Meena Mangalathil:

I have a tendency to give a message to my guest in a small paper or by a small card after they take a tour. Its my writer's tendency I feel. And I usually do not ask what message they received. So yesterday, one guest read her message and said, "Oh!!! it's a good message, I should really keep this in mind always and folded and kept it in her bag. Then we continued talking. In between the conversation, she said, "you should really practice the message you are giving to everybody because you are talking just opposite what you are writing." I was surprised because I didn't know what her message was and to be frank, I felt ashamed too. You know, even if I write great dialogues sometimes I return back to my basic nature at some point or other where fear, indecisiveness, laziness, anger, sadness, etc... do take a place in our life. Anyway she read the message she got, " Everything happens for a reason." I smiled and said, "Sure I will do that....

Today, I had the opportunity to speak to an Italian pilot who is now retired and now is a skipper of a boat. So I asked him, how come, he took a totally different job from what he was used to. Did he had to study again in order to become a skipper of a boat? He said, "If you have a sense of direction and the techniques of navigation, whether you are at sea or land or air, you can take any vehicles. So whenever I see people, who are connected to ships or boats, I think of Titanic, which got crashed on its maiden voyage. So I asked him, are you a very spiritual person? Do you pray, while you are taking your plane or the boat because, there are people, whose safety lies in your hands. He replied,"I don't know because I do not know there is God. But there are many times, when I am in a very difficult situation, that I join my hands and say, whoever there is on top, please help me from this situation and the miracle happens. But when I see hunger and poverty of my ...

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, it was not an easy day because, it was a holiday for me. You know, we tend to put loads of priorities on this day. And when all the activities take priority, we are doomed. But, have you ever thought, why we get a Sunday holiday or Friday holiday? To recharge our faculties. Its very very important. When God created this Universe, He took rest at the end of the week. So this holiday is our necessity and not a luxury. But how are we going to recharge ourselves? Eating, drinking, washing and watching movies. Right. ? But that is not what we should do. We are spiritual beings, we are not here to make ourselves smart and beautiful. We are here to become like God, to the level of God and how do we reach to that level? Through only one way can we reach that state and that is through love filled prayer. And for that, we should focus on the communication between us and God. Only then, we would get recharged. So from today, Sundays are here for a purpose fulfill that and ...

Yesterday, we were discussing that we do not have much to boast of. But have you ever thought, that human beings are the most perfect creatures in the whole of the Universe? I know you might have, but there is a very serious part. We have no role in making ourselves perfect. O. K. Who places a child in the womb of a mother? I don't know. Who decides whether it should be a boy or a girl? I don't know. Good, who decides, whether it should be a twin or a triplet? I don't know. And this child comes out to the world and grows grows to become a man or a woman and how does all the body parts come into existence both inside and outside their body? I don't know. Well, you can explain scientifically for sure, but the life part is still a mystery, as well as the death part too. Our body works so systematically and properly,that do you have any say in it? I hope not. Then what is there which we have created? Which we can say our own? Nothing, except som...

The one thing a parent should try to inculcate in his daily life is, request your child's help whenever and wherever possible and especially in your work. (Well, be there to supervise, eh) It helps him to know what you are doing. It helps him to develop his confidence. Giving him a sense of responsibility, that his parent has faith in him. There would be a rapport between you and the child. And this moment is a connecting moment which builds a stronger relationship which is a foundation that would cross generations. Which means, when he becomes a parent, he passes on to his children and that passes on. That should be the role of every parent, invest it for generations. Whatever you do, share it with your children both good and bad. Then it would cross all barriers, generation, culture and age. See you tomorrow. Until then take care. Bye Meena

Today, I happened to be in a position where I had to live up to someone else's expectation. Usually, a human life is always living upto someone else's expectation. When we are born, our parents have an expectation, when we study, along with our parents, teachers too have expectation. When we grow big, the circle of expectation gets wider. But are we able to keep up to their expectation? That is the most dumb question we would be trying to answer. One thing we should remember, in life we are really having difficulty in fulfilling our own expectation, then, what would be the success percent of fulfilling other's expectation? Yes, you are right, it would be zero. But, if you include their expectation as yours, then you can make yourself happy and in the process, others could become happy. Life is surrounded by a lot of people and you are one among many, but don't put your self in that maze and vanish off. Each thought, each action has a lot of investment fro...

I have always believed that what we believe is what we get and that too exactly the same no less or no more. I work in a place, where nature is given more prominence, cats eat rats or snake eats rats, or crows scavenge or whatever. All animals are there, roaming about freely. So yesterday, a wrestling competition was taking place from the ceiling of my office. I thought it might be the rat and the snake. But I was not very sure. Anyway I didn't feel scared, though it was happening exactly overhead and the ceiling was made of bamboo mat. But my colleague was scared to death, she was saying, Meena, just move off from there or else, the rat or the snake might fall on you. Anyway I didn't budge, but my friend moved away and exactly at that moment, the rat fell down exactly where she had sat. At that moment, I knew, why the rat fell, because, my friend believed that it will fall on her. So now you understood, why I am saying this. I would like to suggest, if you want something to ...

Now we know, one facet of man, which signifies the half man, half woman idol of Lord Siva. Now, why is it necessary to be like this. Include both halves into one? You guys are lucky, that I am not the creator. Better ask why. I would not even have  thought of a gender to begin with. O. K. Just joking, we can never create the perfection we see around even in a million years. Now this half man half woman depicts two opposite characters. Yes, you thoight right, like magnets, North and South poles. I have always thought, when we are planning to marry a person, we look at the compatability of the other person, how much similarities, both the partners have, and the maximum, the better. But in the system of nature, I think, the more the incompatibility, the stronger the bond, what do you guys think? Its not my theory, eh. I'm just voicing, what I see. I too am confused with this idea, but still, that is the truth. We better analyze before someone makes any further mistakes in se...

Today I remembered a man, who was in terrible stomach pain. It was years back. I  had come for holodays to my cousin's home in the mountains. The speciality of this place was, it was so silent that we could hear our own breath. So this wailing sound was so clear, that it really gave me creeps. I really was frightened to go out thinking, the hhost of the man would come and attack me, any time. That much piercing was his wailing. I didn't stay there long, so I didn't know the outcome, anyway luck was on my side, he didn't die on me. Years later, I met these cousins and asked about this man, they said, he was fit as a fiddle. But I do not understand, what was really his ailment. But one thing is sure, he mihht have diagnosed correctly and treated properly relieving from his pain. In life too, we have this problem. We take the wrong decision because we think, it is right and wail the whole life. So take your time, in diagnozing your decision and act accordingly, or els...

Today I happened to meet a surgeon, who was treating a patient with infected cyst. Years back, the treatment was cut open and the sack which accumulates the pus removed with great care. But today the doctor just applied glycerine magsulph, some  antibiotic and anti inflammatory medicines. When asked, why you are not removing the cyst? He replied, 'it would damage many cells, which is not affected. So we help remove the pus through the application of glucerine magsulph and stop the infection and bring back to its normal state by antibiotic and anti inflamatory medicine. I thought wow, I'm not a fan of allopathy medicine because of surgery. If something extra grows or unwanted happens they immediately remove with the slice of a knife. But this new attitude was indeed surprising for me. This made me think, people are indeed in the path of change. A change for the good of mankind. Do you know, in real life, when people do unwanted things, we cannot cut them off with a sl...

Today, as I was walking to church, I saw the early bird catches the prey trend, the bird was naturally, the crow. The food was not much, some kind hearted citizen left some of their waste food for the birds of the sky, which would come to a bowl of knick knacks. You know,what will happen naturally, because crow never thinks of having food alone, even if its  a single grain, but I dondon't understand, why didn't other birds get this feature? Hey guys, any idea? Well, I too am in the same boat, but lets not think why not, but the quality of this bird. They are basically a nuisance to everyone except their clan. That is the only plus point I see, but at least, it has one, what about me, have I any? To be frank, I know, you'd say, Meena, you too!!!! Its true, I don't know, what plus point I have, because I am doing all sorts of work, as a daughter, student, teacher, mother, wife, friend, sister, cook,  devotee, employer, employee, social worker, travel agent and at...

A day comes and the day goes and again it comes and goes and we living in it, for how long? This thought comes when we grow big, as we step into the throes of oldage. But that thought doesn't even enter into a child, even for a single moment, why? Where did we gain, this attitude? Any idea, guys? Well, I too am not sure, but, as we go into the attitude, we know, that it is caused because of hopelessness of the situation being lived, what do you think, am I right? But what causes this hopelessness. You enjoyed life, when you were young and had more than your share of the best, bold and risky experience and then, you start becoming old and your mind reined you, saying, ' Hey mr or ms or mrs. Whatever, what do you think your age is and that restrained you from taking risks or living life. Hey guys I too am not young, but, that doesn't mean, that I have done something great, no nothing of much significance. I am basically a zero person, so I am a worthless person in al...

There is one thing I do not understand, if you have any ideas, you are free to voice it. O. K. The question is, I have always had a problem with the amount of salt and green chilly. So I just put my heart in my hand and take the salt with a spoon and add it to the dish. But if I take a second serving, it will become more. Now about chilly, I take what I feel would be sufficient, wash it, dice it on a cutting board and add it to the dish, but while adding it to the dish, some of the diced chilly rolls off and falls on the counter top or on cooking stove top. If I take it and put it in the dish, it will become more spicy, but if I had let go of that chilly, it'd have been the right taste. So guys, do you know, what is the principle behind this phenomena? Well, if you know, then be kind enough to pass it. Now, for me, its a daily ritual. Since I am too much involved in cooking and with many years experience, this phenomenon is stuck with my life too. You might think, how. Usual...

I have seen confident children, but this girl outshone all others. Well, you might think, how I decided the criteria - in the church. Hmmm, she came with a bag carried by mentally ill women. You might wonder, how I know. We had one lady who was sick mentally and she used to come late for mass with her bundle and sit in the very front. But luckily, this girl was very much normal, she came with the bundle and sat right in front of me and attended the service with an ardent faith, She might be of 11 or 12 age group and not more than that. After the service, she , with her baggage went near the altar and prayed, crossed to the other side and prayed. She was not shy with her luggage, she carried it with dignity, then I knew, she is  confident girl. I hope you understood what confidence is. If you are happy with your being, with flaws and all, then we call confidence. She didn't bother to look, who is looking at her. She came, prayed and went. The lesser mortals like me should tak...