Yesterday I called on Siddhatha, after gossiping half an hour, I asked him what are special news from Bhubaneswar? Nothing special he told me, Just the killed of Biranchi Das (Coach of Budhia, The child marathon runner) has been nabbed today, and the news channels here are covering only him and nothing more. Any thing more special.

Yes there is one. Our Mahadev is accepting all the waters we have offered to him and the water is not swelling out from his asthana.

I can’t follow you. I inquired.

He told me, you know I had a Shiva lingam at our puja room. Yes there should be. I replied.

The lingam is on a plate and I offer a kamandal of water everyday after taking bath. Previously the water used to spill out from the plate, but not any more,

Since when it is happening, I asked.

For last two days.

That’s is really great. Just like Ganesha drinking milk a few years ago.

But as I have revealed it to you, God may annoy and he will not accept my offerings any more, he showed his fears.

 Don’t worry I am a part of your family. I answered.

My memory lane went to an incident happened almost twenty-seven years ago. I was in my middle classes. It was First Monday of holy Srabhan month and along with a few friends we had gone to offer water to an ancient temple some five kilometers from our town. There was quite a large crowd in side the temple and people were breaking coconuts as offerings. Being kids it was easy for our movements and we could move in and out with some coconut pieces. We gathered a lot, as the priest could not take hold off all the stocks. Yet we needed more. I put my hand beside the lingam to collect some pieces of coconuts. I grabbed some thing solid and in the next moment I felt like grabbing a piece of burning log in my hands.  My claws opened and the same felled down there. Though the burning sensation was for a few moments I could never forget the same in rest of my life.

So many times I argued my self there must be some one burning a bundle of agarbatti and I picked it my mistake. But my sixth sense never allowed it to digest, if that was the matter then my hand must have been injured, where as it was not. At last I came to a conclusion. God wanted me to teach. I should not have theft any thing even though it belongs to him. As I was a child he left me with a warning only and in future there will be no warning and I had to bear the consequences of my actions.

These happenings are the essence of our daily life and we cherish it ourselves and it gives us strengths to face the difficulties on the long path he had put us on.

I was Eight A circus came to our village Every body went for shows, so as I. There was a lilliput, Jumping all over, falling, rolling and laughing, Every body laughed and  so as I Some one told he is so cute I said yes, he is.   I was eight, Papa once visited town , He took me along with, There were beautiful shops, Buildings and what not. Again I saw a lilliput, Pleading for food, begging,   I came home, Grandpa was there, I asked him " Grandpa, Why the lilliputs are there". He replied " GOD HAS CREATED HIM LIKE US" "But why he is not like us, Does he not love him." " He loves all, so is here." Again " He should be like us then" "Because he was fond of created BONSAI in his previous birth and created many. So god has made him like so"   Two months back, I called you. "Please call me after fifteen minutes" you had told then. Again I called, Your assistant picked the phone, " She replied why are you calling again and again. Don't call again else we will intimate Police" Full Stop.   A week after you called me, Jaan, were you not here, No, I am, I replied.  Then why you never called me the whole week. I told the whole incidence. I had never told her for so, there is some confusions.   A month back, you sent me a mail,  Send it to ten most precious once , you commanded I sent it back ten times to you, After all you are the most precious one I possess Never forward me any mail, you are disgusting, can never understand the fillings, you wrote. I stopped again.   A week after you called me, Why don't you write to me. You had stopped me for writing you, I replied, You had misunderstood, I told you not to forward the mails, Please create some virgin writing specially for me. Yesterday you called, Dear I want to talk you, Why do we want to create a bonsai, why don't we let your so called infatuation and what I call my love to die, if can not flourish, Let me have a natural death.

The other day I attended motivation class been organized by the company. It was been the second class in the row. We were really been exited for the same. Before attending the first class a month ago we were been suspicious about for the same. I really thought the HRD people have motivate our boss to make a mark of them and by turn they are wasting the companies money. However the whispers were not louder as the class was on Saturday and it was supposed to be a half-holiday along with a lot of fun. Let what ever be, we were been pleased as the timing was one hour late for office and we were sure to be freed after an hour of lunch. Mr.Arora the speaker was marvelous. I really appreciate his ways of teaching. The time passed so smoothly and the class was also enjoyable. Few days passed with the class effect and people at office and factory were more sober and systematic than before. The effort delivered by the HRD department was really fruitful. In line with others I have created some habit of giving examples from the context of Mr. Arora.  I was sure the second one is going to be more exited. I invited one of my best friends to the class. “ I shouldn’t “ was her instant answer. After all it is your official function and I should not attend the same. Don’t worry; no one is going to question your presence. I will apprise my bossed that you are my friend and I have very good relation ship with others so they will not think otherwise. But tomorrow I have other engagements. Skip it, I told her. Ok, I shall try my best. What ever was the reason she could not attend the class.

 The class was par excellent once again.

 A few days passed. One day I met her in the market. At coffee table she asked? How was the class? Excellent, I answered. You should have attended it. Any way. I will intimate you in advance next time, so that you make your schedule for attending it in advance. 

Tell me some thing about the lecture. I will give you a copy of the contents. That’s fine, but you can tell me some thing now. I was in dilemma. I should tell her the best theme. But I could not make out what was the best thing. I could not tell her the sass bahu stories and I don’t think they had bitter relationship, if the story makes a boomerang effect the whole situation would spoil. After some thoughts I told her a caption.  

We should appreciate own first for the goodness inside ourselves and the best will come out of you slowly.  

What are the ways? was her next question. 

Stand before the mirror and pat on your shoulder for the good works you have done today. 

I am not such a beauty, that I will appreciate my self before mirror. 

You can be beautiful, I answered, don’t worry the beauty will slowly come out of you after appreciating. (Mr. Arora had told exactly that). 

I didn’t know what went wrong. She at once stood up from the table mid way. I have to leave. I have some urgent works to do at home. I must leave now. I had no choice. I went to the counter and paid the bill. By the time I was at the restaurant gate she has reached the bus stop. She was pale. I sensed some thing seriously wrong which she is not reveling. I should drop you near your house. No I will manage myself. I called an auto. How much you will take for going to ITO? A hundred bucks was his instant answer, any other day she would have bargained, but to day she didn’t. 

When auto started she told me. “ You could have told then, I am not so ugly?” 

What? By the time I recall the incident, the auto has gone. All my efforts for reaching her through mobile went in vain. 

In the night when I stood before the mirror to pat my self, I cannot. You are really idiot was my inner answer. But how can I tell her that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever admired 

 Some where I had read these beautiful lines:

As we fall, 

As we fly

Not in the sky

I start to wonder

Which is your body

Which is mine

Which is your scream

Which is mine

Who are You

Who am I

Is This Nirvana

How can I stay here for ever?

11^th January 2008.

Two prominent headlines adored the National News Papers today. Both have one word in common – Rs. 1 LAKH?

TATA ‘s have unveiled their 1-lakh car. As a child I often visited the safety week pavilion at the mines my father used to work. It was a regular feature year by year. We grew up in between these celebrations. The safety week and Viswakarma pujas are the main attraction in a remote mines settlement. There are very few celebrations and in these two occasions the mines gates ate kept open for non-staff and family members of the staffs. We often go on a joyride of mines, courtesy HOLPACK (bigger sized dumper) operators  (who are the fathers of friends working in the mine). As the rules are relaxed we demanded a view of the mines pits and operations, which is not possible during other days.

 One model was common during the years went on. A normal family riding a scooter of a mines man was riding a scooter. (The person was a miner as he was wearing a mining helmet). The scooter was a lambretta, which was common those days as HAMARA BAJAJ was often sold in black market with a premium of 50% over its official cost. The model was just like we see a middle class family riding scooter on road every day but a little aggravated considering present nucleus families. Our families mostly consist of father, mother, a son and a daughter, or two sons or two daughters and in some cases only one sibling.  In those days HAM DO HAMARE DO was only a slogan and only few people were adhering the same. Then families with three to five children were common.

So our model was consisting so. Father driving the scooter. Younger son in the front, younger daughter on the lap of mother behind father, and two others behind mother. An ideal family riding the scooter

The caption of the model “ IS IT A MINI BUS”

Till we cannot understand the concept it was just a funny model till it converted to our own dream. We were desperate to come out of the situation like that. We all have a desire to own a car, which is a middle class dream till the dream became RATAN TATA’s. Come September the same will be reality.

Rs. 1 LAKH will be the salary of President, which was increased from Rs. 50 thousands, was the other headlines.

Has there been any similarity between the two headlines. Had the salary been increased to say 2 or 4 lakhs would there be any impact on us? Quite not. Lots of money is spent from the state treasury on these politicians and a few bucks more or less don’t have any impact on us. Does any one of us know what is the salary of a MP or a MLA or a cabinet minister or say Prime minister. I hope not. I don’t know either, though I read the newspapers regularly. For me the candidates attending an interview are concerned about it for his general knowledge.

Should TATAs lunched their car at a price which is normal in prevailing market (say more than 2 lakhs) would it created such a great news. Definitely not. In the past when TATAs lunched their INDICA it has also created hype. Then it was the first Real Indian Car.

 The question thus should the 2^nd headline been appropriate for the front page?

At last the TATA 1 LAC car is coming out of womb. But till when the likes of Singur will continue.  These battles are going to continue till the end of civilasition.

Indira Gandhi had once told what her grand father told her :-

" There are two types of people in this universe. One those go on doing constructive jobs and others who go on taking credit of the job done by others and you should stick to the first group as the compition is quite low in this group of people." 

Mr Rajesh Sinha contributed this for my page.

Once upon a time in a village, a man announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for Rs 10.  

The villagers, seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.  

The man bought thousands at Rs 10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort.  

He further announced that he would now buy at Rs20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.  

Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate increased to Rs 25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it!  

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at Rs 50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him.  

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at Rs 35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell it to him for Rs 50."  

The villagers squeezed up with all their savings and bought all the monkeys.

Then they never saw neither the man nor his assistant, only monkeys  everywhere!   

Welcome to the 'Indian Stock Market'!  

Like other normal day I reached home at around half past eight from office. However unlike other days the colony was not silent. There were no change in normal crowd in the outer, but the voices from TV were abnormally louder. The houses which otherwise were silent, were booming with TV sound. Incredible, I thought people are preparing for New Year before two days, Dito at my own house.

What I found out was really shocking and horrified. Police have recovered skeletons which may range from 6 to 15 wrapped in gunny bags from the backyard of a house in Noida. The worst conditions of human behaviour. I can not understand how some one is so brutal. The most of the children were just 5 or 6 years old. How can someone kill the innocent childrens who were yet to see the world . The person has been doing the same for such a long period without notice. Had it been for a single child we would have blamed the person only. The as the children were belonging to poor villagers, the police took it granted that they don't deserve to live in a world which is full of reach people like them. Consequenty they never acted when the first missing report was filed with the. Doubts are even created even to count the number of children murdered, As police have never lodged the FIR of missing childred for most of the cases. 

When we were viewing the news my four year old son asked,"Papa what is Kankal". He was aware that some one has taken away many children of his age, may be a child thief. I answered "Beta Hadi". It was so difficult to make him understand that why the person killed so many. In the night when he was reluant to ear his super his mother told him, Eat other wise the person will take you. Would he take my Didi also, No, Her mother replied. She has taken her super. Then with whom I will play there. You know I don't like to play with others, was his question. We don't have an answer.

The life has been never changed for common people. When civilisation was premitative and we were living in jungles, there were animals and we were unprotcted. Now there are such people and we are protected by a special force called police. life will go on in the same way. India is really Incredible.