Where are the rains????

That's the question everybody is asking now! I m so astounded at seeing a clear blue sky in June end! How can that ever happen? June, for people like me who were born and brought up in coastal karnataka is a dark wet and humid month .  But this is the first time I am seeing so less rainfall here.  And if it rains less here, I don't know what will happen in the arid plains above the ghats. . We really underestimate our dependence on monsoon rains . Since in South India rivers also require adequate rains the situation looks much more concerning.  It looks as if nature skipped a season. .

Although we say we are very advanced and all still this situation is showing how still we are so dependent on nature. All the reservoirs have dried up. Means no water , no electricity from next week . . Two of the most basic needs of 21st century. . Now all that can be done is to wait and pray for rains. Weathermen say its going to rain next week but I don't think they are reliable. They lost their credibility when they predicted this time its going to rain in early may! But hope remains that some how the situation will turn normal.  

P.S.  I asked my grand pa when was the last time he had seen a situation like this. He told me it was the end of 70's when the rains didn't come in June like this . . Now that’s 30 years ago!  

A story of two stones

Long time back there were two big stones lying near a city. One of them was a bit prideful and the other one was very humble.

The king of the city decided to build a temple so he thought of building it outside the city. So the workers started building the temple . The two stones were selected as good ones . They were washed and cleaned. One of the stones thought it was very valuable where as the other one was silent.

Soon the sculptors started hitting the stones with their instruments . It was highly painful process, chips of its own parts were being removed. So the proud stone prayed to god.

God appeared in front of it and asked what was its problem . The stone said people were causing harm to it and creating pain throughout its body. So it wanted the pain to stop. The god granted its wish .

From that day  sculptors didn't come near it. Where as the other stone was still getting blows and pains all the time . It didn't break down or budge . It silently took all the pain and still didn't complain . The proud stone felt like laughing at this idiotic behavior.

Time went on and the temple was completed. It was a majestic structure . The king himself came for the opening ceremony . He saw the proud stone lying by the side and instructed it to be used as a place to wash legs and clean the utensils . So the stone was used for that purpose, everyday getting all the dirt and filth. One day one of the sculptors was passing by , stopped to wash his legs in that stone.

The stone asked him what had happened to the other silent stone . “Oh that one? We constructed a beautiful idol of god out of that stone. Now it resides inside the garbha griha of the temple receiving all the prayers and offerings from people .”

This story had appeared in some book or magazine long time back. I like the way how the moral is brought out in this story. Hope you liked it too.

My ideas about stories

Its interesting to study human habit of constructing stories and telling it to others. Many a times a story is not what it seems to be. Although the story looks simple, it does have very profound and deep meaning if you really look at it clearly .

 In India there is no scarcity for stories . Even a stone lying by the roadside has its own story! Also important is the Indian tradition of imparting values through small stories. I can say the panchatantra , jataka stories, the great epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata , Birbal, Tenali.. so many more . All intended to impart the profound philosophy of life into the young minds .  Indian system of joint family is also of importance here. Grandparents are the one who usually tell such stories to children in home. In fact my earliest memories comprise of my grandpa telling me stories from Mahabharata. .I can vaguely remember how I used to fantasize about the great battles and other stories. They had a big impact on me. By the age of 4 I was already into story books . I have read thousands of stories by now but still the enthusiasm hasn't subsided. 

May be it has to do something with the basic mechanics of mind. The philosophy appears bland and tasteless if its imparted as it is but if you hide the philosophy behind a story it does look interesting .  Its like how a mother gives a bitter medicine hidden in honey to a child.

So I believe our culture is so rich and ancient not only because some great men did some works but also  because those values were transmitted from generation to next through stories . My next post is going to be such a story which I read when I was a kid . 

Heart Breaker

FICTION

It was a pre arranged meeting. Ram had decided that he would tell her today. He would tell her that she was the most important person in his life. Not a single moment was there when he didn't think of her. For him she was the angel on earth. She had an irresistible charm about her way of talking, her way of walking, the way she smiled at him. . Everything about her was special. 

But he was afraid. He was very afraid that she would turn him down. After all what did he have. Only heart full of love . . Not even a job. He didn’t expect himself to be accepted by her. But he had to tell her anyway. Because it had cost him lots of sleepless nights and days of heartache to come to this decision . At least he would be happy that he didn’t hide anything from her. For they were close friends now. He had chosen the seashore as the meeting place. He felt the oceans would calm him down.

 But so wrong it had turned out. His heart rate shot up as he saw her coming.  She wouldn't count in best looking females of world. But her soul was the most beautiful . He had no doubts.

 'Aarthi' he called her in a cowering voice.

“ Hey hi! Why the surprise meet here? “She asked in that most innocent voice. He forgot what he had to say in that moment. He said something incoherently which made her look at him with those wide eyes. He was lost again  

 “Come on you didn’t call me to discuss some science problem did you? “      

 “Erm. . . No. . I wanted to tell you something from a long time..”

“what is it? Tell me no? “

“Hmm. . You look very beautiful today. .”

“ Thank you.” She just smiled.

“Its about me and you yaar.”

“ What about me and you? We are such close friends. “

That did it . . He couldn't tell her . He somehow directed conversation in other direction. But his heart was broken into thousand pieces . He had wasted the only golden opportunity. The mood was apocalyptic.  

Aarthi was returning from beach. Her cell rang. It was her heartthrob calling. Her pulse raced at the moment.   Her mind went blank hearing his voice.

 So wonderful he is. What do I have to impress him?I have to tell him one day anyway.  But what if he turns me down?  Atleast  I'll be happy I didn't hide anything from him.

Where should I tell him? Sea shore may be the right place.Sea may calm me down.                                        

“Hey hi why did you texted me to call??.”

 “Its about me and you . . I wanted to tell something for a long time…. 

  “What about us? We are such close friends. .   “ 

When lightning struck

Have you ever been struck by lightning? It sounds preposterous… but  yes I had experienced the lightning once..yup it still sounds improbable right? Here is the story how it happened.

I think I was in 5^th standard that time and had come to my native place with my grandpa on a weekend. It was the beginning of monsoon season and there were lots of thunder and lightning were there. I had noticed a peculiar phenomenon inside our home. The lights were on but the power was off!! And the intensity of light varied along with each bolt of lightning..it was real scary you know.. most probably the earthing system was not there  I didn’t realize it then.   I had obtained a shampoo bottle from somewhere and I wanted to put water in to it so that I can make bubbles. To do this ,I had to reach the  water tap  which was near the main switch board. The bolts of lightning were constantly coming down to the earth. Still I had to do this work because I had bragged a lot about bubbles with my cousin and now wanted to show it to him.

I gathered some courage and went near the tap and started filling the shampoo bottle. When the bottle was almost half full, lightning struck………!

It was as if a hundred whips had  been lashed simultaneously against my leg. Or something like I had been run over by a road roller.. I couldn’t move my leg from the spot. I was scared to the core. Some how I managed to pull myself inside the house dragging my leg. Then started to massage my leg vigorously hoping to make it normal. Fortunately within few minutes my leg started working again. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then it started to rain very heavily..thunders subsided

I never mentioned it to anybody for a long time. What had happened actually there was lightning had somehow travelled through the main switch board and was going into ground and it took my wet leg as the path of least resistance. Wet human skin is 1000 times more conductive than dry skin. It was the most minute part of the lightening energy which had passed through my leg, as I only had temporary loss of function only for few minutes. But the experience was terrible enough, I had so many nightmares about it later. I did not see the flash of light, may be I was dazed or in shock , but I cant remember myself seeing the flash. All others events are crystal clear in my mind.

To this date, when I see a lightning, this event passes through my mind . I have been very particular not to go out during lightning  unnecessarily. They say once you get struck by lightning, chances are high that you’ll  get struck again! I ‘ve read about people who got struck repeatedly by lightning, some as many as 11 times!!  For me that one time was more than enough!!

The ending lesson

FICTION

As I have finished my sessionals  now , i m once more free to tell you stories . . Lets begin..

 I m showing you a student, a medical student studying for his exams . You can see a pile of huge medical text books lying in his table. I wonder how he can study that much, but he has to study , because there is an exam the next day. Oh I forgot to introduce him. He is vish. , Vishwanath to be precise. . Tomorrow is medicine exam and he is worried and tense because medicine is such a huge topic to read! And he has got this irritating headache . . Probably tension headache,  He tells himself.

‘ But why am I getting this neck pain. . Too irritating. !’ He hates to study in such a small congested room but what to do? he doesn’t have the money to be in a big flat. He thinks of all the rich friends and their luck.

‘ There , you vermin!’ He screams out of frustration. He has seen one more cockroach scurrying away. He searches for the insect spray. Its lying above the cupboard. He reaches the cupboard and gets it and sprays it over the cockroach. It wriggles and dies. . He throws the spray down the table. . Thats his habit you see. . To put all the things under  the table. . Now back to study. He says and sits on chair. Puff.  . The light goes off. .

*#@& . . He screams out of frustration . . Today is not my day. . Lets find that emergency lamp . He starts groping in dark . ‘Aah. . ‘ The neck pain increases .  Where is that pain relief spray? Again , under the table. Still groping he gets and sprays it over his neck .  ‘Lets put some more it might help to keep me awake throughout the night, I have to stay awake to finish reading all the stuff..on the second thought I’ll read one chapter now and sleep for a while get up early and study.’

 I know many of you have done this on the previous day of your exams..haven’t you??

But the neck pain doesn’t subside, he hasn’t even felt the chilly relaxing feel that you get after spraying menthol over the skin. Fortunately power comes back. Vish starts to read again..’Hmm  I would like to finish poisoning chapter now, it’s the easiest one’ He opens the chapter and begins to read.

Organophosphate poisoning : Organophosphates are one of the most powerful poisons .They are easily available in market and are the most common poisons used for suicides. Early manifestations are due to inhibition of the enzyme cholinesterase  and the resultant accumulation of acetylcholine in different anatomic sites. Muscarinic, nicotinic, and central nervous system signs result .

The muscarinic signs consist of pin-point pupils, vomiting, salivation, diarrhoea, rhinorrhoea, bradycardia and pulmonary oedema. The central signs include impaired consciousness, bilateral hyperreflexia and extensor plantars. Blah blah blah………………………….

He suddenly recognizes something is not right… he’s got this intense nauseating feeling..he gets up  and runs to the toilet and vomits..

’oh this is not good..I might have had some bad food today or is it because of headache??’

He washes his mouth  and slowly limps towards chair, fatigue is setting in , he feels it .but he needs to finish the one last chapter and he will do it.

He starts reading again.

Poisoning is usually by ingestion for suicidal purposes, but can occur during spraying by absorption through the skin. Patients  die due to drowning in his own secretions due to muscarinic stimulation of the parasympathetic system and uncontrollable bronchorrhoea.

He feel terribly ill again…that nausea has come back and he has to run now. But as he gets up, the world starts spinning and he collapses , vomiting on the floor. He is very anxious now, as he notices his mouth is full of saliva.. he tries to get up, coughing ..but  he falls down again, this time with severe chest pain. The coughing increases in intensity, each one with that piercing pain. He tries to breathe but he can’t..to his ultimate horror he knows that fluid is creeping into his airway, slowly drowning him internally. The fear of death is so very real in his face. He tries to get hold of something. He gets a can on his hand, It’s the one which he had thrown few minutes back , under  the table, he tries to read but he cant read anymore, as his vision gets blurred. But he realizes the truth now, far too late..

 

As he descends into unconsciousness, we move away from the scene..oh yeah after taking a look at his hand. We are only observers here..coming back to the scene, that’s the  insecticide in his hand, with POISON written in bold letters. Also if you need more details, its given below the warning. organophosphate poison, avoid skin contact..

The pain relief spray is over the cupboard, you notice now..it wasn’t below the table..

…………………Some lessons  you’ll  never learn in your life…………………..