Refractive Thoughts

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 ...

Proverbial knowledge via proverbs like ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ holds the test of times in almost all walks of life and around the globe, unless of course you are an Indian!  The phrase essentially means an extensive knowledge or close continuous association with someone or something can slowly trigger a loss of respect for them or it.  We Indians dare to be different and in our context this phrase has a unique connotation.  Let me explain a few scenarios… At noon on a weekday, my friend wanted to venture into his friend’s office.  ‘You should meet this character at his office’ - he told me.  I immediately countered ‘wait at work we mustn’t disturb him.’  My friend had cast a magic spell around his friend’s life or so it seemed - ‘don’t you worry; if he is in a meeting he better step out.  After all I’m his childhood friend.’  In essence, my friend felt an adrenaline rush to capitalize on his familiarity!  While my friend’s friend probab...

World today is more digital than ever before, a ‘x-times’ factor exaggerated by the pandemic.  The universe of typos and auto-corrects and the ensuing embarrassment must be borne with our heads held high, but then with our tails between our legs!  Political gaffes are dime a dozen, and the media feasts on them.   English for many of the non-English speaking countries is an official language, including here in India.   “Engleesh is a punny language; I can talk engleesh, I can walk engleesh” is AB’s famous dialogue from the movie Namak Halaal delivered in his own inimitable style, sums up the scenario. IT companies have invested heavily in training their employees.   Soft skills training is perched at the top of the corporate training list as a much sought-after initiative.   The emphasis in this area was the consequence of a rude awakening that jolted this industry which predominantly had focused on technical coding skills.   Many a new entity mushr...

Walk and the world walks with you; sleep and you sleep alone. Somnambulism or sleepwalking is a sleep disorder and mandates medical evaluation.  It integrates the sleeping and walking activities into one thread.  Time to celebrate walking and sleeping as two distinct streams of activities. Man is a social animal termed the great philosopher Aristotle.   During the waking state, man when into the act of walking aspires to be in the company of fellow walkers to build a conversation.  One may concur to have healthy discussion on a multitude of topics or lose the plot to gravitate into an argumentative mode at decibel levels scorned by neighbours and fellow walkers. In the other (non)activity - an afternoon siesta, or the retirement at the end-of-day, termed sleep where one further slip into a dream state, gets rid of all entanglements to slip into a deep slumber.  Peaceful for the one asleep or soundful with accompanied roars for the partner (sometimes even t...

“God only made a few perfect heads, and the rest covered with hair” – Anonymous quote An ordinary hair-cutting experience morphs into a hair-raising experience and a natural way to mitigate this risk is to orchestrate a fall with a grand entry into the bald club.   The world has only two types of people: one who are bald and the other who are not!   Many from the former strive for an entry into the latter via a wig here and a toupee there, and modern clinical interventions.   Receding hairline has known benefits - time & money saved; vis-à-vis the clan members who enjoy or suffer a copious full-head of hair - extravagantly spend on a multitude of products such as hair gel, oil, combs, curlers, colors, shampoo, not to mention the high-spend on styling options like the now ubiquitous mohawk cut. Who said the hot chair is a politician’s prerogative?!   There is indeed a hot chair in a barber’s shop.   One enters the shop with a head held high but once sea...

  “Gurubrahma…guruvishnu” and “Acharya devobhava” – are engraved values with high reverence in our dharma for our gurus right from our student days.   Several instances stand as a testament to the ‘marked respect’ – an inoculation by Indian birth.   Are there situations, as students where we disrespect our teachers to the extent, we annoy them? Many like me hesitate to pass a judgement about our teacher who stands in front of a classroom to impart knowledge, leave alone annoy but well circumstances can be different!  Propensity to exploit the inadequacies of some who pose they have abundant subject knowledge or who do not show empathy towards their students or do not fit a ‘teacher’ stereotype, is but natural.  Lack of grip on subject matter and inability to answer precocious students’ questions is a common ‘root cause’ for many a pandemonium in the classroom!  A mishmash of a few anecdotal incidents but from my student days… Idiosyncrasy was a stand-ou...

“Neighbour’s Envy, Owner’s Pride” was Onida TV’s tagline which enraptured the hearts of Indian families around mid-80s.   Onida’s green devil sported horns with a ludicrous laugh, frightful fingernails, and a threatening tail that vaulted into our houses through their brand of TV set.   This unconventional ad campaign catapulted the sales of our own Indian product, backed by quality and snazzy looks.   It was an instant hit with school kids, much to the chagrin of their parents, who dressed-up unabashedly as the devil in their school fancy-dress competitions.   The devil indeed ruled the roost! Thirty-five years on, the modern-day city life has triggered a twist to the above tagline.   My parents own an independent house and prided on the ample parking in front of their house.   Our city grew the residential area activities as well, any lung space on our roads indeed a rarity.   Space to park a two-wheeler are magically converted into a four-wheeler pa...