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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

"WHAT IF OUR DREAMS COME TRUE!" My new novel waiting to be published


Episode 1
Chapter 1

Somehow, I reached outskirts of Courtalam. I left my place with just one rupee in my pocket and I could hardly afford to use up this treasure. The travel on foot and hitchhike took several days. I relied on a number of tricks to survive on the way.

It was the year 1945, or so. Barring a few rich zamindars who owned cars, people used bullock carts and horse carriages for commuting. The motorized vehicles that crisscrossed in many towns and villages mostly belonged to the British and their army. The country was up in arms against the British rule. Even while Gandhiji spearheaded Satyagraha, a silent non-violent, non-cooperation movement, there was widespread violence against the Whites everywhere. Religious division was rearing its nasty head all over and there was a complete breakdown of trust between Muslims and Hindus. The Second World War was coming to an end. The British seemed to be veering round to a view that it would be impossible to continue to deny freedom to our country and rather, it would be a burden to them if they stayed on here longer. News about serious negotiations for independence was up in the air. News and rumors spread by word of mouth. Confusion prevailed among people as to what to believe and what not to. People gathered in street corners discussing, debating, questioning, arguing and many times fighting among themselves over the pros and cons of freedom and independence. Many had doubts in mind about a free India, though the overall mood was in favor of independence. Whether everyone genuinely believed in having independence or not there was a clamor for it everywhere. People’s expectations about life after freedom was running high, though there was no dearth of skeptics.

Stopping at several places, listening to a number of public speeches at street corners, staying in stone mandaps (open stone halls) for the nights, filling my stomach eating whatever was distributed as prasad in small temples, I managed to reach Shencottai, a picturesque agricultural town near Courtallam. I saw several lakes – big and small – on the way to Shencottai. Fine carpets of green paddy fields surrounded by lush green hills decorated the landscape. Abundant water flowed between mud bunds into the paddy fields. The soil was very rich and fertile. Clouds sat on the hill tops and a gentle breeze Thendral, as they call it, swept through the valley between the small hills. I saw banyan trees everywhere on the way blanketing both sides of the main trunk roads. I constantly felt the rushing of energy in me despite my tiring journey by foot.

As I approached the outskirts of Shencottai, I saw a small congregation of people sitting on the floor, underneath a banyan tree. The people were mostly silent or whispering among themselves. A sadhu in saffron dress, with eyes closed, was sitting before them. Even in the semi-dark twilight, with the only other light coming from a small lamp lit by his side, the sadhu seemed to be radiant. There was a peculiar aura surrounding him. The crowd patiently waited for the ‘sadhu’ to open his eyes.

Out of curiosity, I sat down quietly among the group. I learnt from the person next to me that the sadhu gave divine blessings when he opened his eyes and that his blessings had mystical powers. He told me  that the sadhu had cured many illnesses, finalized very difficult marriage alliances, blessed couples for children, repaired broken relationships and miraculously helped solve a myriad of other problems affecting people’s lives.

Soon the Sadhu opened his eyes, made strange noises, invoked many gods and goddesses, spoke with a gruff voice, offered vibhuthi to some and kumkum to some others, touched a few people on their heads and brushed others away. I watched everything with fun, but soon I got disinterested and left the place. I had to reach Shencottai before it became very dark and find a place to stay for the night so that I could be ready early next morning to leave for Courtallam. Courtallam would be my first destination in my proposed encounter with Lord Siva.

Thanks to a small agraharam, a locality where Brahmins lived predominantly, I found a Perumal (Lord Vishnu) temple at one end of the street. The temple offered food generously that night. I ate stomach-full and waited outside for the temple to be closed. Soon the agraharam became quiet. I found a small corner, outside the temple, to sleep.
                                                                                       .... to be continued in Chapter 2
 

Friday, September 13, 2013

Excerpts from my new book: Short Stories for Success for Young Readers: A New Lexicon Unfolded - 2nd Story


"This is the second story from my new book: SHORT STORIES FOR SUCCESS FOR YOUNG READERS: A NEW LEXICON UNFOLDED. I believe this book could be ideal for children in the age group of 10-12, to read. I hope you enjoy reading it.
B for Beliefs
“Tat Tvam Asi” – Adhi Shankara (“Thou art That)
The school year had only begun a couple of weeks ago and so, the children were quite casual and carefree. Kamala teacher had just entered her class V and was very happy, seeing the bright faces of the children in the class.
“You all seem to be very happy today!” exclaimed Kamala teacher.
“Yes, teacher!” Everyone said in chorus.
“Did you all talk about the story of the Hare and Tortoise?”
“Yes teacher!”
“Come on. Tell me what you understand about the word: Attitude”.
Again, there was silence in the class and each one was looking at the other.
“Come on. ‘To feel shy’ is an attitude too. ‘To hesitate’ is an attitude. ‘To be courageous,’ is an attitude. You need to communicate your ideas for me to know how much you understood by the term ‘Attitude.’” Kamala teacher exhorted the children.
This time it was Bhargav who raised his hands to speak.
“Yes Bhargav. Tell me. What do you understand about ‘Attitude’?”
“My Amma told me that it is how we think, how we speak or how we act or react is our attitude.”
“That is a very good explanation. Please sit down.”
But Bhargav didn’t take his seat. It appeared he was hesitating to ask a question.
“What Bhargav! Do you have a question to ask me?”
“Yes teacher. My Amma didn’t explain how we develop our attitude.”
Brinda rose from her seat, wanting to add a comment. When urged by Kamala teacher, she said, “Teacher, why is that some people are bold, some are cunning, some are shy, some generous and some pious? It is all difficult to understand.”
Kamala teacher was stunned by the bluntness of Brinda’s enquiry.
“A good question, even for me to answer! But I can tell you this much. By and large, your attitude develops from the kind of Belief you have about yourself and others around you. Your beliefs make you or mar you. Beliefs condition your behavior and attitude. Many succeeded or failed because of what they believed in. Let me explain to you through a story.”
“Manu was only four when she lost her mother. Her father took the responsibility of bringing her up. When she grew up, she learnt sword fighting, horse riding and shooting along with her other formal learning. She was given in marriage to the Maharaja of Jhansi in 1842 and since then she was known as Maharani Lakshmi Bhai of Jhansi.
 
In 1851, she gave birth to a son, but she lost the child even when he was only three months old. In 1854, when she was only 18, she became a widow when the Maharaja of Jhansi died suddenly. Before his death, the Maharaja had adopted a son to be his heir to the throne. But, when the Maharaja died, the British Rulers refused to recognize the right of the adopted boy and tried to take away the kingdom from Lakshmi Bhai.
 
However, Lakshmi Bhai refused to budge and declared that she shall not surrender her Jhansi to the British. It was a period when even the mighty Peshwas and Kings of Delhi had bowed down to the British demands. Soon she realized how difficult it was to defend her kingdom.
 
After the British took over her kingdom, she lived a life of rigorous routine involving prayers, exercising, practicing shooting, sword-man-ship and horse riding and shooting with the reins held on her teeth. She also spent time reading Ramayan and other religious scriptures and tending to poor.
 
Her methodical, rigorous and disciplined training came very handy during the period of Indian Mutiny in 1857 against the British. She retrieved the kingdom of

Jhansi and established order and glory in the State. However Sir Hugh Rose attacked Jhansi again on 17th March 1858. Lakshmi Bhai fought the war bravely against several odds, supported only by a depleted army against the superior strength of the British army. After a great struggle, Rani of Jhansi died in the war defending her kingdom.
 
Lakshmi Bhai alias Rani of Jhansi remains a legendary figure even today for her patriotism, self-respect and heroism. She is adored as the great heroine of the First War of Indian Freedom Struggle. She was lauded even by the British General Sir Hugh Rose, her enemy at war, as ‘the bravest and greatest commander of the mutineers.’”
 
The whole class clapped their hands as Kamala teacher concluded her story of Rani of Jhansi.
She summarized, “Lakshmi Bhai was not alone in history who earned great respect and legendary stature for her belief in herself. There were many more leaders who had great belief in themselves and in their conviction. They had the courage and confidence to face formidable obstacles in their life to meet their goals. Mahatma Gandhi. Martin Luther King. George Washington. Abraham Lincoln. And to talk about recent events Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar who won the Nobel Prize for Peace!”
Bhargav was the one to again raise his hand with a question. When Kamala teacher noticed him, he asked, “Can you tell us the story of …….what is her name? ……. Aung…….  San…… I didn’t get the name correctly?”
“Aung San Suu Kyi? Hers is a very captivating story. But, not now. May be, another day. May be, you can research on her life and tell the class her story.” Just then the school bell rang to indicate that the period was over. Kamala teacher waved her hands to the children, as she slowly walked out of the class.
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Sunday, September 08, 2013

Excerpts from my new book: Short Stories for Success for Young Readers: A New Lexicon Unfolded


"This is the first story of my new book: SHORT STORIES FOR SUCCESS FOR YOUNG READERS: A NEW LEXICON UNFOLDED. I believe this book could be ideal for children in the age group of 10-12, to read. I hope you enjoy reading it.
A for Attitude

Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” – Zig Ziglar, American Motivation Speaker

“Now, let me help you understand why I am putting ‘Attitude’ in the front.” Thus began Kamala Teacher.

“I want all of you to write all the 26 English alphabets one after another in your notebook.”
All children wrote:

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

“Right! Now assign number 1 below the alphabet A, then the number 2 below B, 3 below C and so on till you reach twenty six below Z.”
The children followed carefully:


A
1
B
2
C
3
D
4
E
5
F
6
G
7
H
8
I
9
J
10
K
11
L
12
M
13
N
14
O
15
P
16
Q
17
R
18
S
19
T
20
U
21
V
22
W
23
X
24
Y
25
Z
26

“Now, let us look at some of the words that describe qualities that bring success. Let us take ‘Effort.’”
“Can you write the word ‘EFFORT’ on your notebook? Finished…Now assign the numbers from this table against each letter of this word and total it up.”

Everyone was doing the arithmetic.
EFFORT
5+6+6+15+18+20 = 70

The children wondered what she was trying to convey.
“Now let us try the word ‘HARD WORK’.”

The children tried.
HARD WORK
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98

She asked them to try other words too.
SKILL came to 61; Luck came to 45; KNOWLEDGE CAME TO 96

“Now try the word ‘ATTITUDE’.”
The children wrote carefully: ATTITUDE

                                                     1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100

“You see! English language seems to convey that among many traits that bring success, the word ATTITUDE alone represents hundred percent results. Does it look strange? Yes, ATTITUDE is the key to success. It is not your strength, not your skill, not your knowledge, not hard work, not money, not power, not skill, not luck, not anything else. Of course, they all help. But, it is one’s attitude that makes the difference, more than anything else. Your attitude is everything.
History is full of people who succeeded or failed because of their attitude.”

“Can you recall one of the most elementary stories you might have heard to show how attitude made the difference between success and failure?” Kamala teacher stared at the class silently.
There was spellbound silence in the class. The children were looking at all sides with curiosity and doubt.

“Come on. Think about it,” encouraged Kamala teacher.
“The story of The Hare and Tortoise!” One student in the last row shouted from behind.

“Excellent! Brinda, can you come forward to my side and tell the story to everyone so that they can recollect?”
Brinda, the usually shy child from the last row, hesitantly came forward. She initially struggled for words. Encouraged and prompted by Kamala teacher, Brinda presented the story of The Hare and Tortoise. When finished, Kamala teacher retold the same story and the entire class listened with rapt attention.

“One day a rabbit boasted about how fast he could run and teased the turtle for being slow. Much to the rabbit’s surprise, the turtle decided to challenge the rabbit. They agreed to a race, as rabbit was over-confident about winning. The race began and the rabbit raced forward at great speed way ahead of the turtle. Halfway through the race, rabbit couldn’t see the turtle anywhere. He thought, ‘After all, the turtle should be crawling slowly and can never beat me in the race. Why not I have a small nap in the meantime? Even if the turtle passed me, I could always catch up and finish ahead of it.’ The rabbit went to sleep. In the meantime, the turtle was slow and steady, stayed confident, moved ahead step by step and wouldn’t quit, no matter what happened. The rabbit was complacent and slept longer than he had thought. When he woke up, the turtle was still nowhere. He leaped forward in great hurry towards the final point only to notice that the turtle had already reached there and waiting for him. Thus, the slow turtle won the race against the rabbit purely out of his attitude to win and the rabbit lost because of his complacency and over-confidence.
Complacency is a matter of one’s attitude.”

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