Meenas PoemsNandan Nilekani quit his job and became the Chairperson of Unique Identification Authority Of India on July /9/2009.
It was a surprising decision.
Last week Narayanamurthy sold .13% of his stake for 143 crores.
Yesterday , Sudha Murthy,disposed 2% of the shares for 430 crores.
In a week, Akshata will shell out her holdings.
A few days from thereafter Rohan will dispose his equity.
Off, the Muthy’s will set afloat in a Catamaran., as they make hay when the sun shines
The tides rise up,
The water splashes,
The bubbles shoot up,
The pebble tosses,
The fish rise up,
The whale crosses,
The frogs leap up,
The sea animal dashes,
The mammals spur up,
The octopus smashes,
Everything mounts up,
To go back to the sea.
A dramatic turn has happened today in the Supreme court of India ,when Raveendran , Judge , recused himself from the hearing of Ambani dispute , citing a personal conflict of interest.
His daughter is employed in a firm that is a consultant to Reliance.The three member bench was constituted a few months back. At the start of the case last month, Raveendran had disclosed that he had equal amount of shares in Reliance Industries and Reliance Natural.The lawyers of the two parties raised no objection yo it.
When the nation and the investors are keenly awaiting the wrap up, this deviation seems to be a doubtful extension.The mild excuse by the judge at the stream of hearing does not have a credible breakthrough,
The withdrawal is an apparent ploy to prolong the case. In a rare gesture,the government has put its foot firmly that it is the owner of the gas.Therein lies the catch.
The clever brothers, with their cleverer counsels, will argue their case before the cleverest judges of the Supreme court. The dullest of the lot the investor, the duller of the crew the financial institutions and the dull of the entirety the nation, will watch the melodrama for years, such that of the telecasts of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
What a twist in the tail!!
Is there a life after 55? asked Nalini.
What has happened to you? I asked her.
No , I feel that there is no activity after mid fifties.We live a sedentary life. There is no immediate engagement., no pressing commitment, no hastening role to play.
Asher responsibilities are getting discharged, Nalini is bored. Her children have migrated to distant lands. She feels let out. Her husband is busy in his social activity. She , who detests publicity , who loves being at home , is down cast.
This syndrome is keeping many women under pressure.
The emotional bondage she had with their children continues, but the thought they are hundreds of thousands of miles away from her, saddens her.
Nalini , fighting back her tears, says that once upon a time it was the girls when they got married move away from the mother, but in my case, my boys,(she has three , and no girls) have flown away from me. All of them are in the corners of the world., and if anything happens to me , it will take a real 36 hours to reach
Nalini is inconsolable. Biting her lips to halt her sobs, she revels on their boyhood pranks,on their mischievous acts, on their futile attempts to beguile her, on their ability to frame stories to maker her put down the stick ,which she wielded to keep them in order, their skilled pretensions of feeling sick , so that she would allow them to stay at home.
Her swollen eyes emitted radiance , when she spoke of their achievements in academics. She proudly showed the trophies they had won in Tennis tournaments.
I listened to her patiently. Stroke her head, “well , this is life after 55. See through your past.Count your blessings. Derive the essence out of it. Use your writing skill to compile your experiences . Publish a book about bringing up children . This effort would benefit many a parent in rearing their children. It will keep you engaged. “
Will Nalini do ?
Strange it sounds.!
Stranger it looks.!!
Strangest experience.!!!
Statues are erected in honour of a leader ,who has done yeoman service to society.
Clinton is considered as a hero by the Kosovo’s ethnic society of Albania. Many onlookers braved the freezing temperature to witness the function.
The former president launched NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999.The brutal attack of the Serb forces on the community was retaliated by this move. Kosovo since became independent.
The eleven feet , gold sprayed statue, weighing a ton is based on top of a white tiled base, in the middle of a tiny square,surrounded by communist era buildings .Clinton stands with his left arm raised ,holding a portfolio bearing his name and date of NATO started bombing March 24,1999.10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed, and 80o,000 people were forced out of their homes.Some 1000 U. S soldiers are still in Kosovo as part of NATO’s strong 14,000 force.
The gesture is a novel citation to a man who brought peace and safety to the land. The people of Kosovan have given a rare treat to Clinton by asking him to unveil his own statue.
It is an out of box thinking by the people of Kosovo.
It is a fantastic moment of honour for Bill Clinton.
It is an event non pareil
Kudos.
Sunday, usually , gives me ample time to brood. I sit in my favourite chair, recollecting the past, resuming the present and reviewing the future.
I go back to my school days. I recapture the words of my teacher. Her words still ring in my ears. She , in her own inimical way , guided us to write an essay on Honesty.She bade every one of the twenty of us , to talk briefly of honesty.We were a gregarious lot, always up with ideas, always up to pranks, always in giggles.
She gave ten minutes to prepare. We ,the happy band , expected a much more lively topic. The duration came to a close. The short speech was delivered . The event was a great success. The teacher was pleased to see her wards express in unison that honesty is the best policy. We , though mischievous , never made any irregular entry.
The straight forwardness , we exhibited at the tender age has led us to a life of prosperity.Richness does not comprise material wealth, but the mental satisfaction , we get of being honest and truthful.
The gist of our delivery is best compressed in the words that follow. Honesty is hard to practise. The world is inhabited by liars. The magnitude of a lie varies according to individuals. Bluffing is an art, whereas honesty is simple. To tell a lie, one has to think, one has to work out,one has to remember. If the memory is weak, lie takes up different forms and distinct variations. Truth needs no such encompasses. It is a narration of fact. It requires no extra fringes. It is a bare exposition.
Lies take one forward but never backward. If one goes back , the build up will collapse. To substantiate the lie, more lies have to be framed and executed at proper moments .Honesty leads one in proper direction.If required , a repetition is the only criterion that is enforceable.
Lie ensues speed. The clamber for popularity, the glamour for power, the craze for money, makes man dishonest. A complimentary association with a lie will assure a supplemental residue .New horizons of notoriety and tumultuous macabre of ostentation would be the reward of uttering lies. Old ethics of fame and sombre illustrations of integrity would be the award of telling truth.
Honesty is the easiest form of presentation.
Lie is the strangest part of expression.
Honesty begets lesser refreshments.
Lie behests greater addictions.
Which is better?
The crisp speeches of all he twenty of us still linger in my memory. My mind is afresh of every word that was delivered, since truth needs no brain storming session.
Living in an island,
Blue ocean shining,
Tidal waves rattling,
Little fish tossing,
A sullen solitude.
Living on a hill,
Dense forest amazing,
Huge trees sheltering,
Cute birds twittering,
Serene solitude.
Living in a village,
Small rivulets flowing,
Simple houses rowing,
Modest folks gossiping,
Distinct solitude.
Living in a city,
Polluted rivers meandering,
Guady dwellings sequencing,
Snobbish talking,
Ghastly solitude.
Do you hear me?
I had a misbite ,
The pain terrible,
A spasmodic miss.
Do you hear me?
I had a misstep,
The fall horrible,
An aching miss.
Do you hear me?
I had a misbeat,
The heartache intolerable,
A sporadic miss.
Do you hear me?
I had a mishap,
The hurt unimaginable,
An accidental miss.
Do you hear me?
I had misspelt,
The throb indefinable,
A chastening miss.
Do you hear me ?
I had a mislead,
The agony immeasurable,
A distressing miss.
Do you hear me?
I had a misguide,
A torture unpredictable,
A grievous miss.
Do you hear me?
I had a mistrial,
A setback improbable,
A retributive miss.
Do you hear me?
I had a misfortune,
A sadness undesirable,
A woeful miss.
Do you hear me?
I am a mistake,
I am a misfit,
I am a mismatch,
An erroneous miss.
Gold has taken a multidimensional impact.
It is a commodity.
It is an asset.
It is a precious jewellery.
The rate of gold per ounce is $1036. It absolutely turns one scared.
One of my friends, let us call her Nalini, was talking to me the other day, and as all women, our conversation centered on gold. She said,
“Meena, I will not buy gold hereafter. It is surging like anything.”
I smiled to myself, knowing fully well Nalini’s penchant for gold.
She continued,
“See, the gold , I have accumulated is lying in the locker. I wear only a thin chain, small earrings , and two bangles. I am afraid to wear anything more..”
I chuckled,
She not paying any attention to my reactions, prattled,
“We have to pay rent to the lockers. It is a strain to go to the bank, get them out of the locker, to deck myself during weddings.If the marriage falls on a holiday, then I cannot get my jewels. What is the use of locking so much money on lockers?
I was amused, but she got on with her monologue,
“Instead , if I had spent the money on some other worthy investments, or if I had taken a world tour, I would have been happy.Iam talking of world tour, when I have not seen Taj Mahal, the pink city-Jaipur, the stately Himalayas, the holy city Varanasi, the financial capital Mumbai, and nearer home God’s own country Kerala.”
Now, I started feeling bad for her, but she carried on,
” I do not possess a good car, I have an old rattling Ambassador, my cot is made of wrought iron,which is similar to an hospital cot, my dining table is made of country wood with a formica top, and my living room furniture looks shabby. I did not think about these essentials , but was busy accumulating gold.”
I felt really sorry for Nalini.. How much she has missed out in life?The gold in her locker would be worth a million. But the comfort she has denied herself is more than a million. She did not go on a holiday all her life. She did not furnish her house as she wished had . She deprived herself of the basic necessity .
I consoled Nalini, saying “nothing has been lost. Now is the time to sell a fraction of gold. You will be getting a fortune. With the revenue , you can compensate for the missed opportunities. You can even accomplish a world tour. You can fly to London , see the change of guards, go to paris ,and have a look at the Eifel tower, cross over to New York , get a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty, reach Toronto have a look at the beautiful Niagara, travel to Australia, experience the life in ranches,and assimilate the abundant scenery that New Zealand delivers. Do a shopping in Hong Kong and Singapore, hop on to China. Back home, a month’s excursion will suffice an entire coverage of the country.Will you do Nalini?”
A transformation is taking place in her mind. But will she do? I hope not, as she has so much fondness for gold.
President Obama is deliberating on the new military strategy to be adopted in Afghanistan.
In a subtle reply to Cheney, former Vice President , that he was in “no rush “to send more troops to Afghanistan.He is working out a game plan.,perhaps.
The recent situation in the troubled country is worse.
Six U.N. employees and two Afghans were killed in an attack in Kabul.
Obama is dragging his feet. Many civilians are killed. Many American soldiers are killed. The fighting is raging for 8 years,surpassing the Vietnam war.Obama should not remain indecisive. He may have to accept defeat as the Russians experienced a few years back., if the war continues
The U.S is in a delicate ,uneasy mindset. To fight or not to fight is their memorandum.Fighting for eight years has not given any productive results.By targetting the Taliban , the U.S. army also harms the civilians who are insurgents. The poor , after undergoing hardships in the form of gunning, turn into hard-core individuals. They become one with Taliban.
Obama has to make up his mind. He has to end terrorism, not fan it further. He has to restore peace in Afghanistan, not renew fighting. He has to take care of his soldiers, not allowing them to die in Kabul.
When gunshots are ranting the sky, Obama should not play his fiddle in the Whitehouse.
Meenas Poems 