tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85639613432508967752024-03-19T08:08:41.260+04:00Trexperiences!Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.comBlogger200125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-6845450804526555862023-09-04T20:30:00.008+04:002023-09-04T20:30:42.309+04:00Seeing the beyond! <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">We were in Bangalore at the
beginning of second decade of the millennium. The city was probably breathing
its last few days as one of the coolest and greenest cities in India enjoying
the title of IT capital of the country. Those were the days before the length
and breadth of Bangalore underwent multiple surgeries to accommodate metro
transport service. It was when staying and commuting in Bangalore was not as horrendous
as what is experienced today. A haven indeed it was and working there felt like
you were on a year-long vacation with an envious weather a few other cities in
India could boast of. </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It was around that time, Ruby
and I decided to buy our first car. Since we were a single income household with
minimal savings, we decided to go for one of the best small cars then, a
Hyundai i10, a hatchback. Those were the times when the CEO of my company, was
commuting in a Toyota Corolla which was considered a premium segment car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As destiny would have its
way, even before we could proceed with booking of the car, life took a
different turn. After a few rounds of gruelling interviews, I landed in Dubai
as a consultant for Emirates, one of the best-known brands in aviation. Shortly
we also got the good news that we were to enjoy parenthood. This and many other
factors required us to buy a car in Dubai. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I must say we were quite
blessed to have a few friends in Dubai who took the pain to show us around some
of the car showrooms so that we could take a decision. Dubai as you may know is
a paradise for automobiles. Every possible brand ever made in this world finds
itself a home in various showrooms in Dubai. We also observed that options for small
cars like the one we were thinking in India were quite limited. Instead, sedans
and SUVs were having a competition on Dubai roads about who is predominant. It
is not an exaggeration if I said SUVs do have an upper hand in this city. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We weighed all our options.
The distance between a Hyundai i10 and an SUV was alarming, both financially
and emotionally. Truly speaking, we were not mentally ready for a shift from a
hatchback to even a sedan, forget about the SUVs, which was a league altogether
different. At least this is what we thought then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Since the options for
hatchback were quite limited and considering the safety implications we finally
zeroed in on a sedan, the one that made us equivalent to the CEO of my previous
organization, at least in terms of transportation. Yes, we did buy a Toyota
Corolla finally! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If you happen to visit Dubai,
one of the first things, you will realize is, sedans like Corolla are nowhere
near the boundaries of luxury in this city. This is a place where luxury gets
redefined almost every day. A Corolla will probably make its cut as a
mid-segment car among the sedans. Though this is the fact related to the status
of the car we bought in Dubai, the news was probably not how it was perceived
by a few folks. For them we made a jump from not having a car in Bangalore to
driving a car that is driven by some CEOs of companies in India. A life of
luxury indeed!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This story is not really an exception
to the norm. In fact, each one of us need to ask the question, are we really
the proverbial frog in the well when it comes to perceptions? Can we see the
beyond by expanding our understanding of this world? We all tend to compare
ourselves to those who seem to be living in perceived luxury. While this indeed
is a human nature, we need to remind ourselves that a constant approach such as
this will only ignite the inferior personality among us. We’ll end up feeling
depressed and worst case is even becoming hostile in our attitude to others. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On the contrary, learn to
appreciate the goodness in our life. Live in the present and appreciate what
you have been blessed with than looking up to your never ending wants and feel
sad about it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Keep repeating yourself this
mantra: Life is finite, enjoy every beautiful moment you have now! <o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-18324892898941258902022-07-13T10:53:00.001+04:002022-07-13T10:53:07.175+04:00Tunnel Riders<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Alex and Nisha were at their
parents’ place after a long gap of two years since Covid-19 pandemic ripped the
world apart. There were many relatives they had to visit and decided to call on
one of their uncles. It was a good feeling to catch up after a long time and
all of them were quite happy to see each other after what was probably the
worst two years in their entire life till date.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Among the conversation, a
topic came up about a friend of Alex who works in Shimla, one of the most
beautiful mountain regions towards North East of India. He had invited Alex many
times to come over to Shimla and appreciate the magnificent mountains. Alex and
Nisha discussed the plans with uncle and aunt to take a flight to Delhi and
later a short flight to Shimla from there. That’s when uncle intervened and
suggested a better option. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Alex’s uncle had done
extensive trips pan India and was quite familiar with the geography across this
gorgeous nation. He suggested taking a train from Delhi to Shimla as there were
more than a hundred tunnels across the picturesque Himalayas. As soon as they
heard this, both Alex and Nisha got quite excited and almost immediately
started picturing the awesome trip through the mountains and valleys on a meter
gauge train. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While Alex, Nisha and their
uncle were soaking themselves in the lovely landscapes in their minds, their
aunt who was listening to all the conversation spoke for the first time. She
said, ‘What is the big deal in going through so many tunnels. It will be all dark
and gloomy’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The expression on the faces
of other three souls present in the room could only be described with one word,
‘priceless’! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The above story is only a
cross section of what we see in our daily lives. There are numerous such ‘aunts’
among us, be it in our family or among friends. These poor souls can almost
never see the light at the end of the tunnel. Their minds are perennially stuck
in the pitch darkness of the tunnels they cross during their lives. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">People like these are always
lost in the gloominess and in fact miss to appreciate the beauty as the train
of life exits the tunnel into the wilderness and the heavenly panorama of lush
green mountains and valleys. Instead they only see the train moving from one
tunnel to the next and around them they will befriend only darkness and despair.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It indeed is a mindset. We may
think that the worst pandemic in the recent history of mankind might have changed
people. Even the most negative of people around us who survived the pandemic
might have developed an appreciation towards life. Then again, experiences like
this promptly corrects us by citing fantastic examples of perpetually negative
human beings. These are personalities who could never think of anything positive
in life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Rain or shine, these people live
and breathe negative. Imagine you successfully wrap up an extremely strenuous event
for which you prepared relentlessly for a month. Everything went well and while
you are beaming with joy, one of the above kind will come to you and cite the
least of the imperfection and highlight it as the worst thing to have happened
in the whole world. They will religiously fail to appreciate you or your
efforts. This is a mental makeup in its deepest and darkest of shades. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">So what do we do about this? Where
possible help these individuals realize that they are treading the valleys of misery
and in fact there is a highland of happiness that awaits them if they are ready
to change a bit. More importantly when it comes to us, we need to be aware of
the fact that human mind could be like a sponge where it could absorb all these
negativity. Do not let it happen. But in the likelihood of that happening,
ensure that you squeeze them out with an overdose of friendly positivity. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am quite sure we
can work together to bring in the much needed positive vibes and make the world
a better place to live!</span>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-69535863059300290832022-01-20T21:23:00.005+04:002022-01-20T21:23:52.143+04:00Economics of Options<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">It was mid-2009, after living
in India for almost three decades, I got my maiden opportunity to travel
abroad. As providence decided, my first international exposure was destined to
be United States, the land of options! We were a team of six from my company
for a project and the trip was to last three months.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A few days after we arrived
in Atlanta, a friend took me to an Indian store which was the best option available
to buy Indian stuff. I stepped into the store keeping in mind the super market
visits I had till date back home. It’ll be an understatement if I say, I was overwhelmed
with a brand new shopping experience altogether! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Every aisle had neatly
arranged and labelled items which clearly told you what the product and the
price was. But what really struck me was when I reached the aisle for coffee. I
was an ocean of coffee boxes. Brands and types of coffee were aplenty! What seemed
to be a never ending row of options presented itself to me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I was obviously taken back to
the super market shelf in India where I picked up coffee. Those days, packaged
coffee for a middle class family meant only one brand, Bru. Though Nescafe was
around, it was quite an expensive affair. The next best option was to get
locally grounded coffee from Indian Coffee House, but somehow we never opted for
it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With so many options
presented to me out-of-the-blue I was obviously confused. Nevertheless I did
some comparison with respect to the factors that I was capable of understanding
which were just two, price and weight. The beans coming from Brazil or Beijing
didn’t matter! Neither did the percentage of decaf mentioned on the label.
These absolutely didn’t make any difference to me then! Finally I picked up a
bottle that I was convinced was good for me and returned home. Coffee was good.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The whole episode taught me
one of fundamentals of Economics. The value of options! When you are in a
market where a product enjoys monopoly, you obviously have no choice but to buy
that. On the other hand when you are presented with more than one option to
choose from, you definitely need to apply certain criteria before choosing the
best for you. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I’ve met a few people who
totally believe in impulse buying. These folks take quick decisions without
weighing the pros and cons. Then there are others who love to evaluate in depth,
all possible options presented and then take a decision. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We now live in a world where
a lot of markets, both local and international, are open for us to explore. I
may be making a bold statement when I say majority of the consumer goods off
late do present us with choices in all the developed countries and most of the
developing economies. The story may not be the same in the not so fortunate
economies. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Nevertheless the question is
when you are planning to buy something and if you have more than one choice, do
you spend time enough to explore the options and make an informed decision? If
your answer is yes, then you love your wallet. Else you either don’t care for
your money or you are not prudent enough to realize the mistake you commit. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Hence next time you decide to
buy something, ask if you have explored all possible options before zeroing in
on the item. The only caution that we need to keep in mind with options is the
fact that, not to get drowned in the sea of options. Else your decision may
never be made!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Al the best to make an
informed and timely decision next time! <o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-45256453942172865942021-11-25T19:07:00.003+04:002021-11-25T19:07:52.029+04:00How Agile is your Transformation?<p> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">If you are a technology
driven organization in existence for a decade or more, it is quite natural that
you may have a mix of old and new IT applications. It becomes even more
interesting when you have a bunch of in-house developed and vendor
applications.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The third dimension to this
blend, given the nature of operations is the fact that you have a combination
of legacy applications that are running with minimum required support and new
ones that are part delivered or the stars in the horizon for which development
is in progress. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Frame the above picture in
your mind and now think what will be your consideration when you are moving
from the Waterfall way of delivery to Agile delivery. Before heading to the
answer, we first need to look at some of the Agile considerations assuming we
all are familiar with Waterfall. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">With the risk of sounding like
an Agile Coach, here are a few quick thoughts that come to my mind the moment
we speak Agile. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Sizeable chunks of work,
Fail fast and Iterative development. <o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sizeable
chunks of work<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is probably one of the
first questions that we need to ask the teams. Does the current status of a product
allow us to break it down into sizeable chunks so that Agile development can
logically apply? This could be possible for products that are already in
production and for which a healthy enhancement pipeline exists. On the other
hand you could face challenges with those products for which development is
half way through with a pre-agreed delivery methodology. The scenario gets
complex if we have a vendor in the mix. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fail
Fast<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is true that you could
apply this fantastic concept for your products. This equally must apply for
your transformation saga as well. You may try to pull off an Agile
transformation for your identified products, but if any of them does not meet a
criteria, it’ll be better to rethink the strategy. Probably having an Agile KPI
is a good idea so that you have a measurable action based on which informed
decisions can be made. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Iterative
Development<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This is a fundamental
building block of Agile. Can you create your product in iterations? Can the
releases be planned to add value to business incrementally? Can the product be
pieced together to finally form a jigsaw? Are the stakeholders all aligned to
meet this criteria? If the answer to any of these is ‘No’ you’ll need to revisit
your transformation path for that product. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are definitely many
more factors that drive Agile transformation. The above three are probably some
of the key ones. What is important is to remember the fact that while
transformation could be essential for progress, it isn’t the panacea for an
organization where a plethora of technology flavours co-exist. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You need to choose and choose
wisely. Else your Agile transformation will end up being nothing but fragile! <o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-15384266146736943992021-11-25T19:06:00.003+04:002021-11-25T19:06:30.986+04:00Being Positive<p> <span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Flying around like a
beautiful butterfly</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">With a riot of colours and
happiness galore. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">The world was on my
fingertips<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">And dreams were all that I
adore. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Sky is the limit, was the
mantra<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Chanting I did, lying on my
dewan. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Out from the blue came a bolt
of shock<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">On it was written, Made in
Wuhan! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Holed up in the house,
feeling arrested<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Fun, outing and everything
else busted<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Even a rare chance of getting
out<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Was a lost cause with cops
all out! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">When all hopes seem to be
lost<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">A ray of light shined like a
ghost. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">All what my heart did was
yearning<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">And the answer to that was
E-learning!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Life bounced back with verve<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Colours of hope was shining
again. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Yes we still felt arrested, but<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Happiness was what we did regain.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Lucky indeed am I, to be
alive<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">Luckier in fact is my
guessing<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">A thing my books could never
teach<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 20.0pt;">That survival is nothing but
a blessing!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-31387185188303691102021-06-25T10:19:00.001+04:002021-06-25T10:19:09.987+04:00Kitchen Sink Teacher<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">I’m sure you must have heard
the advice, ‘Couples should settle their disagreements before bed time’. This
has been one of the age old pieces of wisdom passed on to us from generations
and is supposed to be the mantra of a healthy relationship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is no denying of the benefit
of this fact, provided you could truly achieve this! Keep aside the theory for
a moment. Practically how often did you have a situation in your relationship
that you just couldn’t solve the issue between you and your partner before bed
time? You ended up sleeping on either ends of the bed or worst case, in
different rooms. If you are smiling after reading this, I’m sure you understand
what I mean. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Not to worry, this is
something every couple in a ‘healthy relationship’ experience at least once (smiles
widen here) in their life. What is more interesting is to know what happens the
next day morning. Are you sulkier than what you were last night or you really
feel refreshed? Can you say the same thing about your partner as well? If either
of you don’t feel better, then the issue of last night will most likely get
worsened. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">If both partners are in fact
feeling refreshed in the morning the chances are higher for the issue to be
resolved in a few minutes after they are up. Now the question is how do some
people achieve this? How can someone who literally fought like cats and dogs a
few hours back mend ways and live happily ever after? What is that secret ingredient
these people add to their sleep? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I really cannot speak for
every one of these magicians out there who does their tricks in different ways.
But I can definitely vouch for one such magic which was taught to me by a
rather unusual teacher, the kitchen sink! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Have you ever tried to wash a
heavily stained dish at home especially towards the end of a tiring day? How
much ever hard you scrub it, even with the soap, you’ll find it next to
impossible for the utensil to be deprived of the stain. Here is when you’ve two
choices, especially when the dish you are trying to clean is testing your
patience. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Choice one is to leave the dish
in the sink and do nothing. Guess what will await your return to the kitchen
next morning? A much more hardened stain for which you’ll possibly need a Himalayan
effort to clean up. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Choice two is what smarter
people do. You take a deep breath and tell the dish that we’ve seen this and
more. Once you get the psychological advantage over the dish, then you add a
bit of dish wash liquid and fill the dish with water. Enjoy the beautiful view of
bubbles reflecting the true colours of the dish while you head to the bed by
leaving the worries at the kitchen door. The next day morning after you return
to the kitchen, all what you have to do is swipe the dish with a brush by
giving a gentle stroke as you would give to a baby. The dish will be squeaky clean
and will reflect your smiling face just like in a mirror! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Bringing you back from
kitchen to the rough evening between you and your partner. Just think that the
stain on the dish is similar to the fight you had. You’re not able to resolve
the issue and you’ve the same choices. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">You can decide to leave it
dry and make things worse the next day. Alternately both of you tell the fight that
we’ve seen this and more. Once this is done, mutually agree that you can solve
this issue, but probably need to sleep over it. This is the water and soap
which will do the magic just like how it did for the dish. I’m sure you’ll be
pleasantly surprised to see the positivity in you the next day morning when you
get up. What you don’t realize is the fact that the stain is nothing but your
ego and the mutual agreement is the secret ingredient that helped the ego melt
away over the sleep. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">All what is left to do
is to give each other a quick hug and make up for the fight because love is the
strongest emotion mankind ever experienced! </span>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-12914521431317885992021-06-21T09:33:00.001+04:002021-06-21T09:33:14.515+04:00The Christmas Miracle<p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">If you gave me a bunch of
wires, half a dozen tiny bulbs, a working motor from an old toy car, some hay
and a handful of seeds of rice, it probably meant nothing but junk. You give
the same stuff to my brother and he’ll create such wonders from them, the
making of which will be a sure shot material for a viral video in world as we
know today.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Allow me to take you to our
world 30 years back. I was just ten and my brother four years elder. I loved
getting drowned in the world of books and was quite happy that my parents setup
a library at home. My brother on the other hand had a table that reminded me of
an electrician’s shop. I never understood what he did with those wires,
soldering iron and millions of other electrical things he seems to have fallen
in love with. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">One fine morning in a weekend
during December, I watched him as he started dismantling one of the old toy
cars we had. He took out the tiny motor and later pulled out some wires and
bulbs from his drawer. The next step was to ask mom for some seeds of rice.
Once he had these, he then headed to our backyard and got hold of a big bowl of
red soil which when mixed with water allows you to mould anything. The soil was
quite fertile as well. He even asked our neighbour and got some hay also. The
curios cat in me jumped out, but he said it is all a surprise and asked me to
wait and watch! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The next thing he did was to
find a suitable corner in front of our house and he did find a good one indeed.
He settled down with his stuff and started preparing the soil by mixing some
water into it. He then got into the act of moulding and soon enough I could see
the contours of a tiny mountain shaping up. On the slopes of the hill he seemed
to have left small rectangular patches which I couldn’t make out why. Through
the middle of the mountain he also left a provision for what seemed like a
pathway. The real reason for all these designs were to be revealed in time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">He then got a few tiny twigs,
straight ones, from a nearby tree and started planting them one after the other
from top to bottom of the hill. By the time the mould starting setting in, he
attached the tiny bulbs to the wires and then connected the string to the
twigs. I was still wondering what will the motor do. The answer remained the
same. Wait and watch! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Before long, one side of the
bottom of the hill was all prepared to look like a small pond, good enough to
hold some water. On the other side he kept some cardboard boxes and laid hay
around them. It was the turn for the motor to be picked up. His tool box came
out as well and he did some of his usual mystical work with it. Before I even
knew it he finished connecting the motor to the wires. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">It was time to bring the bowl
of rice seeds to the limelight. I had seen him not let the clay dry at those
rectangular patches I mentioned earlier. He planted the rice seeds carefully in
these patches and returned to the remaining set of work. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mom called out for lunch and
so we took a break. Over the next few days I could see him do some fine tuning
of his creation. By the time our calendar announced that Advent season will
soon come to an end by culminating with Christmas, the mountain of clay he
created was beaming with green patches of healthy paddy fields! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">On the Christmas Eve, he
invited all of us for his ‘magic show’. In the valley where he had placed the
hay, he softly placed Mother Mary, St Joseph, the three kings, shepherds and
their sheep and a few other animals from our crib set. It was time for baby
Jesus to be placed in the middle. Very carefully he carried baby Jesus and
placed in the middle of the barn he created. He then reached behind the hill
and we all heard a click that sounded like a switch. That’s when the magic got revealed
to all of us! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The whole string of bulbs
came to life lighting up the hill from top to the bottom. Soon enough we could
hear the gurgling of water and to our surprise we could see water flowing from
top of the hill through the pathway he created which ended up in the pond.
Mysteriously the water never reached the limit of the walls of the pond and
didn’t overflow! The secret was that he used the motor to pump the water back
to the top of the hill thereby creating a sustainable fountain! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">That definitely was one
the greatest Christmas Miracles of my life! </span></span>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-86903969943290062972021-05-10T09:34:00.005+04:002021-05-10T09:34:47.469+04:00Power of One!<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">I was having a discussion
with George, a colleague who was quite active with the chapter of Toast Masters
Club in our company. He was telling me how good it was to be a part of the club
and how it helped him as well as many others. The Art of Public Speaking is
definitely an essential skill which I truly believe will help all of us and will
always be associated to good leadership. Toast Masters Club I believe is a good
medium to achieve this.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While the discussions were on
I couldn’t help but be reminded of an incident that happened many years back.
My memories took me to the compartment of a running train in the sweet 1990s. I
vaguely recollect that as a return journey home to Changanacherry from
somewhere in the North of Kerala. I would’ve never imagined at that time about
a conversation I’ll have almost 25 years later about Toast Masters Club. If not
for anything else, one word from the name of the Club was quite applicable at
that moment in the compartment. I was indeed toasting my dad, mom and brother truly
living up to the term motormouth! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Looking at the scene that
happened three decades back I could really empathize with my folks. It must
have been nothing less than a torture for them to keep listening to the endless
rambling in the confinement of a compartment. The train kept moving, stations
after stations passed, only the discourse never stopped. Poor beings, they must
have felt imprisoned in a locomotive in motion with no way out but accept the
destiny with the only hope of reaching the final destination which was another
three hours away. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Dad was one in the family who
was known for finding the way out even in the adverse of situations. He did
find one in this case as well! He tried all possible ways of tempting me to
keep my mouth shut. Offers of many kinds poured in including an additional
plate of the deliciously cold Vada that you only get in Indian Railway. Nothing
seemed to have worked. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He was losing out on all
possible options to entice a 9 year old with an offer that he couldn’t refuse.
But finally he did come up with one which apparently worked like magic. History
was written in gold that the final deal for which I succumbed made me
completely seal my mouth all the way from Thrissur to Changanacherry, a
formidable distance of 160 Kilometres which took more than three hours! I heard
that part of the train experienced Nirvana during those precious moments. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The offer ladies and
gentlemen was a fresh currency note of One Indian Rupee! <o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-76866706025011212042021-05-10T09:33:00.003+04:002021-05-10T09:33:21.098+04:00That’s not fair!<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">Here’s a story of how a
recent trip to Kerala redefined the meaning of being fair. We were on our way
to my wife’s place and stopped at a corner store to get some fruits. I decided
to get a few apples and oranges. A basket was kept right in front of the store
with red apples neatly arranged. The shop owner asked me to get a few so that
he can weigh it for me. As usual I picked up some that appeared without any
dents and handed it over to him.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The apples weighed only about
a kilogram. Since I wanted 1.5 Kgs, the shop keeper asked me to get a few more.
I went back to the basket of apples and picked up some more just the way I
selected the initial ones. The moment I placed the additional set on the tray I
saw his face changing. Soon enough came the comment that redefined the phrase
‘being fair’ for me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">He said, “Oh! You have
selected all good ones again! If you keep doing this I’ll end up not selling
the remaining ones. Select something from the rest as well”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Speechless would’ve been an
understatement for my state of mind. For a moment I was not even sure if he really
meant what he said. So I reconfirmed with him that he indeed want me to be fair
to him and choose a few apples that are not the best. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Apparently, in this part of
the world, customer is indeed the king, but at the mercy of the seller!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Tail
End:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">
I walked out of the store with 1 Kg of apples. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-54863363815879809972020-12-27T11:00:00.002+04:002020-12-27T11:00:39.240+04:00End of an era<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">If you lived in India in
1980s or 90s and were old enough to write sentences, you must have used or at
least seen something called Inland letters. These were sealable letters with
stamps pre-fixed and people used them to communicate with each other by writing
on these and posting them in a post box.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As someone born and brought
up in Kerala, a small state down south in India, I predominantly used the
language of the state called Malayalam. Though my schooling was in English
medium, the routine usage of English was very rare and hence my vocabulary also
was quite limited. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Having set the context, I now
want you to picture this. A sixty year old man who lived in Bombay, present day
Mumbai, at that time asking me to write to him regularly in English on Inland
letters. Once he receives the letter, he’ll read them and correct my mistakes
with red ink and enclose the corrected letter in a cover and affix stamps as
required and post them back to my address in Kerala! All of this with just one
simple and noble objective of making my English better. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Can you imagine anyone in 21<sup>st</sup>
Century to be so selfless, go all the way and take pains to help someone to
this extend? That, ladies and gentlemen, was my dearest Kochappappan! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Kochappappan, how we
affectionately called him, was my grandpa’s brother who hailed from Changanacherry,
my hometown in Kerala. Soon after his college days he made Bombay his home.
From the time I could recollect, he was always referred as Kochappappan from
Bombay! Every year he used to make sure that he kept aside a considerable
amount of time to come down to Kerala to visit his brother and relatives. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Unlike many of our other
relatives, Kochappappan whenever he visited Kerala used to stay with us for a
month or so as we were in the ancestral house along with my grandpa. I always
looked forward to receive him at our small railway station in Changanacherry,
where he’ll promptly arrive on Jayanti Janata, the express train that came from
Bombay which stopped for less than a minute at our railway station. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I used to wait eagerly for
Kochappappan’s arrival. One, obviously to meet him and listen to all the
stories he had to say about his life and how he was a self-made man. He was the
youngest of the five siblings fully aware of the fact that his eldest brother,
by grandpa, shouldered the full responsibility of a large family after the
untimely demise of their father. Kochappappan was all but a three year old
child during the time when he lost his father. As he grew up he was quite keen
on reducing the burden on his brother and tried all possible ways to make some
money so that he could pay for his fees and other expenses himself rather than
depending on his brother. He used to write to various magazines and made a
little bit of money that definitely helped him with his plan. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There was one other thing I
looked forwarded to his visits. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Kochappappan never came empty
handed. He always ensured to carry at least two boxes decorated usually in
bright red colour paper with yellow graffiti design on them. The boxes
contained a treasure that you could only find in Bombay back then! One of them
was Bombay Halwa and other was Bombay Peda. The former was a confectionary which
usually came in a variety of colours enriched with nuts and dry fruits and latter
was a sweet made of milk. Imagine a time when you could literally see and feel
the taste of these wonderful confectionaries only once a year! Something that we
who live in this modern day world of expanded markets cannot even dare to
imagine! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are quite a few stories
about Kochappappan which I cherish deep down in my heart. The priceless moments
spent with him during my childhood is deeply etched as fond memories in my mind
and I’m sure will remain there till my last breath. Every time Kochappapan took
the train to return to Bombay a feeling of emptiness filled my heart but at the
same time the sweetness of waiting for him to come back next year always helped
alleviate that pain. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">On 26 Oct 2020, Jayanti Janata
left for one last time with Kochappappan as the sole passenger for a journey
without a return. The train left the station with only one destination, heaven!
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">May your soul rest in eternal
peace dearest Kochappappan and thank you for bringing a big difference in my
life with your presence!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-23744716097802723212020-12-27T10:59:00.003+04:002020-12-27T10:59:17.604+04:00My Shoes Teacher<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">It had been a while since I
bought a pair of leather shoes. So I decided the other day to go ahead and get
a pair for myself. I had obviously tried it before buying and was quite happy
about it. As expected I started wearing it to office the next day itself.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Day one was all good. The
happiness and pride of getting a new shoes reflected fully on my face. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Day two, things started
getting a bit prickly on the toes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Day three, a slight bruise
started developing above my heel. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Day four, the bruise gave way
to a painful cut. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I started wondering if I did
the right thing to buy this shoes. I was pretty sure I did all possible checks
before deciding to buy the pair. Thoughts started flowing in of going back to
the store to check with them what was wrong with the shoes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Day five, since I didn’t have
another pair to wear, I applied a plaster to the cut and wore the shoes again.
It felt good, though still painful. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The story continued for a few
more days and before even I realized my cut disappeared. The shoes made me feel
so good that I couldn’t even believe that this was the same shoes that was
painful for me. Now I can’t imagine going to the office without wearing this
pair of shoes!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">By reading the story till now,
if you have drawn a parallel to a couple in a new relationship, don’t be
surprised. While this may not be the case with all relationships, there are
quite a few that go through such a strain. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As is the case with a new
pair of shoes, everything will appear hunky-dory in the initial days. As the
days progress, the couple may start experiencing a strain with respect to their
shared life. This is quite natural, just like how the shoes started getting a
bit prickly on the toes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There could be times when the
indifferences between the couple may escalate to a level where it turns out to
be similar as the bruises or cuts given by the shoes. People at this stage
start questioning about the choices they made with their relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But don’t lose hope yet,
since just like what happened with the new pair of shoes and your legs, it is
only a matter of time before a truce is reached between the couple. There is a
catch here though! A plaster on your legs did the trick with the shoes. What is
the equivalent for this when it comes to relationships? You need a plaster made
of patience and reduced ego. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When a plaster was applied to
the bruises and cuts on the leg, it healed itself with time. In an exact manner
have patience and give time to the bruises and cuts on your relationship. What
appears to be an irreconcilable difference today will prove to be a matter of a
simple misunderstanding if you give enough time to reconcile. Complement your
patience with the virtue of an ability to reduce your ego. You will be truly
surprised to see the wonders that get created in a relationship when you create
a healthy mix of these two! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A word of caution though.
These are things that every couple go through, new or old. The combination of
patience and reduced ego may not come handy right from the beginning of a relationship.
It may need to be cultivated as a habit over a period of time. What it requires
is a conscious effort and an ardent desire to bring in positive changes to our
life. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Just like many other
life skills that we learn, this definitely is another life-saving skill that we
all need to learn and apply all through our relationships. May you be blessed
to acquire the skills of patience and virtue of reduced ego to enjoy a fruitful
life together with your sweetheart! </span>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-64489118698759669652020-09-14T08:04:00.004+04:002020-09-14T08:04:36.902+04:00Breakfast in Paradise<p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="text-align: justify;">It was one of the finest
mornings in late November. Our eldest cousin brother in the family, whom we affectionately called Kochachan, came home with an exciting news! It was the 30</span><sup style="text-align: justify;">th</sup><span style="text-align: justify;">
day of demise of our aunt’s father a couple of days later. Normally a news like
this wouldn’t have generated much of an interest among us kids in the family. Usually
my dad would’ve represented our family and attended such events. But it was
destined to be different this time.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The function was planned in a
resort named Orange County in Coorg, known as Scotland of India! The resort,
one of the finest in the country, was owned by aunt’s family. We were to have
an overnight trip on a train followed by a bus journey through one of the most
scenic routes in southern part of India. A day was planned at the resort and were
to return home shortly afterwards. Paying homage to a departed soul never was
so appealing!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kochachan, along with my elder
brother and I started the trip from the railway station in our small town of
Changanacherry. It was a late evening train to Kannur, one of the northern
districts in Kerala. The night journey was quite uneventful. We reached Kannur
station as the sun was about to wake up. Got out of the station and crossed the
main road and found a tiny tea shop that welcomed us with piping hot black tea.
The lovely dawn was made even better with the aroma of the tea. As we had to
cover about three more hours by road, we soon found ourselves on a bus to
Madikeri, a famous hill station town in Coorg. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I remember falling asleep
again soon after the bus started. Couple of hours later, closer to 8 o’ clock,
my brother woke me up. The bus seemed to have stopped in the middle of a
forest. It was lush green all around us. We could also hear the sound of a
waterfall somewhere nearby, but couldn’t see it though. We got out of the bus
and was told that we have a 30 minutes stop there to have breakfast. I wondered
aloud about the prospect of finding food in the middle of that wilderness!
That’s when Kochachan pointed to something across the road. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We crossed the road and at a
short distance we could see smoke coming out of a mud chimney. It was an uneven
slope from the main road which we climbed down to see a little hut thatched
with palm leaves that has become quite dry with age. The driver of the bus was
heading to the hut and since there didn’t seem to be any other signs of a
restaurant we all followed him. Hunger had already started to do the job and I
could hear my tummy getting ready with an orchestra. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We were about to step into
the hut. That’s when my brother made an awesome discovery! A narrow country
road was seen next to the hut which led us to a small yet pretty waterfall the
sound of which we heard earlier. The early morning mist along with chirping of
birds and gorgeous butterflies covered with a riot of colours playing around us,
all painted the picture of exactly how Alice would’ve felt in Wonderland!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The clock was ticking and
since we only had a few minutes left, we headed back to the hut to have
breakfast. We literally had to bow our heads to get inside and were welcomed with
a few wooden benches and desks. On one corner we could see a live kitchen in
action. A couple of frying pans were placed on top of red bricks and fire from
the woods collected from the forest fuelled them. A lady was making fresh
pooris, an authentic Indian breakfast dish, in one of the pans and the other
one had some curry being boiled. The burning firewood seemed to provide more
light in the hut than the 60 Watts bulb that was hanging inside. This completed
the hotel.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some of our fellow passengers
were just finishing the breakfast. As we sat down on the benches, the owner of
the hotel placed clean banana leaves in front of us that served as plates. I
was half expecting him to recite the menu with available items. Instead he came
over with a bowl of steaming pooris freshly made and served us three each. I
loved pooris and awaited the combination of bhaji a delicious dish made of
potatoes. Instead the guy came to us with a dish that was bright red in colour.
For a moment I thought it was some curry made of beetroot or so. But we were
served with the last thing I expected as a curry for poori. A fresh catch of
sardines cooked in grounded red chilly flavoured with locally available mint
leaves and a bunch of other secret ingredients. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We were all taken aback for a
moment as it was the first time in our lives we were greeted with this
combination of curry for pooris. Nevertheless hunger conquered all other
emotions and we dived into the breakfast served. ‘Heavenly’ would’ve been an
understatement! As we gulped down each portion of this strange breakfast combo,
we could feel our taste buds dancing around as though in a combination of
ballet and jazz. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The aroma and spices of curry
married to the freshness of poori accompanied with the relaxing sound of the waterfall
placed in a magical environment was the perfect setting for world’s best hotel!
It was indeed breakfast in paradise! A befitting prelude to our journey to the heart
of Coorg, a wonderland in itself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-39121107460686517862020-09-07T10:07:00.000+04:002020-09-07T10:07:07.855+04:00The 2-Minute Story<p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Just like any other average
IT guy from Bangalore, during the initial decade of the Millennium year 2000, I
was super excited with my first ever onsite trip as part of my project. That
too to the dream land of US! The double bonanza in my case was that it was
going to be my first flight in my life as well.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I only had a few days before
the three months visit. Being single at that time, there wasn’t too much to
pack in any case. Nevertheless I got myself a few stuff that I thought will be
required during my stay in Atlanta. While the preparations was on, Anjana my
cousin sister, who was in Bangalore at that time, was concerned about my food
there. As customary for most of the single Indians then, she advised me to take
a few packs of Maggi Noodles. She said it’ll come handy in case of any
difficulties there. Maggi at that time was only Rs 10/- per pack. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Though it was going to be my
first international travel, I rated myself above average when it came to
travelling in general. I took special pride in the fact that I could adjust
myself to any situation, especially food. With the confidence of a seasoned
traveller, I rejected her idea as quite trivial and responded to her with a
cliché statement, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Little did I know that I
was in for a big surprise when I crossed the border of India!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I reached Atlanta on a pleasantly
warm summer afternoon in the first week of June. It was a 16 hour long transit
flight via Paris and I was naturally tired. I hit the bed as soon as I got into
the rented apartment. I slept like a log and by the time I woke up it was eight
o’ clock in the evening. I got out of the bed and the first signal my brain
sent was of hunger. It was a studio apartment which had a well equipped
kitchen. But what’s the point in having a great kitchen if there is nothing to
cook?!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Since the place we stayed
didn’t have a restaurant, I decided to take a walk to a gas station I had
earlier spotted near our residence. The fridge at the store there had a few
frozen food items and I opted for a Lasagne which was one thing I felt I could
try. I brought it back home and heated it up and had a good feeling about a
pretty filling dinner. The next thing I did was to message my sister and let
her know that I started my life very well as a Roman! All what she said was,
“Wait and watch”. I brushed that comment aside and hit the bed again since I
had to start with the office early morning the next day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A couple of days went by. I
was enjoying the change of place and appreciating the difference in food unlike
what I used to have in Bangalore. It wasn’t too long before reality hit hard.
The breakfast served at the residence was quite a monotonous menu as it was the
same food every day. The junk food I could get at the office cafeteria was
making me feel bored to the core. I really longed for some ‘real food’. Somehow
my sister’s face started appearing in my dreams with her classic smirk saying,
“Didn’t I tell you?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Days were going past and the
frustration of not able to have anything that suited by taste buds haunted me
big time. One day a colleague suggested visiting the nearest Indian store. I
had no interest as I never bothered to cook. Nevertheless I tagged along and
reached Shivam, the Indian store where you could buy lot of things from India.
I was browsing through the shelves of the store without any interest what-so-ever
while my friends were busy buying groceries. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As I was about to turn back
at the end of an alley, my eyes got stuck on a familiar bright yellow pack. The
words Maggi Noodles appeared on the pack which seemed to beckon me. I almost
ran to the shelf and was about to grab the pack when I looked at the price tag
displayed. It said $ 3 per pack. Considering the currency exchange rate, it was
close to twenty times the price in India! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I could see my sister laughing
at me from the face of the pack. I tried to hide my face and took a few packs
paying a handsome amount from my allowance. The price you pay for not listening
to your sister! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tail
End: </span></span></b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dedicated to my loving sister and all brothers like me who
never listened to their sisters and ended up in deep trouble. </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-78159472523788292542020-09-02T19:46:00.001+04:002020-09-02T19:47:19.286+04:00My Alchemist Moment<p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ever since Corona hit the
shores of UAE, we’d confined ourselves to the safety of our home. To be precise,
from March 2020 till today as the calendar announces the beginning of a new
month, September 2020. New ways of life demands new ways of passing time. How
else do I justify my new found interest in balcony gardening? Something I never
paid attention to and left as an exclusive passion by my sweetheart. My involvement
was limited to appreciating the beauty of the flowers and clicking a few
pictures occasionally.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All these got changed with
the extra time I had in hand as there was no travelling to and fro office. It
all started by seeing the tomato plants blooming and eventually producing
beautiful looking baby tomatoes. The happiness of plucking tomatoes that grew
in our own balcony was beyond words. There were a few other pots as well, some
with plants and others empty. The sack of potting soil was lying in one corner
of the balcony. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As the interest in gardening
started budding in my mind, I searched for the packets of seeds we got from a
local supermarket a while ago. Among the packets there was one of cucumber.
Since the hot summer season was still a couple of months away I decided to
plant them in one of the empty pots. Never did I imagine that filing a pot with
some soil, planting a few seeds and watering them every day and waiting for a
sprout can all be such rewarding feeling. The happiness was multiplied to see
lots of tiny yellow flowers filling the pot. I could sense my better half
watching all my excitement akin to a little boy who got a brand new toy! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The cucumber plants with their
yellow flowers gave us a lot of joy for a while. Then it started dying down one
by one. The increasing temperature was one of the reasons I believe.
Nevertheless I was not going to stop with one set back. Seeds from every other
fruit and vegetable we bought at home started to find its way to various pots. Some
of them sprouted and others didn’t even bother to show up. Many of them
followed the path of the cucumber plants. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Planting of seeds became such
a frenzy that I soon ran out of pots. I started thinking of getting bigger pots
as I was determined to recreate a ‘Hanging Gardens of Babylon’ in Dubai! As the
summer months hit Middle East it was getting even more of a challenge to grow
the plants with temperatures climbing and was soon going to cross 40 Degree
Celsius! Hence every time I raised the point of buying new pots, my sweetheart shot
the idea down stating it’ll be a worthless effort and convinced me that we’ll
buy it closer to end of summer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I visited the Hypermarket
nearby, though rare, during these Corona times. Every time I walked past the
aisle where they placed gardening items, the pots there seem to beckon me. I’ll
stand there and look at them with the dream of a blooming garden and almost
immediately the image of a hot summer sun breathing down an intense fire put a
burning hole in my dream. In between, an opportunity even came up when one of
the occupants from the next block was moving out and were selling their big
porcelain pots. The asking price was quite high and considering the summer
story, the thought of buy got a thumbs down. The game continued and my dream
remained at large.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While this was going on, a
thousand miles away near the shores of Mumbai, Shabana Begum was restless at
her home. She was stuck in Mumbai for the past three months due to Covid while
her family of husband and two grown up boys were in Dubai. They stayed a couple
of blocks away from us though we had never met them. In addition of being away
from her family for this long, Shabana was equally worried about her other
‘children’. She had a lovely garden in her balcony with a variety of plants,
flowering and otherwise. Her major concern was that in the entire home she was
the only soul who showed some concern towards the plants. She was truly worried
about their plight especially with the summer hitting its peak. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Shortly enough she managed to
get onto a flight to Dubai and as soon as she reached home, a heart breaking
sight greeted her! What remained of her beautiful garden to which she put her
heart and soul was reduced to a handful of plants which luckily survived the
heat despite of being rudely ignored. Soon, another unpleasant news also was
broken to her. The family had to shortly shift out of the apartment due to
personal reasons. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">With an aching heart, Shabana
posted in the women’s WhatsApp group of our apartment about her intention of
giving away her pots. There were no pictures though. As luck would have it, my sweetheart
was one of the first ones to see the post and even before anyone else could lay
claim on them, she was quick to respond. It was agreed that we’ll visit Shabana
next day and take the pots. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We reached there thinking of
a couple of pots and what greeted us was nothing short of a jackpot! Multiple
outdoor type large pots with such assortment of plants, that even belittled by
dreams, were waiting for us to be grabbed, all for free!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I stood there in her balcony awestruck
in silence! All what I could do was thank three people. God first, then my wife
and finally Paulo Coelho! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Universe
conspired! </span></span>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-82877397830127695922020-08-25T18:34:00.001+04:002020-08-25T18:34:24.114+04:00Positive Batteries<p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first time he heard about
the assignment, Alex thought it was mission impossible! After some deliberation
he decided to take up the challenge. The next few weeks were one of the most
harrowing in his career. Numerous meetings and discussions, lot of new faces,
heated arguments and finally at the end of the third week he had a feeling that
he conquered the Everest. The project report was ready, sitting in a beautiful
blue office file smiling at him.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex was confidence
personified when he presented the report to the top management. He was more
than sure about the decision in his favour to award him the work and was all
set to start immediately. He even had a plan of action charted on how to
execute this project over a period of next six months. The conference room was
filled with positive vibes. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It didn’t take too long for
the picture to turn gloomy. The management soon found reasons not to approve the
financials proposed for the project. They asked Alex to rework on the whole
proposal and submit it again. All what it took to water down the tireless
effort of many weeks was just fifteen minutes. Devastated was an understatement
to describe his mental state. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alex couldn’t believe what
just happened. To him, it was one of the most fool proof project plans he ever worked
on. He signed the report in his blood! Yet… <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Derailed with the thoughts he
returned to his seat as a lost warrior. It was a sore sight to those who knew
him. None of them had seen him in a state like that. Nisha, one of his
colleagues, was the first one to approach. She had seen him work on the project
and in fact helped him many times to get some contacts and data required. Alex
had shown her a draft version of his report and she was equally confident that
he’ll come out of the meeting in flying colours. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She convinced him to go down
to the office café for a coffee. Neither of them spoke a word. She ordered his
favourite latte and waited till he opened up. And when it happened it was
nothing short of a downpour. Nisha acted very well the part of being a good
listener. Alex appeared quite relieved at the end of his rambling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She then convinced him that
not everything was lost and asked him to look at the brighter side of things.
With the work done, he now has direct access to at least ten new people in the
organization and a couple of them at CXO level. In addition, he delved into an
area which he always wanted to learn, but never got an opportunity and this is
exactly what happened this time. On top of all this he got a slot to present an
innovative idea to the top executives. The best part was, they didn’t reject
his idea which happened for many and was the end of journey for most of them.
On the contrary they wanted Alex to review the proposal from a different angle
and present again. The door was still open!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He looked up from the latte
cup. Nisha could see the sparkle on the coffee foam reflecting in his eyes. The
energy that seemed to have lost started making its way back and with a stronger
conviction this time. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Soon enough, Alex was back at
his desk and in a matter of days he presented the revised proposal to a larger group,
the Board of Directors. This time, there was no turning back. The Board unanimously
approved his plan. The project was launched and was completed in record time.
The return on investment was unprecedented in the history of the company that
Alex soon found his name in the list of Chairman Award winners that year! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Standing on the podium, after
receiving the award, Alex just made one statement, “Thank you Nisha, for being a
positive battery in my career!”</span><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-4172661662662490092020-08-18T16:29:00.008+04:002020-08-18T16:29:58.910+04:00Eucharist 6000 Miles Away<p><span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: justify;">2020 will go down in the
history as a defining year for mankind. After a gap of hundred years, human
beings are forced to stay totally indoors with the fear of being annihilated by
a microorganism, the likes of which the world has rarely seen from the time of
inception. A similar incident was cited in 1920s in the form of Spanish Flu.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The day when I turned 39, I
started working from home. Five months later, as I write this, sitting in Dubai,
the practice still continues with the exception that I’ve started going to
office once a week since the last couple of weeks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Covid-19 or Corona virus has
redefined literally everything in our lives. Starting from grocery shopping to getting
a car registration renewed is all done online. E-learning, from being an
exceptional form of learning has become a norm for offices and more importantly
schools. Business folks who vehemently insisted on the absolute necessity for
face-to-face meetings happily conduct sessions online. The world has locked
down itself within the perimeter of an electronic screen. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Spiritual wellbeing was
equally impacted. Along with everything else, Churches and other places of
worship were all shut down. Being a part of the Holy Mass and receiving
Eucharist was no longer possible. The Holy Week also was not spared as it came
in between the lockdown period. Churches across the world made arrangements for
live streaming of Holy events so that people could be a part of it. We started
following the routine of taking part in the Holy Mass on TV, something that was
never practiced in our lives before. Even with all these, something was still
missing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">While we tried to be a part
of the Holy Mass on TV from various churches, we truly felt a gap in
experiencing Christ. That’s when it happened. One day we chanced upon the Daily
TV Mass from the historic Loretto Abbey Chapel in Toronto, Canada. Father
Michael J Coutts celebrated the Holy Mass that day. It was magical! He took us
to experience the divine feeling of being one with God in that short period of
time we were in front of the TV. We didn’t even realize that we were not in a
Church. Through his beautiful homily and the prayers that directly touched our
hearts along with the lovely songs from the Church choir team, we truly
celebrated the Holy Mass as though we were doing it right in the presence of
Christ our Lord himself! <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">It is indeed a blessing to share
the experience of having someone holding your hands while standing at an Altar
more than 6000 Miles away and still elevate you to be one with the Spirit of
the Lord. This we believe is indeed a God sent gift and we all look forward to
the days when we could join Fr Michael and share the happiness of Eucharist with
the Miles no longer separating us!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We also have a dream that one
day when this crazy pandemic ends we would love to visit the chapel and share the
bliss we experienced with Fr Michael himself and even celebrate a Holy Mass
along with him engulfed in the holiness omnipresent in that historic chapel.</span></p>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-58332421115494848762020-08-07T13:08:00.000+04:002020-08-07T13:08:31.241+04:00The other side of the coin<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We were on our first ever
family trip to Europe! Though travelling along with a two year old and a six
year old poses its own challenges, we decided to take the plunge. After a few
days at Amsterdam and a short stop later at Cologne, we found ourselves on a
train to Stuttgart in Germany. The journey was to be an average of three hours.
We ensured to book seats for a section in the compartment designated for
families especially with the little ones with us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Kids as usual were super
excited about every aspect of a vacation! They loved train rides especially and
could feel their excitement in every new sight that came their way. Soon after
the train left Cologne a pretty young lady came and sat near our area in the
compartment. She had a book in her hand and a headset on one of her ears. As
soon as she settled down, we could see her trying to catch-up with the reading.
After a while I felt that she was not able to concentrate on the book, with the
chatter of the kids. I could see her getting disturbed and I told our little
ones to remain quiet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The calm lasted a few moments
as the excitement didn’t let them be seated for long. They were back in action
shortly. So was the annoyance of the young lady. She tried to communicate
through her glances and we tried without much luck to translate the message to
the kids as well. The drama went on for a while. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As the train crossed half the
distance we had to cover, the lady closed the book and looked at me. I could
see rage burning in those eyes. She blurted out all her irritation on me and
asked me to make the kids shut up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Being a tourist in their
country, I tried my best to remain composed and reminded her that she chose to
sit at a designated family area and there is a limit to which you could keep
the mouths shut of little children. I guess the message was delivered well.
Shortly after that she moved to another area where she could bury her heads
deeper into the world of imagination with her book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We thought for ourselves that
a trip that was to be full of beautiful memories might have been destined to
end up with a bitter experience like this. While we were still trying to pacify
ourselves, the train rolled on to the platform of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, the
primary railway station in the city of Stuttgart. As I was taking out our
luggage from the other end of the cabin I could see a middle-aged man
approaching my wife and telling her something. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My wife and kids all got down
from the train along with our stuff. I could see a glow on her face which did a
wonderful job of removing the cloud of gloom that hung above her after the
unpleasant incident on the train. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The man earlier told her,
“Mam, I’m sorry for everything that happened between you and the young lady.
Let her say anything she wanted, please don’t bother. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%;">You are blessed with two beautiful angels and I enjoyed every little
sound made by your kids. </span>They were music for my ears. The world cannot be
deprived of such sheer joy. God bless your family!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Tahoma",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The rest of our trip
was one where we could only find positivity all around us! </span>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-42537369048605526802020-07-13T23:40:00.000+04:002020-07-13T23:40:21.953+04:00When I met a Prince<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was early 1990s. The small
town of Changanacherry in Kerala woke up to an incredible news! We’re going to
have an exhibition in our little town. So what’s the big deal about
exhibitions? Has there never been exhibitions before? Of course there were many
and people loved to be a part of these. So what’s different this time? What was
getting exhibited made all the difference now. It was something the town only
started hearing off late. An exhibition of a curious invention called
‘computers’ that is meant to change the world! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Getting ready to step into my
teenage years, I was obviously super excited with the prospect of seeing this
magical thing. All of us in the town counted the days to the exhibition and
awaited in anticipation. Finally the day came and people flocked in large
numbers to see the machine nick named as the game changer of the world. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We got into the building
where the exhibition was conducted. I remember standing in a long queue and
waiting for my turn to be near a computer. Soon enough, we stepped into an air
conditioned hall, which itself was a luxury in my town. There they were! A few
boxes, some in square shape and others rectangular. Got to know later that they
were known as monitor and CPU. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was a glass partition
between the viewers and the magical boxes. There was no way of touching a
computer. The exhibition literally allowed you only to have a glimpse of
future! There were two or three computers, each one of them displaying some or
other images. One of the computers attracted a huge crowd, especially kids. The
organizers of the exhibition were having a tough time to control the crowd. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was finally my turn to be
in front of the most happening of the computers. There in front of me stood a small
square box where certain pictures could be seen in black and white. Some of the
images from the book One Thousand and One Arabian Nights appeared to come alive
in front of me. Shortly enough came a writing on the screen, it read ‘Prince of
Persia’. I was seeing a computer game for the first time ever in my life! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He was the simplest of the
Prince I ever imagined! Pictured in a dungeon wearing a white jump suit trying
to reach a level where an imprisoned princess awaits him to be saved. It was to
be the most exciting game I’ve ever played in my life. Needless to say the
exhibition was a grand success! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Little did I know that
day, in a couple of decades I’ll literally end up in Middle East with my job in
the land of Royals next to erstwhile Persia! </span></span></div>
Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-20788469329451652332020-07-13T23:37:00.000+04:002020-07-13T23:37:49.602+04:00Love in Corona<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alex circled red today’s date
on the calendar. It had been three months since he started working from home.
The concept was quite enticing for him initially, but soon reality hit him!
While at office he had some breathing space in between meetings. Whereas now,
all what he does is jump from one meeting to another as everyone is on
Microsoft Teams and is just a call away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The day wasn’t different. A
series of back-to-back meetings were lined up. Even the space on the Outlook
calendar he marked for lunch got double booked a few minutes back. It was going
to be a working lunch like many other days. To tell the truth, Alex started to get
a feeling that he missed his office! The only thing that held him back was the
virus which was still at large outside. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He had earlier made a cup of
tea for himself and prepared some coffee and milk for his wife and kids. Soon enough,
he got into the crazy schedule of meetings during the day. After a while his
tummy started making noise. The internal alarms for hunger started getting
active. He was hoping that Nisha will soon have something made for breakfast. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was closer to 10 o’ clock
when Alex got a teeny bit of gap between two meetings. He quickly checked in
the kitchen but was welcomed by empty dishes! Nisha was quite busy with
E-learning for their younger daughter in Kindergarten. Alex got a bit annoyed
as hunger was something he couldn’t hold longer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Soon he got into the next
call and was in between a heated discussion when his elder son barged in
shouting ‘Love you Appa’! Alex before even realizing what he was doing, asked
his son to get out of the room. The air was getting more tensed with a deadly
combination of hunger and disturbance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The day continued to be very
hectic and by the time he got up from his seat it was quite late into the
evening. In between the day, which was nothing short of crazy, there were
multiple fights he picked up with his wife and two kids. Before even he
realized, they had retired to bed even before he could mend the gap and didn’t
even get a chance to kiss them good night. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alex decided to settle down
to watch TV for some time. It was his favourite news channel that cracked
alive. A news item was in progress about the latest victim who succumbed to Corona,
a four year old little girl. The video showed a house in a locality that was
quite familiar. In fact it was just two blocks away. Alex recollected seeing
the news a week ago about a little girl getting infected and taken to a
hospital. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He saw an ambulance leaving
the house and the sight of a heart-broken father that will melt even the coldest
of the hearts. The father was heard lamenting, ‘They didn’t even show us her
face. I couldn’t even kiss my little angel a final goodbye. The last thing she
asked me was a simple box of crayons and I denied even that to my child!’
Little did he know that he was going to get a second blow the very next day
when his company will announce a round of layoffs and his name was in the list!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Alex never felt his heart so
heavy. Grief overpowered him. The series of images on the TV reminded him of
how petty were his issues for which he fought throughout the day with those who
matter. He switched off the TV and headed to the bedroom. The three souls that
meant more than anything else in his life were sleeping. A ray of light found
its way into the bedroom. In that dim light he saw the angelic faces of his
loved ones. They all seemed to lack the usual shine. All of them appeared disturbed
with the experience he gave them through the day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He sat next to his
little one. She was holding her favourite teddy. The words on it read, ‘World’s
Best Dad’! Her curly hair had fallen on to her eyes. As he gently parted them,
tears started rolling down his cheeks. He tried to stop them, but in vain. They
fell on to her lovely little cheeks. He was afraid he’ll wake her up. She
stirred on the bed but didn’t wake up. Instead she took his hand and wrapped
them around her, one of her most favourite ways to sleep when she experienced
the greatest safety in this world! </span></span></div>
Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-3361455993516623012020-07-13T23:35:00.001+04:002020-07-13T23:35:20.517+04:00Father’s Day<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It had been twelve years
since his son started at the new place. As a father, it was heart-breaking to
let his son be taken away and allow him to grow up elsewhere than at his own
home where he was provided everything. It was a strange situation, one he prayed
that no father ever had to endure. These are the times even the mighty ones
seem to be helpless. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One solace was there though.
He had a palatial house at the capital city which was a centre of attraction
for many. People from far and near used to flock to this place which he was
kind enough to open for the public. He had promised his son’s new guardians to
bring him once every year to him. They kept their word always. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As usual they came to the
father’s place this year as well. They used to take some of their relatives
also with them. After spending a considerable amount of time, the group
returned to their native place. Father and son met near the main hall of the
house. They had lots to catch-up from the previous year, starting with his
recent twelfth birthday celebration. As they spoke, a few of the elders and
prominent citizens of the city happened to walk past them. They heard the child
speak to his dad and was quite impressed with his depth of knowledge. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">They invited him for a debate
which was the custom those days. The son loved it. He promptly said yes.
Debates those days were serious affairs. People got engaged in conversations so
deep that they seldom realized how time flew.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Three days went by and he was
right in the middle of a very interesting argument, when he was interrupted by
a startling cry of joy! It was his foster mother who found him after three days
of frantic search, after they realized that their foster son was not with them
when they returned to the native. She was a bit annoyed at him for staying back
and even expressed her displeasure openly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">His father was watching this
from the far end of the hall. Interestingly he didn’t make any move, though the
eyes of father and son met. They knew it was time for him to leave. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Nevertheless, the son didn’t
conceal his disappointment. He told the mother, “Why were you searching for
me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Joseph, his foster
father touched his shoulder and looked into his eyes. They had the same glow as
his father’s. They returned home, together. </span></span></div>
Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-69997505942566749502020-07-13T23:33:00.001+04:002020-07-13T23:33:53.980+04:00The Crown<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Longinus marched into the
open hall of the Praetorium. He was accompanied by three soldiers representing
major legions that belonged to Judah, a significant province of Roman Empire.
He was the chosen one to be crowned as Centurion of the newly created group of
legionaries, the fearless infantry men. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After Caesar, the Roman
Governor alone is authorized to crown the new Centurion. As the custom was,
Longinus stepped forward and knelt down in front of the Governor. A silver tray
was brought to the Governor on which a beautiful crown rested, made of red
flowers of Euphorbia milli. The red appeared quite intense. Longinus remained
kneeling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Governor lifted the
delicate crown and placed it right on his head which appeared to fit well. To
ensure that the crown stays safe, Governor pushed it down. Longinus writhed in
pain! Right in the middle of the crown along with blood red flowers of the
beautiful Euphorbia milli, there was a sharp thorn which pierced directly into
his flesh. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Help arrived in no time.
Before Longinus was further affected, they removed the crown and tossed it
aside. A soldier brought another crown made of a different set of flowers. The
crowning ceremony went ahead without any further interruptions. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Praetorium was soon empty
with the Governor returning to his palace. The guests had all gone back. The
hall was cleared of everything unwanted including the crown with the thorn. The
trash was dumped behind the Praetorium near the scourging pillars, including the
crown. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was destined to rest there,
adjacent to the wall for the next three years and grew itself into a plant with
sharp thorns all over. A man was brought in one fine day for scourging,
apparently of no fault of his. Longinus was the Centurion still and one of the
soldiers took a long stem from the same plant and made a befitting crown, but
this time instead of one, it was covered in thorns. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The man cried in pain
as Longinus pressed the crown on to his forehead, precisely the way he cried three
years ago. They mocked at him and gave him the name ‘Rex Judah’…</span></span></div>
Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-71316279077841117602020-05-16T10:04:00.000+04:002020-05-16T10:04:23.931+04:00The Bowl of Pilate<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Claudia had been in labour
for a few hours now. Word was sent to him that it was an unusually painful time
for her. Pilate walked to the balcony of the court, feeling helpless while
looking into the endless boundaries of Judaea, the province he ruled. It was
not too long ago when he stood exactly at the same spot and assessed the
agitating crowd which was getting even more restless with every passing moment.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There stood the man right
next to him who they called Messiah. They wanted him crucified. Pilate wasn’t
helpless then, but was confused. That was a new feeling for him. Being the Governor
he was usually clear on his decisions. But it was different this time. His conscience
seemed to be troubling him a lot. Decisions appeared hazy. But the mob kept
pushing him to the wall against his will. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He was about to make up his
mind when the note arrived. It was quite unusual for Claudia to interrupt him
in between a trial. He knew it must be that important. What he read made him
realize even more, but didn’t help ease the situation. On the contrary it added
to the gravity. "Don't have anything to do with that innocent man, for I
have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If there was one man who
could free the accused, it was him. He was the last word now, since Herod also
sent the man back. It was a fight between honesty and power. He didn’t want to
upset the sentiments of the mob and always preferred to portray himself as a
pro-Empire man. The accused meant nothing to him, compared to the throne he
will stand to lose if the decision was to free him. He crumbled the note from
Claudia and his conscience died along with that. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There was only one thing
left. He ordered for a washing bowl, took water and washed his hands in front
of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It
is your responsibility!" The verdict was given. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">His thoughts were interrupted
by a messenger. The man had a grave face. Pilate had been summoned to the inner
chamber where he could see Claudia lying down. She no longer was in pain. He
looked around for the baby. The midwife was trembling while trying to wash her
hands covered in blood. One look at her face and Pilate knew something terrible
happened! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">She kneeled down in front of
him and pleaded for mercy. The baby couldn’t be saved. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">That was the moment when the
train of thoughts that got interrupted earlier, returned to him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All the people answered,
"Let his blood be on us and on our children!"</span></span></div>
Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-77414688827844197532020-03-09T23:13:00.002+04:002020-03-09T23:13:42.868+04:00Katie’s Mystery<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She was welcomed home with a
cry of joy! The round little eyes seem to have sparkled when the entire family
greeted her as soon as she stepped in. She was truly delighted and was
literally flying high!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Katie, that’s what the family
decided to name her. Dad, mom and the two little ones in the family were all
excited to welcome the third child into the family! She was a born charmer and
carried herself with an air of power that held her together. Katie was such an
active creature that she was seen all around the house. One moment she’ll be
seen hiding behind the curtains in the hall; a few moments later she’ll be
hanging besides the kitchen door. She loved to float around and enjoyed the
attention everyone bestowed on her.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">She was the precious jewel of
the family who had this uncanny ability to make everyone filled with happiness!
All went well till one day when the little boy of the family noticed something
strange about Katie’s legs. They seemed to be losing its strength. The girl appeared
to be losing weight from one of her legs! They tried every possible cure that
can be given in the world to her. But soon, things went from bad to worse.
Katie’s second leg also started appearing malnourished.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">None of the medicines seem to
have an effect on the little girl. Sadly enough in another few days the
mysterious illness got into her arms as well, first affecting her left hand and
later the right. They all prayed for a miracle which is all what was left to do
for them.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Katie survived for a few more
days. With each passing day her body became weaker and weaker. On that fateful
day as everyone in the family gathered for an evening prayer, they could see
Katie with droopy eyes and a very fragile body looking at the picture of God as
if she was receiving her last rites. Soon she slowly descended and let herself
lie near the prayer mat.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The little ones in the family
tried to lift her up and place her on their lap. All what they heard was a gasp.
It was the last bit of air that was left in the helium balloon in the shape of
a girl. Ten days back dad was holding the thread while bringing her home from the
carnival ground.</span><br /><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">RIP Katie.</span></div>
Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-61651166544530192432020-03-05T09:24:00.000+04:002020-03-05T09:26:28.430+04:00A dad’s dilemma!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It was bedtime again the
other day. Our son had slept off already and our four year old girl was on the
bed, but as usual resisting sleep big time with her condition yet to be met
that Amma (mom) needs to cuddle and be with her till she sleeps! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here is exactly how the
conversation went between mom (M) and daughter (D): <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M: Why don’t you sleep dear?
Amma needs to finish something. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D: No! I need you here next
to me. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M: Wait, let me ask Appa
(Dad) to come and join you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D: No, I want you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M: Oh, so you don’t want to
cuddle Appa and sleep?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D: No, I want to sleep only
with you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M: Shall we then send Appa away?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D: What?! Send Appa away? No! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">M: Why not?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D: Of course not! Because he
is our Appa!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">My heart was filled with all
the love this sweet little world could offer! But soon came the remaining part
of her statement. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">D: Who will then drive us
around?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Dedicated to all the loving
dads around the world! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8563961343250896775.post-66965799262233623762020-03-05T07:40:00.000+04:002020-03-05T07:40:00.247+04:00The Second Chance<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ is a
recent Malayalam movie that got released starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Biju
Menon. Soon after the movie got released, a controversy started doing rounds
about one of the scenes in the movie. This is the scene where Koshi, the
character played by Prithviraj slaps his wife. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later when a journalist
questioned Prithvi on him going back on an earlier promise he made, of never acting
in scenes that are outrageous to a woman, he made a very interesting remark. He
mentioned that this was the only way to factually represent a problem that
exists in our society today even when the parties involved are highly educated.
What was even more fascinating was the statement that followed. He said
‘Kannamma’ the character who is the wife of ‘Ayyappan’ hailing from a lesser
educated background would’ve walked out of the marriage if it ever happened to
her. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You might have guessed where
I’m heading to, with this narration. If the guess is that I’ll be touching upon
the importance of giving due respect to the women, then guess again! It isn’t
that the topic is less important. On the contrary it is one of the most
critical topics to be discussed in any forum that talks about relationships.
But enough and more has been said about it. Hence I want to focus on the
possibility of a second chance each one is capable of giving the other in a
relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How often have you ended up
in a situation where you misbehaved with your partner to an extent that you
made him or her feel that it is not worth living with you anymore? The affected
party in such situations have two options ahead. The easier option will be to
decide that your partner is not worth to share your life with even for another
day. Quite a few take this decision and find the ‘easy way out’ of the
relationship. But I really want to talk about the others who take up the more
challenging option and lead themselves as well as their partner to a more
meaningful life in future. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Option two is where you give
a second chance to the one who inflicted pain in you. Definitions can be very
relative when it comes to severity of mistakes committed to you by your
partner. A slap on a face could be an unpardonable offence for someone whereas
for others it is pardonable once if they see hope at the end of the tunnel. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Most of the couples in their
early years of relationship are truly in a state of ignorance about each other.
You will really know someone only when you start sharing the same roof. This
state of ignorance, especially during the initial days, leads to behaviours
that may easily be misunderstood as non-compatibility by both parties. This is
where a second chance stands crucial. It is absolutely essential to realize that
these initial misunderstandings, if amicably resolved on time, will lead to
something very beautiful. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Still doubtful? Ask this
question to any of your loved ones who had been married for a few years. During
the initial years of marriage were there incidents that made them believe that
they had to call it quits? Ask them if they could even imagine taking the first
option and if so what would’ve happened? I am pretty sure the answer will be
all the beautiful moments they experienced together as a couple till date happened
only because either of them gave a second chance to the other. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Giving a second chance to
your partner isn’t a bad thing but it is equally important that the recipient learns
to respect this decision. It requires mutual effort to ensure that the second
chance is utilized in its right spirit and more importantly understand that
there isn’t a third chance! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">May you have the
grace to provide a second chance to a loved one, if required and the ability to
accept the fact that you are now given an opportunity to make things better! </span></span>Mukkadanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14304038259183841359noreply@blogger.com0