Kolam

Elixir of life !

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

I love books & so do many others.Books provide us companionship at all times & places.When we read books ,we are not alone.We have a friend and a confidant in the book.

Books give us immense joy as we read them . Confucius rightly said ,"You cannot open a book without learning something".They help us with learning & educating ourselves.Books help us in getting creative &  get us thinking.Books divert our attention & relax us.They may give us solutions to problems & by this, I do not mean guides & keys ! 

There are self help books,books on crafts & arts ,story books,books on facts & figures,account books,science books ,etc.There are so many varieties to choose from.There are coffee table books & books with illustrations and lovely photographs !

We may not be able to own all books we want & need.We can borrow from friends & the library to  read & stare.In this age ,our matchbox like houses, seldom have space to accommodate all the books we would love to read & store to re read.

Unconditional acceptance is what books give us.There are no demands by books,isn't it ? We, of course, demand to be enlightened as also  entertained by books.Seldom, are we disappointed by books.

Ernest Hemingway said "There is no friend as loyal as a book ."I think the best thing in life is / are  books as they are for a lifetime ! Many book can be read many times over.Each time ,we may come across some new idea which the author intended & we failed to  get it the last time we read it.

In this age of the internet,books seem to be losing to the net.Many books are downloaded on electronic devices & can be read online.Many book stores are closing down.People seem to have decreasing attention span to appreciate books.Still ,all is not lost.

The fact, that books are being downloaded on the web, proves that there are readers who feel printing on paper is anti green & prefer the net !

I am lucky, as I have started reviewing books gifted to me by BlogAdda. I get to read the latest books by so many writers.Incidentally ,book reviewing may get other wannabe readers interested in reading ! In essence,I stay in touch with  what is happening in the world of letters.Hence,I am in tune with  the times, on the net ,with the net & by the net, by blogging reviews of books  !

Rangoli

The gift of time !

This post is a part of the contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Badhai.in

I love receiving gifts.Giving gifts is not my cup of tea.I do give gifts & that too without discrimination.This means, that I find the cheapest ones available.I go to sales & buy gifts.I know, that as you read this ,you must be thanking your stars, that you are lucky enough to be have never met me ! I am like that only.

Most of the people we meet & know, generally have everything they needed & gifts are unnecessary except for the feel good factor.Moreover, our gifts may be not liked by them because they preferred a different brand,colour,type etc etc.Many of the gifts, we give to others, are simply recycled so much so, that often ,they are gifted back to us !

I have many NRI ( non resident Indians ) friends.They gift me & I in turn, have to hand them presents. For NRIs,the choice of tohfa gets very narrowed down.Electrical items are a big no as these items  available  here, are especially suitable  for Indian power fluctuations.Heavy  & bulky items cannot be gifted as NRIs generally have lots of baggage of their own.Clothes are also ruled out as dressing up abroad is a different ball game unlike here.

I once had this problem of what to gift my NRI friend who was on a short visit to India..She is working & has got many Indian clothes & she would hardly use the said dresses.She said she wanted nothing as she  had done most of  her shopping .

Gift unwrapping at Birthdays is so exciting !

I was confused.I was racking my brains to come up with any idea of a special  gift for her.I asked my other friends,parents,neighbours ,etal but to no avail.I tried shopping for something unique & that gift shopping experience drove me crazy & I failed . Very soon, it was time for her  to return.

The phone rang .It was my friend.I again asked her if she needed anything ,I would gift her that.She said she wanted  something.I was thrilled .She enquired, if I could accompany her the next day or any day in that week for meeting  friends.She said she needed company as  the city was not what it was, when she stayed here.I agreed, as I had no work lined up the next day.I had also felt the need to talk with her & gossip about our other friends , acquaintances,the city,our neighbours,& so many things.I just couldn't  let go of this chance of spending so much time with her.

The next day ,I met her at her parents place & we left together.She paid for all the travel ( I love this about my friends - they never let me spend a dime ! ).We met her friends.She also finished some last minute shopping & other errands on the way.We gossiped throughout - I gossiped & she listened.She had no choice.After all, she had asked for it ! We did get emotionally nostalgic about the times we had spent years ago.

It was late evening ,when I left her at her place & bid her goodbye.It was a day well spent for me.I doubt if it was the same for her ? She must have got a splitting headache listening to my ranting. And she called me up before she flew back.She told me how much she loved me for having given her the gift of my time ! She said that I had given her the most memorable tohfa - of love,  by being there with her, when she needed me ! I was on cloud nine ! I mean, this was priceless for me, for reasons stated earlier , & even  for  her !

Henceforth,I know that, I must spend time with those, whom I want to gift.That is me -gift wrapped  !

Chowkpurana

Vegetarianism is humane

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

I am a vegetarian .As I grow, I believe & trust in vegetarianism all the more. Vegetarianism is about health, hygiene, kindness etal ! Recently, newspaper reports stated  " It’s official: Vegetarians outlive the meat eaters."Many people are of the opinion that they are better off without a long life in this bad world & might take to non -vegetarianism just to end their life faster. Non -vegetarian food is slow poison, which brings early death to the prey & those  gorge the prey.

Please take a look at this video by PETA to understand the basic reasons to convert to Vegetarianism -

'If I had the power to change something, I would change the eating habits of people.’ The world is going vegetarian with a vengeance & that just proves that vegetarianism is the way to go, for mankind. I am a vegetarian & so , I am less prone to heart diseases as my diet devoid of meat & flesh does not clog my arteries with cholesterol .Vegetarian food helps in decreasing risks of type 2 diabetes,cancer & other grave  health disorders. My plant rich food gives me fibre which makes me feel full & hence ,I  tend to eat, not overeat. This helps me stay lean not obese, which is a problem with a majority of those who feast  on meat, fish, etal. Vegetarian diet helps maintain a good body mass index.

Many animals whose flesh is consumed are diseased & these diseases get passed on to the humans who consume such food. Examples are salmonella, the mad cow disease to name just a few. Moreover, most of the flesh, meat includes poops of the animals & that also gets eaten with the meat. This is most unhygienic & disgusting! 

The animals are slaughtered in the cruellest ways to satisfy our hunger. How can we eat those ,who has been butchered? The animals are fed grains to make them obese, so that more meat is produced & then killed ruthlessly just for feeding us. This is inhuman & unkind. As humans, we must be humane. Our inherent, inborn tendency is to be vegetarian as we have long intestines .In our long intestine, non- vegetarian food stays longer & rots .We will not consume rotten food & yet, allow food to rot in our tummies ! This is illogical. Carnivores -like tiger, lions etc have short intestines where meat tends to stay for a shorter period & therefore , does not rot.

Animals also feel pain when they are butchered, pricked, strapped, stripped, skinned, for their skins, horns, nails, etc. Hence, we must also avoid products made from fur, leather, pearls, bones, etc. Only then, will our vegetarianism be truly complete.

Vegetarians make for a sustainable environment, as to feed one vegetarian, less land is needed -less than one acre. On the other hand, more than two acres of land are needed to feed a non -vegetarian. As humans eat animals, the carnivores like lions, tigers, cheetah, will reduce in numbers as we are consuming their prey. This will harm the ecological balance which is already fragile. The chicken, pigs, cows, fish need more & more food to feed them so that they can feed us by becoming our meat. This means more land for feeding these animals & also more water. In effect, the non -renewable sources like land, water, air are getting polluted by the waste of these animals & that is bad news. So for a sustainable environment, we all should become vegetarians.

In fact there are many more reasons to give up meat,fish,eggs,& go vegetarian.For a start towards vegetarianism ,the aforesaid reasons are sufficient.Once,a beginning is made,one will discover advantages upon advantages.There will be, only one way -to go forward & become a vegan. 

To mark the beginning, if I had the power to change one thing, I would like -nah love, the people to convert to vegetarianism. After all, it symbolises affection, love, kindness towards all the living beings with which we must all co -exist .This will make our world a paradise in the true sense!

Muggu

Wish me luck !

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

I was fed up of getting irrelevant jobs in my mail box .That too from the job portal of an esteemed daily.Still, I wanted to see what was on offer this time around.It was something that was unbelievable ! The job offer appeared to have been created for me - it fitted me like a T ! So wonderful ,it felt ,to realise, that even after half a decade of leaving a job in the Public Sector,I could apply for a position which was so very apt.I applied for it as I had the experience & the qualification that it called for.More over, this position is one wherein I will be judging certain sets of actions.I am so lucky ! I mean ,we should never be judgemental for our own peace .Yet ,if I get this job , I am officially the judge & get paid for judging others's actions which I am doing day in & day out on a honorary basis !  On second thoughts,this offer can be for  all of us,as all of us  are experts on judging others . I am anxiously awaiting that elusive interview call.Elusive, because though it is suitable ,I doubt, if I will get a call, after a gap of more than five years.I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed for this one !

I have a whole lot  of wishes, on which I am keeping my fingers crossed.To put it another way,by now ,my fingers have become so tightly wound up, that they are going to stay crossed for ever !


My maid's son has lost vision in one  eye.The diagnosis is, that this was, the result of a dog bite, which was not fully cured or rather neutralised by anti rabies.The source of infection led to the loss of sight.To prevent the remaining eye from losing vision ,he has been put on steroids.The treatment is nearing completion now.I have repeatedly told my maid that I will help her financially if the boy needs surgery or other expensive treatment.My maid & her family & even I,are keeping our fingers crossed, that the boy's vision is saved & even returns in the eye which lost it  though this looks highly improbable.There is charm in wishing for miracles,isn't it ? !

My daughter has started reading - no she did not join school now.She joined years back.I meant reading books which was never her hobby .Now ,she has suddenly developed a huge liking for novels  & books.I am loving it though I feel that she is reading all this by neglecting her studies.Still,she is doing well in some subjects & badly in others.I  & her father are  keeping our  fingers crossed so that she gets into a good college wherein she can study well.We are keeping our fingers crossed so that she is able to take care of herself when we are no longer there !




I am keeping my fingers crossed for a dream house which will have a garden full of blooms & a huge kitchen which will be  filled with the wonderful aromas of baking cakes & steaming dhoklas ! I want to do a world tour , when I am still young maybe ten  years from now.I want my blog to get maximum hits -so that I know ,I can influence people. In fact ,I know it already - only my would be readers are yet to realise it ! I am keeping my fingers crossed for winning one of those short story contests so that all know that a new writer has arrived !

I think ,I ought to conclude now.This is  to stop  my fingers  from  typing on the key board.Then, I can keep my fingers crossed, to direct all good fortune towards my wishes !

Saathiya

Parasite

Parasitism  as per Wikipedia ,the online encyclopedia, is a relationship between two organisms where one benefits at the cost of another.The organism which lives at the cost of the other organism is the parasite.The organism on which  the parasite thrives is the host.So the parasite is a guest  in one sense though a permanent one ! Examples of such parasites are plants like mistletoe,cuscuta, & in the animal world, the parasites are tapeworms,leeches,etc.Viruses & bacteria are parasites as they invade the hosts & thrive there in the host body.Some orchids are parasites, which just goes to show, that appearances are indeed deceptive !

No record about human parasites are listed.This is far from the truth.The word Parasite was first used in English 1539 .It is derived from parasite which is Medieval French .This is turn has come from Latin parasitus : latinisation of the Greek parasitos which means one who eats at the a table of another.Parasitism was coined in English in 1611 from the Greek words para & sitismos which means fattening , feeding.


In a sense, almost all humans can be classified as parasites - when adult children live in the homes of their parents & adults get dole from parents ,siblings ,etal as they remain unemployed to laze around. In one  sense, they are adelpho  parasites as  such parasites  resemble hosts so much so, that both may belong to the same family ! So its all, in the family !

The wife is a parasite on the husband as she expects him to be the provider,the protector, etc. The husband is the parasite  on the wife, as she cooks,cares, brings up children etc. These roles of husband & wife have undergone many changes in this age & still the mutuality of existence, which is the basic premise of parasitism continues.

People are kleptoparasites as in such cases,food gathered by one is appropriated by others.Some appropriate food,still others shelter,many others jobs & so on & so forth.So hard work by host  yields fruit to the parasite.In office,research,project,done by one is misappropriated by another leading to promotion of the parasite ! That is why parasitism is coveted by many !

Humans are social parasites as well. People  take undue advantage of the various interactions in society   to suck life out of their near & dear ones.Brood parasitism as seen in case of the cuckoo bird is  observed in the human race as well.Cuckoo bird  gives birth to young ones & instead of building nests & taking care,the cuckoo leaves its young ones in nests of others like the crow.In such cases,the crows are the baby sitters for the young ones of the cuckoo.Grandparents,neighbours ,relatives ,friends,are baby sitting for kids of their offsprings ,siblings,etal !


.Even our netas are parasites living off the country as they hardly do anything worthwhile for the nation.The members of our legislatures are  in fact, parasitoids as in this case,  the development of the  larva of the parasitoids  leads to the death of the host.Witness, where our nation is headed, all  thanks to the generation next of our netas. Our leaders  are predators, as they are killing the prey that is, our nation, slowly & surely. This predatory characteristic is  typical of parasitoids.


Parasitism leads to diseases like malaria, bacterial & viral infections,etc.It gets endemic & spreads widely & rapidly.Animal & plant hosts have developed mechanisms to repel & prevent parasites . Humans are yet in the dark, about the dangers of parasitism which has become  deeply ingrained.Or maybe, human hosts are addicted to their parasites & that's why they are unable to shake them off. Parasitism may sometimes lead to some benefits for the host.Grandparents enjoy company whilst taking  care of the grandchildren .Still benefits are few & far between.

Perhaps ,crusaders like Anna Hazare ,Arvind Kejriwal ,Kiran Bedi are telling us that we must rid our Bharat of parasites.The individual hosts must take cue from this & develop mechanisms to prevent if not repel parasitism.After all, prevention is better than cure !

Plagarism is mono parasitism as it is copying from one source while research is multiplagarism that is copy pasting from multiple sources !This leads us to the fact that,the parasitism of plagarism & poly ( multi )  plagarism is thriving  in this internet age, all thanks to copy & paste !

Last but not the least ,for this blog post ,the host is  Wikipedia ( Parasitism ) & the parasite is yours truly !