The Crocodile and the Monkey

I was reading a book called "Beastly tales from here & there" by Vikram Seth. Found his recreation of stroy in poetic way delightful. Here is one nice story of crocodile and monkey which I used to listen in childhood from my grandma in summer vaccations....

On the Ganga's greenest isle
Lived Kuroop the Crocodie:
Greeny-brown with gentle grin,
Stubby legs and scaly skin,
He would view with tepid eyes,
Prey below a certain size
But when substantial dish
Dolphin, turtle, fatter fish
Swam accross his field of view,
He would test the water too.
Out he'd glide, a floting log,
Silent as a polliwog
Nearer, nearer, till his prey
Swam single length away;
Then he'd lunge with smiling head,
Grab, and snap, and rip it dead
Then (prime pleasure of his life)
Drags the carcass to his wife,
Lay it humbly at her feet,
Eat a bit, and watch her eat.
All along the river-bank
Mango trees stood rank on rank,
And his monkey friend would throw
To him as he swam below
Mangoes gold and ripe and sweet
As a special summer treat
"Crocodile, your wife I know
Hungers after mangoes so
That she'dpine and weep swoon,
Mangoes-less in burning June."
The Kuroop the crocodile,
Gazing upwards wih smile,
Thus the addressed his monkey friend:
"Dearest monkey, in the end,
Not the fruit, but your sweet love,
Showered on us from above,
Constant through the changing years,
Slakes her griefs and dries her tears."
(This was only partly true
She liked love, and mangoes too.)
One day Mrs. Crocodile,
Gorged on mangoes, with smile
Sad, yet tender- turned and said:
"Scalykins, since we've been wed,
You've fulfilled my every wish
Dolphins, turtles, mangoes, fish
But I now desire to eat,
As an anniversary treat,
Something sweeter still than fruit,
Sugar-cane or sugar-root:
I must eat that monkey's heart."
"What?" "Well, darling, for a start,
He has been so kind to me;
Think how sweet his heart must be:
Then, the mango pulp he's eaten
Year on year must serve to sweeten
Further yet each pore and part,
Concentrating in his heart."
"Darling, he's my friend." I know;
And he trusts you. Therefore go-
Go at once and fetch him here
Oh, my breath grows faint, I fear..."
"Let me fan you- it's the heat"
"No- I long for something sweet.
Every fruit tastes bitter now.
I must eat his heart somehow.
Get him here, my love, or I,
Filled with bitterness, will die."
When the money saw Kuroop
He let out a joyful whoop,
Jumped from branch to branch with pleasure,
Flinging down the golden treasure:
"Eat, my friend, and take your wife
Nectar from the tree of life
Mangoes ripe and mangoes rare,
Mangoes, mangoes everywhere."
Then Kuroop the crocodile
Gazed up with gentle smile:
"Monkey, you are far too kind,
But today, if you don't mind,
Dine with both of us, and meet
Her whose life you've made so sweet.
when you meet her you will see
Why she mean so much to me.
When she takes you by paw
Something at your heart will gnaw.
When you gaze into her eyes
You will enter paradise
Let us show your gratitude:
Share our friendship and our food."
"Dear Kuroop, dear crocodile,
You can swim from isle to isle.
I can leap from limb to limb,
But, my friend, I cannot swim.
And your island's far away.
If I get a boat some day..."
"Nonsense; jump upon my back.
You're no heavier than my sack
Filled with mangoes to the crown."
So the monkey clambered down,
Bearing mangoes, and delighted
With such warmth to be invited.
They were just halfway across
When the crocodile said: "Toss
All the mangoes in the water."
"But these fruit are all I've brought her."
"You yourself are the gift enough,"
Said Kuroop in accents gruff.
"Ah, my friend, that's very gracious."
"Well, my wife's not so voracious-
And I'm certain that today
She won't eat fruit. By the way.
Tell me what your breast contains.
Mango nectar fills your veins.
Does it also fill your hear?"
Said the monkey with the start:
"What a very curious question."
"Well, she might get indigestion
If it's too rich, I suspect."
"What?" "Your heart." "My heart?" "Corect."
"Now," Kuroop said with a frown,
"Which would you prefer- todrown
In the Ganga or to be
Gutted by my wife and me?
I will let you choose your end.
After all, you are my friend."
Then he slowly started sinking.
"Wait" the monkey said, "I'm thinking.
Death by drowning, death by slaughter
Deat by land or death by water
I'd face either with smile
For your sake, O crocodile!
But your wife felicity
That's what means the most to me.
Noble lady! How she'll freeze,
Dumb with sorrow, when she sees,
Havig prised my ribs apart,
That my breast contains no heart.
If you had not rushed me so,
I'd have found the time to go
To the hollow where I keep
Heart and liver when I sleep,
Half my brain, and fingernail,
Cufflinks, chutney and spare tail.
I had scarcely woken up
When you asked me here to sup.
Why did you not speak before?
I'd have fetched them from the shore."
Now Kuroop the crocodile
Lost, then quickly found, his smile.
"How my sweetheart will upbraid me!
Monkey, monkey you must aid me."
"Well " the monkey placed his paw
Thoughtfully upon his jaw
"Well, although the day is hot
And I'd really rather not
We could go back, fetch my heart,
Check its sweetness, and depart."
So the crocodile once more
Swam the monkey back to shore,
And, with tears of thankfullness
Mingled with concern and stress,
Worried what his wife would say
With regard to his delay,
Begged his friend : "Come back at once."
"I'm not such a double-dunce,"
Yelled the monkey from the high;
"Tell your scaly wife to try
Eating her own wicked heart
If she has one for a start
Mine's been beating in my breast
Night and day without rest.
Tell her that and for you,
Here's my parting gift" He threw
Mangoes squishy, rotten, dead
Down upon the reptile's head,
Who, with a regretful smile,
Sat and eyed him for a while.

(Pic source:http://www.bolokids.com/archives/024.jpg)

Bangalore Airport

Bangalore airport experiences have been part and parcel of my travel now……Every trip is a new venture towards experiencing something UNEXPECTED….If Bangalore airport is part of ones travel, one should not put thoughts for following:
1- Crowed and unsusual long queue for boarding pass and security check.
2- Any kind of discipline or punctuality
3- Clean rest-rooms
4- When your baggage shifts for one conveyor belt to another
5- If you have any connecting flight with less margin of time, please don’t worry you are in HELL right now.
Well list can’t be dragged to individual intricacies…. What happens when one runs out of choices? Obviously one become prone to crib about its own misery rather you would start laughing on others sailing in the same boat which you have already done..!
I can still recall when I have to go to Lucknow my home town and my flight was via Delhi, I was suppose to leave early morning around 10am and reaching my home around 5pm… those were my college days, semester break, was pretty excited about going home… that’s was one among initial few experience of hell, things were moving slowly… got boarding pass with delay of 45 mins in departure, seems ok as still have 2 hrs of waiting time in Delhi for connecting flight… finally got boarding call, standing in queue somewhere in between the crowd… started feeling irritated after standing for 15 mins in same place, and in another 5 mins got the announcement for further delay… now concern was how much delay, and due to what reason? How much that part is unanswerable… absolute uncertain…! First reason will come instantaneously ‘air traffic control"
Such a thing nobody can help, what you will do, max max shout on top of your voice…!! Do it… those guys are noise proof….!
When delay was almost 3 hrs which exceeded waiting time I lost the hope for connecting flight from Delhi and decided for cancellation and buying new ticket with refund money and some more money… After reaching to ticket counter discovered that no money I will be getting as refund happens at agent’s place who books it….!! Hehehe was nice to hear that (now I am laughing but that point of time my circuit was out) so all the friends and relatives become dearer to me… called up my uncle and ask him for arrangement for my ticket… as I had just thousand bucks or so in my pocket… at last reached Delhi at 8pm…!!! And there were no available flights for Lucknow for the same day…!! Hahhahaha that’s called the irony of fate…. Excitement completely drained out… when I saw my uncle at Delhi I was so happy that I would have ever been so to see him... :D
Sometime back I encountered the similar thing, this time I was not the honored guest in hell rather I was spectator… someone else was the privileged soul to step in… Delay was more on expected side… I had a book by my favorite author with me, but decided not to open it rather watch out the real melodrama… almost everyone will start asking what is the matter, why delay, how long will it take… etc etc.. Then most of them will be on phone telling this story…. After 15-20 mins of mayhem things will be settled... you will be served with some snack irrelevant with the time…some raw bread slices with raw veggies, buscuits etc etc... while muching this i saw a man with his family missed his connecting flight and was furious.. (obviously) and started shouting on ground force people who deals with customers on top of his voice… my fellow passenger whispered now we will have some entertainment..!! Alas, only one side of dialogs was audible other side was like calm sea…I just wondered on myself whether I am getting use to of hell or becoming saddist to have fun on others pitty...!
As per the latest news by media that existing domestic airport was suppose to be shifted almost 40 km away....I was thinking how would it be 2-3 hrs local Bangalore travel and 2-3 hrs actual travel for destination... :) :) And how about eve peak hours traffic?? ahhhh paradise...!!but one day I read it might not get shifted to the new vicinity, puts smile on my face.. what ever it be, I like this hell oops paradise....!!
"Fear for hell is hell itself, longing for paradise is paradise itself"....!!

Sense of Responsibility: Desh Ko Chalane Ki

Every morning while traveling I listen to radio in cab. Its almost part of my daily travel now.Sometime some dialogs heard makes lot of sense to me… rather what is going in your mind and if you hear it with your ear makes more sense…!! Few lines which I can recall are-

“First person : Mai aap ka vote mangane aaya hun..

Second person : aaiye aaiye; aapki qualification kya hai

First person: aaaaa

Second person: accha bataiye aapka work ex kya hai

First person: 25 years…! (pacchis saal se hain iss field mein)

Second person: nahi sir, work ex matlab, aapka experience construction mae, ngineering mae …

First person: accha accha toh aap mera interview le rahe hain??

Second person: ab aap ne itni baddi jab ke liye jo apply kiya hai..

First person: Kaun si job???? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…….!!

Second person: IS DESH KO CHALANE KA JOB…!"

Imagine someone is asking our favor, to show concern towards leading this nation (by voting him) and how less concern he is showing towards his accountability and responsibility towards the ‘JOB’??? Isn’t it simply thought provoking??? Should we give a thought before what we are going to do???

“We choose our joys and sorrows much before we experience it”

I had read this line, but never understood completely till the time I correlated it with the above mentioned dialogs….

Just be Yourself...!

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.

Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.

Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

image source:http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/magazine/07apr01/Self

Being Thoughtful

The thought manifests as the word;

The word manifests as the deed;

The deed develops into habit;

And habit hardens into character;

So watch the thought and its ways with care,

And let it spring from loveBorn out of concern for all beings…

As the shadow follows the body,

As we think, so we become.

Guttama Buddha (563 BC - 483 BC)

Image source: http://www.filosofia.unimi.it/~bonomi/thoughtful.jpg

"LOVE ME FOR WHO I AM" Really..??

I was reading TOI e-paper a catchy title “Love me for who I am” hold my attention… I thought this will be related to introspection skewed towards self realization and I started reading the article… After finishing the reading I couldn’t decide what to say and how to react…. I shared the article with one my friend and we were discussing…. Quite a lot points popped up, I was stunned when my friend said that she is feeling bad for that guy and she is alright with the stand this guy has taken... I asked myself if someday my son comes to me proclaims that he likes guys; I will be like lost cow...!!!For most of us its not easy to accept homosexual relationship…!! I believe our generation people started behaving NEUTRAL instead of +ve /-ve till the time it is concerned with some one ELSE. But, when it comes to some one who is our OWN reaction turns NEGATIVE. Imagine your father, boyfriend, husband, brother or son is Gay? How open are we to accept it, and what logic do we have to refute it?? If I can’t take it what reason do I have to give, I disapprove it because, “cause is blank….”??

Form the mentioned article few things are worth noticing-

1- Level of confidence and conviction is very strong

2- Age of the boy 21 and he started thinking he is gay at the age of 14

3- Educated by all the means of academics and access lot of information

4- Good Analytical power

5- Emotional and self centric thinking

Why I said those points are worth noticing is because each of these have relevance in the way this person is thinking and convinced about his thought are just RIGHT.

In the movie Kalyug, Amrita Singh is the owner of porn site and she is convinced with the fact that she is just running the business to cater the need, DEMAND and SUPPLY…!! But she becomes furious and unable to take the fact when her own daughter works for porn site which she herself is running….!!As far as the example of Khjuraho temple is concerned the concept is pretty scientific psychologically…! The sculptures on the outer walls of temple which are erotic and seductive, it is to manifest when a person is going to temple all the lusty desires should be dropped outside and enter inside with purity of mind to be with God. During our course of discussion we discussed about the book Kamasutra which was written in ancient time decades ago and affirms the concept of homosexuality, my stand on that is take the book as it is if you are capable to do so… and if there are books like KS there are numerous books on moral science… there is a certain age to read different kinds of book…. From childhood till teenage its time to built your personality and charecter, the various shades in charecter can be added or removed later on but addition or deletion of color itself in charecter is impossible later…. Nobody can teach qualities like self-respect, dignity, shame etc etc.. Nothing is absolutely right or wrong in this world, its just our perception which decides whether is right or wrong for us… Perception is something which nobody can teach someone or guide in it, rather its governed by ones moral and ethical thoughts…. Being God fearing, respecting and obeying parents since early age directs us to walk on path which is moral and ethical in lot many ways…. I remember an ad for “incredible India” campaign; there were few questions few I can still recall….. Who decides when party is over?Whether prostitution be legalized?Those were really incredible thoughts…. Some thing is called Custom which society by in large makes to be followed by culture and heritage together…. Sometime I really wonder what kind of parenthood I am going to lead..?? When I was a kid there were no comps, internet, mobiles around me, media exposure was also very less…. On the name of TV Channels only doordarshan was there with more of generic programs which doesn’t cater specific sects need unlike today… Being so much addicted to internet and seeing its penetration in all the vital domains of life is difficult to keep myself aloof from it… I don’t know whether parenting is lagging behind or kids are really becoming TRUE westerner by birth, as they are shedding all the walls of culture, tradition, morality…..I remember when I was kid, as usual like all the others I also use to demand lots of things to my parents… I believe they were pretty judgmental to put filter between the need which they are going to fulfill and the other not… and my mother to be on her best given reply “First deserve and then desire”.

Crux is don’t disappoint the child by refuting all the needs on the other hand don’t pamper also by fulfilling all the needs… a right balance is prime requisite, and to achieve that right balance one really requires right acumen…!

The NPA rule that kills banks, businesses, the economy itself

'NPA'. The three letters strike terror in banking and business circles today. NPA is the short form of 'Non Performing Asset'.
The dreaded NPA rule says simply this: when interest or other due to a bank remains unpaid for more than 180 days, the entire bank loan automatically turns a 'non-performing asset'. This arithmetic has made automatic the classification of a loan as performing or non-performing. The recovery of loans has always been problem for banks and financial institutions. In the past after factoring different attributes of a loan --like who has borrowed, their record, whether the industry is cyclical-- they would classify their loans as good, doubtful or bad. How then did the paradigm shift from assessing a debt as doubtful or bad to automatic classification of debts into NPAs?
Before getting into details, let's look at the anatomy of the NPA issue in India. The first issue is when the Indian economy is not performing, can non-performing accounts in banks be avoided? Cannot be. Another point. Many western scholars are coming round to the view that the infamous Washington Consensus, which is the mother of the idea of globalised NPA norms, is a failure. They now say that domestic finance should be based on counter cyclical approach, that is, if the economy is under-performing there should be liberal financing to lift the economy. Today's NPA policy is precisely the other way round.
The second issue is the total amount of NPAs in the Indian financial system. This is estimated at Rs 120000 crores. Break this figure up. Just three categories of loans account for half this figure. Loans to petroleum sector [Rs 29000 crores], to steel sector [Rs 22000 crores], and to the infamous Enron power project [Rs 9000 crores]. Can the banks tell steel and petroleum industries to go to hell? Not if our economy has to survive. These portfolios have to be restructured. Once restructured, they will disappear from the NPA radar. However the money sunk in Enron is gone. Eventually, for all its sins, the government will have to offer this amount as a subvention or as subsidy. Deducting these loans, the resulting balance Rs 60000 crores [over $12 billions] is within 10% of the total commercial credit of banks and financial institutions. This is less than 4% of our GDP.
Look at Japan and China and other Asian nations in contrast. The total NPA in Japan is estimated at $1.26 trillions, equivalent to about 26% of Japan's GDP. In China it is $600 billions, that is, 45% of its GDP; in Malaysia 48% of its GDP; in Thailand 41% of its GDP; in Taiwan 27% of its GDP. Compare this with NPA at 4% of India's GDP. Where is the comparison? Yet despite all pressure Japan has steadfastly refused to accept the NPA norms universalised by the west. But surprisingly we have.
Universalised NPA rule is a western strategy to keep global banking and finances under its thumb. It is tailor made to suit equity-driven economies, that is, the Western ones. In the US where 55% of the households are linked to the stock market, equity constitutes most of business finance with debt playing only a limited role. In contrast in India less than 2% of household savings is invested in stocks. The result. India is debt-driven with more than 2/3 of the business funds being provided by debt. It is the other way round in the US driven by high equity and low debt. Where, with such low debt, interest or principal remains overdue for more than 180 days, the debt may be automatically regarded as non-performing. In contrast in India where debt in business is two times the equity, if the large debt is not serviced for 180 days, it cannot be automatically labelled as non-performing, without further appraisal.
Yet once a borrower is unable to pay interest for more than 180 days his account is to be regarded as non-performing and the new rule will deny him further credit, which he needs most then. With banks handling over 60% of national financial savings and the government handling the balance, where else will needy businessmen turn for funds? Thus, starved of funds, businesses, which are only weak, turn sick. Even though the banker knows the problem, he cannot fix it, thanks to the rule. Should any banker breach the rule to solve the problem of his client he is sure to end up in CBI custody. Will any banker risk his job and self if he has to deviate from the rules to save businesses? Never. What then does he do? He does not lend at all. That is why Indian banks are flush with funds and the businesses are starved of them. By the way, how can CBI authority over bank business and globalisation co-exist? Has any advocate of globalisation thought about it?
Not just on banks. The RBI has forced the NPA rule even on non-banking finance institutions. Ask non-banking finance companies about their experience. You will hear from them stories after stories as to how there is disconnect between the rule and their business. They will say how their clients like the Malabar lorry operators will tell them 'sir, for the next one year we will not pay any instalment; we will pay everything at the end of the year', and will do so promptly. But even though the finance companies would get their payments at the year end as the lorry operators had assured them, they would have to declare their accounts as NPAs meanwhile, leading to disastrous consequences to finance companies.
Indisputably, the NPA rule is unsuitable to banks and business; even harmful, killing both, why, our very economy, all at one stroke. Ask the bank heads in private, and see how critical they are about RBI for enforcing the global NPA standards as a fit-all-model. 'It will finish the banks and businesses' they whisper. So do the finance company promoters who are more efficient than some bankers. Of course all of them only whisper, not talk. Yet every one, including the media, swears by this suicidal rule as if it were an inerrant law. Why rules disconnected to India are framed? Simple. Those who frame them are disconnected from India.

(Author : S Gurumurthy)