Meena Mangalathil:

I do not know the line that divides a sane person from the insane. But I know, its very thin. Once I happened to see a movie about a normal man, who turns insane when he sees an housefly. I know, its simply weird. But its true. There was a flashback too for the reason, he becomes insane. Its just for a time period this insanity holds him and afterwards he is OK. This has really got me thinking. Man is basically a wild man. He has just put a coat of civilization over him and has covered his wildness under it. But in real fact, it is inside him. It could explode with just a sight of a housefly and we call it insane. But is it really an insane thing. I would say no because he has to be in the jungle free to express his anger, happiness whatever, in nature and instead we are forcing ourselves to control those instincts and become a volcano for small reason and the ultimate end, mental assylum or mentally deranged person or he would be in front of a counsellor. And that is sad. The nau

My son always say, "If I get this toy, I would be the happiest person in the world." And when he gets it, he is the saddest because, it didn't come up to his expectation and his interests flies and settle on something else. Well, we all have this problem. One day, Mark came to class with two packets. One was a diamond and the other was charcoal. He packed it so nicely, that no one could understand what was in it. He brought it daily to class and returned it home. So one day, one of his friends happened to see the packets and enquired about it. He told him truthfully, what the contents were and the days passed. One day Mark found, that one of his parcels were missing. He knew, it was taken by his friend. But he didn't respond. Soon afterwards, his friend stopped coming to class. Then one day after many years, a man with a dirty beard, unkept hair and dirty clothes came to Mark and stopped him on his way to the office. Mark looked questioningly at the stranger. The st

Everyday I go to church, though I take my bath early in the morning, there is this lethargic feel around at the early hours of the day in fact the first hour of waking up, bath or no bath and when I go to church, its the same two bowls of flowers and two candles on either side. But today it was a blast of colours on the altar, that my eyes really went out of sockets and my sleep just shot off from my system. Its very difficult to explain, but the way, they decorated the place and the angle with which a freely arranged long stalk flowers upside down, in the whole place, faced at the spectators and not a single one was turned the other side. I just wondered how can that be possible. Either they might have put pins or cello tapes. So I looked keenly, whether there was any. But none. So that means, the decorator knew the technique to decorate the flowers upside down without pins or tapes. At that moment I just got this feeling that, man has some unique qualities, which only one person h

"True to the word." I like this word attached to me. You know, that is not too easy to achieve. My children say, I do not keep my word. That is sad isn't it? But in my professional and social life, I do keep my word. Then where did I go wrong? Nowhere. No parent can keep up to the expectations of their children. But they will surely be the role model of every child. Do you know why? Simple, the children will go through the same situation with their own children and then they would know, they had acted the same at this age, then it would be flashback time. They remember how the parents coped with this situation. And that is when the parents become role models and at that moment. They would know, why parents could never keep word with the children. Children are new to this world, new to experiences, new to people. So with the little knowledge and experience they have, they decide, they act and that is where the interference of the parents arrive. But what to do? T

Today, I had a very very energetic guest that it was next to impossible to get things done in a jiffy and without paying a cent. She was literally counting her pennies and planning her tour with her computer and the free wifi. So her friend was the person who was organizing the tour for her. Since he had 13 years experience in touring the place. He did it perfectly, getting the quote from different travel agencies and decided the best option, to take the trip with the best people and that was me. So he paid his part of the payment which included the flight tickets, hotels, houseboats and taxi. He waited for his friends to arrive and when they arrived, a male and a female. They were not very happy looking. And my friend was not happy to speak to them either. But since, they had no choice, they heard him completely and she mentally calculated the price and divided the price in British pounds and did shortcut calculation. For me, actually I could feel the British strictness oozing thro

Today, thunder and lightning arrived immediately after I reached home after work. The funny situation was, in the morning, it was strike in the whole area, where it was a political storm was taking place. But the problem was, it is not a very easy situation who has to face both the nature’s and political storm is not worth living. You might ask, why do I say that. I remember, one of my friend’s family all died in a lightning strike. You know, lightning s very powerful and nobody would survive after its struck. Likewise, when you are in the middle of a political strike, no one has any normal senses, they all are blind to the cause, they have only destruction in mind. So on one side the strikers and the other side the police and the result, a big clash, where our body parts would be battered, stamped and tattered. So what do you think? Are we fit to live? Fury is one thing which cannot be contained, if it is burst from the line of control. So try not to bring out other’s fury and ou

I have never seen a guest so angry, like the people, I met today. Usually, when a guest arrives, they would readily have a smile and a good morning or something. But these people were so straight faced, that the person managing their reservation hadn't the courage to talk to them at all. Seeing this I just an idea of weaving a story, just for you. Lionel was the Managing Director of a big software company. It had branches worldwide. So on a daily basis he shuttled around the world. He could do that easily because he had no family, to say as his own. No social life too. So it was fine with him. One day, a charming young lady was his seat mate in the plane. She had the window seat and Lionel the aisle seat. This charming young lady smiled at Lionel and he didn't respond. He just took one of his files and started to read it. The plane took off and after sometime, the girl felt a stomach pain and she requested to allow her to pass, so that she could go to the toilet. He just got

Today, I met a very sad person, who really touched my inner me. Just don't ask me, how. But one thing is true, tears do have effect on everybody's heart. So I would like to weave a story about tears and its after effect. I do not know, how it would be. But still lets take the journey together. Long long ago in a small town, there was a girl named Roma, who was very jovial and happy. She was always smiling and gay, that everyone loved her presence. She had a pussy cat, which she loved with her life. One day, the cat went away never to return. She searched the whole place, nearby streets, forest, etc. But she didn't find her cat. She started crying and the whole town weeped with her. The next day and the next day, her tears didn't stop. It continued for days and extended to weeks. She went into the shell of sadness. She didn't allow anyone to get close to her. She never had a smile. She lost her lustre, the shine. One day, her aunt Matilda arrived very very early

Yesterday, the people were painting my place. So I was literally thrown out of my cocoon. But when I returned today, it was a new place, the face changed, the oldness changed, the shabiness changed. So seeing this I would like to weave a story, where appearance really do make a difference. Noma was a lady, who loved nature, who always tried to connect herself with nature. She never bothered with her appearance. She always looked shabby. If any one commented on it too she never cared. She just was happy that she was not like the rest of the people. One day, there was a recruitment of two nature lovers and eight scientists from the government level to be in the wilderness of the Amazon - An Expedition team. It was an opportunity for Noma. Though she was not highly qualified, the chances of she getting into the nature lovers section was meagre. But still, she applied for it. The day arrived for the interview. She dressed in her usual way and came down for breakfast excited. Seeing h

Have you wondered why people are always going for tours? and travel around the world? Some people say, to know the world. Some say, just to escape from the daily routine. Some say travel is knowledge, etc..etc... But if we go deeper, into the soul of me, I would say, I am in search of something perfect. Something that really makes me happy always. But for that, including myself we all know, that there is no place, which would fulfill our criteria. So I am going to weave a story regarding the eternal search. One day Martha was returning home, when she saw a banner giving the Dream Holiday of the lifetime. So she decided to look into it the next day. But this made her think, what would be her dream holiday? A holiday, where I would get to see the nature at its most beautiful state or great historical sights is also fine. But in the end, it should be a memorable one. A vehicle to drive me to all the places, according to my whims and fancies. A hotel, where its the epitome of luxury.

The place where I stay is very photogenic area. Its because it has a lot of history. Now in order to have history, it need to be there from time immemorial. So I would like to weave a story of time. There was once a lame boy named Ralph, who wanted to be famous. So he went to his father and asked, "Father, what should I do to become famous?" The father replied, "Do something good." So he decided to do something good. But his way of walking made everyone laugh. He was always the butt of joke for everybody. Even then, he tried to do good. But he was more a laughing stock than a social worker. Seeing the humiliation Ralph was facing, his mother said, "Son, why are you making everyone laugh at you?" "Mother, I am glad, that I can bring a smile to others face. I know, they are laughing at me. But I take it as a gift. God has given me, my lameness and I would cherish it and do whatever good I can do. Mother, don't be sad for me because I am not.

Today I am going to say a story about storms. Some like thunder and lightning. But for me, I am on the chicken hearted side. But I have always wondered. How did it start in the first place. So I am going to weave a story, where I can break free my imagination. There was a time, when there were no division between the Heaven and the Earth. It was heaven everywhere. The place was always filled with music, love and happiness. But there was one problem. There were no women in heaven. It was only Men. The men were very happy. One day, a girl landed in heaven, a very beautiful lady. She had blue eyes, golden hair, rosy lips, etc...etc... All the male was awe struck by her beauty. But where did she come from? No one knew. So one of the men, the courageous of the lot came forward and asked where did she come from. But no answer came. She just looked at him open mouthed. Then another tried, with a different form of speech, the action language. No answer. So they just left the topic. But t

Today I saw a man waiting to snare a tourist into his net.The place where I stay is a very touristic place and my job too is the same. But I have an added bonus, I can write, what I feel. So I would like to weave a story of snaring - a good snaring, where both the parties get to benefit. Tourism business is one thing, where we have lots of competition. So people go to any extremes to get business. Jeff and Martha arrived at the airport for a week long visit of South India. Since they had referred to the lonely planet as their tour guide, they made sure, they kept their guide handy and took a pre-paid taxi from the airport. They were relieved to know, that they were not cheated or bargained. A very smiling driver came and introduced himself to the guests. "Hello sir, madam, I am Joy, your driver to take you to Fort Kochi." They smiled and shook hands and moved towards his taxi. "How long will it take to reach Fort Kochi from here Joy?" "Sir it takes tw

The next story is about a tree. The place where I am sitting has huge rain trees which has really stood the test of time. nearly 450 years old. So this story is about a seed, which came all the way from Africa to be planted by the Portuguese. John was sitting under the tree and sleeping when someone nudged him. He looked around and found nobody. So he again went back to sleep when he was pushed from the root. "What the hell is this?" "Son wake up. You have been sleeping for sometime. Why don't you show your mettle and not just waste your time in sleeping. Look around, how much energy the nature is giving out. The trees, the birds, the sun, the air. They are giving out their best, the light, the heat, the beauty, the scent and what are you doing in the middle of this splendour? Nothing. Son, now you are young. You have the energy to do what you like. But there will be a time, when you are fit to lie down in bed. But sir, you are just a tree and not a human b

I am planning to write a story about a child who had everything. This came to mind, when one of my colleagues spoke about working hard to earn money. Once upon a time there lived a boy named Ben. He was very very rich. He got whatever he asked for. So there was no cause for complaint. One day, he and his friends decided to go for a picnic in a jungle many miles away. It was all well planned and charted in advance. They decided the food, the servants, the route, the vehicle and the timings too. So a very big group of friends, servants and Ben set out for this trip. They started very early and they travelled for sometime. Then they found a large clearing near the river side.It was the first stop they had planned. So they stopped for breakfast. The servants set the plates for Ben and his friends and served breakfast of bread toast, marmalade, eggs and fruit juice. They had their fill and rested for sometime. The servants cleaned the clearing and waited for Ben and his friends. At that m

Seventeen Fourteen Thirteen Are you sure? I feel, you are above thousand years old. Rafael, we know you are not joking, even in Guinness book, it is 115 years old, and then how will we cross 1000 and still look youthful? Because you are spirit. Spirit has no death. You didn't arrive in this world just seventeen or fourteen or thirteen years before. You were here long before that. Who knows, you might have been the first parents or the Pharaoh of Egypt. Whoever you may be or whatever you are, during each lifetime whatever actions you have done would return to you, if it has not returned in that very life, it crosses to the next life or lives. No wonder, why some people always are not lucky from birth onwards, I have thought it If you have hurt your parents in your previous life, by ill treating them, by putting them in oldage homes or someone else's home or pushed them into the street and abused them, beat them, then it has to return to you. That is why, some chil

Can I ask a question Raj? Sure Rafael, What is it? Who are your parents? Naturally, my dad and mom. You are right, and can anyone say, what is their specialtye? One thing is sure, the main specialty of parents is, and they are not short of advices. They feed us, cloth us, and try to give us a comfortable life. Hmmm. that about sums them up, good Ranjith. But do they understand you, when you are facing a problem or do they know your wishes, when it blooms in your heart? I don't think so Rafael, but sometimes, yes, they do answer our hearts but not always, they do not understand us. Have you ever thought why our parents cannot understand us? Because they are our parents, normal human beings. But, do you know, why you thought it? Because they sometimes are more dumb to our ideas. No children, don't say such words, it’s because in you, you know that they are not your real parents. Whaaaaaat!!!!!! Sorry, I had to shock you, it's better now than never,

The practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. That is what Euthanasia is all about I do not know how it happened. But this was the topic that came during lunch. So what do you think? Is it right to kill a person, who is alive, but not conscious or conscious, but unable to do anything? If you ask me, I can only say, I don't know because one of my colleague is in the same situation. His wife has been completely paralyzed for the past 15 years. The lady is literally bedridden, unable to even blink her eyes. What might be her thought? Nobody knows and my colleague, takes care of her so specially, that I was surprised. If I was in her place, I really would have wished myself dead. What about you? If you were in this situation? Anyway leave it. So what do you think? Are you in favour of killing a human being, whether unconscious or half dead? If it was me,I cannot do it because they have life. If it was in the machine, then I would say, l

Tapioca is the traditional ethnic food of Kerala. There are many reasons, to get such a position. Firstly, this state, which is in South of India is an agrarian state, where the main occupation is farming and the source of income is agriculture. As you all know, in India, farming is not an easy job. Its hard manual work, no machine at all; and for that the farmer needs lot of energy; good and sustaining food to get the work done for half a day. A good and heavy breakfast is a pre-requisite for this type of manual labor. Along with that if they can get it for a cheap price, it would be an added bonus because the farmers are always poor, as they don’t get a fair price for their products. Tapioca is a tuber which is full of carbohydrate. It helps in getting the necessary energy. It also is a poor man's food. It can be grown in the backyard of every home. Since Kerala is a coastal state, fish curry is the side dish used for the tapioca. Its really a great combination with respect t

My Favourite activity is to overcome my sleep. In a cool climate its soooooo angelic to be sleeping covered cozily in a blanket. And when morning comes, a clash with the warmth of the blanket and the morning frost can be felt so strongly that I just move into the cocoon of my blanket. This laziness really got to me. I started to become tired, sleepy and bulky, then I knew I had crossed the boundary. I knew I was nose deep in danger. So I took the first step to break the shackles of laziness. Break my daily routine and risk taking the path of ancient sages (According to the Indian culture, one should rise with the sun, take bath and do yoga, prayer or meditation and start your daily chores.)except for the morning bath part. I really fared well. Maybe I might try the bath part after sometime.If this idea had been told one month before, I would have just gone insensible. But now I know the perks of getting up early which I would never forfeit for any other thing in the world, the pea