Refractive Thoughts

  Wishing you a very happy new year 2022!   Wishing all of us virus-free days in the near future, but then specifically to you let health-wealth-happiness be bestowed in abundance by the Lord Wishing all of us success and merriment, but then specifically to you let the joy of a win in everything that you set forth be a blessing by the Lord Wishing all of us enhanced bonding and friendship, but then specifically to you let our bridge stay strong as an offering to the Lord Wishing all of us travel into the places we love, but then specifically to you to be able to travel to your family and friends as a gratitude to the Lord Wishing all of us peace and prosperity, but then specifically to you let the inner peace and tranquillity be the light shone by the Lord Almost there, ready to step into a new year it mandates us to shine a little but bright light on the days ahead into the future.   Just so that it augurs well, it is imperative to erase the dark days which h...

  Famous poet William Wordsworth in his poem “My Heart Leaps Up” wrote “The Child Is Father of the Man.”   It implies that if any experience in adulthood is similar or same as that in childhood it makes it a better experience given the journey through life stages. Human beings are essentially a final product of some balance of nature and nurture components, the underlying substrata of the vast and ever-growing field of psychology.   The debate goes on, like they say till the ‘cows come home,’ as to which component has a stronger influence to shape an individual in later years.   I have no formal education in psychology but a fleeting interest to dabble into a few articles and form my opinion. My take is that in early years one’s genes shape an individual until they experience certain life-defining moments which harden their personality.   Destiny then defines their travel into the deep years of age.   A proverb in kannada which when translated states th...

Opened the book; his autograph brought fond memories given his new role… The World is Flat is Thomas Friedman’s prize winning and popular book where the opening line reads: “No one ever gave me direction like this on a golf course before: ‘Aim at either Microsoft or IBM.’”  This book was published in 2005 and pure coincidence that I worked for IBM, then in my 3 rd year and my work location was Embassy Golf Links office on Intermediate Ring Road in Bangalore that is called out in that line.  A good read that dealt with a contemporary subject of outsourcing of IT services work from USA and other countries and successfully delivered by the Indian knowledge talent pool.  Bibliosmia or book-smell is what I yearned for as I waited to lay my hands on this book.  Same year 2005 on Christmas day, I purchased this book at the airport bookstore enroute my return flight to Bangalore.  The last line of a section on page 5 read “‘Honey,’ I confided, ‘I think the world i...

Albert Einstein quote: “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile” You lighted our lives to annihilate the darkness of our ignorance You showed us the path of noble virtuous living to tread this life of thorns You lived life as a shining example to others who sought to emulate you You remained an unsolved puzzle despite your completeness   Eulogy to my dear father Somanna on his 1 st anniversary On this day of Deepavali in 2021, today November 3 rd is exactly one year since Somanna left us in his mortal body.  Just the way the festival of lights Deepavali signifies peace and joy, and good vanquishing the evil, Somanna instilled in us a deep sense of morals and principles in both within the family and outside.  In one sense, it appears that Somanna has not left us since he lives on within us every second of the day.  His voice reverberates the four walls within our home, his lively conversations enliven our today’s conversation, his magnetic ...

Connoisseurs of the cult of alcohol consumers have vouched and hence rationalized for they have been a stickler to their drink.  Once told that wine is one among the many vices, he quoted from the medical encyclopaedia that the antioxidant in wine is what has kept his heart racing for the drink – “It cures Hypertension” is his quick rhetoric. His belief indeed is that wine is divine; his artistic talent to sing paeans for the benefits has kept him honest, to the drink though! Shaped or old-fashioned glass when it appeared in front disappeared in a whisk. The ardent fans of whisky affirmed their faith that the drink helped to overcome stress, considered to be the leading root-cause that runs riot in many an ailment and keeps the medical fraternity on their toes. Newfound benefits of whisky are linked to weight loss; he ran to the gym with gay abandon and terminated his membership to drown in ecstasy now or sorrow later. A single or double malt is purely a matter of convenience! T...

Anchored - How can I be?  I’m not a vessel floating along the waves on a pristine river or a raging ocean to prevent further drifting by anchoring me to a firm bottom.  A half-a-century ago my parents could’ve chided me for a surfeit of mischiefs and enforced ‘grounded’ to punish me; or into the future a non-existent ride since I’m not yet a picture frame to be nailed for posterity, and hence remain unanchored.  Last but not the least, I do not have the exposure or the experience to anchor a television show, more so as a news anchor to pull off a mesmerizing effect on my audience to impinge their mindset. My story of an impingement is of a varied stance.  The twists and turns to my narration will reveal the truth, but until then I need your patient read.  The patient state into which I made a grand entry from a good healthy predisposition is the driving force for my story.  Three months ago, a little niggle in the right shoulder made me believe that I can s...

My recent medical procedure provided a whole new perspective and a different meaning to the word ‘single-handedly.’  A typical dictionary meaning suggests it’s something done without help from anyone else or unassisted by others.   For me it meant that I could not use my natural right hand for a period of up to twelve weeks.   More of this later! The trigger to write this article came from another angle – 13 th August is International Lefthanders Day.  In the Indian context, up until the 1980s all children with a natural tendency to use their left-hand were punished and ostracized for it was considered a bad omen and a taboo.  What?! Hockey is our national game.  Despite recent achievements by the hockey team – both men’s and women’s at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, India is a diehard cricketing nation.  A singular event that changed the face of cricket for our country was the 1983 World Cup.  Kapil Dev marshalled his team with motiv...

  A million-dollar question – does the year always pass at breakneck speed?   This sequel article is about an event-filled year – tragic or celebratory marked by specific events on a particular day.   Events had unfolded on their own.   A new dawn as the dazzling sun shone as I experienced the experiences.   I realized that peace and happiness is within! Mark Twain unabashedly took note when I used his quote "Age is an issue of mind over matter; if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” in my first article and unleashed a tsunami of events to test my mind endurance.   Did I pass with flying colours?   Honestly this year that went by was more black-and-white than colours. I started with gusto right after my 2020 birthday celebrations with a regimen that put my younger years at shame.   An early wake-up to accommodate an hour of Yogasana, followed by 30 minutes of meditation to keep the mind both tranquil and singular-focus, punctuated by icing-on-t...

  The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision...Helen Keller A profound statement from one of the greatest advocates for the blind.   Blessed with extra-sensory capabilities, she and others overcome their visual challenges to be a boon to humanity.   With our eyesight intact, we have many a lesson to learn. During my decade-long stint at one of the largest Information Technology MNC, my coworker on the floor moved around a maze of cubicles with utmost certainty.   He never used the White Cane - a device that is an able ally to manage basic movement by scanning the surrounding for any obstacles, within the four walls.   He covered good ground to reach the restroom, but never faltered.   On the contrary he put others at shame with the immaculate way he went about his job.   He always washed his hands with soap at the wash basin, and never knocked off a person accidentally. My business partner and I visited a home for busines...

  Virus to Vaccine and Vivid memories of Vacations from the past… Vacation was the most cherished endeavour in the pre-Corona days.   The details that went into planning by the family members or a friends’ group was both fun-filled and exciting, nonetheless sometimes even excruciating than the actual event.   A keen eye and ability to pay attention to minutest details victimized a person relegated to be made the scapegoat to don the coordinator’s role; a contrasting character rendered many in the group stranded at crucial juncture in precarious situations. Virus swamped us from the beginning of 2020.   Many remarked that the pandemic was expected to last only a few months and lockdowns would break the community spread.   An anti-climax of sorts – to draw a parallel the fans expected a 4-hour T20 cricket game, while it turned out to be a never-ending game much beyond the five-day test match.   Nothing classical about this onslaught, which has venomously ...

Never a pretty sight to witness and study the under-belly of an 18-wheeler truck when it is in motion! Feb 18, 1994 – in USA traveling in a car in Texas from a small-town Beaumont to Houston on highway I-10, I caught a glimpse of the under-belly of a massive 18-wheeler truck.   Master Hirannaiah’s “Lanchavatara” was playing in the car, as my friend and I drove amongst well-disciplined drivers.   The master in his own inimitable style delivering intertwined ocean of words, a’ la vehicles movement into and out of the highway, kept us entertained as we were immersed in this kannada narration and ruminating on the same! Our car was cruising along in the middle lane when suddenly two nerve-wracking swerves, first to the left and then to the right perched us stationary in a precarious position, perpendicular to the flow of traffic.   I could see two approaching ‘semis’ one behind the other – monster trucks a very common sight on US highways.   One, they have an overwhelmin...

A Kannada proverb goes - hiriyakkana chali manemandigella – the elder sister in the family with her habits sets the pace for the rest of the family members.   When our older daughter turned 18; she was closely followed by her younger sister by a calendar gap of 41 months.   That set the memory jog back to the days when the toddler-infant duo sent us parents going around in circles, or it could have been any geometrical shape! Sibling rivalry is no rivalry but a healthy nexus that transcends a symbiotic relationship.   Older one sought all the attention when the younger one arrived home from the hospital.   An early confrontation is when she ran towards the cot, jumped to perch herself up-in-the-air for a brief period before she bounced off the bed and cart-wheeled so meticulously to land her little behind right on top of the little one’s head!   We parents skipped a heartbeat and stood frozen in our tracks.   In all jest we pull the little one’s leg – ‘deel...

  Traditions, and customs are colours of a country, superstition its rainbow.   In France there is a superstition that an accidental left foot stepped into dog poop can bring good luck, quirk-of-fate the right foot the opposite!   A huge frustration to get the mess off! Year was 1992 during my short trip to New York.   The impeccably dressed people, the otherwise clean streets, large and flashy display signboards, zest for life, impressed me on the streets of Manhattan; the grandiose civic sense acted as an icing on the cake.   A well-dressed gentleman in an expensive suit walked his big dog on a shiny leather leash. Dogs are blessed in that they ‘go’ under the blue sky or a starry night in the precincts of nature!   The Armani-like suit-clad gentleman looked in the other direction when the dog found its ‘sweet spot’ on the cobbled pavement.   I stood stupefied as I watched his hand slip out of his pant trousers, his palm covered with a disposable ...

Covid imposed quarantine has unleashed a surfeit of challenges the world-over especially for households.   WFH – Work From Home, is the new norm! Many families in India have three generations under one roof, truly Unity in Diversity!   It is an art as well as a science to balance the intents, thoughts, ensuing actions, and resultant outcome of truly diverse groups.   During the pre-Covid era, we had children from the youngest generation packed off to schools and colleges for almost the entire day; while we the parent generation packed ourselves off into cars headed to our offices as well the extended late-night meetings and the weekend parties. Grandparents in a ‘home alone’ mode would heave a sigh of relief.   Lo behold, their mode propelled them to switch on the TV sets never to switch it off again for the rest of the week.   The soaps and the serials became a part of their daily rigmarole, and without the dialogues on-screen in the background, they were t...

Mysuru - City of Palaces, a road-trip on Bengaluru-Mysuru highway brings fond memories! A perfect getaway anytime from the hubbub of high-decibel Bengaluru, the true motivation has been its pristine beauty, uncorrupted residents, a clean environment, delightful eateries, to name a few.  The true excuse though being a ‘thavaru mane (home-sweet-home)’ for my better half. Unfortunately, not anymore after the demise of both her parents; her mother passed away 6 months ago, a tragic statistic to the dreaded virus. On the highway, road-dividers are new inventions now.  Then a challenge, being at one’s own risk to maneuver the oncoming traffic on two narrow lanes.  A mayhem of sorts that brought the traffic to a stand-still.  A familiar face in the other bus in the opposite direction, an extended breezy handshake were energy-filled sights.  Upon a quick exchange of pleasantries, passengers contributed – “right-right…a little to the left and holdane…very close!” with a ...

Relevant to this write-up, an apt saying from a well-known philosopher “A gentle word, a kind look, a good-natured smile can work wonders and accomplish miracles.”   A new era…it is the ‘politically correct’ era or so the ‘intelligentsia’ claims.  Our sensitivity quotient should not be measured by the western-influenced ‘politically correct’ statements.  More people today are globe-trotters gaining abundant grey matter and being sensitized to the dynamics of a westernized society.   Politically correct statements are more outward in nature, while what matters the most are those genuine statements - who we really are, what drives our intent, and what intent shaped our statements and subsequent actions. Politicians as well as page-3 persona are dissected for their faux pas, an increased number of occurrences in the recent days, advertently or otherwise.  It is no longer palatable to say physically handicapped, instead the right reference is PWD – Person with ...