A shameful social habit

For last two days I am in the Ganjam District of Orissa. This district is famous for Bhanja Literature and the straight forward attitude of its people. The people of this region are frank and speak unequivocally what they feel. But this district has a characteristic but unacceptable social habit which is visible mostly at the time of sun rise and sunset. At these times most human beings naturally feel a pressure to empty their bowels. And most people of most of the villages of this district would sit by the sides of the road with round bottomed pots full of water to attend natural calls. The people of this region love to pass morning and evening faeces counting the passing vehicles on the road. In the evening even the strong headlights of the vehicle can not deter them. They would stubbornly sit and excrete paying no heed to the traffic. They become dumb and blind to the presence of the passers-by and vehicles.

This socially unacceptable behavior has become a part of their life. However it is really disheartening that the social malady is infecting the new generation too. Last evening I saw two small children had lined up in the group which was assembled by the road side to attend the natural call. It is needless to say that those children will now bear the wrong habit for the future generation.

It is a fact that India is a hot country and the terrible heat makes many people suffocate in the toilets. So passing stool by the side of the road is much more enjoyable because open sky and natural wind are abundantly available. However, this bad habit has caused many tragic accidents in the past.

Bad habits should be replaced with good ones. Now it is high time when for the sake of sanitation and civilization all people should adopt safety latrines although it is devoid of open sky and fresh air.

how to make life beautiful

Failures and pains in life often made me sit silently and made me think how to make life beautiful. Any thought in that direction readily invoke some age-old unchangeable principles of humanity. I knew them to be repetition of old wisdom but they show their glittering faces whenever the gloom of a vanquished life pervades the mind. I have jotted the thoughts as it appeared during some moments of troubled musings.


 Be specific in what you say. Nobody has time to listen to exaggerations. If you do not have specific points then do not beat about the bush. Remain silent.

 Be courteous and respect the people you come in contact with. Good behavior and respect to others will never go unrewarded.

 Be honest in all occasion. Help others whole-heartedly. It is the shortest distance to others’ heart.

 Everyday think about living meaningfully. Utilize your time and talents sincerely in achieving excellence in your respective fields.

 Be humorous and at the same time maintain your dignity. A sense of self respect is essential for higher values to blossom.

 The expressions of thoughtfulness and self-poise are the hallmarks of being influential. People judge your worth by your attitude. People who are very talkative are viewed lightly. So never talk unnecessarily. Most people think that by talking glibly they display their knowledge and wisdom and in turn they can influence others but this notion most often proves to be wrong. Listen to others; gather sufficient information & other viewpoints before giving your opinions. Analyze the facts and logically reveal your own understanding. Never argue because human intelligence is not immune to errors.

 Be trustworthy. To be trusted is the greatest compliment you can earn for yourself. Never break other’s trust in you.

 Keep your words. Commitment is an ingredient to be great.

 Love all because love can transform you into a human magnet. Your words, attitude, service and presence will become magical to others. And life will become a song of inward happiness.

Bhagban Sri Satya Sai

Last night there was no electricity. In the darkness I slept a dreamless sleep. I slept comfortably even without fans because the night was cool.  A windy summer rain had lashed the evening. However, insects fluttered around the emergency light. I switched off the light, pulled up a mosquito net and cocooned myself inside it. 

When the night is dark and the trees look like shadows of mythological demons and flashes of thunder cast its heavenly blue on earth, the world becomes mysterious. The tiny speck of life bearing the consciousness of “I” fades. We start to think of the world, the universe and the principles and the guiding force that control them. It happens so because the wind, the thunderbolts and rain all defy human control. Man is but a powerless creature like the fluttering insects under the mercy of nature when the big powers of nature come into play.  

Before I could sleep I pondered over the sad demise of Bhagban Sri Satya Sai. He was a miracle man to many. He had prophesied that he would live in his mortal form till he was 96 years. And his early death convinced millions of his devotees of the uncertainty of life. Nobody knows when the wheels of life will stop. This uncertainty factor will prompt other mortals to live life meaningfully because life is so uncertain. 

In his life time BABA was a quintessence of human service. He illustrated how life can be lived on the principles of truth, righteousness, love, peace and non-violence. I missed his mortal form but as his contemporary I felt that I owe a moral responsibility to bring those basic human values into the frame work of my society in its unsullied form. 

The rain had almost stopped. Calmness prevailed everywhere. I curled on my bed to welcome a new morning and a new sun of enlightenment.

Let us feel the smile

Now-a-days most of us do not plant trees because it is a very slow process. Trees grow slowly absorbing years of sunlight and nutrients. They bear fruits after a long wait. But modern man is impatient and restless. He wants immediate return in a huge a scale. His desire for immediate gain and the tardy growth of trees are two antagonistic things. The trees cannot keep pace with the impatience of the greedy man. The relationship between tree and man is blurred in the thickness of materialism.

In the past man was a jungle dweller. He lived in the serenity of nature. But now he dwells in concrete jungles and hides from the realities of life in the name of progress. Surfing in the cyber space and browsing numerous television channels have pushed human minds into extreme artificiality. Most modern men are lost in a virtual world and when they wake up to reality they need to eat something. So they purchase packaged food and carry them home in polythene packs. These polythene packs choke the environment but they are least concerned about it.  They will soon slip into their virtual world of emails and computer-screen-existence. In the hectic rush of life we burn the world around. Gallons and gallons of fuel are daily burnt to maintain our pace of progress. We burn everything. We consume everything. We stripe the nature of its resources. We loot. In a nut shell we degenerate the world into a graveyard.

But the birth cries of each newborn pose a vital question on our selfish and reckless attitude towards Mother Nature. The smile of a baby is a strong signal to rethink our responsibilities and obligations. Each smile that sprouts on the toothless face of a newborn obliges us to plant a tree and rear that with that human child. So let us feel the smile before turning the world into an ash pond.

For a child father is a great security in life

For a child father is a great security in life and for a wife it is the husband- this feeling came to my mind yesterday when I was journeying from Jeypore to Govindapally. 

I was sitting in a 2/2 bus. Another row of seat which was close to mine was occupied by a young couple. I could see them bubbling happily in the joy of togetherness. They talked, giggled and held each other 's and lovingly. They were lost in their world of new love.

 At a bus stop the bus halted and the man got off for some reason. After a while when the bus blew horn to depart the women became frightened and worried as her husband had not returned. She looked expectantly through the windows. She could not sit patiently in her seat. She got up & rushed to the door and looked both the ways. Nervousness and panic was visible on her face. I consoled her not to worry. But she was so panicked that she could hardly believe my words. And in the mean time the man came with two bottles of cool drink. At his very sight the woman switched into a sunny smile. Her all anxiety calmed down and blushed because her behavior was a frightened reaction to the sound of the horn. 

This incident pushed me 25 years back. I was a boy of 5 years. I was traveling with my parents. My father left his seat and got down the bus to buy some orange for me. He had not yet got onto the bus and the bus started to roll ahead. I looked for my father but could not see. My heart started to beat faster and I burst into a deafening cry. The thought of separation from my father haunted me so deeply that all the consolation of my mother had became useless. My cry was so loud that almost all the passengers had got to their feet to see what happened. My mother was put in an awkward situation but I remember that my cry was for my father and it had come involuntarily because he was synonymous to my life’s security. 

I feel deeply sad for all those sons, daughters and wives who have lost their near and dear in accidents, plain hijack, terrorist attacks, wars or natural calamity.