Misc – Page 9 – Random Ramblings

Down the memory lane

Attended the Golden Jubilee function of My School. The School has everything a 50 years old Public School should have. A great infrastructure – sprawling campus with nice foot ball fields, hockey, Basket ball and tennis courts, swimming pool and riding school………You can see a great mix of modernism and traditionalism and a blend … Continue reading “Down the memory lane”

A number of retired teachers in their 70s and 80s could be seen with clusters of ex-students around each. The only thing perhaps lacking was ‘alumni from different generations, in the same family’; that I feel is the true hall-mark of a great institution.

Amaravathinagar came into being because of the dam over River Amravathi, and is now known all over the country because of the Sainik School.

Everywhere, you could see boisterous back-slapping, laughter and light-hearted leg pulling. meeting after a long time, there were flashes of inputs on present and future, but mostly it was about past, past and past….. of memories sweet, salty and silly……

Boys will be boys… you could sense an attempt to break away from the present and get back to the care free days…in a way it was the best of the both worlds, spending money like men yet behaving like school boys ! “

If inanimate objects like tuning forks and pendulums can respond to a set frequency, what of the highly evolved human minds? Well, you could sense some kind resonance to a common frequency.

My object of attending the function was mainly to meet my schoolmates, some of them I was meeting after 36 years or more.

There were emotions, sentiments, the simple joy of being together, sharing a feeling of camaraderie, and I could see the look on some faces, “hi, I didn’t know it would be such fun !

Of course, there was an odd discordant note; some bitter memories did creep in. Some of us did hurt one another during our stay at the school, and some of us did carry our grudges home.It is always easier to meet than to depart gracefully.

It is never too late to drop these extra baggages, and this was a great occassion to do so, drop them exactly where we picked it up from.

Now for some narcism

how time flies

Sid as a one year old and as 21 years old. can’t resist the cliché “how time flies ?” yeah, it is the same mobike!!

Sid as a one year old and as 21 years old. can’t resist the cliché “how time flies ?”
yeah, it is the same mobike!!

dog tags philosophy

The picture you see is of the dog tags I have been carrying around with me for all these years since 1979. The dog tags have a specific message. For the benefit of my civilian friends who may chance upon this write up,”A dog tag is the informal name for the identification tags worn by … Continue reading “dog tags philosophy”

The picture you see is of the dog tags I have been carrying around with me for all these years since 1979.

The dog tags have a specific message.

For the benefit of my civilian friends who may chance upon this write up,”A dog tag is the informal name for the identification tags worn by military personnel, because of their resemblance to actual dog tags. The tag is primarily used for the identification of dead and wounded along with providing religion (to provide for calling a Catholic Priest, Jewish Rabbi or Hindu Pandit for Last Rites) and essential basic medical information for the treatment of the latter, such as blood type” (courtesy wikipedia)

In the Indian army there are two metal tags worn by every soldier, one on his wrist and one around the neck. The idea is that one remains with the body and the other is sent to the family and an addition advantage is that at least one of the discs can be located even if some body parts are missing.

It has just five items of data. the service number, rank, name, blood group and religion. Every bit of data has a specific purpose. Service number , rank and name form the mandatory information to be given to anyone (including the enemy if a prisoner of war) for the purpose of identification.

The simple information contained on that small aluminum tag can speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself; it could mean the difference between a positive identification and an uncertain future for those who survive you, should your identity be “…known only to God.”

What really interests me is the 4th and 5th bits of information, ie blood group and the religion. For a wounded soldier, one treatment that can really mean life/death is timely blood transfusion and you need to know the blood group at the earliest.

In case the casualty is beyond any treatment, then the most important information required is whether to bury or to cremate , to call a panditji or a maulvi ; so there is the mention of the religion.

In short what the tags convey is “tips to save the body or to dispose of the body as appropriate”

In case it is the latter,one of the discs is dispatched to the NOK (next of kin) along with other personal effects of the soldier, as and when the time permits.

For the soldier himself, what a way to live ? What an attitude to live with ? Before an operation the soldiers prepare their wills, make monthly allotments to family and update the address es of NOK. Since you don’t know when a war will break out, these activities take placed during “peace time training exercises”. Once a war breaks out all you have in your person , other than rations , water and warlike stores are these dog tags with their briefest of messages.

Is it possible to wear such an attitude in peace time ? Can we issue clear, concise instructions to people who need to know, as to what exactly to be done to preserve this body or to dispose off the body and of course instructions to dispose off other worldly possessions ? I suppose once you can do that,the chances are that you would actually live longer !

Charge, discharge and recharge

With every other gadget today, running on rechargeable batteries, I cannot think of a better analogy for the ebb and flow of one’s morale. When you are fully charged, literally nothing or no one can upset you, and when fully drained out, anything or any one can hurt you. Most of the times we are … Continue reading “Charge, discharge and recharge”

With every other gadget today, running on rechargeable batteries, I cannot think of a better analogy for the ebb and flow of one’s morale. When you are fully charged, literally nothing or no one can upset you, and when fully drained out, anything or any one can hurt you. Most of the times we are somewhere in between, coasting along, with occasional surges and dips.

Morale is generally defined as “The state of the spirits of a person or group as exhibited by confidence, cheerfulness, discipline, and willingness to perform assigned tasks.” I might also add “capacity to tolerate fools and to accept nonsense”

Can every activity in life be categorized into energy drainer, energy neutral and rejuvenator. If so, can your life be so organized that you are always well ‘charged’ to take on the good and the not so good people and events in your stride. Is it possible to move from one mode to the other at will in a normal work environment ? You are in great spirits and one phone call from a person you particularly dislike and you are 50% drained and is it possible to pick an activity (like listening to your favorite music) to recoup that lost energy? Then, just as among rechargeable batteries, there are good batteries and dubious ones, does ‘the quality of battery’ differ from person to person . Can you ‘train’ your battery to charge faster and to last longer ?

Ideally, your work or home environment should be such that you are doing only what you want to do; so it is all life rejuvenating activities, and there is hardly any energy drain. But as mere mortals, we may have to work at jobs we do not always like, with people we don’t always get along, and share a home with people not always in agreement with us ; and in short, we may live at occasional or frequent disagreement and dissension at home and work place. I am sure, most people have their own ways to resolve their problems.

While I was posted at an Army public School, I made it a point to walk through the corridors of the school during a recess. Just a couple of cheerful greetings from children can recharge your battery to face a long, difficult conference.

A General officer at Bareilly used to take a circuitous route to his office so that he can go through the recruits training area. An officer from the Gorkha regiment can’t be faulted for getting his highs seeing recruits training. Different strokes for different folks.

How is it that some people always look ‘Thrilled with Life’ and some look “Disgusted with Life’ ? (TWL or DWL as we used to say in the academy.) If you have more Life Rejuvenating Activities (LRA) than energy draining activities, I suppose you are always on top , in any situation.

Just as a battery has limited capacity for storage, I suppose we too have our limitations. So the life rejuvenating activities have to be built into our day to day routine so that a person is always in good spirits. can we quantify this ?

For eg , let us take a typical day; getting up in the morning for work can be a pain to most people. Then you have a refreshing cup of coffee or tea. A good bath and prayers can really pep you up. Then commuting to work can be stressful. So, before we get sucked into the office routine, can we squeeze in some short term LRA like meditation, music, or a phone call to a friend or family member ? By the time you get home, anyone at home can make out if you had had a good or a lousy day at office. Whatever be, just as you put your laptop or cellphone on charge, it is time to engage in some long term LRA, followed by a good sleep to face the next day.

What keeps the NCC Cadets going ?

By now I have been with NCC cadets, for about seven years and I keep wondering as to what keeps them going. I have been through three different states, poles apart, socially and culturally. Financial Support from the State Govt, the standard of Educational Institutions and the work culture are so different in every State. Yet, one thing that is common is the enthusiasm displayed by the cadets. How can you keep attending camp after camp? After all, these are not five star camps, in the garb of adventure tourism, where all possible amenities are provided under canvas. The accommodation provided is partly built up and partly tentage, generally the less used portion of the local school or college, with some support provided by the local municipal body.

The routine starts at six in the morning and may well go on past the midnight. If lucky, you might get some hostel accommodation, with cooking and dining facilities, but most of the times, the camps are held under abysmal conditions, going by the normal standards of urban lifestyle ; ie a place to cook, a place to eat, a place to wash and bathe, hot meals, amenities like electricity, running water, TV, decent working hours etc. Living in tents is okay for 3-4 days but carrying on for 3-4 months is beyond my understanding. There are at least seven camps in the run up to the Republic Day Camp at Delhi. The competition is so stiff that no one dares to fall sick even for a session leave alone a day; his or her place would immediately be taken by one of the cadets sniffing at his heels. There are cadets who are dropped in the last camp and the subsequent year, to my surprise, they are back again for the grind. What’s more, they are ever so cheerful; so much so that, being with them you forget all about the heat, dust, and deprivations. You just feel refreshed and energized in their company.

Recently I had a chat with one of the cadets who had done umpteen number of camps in 2009 and this is what she had to say …. we all are missing the camps sooooo bad…… i’d die if i don’t get to attend another one…..

What is it that keeps them going ?!

children and soldiers

taking a leisurely stroll in a cantonment, i am amazed seeing children behaving so free and happy… so confident and so spontaneous. The cantonments have lots of open space and yet have the kind of facilities big cities boast of. the kids are so free with the “bhaiyas” (soldiers) who run these facilities. In the … Continue reading “children and soldiers”

In the thick of the battle in Srilanka, the tamil kids used to wave at the burly, ferocious looking, dark skinned sardars of the “SIKHLI REGT”..one is reminded of Tagore’s Cabuliwallah. wherever men are away from their families the soft spot within the tough exterior comes to light. It is a pity that only children notice it.

I am reminded of the lines I read somewhere, ” the world over, children like soldiers; soldiers like children; perhaps soldiers are children.”

my space, our space and a place under the sun to find yourself and be yourself

Staking claim to territory/space or fighting for territory is prevalent among all creatures. As times change the game of ‘my space and our space’ is manifested in differnt ways,; in the office it is a cornor office or a larger cabin and while travelling it is a window seat or front row. At home , … Continue reading “my space, our space and a place under the sun to find yourself and be yourself”

Staking claim to territory/space or fighting for territory is prevalent among all creatures.

As times change the game of ‘my space and our space’ is manifested in differnt ways,; in the office it is a cornor office or a larger cabin and while travelling it is a window seat or front row. At home , it is not so obvious, but every one including the family pet, finds the most comfortable place for himself/or herself.

While the mundane aspect may be a matter of physical comfort, the more important factor would be the need for privacy, or the need for company. A four year old, may jockey for a place closer to his dad(or mum ).

A couple may look for a place to relax by themselves.

It is not that only the well to do people ‘find’ theirspace. Look at this villager comfortably perched on a roof top watching the sunset. He seems to be as much at ease, as a sophisticated lady in her drawing room.

It is always a balance between too much proximity which can be intrusive or too much distance leading to loneliness. At Ahmadnagar, during one of the many army courses I have been through, I made it a point to go for an early morning jog. At the end of the run I would stop to enjoy the sunrise. It was a kind of lonely place , a gently sloping ground, in the middle of nowhere. Everyday, without fail, en elderly couple would be sitting there well before the sunrise. They would sit about four feet apart , never closer nor farther. Since the place was desolate, there was no dearth for space. Probably, getting closer would crowd them and getting farther would be lack of company; In any case there was no verbal communication.

There is a requirement of someone near and dear within earshot distance yet non intrusive. To some extent this requirement is fulfilled by non stop FM radio or TV. An added advantage with this surrogate companion is that you can set the volume or turn it off when you want.

The comforting sound of pots and pans, or bangles accompanied by the aroma of cooking can actually be better than a non stop chat. This being the male perspective, I am sure ladies would find it good to have some signs of the presence of a man around; non intrusive I mean. Some music, a game on TV, ruffling of newspaper, cursing or even snoring. Of course, the signs of children in the house is generally distracting , but the absence of the mess they create may be disturbing or even depressing.

Why I don’t want to be a normal person ?

My daughter appeared for a music theory exam at bhopal. the music teacher had assured her that she would be helped, to which my daughter had shot back , “i don’t cheat” Eventually the exam was conducted on the terrace of a friend’s private house (music teacher’s freind) . most of the candidates were adults, … Continue reading “Why I don’t want to be a normal person ?”

My daughter appeared for a music theory exam at bhopal. the music teacher had assured her that she would be helped, to which my daughter had shot back , “i don’t cheat”

Eventually the exam was conducted on the terrace of a friend’s private house (music teacher’s freind) . most of the candidates were adults, who were not only copying from books but had also to be helped by the invigilators to do just that. my daughter kept watching the whole thing while she refused to be part of the cheating that was going on.

her music teacher saw her answer paper, and was surprised to find that many of the answers were correct. He was referring to a book and could find some answers incorrect and offered to help ,”just two lines….”. My daughter refused flatly. then came the gem,

” aapka mummy bahut strict hai, papa to normal hai na?”

when i heard that i actually felt so offended. what does it mean when an average indian today, specially on the northern side of the Vindhyas call you normal?

What is a ‘normal’ person expected to do in this time (kaliyug) and space (bharatvarsh) ?

At the workplace

– Do minimum work and get maximum pay, perks and privilages and ‘the other income’; hardwork even a donkey can do, we are human’s na ?

As a parent

– admit your child in the institution where you want him to be, after buying/making necessary certificates and negotiating the right price for the right service

As a student

– get maximum marks with minimum studies after all you are training yourself to do the same at the ‘workplace’

As a trader /businessman

– Obtain maximum returns for minimum services or goods, afterall you have to get rich quick to prove yourself.

As a taxpayer

– What tax and why ? just pay whatever it takes to avoid tax.

As a teacher

– Earn more from tutorials while conserving time and energy at regular teaching

As a doctor

– Expend your time and effort only on such treatment that maximizes the bill.

As a general citizen

– Spit in public places
– buy a platform ticket, parking ticket or traveling ticket only where absolutely necessary
– follow only such laws/rules where infringements are monitored and where the rates for bribe is higher than the cost of abiding the law.

…..and many more

under such circumstances, It would definitely be a compliment when you hear someone say “Oh, he is abnormal”

a perception : your problem and my problem

the other day my daughter was ticked off by her mother, for not taking off the shoes in the bed room; probably something that happens between all mothers and daughters. It went something like this:- mom : it is so irritating.. keeping your shoes on, in the bed.daughter : a ‘so what ?’ look …mom … Continue reading “a perception : your problem and my problem”

the other day my daughter was ticked off by her mother, for not taking off the shoes in the bed room; probably something that happens between all mothers and daughters. It went something like this:-

mom : it is so irritating.. keeping your shoes on, in the bed.
daughter : a ‘so what ?’ look …
mom : take them off.
daughter : no reaction

after sometime i suggested, “i am not getting irritated but it definitely is a bad habit”
promptly , my daughter took her shoes off.. to my wife’s surprise.

she later explained ” if mom got irritated it is her problem, but if i develop a bad habit, it is my problem”

a poem found floating by in the cyber space

yashodaragautama says 58 timesdetachment bringsdivinementnon expectation bringsdeliveranceafter deliverancewhat is there tocall life/////////////// death is welcome as long as life goes onbut when death comes wonder why struggleto beat it back as anyhow life hasbecome a living death Ahhh! dues to creditors of lifechild, mother, father , husband , son etc etc unpaidwant to rest restless … Continue reading “a poem found floating by in the cyber space”

yashodaragautama says 58 times
detachment brings
divinement
non expectation brings
deliverance
after deliverance
what is there to
call life///////////////

death is welcome as long as life goes on
but when death comes wonder why struggle
to beat it back as anyhow life has
become a living death

Ahhh! dues to creditors of life
child, mother, father , husband , son etc etc unpaid
want to rest restless mind, soul, body, eyes
but scared of the rest too
as still hoping to live a life which
not know how but?????????????

death is scary
life is wary
a third choice
wish i had