A morning ride.

Today we went for a small ride which was to entertain the new joiners in ecoRiders( the bicycle club in Logica.) on the way I found a wounded snake. This is the first time in my life I have helped a snake. I lifted it by its tail and placed it near a bush in the road side. It was a nice feeling.

Cycling in early moorings’ is fun. I always feel if I were free enough to ride an extra mile. But to a married man there are limitations. You cannot be away for long as your child will miss you and would start crying. So need to reach home before it get wourse.

Wonderful people, Blinds

I was in front of Divakers hospital, Jayanagar, parking my car in the road side. I was taking my child Claire to hospital as there was some pus formation in her ears. I saw some of the students of Samarthanam (blinds) walking by the road holding each others hand.

When they reached me I asked them where they were going. I saw one of them smiling, and she said we are going to Samarthanam office. Then I asked do you know me?
To my and my wife’s surprise, one of them said, Joe uncle !
They played with my child for some time and invited me to there office nearby. I asked for excuse and left.
It’s been a month I met them in Logica. Still they remember me by name, and recognized me by my voice. Sad part is that I could see them but still I do not remember there names.


NB:

Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled is a registered NGO striving to provide visually impaired students’ shelter, education and help them lead normal lives. The trust runs various facilities such as free hostels, computer classes, vocational training, Integrated Education for the Disabled (IED), and an employment placement cell. The IT cell of the Trust is where physically handicapped students are trained in computers. Samarthanam has grown over the past 11 years and aims to achieve self-sufficiency through various activities. www.samarthanam.org

My cycle

You have a better access in roads. and you feel better. This is my bicycle . I love riding it.

Hercules ACT 105

A spider through my camera's eyes.

Next to the appartment I stay there is an area with lots of trees. there are some huge spiders in this area.

Republic day celebration in Logica

Once the new Syntillation team has taken over Syntillation, there are lot's of new things happening. Republic day celebration is one of it. There were only the securities at the time of hoisting the flag in Logica.


This time it was with lots of people and there family in there.

The longest serving employee hoisted the flag. National anthem was sung with a national salute.

A new look experiment

For the last two months I was experimenting on a new look.

Well I changed it back.

An accident of a neighbor I witnessed, but couldn't recognize

This incident happened in 2002. I was coming home from Dindigul. It was the first time I was coming back home after joining RVS Engineering College. I think it was a Friday evening. There were many of my classmates and seniors with me. We were all going home for the Onam vacation. From Palakkad we took a superfast bus which was going to Triruvanandapuram. It would have traveled for around 30 minuets. Suddenly bus stopped. It was near to midnight.

I saw another bus on the other side of the road around 20 feet away from my bus. I was not able to see the road properly, but from the expression of the people standing in front of me made me to pop out of the Bus. I could see a car in the light of both the busses.

It was an accident, by this time many people got out of the bus. I got up and ran out of the bus to the car. It was a KL 02 registration Maruthi Esteem of cherry colour. It was hit by the bus which was coming from the other side, which was a tourist bus. Suddenly light from the other bus was switched off. I turned to that side to see the driver is missing.

No one was approaching the car. I went near the driver. It was a direct hit. The front glass was totally broken. When I looked at the driver, what I saw was horrible. A person little dark completion, with a black rope around his wrist, fallen on the steering wheel. His head was open and brain was visible. I couldn’t take that vision so turned away.

I heard a small sound from the car. It sound to me as a sound made out of pain by some one who could not open mouth. I got back to consciousness hearing the sound. I tried to open the rear door. It was locked. I tried to break the glass by stamping on the glass of the door behind the driver. But it was too strong. I tried three times. Suddenly the rear door on the other side was opened from inside. A person in his fifties got out of the car. I believe the stamps I made on the car would have woken him up to consciousness. I rushed to the other side of the car. By the time I reached, few people who were on that side carried a lady in a greenish blue saree out of the car. She was unconscious. She was a thin lady. I reached inside the car to get the next person out of the car. It was a boy aged around in 24 was also in the rear seat. He too was unconscious. I and Riyas, one of seniors, carried him out of the car. By this time there was an ambulance. It was an Omni van. It had one long table and a long chair. We carried the boy on a structure and placed him on the table. I am not sure if the boy was alive. I rushed to the car. There was one more person next to the driver in the front seat. People were trying to open the door. The door was jammed and was not getting open. I entered the car from behind and adjusted the seat by pulling it behind.

It was a boy around  sixteen years, wearing a shorts and a t-shirt. I and Riyas pulled him out he was very heavy. I shouted at Riyas to hold him strong. We reached the ambulance. The man who came out of the car was standing near the ambulance, He seemd to be the father of the boys and the lady there mother. . He seems to be blank. We carried the boy to ambulance. The lady was by now layed on the long seat of the ambulance. It was a foldable one. We layed the boy on the road. I asked someone there to take her off the seat. Once they took her out, I folded the seat and asked them to place her on the floor, and they did so. I unfolded the seat again so that she was safe in the space under the seat. I along with Riyas and Nidhu tried to lay the sixteen years boy who was not on the road on the seat of the ambulance. But we failed.

We placed her back on the road. I approached the driver. The man sat near the driver of the ambulane. I told the driver to go fast and come back so that you can take the other boy too. Ambulance rushed to some hospital. I turned back to the boy, he was lying there. By this time some one brought a big can of water. I suspect it was from the tourist bus. The seal of the can was not broken. I saw some one opening it. I kept the boys head in my lap. I got some water and poured it in to his mouth. I am not sure if he was alive. I checked his pulse. Out of all the emotions that were controlling me at that time I was not sure if it was my pulse or his I was getting. I asked Nidhu Jorim , my classmate, to check the pulse. He checked and said that there is no pulse.

By that time there were lot of local people. We got back to the bus we came in. I was wearing a pink cotton shit. It was full of blood. I changed my shirt inside the bus itself. We continued the journey and I reached home. I told about the incident and went to sleep. Next day morning I was woken up by my mother. She was holding a news paper. She said that the people in the incident I was talking yesterday was the manager of Jos Studio, a photo studio in Alappuzha, and both the children were dead, and the mother is in hospital.

Next day the burial happened but I did not go for it.

Morality of the new Bangalore.

I'm not talking about the IT crowd. There are thousands of people who make there living only because of the IT crowd in Bangalore. Some are those who work for them, some are indirect dependants, some are parricides.

Now today I came across one more category. these are the people who have no moral values. they would do any thing for money. Once I continue you tell me if I'm wrong about them.

One of my collogue, Subudu ,a wonderful person with a good heart, while coming to office yesterday, saw a lady jumping out of the bus on to the road, as the bus was not stopping for her. Or may be because the bus only stops on the bus stops and as it was not a bus stop, but since the speed was very low because of the traffic, and since the next bus stop would be far for her, she jumped out ot the bus.

Many people passed by but no one helped her. Subudu felt pity on the girl, stopped his bike and told her not to cry. He helped her to get up from the road and took her to her office in his bike. She is a security guard in Central Mall near Jayanagar. Once reaching there her collogues requested him to take her to the nearby hospital.

He though was getting late to office, accepted and took her to manipal hospital. Understanding that the lady is from a poor background, Subudu thought of helping her by paying her hospital charges. A lady doctor in the hospital how treated her told that there is nothing to worry . She asked the girl about what happened, to which she told that she jumped out of a bus and fell down. This man helped me to hospital.

He paid rupees 1500 in the hospital, for the consultation and the X-ray charges. They were about to leave the hospital, around 20 people from the Central security came and started fighting with Subudu. They said that the accident was because of him and he need to pay compensation. Mean time they were also talking to the girl. He then told them to ask the girl.

To the surprise of Subudu and doctor she told that it was this man who came in around 100 km per hour speed and hit him. to which doctor said that but you just told me that he was helping.

All the people then started to shout at the doctor.

They lead him to Central mall basement and started harassing him and told him that he need to take care of the girl and his family for the next one month. and need to pay some huge money too.

Mean time two police men came there and they too joined them and started harassing him.

Some how he managed to come out of it giving his phone number,

This is Bangalore now.

Do you want to help some one in Bangalore now?

Claire and I

My child, Claire is one year old now. She started crying in the nights. Not sure why she is crying. She never cried in nights until she started going to the crush. Is that she is feeling unsecured? Is that she wants to tell us some thing. I bath her every day. Some day while taking bath, she cries. I would console her when she cries and then make her sit inside the bucket. This makes her happy and she would stop crying and start laughing.

I have bought a bicycle and am going to office in it. It is 18 kilometers from my house to office. Yesterday by 5:30 in the evening, I got a call from Ahilaa, my wife,. She said that the lady in the crush called her just now and informed her that, “Claire is suffering from high fever and should be taken home and it scaled 105 degree now”. She continued,” I’m going to pick her up from the crush, would you please start now itself”? I informed my colleague that I am leaving a little early, and started to cycle back home. On the way Ahilaa called me and asked me to get Crosin syrup for the child. I picked up the syrup form one of the medical shop on the way home. Once reached home she was already feeling better.

Next day morning that it today, she got up crying. I tried to console her, in vain. Ahilaa got her from me and convinced her, and she stopped crying. And it was time for me to bath her. I took her to the bathroom, where she started crying again. I was losing my temper. I shouted at her, which actually worsen the cry. I was getting highly disturbed. I beat her with my hands on her buttocks. It was not hard, but this again worsens the situation. Now it was Ahilaa’s turn to get her from me to wipe her, apply cream on her and to dress her up. Now I saw that Ahilaa was not in a good mood. When I asked her, she said that it was not good to beat her as; we are not sure why she is crying. All this time Claire was crying.

Once she dressed her completely I took her from Ahilaa’s hand. I was now in a good mood and was talking to her. To which she stopped crying and started laughing. Now I understood why she was crying and what she wants. She just wanted to be with me and wanted me to talk to her. I felt bad for what I did, but there is no way back.

Every day my child teaches me a new lesson.

Bangalore Walk-A-Thon 2009 - The Green Way- by Samarthanam Trust for Disabled

Bangalore Walk-A-Thon 2009 - The Green Way- by Samarthanam Trust for Disabled

Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled has been working since 1997 to empower the visually impaired, disabled and underprivileged people in India. The Trust is working to support them to keep in pace with the rest of the society by providing quality education, accommodation, nutritious food, vocational training, placement based rehabilitation and achieve personal independence.

There where thousands of people participating. I was also part of it last Saturday December 05, 2009, to 05:00PM starting from Sree Kanteerava Stadium , Bangalore. There were another 18 from my company (Logica). Syntillations a club of employees, which is supported by the Corporate, sponsored 30 employees of Logica to participate in this event. . It was great while walking and helping them walk. At the same time to talk to them and understand them. One of them while walking, holding my hand, mentioned about a band in her wrist as a friend ship band tied by one of her friends. Keeping this in mind While talking to another blind girl, Maya, I asked her about her best friend. She gave me a name, with the previous experience, I then asked her, why she do not have a friendship band from her friend. With out hesitating she said, I have it she has tied it, in my heart. I was taken back, but pretended that I did not get her message. I asked her again. So how did she do it. She pulled your heart out and tied it with a ribbon. To this she said, she has tied it in my heart with love. I was buried. I really felt happy about her and with her answers.

There were some dance shows by the blind and partially blind children. While watching it sitting in the pavilion of the ground, I asked one of my colleague, if the one dancing is blind or not. To this one of the blind girls sitting next to me said, Her name is Ganga. She is completely blind. But I could not believe my eyes, She was dancing with perfection. The next event was a group dance. Once this started the same blind girl who told me about the dancing girl called me; Joe uncle, I was surprised. How do you know my name, I asked? To this she said. Don’t you remember you introduced yourself to me before we started the walkathon.

I was ashamed to ask her, her name once again. She could remember me by my voice, and even though with eyes I could not remember her. While these things were going in my mind, she continued. Do you see the tall girl in the group dance? I said, “Yes”. She continued. She should be doing mistakes in dance right? She is completely blind, and others are partially blind.

I was proud of myself participating in the event.

Difference in the way we think reflects even in machine.

I got a mail about Google India and Google. It was a surprise for me when I crosschecked it.

The test is very simple. Before you perform the test let me tell you a bit about Google. Google.com is used in the united states and could also be accessed by others. But google.co.in is only accessible from India. Go to google.com and type the word removing in the search box. Notice the options it is giving in the drop down. If you can not get google.com, and if it is redirecting to google.co.in, you can use the google search box if you have one in the menu bar. When I typed the below is what I got.

Now go to google.co.in and type removing. And for this what I got is the below. You could test it your own system.

Surprised? Google gives you option from the history of use. Now you understand what people of India are after. And

still we call ourselves culturally rich. And the so called culturally rich people feel bad about the culturally poor western culture.

And there is no better proof than this.

Joe and his Independence Day celebration

This is a thought of one of my independence day celebration while I was in my eighth. On every August fifteenth fluttering tricolor flags fills India. Most homes gatheres before the television, watching the live telecast of the Independence day parade held in Delhi. But for the past few years, everything changed. Since cable TV became common, most Indias preferred to watch some programs, which seemed better than the ID parade. Intentionally or not, many even forget about the ID parade or even Indian flag or even Independence Day.

Alappuzha village is also affected by the TV Channels. But I was thrilled. I was in my eighth standard. My village, Thathampally is in Alappuzha district. Which once was a big business place. As often that year also there is Independence Day celebration in recreation ground in Alappuzha. Even though I am a scout from the past two years, only in that year I got selection in the Parade group. That was my first chance to salute the Indian flag. I came to my school in previous day evening. It was the order that everyone should come to school before six O' clock. I felt uneasy in the silence in his Sanathana Dharma School. I had never seen my school like that. The leader of the scout asked everybody to keep silence and started to give some lecture in which I had no interest. Everybody was asked to sleep in the staff room.

I laid there but I felt impossible to sleep in that room. When I closed my eyes figure of the mathematics teacher of the seventh standard comes to my mind. While comparing with the right leg his left leg is a little fat. May be this is the reason students call him Unnimanthan which may have a literal meaning the filarial man. He carries a big stick that will reach his hip if the other end touches the ground. Even though I was in the eighth I was still afraid of Unnimanthan . I was an expert to hide behind the big pillars keeping my breath till he gets inside the staff room.

I fell asleep with the thoughts of Unnimanthan in my mind. In his sleep I started dreaming. In my dream another teacher came, whom the entire school was afraid of. A six something tall man with red lips out of chewing tobacco. His gray hair shined with coconut oil. Hair on his broad eyebrows had no order. His silk jubba and KasavuMundu brooked no wrinkles. Chicken pox marks on his face made him look more dangerous. A big line made with sandal paste in his forehead and in the center of the line there is a red mark made with Kunkumam, which will twinkle with the red lips. When he speak, it will make us remember about the sound when chiratta(the shell of coconut) is grind against a rock. It felt, as even Headmaster of our school was afraid of him. Maybe because of the knowledge this Malayalam teacher Bhaskaran pillai had in all the subjects is the reason for it.

Bhaskaran Pillai looked at me while standing in the assembly and shouted "JOMONEEEE…". I with sweating forehead and shivering legs opened my eyes

“Joe….” I heard it again but this time the sound is not so hard. I did not understand anything. I looked around.

"Getup and take your bath " It is his friend Raghavan. But still unaware of what is happening I looked around

"Joe are you not coming ". Now I understood about what is happening. I took the soap and ran to the tap. After the bath I wore my scout uniform and looked at myself in the mirror in the staff room. In the big mirror I made himself as a soldier. Everybody got in to the bus. I was going to recreation ground for the first time. The bus started to the Recreation ground, which is near the beach. We all reached the ground. I stopped for a moment seeing a giant building.

"What is that? " I asked.

"It is the Lighthouse, " said one of the senior members of the team. I, who have heard about the Lighthouse, didn’t need any more explanation about the huge white building.

"It looks like the Rook of the chess, isn’t it?" I asked to Raghavan.

"Yes" answered Raghavn who had never heard about the chess game.

"Come on, " said Raghavan.

"Can’t you hear the music of the bugle that means the parade is going to be started," said the leader. The chief gust has come. He hosted the flag. He was horned by the parade salute. But all these time my mind was on the Lighthouse which make us remember about the lost glory of the business town that was Alappuzha. In the parade I and my friends had to satisfy with the second prize. But I didn’t feel unhappy in it.

I was happy on the chance that I got to salute the flag. While they were returning the big Rook seemed to be becoming smaller. I kept on looking at it expecting to see it next time.

My First Love Letter

It is again a rainy season. The holidays are over. Like always, I was happy. I was in fourth standard from where I passed the examination and now is to sit in fifth.

Sanadhana Dharma School is in a big compound two other schools are there as its neighbors. In all the class of Sanadhana Dharma School there are three batches A, B and C. I was in B batch but when the class was reshuffled I came to C batch. I was not so happy to change the batch. I was so sad to lose my old friends and to come to the new batch. With me two other students from B batch were also changed to C and those two where the only friends that I have as of then . Sunil Paniker A fat bunny spacey boy and a lean fair boy Amith Menon. With these two friends I sat on the first bench with Menon on the left and Paniker on the right. A new teacher came to his class a lean young lady with long fingers and sharp nails. She is in a cotton sari, which is her specialty. Her eyes are sharp and the stick seems to be an extension to her left hand, which she always carries. Even though her name was Mary none called her so. The name Parunthu that students call her seems to suite her more.

My mind was still in my old class. In old batch he has a friend Sangeetha Mallan. The fat Konginy girl with wheat colored complexion was my best friend. One day Paniker came with a proposal. Chapter No 1 love. Kochurani a girl with big eyes and dark complexion is the daughter of a teacher of the same school is a good in Barathanathyam too. A simple proposal Paniker just wants to know whether Kochurani, the top ranker of B batch loves him or not. Good three of them liked it vary much.

"But how to know?" asked both of us to Paniker. Three of us start thinking. It longed for two days. Paniker came with a solution.

"A love letter," said Paniker. But the Paniker is not the one who is going to write letter and Kochurani is not the one who is going receive. I should write the letter and that to Mallan. That was the solution Menon liked it. I with little hesitation accepted the proposal. I was happy that he can start loving Mallan who was just a friend to him. Two birds with one bullet.

Now the problems aroused How to give? On what to write? What to write? Where to give?

"You put the letter before her on the way and she will take it" it was a suggestion by Menon to me.

"Good" said Paniker.

"Okay first problem is over. What is about the second? This is not an ordinary letter," I said. For that Paniker took a paper from the bag. It was an advertisement notice of sunflower oil. One side it is full of picture of sunflowers. And on the other side it is blank. The paper is good. Three of us got satisfied.

" Now what to write". Asked Menon

"One thing is fixed. “ I LOVE YOU “. But it is not the solution of the real need. And what is the next thing we should write to know that whether Kochurani loves Paniker or not" I said.

"Dose Kochurani loves Paniker", Menon suggested.

"No that should not be asked like that". Said Paniker.

Then what" I exclaimed."

"You should not mention my name ", answered Paniker.

"Whom does Kochurani love?" Paniker said.

"That is not bad," said Menon. I wrote the letter. It had only two sentences "I love you. Whom does Kochurani love?" I took a red sketch pen and drew a picture of a heart.

"That is enough," said Paniker.

"Now next is the interval you drop the letter before her then she will take it " said Menon to me .

It was the last interval of the day. I took the letter and went to the ground I saw Mallan playing in the ground. The bell rang. Everybody was rushing to the class. I dropped the letter before her. Without understanding any thing she gave a good smile and went in to her class. I looked all around and took the letter and kept it safe in my pocket. I came back to the class and told my friends about what had happened.

"Now what? " Menon was curious to know. They started to think again.

"Got it, " I said. Both Menon and Paniker were looking very curiously in to my eyes.

"You and Mallan are in the same school bus. You jut give this letter to her and say that I have sent this for her," I said to Paniker. Paniker looked troubled.

"That is not a good idea," said Paniker.

"No that is the only idea left and it is a good idea" interrupted Menon. It was the last period the bell rang.

"Where is Sunil?" I asked Menon. We both had no idea on where he had gone. We searched for him all around.

"There he is " shouted Menon pointing towards the school bus.

"Why didn’t you take this letter?" I asked him.

"Oh I forgot about it," said Paniker with a smile in his face. I kept the letter in Panikers pocket.

It was very difficult for me to pass that day. Next day I ran to the school even without doing the homework given by Miss Mary. Menon was also there.

"Why is this Paniker’s bus so late…there it comes". I Said to Menon. Both of us ran to Paniker to know what had happened.

"Success", I inquired with a smile.

"You just say Sorry and that you won't repeat it. Don’t say any thing else." Said Paniker to me .

"What?" exclaimed Menon.

"I kept that letter in my pocket which a boy took who is a friend of Kochurani's brother. And he gave that letter to Kochurani's brother. "Paniker said it in one breath. Even before Paniker could complete I saw a boy coming with his friends towards him. He is a student of the same school of class tenth. I turned back just to find both Menon and Paniker missing. That boy came to me and showed the same paper to him on that he pointed his index finger towards the heart sign in red colour. It looked redder than when he drew it.

"Did you draw it?" the first question from him.

"Yes" I replied in a low voice.

"Did you write it". He showed the two lines in it and asked.

"Yes" my answer was again in the same tone. He tore the paper into pieces and threw it on the ground.

"You are lucky enough that it is his sister if it was to my sister," Threatened a friend.

"What dose it mean" I thought about the sentences in the letter. "I love you, whom does Kochurani love, Is he thinking that I wrote this letter to Kochurani…! Yes that's it" I confirmed.

"But it is not me and not for Kochurani ". Before I could say that they were far enough to hear me. I couldn't move from that place. I stood there looking at the pieces of papers that was flying in the gentle breeze.