Meena Mangalathil:

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

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

Today, I asked a foreigner whether he believes in Rebirth. He immediately and emphatically said "No". And the Orient believe in Rebirth. How did that happen? We are all human race in the same old Earth and still we have different attitudes. How? Well, to be frank, I do not know. But there is one thing which you might feel funny, Look at your physical body, you have one body and different body parts with totally different functions. Don't you feel it weird? Yes. I do. Just look at all things in nature. This diversity is what makes it picture perfect. You know, the hand that works cannot do the job of the eyes or nose or the heart. But it is an integral part of the body, why because it makes the body run smoothly. So whatever the attitudes each person have, they are here for a purpose, whether they believe or not, whether they live or not, etc... So don't bother of others belief or yours. The only thing that matters is, you are here for a purpose and that,

Today, my colleague and myself were talking of boarding life. You know, children being brought up in the boarding. Now its not in vogue. But in the 70s and 80s, most of the kids were in the boarding, including me. You know, the life is so pampered, with nothing to do, just learn, play, eat, sleep. No work at all. Our world, our life. Everyone have money. All needs fulfilled, everything. But there is one thing missing. We lose the freedom part. We can do everything, but in a framework, or else, you are out and my brother was so naughty, that he couldn't get a boarding. You might think, why he was naughty. Simple, he wanted the freedom of love. You know when we are with the parents, we do not need to look at rues, regulations and restrictions and that is what we call the freedom of love. But the current generation of parents, know it in full force and that is why, now-a-days, children are more at home and shoot the boarding. Now, there is a drawback which we parents are inculcati

That is a question I always ask, before I take a risk. You might think, why I ask such a weird question. Its simple. We should have something to lose, if you have a problem in taking risk, right? So putting a value to my existence, I would say zero and those goes to all living things on Earth. We all come to an end one time or other and we cannot take anything, not a single penny. Even our relationships. But there is one thing we take with us, our dreams, our actions, our reactions, which we had done in our lifetime to be passed on to the next life. These are all bank balances of our next life. If you do something good, then be sure, you have deposited a lump sum into your life account, which would give great dividends and that is what we should be worth. And the risk you take, should be for the good of others and for that you should love and respect yourself because, you do this for yourself. How come? When you do something good to others it naturally comes back to you. S

Today, it was the day of Mother Teresa, I feel because I happened to hear about her in two different places and the topic was the same. How she set out to help the poor with just Rs. 5/-. I really was awe struck of a lady, who single handedly threw out her safety and followed her call. You know, nuns have a call. Its the dialogue of all Christians, who are called for the church. Now, when this call comes. No one can control it. It so powerful that we just throw away whatever we have. In the New Testament too, there is a part where the disciples are being called by Jesus and they just drop their nets and boats and follow Jesus. This is what happens when the normal people who have the only source of hearing the call in churches, temples or mosques leave all the work and commitments, just to be with the Lord. In India, the parents, grandparents, they take their children, when they are small, along with them for worship. At that time, the children, gets the opportunity to have a walk

Do you know, that I had a problem. I couldn't remember anything. You know, we are all aware of lots of diseases, which causes this forgetfulness and my fear was for the worst, Alzheimers. And this fear was the small spark just to light the chain of fire crackers. I woke up in the middle of the night and started to rewind, what I had done the previous day, the name of the people, the dates, etc.....etc.... It was difficult, but I managed to scrape through some information, but still some were missing. Then I thought of an idea, why not write each and everything in a diary and the phone too. So that I don't forget what I had to remember. And I looked frequently into all the notes. It was a two month practice and I decided I am not going to allow my fears to overcome me and then I prayed, in the sense that I prayed literally. This I wanted to say because, sickness can catch up with anybody because, we have a physical body and there is always a cure for it. The only thing is

I am continuing with yesterday's blog, "The Joke Of Life". Now, what I have told about nothingness is true. Read the first chapter of Genesis in the Bible. There was nothing, no Universe or whatever we see now was there. It was total darkness. Then one by one, everything was created. How? By the word of God. For Hindus, they say Om (The Word). Which means, that the thoughts I went through was true. Every human being gets an opportunity to understand their root of existence. But we should have the antenna to receive it. I do not remember, my mom and myself having a long chat, but this situation rose because, it gave clarity to my existence. I had given meaning to the word of creation in another light, different angle. It might be right or wrong. But this one just clicked into place, which means, it is true. We might give reasons and explanation, but if we are not able to answer our own doubt, then what is the use of answering or explaining, the same thing to othe

Today, I do not know, but I had a weird sense of laughing out loud in the church. You might think, I have gone crazy. Yes, in a way. Yesterday, my mom and myself had a heart to heart talk, which brought something weird from it. She always quotes the Bible for each and every act. Though I'm not an expert, I too can stand up to her, for a shot or two. She was criticising me on something I did fifteen years before. So I replied, Mom, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.(Luke 6:37) Immediately, my mother replied, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the

Today, I read a story about a man, who met with an accident. Before meeting with this accident, his situation was, he was angry because he had lost his promotion. He was fed up of his life. He was not able to keep up the expectation of his children or wife. But the moment, he met with an accident, he wished to live. Unfortunately, he got consciousness after 15 long years and sees, how his wife looked after him so devotedly, throughout these fifteen years and brought up his children single-handedly, married them off, etc..etc... The man try to recollect, how this all started and remembered the lost promotion and not able to be a good parent. He felt ashamed because his wife took care of everything without his promotion and with just his dead person. And they were happy to see him, conscious. They treated him so lovingly after this fifteen year toil. But there was a glitch in his consciousness, he would return back to the coma. So it was just a wish fulfilled, he had asked for. And it

How would you feel, when you have to carry a box full of goodies on your head. Its not easy. But if someone takes off some goodies from the very box which is still on your head, what will happen? Either it would shake and tend to fall, or it would literally fall on the floor breaking the box and the goodies. You might think, why I am saying all these. The box is your expectations, or our expectations. Its connected with people, which means, our expectation begins with people and ends with people. But there is a choice, you are creating that box. If you do not have that box of expectation, then we do not really need to rely on people. Then the chances of breaking that box is nil. Nobody has the power to break it, if we do not have any expectation in the first place. People, including us cannot fulfill the expectation of others. We would not be able to come up with their standards, then how can we expect others to fulfill our expectations. So don't ever make the mistake of cr

I do not know why, but I can't stand people criticizing others, whether, they are family or friends. Today, I literally shouted at y son, saying, "Just shut up and do not say a word against anybody. I really hate it. Do your duty and that's that. Never, ever make the mistake to talk to me like that. You know, we all have flaws and we are living in a society and not the life of a hermit. If it was a secluded life, we just have to tolerate only ourselves. But that is not what we are doing, we are facing the whole world. If you are planning not to live your life and find the mistake of others, then someone would throttle or stab you to death. Its your choice, whether you find fault for each and everything you have to face. We are here to make our self perfect, not others. Its time, we know, that finding fault with others does not make you perfect. It would highlight your flaws more, than we had bargained for. If you are planning to get the best bargain, then better criti

I do not know, whether you would believe it, but today one of my long forgotten wish was fulfilled. I wanted to visit an island, which was not very far away, but it was inaccessible to the local people. I could have created a circumstance and entered into this island. But, I had not taken the initiative and I had totally forgotten about it or I had lost interest in it. Today, I was forced to take a trip, if I had a choice, would have surely avoided. So I half heartedly started the trip in a lightweight boat, which was like a matchbox. It was a bit scaring as well as sea sickening experience. Since we didn't expect such a boat, we had to change boats in between and we embarked on a much more better boat in this island, which I thought, WoW. I just wanted to say is, if you wish for something, it will come to fruition, no matter, how much delayed it be. And you would have to fulfill all your wishes which you have wished, to take off from this world, or else, you would wait here.

I know, its not fair to say, but today I had the most incredible speech, which I rendered to my mother. It was the continuation of a dialogue, which I had told, to my friends, which my mother misinterpreted. I had a very pampered life, no work, only study, play, eat, sleep, pray. My hands and feet were always clean. I got to wear neat and wrinkle free dresses, rich toys, etc...etc... Because I was in the boarding. So whenever I have something to say, it would naturally be connected to my boarding life, which my mother feels, that I am criticizing her. So today, the same happened and I do not know, how I was able to get those words, correctly, but I did it, which made her happy. You might be impatient to know, what I said, right? "Meena, I really felt hurt, when you said that about me." "Mom, I would never criticize you for putting me in the boarding. You did me a great service. You made me a spiritual person and thank you so much. That life purified me a lot. Even i

Today, there was a christening, you know, the christians give their initiation to christianity through christening. The child is unaware of any such process, just the discomfort of having to be petted "Oh!!! Jooji Booji", Oh!!!! Nnnnnnuuu Nnnnnuuu", etc..etc.. by the whole lot of friends and relatives. But for the parents, it doesn't matter, because its a tradition passed on from generation. And the people who started, our forefathers, they knew one thing. If they hadn't take the initiative, then we would not be, what we are. People think and criticize, regarding initiating babies into a religion. They should be given the freedom to choose, what religion to take and all the reasons of not to initiate. I do not know, what would be your mentality. But I am on my ancestors side. Initiate immediately after birth. Can I ask a question? Why do our parents save money? Why do they build houses? Why do they give education, from when we are toddlers? Why do we tak