Tag: Musings

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subscriptions thoughts

A Diwali-Sans Romance.


Diwali , a festival of lights, failed to bring cheer to the Hindu community.It rather cast an environment of disappointment . It was a sad call to people to delve into an affliction that  proclaimed  their inadequacy.

The charm of Diwali, lies in buying brand new articles. This year, undoubtedly saw the commodities rising to insurmountable levels. Gold is pitched at 1060$ per ounce. Silver is quoting 17.42 per 10 grams. The consumer products , rice, dhal, sugar, vegetables and fruits are keeping the price range in the unaffordable  levels.

Hindus buy new clothes  during this festive season. They had to restrict their buy to moderate  qualities ,as pure silk with zari work has shot to astronomic heights. Another portion of their expenditure , circumvents around preparation of home made sweets and  delicacies. This was also kept in compressed position ,as the raw products saw an inflationary trend in their prices.

The movement of the people from cities to the native places , also got affected by the rise in travelling costs. The rush during this period is usually very heavy. Ticket availability in all modes of transport was nil . The airlines ,which is the most expensive mode of travel, also threw out empty hands. The situation will last till mid January,.

The festival had a clean sweep over the wage earners pocket. The bonus was also insufficient to make a complete wrap up of the requirements. But  as new purchases have to be made, people had to exert themselves to celebrate the Festival of Diyas.

As the question of sustenance is hovering about, revellry  has  to take the back seat , undoubtedly. Years back , with a few hundreds, Diwali was  celeberated in pomp and splendour. Inflation has not been halted , as the government puts forth. It is in the upswing.The dizzy dangling of price levels  sets our heart pounding.

 

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Economy subscriptions thoughts

Economy Muted, Employment Routed


The worldwide recession is drawing to a close. It has been halted by stimulus package. The Asian countries have taken the supremacy  over economy. China’s growth is amazing. India is carefully treading China’s curve. The  dollar is losing its importance.A new currency  will soon make an advent . The baptization of this currency ,which is going to be a mixture of euro, yen , rupee ,yuan and lira , will be performed  shortly.

The world has not been as successful with employment as it had been with Economy. Job cuts still exist. U.S was the most attractive destination  for Asians with respect to employment.. But , in the course of this economic down trend , a drastic lay off and an emergent disposal of jobs were enforced.

The resilient stayed back . But ,the less courageous returned home. The situation  is still deplorable. There were incidents of suicide. The huge salary ,which placed the migrants in a plush alibi, has been  withdrawn. They ,who had borrowed heavily , to purchase  houses, cars , and other amenities could not make over their loans. They found themselves in enormous debts. With no revenue the liabilities looked so gigantic., and got magnified. This eccentricity drove many , not only migrants, but also natives to end their life.

The economy has been reformed. The employment is still in a pathetic wreck.The determined ,who stuck to the job , in spite of low salary , are in gripping fear. What is going to happen ? is the query boggling their mind. But , the sensitive ones, unable to tolerate the shoddy pay packs, have come out of the cruise. They are mopping in the dark, pining for the hay days, suffering for no fault of theirs.  A serious consideration  has to be expedited to resolve the burning issue. If not looked in time, there will be an outbreak of epidemic financial  disaster in the  guise of  job loses.

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Economy thoughts

Heavy Luggage.


The executives of top notch companies are entitled to excessive pay and generous freebies.. The economy is bleeding . The recession is over taking normalcy. But the top brass go high in private jets to the capital to get alms for their sustenance.

The begging bowl and the jet  show an ironical depiction, a satirical subtlety, and a deranged euphoria.The retrograding economy compels an austerity. The precedent should emanate from the top officer. Then , an ideal, subjugated tempo would prevail over the mid level and junior cadres.A voluntary surrender of a percentage of salary and politely avoiding perquisites by the Chairman and Chief executives  would go a long way in promoting healthy  salubirious condescension to the company which supports them. This conduciveness that looks up in the small nucleus will fetch a powerful acrimony , by alleviating the otherwise obscene industrial perspective.

To forego a little  benefit ,we need a lot of determination ,a full dare out to retrieve the soiled grace, an entire resolution to pull out the economy from the woods. But such a realisation is hard to decipher among the executives. They bargain for even more perquisites, and claim a hike in salary to befit the strain they undergo in conducting the business. If a willing submission is difficult , then the government should appoint regulators to monitor the “luggage”,that is disbursed,and designate inspection to deduce the bonus ,free air tickets, holiday packages and other allowances that are recorded, and  compensations that are not entered.

Austere ,sober , serene movements will certainly push in a quick recovery and germinate a soft blend of prosperity and magnificence. 

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Economy subscriptions thoughts

Silence Is Golden.-Metaphorically.


Bragging and prattling ,make no sense. Chattering and gibbering render you small.Fussing and exacting pose you ridiculous.But being silent and quiet ,remaining placid and passive, staying calm and still ,yields accolade.

The stock market made enormous noise a year back. There was high tone of buoyancy, top voice of celebrations, shrill note of excitement.It was a happy commotion. There was revelry  all over.

Then , the sensex tumbled.It fell unceremoniously. It touched the nadir. There was a pitched wail, noisy heaving, loud disappointment. It was a sad confusion. There was moaning all over.

The price of gold is shooting in a jet speed. It may reach 1500$ level,The predictions are exactly firm. The forecasts are firmly pointing up. It is proclaimed as a safe investment. There is restlessness all over.

The quiet investor , who was steadfastly composed throughout the quaky syndrome, has made profit. A buy order on exceptionally performing stocks has enriched him. They have earned him dividends .They have also enhanced his asset worthiness. Now as, the market is upbeat, his wise act of purchasing stocks at low prices ,would definitely give him an enchanting return.

His methodical ,prudent, exercise steeped in simplicity and quietude has borne fruits.

The adage can be metaphorically alluded to the acquisition of the glittering yellow metal. Golden investments in gold earn silent gains .Profits are in an explosive endorsement.

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subscriptions thoughts turmoil

More Sad .


We are on Saturday. We have heard distressing news from all over the world. Death is in all enormity. It is outrageous, particularly this week.Despair mounts. Gloom permeates. Sorrow fills. Tears well. Heart sinks.

The earthquake ,followed by tsunami in Samoan islands, two successive earthquakes in Padang Indonesia, Typhoon Parma  in Philliphines, floods  in India, great drought in East Africa, have installed a delerium , have imposed a deliberate shock on the community.

Besides, such rude violence, a boat capsize in Thekkady , in Kerala,has aroused an indignation over the safety measures adopted by authorities.The indifferent , light hearted attitude of the staff of the tourist centre has cost forty precious lives.The amusement has been converted to a tedium.

Nature seems to be enraged. The unholy behaviour of Nature is ascribed to an environmental disaster, created by Man. It is, in a way right. In a way , wrong. Such grotesque episodes occurred  from the time of vedas, in the age before CHrist, some 2000 years ago. There was the great deluge , which converged in the tale of Noah’s ark, the submerging of Lemuria beneath the Pacific Ocean also adds evidence to the fact that  Natural  disasters were a regular phenomenon. We read about the disintegration of land masses, land slides , tornadoes  hurricanes that took place. even a few centuries back.

This cyclic eventualities did and do happen , causing hardships, creating disappointments, producing misery, and issuing bereavement. The loss is irreparable, both materially and mentally.

The week is drawing to a close. Let us be kept away from  pralayams,catastrophes, .”bencanas”

” Krishna  mukunda nee murare,”

Praise ye the Lord,

Allahu Akbar.——Allahumma salli-ala Muhammad

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subscriptions thoughts

Common Cold-Then And Now.


Cold is an infection that keeps on meddling you time on and time again. People .like me in my childhood had a perennial water supply from my nose. I was not put on any antibiotics, any special diet, nor quarantined from  my siblings. Cold and I grew together. In the mornings , I had starting trouble. my nose would be blocked , my voice choked,thus no sound came out. Half asleep , I would be dragged from my bed, given a tepid bath, hair combed, and I was dressed up for my school. An oil bath was a must on Tuesdays and Fridays. I used to struggle ,shout,but nothing worked. The oil bath was performed with exact   measure of oil warmed with  a fragment of garlic, a small piece of red chili, pepper and jeeragam.THe oil was profusely applied on my head and body,. I was made to sit in the bathroom for fifteen minutes. Then  shikakai  or soap nut powder was rubbed , to remove the oil. The shikakai was mixed with rice boiled water. The bath used to be warm.  My cold appreciated. in leaps and bounds. proceeded to school with a big towel in hand. My friends used to make fun of me.I did not mind their provocation, instead , threatened them ,that if they continued their jeering , the infection will catch them. That was the way , I was brought up. in strict military discipline along with the sense of pride and independence.In course of time the cold virus, baffled by the treatment and contempt meted out   bade farewell to my system. Immunity developed by itself. I grew hale and healthy.

In recent times, if a child sneezes , the parents rush to the doctor, who prescribes, antibiotics, paracetamol, and cough syrup . The child has to take thrice a day , for five days. The child is  given a sponge bath, and put in a separate room. She is not allowed to go to school, instead put in bed with warm clothes and socks. The child is made to feel pretty sick. The confidence is lost. The medicine weakens the system, kills the appetite and renders the child helpless. After five days , she is allowed to have restricted movements. A week later the child goes to school, half tired . A week’s activities is lost.

Feed the cold and starve the fever is the maxim that comes in my mind. Leave the  cold to itself . It will disappear in a week’s time. Cold in small children is a growing symptom, that gradually diminishes as the child advances in age.

  

 

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reverberation thoughts

Music In Poetry.


Poetry is the best form of literature.Music is the finest feature of art.The combination of poetry and music will certainly bring out an amazing quality of art.

The architecture of poetry is  one of excellence. The rhythm,assonance, alliteration are used to achieve musical effect.Metaphor, simile, create a resonance. Irony,ambiguity and symbolism are stylistic elements in poetry.

Poetry is an ancient literary form, predating litercy.The ancient Vedas were in poetic form, to aid memorization and transmission.Vedas of verses-Rig veda, Vedas of chants – Sama veda, Vedas of prayers-Yajur veda, vedas of fire priests -atharvana veda, are all poems ,which are still in vogue.

Poetry is a winged form of expression . It mixes  truth and imagination, rhythm and music verse and resonance, rhyme and music.

Poetry ,when read aloud , poses a similarity to vocal music. The ups and downs, the timbre and texture,the tempo and meter,the dynamics and cadence , bring forth an ecstasy ,that cannot be expressed but only can be felt. The Indian classical music has its origin in the Vedas. The poems set to particular ragas  were sung in full throated ease.The songs of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Syama sastri  are exhilarated  poesy. which enthrall us. The melody lies in the versification. The lucidity lies in the cadence. The rapturous delight exists in the rendition.

The Carnatic classical music is an evolution of music in poetry. It effortlessly moves between music and poetry, adopting the systems in perfect harmony.It is a beautiful invocation. It is inspirational. It is embedded in fantasy, It is an exposition of piety.

The notation  add charm to the presentation. The structured format reveals an extolling impact. .The flexibility of the music and the intonation during performance  propagate a skilled degree of fastidiousness.

The wings of poesy lift us to a state of intoxication, to a terrain of bliss and leads to a ceremonial escapade from the dull world.

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A Pensive Delineation.


Letting my body relax,

Letting my eyes wander,

Letting my mind travel,

Letting my thoughts diverge,

Letting my expressions asunder,

Letting my feelings astray,

Letting my movements surrender,

I resolve on a pensive delineation.

 

 

Holding my breath tight,

Holding my perceptions close,

Holding my  deliberations dear,

Holding my speech direct,

Holding my revulsions  complete,

Holding my decisions steady,

Holding my  fixations pointed,

I draw up a pensive delineation.

 

Following a  righteous path,

Following a rhythmic cadence,

Following a juxtaposed idiom,

Following a reverential solidarity,

Following a focused procedure,

Following a designed proposition,

Following a defined framework,

I achieve a pensive delineation.

 

 

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subscriptions thoughts

Land Of Sorrow


A country of 17508 islands ,Indonesia is the  world’s largest archipelago, stretching from mainland south east Asia.It is the fourth populous country in the world.

Cikangkareng , a village about 60 miles  fromJakarta, suffered a huge landslide ,after the week’s  powerful earthquake in West Java.The mound of rocks and soil piled up in quick succession,that relatives find it hard to clear the debris.

The sight of pathetic dismay, unobtrusively developed into a  scene of tourist attraction.People from neighbouring villages came in trucks and motor bikes to take photos of a  this ghastly tragic site.

Death is a great leveller , quoths Shakespeare in his tragedy Hamlet..Even  Kings are subject to death. , But , have you ever heard that Death is a great fascination. Nay , never, you shake your head vigorously . But , I firmly disagree with you.Death provokes fun, induces joy, resumes satisfaction, as professed in the landslide in a small hamlet in Indonesia.

The country is situated in the volcanic belt  around the equator. It is susceptible to earthquakes on and off, and millions of people are rendered homeless, lose their lives.The people live in eternal fear, perennial apprehension,  so that the joy of living is a totally absent.

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subscriptions thoughts

Diluted Illusions.


Illusion is a false  perception of reality.A semblance, a phantasm,that exists in imagination,but which is a misconception in reality.

An illustrative narration of this kind of wishful thinking  sent chill down my spine. I was terrified, and upset, once I heard the story of a ghostly apparition every day , when the clock struck twelve.

I , as a child , lived in a sprawling bungalow. with host of servants around. We were six , four boys and two girls, born one after another , in quick succession with very little intervals. We ,after school hours, were put to hard tasks of extra curriculum of music, and dance. We retired very tired, and fell asleep once we got into our bed.

Well this was our routine during school days. In summer we were sent to the beautifu hill station Of Coonoor. We were left free.We went on a trekking, and had the whole day at our disposal. The gardener there , used to keep us engaged with stories of ghosts. Every day , we sat round him to hear the  intersting , horrifying episodes, while our parents were busy with their social calls. The gardener, an old man, opened out of his  imagination. ,which ept us on toes.

One day , he told us of  the occupant of the house down below, who died a decade back. The English man, lived in the houise all alone. At night there was a strong hooting , around his parlour. For days he could not trace the cause . One day , he kept vigil. At midnight, a stout scotsman  walked down the alley with a cigar in his mouth, and a walking stick in his left hand. He opened all the doors of the house , one by one, wiht ease, went straight to the kitchen,  took a large piece of a baked pie, gulped it, drank hot chocolate . He  left the kitchen, with a bang, closed the door witha slam, enterd the parlour, hooted for a shiort time, then raced out of it , to the foyer,. He swiftlu passed the main entrance, locked the main door and slipped of in a hurry. The next day , it happened, the next and next, it continued, as per the timetable. The Man looked decent, educated and was in pink o his health. He was dressed in finery. The English man , got accustomed to the  schdule,that he  eschewed the fear romhis mind. He slept peacefully therinafter.

We were dumbfounded. All the six of us sat motionless. It was unbelievable, yet believable. It was an illusion, but got diluted by the  regularity and less dicey  ventures.