"Bloody Rascals"

I was vehemently opposing their planning to go on a picnic and they stood like rocks, obstinate in their demands. They stood in a group of 100 students and I stood beside my principal negating the very idea of organizing a picnic when the examination was on head. I asked them about their preparedness for the up-coming examination but they did little value my words of counsel. For them I was just a jar of cold water on the heat of their teen-age enthusiasm.


A girl student from the group strongly asserted that going picnic was inevitable. The more they became obstinate, the harsher I became in my dealings. However, the strict admonishments ended the planning of going out in a fiasco but it generated terrible temperature among the all the teen-aged students. They thought me as their enemy who nipped their flowers of love and romance at the budding stage.

I returned home, prayed God. I asked for divine guidance to show me the right course of action and went to bed. The next day the student unrest took another shape. With a long list of my failures as a teacher, the students encircled the principal and asked for justice. The list had mainly highlighted two words, “BLOODY RASCALS”, which I had used that day when I saw the students very obstinately insistent upon organizing a picnic when the exams were at hand.

A baby's cry

The first cry of a newborn baby is a flower of 9-month long of great forbearance and patience. A baby is priceless because he is the condensed form of great human care and love. His innocence and complete dependence on the elders inspire the highest feelings of human love. And this feelings produce the purest joys of life. In a short period, the baby’s well-being & happiness assume to be the sole purpose of the parents’ life.


A baby cannot speak, cannot complain but his little helpless cries warrant the best available care from the elders. When the parents fail to console the crying baby, they cry themselves.

In the morning, my wife phoned me and told that the baby was incessantly crying since midnight. I was nervous. I was nervous because the complaints of a baby in the form of cries are out of pure necessity. It never involves any sort of exaggerations that the elders often wrap around their petty problems. This is why a baby’s cry pricks the heart with utmost urgency.

I phoned my brother in-law and advised him to take the baby to a paediatrician immediately. And at the same time my eyes shed some tears unconsciously when I imagined the helplessness of my baby.

out of sight is out of mind

The happiness of the annual function of my college could not last long when I saw the crying faces of a few senior girl students. The teardrops were loudly describing their utter disappointment. They cried because they could not get the opportunity to stage a one-act play, which they had rehearsed for the last weeklong. They cried because all their costumes, make-up and preparation had ended in smoke.  

Anything out of sight is out of mind- it happened in their case.  Those students stood for long hours in a dimly lit remote corner when other student-groups were busy in performing on stage. That group of girl-students neither reminded nor informed the stage-in-charge of their preparedness to   stage the play. As a result, other groups performed one by one before the audience and went away smilingly but those girls remained aloof in the corner unnoticed and disappointed.  

The light and sound systems, which were hired for the stage programme, had been contracted for a certain period. Beyond that stipulated time, the light and sound system hirer had another call to attend. The time was short and the list of performers was out of proportion. There was immense pressure on the stage manager and during the hectic stage-management; the girl-students got neglected.

The short of time compelled to stop the stage-show abruptly. The declaration of the closure of the cultural programme was heralded all of a sudden and the P.A. system was removed from the stage within no time.

The public started to disappear and at that time, the girl-students appeared before us in tears.

The incompleteness and disappointment on their faces affected my colleagues and me deeply. However I felt more guilty because I was that incapable stage manager.

Yesterday, I was attracted by some elegant oranges that summoned my attention with their vibrant colours. I asked the seller about their taste and quality. The vendor readily gave a high opinion of the produce. Motivated by his guarantee, I packed 2 kilos of orange to take home. But before he tied a knot to the poly pack, I picked an orange from the pack to have an immediate relish. I peeled the rind & ate it. Now, my expression changed. The taste of the orange strongly interfered with my pre-conceived taste of the fruit. I looked straight into the eyes of the seller and asked about the taste of the fruit once again while chewing a piece of it. The seller fumbled &uttered, " This may be a little bit watery but in other respect it is o.k. Sir. " I smiled and did not tell him anything. I took out my wallet, paid him only for the single piece of orange that I had eaten and left the weighed and packed oranges in that shop for other kind hearted customers. On the way I thought I am most fortunate that the mediator who had brought the marriage proposal of the girl who is now my wife was not like that orange vendor.

I pray God to be considerate and compassionate

My baby took birth on 13th of January. I first saw him on 14th Jan. Today is the 5th day with him. And now I find that his cry is a powerful siren which wakes me up instantly from my deep sleep and automatically sets me in a mood to change his wet diapers diligently as soon as possible. Now I can do this thing even in a half sleepy state. The newly acquired reflex action crept into my being in less than 5 days.


I am most thankful to my wife. Today I embraced her in her post Cesarean operation pain. She buried her face on my shoulder and I curiously felt that the responsibility of a mother is almost over and a great responsibility of a father is lieing ahead.

The relation with the new born is growing day by day. His innocent sparkling eyes are the most beautiful things on earth. A deep look into his eyes infuses the innocence of not knowing anything and that splendid ignorance readily melts my complexities of an adult life.

The night my son took birth I was anxious and half-informed of my wife's condition. At that time my wife was at her paternal home and I was at Malkangiri. These two places stood at a distance of nearly 800 kilometers. I felt helpless because I am not like Hanuman, the Hindu monkey god, who could fly over 7 seas with one jump.

In my utter helplessness I unlocked the key pad to phone God but I could not determine on which number to make the call. I irresistibly felt inside me to have a direct contact with God and I did not want to waste my time. So I opened the message box and wrote an sms, "Dear God I may not be a worthy or a good husband but i send this sms to relieve my wife of pain and fear during the delivery time." I saved the sms in the draft folder and slept.

The next morning I got the news that I have been blessed with a baby boy. The pain stopped in the mid night, so the doctor had to undertake a Cesarean operation and very smoothly the baby was delivered.

My God had taken care of both the 'Pain and fear' of the mother during the delivery. Today I pray God to be considerate and compassionate to everyone on this planet who prays for his favors.