Bablu!!

Bablu a very familiar name isn’t it?? A name we all must have come across endless number of times in our lives.. !!

I am talking about the Bablu who is about 12 years old, has pale jet black eyes, sun-burned dark complexion and is about 4 feet 9 inches tall…

Cut To- (Office backdrop) phones ringing, desktops / laptops being switched on, a lot of hustle bustle as the day begins in the office… In some corner of the room you can see Bablu (dressed in a pink shirt, brown trouser & blue converse shoes) dusting the work stations. So that is how Bablu’s day begins in the office….

He is ever ready to help all the staff members..at regular intervals he will stand beside the work station and ask “pani laon?” “kuch chaiye didi?”…

Somehow without Bablu people in the office feel handicapped..One day he is absent & hell breaks loose… “Kya hua aaj Bablu nahi aya, call karke pata karo”….

(Thinking out loud) Often I wonder what this office means to Bablu? I mean whole day he is in this office working as an office boy. He doesn’t know what the people are doing, what the office is all about, etc……

 But he goes to school, he said… “paise ki zaroorat hai toh aana parta hai” !!

Cut To- (Office backdrop) This child doesn’t talk much, pretty much keeps mum, the only time he gently speaks is when he has some work …

A tiny chap- he sits on a chair & ponders god knows about what, while listening to music from his Nokia cell phone…

Most often you can only notice a blank gaze he gives at you as you walk past him…

(Pondering) – How many such Bablu, Raju, Chotu..…..do we meet every day…some employed in tea stall, restaurants, as household helps…..

What is their future? What they want to do in life? Do they need guidance & financial assistance or they want to be left alone?

These are the thoughts that glide past me as I watch Bablu each day in my office… a strange feeling dawns on me that is this the way in which the future of India is to be nurtured… People like me and you can make a difference, in our own little ways..

Like for Bablu in my office, all the staff members ensure the money he is earning is used for his education, he is allowed go home early so that he can rest / play / study…

How far these things are helpful I do not know but it is surely a step towards betterment…that is what I believe & would want it to be so… !!!  :)

Tales Untold !!!

8 pm by the watch when after a day’s work I head towards the beach in search of my solitude, far from the maddening crowd, far from the trivial thoughts for survival. As I walk down the sand towards the waters, beckoning me, leaving behind trails of my feet. I wonder do these footprints mean anything at all.

And then I find someone pulling my hand; I turn around to find Viginesh who tries to sell cotton candies to me. Barely did I comprehend the language in which he spoke to me, but he was a good salesperson and sold me packets of candies for 10 rupees. Moving ahead I thought how much does he earn each day selling candies?

I turned around once again and found Vigi at a distance, gestured towards him and he came running to me. Yes we sat down and by some means managed to strike a conversation, and he very gladly informed me that I could call him Vigi. In an extremely short duration he narrated to me that he was eight years old and did not go to school because his parents could not afford the expenses for his schooling. He had two younger siblings and that his parents were somewhere along the stretch of the beach selling roasted maize.

I got the idea, that they had a difficult life to lead, but Vigi’s face seemed unruffled, his big brown eyes conveyed to me that “I am at peace”. He even explained that on many occasions his family slept on the seashore as the heat would be too much to bear inside their small unkempt dwelling.

Our conversation got interrupted when Raghu called out to Viginesh, the young lad almost the age of Vigi came around and persisted on me to buy a cup of tea that was priced at rupees four. After I bought the tea and geared up to continue the tête-à-tête, both the boys disappeared, I am sure to make a few more rupees for the day before the crowd washed out.

Bizarre thoughts wrapped my mind when I looked around at the numerous other vendors of balloons, ice- cream and so on, conjecturing do they all have the similar kind of life to live, that is so very different from the typical metropolis life.

It was almost 10 pm by the watch, the splash of waves reaching the shore and away. At a far distance I could see a girl approaching, as she came at a visible distance I saw her in a gauzy outfit with an over made face and a coy expression. She went past me giving a flirtatious smile; I knew she meant no harm. But alas! It was time for yet another dark aspect of life at the beach to set in motion. Even that girl’s eye gave the impression that she had a message to convey that I failed to grasp.

I got up to walk back home, thinking to myself- how many thousands of people each day come to the beach leaving behind shadows and stories, which the shore and sand bears testimony to. !!!

Paradoxes Of Our Times

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers, wider free-ways but narrower viewpoint, we spend more but have less, we buy more but enjoy less.

We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time, more knowledge but less judgment, more medicines but less health.

We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We talk too much but love seldom and hate often.

We have learned how to make a living but not life: we have added years to life and not life to years. We go across all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble in crossing the street to meet the new neighbour.

We have conquered outer space but not inner space, we have cleaned up the air but polluted the soul, and we have split the atom but not our prejudice. We have high incomes but low morals. These are the times of tall men and short character, steep profits and shallow relationships. Theses are the times of world peace but domestic warfare.

More leisure but less fun, more kinds of food but less nutrition. These are the times of two incomes but more divorces, of fancier houses but broken homes. It is the time when there is much in the show room but less in the stock room, after reading this one can just be lame like everybody else, or make a difference!

Wet and Wonderful

(this article was also published by Hindu on May 12 2010)

Meghalaya is one of the most exciting places, rich in tribal culture and natural beauty.
Meghalaya is a rich reservoir of tribal culture, floral and faunal biodiversity, huge forest cover, a variety of orchids, home to over 250 species of butterflies, making it an exotic and captivating tourist destination.

Meghalaya (the abode of clouds) is a traveller's delight. The wide array of tourist destinations can be clubbed into three chief zones: the Khasi Hills, Jantia Hills and Garo Hills. The Khasi Hills are home to the wettest place on earth – Sohra, popularly known as Cherrapunjee. The Sohra area is on the outskirts of capital Shillong. Dotted by breathtaking waterfalls, deep gorges, swift flowing rivers and can be called the ultimate eco-friendly travellers' destination. It is also the traditional capital of a Hima-Khasi tribal chieftainship.
Unique

The living root bridge situated in Nongriat is one of its kind. It is called the Double-Decker Root Bridge or the Umshiang Double Decker Root-Bridge. Other attractions in the Khasi hills are Mawsynram, also considered one of the wettest places on earth. It has the Mawjymbuin with magnificent stalagmites and a dome-shaped rock called the Symper Rock. The Khasi hills are also abode to the second largest river island in Asia, the Nongkhum Island. A wooden bridge from the Weinia Falls leads to the island. The island is formed by the bifurcation of the Kynshi into the Phanliang and Namliang. The picturesque village of Mawlynnong situated in the Indo-Bangla border has the distinction of being the cleanest village in Asia. The villagers, mostly agriculturists, ensure that the virgin forest cover is kept unharmed. The sacred groves that have been preserved over centuries by means of traditional religious norms are a storehouse of incredible of medicinal plants, orchids and more. One of the most famous groves is the

Mawphlang sacred forest, an ideal destination for nature lovers.
Smit is the heart of Khasi traditional culture, where the Nongkrem dance is performed every year in November.

The biggest artificial lake is the Umiam Lake, popularly known as Barapani, offers water sports. It is situated on the Shillong-Guwahati highway and is surrounded by pine trees and picture perfect blue skies. Jakrem is famous for its hot sulphur springs, which are believed to have curative medicinal value.

Shillong, the capital, also has plenty of tourist destinations. Known as the Gleneagle of the East, the Shillong Golf Course is one of the oldest and best natural golf courses of the world. Set amid the undulating valleys it has an 18-hole course.In the heart of the city is the Cathedral Catholic Church. The Lady Hydari Park and the Wards Lake are other tourist spots. Enchanting falls around the city include the Elephant falls, Sweet falls and Spread Eagle falls.

Architecture

Jaintia Hills is a land of hills and prosperous mineral deposits. It is home to the Nartiang village, famous for the summer palace of the Janitia kings. The Durga Temple of Nartiang has a tunnel that reaches the Myntang. The presence of the largest assortment of monoliths in one single area is found in the Nartiang markets: Menhris (upright stones) Moo Shyrang and Dolmens (flat stones in the horizontal position) locally known as Moo Kynthai.

A drive to the border town of Dawki is an exhilarating experience as the road passes through deep gorges and ravines. The Lumshnong hamlet is the dwelling of the Umlan, the largest and deepest in the sub-continent. It is also inter-connected with two other caves: Kot-Sati and Umskor caves.

A beautiful arch bridge connects across a stretch of paddy fields leading to the Tyrshi falls thundering down to the Pynthor below. Jarain Pitcher Plant Lake sits calmly amid gravelled footpaths, pitcher plant garden and green house interpretation centre.

Densely forested Garo Hills is one of the richest biodiversity spots. The Baghmara Reserve Forest is home to langurs, birds and elephants. Siju is famous for Dobakkol or the bat cave, one of the longest caves in the sub-continent and contains some premium river passages. The Siju bird sanctuary lies alongside the banks of the Simsang.Sasatgre village is home to orange plantations and falls within the periphery of the Nokrek gene-sanctuary-cum-biosphere reserve.

Meghalaya is the destination that vacationers will want to venture into. A marvellous blend of nature and adventure is forever ready to be served on a platter for those who dare to think beyond the horizon to the abode clouds. The hill state is a cosy getaway during these times of summer, in the arms of nature, in the land of rain soaring high in the skies this is Meghalaya for you, the consign to be.