A Cyber Fraud

~ Subrata ~ 3 Comments

They spread their net wide on the web or dangle their baits through SMS or WhatsApp. Like anglers waiting for the fish to rise to their baits, they let you first be introduced to their offer and then con you into paying for some benefits or services that do not exist.

Your money is gone by the time you realize that you have been cheated. In the end, your loss is their gain – some quick bucks without much effort or risk. I took such a bait only by half and lost some money but then rescued myself just in time to prevent further losses.

Srisailam is a place of religious tourism about 230 km from Hyderabad. A year back I wanted to visit the place and was looking for a suitable accommodation on the internet for spending two nights there. Though the temples of Srisailam and the scenic beauty of its hills and lakes attract hordes of tourists every month, there are not many good hotels in the town. After a lot of search, I found a hotel named Pathaleswara Sadan and tried to contact it through the landline number found in the website, but my calls were not answered. Then I got a mobile number mentioned within cloud mark with the photo of the hotel in the background (photo given below).

The fake contact found in Internet (with image of hotel in the background)

I rang that number and a lady answered my call. She asked me to pay an advance of Rs. 2000 online for booking a room for two nights.

Payments through Unified Payment Interface (UPI) have of late become very popular in India, Google Pay or GPay being one of the commonly used platforms for the transactions. In UPI  payments, mobile phones are linked to bank accounts and money can be transferred online from one bank account to another in real time, using phone numbers.

It is now quite usual for the hotels to ask for advance for booking from a customer calling from a faraway place through UPI. On two occasions earlier, I had paid advance through GPay as advised by hotel manager and immediately got confirmation of booking through WhatsApp and email. There were absolutely no problems in booking and settling the tariffs thereafter while checking out of the hotels.

Cybercrime (Image Credit: http://www.pixabay.com)

So I made payment of Rs. 2000 through GPay as demanded by the lady and rang that number again for confirmation of booking. This time a male voice answered my call and asked for payment of Rs.1000 more, saying that he needed an advance of Rs. 3000 for booking. But after I paid the additional amount, he called me back and said that he was not able to reconcile the two transactions with one booking and needed a single UPI transaction for the advance. He asked me to transfer Rs. 3000 in a single transaction, promising to refund the amount already paid by me immediately. I found his point rather strange and deceitful, so I insisted that he should first refund the already paid amount and then only I would make the single transaction as required by him. He tried to convince me but I was not agreeable to it.

After waiting for an hour, he called again to know what I would like to do about my booking. When I firmly said that I would not make any more payment without refund of the paid amount, he shouted some expletives at me and hung up. I realized that it was a fraud, and thanked myself for limiting my losses by calling his bluff at the right time.

Cybercrime ( Image Credit:  http://www.pixabay.com)

I tweeted to Hyderabad Police, complaining about this cyber fraud with all details. Police referred my complaint to twitter ID of another police station, saying that the place of crime came under its jurisdiction. I expected police to investigate the fraud, recover my lost money and also take down the contact number on the internet so that no one fell into the trap like I did. But I did not hear anything from them further though I pursued the matter for some time through Twitter.

Cyber fraud is a growing concern nowadays. There has been a boom in online businesses with IT revolution and thereafter because of Coronavirus pandemic. Services such as coaching, tuition, job search, loan, hotel booking, advertising, matrimony and issue of credit cards are rendered online, which requires a level on trust between client and service provider as they never meet each other physically. Fraudsters are creating faking services and making money by misusing the trust of the people. According to newspaper reports, people of Telangana state have lost Rs. 157 cr. rupees in February, 2024 alone. Law enforcement authorities are still not well equipped to handle these crimes.

Two Crows Comment on Smartphone

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Christmas day is unlike any other day for the crow community of Tali Park on the outskirts of the city of Hyderabad. People start streaming into the park in small groups from morning onwards, and as the day progresses, they occupy the lawns and have fun gossiping, singing and dancing throughout the day.

One of the crows of the park, Peter, has seen the celebrations for years. He wants to enjoy the day, watching the lively crowd, but somehow he finds the enthusiasm of earlier years missing in the present day group of picnickers. Now many of them just sit on the benches near the fence, silently looking at their mobile phones, instead of taking part in the activities of the groups.

Two Crows (Image Credit: unsplash.com)

Last Christmas, Peter flew around to have a sneak peek of what they were watching on the small screens of their phones. He saw that they were either playing video games or scrolling the screen with loads of photos and videos or watching pornography.

Thankfully, he had a flying encyclopaedia in his friend, Paul, at whom he could conveniently shoot all his questions as and when something piqued his interest.

It was just after midday and the sun started leaning towards the west. Paul perched on a branch of a tree and was having a snooze on the droopy noon. Peter gently pecked at his head.

PETER: Wake up, Peter! Is it a time to sleep? Exciting things are happening around you! I’ll tell something really amusing!

PAUL: Oh, you woke me up again! You’re such a pesky crow!

(Paul flew to the lake and dipped his head and came back.)

PETER: What nonsense are these guys doing after coming to the picnic? Is it the way to spend their Christmas? Watching mobile phones instead of enjoying their party! Then is there any need to come to the park?

PAUL: Oh, this is amusing for you and you woke me up for it! Huh! As if the sky has fallen! How does it matter, if they’re looking at their phones? If you don’t like, go poop on their heads!

PETER: I’ll do that another time for sure. You know, Paul, I admire your wizardry on human affairs! Just want to benefit from your understanding of why they’re so crazy about their phones. Would you please oblige me?

Social Media (Image Credit: pixabay.com)

PAUL: For them, exciting things are happening on their smartphones and not in the parties going on outside! There they’ve internet, video games, social media, now artificial intelligence – everything you can imagine. It’s a parallel universe altogether. They’re in touch with people far away in America, England, Australia and that’s the order of the day! In fact, they’re online and others are offline.

PETER: What’s that? They’re online and others are offline! That’s too much!

PAUL: That’s the way it is! When you’ve a smartphone and you’re chatting through internet, you’re online. Now that we’re talking to each other, being present physically, we’re offline. In a larger context, that’s what technology does to you. If you use it, you’re on the track, or else you’re off the track.

PETER: You always seem to praise the humans, talking about all the great things that they’re doing! Tell me what good it does the world at large.

PAUL: Idiot, what good it’s for the world is determined by what good those phones do for themselves. It’s not for poor wretches, Peter and Paul. Now they’ve social media platforms – Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, YouTube – and so many apps on their screen! They can upload photos, videos in Facebook or Instagram and get them liked or commented on by people far far away from them, say, in London, Paris, Delhi and New York at the same time? Can we say ‘hello’ to a crow in America? No. But they can just by tapping on the screen.

PETER: Food is ready and their friends are calling them, but they didn’t seem to care! Is it really worth getting addicted like this?

PAUL: As with every invention, there’s a downside to it as well. If you’re in a tree and see fruits hanging tantalizingly from the branches, you’ll just peck at them, or eat or half-eat them and move to another branch and still to another and get stuck there for a long time. Likewise when they get those exciting stuff just by tapping on the screen, they move from one post to another, one platform to another and it’s difficult for them to keep it aside immediately. Then there’s algorithm set in the internet. Whatever they search for, algorithm ensures the same thing will be served to them again and again. If they’re interested in music, music will pop up on their screen; if they’re interested in pornography, pornography will pop up. That’s how it is! It’s magnetic; it grips them completely!

Social Media (Image Credit: pixabay.com)

PETER: But with this obsession with social media, they’re ignoring people who are in front of them!

PAUL: That’s the sad part of it. Those who’re mindful of others’ sentiments will put the phones away in their pockets and pay attention to people in front of them – those who do not will offend others and will eventually be forced to learn some etiquette.

PETER: That means too many negatives and those may outweigh the positives. How many of them are mindful of others’ sentiments?

PAUL: Look, they have to live their everyday lives. How to deal with this everydayness – to talk to a distant friend, to dress well, to sing or dance and share it with others and be appreciated? Everyone wants to feel good about themselves. Yes, they often show off and may not be as good and happy as they appear on social media. And not only that! Being friends on social media does not mean they are good friends in real life as well! They may not even exchange greetings when they meet in social gatherings or pass each other in the streets!

PETER: Then? Only pretensions!

PAUL: Well, that depends on how they choose their friends on that platform. But then technology is a great leveller. Social media have reduced the societal gap between the privileged and the underprivileged because both are on the same platform. Now people are picking up new skills, new traits simply by watching others and are far smarter than before. As for pretensions, now everyone can make them – it’s not only for the rich and privileged. And if you’ve talent, you can be a mini celebrity in no time and earn money as well. There’re networking sites for professionals like LinkedIn etc. through which they can search and get jobs.

PETER: But what’s good there in watching pornography that they’re doing?

PAUL: Yes, that’s concerning! The situation is now worse because it’s in their hands and because of the deadly algorithm that I’ve talked about. That’s why they’re going for social media detox to clean up their minds.

PETER: If it’s so useful, why can’t we try to get a handset? I can just pick one when they’re not alert.

PAUL: Do you think you can pick up anyone’s phone and start using it? The phones are protected by password, biometric and all that. Besides, why to invite problems that we can’t solve? We’ve very small brains – let’s not strain them for something we can’t handle.

PETER: Oh, it’s already evening! People are leaving now. Shall we get something for dinner?

Image Credit: http://www.unsplash.com

The two flew down to the lawns of the park where half-eaten cut pieces of fruits were strewn all over. It was evening, and the watchmen were asking people to leave the park immediately by blowing whistles. Peter and Paul were in no such hurry as the park was their home. They quickly picked up a few pieces of fruits in their beak and flew back to their nests. Their knowledge and curiosity entered too deep into human territories!

One Life to Live

~ Subrata ~ Leave a comment

This miracle,
Magical existence,
This tiny ripple;
So beautiful,
Vibrant, luminous ,
But alas, only once
Only once
In the ocean of time.

One life to live (Image credit: http://www.unsplash.com)

Only once
To cry into this world
Hear lullabies in mother’s lap;
Be amazed
With all there’s to behold;
Innocent, playful;
Crawling, toddling;
But just one spring;
That’s all there
To make a promise,
As it doesn’t stretch
Beyond its reach.

Only once
To defy
And rise to the sky;
To grow strong and fight:
Shine bright;
Still grow up
To bring new lives;
To give and receive
Your gift;
To love and care;
But just one summer.
To get anything rare
You must dare;
You must rise
To fulfill your promise.

In twilight,
Find bliss ;
Be wise
And advise;
Give as much
From life’s collections!
The last winter
Before the leaves fall;
Leave a mark
For the future
To remember.

A boatman ferrying
One bank to another;
The river is there forever;
A farmer spends
All his life tilling;
The earth never stops giving.

Thus many waves,
Relentless and galore,
Hitting the shore,
And going their full course!
Yet many getting lost
In their prime;
In the quicksands
Of time.

Much to live for and love;
It’s now and here.
In a short while
By the wink of an eye
And there is nothing after;
Leave something for the future
To remember.

Morning Walks through BHEL Township

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A cock welcomes the morning by crowing  while a crow starts cawing right from the wee hours of the day. And as the day dawns and the sunlight hits the tops of the trees, the entire bird community wake up, flutter their wings, fly from one branch to another and chirp endlessly till the evening. Dogs roam the streets and engage in mock fights with each other.

A human can do many things. But perhaps the best way to greet the magical new morning and start the day is to go for a walk. A walk in the morning presents us with a view of nature, of the rising sun and the comfort of empty streets free from traffic, crowd, noise and dust. I have been doing this for years and do it now even with greater energy and enthusiasm.

Thick canopy of green over BHEL Township

Ideally, morning walks need to be done in peaceful places like parks or streets under cover of trees. In today’s vertically growing cities or gated communities, walking spaces are  created by beautifying the streets with decorative plants, building parks, walking tracks or even skywalks on the terraces of multi-storey buildings – the architecture weaves walking spaces into all modern necessities of life.

However, for me, the township of BHEL – the company that I work for – offers a wide network of streets, natural green cover, the touch and smell of earth and an atmosphere of serenity for a morning walk. The township was built about fifty years back, covering an area of 16 sq km.

The township has everything that you ask for – school, college, stadium, library, club, temple, mosque, gurudwara, market, park, forest and what not, apart from the manufacturing factory. It is here that I spent a long time of my career. I live outside it now but have made it a habit to walk through it twice or thrice a week in the mornings.

Walking track inside township

The most alluring thing for me is the urban forestry around the township. The area was once a rocky terrain of Deccan Plateau, mostly barren with patches of green lent by shrubs and Palmyra trees. Human beings can do wonderful things – the barren landscape has now been converted into urban forestry. When I joined the company, trees were being planted. Now it is a grown up forest with peacocks crying, birds chirping and insects buzzing all the time.

Main gate of the township is quite far from my residence. The forest surrounding the township is near my home; so it is easy for me to enter the township through the forest, which, apart from being convenient, puts me on nature trail every morning. There are pathways made by people walking or cycling through the space between trees.

Going through the woods, I see peacocks and peahens roam and break into a short flight to reach the branches of the trees. There were  birds of all kinds – mynas, doves, cuckoos, kingfishers, cranes, Ibis, parakeets, coucals, etc. Sometimes, I carry my camera and try to capture them through my lens. The insects that remain invisible keep buzzing all the time, making the sound ‘zhi-zhi-zhi…’ from the boughs or the branches of the trees.

Morning walk through the forest

The narrow pathways through the forest meet roads inside the township. One day I walked up to the inner edge of the jungle and into a road inside and chanced upon an old colleague of mine who was a regular morning walker. He was surprised to see me suddenly appear out of the woods.
‘Where are you coming from?’ he asked.
‘From the MIG housing colony,’ I answered.
‘Where is the way to MIG here?’ he laughed at me.
‘Yes, there’s a way.’
‘I’m living here for a long time. I don’t know and you know.’
‘Let me see,’ he said and went to find the way through which I came out. Finding a pathway, he said, ‘Oh, this is the way for you.’

Township presents a wide panorama of scenes – you can have a glimpse of rural India in a crane taking a free ride on the back of a buffalo or a pack of dogs chasing pigs, or in contrast, a snapshot of an industrializing country in machineries manufactured by the company being transported in lorries out of the factory. The township gives people living near it the space to go for a walk or a run. They come to the township early in the morning to exercise their bodies by walking or running. Their enthusiasm is contagious! They infuse me with energy to walk longer distance.

Peacocks of the township forest

In the middle of the township, there is a stadium and a walking track surrounding it. Men and women, conscious of their health and determined to remain in shape, are seen to enthusiastically walk down the track. Their gaits are a study in contrast – the rhythms in their hips, legs and feet have a certain grace and leave signatures of their varied genetic make-up.

I happen to meet known faces while walking on that track. They greet me with a short ‘hi’ or a smile and move along while some look the other way and pass by without acknowledging me as if I will stop them and engage in a long conversation, upsetting their rhythms.

Township is for employees who live in quarters – medium quadruplex houses  for four families. Each of them, I know, can tell their own tales of joy and sorrows, endeavours and aspirations and their service in BHEL.

Township attracts visitors from the wild

Morning walks have been an integral part of life since my childhood. When I go on a trip to a hill station or any place to tourist attraction, I do it just for exploration. While exploring the nook and corners, I often hit the blind alleys. But on some occasions, to my surprise, I discovered hidden streams, tiny waterfalls or pastures of some kind.

On a daily basis though, BHEL township where I have spent a long time and of which I have seen enough holds an unending attraction for me. Entering it, I have an unmistakable feeling of coolness and freshness because the of trees and the shade they provide. This is just the kind of outing I need to do every morning to stay positive and energetic for the entire day.

Damn Things Often (Reflections)

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“Life is just one damn thing after another.”
– Anonymous

The damn things could come to you, steady and slow like trickles from a leaky tap that irritate you for a while before you hurriedly get into the act and fix them. Or they could come like whirling, gushing torrents of a river and overwhelm you completely.

Hit by Damn Things (representative image, pc : http://www.unsplash.com)

They could be as benign as a viral fever that earns you rest and sympathy from your dear ones for a few days or as dreadful as coronavirus infection that has, alas, taken so many lives! If you manage to survive, you need to move heaven and earth to prevent a recurrence – you have to build embankments or develop vaccines requiring painstaking efforts for years.

You cannot simply swat them like a fly nor can you save yourself the troubles  completely even if you were to settle down in the heights of the divine Himalayas and live the life of a hermit away from the din and bustle of daily struggles down in the plains. You can only pray that they are within your manageable limits.

The Earth supports life. But water and atmosphere that form the biosphere and have made such abundance of life possible on the planet can also stir themselves into violent storms, cyclones, cloudbursts and many other calamities, causing great miseries for all beings. Gravity that keeps us on the ground can also pull us from the top and can injure and even kill us.

The laws of universe do not change to suit our safety and well-being. We also share our space with many invisible organisms such as virus and bacteria which can get into our bodies and cause havoc to our health and immune system. Then as if these were not enough, human beings damage each other either by design or by accident.

The reasons for damn things are endless and this article is an attempt to capture only a few aspects of them in definite form.

Thankfully, you can prevent some of them by being careful and cautious. In everyday life, a lot of time is spent in keeping things in order so that accidents do not occur. A glass can fall because of gravity and break; therefore, keep it safe so that it does fall.

Nature’s Healing (representative image, PC: http://www.unsplash.com)

And if we look at the history of evolution of man, most significant preventive actions have already been taken by our predecessors. Humans have moved away from nature and built civilizations, which not only protect us from the dangers but also supplies us with everything to lead a life of dignity and comfort.

Again some of the damn happenings are quite predictable like the daily complaints of a nagging spouse or office boss and you have already a standard predetermined response to them. Let us say your car has developed a technical snag because of wear and tear of a part. You immediately take your car to a service centre and get the part replaced. For any damages, you claim insurance which  you have bought along with your car as a response to those uncertainties.

If you are sick, you see a doctor for treatment. The unending problems just keep nagging you and you have to deal with them like a good test batsman plays spin, googly, swing and remain not out till the end of the innings. And with lessons learnt in life, your skills can only improve.

But as life keeps throwing curveballs at you, unfortunately, you will be badly bruised and battered sometimes and will be at your wits’ end as to how to respond. And most surprisingly, they will quite often come all at once rather than one after another, making it more difficult to manage. You have no choice but to respond or else you will be incapacitated.

To put things back in rail, the response has to ideally be as robust as the challenge is or even stronger. World’s coronavirus response had to be bigger than the pandemic itself and that is how it could be contained.

Damn things may be self-inflicted or accidental or caused by others intentionally or unknowingly. In real life though, heroism is not so much about finding someone responsible for it and going dashing and smashing against them as it is about healing your wounds, lifting yourself up again and living a life of purpose perhaps even greater than before.

Springing Back to Life (representative image, PC: http://www.unsplash.com)

Remarkable human stories of courage and resilience are made when people overcome the challenges as many do not survive the crippling blow served by undesirable happenings. After a traumatic experience, when someone fights back to life, their stories become truly life-affirming and examples for others to follow in times of crisis.

One heartening aspect about it is that  there is support all around us. A doctor prescribes medicine, the raw materials for which come from the Earth. In a wider sense, the universe that gifts us those damn things is also the source of ideas, knowledge and wisdom for dealing with them and is ever ready to guide us.

The natural immunity the universe has built in us have prevented so many ailments which we will never come to know. Many wounds, mental or physical, heal on their own over time without us taking great care of them. The universe by its very nature is self-healing. It provides us with a robust support system and prompts us to take affirmative action in response to the negative happenings in life.

Besides all these, we have our aspirations to achieve, which throw their own unique challenges. We have our dreams to realise and promises to keep and a few hills to climb, if not peaks. Our individual journeys are as smooth or as rough as they can be.

But damn things can upset our plan, so uncertainties have to be factored in; caution has to exercised; and most importantly, we have to build our strength bit by bit to be able to adequately respond to them. And we have to surrender ourselves to the guidance of the universe for the rest or a large part of our response.

Mango Mania

~ Subrata ~ Leave a comment

The king is back! Nature’s continued munificence despite our unfriendly acts towards her is quite reassuring! The fruits are in such a plentiful supply – they are to be seen in the market, by the side of roads or on the trucks being transported. It is a time for me to celebrate! For the next three months, the treat to my palate and taste buds is guaranteed!

Green Mangoes hanging from branches (pic credit: http://www.pixabay.com)

My relationship with mangoes started right from the days of my childhood. We had about ten mango trees around our home in a village in the northern part of West Bengal. I saw the trees blossom, the blossoms grow into green mangoes and then the fruits hang from all the branches. The blossoms were the first promise of a harvest.

But sadly, the storms at the beginning of the season would blow away half of them or make the small fruits that had just begun to grow fall to the ground. It was fun for me as a kid to collect those windfalls from the ground – the small mangoes that fell before fulfilling their promise.

But the fruits that remained would grow in a month into mature mangoes. Those green mangoes that were sour and tangy made our mouths water at the prospect of a bite. The boys or girls who were good at climbing trees would climb up to the branches, pluck the fruits, collect them in a bag and climb down. Or someone would take a pole with a forked end at the top, entangle the branches and shake them. A few twigs would invariably snap and fall to the ground and along with them some mangoes.

Cutting the fruits into slices and mixing it with chilli, salt and mustard oil and biting them, one would satisfy the taste buds craving for a taste of sour. Or better one can make chutney, which is such a wonderful delicacy after main course of the meals.

A month later, mangoes that survived the storm and greed would ripen and fall on their own in a windy night. Lest our neighbours have them in the next morning, my mother and I used to collect the windfall in the midnight itself. Some of them might not have ripened fully. My mother used to keep the green mangoes under the warmth of rice so that they ripen fast in the heat of summer.

In daytime, some of us would simply climb the tree and just shake the branches to make the ripe mangoes fall one after another – sometimes on our heads as we stood expectantly underneath. Some mangoes on the top of the trees would remain out of reach for us but well within the reach of the crows, bats and all other birds. Sometimes those ripe mangoes would be eaten by bats, crows and other birds and fall to the ground half-eaten.

Cut Mango ready to be feasted on

The mango saplings would grow naturally in my place where the seed would germinate under the ground. We would rub a side of those seeds and open them up. Then blowing air into the opening, we made the seeds whistle tunefully.

Coming back to the present, the mangoes are available in so many mind-boggling varieties – in so many sizes, shapes and colours. The sizes can be small or medium or big; taste can be sweet or sour even when ripe; and pulp can fibrous or fleshy. Commercial varieties like Langra or Alphonso are grown in orchards in huge quantities and marketed.

In South India where I live now, we have Bigonpilli, Mallika and many more! The climate and soil have a special impact on the growth. The seeds might be sown any where but they would not quite give the taste of the original.

Mangoes are a gift of nature and a part of our rich cultural heritage. The story of feast and joy with mangoes is related to us by our grandparents and it will be told and retold as life goes on and moves from one generation to another. But there is a difference perhaps. Our grandparents told us how they planted those trees, saw them grow and finally bear fruit. The satisfaction they drew from sowing the seeds and later enjoying the fruits after many years cannot be matched simply by the relish we have by consuming them.

With more urbanization and population growth, there is less space for having a sprawling homestead with trees, ponds and gardens around. But mango trees are grown by the roads and in orchards and there is more than enough production of fruits every year. And equally phenomenal is the consumption. Let the mania continue for centuries to come.

Bulls – The Real Bahubalis (Humour)

~ Subrata ~ 2 Comments

You edge past him nervously on the road or make a detour, fearful about a sudden dash he can make towards you. But he stands there, benign and cool, perhaps thinking about what to eat for the day or where to find a new girlfriend. Be careful still – this calm might be quite deceptive.

Within a moment, he may just be doing what you feared the most and you will have no option but to run for cover. ‘Take the bull by the horn’ may be the best way to deal with beastly issues in your life but not with the beast itself. You cannot even touch his tail, let alone hold him by his horn.

Bull on the road (pc : self)

His ego is as big as mountains. He would still stand there like a malfunctioning car, bringing the traffic to a complete halt. Then as if he is magnanimous enough, he would move a bit, giving the passersby and the stranded passengers a narrow passage for making a move. It might take quite some time before he relents and clears the way.

By that time, the passersby would be restless, and buses and cars might be honking their horns to express their displeasures. But to ruffle him would be risky because if he runs amok, no one knows who might be gored and who among the crowd might be injured while trying to flee.

A bull is a bohemian in lifestyle and the way he leads his life could be the envy of even an artist. His close relatives are toiling hard in the fields, but he would eat the produce as a freeloader once the crops are ready or barge into the vegetable market and feast on nutritious food. he had no contribution in making. Thus, he would make a strong build for himself, which his  brothers and sisters can only dream of but never have in reality.

He would loaf about markets, streets or lounge in a temple complex like footloose teenagers. While the teenagers themselves would do so up to a certain age and eventually settle down and live a life of responsibility, bulls could afford to remain carefree and have romantic relationship all throughout their lives.

I had a tryst with a bull in my childhood. We grew potatoes in the  agricultural fields near our home. A bull would come regularly to eat the plants and potatoes that were still growing under the soil. Those should be quite tasty, or else why would he visit the place every day? One day, I called my friends and together we chased the bull away through agricultural fields by throwing the dry balls of soil that would be plentiful in the fields in the summer. As those dry balls crashed on his back, he ran. Once or twice he turned back, grunted, pawed at the ground and charged at us.

But that was to scare us momentarily. He would eventually go away and we would come back home, victorious. But he would return the next morning to devour our crops! Again we chased him and this continued for a few days until the bull stopped coming. Making a bull run is quite an act of bravery, I, as a 16-years old, thought then, and I patted myself on the back for it.

Nandi bull at Mysuru temple (pc : http://www.pixabay.com)

Their symbolic presence in the stock market is one of strength and aggression. Bulls constantly fight with bears and when they take control, stocks rally and people make money. In Hindu religion, the bull, Nandi, is the vehicle of Lord Shiva. The statues of bulls are installed in temples where they are worshipped.

There are bahubalis (strongman) among politicians who have a strong influence in their localities and make their presence felt by intimidating people around them. But ultimately, they are brought to justice and often serve terms in jails. On the other hands, bulls generally do not trouble you unless you trouble them.

Their occasional aggression is perhaps to remind you, ‘Don’t mess up with me. My horns are enough to toss you up like toys and shake your whole make-up.’ Their mere presence sends shivers down your spine and you keep distance. They build a strong physique and live lives on their own terms. They are the real bahubalis of India.

Inspiration

~ Subrata ~ Leave a comment

A kite was gliding
In the sky;
A boy stood imagining
One day he would fly
Under the blue sky,
Over the mountains,
Over the oceans.

Far into East and West
Into North and South
Nothing stopping him
Feeling the air currents
Pleasant and cool
Flowing over his wings.

pic credit (www.pixabay.com)

A bearded man
Picked up brush and paint;
He sketched the kite
Silhouetted against the sun;
He drew a cage
With a bird inside
Looking for release,
Tears streaming down her eyes.

An urchin giggled,
With a bread in hand,
And hairs tousled,
Two crows hovered around
To swoop down
And take up the prize

A pair of searching eyes
Looking through lens all times
Saw them.
And clicked images
Poignant and sharp,
Depicting
A mix of pleasure and pain.

Day wore on and poured into night
Birds returned to their nests singing;
A man crazy about picking
Music from every happening
Heard the birds’ communes;
He composed his jingle
Mingling rhythm with tunes.

The moon shone that night,
Bright and beautiful,
Wolves howled, lovers met,
Romantic and joyful.

A man sat in the open
With paper and pen
Waking all night watching;
Lyrics were born
Extolling
The moon and the shine
And the joy flowing down.

Inspiration comes
Percolating in tiny trickles
Enlivening the spirit,
Loosening the mind
In magical effect
Into making newer things
Indulging in the beauty of creation.

I’m A Magician

~ Subrata ~ Leave a comment

I’m a magician,
No wand, no potion;
Just with lotion
I do magic
And make myself shine.

Representative Image (Picture Credit: http://www.unsplash.com)

When mind is dark
And life loses its spark,
A candle
I light;
All darkness is gone;
Soul is filled with light
And mind strong and bright.

When body goes slow
And life loses its flow,
I lift myself with song and dance:
These two legs
I shake,
Mind is filled with joy
And body sprightly and gay.

When knots tie me down
And things are long drawn,
I hold the knots
And pull the rope,
They are put aside;
And the wheel
Starts turning again.

When doubts nag
And fears cripple me;
A big broom
I take
And sweep the fears away
And leave doubts no room.

I can be hurt with thousand cuts,
Yet I come back to life unhurt
With greater strength
Greater vigour
I can make my joys appear
And sorrows vanish in no time.

Throw me into ocean
Of darkness, shackled
I break free
And come ashore
World welcomes me back again.

Throw me into fire,
I burn to death;
Yet I rise
Like a phoenix
From the ashes
Alive and strong.

I’m a magician
I can do anything and everything.

(Inspired by lessons from Law of Attraction coach Mitesh Khatri)

Remembering Two Mothers

~ Subrata ~ Leave a comment

My mother and mother-in-law have both left this world. When they were alive, they took great care of the family, home and the people around them. The simplicity of their lives, extraordinary courage, spirit of service and sacrifice humble me and keep me always down to earth. They were in some ways similar and some ways very different from each other.

My mother, Ranjita Ray, with grandson

Born in villages, they grew up in a way of life that has to deal with on a daily basis people, agricultural produce, village gods, livestock and nature. My mother’s birthplace is Shakhariyapara in Coochbehar district of West Bengal – a hamlet with families living closely together with agricultural lands producing crops, ponds abundant with fish, and milch cows and buffaloes giving bucketful of milk. Simplicity is naturally bred in people who live with small ambition of growing crops sufficient to feed the family throughout the year, of building a house that would withstand the vagaries of weather and of educating children for finding a job. My mother bragged about fish and milk that she had enough of in her childhood.

My mother-in-law was born in Goalpara district of Assam. I visited the place only twice. It is a prosperous village in the floodplains of river, Brahmaputra, where people have abundance of agricultural produce and are culturally inclined towards song and dance.

Image from village (sketch by my son, Ishan)

After marriage, my mother moved to another village and my mother-in-law to the district town of Jalpaiguri.

My mother was a perfect homemaker. She kept our home and the surroundings absolutely clean. She would not allow fallen leaves to lie on the ground or dust to gather in furnitures, utensils or the floors of the house. With a broom, she would keep sweeping them away from time to time. She was well versed in puja (offering) to village gods and celebrations of religious festivals, harvesting season and all that. The rituals needed special knowledge and skills for which my mother was sought after by womenfolk in the village.

My mother taught me ABCD and taught me to be simple and honest. She took great care of me whenever I fell ill, nursing me waking sometimes the whole night. She brought up her two children – my elder sister and I – in this manner.

Mother-in-law, Purnaprava Barman, with grandchildren

My mother-in-law was a progressive woman who pursued her studies on law and her passions even after marriage. She later joined politics and fought many electoral battles and served people as municipal commissioner. She was also a matchmaker who took great interest in finding matches for marriageable boys and girls.

A trait shared in common by my mother and mother-in-law was, however, their penchant for inviting people for lunch or dinner.
Mother-in-law could make some very special cuisines and she would rustle up something for guests as soon as they arrived. Another trait of them was their expertise in home remedies for fever, cough and other ailments.

My mother-in-law was interested in literature and wrote poems in Bengali and Assamese and got them published. It is in this aspect that I had a special bond with her.

The lives of both mothers were lessons in service and humility. Their selfless service to family and all people connected with their lives without personal ambitions humble me. I have built my home in a big city. Here ambition, selfishness, greed, loads of aspirations and race for success suppress happiness, naturalness and simplicity of life. People do not have time to think about others. When I get swayed by ambition and greed, I take comfort from the fact that there is also a way to live devoid of all this and live a fulfilling life. The path shown by two mothers!