likelihood, is extended to cover human beings too in the long run as predicted by the article covering the developments. The resulting humanitarian issues are gonna be of alarming proportions and let me try to list them out:-

     (a) the population would be bursting by the seams.
     (b) the natural resources needed to sustain the bludgeoning population would be under severe constraints.
     (c) the mismatch of ideologies and the ways of thinking of various generations trying to live together.
     (d) the difficulty in keeping everyone occupied and contributing to society.
     (e) who decides as to when one should end one's life? Left to individuals almost everyone would like to
          live on.....
     (f) and finally, where does that leave God in the 'new' scheme of things? He'd be left jobless and become
         insignificant, perhaps?

My take.
 
The question that comes to my mind is as to how long would one like to live in this world? Isn't the present lifespan of a human being more than adequate? And the decision to die must never be handed over to mankind - he'll botch it up as he would never ever be able to take a rational one.

Remember, "Men fear death as children fear darkness".


Tailpiece.

I'd begun the day reciting the 'Vishnu Sahasranaama sthothram', around 4 o'clock in the morning at the departure lounge, awaiting my return flight.

 If longevity of life is achieved, then praying can be conveniently given the go by as one would have usurped the role of God - an altogether new dimension to life, as death wouldn't mean a thing any more. Wow!

But I would dread that proposition!!

The enduring image.

Sarabjit Singh has passed away.

The television grab showing his distraught sister lashing out at the Pakis and highlighting the errors on our side had tugged at something deep within - the enduring image of the day! She was surrounded by a huge crowd but looked lonely in her grief. His devastated wife, Sukhpreet Kaur and his daughters, Swapandeep and Poonam wore a dignified look despite their tragedy.

We've collectively let you down. Grieving with you.

RIP, Sarabjit! May god give your family the strength to tide over their difficult times.


Tailpiece.

Caught up with Sanjay and Parul after a long while. We'd spent the evening, exchanging yarns, at the Sahib, Sindh, Sultan - a nice eating joint which derives its name from the three locomotives that had hauled India's first passenger train from Bori Bunder to Thane on the 16th of Apr 1853, to cover a distance of 34 kms! The eatery is located at the Ambience mall of Gurgaon. The overall effect was as though we're having our food on a train journey!! A great idea!!!

It was late by the time I'd hit the sack. Had a double check regarding wake up time as I've an early morning flight to catch.

At Delhi.

I was back in Delhi after a long while. After work it was catching up with friends and I did manage to surprise quite a few of them. Though I've told each of them that I'd endeavour to call on, I do not know as to how successful it would be to do so despite my earnestness.

As I moved from one place to the other, I passed through the familiar places that we used to frequent and it gave me the impression that I'd never moved out of the city at all. Would you believe if I were to tell you that I was going through a 'deja vu' sort of feeling!?

I'd befriended Sethu, a youngster from the Border Security Force. Disarmingly simple in his outlook he's been brought up with fine values that seem to be getting rare these days. He's somewhere on the Indo-Bangladesh borders and I'm pretty sure that he'd do a fine job at his hour of reckoning. I sincerely hope that he never loses his innocence and unbridled enthusiasm! O god, please take care of him.


Tailpiece.

It was a poignant moment at Bruno's grave. I'd earmarked some time to be with him despite the hectic schedule. The Labernums have grown taller but none of the flowering plants could be seen because they seem to have wilted in the harsh heat of the summer.