A twist to the tale

I have some very religious colleagues, mostly nurses who often argue with me over religious matters whenever we find time to take coffee in the pantry. I tend to disagree with most of their ideas and sometimes make fun of them saying they are like the Thaliban, very stiff in their beliefs.

The other day we were discussing creation, I asked them. What if Eve had not eaten the apple? How could the silly serpent convince poor Eve to eat that lousy apple? They were happy enough, didn’t have an idea of what sin was, and then, why would she ever want to become like God?

“Oh, no, doctor, you are talking against the will of God.”

Here are these total innocents happily running around naked in the garden of Eden, tossing flowers at each other ,eating rose buds and then God says, "Don't eat that apple. You'll die!"

 But then the snake comes and says something different. This is exactly like a child asking his father, "Why can't I eat French fries and burgers for dinner?" and he says, "Because that stuff will kill you! Your grandpa dropped dead from eating junk food like that! Don’t you know many Indians die young eating all the lousy food? And didn’t you know that Clinton had a heart attack eating that stuff?”  And maybe this keeps the kid away from them for a while; he knows his father knows more than he does, so he must be right. But then he sees his Mommy eating that very same stuff. He says, "No, Mommy! Daddy says if you eat that, you die!" Mommy laughs. "No, burgers don't make you die, may be coconut oil" she says, knowing the child must have misinterpreted his father's statement but not really bothering to explain further. So the kid sneaks the French fries and burger later and he doesn't die.

Back from vacation, I was reading “Like the flowing river” by Paulo Coelho. There is another version of the story in the book.And probably a better reason for Eve to eat the apple.

Eve was walking in the garden of Eden when the serpent slithered over to her.

“Eat this apple, said the serpent.

Eve, who had been properly instructed by God, refused.

“Eat this apple, insisted the serpent. You need to look more beautiful for your man’

“No, I don’t, replied Eve. He has no other woman, but me”

The serpent laughed.

“Of course, he has’

And when Eve did not believe him, he led her up to a well on top of a hill.

“She is in that cave. Adam hid her there”

Eve leaned over and, reflected in the water of the well, she saw a lovely woman. She immediately ate the apple the serpent was holding out to her.

But what if Eve had refused the apple?

You have Adam and Eve and their offspring, all live forever because of the tree of life. We all would be running around naked, because we have no shame, sex obviously feels good, because that was the way it was designed, and so, we have lots of it. Also, we would be provided with all the food we need without having to work for it.  The animals would be vegetarian ("everything that has the breath of life in it -I give every green plant for food.").  There would be no reason to kill any animals, because you wouldn’t eat them or need their skin for clothing. No tsunamis, earth quakes, plague or swine flu to worry about. Women would deliver without pain. So,no hospital bills  So, everyone having a good time, doing what feels good, plenty to eat without any effort, lots of milk and honey all the time,  friendly vegetarian animals to play with, peace and love are all you know…. that's how I think we  would be spending till eternity and …..mmm.. I could go for that. But somehow, I feel, after some time, I would have got bored with that kind of life.  I think that God knew that Eve would eat the apple, if he didn't want her to, why would he have ever put the tree there in the first place?

How to name it ?

The morning sky was moody. Some days it appeared bright and colorful. On other days, gloomy and cloudy. From where I used to sit in the morning, I could see the sky till the end of Agasthya hills. When we were looking around to buy a house, I had chosen this place because of the view.

It was when I was enjoying the morning breeze that I casually looked up at the ceiling lamp. I don’t know why we had bought it, but it looks like one of those lamps you would see in a church. And then I saw the tail of a bird from the top of the lamp. It was not moving. I called my wife and started scolding her about how careless they were, in having not seen the dead bird lying on top of the lamp.

 My wife had a hearty laugh.

She said  “It is not dead. That is the nest of the bird and it is hatching the eggs”.

How could she be so sure?

“Oh, the bird was here few months back, and flew away with its children”.

Ah, so, that was it. It is a permanent residence of the bird! I was not surprised. We have three bed rooms in the house. My son uses one. The other one, supposed to be our bedroom, was full of clothes, and there was no place left on the bed. My wife was in the process of sorting them out. I had thought of the spare room, and then she told me of the cat which had delivered few days back under the bed. I was not supposed to disturb the cat, and so, I had to sleep on the floor ,on a mat. That was fine too, for a change. Though I put up an effort to fight against her love for animals, which is a bit on the higher side, I secretly admire her kindness. But  hadn’t I placed some restrictions, she would fill the house with stray dogs and cats.

I was curious. I brought a chair and was trying to get a glimpse. One click,  and the bird flew away. It is called “ Thoppi kkili” in our language, because it has something like a cap on its head. From then on, I used to watch its coming and going. At night time, it would come and settle down on the nest and won’t move till morning.

When I came back from my trip to my hometown, I saw the bird coming home with with a large caterpillar bulging in its bill. Once it landed on the lamp, I saw two tiny sets of beaks opening wide for the feed. They had started moving around in the nest and were growing fast. From daylight to dusk, seldom does more than two minutes elapse between feedings. One day morning, I noticed that one of the babies  had fallen down, in to the dome of the lamp and was fluttering its wings. The mama bird flew in from nowhere, and was desperately looking for the missing one and finally found it. She flew frantically around the lamp and soon realized she was incapable of rescuing the baby bird. When she had gone away, I tried to reach the baby bird inside the dome, and the one sitting on top flew away !. It  landed on the floor of the car porch. Within seconds, the mama bird appeared and was furious at me and trying to attack me. The mama took her baby to a safe place on to one of the plants in the pot. I managed to get the other baby out of the dome and placed it safely on the nest.

I saw the father bird when I was looking for the kids. He was sitting silently at a distance on a tree top, keeping watch over the mother and kids. My wife told me he always sits outside, on the roof top or on an adjacent tree top, to watch over the mother and kids and to warn if enemies are around. The mother bird chirps all the while, and is musical. Although the male and female birds look alike, after watching them a while, I could tell them apart by their attitude. When feeding the young, the female goes straight to the nest. A few seconds before she arrives, the babies inside rev up the volume of their chattering. That tips me off to look up from my chair in time to see the mother  land at the top of the lamp and disappear inside the nest. As they grew, the nestlings made more and more noise. They started poking their white flanged bills out of the nest, opening them wide to receive whatever prey their mother would bring.

I saw them all on another day in our neighboring compound. On the wire fence by my neighbor's yard, teetered the two baby birds, their parents on either side. That house was safer, it was not occupied.

I don’t know how to name it. We say only human have intelligence. If it is so, I think love is beyond intelligence. With such tiny brains, they have marvelous instincts. The bird couple has been always together from the time my wife had seen them. At least, they have raised two sets of kids. I don’t know if they argue and fight, the way we do. About where to go for lunch and dinner, and where to make the home and settle down. But I have seen their mutual  commitment. Ornithologists believe that they have the same habits of love ,cheating and divorce,as we do.They have jealousy, and there are home wrecker females among them too.



Did they learn it from bird watchers?

A grandma's justice

Death of 23-year-old Soumya, who was pushed out of a moving passenger train, dragged on the tracks and then raped by a notorious one-armed criminal few weeks back had led to widespread protests in Kerala. Soumya later succumbed to her injuries. The girl was the bread winner of the poor family and carried lots of hopes and dreams of her future.

Almost 37 years after she was raped, Aruna  Shanbaug lies unconscious in a hospital bed at a Bombay hospital where she was working as a nurse, at the time of the rape. The criminal served a  sentence of seven  years and lives his life outside,free.

This story was sent to me by a friend of mine. I liked the way this grandma dealt with the issue.In a country like ours, where every rapist walks away with some kind of minor punishments,she is probably a good model.

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Gun-toting granny Ava Estelle, 81, was so ticked-off when two thugs raped her 18-year-old granddaughter that she tracked the unsuspecting ex-cons down and shot off their testicles !

The old lady spent a week hunting those men down and, when she found them, she took revenge on them in her own special way,said Melbourne police investigator Evan Delp.

Then she took a taxi to the nearest police station, laid the gun on the sergeant's desk and told him as calm as could be:  "Those bastards will never rape anybody again, by God."
Cops say convicted rapist and robber Davis Furth, 33, lost both his penis and his testicles when outraged Ava opened fire with a 9-mm pistol in the hotel room where he and former prison cell mate Stanley Thomas, 29, were holed up.

The wrinkled avenger also blew Thomas' testicles to kingdom come, but doctors managed to save his mangled penis, police said.
"The one guy, Thomas, didn't lose his manhood, but the doctor I talked to said he won't be using it the way he used to," Detective Delp told reporters. "Both men are still in pretty bad shape, but I think they're just happy to be alive after what they've been through."

The Rambo Granny swung into action on August 21 after her grand-daughter Debbie was carjacked and raped in broad daylight by two knife-wielding creeps in a section of town bordering on skid row. "When I saw the look on my Debbie's face that night in the hospital,I decided I was going to go out and get those bastards myself because I figured the Law would go easy on them," recalled the retired library worker. "And I wasn't scared of them, either because I've got me a gun and I've been shooting all my life. And I wasn't dumb enough to turn it in when the law changed about owning one."

So, using a police artist's sketch of the suspects and Debbie's description of the sickos, tough-as-nails Ava spent seven days prowling the wino-infested neighborhood where the crime took place 'till she spotted the ill-fated rapists entering their flophouse hotel. "I knew it was them the minute I saw 'em, but I shot a picture of 'em anyway, and took it back to Debbie and she said sure as hell, it was them," the oldster recalled.

"So I went back to that hotel and found their room and knocked on the door, and the minute the big one opened the door, I shot 'em right square between the legs, right where it would really hurt 'em most, you know."

"Then I went in and shot the other one, as he backed up pleading to me to spare him. Then I went down to the police station and turned myself in."


"Those bastards will never rape anybody again, by God."

Now, baffled lawmen are trying to figure out exactly how to deal with the vigilante granny.

"What she did was wrong, and she broke the law, but it is difficult to throw an 81-year-old woman in prison," Det. Delp said, "especially when 3 million people in the city want to nominate her for Mayor."


The courts and the legislature have to make many changes if the laws of rape are to be any deterrence. The sentence of punishment, which normally ranges from one to ten years, where on an average most convicts get away with three to four years of rigorous imprisonment or with a very small fine; and in some cases, where the accused is resourceful or influential- may even escape by paying huge amounts of money and get exculpated. The courts have to comprehend the fact that these conscienceless criminals- who sometimes even beat and torture their victims- who even include small children, are not going to be deterred or ennobled by such a small time of imprisonment. In the best interest of justice and the society, these criminals should be sentenced to the least of a life time imprisonment. 

What is it all about?

blogohblog.comblogging-recipe

I recently made a comment on a post, where I couldn’t quite agree with what the blogger had written. There are many times I have received such comments too. This blogger wrote in reply that he doesn’t care what others think about the issue and was not prepared for any further discussions on that issue. While replying to my comment, this blogger revealed some great discoveries that came out of his big brain and said” And I close the case”, meaning he didn’t want further discussions on the issue, or ” Do not comment if you don’t agree with what I say”

I have, on the other side, seen very tough and hostile sounding arguments over some topics where the bloggers had commented and replied and gone back and again replied with equal or more power, and at the end, become good friends.

We are not here to change the world. Or to hammer our own ideas on to others.

At the same time, we can make ripples that can, on occasions form strong waves.... what we call ‘ the butterfly effect”.

This blogger made the comment that she doesn’t believe in writing about issues and supporting causes, but only believes in doing. That is a wonderful idea in itself. But then, how would others know about it?

Recently I came across a website, change.org. By bringing to surface many issues of social injustice, this site has mobilized opinions of millions of readers across the world, and has been able to make major changes in the attitudes of governments on many social and ethical issues.

Blogging não tenho nada a dizee

070621_blogging_vows

So, it is not that opinions have no value.

Matt Haughey is probably best-known as the creator of Metafilter, the first community weblog .He is the co-author of We Blog , and a contributor to numerous other books on technology.

“I was an absolutely dreadful writer until years of daily email and blogging let me practice to the point at which I finally feel I can write well and express myself.

“There are things I won’t write about because I know it would hurt my family or friends, and I’ve come to terms with those compromises. I’ve come to terms with the boundaries I’ve had to draw to maintain order in my life. ”

Hugh Mac leod httpgapingvoid.com

This was something I learned over time and many mistakes. At the time I started blogging, I was in the middle of so many personal problems and took it as an outlet to vent out the issues. It took me time to learn that was a mistake. I had unknowingly hurt some people. After all, one can learn from own mistakes and from others too. That is why I mention it here, so that others could learn from my mistakes. As far as possible, keep very personal matters out of the blog, especially if it involves others.

“Don’t write every post for the social sites. It isn’t genuine and people get tired of it.”

“If you aren’t sure a post is good, sit on it for a day. If you still aren’t convinced, delete it. A bad post is worse than no post.”

“Be prepared to completely run out of ideas after the first 3-4 months.” 

I have faced such situation where I had spent time thinking about what to write. I have seen experienced bloggers churning out posts daily, sometimes even many times a day and have wondered how they come across ideas. The difficulty is not to write, but to write something interesting.

“It’s easy to become big headed when people rave about how great you and your blogs are to the point where you end up being a complete jerk and think you’re the greatest writer. But on the flip side, it’s also easy to become disillusioned and depressed when they rant about and attack you. Part of the skill of being a good blogger that comes over time is that ability to know when to take on board what others are saying about you and when to leave it. It is important to listen to the praise and critiques of others but try to keep them in perspective or it could lead to your downfall”.

During an interview with Elizabeth Taylor, she was asked if she read much of what people write about her in the media. Her answer was no – she didn’t listen to or read anything ever written or said about her, good or bad. Her explanation as to why was

‘If you listen to the good things people say about you, you might just start believing them. If you listen to the bad things people say about you, you might just start believing them’

“One of the temptations of starting a blog is to spend more time trying to emulate other bloggers than establishing your own voice and style. While there are a lot of lessons to be learned from other blogs there is a lot to be said for developing a strong blogging identity of your own".

This is what experts say, and I am not an expert. With millions of bloggers across the world, it would be silly to think that I have become a great blogger. For me, it is just enough that I have met some nice people over the blog and befriended them.

After all, what is it all about?

Hello, Appukka !

Whenever I call home, he insists to talk to me. When the telephone rings, he would run to pick it up and answer “ Hello, Appukka "

I don’t know how he invented this name for me. From the time he started saying names, he has been using this name for me, ” Appukka”. He refuses to change it in spite of efforts from all around him. I have heard grand pas being called “ Appappa, Appacha, Valyappacha and all. But I haven’t heard this name. He has invented a unique name for me.

If he starts talking to me, he wouldn’t care whether it is overseas call or not. He would keep on talking till he has exhausted all the stories and the long list of toys he wants. His stories would revolve around fights with Govind, his close friend and foe at school. He would get offended if I try to cut him short.

He is learning fast. Now he would wait for my wife to pick up the telephone first and start the conversation. He would listen to make sure who she is talking to. The other day, he started crying and yelling for the telephone when my wife was talking to me.

She said “This is not Appukka, I am talking to someone else”

“No, No, it is lie. I heard you calling him “Chetta’ “ ( That is the way my wife addresses me !)

He is going to be four years. If my wife scolds him for something, he would say

“Pack my bag, I am going to Appukka”

My wife asked him ‘How will you go? You will need a ticket to go”

“Oh, I will go by Emirates !”

My wife brings him here every time she comes. It is easier to process the visa if you buy tickets from Emirates, and he is used to flying emirates air lines!

I have been watching with awe the way kids learn things. The first time he was brought to the airport to receive me; he had seen me coming out of the air port, pushing the trolley. Since then, if he sees anyone pushing a trolley or cart, he would start calling “ Appukka”. He probably thought, my job was pushing carts!

I think it is easier for them to learn the bad words than the good. He is fond of cartoons and watches the BBC children’s channel. We have permitted him to watch that. They carefully choose the programmes for children. If at all he has learned funny words, it is from the local channels. He has quickly learned words like ‘ Poda choole !,( get lost, broom stick !) Patti, Ponnan ( fatso) and all !


He is a wonderment that has been woven into an unbreakable web of pure love. In his eyes I see full of promises and dreams yet to be revealed. He makes me realize how wonderful our lives are and how much fuller our spirits are for having been given this miracle. You will have the unfortunate experience of dark days and tremendous moments of grief and misunderstanding. But in the end, when all is said and done, you… we… will be more complete, more whole, more loved, more patient and kinder because we were chosen to touch, hold, hug, parent, comfort, nurture and most of love a child.

Now he knows he has two of these Appukkas and he has found out a solution. He calls me Babu appukka, and Sheri’s father as Biju appukka. Sheri’s mother is Ivy ammachi. My wife is his Ammacha, and Celin’s mother is Ammammachi.

The oldest among us is his maternal great grandmother. He calls her by her name “Sosakkutty “ !!.