No love lost

There were news reports of two brothers celebrating the birthday of their mother. Several guests were invited for this special bash which included the de la crème of the city. The two brothers, their wives and children mingled with everyone present and made it a special occasion. Top models walked the ramp and the children too did some sashaying. The best of food and wine was served and it was all fun and frolic.

A photographer was invited all the way from abroad to shoot pictures of the family and the guests. The presence of this photographer surprised me and left me wondering whether India had any good photographers at all. A special film was made in the mother’s honour and was screened to the guests. The brothers in their speech emphasized the role of their mother and communicated to her that she was the most important person in their respective lives. And finally when the guests left, each one of them was presented with a silver box as a take away gift.

What was the take away gift for the mother? The greatest gift for the mother would have been seeing both her sons speak to each other which did not happen during the entire function. And she indeed was deprived of this precious gift.

So much for all the ostentation,
So much for a mother’s love!

Understanding the distinction

A friend of mine who sells life insurance policies possesses a ‘never say die attitude’. There have been several occasions that he has visited me, called me over the phone, sent me messages and listened to the several “not now” answers that I have given him. It never mattered to him and his persistence paid off just last week when he grabbed a policy of high value from me. So, how did he deal with the ‘No’ that I had often told him?

His comments to this question were very cryptic but provided powerful insights.
These were:
‘No’ is said to the request or proposal made
‘No’ is never forever
‘No’ is not to the ‘person’ but to the ‘request/ proposal’ made
‘No’, if seen this way, shows the way forward
‘No’ should not stop and intimidate us
‘No’ never stopped the extraordinary
‘No’ never stopped Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King
‘No’ is eventually and finally followed by ‘Yes’

He finally concluded saying that the ‘meanings’ we assign to ‘No’ make all the difference and hence it was important to understand this critical distinction and march on unabashedly.

Valentine's Special

It was an amazing interview with Pranay Tiwari who in his Curriculum Vitae had mentioned that he writes short stories, mostly fiction. I was quite curious to know about them and requested him to narrate one. Here is how the story goes.

There was a couple who got married against their parents wishes. The parents accepted the marriage but were not too happy. All was well for a few months until during a medical examination it was revealed that the girl was suffering from cancer. All hell broke loose at home with the in laws cursing their fate and also the girl. The boy on coming back from an official tour was shown the report, and he was just staring at the report, truly shocked. The girl’s stare was fixed at her husband and she waited for his reaction knowing fully well this could be the moment of truth. Her husband was silent and the in laws were furious. The husband looked at her, tore the report and hugged her. Both of them were in tears but promised each other that they will fight this together.

That’s love – Happy Valentine’s Day

The next piece he narrated was when this couple went to a market. While buying tomatoes, some of them fell down. The wife stretched to pick them up when a vehicle from behind came to a screeching halt. The husband screamed at her, and she was totally upset because he had never done this before . Back home after the silent walk from the market, she asked him ‘ Have I become a pest ? How is that you screamed at me and that too in the market place? Pat came the reply from the husband ‘Sweetheart, the tomatoes can go, but I can never ever afford losing you’.

That’s love – Happy Valentine’s Day.

The final piece was about the couple visiting a lot of doctors to cure the ailment. Finally, they zeroed on one whom they thought was loving and trustworthy. The date of the operation was fixed and as they turned back to the exit door, they saw a picture of a girl on the wall. The doctor told them that it was his daughter who had died of cancer some years ago. Looking at the girl’s tearful face, the doctor told her ‘ You have nothing to worry and your life is my responsibility. I have found my daughter in you’.

That’s love - Happy Valentine’s Day.

Thanks to Pranay Tiwari and Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all

Life is not a race

I had a hectic week and was generally chilling out . Was during the week, flitting in and out of home on official tours. Thought of writing a post and give vent to lingering conversations within myself. Until I read this one which lightened my being.

This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a New York Hospital.

SLOW DANCE
Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask ‘How are you’?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,
We'll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say, "Hi"
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so fast
Time is short
The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

Insightful and touching. I thought I should learn and share this lesson.