Long Service Award

Yeah, it may sound crazy…but it feels like Oscar!   I am referring to the long service award which I got from my employer – 10 years in the same organization is indeed a milestone.

Yes, what is striking is that all these long service awardees have put in the best of their career years into this organization  – this is amazing!! I am sure if any of the long service awardees get their biographies done, this period in our life time will definitely be a focused coverage!.  All have been together, learnt many things, grown, been loyal, dedicated, etc……..

Professionally and personally I have matured a lot in these last 10 years and my organization has a very big role to play in my growth – when i say organization, it goes without saying it is the people who make the organization.

Coming back to the “feeling like Oscar”, it  is ARR’s Oscar award acceptance speech which crosses my mind – the famous quote ‘Ella Pugazhum Irayvanuke (All praise be to God)’  –  probably it is true in my case, but just that for me the God is in the people around me  –  ” my parents – who instilled the value of  life into me,   my spouse and kids – who understand me and relentlessly support  me to handle and balance my work load and personal life, my sibling – who inspires me to face  and live my life, my friends – who shape my thoughts and make me better every day,  my mentors -who put their faith in  my potential  and  give responsibilities which help  me grow professionally, my colleagues –  who bring in those  moments of happiness and belongingness  to keep me going , my team – who actually make it possible for me to deliver the expectations  –  so, it is people, people, people………..probably, my note should go like ” Ella Pugazhum Irayvanuke –  Ennai Sutri Manithanai irrukum  Irayvanuke”  (All praise be to God who is in the form of People around me!)

To close, i quote these lines from ttrangarajan -” Happiness is in small things!  Success is in big things”  and  these 10 long years in this organization gave the opportunities for small things and big things!!

God bless!  🙂 🙂 Makes me feel wonderful about this milestone!

Simply Super(star)!

Ok, by this time it is established that Rajni’s Endiran is a big hit and he is THE talk of the town.  I read multiple reviews and news about Rajni in the past two weeks  –  but this article in Bangalore mirror by Lakshmi  lingers in me……..the listed reasons for being a superstar are real good and unique    –  a quick lesson for anyone who wants to be the leaders in their career and in life.

1. Never over sell
2. Talk less
3. Never flash off
4. Be polite and unassuming
5. Be yourself

It made me realize that I have never seen Rajni in any commercials so far!!  Amazing!!

21st September

It was my mom who introduced me to the interesting patterns behind numbers………..she used the patterns to remember various stuff…….phone numbers, door number, date of birth, anniversaries…………..she was always on top of these and was a ready reckoner database for the entire family

While i appreciated and understood the technique, i never did pick up that skill till today…..ofcourse, now we have such gadgets which handle    everything for us without remembering anything………..but, i always get impressed on the way sometime the numbers weave into our lives…….

……i wonder about ……….

……how the wedding dates of my brother and mine are on consecutive days, though years apart,

……how  the birthdates of my kids are exactly 6 months apart from each other though of different years,

……the Fibonacci series and their appearances in the biological settings,

……how in my mom’s  family the mother and son are always born under the same star and it came into my family too,

……why always 7 is most commonly occurring number  in my life –  birthday, door number…….

some kind of a coincidences……the recent is 21st September 

Being as lazy as i am, especially when it comes to keeping in touch with friends, i actually have a very limited set of people who can understand my thoughts…….and of those, i just have currently three who are in touch……..and when i discovered that all the three have their birthdates on the same day, 21st September, i indeed was flabbergasted………..

Now , i can never forget 21st September  – ofcourse AMwas indeed upset about Bebu sharing her birth date   🙂 🙂

Socially!!

It was almost lunch time and there were still five people waiting in the queue…It was a hot afternoon and all were hoping that the lady in the post office(PO) counter will attend to all of us within her lunch time, which was just another 15 minutes away. 

I have always seen the PO women to be very efficient and active…..very short and small built (typical of a middle class Indian women) with specs which is way too big for her small face. As far as I have witnessed during my monthly post office visits, I found that she is the most computer literate in the entire office….I have seen her handling the most busiest counter on all days and in parallel handling cash transactions and also helping her colleagues on their doubts. While on one side, I admire her as the most efficient women, I am also equally wary of her sudden bursts of anger. I have seen her snapping at customers in high voice, making statements like “I have only two hands!! Wait!!”  Nevertheless, I still viewed her as the most efficient person and the most dedicated.

 On that afternoon, I could see that all her colleagues in the other counters have already closed down their counters and started their lunch break.  This lady is still counting money and looking into her terminal. A man rushed in and stood at the end of the queue…the lady sees it and screams “Sir, time aagithe (time over).  You come tomorrow.  I have five people in the queue already and I should go for lunch”.   I was also surprised –  given that it is still another 15 minutes, she has a likely possibility of servicing him also.  But she was very determined .  I felt that this lady is stressed out and is screaming at everyone.

She turns her focus and continues in the same voice to the next customer in line – a middle aged women in front of me – a very well dressed fashionable women at her fifties…the type you may see in those high class boutiques.  The PO lady says – “madam..illi sign maadi!”.   The customer seem to have understood the instruction and started signing on the document.  The PO women jumps from her seat and with a total irritated mood says “madam, alli illa, sign her, madam!…on the dotted line”.  The customer  was embarrassed and told in a low voice   “see, I do not have my reading glasses and I cannot see well”.  Immediately, the PO women goes cool….”same problem for me also madam, I cannot see well if I take the glasses” and takes her specs and extends to the customer and said  “no problem madam, use my specs”.  While the customer hesitated, the PO women insisted it and again said “no problem madam, i can see well with these glasses, it will help you to see and sign correctly”.  The customer was so thankful and accepted the offer and signed off.

I was amazed by the PO women and her social skills –  I can never imagine this happening in any so called customer friendly  foreign banks or even in other shop counters….in the same situation, they would have made the customer feel even more uncomfortable for not able to sign off…..

Kudos, Madam!….You are so  very natural, true to yourself, efficient, screaming at issues and in the same whiff, helping the customer getting their work done.  I am sure I am going to ignore her short outbursts and enjoy witnessing her social skills in my next visits!!

Have Fun

It has been a very physically taxing week….the proposed root canal treatment preceded by strong antibiotics literally had pulled all my energy down…I was indeed looking forward for the weekend to rejuvenate! I was almost counting the weekdays, which seem to be passing slooooo….wly.  Finally it was Thursday evening and I was relieved that it is just another day for the weekend.

Then comes running the little one with a bright red card in hand…”Look, what it is! It is the birthday party of my friend on Saturday and I have told them I will come as it is holiday for you “……..I was indeed visibly disappointed that one fourth of my much awaited weekend will be gone in this party….considering that even the family outings were very limited the last couple of weeks, I agreed to go and accompany the little one.

It was the birthday evening…though I was still tired, when we reached the venue and saw the other parents and started chatting, I felt better…I laughed a lot and true to the saying “Laughter is the best medicine” , I felt much better than all of the last couple of weeks!  It was a good three hours and while coming back in the car, the little one was on continuous chatter mode – all thrilled about the return gifts, balloons, how many games they played and who did what, etc, etc.  Then suddenly, when the car was getting parked, comes out the advice to me “I think you should celebrate YOUR birthday like this…you should invite Ani’s parents, Arjun’s parents, Anitha aunty,…….(the list goes on and on including all the parents)…May be, we can do it in FUNCITYitself ”

I was amused by this sudden advice.  I was indeed feeling a bit guilty that we could never celebrate the little one’s birthday this time as promised by me.  But irrespective of that, here comes the advice that I have to celebrate MY birthday!!…I was intrigued and asked “my birthday?!!  It is another six months away!! And why should I celebrate my birthday? Only little children like you celebrate their birthday in FUNCITY. I am too old for these FUNCITY birthday parties!”…….bang came the reply without any hesitation….”Just to HAVE FUN!!…You can laugh and talk like today and can be happy!”…

I was moved – it is just not that the little one has noticed that I have had a good time with other parents in the party, but also wishes me to have much more fun!

Though it is too early an age for the little one to even understand on the fact that he has wished good happiness  for the other  person, i was overwhelmed that it came very natural  –  the thought to see the people around you happy!!

Wanting to see others happy ……..it indeed is a great asset to possess!……..I pray this thought stays with the growing years………..I am sure to see the little one will grow into a wonderful individual in the future!

Have fun!!   🙂   🙂

Survival

It was a Saturday evening.   We witnessed the Big B phenomenon in the mall and the crowd was as expected.  Big B was here to promote his film and it happened that we went on the same day, same time to watch another movie in the same multiplex.

Big B was on the third floor and was waving his hands on the enthusiastic crowd of admirers – there were cheer all over.  The escalators were loaded and we were on the on the escalator to third floor and suddenly I realized there was a jam at the end of the escalator.  I could see the risk of a stampede…people are just standing at the end of the escalator and all engrossed to catch a glimpse of their favorite actor.  We were nearing the end and I can see people are falling over one another.  I got aggressive and shouted “ MOVE, MOVE, GO,GO” and physically pushed the guy in front of me with a strong fist (did I give him a punch?, may be!) .  Suddenly, the crowd realized what is happening and started moving and things settled.  We reached the cozy seats in the theatre on time!

Back home, the kids were describing on how I pushed the crowd and made people move.  I told them “listen, it is survival.  There were times were you got to be really aggressive.  I had been in crowds back in hometown during the temple festival.  I use to cry as a kid, but my parents will make sure that I get into the temple through the crowd.  Over a period of time, I learnt to survive in the crowd.  If someone unnecessarily haggles, I ‘pinch’ them.  So, you need to sense when there is danger and also become aggressive to ensure that we avert the danger!!”  Kids were awed by my heroism (!!!)

Gosh, I hope the kids understand and learn these survival techniques – as parents, are we giving them enough opportunity to learn on how to handle these situations in life?  Probably, parents are much more overprotective – time to make sure that we throw them in the water if we want them to learn swimming!!!

Fasting

It was a noisy evening with the kids playing football over the corner…we were chit chatting….the kids came running  –  ‘Hansel broke his teeth when the foot ball hit him…….call his mom’.

RJ quickly pulled her mobile out of her handbag and called JS  –  JS came with her ever striking coolness and calmness……….she says  ‘  Hansel beta, go and wash yourself in the club house..it is just the teeth which was shaking..it should be fine’.

He was indeed fine once he washed up and went back to his game.  RJ was enquiring..’so, are you finishing your fasting today?’

JS smiles and says  ‘  yeah, eight days are over’.  I was surprised and asked   –  ‘u fast for eight days?’…she smiles and says ‘we can drink lukewarm water as much as we want.’

I wonder…..she has been not eating anything all these eight days – not even milk, but she is so fresh and bright with the calmness and cool…..i was thinking of the one day where i had to fast for 24 hours and how irritable i became…

and look at her……she had been thriving on lukewarm water and stands here with a smile and a very clear thought and a calmness which catches me…..

After i come home, i keep thinking that i should read more about jainism……….i google for it…….and then realize it is just not me, but the  scientists are indeed studying the jains fasting to understand the survival techniques…….

but for me, it was the calmness and cool…….not the physical thriving which was unique……..it has to got to do with the mental stature than with the physical status!

What is right?

It was this article on euthanasia which was referred by RK –  it brought back the dilemma and memories!

Author has listed the five stages the dying people and their family go through – Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance

but my memory is clear…………

the first feeling was fear……..it came and set in – ‘what will we do without her ‘

then came –  ‘why me?’  –  ‘there are millions of poeple who are bad and why God chose us to go through this’

the associated anger  – ‘who did this to us? someone has done this to us, is God fair?’

denial  -‘this can not happen to us, we had been always good to all..there is something wrong…this can not be possible’

bargaining –  with the great LORD himself – so childishly – ‘i will never eat icecreams in my life for ever if she gets cured and lives, i will go around the sanctum 108 times with foot over foot…etc, etc’

and the acceptance –  WHICH NEVER CAME 100%….even today, i wish i could pick up the phone and talk to her and update her on the day’s happening, on the new watch i bought, etc, etc.

There were lots of moments where we had to decide  –   the doctors could lay down the pros and cons of each treatments  –  the cost, the pain, the side effects, the probability of cure (it is never 100%)….

The initial decisions were made with the  single focus of getting her back……we never discussed about the side effects, we never discussed the probability which was always less than 100%, we never checked if she was willing to go through the pain of the therapy……..

The days were long, the treatments were tough………slowly, the feeling of desperation was setting in………i could not stand seeing her going through these tough periods of physical agony…

It was one of those days –  I remember it was the day after a painful therapy – she was on the bed and still under pain of the therapy, I was helpless and trying to read a ‘sloka’ loudly at her bedside with a hope that it will reduce her pain – she looks at me and says ‘ do not worry,  I am going through all these as I want to live for some more time and spend all those additional hours with you and B’

I broke down and at that moment decided that I will do whatever I can to increase her life span – B and me were ready to go to any doctor, try all feasible things because she was ready to go through those pains for just being with us for another day.

But there were times where I felt guilty  – ‘ are we making her go through too much of a pain  just for our sake?’  But B had always his positive attitude to reassure. “even if we can extend her life by six months or so, there are chances that there is some breakthrough in the medicine/treatment.  The research is ongoing and there are lot of positive breakthrough in this field..we have to go through this..think of the chance…the new medicine can make her live for another two years and in that time, with all the research going on…there can  be a cure’

Today, when i read the article, i just could conclude that all it matters is what an individual feels  –   never a government or a medical board or a group of activists can decide for an individual on the right to live or die.

It’s YOUR birthday!

It was another “full day”  –  school preparations, con calls, reviews, early morning meetings……….It is in the evening when the kids gave the surprise handmade cards it struck that there should have been some plan to prepare a sweet at home  (dining out is ruled out  –  both from timing perspective and swine flu perspective).

“so, any choices for the sweet?”   –   with a glee in the eye, responds the 6-yr old “can we make that noodles payasam?”…………

the preparation is on and it is all ready ……..

everyone is on the dinner table and the “payasam” is served…………suddenly the 6-yr old gets into a contemplating mood……..and says “actually, it is YOUR birthday…..we should prepare what you like”…….

We smile and respond “that’s fine, we all like this sweet”…………this response gives a comfort and with a smile the little one is on with the job !!  🙂

Amma

It never ceases, the feeling of incompleteness  –  never it is 100%  inspite of all the years!!

Though we could feel her  soul, the dream of meeting her one of these days never ceases!….It makes sense to keep reading the following statement(written 10 years ago!) again and again to tell the subconscious mind that she is not physically around, ………but the wild dream of talking to her on a phone or meeting her in person still continues!

We think of all the good things about you ma, all the great achievements you made and just feel proud of you.  You will be always with us, there to support us when we need your strength.  You are only absent physically at the gross level.

You showed us the Power of Love, Strength of Simplicity and Virtue of Patience!