A feel of life after after-life.

I was just reading through one of my friend's blog and realized its been pretty long since I wrote one. And also wondered has there been any good actions in the past to even write about??? Oh...Not good...but bad anyways!

Good or bad...Part of life. One can not ignore the bad days after all.

3rd June 09
I enter home after a very tiring day with no work. As usual i see my mom on the dining chair and dad on the sofa, but something different i noticed in thier face. They were smiling at me with an expectation 'guess what's up??'. I then noticed someone's leg hanging from the deewan behind the screen. I went closer and lo 'Mere Uncle' was in all smiles. I touch his feet (a normal gesture in our culture when we meet someone elderly after a long time) and immediately question him 'Uncle, what's wrong with your health, you have put down drastically!!!'. I turn to my mum and order, 'Mum, let's prepare nice thick Dal, some chicken, and nice Aloo ka Bharta, Rice, Kheer for him for dinner'. I day dreamed at night expecting Uncle to just bloat out within 8 hrs of time with the food. And I confirmed with Uncle if he was fine with the menu. He only smiled and said 'Meri beti jo khilayegi, khalunga'. But little did I know that he had diabetes which means he can not have Rice, Aloo ka bharta and kheer. and little did I know he had a huge ulcer in his stomach that he can not have anything spicy. and little did I know he is a veggie man. with all the shock at a time from my mum who had already prepared the dinner (plain boiled vegetables with soup, and chapati), I just could not breathe easy. My throat choked, I just then got up and walked away to my room. And guess what, he was in steroids for a year and had gradually reduced the intake. I took a deep breathe and freshend up soon to resume our general chit-chats. Me and my mum keenly listening to his stories of pain forgot even to see the clock. It ticked 11 and dad ordered 'chalo chalo, lets eat'. I wash the plates and keep it on the table and mum busy heating the food and dad was just waiting for the food. I asked uncle to come to the table and only realized he had a huge syringe injected into his stomach. An unimaginable scene!!! That's the way he took medicine generally and regularly. He was anyway told by a guruji that he would be 100% fine by October. And so we all were in smiles hoping its only some more dark days in his life. He joined us and soon we were filling our tank. Uncle was very sorry that coz of him we had to eat such light weight food. And to that I reply 'once in a while, eating this food is tastier than the normal masala and tadka wala food, so don't u pity for nothing'. I then bid good night to all three of them as they had soon started discussing on some Sanskrit topics which were all bouncers for me.

4th June 09
I wake up and clean up myself lil bit and then take my cup of coffee and sit with the paper ( a routine work) and then clean up my bird's cage and feed them with bajra. Uncle had to leave today to Pondycherry. After all he had come to take REST for a month or so. He leaves for his small trip and we all resume with our routine works.

6th June 09
I wake up and clean up myself lil bit and then take my cup of coffee and sit with the paper ( a routine work) and then clean up my bird's cage and feed them with bajra.
I know its the same sentence but then thats what i do every morning. I am eating my breakfast and mum in the kitchen and dad doing pooja. Just then dad received a call in his mobile from 'B...' (names not be disclosed for personal reasons). I pass it on to dad. The conversation though i did not hear the other side, I at least made it out.

Dad: 'Hello, han B...'
B... : ' 'A is no more'
Dad: 'what???'
He stands up with trembling hands. me and mum are shocked that dad 'What???' had a very panicking tone.
Dad:"when? and Why did he do that'
Me and mum now understood that A (My uncle) has ended his life.
B... confirmed the news and dad hung up the phone.

Dad and mum were terribly upset and angry, scolding my uncle for his action. He did not even think of his 2 daughters. He abruptly ended his life. Dad was in a heavy shock and me and mum were trembling with fear (fear of voidness, fear of having lost someone dear). I controlled my tears, not showing parents that I was upset too. I start to office and on the way tears dint stop to show up. I was in tears and me trembling even while on the way. All the past memories got re winded and seemed as if I was again ordering him to have chicken, the thick dal, aloo ka bharta and kheer.

He had a tough time with his wife and also with self. He was sick for a very long time and while he did not have any courage to wait until October for his good health, he abruptly ended it. I only could search his photo in the Google and saw a CV of his lying on the net. and trust me the CV was as long as a seminar paper...! I wish I could give the link here...but...!

I only wish he rests in peace at least after his after-life. I wish his daughters have the courage to face the world. And I wish his wife stays happier ever.

And I wish he could support the 6 PhD grads under him and the 3 M.A students. I wish he could complete the researches he has left incomplete...I wish he could just be back on earth and live another innings...I wish I just could cook Aloo ka bharta, Chicken and Kheer fro him... I wish I never wished...but I do wish...!!!

Being a First Time VOTER

I wake up in the morning only realizing that I am pretty late. It was 8.00 am and the night before mama papa and me planned to move early around 7.00 am to our polling booth which was 10Kms away. Followed the normal routine and then at 9.00 am started in bike. It was already burning hot. Summer in Chennai is a challenge, I tell you. I hopped up the bike and dad and me zoomed off. It was a different feeling when we passed through the roads which we regularly haunted 5 years back. The only song that was in mind 'Yeh galiyan yeh chaubara...'. I see so many things changed almost upside down. The place which had just 1 or 2 flats when we moved in has become an eerie world. It was crowded. The least thing that could happen to us was traffic jam!!!. But trust me, even at that time there was no frustration. I saw a dead body being carried away by few people. But I saw no one weeping even. I felt lil sad of the demise in some poor man's oops...women's family. In an instant a question came to my mind and I was very curious...I just wished if some one could answer me. I asked papa, 'dad, do u think that old man voted??? or did he not have the luck of doing so before his last breath'. Dad said 'Please don't ask it so loud, else you could also not vote and go up... :P'. Hahaha...:D It was fun. There is no stopping me and dad when we have to pull someone's leg or just pull each others for that matter or in the least expected situation our own. :) We squeeze in between cars and buses and reach our home. Oh...Home! Yes, our own but is rented as we stay near by Papa's office. We meet the people there, have water and wait for mum to reach. She had to travel by bus as the bike could not carry 3. She calls and says 'I am at the booth. Where are you both?'. We were like 'Oh...my God, let's rush.'. Are you wondering why did we have to rush that too morning when the polling was to go on until 5.00 pm? Oh well that was just an excitement!!! After all I was to be the first time voter though it's been ages I was 18!!! Never mind...It happens only in India. Me and mum rush to the Ladies' Queue. I heared someone say 'dekho dekho...Minu didi ayee hai (see see...Minu has come)'. I wondered who could that be. I turned around and saw one of my x-neighbor uncle. Then saw his son who was a just born baby when I had last seen him. Lil did he know who Minu didi is...but I was like 'annn...annnnnnn..hmmm....mama...that unlce'...Oops his name did not strike my head!!! It was embarrassing...But some how mum managed it well... :P Dad's queue was much longer than the one we were in. Me and mum went in, saw approximately 10 members to assist you. There were 4 people with a list. We had to confirm if our name was in the list. By that time another lady called me. I went and she after checking my name in the list gave me some kind of slip. I really had any interest seeing it. I still wonder what that slip was. I went to the next person. He almost poured the ink on my nail. It spread all over my index finger nail. The next lady then took the slip from my hand which the first lady (not the US first lady...:P; but the lady among the election officers). I goto a table which was covered by cardboard sheets around three sides. One side wide open for you to fit in and select the button you wanna press. Let me tell you that the moment I saw so many symbols on the machine I really wondered, What is India doing with so many political parties and yet is just a developing country??? I was bound struck with the number of parties and for just a moment I was just looking at the symbols as to which looked beautiful than the others...:P The lady outside shouted...'Madam please make it fast'....and then I just pressed one and came out...with the feeling of having being an Indian for so long and having done a great job. Looked as if I was for the first time sounded responsible. Looked like I had just grown up...

Thanks to Tata Tea, the group that really took so much effort to wake up the youngsters. Though I was awake I did not have the Voter ID card for 5 years having been eligible to vote, neither were we getting the list updated with our names. It was for the first time and I am still in the notion of the THE DAY... :) Guys I am not sure what politicians really do for us or don't do...but its only we who can decide their fate...

Now that our good people have elected the man finally, I really wish

GOOD LUCK - INDIA... :)

A Forward that makes a human brain work Backward

Sounds wiered??? It should!!! Else it's not worth reading...

We all receive Forwards with 'An officer has received 2 million dollars after sending it(the forward). Robert lost more than 2..1 millions for not sending and breaking this chain letter. Please send 20 copies and see what happens in 4 days.This chain letter comes from ... !! You will definitely receive some good news in 48 hours!!!!'. And many of you forward too; especially when you receive such mails during this recession time or when you desperately need some Good Luck to work asap.

Does anyone even realize it's a mail created by someone and not any God or a Fortune teller ('Giver' for that matter). I am sure and you too should agree too that a bunch of our youth in our country believe this blind folded just coz many of them are really desperate to earn money. And does anyone wonder who ever has so much money to shed for these mails??? If a person was as rich as distributing money then he would better buy himself an Island or a country... ;)
But trust me...I too believed it once (years ago) and did wonder why this fortune did not work. For a matter of fact I even wondered 'Do I I have such bad luck that even a manual form of buying Good lucks does not work!!!' My fella keeps telling me 'You are Self-Criticizer'. And I did agree to that at some point in time. But not any more; I mean am not my own criticizer. Hats off to my fella. :)

It's the time to wake up. At least guys of the age group 18-40, wake up yaar...It is not worth spending time forwarding such mails which at any cost anyway will not bring u even a penny. I wonder how many of us even trust our capability completely...It's the time to really use our brain and not sentiments. Be clear in what you want and what you want to perceive. God has given us brains to think...let us really THINK before we act.

Let us not forward mails that will give us money (???) but let us forward mails that will give us self-confidence.
Let us not forward mails that will make us emotionally weak but let us forward mails that will show what an unconditional love is
Let us not forward mails that will make us believe in superstitions and unproved omens but let us forward mails that will illuminate our thinking and knowledge.
Let us do some act that will bring our troubled nation to stability and joy.
Let us hold hands and pledge today that 'WE THE YOUTH CAN NOT BE CHEATED OR TAKEN FOR GRANTED'.
Let us just fight this recession and terrorism.
Let us not accept and compromise to our rights taken away or let us not just MOVE ON.
Let us MOVE ON with a motive to eradicate the man created mis happenings.

LIVE and LET LIVE (The age Old proverb!!!)