New Year in Water?

THANE - a "very severe" category cyclone is expected to hit land on the morning of 30th between Nagapatinam and Chennai bringing in widespread rains in entire South India, especially Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Storms touching 125 kmph expected to hit the coastal areas of these areas. Prayers that the cyclone weakens and that there is no loss of life.


Pic Courtesy: IMD

Sibling: The Best Relation One Can Own

Life is full of events - events that make us strong, events that make us weak, events that change our perspective, events that are special, events that change our personality and so on. I thought I would share few events in my life that moulded me or helped me to widen my views and logic.

I would like to start with an incident that happened when I was in my early teens. Till my XI standard I was a strict brother. I was nicknamed "Mahout" by my sister, Sandhya (who is three years younger to me), for my rough attitude and mercilessness towards her. I often misunderstood that elder brothers are supposed to keep a distance from their siblings and should establish their dictatorship. Sounds very illogical and stupid right but that were how I was. I guess since I have never seen good siblings’ relationship but had witnessed more of rivalry, I had nurtured myself with such narrow-mindedness.

My mom often used to say that whenever she leaves me and my sis at home and goes out for shopping, she by default had to consider purchasing Band-Aid for the bruises and scratches that we would have succeeded in contributing to each other. If blood relation has a different meaning as the one who injures other and ensures that blood is coming out of it, then we would perfectly fit that definition.

One day I was having severe headache and the noise around added to my misery, thus resulting in uneven BP. At this point, my mom was away and I had an argument with my sis. This developed in physical assault and we started hurting each other. My physical condition made me more arrogant and aggressive and I hurt my sis a lot more than any one would have ever hurt their sibling. I still regret for my deed that day. Even today I remember her crying with intense pain and anger. I also remember my first experience with BP where the entire vision around me was shrinking and narrowing down into darkness. 

Though I was not that affected by my barbaric reaction immediately, one event that followed it made me bow my head down with shamefulness in front of my own conscious. It was my first experience of mutual respect and acceptance towards sibling by my friend Praveen Antony. Praveen Antony was a very jovial and fun loving person. Generally there will be three slabs in schools, the studious, the backbenchers and the neutral. I belonged to the third category and my sis the first (probably that too should have added fuel to the fire ;-)). Right from my fifth standard when I joined the school, we had the same batch till X. Praveen Antony joined us during IXth or Xth, I don't remember exactly when but he was such a friendly and humorous character that everyone liked him. His nature brought all the three slabs under one roof of friendship, such was his persona and I had great regards for him.

Another friend of mine, Manu, had a library run by his mom. One day, during our XI, we went to borrow books from his library. While few were checking books like Hardy Boys and Agatha Christie, Praveen was looking for the Mills & Boons. We started teasing him and pulling his leg for his eagerness to read romantic books. He very coolly said that he is searching the book for his sister who was just a year younger to him. Hearing this, I don't know how much others were shocked, I was taken back. A brother selecting a romantic book for his sis was out of my zone and indigestible. I was keen and asked him, how can you do this? He as always was very cool and replied that, "After an age, just like how I grew, my sister too would have grown. Just like how I know all the good and bad, she also knows. So it is meaningless to hide the truth but rather apt to accept and respect it." I felt as if someone slapped me on my face.

Praveen's words and maturity started haunting me and I felt how silly I had been all these years. There was an instantaneous change in me and I started accepting my sister as part of my life, not as a sister alone but as my best friend. The whole dimension changed. Growing up I did commit few mistakes after that but never as intense as I had during the yesteryears. Thanks to that event that I realized the value of intelligence over instinct. I also migrated from the illogical world of dictating to the logical and pleasant universe of love, care and affection.

Not everyone will get a person like Praveen Antony to display the value of good sibling relationship. Nor does any sibling relationship need to go through so much of agitation and pain for so many years which deserves to be colored with beautiful events and memories. I guess it would be apt if parents could make their kids understand value of loving each other and erase the mentality of competition. Today, my sis, Sandhya, is the best sis and friend combo that I am blessed with and I always regret missing out on those wonderful years of growing up. Accept your relation as they are and enjoy every moment, life will be a beautiful story unwinding to the tune of happiness, fun, fulfillment and completeness. For people who are committing the same mistake that I did, think again please!!!

SATHISH N

A Special Day in my Life

Recently there was a topic on a talk show about celebrating the dear one's special days. There were points raised like things look too artificial, things seems to be done for the sake of doing, public disturbance and so on. The counterpoint raised by people who supported it said these things are done to make people realise how special they are, make them happy and excited, an expression of care and likewise. On this particular topic I was on the neutral side, as I supported surprises but without much noise and fanfare.

I work in the night shift away from all the heavy traffic jams, tiring travels and reckless rides of the day. On November 29th, I was on my routine and busy with the day's work. By around 11:45 PM or so I started feeling hungry and was pestering my friend Sinoj to go to the canteen. He was busy with some work and was delaying things. With my stomach grumbling, questioning me if I am going to feed it or not, I decided to cool it down with some water. At this point, my Manager, Ranjith, enquired me about a report that I had mailed him a day back. We logged into my system and discussed on the report. Ranjith suggested certain logics and asked to do some analysis based on that.

As I was looking on to the report and checking on the suggestions, our office boy, Shanmugam, told me that someone is waiting for me at the parking lot in a rickshaw with a Big Box that I am only supposed to collect. Surprised and shocked to hear it, I asked him not to kid and check properly as there can't be anyone asking for me at that time of the night. He returned for confirmation, while I continued with my analysis. Few minutes later Shanmugam returned saying that the person is waiting only for me. Doubled minded, I decided to join him and check out what is the matter. When we were about to move out, Shanmugam found that the Big Box was in our meeting room which was already collected by someone. Thinking that Shanmugam was wrongly updated, I decided to go back to my system and start working on the report.

Just few minutes into the report, my Manager called me to my mobile, asking to come to the conference room immediately. When I reached there I found that all the managers and supervisors were there with a box of sweets and a cake with good wishes on it. There was also a big box unopened, which Shanmugam had mentioned earlier. Everyone shook hands and wished me. Yes, it is 12 O' Clock and November 30th. So what is special about November 30th??? Years back, it was on that date I inhaled my first breath on mother earth. My friend Sinoj wished me with a tricky smile, which clearly revealed that he intentionally delayed from going out to have food.

Away from the normal practise, I was asked to light up a Nilavilakku (traditional lamp) which I liked so much; I guess it is Ranjith's suggestion. Even though it was a simple thing or a different format of lighting, I felt something special lighting it and seeing it glowing bright. After cuttting the cake that our team brought and celebrating, people started pulling my legs on the Big Box that was on the table. They confirmed that the Big Box was a gift for me from some unknown. When we opened it up, it was a very big cake, enough to be shared with all our departments. The cake was very cute with wordings "Happy Birthday Dear Sathish" on the upper half and the bottom half was fully decorated with Rose Flowers of different colors. It was looking so lovely and beautiful.

The only update that we got from the person who delivered the cake was, 'It is a Surprise for Sathish from CMS (my school) friends'. I was puzzled who on earth after so many years remembered my birthday and planned so much to give me a surprise. Mahesh is one person who is from CMS but since he knows that I don't like to be in the limelight, he will not push me into it. Everyone asked who is that special person and so on but I was in shock, surprise and happiness that someone had valued me so much. I was in cloud nine and could feel the stars around. My mind was totally blank and couldn't think too much. I just kept on staring at the cake mesmerized at the way my name was cherished over it and the decorations. Though, back of my mind, something started hinting me that this should be the handwork of my childhood friend, Ramya, but details like CMS friends and delivery at a place 100 kilometers away from where she is located at sharp 12 forced me to doubt my instinct. There were some messages from her wishing on my brithday and missed calls but since I was in the festive atmosphere, I couldn't read them or attend the call immediately. I tried reaching her after the celebration, but she didn't pick up, maybe she dozed off.

Ranjith suggested that we will celebrate it with our entire team. The team joined us and each and everyone wished me. We shared the gift with everyone in the office. Even after giving it to the entire office, we had enough to parcel for our office boy and security's family. I too took few to home to share it with mom and dad. I believe it was the first time in my life that so many people wished me on my Birthday. Also me cutting the cake had never been part of my personal agenda during birthday's, but now I had one shared with my entire second family (my team). Sinoj was very particular that I should find the person when I report to office the next day as people were pointing him. I was suggested to even call Mahesh at that time to get things cleared but being in the middle of the night, we controlled our eagerness.

By morning, the suspense was broken, it was the handwork of Ramya and Mahesh. They know each other well but never expected to bring out such teamwork. Ramya was the biggest support during my days of turmoil and helped me stand strong and recover fast. She wanted to celebrate this birthday as if it is my first. She had already presented me with some gifts which itself was a surprise but it seems she felt that it didn't give enough punch that she had wished for. She had called up Mahesh and they planned on this surprise cake gift. While I was pulling Sinoj to join to the canteen, she was guiding the person to deliver it on time. Being a long day, after ensuring that the gift had reached its destiny, she dozed off and that's the reason she didn't attend when I called her back.

It has been quite some days since this has happened, but I am still in the clouds. Feeling that you are special is something that one should experience by themselves. Few people believe that there is no need to express themselves, since affections needs to be felt, else it will be like marketing. I too belonged to the same category all these years but after this incident I have a totally different perspective. The amount of happiness, completeness, self confidence, and self respect that expressing oneself injects in the dear ones is boundless. Though we may have everyone, during tough days loneliness creeps in by itself but such expressions move life to a different plateau that the concept of loneliness will be always at bay. When I see some lovely friends and families, I always wonder how wonderful their special days would be but gets disappointed when they state it was same as any other (maybe all the day is a celebration for them and I have not grown to that level to understand it :-)).

More than the day, I believe it is an opportunity to express yourself to your dear one in a royal way how special they mean to you. I felt special and my heart is filled with happiness and wholeness for I have beautiful souls and hearts with me. No wonder the talk show had so many people supporting it and now I too fall into that list. Life is big, live it king sized. We run around the never satisfied materialistic things like money, property, luxury, power and other materials and do anything and everything to attain it even by forgetting to enjoy the basic reason of our existance, life and relation. I wish all the lovely people celebrate their relationship and enjoy it to the most instead of loosing life to miniscule things. I also wish everyone be blessed with dear ones with beautiful souls as I am blessed with, including the ones who call up on Dec. 6 and say it is your birthday today dude, not on Nov. 30, and let's celebrate it now :-)

SATHISH N

God is Everywhere - A Real Life Experience.

Life has gone through a rollercoaster ride over the past one year. After lot of heavyhearted days, now things are peaceful. Looking back, it is the First Anniversary of God proving his presence in my life.

A year back, life was at its worst. Unending problems and miseries were creating trauma. We were keen to see the light at the end of the tunnel. All efforts and means to make things straight were in vain. I was slowly losing my faith of recovery. The only thing that was keeping me running was the blind faith and support by a beautiful soul.

Things were taken to a level that once I questioned God about his existence, out of frustration. But he was the only person who could help too. To help myself settle mentally I thought of going on a pilgrimage to Sabarimala, which I normally do, but this time with much more traditional fervor. As per norms to go to that temple one should be following certain rituals for 41 days, which very few follow nowadays. This time I wanted to follow it as much as I could but that too didn’t last long since the problems were piling up like heap of sand and I was getting buried beneath. But deep within I was ensuring that the soul and thoughts are not hampered.

The trip was planned for 19th November 2010. The return would be on 21st November 2010. In between few other temples would also be visited. The cab had 13 members, of which six of them were from our group. We were perfectly paired. Sabari and his cousin Sathish; Mahesh and his college friend Adhavan; and myself and my colleague Siva Kumar made the 6 members of our group.

Though the start was early and we had enough time to visit the temples, people were keen to cut short the journey and skipping the temples. It was me who booked for the journey and there were comments like they thought it was just one-day direct journey. The ironical part of it was that though there were statements like the tradition is lost and none are following things religiously and so on, people were reluctant to do what was expected to be done during such trips.

After reaching Sabarimala we took dip in the Pamba river and started on foot to the temple which is inside the forest about five kilometers from the river. There were only two options; one is by foot and other using dolly. At the foothill, one dolly guy was around Siva Kumar stating it will be very tough for him to make it to the temple on foot so better use dolly. Siva Kumar was hefty but young and was unimpressed with the dolly guys approach. I could see it was mere business strategy of that person and was unhappy in the way they were making their moves. I was also upset that such things are happening even in temples like Sabarimala. Another reason for not opting for dolly was it costs 2200 Rupees.

Siva opted to go by walk. And as any over smart person, without getting to know the truth, I suggested Siva that we will make it together and I got his side back and carried it. On the way he had said that he had complaints of throat pain for past couple of days. The pain popped up again once we started uphill. After about 15 minutes of walk he found it difficult to proceed further as the pain was increasing. At one point, he said he will give up and go back but decided against it since it will have negative impact on the beliefs and his family. Though I tried to energize him with some glucose water, he was not fit enough to walk all the way. And he had to opt for dolly, but decided only one way.

We planned that I will move fast and wait for him at the place where the dolly would drop him. The walk was on for around two hours. The wet terrain due to the heavy rain during the previous days made it a bit challenging. As per plan I was there to reach first and waited for Siva. After around 15 to 20 minutes of waiting he too arrived at the location. We moved ahead and finished with the Dharsan. Immediately after finishing the Dharsan, it started to rain heavily. So we took rest under a shed and waited for the other 11 members to arrive. The rain was at its best and lasted for hours continuously. Siva and myself chatted on general stuffs and he was feeling sleepy too. Then we heard an announcement asking for us by our team members. We followed their instruction and made it to the lodging.

After the night’s rest, we finished with the formalities and started with our way back downhill. Siva took some money from the ATM available there at the Sannidhanam. He was feeling fresh and so opted not to have the dolly. He was much more energetic and active than the rest of us and made it soon to the river down, closely followed by myself, Sabari and his cousin Sathish. We found our vehicle at the parking. After a brief wait for the rest of the group, we started with our journey back to home. We wished each other on having another successful year of making to the temple.

I was tired, as the rest of the group, and was slowly starting to dose off when suddenly Siva woke me up complaining of severe throat pain again. He said both of us would stay back and visit a hospital and let others continue with their journey. I didn’t know why he was saying so for a throat pain as my understanding limited to think of it for acidity. I told about it to my friend Mahesh alias Mahe. He immediately asked the driver to take the vehicle to the nearest hospital. Luckily for us there was ASSISSI Hospital on the way itself just 5 minutes from where Mahe had instructed the driver.

We entered the hospital in a state of emergency as Siva was finding it difficult to sustain with the throat pain. Being Sunday and a hospital in a remote place it was not highly equipped but served the need of the hour. The doctor was a young chap and he told us they would take the ECG. What followed that sent shiver down my spine. The doctor said that Siva had undergone a major heart attack and needs immediate medical attention. I was sweating. I didn’t know what to do. Siva’s family and kids were staring at me in my mind. I was shivering too since this is the first time I am encountering such a situation and I had to make a difference. Being alone at such a critical situation made me worried and weak. I was sweating and feeling giddy. Mahe was with me at that time and I asked him to be with me. His assurance that he will be with me and will take care of things together made me feel better or in fact confident for we’re good friends from school.

Since their hospital was not equipped to serve the situation at the higher level, the doctor quoted Mary Queens Hospital, Kangirapally, which was 17 kilometers away from our current location. Since their main ambulance had gone for some other’s service, they got us their stand-in ambulance, which though was not that well equipped, was well directed by its driver to help us reach Mary Queens Hospital within 20 minutes or so. That was my first journey in an ambulance.

Mahe was with me in the ambulance. We told the rest of the members that we would decide on our further plans once we meet the doctor at Mary Queens Hospital. Siva was given with some basic medicines to help his heart function. In the ambulance, he was supported with oxygen supply. I was holding his hands and every time would look at him to see he is fine. He was mainly staring outside through the window and was relieved to see him normal. At one point I wished that the doctor was wrong and everything is fine with him.

After reaching Mary Queens Hospital, Siva was taken to the ICU. He was given some medicines and was kept under observation. The senior doctor came for check up. I was eagerly expecting a different explanation from him but he too made the same statement. In fact, he added fuel to the fire stating that an emergency surgery is a must and should be taken to Kottayam at the earliest. He said if we had brought him within 6 hours of attack, medicine would have helped but since it seems to be 24 hours since attack, giving medicine will only complicate things. He told Angioplasty is the need of the hour. They suggested taking a special ambulance that had equipments to help any worse case scenario. The doctor suggested two hospitals and we opted for Bharath Hospital. When asked if Siva could be taken to Coimbatore for further treatment, the doctor said it would be like tying a time bomb around the waist and traveling, so don’t even think of it.

Once this was confirmed, we asked the rest of the group to make their move and continue with their journey. We had two main challenges at this time. One, we had to communicate the condition to Siva’s family and ask them to make to Bharath Hospital. Usually I don’t take mobile phone when I am on pilgrimage but luckily Mahe had his post paid mobile connection with him and I asked him to pass the message. He called Siva’s home and said that Siva is having chest pain and we had to take him to hospital, so please try to make it to Kottayam, Bharath Hospital, as soon as possible. I just can’t imagine what would have been their mental state hearing this news. Their cousin who had a car was at his home during that time so they started to Kottayam immediately but it was not going to be easy as it was nearly 8 hours of journey from Coimbatore to Kottayam.

We informed the ambulance service about our requirement and were waiting for them. And here comes our second problem. In total we had only 4000 bucks with us with the bill of the current hospital yet to be paid. Along with that we had Siva’s ATM card that had some 9000 in it. While we were discussing on it, we got a call from the ambulance service stating that the initial 10 kilometers will be charged 2000 Rupees and from thereon 50 Rupees per kilometer. Kottayam was around 50 Kilometer from our current location, which means we should have 4000 bucks for the ambulance alone. And with the remaining very few bucks we should get the surgery done.

After a wait of around 40 to 45 minutes the ambulance arrived. We made our payment at Mary Queens Hospital and started to Kottayam, Bharath Hospital. Being a Sunday was an advantage for us at this point. The traffic was limited but the rain made it a bit tough. Only one person was allowed to sit near the patient. There were two male nurses for help in case of emergency. The ECG machine was running throughout. And every now and then I would look at it. Though I knew nothing about it I was looking at the consistency of the pattern. There was a reading as 120 on the display and every time I would look at it. Siva was fast asleep and I was quick to disturb the nurses to know if it was normal.

After about an hour’s travel we reached Bharath Hospital. Siva was asleep till then but woke up at the last minute, thanks to the last patch of bad road. Here again Siva was immediately taken to the ICU as soon as seeing the letter and prescription handed over by the Mary Queens Hospital. Mahe took care of the initial hospital formalities and I went out in the Ambulance itself to take money from the ATM. Thanks to the ambulance driver and the staffs that they had the heart to drop me back as I was unfamiliar with that place.

After making the payment for the ambulance, I rushed to see where they were. The security personnel guided me to the location. Mahe and myself were met by the doctor and some executive and were explained on the situation. Siva had undergone a major heart attack and there was a block that is stopping the supply for blood to a particular part of the heart. The option left was to do Angiography and find the block and give medicine to open up the block or do Angioplasty and open up the block with stent. There were risks involved with giving medicine as Siva was just 37 and there can be issues of bleeding and also Angioplasty will be needed, if not now but later. They asked us to make the decision.

By then Siva’s family was on the way. In between Siva’s wife had called me and asked to say openly if he had an attack. I didn’t conceal the truth then but didn’t reveal the intensity. That piece of early information helped to get things straight soon and they asked us to go ahead with Angioplasty itself. But now another issue was two different states and no relatives were around to take the responsibility of risk. The hospital was a little worried on those lines. We made the doctor speak to Siva’s wife and since they too were convinced they decided to go ahead with the surgery and they conducted the surgery without even asking a single penny from us. We were in the traditional pilgrimage attire throughout, so were easily noted and people were eager to help us irrespective to religion or place, as they should have been aware that we are there because of emergency. Siva was taken into the operation theater by 7:00 and at around 7:30 the doctor called us and explained the condition and what was done.

Siva had a 100% block in one of the blood vessel in the heart. That was both because of clot as well as fat around the vessel. There were other minor blocks because of clots but it was removed with medicine. This particular block, which was 100% had to be opened by inserting a stent. We were relieved when the doctor said Siva was perfectly okay but needs to be under medical supervision for 48 hours as his blood had a nature that can get clotted. Immediately after getting the news that he is fine, we called his family and passed the message, we didn’t want them to be tensed any longer and wished them to at least be peaceful that Siva is out of danger.

The main positives here were, Siva was brave and never hit the panic button. Secondly, their family members were understanding and didn’t create any confusion. Thirdly, the doctors, nurses, and security were very humble and supportive that we felt saving Siva was their primarily target. Fourth, our friendship (myself and Mahe) and understanding helped to face the situation with courage. And I could see Gods in all those people who helped in getting Siva fine, right from the doctors who treated him to the nurses who supported with the needful, to the ambulance drivers and staffs who helped in reaching destinations safe and timely, to the drivers on the road who responded immediately to the ambulance siren and gave way. At no point throughout this time period we even imagined about any other consequence other than Siva getting fine and I felt it was a strong message from God, to me in particular, not to doubt his existence as he showed it in the different forms.

As we look back, again and again, even the slightest delays or hastening had an implication; else the timing of treatment that followed would not have been a possibility. We would have either been stranded in no man’s land at Sabarimala facing a critical situation or on the travel in search of hospitals. Though it may sound stupid, was the statement by the dolly guy a warning by God for what had awaited us? Only God knows!!! As Steve Jobs mentioned in his Stanford Commencement Speech 2005, you see a clear picture when you join the dots in the reverse, so did I.

It has been one year since we witnessed that fearful day. Siva is healthy and energetic. I wish God to be with him and his family throughout as he had been during that day showing the right way and bringing goodness to that wonderful person and his beautiful family. I also wish God to create more friends like Mahe on this earth and also bless him with peace and prosperity. And finally, I thank God for making me realize him better, deeper and understand him more closely. God is everywhere and if we look closely there is God Everywhere, not by the count that we get from the different religions but by the countless humans where he lives within.

SATHISH N

Religare With Yourself

Recently a friend of mine had few promotions happening in her office. Being a person who is very dedicated and knows the value of her contribution to her family, the natural instinct made her a bit upset for not being part of that group. It is quite normal that during such situations you will become gloomy and will allow the devil's advocate rule your mind. I felt the prolonged soberness on her vibrant nature was not going to help her in anyway.

Since I had undergone similar situations many times, which only helped me to mould myself and be what I am, but for the ample support from my good friends like Premjith, Ambrose and Ramesh Bai, something told me that she too needs the same support. I tried to recall things (googled too) that could help her get the bigger picture, but in vain. Then I thought it is apt to share an imaginative scenario that I communicated with my friends who feel they are slowed down and are in difficulties due to some obstacles.

The situation goes thus: Imagine yourself blindfolded and led to a vehicle. You are handed over the task of taking control of the wheels. It is a very, very dark night that even after removing the blindfold, it made no difference. Somehow you managed to get the ignition on and turn on the headlights. All that you can see is the headlight’s energy glaring on the road ahead. You can't even guess what vehicle you are in or what all features it composes.

At this moment of doubt and puzzle, you are handed over with the responsibility of reaching a particular destination within a stipulated time. One relief is that on the way you will see the direction boards that will guide you. Worried you start the vehicle and put your foot on the accelerator. Within minutes of your start, you notice that a person cycling right in front of you at the speed of a snail. You try to alert him but he is least bother about it.

Anyone who is in this situation has two options:

Option One:

With great difficulty, you slow down the vehicle and start driving at his speed. You didn't dare to get out of the vehicle for the fear of being in an unfamiliar area. Straining yourself and the vehicle and wasting extra fuel, you kept on travelling behind him. You were so irritated that you didn't realize to look beyond the person ahead of you. The travel was getting tiresome and the engine too was being damaged.

The early morning sun rays bring light in your zone. Now you realize that the road was really big enough and the car that you were using was the make of BMW's best-in-class that you could have easily overtaken the person and clocked miles. You realize the target ahead of you and the insufficient time but to your relief you have a wonderful vehicle that just glide over the road. It responds to your call and makes the destination on time.

Option Two:

Rather than slowing down, challenge the cyclist at the first instance. Along with averting him from blocking your path, you will get a mild feel of your vehicle's capacity. Now you would be travelling at a better pace with ample time to cover the distance. This makes the travel less stressful and you can enjoy the journey and the landscape.

Now what is the big deal with this scenario? Equating certain items in the scenario to some other things will get a better picture. The journey can be considered as your journey of life or even the journey towards success in a particular field. The vehicle is nothing but you yourself. The darkness is the ignorance of our capacity. The cyclist is the slow dragger that injects doubts, which can be our own imaginations or from other sources, that blocks our progress. The direction boards are the timely support that you get for being what you are in your journey. Some direction boards maybe en route and few accompany you always like a compass.

In the first instance, falling into the trap of the obstacles didn't help in any way. Though we felt it is easy to be accepting it, it made the journey really painful, both physically and mentally. We often believe saying excuses is the easiest way to escape the reality but only time will teach we were fooling ourselves by doing so. By engaging ourselves with that mindset, we not only are going to exhaust the fuel of time, health and also discolor the passion of life, which will make things more and more tough in the later stage.

Whereas in the second instance, when you rightly realized your obstacles and challenged it, you got a hint of your capacity. The initial journey in darkness also allowed you to experiment yourself with your skills and tune your talents. This was more of an incubation period of sculpting yourself by realizing your metal. So, once you hit the limelight, without your own knowledge you have grown in stature.

So I suggest everyone to explore yourself and understand your passion and talent. Self realization is the key to unlock anything and everything in life. By doing it honestly you will be the best fit for any situation and circumstances. All the materialistic things that people long for will be longing to be pampered by you. I wish my friend to realize herself at the earliest and start enjoying her journey of life and success.

"Your Soul Has A Vast Reach, Vaster Than One Can Imagine; Scale Those Heights and Make life Large."

SATHISH N

I LIKE SERIES - 5

Intellect - The Spinal Cord of Personality

Once up on a time there lived a dumb man who led a pathetic life. Looking at his condition, the Goddess of Wealth decided to bless him with lots of invaluable stones, pearls and gold. He was expected to prosper with the help of those gifts. But ignorant of the worthiness, he just placed all those items at the corner of his house amongst some ordinary materials. The man neither benefited nor the wealth received its deserved value.

There was no change in the person’s life. At this moment, the Goddess of Bravery blessed him with power and strength. The man felt new energy and vigor in him. He wanted to show off his strength but didn’t know how to, so he went on a rampage attacking all the vulnerable things. The banana tree which dedicated itself completely to benefit of human beings was the most affected due to its soft nature. The man continued with his assault till he got worn out trying to overpower the banyan tree.

At this juncture, Goddess of Learning gifted the person with knowledge so he would use it properly and benefit himself and the surrounding. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. The gift of knowledge made him feel supreme and started insulting and hurting the ordinary. People who learned things with experience and were lower in grade were expected to acknowledge and accept whatever the gifted person was expressing. Even valid points suggested were suppressed, quoting out their past mistakes and forced to surrender. Things were getting worse on a mass scale day by day.

The Goddesses didn’t want their blessings to be misused, so they combined and showered the person with intellect. The latest blessings injected sea change in the person. He realized the knowledge is to be shared and used for the welfare of the needy. He also understood that strength and power is to be used for constructive purpose and not for destruction. Finally, he also realized the preciousness and worthiness of different items and started to give the deserved respect and value. Everything in his zone became radiant and illuminated with prosperity.

With increasingly lesser emphasis on intellect, certain class blessed with skill of learning and retention believes themselves to be super beings. They voluntarily or involuntarily hurt their fellow beings. Certain other classes believe that power, strength and position they posses are ultimate and start showing it off on the vulnerable. Certain heads in the family will be the best example for the same. The vulnerable like the banana tree dedicate themselves from very tender age but get squeezed and used till the end. Also due to the dump nature or the ignorance of certain people the true value of the near and dear is not realized. This mainly is due to the take-it-for-granted attitudes of individuals.

While we wish that these people attain their intellect at the earliest for the betterment of themselves and their people, let us look at the same scenario in a different dimension. What is the mistake done by the invaluable souls that get ignored by their own people? They too have a heart that has a breaking point. To all those beautiful hearts, I have just one thing to say, if the owner of the house fails to realize the fragrance and beauty of the rose in his garden, it is not the fault of the flower but probably the inefficient sense organs of the owner. Rose has a value of its own in this world as long as it remains so, hence don’t feel lost due to the some narrow minded people but preserve your nature and enjoy your real identity.

In the second instance, I suggest all those people with the character of banana tree dedicating themselves but not being realized their value and hurt, to adopt to the situation not by bending down but growing up to the circumstance. If the condition demand elevating to the toughness and rigidity and determination of a banyan tree, don’t hold yourselves back. By doing so, you will be able to preserve your existence and continue your service on a broader and larger scale. One should note that the banyan tree never goes to show off its power but hold on to its position calm and composed. It is its internal strength, deep rooted value and wide range of coverage that gives the success to the banyan tree, so enrich yourself.

Finally, a person with mere knowledge is like machine loaded with information. A person without knowledge but with intellect is much more valuable than hundreds of programmed human machines. For those machines, who feel that their retention capacity and memory power is their success, a day may come soon when injecting a chip into the body may fill the person with all knowledge on earth. but intellect is real value and identity of a person that is gained only when he is clean at head and heart and holds to valuable principles. A person with intellect is like natural pearl and a person with spoon fed knowledge “alone” is like a plastic bead. Whatever maybe the count of the plastic beads, it will never be equivalent to the one pearl of intellect. Blessed is a person with all the good qualities of above starting from intellect to right knowledge, power, recognition, adaptability, and self realization, he/she is the priceless.

Asato Ma Sat Gamaya
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

SATHISH N

Rain Rain Come Again!!

The Korean car company had created a huge interest in the market with their latest launch. From the hype created that it is competing against the entry level hatchback of the biggest market share holder and is fittingly priced, I too was eager to get the details. During the weekend, I visited their showroom but only to my disappointment, I felt it is a bit overly priced. With all the canvas build around the vehicle slowly going out of shade in my mind, I came out of the showroom amidst a heavily overcast evening. It was getting darker and darker because of the fast accumulation of clouds around. Within no time, weather Gods started their musical extravaganza, much to the excitement of nature lovers and the nature as a whole.

Crossing line of the path of Rain God after a long time, I decided to stay back sheltering myself in a Bus stand and enjoy the real music of nature. The rhythm of the heavy downpour was just too good and the temporary streams across was kindling the kid in almost everyone. There were a lot of working group returning home assembled around and waiting for some clearance. Being a weekend, most of them didn't bother the wait and seemed to enjoy. In the middle of the group, a cute interaction between a couple caught my attention. Being within their vicinity for a brief moment, I was not able to make up if they were good friends or partners in making, whatever it is, I felt something special about them.

The girl offered the umbrella she had to the guy, which he was reluctant to use; probably he too was mesmerized by the beauty of the rain. In a soft matter she insisted him to use it and not to get drenched. The boy meanwhile found a mom with a baby on hand nearby, so he opened the umbrella and gave space for that mom and kid in it. At this time the girl was in the center of the shed and allowed others on the edge to be safe under the umbrella she provided. Meanwhile a bus came and the kid and mom got into it. At this time the girl joined the guy and they started discussing about something. It was very obvious that they were in their own sweet world, no artificiality was around in their conversation/reactions and there was 100% involvement, which displayed the immense understanding they shared. Though that was the case, they also looked around, not because they were worried/keen to see if someone was noticing them, but to ensure none got disturbed because of the water drops that fell from the umbrella that they had.

In the mean time, another group with an infant and few small kids took shelter in the bus shed. Since the bus shed was almost full, they were getting wet standing at the edge. Few guys gave way for them to move to the center of the stand but there was a small leakage over there and it didn't help them much. Noticing this, the boy and the girl welcomed them to join them under the umbrella. Being a big group to get beneath that small umbrella, the kids were around their mom hugging her legs. The boy happily gave way to them and even suggested them better positions so that they didn't get drenched because of the rain drops.

In spite of a break in the intense conversation they were having, they were unaffected. There was more of completeness and satisfaction of being able to help those kids on their face than the normal expressions we would expect. It was like a cute movie telecasted live, such was the pleasant feel watching them. After a while, the rain reduced its intensity, as if giving an interval for the long performance. Capitalizing on this break, I decided to move home. Though the price of the vehicle disappointed me personally, I was happy with the visuals of beautiful life that I could encounter. Whatever be those two good souls’ relations, I wished that their understanding and pleasantness grow further and hold a relation of the highest value. I also wished "rain, rain come again, little me wants to see, how pleasant living is, with diamond hearted people in life".

SATHISH N

Decorating The Infinite Capacity Container

Recently I was discussing with my friend about the various types of people we encounter in day-to-day life. One common thing that annoys almost everyone is attitude issues and immaturity level of certain folks. Self realization and self esteem are vital for individuals but rating themselves to be superior to the rest is immaturity. An individual with real talent and hunger for knowledge and wisdom will least have time to dwell upon complexes, but will always be keen to fine tune and improve themselves. They will be respectful to almost all the people they come across for they get the opportunity to learn, realize, understand and implement the good qualities in others, and also learn from their mistakes.

Historically, one would see that some big troubles were created because of certain short-sighted and out-of-mind people. Those “empty vessel would have made heavy noise” that paved way to unpleasant sequence of events. There are many forms in which the empty vessels make noise and the most common format nowadays is “EGO”.

Any normal and matured individual will respect and appreciate a true leader. A true leader will be a great inspiration, a wonderful role model, and an ultimate motivator. A true leader will posses qualities like calm and composed nature powered by honesty, truthfulness, righteousness, unbiased approach with high analytical skills and optimal decision making. All these qualities are result of years of experience and on-field learning, company of great personalities, and self analysis. These qualities cannot be taught with a book or some sessions.

But currently what we are encountering is some people who maybe “skilled labors” misunderstands themselves to have grown to the stature of great leaders and start displaying their complexes just because they got some recognition among peers. Unfortunately, such individuals have the backing of similar immature guys and start making noise strong enough to spoil the balance of a progressive system and shake it out. Their EGO will put oil to the fire, only to burn themselves to extinct. By the moment they realize their mistakes, they would have lost precious time and great individuals from their life.

Imagine an “Infinite Capacity Container” that has two sections. Different people who pass aside the container share their possessions to the person owning the container. The person distinguishes between the good and bad and fills the respective sections in the container. Depending on the richness of the good, the content in the bad section will get churned and converted to good and transferred accordingly. Ultimately, the bad section will become empty and only thing that is present in the container will be goodness.

Whereas on the other hand, if the person in charge of the container is one who consider himself/herself to be superior to the rest, fails to distinguish the good and bad. Anyone who sings praise about him/her will be more appealing for them. Naturally, they will fail to segregate the content properly and the bad stuffs may be dumped into the good section. Indirectly this will result in lower churning and the container will be dominated by bad features. Also if the person is an EGOist, then it is like a hole pierced on the lower part of the good section through which all the goodness (only goodness) leaks. As long as the hole of EGO is present, the goodness however accumulated will keep on leaking and ultimately make the container a rotten and stinky one.

The aforementioned phenomenon is what happens with human beings. The container is nothing but our mind that has infinite capacity. If we could be neutral and support the good, our aura will be good and so will be our deeds and such people will be respected and considered with at most importance. But if a person is addicted to his/her EGO and wants to dominate others, they will be flocked by parasites and will stagnate, and the deeds will start to sting. Their aura will be very negative and normal people over time will hate to accompany such folks.

All of us know what is right, only to satisfy our petty greed we fail to dedicatedly travel in its path. My simple request is, let’s not get blinded and chose the wrong route that lead to self destruction. It may look colorful at the early phase but just like how good rivers were transformed to drainage over time, one's life will also become unpleasant, useless and poisonous if we don’t place our vision at the highest level.

My suggestion to others who are disturbed by the deeds of negative people is to ignore them. There is no use wasting your valuable time and energy at a wrong end. A person who honestly is willing to grow as an individual will voluntarily be dedicated to accept the goodness, churn the bad, carry positive vibe and never be an egoist. So share the knowledge only if the person is worth it. An egoist and superiority complex person is one who is blowing out the light around in his his/her life one by one and forcing themselves into darkness. The light that we may carry will be insufficient unless they are willing to use it to lit up the blown out sources and enlighten themselves and their surroundings.

Let only real talent and character be showered with recognition and grow up in stature.

SATHISH N

The Kid...

There was a small kid who was never taken out of her room,
She always looked at the ceiling and wondered how high it is,
She wondered how beautiful it has been decorated and wanted to have a feel of it,
She used a ladder to go up and realize it for herself,
Filled with unexplainable joy, she jumped with happiness.

As time passed the kid grew, she was taken out to a castle,
She was astonished by the intricate work on the top and was eager to feel it,
She knew the solution by now, it is moving herself up,
She asked for some assistance and with adequate resources she went up and had a close feel of the art,
Again filled with lot of joy, she felt gliding around.

Days went by, and when she was taken out, she found beautiful clouds roaming around,
She was thrilled by God's creations, and again was eager to feel it,
She knew the solution for sure, it is moving herself up to heights,
She started preparing herself and when the right time came,
She flew in a plane to know the clouds more close,
Again filled with inexplicable joy, she looked up to marvel the God,
There she found the sky and beyond saw the universe....

She didn't try beyond but she was content and happy,
For she knew she has grown from a kid in a small room to someone who has felt the clouds and the marvel of the God!!!
She graduated to become composed and cool, for she realized herself and her means to height!!!
She recognized the ladders, the assistant and also the plane for they were the instrumental for her realization!!!
She realized her fellow being, for it was the true humanity!!!
She realized herself, for it was the true bliss!!!


SATHISH N

I LIKE SERIES - 4

Life is Beautiful

Recently we had a debate in our office on marriage. No, no it was not on the usual love marriage vs. arranged marriage, but on whether a marriage is needed or not. Though I am not going to brief the debate, one point struck my logics very badly. A point of argument on the necessity to get married was, "what happens when you fall sick or you get old and are depended". "Who will take care of your day-to-day needs?" Is marriage mainly aimed at that? Doesn't it have something more than that? Mostly weddings have become sort of a business agreement where an MOU is signed but in the marriage register office (fittingly the government has made it compulsory for any marriages to be registered).

According to my knowledge, partnership is the most sweetest part of life. More than the pleasures and services, it is identifying yourself in your loved ones. I have come across partners who may chat all the time when on phone but when they meet they will have nothing to speak but will be happy to rest on each others shoulders and involuntarily doze off. It may look odd, but I strongly feel this reflects the most intimate love than anything else. A peaceful mind and soul goes to rest when it sleeps, which a disturbed or tensed person can never be able to do. There is a sequence in yoga known as Shavasana which aims at emptying the thoughts and resting the body, and it will be noticed during that posture invariably the person who succeeds to perform it with extreme conscientiousness sleeps. I would relate the above happening within the couples to the same effect of Shavasana. It is the intensity of peace that one experience from the other resulting in this.

There is a saying that if one gets the right partner, he/she has the entire world to enjoy whereas if one gets the wrong pair, he/she will lose the right to live his/her own life. The primary reason for failure of any relation is impractically high level of expectations and we call it with a new terminology as possessiveness. Another reason for failure is personal needs and greeds. True love will always be happy only in giving, and less be concerned about personal benefits. The main expectation from the partner will be to see him/her happy. I may sound ideal, but you can check with any pair whom you feel respected for their relation, the above statement will fit perfectly.

Brian Weiss, a well know psychologist, in his book Many Lives, Many Masters elaborates on the existence of Soul Group and Soul Mate that occurs for everyone in every birth. I would advice reading the book to get a clearer picture of the concept. On a short note, the Soul Group is the one that becomes the best friends and the Soul Mate is the one who shares the life. So, even scientifically, for n-number of life spans we have been going through the cycle of sharing our life and it would be ideal to start looking at a higher value than relating it to a servant’s job or a business deal.

In a life that is filled with internal responsibilities and external challenges, we are tormented to the core. But these all end up to be trivial and easy to handle if we look at the highest value of true love. Any business will hit rough weathers if the profit margin is not good and may slide too during the worse-case scenarios. So don't practice business with relationships but rather know its true value and hold it at greater heights. Now there may be complaints that I am not peaceful with my partner, so how am I supposed to hold the relation at a higher level? The answer is quite simple, had we accepted the relations to satisfy our personal benefits and needs and they are done and dealt with, the relationship will start tasting sour because of (if we can call it) the materialistic bubble-burst. Rather, if you were really looking for your true soul mate, then you would be by default experiencing the completeness within you and at peace and harmony with the world.

A journey through long path that has streams that supplies tasty water, entertained by singing birds and beautiful flowers, fed by healthy and tasty fruits, enjoyed by pleasant climate, enveloped by cool and calm atmosphere, towered with a clean sky, basked by mild sun/moon will always be healthy and happy; such is the journey of life with the loved ones, just enjoy it and immerse yourself, you will always enjoy good health, and happiness will always enrich your life.

SATHISH N

The Legend Within You

Being ignored by the loved ones is supposed to be more painful that denying. Deep within the soul, everyone craves to be recognized by either the family or relatives or friends or colleagues or competitors or society or the world as a whole. It all starts from the very tender age when we would have rolled over the mud road crying hard just to convey our parents the message that “I too am here”. As we grow, this attention seeking too grows with us but prevails in different forms and intensities.

Our life is a combination of a cycle of events that needs constant analysis and fine tunings. If we place ourselves at a neutral point and do the analysis, it will yield optimal results. Most often, blinded by the expected output, we tend to start our analysis one-sided or biased. Also presently, the general mindset of the people is that they are always correct and there is no need for self analysis. The moment the concept of I, Me and Myself creeps into individuals, they feel that they are matured and tuned to match at the highest level, which often is not the truth. This reluctance to understand the truth acts as a key barrier for any sort of progress, both inward as well as outward.

Though the greats visualize each and every life as the “History in Action” and individuals as history makers, most of the people see life as an “Action Movie” where they are the heroes. The inability to draw line between fantasy and reality is making things worse both for individuals, their families, dear ones as well as for the society. All the heroes on screen are projected perfect, flawless and champions by default. They are always in the limelight and forever successful. There is no need for preparation or self analysis. With all these features, everyone bothered only about the final outcome and never cared to look beyond into the efforts that their champions sweat in.

A woman says she is suffering both at home and in the society to keep her family in right shape and move ahead. A man says he is stressed out the most for the welfare of the people associated with him. The students group will say they are always at the wrong end of the world surrounded by intense competition and negatively politicized procedures, and success comes only because of their abundant talent. In an organization each may claim that they ultimately are putting extra effort than the rest or are the smartest of the lot but still not being given the justice. All of us may be doing our role to the best of our ability and these may be the extreme statements to express the efforts being put in, but if the approach is implying the mindset that their efforts are superior to the rest, then that makes it immature and biased.

The fast food nature of life nowadays has taken a lot of time out of everybody’s life and we are running short of time even to accomplish the assigned tasks and satisfy our materialistic wishes. Thus we are surrounded mainly by people who belong to the immature class in one form or another. They themselves are not stabilized to find what gives them ultimate happiness and at what point they will be content about what they have. If we are craving for recognition from such immature individuals, then we are misdirecting ourselves because an immature and biased person will never be able to provide the right recognition, and longing for it will become meaningless.

All great leaders suggest that recognizing yourself is more apt than wishing others to recognize you. In order to recognize oneself, he/she should first “realize” themselves. So self realization, neutrally, is of atmost importance. Knowing ones own value, strengths, areas of improvement, nature, weakness will help to improve and adapt to any situation. A wrong marketing may grab immediate attention but it will not hold for long unless the individuals is determined to support it for long with added lies and wrong doings but such acts will come to light one day or another. Rather than undergoing the pain and strain of strengthening the lies in order to prove it correct, it will be much easier to stick to the truth and follow its path.

Recognition of the society is like the applause a student gets for topping the class. If someone else gets the first position in the next exam, the attention shifts. At the end of the year, a new batch fills the lot and the competition will be among a totally different set of individuals. This scenario of changing focal point goes on and on and on. So if the ultimate aim is to be recognized by a third person, it is like an uncertainty that will change depending on the taste and maturity level of individuals. If we go after that we may finally end up being wounded internally with some personality disorders or complexes. One needs to understand that the right recognizer will have an eagerness to see you grow and hence may provide guidance or the least some positive inputs which is aimed at self realization (directly or indirectly) and never de-motivates or try to prove ones own worthiness.

People who try to realize themselves and graduates in that will be successful in producing the best out of them irrespective of the circumstances and will be able to enjoy it to the maximum, unhindered by the success or failure of their efforts. Their wholehearted effort itself will be a means of pleasure and the learnings to fine tuning themselves will be the greatest gifts for them. Over time, the continuous learning and dedicated performance takes an individual to heights where their life and knowledge will be of immense value to the world. They move beyond the limitations of time, more than mere heroes, and become legends.

If we look around beyond the current “Thamashas”, we can find a lot of things to learn from each and every life around us. Each one of us has a legend within us waiting to be released from the cage of ignorance. The birth and death of that true self depends on whether one is seeking internal recognition or the external one. The world maybe biased and people may be misguiding, so don’t get de-motivated by it, since it is a short lived spike, come out of the fantasies and biased outlook and allow the legend in you to take the shape and help you enjoy each and every second of living with happiness and content.

SATHISH N

The Island of King Trinabh

The sun rose every day just to enjoy the beauty of this small island surrounded three fourth by beautiful scenic hills covered with thick layer of trees, which were hugged and kissed by the clouds that fall to its beauty and marvel. Along with the different species of animals and birds in those forests, the island sheltered a small group of natives whose livelihood was mainly dependant on vegetation. Ruled by, the Simple and Humble, King Trinabh, the island was the love for all those who could realize its value, both within it as well as outsiders.

Along with providing proper climate cycle, the hills rendered the source of water to the island via the rivers that originated from them. Being a small group, the king had clear strategy to his people, whom he saw as members of his own family. The human habitation was over the river banks with properly planned huts and plantations. It was enchanting all around with the entire canvas covered with different shades of green. The flowers and birds were the main dancers and musicians. The running water was so tasty and pure that it gave extra energy and freshness.

Ensuring the greenery of the hills around was the primary hobby of the islanders. This helped the animals to have an undisturbed world of their own. The hills also ensured that the rivers were perennial and never went dry. The people entertained themselves with rhythmic dances and songs. The main sports were wrestling and archery. Being a small group, the entire population was part of both the working group as well as the defense group. Men and women took equal responsibilities in vegetating their island. In the Army, while men formed the power force, women acted as the support staffs. The grown up kids took care of the homes, land and young ones during wartime.

The king believed that nothing is independent and everything was inter-dependent in one way or another. Though the island didn't witness any attack in the recent path, the kind was particular about being always prepared for one. Both the Army and the Agriculture groups were divided into three, the Right Wing, Middle Wing and the Left Wing, each led by an experienced war person who had proved his metal with agriculture too. This helped the king to communicate his ideas on both the battlefield as well as the agri field effectively and efficiently accomplish things in the best possible manner.

There was one wing that communicated directly to the king named the Primary Shield. This group was spread around the border and checks on the intruders. They were constantly trained and had capacity to withstand any sort of attack. This gave enough time for all the wings to group together and come heavily against the enemies.

Enemies who attacked the island were taken back by the sheer power of the islanders. The king's theory of interdependence was the main reason for this. Taking care of the agriculture and the hobby of maintaining forest along the slopes of the hill and entertainment by dancing ensured that everybody is fit and strong. The wrestling and archery helped them to improve their skills. The healthy food and pure water made them disease free and powerful.
Though the king had wide knowledge about the world around and the formats present there on the classes, scales of responsibilities and forms and entertainment, he was not impressed by them. The entertainment formats like Gladiators, drinks, and others had gained momentum but he was strictly against them because he believed that the strength of his people was their unity and power, so classifying them for entertainment will weaken them both mentally and physically as well as bring down the mutual respect. In the current set up, everyone were responsible for everything and there was no entertaining group and viewing group, but there was all participants enjoying and entertaining themselves and others, which ensured all are equally happy and excited.

The island didn't witness any attack for quite some time. Few intruders were there but they were brought on knees by the Primary Shield and imprisoned. There wasn't any search for the missing personnel by their kings, probably they were not cared or were believed to be drowned into the ocean bed.

Using the prisoners for in agriculture was a hot topic of discussion on the king's court. Though the head of the wings, who took care of agri and army, were not happy with the suggestion, the momentum towards it was very strong and it was approved. Few prisoners were released and joined the agriculture group. Being of small headcount, a separate commander was not nominated.

Shaking the balance of the opponent was part of the strategy of attackers. Making the enemies weak, directly or indirectly, was always part of the war plans. Some key enemies had learned the strength of concept of interdependence and wanted to break the link and make the islanders weak. These prisoners found the bill was the right opportunity for the same.

The released prisoners while carrying out their duty as agriculturist started marketing about their so called glorious lands and life style. They were discussing aloud about the separate army group, separate agri group, separate entertainment group, servants and arenas. They also said that the king's logic at the slopes was stupid and he was treating his subjects as animals who are always made to work. The prisoners said that their kings ensured that the authorities’ duty was to keep people happy and entertained, whereas here people are put into so much of hardship without any excitement.

The venom injected had its impact. Few forgot the fact that they were the strength of the country and few believed that since they were the strength of the country, it is dependent on them and should be given extra weightage. The arrested group was smelling success. Their theory was spreading like wild fire. Some immature guys got misguided. Though few had realized the truth, they were not allowed to voice their opinion and fearing agitation few declined to express their viewpoint.

The leader of the different wings came to know about this and in order to make their subjects realize the bigger picture, they summoned for a meeting but that didn't yield good reception. The misguided group claimed that they were treated badly than the prisoners who just need to do the agricultural work whereas they had to perform duty both on the field and during war. The vision of the higher was getting totally blinded. The point that all that were being done was to strengthen the country and people never got sold among them and it was considered as orders. They said that they are smart, talented and capable enough to face any war and win it.

The prisoner group continued to spit poison and the new gen started falling to the imaginative luxury and performing only when there is demand. They said all the time, other than the one that anyone needs work, is for entertainment and there is no need for any preparation. The assumption of being powerful and talented by default grew strong and the preparation phase witnessed lesser involvement. The food output became relatively less. The perennial rivers saw a minor reduction in levels.

Few people who realized the truth continued with their effort and kept on strengthening themselves and their group. They were clear that the things that were assumed now as work were not so but the way of living, which is to be enjoyed and experienced than complained. They continued with the king's plan and didn't lose their focus of the higher and hence could witness the improvement in skills, strength and confidence. All of them felt equally heroes. Since this was happy at the backdrop of agitation, it was not noticed much.

In order to restore things, the king called for a meeting. Everybody assembled and when the discussion was about to commence, a messenger from the Primary Shield came and informed that the island is about to be attacked. Immediate orders were passed for national duty. The troops were readied and moved immediately.

Ahead of the war the king addressed his subjects, "You compared things considering all the kings to be like me and the entire kingdom to be prosperous as ours. We need not depend on others' wealth because we are self sufficient. Others have to because they are not prosperous as we are or all the wealth is being eaten by the royals. Our vision was rich today and tomorrow, both culturally as well as wealth wise. We wanted everyone to enjoy a level playing field. We should remember that we were not working to establish prosperity because our ancestors had already done it and we were only maintaining it. We also should understand that when someone is attacking us investing so much of time and money, it is because they don't possess what we have and want to acquire it by any means."

He continued saying that, "If you feel what the prisoners uttered was true, and their land was better than ours, then why didn't they make even one attempt to flee our island. All that they had said was out of pure frustration of losing their identity and staying away from their dear ones. We don't know how many of us will see tomorrow but let us do what we can do for our motherland that was with us always. When the war is over, our triumph will be declared aloud and we will have more attention, so let's pledge that we will continue with our responsibilities with more vigor and gain strength and be always united and clear with our vision. In the name of our motherland, let's bring the enemies to our feet."

The army reached the border and saw a big group anchoring their ships. Their numbers outnumbered the islanders. Few young guys who were experiencing war for the first time were taken back by the atmosphere itself. The leaders along with the experienced warriors analyzed the enemies. After the analysis, they addressed, "Our skill, power and unity are our strengths. They may look large in count but not in strength. Their nation's pathetic condition is witnessed by the lack of passion and energy among the soldiers. They are a stagnated lot, whose destiny is defeat and steep fall. If we can team up properly, all of us will see tomorrow and be at the lap of our motherland enjoying her warmth and care. They may break the rules of war, so expect the unexpected."

The teams were grouped in different combinations. The war began. Warriors who were not misguided felt that all their efforts were coming handy and were overpowering the attackers with ease. Whereas soldiers who complained and got rusted found they were not as agile and free flowing as they used to be. They felt that they had to give extra effort to match with the strength of their own members. Once they started getting blows from the enemies they realized that they wasted key time and opportunity to enrich themselves to higher levels. They were having a tough time to survive, help themselves and the team. The fight lasted for almost a month. The constant supply of food ensured that all of them were healthy and strong, whereas the enemies were getting exhausted and depleted. The vegetation along with hills made it tough for the enemies to carry out attack from other sides. The islanders won the war with great flamboyance.

All the warriors returned home with very minor injuries and no loss to life, but with a completeness filled with pride. As soon as they reached, they unanimously requested the king not to let lose the prisoners but take them back to the prison as such weeds should not be surfacing the society. The strength and unity of the island along with its richness became well known among all the nations around the globe but none dared to attack them again. The islanders also made sure they never got rusted and took up responsibilities in all constructive things and kept upgrading themselves and all as each and everyone in their group. Though a small group, the island had its flag flying high among the rest of the world.

SATHISH N

Right Person at Right Place - Mindset

“Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu.” I would like to first start with Onam wishes filled with Peace, Prosperity and the blessings of almighty to each and every creations in this world. My Hearty Onashamsagal to all.

Onam is the celebration on the occasion of the homecoming of the Great King Mahabali (Maveli). It is said that during his regime the world witnessed the presence of Heaven on Earth. There is a famous song on it that’s sung over Onam which starts as “maveli nadu vaneedum kalam…” The translation goes thus:

"When Maveli, our King, ruled the land,
All the people were equal.
And people were joyful and merry;
They were all free from harm.
There was neither anxiety nor sickness,
Deaths of children were unheard of,
There were no lies,
There was neither theft nor deceit,
And no one was false in speech either.
Measures and weights were right;
No one cheated or wronged his neighbor.
When Maveli, our King, ruled the land,
All the people formed one casteless races”

We can argue that the aforementioned is just an imagination rather than reality but is it a sample of the statement made by Albert Einstein on Mahatma Gandhi that "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." Whatever is the case, King Mahabali was the first person to ignite the thought of Right Person at Right Place in my mind.

The core of any event on earth trickles down to the individual, their maturity, attitude, and discipline. The CPU of the now robotic life is the mindset, which is directly or indirectly being programmed to float around the materialistic and immaterial pleasures. It doesn’t mean that all are trapped in that “World of Maya” but there is a strong wave moving in that direction that years down the line all of us may be addicted to it where discipline and righteousness will become trademarks of outdated individuals.

Nowadays the wrong things and causes are being the center of attraction that such people are treated as celebrities. Earlier, if a person finds someone to be cunning or dishonest, they will be sidelined and avoided because of losing his/her own identity. Whereas now those deeds are classified as smartness and they are the nucleus of celebration. This attitude is resulting in a gradual shift towards similar mindsets misunderstanding it as the shortcut to happiness and success. The aforementioned is like addiction to drugs that someone who tries to guide the right path is considered villains at the first instance; reason is a premeditated mindset and resistance to accept and follow the right path which needs dedication and systematic approach.

So even though a few argued that the concept of Right Person at Right Place is idealistic and impractical, I felt that if Prevention is Better Than Cure, then this is the best practice to follow. Even striving towards it and getting organized itself should yield good results. The key point one should realize is that only the broadminded and intellect will really understand the value of this concept.

With the current mind getting spoiled by the fantasies, only when the people who stand at the border of ecstasy of shortcuts & sweetness of truth graduates to accept and follow the higher value, we will start seeing the shift in the paradigm. The spoiled may cry foul because they have submerged deep in the imaginative world that coming out of it will need extra effort and forgoing the pleasures will not be that easy. So they may erupt with all sort of counter reactions which will need to be dealt with a neutral analysis and never getting carried away perspective.

The process of weeding off will be successful only if it is removed from the root, else the possibility of recurrence will be high. Unlike surgery, corrective measures involving human mind will need a slow and systematic approach. At the ground level, before initiating the process, what is important is the acceptance and belief that the tool in hand can be a viable solution and an earnest effort to stick to the basics and never get carried away.

We should also understand that any constructive measures will take some time to reap results but destructive things will spread like wild fire and give momentary output. Ignoring a beautiful pond as such and allowing the plants to multiply out of proportion and erasing the pond forever need no effort but maintaining it properly needs some genuine effort, which in turn will come out with widespread goodness to all the direct and indirect dependence of the pond.

Let us not misunderstand knowledge equates to intellect. Anyone who have good retention capacity or can logically grasp the scientific and non-scientific theories can claim to be knowledgeable but being intellect sets a much higher standard than that. An unbiased, neutral, broadminded individual who can perceive things from every angle and then draw the optimal conclusion taking hand of righteousness can be an ideal choice for an intellect.

Since an attitude to shoulder all the stress and strain at the top level and pamper the next gen is spreading at a rapid pace, we are at a situation where however the kid is, the parent should be flexible and tolerant; however the student is, the teacher should be adjusting and soft; however the employee is, the manager should be gentle and acceptive; however the people are, the nation should be progressive. Maybe it is quick fix we found since some empty vessels made too much of noise but what about the long-term when these kids , students, employees, and people need to elevate to become the parents, teachers, managers and represent the world??? In the name of generating retentive atmosphere, are we ending up grooming unmoulded and immature but egoist group to key positions, which may lead to further chain reactions that would shake up the entire stability and balance???

Though the practicality of a becoming a ruler like King Mahabali and establishing a life style of his time may trigger doubt in the minds, realizing a solution but not striving for it will be more grave and inhumane than people who spoiled things by living in a world of immaturity. The primary preparation is to have the right mindset. Let’s prepare ourselves mentally before getting into the act, which is the biggest and strongest investment; the backbone of the long journey ahead. Let the attitude, talent and Aura of Kind Mahabali be filled in each and everyone in this world establishing a prosperous world filled with the truth and righteous around. I wish we start seeing the Right Person in each and every one of us and start decorating the Right
Positions we take with at most precision. Happy Onam!!!

SATHISH N

Right Person at Right Place - Nation

First of all I would like to start by conveying my appreciation to the supporters against corruption. Our country has once again proved that the peaceful approach is still a powerful medium to fight against injustice. There were few articles against the development relating it with the attempts by other personalities who tried similar ways for valid causes but in vain. There is always an argument that glamor holds a key position in sports for the players to get quick and heavy sponsorship but let’s not look at the current development using the same lens. One should realize that unlike the previous instances, the current one is questioning the dignity of the governing system, which they have to respond or else will be like accepting that it is not clean.

The mass agitation gives enough proof that each and every one is affected because of corruption one way or another. People should have felt this is the right opportunity to question the irresponsible and inhumane, who sucks our blood misusing our delicate situations. So the direct involvement of the otherwise silent citizens of our nation is the evidence of the realization of the doubt if we are becoming slaves to our own bureaucrats who are keen to satisfy their greed and selfishness.

The list of scams like CWG, ADARSH, SPECTRUM and so on currently on the radar has given enough evidence that the corrupt officers are only dedicated to catch hold of the biggest possible pie when it comes to money and are never bothered about our “Motherland or its reputation”, or the dedication of our “Jawans” or the growth of the “nation and its people”. All they are focused is money, money and more money. I wonder how much money will make them feel fulfilled and start doing their duty properly (is it ever possible to satisfy them) or do they have account in any Banks in the “HELL” so that they can transfer these “hard-earned grabbing” while inhaling the last breath of their life.

In any profession, depending on your skill and qualification, you will be placed in different designations. Probably what we are witnessing now is the hierarchy for Thieves. If one is not smart enough, he becomes Petty Thief. Be courageous and daring, then he succeeds being a burglar. If one can manage to hold up key position, he ends up being White-Collared Thief. If one can invest and get into politics, then he becomes Professional Thief. These thieves are wide-spread throughout our nation and it is a very important challenge for all of us to ensure that they are cured at the earliest.

Let us be the right Citizen (Child) to our motherland and understand that there is no shortcut to being righteous. Let each and every one of us perform our duties truthfully and happily accept the outcome for our efforts. Small droplets make big ocean, so let us join hands and form a perfect citizen group which is impregnable by any untrue deeds/actions/individuals. Luxuries are exhaustible and short lived, let’s not be blinded by them and lose the value of the big picture. If we don’t organize ourselves soon, corruption will slave us soon creating more and more imbalance and finally ending up a scenario which is insecure and unstable.

At this point, I wish to say that one thing puzzles me. While the citizens of our nation are pulling their act together to make a corruption fee nation, are we missing active involvement from other politicians and parties at the ground zero level, whom we believed and handed over the responsibility of prospering our nation? Is it that their key income source is being scrutinized that they are getting only some representatives to come out with some “beating around the bush statements”? We select and elect our representatives, so let’s make an honest review and understand. With the option to vote for President’s Rule available, we can also display our disbelief on the dedication of officials. Let’s also make a point that we first will become the RIGHT CITIZEN (CHILD) to our WONDERFUL & BLESSED NATION (MOTHERLAND) and stand together always and establish a righteous and prosperous NATION – OUR INDIA.

SATHISH N

Right Person at the Right Place - Intro

Literature have shed ample light on the different stages of life as well as different slabs of living in the world. In spite of the differences, we unite to accept that all of us belong to the same species. Beyond that there are always differences in our perspectives that decide our actions and thus the happenings in the universe. Probably, one statement that most will stand united will be “I’m suffering”. Check with anyone, there will be very minimal individuals who say I’m happy. Everyone will have something or other that makes them “feel” incomplete, which acts as the reason for their pain.

One special feature about human beings is the notion that we are always correct, so all the problems are reasoned because of others. Whereas, during success, the statement changes, often it will be I did everything and my smartness and intelligence were the reasons, maybe the people who supported were just robots programmed by the claimer.

The truth always is that irrespective to success or failure, everything comes as a result of the collective effort. So our involvement is default and mostly the major reason for our own happiness/pain. This may lead to an argument that how can one state so for events where others pulled the strings. Such arguments are result of incomplete analysis. Often our analysis limits to the current events and we judge ourselves based on our involvement in those events. Also our justifications to portrait ourselves clean makes the analysis biased. So the result is invalid.

Also every action will have a root which will have a sequence of events before the ultimate. Our involvement at each and every instance will add to determine how much we are the reason for the final outcome. So the percentage of involvement may vary from 1% to 99% but never will be 0% or 100%.

Everyone on Earth are blessed with the common sense to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong (Exceptions: mentally disabled). Also every individual knows what gives happiness to them. Depending on how intense a person holds the hand of right/wrong in the journey towards one’s own goal, the right/wrong action is decided.

Imagine you have a big garden that has a lot of seeds sowed. One may like few types of plants, so will give more attention in its growth. Seeds that were cared at most will have maximum growth relative to others. Depending on the dominance of the type of plants in our garden, one decides the type of garden we own. As the ultimate owner of the garden, we can weed off the wrong plant and replace it with right, transforming the garden judiciously. Creating the right combination of plants will be always advisable as it will have positive effect on us as well as the creations dependent on the garden, not to forget the plants themselves and thus the garden too. Being flexible and adaptable to right practice is the best solution to become a good gardener.

Now relating the garden to our mind and caring of the seeds to nurturing the right/wrong, we will get the bigger picture of our soul. So the options are always open, choosing the right one at the earliest will give righteous outcome consistently. The world is nothing but combination of individuals, so zooming into the life of an individual, it can be learned that most of the negative happenings were due to the absence of the right person to guide and support. So the simple solution at the atomic level to this macro problem is “Right Person at the Right Place”.

We will try to get in detail about the influence of the difference key roles in an individual’s life that validates the blessings of the Right Person or rather the goodness of being the Right Person in our current role.

SATHISH N