Part A
It was evening as Vasavadutta approached Seshagiri. He was tired from the day long journey. He let his horse trot its own pace and did not want to push the horse too much. The fort of Seshagiri was now in view and he knew that he could manage entry into the fort before its massive doors closed for the day.
The sunset brought relief to Vasavadutta from the sweltering heat of May. He had started from home early in the morning having bid farewell to his friends and family. Vasavadutta’s mother Arundathi had given him a bundle which contained some food for his journey. Tears had welled in her eyes as she bade him farewell not knowing whether she would see him alive again in her lifetime.
Arundathi knew the cause of Vasavadutta’s journey. Vasavadutta had expressed the desire to be part of the great army of Jayendra Varman the second. Jayendra Varman was ruler of the vast province and he had announced the expansion of his army and had called upon all eligible youth of his province to join the army.
Vasavadutta’s father had been in Jayendra Varman’s army as a foot soldier. He had fought under the leadership of Jayendra Varman in two wars and had been martyred in battle. Vasavadutta grew up as a child hearing to the exploits of his father. He had learnt the art of warfare from his father and from his guru Shishupani. An excellent swordsman, Vasavadutta was looking forward to climb higher in rank in Jayendra Varman’s army and keep the family tradition alive.
Part B
It was two weeks since Vasavadutta had enrolled himself in Jayendra Varman’s army. The days were spent in practicing the skills of warfare. The chief of the security at the fort of Seshagiri was in charge of Vasavadutta’s group. The training was relentless with many trainees suffering wounds during the daily routines. The evenings were spent with the doctors who treated the wounded trainees with their traditional medicines. The others spent their time in resting their aching body and soul by singing patriotic songs and playing musical instruments.
The days rolled into weeks and weeks into months. Finally, after six months of intensive training Vasavadutta and his group earned their grades as soldiers into Jayendra Varman’s army. Vasavadutta himself earned a special appreciation from Vikraman, the chief of the security at Seshagiri for his bravery, good understanding of close range fighting techniques and his swordsmanship.
Vasavadutta was posted as head of a tower of the vast fort. He had two trusted men under his command and was happy with his new responsibilities.
Part C
On a particularly chilly night in the month of December, Vasavadutta sat at his guard tower staring at the stars on a cloudless sky. His thoughts wandered to his home and to his mother, Arundathi. His mother was happy now since he had got into the army and at least had news about his whereabouts.
The houses inside the fort were luminescent with oil lamps which flickered in the breeze. The town inside the fort was quiet except for the occasional howl of a dog and the timekeepers noting the time.
Suddenly there were sounds of hooves as Vasavadutta saw two figures proceeding towards north of the fort outside the fort walls. One of the figures seemed to be struggling for balance as the horse raced on the command of the rider.
“Vishaka!” thundered Vasavadutta as he hurried down the steps of the tower. “Please stand guard at the tower. I am going out of the fort. Looks like someone is being kidnapped”. Vishaka was the subordinate of Vasavadutta and was today the partner in guarding the watch tower along with Vasavadutta. “Yes Sir!” Vishaka said as he ran upstairs the tower to take position.
Vasavadutta climbed a horse and sped towards the direction of the gate which led to the outside of the fort. The soldiers at the entrance saluted Vasavadutta and wondered why the chief of the tower was hurrying on his horse at this unearthly hour.
Vasavadutta dug his heels onto the sides of the horse as the horse moved faster and faster. “They should be going towards, Rathnagiri” thought Vasavadutta. Rathnagiri was another Village under the control of Seshagiri. Vasavadutta commanded his horse towards the clump of bushes which led into the bush land. The horse easily jumped over the obstacles and responded to all of Vasavadutta’s commands.
The road to Rathnagiri was now approaching and Vasavadutta knew that he would soon see the persons whom he was now after. His guess did not go wrong and soon he saw them silhouetted against the silvery light of the moon. Vasavadutta was gaining on them. One of the figures was still struggling apparently trying to break free. Vasavadutta’s horse was more powerful and soon he was side by side of the other horse.
“Stop and identify yourself” thundered Vasavadutta as the two horses were running side by side now. The rider of the first horse decided to stop his horse as he knew that it was futile to try and race Vasavadutta.
The horses stopped as the rider of the first horse jumped down and dared Vasavadutta for a fight. The sword shone in the silvery light of the moon and Vasavadutta instinctively removed his sword from its sheath. A clang of metals followed with both of them fighting for each other’s lives. Sparks flew from the clash of the swords as the assailant was equally adept in handling a sword.
Vasavadutta could not see the assailant’s face as it was covered with a veil. Because of his superior strength, Vasavadutta kicked the assailant in his knee. The assailant fell down on his own sword uttering an ear piercing cry of death.
Vasavadutta moved over the body of the assailant and removed the veil. The eyes had frozen into a state of shock and Vasavadutta slowly closed the eyelids. He then turned around to the other figure which was now crouching beside the horses.
Vasavadutta walked up to the crouching figure and told “You need not worry now. Whoever it was is now dead”. The figure slowly looked up at Vasavadutta with tears. In the moonlight Vasavadutta saw a face, which had the radiance of a thousand moons. The tears glittered in the moonlight as they streamed down the radiant face.
“You are alright now. Tell me who you are and why this man was taking you with him”. “I am Mrinalini, the daughter of Somadutta” she told Vasavadutta between sobs. “I did not want to marry Jayantha, and so he decided to take me away by force”. “If not for you, he would have taken me far way from Seshagiri and I would have had no choice but to take my life away”. Vasavadutta lifted her chin and wiped her tears. “It is over now Mrinalini. Jayantha is dead”. “Let me take you back to your parents.
Vasavadutta helped Mrinalini climb his horse and led it back to Seshagiri. It would be a long walk back. After some time listening to her story he tried to cheer her up with the fact that Jayantha was no more alive to torment her. Mrinalini’s fears were soon gone and she was back to her livelier self. Vasavadutta thought that the smile on Mrinalini’s face made her one of the prettiest women he had come across.
Part D
Inside the fort, Vasavadutta went to Somadutta’s house. The whole family was relieved to see their beloved daughter back safely. Somadutta thanked Vasavadutta profusely. Vasavadutta was hardly listening as his eyes were locked with those of Mrinalini’s. Vasavadutta walked away back to his tower with Mrinalini’s face filling his thoughts.
The mutual admiration grew into deep love as Mrinalini and Vasavadutta secretly saw each other by the lotus pond, north of the tower. The moments were like magic to both of them and they did not know how much time they whiled away gazing into each other’s eyes.
“How long will we be meeting like this?” queried Mrinalini on one of their meetings on a beautiful evening. “If you don’t come and ask for my hand in marriage, my father will marry me off to someone I don’t like.” “You know what it means. It means that I shall have to face death than marrying someone whom I don’t love.”
“Yes, I know. I am thinking of going to the village to bring my mother along” told Vasavadutta as he took Mrinalini’s face in his palms. “I shall soon come home to ask your hand in marriage. Please wait for me. Will you?” Mrinalini’s face lit up and it was more beautiful than the lotuses which had bloomed in the pond. The deers which were grazing nearby looked up and nodded their head in approval.
Part E
Vasavadutta went to his village and brought his mother and his family possessions back in a bullock cart. He decided that it was time to tell her that he was in love with a beautiful woman and wanted her blessings for the nuptial.
“Mother” called out Vasavadutta as she was doing her household work one day. Arundathi looked up from her work with a quizzical face. She had noticed that Vasavadutta had wanted to say something on a couple of occasions, but had diverted the subject at the last moment. “What is it Vasavadutta? Looks like you are in some serious thought” asked Arundathi. “Mother, I have met a beautiful lady, she is Mrinalini and we both love each other very much. I want you to come with me to her house so that I can ask her hand in marriage”. Arundathi was surprised. It had not occurred to her that her son had come to marriageable age.
“Well, well, that is what you have been doing here all this while is it?” chided Arundathi. “If that is the case, then let us go to her house on this Friday, itself. It is an auspicious day”. Vasavadutta was overjoyed.
Friday came soon and Vasavadutta and his mother went to Somadutta’s place. Arundathi spoke on behalf of his son and asked for Mrinalini’s hand in wedding to Vasavadutta. Somadutta and his family were also pleased with the proposal and the wedding was fixed soon.
Part F
It was now two months after Vasavadutta had got married to Mrinalini. Both mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law had great affection for each other and Vasavadutta was happy that his mother approved his choice.
Vasavadutta was the pillar of strength for the family. It was during one of these days that the news came through of an impending war with the neighboring kingdom. Jayendra Varman had thought about it and had systematically built his army’s operational capability. He had always been wary of the Palakkars who ruled over Simhagiri.
Vasavadutta came back from his duty and told his family. “Tomorrow I shall be leaving along with my fellow men”. “We plan to intercept the palakkars before they can come anywhere close to Seshagiri”. Both women wept as Vasavadutta made his preparations to join the battle camp.
The morning arrived and even though it was as beautiful as any of the mornings during spring, it did not give any joy to Arundathi and Mrinalini. Vasavadutta mounted his horse and bade a final farewell. Both women waved back not knowing when they would see Vasavadutta again.
Part G
The news about Vasavadutta came frequently to the household. He had now risen to the rank of a deputy overseeing a platoon of foot soldiers. People often stopped by Vasavadutta’s house to hear about his latest exploits.
One day Arundathi was sweeping the courtyard of her house when the royal messenger stopped in front of her house. He came through and bowed to her. Arundathi looked puzzled as the messenger told her the news which she had always feared of.
Vasavadutta had been killed in battle. It was during the final assault on the Palakkars. The backbone of the Palakkars’ army had been broken and they had run helter-skelter into their own country. Jayendra Varman had praised the bravery with which Vasavadutta had led the charge. He had also given the title of “The Pillar” to Vasavadutta and by a royal decree gave two villages to his next of kith and kin.
Arundathi and Mrinalini sank to their feet. They knew that their pillar of strength had now gone. But like true warrior clan, they accepted their fate. Mrinalini was pregnant with Vasavadutta’s child. Some months after his death, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Arundathi and Mrinalini named her as Maithreyi and vowed that she would be brought up to become a beautiful girl, who one day would marry a brave warrior like her father.
Part H
“Close your eyes and sleep well, my dear”. Mohan bent down to kiss his wife Meghana on her forehead. Meghana had been listening to the same story which Mohan had just finished narrating for almost a month now.
She was immobile after having broken both her legs in an accident. “Shall I put you to bed?” Mohan asked as she nodded her head. Mohan lifted her gently and walked up to the bedroom to lay her down on the bed.
He adjusted her position so that she could have as little trouble as possible as tears rolled down Meghana’s cheeks. “Why do you cry? This is going to get over soon” told Mohan. Meghana had been in complete care of Mohan for the past one month and it was comforting for her to know that her Pillar of strength was right next to her. She slept comfortably with the knowledge that she would be listening to the same story again tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Living in a Natural Way
It was a lazy Sunday as usual as I got up after a “Lie in” on the 26th of December 2004. After the cursory reading of the news paper, I switched on the television to watch the dramatic events unfold.
A massive earthquake was recorded of the western coast of Sumatra Islands and it brought a huge tidal wave, which simply smashed civilization off the coast of many countries including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Maldives.
What followed were reports of untold misery in all these regions. Children along with women and men of all ages faced a watery grave as the tidal waves showed no partiality in taking them in its wake.
At the point of writing this, a total of around 45,000 lives have been lost and many of the cities and villages affected along the Indian Ocean coasts were still searching for their loved ones although not much of hope is left of finding the missing persons alive.
Without doubt, this has been one of the greatest calamities that mankind has had to face. Right now, there is a deep sense of despondency amongst the people all over the region. Questions are being raised as to whether the governments could have reduced the calamity by evacuating people to safer areas. The people themselves are at a loss to find out how to go about their lives after having lost many of their loved ones, their homes and their livelihood.
But as in all other natural disasters this one too is a good teacher, provided we mortals can forget our ego and keenly learn from what nature has to teach. If we can see in each and every blow that nature has struck on mankind, we can easily spot the following patterns:
1) Nature knows no discrimination. It does not separate men from women and hence has no gender bias. It is not racist since people of all skin colors suffer in equal measure.
2) It has a definite method to its madness. It may seem that nature has a cruel streak in it since it even does not spare innocent children. One just has to understand that there is a definite force beyond the intellectual capacity of the human beings and it is not comprehensible by us. It is a question of how much time we actually have with us to spend on earth before death takes us away from loved ones. Thus it has no bearing on the fact that so many innocent lives were lost in what seems to be a cruel blow from nature. Those who perished simply had completed their time on earth.
3) Natural calamities have been there right throughout the history of mankind. Great famines and floods have destroyed civilizations strong and powerful. It is to the credit of mankind that we have now used our intellect to greatly reduce the damage, but it again goes to prove that the more human kind wanders away from nature, the greater the chances that they may perish in their futile attempts to conquer it.
When I present these points, some of you may take cudgels against me and ask “Are we supposed to be living the life the way nature dictates to us?” or may ask “Are all human effort pointless since anyway nature can strike its powerful blow and reduce civilization to a point of no existence?”
Though your points are valid, there are some things which I would like to clarify.
1) Human life is as precious as the lives of other beings on this planet.
2) Even though at this point of time many people have lost their entire live savings, their families and their hope, human beings have shown that their resilience is unsurpassed when it comes to coping with calamities. The human race has survived many calamities in the past both man-made and natural and has only emerged stronger.
3) Time is the greatest healer of all human miseries. No matter how big the tragedy has been, over the period of time, people pick up their pieces and move on. Those who cannot cope up simply perish, since nature only allows the fit ones to live on, be it the case of physical strength or mental strength.
4) Nature can sustain mankind only for it needs not for its greed. The more the greed the greater the devastation would be. A case in point is the way landslides have been happening in the Nilgiri hills in South India. Unprecedented construction activities on the hill slopes and with the forest land exposed to the elements due to deforestation means that there is a tragedy which is just waiting to happen.
5) Mankind should definitely pursue its goals of development, but which is sustainable and does not affect other beings on earth. The earlier mankind realizes this, the better it would be for the entire planet. Mankind has a greater potential to destroy the Earth in its present form than any natural calamity. So much more needs to be done with the help of human efforts to alleviate sufferings of the sick and the poor rather than embark on ambitious projects like cloning and missions to outer space.
So where is the question of the Natural living? Nothing more exemplifies this than our scriptures. Be it the Vedas or the teachings of Buddha, all of these tell us how to lead our lives co-existing with nature. It shows us what professions one can undertake, what can cause harm to nature, how to have sustained economic development without damaging the nature.
It is practically not possible to have a change in human attitudes over time. But the earlier we realize and adopt a sustainable, non-damaging lifestyle in tune with what nature has to offer in our regions, the better it would be. Life may look pointless and meaningless and human beings may look tiny against the forces of nature during these trying times, but if we take it as a learning exercise, show courage in the face of adversity, try to understand and accept nature the way it is, we have a lot of scope for improvement. But in case we don’t and try to live a life of ever increasing materialistic nature, a watery or a fiery end awaits us. The apocalypse is not an act of God, it is just the question of time before events happen and the apocalypse takes place and it is “We” human beings who are causing the events all the time. I can only remember the words of the song “Zindagi, Kaisi yeh paheli hai haye!” and shake my head in grief for those who perished.
A massive earthquake was recorded of the western coast of Sumatra Islands and it brought a huge tidal wave, which simply smashed civilization off the coast of many countries including India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Maldives.
What followed were reports of untold misery in all these regions. Children along with women and men of all ages faced a watery grave as the tidal waves showed no partiality in taking them in its wake.
At the point of writing this, a total of around 45,000 lives have been lost and many of the cities and villages affected along the Indian Ocean coasts were still searching for their loved ones although not much of hope is left of finding the missing persons alive.
Without doubt, this has been one of the greatest calamities that mankind has had to face. Right now, there is a deep sense of despondency amongst the people all over the region. Questions are being raised as to whether the governments could have reduced the calamity by evacuating people to safer areas. The people themselves are at a loss to find out how to go about their lives after having lost many of their loved ones, their homes and their livelihood.
But as in all other natural disasters this one too is a good teacher, provided we mortals can forget our ego and keenly learn from what nature has to teach. If we can see in each and every blow that nature has struck on mankind, we can easily spot the following patterns:
1) Nature knows no discrimination. It does not separate men from women and hence has no gender bias. It is not racist since people of all skin colors suffer in equal measure.
2) It has a definite method to its madness. It may seem that nature has a cruel streak in it since it even does not spare innocent children. One just has to understand that there is a definite force beyond the intellectual capacity of the human beings and it is not comprehensible by us. It is a question of how much time we actually have with us to spend on earth before death takes us away from loved ones. Thus it has no bearing on the fact that so many innocent lives were lost in what seems to be a cruel blow from nature. Those who perished simply had completed their time on earth.
3) Natural calamities have been there right throughout the history of mankind. Great famines and floods have destroyed civilizations strong and powerful. It is to the credit of mankind that we have now used our intellect to greatly reduce the damage, but it again goes to prove that the more human kind wanders away from nature, the greater the chances that they may perish in their futile attempts to conquer it.
When I present these points, some of you may take cudgels against me and ask “Are we supposed to be living the life the way nature dictates to us?” or may ask “Are all human effort pointless since anyway nature can strike its powerful blow and reduce civilization to a point of no existence?”
Though your points are valid, there are some things which I would like to clarify.
1) Human life is as precious as the lives of other beings on this planet.
2) Even though at this point of time many people have lost their entire live savings, their families and their hope, human beings have shown that their resilience is unsurpassed when it comes to coping with calamities. The human race has survived many calamities in the past both man-made and natural and has only emerged stronger.
3) Time is the greatest healer of all human miseries. No matter how big the tragedy has been, over the period of time, people pick up their pieces and move on. Those who cannot cope up simply perish, since nature only allows the fit ones to live on, be it the case of physical strength or mental strength.
4) Nature can sustain mankind only for it needs not for its greed. The more the greed the greater the devastation would be. A case in point is the way landslides have been happening in the Nilgiri hills in South India. Unprecedented construction activities on the hill slopes and with the forest land exposed to the elements due to deforestation means that there is a tragedy which is just waiting to happen.
5) Mankind should definitely pursue its goals of development, but which is sustainable and does not affect other beings on earth. The earlier mankind realizes this, the better it would be for the entire planet. Mankind has a greater potential to destroy the Earth in its present form than any natural calamity. So much more needs to be done with the help of human efforts to alleviate sufferings of the sick and the poor rather than embark on ambitious projects like cloning and missions to outer space.
So where is the question of the Natural living? Nothing more exemplifies this than our scriptures. Be it the Vedas or the teachings of Buddha, all of these tell us how to lead our lives co-existing with nature. It shows us what professions one can undertake, what can cause harm to nature, how to have sustained economic development without damaging the nature.
It is practically not possible to have a change in human attitudes over time. But the earlier we realize and adopt a sustainable, non-damaging lifestyle in tune with what nature has to offer in our regions, the better it would be. Life may look pointless and meaningless and human beings may look tiny against the forces of nature during these trying times, but if we take it as a learning exercise, show courage in the face of adversity, try to understand and accept nature the way it is, we have a lot of scope for improvement. But in case we don’t and try to live a life of ever increasing materialistic nature, a watery or a fiery end awaits us. The apocalypse is not an act of God, it is just the question of time before events happen and the apocalypse takes place and it is “We” human beings who are causing the events all the time. I can only remember the words of the song “Zindagi, Kaisi yeh paheli hai haye!” and shake my head in grief for those who perished.
On Mr. Veerappan's trail
The occasion was the engagement of my classmate Guntur Koushik with Deepa and I started off on a skeptical note to Coimbatore on 3rd of October. The reason for my skepticism was that I was travelling to Coimbatore during a long weekend and I had not got a return ticket back to my base. But I still undertook the journey for the sheer pleasure of meeting Koushik and his better half and also the fact that it presented me with a good opportunity to pull Koushik's legs.
A word or two must be said about this guy who happens to be my classmate during my post-graduation days at Vellore. Koushik and me have a lot of things in common. Similar stature, thoughts (especially about the fairer sex!). Here was a guy who voted for me to be the "Best fresher" at college even when not having interacted with me (It made me think as to what led him to do that). His one vote caused me to be selected as the "Best fresher" which caused me to be donned with a "Fresher king" crown and made me look even more of a duffer than what I really am.
Our friendship started out from there. One of the best things I like about Koushik is his sense of humour and the ability with which he speaks the Madras slang of Tamizh. A guy with a severely short temper and one who can fly to rage at the most obscure reason, although it must be said that over the years, he has mellowed down. Now that he has lost his "Bachelor's" degree and having been confined to a role of a "rubber stamp" authority, he surely would become a changed person. I pray for his long life and hope that he will settle down with his wife in a never ending marital bliss
The train which I was supposed to board on 3rd of October to Coimbatore arrived on time to Bangalore City from Kurla. My thoughts about a prompt arrival at Coimbatore were derailed when it reached Coimbatore, the next day morning three hours behind schedule. Having rued the lost hours, I camped at another of my classmate's house for the morning. Being Ayudha pooja day, I was treated by my hostess's family with a sumptuous South Indian meal. My other reason to visit Coimbatore in connection with Koushik's engagement was a visit to Avinashilingeshwarar temple in Avinashi.
My body unwilling (especially after the sumptuous meal) but with my mind egging me to go, I left for Avinashi to seek divine blessings from his holiness at Avinashi. Avinashi is a small town which means literally "one that is not destructible", enroute to Tiruppur which has carved a niche for itself in the Knitting industry. After a pleasant journey of 40 minutes by bus, I reached Avinashi. The temple is a stone throw away from the bus stand. The first things that you notice about the temple are the sculptures on the gopuram above the sanctum sanctorum. Legend has that it is a place where the tamil saint Sundaramoorthy nayanar, with the help of the divine Nataraja, resurrected a child from his death. Also said is that you gain half the benefit of a visit to Kashi by visiting Avinashi. The temple was well taken care of by the Tamil kingdoms of Chera, Cholas and Pandiyas. Once during a famine in Avinashi area, the kings built huge tanks and served Kanji (rice gurel) to the people. One can see the Tamil inscriptions of this incident even now.
The temple has sannidhis for Avinashilingeshwarar, his consort Parvathi, Lord Shanmuga and Lord Ganesha. There is a special sannidhi for Lord Sani apart from the Navagraha sannidhi which we find in all South Indian temples. Being ashtami day of Navrathri, there was a huge crowd at the Parvathi sannidi. Avinashappar's temple is a protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India. Few kilometers from Avinashi enroute to Tiruppur is Thirumuruganpoondi. Here too there are two temples of Shiva and Lord Karthikeya. But the place is famous for the "Kethu" sannidhi which attracts huge devotees. I reached a tad late only to find the "Kethu" sannidhi of Madhvaneshwar closed. The other temples are similar in architecture with the Avinashilingeshwarar temple at Avinashi.
The next day dawned a bit late for me as I took my own time to get out of bed. Being a sunday and as the weather was extremely pleasant, I enjoyed the mild sun with a hot cup of steaming coffee and watching the crows learn their acrobatic flying. The engagement was in the afternoon and I reached well in time to "kalaichify" (make fun of in Madras Tamizh slang) Koushik.
He was there no doubt, but with a stoic face in deep thought. Poor guy must have been going through all the complexities and pitfalls of a marriage and trying to figure out ways to avoid them. His cousins were there to team up with me in pulling Koushik's legs and the function went on to finish in grand style.
Once the function got over, I went through a bit of an ordeal of trying ot grab a seat in any of the available transports (leaving behing cycles and bullock carts) to get back to Bangalore. At last there was a travel agent who offered me a seat in a Swaraj Mazda van, which he called to be a "luxury bus". There was little to differentiate between an old WWII vintage and this "luxury bus". But as that was the only available transport back, I readily picked up the ticket. The "bus" took the unusual route of travelling to Sathyamangalam, Bannari, Chamrajpet and Mysore to reach Bangalore.
Here I was in a rickety old van hurtling down through our own "Bandit King" Veerappan's territory. Veerappan a former poacher was born nearby Thimbam in the Sathyamangalam forests. Thimbam is a remote hamlet and also is the last post before you cross over from TamilNadu to Karnataka. Notorious for his killing of elephants, Veerappan shot into fame when he switched from poaching to sandalwood smuggling. It is a tough terrain with thick tropical forests having Sandalwood, Honne, Mathi, Teak and Sal trees with only Veerappan and his band of poachers knowing the territory like the palm of their hands. One would imagine a cluster of checkposts, all manned by STF men with Sten guns. But all along the way in the posts, I found only minimal sentries armed with only .303 rifles who will be easily outclassed by Veerappan. No wonder he eludes the cops even to this day. The route passes through Periyar wildlife sanctuary and the route is lined with signboards warning of wild animals. I thought they should have kept a board saying "Beaware of Veerappan". True to the sign boards, we could see spotted deer and wild foxes at some places, their eyes glowing like hot, while coals in the van's headlights. It was a great pity that only the driver and me were witness to the majestic spotted deers and the wild foxes.
Some of the sentries are also supporters of Veerappan if one could go by their huge mustaches. The 27 hairpin bends of the Thimbam ghats are also a test for the driver's skills especially with the heavy vehicles being driven with impunity. But thanks to my stars and the fact that I was constantly encouraging the driver, we managed to cross the strech without any hitch. Once you cross over to Karnataka, the situation really changes. The sleeping co-passengers were awakened by the extremely bad roads, which resembled the lunar surface. There was little to choose from one pot hole to another and the only thing one has in mind while driving through that stretch is a small prayer that the wheels don't come off or the axles do not break.
The trail then leaves Veerappan territory and becomes more civilised as you enter Chamrajnagar and Mysore. Work is now on for the four lane express way between Mysore and Bangalore and soon one could cover the distance without many hassles. The only hitch in the ride back was the death of the dog, which was hit by our van, whose last howl would haunt me for weeks to come.
A word or two must be said about this guy who happens to be my classmate during my post-graduation days at Vellore. Koushik and me have a lot of things in common. Similar stature, thoughts (especially about the fairer sex!). Here was a guy who voted for me to be the "Best fresher" at college even when not having interacted with me (It made me think as to what led him to do that). His one vote caused me to be selected as the "Best fresher" which caused me to be donned with a "Fresher king" crown and made me look even more of a duffer than what I really am.
Our friendship started out from there. One of the best things I like about Koushik is his sense of humour and the ability with which he speaks the Madras slang of Tamizh. A guy with a severely short temper and one who can fly to rage at the most obscure reason, although it must be said that over the years, he has mellowed down. Now that he has lost his "Bachelor's" degree and having been confined to a role of a "rubber stamp" authority, he surely would become a changed person. I pray for his long life and hope that he will settle down with his wife in a never ending marital bliss
The train which I was supposed to board on 3rd of October to Coimbatore arrived on time to Bangalore City from Kurla. My thoughts about a prompt arrival at Coimbatore were derailed when it reached Coimbatore, the next day morning three hours behind schedule. Having rued the lost hours, I camped at another of my classmate's house for the morning. Being Ayudha pooja day, I was treated by my hostess's family with a sumptuous South Indian meal. My other reason to visit Coimbatore in connection with Koushik's engagement was a visit to Avinashilingeshwarar temple in Avinashi.
My body unwilling (especially after the sumptuous meal) but with my mind egging me to go, I left for Avinashi to seek divine blessings from his holiness at Avinashi. Avinashi is a small town which means literally "one that is not destructible", enroute to Tiruppur which has carved a niche for itself in the Knitting industry. After a pleasant journey of 40 minutes by bus, I reached Avinashi. The temple is a stone throw away from the bus stand. The first things that you notice about the temple are the sculptures on the gopuram above the sanctum sanctorum. Legend has that it is a place where the tamil saint Sundaramoorthy nayanar, with the help of the divine Nataraja, resurrected a child from his death. Also said is that you gain half the benefit of a visit to Kashi by visiting Avinashi. The temple was well taken care of by the Tamil kingdoms of Chera, Cholas and Pandiyas. Once during a famine in Avinashi area, the kings built huge tanks and served Kanji (rice gurel) to the people. One can see the Tamil inscriptions of this incident even now.
The temple has sannidhis for Avinashilingeshwarar, his consort Parvathi, Lord Shanmuga and Lord Ganesha. There is a special sannidhi for Lord Sani apart from the Navagraha sannidhi which we find in all South Indian temples. Being ashtami day of Navrathri, there was a huge crowd at the Parvathi sannidi. Avinashappar's temple is a protected monument under the Archeological Survey of India. Few kilometers from Avinashi enroute to Tiruppur is Thirumuruganpoondi. Here too there are two temples of Shiva and Lord Karthikeya. But the place is famous for the "Kethu" sannidhi which attracts huge devotees. I reached a tad late only to find the "Kethu" sannidhi of Madhvaneshwar closed. The other temples are similar in architecture with the Avinashilingeshwarar temple at Avinashi.
The next day dawned a bit late for me as I took my own time to get out of bed. Being a sunday and as the weather was extremely pleasant, I enjoyed the mild sun with a hot cup of steaming coffee and watching the crows learn their acrobatic flying. The engagement was in the afternoon and I reached well in time to "kalaichify" (make fun of in Madras Tamizh slang) Koushik.
He was there no doubt, but with a stoic face in deep thought. Poor guy must have been going through all the complexities and pitfalls of a marriage and trying to figure out ways to avoid them. His cousins were there to team up with me in pulling Koushik's legs and the function went on to finish in grand style.
Once the function got over, I went through a bit of an ordeal of trying ot grab a seat in any of the available transports (leaving behing cycles and bullock carts) to get back to Bangalore. At last there was a travel agent who offered me a seat in a Swaraj Mazda van, which he called to be a "luxury bus". There was little to differentiate between an old WWII vintage and this "luxury bus". But as that was the only available transport back, I readily picked up the ticket. The "bus" took the unusual route of travelling to Sathyamangalam, Bannari, Chamrajpet and Mysore to reach Bangalore.
Here I was in a rickety old van hurtling down through our own "Bandit King" Veerappan's territory. Veerappan a former poacher was born nearby Thimbam in the Sathyamangalam forests. Thimbam is a remote hamlet and also is the last post before you cross over from TamilNadu to Karnataka. Notorious for his killing of elephants, Veerappan shot into fame when he switched from poaching to sandalwood smuggling. It is a tough terrain with thick tropical forests having Sandalwood, Honne, Mathi, Teak and Sal trees with only Veerappan and his band of poachers knowing the territory like the palm of their hands. One would imagine a cluster of checkposts, all manned by STF men with Sten guns. But all along the way in the posts, I found only minimal sentries armed with only .303 rifles who will be easily outclassed by Veerappan. No wonder he eludes the cops even to this day. The route passes through Periyar wildlife sanctuary and the route is lined with signboards warning of wild animals. I thought they should have kept a board saying "Beaware of Veerappan". True to the sign boards, we could see spotted deer and wild foxes at some places, their eyes glowing like hot, while coals in the van's headlights. It was a great pity that only the driver and me were witness to the majestic spotted deers and the wild foxes.
Some of the sentries are also supporters of Veerappan if one could go by their huge mustaches. The 27 hairpin bends of the Thimbam ghats are also a test for the driver's skills especially with the heavy vehicles being driven with impunity. But thanks to my stars and the fact that I was constantly encouraging the driver, we managed to cross the strech without any hitch. Once you cross over to Karnataka, the situation really changes. The sleeping co-passengers were awakened by the extremely bad roads, which resembled the lunar surface. There was little to choose from one pot hole to another and the only thing one has in mind while driving through that stretch is a small prayer that the wheels don't come off or the axles do not break.
The trail then leaves Veerappan territory and becomes more civilised as you enter Chamrajnagar and Mysore. Work is now on for the four lane express way between Mysore and Bangalore and soon one could cover the distance without many hassles. The only hitch in the ride back was the death of the dog, which was hit by our van, whose last howl would haunt me for weeks to come.
Criticism without the sting
Have you ever wondered why people get upset when you try to point out that something that they did was wrong? If so, then this article is for you. You would have come across this phenomena at lot of places - at office, at home and generally at all those places, where people will have to stay together and get some work done. If you have not already guessed it, it is a “Team” of people that I am hinting at.
Let us see what happens in a typical team; never mind whether the team is your family or your own at the work place. It is a fact that teams comprise of humans. Also well known, is that humans tend to make mistakes. So there is a necessity for course correction by way of criticisms. Through this article, I suggest some ways of providing the course correction criticisms, but without the after effects.
There are many well researched literature by experts on the subject of self esteem. Every person has some amount of self esteem, although the degree varies from person to person. What happens when a person receives criticism is that there is a direct attack on the person’s self esteem. The immediate reaction of the person receiving the criticism, varies from outright anger to hidden angst. This reaction to the external stimuli, unless moderated can lead to unpleasant consequences leading to conflict.
When we look at how people criticise, it is easy to note that, more often than not, they tend to criticise the person and not his/her actions. These might be due to so many previous unexpressed angst towards the person being criticised. The criticiser uses his/her opportunity at hand to show “Who the real boss is”.
When in such situations, even though the action was needed to have been criticised, the criticiser loses the opportunity to point out the mistakes done and only goes on to increase personal animosity.
What is the solution to such situations? Well, adopting the following methods may help up to some extent:
# Tell the person as to what actions of him/her made you angry at the first place. The important thing to note here is to stay calm and focussed on the actions that need to be criticised. Never offend the other person by criticising his/her self. One could start criticising by mentioning the actions, for instance:
@ “John, I agree with you that competitor’s ad campaign swung sales to their side. But what I did not like about your response to it was the failure to follow up with our ad agency persons and looking to counter attack”. This is a lot better than just blaming John for the setback and calling him an incompetent employee
# In any argument, there will be certainly points on which both the parties agree. Make a quick list of such items and close them. Then try to work on the grey areas by strictly following the manner of criticism as outlined above. For the rest, agree to disagree and promise to find out what makes the disagreement between both the sides.
# In case you are not able to practice these points for the initial few days, don’t fret. For anger management is an art that needs to be mastered. Even though you may have criticised a person using caustic words, make attempts later on to explain what made you lose your head. An explanatory mail always helps in case you don’t want to explain in person. Gradually you will learn to temper yourself.
# In case none of these methods are useful and the mistakes keep continuing, then it is time that you and your team member decide to part ways as friends.
Well, one may ask as to what benefits are accrued from the above approach.
Firstly, there is more objectivity to the criticism by way of focussing on the problems at hand rather than personal vilification. This helps to foster trust between team members.
The team member being criticised is not asked to partake on his self esteem for he/she knows the precise reasons as to why the criticism came in the first place. This helps to correct the course and gradually the team members know of each other’s expectations from them.
Now, in case you read this and don’t practice, you know what I would say, “Just go to hell”.
Let us see what happens in a typical team; never mind whether the team is your family or your own at the work place. It is a fact that teams comprise of humans. Also well known, is that humans tend to make mistakes. So there is a necessity for course correction by way of criticisms. Through this article, I suggest some ways of providing the course correction criticisms, but without the after effects.
There are many well researched literature by experts on the subject of self esteem. Every person has some amount of self esteem, although the degree varies from person to person. What happens when a person receives criticism is that there is a direct attack on the person’s self esteem. The immediate reaction of the person receiving the criticism, varies from outright anger to hidden angst. This reaction to the external stimuli, unless moderated can lead to unpleasant consequences leading to conflict.
When we look at how people criticise, it is easy to note that, more often than not, they tend to criticise the person and not his/her actions. These might be due to so many previous unexpressed angst towards the person being criticised. The criticiser uses his/her opportunity at hand to show “Who the real boss is”.
When in such situations, even though the action was needed to have been criticised, the criticiser loses the opportunity to point out the mistakes done and only goes on to increase personal animosity.
What is the solution to such situations? Well, adopting the following methods may help up to some extent:
# Tell the person as to what actions of him/her made you angry at the first place. The important thing to note here is to stay calm and focussed on the actions that need to be criticised. Never offend the other person by criticising his/her self. One could start criticising by mentioning the actions, for instance:
@ “John, I agree with you that competitor’s ad campaign swung sales to their side. But what I did not like about your response to it was the failure to follow up with our ad agency persons and looking to counter attack”. This is a lot better than just blaming John for the setback and calling him an incompetent employee
# In any argument, there will be certainly points on which both the parties agree. Make a quick list of such items and close them. Then try to work on the grey areas by strictly following the manner of criticism as outlined above. For the rest, agree to disagree and promise to find out what makes the disagreement between both the sides.
# In case you are not able to practice these points for the initial few days, don’t fret. For anger management is an art that needs to be mastered. Even though you may have criticised a person using caustic words, make attempts later on to explain what made you lose your head. An explanatory mail always helps in case you don’t want to explain in person. Gradually you will learn to temper yourself.
# In case none of these methods are useful and the mistakes keep continuing, then it is time that you and your team member decide to part ways as friends.
Well, one may ask as to what benefits are accrued from the above approach.
Firstly, there is more objectivity to the criticism by way of focussing on the problems at hand rather than personal vilification. This helps to foster trust between team members.
The team member being criticised is not asked to partake on his self esteem for he/she knows the precise reasons as to why the criticism came in the first place. This helps to correct the course and gradually the team members know of each other’s expectations from them.
Now, in case you read this and don’t practice, you know what I would say, “Just go to hell”.
100 things about me (a very old post from 2003)
Rational Unified Process and our life
The software engineering community is constantly evolving its best practices in order to develop software that is within budget, within allocated time and within specified effort. We have come a long way from the earlier slam-dunk lifecycle to the present day Rational Unified Process (RUP). But the quest to deliver software to the clients according to the above mentioned goals still remain.Our lives, like the lifecycle of any software development project have phases. The RUP for instance has four phases - Inception, Elaboration, Construction and Transition.
We have four phases in life too - Balya (childhood), kaumarya (youth), Grihasta (Married life) and Vanaprastha (ascetic life). Now the question arises, 'why did we discard the slam-dunk life cycle?' The answer is crystal clear. The slam-dunk life cycle does not allow past mistakes to be remedied. The same way it is better if we adopt an iterative and incremental approach to life. You may ask what an iterative process like RUP got to do with life? I say that an iterative process allows you to reflect on your past deeds and allows a chance to a person to prevent similar mistakes in his or her next phase in life.Now let us consider the goals of the various phases in RUP. The primary goal of Inception Phase is to establish the case for the viability of the proposed system. Similarly our childhood phase is a struggle to live healthy.
It is a crucial phase in our lives and studies show that a baby is fortunate enough if it can live the first five years of its life without health problems. Next is the Elaboration Phase. The primary goal here is to establish the ability to build the new system given the financial constraints, schedule constraints and other kinds of constraints the new system faces. Our youth phase is such. During this phase of our life, we are exposed to the vagaries of life for the first time. One has to develop character in this phase in spite of external influences. Construction Phase is next; the primary goal here being to build a system capable of operating successfully in beta customer environments. Our Married life is such a phase. It ideally should prepare us for the next phase, which is the Transition Phase. The goal of transition phase is to roll out the fully functional system to customers. Our Ascetic life is such. Only when we reach that phase of life are we fully complete by all respects. Think about it and renew your commitments to fully utilize the phases of life. HAPPY LIVING!!!
We have four phases in life too - Balya (childhood), kaumarya (youth), Grihasta (Married life) and Vanaprastha (ascetic life). Now the question arises, 'why did we discard the slam-dunk life cycle?' The answer is crystal clear. The slam-dunk life cycle does not allow past mistakes to be remedied. The same way it is better if we adopt an iterative and incremental approach to life. You may ask what an iterative process like RUP got to do with life? I say that an iterative process allows you to reflect on your past deeds and allows a chance to a person to prevent similar mistakes in his or her next phase in life.Now let us consider the goals of the various phases in RUP. The primary goal of Inception Phase is to establish the case for the viability of the proposed system. Similarly our childhood phase is a struggle to live healthy.
It is a crucial phase in our lives and studies show that a baby is fortunate enough if it can live the first five years of its life without health problems. Next is the Elaboration Phase. The primary goal here is to establish the ability to build the new system given the financial constraints, schedule constraints and other kinds of constraints the new system faces. Our youth phase is such. During this phase of our life, we are exposed to the vagaries of life for the first time. One has to develop character in this phase in spite of external influences. Construction Phase is next; the primary goal here being to build a system capable of operating successfully in beta customer environments. Our Married life is such a phase. It ideally should prepare us for the next phase, which is the Transition Phase. The goal of transition phase is to roll out the fully functional system to customers. Our Ascetic life is such. Only when we reach that phase of life are we fully complete by all respects. Think about it and renew your commitments to fully utilize the phases of life. HAPPY LIVING!!!
Have we done our homework yet?
This is an oft-repeated question asked by parents to their little ones. But I feel that this should be the repeating question that parents should ask themselves. Parents are keen on their children learning a foreign language; pride themselves that their little one is able to play the keyboard with the efficiency of a thoroughbred pianist.
But how many parents have done their homework in teaching their children the most important thing of handling the various situations that life throws at them?In my father's childhood, there was a concept of united families where children had to live with their siblings and other cousins. There was always someone to teach children the necessity to share their toys and little possessions with each other. But things are different nowadays. Joint families have given way to nuclear families, invariably with both the parents working.
Hard-pressed parents find it difficult to spend quality time with their children. In the short time that they are with their children, parents try to fulfill all the wishes of the children thereby trying to fulfill their absence.Which brings me to my central theme. Are parents teaching their children the ways to get out of tricky situations life can throw up?How many of us are mentors to our children? Do we provide them the valuable knowledge of getting out of troublesome situations, which our wards might get into later in their lives? How many of us are interested in honing the child's character, which will be tested to the utmost severity some or the other time in their future? Tennis and piano lessons are fine, but without good character and integrity, I see no value for them. Compassion, ability to take up high-pressure situations without cracking up is the best knowledge that we as mentors can impart to our wards. This brings me to the topic of my brief remainder to us mentors -"Have we done our homework yet?"
Second Innings
I was a blogger. Once upon a time. When I was not married, was working for a blue-chip IT firm. Then marriage happened. So the time spent to think reduced. It is but quite natural that since marriage is an "Institution", you have to follow the Institution's rules.
Then came the slump in IT and I was felled. Felled from being what I do best, Consulting. Talking to people, sharing their woes, both workwise and otherwise. Now that I am in the garb of a college professor, I have more time (relatively, speaking in terms of comparision with the IT industry).
I hope to continue writing stories. Hope to write out all the pain and the sufferings, joy and happiness that I have encountered.
To take off from where I left, I am posting all my earlier short stories and articles in this blog. If you happen to read them, please leave a note to my mail id. venkatachalam.subramanian at gmail dot com.
I shall be happy to hear from you. Your words, comments and criticism will help me think about what I had written. That would make me change, both the writing style to produce a better article next time around or to change myself, thus learning from experience.
Then came the slump in IT and I was felled. Felled from being what I do best, Consulting. Talking to people, sharing their woes, both workwise and otherwise. Now that I am in the garb of a college professor, I have more time (relatively, speaking in terms of comparision with the IT industry).
I hope to continue writing stories. Hope to write out all the pain and the sufferings, joy and happiness that I have encountered.
To take off from where I left, I am posting all my earlier short stories and articles in this blog. If you happen to read them, please leave a note to my mail id. venkatachalam.subramanian at gmail dot com.
I shall be happy to hear from you. Your words, comments and criticism will help me think about what I had written. That would make me change, both the writing style to produce a better article next time around or to change myself, thus learning from experience.
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