Obamayana

The other night while putting the boys to bed, they requested for a Rama story. Having told them some Rama stories recently, and having listened to more at the Sunday Heritage classes in the temple, they got hooked on to the Ramayana characters.

Chandra is Rama and Sugriva while Datta is Bharata and Hanuman. Sometimes they take on a third character as well. And anything slender and long becomes a bow and an arrow. Anything with a protrusion at the end, naturally, becomes a mace (gada). We have innumerable battles at home these days, and luckily for us and for themselves, both are on the same side and fight with fictitious evil, up in the air.

So, last night I thought I would tell them about the genesis of Ramayana, i.e. the story about Shravan Kumar, his old parents, Dasaratha's archery skills and the curse he incurs because of that. Yeah, I know - too much high level stuff for the little kids. Righfully so, I was jolted from my own slumber when the words Obama, change, schedule etc. started getting mixed up with the story.

I don't remember when I started dozing off and what all I was telling them - but when I looked at them, they were wide awake and with confused looks for what I was blabbering. They know Obma is the new President, but couldn't understand what Obama has to do with Rama, Dasaratha and Hanuman. At that point, I decided to start another simpler story and retold the 'Bharata pleading Rama to return but leaving with his sandals' story. And I made sure Obama wasn't part of this story.

After that the kids slept easy - but I was interested and intrigued myself with what Obama was doing in Ramayana and it was a long night for me. I could never figure out :)

Swasti !!

My favorite moment of the Inauguration

I have been wondering what Barack would call himself during the Oath ceremony. The announcer earlier introduced him as Barack H. Obama. But when the time came to be sworn in as the 44th POTUS, he boldly, rightly and confidently called himself Barack 'Hussein' Obama without trying to omit, hide or ignore his origins.

It showed his great strength of character. It showed his unwavering integrity to what's real - the fact. It showed his belief in looking to the future while standing his ground. It showed great hope for the peoples of the world to be ones own self and strive for excellence. He glowed all through his campaign and this definitely is a very defining moment. I am impressed.

Looking forward to a great Presidency and wonderful times...
Swasti !!

Let the truth come out

I received a forwarded email the other day - purportedly written by a Satyam employee and posted on www.akhilandhra.com. The gist is: how can the totally-corrupt politicians cry foul at Raju? Raju has done many great things, created 53k jobs, so on and on... and questions what fault has Raju done - other than to sacrifice himself for the benefit of the company.

I can understand the anguish of the 'employee'. But I don't agree with the email's logic. It tries to circumvent the issue at hand and casts allegations on the self-confessed-rogues (a.k.a. politicians). However, a rogue or a normal person/common man - allegations against Raju stand. And he is 'guilty until proven otherwise' - having confessed of wrongdoing himself. What remains to be known is - is the wrongdoing the same as what he wrote about, or the exact opposite?

We were all in the front row applauding Raju's great deeds, in starting the company, employing almost 1/2 a lakh employees worldwide, bringing in the much needed forex to India, taking the company to great heights, enhancing the pride of all Telugu loving people. there's no denying his achievements and on the same token, there's no dearth of encomiums for the same.

But make no mistake! Just because he achieved so much, doesn't give him a free ride when he does such a colossal blunder. Especially when it tries to bring down each and everything that we praised him for, in the first place. The rotten eggs of the society (read 'politicians') joining the blame game doesn't make it an unfair field. These rotten eggs have to be plucked and 'destroyed' as well. But let's not lose our focus here.

Let justice prevail - be it in the case of a corrupt politician or a corrupt corporate officer.

Best wishes,
Swasti !!

Sankranti Subhakankshalu

The early morning campfires on the first day of the festival - and bringing anything and everything from broken chairs to dried tree branches to neighbour's stool to all the dry leaves we could gather from the surroundings to cardboard boxes to....the list goes on.. Anything that can help raze a big fire is put into the pile and it's lit up in the chilly early morning weather. Kids gather around and elders are not far behind...

Then the colorful and not so colorful kites we made and bought to fly from the roof tops, on the streets without a care for the passers by or bicycles or rikshaws or the cows/buffalos... trying to fly our kites higher than that of the kid next door... It's usually the not so colorful, home made, news paper kites that generally used to soar high - leaving behind all those beautiful ones with long colorful tails.

I could write more about the fun we used to have for days and days as the schools were usually closed from around Christmas through Pongal/Sankranti (schools these days have no such long vacations). Not a paisa spent usually - as we used to sneak some cooked rice for adhesive, tear down newspapers for the kite (not sure which day's paper that was - who cared? not until dad scolded after realizing his editorial section is flying high in the sky), threads from the grocery packets tied together to make a long line for the kite, and then the brooms made of coconut leaves were there to provide the much needed framework for the kite.

Coming back to the present - I wish you all who know what I am talking about a very very happy Sankranti (Harvest Festival in South India) and wish you all the best this year. And for all the girl folks out there...here are a couple of pics of americanized gobbiLLu (big balls made out of fresh cow dung - only, in US we made them with fresh snow).

Have a good day!

Swasti!!

Different story line please...

Going by the seemingly orchestrated surrender of Satyam founder Raju, and the Govt/Police tactics in helping him skip the SEBI interrogation on Saturday, methinks - by Monday or thereabouts Mr. Raju and his brother will suffer some severe health problems (chest pain/heart attack being the top of the line item in these circumstances) that necessitate their corporate-hospitalization. Whenever SEBI officials approach for interrogation, the patients will be unconscious due to sedation etc. etc. You get the plot...

Haven't we seen this plot being played out in umpteen high profile cases already? I would like to see a different, 'just' plot played out this time around... but as long as the 'producers' and the 'directors' are the same, we can't expect a different kind of movie - come which ever actor plays the lead role :(

Some spice to fill the headlines when the media is getting worried about a bland January...

Looking forward to Obama's inauguration...

Swasti!!

It's a lie

Indian Software giant Satyam's Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju sent in his resignation letter culminating very troubled times at the company which were precipitated by the recent failed bid to acquire Maytas, a sister-concern (not sure why the term brother-concern is never used). His letter revealed 'facts' about falsifying the accounts over several years. It immediately reminded me of a telugu movie Nijam, with its tag line 'It's a lie'. It fits this company very well during these troubled times: Satyam - It's a lie.

However, I do feel the company has done great work, and grew phenomenally over the past decade. I feel for the Satyam employees who have to face the economic reality of this event. I hope and pray for their economic security.

It's always the greedy few, anywhere, that bring the system down. We have already seen it on the Wall Street and other world markets last year for the umpteenth time in history. The likes of Harshad Mehta, Bernard Madoff et al come to mind. I think the revelations in the letter are only a few and there are many more to follow (will they ever see the light of the day?) Why do I say that, without any basis? It's my strong feeling that a wrong, done over a period of time, is not done in isolation. A person committing it must be so corrupt in his/her thought process that it permeates to other walks of life as well. Anyway, let me not turn this into a philosophical note.

With hopes for the best and looking up to 'Satyameva Jayate' (Truth alone prevails),

Swasti !!

Imagination

Last night I was reading a bed time story for the boys. Brief synopsis: crows fighting on a tree; a pigeon lands on the tree; crows fight with it and send it away despite the pigeon's requests for shelter as it lost its way in the rain and dark skies; pigeon goes to a mango tree; lightning strikes the 'crow-tree' and hailstorm kills and injures a lot of crows that night; the remaining crows ask the pigeon in the morning how it survived; praying to god saved its life.

Once the pigeon is thrown out of the 'crow-tree', Datta said: when I become a small, tiny infant again, I will jump into the book, hit the bad crows and rescue the pigeon.

He said that with such conviction, it's not even a wish to become an infant again; he thinks it's just a matter of time before he becomes one :). I wish I had that imagination !

Swasti !!

Happy New Year

Dear Friends,

I wish you all a very happy, healthy and fuitful New Year! May this New Year bring new and pleasant events in your lives and fulfill your dreams !!

* * * Happy 2009 * * *

Swasti !!