Anger!

A famous poet and thinker said that one should learn to loose "temper" when injustice, apathy and atrocities are committed on innocents. But what about people who are always simmering with anger?

There was a man who went to gulf for earning a fortune for his family. He returns to his home after 15 long years. When he reaches home, it was past midnight. He looks through the window to find an young man of 20 years sleeping with his wife with his arms around her. The man becomes furious on seeing this sight. He removes a sword from the roof, kept hidden by him long ago, when a 'parchment paper'with some inscriptions props out with it. He reads out thus, "think before acting on haste"!

Now he realises that his son who was 5 years old when he left for the gulf, wouldbe turning twenty years. Wife now opens the door to see her husband with a sword. She spends no time in explaining how their little son has grown up to be an attractive young man now!

An old saying states that 'If some one wants to protect himself, he should first control his anger. Anger not only harms oneself, it will harm those 'kith and kins' as well.

Anger is lethal like a poison. That is the reason we find several instances of crimes committed in madness like the 'road rages', 'honour killings' etc

There are several sources wherein self-help tips available in plenty, giving various measures that one can take to control anger. No wonder the word Anger in English is close to the word Danger!

Can all of us now, get angery with ANGER?

Time Management

We had a group of hardworking boys during our college days. They were separate group who would not mingle with any one outside their ring. Always found under the roadside lamp-posts slogging out with thier text books and notes.

There was this other group of boys who were always seen at the "touring talkies" about one km away from the hostel giving their prompt attendance on every friday when a new movie was released.

When the term exam results come, it would be always those "touring talkies" boys who would score good marks, whereas those hardworking "lamp post" guys will carry those vetted papers sulkingly with their low score.

Again I could observe junior colleagues at work place who would stretch their work beyond office hours. Sometimes they carry work to home or come to office on weekends to office to finish the pending work.

Other set of people who stick to their office time and never seen in office on week ends are carrying work to their homes. Yet they finish their jobs silently and without any delay or pendancy!

Have you ever compared people who are in highly demanding jobs wherein one person is found to be always smiling and receptive of customers, whereas the other would pounce on all the callers and visitors?

Talking about Time Management, most of us believe that it is all about planning and managing your 24/7 effectively so that you can complete your work.

You can now go back to see whose success is great... those boys who toiled hard by sacrificing their dose of entertaiment or those from the "touring talkies" camp?

Well, Time management is not managing your time effectively; it is all about successful endeavours.

Yes! time management is about, Success that leaves no bad taste!

Different school of thought

Within two years of stay at one place, my dad would suddenly spring a surprise, ‘Be ready for a change of place’.

Those days you do not have packers and movers on your beck and call. My mother would collect old news papers, used clothes and other packing materials. She would pack all the household items and keep only necessary items essential for cooking for the last day. We used to have a big wooden box to store all the kitchen utensils which will be stuffed just before leaving the place.

After lunch the truck will come to transport the household goods to the new place. Reaching new destination, we would stay in a guest house for a couple of days until the goods arrived and an accommodation is found. In the new place, my dad would take us to the best school for admission, after making thourough enquiry with the local people. Just a meeting with the Head master, the admission for all would be done!

I am counting the number of schools I have studied upto my 11th grade(SSLC). I could not just believe the fact that I had studied in 9 schools!

These days schools occupy the centre stage in the minds of parents. Parents first decide about a school and spend all their resources to secure an admission for their children in that particular school. Once admitted, the child is not removed from school, come what may!

I have observed parents switching their jobs if they are transferred from one place, instead of relocating there with the family, as the child is studying in a ‘good’ school. Sometimes, single parent would manage the child whilst the spouse would accept the transfer or change of job.

I have this family friend who has taken up a job in UAE. His child is studying in one of the reputed schools in Bangalore. This friend is now torn between the idea of bringing the family to UAE or to continue to live alone here by leaving his spoue to manage the child who studying in that 'reputed school' back home.

His relatives and friends circle, barring myself whose childhood experience is quite unique, are advising him against shifting the family from Bangalore.

For a person who has studied in 9 schools during 11 year of school education,this fixation of modern day parents, is difficult to understand.

After all we should admit that they are from a different school of thought!

Desire not to desire

One day King Krishna Devaraya and his Minister Thenali Rama were going on rounds, when heavy rains started pouring. To their surprise, they found a man sleeping in the middle of the road with only a boulder to support his head. The same person when treated as state guest could not sleep at night on his quilted soft bed, as he was disturbed by a cotton seed in the pillow!

When the wants are limited, the mind is clear.

We had a neighbour who had 3 daughters. When we were blessed with our second daughter, all other neighbours visited us to greet the new born,except this family. Finally they visited us, though hesitatingly, just a day before leaving Mumbai. They all looked very sad and forlorn. Instead of congratulating us for the new arrival, they started consoling us for getting another daughter in a row!

Human life is full of desires. Yes! People desire to acquire things that they do not have or have enough to their satisfaction! Complexes develop arising out of this pursuit in our lives. Many succeed in getting what they desire but cannot find satisfaction, as new desires occupy their minds. This is an endless process throughout the life.

Life is full of paradoxes! A person who is too fair, sun bathes to have a 'tan' look. A person who is dark complexioned, spends money and time on fairness creams! The one who is slim wants to put on some weight.. those who are obese want to reduce it!

If only people can reduce their wants and desires, they can lead a peaceful life when the whole world would become a heaven. Can we desire not to desire?

Sombre to Humor!

I had been to the monthly meeting of our Humor club, at the Apple International School, yesterday. Usually, I used to go prepared, but this time I did not make any preparation, as I was not planning to get on to the stage.

We reached the venue in the midst of the program with good gathering of audience already present. Suddenly, I was asked to come on to the stage to contribute. Thrown on to the stage, I stumbled upon an idea to talk about the impending Tamil and Malayalam New year and, tell some story of a poor poet of yonder years.

The poor poet goes to seek some favour from a descendant of a well known family of a philanthropist by singing several odes full of hyper boles.

The poet goes on singing one after another ode, but the expected gift was not forthcoming from the philanthropist. Finally,he gifts an elephant to the poet in praise of his works. Needless to say, this gift has come as a shock to the poor poet than a pleasant one.

Being very poor, he did not want to reveal the huge living creature he got as a gift, he uses punny language when his wife enquires to find what he got from singing praises on the philanthropist.

His wife takes other useful substitutes of the words he uses for indicating elephant and feels happy that his husband has earned something useful that will solve their woes. Finally, poet uses a word which has no other meaning than an elephant.

On hearing this, the poor poet's wife goes dumbstruck.

This I narrated to praise one of the poppular programs conducted in humor club in which witty and punny words are used.

The gathering instead of enjoying the underlying humor, went in a sombre mood, feeling for the poor poet and his family.

I had great difficulty in changing the Sombre mood back to Humor one, for which I had to use several tactics without much success!