The Real Miracle!

Running out of bedtime stories I proposed to my grandsons that they listen to Ramkatha (Ramayana) in several sessions.  They agreed with the rider that it be told in English.  It lasted over a week and gave me good practice in on-the-fly translation.  The kids found it fascinating.

Then while searching for Ramayana on Youtube, I found the full length animation film by Nippon Ramayana Films.  The kids were eager to watch it and they did so in two sessions with a break in-between.

Later there were questions.  The one that took the cake went like this, "Dadu, did you notice that whenever Hanumanji or a demon magically grew or shrunk in size, his loincloth and garments and ornaments grew or shrunk too?"  I nodded in agreement.  Next came the profound observation, "And don't you think that if it didn't happen that way, he would have to go 'nangoo-pangoo'?"  (Nangoo- pangoo, according to the family dictionary, is naked.)

Happier-Than-Thou!!

Facebook has been instrumental in bringing people together and promoting a lot of bonhomie.  It is common knowledge that on FB you can mark a contact as "Family," or "Friend," or "Acquaintance."  At the worst you can mark a person as Restricted.  An example given by FB for the last category is your boss!  (FB is a place where you can restrict the one chap who places most restrictions on you!)

However it is surprising that there is no mention of Foes whatsoever on Facebook.  (Though, I am told that you can create a custom list and can title it Foes or whatever you wish.)  This lapse is most surprising.  You must have heard the saying that a friend is a person with whom silence is companionable.  And as our statesmen always remind us when one of our neighbors commits outrages, dialogue must be kept on with our foes.  This indicates that a category named Foes should not only be there but that it should appear at the top of the list while Friends can well be the last one on it.  It will promote a dialogue with the Foes while Friends silently enjoy the companionship.  It will be wonderful if this category of Foes has suggestions emanating from FB after you initially seed it with a few of your best (worst) foes.

Having made this suggestion, I hasten to add that some friends are of the view that with the kind of posts that are currently fashionable amongst friends, we hardly need Foes.  He was referring to the  posts that are normally accompanied by images showing the originator in beautiful places and / or in the company of lovely and lively people and / or on the verge of consuming exotic / delicious dishes and / or inhabiting heavenly resorts and / or just looking too good and happy et al.  Such posts cause some fundamental doubts about oneself in the minds of the recipients and foment domestic discord by fueling the "keeping-up-with-the-friends" syndrome!

It is rumored that FB is not only considering introducing the Foes category but also seeding it on its own by moving some of such friends to the Foe list!  What say you?  Would that turn Facebook into Faceoff?

Grace before meal - FB devaya namah!

It has been a tradition to say a grace before a meal in most cultures and religions.  In India we make an offering of the food to the Lord and then accept it as His prasadam.  However, as in other spheres of life, technology has impacted this tradition too.

Now the world is taken as a manifestation of the Lord and technology infrastructure provided by social media as the means to communicate with Him and make offerings to him.  So once the meal has been laid out on the table, it is first captured on the camera integrated into your communicator.  The image is then offered to the entire mankind, usually through a channel provided by one Mr. Zuckerberg.  Blessings in the form of likes and wows are usually received instantly and continue to trickle for a day or two.  You normally wait for the first like before you start eating.

So are you!

Yes, I am corrupt but so are you
Those who are not are but very few
If they make allegations, we will sue
After all there is a certain process due
Charges be true but you've to prove them too.

Why get into trouble?

Here in Cupertino we have a group of Indian parents, both visiting and resident, who meet in the neighborhood park that is named Monta Vista.  We have some chit-chat for an hour or so and then return.  On the way back several of us walk together up to a point where one of us lives and from there others go their separate ways.

The topics for discussions in the group relate to current affairs in India as also how is this country (USA) different from India.  We admire the disciplined ways of the locals and their observance of rules and regulation.  We are much impressed by the way people pick up after their dogs, ensure that their dog doesn't bark at any one and the overall politeness in social discourse.

One day we were walking back from the park and were two or three houses away from the parting point when something very strange happened.  A dog suddenly emerged and started barking at us threateningly.  He even lunged forward at some of us.  And yet no one came out of the house to admonish and control the dog.

We managed to walk past the threat and one of us said that it was outrageous.  I shared with the group what an elderly white neighbor had once told me.  He had told that it is an offence to let your dog roam loose.  He also said that if your dogs bites a person, it has to be put to sleep if the matter is reported.  He had recalled that his dog had once pounced upon a man.  He had not only to bear the expenses on medical examination but to literally beg the man not to report the matter.

Then came up the question whether we should call 911 and report the matter.  However the group considered the pros and cons.  We may have to wait till the police arrives.  Then they might ask us to accompany them to the police station for the paperwork.  And there may be other repercussions that we didn't know for none of us had any experience in the matter.  So it was thought proper to let go, at least this once.

And let go we did.

Is God still alive?

I was browsing the news as my younger grandson, Arnav, worked away on lego pieces.  After quite some time he was able to assemble not only a strange looking vehicle but also a driver with a cap on his head.  He then looked up, tapped me on my leg and asked, "Did God make me?"  "Some people like to believe that all of us have been made by God," I responded. "Did He make my bones too?" he continued.  "Bones are part of you, aren't they?" I replied.  The dialogue then went on like this.

"Did He make the dinosaurs too."
"The believers say that all that has ever been there was made by Him."
"So were all the insects and plants too made by Him?"
"All includes plants and insects."
"So it is He who made the whole universe?"
"That is what the believers say."

At this his mouth fell open and he went into contemplation; probably about the backbreaking work that God had been doing without a break.  Finally he looked at me, and asked, "Is God still alive?"

The cement factory?

The road from Cupertino city to the gated community where my son lives goes on to a cement factory.  A cemetery lies off this road a short distance away.  Cemeteries in this part of the world are very beautiful and serene places.  A trail goes along and past this cemetery.  After exploring this trail by myself, one day I took my grandson, Amogh, for a walk on this trail.  While walking alongside the cemetery I asked Amogh if he knew what was this beautiful place.  He did not.  Next I asked him if he knew what is a cemetery.  He thought for a few moments and then his face lit up.  He said, "Oh, so this is the place where they make cement!!"