Dear Readers,
I remember when I was in school and the rank I got always mattered to me as well as those around me.
I would like to have said I was the first in class but the ranks would always be within the first 5. Mostly the 3rd rank till about the 8th standard.
I have prayed to lord Ganesha for the 2nd rank in exchange of an offering of a coconut! But 3rd it was most times.
Then due to the Telangana agitation in the late sixties and early seventies, all of us lost one year at school or college. So my uncle who had just started a tutorial college found a private candidate in me appearing for the 11th HSC straight without even decently finishing my 9th standard from Vivek Vardhini Kanya Shala, Hyderabad!
I remember we were just 4 candidates appearing that year for the HSC from Sri Vidya Tutorials.
I was the topper having secured a second class! After seeing my results I thought God could have given me a first class. This trend seemed to follow my thinking through my higher education. If I got 62% I would think how nice if I had got distinction. If I scored a distinction, I would think how nice if I could have got the gold medal. I realized how futile it is to think about the results after they have come out!
I had friends who scored different percentages and their reactions were anything but hilarious when heard out. X felt she could have at least got pass marks as she had failed in the B.Com. Y felt she could have got a 2nd division but she got only a 3rd which disappointed her a lot. I got a 2d division and thought I could have done with a higher
2nd! Well there appeared to be really no end to this kind of wanting..
Then came a time when I started earning. If the pay was Rs.200/-per month I would dream of what I could have done if my pay was Rs.300/- There seemed to be no end to this cycle until I was at the cross roads in the year 1996 with no interest in working for others. Realization came that we can lead a simple life with simple wants and earn just that minimum which can see us through every month. So it was time to set up a business and pick projects my husband and I could easily handle. There was no dearth for engineering projects and we worked for some of the best companies and star hotel groups for the past
15 years now. We earned more than we expected. At times we had to employ 8 boys to see us through some important projects. I have no regrets and no high expectations either. Life is simple when kept to the bare minimum. That does not however mean that we don’t enjoy life or living. We are still able to get the best out of life through the various interests we have cultivated over a period of time.
But the main thing in all this was the studious avoiding of comparing ourselves with anyone, be it our own siblings who were doing well nor our relatives or friends. I think if we are past caring about petty things we can enjoy our lives being satisfied with what we have and not crib about not having something which is out of reach.
Psst… having said all the above I have one confession to make though. Over a period of time we have accumulated so many things at home which we don’t use. They occupy space in the lofts above. Both of us have made a promise that we should clear the things we have not missed using over a period of one year. Then and only then can we truly call ours a simple living. Now this is a new project which requires our attention!!
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Friday, February 19, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Good Samaritan
Dear Readers,
This an incident which always touches my heart whenever I hear it from my cousin ( I heard it today also for that matter through telecon) or think of it.
My cousin who was a teacher in a school teaching higher classes was trying to better her education by sitting for her Masters in order to get a lecturer’s post in some college. This was the year 1970 in Hyderabad. She had already one Master’s degree but only with a pass in the 3rd division which was not considered enough for the post she was aiming for. So she took up Public Administration as a subject for her Master’s this time and wanted to get a second division with a hope in her heart.
She would appear as a private candidate as she was already working and could not attend regular college. She had to fend for herself and her only daughter at that time, though she had other kind of moral support from a big family on her mother’s side.
With only a crucial 2 days left for the exam paper on public administration and the prescribed book still not anywhere in sight (all the books were borrowed by the regular students of the Osmania University from the Library) her fear was real. She had not had the opportunity to even glance at the book anywhere and with the exam so close by she was feeling very frustrated and jittery about the outcome of this exam on which her future was so very dependent.
As chance would have it, our uncle who was the headmaster of the All Saints’ High School took her along with him to a book exhibition held at the Nizam’s college grounds that day. While going around the book stalls she chanced upon this elusive book and could not take her eyes off it. She kept turning its pages for a long time with no decent sum in her purse with which to buy it off the shelf. My uncle too never carried any simply because they dint have that kind of money in those days. Seeing her interest in the book the Muslim shopkeeper asked her what the matter was. She simply said that her exam was just 2 days away and this was the only book which can help her pass and she could not afford to buy the book as it was priced high at Rs.80/-.
The shopkeeper quietly packed the book in a brown paper sheet and offered it to her saying she can take it, read from it and then return it back to him at the stall after her exams two days later. She was overjoyed and surprised at the turn of events and in turn offered her wrist watch as security against the prized book which he politely declined to accept. It was simply a divine intervention.
She came back home and read a portion in a hurry promising to read it thoroughly the next and the only day left to study. She planned for her young daughter to be sent to our house to play for the day. Told the servant not to come for the day. Cooked a very limited meal and sat down to read the voluminous book. A few hours later, a knock on her door and a couple coming down from Bellary (her late husband’s dear friend and his wife had come to spend the day with the mother and daughter)! Of all days!! But we cannot turn our guests away, who have come from a far off village to meet us, so entertain them she did. She offered them an aloo bhaat (spicy steamed rice with potatoes), chatted with them but deep inside, her mind was on the time that was running out for her!
Then come evening the couple left as the little daughter had not returned even then. The daughter came home for the night, again preparing a meal and washing dishes and what was left was just one night and the next day was the exam day! After putting her daughter to sleep and a bout of crying, she began to read through quickly whatever she could in between nodding off.
The next day at the exam was also tension filled and somehow she wrote her paper that day hoping little to make it in the 2nd division this time around too.
She had very little hopes of passing in the 2nd division and on the day of the results she cried her heart out for she had barely managed to scrape through with a second division in her MA, Public Administration.
Her journey as a lecturer in a government college started off with a better pay packet though she had to travel a long distance by the local train to a college in Dabeerpura on the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad to earn it.
Sbe did return the book to the good samaritan without whose help her dream of moving up in life would have got postponed to yet another year.
At times a power above gives us opportunities and also tests us for strength. We have to make the best of the time we have under the circumstances is the strong message that comes through. We have one life to live and it is 'now' that we can do something positive about it and give ourselves a chance to prove that we are worthy of ourselves.
This is all about a burning desire to achieve something in life.
This is about keeping the effort on to find that elusive something until we get it.
This is about being there at the right place at the right time.
This is about a stranger giving us a helping hand with no conditions attached and in total trust.
This is about those unexpected obstacles which come our way to test us.
This is about making up for lost time at the cost of a sleepless night.
This is about the dawn offering hope of light shining in our lives.
This is about making it against all odds.
This is about God's unseen hands lifting us mortals up with our spirits intact.
This is about divine intervention all the way through.
Since then my cousin has shared this incident with many of her students through the years and so will any who might read this.
Grab that opportunity and make something of your life! Move on.
You have nothing to lose except success!!
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
This an incident which always touches my heart whenever I hear it from my cousin ( I heard it today also for that matter through telecon) or think of it.
My cousin who was a teacher in a school teaching higher classes was trying to better her education by sitting for her Masters in order to get a lecturer’s post in some college. This was the year 1970 in Hyderabad. She had already one Master’s degree but only with a pass in the 3rd division which was not considered enough for the post she was aiming for. So she took up Public Administration as a subject for her Master’s this time and wanted to get a second division with a hope in her heart.
She would appear as a private candidate as she was already working and could not attend regular college. She had to fend for herself and her only daughter at that time, though she had other kind of moral support from a big family on her mother’s side.
With only a crucial 2 days left for the exam paper on public administration and the prescribed book still not anywhere in sight (all the books were borrowed by the regular students of the Osmania University from the Library) her fear was real. She had not had the opportunity to even glance at the book anywhere and with the exam so close by she was feeling very frustrated and jittery about the outcome of this exam on which her future was so very dependent.
As chance would have it, our uncle who was the headmaster of the All Saints’ High School took her along with him to a book exhibition held at the Nizam’s college grounds that day. While going around the book stalls she chanced upon this elusive book and could not take her eyes off it. She kept turning its pages for a long time with no decent sum in her purse with which to buy it off the shelf. My uncle too never carried any simply because they dint have that kind of money in those days. Seeing her interest in the book the Muslim shopkeeper asked her what the matter was. She simply said that her exam was just 2 days away and this was the only book which can help her pass and she could not afford to buy the book as it was priced high at Rs.80/-.
The shopkeeper quietly packed the book in a brown paper sheet and offered it to her saying she can take it, read from it and then return it back to him at the stall after her exams two days later. She was overjoyed and surprised at the turn of events and in turn offered her wrist watch as security against the prized book which he politely declined to accept. It was simply a divine intervention.
She came back home and read a portion in a hurry promising to read it thoroughly the next and the only day left to study. She planned for her young daughter to be sent to our house to play for the day. Told the servant not to come for the day. Cooked a very limited meal and sat down to read the voluminous book. A few hours later, a knock on her door and a couple coming down from Bellary (her late husband’s dear friend and his wife had come to spend the day with the mother and daughter)! Of all days!! But we cannot turn our guests away, who have come from a far off village to meet us, so entertain them she did. She offered them an aloo bhaat (spicy steamed rice with potatoes), chatted with them but deep inside, her mind was on the time that was running out for her!
Then come evening the couple left as the little daughter had not returned even then. The daughter came home for the night, again preparing a meal and washing dishes and what was left was just one night and the next day was the exam day! After putting her daughter to sleep and a bout of crying, she began to read through quickly whatever she could in between nodding off.
The next day at the exam was also tension filled and somehow she wrote her paper that day hoping little to make it in the 2nd division this time around too.
She had very little hopes of passing in the 2nd division and on the day of the results she cried her heart out for she had barely managed to scrape through with a second division in her MA, Public Administration.
Her journey as a lecturer in a government college started off with a better pay packet though she had to travel a long distance by the local train to a college in Dabeerpura on the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad to earn it.
Sbe did return the book to the good samaritan without whose help her dream of moving up in life would have got postponed to yet another year.
At times a power above gives us opportunities and also tests us for strength. We have to make the best of the time we have under the circumstances is the strong message that comes through. We have one life to live and it is 'now' that we can do something positive about it and give ourselves a chance to prove that we are worthy of ourselves.
This is all about a burning desire to achieve something in life.
This is about keeping the effort on to find that elusive something until we get it.
This is about being there at the right place at the right time.
This is about a stranger giving us a helping hand with no conditions attached and in total trust.
This is about those unexpected obstacles which come our way to test us.
This is about making up for lost time at the cost of a sleepless night.
This is about the dawn offering hope of light shining in our lives.
This is about making it against all odds.
This is about God's unseen hands lifting us mortals up with our spirits intact.
This is about divine intervention all the way through.
Since then my cousin has shared this incident with many of her students through the years and so will any who might read this.
Grab that opportunity and make something of your life! Move on.
You have nothing to lose except success!!
Cheers!
Mahalakshmi
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Chunnu, the dog
Dear Readers,
These days I seem to remember Chunnu, our landlords' pet dog in Kachiguda, Hyderabad where we used to stay during the 1970s.
I still remember a young boy bringing a pair of pups, both black, wrapped in a handkerchief. Our landlady whom we affectionately called 'behenji' (which means elder sister in Hindi), came out to inspect the pups on offer. she saw whether there was a male pup and selected one and named him Chunnu. Until we vacated the house after 10 or 11 years we grew up with Chunnu.
He had a jet black coat with small patches of gold and white just above his eyes which made him look so beautiful. And the tail which would wag and wag upon seeing us sisters!
If he were sleeping and heard a sound, he would open his eyes and raise just one eyebrow to convey he was not interested in anything except to get his quota of beauty sleep!
As a pup he would sleep in the same room as us whenever our landlords traveled out of town for a few weeks. Invariably he would sneak and cuddle next to us, yelp when he felt hungry, scratched any exposed head and there were feud heads! We had fun chasing him around the house.
I enjoyed observing all the emotions that flitted across his face - fear, joy, lethargy, mischief, curiosity, real anger, ecstasy. Whoever said animals were dumb creatures needed to retract that statement.
I knew I was his dear friend as I would play with him the most, imitate his barks and try to play the fool with him.
All this ended when our landlord's adopted son, a relative working in the military started coming during his vacations.
Chunnu would be so afraid of him that he was sure to be hiding under a huge bed and never dare come out to even eat for fear. In the beginning I would think it strange and would joke that he was acting like a shy bride!
Then one day to my utter shock I found out why Chunnu was petrified of that son. (He was in his twenties then, we sisters would never thought fit to talk to strangers so we would never cross his path at all). He would be lazing around house, smoking and ordering Chunnu to 'sit down'...
The landlords had gone to Uttar Pradesh, while we were also gone out most of the day as all of us were studying at schools and colleges. On one such day, I got home earlier than usual. Our kitchen used to be on the 2nd floor with an open terrace from where we a good view of the backyard of the landlords house on the ground floor. There were huge trees on the fringes of the compound wall from where I would observe the squirrels, crows, other birds go about living their lives. At times I would imitate their calls and we would have fun interacting for hours.
On that fateful day when I went to get something from the kitchen I was shocked to see our dear Chunnu hanging from the tree and struggling meekly. And down below this son was having fun, smoking and joking at the plight of Chunnu. A servant boy to keep this brute company in all this.
This sight made me so sick that I just shouted at the son to let loose Chunnu at once though that was the first and the last time I spoke to this man in my life. Luckily he asked the servant to bring Chunnu down from the tree.
I remember how I just rushed down and rubbed Chunnu's neck gently for a long time.
My feelings were so deep for our Chunnu. Then I knew what has been going on in our short absences while this sadist was at work with an animal which was so afraid of him ever.
The next day, the servant took Chunnu and left him near Charminar which is quite a distance away from Kachiguda, hoping to shake the dog off forever. But a day later Chunnu had walked back home from that long distance to more trouble.
It was a revelation that Chunnu knew only this house even though his life was in danger with such a criminal minded saddist around. He would refuse food for days on end. He ate later, only when Behenji arrived from her native village.
These memories from my childhood linger even now. I was in my teens then. Such incidents have always touched me and made the person I am today. We all go through so many experiences and these invariably shape our lives in some way. Those were the days when my mom used to take us for those religious discourses held in the Keyes Girls' High School, Secunderabad where the good and the bad of life would be conveyed through interesting little stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Subtly we were told to differentiate between the good and bad way of living.
I thank my mamma for taking us along and exposing us all to such things at a young age. Those discourses on the Hindu mythology did help and continues to help to this day. Constantly we absorb, we are emboldened to ask questions when something is wrong like on the day Chunnu almost died hanging by the tree.
God bless his soul. He was alive but very weak when we left that house. I hope he died peacefully when his time came.
On my last trip to Hyderabad I heard that the adopted son also died young many years ago. May his soul rest in peace too and may god forgive him for his misdeeds on earth.
Prayers for all of us.
Mahalakshmi
These days I seem to remember Chunnu, our landlords' pet dog in Kachiguda, Hyderabad where we used to stay during the 1970s.
I still remember a young boy bringing a pair of pups, both black, wrapped in a handkerchief. Our landlady whom we affectionately called 'behenji' (which means elder sister in Hindi), came out to inspect the pups on offer. she saw whether there was a male pup and selected one and named him Chunnu. Until we vacated the house after 10 or 11 years we grew up with Chunnu.
He had a jet black coat with small patches of gold and white just above his eyes which made him look so beautiful. And the tail which would wag and wag upon seeing us sisters!
If he were sleeping and heard a sound, he would open his eyes and raise just one eyebrow to convey he was not interested in anything except to get his quota of beauty sleep!
As a pup he would sleep in the same room as us whenever our landlords traveled out of town for a few weeks. Invariably he would sneak and cuddle next to us, yelp when he felt hungry, scratched any exposed head and there were feud heads! We had fun chasing him around the house.
I enjoyed observing all the emotions that flitted across his face - fear, joy, lethargy, mischief, curiosity, real anger, ecstasy. Whoever said animals were dumb creatures needed to retract that statement.
I knew I was his dear friend as I would play with him the most, imitate his barks and try to play the fool with him.
All this ended when our landlord's adopted son, a relative working in the military started coming during his vacations.
Chunnu would be so afraid of him that he was sure to be hiding under a huge bed and never dare come out to even eat for fear. In the beginning I would think it strange and would joke that he was acting like a shy bride!
Then one day to my utter shock I found out why Chunnu was petrified of that son. (He was in his twenties then, we sisters would never thought fit to talk to strangers so we would never cross his path at all). He would be lazing around house, smoking and ordering Chunnu to 'sit down'...
The landlords had gone to Uttar Pradesh, while we were also gone out most of the day as all of us were studying at schools and colleges. On one such day, I got home earlier than usual. Our kitchen used to be on the 2nd floor with an open terrace from where we a good view of the backyard of the landlords house on the ground floor. There were huge trees on the fringes of the compound wall from where I would observe the squirrels, crows, other birds go about living their lives. At times I would imitate their calls and we would have fun interacting for hours.
On that fateful day when I went to get something from the kitchen I was shocked to see our dear Chunnu hanging from the tree and struggling meekly. And down below this son was having fun, smoking and joking at the plight of Chunnu. A servant boy to keep this brute company in all this.
This sight made me so sick that I just shouted at the son to let loose Chunnu at once though that was the first and the last time I spoke to this man in my life. Luckily he asked the servant to bring Chunnu down from the tree.
I remember how I just rushed down and rubbed Chunnu's neck gently for a long time.
My feelings were so deep for our Chunnu. Then I knew what has been going on in our short absences while this sadist was at work with an animal which was so afraid of him ever.
The next day, the servant took Chunnu and left him near Charminar which is quite a distance away from Kachiguda, hoping to shake the dog off forever. But a day later Chunnu had walked back home from that long distance to more trouble.
It was a revelation that Chunnu knew only this house even though his life was in danger with such a criminal minded saddist around. He would refuse food for days on end. He ate later, only when Behenji arrived from her native village.
These memories from my childhood linger even now. I was in my teens then. Such incidents have always touched me and made the person I am today. We all go through so many experiences and these invariably shape our lives in some way. Those were the days when my mom used to take us for those religious discourses held in the Keyes Girls' High School, Secunderabad where the good and the bad of life would be conveyed through interesting little stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Subtly we were told to differentiate between the good and bad way of living.
I thank my mamma for taking us along and exposing us all to such things at a young age. Those discourses on the Hindu mythology did help and continues to help to this day. Constantly we absorb, we are emboldened to ask questions when something is wrong like on the day Chunnu almost died hanging by the tree.
God bless his soul. He was alive but very weak when we left that house. I hope he died peacefully when his time came.
On my last trip to Hyderabad I heard that the adopted son also died young many years ago. May his soul rest in peace too and may god forgive him for his misdeeds on earth.
Prayers for all of us.
Mahalakshmi
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