Susan Boyle is everywhere. I have been following her in the news for the past week as if she were the source of redemption for me. Why ? Because in the midst of a global economic recession, war and darkness and pressure-cooker situation that all of us try to survive in, she breaks the mould - coming from a small village and having lived a very ordinary life she has been unafraid to step out sans make-up and those other little things that we use as camouflage for our insecurities and vulnerabilities.
Here's to you Susan ! I love your voice and your spirit. Good luck !
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Monday, June 09, 2008
The worry lines
You could see the wide smile a mile away as cheering from a super-excited audience drowned the repetitive "thank you". Sometimes, you were reminded of legends such as Gandhi, Mandela and Martin Luther King who energized people with their sheer presence. The flags, the banners, the posters and the youthful crowd warmed the cockles of the heart - for there was hope and there was a groundswell of support for change.
Today, a few days after the number game has been put to rest and the competition vanquished, we also see the worry lines crease the brow. Responsibility lays a heavy hand on even broad shoulders. This one is yet green and uninitiated. And hopefully, in not too distant future, the head will wear the crown lightly and with humility and wisdom. Until then, I hold my breath and wait to exhale.
The subject of my thoughts is conspicuously inconspicuous but, hey, this is a name all of you see, hear and talk about these days.
PS: My loyalties were with the competition but I take this loss lightly because we aren't getting a raw deal and the real "enemy" waits to be tackled !
Today, a few days after the number game has been put to rest and the competition vanquished, we also see the worry lines crease the brow. Responsibility lays a heavy hand on even broad shoulders. This one is yet green and uninitiated. And hopefully, in not too distant future, the head will wear the crown lightly and with humility and wisdom. Until then, I hold my breath and wait to exhale.
The subject of my thoughts is conspicuously inconspicuous but, hey, this is a name all of you see, hear and talk about these days.
PS: My loyalties were with the competition but I take this loss lightly because we aren't getting a raw deal and the real "enemy" waits to be tackled !
Monday, June 02, 2008
Summer da jawab nahin !
Its summer when you have daylight streaming in at 5:30 AM and the birds are busy at the feeder before your morning cup of tea is ready. Its summer when you drive up to the farmers market to take in the sights and smells of flowers and fruits, vegetables and freshly baked bread. Its summer when bing cherries flaunt their luscious red and green beans cant hold back their freshness. Its summer when you can walk around the yard with minimal clothing as you would dare to. Its summer when the wooded trail is swathed with wild flowers. Its summer when the kids are out on their colourful bicycles and their parents sheperd them on the wooded trails. Its summer when the evening sun sinks to vibrant hues behind a green cover that is so soothing to the computer-fatigued eye. Its summer when garage sales abound and tiny tots sell their lemonade. Its summer when you see a 90-something couple prefering to walk across the street hand in hand to lounging in deck chairs. Its summer when the young and hip drive around in their convertibles with itsy-bitsy pieces of clothing and flashy eyewear. Its summer when the gas stations keep the price ticker going up all the time. Its summer when the outdoors are bustling with life - fishing, running, walking, dog-walking, biking or doing anything to keep from going in and losing contact with precious sunlight.
Its summer *because* this season is a good lesson in life on how to stay grounded in the here and now without fretting about the past and worrying about the future. A potent lesson indeed.
Its summer *because* this season is a good lesson in life on how to stay grounded in the here and now without fretting about the past and worrying about the future. A potent lesson indeed.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Bird sightings
On Sunday 11th May at Whitewater state park :
The common grackle
American Goldfinch
Oriole
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Red-necked Grosbeak
Tree swallow ( a spring swallow has a blue head and back and a white belly. In summer the head and back turn brown !)
Black header Chickadee
Swift
Red-headed woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker
Common crow
All this without binoculars. Which led me to believe that with a pair of binoculars it must be paradise out there !
The common grackle
American Goldfinch
Oriole
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Red-necked Grosbeak
Tree swallow ( a spring swallow has a blue head and back and a white belly. In summer the head and back turn brown !)
Black header Chickadee
Swift
Red-headed woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker
Common crow
All this without binoculars. Which led me to believe that with a pair of binoculars it must be paradise out there !
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Virtual travels Eastward
Yesterday was the annual fund raiser at the local public library here. It was titled "Wine, wit and wisdom". Before I step in to the details, I do wish to say how wonderful the public library system in the USA is. A few cents from each dollar paid by taxpayers goes towards the upkeep and each county has its own elected body to run the network of libraries. The Rochester Public Library (http://www.rochesterpubliclibrary.org/) is well stocked and a very pleasant place to spend an evening browsing for books, music, movies or simply curling up with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. It has a elected body but the worker bees are mainly volunteers who are passionately devoted to their jobs.
The fund raiser saw over 250 people and the President told us that this was a record ever. There were all sorts in the crowd - they young, the old, the single and the groups all dressed in their party wear. Wine and a few short-eats were on the house (sponsored by a local restaurant). The entry fee was $50 per ticket. Each person could choose 2 classes or presentations to attend. I chose "Hope for Sudan : ..." and "Meats and cheeses of Spain".
Dr. Celestin Musekura is a doctor in theosophy and spends his life trying to rehabilitate young lives in the poverty stricken, strife-torn Sudan. Sudan got independence from the British in 1956 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan) but as is their wont, they left the country fragmented by religion and race. The killings have never stopped. Some of the pictures Dr.Musekara presented were gruesome and revolting. But there were also those of hope. Girl children in uniforms, women in classrooms learning to read and write, children drinking from borewells with fresh, clear water are all signs of revival. But how long should a Nation suffer before it gets back on its feet ? Does Bob Dylan know ?
My next event was delightful to the senses palate inclusive. Chef Schoville could be mistaken for a college student - feeding others keeps aging at bay I suppose ! We were introduced to 4 cheeses of Spain including Mahon a sharp cheese with the flavour of olives and Cabrelas a strong, blue cheese made out of both cow's and goat's milk. I skipped the red meat but got to taste some wonderful black and green olives with sea-salt and fresh bread. It made a fine meal. I also tasted membrilo (pronounced mem-bri-o) a spread made of a fruit called quince (it resembles a berica - a cross between a pear and an apple). The Spanish it seems are a fun-loving people who like to think of the French as the country cousins when it comes to cheese !:)
My take-away from the evening was how small events could be big eye-openers for the willing. Rochester grows on me steadily this winter....
The fund raiser saw over 250 people and the President told us that this was a record ever. There were all sorts in the crowd - they young, the old, the single and the groups all dressed in their party wear. Wine and a few short-eats were on the house (sponsored by a local restaurant). The entry fee was $50 per ticket. Each person could choose 2 classes or presentations to attend. I chose "Hope for Sudan : ..." and "Meats and cheeses of Spain".
Dr. Celestin Musekura is a doctor in theosophy and spends his life trying to rehabilitate young lives in the poverty stricken, strife-torn Sudan. Sudan got independence from the British in 1956 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan) but as is their wont, they left the country fragmented by religion and race. The killings have never stopped. Some of the pictures Dr.Musekara presented were gruesome and revolting. But there were also those of hope. Girl children in uniforms, women in classrooms learning to read and write, children drinking from borewells with fresh, clear water are all signs of revival. But how long should a Nation suffer before it gets back on its feet ? Does Bob Dylan know ?
My next event was delightful to the senses palate inclusive. Chef Schoville could be mistaken for a college student - feeding others keeps aging at bay I suppose ! We were introduced to 4 cheeses of Spain including Mahon a sharp cheese with the flavour of olives and Cabrelas a strong, blue cheese made out of both cow's and goat's milk. I skipped the red meat but got to taste some wonderful black and green olives with sea-salt and fresh bread. It made a fine meal. I also tasted membrilo (pronounced mem-bri-o) a spread made of a fruit called quince (it resembles a berica - a cross between a pear and an apple). The Spanish it seems are a fun-loving people who like to think of the French as the country cousins when it comes to cheese !:)
My take-away from the evening was how small events could be big eye-openers for the willing. Rochester grows on me steadily this winter....
Monday, October 08, 2007
Des mein nikla hoga chaand
Sep 8 - 21st
A two week whirlwind trip to India helped heal the psyche a little bit. It also brought out parts of me that were buried under the Rochester snow.
My niece, Nivedita, has grown up nicely and is a year old now. Thankfully she has a very loving mother in Surekha now. I enjoyed her antics, her wide welcoming smile, her display of affection and her various other moods. Day 1 I saw her standing outside her cradle and rocking it - an enduring image.
Amma is her usual nervous, worrying, caring and loving self. She has been this way since I know her (and that is from a few decades ago ?;) except that in her prime she had the energy to overcome the worries. Now they rack her frail body and threaten to overpower her other facets. She enjoys having her granddaughter around and the feeling evidently, is mutual. She misses her late daughter (as I do my sister - oh, its difficult to describe how much). "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" ( Pete Seeger's 1950s number with lyrics from the Bible ).
I got to spend time with S'mai without the link being with us (read significant other). She leads a full life and has a lot of good friends and well-wishers. V'pacchi and she together pack a punch that puts all of us "high energy" folks to shame. We had a good time shopping and also visiting several Ganapathi's. PS: Food in festive times in India is a feast. Ergo gluttony. :)
My brother and V are a good team, each of them individualistic in their goals but collective in the execution of them ! Got to see watch their daily routine. They are hard-working, sincere, honest and high integrity people with a terrific positive attitude towards life - great examples to follow. G3, my darling niece, is a great kid and very affectionate, shy girl in her early teens. She is forever busy and happy excelling in her academics ! She devours books, watches Indian Idol and likes her school uniform perfectly ironed :)
Met J and had very little time to catch up on related world affairs and our own lives. Does growing older mean making fewer friends ? Jim continues to be his own enthusiastic self tempered by events in his life. A touch sober but bhalo. I did not get to meet any other friends at work but had a hearty conversation with Abhishek. I miss his wit and humour and the technical insights he was an endless source of. Microsoft has a great asset in him.
Everybody else - friends and relatives - were living lives. As this brilliant bumper sticker said "I'd rather be".
Work, traffic and commute to the Hosur road office form the background of this trip. Rains gave it the added splash of colour. And the endless visits to put my finances in order added the noise.
On that note I mark this post closed. Asta la vista.
A two week whirlwind trip to India helped heal the psyche a little bit. It also brought out parts of me that were buried under the Rochester snow.
My niece, Nivedita, has grown up nicely and is a year old now. Thankfully she has a very loving mother in Surekha now. I enjoyed her antics, her wide welcoming smile, her display of affection and her various other moods. Day 1 I saw her standing outside her cradle and rocking it - an enduring image.
Amma is her usual nervous, worrying, caring and loving self. She has been this way since I know her (and that is from a few decades ago ?;) except that in her prime she had the energy to overcome the worries. Now they rack her frail body and threaten to overpower her other facets. She enjoys having her granddaughter around and the feeling evidently, is mutual. She misses her late daughter (as I do my sister - oh, its difficult to describe how much). "A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance" ( Pete Seeger's 1950s number with lyrics from the Bible ).
I got to spend time with S'mai without the link being with us (read significant other). She leads a full life and has a lot of good friends and well-wishers. V'pacchi and she together pack a punch that puts all of us "high energy" folks to shame. We had a good time shopping and also visiting several Ganapathi's. PS: Food in festive times in India is a feast. Ergo gluttony. :)
My brother and V are a good team, each of them individualistic in their goals but collective in the execution of them ! Got to see watch their daily routine. They are hard-working, sincere, honest and high integrity people with a terrific positive attitude towards life - great examples to follow. G3, my darling niece, is a great kid and very affectionate, shy girl in her early teens. She is forever busy and happy excelling in her academics ! She devours books, watches Indian Idol and likes her school uniform perfectly ironed :)
Met J and had very little time to catch up on related world affairs and our own lives. Does growing older mean making fewer friends ? Jim continues to be his own enthusiastic self tempered by events in his life. A touch sober but bhalo. I did not get to meet any other friends at work but had a hearty conversation with Abhishek. I miss his wit and humour and the technical insights he was an endless source of. Microsoft has a great asset in him.
Everybody else - friends and relatives - were living lives. As this brilliant bumper sticker said "I'd rather be".
Work, traffic and commute to the Hosur road office form the background of this trip. Rains gave it the added splash of colour. And the endless visits to put my finances in order added the noise.
On that note I mark this post closed. Asta la vista.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Services that Indians could do with
In my virtual travels over the internet, I came across this amusing yet thought-provoking web-site : www.qms-dc.com/linestanding.html. In the USA, there is usually a fair amount of people wanting to be present when the legislature meets to discuss an important bill. And presto, there is a service that helps these people cushion the discomfort of waiting in line for a price. I thought this concept of line standing services was outstanding and simple. So I visited the site and found out how complex it could get. Take a peek and let me know if you disagree ! That however is the aside.
In 1996, when I had to visit the USA from India, I was given a visa in-person appointment at the Chennai consulate. And my employer, had also very thoughtfully provided a line-stander. So this "nameless" person made a few rupees waiting in line outside the fortressed building until I got there and took over. So the service does exist in India but has it got its due ?
So here are my suggestions :
- Allow these services to be professionalised and for a start give them a 10-year tax holiday. That will encourage people to join the "industry". See ma, no taxes !
- Instruct all offices that have and may need linestanding to have markers (straight lines of course) outside to help facilitate these services. So everybody falls in line.
- Mandate free advertising space : all RTO, Passport offices, Registar offices and others to have billboards for linestanding services - "Deliniate your effeciency. Outsource linestanding" or "IN LINE ? STAND OUT WITH BEE-LINE SERVICES" looks rather catchy.
- As a perk, allow all the workers in the industry to break queues at temples such as Tirupati when they are on personal trips. How would you know - they wont be wearing badges that say "STANDING FOR YOU". No average human being will grudge the linestander his perk. And as Milton said, "They also serve who only stand and wait".
- Allow them to form a Union and request them to help formulate the laws and regulations. For instance, weekend standing should four times as expensive. Afterall the price of free-time is more than that of working hours, right ?;)
So where would this industry's revenue come from ?
- Temples : Tirupati looks like a treasure trove but the work conditions are harsh too.
- All ticket reservation counters - buses, trains,..
- All Govt offices (remember Jug Suraiya say that the line for the Delhi employment agency ends in Shimla ?)
- Ration shops
- MTR (for non-Bangaloreans : this is the famous Mavalli Tiffin Rooms where you sometimes have 24 hr wait time :)
- Cinema theatres and more..
With the world being flat (that really helps linestanders else the curvature of the earth might not keep them steady on their feet), the next time you see Mr.S.Santhanagopalan (purely fictitious character) outside Capitol Hill, Washington DC waiting patiently with the badge of honour, do a jig because linestanding would have come full circle.
In 1996, when I had to visit the USA from India, I was given a visa in-person appointment at the Chennai consulate. And my employer, had also very thoughtfully provided a line-stander. So this "nameless" person made a few rupees waiting in line outside the fortressed building until I got there and took over. So the service does exist in India but has it got its due ?
So here are my suggestions :
- Allow these services to be professionalised and for a start give them a 10-year tax holiday. That will encourage people to join the "industry". See ma, no taxes !
- Instruct all offices that have and may need linestanding to have markers (straight lines of course) outside to help facilitate these services. So everybody falls in line.
- Mandate free advertising space : all RTO, Passport offices, Registar offices and others to have billboards for linestanding services - "Deliniate your effeciency. Outsource linestanding" or "IN LINE ? STAND OUT WITH BEE-LINE SERVICES" looks rather catchy.
- As a perk, allow all the workers in the industry to break queues at temples such as Tirupati when they are on personal trips. How would you know - they wont be wearing badges that say "STANDING FOR YOU". No average human being will grudge the linestander his perk. And as Milton said, "They also serve who only stand and wait".
- Allow them to form a Union and request them to help formulate the laws and regulations. For instance, weekend standing should four times as expensive. Afterall the price of free-time is more than that of working hours, right ?;)
So where would this industry's revenue come from ?
- Temples : Tirupati looks like a treasure trove but the work conditions are harsh too.
- All ticket reservation counters - buses, trains,..
- All Govt offices (remember Jug Suraiya say that the line for the Delhi employment agency ends in Shimla ?)
- Ration shops
- MTR (for non-Bangaloreans : this is the famous Mavalli Tiffin Rooms where you sometimes have 24 hr wait time :)
- Cinema theatres and more..
With the world being flat (that really helps linestanders else the curvature of the earth might not keep them steady on their feet), the next time you see Mr.S.Santhanagopalan (purely fictitious character) outside Capitol Hill, Washington DC waiting patiently with the badge of honour, do a jig because linestanding would have come full circle.
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