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HE WHO HAS EARS, LET HIM HEAR

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  “Everyone is a genius.  But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree,  it will spend its whole life  believing that its stupid.” Albert Einstein   W hen I was a student in school or college, did my teachers show any discrimination when they taught us? My college classroom had more than hundred students… My teachers (we called them lecturers, and here, in Mumbai, they call them Professors) taught whatever subjects they taught with equal dedication and passion. But, as is the case always, some students picked things extremely well, some fairly well… and some, like me, limped behind… I wasn’t a bright or even an average student… I was just limping, as I said. That said, after my F.Y B. Com, inspired by my teachers, I started developing an unusual interest in subjects like Accountancy and English. It’s because, by then, I was burning with a desire to become a fine teacher and also a writer… So, my own desire did it… Till then, I was just there in the classroom –
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WE ARE MADE FROM STORIES

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“Listen, and you will realize, that we are made not from cells and atoms… We are made from stories.” Mia Cuoto   O ne of the books I loved reading the most was ‘Freedom at Midnight’ by the French writers, Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. It was in the early-nineties and I was in my early-thirties. What I remember, even today, about reading this book, is its gripping narrative… It was so gripping, that I was reluctant to keep the book down! And, now – in my mid-sixties - when I learnt about streaming of this book’s adaptation (on Sony LIV), I wanted to watch it desperately. So, last night, my wife and I sat till 1.30 in the night and watched all the seven episodes of Season 1. Let me tell you this: We never moved from our seats, even for a minute… It was so engaging, so gripping! I have, always, marveled: “How could two Frenchmen capture this powerful drama of the Subcontinent in a book, with such brilliance?” The storytelling at its best… That’s how I have ended up
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GOD BLESS MANKIND, NOT JUST AMERICA

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  “We will be judged by, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was homeless, and you took me in’.” Mother Teresa   F rom Richard Attenborough’s movie, ‘Gandhi’, two powerful scenes come to my mind… First scene: One of Gandhi’s most faithful followers - an English woman associated with his work for a long time – one day, in his Ashram, expresses her deep wish to be converted into Hinduism. Bapu’s response takes my breath away… “You do not deed to convert yourself into a Hindu,” he tells her, “You just need to become a better Christian.” The second scene: It involves, once again, a young Christian priest, an English man, who has been deeply inspired by the ideals of Gandhiji. He mentions these ideals in one of his Sunday sermons in the church… We see some hardened men and women walking out. Apparently, they have come to church to hear what Jesus said two thousand years ago, not what this ‘coloured man’ (by all yardsticks, more Chris
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YOU CANNOT DIRECT THE WIND...

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  “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”         Dolly Parton   S ome days ago, two young girls joined my eleventh standard, almost simultaneously. One was from St. Xavier’s and the other was from Jai Hind. These South Mumbai colleges have been extremely sought-after institutions. Students take immense pride in the very thought, that they belong to these great institutions… Their parents, too. But, my experience has, always, been different: more than the educational institution that one belongs to, one’s outlook towards oneself and people around him that counts more in life. Often, the pride turns into arrogance, lack of empathy. I see many young kids from such institutions living in their own ivory towers… Yes, your great institutions matter in life… provided you deserve them. Else, it can only make you a snob… a misfit. Am I being too blunt or biased? Well, I am not… Not trying to generalize, either. Over the forty-five years of teaching in this big
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HOW'S MY AUNTY AS A STUDENT?

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  “Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, courage is the quiet voice, at the end the day, saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow’.” Mary Anne Radmacher   T here are two kinds of reunions… The first kind is the one we get to do after months of meticulous planning. The other kind is the one that just happens, without any planning, just spontaneously. The second kind is what I cherish the most… It springs from a clean heart… simply childlike. On this Sunday, my wife and I had to attend the Month’s mind mass of one of our relatives in Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. After the   mass, we had to join for a simple lunch at the residence of the deceased family. I had informed friends of mine, Dr. Kumar and his wife Yashoda (a student of my first batch in Atomic Energy Jr. College, sometime in 1981), that we would be paying a visit to them. They lived just a minute away from my relatives’ place. As we were relishing the aromatic filter-coffee, I remembered another friend of mine, Raj, who to
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HAVE I TAKEN MY TABLETS?

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  “A person who won’t read has no advantage over a person who can’t read.” Mark Twain   T his morning, Raju (our istriwala ) and I entered into our building lift together. He was carrying at least five/six big ‘ potlies ’ of clothes – some on his shoulders, some in his hands. They belonged to   different residents who lived on different floors. What he was carrying must be from just one or two floors, while our building has two wings with sixteen floors each… Raju is so punctual, that you can set time on your watch as per his timings…. “Rajubai, how do you manage to remember whose clothes are there in each bundle, and how many are there in each bundle? Also, how do you remember who has paid you and who hasn’t?” I asked, almost amazed by his organized work, “I don’t see you keeping any note of these things.” Raju smiled and replied, “Sir, this is my daily work… My mind has become used to it now.” “Have you mixed up any time, or has any one complained any time?” I asked him
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DAS KA ICE-CREAM

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  “Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain   I have come across two kinds of balloon sellers. The first kind are men with little babies in their  hands. This kind would keep pestering you to buy a balloon or two from them crying, “Saab, bachha ne khana nahin kaya.” Invariably, we would find this kind when our family is just walking out of a restaurant after dinner… It's a disturbing sight… Your family has had a sumptuous dinner, and here is the balloon seller weeping, that his little one is going to sleep hungry at night. “He is a habitual beggar; ignore him,” one side of me prompts me. But, then, I pull out a note of twenty or fifty, give him and walk away for my own guilt-free heart. The second kind are mostly little kids – around the age of 10 to 12 or something like that. I have met them selling balloons, key chains, tissue papers etc., and, yes, mostly while coming out of a mall, an ice-cream parlor or a restaurant. These
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THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...