CAT IN A BAG

This tail,
for your info,
is not to be stepped on.
I don't care what you were doing,
you should have been careful.
Of course I'm down here
a cat must inspect the drawers
at all times - it's my job!
Now watch out for
this tail!

One day in the evening during dinner time in the kitchen, it was me, Anand at one end of the glass top dining table, Lijo and Mallika. Lijo was at the gas stove, Anand and Mallika were talking and I was at the other end of the the dining table staring back through the glass top at Shami who was scratching on my trousers and meowing and looking at me after each trial, I guess to see my reaction because there weren't any except the blank cold look. I was thinking “Why O Why, Shami is doing this?”. Then I heard Jai meowing and I looked at Jai and there a house lizard was being a toy(torture for lizard)) in his paws. Jai ate it and his attention was now at the fluttering plastic carry bag under the ceiling fan. Jai was chasing the bag and is now behind my chair. I got up from my chair and began observing how Jai was exploring the carry bag. First he was hesitant to put his head inside it. After a trial of two he was confident and began exploring the inside gradually more and more of his body was disappearing into the bag. Observing this  sinister thought occured to me. After almost more than half of his body was inside the bag, I thrust my hands and grabbed the bag and the cat tumbled into the bag like Alice into the Rabbithole. And held the bag raised in my right hand with the bags opening eld shut in my right hand palm. Anand,Mallika and Lijo were looking at the carry bag which was quavering violently but silent. Everyone were perplexed, they were wondering what was inside the bag?. Then I announced “CAT IN A BAG” with a grin. It took at least 5 seconds to sink into everyone's mind. Then Anand with an uproarious laughter, “FUCK!!! FUCK DUDE!!! HOW DID YOU ?”, soon Mallika was laughing in excitement and when I looked at Lijo, he had his usual smile and he was giving me a thumbs up. Then I let Jai free and he scuttled away afraid. Anand asked me how did I ?, o which I replied fishing for fun with children at moms place during childhood.

I saw Mallika giggling and looking at me frequently and discussing with Anand. I enquired and he replied that “Mallika was mentioning you must be good at fishing” I thanked her and he corrected “fishing girls!!! Big fish small fish and all…” I laughed a bit embarrassingly. That day night chatting to Lorraine I mentioned this. She laughed and broached a particular point, the cat never meowed when it was struggling, I surmised that Jai might be shocked that he forgot to MEOW. I mentioned about the idiom “cat always lands on its feet” to which she opined “with you around a cat is not safe!!!” and called me “The Fisher King”.

R.P

During our RP(ragging period), we had a ragging session called cycling. Two guys stand facing each other and slap each other alternatively the requried number of times ie count. Usually 30, slap each other 30 times. And you get a peculiar sound when you slap the proper way. So, one day during RP it was me and another guy from Kerala state 1st yr, we were taken to the stadium, our cycling session began and shortly there was no power. We hesitated because we cannot see, reminded the presiding senior about the power cut and darkness.Seniors asked us to continue in the darkness. We continued and because we cannot see, that specific sound of slapping was amiss. So we had to repeat the slapping multiple times to get it right. By now we were past 40. The other guy began crying and we were getting frustrated. I think he couldn't take my bludgeoning and the humiliation by seniors. He slapped me with all his might and that was like Salim Kumar(Sasi) being slapped in Malarvaadi Arts Club. I felt a slight numbness on the right side of my neck. Well that's it. I was enraged, I jumped and slapped him like Achilles stabbing the giant in Troy movie, because he is 6'1 and I'm 5'7. The seniors and I heard something collapsing. They came rushing and realised the other guy is unconscious. They were scared and excused me and I went to my hostel. The next day I couldnt turn my neck as it was cramped. My roomie and I went to the Jaya hospital and I had to wear a neck collar. On the way back from hospital I went to the other guys room and asked how was he and he replied "polayadi mone!!!" Then I reminisced moms saying " nee thotta polum vedanikkum, athengana, Dritarashtra aalinganam alle(hug like Dritarashtrar)". So I hugged him and said "sorry Deepak" and mentioned about mom's remark and we laughed and patched up over a cup of tea by Chotu,from cafeteria. We think about this the 24 of us even after 10 years of college and I ended up being called KungFu by almost everyone including some friendly professors.

https://youtu.be/I_-Bu4i0qxc

ACCIDENTAL ENTERPRENEURSHIP

It was in mid 1999 and I was exploring the potential of internet. One fine day I misspelled hotmail as hotmale and I reloaded it several times. Finally after sometime checked the url and it dawned upon me what if hot_ _ _ for the opposite gender. Tried different web addresses and all were success and there were a plethora of such free sites. Mentioned this to my best friend and the info spread like a wildfire. At some point he spilled the beans and the people who are into this business started to look upon me with a kind of reverence even school seniors. After almost a year the internet file sharing platform like kazaa and napster which I found during one browsing session and I was into downloading MP3’s. One day I downloaded Matrix movie and naturally porn, you know boys will be boys. My best friend, his brother being into Btech CS had a CD writer installed. So one day made a deal with my friend we'll burn and earn. And so began my 1st tryst with being an entrepreneur. Then as I was a big fan of Diablo series of games made copies and earned even more. By the time I was leaving Abu- Dhabi had more than 10k Dhs as my earnings.

British East India Company

The East India Company was established on 31 December 1600 by a Charter given by Queen Elizabeth to George Earl of Cumberland and 215 others, jointly conferring on it exclusive trading between the Cape of Good Hope and the straits of Magellan. It was empowered to make laws for running the company and its affairs. In 1661, the Port and Island of Bombay was ceded to King Charles II, as part of the dowry of the Infanta D. Catherina of Portugal. Charles, in turn, assigned them to the Company to be held of the Crown for thr annual rent of 10£. For long, Bombay remained the only part of India that was under British sovereignty. The company initially owned factories on the west coast, spreading to the east coast and much later to Bengal.

SALON

As a child dad used to take me and younger sister for hair cuts to a salon which he had been visiting since he migrated to Abu Dhabi. There these uncles used to treat us kids with utmost care and enthusiasm. They always enquire to me about school, how my piano lesson is progressing and the latest movie that I saw. My activity during these haircutting sessions is to listen to their conversations among themselves and the customer's. There is a TV in which malayalam channels especially news, munshi and mahabharata TV series is being played every time I visit there as if the TV is a person like them. My worldviews were formed at that age was listening to them. What always inspired me about them is how they treated others and how dad treated them with respect even though he is highly educated and financially in a better position. Sometimes during Ramadan they share their Iftar snacks with us kids and dad. I never felt there was a social, economic or religious segregation as majority of them were of Islamic faith who enjoyed watching Mahabharata and did active discussion about the episodes. During exams when I was not allowed to watch TV I catch up the Mahabharata episodes that I missed asking them. I saw the secular nature of Indian society there and the tolerance that I witnessed there, is absent in India as well as among the socially superior class that I was part of over there. Many speak about social and gender equality, but when an issue comes up what many of my dad's peers ie family friends used to talk turns out to be hollow words. In situations they are the most biased people that I know. The more highly educated and financially better,  people are the more skewed their worldview is and this is true even in India. Its as if education and financial independence which our family have been preaching us since childhood is actually degrading us as an individual rather than empowering us. Children are taught to be selfish rather than being selfless, prejudiced rather than being open-minded. We are taught to be competitive rather than being helping.

LOVE

The world is full of puzzles, love is a four letter puzzle most people wait their whole lives to put together. Love is like a multilane highway. In traffic your exit is coming up and you’re in the far lane. Love can be confusing to the point it hurts to even bother about it. The highway of love have many exits and you try to love everyone and everything that is around you no matter what. Love is an emotion or feeling. It involves commitment, sacrifice, desire, happiness and pain. A simple four letter word complicates things to an extreme because it has many levels. You love your family because they’re blood related, they’re like you. You love your friends because you can be wild and crazy, yet you have a shoulder to cry.

Love of friendship is the fact that you know you can make someone laugh and clown around with, yet still be serious. If you fall on it, it may leave a scar and some temporary pain. Love of that “special” someone is family and friendship combined. You kind of always have love of a family no matter how crazy, how close or even different you are. Though love isn’t clear to most people you go on trying to live and love to the best of your ability. You have to love in order to live life to its fullest.

Love and life are somewhat similar. I think love for that special someone is about finding the right person at the right time and place and also realising he or she could actually be good for you. It’s this love that makes you have butterflies in stomach. I do know love is harder to give if you don't love yourself.

Love of a family, from a family to me is there. But you’ll get over the pain of loss, it will eventually stop hurting. How can you love if you’re not happy with yourself and love yourself ?

It is those experiences that kills us makes us alive.

RAGE

I guess I was in 2nd grade back in 1994 in Abu Dhabi. My granddad passed away and dad went to his home at Kodungallur to do the last rites. Myself, mom and sister, we were in Abu Dhabi. One of my term exams was over and it was the parent teacher meeting. I had good grades and all was well. I have a friend, a girl my 1st friend in that school. So we met each other after the parent teacher meeting was over ; she is a chatterbox, happy and with her parents. Mom and me came along with them as we were studying in the same class. After the meeting we got inside their car and everyone was settled and I thought we'll be leaving soon as I was excited because my aunt will be reading a story from chechis fairy tales, by the way Beauty and the Beast is my favorite!!! Back to the topic of our discussion. My friend she was occupying the window seat to my right and mom to my left and I was in the centre. Suddenly as if thunderstruck, because I was expecting to leave soon, her mom began yelling at her and I looked to my right and her happy face turned all red and afraid. Her mom continued the barrage of angry threats and soon a fear took over me. Then her mom threatens her, that she will be locked up in a room and starved(pachavellam tharilla) and as soon as she heard this she began screaming out in total fear and tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. Then an overwhelming rage took over me and I folded my palm into a fist, you must have guessed it by now for what !!! You are right. Once I formed a fist my mom held my hand with a vice like grip that I never experienced before and soon all this anger, rage left me. I really felt sorry for her and when she looked at me, I faked a smile. When me and mom arrived at aunt's, both of us gave her a ta-ta with a smile. After reaching at aunts, mom was contemplating about calling her mom to ask aunty to go soft on the child because she was second and I think mom never made that call. That was the first time in my memory I felt rage or anger for anyone, because I felt what the other person had to go through was unfair.

HANSEL AND GRETTEL

The story is told that two children are abandoned by their parents and left to fend off the wicked witch. Well, there is some truth to the story. During the Great Famine in the 14th century, parents would abandon their children in the forest which in some extreme cases would lead to cannibalism.

MAD HATTER

Starting in the 17th century hatters lost their minds. It turns out they were being poisoned. Back then hats were almost always made from felt. Hatters made their own felt using a process called “carroting”. This involved separating fur from animal skin. Hatters used mercuric nitrate to help the process along. This exposed them to mercury vapors. At the time people had no idea how harmful those were. Once inhaled the lungs absorbed the mercury vapors. It then entered the blood and ultimately the brain. The effects include:irritability, low self-confidence, depression, apathy, shyness and timidity and in some extreme cases with prolonged exposure to mercury vapors, delirium, personality changes and memory loss occur as a result, sometimes even death.

So if you know an Irritable hatter, they have no Excuse !!!

5 MINUTES

It was a breezy day.

I was perched on top of the water tank listening to Malare….(premam movie sonh)

Then I looked to my right side, there in the glade of concrete jungle saw a family of mom and kids eating breakfast. Enjoyed the dight. Then, suddenly in one of the trees beside our home a sparrow flew up into the sky and dived back down. Looked to my left side and there in the distance among one of the trees lining the road inside Pearl Village saw two white butterflies fluttering. Again looking ahead saw a pair of birds flying to my left side. Tracking them I ended up looking at a tree, again. There I saw another three white butterflies fluttering. Again I looked to my right side and there in the glade I saw a girl child in yellow and red floral pattern frock hopping like a rabbit to three young girls. Finally when I looked ahead, saw an eagle gliding towards me and passed by my right side and away, as if a farewell to this moment of beauty.

The Mule, The Dog & The Flickering Light

Four trippy guys were watching at midnight from the terrace a mule eating at that time with bells around its neck chiming. A dog is barking in the distance near a flickering street lamp.Then one of the guy make a story about the mule, the dog and the flickering light.

The dog is barking “hey you son of a bitch. Stop chiming cuz I cannot sleep !!!”. The light is flickering because the dog got frustrated hearing the chime that the dog tampered wiring of the street lamp and damaged it and it is flickering. The mule is thinking “ I cannot sleep because when the mosquito bite I change position and the bells chime. I wake up and cannot sleep any longer and walk all through the night eating to calm down because I’m frustrated that I cannot sleep because of the bells.”

SOMNIUM

The mud around was wet. I checked the walls in a hope that I could find a way out. I could feel something warm between my fingers. The warmth gave me comfort in the cold weather. Suddenly, the earth started trembling. The wet mud began to fall down, the leaves started to wither and I felt like being sucked into the grave. The next thing that I remember is that I’m submerged in cold water. I swam up and emerged out of the water and it was a sea with moon, stars and clouds in the sky. I looked around and there was a beach. I swam towards the beach. The beach of the dead. I named it so, as it looked dead and completely empty. It seemed like an island. I started wondering and I found a gate in the distance. I started walking to the gate. Suddenly I heard weird sounds. The sound grew closer. Just then a werewolf was staring at me and it was between me and the gate. Where does this werewolf come from ? I ran for my life. Suddenly it stopped and disappeared. When I looked around it is where I began, because there was this gate. I walked to the gate and knocked at the gate with both my hands. The gate opened and I entered a whole new bright world, it was like a morning during the spring. As I strolled along the streets I realized it was a huge city sprawling with activity in the middle ages. All the people were beautiful, serene and wore beautiful clothes. Looking at them I realized that I was in rags. I felt a rumble in my stomach and a hunger pang. I asked the people for some food. They stared at me because they didn't understand me. I strolled to find an eatery. As I was strolling worried about hunger and thirst the sweet scent of food wafted in the air caught my nose. I followed the trail of scent and arrived at an inn. I entered the inn and the first thing that I observed was this beautiful lady at the counter and her sunshine smile. I felt I was invited to have my meal. I walked to her with excitement and a slightly confused, because I was in rags and penniless. It was my hunger that drove me to her. I reached the counter, the chair was tall. Someone lifted me and placed me on the seat. She asked me what would I like to eat ? I was parched and she noticed. She went to the kitchen and on her way back there was a steaming hot cup of tea. She placed it before me and it smelt of jasmine. She said it was jasmine tea. I took a sip and it tasted heavenly. I finished the tea and I was warm again. By the time i finished the tea there was dessert. I tasted it. It was bitter as well as sweet. I enquired  what it was. She said Tiramisu. I laughed a hearty laughter and she laughed along with me. Suddenly I realised that I have never been this happy. I asked for her name and she replied Summer. Then she asked for a moment and I was left alone. I observed the people around me and everyone was merry. I looked around and it struck me that it was an art gallery and the music was soothing and it made me feel I belonged here. I returned back to my seat and the counter was filled with food of my dreams. I digged into them like a starving beggar given a royal feast. I didn't finish anything as I was eager and excited to try out the wide assortment of dishes. By the time I was done with the last dish my belly was full and I couldn't eat anymore. Then she asked me how was the feast. I answered that it was a feast of my wildest dreams.

She asked me how did I end up at the Inn. As I explained my adventure I felt drowsy and I was yawning. She came to me and took hold of my hand and we walked hand in hand to a beautiful room at the back of the Inn. She tucked me in and the bed was feather soft. The blanket was of a floral pattern of orchids. Then she sat beside me on the bed and sang a lullaby with that sunshine smile. I fell asleep watching that sunshine smile and listening to that sweet melodious voice. When I woke up I was back in my bunk in the dormitory of the orphanage. It was all a dream.

Since that beautiful dream about that beautiful lady with sunshine smile, I wish I had her as my mom. Whenever I get angry, helpless, sad or lonely I think of Summer and her sunshine smile.

THE FINAL FRONTIER

THE FINAL FRONTIER
(The end of known Physics)

Physics is the science that governs how the universe works. We are in the 21st century and still using two revolutionary ideas that changed the world as we knew it, they are Relativity and Quantum theory. But it is an irony that they contradict each other at every level except they agree on the topic of gravity. Now in 21st century as we have approached the final frontier, beyond which if we have to proceed a new field in physics has dawned upon us, Quantum gravity. But in Quantum gravity ie. effects of gravity at quantum level no known laws of physics is applicable. Here there is nothing absolute, for example at quantum level past, present and future coexist. Here everything is based on probability, it is the highest probability of finding a specific behaviour and ultimately find the reason behind it and thereby make rules or laws. And there can be infinit probabilities and it is beyond human capability. To find and understand these behaviours we need Quantum computers and Machine learning. These two encompass the AI.

Because scientists ie humans remain sceptical of AI superseding human intelligence we cannot cross the final frontier as this is the only choice. To learn and understand and master the field of Quantum gravity we need AI and there is no denial. We, as humans but not all which include many of the scientists believe in God or an all knowing intelligent creator. If we can blindly believe in God then why not AI ? They are sceptical because they believe that AI will be our doom. But, remember this. It is we who created AI, it is bound to embody our qualities.

If the scientists are sceptical of AI being our doom, then I believe we as humanity chose the path of darkness over the path of light. For that to happen we must begin with children. Teach them to be kindred souls rather than being narcissist. God created us in his image and we created AI in our image which will help us understand God.