Life - A strange show

My next door neighbor was 2 old people...bother & sister…Mr. Sundarraman used to work for a private organisation & retired as Jr. Executive...Ms. Malathy is his cousin…after Ms. Malathy became widow with her 3 month old son he took care of them… he was responsible to the extent that he didn't marry as he couldn’t afford that financially...with all his life earning he had managed to send her sister’s son to USA for higher study & the guy got settled there. Mr. Sundarraman is 68 years, night blind & has got other old-age related physical difficulties. He has nothing except Rs. 2500/- per month pension, surviving because he stays with the same sister who is supported by her son...life was going on.….Mr. Sundarraman mostly found in front of main gate of society complex….watching people, cars, even street dogs....I used to talk to him when ever I get to see him....normal casual talks....his sister visits her son every 4 months for 2/3 months.....that is the time Mr. Sundarraman's life goes for a toss...he becomes shuttlecock between his relatives & mostly considered as burden...last couple of months he kept telling me about relatives/families he stayed with while Ms. Malathy was away previously…often he used to request me to talk his sister so that he can remain in the same flat during her next visit to her son’s place...I couldn’t keep me away from this so spoke to his sister once & forgot about the entire episode…one Monday….after returning from an official trip I couldn’t find Mr. Sundarraman at his usual place....on asking his where-about I came to know he was not keeping well, hence went to see him...while talking he said "My sister is leaving again to see her son…I will be shifting for 4 months to one of my relatives’ place but I don't want to go there....they make me do house work when ever I stay with them"….my instant suggestion was “why don’t you stay at any other relatives’ place or ask someone to stay with you here" he said "no one wants to keep me...I don't have money…may be its good for me....I will learn how to keep the house clean"...for a moment I was clobbered...his helplessness & effort to consol himself was open to me like day light...I spoke to his sister again but with more firmness. About 4/5 days before Ms. Malathy’s departure…..about 6am in morning…Mr. Sundarraman came to my place…very upset & said "I am shifting today....just wanted to see you...you have been good to me” (once he was alone on Diwali...me & my girlfriend bought some cracker for him…helped him with those...he enjoyed that & keeps talking about it)...that very moment I had decided to make some difference....made coffee for him…made him comfortable at my place….went to see his sister…. Informed his sister & relative " Mr. Sundarraman is at my place…upset...he doesn't want to shift". They told me to stay out & literally throw him out from my place.....I couldn’t do either of those…. instead retorted "this is no longer a private family affair & if you all treat him this bad I will create social ruckus for you"....that made them shaky & shifting was stopped....thereafter series of family meeting took place…Mr. Sundarraman was thrashed properly for making the saga public & situation remained same for him....I made up my mind.....went out for searching a home for him...almost made an arrangement for him for 4 months @ Rs.3500/- per month where he would get proper food & medical attention....again family meetings took place…family refused to foot the bill...Mr. Sudarraman was helpless...situation was beyond my tolerance...I paid the bill & shifted him...after I made him settled in his room while we were having coffee, he suddenly told me "I am a religious person but you are not...my believe & religion says that not to think of money & material in last bed but to think of the persons who left mark on life....in my last bed I will think of you among others" I was kind of taken back…didn't know what to say & went out of his room…had a cig....day was looking bright...I was content with me.....

I was travelling in once......

if i have all the money in the world, am i going to be rich ? if i have got nothing, am i poor? there are times in my life when i chase time and leave behind the obvious, the trivial , the ordinary......here is a hypothetical engineer guy who studied hard all his life, went to the best institutions, got the best degrees and supposedly the best education.....he even went on to grab the best job available.....nowadays, he makes buckets full of money....he just doesn't have the time to spend it....nope, me not the guy, neither I am engineer.....but i feel the plight...am so short of time that i have resorted to spending money on pace not on peace.....long walks, train travel is taboo...romance of steam engine is a forgotten past....so i drive....i take cab....i hang in mid air most of the time & practice "height & distance" calculations....mind you they are very expensive.....i don't make great deal of money, but neither do i have the luxury nowadays, to spend it for small nothings that give me so much pleasure.....far away from my land, in the cities of perceived dreams, i saw american men and women cultured enough to draw the line between work and home.....i saw french people work for only 35 hrs a week .....i saw spanish people have their siesta.....does everyone has such cultural push???? we, indians work most of the time, but we do get bored sometimes....i saw chinese and japanese to work all the while....i am not a person who doesn't understand the 'power' and 'responsibility' to excel but here i see, that as indian, as indian companies, as indian persons employed in multinationals, even in indian restaurants, there is a madness to excel with the power of physical effort....excellence is a process defined by effort and not necessarily by the human mind....sometimes, this mad rush, this overwhelming leniency for personal space and time, leads to thought of escapism...but as always the next day dawns with reality as an excuse..i do know labour is still the biggest export for countries like india and china ..but it is always the human body and not the mind which is sold ..guess, it has more to do with abundance ..now i am back to my country, things are better....at times networks stop working, power is unavailable sometimes, there is traffic to cut the pace of my life and i throw away my laptop, my mobile and everything that has the promise to keep me connected and enjoy my beer & my time with me.....but will i ever get sleep without my phone ringing???? the answer is yes (if i am drunk)
' Once in a while, the mind should be empty;of thoughts and the heart, bereft of love..such solitude is a source of true happiness'