One Fine Day

                                                                   

ONE “FINE” DAY

It was 8 a.m. and Anna was in a hurry. She had to serve breakfast to her husband and kids, buy some medicines for her mother, who was suffering from a sudden bout of skin irritation, and get a doctor’s appointment for her younger son who was recently diagnosed with asthma. Phew! These diseases, the endless rounds to the doctors, and the horrific side effects of medicines, made her irritable.  John, her husband, was an extremely busy Professor at UC Berkeley, and that left Anna to manage home and everything else. She was a teacher of Biology at a High School, and had a comparatively less rushed routine than John.

But today was a special day. She and two of her childhood friends had decided to meet at a book-signing event of the renowned eco-feminist and activist Vandana Shiva, at the North Atlantic Books Office at Berkeley. They had decided that they would buy her book with her signature on it, and then head to Ippuku for some delicious Japanese cuisine. They had read about her, and watched her TED talk about the grave dangers that mankind was facing due to genetically modified foods and increased pesticide usage.  Anna had read the review of her latest  book “Who Actually Feeds the World?” at an online women’s magazine website, and was impressed as it talked about the relationship between women and Nature. She wanted to know more about it, and hence the wonderful plan.

           

Anna met her friends at 10 a.m. after doing the necessary errands, (she almost had an altercation with the receptionist at the doctor’s; huh! These people are not a bit flexible when it comes to booking a doctor’s appointment!) I hope I don’t have to come here this often, she wondered aloud while fastening her car’s seat belt, and driving frenetically towards the publisher’s office.

Dorothy and Mary were waiting for her outside the building. They rushed in and were barely in time for Dr. Vandana Shiva, the lady-of-the-moment to start her speech. They were impressed with her towering personality and blazing kohl-lined eyes. She wore a sari and a big “bindi” on her forehead. They would surely ask their Indian friend, Shobha, where they could buy this beautiful round adornment of the forehead. 

Dr. Vandana Shiva  began her speech by saying that women are much better at agriculture as their sense of intuition is much better. They can produce more with less resources, and since farming was their livelihood and not a robotic job with money as the “pay off”, they grew crops for familial purposes, and it was done with utmost love and care, and without any use of harmful pesticides or fertilizers. “A woman can feed many stomachs with limited food in her pantry”, she said. The friends looked at each other and smiled. They remembered an incident. It was Mary’s son’s birthday, and they realized that they had ordered food for 40 children and here they were! A total of 50 hungry stomachs! The women took charge in the kitchen, and cut the birthday cake into smaller pieces, and also cooked up a few super-quick extra dishes with whatever was there in the refrigerator.  The stomachs were satiated beyond measure, and so were these women!

           

Dr. Shiva then shared a startling story. The Green Revolution which as its name states, revolutionized the agriculture scene in India, was actually a blot on the face of humanity. The sudden rise of produce was brought about by using hazardous chemicals such as fertilizers, and pesticides. This caused fatal diseases like cancer in the children of Punjab in India, where this Revolution actually started. Shockingly, there was a special train going from Punjab to Delhi called the Cancer Train. This train carried passengers from Punjab to Delhi for cancer treatment only! Anna and her friends being mothers shuddered at the thought of the Cancer train.

She quoted from research journals and books, and that made her very believable. Also her numerous accolades were proof of her grasp on the subject of environmental studies. She warned the audience that the Corporations would spell doom,  that their incessant and uncontrolled use of chemicals and genetically modified seeds would need to be resisted, and their baleful agendas thwarted. She urged the enthused audience to stop the use of chemical based laundry detergents and cosmetics, encourage their fraternity to do farming as a self-sustainable activity, and think thrice before throwing away, or buying plastic items. Reject or Reuse is the new mantra she quipped with a redoubtable and brilliant smile. 

Anna and her friends were stupefied by the speech and they hurried towards Ippuku after buying a signed copy each, and managing to click a hurried groupfie with the celebrated author who had to rush to another event. After a yummy lunch consisting mainly of sushi, they decided to do something proactive. Mere reading the book won’t help. Let’s carry cloth bags ALWAYS, they decided. They even thought of compulsorily growing vegetable plants and sharing the 

          

produce amongst themselves. They would join Bay Nature Institute at Berkeley which helps women farmers with money and seeds, and help them whole-heartedly in their initiatives , and Dorothy could even contribute to their Bay Nature magazine as she was a freelance writer. Why didn't they think of all of this before? 

They needed a beacon. And it's never too late they realized after they bid each other goodbye for the day, and decided to meet the coming Monday at Bay Nature Institute. Yes, and this time the friends will check each other’s purses to see if they have cloth bags and organic cosmetics. The one who doesn't carry those have to gift the others  organic lipsticks!

Fastening her seat belt, Anna again wondered aloud, “what a day this was, and I am sure this lady with the “Bindi” makes sense. If only we listen to her, and spread her good word, can we one day, reduce the visits to the doctor, and live a healthy life, all the while encouraging women power by encouraging the women farmers around the world.

THIS IS ME!

 

THIS IS ME!!

Once upon a time there lived a little girl,

And that little girl was me.

Climbed up trees, chased butterflies

To hold them and then set them free.

I wanted to be like them one day,

Flower to flower I would fly.

Merrily flapping my gossamer wings,

And trying to reach the  sky.

I grew up to be a teacher instead,

Teaching and mentoring young minds.

Loving them, and laughing with them,

And that's where the joy I did find.

           

Taught the pupils to be good Samaritans,

Respect the rich and poor akin.

Lift up the fallen, feed the famished,

And count the many smiles they win.

Then came social media with a bang

And life was never  the same,

Positivity is contagious, and I spread it,

“Everpositive'' is my blog’s name.

Whatsapp brought in greater goodness

I spread felicity even more

Egalitarian messages were shared with friends, 

Empathy was at their core.

           

Food and water are like gold for me

Never to waste I strive

My friends get miffed at this fetish of mine

To save every drop and morsel I try.

The Blue Planet is endangered now,

With the melting glaciers, and oceans on the rise,

Self-sustainability is the need of the hour,

Isn’t it time to make our consciousness arise?

I know I have bored you enough

To put you into sleep

But hey! let’s implement the Butterfly effect

As we have promises to keep

           

So here’s  my story till date,

My time starts NOW.

The Butterfly in me is flapping its wings

To aim for the sky. And how!!

A staunch believer in the Butterfly Effect - that’s me!

                                    

A staunch believer in the Butterfly Effect - that’s me!

“Lock up your libraries if you like, but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind”. These gutsy words by the fiery feminist Virginia Woolf squarely defines me. I am bound by familial obligations and societal norms but my mind is free to dream of a utopian tomorrow. My students, family and friends are a part of this endeavor and  sounding boards of my positive pursuits.

At the very outset, I would like to mention here that I have been a freelance tutor for the last two decades. My students saw me more as a mentor than a teacher, and were always eager to gulp in  ‘supra’ lessons on the environment, hunger, and other raging issues. Though their parents were sometimes not too pleased as the classes rolled over the usual one and a half hours to two, the pupils were pleased beyond measure which were reflected in their beatific smiles as they left my classroom.

Interestingly, a woman dons several hats, and I am no exception. If every hat has to be described exhaustively, this piece would have to be categorized as a monograph; ergo, the positive use of social media and the socio-cultural and environmental leanings which define me, are some attributes  of my character which I would like to share with you.

As a matter of fact, spreading positivity is my passion. I wish that everyone does the same, and what better tool to do this than social media! The term ‘social’ is a positive one, and nothing but positivity should be shared. My blog posts and the instant messaging service posts which I subscribe to, are ample proof of the same. 

“Everpositive” is what my blog is named, and rightly so. It contains non-didactic articles and poems which makes one feel good about themselves. They also suggest altruistic baby steps which readers can take in order to make our flora and fauna thrive. These positive chunks are loved by my family and friends, and consequently most of these pieces found their place in newspapers and magazines in India. The language is deliberately kept lucid as I believe that knowledge disseminated should not hit a blank wall due to its complex form, but ought to be easy to partake of by the majority, who if they decide to change for the better, can help build a wonderful world.

Moving ahead on other social media activities, Whatsapp is another conduit for me to spread cheer. I ardently choose to share only positive posts, and refrain from the negative ones. Mere reading of negative content and not being able to do anything about it drains vital energy, and if we can try to overshadow negativity by some constructive content, why not! My Status Posts contain motivating quotes only, sometimes witty humor, and my Whatsapp community always look forward to these Status messages everyday. They sometimes admonish me if I don’t post regularly. Social media is thriving and let us exploit these networks to their fullest potential.

Furthermore, I am quite proactive about my humanistic and environmental leanings. I try to do my one-eight billionth(eight billion is the approximate current world population) bit for these 

        

issues. Food and water wastage drive me crazy and I must confess that my family and close friends get mad at me when I fervently try to save  a tumbler full of water or hate seeing anyone wasting  a morsel. I have seen women in Indian villages travel long distances to fetch pails of water, and  children crying with hunger, and these glimpses have had a profound effect on my character and made me a crazy conservationist of food and water.

In addition, environmental issues like global warming and pollution are trying to make me a self-sustainable person. I reuse plastic as much as I can, and avoid buying plastic items. The reusing of cola bottles and milk pitchers don’t go down with my students and family as they feel that I am being parsimonious. But hey! My life! My rules! Jokes aside, I believe strongly in the Butterfly Effect, wherein a small change can cause a massive effect somewhere else. So why not believe in this sibylline phenomenon and make our Blue Planet greener, cleaner, and cooler?

The  deep regard for Mother Earth and all her children  of any dispensation without any discrimination whatsoever, at the same time  treading a path of discovery for gently leading our world to more insights, ultimately for the benefit for generations to come, who must be the unborn stakeholders of all our endeavors, is what sums me up as a person, and my professors at Idaho State University are beacons for this exciting journey ahead.

TOLERANCE

 

This is a very important virtue one should possess, but sadly it is getting lesser in us thanks to the headphone and earphone lifestyle of ours. Now how is the headphone, and its slimmer cousin, earphone, related to tolerance, you would ask.

Yes they are. We are so particular about the song, the podcast, or mantra which we want to listen to that if some song or podcast is played which is not to our liking; we quickly cover our ears with our respected and respective earphones, and shut the ‘noise’ out. Different members of the family have different devices, and their own earphones. Each one is busy listening to or watching his own choice of entertainment. What is entertainment to one is boredom to the other.

Of course, we are taught since our school days to have our own choice, and to not follow the herd. We should have the freedom to listen to our own stuff. All that is very fair my friend. Where we go wrong is zero tolerance for the choice of the other. If we desire to buy a blue shirt and wear it to office, and our colleague decides to wear a red one, are we going to get all frustrated, and shout at the poor thing, as to what a horrid choice of colour he has. You can’t do that right? You ought not to. This world is such a beautiful place because of its diversity. Just imagine a world where everyone is wearing the same shade of colour as yours, wearing the same perfume, eating the same food, drinking the same beverage, and yes, listening to the same music. I bet, you would want to jump off the nearest cliff out of ennui and monotone. So, uniformity is lethal. Diversity is life. We are nature’s beings, full of multifariousness. So patience has to be our second nature.

We can build up our dipping levels of tolerance by watching at least a movie together on a weekend. The movie could be chosen by the youngest or oldest member of the family. It could be the fairy tale movie, the choice of the littlest girl in the family, or an old classic of the grandpa. And yes, everyone should look forward to watching it. Make it fun. Order some food, or fry some snacks. And sit with a mindset that you ARE going to enjoy it. Keep away your mobile phones for those two or three hours. Won’t it be fun? This way the little girl will also enjoy watching a movie of her parent’s choice. And yes, every member of the family should get a chance. Even if you have a full-time servant, ask him or her. If you wish to get adventurous hit the theatres. Whatever. The place doesn’t matter, the bonhomie does.  And it will work wonders to raise the tolerance levels. Even yours, as you would be ‘required’ to see a movie your son has suggested and slowly start liking his genre. We can do the same thing for music too, or a podcast. This way, if you wish your young niece to listen to some motivational speaker, you could do that. Let all the members of the family listen to the guru. Let all learn in their own special ways. Maybe, grandma could also get some insight. Anyways, you are never too old to learn.

Easier said than done though. At first all would make faces, be fidgety, slowly ferret out their cellphones, and give a quick peek. Let it be that way. Slowly it would become a habit. Tolerance like all virtues is like a muscle; it needs to be exercised. Once you become more tolerant, you will be surprised to see the change in you. You will be calm, cool, and petty matters would not irk you anymore. You would start loving your job more, be friendlier with your colleague whom you first thought to be irritable, and so on. We could also think of buying things according to the choice of all the members of the family. The curtains could be chosen by the lady of the house, the bed sheets by grandma, and the cushions by the daughter. Even the little brother, all of seven, could choose the table napkins, just about anything. And you choose the cutlery. Imagine the smiles, the twinkles in the eyes, the cheer in the household, when all feel so good to see their choice of things being used. It’s a great feeling to just watch their happiness.

Tolerance pays rich dividends. Because there are times, and there are many of them when we have to perform in accordance with other’s choices, at work, in schools, at public places, and so on. This virtue is also needed by a school student who does not like some subject, yet has to learn its lessons, and score outstandingly. If the child is taught to be tolerant at an early age, he would somehow make himself ready to start liking that subject too.

Life would be so much more vibrant and positive if we build up our tolerance muscle slowly and steadily. We can manage our emotions in a better manner, and keep away from thinking about trivial issues, just because we can’t tolerate something in it, and give more of our time and mental space to creative pursuits, and all things good. So friends, start today, be more accommodating, and see the change. Just do it!

Charity - Do it to Feel Good

 

Charity

 Do it to Feel Good

by Suparna Sinha

 

Charity. This word may provoke different reactions in different people. Some of us love to do charity just to make ourselves happy, for a sense of self-fulfilment. Some of us do so to prove that we are a notch higher than our peers, and show them that we can dispense off with a moderate sum of money. In short, we satisfy our egos. And well, let’s face it, most of us don’t think charity to be our cup of tea. We are not plainly interested in charity; we feel that it is the responsibility of the government or the uber-rich to take care of the needy; we have enough number of people to spend our money on; we have to satisfy the material needs of our family, relatives, and sometimes friends, and are sincerely concerned about their welfare. Where is the mental space to think about anybody else, let alone fulfil their monetary needs? That too a nameless person, whom we haven’t met, or will never meet again? Does anybody give us money for free? Never. We have to toil day in and day out to earn money. What is the use of feeding a hungry stomach when millions are dying of hunger in the world? Excuses galore!

Here is where you are wrong my dear friend. If there are millions dying of hunger, then there are millions who fall sick due to over-eating. We are lucky to have more than enough food on our plates. Can’t we just share a tenth of it? It would fill some part of a hungry stomach.

You would say, it’s easier said than done. But I would want to reverse this. It’s easier done than said. So friends, first do it. Just find a way to feed a hungry one. It could be two slices of bread; that would mean a lot to a hungry person who was ready to end his yet another food-deprived day.

There is another argument put forth by people that beggars are lazy people. They are not ready to work. This I feel is a ridiculous statement. Do they have the opportunity to work? How many of us have told a destitute to get in our cars, taken them home or to a shop, and given them a job? How do we expect them to toil under the blazing sun, or icy chill without food in their stomachs?

So friends, instead of analyzing a beggar’s attitude, just feed him a paltry share of your food. It feels good. It really does. Just do it and see for yourself. When you see a hungry soul, just think how fortunate you are and feel privileged to share your fortune. Thank God that He has given you this opportunity for good karma.

Charity is contagious. If you start it, others will follow suit. Slowly but surely, millions would go to bed with satiation in their minds, and blessings in their hearts, for all of us who have helped them. Make charity a way of life. Even if you share a page calling for donations to end hunger, you are being charitable. If you feel that it isn’t possible to reach out to the starving in Africa, you are wrong. There will be a way, if your will to do good to others is strong. New ideas would crop up, and if a wave of egalitarianism sweeps the world, governments and other organizations would rethink on their strategies, or invent new ones. Food banks would be common, giving would be a way of life, and food would be like oxygen, ever available, never to deplete.

It is a big ask you may say, but why think about the ask, when all we have to do is part with a fraction of the food we eat every day, give it in the hands of a hungry child, watch its eyes twinkle, see its bright smile, and feel blessed and good about it. Just try being charitable for once, and you would never want to be the same old self again.

TIME MANAGEMENT - CAN WE REALLY DO WHAT WE LIKE?

                                                            

 

The phrase “time management” invokes fear, hatred, indifference and some other emotions in most of us. We feel that we are not automatons running from one activity to the other, while always keeping an eye on the innocuous yet powerful “time waits for no one” clock. Does time rule us? Is it God? Who is it to say that we ought to get up from our favourite activity of surfing the internet accompanied by chomping of chips, to hitting the gym, pumping iron, and sweating it out? Uff!

No, of course not. It is not God. But we have to keep this very important thing in mind. We are not going by the clock; we are attuning ourselves to achieve more in a short span of twenty four hours. Just stop saying the trite phrase “Where is the time”, the phrase which leads to more and more laziness around the world. To get more out of one day, divide your time (and be generous, very generous, to yourself) , between tasks which you have to do. Let us forget the priority part for now. In thinking of which task requires more priority, and which less, we lose a considerable amount of time. I believe that every task, whether important or not, at that specific moment needs to be attended to. Else, it becomes a nagging one, and eventually many such nagging ones pile up, and you are doomed.

So just make a neat to-do list on your cell phone or a piece of paper. Write each and every task and be sure to devote some time to tasks which were at the back of your mind, but didn’t dare do due to “lack of time” (Oh! not again)

If you want to read a book, or clean that shelf you had been thinking about for quite some time now, do squeeze in these tasks or passions. Devote half an hour at the beginning. And guys, one thing has to be done. You have to stop that activity when the time is up. Else, if you passionately go on with that book reading, all the other tasks would scream at you from your neat to-do list. At the end of the day, you complain to yourself, “that was the precise reason I didn’t read that book all this time!!” And you put away your favourite book  with a heavy heart.

If you train yourself to stop and start your activities at the stipulated time, you will emerge a happier, calmer, and more accomplished person by your standards. You will see that you could do a variety of activities, and pursue your passions, in those 24 hours. And one thing, you will thank for sure, “the clock”.

Be Positive

 

 

 

Be Positive

Yes. That is what they profess. Think “yes”, say “yes”, do “yes” etc., etc. Of course looks good on print though, but hard to practice. All the more difficult when you are in one of those moods, down and blue. When saying or thinking “yes” makes matters worse for you to handle. Not to worry. Let that mood pass. Nothing lasts forever. If happiness doesn’t, nor does sadness. So bear with your sadness. Just because someone mentioned that reading a book, listening to a particular genre of music may uplift you, just don’t do it if you do not want to. Sit there and grumble and mumble. How long can you do it? Ultimately a chore, a knock on the door, a phone call, or a Whatsapp notification will surely intrude upon your “sad” state of affairs, and before you know it, you will be out of your blues, and smiling, or who knows, even laughing away to glory.

Life is wondrous, and so also all that goes with it – our heart, mind, body, emotions. It's hard to always understand the reason for our smiles and tears. Let’s not try to. Let these wondrous emotions take their own course. So smile if you want, cry if you must. At the end of the day, you will emerge as a happier, lighter, and stronger person. Positivity cannot be concocted, something which will stay with you forever. So be positive about being positive, till of course you find a reason to grumble!