Usually I take 7.15 PM cab from office and reach home around 8.15. That day I took 8.15 PM cab and got off from the cab at around 9 PM. I cook myself and buy vegetables almost daily. It makes me feel I eat fresh vegetables, I buy in the evening though, as in the morning by the time I leave for the office shops are not opened. There is a Foodworld near my house but it has everything but fresh food items even after an hour of its being opened every morning. There is another small vegetable shop nearby and I generally go there to buy vegetables. This shop lacks that word World but it helps me belive how things without prefix "world" are better off for people who leave in this part of the world. Anyway, enough of vegetables!
I went to buy vegetable to the same shop. As I turned left from the main raod and entered into the narrow street, I saw a woman beating a child mercilessly. She had a strong stick in her right hand, and was holding the child's shirt, right above the chest and below the neck, with left. I was born in a village and had seen people beating their animals. Right then, what I saw, forced me to think if the child was a thief or pick pocket. But, that could not have been the case as there were people standing near by, doing their usual works, and going by my experience, there was nothing like that. By the time, my mind reached to a conclusion that the child was not a thief or pick pocket, the woman, I am finding it difficult to use the word lady, had picked up a bat kept near by, probably the child used to play with otherwise, and started beating him with the bat. The woman, pronouns provide cover and hide true identity, kept on beating the child, I looked at the woman, she stopped for a moment, started again. The woman was uttering something, I could not understand. In India we have more than 150 languages. The woman dragged the child into a small house, this was where they stayed as I came to know later, and kept on beating him which I could figure out from the sound of thumping bat and the child's crying voice.
I asked the vegetable shop owner, "what is happening? Why is she beating him like that?"
He replied, "leave it sir, she does it everyday, she comes home after drinking "Daru-alcohal" and beat her son like that".
"Is she his mother, does she beat him because she is drunk?", I was shocked like anything.
"Leave it sir, what should I give you", he asked.
I couldn't buy the vegetable. I was born in a village, brought up in a small town, I had never come across something like this before in my life - Drunk Mother beating her Son".
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Short Stories
The maid and the book
He was staying alone in an apartment. For the last five years, since he took divorce, he had been doing his things on his own. Recently he had hired a maid to give himself some more time to do other things in life! The maid was quite professional and efficient. Within couple of weeks, she could build enough trust. Initially, he used to stay back while she was working. Soon he got a new key and gave it to the maid. Now the maid used to come and finish work while he was not at home. One day when the maid came, he was at home. He asked the maid not to come again, gave her some money, more than her dues. The maid was surprised and asked if he didn't like her work. He said nothing and gave her a paper, he had written something on. The maid opened it, " if you find a book on dinner table before keeping it back to bookshelf ensure three things. First, the book is kept mistakenly, second the owner of the book knows that the book should be kept in bookshelf and anyone would keep it there only, third the owner knows that you know the previous two facts. This is to help you for your future job", were the sentences written on the paper. The maid folded the paper back, looked at his face, smiled and left.
He was staying alone in an apartment. For the last five years, since he took divorce, he had been doing his things on his own. Recently he had hired a maid to give himself some more time to do other things in life! The maid was quite professional and efficient. Within couple of weeks, she could build enough trust. Initially, he used to stay back while she was working. Soon he got a new key and gave it to the maid. Now the maid used to come and finish work while he was not at home. One day when the maid came, he was at home. He asked the maid not to come again, gave her some money, more than her dues. The maid was surprised and asked if he didn't like her work. He said nothing and gave her a paper, he had written something on. The maid opened it, " if you find a book on dinner table before keeping it back to bookshelf ensure three things. First, the book is kept mistakenly, second the owner of the book knows that the book should be kept in bookshelf and anyone would keep it there only, third the owner knows that you know the previous two facts. This is to help you for your future job", were the sentences written on the paper. The maid folded the paper back, looked at his face, smiled and left.
Poems
PROMISE
I thought, I decided, I came and I stayed
I felt as if I constituted it and it was comprised of “including me”;
I failed to discern the reality of simmering waves,
It looked like shining gems, shining till perpetuity,
I forgot the lesson learnt early, probably it was too early to be learnt,
“Existence” of perpetuity is always “assumed”,
I promise I will never forget again!
I was told, I was advised, and I believed never questioned,
It seemed “pious”, without supplementary hope”,
But it was there, it was always there, intrinsically engraved;
I could not read the written, I missed it,
I promise I will never miss again!
I opened; I explored, and delved deep,
I picked up “speed”, without bothering for “velocity”,
Relied for direction to the observers,
But they were in a different frame of reference,
There were differences, fundamentally clear yet blurred,
It was distinctively discreet in principle,
Sham of malice was metamorphosed into perceived pragmatism,
I drifted with the flow,
I promise I will never drift again!
I thought, I decided, I came and I stayed
I felt as if I constituted it and it was comprised of “including me”;
I failed to discern the reality of simmering waves,
It looked like shining gems, shining till perpetuity,
I forgot the lesson learnt early, probably it was too early to be learnt,
“Existence” of perpetuity is always “assumed”,
I promise I will never forget again!
I was told, I was advised, and I believed never questioned,
It seemed “pious”, without supplementary hope”,
But it was there, it was always there, intrinsically engraved;
I could not read the written, I missed it,
I promise I will never miss again!
I opened; I explored, and delved deep,
I picked up “speed”, without bothering for “velocity”,
Relied for direction to the observers,
But they were in a different frame of reference,
There were differences, fundamentally clear yet blurred,
It was distinctively discreet in principle,
Sham of malice was metamorphosed into perceived pragmatism,
I drifted with the flow,
I promise I will never drift again!
The Greatest Show!
I have been a part of a show,
A show where everyone is an observer,
Everyone is performer,
Everyone looks at each other but,
No one watches anyone else,
Everyone is spotted, no one is noticed.
This show is unique but repetitive- not iterative,
It has been happening since eternity.
Every character is alive,
Just some trivial things are changed,
Souls have been replaced by precious stones,
Blood cells are replaced by apple juice.
This show has no entry or exit fee,
Some characters think they run the show,
But alas! They are also characters.
This show is very chaotic,
Chaos is synchronized in an order.
Everyone speak different languages, but
Lips movements are same.
Here duties are performed, responsibilities are delivered,
With a minor deviation-
Everyone decides their own duties and responsibilities,
No one intervene, they just interrupt.
There is so much more, just little less than the imagination!
I have been a part of a show,
A show where everyone is an observer,
Everyone is performer,
Everyone looks at each other but,
No one watches anyone else,
Everyone is spotted, no one is noticed.
This show is unique but repetitive- not iterative,
It has been happening since eternity.
Every character is alive,
Just some trivial things are changed,
Souls have been replaced by precious stones,
Blood cells are replaced by apple juice.
This show has no entry or exit fee,
Some characters think they run the show,
But alas! They are also characters.
This show is very chaotic,
Chaos is synchronized in an order.
Everyone speak different languages, but
Lips movements are same.
Here duties are performed, responsibilities are delivered,
With a minor deviation-
Everyone decides their own duties and responsibilities,
No one intervene, they just interrupt.
There is so much more, just little less than the imagination!
Wonderers
Let the Mind drift, let the soul venture,
Don't run behind purposes in life,
Life is by definition random, yet the only tangible thing,
It will end by the time you discern,
It never had a purpose, it never had an end.
Do remember the wonderers you come across your way,
No one is here for you,
Everyone is one of you,
You remember the wonderers as it constitutes your identity,
Identity is so elusive, yet you want to have one.
The day you realize,
There is no identity, its all illusion,
You feel relaxed.
The day you internalize the truth,
There were no wonderers,
They were all travelers destined to same end,
You will transgress the boundaries of conscience of obligation and guilt.
Let the Mind drift….
Let the Mind drift, let the soul venture,
Don't run behind purposes in life,
Life is by definition random, yet the only tangible thing,
It will end by the time you discern,
It never had a purpose, it never had an end.
Do remember the wonderers you come across your way,
No one is here for you,
Everyone is one of you,
You remember the wonderers as it constitutes your identity,
Identity is so elusive, yet you want to have one.
The day you realize,
There is no identity, its all illusion,
You feel relaxed.
The day you internalize the truth,
There were no wonderers,
They were all travelers destined to same end,
You will transgress the boundaries of conscience of obligation and guilt.
Let the Mind drift….
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