Musings

Of Fathers Day & snakes !

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Snakes have formed an quintessential part of Indian & Chinese culture.While the Chinese use it in the kitchen, we find them in every other room! The room that a now celebrity snake chose some days back was the bedroom. Whose bedroom ? Well, stop thinking of names like Khusboo and such other film stars. Thats for the movies. They are now tired of them i guess.

This time it was that of Deve Gowda, former prime minister of India. These are excerpts from a news item on the front page of the Times of India 15th June ’07. It was almost like bit by bit account in a Bond movie. A hilarious one at that ! And by God, please read the consequences !

Deve Gowda’s hissing guest causes flutter.

A nearly six foot long rat snake pushed the political establishment into a tizzy by not only entering the former PMs residence in Padmanabha Nagar but also staying in his bedroom for two days ! The first hint came on Wednesday when Gowda, during a telephonic conversation with PM, got a jolt when some books & a few articles fell off the table in his bedroom.

As the incident happened on the eve of amavasya (newmoon day), Gowda was nervous. But he slept unaware of the snake in his bedroom. It was only around 6 PM on Friday that Gowda sighted the snake…Alarm bells rang loud, the family members were evacuated. While Gowda was wondering whether sighting the snake was a good or bad omen, his personal staff and police started a hunt.

The snake tried to slink off……People for animals volunteer Sharath caught the snake cowering behind Gowda’s portrait on the table. While Gowda and his family were relieved, fear took over fellow politicians. With Gowda’s family known to believe in superstitions, the questions that started doing the rounds in political circles were, “what does snake on a newmoon day signify ?” “Will he ensure power is transferred to BJP?” While some ministers called astrologers to find answers….

On the way home i have seen this ant – hill. For sometime now. We are used to seeing snakes reside in such hills. Well, in movies that is. I have also seen milk, eggs etc getting poured into such ant hills as a means of worship to the snake God ! This particular ant-hill has started getting attention. It is already sporting some images of the Gods. What next. Temple ? Movies ? Stardom ? Or perhaps, now, Z category security !

Well, i almost missed the whole point. I wanted to write something about Fathers Day. And ended writing about the snake in Deve Gowda’s home.

Coming to fathers day, writing about Deve Gowda can be as close as it can get !

Shaping a child. The Amar Chtira Katha way !

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My moorings lie in the Indian culture and tradition supplemented by a valued ‘value system’. The understanding & shaping came, largely, from two sources.

One: My great grandmother
Two: Amar Chitra Katha

Amar Chitra Katha helped me understand visually many an epic & more importantly life at a different time. Mahabharath. Ramayan. Dr.Kotnis. The Freedom Struggle. Akbar. Aurangzeb. The Independence. Panchatantra. Tenali Raman. The list could go on.


I still remember running to the library at school and “search & savour” or “borrow savour many times over” the latest of additions. Many years later, these were beamed into living rooms as soap operas. Ramayan, Mahabharath although were never missed, they were let downs for me.


Arun Govil, who played Ram in the TV serial, was hardly the Ram that I had imagined, aided by the caricature of Ram, courtesy : Amar Chitra Katha ! So was the bloke who played Lord Krishna. I just couldn’t connect to the on screen Krishna. My imagination of Amar Chitra Katha’s Krishna was too firmly entrenched in my mind.


Years passed. I graduated from wearing half to full trousers to school. And graduated to books like Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nany Drew, Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc. And adolescence brought other authors and adult hood brought others !


But, even now, the temptation to pick up a Amar Chitra Katha is just irresistible. I buy the odd book at railway stations and airports. It is part nostalgic. Part interesting. But fully connecting ! Cant say the same of the books that I graduated to!

This was an interesting news that I chanced upon. For a moment I pictured me and school bag. Running to the library.


I picked Hakuna Matata for Sight & Sound. Closest that came to Amar Chitra Katha

Sunday Rant

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Lazy Sunday. I didn’t know they had a day for laughter ! But then, since knowing they had a day for laughter, been trying smile all day. Now, that wasn’t seen as funny by many. How ironic !

The environment is again making the news. With the Times Of India running a series of front page articles on how we must change or the Himalayas will no longer be snow clad and our rivers will run dry. I am not sure how many people read it.

A friend, who now has gotten used to my rants on the environment, as much as the first page articles on the same subject in the TOI, http://premier-pharmacy.com said, “Perhaps they should say things like “if you don’t take care of the environment Pizza Hut will close down or there will be no TV show, no cricket etc !!. We need to sell it differently. Illustrate it in a manner which will reach people” !

Speaking about that, how is this ? I chanced upon it today. An illustration on global warming. Now, hope this is illustratative enough, M ?


Now tomorrow is Monday. That isn’t funny. BTW, The World Laughter Day is on the first Sunday of May. Always.

Never on a Monday. No wonder !

Have a great weak !

Green Card Payments !

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The last day for payment of the credit card bill nears. And as the outstanding amount peers out of the bill and into my eye, i sigh. The thrill of the immediate pleasure of enjoying a comfort or a luxury when the card was swiped is nowhere near for comfort.

As the card statement stared at me from the table, my went back to the post on Earth day ! For some odd and strange reason ! And then a remarkable analogy struck me.

A credit card. It doesn’t pinch you when you buy the worldly pleasures using the card. It feels great to have the neighbours go green with envy. Its lovely to sink in the wallops of comfort that the product provides you. But what really pinches you is when the credit card bill arrives. What pinches you more is when you don’t have money to pay back.

Isn’t that exactly whats been happening to our environment ! We have been swiping our cards through generations. Our credit limits are tipping over ! And its pay back time. You know what, our record with the “Green Card” isn’t doing any good to our credit worthiness !

I was wowed ! That was a powerful analogy. Over here, with credit card interest rates ranging 35 %+, it seemed striking. What we are doing to the environment, is many times worse ! Using up all the credit limits, with no clue as to how we will find the resources to repay !

I think its time that we each one of us at least pay our part towards paying up the “minimum balance due !” Lest the credit card company decide to take punitive action !

Poohs Den has a competition on the environment and what we can do. Some interesting thoughts and ideas are over there ! Do pen your thoughts !

As i close this post, there seems to be one phrase that is still lingering in my mind.
“Punitive action” !