Winnie and Hunny

You know the story about Winnie the Pooh, and its terribly craving for its ‘hunny’? Well, one would recollect watching cartoons on its adventures into the forest with all those animals, and wonder, what is really so great about honey after all! Winnie was right all along. Honey, is one of the better sweeteners out there. One of these days, I was reading some articles on the excessive usage of Sugar, the main sweetening source for almost all of us. There is probably jaggery, for the not-so-posh people, but then, that is for the not-so-posh people, and doesn’t go well with your green tea, and so, it is ruled out.

“Who has green tea with sugar?” You may ask. Well, I do know quite a sizable number of people who do that. Another question is probably digging your brains now, “What the hell is the purpose of having green tea, if you load it with sugar??” Nope. no answer to that there. Must maybe ask the health conscious green tea drinkers why they add sugar.

Think of it, a lot many problems find a root cause from sugar. It is sweet no doubt, but not as good as we think of it to be. Leading to obesity, for starters, to complicating a diabetic patient’s life, excessive sugar is unpardonable.

Obesity has already become a very critical issue to handle in the developed countries such as the US. There is no sugar coating, pardon the figurative usage, to the consumption of sugar. One cannot still assume to be easy going with obesity in the current scenario, which is linked to a lot many diseases. Obese people are more prone to pull in a disease on the way.

Enter, a more healthier alternative, honey. There have been times when I use to run away with the bottle of honey when as a kid, but reprimanded later for the mischievous act. To think of it now, I’ve been just as Winnie was, probably on a more cultured level, not stealing right off the honey comb. I’m also silently proud for the way I was, because honey, is an alternative to sugar, as a sweetener, and is any day healthier. I could google off a list of benefits and they would be innumerable, but to list out a few, honey is :

• An energy booster
• helps to build energy
• reduces cough and throat pains
• good for sleep when consumed in the night
• lastly to me, the tastier of sugar and honey!

You may also want to check out some more health benefits here for a Honey Diet.

So, the next time you reach out in the morning for a scoopful of sugar for your morning tea, try a spoon of honey instead, and you’d be surprised at the taste. For a healthy diet, try Honey Diet. There are also a lot of varieties of honey available off the shelves. You could take up the standard and most widely available Dabur Honey for the better tasting flavor!

Shattered Dreams : Ramayana (The Game of Life – Vol 2)

A Book Review on Shattered Dreams : Ramayana (The Game of Life – Vol.2) :

In the current age of fiction novels, one often doesn’t have the time for Epics that they even forget the premise of such great Epics such as The Ramayana or the Mahabharata. To be able to bring out a novel on the Ramayana felt like a breath of fresh Air. I hadn’t read the prequel i.e., The Rise of the Sun Prince, until I got to know about this book. I got this book from Blogadda.com for a review, and have read it in a week’s time, and I must admit, this book felt very refreshing!

Often, a book on the Ramayana feels like a narration of events, a dull replication of the story, and often a book we keep for later. The only exception was Cho’s Ramayana which was one of the best books I have read so far. And then, this book here. The book felt very light, almost akin to a fiction novel (maybe because it was packed to look like an actual fiction paperback?) and yet, contained the slick words of advice at the bottom, in ways of footnotes.

A flurry of emotions are brought into this book. The book goes through a phase, where Keikeyi, manipulated mentally by her maid Mantharai, desires rather foolishly to crown her own son Bharata as the King of Ayodhya and decides to send her foster son Rama to the forests, so the threat of him gaining back the kingdom is avoided. It is the book where betrayal and cunningness at its best are displayed, for all to see. It is a book on the little happiness in King Dhasaratha’s mind when he decides to crown Rama as the king, the worries in Keikeyi’s mind, the pain caused by her in everyone’s hearts, the millions of broken hearts, on one side, and Ravana’s hunger for power on the other.

I really loved the part of the book where Ravana was narrated on. Ravana is an asura king, who wants to rule supreme. He wants to be the most powerful king there is, in all the three worlds. The stories told where even the demi-gods suffer in his hands, shows the power that he wielded. It makes one introspect, if ego and anger can actually win towards the end.

A lot of tidbits dressed as footnotes on each page was one of the most interesting things in the book, and I never failed to read them. Kudos to the author on bringing it into a novel form. Maybe this can help the current fiction reading generation in reading these books.

Overall, this book is a welcome book into the slew of Indian fiction that are adorning all bookstores. A book that one can read for a light hearted view of the Ramayana. Shubha Vilas has done fair justice to the original epic by displaying the Ramayana in its timeless grandeur. I just want to see how the further parts of the book progress, of Rama’s pains, how he reacts to them, whether he still looks like a God, indestructible, or whether he shows the manly traits of confusion, anger and pain too. Would be interesting to see how Shubha Vilas portrays Rama in the subsequent books. Now, I might just order the first of the series of books, just so I can have a continuity.

Rating – 3.5 out of 5.

Note: This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

 

The Kindle Book

Mowgli was sloppily hanging from a tree, and reminiscing the bygone days. The bark to which he held on to, broke off without warning and he fell with a booming thud. Dizzy from the fall, he gathered himself and pushed himself up and adjusted his earphones.

“Damn that diet”, he thought, looking at his paunch, “I think I’ll need more exercise, starting tomorrow. Life was much better with the wolves. This girl’s cooking is spoiling me.” He was thinking of Panneer butter masala. Middle-age was getting the better of him.

He brushed the twigs and leaves off himself and looked around furtively, hoping no one had seen his descent from his dream world. There was no one. He laughed. This was his ‘my time’. The time when he was all by himself in the forest he so loved, grew up in, where he felt at home. He dug into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. The phone lit up to say, “No signal”.

“Damn, what ever happened to technology,” he pondered, tapping at the phone, hoping that the signal would miraculously reappear. “So many power cuts,  the repairman won’t come home to check my broken AC, hell, even the GPS won’t work!” He sat down by the tree and pulled off the earphones, to listen to the sound of the jungle. Ah, that blissful sound of whooshing trees. He closed his eyes and dreamed of the world he once knew. A sudden noise, and he jerked his head around and looked keenly.

There amidst the trees was a dark creature, an old friend, hiding awkwardly behind a tree, trying to surprise him. Taking cue to their old days, Mowgli screamed : “Aaaahhhh! Bear!!!”

Balu came waddling out of the thickets : “Kindly bear with me, but all bears are bare.”

M : “No I just meant..”

B : “Yeah, I get it, I got fur all over, alright? I’m not naked.”

M : “No, not that..”

B : “Yeah..? What else?”

M : “If only you’d let me talk! Thank you.. so where was I.. yeah, I just called you a bear bear.. not a bare bear!”

B : “Oh.. I think I need a beer.”

M : “Beer? Is that a queen bee? Creating new bees.. A bee-r.. haha.. okay, bad one.”

B : “Seriously? Be happy, I lost any idea of hugging you.”

M : “Yeah, lose the love! Just be-arrrrr!”

B : “Okay, I think I’ll just hug you.”

M : “Ha. ha. ha. Very funny. So tell me, how have you been? I dearly missed you.”

B : “Of course you didn’t.”

M : “Ah.. alright.. I cannot lie to you. Life got busy, you know. But I have taken a new year resolution to be coming to the jungle every month! I have even blogged on it. See? It is one of my 15 resolutions for this year!”

B : “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Instead, I’ll just hug you.”

M : “Nooo…..”

Life was back to where it had to be. He ran wild into the forest, Balu chasing him with a wild roar. The bear would win easily, for Mowgli was clearly out of practice. Things may have changed, but deep inside, he was still the child of the jungle, and no technology could defy him of his own self! Balu caught on, and Mowgli squished as he was squeezed by one of his best friends.

A Fine Balance – Book Review

Novel – A Fine Balance

Author – Rohinton Mistry

Goodreads link – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/828697.A_Fine_Balance

I write this review after four days of having completed A Fine Balance. That is the way in which this book has taken me in, gradually, steadily. A lovely story written by Rohinton Mistry, woven around four people, and their lives in the Emergency Era of India.

Dina Dalai – A widow struggling to make ends meet, upon her husband’s death. She needs to eke out a living, from the rent given by Maneck, and the tailoring business which she gets money out of.

Maneck Kohlah – A college goer who has, despite his wishes come to the city for education, leaving behind his beautiful home.

Ishvar and Omprakash Darji – An uncle and a nephew arrive in the city, upon hearing about the business opportunities for tailors. They are originally leather tanners, and changed their professions, due to the oppression they face from the upper caste.

It feels very strange, to even think that three sets of people, from very varied backgrounds can be thrust together. You even end up questioning its purpose, at some point. And yet, they do, despite their shortfalls, of master-servant, landlord-tenant, Uncle-Nephew, upper caste – lower caste getting to know each other, advice, fight, laugh and eventually love each other along the way.

Also a part of the book are a set of people who believe they will not be affected by the Emergency rule in any way, and a set of people who would like to think so, but are tossed about all through the Emergency rule, in the name of what is right.

Although the prose was flowing all through the book, it did have a translated feel about, what with people being referred to as “Monkey-man” or “Beggar Master” and such, all through, which can be easily overlooked, what with the beautiful story line. The mild humor adds to the book’s drifting storyline.

The ending was a tad blunt, left you wondering if a ‘Fine Balance’ lay in the good people suffering, or the rich thriving, or if a man with a career as good as he was in, could end up doing something that not many would dare. What would make people do what they did, one might never understand, but it is the open-endedness in the book that makes for a very good read out of the book.

A must-read for all those, who are looking for a read that is light in content, and yet, heavy in theme.

Rating – 4/5

The Well

They watched in pregnant silence, as the water lashed and slushing sounds filled the well. It had been too long since he dived in, would he even live? The stench was unbearable. The slushing in the water caused the smell to rise up, wafting into my nose, an itching sensation, irritating me.

“What in the name of hell is in that well anyway”, I asked the kid beside me. The kid wore a shirt, which pretty much was not a shirt, but a few buttons over torn cloth. His shorts was held tight by a black rope (Arunakayiru in Tamil). If not for that, he would be roaming ‘freely’ in the village, and no one would have questioned why.

“Urine”, he replied casually. “We all urinate into that well only, anna.”

I was shocked. Had that boy jumped into the well knowing fully well, that it was filled with urine from about 50 odd boys, day in and day out? Who in their right minds would even do that!!

_____

Just shortly, his head bobbed up from the water. He shook his head, wiped his face with his left hand, and looked up.

“ச்சை! வீசுது அண்ணே!” (Crap!! This place smells Anna!)

I was getting impatient. How long will he be there? It was not necessary, and it was not the least hygienic!

“Come up! It’s okay!” I shouted. “We don’t want it!”

He shook his head. He wasn’t giving up. He dived right back in. True to his efforts, a few minutes later, he came back out with the prized possession – A ball. All for a rubber ball! Jubilant screams and applause ensued, and he was pulled out of the well.

The ball was given to him as an award. He was the happiest soul that day.

_____

This incident happened in the year 2000, pretty much 50 + years since independence, when the 2K IT bubble was solved, pretty much when we were anticipating to boom into heavy development. India was all set to become a powerhouse. We were on our NSS Camp, headed to a village, to teach a few kids on education and its importance.

Little did we know about the kind of people who may live off the urban areas. There they were, kids, exhilarated to see us. We were demi-gods to them. We would entertain them for a week. We were going to teach them the way of life!

Pfft. We were kids in our 8th standard in school, who had lived in luxuries little known to them. We were lazy kids who groaned, at the merest mention of ‘Homework’, and here we were, to teach these little kids from the village. Had a ball fallen into a well, we would have bought one more. The kids there, were heroes. Unsung heroes who would not know what the grass on the other side even looked like.

It has been fourteen years since the day, that day, that changed my vision of the people from the lower strata of society. Today is Children’s day, and I cannot help but think of that boy, who would jump into a stinky well, to fetch a little valued ball, to keep a game going. I wonder, fourteen years hence, what has happened to him. Would he have, in the same perseverence, succeeded in life?

I just wish he got the same privileges, as we do, to see and to build this world to be what it can be and not just as what it is. I just wish things could get a lot better from this day on for every one of them. A happy Children’s day to them, a happy Children’s day to you!

Note : This is a true incident that happened in a village called Boodhakudi, just off Madurai.

God is a Gamer – Book Review

Author – Ravi Subramanian

Book Title – God is a Gamer

Goodreads Link for the reviews

Amazon Link to buy

The book title ‘God is a Gamer‘ intrigued me. It has been publicized as being the “First Bitcoin Thriller”. At a stage where everyone has heard of the word Bitcoins, but has very less knowledge about it, I was quite sure this book would touch upon the concepts of Bitcoin and would shed more light on how it works. The Preface gave a fair idea, and after that, the Bitcoins were only a mention here and there, and more emphasis was on the mystery. Often repeated name after Chetan Bhagat on the Indian Fiction writers sphere is Ravi Subramanian for his recent works, and I wanted to try my hand at it.

It is a tale of Gloria and Gillian Tan, Varun Rao and Tanya Sehgal, Aditya and Sundeep, Malvika Sehgal and Josh.
There was a plot for every character in the book. Well distributed and evenly poised, is a thriller story of love, revenge, money and double crossing.

I got to admit. I was glued to the book, because it reminded me so much of Dan Brown, only in a more simplistic sense; or a bit predictable; with a few ends left loose; and characterization at near zero, rendering the mystery quotient complete. ‘God is a Gamer’ is a loosely written story around the more intriguing concept of Bitcoins, and everything to do with a regular story of revenge.

 

Yes, the book is an interesting read, what with the short chapters to help the new book readers to read better. And yet, the language is simple, as what is expected of the upcoming breed of Indian Fiction Novelists, and one could have felt the need for better choice of words or descriptions at places. Choice of words at places are more conversational than literary and regular book readers would have loved a better description of certain parts of the book. However, this is a good attempt at weaving a story out of Bitcoins, which was well done.

(This review from now on contains spoilers.)

1. Being a stickler for errors in books, one would wonder, why only the Dell systems would blew up to the virus that was planted into the systems, and no other.

2. Also intriguing was the Apple update to their software, which came out of nowhere, and disappeared again into oblivion, without much fancy. It would seem that the author wanted to highlight all the important trending topics in one book, but was pretty rushed at all that, and had to patch them all up at one go.

3. FBI and CBI both were blinded by one man’s revengeful plot? Are they so in a hurry to capture the killer, to end up concluding on the sheer impossibility? Very sceptical indeed, but guess that’s the way the story goes.

 

Despite its shortfalls, the book rendered complete, a mystery novel with its twists and turns, making it an fun read, for a soul that wants to get into the book reading habit. For seasoned readers, it might well be a disappointment.

 

Rating – 3/5

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

And I join Blogadda

And then, I join BlogAdda from the new blog portal!

பிரதான சாலை (Highway)

பிரதான சாலை

“எனக்கு இந்த காலத்து பிள்ளைங்கள புரிஞ்சிக்கவே முடியல. கலியாணம் ஆயி குடும்பம் குட்டினு வந்துட்டா வேற உலகத்துக்கு போய்டுவாய்ங்க போல. அவன் வீட்ல வாழ்றேன்னா அவன் நம்மள என்ன வேணாலும் சொல்லுவானா என்ன? அவனுக்கு ரொம்ப எடம் கொடுத்துட்டேன். அதான் இப்படி பேசுறான். அவன சின்ன வயசுல நான் இந்த தோள்ல போட்டு வளர்த்ததெல்லாம் மறந்துட்டான். இல்லாட்டி இப்படியெல்லாம் பேசுவானா என்ன? எருமை மாடு.”

முணுமுணுத்துகொண்டே கோபமாக நடந்து கொண்டிருந்தார் தாத்தா. வழியோரமாக சைக்கிள் ஒன்று அவரை நோக்கி வந்து கொண்டிருந்தது.

“என்ன தாத்தா, ஏதோ உளறிக்கினே போறீங்க? வூட்ல சொல்ட்டு போறீங்களா?” என்றான் சைக்கிள் ஓட்டும் அசோக் லாவகமாக.

“ஆமாம் டா. ஒரேடிய போய்டபோறேன். உனக்கு என்ன வந்துச்சு. கால்வாய்-ல விழாம வீட்டுக்கு போய் சேரர வழியப்பாரு. கிறுக்கு பயலே.” என்றார் தாத்தா தீரமாக.

அசோக்-கும் மறுமொழி கூறாமல் ஓடிவிட்டான். தாத்தா கோபமாக இருந்தால் சாலமன் பாப்பையா வந்தாலும் பேசி ஜெயிக்க முடியாதே.

தாத்தா திரும்பி பார்த்துவிட்டு, மீண்டும் காய்கறி கடையை நோக்கி நடந்தார். இந்த பக்கத்து வீட்டு பொடியனெல்லம் ‘வூட்ல சொல்ட்டு போறீங்களா’-னு கேக்கறான். எல்லாருக்கும் எது இருக்கோ இல்லையோ, வாய்-ல திமிரு ஒரு கிலோ இருக்கு! வயசானவன்னு ஒரு மரியாதை கிடையாது. வாய்க்கு வந்தத பேசவேண்டியது, ‘பணிவா பேசணும் தம்பி’னு சொன்னா, ‘தமிழ்ல எனக்கு புடிக்காத ஒரே வார்த்தை பணிவு தான்’, அப்படின்னு பெனாத்தவேண்டியது.

கோபத்தில் குமுறிக்கொண்டே தாத்தாவும் வேகமாக நடந்தார். குரோம்பெட் பிரதான சாலையும் வந்துவிட்டது. அதை தாண்டினால் கடையில் வாங்கவெண்டியதை வாங்கலாம். ஆனால் இப்பொழுதோ ஒரு மீடியனை போட்டுவிட்டார்கள். சாலையில் தார் கூட தெரியாத அளவிற்கு வாகனங்கள் குவிந்து கிடந்தன. அதை தாண்டுவதற்கு இப்பொழுது ரோடு ஓரமாகவே அரை கிலோமீட்டர் தூரம் நடந்து தான் சிக்னலில் தாண்ட வேண்டும். தாத்தவிற்கோ கோபம் தணிந்தபாடில்லை. வாயினால் மூச்சு முட்டிக்கொண்டு அங்கேயே நின்று பார்த்துகொண்டிருந்தார்.

“ஒரு காலத்துல எவ்ளோ நல்லா இருந்துச்சு இந்த ஊரு. ரோட்டுக்கு அந்த பக்கத்துல வயல் இருந்துச்சு, பச்சை பசேல்னு இருக்கும். மாடுகளும் கண்ணுகுட்டிங்களும் தூங்கிட்டு இருக்கும். ட்ராக்டர்ல ஒரு சேவல் கூவிட்டு இருக்கும். அதுக்கு பக்கத்துல நாய் ஒண்ணு சுருண்டு தூங்கிட்டு இருக்கும். எல்லாமே அப்போலாம் நல்லா இருந்துச்சே. இது என்ன  பன்னிகுட்டிங்க ஓடி வர்ரது மாதிரி இருக்கு இந்த highway. எங்க பாத்தாலும் வண்டி, லாரி, கார், பைக்… சீச்சீ.”

சற்று யோசித்தார் “ஆனா இப்போ எல்லாமே மாறிடுச்சு. எல்லாருக்கும் அவசரம். எல்லார் முகத்துலையும் ஸ்டாம்ப் குத்தினமாதிரி ஒரு எரிச்சல் இருக்கும். வண்டி ஓட்டினா பைத்தியமே புடிச்சிடும். இதையெல்லாம் எங்க சொல்றது.” என்று தனக்கே மறுமொழி கூறிகொண்டார்.

“பேசாம கண்ணன டிக்கெட் வாங்கி கொடுக்க சொல்லிட்டு ஊருக்கு போய்டபோறேன். மதுரை மாதிரி ஒரு ஊருல நிம்மதியா இருக்கலாம். எது மாறினாலும் மதுரை மட்டும் மாறாம அப்படியே இருக்கு. இந்த சென்னைக்கு வந்ததுலேர்ந்தே என் மனசும் உடலும் சரியா இல்ல. இந்த காய்கறிகள் வாங்கிட்டு மொதல்ல இதான் செய்யபோறேன்” என்று பரபரப்புடன் எண்ணினார்.

ஏதோ யோசித்துக்கொண்டு சடாலென்று அங்கேயே சாலையை கடந்தார். கிறீச் கிறீச் என்ற சத்தத்துடன் வண்டிகள் அவர் மீது மோதாமல் இருக்க ப்ரேக் அழுத்தினார்கள். நாலைந்து பேர் திட்டவும் திட்டினார்கள். தாத்தாவுக்கு வேலை தான் இப்பொழுது குறி. மீடியனை அடைந்தார். அதுவோ இடுப்பளவு வரை உயரமாக இருந்தது.

காய்கறி பையை மேலே வைத்துவிட்டு ஏறினார். ஒரு காலத்தில் ஹை ஜம்ப் வீரராக இருந்தவராச்சே தாத்தா. இதெல்லாம் என்ன, தூசி, என்பதைப்போல ஏறினார். முன்போல இல்லை அந்த உடம்பு. வியர்வை நெற்றியில் துளிர்த்தது. கை கால்கள் நடுங்கின. இதயத்தின் துடிப்பு சத்தம் காய்கறி கடை வரை கேட்டிருக்கும். மூச்சு வாங்கியது. தாத்தா சுற்றும்முற்றும் பார்த்துவிட்டு இறங்கினார். ஏதோ தூக்கம் இழுத்து கொண்டு வந்தது. “தூக்கமாத்தரை போட்டுகொண்டேனா என்ன?” என்று யோசிப்பதற்குள் சுற்றி படபடவென வெளிச்சங்கள் தென்பட்டன. வாகனம் ஹாரன் பிளிறிக்கொண்டு வருவது, கண்ணன் சண்டையிடுவது, குழந்தைகள் ஓடிவருவது, அந்த குழந்தைகள் கண்ணனாய் மாறுவது, குழந்தை கண்ணன் அவரை இழந்து அழுவது, “என்ன மன்னிச்சுகோங்க, அப்பா” என்று கண்ணில் நீர் பெருக்க அழுது மன்றாடுவதை போலெல்லாம் தோன்றியது.

சிலிர்த்தது கண்ணில் ஒரு சிறிய சொட்டு நீர், ஒரு காட்டாறு பெருக்கெடுத்து ஓடுவதைப்போல் கன்னத்தில் ஓடியது. லேசாக சிரித்தார். “கண்ணா, கனவிலும் நீ, என் கனவும் நீதானே.” புன்னகை ததும்பிய முகத்துடன் கண்ணயர்ந்தார்.

—–

“டாக்டர், அப்பாவுக்கு…”

“BP டௌன் ஆகிருக்கு. அதான் மயக்கம் போட்டுட்டார் அப்பா. எதுவும் கவலை படறதுக்கு இல்லை. இந்த தலை ல  காயத்துக்கு மட்டும் இந்த மருந்த குடுங்க. செரியாகிடும்.”

—–

“அப்பா, நீங்க கோச்சிண்டதால தாத்தா போய்டுவாரா பா?”

“இல்ல டா குட்டிப்பையா, தாத்தாவ இனிமேல் நா போகவே விடமாட்டேன், நீ வேணா பாரேன்.” என்றான் கண்ணன், கண்ணீர் நெஞ்சை அடைக்கும் குரலில். கண்ணன்  தன் மகனை அணைத்துகொள்வதை தாத்தா கவனிக்கவில்லை. அவர் கண்களை கண்ணீர் மறைத்துவிட்டது.

Agricultural Stagnancy

There was a time from 2003 to 2005 that I was a bit interested in agriculture. Courtesy, dad. There were farmlands at our disposal about 50 km away from home at Mannadimangalam, and he would ride the bike all the way till there, to oversee, on a weekly basis, as to how the farming was carried out. They would be on a plethora of activities, such as, coconut picking from the trees, paddy cultivation, paddy harvest, house upkeep (Yes, there was a house that, I would call the train house, what with all the compartments that kept extending for a long long distance from the road. It was our home for quite a long time). All this was looked after by him for a matter of five years. I would tag along with him once in a while, partly to get a chance to ride the bike, and partly to feast on the coconuts and the palm fruits.

 

Dad and family later decided to give away the land, as it had become very difficult to earn anything fruitful out of the whole exercise of farming. Although this was done in memory of our grandfather, it was a tedious process which required him to remain in the village. The returns on investment, if I may use the financial term, was almost nil. The more we thought of it, it wasn’t conducive to continue, what with the reduced rainfall over the years. So much for a family that had long since moved out of the village and had migrated to other places like Madurai, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai and abroad. No one now lived there, it wasn’t possible to continue on. 

 

There were times when on the way to the farm, dad used to say, “The coconuts that we pick from the trees are sold off at Rs. 3.50 a piece. If the harvest is indeed really good, we can get close to Rs.4 a piece. This then goes to the godown, where the coconut is peeled into the shell, and the fibre is used to create ropes. They then sell the coconut shells at a higher price, also, earning on the ropes that are being made. The percentage of incomes earned by them, and so on, by the middlemen is higher at each state. When it comes finally to the shop, the coconuts, with nearly no value addition is priced at Rs. 15 – 20 a piece” If this amount does not reach the person who has taken all the pains in farming, looking after the place, all the huge efforts of looking after a tree et al, I don’t know what really is worth the price he gets. 

 

This was about one out of a plethora of reasons which made me realize that farming wasn’t really a casual thing to do. Which brings me to my question. 

 

The Economic survey recently released has also stated that the contribution from Agricultural activities vis-a-vis total GDP has reduced over the years. If agriculture is so difficult and so pervasive, an incremental attention is required towards farming. By an incremental attention, I do not mean an increased investment in agricultural research or similar activities. Of course, they also would go a long way into this, but an increased investment of time is what is of prime importance. But there are a few factors which add value more than just scientific progress.

 

These days, one can see (Non-Governmental Organizations) NGO created for every purpose, but I would like to see NGOs created for the purpose of benefitting farmers at the grassroot levels. Let’s say, with the advent of the new Companies Act, 2013, and new CSR Activities, and with 2% of the average profits of the last three years to be invested in CSR Activities, what if, a few companies, with good profit potential identify the NGO which is involved in such activities, and give the sums of money to them? This shouldn’t also be a “once given, and out of sight, is out of mind” activity. A regular follow up to see that the amounts are reaching the persons who should really benefit from it is what is the additional attention which is required here. If the NGO can pick up 3 villages per company’s CSR Activities, wouldn’t that be a dream? Why not start off at the drought filled lands? 

 

P.S. : This article started off with this link. http://www.ndtv.com/article/south/a-father-s-last-words-to-his-son-before-he-killed-himself-558750 . 

A Love Affair

A diary. An entry into the diary every day, was a medicine to all his confusion, it was his secret vault. He wrote religiously into it, daily. There was not a fact that was missed out. However, he did not want it to fall into the wrong hands. The words were coded to mean something else. It was not without reason that he was a scientist who worked in a secret service agency. No one should understand all his hard work before it could get patented! It was all that his life had made him out to be.

He would write vaguely on his invention. He encrypted his notes using code words. He imagined his invention to be a girl he had fallen in love with. She would be his love life, apart from his home life. His second love. He would write notes on his diary about how he had fallen for her, how it was love at first sight, and how he felt that she needed a place to be in and that she had a promising future!

He gave his everything to it. This love of his, was going to change the world for the better. “Imagine“, he wrote, “If you were available to everyone, there will be no sad soul. You are going to give me all that light, all the happiness that I can ever ask for!“

Just as he had finished writing the note, he got a call. It was from the Directorate of Intelligence. They had found his product ‘Particularly interesting’, they said. Funny he mused, something on particle physics was supposed to be particle-arly interesting! They wanted him to catch a flight and come over.

‘Oh, and due to confidentiality reasons, you aren’t to divulge the details of this visit to anyone, not even to the nearest and dearest of family.’

‘Sure, I’m not even telling my wife this. I will arrange for my flight and be there by tomorrow.’

‘Good. Keep the trip open-ended, by the way. Let’s not plan a return ticket.’

He was elated. He started making notes in his diary. ‘Things are finally seeing the light of day, and she would soon be accepted and proudly be mine! I am going to soon have someone to talk about in pride. Hell, I’d even tell the wife about this secret girl! Oh I couldn’t love you more just now.‘

He locked his computer, and walked out to plan for his monthly trip abroad. How would he convince her? Oh the usual trip abroad for a business meeting, should suffice, he thought. Upon booking a flight to the Directorate, he would go to a few other places before he got home. The elation stuck to him, everything felt on a high. For all the time he had spent at office, now he can sit back at home relaxed, and enjoy the royalty out of his patent, and live the beautiful life with his loving wife.

He quickly packed his things, put them into a travel bag, and went out to the living room to find his laptop open, and his notes page in plain view. His wife was standing beside it.

(Continued at — https://kanakkupullai.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/case-is-closed/)

Note : This story is written as a chain, with no particular order, and is linked to a story written from the past. I am not sure where this story is leading me to, backward or forward, but I would like you all to keep reading and bear with me, imagine each story as a little short story, and maybe, just maybe I could loop them all in the end. The stories linked from each of my post from here on are written in the past and will be something you can read and enjoy too. Hope you do like this step of mine, and do write in to let me know how I can improve this.