Musings is lifeless?

Inspite of me having written about pregnancy and all that, many of my readers (whose number is actually very very small; so, I will cleverly change the sentence...) err, most of my readers still complain that there is no life in my blog posts.

What do they mean, no life? Are the topics chosen by me are stale? Is my writing style boring? Though I disagree with them, I have to respect the sentiments - as they are the only available subjects (a la the king in 'Little Prince', having only one subject to preside over in his kingdom).

So, I thought how to bring life to my posts. And, after many days of laborious thoughts, here is the result.


Now, everyone has to agree that there is something live in musings; keeps crawling day in and day out. What more do you readers want?

Another indication that I take all the criticism in my stride.

Service Providers

Met an interesting organisation ECONET, which works with Nomadic tribes of Maharashtra. The challenges of working with a poor community, which keeps moving are tremendous. How do you monitor the health of the pregnant women and children; how do you ensure that kids go to school and the community gets all the services provided by the government?

But, the most striking aspect was how they describe these people as 'Community Service Providers'. Any community needs lot of services and the nomadic tribes provide some, which no one is able to. So, they are community service providers. It was a terrific perspective. We consider only BSNL and Airtel as Service Providers!!

So, here are some nice service providers to our society.

Fortunte Tellers : We can call them Psychiatrists or Counsellors. What change they are able to bring in people's lives by giving hope and simple advice - all with just a parrot, some printed colourful cards and of course, lot of imagination. Selfless service, I would say.

There is another kind of fortune tellers. They come with a colourfully decorated bull. He goes one step further. You don't have go searching for him; he comes to your doorsteps and gives the good words.


Then, we can have one whole range of people called Entertainers. Compared to the complicated lives of our film stars and cricket stars, these entertainers are so effective, personal and wonderful.

This Flute seller not only sells flutes, but also plays the latest popular songs. In bus stands and markets and pavements. What a melodious service...

Then, we have our own flower sellers all over the place. I am fascinated to see those industrious women selling flowers to the middle class house wives coming back from work in the busy markets of Trichy. Some 10 of them will be standing in a row, no competition between them as people keep choosing one seller to other. Selling flowers and spreading fragrance ...

And, some entertainers live a dangerous life. Like these snake charmers. Howmuchever my scientific knowledge refutes, these service providers are a curious breed of entertainers...


And, we have our own Narikoravas in different parts of Tamilnadu, selling a wide array of things. Starting from beads to strange medicines, talisman and rare herbal drugs, you name it.


I wish I know one or two of such tricks and provide some service to the world at large! Probably, by being stupid and saying clumsy things, I can hope to spread sweetness and happiness?

Should learn at least one or two such things...

I am pregnant again ...

Good news, all of you! I am pregnant again.

Wait ... wait ... Nothing of that sort; no sex change operation or whatever. What I mean is that I have conceived of a new idea to create a new database application. In Opensource language.

So, till it is completed and delivered properly, you have this nagging feeling - a heady mix of excitement + apprehension; suspense + uncertainty. I tend to think that this is how pregnant women probably will be feeling during their conception.

Don't know about the women, but I love this feeling. From the time a challenging idea gets in to the mind - be it a software package or an analytical report to be prepared or a presentation on some issue, it is a terrific experience - developing it slowly, adding bits and pieces into the larger framework and finally doing finishing touches for better 'effect'. With each paragraph or component or slide, the final product slowly gets into life and it is a wonderful tension, till it is completed. I like that tension and excitement.

But, on few things, it is different from pregnancy.

1. Things are largely under my control and it isn't an issue of life and death.
2. Many times, when things go out of control, I trace a few steps back, wipe the slate clean and start afresh. Women, alas, cannot do that.
3. Depending on the product, the pregnancy period varies from - just a couple of days to a few years.

And, most importantly,

4. After delivery, there isn't much of an attachment with the child. In fact, I have noticed that the entire relationship comes to an end as soon as the child is delivered and announced to everyone. Then, excitement starts about the next child. Mothers are, fortunately, not that way.


Even take this blog post for an instance. This idea for this blog was in my mind for a few weeks and getting 'cooked' in my mind. But, once you put things down, the charm goes and I am finished with it!

Just to wind up, Norman Mailer had this interesting thing to say and I was struck by the wonderful similarity of our thoughts.

Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing.

Will keep you all informed when the New Arrival happens. Please come for the birthday party...

To conclude, here is a joke on pregnancy.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill is said to have remarked"

Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential."

Well Said... I am a true believer of this motto in life and have expressed this sentiment to many people quite a few times during the last few years. So, as I learnt that Churchill has something in common with me, I was interested to know a bit more about him. (How self-centered of me!)


Heard many times, but had the chance to read his wonderful witty quotes on many things. Was bombarded with his uncharitable quote on Gandhi, but came across quite a string of insightful pearls from him. So, sharing some here.

I had written earlier about dogs and cats you may remember. But, churchill brings pigs also into the debate. Here is what his views:

"I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."

Both as an administrator and war-time politician, Churchill was known for his demanding personality. I can understand, because,

"I am easily satisfied with the very best."

OK, Some more gems - without any interruptions from me. Read them:

• I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
• I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks.
• In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet. I have never developed indigestion from eating my words.
• The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
• We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.
• True genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information

Aren't they wonderful? Especially, the democracy one and the 'masters and slaves' one about words! Now, finally, as every british politician, he has something to say about American cousins.

You can always count on Americans to do the right thing - after they've tried everything else.

How True!

அபியும், நானும்

This blog is about my new friend, Abirami. The Tamil title of the blog is borrowed from a new movie recently released in Tamilnadu - it means Abirami & Me. What an apt title for this post! (Read below for explanation).

My expectations from volunteers who come to Gudalur are not very high - past experience has not proved me wrong also. So, when some Abirami Natarajan was supposed to come to Gudalur from USA, I wasn't particularly bothered. But, Abirami turned out to be a bit special.

First of all, Abirami brought out a new perspective to myself. Though all of my friends joke about our greying hair and what not for quite some years now, Abirami made me realise that I am actually a fatherly figure! One day, while talking about something else, I found out that I am the same age of her mom! This revelation put me immediately in a different generation altogether. Someone who has finished her college and is preparing to go for higher studies is almost like my daughter? This brought a new perspective about my own standing in the life-cycle. Even though we found out later that her mom was probably one year senior and was a fellow engineer from Coimbatore, the fatherly status did not change much. (The movie அபியும், நானும் is about a father and his daughter called Abi, it seems! How apt ...)

So, that is Abirami's important contribution to my life. Having her around in Gudalur is a great pleasure and she has an unique way of not being present anywhere, but materialising here and there. From young adivasi students in our hospital to Dr.Premila, the retired Paediatric Professor, Abirami has something to talk to and importantly, to help out. That is a great quality for a volunteer. (This has been one of my secret strengths here in Gudalur, I used to think. Probably, because of that, she strikes a chord with me too).

Twenty years ago, I too ventured into unknown territories in the Andhra forests with adivasis and naxals and police and IAS officers and what not. But, I guess, to spend one year in a strange place far away from home in USA is more difficult?

So, she is a good friend, wonderful volunteer and a nice team player - even though she starts sleeping as soon as we sit down to watch movies or does not attend phone calls or does not respond to emails and all that sort of thing. Even though Gayathri summed up her one month stay with Abirami with a criptic, "Abi, what can I tell about her..? Thanks a lot!", I went one step further and said, "Abirami is God. She does not respond to any of your communication...". And, most importantly, she listens patiently to long lectures - be it on some medical conditions by Nandakumar or some philosophical rubbish on organisational issues from me, all in answer to 'just one question'!

Durga, Vennila and myself would like to wish Abirami all the best and a wonderful time till she is in Gudalur with all of us.

Many happy returns, Abirami.

Green Crime

I lost it all.

Committed a big crime on our planet earth between the 11th and 14th of March. And, lost all the carbon credites I had been studiously accumulating over the years.

It all started with a flight journey from Bangalore to Delhi. To attend a development meeting of grassroots NGO representatives from different parts of the country. The problem was that we discussed poverty and exploitation and marginalisation and what not, sitting in air-conditioned big star hotel.

The opulence of the rooms, conference hall, spread of dishes in the dining table ... all these were so incongruent to what everyone was talking. So, in short, it was depressing. But, the nice thing was to meet some nice people - to get to know about some new organisations. And, as Stan mentioned, to see more young people choosing to join the development field etc. And, also felt good when it was decided - at the end of the meeting - the next one will be in one of the NGO offices in some small place and not in a big hotel.

On a lighter note, my bank account of the carbon credits is totally depleted now! With the flight journey back and forth - and the stay in that energy-gobbling star hotel - resulted in the tltle of this post - GREEN CRIME.

Sorry mother earth.

Woes of Depression... (the financial one)

The most favourite topic of the world today is the financial depression. Its effects - though originated in the famous Land of possibilities - are reaching out to far away places : Even Gudalur. Anyway, no point just brooding over it. Let us face it and take some corrective steps - however hard they are.

We are not alone. Many other people - most famous included - are tightening their belts and coming out with strategies to beat it. Here is a list of the latest measures that will inspire us.

1. Ali Baba and the forty thieves are now Ali Baba and the thirty thieves. Ten were laid off

2. Batman and Robin are now Batman and Pedro. Batman fired Robin and hired Pedro because Pedro was willing to work twice the hours at the same rate

3. Iron man now "air-pooling" with Superman to save fuel costs.

4. Women finally marrying for love, and not money

5. Q: With the current market turmoil, what's the easiest way to make a small fortune?
A: Start off with a large one.

6. The credit crunch is getting bad isn't it? I mean, I let my brother borrow $10 a couple of weeks back, it turns out I'm now America's third biggest lender.

7. Q: Why have Dubai real estate agents stopped looking out of the window in the morning?
A: Because otherwise they'd have nothing to do in the afternoon.

8. Q: What's the difference between an American and a Zimbabwean?
A: In a few weeks, nothing.

9. Dow Jones is re-branded as "Down Jones".

10. Quote from a wall street banker: This is worse than divorce. I’ve lost half of my assets and I still have my wife….

Hope, your depression is lifted a bit now...

Happy Fools Day

No other post of mine got such good response as the one about Fools. People are standing in queue wanting to sign up in the proposed Association of Fools.

Gouthami sent a nice motto in life - espoused by her father, and presumably practised by her studiously : "I know nothing; but others know less".

And, recently Ramdas told that even Socrates believed in this philosophy and would have commented on this blog, had he been alive of course.

So, let me take this nice opportunity and wish all my friends a very happy fools day!


I hope to think that all of you missed the long absence of mine in posting - 14 days? Busy with office, nothing else.