The wait at the railway station

I was waiting at the small railway station. It was cool with big trees lined along the station. I have been here for more than two hours. Three passenger trains stop either way at this wayside station for two minutes or so. The next train was expected in an hour. There were no other passengers seen on the only platform. A couple of cattle were seen chewing the cud at the far end. One man was sleeping a little yonder, must be a beggar. There was no waiting room. I was feeling hungry and opened the packet that my niece had given me. The aroma of pan cakes (dosa) with chili powder smeared on them triggered my appetite further. I had come to a village that was a few miles away from station. There was no water with me. I remembered a small shop outside the station but was hesitant to go leaving my luggage behind. I looked around. It was only then I spotted a young boy of about ten years watching me from the entrance gate. His curly hair needed a cut. He had good features, dark and skinny and his eyes were glued on me. He came running instantly when I called him.”Can you get me a water bottle from the shop outside?” I requested him proffering a twenty rupee note. In a trice he brought it. When I opened the box I found many pancakes and turned to look at the boy to find he had receded to his corner. I called him again.

“Have these two dosas. Do you live in the vicinity? Are you studying?”

He started eating with relish and replied “Yes, I live close to station with my uncle. I am not studying.”

“How come at this young age you are not attending school. Are there no schools nearby? There is one of course a few kilometers away from where I came.”

He kept quiet for some time. I prodded him for an answer giving him one more dosa.That did the trick.

“I am an orphan and living with my father’s cousin. My aunt has not taken kindly to my coming to live with them. She stopped me from school and make me help her in the chores. They have two cows and I take the milk to distribute to customers. I also take care of the animals, cleaning the shed, washing them and such like.”

“That is totally cruel. Why don’t you tell your uncle?”

“I did and got beating from both for complaining ungratefully when they were giving a shelter and food. I stopped asking and reconciled to my fate. I thought of running away but am afraid.”

“Would you like to come with me to the city? I will take care of you. I have a girl younger than you to play with. You can go to the best school. I will come next month. Decide in the meanwhile. I will talk to your uncle then. It is late this time”

“Thank you, uncle.When will you come? Please come soon. I wish to attend school”. I saw his eyes were moist.

Meanwhile the train entered the station with much noise. Soon after there was some activity and from no where a few passengers appeared and one or two got down from the train. The station master in his white uniform and with red and green flags came running towards me, may be because I was the only well dressed guy from the city.

“I failed to meet you earlier as I was held up elsewhere. Which village are you coming from? I have seen you coming to this place earlier occasions too.

“I came to meet my niece in Vaidhyanathapuram village for day.I haven’t met you also earlier” 
Meanwhile I saw the boy standing at the entrance to the station. I turned to station master and asked him ”Do you see that young boy yonder? Do you know him and his background by any chance?”

“Why, did he give any trouble to you/”he asked anxiously

“No, not at all, I just wished to know”

“He is my son, Mahalingam by name. A very intelligent boy, he is a topper in his class. He is multi-talented. With his prodigious memory, he can recite some chapters from Bhagavat Gita and Narayaneeyam.He can mimic actors like Rajini, Salman Khan and even talk like Amitabh Bachan.He takes part in all histrionic activities in school. He plays chess very well. Very obedient boy but given to pranks he plays on gullible people. Strangers often come to me and complain about him to my embarrassment. That is the only flaw. What did he tell you?”

I said “Nothing special”

There was a long whistle and the train started moving even as the station master waved his green flag. I turned towards the entrance and saw the boy putting his tongue out with thumb on his nose and waving his fingers at me. I could not suppress my smile.

Empowerment of women

This post confines to women in India

If more than fifty percent of population comprising of women have not obtained their rightful share and empowerment in social, political and cultural spheres, it speaks poorly of the country. What the growing women’s movement seeks is not a favour but a legitimate right. If the demand by others for reservation is on the basis of percentage of their population and the plea that they have been oppressed and suppressed in the past, it applies with greater force in the case of women. Sadly this movement is limited to the educated class amongst women and mostly in urban areas. It has not made any dent in the rural areas where the plight of women is at its worst.

The awareness to their inalienable right of equality with men and what it can do to change their lives is not extensive. The equality we talk about is not confined to social sphere but extends to political, economic, educational areas too with a larger participation consistent with the size of their population. A few sops here and there would not help much.

As a first step it is only their political empowerment that would usher the desired changes in innumerable areas where there is presently gender discrimination and inequality. The opening of white and blue collared jobs reserved for men till now to a few educated womenfolk does not signify things have been set right. India still ranks low among nations in the gender gap index. Indian women figure unfavorably in several parameters like literacy, mortality, child mortality, jobs, and comparable wages with men, sex ratio, post and prenatal care and their place in society. It would be naïve to expect men alone  to bring about the much needed changes. The key lies only in their political empowerment where they would have an equal say if not more in guiding their destinies.

The promise to bring about a Women’s representation Act would ever remain unfulfilled unless pressure is brought upon the political class. The legislatures should be filled by women say 33% at least to start with. This should not become a political farce with family members of the existing political class replacing the men. The presence of large number of women legislators drawn from ordinary families in rural and smaller towns would bring greater sensitivity to the women’s issues..

This political empowerment of women alone would transform the society from its patriarchal nature to one of gender neutral social order. We should strive for an order when the women are able to feel that all laws of the country are equal and that they enjoy all the options that men have.. While the percentage of girls up to school level is almost equal to those of boys, surprisingly the ratio drops down significantly at higher levels of learning.  . Equal presence in the educational institutions and employment is the first prerequisite towards empowerment and economic independence. What are the existing social and financial barriers that prevent this happening?

Women’s movement should not be content only with dowry deaths, domestic violence against women, immoral traffic, female feticide and such like matters but should transcend to the vital areas like the way society looks upon women. This movement should spread across the entire country to tap their hidden strength. Sadly the women’s movement is isolated to small pockets of influential women and is not representative in character of the wider cross section. The composition of the movement should be inclusive of all strata of society, all religions, literate and illiterate and all income groups. They can enlist the support of willing men to organize and spread the message.

 Where women’s issues are concerned, they should speak in one voice cutting across all party affiliations as otherwise the movement would suffer 

Festival of Words – International Women’s Day 2014

55 Word Fiction

His pride,others'envy
Being a cynosure of all eyes, even married men covet me.

They bend backwards to win me.

Many come eagerly to have me only to get rejected ruthlessly.

Finally I settle for the best, his pride and others' envy.

But I will surely desert him if he doesn't deserve me

I am Wimbledon men’s cup

Desperation

He was rejected. This was his 15^th interview

Disappointed he bought four packets of rat poison

Declined dinner, lay on bed and was watching ceiling aimlessly

Mom came and asked “Why are you morose?

“Nothing”

You will get next time, don’t worry. Did you get what I asked you?

Yes, kept four packets on table.

The wink                                                                      

We were waiting for coffee at Coffee Day.

I saw a man winking at my wife

“Do you know him?”

“No” even as he winked again

“Tell me truth.”

When she affirmed, I grabbed his collar

He winked at me and pushed my hands

When I was about to hit, he repeatedly twitched his eyelashes 

Write Tribe Festival of Words 3 - Day 6 -55W Fiction

The young man’s impulse

“Vasu, please hurry to the hospital. The blood bank wants six units of blood that your grandpa would need for his heart surgery. There was a call last evening. Find out whether any of your friends are willing to donate. I will be going to hospital after the chores in the house. Do not wait for me” his mother was loudly telling from the kitchen

Vasu knew she was very much tensed about her dad’s health. Grandpa was staying with them after grandma’s demise a few years back. A disciplinarian with traditional values grandpa was generally critical of Vasu’s carefree and leisurely ways. There were constant clashes when mom would intervene and tell her dad to leave Vasu alone. Vasu generally kept away from grandpa..

When Vasu reached the grandpa’s cabin, he saw his uncle talking to the chief cardiologist. He waited till the doctor left. It transpired that on second thoughts the doctor would not recommend surgery keeping in mind  some new development in his health and would instead try medication for some months.

His uncle told Vasu “I do not see the need for blood. You may go to blood bank and cancel your appointment for their drawing your blood. You may come here thereafter and relieve me so I could go home.”

When Vasu went to the blood bank and had the appointment cancelled, he saw an old woman in conversation with the nurse in charge. She did not look affluent and appeared drawn from lower middle class. The nurse said “Your husband would need minimum eight units of blood. His blood group is also not the common variety. Kindly arrange to bring some donors of any blood group. Otherwise you may have to buy the blood and this may be costlier than others.”’

"I have only a daughter who herself is not well off. I do not know anyone who would be willing to give blood. I asked some of my neighbours but they are reluctant..I do not have much money to buy. I really do not know where to go for help” she started sobbing.

Vasu who had never experienced any difficulty in life was moved at the pitiable plight of the old woman. He went on an impulse to her and said “Patti (grandma), do not worry. I will give my blood right now. I came to give my blood for my grandpa. What if, if the blood is not for him but for another grandpa?”

He asked the nurse to draw the blood. To her surprise Vasu’s blood group matched the old man’s unusual group. After the formalities and blood was drawn he took leave of them. He rushed to his uncle but did not tell him why he was held up.

The story did not end there. The next day the same elderly nurse at the blood bank was surprised to see in the morning Vasu standing before her with seven friends of his and asking her to draw blood from them on the account of the old woman for whom he had given blood the previous day. All the youngsters in fine health were beaming with smile at the new experience of donating their blood.

She said” I have seen people bringing relatives and friends to donate blood for their patients. This is the first time I see a young man bringing with him a gang of his friends to give blood for someone whom he does not know, whom he has not seen and whom he may not meet. I am so happy with you. Your mom is indeed blessed to have a son like you. I will tell the old woman when she comes here. You have wiped the tears off her eyes.”

"The purpose of life is not to be happy: but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you have lived at all" Leo Rosten

http://writetribe.com  Festival of Words Day 5–  an inspiring story

How much to trust?

When a father asks his child who is standing on a book shelf to jump in his arms, it does unhesitatingly. It has a complete trust in his dad and a belief that he will come to no harm .That kind of trust is never possible in this cynical world where we believe that we are vulnerable when we trust someone. But without some trust can the world move on? Do we not walk on the road peacefully trusting that other vehicle users of road follow the rules? Do we not send young children out to play believing no one will take them away? Can there be love and joy without some basic trust in human goodness?

When we go to a doctor and get some medicines prescribed, we trust his judgment implicitly and take the medicines. Likewise when we buy medicines from chemists, we believe that they are not duplicates or fakes. We do not weigh the packets bought at grocery store. In our day to day transactions we trust people to a large extent as otherwise life would become unhappy. There may be disappointments on a few occasions no doubt but we should learn to live with it and not distrust everyone. Someone put it ‘You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don’t trust enough.”

Trust is based on the belief that others have confidence in you and your ability and will not take unfair advantage of you. It is the ability to create relationships with others based on mutual respect and caring. Good friends never betray your trust.

 Uncongenial atmosphere of hate or lack of love, divorced parents, emotional and physical abuse, broken relationship, death of close relative, chronic illness and low self esteem could all lead to lack of trust and suspicion. Getting over this is not easy without constant practice and motivation from others. I would put a strong faith in God as the first step. This belief that He would take care of your troubles would gradually reduce the mistrust and enable you to ‘let go’ the hurts and disappointments. Mingling and living with positive minded people would provide the healing environment. Overcoming unwanted fears, developing self esteem in one’s capabilities and building trusting relationships after due care would be the way to go about to get over this malaise.

This is written for WriteTribe Festival of Words Day 3 - Prompt Free write.

An appealing temple blog

This post has been written as a part of Festival of words at Write tribe. The prompt for today, show some blog love

It would be rather difficult and unfair to choose one or two among the many that I like. Lest I miss today’s assignment I have chosen one blog for its uniqueness of its theme. South India abounds in temples big and small, some with hoary past built by kings and emperors of the Pallava, Chozha and Chera dynasties. Many of them are renowned pilgrimage centres.But the blog covers unknown temples difficult to access containing equally great idols of gods and goddesses and beautiful architecture.

Chitra Manohar of My Pilgrimage-

(http://chitra-mypilgrimage.blogspot.com)temple has taken much pains to travel to all the nooks and corners of the country  to visit the temples. The posts containing all salient details of the temple, about their specialties are accompanied by beautiful pictures of the temples. Though I belong to this part of the country I came to know of many temples thanks to her blog. She has a jewelry blog also

The kiss in public

Kiss her in public, I will give you money

I cannot do publicly

Take it or leave it

Hmm…will she like it?

Don’t bother. She would not mind.

Why this strange condition?

To ensure you stop asking me for money again

Okay, I need money badly

He produced an ugly looking damp frog to kiss

This 55 word story was written as a response to Write Tribe Festival of Words 3 - 9 Sentence Fiction