ONE WORD MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THIS WORLD A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE IN

I was reading a story of pet rescue, when i began to ponder on why not everyone can be like this? Will it not then make this world a better place.. So, came the question to my mind,

"What basically makes this world better place to live in?"

Is it education? Then most educated families or societies would never have misery

Is it Medicine? Best of medical care can still mean, patient suffering

Is it Technology? Then every great technological invention should have solved every human problem…

Is it Relationships, religion? But then we know lot of violence in both relationships and religion

All of these have definitely enabled progress in this world, but not completely. So, there should be something common encompassing all the above..What is that????

After lot of thought, came the answer -EMPATHY…

Let's look at it why?

1. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - All the greatest of advancements in S & T were born not out of the technical geniuses. There were geniuses since time immemorial. But only those who had EMPATHY and felt for other's problems came up with solutions…

2. MEDICINE - Again, we may say advancements. But the best of doctors in the world become so, not for their skillful use of surgical apparatus, but for EMPATHY… Because, unless a doctor is EMPATHETIC to the pain of the patient, he would never be able to provide a holistic care that is beyond medicine.

3. SERVICE & PRODUCTS - It's a well known fact that the best customer service satisfaction companies or the greatest of product companies produced what they did, because of this one word, EMPATHY… In fact, the premise of such companies starts not with, "what we sell", but "what is the need?".

4. HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS - One may say Love. But unless you feel for others like the way you feel for yourself, where is the question of love? And that is again EMPATHY… Be it our domestic helps, our classmates, our co-workers or our parents, or our bosses, or our clients- The relationships begin to flourish and will sustain only when you can understand their needs, both explicit and latent… And step prior to understanding the needs, is feeling for them…. So, EMPATHY

5. GOVERNANCE - Our politicians, bureaucrats or other public administrators all fail miserably not because they lack the ability to govern. But, a will to make efforts to understand and feel for the governed. Examples: We will not have a shouting administrator if he/she knew the person waiting for him/her comes by spending 50 Rs, 100 Km, to get a sign so as to get a fee waiver, which would enable him/her to study further… A politician will NOT enjoy the privilege of stopping entire traffic and pass by if he/she is EMPATHETIC towards the waiting ambulances, school buses etc.. A road contractor will not use substandard quality of concrete if he is EMPATHETIC towards the users of the roads and understands that using a cheap material would mean, potholes, which would result in spine aches, accidents and many more…

Last but NOT the least…

6. RESPECT FOR LIFE- A pregnant/injured dog, an old woman on road, a tired bus conductor, a hen for sacrifice, a buffalo in slaughter house, a thirsty bird in our apartment complex - When did we last think from their position? Life is same for every living being on this planet. Only when we are EMPATHETIC… Once we are EMPATHETIC and feel for them the way we feel for ourselves, we will see many more of us feeding dogs, taking them to hospitals instead of ignoring, helping the old woman cross the road, question the hen sacrifice or the slaughter house, keep bowls of water for birds… The list can go on and on….

But unless there is EMPATHY, all these are "the other"… And in the other, we will begin to exclude everything possible - other species of life, other country people, other state people, other caste, other gender, other family etc etc… And this how our circles of love are curtailed and fewer and smaller our circles of love, greater is the hatred and violence...

A Tribute to the Canine Friends in my life

Well, this is a very personal article where i am trying to reminisce my association with various canine friends since my childhood :) So, it goes in chronological order (more or less)

1. Blacky - This was a black Pomeranian pet in my owner's house in Central Excise Colony (1986-88) when i was 4/5 i guess. While i hardly remember the dog, the owner himself is still referred to as "Blacky Tatagaru" (Blacky grandpa) in our conversations

2. Bruno - This one was a cute, small Indian Mongreal puppy that my brother found in bushes amidst thorns and garbage. He got the little one along. Our First pet in OU Campus (1989-90), after a brief period of stay with our family, he was attacked by the big bullies of our colony and succumbed to rabies.  Towards his end, he barked at everyone else but was full of love for us. Even on the day of his departure, he followed us to the bus stop, dropped me and my brother and returned home with my grandmother only to be carried away by the municipality van.

3. Sivarasan - Yes. You read it right. This was the "jackass" dog of our New B series quarters in OU (1989-91) A black and brown colored Indian Mongreal, he was Arrogant, bully and what not.  Wasn't  mad, but just an ass!  All children of the colony hated him since many of them had been earlier attacked by him. He was never named till the day of Rajiv Gandhi's Assassination. Only when we all heard of the name "Sivarasan", we unanimously decided to name this dog "Sivarasan". I do not remember how he died, but Sivarasan finally died... I think, the municipality van carried him too..

4. Chitti - Chitti was Indian Mongreal, female dog that i had befriended, again in OU campus, when i was in my Inter II year (1999-2000) She was this mid sized, black colored furry dog with a bushy tail. Though my family hated feeding her, they were forced to keeping in mind my EAMCET examination. They knew that if i get upset, it might affect my studies. So, everyday, with an emotional blackmail and big eamcet ranks threats from me, they fed her. But the feeding stopped the night my exam got over. However, she always got a share from my food (secretly). But, this one always had a hanging uterus. It was only towards the end that i realized it was a tumour. Chitti slowly started bleeding profusely and the tumour became larger and larger. It hurt me a lot when i saw her drag her tumour with great pain and discomfort. But, she never expressed her problem when she encountered me. All i got was loving licks and happy tail wags. She cared way too much for my feelings. She knew i was too young to accept separation...So she silently disappeared only to be found dead in the nearby bushes next morning. 

5. Tommy - Male Dobberman/Indian Mongreal cross was a family member of my Dance teacher (2000-2014). Brought up in a dancer's family, this one could walk in rythm to "Taka Dimi, Taka Jhannu" and dance to "Tattai Taha, Dittai Taha". He loved walking and would ask anyone and everyone, even the auto driver who dropped us to take him for a walk. Tommy loved car rides, chasing rats. A very amicable dog lost his face when a robbery occurred in their house. But who said, he was a watch dog? After all, he was a member of the Maddali family, his full name being Maddali Tommy Ram,

6. Ramu - An Indian Mongreal, he was the guard dog of our Department of Mechanical Engineering, Osmania University (2000-2004). He got the maximum share from my tiffin box after one senior (the difference between the two of them - senior demanded; Ramu requested). Chapatis with all sorts of curries my mother made went straight into Ramu's stomach. By the end of 2nd semester he started following me into the classroom. He once entered into the Mathematics class and our Professor, Miss Kavitha requested me to get out assuring me full attendance. Her remarks, "I find it difficult teaching to humans, i can't teach dogs too" The last time i saw Ramu was when i visited the department in 2006 i think. He was more sober and silent...

7. Caroline - My neighbor's pet -a female Chihuahua in City Heights -my apartment complex in Los Angeles (2007-08) My encounters with this dog were all like window shopping. I never really picker her up or cuddled her. She was too fragile. The first time i touched her, my roomie Najina pushed me straight into the washroom to have a bath before i touched anything else in house.. The second and the last time i picked her up, she jumped off my hands and fell straight on ground. Knowing the stupid laws in U.S, i was scared to death and prayed for the next few days that the dog doesn't die and my neighbor doesn't sue me. 

8. Choco - This cute male puppy was my friend when i resided in Shilpi Homes, DD Colony (2008-10). He was christened "Choco" because the mployees of beauty parlour that was opposite to our flats felt his body had colours of a chocolate. He was very inquisitive in nature and you can see him here

        

                     

9. Kimbo - This Alpha male (Indian Mongreal) became my friend at University of Hyderabad (2010-2012) This one lives in Gops, the food joint in our University, i believe also attends classes in Sociology/Philisophy, and occasionally visits S.N. School. Aggressive, old, demanding, lazy...the list can go endless but undoubtedly lives life Kingsize. We are all so fond of Kimbo that one of my friends, Hriday named another dog, believed to be Kimbo's brother as Kim-Bro. By the way, another friend TJ calls him Moon.

10. Smootie and Murthy - These are the "Amar-Akbar", "Ram-Lakshman" of our Panchavati Apartments and they came into my life as adults (2008-till date). I am told, someone abandoned them here. Ever since i knew them, they are a pack. They live together, walk together, sleep together and and chase together. They are amazing watch dogs and do not even allow any one, including our security guards to wander around when it is not their regular time. Smootie is cranky at times but Murthy is undoubtedly the "Ajaatasatruvu" of our flats (and ofcourse our Diro's best buddy).

11. Husky - This one is the "Anthony" of our Panchavati Apartments (2009-till date). The third among the trio, for a long time, this one was called, "Chevulu Leni Kukka" (meaning, the dog without ears). So one day, my 7 year old friend Jayesh and I decided to end this identity crisis and christened him Husky. He accepted the name and ever since is called Husky... He's got Balls...(Literally). He is one of those very few male dogs that's not yet castrated. Very friendly, nautanki sala he is. But when aggressive, can turn really fierce against other dogs.

12. Weeny - The cute, little female Dashund is my friend Hari Pavan's sibling (2012-till date)Darling she is. Loves to run away from home only to return when shown an egg. Our canine Daughter Diro's very close friend...In fact, Weeny was the prime motivation for us to bring Diro into our lives too. Pritam and I used to see Weeny's Dad (Papa Rao uncle) walk her down daily and then decided, we got one too.

13. Diro - This one's my Canine Daughter and an adorable, cunning female beagle that came into our lives in September 2012.  However, there's a small misunderstanding in her fostering process. She basically thinks we are her pack and she owns all of us...Apart from constantly being hungry for food, she loves flirting and making new friends- human and canine. Documenting Diro's deeds would require another blog though. Till then, here are some of her intro photos

      

14. Kutti - The female Indian Mongreal came into our lives last year (2013-till date). We found her in the last month of pregnancy with wounds all over her body. The kids and elders in our flats were sweet enough to embrace this one and mobilise food and water. Our efforts paid off. She survived and gave birth to 7 healthy puppies. After a brief period of community petting, the pups were handed over to Bluecross and have hopefully found happy owners and happy homes. Kutti has a dedicated partner Kittu and both of them spend their entire day and night together. She personally is a shy dog and takes time to make friends. She is currently in Bluecross undergoing a treatment for uterus tumor.

16. Lyla - This 5 year old female labrador lives in the 3rd floor of my mother's flats (2013-till date) Diro was her first friend in life, i was told because she never let anyone come near her till then. The first thing that comes to my mind when i think of Lyla is the small lake that forms in front of our maingate every morning when she relieves herself... Her name works the best to bring our Diro back into the house whenever she runs off.

17. Bhairo - Well, another female Indian Mongreal near my new house in Pragatinagar. Her name has a story. I met this dog first time when we went to see the house before buying (2013). I thought she was a "he" and named her Bhairav. The moment i realized that was a female dog, i wanted to name her such that it rhymes with Diro. So, she became "Bhairo"...A very shy dog by nature, she stayed with us for a brief period of 4 months and disappeared one random day. I never expected her sudden disappearance so do not have a photo of her... But, i just hope she is alive somewhere...

18. Tiger/Youtube - This cute little puppy greeted me in the front of our Department of Communication few months ago (2014-till date). He was born here and currently lives here. A very active puppy at the moment is keen on exploring the world and ofcourse guard S.N. School...She has two names - Tiger and Youtube (what more can you expect when she is the "Communication Department" Dog)...

Young India

Last week, as I was browsing through different channels, I saw an interesting discussion on young people of this generation. The panel discussion was basically to show how amoral, insensitive, callous, westernized youth of India today are. ‘Experts’ passed their comments for one hour(do not know if they are based out of informed or uninformed opinions though). I started retrospection if what they had said about today’s youth was indeed true.

Some key points of discussion were – Dressing (‘westernized’ dressing), attitude (I do not care what others think about me), habits (spending, drinking, smoking). Each and every point of discussion revolved around these three aspects.

After a lot of self-exploration I thought I should pen down, some positives about this generation, which probably get over shadowed by petty points like the above.

(most of these have been penned down on self-experience, which I am sure, every young person would have experienced in his or her own life at some point in time)

The most striking positive point is, friends helping each other unconditionally during the most needed times. This help covers a spectrum starting from booking a bus ticket to beating up the ‘common enemy’. However, if one looks at the darker shades of the spectrum, like most elders do, they can find only friends smoking together, or some of them indulging in a petty scuffle. The most common complaint from many elders is, that the kids today are addicted to internet or cell-phone. But, it is the same perceived irresponsible friends who use one single facebook status message to find a donor for a needy patient.  One message from a friend is enough to pass it on hundred more and the result, an unknown person is at the hospital donating blood within two hours of posting the message.

Similarly, when there is a crisis, be it financial or emotional or anything else, it is only friends that one relies upon (In some cases, it could be even before the immediate family members) Today, friends are an integral part of our lives and are increasingly replacing the position of relatives in our lives. Be it a wedding celebration, or a cremation, it is friends who stand next giving immense strength.

Second most striking point is, attitude. The common complaint from ‘experts’ is that today’s generation has become selfish and does not bother to understand the needs of others. I wish such experts noticed scenes like traffic regulation by young IT professionals, volunteering at blue-cross and carrying out a peaceful candle light walk against corruption. Yes, one may argue, there is a strong counter movement like the Telangana movement. But, what should be noticed here is, it is still the young people who fight just for the cause without any motives unlike many middle and old aged political leaders. If there is anything that changed drastically in attitude then it is respecting others’ choices. The voyeuristic nature which is very inherent in our culture is being challenged and young people do not just say, ‘ I do not care what others think of me’, but also feel it is none of their business bothering about others’ choices and attitudes.

The last (but not the least) positive point that I would like to mention here is the aspirations and unflinching hope with which they are moving forward. The whole country is stuck in dirty pool of scandals and issues. While the older generation is very pessimistic about this situation in the country and feel that our nation is now not even worth a dime, it is the younger generation that’s unabashedly marching forward with set of goals and objectives. The direction could be positive or negative, but what is interesting is that every person is oriented in some direction and is not resolving to his or her fate. Despite 2G, CWG and Soniaji, the young hearts have burning desire in them to create their own destiny and write their own tales.

Why caste and class system wouldn't perish in India?

It was a pleasant evening. The drizzling made it perfect. Kids in my apartment complex were playing cricket. Perfect photography composition, i thought. I stepped out of my home to click some moments. A   6-year old girl, my neighbor and her friends came and asked me if i could click their pictures. I was more than glad for having found enthusiastic subjects. So, i started clicking them playing, clicking them running around etc.

After some time, i noticed a small boy standing behind me mused. I stopped clicking and initiated a conversation with him. When i asked if he would like to be clicked, he instantly said a yes with a beaming face. I asked him to come and stand in front of the camera. As he came, the other kids pushed him away and the 6-year old girl, came and put her hand in front of the camera, blocking the lens. The girl insisted that i should not click the boy. When i asked why, she said, "akka, veedu, chaakali vadu, pichi battalu vesukuntadu... vedni photo teeyodhu" ( it means, this boy belongs to dhobi community and he wears rags, so you shouldn't click his photo)

I was startled by her words and immediately chided her. She was still adamant and insisted that no one clicks the boy's photos along with the other kids like them. when i asked her, who told her, she said she knew it by herself. When i asked her how, she responded that she learnt it from the television and movies. In the television and movies, people like servant maids and dhobis who work for us, are always treated indifferently. I told her that its not the right way to treat people and one shouldn't be judged based on what he or she wears. Anger was evident on the girl's face and she said she doesn't like to be told like this. She said, because i clicked his photo, she would now not talk to me as well. So, she said a loud "Kattif" and left from that place.

I did not know how to react, so quietly continued clicking the pictures of the boy.
I do not know if she told it in ignorance or casually, but i know for sure that with 6-year olds like her, who will be tomorrow's india, it is very difficult to dream of a caste and class free society. 

The Judgement awaited

No, it is not about Ayodhya or anything else.. it is something very personal :)


One night....


Mom to Me : your Dad snored very badly last night

Dad to Mom: I did not sleep at all because, you were snoring very badly

I: I don't know who snored, but I had a dolby stereo effect in the next room

Result: all 3 of us are sleeping in 3 distant, different rooms tonight




P.S.: both of them wanted me deliver a verdict next morning on who snored 

Today's Pledge?

India is my Country 
All extremists & lobbyists are my brothers & sisters.
I pity my country & I am ashamed of its corrupt & unscrupulous leaders. 
I shall always strive to distance myself from them. I shall give my corrupt netas, gundas & other undeserving fellows my precious vote & treat everyone with courtesy .
To my netas & my rulers, I pledge my hope.
In their selfish & careless hands alone, lies my bleak future.

From teaching to Guiding

From teaching to Guiding

Gautami Challagulla

The counseling for engineering and medical colleges is on the verge of completion. The huge campuses and grand classrooms will welcome the to-be-engineers and to-be-doctors. There will also be welcome speeches by the management, assurance speeches by the anti-ragging, sexual harassment committees. Two months down the lane, all these will inevitably be followed by news reports of ragging, suicides and other atrocities. This is the cycle that one has been seeing for more than a decade now.

In the last decade, after several discussions and debates, establishment of anti-ragging committees and sexual harassment committees in the colleges has been made obligatory. Today, all the engineering and medical colleges have these committees and many rules and regulations have been formulated. Despite all these efforts, the number of cases of ragging, sexual harassment, acid-attacks and suicides have not reduced. This clearly shows that mere setting up of such committees is not a complete solution to prevent such incidents. The role of these committees is usually restricted to reprimanding the accused. So, it is mostly only a legal or disciplinary action that is taken, but there is no emphasis on a behaviour change. The recent incidents of suicides and murders even by students of the elite institutions only re-iterate the fact that good quality of academic education does not necessarily shape students into strong and sensible individuals. Neither the faculty who impart the academic education nor these disciplinary committees really try to imbibe the moral values in the students. 

In the era when parents are busy, the responsibility and role of an education institution to act as a ‘guide’ becomes more important than ever. One method to mitigate such incidents is the establishment of counseling centers that would have a team of psychologists and faculty members who would attend to the emotional concerns of both the potential victim and the potential accused. Students with any concern like not being able to cope with the course work, liking a co-student, having troubles with peers etc can approach these counseling centers and express their concerns without hesitation. While these centers might not become panacea, they would certainly guide the students in handling the situations with maturity and sensibility. Another simple method that any faculty member can employ is, instead of punishing the unruly and ignoring the disoriented students, take some time out, talk and understand such students’ mentality.

Seeking inspiration from success stories of Narayana Murthy is important, but imbibing principles of Vivekananda is also necessary.