I had company

 I have noticed that when I am alone, I think of things I've never thought of before . I think back - I think of the present - and I think of the foreseeable future , and I feel it's therapeutic. 

For this reason I enjoy my walks, especially on weekends, when there is no pressure, and things are calm and unhurried.

This morning was no different.

I live in a rather peaceful neighbourhood, where everyone minds their own business , and that's exactly how I prefer it to be.

Weekend mornings are quiet and unhurried,  and my world couldn't be better.

Back to this morning's walk.

I was ready by six, and was soon walking at a good pace, under the thick green foliage . The freshly watered grass gave off a fresh, invigorating scent. I love it.

Headphones on. The Mavericks it was .

Then without warning I had company. Oh no - not now.

I ducked, in vain. 

I knew i had been spotted and getting away wouldn't be easy.

She has accompanied me on walks on at least two occasions, prior to today.

If she accompanied me without hassling me, it would be fine.

But unfortunately , she always has other, rather irritating plans- devious at times.

So it's my face, my neck ,my eyelids - and soon she is all over me. 

Affection ? I wouldn't say so. 

Being a pest ? More like it. To the nth degree.

I have even caught myself saying ' enough' and ' get lost', but she will have none of it . 

I finally began running, hoping I would get away from her unwanted affection. 

I succeeded .

Flies are irritating.  I detest them.

Premonitions and me

 Do you believe in premonitions? 

Ever encountered one ?

I did this morning.

Thankfully it came to pass but only partly - if not some of you would be in mourning. 

Ok that's not exactly correct.

More than some would be in mourning!

Ok so this is how things transpired - lend me your ears.

I went to have a hair cut at my favourite saloon. 

It's nothing fancy - like me.

The chappie who usually cuts my hair was busy. Another pretty nondescript guy made eye contact and pointed to a chair. 

I was a trifle embarrassed to say no, although looking back, that would not have been a bad decision. 

So I sat down, was wrapped in a 'swaddling cape' and there began my sorrow.

The guy seemed a trifle rough, in a hurry and rather distracted.

( Maybe he was contemplating the India Pakistan cricket match ) .

While I gave him some very general and basic  instructions he kept glancing out through  the glass door .

The ' cutting'  began with a number 4 pair of clippers. 

Let me cut to the chase .

While he was using the razor to do the cleaning up exercise near my year and behind my neck a strange thought came over me.

What if his hand slipped and he sliced my ear or neck!

As hurriedly as it entered,  I put it out of my mind!

Hair cut over a few minutes later and he asked me if I needed a shave .

The lazy me nodded in the affirmative. 

I was lathered up and the thought returned.

What if his blade slipped when he was shaving my neck- this time the front! 

It would all  be over in the blink of an eye.

Believe it or not  - a minute or so later his hand slipped or something happened and I he nicked me-  no not on my neck, but on my chin.

It bled and he wiped. It bled some more, and he wiped it with wet tissue. It continued and he used talcum powder. 

It refused to stop, and he then used some ointment. 

Finally after about 5 minutes, it stopped bleeding and he completed the shave.

No - the blood was not pouring or spurting out or anything so drastic ( or dramatic) but it did bleed.

I didn't panic as it was an accident . He didn't panic either, nor did he apologise. 

Probably he nicks people regularly , and it's become normal. 

Am home now. The match is on. The chin is fine.

No more shaves at the barber for me.

So much hate

 So much uncertainty 

So many wars

So much hate

Such unimaginable torture.

Thousands being killed

And those being forced to do the killing 

Often don't know why.

Senseless butchery of the innocents.....

So much greed

And hatred

And bitterness.

Women raped

Babies killed

The old and infirm decapitated 

And men tortured.

All this while large groups 

Of the supposedly intelligent 

sit and debate

As to who is right

And who is wrong

And never come up

With any concrete answers or solutions.

When will this ignorant world learn

That war and genocide 

Has never been the answer ?

It isn't today

It will not be tomorrow 

Not in the foreseeable future.

This madness 

This utter insanity must stop 

By whatever means possible 

By whoever can make it happen

Lest we consume ourselves 

"If you bite and devour each other

Watch out

Or you will be destroyed by each other"

MG

The late bloomers

 If you are a parent of a school going child then you may like to read this. 

He/ She need not always be 

The flag bearer on sports day 

The leader in the PE display 

The King or Queen in the school play 

Be in the play in the first place and have a speaking role

Selected to represent the school in competitions 

The class monitor

The House Captain

A school prefect 

The Head Boy or Head Girl

Come first in class

Score above 95% in school / board examinations

Have his/ her name up on the honours board 

Recognised / honoured at the school assembly .

The one selected to welcome the Chief Guest

The one chosen to present the gift/ bouquet to the guest of honour 

The teacher's pet

The one whose photo appears in the school magazine 

The main character in the school promotional video

The Rex/ Victor  ludorum ( Bishopites would remember this) 

There are pupils who are late bloomers. 

Considered shy or timid in school. 

Never selected for any prominent role 

Who teachers feel lack leadership qualities.

Who wait in vain to be recognised and given that one opportunity to prove themselves.

Often they do quite well in life - they rise to the top of their profession, while leading with distinction. 

The cream always rises to the top. 

It's all about self confidence and biding one's time . 

Patience and perseverance pays dividends.

St Michael the Archangel

 I have posted something similar some time ago, so if it rings a bell, stop reading and go about your business.

If you have nothing interesting to do - keep reading .

This morning, I woke a little later than normal. You see , it's a holiday and we have a long weekend, so am making the best of it. 

 I am usually up and about by around 4.45 am - having tea, reading the news papers, looking at my mail  to see if I have inherited a fortune from some unknown relative , checking Facebook and wishing people for their birthdays, then finally opening WhatsApp- not necessarily in that order. 

And there it was. A close friend wishing me a Happy Feast day. Thanks FM and MM.

At first I did a double take but then realized  that today is the feast of St Michael the archangel. 

So hear I was- smiling - Happy Feast day to me and all that ! Yippee. 

Almost like Father's day - hardly anyone remembers, till you remind them. 

Quite unlike Mother' s day which is celebrated with flowers, gifts and dinners twice or thrice a year ! 

Anyway, back to my Feast day.

Archangels are leaders so I got that right . 

Meanwhile , am thinking of the other angelic qualities I possess. 

Now please don't start sending me messages about how good I am - I already know that - okay!

But on to something different. 

I probably have done a similar post but I can't seem to trace it. Old age and all.

As a young boy I was a parishioner of St Patrick's Church in Allahabad- India.

For the purists , it's now Pryagraj. 

The parish priest was Fr Germain. Old residents would probably remember him.

He was a good human being and the youth of the parish gravitated towards him, as he was young at heart- like me now!

As a young teen - or probably a preteen, I observed that he had a comfortable residence , rode a scooter , and had a fridge- all luxuries back in the day. There was also a cook and a cleaning lady. 

I was a timid young boy with no idea as to what I would do in the future. I also knew that there was no ' family inheritance ' to look forward to.

So I began fancying myself becoming a priest. 

I fathomed that it was an easy job. I would be assured of food , accommodation , clothing and money. To top it all, everyone would call me ' Father ' . I didn't exactly fancy studying. 

For two or three years I toyed with this lovely  idea. 

I , with a few friends , spent a lot of time  helping out in church, serving at Mass, doing petty chores, attending all services etc. I was a good little Christian boy. 

At home, I also acted out being a priest,  and doused my cousins by sprinkling them with  plenty of tap water ! There were also the imaginary confessions and I often fantisized about people telling me their sins!

It was  a lot of fun. 

At church we were in the limelight- had a free run of the mango and guava trees , were occasionally given ten rupees to have a Dosa and were permitted to hang around in church at will. And there were girls ! 

Then came the teenage years and with that  came  innumerable distractions ,  and music, and my band,  and  parties and  without much thought, the vision for my future changed almost overnight .

So although I didn't end up wearing a cassock and being called father I ended up as a teacher being called Sir.

So - today is my Feast day, and I will make sure to say a silent prayer to St Michael the archangel , to bless me and all my lovely friends .

Am grateful

 Am grateful

 For innumerable things and moments.

For this life - The almighty has blessed me

In ways I could never have imagined 

Am grateful 

For my family - the immediate ones 

And my  two precious granddaughters!

Not forgetting all the others- spread around the globe - they all matter

In some way or the other.

Am grateful 

For my close friends

I don't have too many 

But I value their friendship and support.

All just a call away.

Am grateful 

For childhood friends - there are a few 

And sadly others have passed on

We made wonderful memories together 

Never to be forgotten

And when we reconnect in person

Or virtually 

Time stands still

As we are transported back to the decades

That have passed

We are teens and young adults once again

The laughter, the camaraderie, the madness, the love.

Wow !

Am grateful 

For other friends I have met and made over the years

I know we could do better on the 

'Keeping in touch' front

But nevertheless- we connect when possible 

And those moments are special 

Even if they are brief.

Am grateful 

For colleagues I have worked with over 

The last four decades

And those I still work with even today 

Experiences and moments to cherish

A mixture of the brilliant,  the good 

The not so good and the in between 

But we are all still learning and growing. 

Am grateful 

For pupils I have taught and interacted with

In Allahabad, Pune and the UAE.

I am humbled and proud to say

I have probably touched quite a few lives.

May not have always been the perfect teacher 

Or human being, for that matter 

But perfection is a myth

And i am a  better person today

 than what I was yesterday 

And that's what matters.

My pupils have always been so special to me

Some young , some middle aged now- 

With kids of their own

But they are all still boys to me .

The 'Sir' is at times embarrassing 

But then

I refer to my teachers the same way.

May be old fashioned or outdated 

For the modern generation 

But  respect matters

I sit here

in the silence of the morning

Mind wandering 

 There is not a sound to be heard

Save my own breathing 

And reminisce on years gone bye.

On struggles, successes  - failures and achievements 

And when I pick up that scale 

And weigh things up

I smile in humble contentment. 

It's a gratifying moment of realization.

I take a deep breath of satisfaction 

Because with abundant  blessings from above 

Coupled with unadulterated 

Love, help and support from so many

Life continues to be good.

Of Malls Hotels and Airports

 Of Malls, Hotels and Airports.

Random musings. No offence meant to anyone . 

I have absolutely nothing to do right now  as it's the weekend, the wife is in India, and the guy who is supposed to be on the way to fix my Internet router seems to have gone elsewhere as he was 5 minutes away about 45  minutes ago.

It is on mornings like this, that my mind wanders on to aimless topics .

Please don't read further if you have something better to do, or you are one of those super duper types, who multi task all day long. You know those people - cooking  ,watching TV, helping the kid with homework, making a PPT while eating breakfast at the same time ! 

This post is for the lazy, for the aimless and for the old like me.

Malls first- this is India I am talking about. Now what's with the security at the entrance to Malls. Have often seen one over enthusiastic guy at the entrance ready to check your handbag and frisk you !. What exactly are they looking for?. And if by chance some sinister individual has something dangerous and they find it- what happens next? Will they blow their whistle? Start hammering the person with their lathi? Phone their head office ? Would this person remain standing and wait for the matter to run it's course ? And no one is so stupid to walk into a mall with something in a pocket or a shopping bag. 

Hotels? Drive into any five star hotel and you are politely stopped at the gate. There are usually two guards, and one has a rather starved looking dog on a leash. While this  guy gets the dog to sniff around the car, the other has a contraption on a metal pole . He then pushes it under the car on all 4 sides searching for you know what !. He also orders the driver to open the bonnet and peers in. The same for the boot of the car. He looks while the dog sniffs. Or at least it's supposed to . Once  my wife packed mutton roast and put it in the hand luggage. The dog went into a frenzy. The guys got excited. Their first big find in a decade. I had to get out of the car. When they saw the roast they looked dejected. Much ado about nothing.The whole searching procedure is repeated for every vehicle that enters. They don't check the inside of the car , nor the luggage. This has gone on for years now. Do they seriously believe they will find whatever they are searching for in such obvious places?. They look bored and worn out and so does the poor dog and I pity them. I once asked one of these men if they had ever found anything,and his smile said it all. And once again. Have they got an inkling as to what to do IF they find something ? 

Airports- I agree that thorough checking at the security counter is a must, but have you noticed how men are checked while standing on a sort of pedestal in the open while women are taken into a sort of curtain enclosed area to be checked. Often wondered about this. Looks like discrimination to me ? Just saying!

Ok got to go. Someone at the door.