Strokes and Flukes

Vasu has done his engineering degree in a private college in Bangalore. He got a seat after passing entrance exams with difficulty. He got 40000 rank out 50000 rankings given by the entrance cell . But; anyhow , Indian system of reservation reserved him a seat of a prestigious institute; in-fact, one of the top in India . It was here the game of Stroke and Fluke was started to Vasu. 

Fluke for getting a seat in top college and stroke of  the pressure build on him to be  as a champion in a champion college. First semester; Vasu passed exam with first rank from last, next semester two of his 6 wickets down for a very little score of 55. It means he scored 55% out of  the subjects he passed. Like this, he entered his branch subjects in 3^rd semester.

Semester by semester, his agony continued; and, the list of his backlog subjects increased with prolonged time. By making chits and cheating, he passed a few subjects, but for his misfortune, he was caught and his pride was thrown in dust while studying his 4^th semester. 

His good times started when  he started hard and he passed all his backlogs to successfully complete his engineering degree.

After passing out from college, he attended several interviews, tried backdoor entries; but, it was not possible for Vasu to taste the success of the job. 

Vasu initially not even got the opportunity for clerk like jobs. Vasu blamed his fate for choosing engineering, for passing it with difficulty, he thought he would have got some small profile job for a lesser qualification .

Days passed and black marks started to surround his oculars, his hairs started falling and remaining hairs started turning white. His debts started inflating and Vasu’s devastating life was running in misery.

  

One day, he got a call while he was sleeping in the noon, he got irritated as he thought it was a call from mobile service provider.After 10 minutes  he again got the call  from the same number which was irritating to Vasu.  

Mr.Vasu got up and started thinking about the number. His cerebrum started thinking and he realized that customer care people will not call the same number for two times. He thought it was Job agents, but again he thought that job agents call very frequently until the call is attended. After giving a bit more work to his brain, he slept back. 

After the gap of 30 minutes he got call from the same number; but, this time Vasu picked the call.  It was fluke as the call was from the placement officer of his college.

After conversing a very few formal words, Vasu was told about the interview to be held in the college from the reputed MNC.

Vasu’s sleep ran-away like a leopard, He got up and washed his face and packed his bag to run to Bangalore to fight for the job. He took a few materials to study while traveling.  It was 5:30 am, the next day when he reached Bangalore. He went to his friend's room that was nearer to college. 

Vasu got ready, but in a hurry, he left taking print-outs of resume; and, there were no photo copies of his educational certificates. Vasu stuttered to begin the day that he thought  shall be the lucky day for him.

The interview was at 10, and the time was 9, Vasu luckily got a Xerox shop opened at 9.  He has given all his certificates to photocopy.

Shopkeeper kept his marks-card set on top of Xerox machine where machine automatically engulf the papers, take a scan of the document and give back the originals and photocopy in separate outlets.

But,Vasu's fate of tough luck was playing its game.  The un-expected stroke was pain-full for Vasu as the machine engulfed the marks-cards, but given back the folded damaged marks cards . Vasu shattered for machine spoiled his marks cards and his life indirectly.

Marks cards and other original educational documents are the only property of the Jobless graduates who are in search of jobs.  Vasu’s lonely properties are damaged in a matter of seconds and  he wept for his dream of a job  would remain a dream again. Thinking all the possible negative thoughts, Vasu  with no other option folded his mark sheets and kept them in pocket to face interview.

He cleared the aptitude test, then technical round. The problem arose when Vasu was selected for HR round. He entered the interview room with his empty hand. There was no file, documents, resume and nothing in hand. 

He entered the interview room like a brat entering exam hall without hall ticket. When Interviewer asked the marks cards. Vasu open the folded paper pieces from his pocket. The interviewer was shocked to see those pieces of paper and inquired Vasu about marks cards in a commanding louder voice.  

At last Vasu folded up his fears and braved his mind, he told the entire drama that took in xerox shop. This is where his fluke shocked the strokes, HR believed and given him the job. Now Vasu is working as a team leader in an MNC with well settled life with family. 

The game of stroke and fluke tumbles fumbles, gambles, but surely it will lead us to earn the pearl.

 

 

Ugadi-The start of a new era

According to the Gregorian calendar, the world celebrates the new year on January , but according to Hindu  lunisolar calendar, the new year falls in the month of March/April.  Ugadi/Yugadi -literally means;the start of a new era. It is derived from two Sanskrit words yuga means era and adi means the start.

The festival is celebrated throughout India from Vindhya parvata ( mountain)to the provisions of  Kaveri  river who follows the lunar calendar which is called as panchangam/panchanga. 

In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh festival is known as Ugadi, in Maharashtra it is known as Gudi Padwa, Thapna in Rajasthan, Baisakh in Punjab, Puthandu in Tamilnadu and so on.

The festival has got its own importance, because, it signifies the start of the spring season, it signifies the start of the new season with the month Chaitra initiates the start of growth of plants ; thereby, the celebration is worshiping of the nature, and praying mother earth to keep the earth greener and  help us live with prosperity.

As per mythology , the festival has got its meaning ;where, it’s a day on which the earth started, Lord Brahma, who is the creator of the universe has started the creation of the earth on the first day of the Chaitra month. Also, it is believed that this was the day Lord Rama came back to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile.

The festival starts early in the morning after the cleaning the house. Some families even paint the house with the festival few days away. After cleaning house, clean premises of the house are cleaned and sprinkled with clean water to avoid any dust, after cleaning process ladies execute their artistic culture and talent through beautiful and colorful Rangoli’s.

After all this, everyone in the house applies  their bodies with sesame or coconut oil and expose themselves to the sun . After sunbath a fresh hot water bath with neem and turmeric used as a soap to rejuvenate the body and help themselves to keep their mind calm.

Ladies prepare special dishes, sweets, but the specialty of the Ugadi is a kind of dish called as Bevu-which is a fixture of neem leaves, neem flowers, jaggery, un-ripened mango, tamarind juice to make it either a powder or juice .

This dish is a symbol of sweet and sour of life; hence, this dish is spread to all the neighbors, friends and relatives as a token of exchange of happiness and sorrow equally. 

Prayers, wishing , worshiping the sun, nature, cattle, farmland is a very common in all the festivals and Ugadi is not at all exclusive.

In some parts of India, people even play color to celebrate the joy of the new year.

Apart from dishes; Ugadi is a very auspicious occasion for Hindus, people buy the vehicle, gold and other bigger properties on this day. They start building houses, shops on this day, it’s a very big day on which people start their business. People keep up their pace in doing all the good things to keep the year a good and prosperous one.

Hindu New Year celebration is a very auspicious, ambitious, important festival celebration that prays for the welfare of all.

     

Problems are not Problems- A story promoting eye donation

 Problems are not Problems- A story promoting eye donation

I was standing at A B Vajapayee bus-stop at Jayanagar 9th block Bangalore; and, waiting for 60A bus to go to Vijaynagar. The time was 1 pm and astonishingly, it was a very hot day out in Bangalore, despite of heavy rains previous day. I was famished, devastated and was in a mood of depression as I failed in a job interview.

Two years passed after completing my post- graduation in microbiology. I failed in getting a job that would fetch me the life ,which was really a matter of worry for me. After waiting for 30 minutes, the bus came but unfortunately it was a Marco Polo AC bus. I was having 30 rupees in my pocket and my account was devoid of minimum balance.

The head was drilling in frustration, I went to the conductor and asked the fare to travel Vijaynagar on AC bus, and the lady conductor harshly answered, “Rs 25 to Vijaynagar TTMC”.  “The bus will not move an inch at-least for 20 minutes”. She came hardly at me like a wave of Tsunami came suddenly overnight on the shores of the Indian Ocean. 

I sat in front seat waiting for another bus to come for Vijaynagar . No other bus, not even to other places arrived at the bus stop which was rare as the BMTC buses doesn’t make the people wait for a longer period of time. 

After a heavy period of 20 minutes, driver and conductor came, and the bus was on the go. There were hardly 4- 5 passengers in the bus, and I was in the front seat which usually are reserved for ladies, but not in Marcopolo and Vajra BMTC buses. 

Exactly opposite to my seat there was an empty seat. As a boy of 25 I was waiting for that seat to be filled with a beautiful unmarried girl, to pass my time and to make my eyes cool. I imagined beautiful women sitting beside and opposite seat.

The next stop was Dairymilk double shots for me, half the bus filled and three beautiful girls among those who entered the bus, one beside my seat and two opposite to mine. 

All wearing tees and jeans, three of them fair enough to watch and rejoice. With a beautiful white skin and good physique they wake up any men’s feelings. I was a bit relieved, and my mood changed a bit. “Ahh,  finally something to rejoice” but still failure was crooking my encephalon, the negative thoughts were in momentum. Blaming my fate, with a five rupee coin in my pocket, I got frustrated as kings cigarette’s rate grown to 8 rupees. 

Stomach was squandering as if a rat is running vigorously than ever. Failed interview, thirty minutes of brain storming emptiness in bus, hot and humid climate, conductor’s harsh tone, and to make it worst the AC was off.

I felt I was squeezed again and again. I was in a veil of somber. I thought “Why God is giving me this much torture”? “Why I’m always a loser”?  Why, Why and Why’s? Continued hitting my brain, even the girl’s beauty forgotten by these idle thoughts in the brain.

The bus arrived in Jayanagar 4^th block bus stop, all three girls get down to end a slight rejoice. The place was filled by two more ladies ; whom I was watching keenly from the time they step into the bus, one a mammoth sized fat girl and other a blind. By the time I was watching both of them, my attention turned a bit on them.  

The bus left, and the conductor came to issue a ticket.  The blind girl took out a paper which was normal daily pass, the conductor’s voice raged at blind girl, she shouted “this is a normal bus pass and this will not run here “Take the ticket otherwise get down here, can’t you ask anybody before landing on the bus”. The conductor lost humanity for a second, but allowed her to travel to the next stop after commanding her in a big tone.

While these conversations taking place, fat lady beside the blind girl opened her purse and took two tickets saying one ticket is for the blind girl. The Conductor not objected, she issued two tickets to the lady.  The blind girl thanked her in a shy-full tone, but the fat lady resisted and said “Sorry for giving wrong information, It was me who made you land this bus”.

The blind girl replied “ No No , It was me who has asked you to show 60 number bus; but, I have not clarified you about the kind of bus, and it’s my mistake “and they continued resisting each other. I realized the blind girl wanted to travel in a normal 60 bus and asked the fat girl the bus number, but unfortunately she landed in an AC bus.

They continued each other’s conversation as they both were going to Vijaynagar TTMC. Fat girl promised her to drop the blind girl till her home. When all this conversations ended, I started thinking of my problems for a second and again turned my attention towards them.

Blind lady was telling to fat girl “  Problems are not the problems and the blind girl opened up my eyes with her words while conversing with that fat girl.

“Madam, I work as a teacher in a school and travel daily from Vijaynagar to Jayanagar . Today I took a leave for half day to attend a free eye testing camp held at rotary club".

 "Today I realized, the blindness in me to be remained forever, My eyes cannot be changed even if someone donates. My eyes are having problems beyond cornea, otherwise I would have a chance to see the colors of the world. There is no chance of getting eyes in any means”.

She wept a bit and continued

“Madam,I have not lost the battle, I see the colors of the world in my student's words, In my colleagues love, in the humanity the people show for me, I request you to donate your eyes ,so that the blind like me who just have corneal problems will get the new life; any how, I thank god for this beautiful life he has given to me ".

" Suppose If I was healthy like you, I would have not faced any problems with the bus, but other problems might have haunted. In-fact problems are not at all a problem, there will be a solution to every problem, today you were my solution, overcoming the problems is a solution to every problem,   blind are those people who get dumped in problems not me”.

Her words were like a preaching to me, all the negative thinking in me washed out. I realized the truth regarding problems, coming home, I opened the internet and searched for online eye donation and donated my eyes, read about eye donation and decided to promote the Eye donation and written this article. 

Hope this article will make you donate your eyes, even if you have already donated your eyes implement it, tell about eye donation to all your friends, relatives, colleagues. This article is a tribute to the blind teacher who eradicated my real blindness.

Sankranti- A meaning-full Festival

Sankranti- A meaning-full Festival

I remember the school days and the next day after Sankranti. We used to take sesame mixed with jaggery, roasted groundnut, dried Coconut kernel pieces, sugar and many more,  these all were mixed in a polythene bag.

It was a dish like preparation done by mother and give instruction all of us to give a bit to all the teachers and bow their feet to acquire their blessings, then distribute it to friends and wish them the best.

Sankranti is a unique and meaning-full festival celebrated in most of the parts of India, named as Lohri, Bhogi, Pongal, Sankranti, Sankramana etc. This festival is meaning-full and depicts the great culture of India. 

This festival exclaims the human relationship with nature and nurture human life as a part of nature itself.  This is truly proved in  festival celebrated in villages by farmers. They bow to nature and worship agricultural land; ornament their livestock, which helps in every part of their lives. 

Apart from traditional worshiping, this festival is the celebration of triumph of nature. Its time for green in India, all the crops will be at their peak; hence, the festival has got greater meaning. The day will be dedicated to animals; they are ornamented and amused with great food and sports.

Sankranti is a joy throughout the country, and it’s specially celebrated in pomp in North-Karnataka region in their own special  way. 

The houses in North-karnataka villages and towns worship land and animals like the rest of the Country; but,special thing I have to say about is the food they prepare for the day of Bhogi.

Jowar and Bajra blended with Sesame, and there will be a variety of traditional North- Karnatakan sweets, curries of Brinjal, a special curry  made of mixed vegetables; which, they call “Bartha”. Carrot, sweet potatoes, radish and many vegetables are used to prepare Bartha and, probably, this is the only day in the year people prepare this special curry because of availability of a variety of the vegetable in the season. 

Along with curries butter, Ghee, spicy Niger seed powder, Fenugreek leaf, raw Radish, Carrot, Boiled Sweet-Potatoes and the list goes on. The menu of food on the day of Sankranti is one of the biggest, richest and healthiest food will ever hear.

A plate of food is taken to friends and relative's houses,everyone relishes each other’s food with different tastes and varieties to impart happiness to everyone. 

In the evening people gather to amuse themselves by singing, dancing and doing various activities. People exchange sesame and jaggery as an indication of exchanging each other’s happiness and miseries. 

Sesame indicates sorrow for its sour taste, and jaggery indicates happiness.

Apart from the celebrations, the festival has got its scientific importance. The festival is to worship the sun-the energy source for all living beings on earth. It’s an astrological event where the sun enters Capricorn zodiac constellation on that day. 

Scientifically, this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. In other words, Sankranti marks the end of the winter season and the beginning of a new harvest or spring season.

The period of Sankranti is a season when the skies filled with empty clouds the temperature will be cold for Indian sub-continent. It’s a time when farmers are at the edge of harvesters, forest blossom with green lush, and scientifically it’s a period in which human digestive power will be stronger than any other seasons in the year.  This is why all the food mentioned above is lipid containing items, and this also helps rejuvenate the skin, which has lost its moisture in the cold seasons.

Overall Sankranti is a festival that has got great significance and scientific bases.

Use Social Apps Effectively, Help Build The Nation.

I 

Experienced in my small town; where, people talking in tea shops about the elections and the profile of the candidates in the contest, trends, probability of the winning and losing candidate , which area may vote to which candidate, whether it is cast, or money that is going to take part in the election and  the list goes on and these tea shops were the social stages for the people to talk about the politics just a few years ago.

But today is the era of Android and windows, where millions of people using the man’s finest invention called as Smart phones.  According to a new study, there are 51 million smartphone users in urban India, an increase of  89% is  expected every year  from 2012. India ranks fifth among the countries  using smartphone.

It’s not just in bigger cities, but spreading viral in small towns and cities which I experienced myself. One of the construction workers who was illiterate messaged his owner in Whatsapp’ ; that he is not coming to work for a day. This was a small incident which inspired me to scribble this.

Times of India reports says The number of social media users in urban India reached 62 million by December 2012, and it is estimated to reach 66 million by June 2013.

Role of Social media and Apps

·         38% of those who use social networking sites (SNS)  promote material related to politics or social issues that others have posted.

·         35% have used social networking sites to encourage people to vote .

·         34% have used the tools to post their own thoughts or comments on political and social issues.

·         33% have used the tools to re-post content related to political or social issues, that was originally posted by someone else.

·         31% have used the tools to encourage other people to take action on a political or social issue.

·         28% have used the tools to post links to political stories or articles for others to read.

This statistic tells  the role of Social media and apps like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, WeChat, blogger, Hike messenger, Skype, Youtube, Yahoo messenger, Rediffmail on general elections.

I was chatting with my friend whose thinking made him a  philanthropist as he always talk about society, country, people. As the discussion moves on, the  topic came to elections and the truth came out, his age is 26 and he never voted not even once in his lifetime in any elections; either it may be local body elections or parliamentary elections. 

He spent 9 years of his life after getting power to vote. This is just an example. Even those who talk of development, nation, politics do not vote, the people talking about responsibility forget their responsibilities. It is the question of choosing leaders who lead your place, It is the question of the leaders who rules your area, it is the question of the leaders who build your nation.

In his book “How I BRAVED ANU AUNTY AND CO-FOUNDED A MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY’ Arun Agarwal writes, how kitty parties and the voices in the party helped him to start and improve his business. He adds mouth to mouth spreading is the greatest way to increase business. The same can be implied to raise our voice through social apps. 

On December 31, I was resolving  a conflict between two of my friends, who fought a lot in Whatsapp chat, and I was successful to rejoin them. There I thought social apps are our voices now.

When we see the traditional way of elections, youth show dis-interest, especially the one who are far away from their place. There can be many reasons for their dis-interest.

1. Wish not to go home just to cast vote.

2. Disinterest in elections.

3. Lack of awareness.

4. Lack of profile candidate.

5. Disinterest in politics.

6. Disgusted of the system and many more.

The reasons can be many and this is why 60-65% voting still hold the record in India.  Importantly the voting in youths is still a miserable statistics.

When we keenly observe the growing popularity of social sites and use of internet; social apps can be a good choice to increase voting in youth. Most of us might have observed  US presidential elections, where the candidate's profile will be available in every social site;especially in micro-blogging sites like Twitter.

India is no less to the US and thanks to man’s finest invention Smartphone.

The emergence of the AAP in Delhi proved the different strategy of election and motto. They have pulled the youth to polling booths, and they won the election to break records.

The next person who used social apps effectively to gain youth's confidence is Mr.Narendra Modi. There are a number of apps on his speeches and videos, even Youtube is making a big impact definitely. If I open my FB page, there will be at least one post on Modi.

It’s good that, the Election Commission of India has brought the Internet and social media under the election code of conduct. The Election Commission has issued a notification, according to which candidates are required to declare educational qualification and criminal records and details of their social media accounts.

What Can be done:
1. Make apps that helps everyone to acquire information of election procedure right from getting voter card to the prime minister oath.

2. Collect information of every candidate in every constituency and post them in social apps and spread it as much as possible.

3. Build games that encourage the people to get interest in politics.

4. last thing can be done by election commission ; they can form online polling booth  to allow everybody tovote to any constituency from such booths all through india.

Social apps are the things on which youth are fond off, Use Social Apps Effectively, Help Build The Nation.