Street kids show the way...

early this morning, i was on my way back from my regular work out session at palayam.. the steet was kinda deserted due to the hartal declared by a political party.. the pavements opposite the church was abuzz with activities.. grownups squatting on the naked floor, brushing aside the rigors of the bygone day... old men and women still dozing off under the comfort of those worn out rags.. kids dotting all over the place playing a game of push-n-pull...

i could not ignore a little boy of about 8 years crossing the road with a small vadai in one hand and a glass of piping hot tea in the other.. a litte girl, she should be around 4 i guess, was running frantically towards the boy, apparently to get a bite from the vadai.. the boy took a quick small bite and handed over the rest to the little girl.. she grabbed the peice and was about to run back to her mother.. a small piece of rock blocked her way and was thrown off-foot..her face hit the ground, her little hands were buried in a pool of dirt.. the boy threw away the glass of tea and ran to his litlle sister.. he grabbed her up in his arms and kissed her cheeks left and right.. the little girl was no more crying.. instead, i could see her smiles amid tears rolling down her cheeks, still holding the piece of vadai in one hand and her drooping skirt in the other...

it was an amazing and sweet scene of love and affection.. of caring and intimacy...the selfless brother sacrificed his morning meal, i am sure it was going to be his sole meal for the day, for his little sister.. a street smart example of love and caring unlimited....

back home i told this anecdote to my daughter.. and she just ran to her little brother and kissed his cheeks.. papa likes to cherish those ephemeral moments of joy for ever!!

tell this anecdote to all the kids you come across and am sure they will learn the value of love and caring.. and their world will definitely be a better place than ours!!

so long
roy

Life is beautiful..

more of a personal note, i have been thinking about writing a few lines about my wife's long standing desire, enthusiasm and assiduous struggle to get into State Bank of India (SBI), the largest public sector bank in India and the World's largest employer in the banking segment... i would cherish the news that she made it into the final list of candidates selected for the prestigious position of Probationary Officer.. she is all excited- and so are me and the little ones-and the euphoria still hangs in the air... all around our little kingdom..

couple of months would see her taking up a career in banking- am not sure where.. it doesnt really matter either.. what matters most is the culmination of all her efforts and hardwork into a dream career.. it was tough for a housewife, with two kids and a software pro husband, to prepare constantly for one of the toughest competitive examinations in india and emerge victorious.... all i see is her tenacity and never-say-die attitude in achieving what she wanted and what she had been dreaming of since graduation... and am sure the kids have played their own roles in sharing this victory... spending times with their toys while mom struggled with those basic high school maths... early to bed listening to papa's bed time stories while mom browsed through the day's newspaper, without missing a single news item...

yes, this indeed is a victory well deserved.. but not without the blessings of the omni-potent powers up the heavens...

blessed are the kids, excited is their papa...euphoric is their mom...

so long
roy

The tagging game..

came across this interesting game from fellow bloggers.. especially simba and attagirl..

the crux is to write about your recent reads, five or so, and then tag five of your fellow bloggers.. they are supposed to write about their recent reads and tag five others.. the game triggers a chain reaction..

i am interested because:

1. it gives you an idea as to what others are reading...
2. you kinda figure out what books you aughta read, from others' reviews..
3. again, you could avoid no nos outright...
4. and yes, it helps to keep your blog rolling..

nobody has tagged me as yet, so i would be writing as an untagged blogger... LoL..
of late, am trying to revive my once thriving reading habbit...i wouldn't reach the figure five, but you could excuse me for that..

currently, i am enjoying Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies.. an amazing collection of short stories.. i would definitely recommend this book, if you are the kinda reader looking for short stories with a difference..

and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller would make a wonderful reading am sure.. sujatha has already given an articulate review on her blog..let me go finish the book...

so long..
roy

Of driving and dreams.....

one of my fellow bloggers wrote about the increasing no. of road accidents these days...i don't want to delve into those statistical details... but would love to drive home
the point that it hurts.. and it leaves behind unfathomable pain and trauma to the loved ones..

a mother, who is under-educated, is all left to fend for her now orphaned family..kids who are forced to fend for themselves or dependent upon the unconcerned relatives..
and a father who stares into the darkness having lost his wife and children..i know, going by this, you would come across numerous such tragic facets of road accidents..

there is no point cursing the govt for the lack of well lit and 'pit free' roads... there is absolutely no point blaming the PWD or DoT for digging up the walk ways and leaving them as open as a bare sky.. if you are a driver, you are responsible for hundreds of lives on the roads.. you and your fellow roadies.. and there is no point cribbing about factors totally out of your control..

the moment you are behind the wheel, think about your famiy, and with equal importance, think about the families of your fellow drivers on the roads... and of those pedestrians on the walk ways.. your loved ones are looking forward to meeting you back home... your wife waiting to share the trivia happened at her work place that day.. your little ones anxiously waiting for a pack of chocolates... your mom waiting for that placebo which would cure all her ailments...

and keep your eyes wide open, you would see countless faces, sharing the same feelings, all around!!

if you are reading this, take care while driving.. obey the traffic rules...
you are dear to many...dont fail to see the beauty of their dreams..drive carefully; you should spend those joyous moments with your family all day, every day...

cheers...
roy

IIM B or XLRI??

well.. been thinking about this for a while.. i am on my way to an MBA from a leading B School in India, without quitting my job.. XLRI was a good option, considering its standing in the B School rankings, its strong alumni base, wonderful faculty and best of all, the campus component.. i was excited and was packing up my bags to chennai to attend their interview.. but the moment i noticed IIM B's announcement of their general Management Programme, there was no second thought.. B is going to be the place where I do my MBA... a dream degree from a dream school... phew!!! am not hiding myself from the academic rigor and grind... it would be tough to survive the B School game..

but.. dont you think it becomes a lot easier, when all you see ahead is the beauty of your dream and nothing else?? wouldn't it be a lot easier when you think about those wonderful days you gonna spend at B campus??? at the start of the programme and while summing up...??

wouldn't it be a lot easier when you think about the very strong alumni base of B and the wonderful fraternity you are going to be associated with?? affirmative indeed... so, it is gonna be B, unless destiny brings me something else..... and July would come with the final list of candidates selected for the programme.... till then, i keep counting the days, keep my fingers crossed....

wish me good luck pals...

so long
roy