LIFE LESSON IN QUOTES - PLAN B

It is very common to hear that if Plan A does not work Plan B should be ready. Therefore, an attempt would not necessarily result in success is recognized by the best of the brains over generations.

The best of examples one could give is the chapter in which the fabled Abhimanyu worked as the Plan B in the absence of Arjuna to weave through the Chakravyuha but he himself did not have a Plan B resulting in being isolated to fight the entire Kaurava army

“A Plan B life can be just as good or better than a Plan A life. 

You just have to let go of that first dream and 

realize that God has already written the first chapter of the new life that awaits you. 

All you have to do is start reading!”

― Shannon Alder

The recent pictures of a nurse being unable to meet her child at Belgaum followed by pictures of another set of kids whose parents were on essential service being fostered by a Muslim woman only hit the nail on the head. Mother is the inseparable God to the child but in certain times there needs to be a substitute even for such an intense relationship.

However, Tony Dungy thought differently He said,

" The Lord has a plan. 

We always think plans are A, B,C and D 

and everything is going to be perfect for us 

and it may not be that way.

But it's still his plan."

Mike Tyson put it in his boxing jargon while saying,

" Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth."

In agreement Mokokoma Mokhonoana said,

" The best fights are those fought by those without a Plan B"

Contrast this with the words of Phil Mc Graw who said,

" Don't wait till you are in a crisis to come up with a crisis plan"

Most Valentines would like to punch Mikhail Prokhorov for coming up with these words,

" I've never lost my cool. 

Even in love affairs. 

If you have Plan B and Plan C, 

you are always relaxed."

But the men who are boys at heart would may now agree that alternate plans have a bearing on life.

How many of us have thought of situations like what would I do if I miss my flight or train or bus? How many of us would like to think of alternatives before it happens. A friend of mine had studied so hard that he fell unconscious a day before this twelfth standard exams. There was no alternative he or his parents had thought till that date. He discovered his passion for music and arts studied agriculture later to become a designer finally.

So in the words of Mary Oliver,

"Tell me what is that you wish to do with your one and wild precious life"

The previous plan is a past that cannot be changed but with the lessons learnt from these life experiences can we try to change the ending like Yudhishtira of Mahabharata. Let us not be like the teenage hero without an alternative plan. 

It is said that one should learn from one's mistakes and better still from others mistakes.

This is for B in the AtoZ blogchatter list of life lessons in quotes

LIFE LESSONS IN QUOTES - ATTEMPT

Bloggers were placing their best of creativity in the challenge hosted by blogchatters website titled AtoZ challenge. A cursory glance would make it appear as though it was easy cake. However, the need to keep it revolving around a theme and posting for each of the letters of the alphabet was a challenge which required some preparation to be part of.

In this background, after considerable thought, yours truly thought it would be in the fitness of things to make an attempt without being an actual part of the challenge.

Attempts were considered a disgrace in the academic pursuit. However, as one entered the professional era, attempts gained a more acceptable position. Any professional course or competitive exam is considered to be a great achievement on one clearing in the first attempt or in the first few attempts. The number of attempts do not diminish the professional achievement as though to give a practical lesson to every aspirant that failures are the stepping stones to success. 

“What I truly desire to do, I shall dare attempt.”

― Lailah Gifty Akita

The above quote inspires one to dare to attempt while the following one highlights the fact of the importance of labour

“Nothing is born into this world without labor.”

― Rob Liano

The process of emerging out of the fear of failure is best captured in the following lines

“Coming out of your comfort zone is tough in the beginning, chaotic in the middle, and awesome in the end...because in the end, it shows you a whole new world !!

Make an attempt..”

― Manoj Arora, From the Rat Race to Financial Freedom

The process is followed by the need to give up the emotions attached to failure which alone can make an attempt meanigful and thus the following words lay a strong foundation to any effort

In an attempt to making a perfect batter of brain and heart do not end up baking your heart. Leave the feelings alone.”

― Suyasha Subedi

With the above lines we can make a colourful attempt which could translate into a path breaking dream by itself

“I paint my dreams on a canvas of life with a smile of hope, 

An attempt to make my destiny a bit colorful!”

― Mysticald/Faiqa

Thus, came up the first of the topics of life lessons in quotes on attempts when what yours truly realized can be best summed up in these words

“There are many things that seem impossible only so long 

as one does not attempt them.”

― André Gide, Autumn Leaves

In fact, at this stage the introduction to blog and the effort to post the first blog came to mind and the path that has been travelled over a decade in garnering fresh friends in various portals stands testimony to the value of an attempt in the sphere of blogging itself. It is the wise who can summarize it as under:

This becomes the Alpha for the AtoZ challenge with the theme life lessons in quotes.

STERLING EXAMPLES OF WOMANHOOD

The lockdown gave space for creative juices to flow uninhibitedly. Underdogs being a favourite there was a toss in to debate the various characters of the different epics. Undoubtedly, the hot picks were the heroes and heroines. Taking a cue from the vernacular debates, we chose carefully the topics avoiding the minefield. 

The list of topics emerged and we settled for Who was the greatest of them all- Urmila, Mandvi, Srutakirti? The omission of Sita was obvious and intentional to ensure a level playing field.

The first speaker pitched in for Urmila, the spouse of Lakshman of Ramayana. Basing his case for her on the epic poem by the legendary Maithili Sharan Gupt, he reasoned that she though a princess did not have the occasion to choose her spouse. Thereafter, despite her beauty she played second fiddle to Sita. Her husband did not stand to reason unlike Rama and left her behind to take care of his mothers. Fourteen long years she spent unaware of her husband's whereabouts or exploits. Still she obediently followed the instructions of her spouse. Quoting extensively from the epic poem, he reasoned that a lady of such stature was given a raw deal. The assertions of the speaker matched the aggression of Lakshmana and the judge held that this also ought to be added in her favour,

The second rose to buttress the case of Mandvi. He had none to rely upon. He implored to contrast the fact that while Sita and Srutakirthi were with their spouses, Urmila did not have the occasion to see him for fourteen long years, He also mentioned the fact that she also did not have the right to choose her spouse. Mandvi had to face the piquant situation being away from her husband Bharata who chose to live in solitary exile. She lacked a support system in the face of she being the daughter in law of Kaikeyi. He added, tongue in cheek, imagine what insinuations she ought to have faced from her own sisters let alone others in the palace and the kingdom. At this stage, the judge held his own by calling the third speaker to state his case.

The third one was known for his wit. Still all in the room felt his was the weakest case. He rose confidently and asked, "Sir, was Srutakirthi also not deprived of her right to choose her spouse? Therefore, holding Urmila or Mandvi to be great on this count would not be possible." The judge nodded his consent. 

"Then", he continued, "Sir, may I ask you in the 14 days of lockdown, would your spouse say she is happy with you being at home?". The serious debate was now turned lighter with laughter all round.

He now paused to continue with a chuckle, "Sir, today's women are unable to tolerate their husbands at home for fourteen days at a stretch. Imagine Srutakirti she not only lived with Shatrugna who in reality ruled in the name of Rama on behalf of Bharata but was never considered a queen. Added to these woes she also had to contend with the fact that she had to listen sympathetically about Sita, Urmila and Mandvi with all responsibilities and no authority. She also had to get approvals of Rama through Bharata."

After a deep pause he said, "Sir, on a serious note Sita was on exile under the influence of sages till the last year of exile, Urmila and Mandvi were separated from their spouses but it was Srutakirti and Shatrugna who sacrificed their family life unlike Pandu of Mahabharata." He, thus emphatically rested his case.

The judge ruled that the three women set sterling examples of womanhood for the entire mankind (pun intended) and with a wry smile said," I do not hold a candle to any of the lofty ideals of these epic characters. Therefore, my wife not being pleased with my lockdown or Corona should not be an yardstick while I will request her to take a leaf out of the book of Srutikirti to bear with her untold hardship."

The joy of finding a meaningful pasttime spanning all the generations was thus celebrated.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN THE LOCKDOWN PERIOD?

Lockdown meant the common greeting of "How are you?" was replaced by near unanimity with "What do you do during the lockdown?"

This query normally baffled me as Rip Van Winkle, the icon who slept over  decades and Kumbhakarna who slept for half the year have been childhood idols claiming their right to be worshipped, For facility of those who would agree, their pictures with due apologies are provided.

 

But whither such noble ideas?

The maid had been sent staycation at her home with pay and attendant perquisites. Exercise being a foreign word now was in motion. With people baying for yours truly's blood and stopping short of placing a pig in the sty ahead on the cleanliness roster, the task to prove a point was an uphill task. Techniques of cleaning were imparted by lofty faculty members. The lockdown ensured no escape route. Slowly but surely, the grind of finding the nooks and crannies left out by the maid to be cleaned became a fine tuned art for the artist's eye and a science for the rational scientist.

The telecom giant's help to the peers came in no small measure. The landline went dead and lo behold, the only call that could be placed from the cell turned out to be for lodging and following up the complaint. People who called on the landline assumed that the lazybones was on a chatter with another victim and chose to not call on the cell. This provided add time for one to labour on. 

The calls of the Prime Minister to clap and light lamps only added to the woes as the rehearsals, dress rehearsals and the original had to be gone through with meticulous timing. Any small error would invite a distasteful glance from the well wishers. This was further accentuated by the clamour for work from home loading the hitherto wafer thin brain with a dilemma as to whether the objective question was work from home and/or home work with no choice of "none of the above" being given.

The 24x7 channels update on the spread of the virus and its accomplishments were intermittently peppered with celebrities pushing their videos of wiping fans and singing which led to a concession being given to yours truly----

NOT TO SING IN THE INTEREST OF HUMANITY

With this largesse in the pocket, one could not expect more. 

But it was not all work and no play. 

The channels provided different statistics which were dutifully jotted down and compared at different points of the day. The finding was that every channel the most accurate and most reliable news making it the No.1 news channel. However, they always had different numbers which had a striking similarity to the election results coverage. In the surfing process, yours truly also visited Doordarshan to find out the timings of the various programmes telecast decades back so that a discussion could result in a consensus between the inmates. Pardon me for the term inmates but in times of lockdown no better term was found in the limited vocabulary.

Having thus passed the day, with a wrap of the news at the end of the day, hitting the sweet sack, there was a prayer on the lips but for what---

Should the lock down continue or not

LEAD KINDLY LIGHT

The Corona Virus heralded a lockdown of entire nations. These lockdowns were introduced in India with a day of Janata curfew which also had a salutation to the COVID warriors by way of clapping, ringing of bells and clanging of utensils across the sub continent.

Two weeks down the line, the monotony of the lockdown was sought to be broken by the lighting of the diyas, candles, flashing of torches or mobile lights after turning off the lights at 9 pm. Television channels and radios were agog with the news. Calls between kith and kin, friends and acquaintances were about the manner in which they would heed to this call. Some differed and opined more constructive measures ought to be taken for controlling the menace. Channel anchors and tickers made it clear that only the lights were to be turned off and no appliances were to be turned off. The planning was so meticulous and issue of social distancing also was considered. Social media was agog with memes and chatter and in some instances trolls. A few of the media houses pampered the citizens requesting them to "whatsapp" their picture of solidarity. 

Ten minutes before 9 pm there were arrangements made and diyas placed in order at every apartment and house. The turning off of the electrical bulbs revealed the beauty of the diyas and the power of the torches on smartphones. The emotions exhibited reached a crescendo as some started singing the national anthem. The sight from the terrace was overwhelming.

As the eyes wandered to capture the best of the sights, it suddenly paused before a building under construction. The labourers there had lit a diya. The migrant labour which was starved for food and wages could not have accessed any television set or a radio. The hearsay of the neighbouring houses had resulted in them pitching in by lighting a lamp on the roadside on a heap of gravel. A few kids of the gurkhas had also pitched in to light their own lamp. The solidarity exhibited by them left yours truly astounded. 

It reminded one of the story in the Mahabharata when the King Yudhishthira performs the Rajasuya Yagna wherein he sights a half golden mongoose. On being queried it states that the flour of a poor brahmana had fallen on a portion of it when it was being handed out as charity. This story was to drive home the fact that how much is given is of no consequence but the proportion of such charity to your means determines the quality of the person.

Thus, neither the selfies nor the videos posted had any bearing as it led to ruminate as to when and how could one achieve this magnitude of charity. All one could say on the Palm Sunday which was also the auspicious Triyodashi of Mahakaal is "lead kindly light from darkness to light".

CORONA - A MUSING

Times changed dramatically overnight. Governance gave way to self imposed curfew followed by a lockdown and a walkdown through the lanes of memories.

Life revolved around one’s profession, vocation or trade. Bonds had been relegated to social media. A person’s existence was evaluated by the power to draw likes on these platforms. Lo and behold! 2019 manifested itself as 2020 as Wuhan heralded that the mechanism of battling a new virus was a total shutdown. The industrial dispute term of lockout now gathered an international Governmental sanction worldwide with a new term lockdown. This term would co exist with lockup of the police. The awesome sphere around the sun now became the household name as the new Virus was now named after the Corona.

As people donned masks and washed even clean hands in the fear of the Virus, a new horizon opened up. People rediscovered their families, neighbours and friends. Social media gave way to social distancing. The handshakes became things of the past with a traditional Namaste becoming the new fad.  Three feet distance circles became hallmark of the superstores. Suddenly, the famous huddles of the sports arena, or the hands over shoulders of buddies, or the romantic embraces were only a dream and for many a nightmare to even think of it. Vehicles sparsely moved. Dust settled and the scorching heat of summer had set in. The labour class moved towards their hometowns by walk despite resistance by the powers that be. The term exodus gained currency. It took yours truly to the chilling narrations in "Train to Pakistan" by the legendary Khushwant Singh.

The accounts of Partition of the sub-continent came to mind. The pleas of leaders, celebrities, icons and news anchors to stay at home did not go well with many. However, there were no fanatic passions unleashed this time around. The virus became a great leveler treating rich, poor, man or woman irrespective of gender, caste, creed, race, religion or nationality with equal ferocity. The virus was neither passionate nor prejudiced. It could neither be swayed nor influenced. It just performed its natural act of self preservation and species conservation through reproduction.

If this was termed a war then imagine dealing with a population seized by frayed tempers, religious intolerance, political bigotry, fanatic ideologies which was not even hindered by the presence of a semblance of organized authority. 1947 was indeed a deadly recipe for a holocaust. The half naked fakir, the iron man and the intellectual face had managed to hold the population to senses by the mere threat of a fast unto death at Naokhali leveraged by each of the triumvirate in its unique way. Communication was largely by word of mouth or through the Akashvani. The power of television and social media did not exist. This feat alone ought to have been recognized by the world which instead fanned the communal fires.

Thirty seven years later, India faced another similar situation. Televisions had entered the lives of the influential as well as the middle class. However, this was not used effectively to control frayed tempers. Instead of just seeking restraint, the analogy of the earth shaking when the banyan tree falls did not help in salvaging the position. Contrast this to a caretaker government and an election commission handling a similar situation seven years later.

These historic experiences have aided us now in dealing with the present virus more sensibly ensuring that the stage 2 of the cycle being less fatal compared to many developed nations. The mistakes of the past were not repeated even when the occasion presented itself with it. As the oldest democracy rallied past the 3 lakhs mark, the largest democracy just went past the 3 thousand mark. The success story was sought to be blemished by scary prophecies of community spread. But the large majority of the population stood out as one remarked, " News is where an exception is, the rule does not make news".

A thought given to this statement brought out the reality. A murder makes news as it is not the rule. A riot makes news as it is not the rule. Mob discipline makes news as it is not the normal behaviour of a mob. The call for self restraint makes news as it is not the rule. A child parting with its savings makes news as it is not the rule. Have we ever read of a news item saying that X did not kill Y or that the day was peaceful or that there was no accident or that a child cried to part with a chocolate. Despite opinionated telecasts round the clock, people had retained their maturity to discern whether the news telecast was the norm or the exception. Soon the virus would not be an exception and with greater adversities to be challenged it would thus vanish from the news.

BANKING - EVOLUTION OF YOURS TRULY

The lockdown had the effect of unwinding oneself while certain events brought fresh memories to the fore. On first of April as the world forgot its Fools Day pranks and was monitoring the movement of Corona across the globe, yours truly travelled back in time. As a young boy who had managed to get hold of a piggy bank in the shape of an elephant, the labour of a middle aged lady across the street in making cowdung cakes. The spirited lady sold these cakes to be used as fuel. The land soon was acquired by a nationalized bank and a new bank came into being with a young man as its mascot. Named Vijaya Bank, yours truly became one of the first few depositors open an account with the branch. Hardly being able to reach over the counter or even reach the table of the manager, an account was opened.The first savings bank account was held by yours truly with this bank.

The next bank which had opened its doors was for a recurring deposit with Bank of Baroda. Therefore, the news of the merger of Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda was received with mixed feelings.

Entering the twenties, the rolls of Syndicate Bank ventured to figure yours truly on its list. A year of golden relationships, wonderful memories and bonding ended in moving to another job. The news came that Syndicate Bank was merged with Canara Bank. The only solace was that two Karnataka based banks were being merged to make a behemoth. The bank had in the meanwhile bid adieu to its mascot the loyal dog and moved on to greener pastures.

Later, a posting in a building which hosted Corporation Bank led to the opening of an account with it by severing ties with the others. The relationship of nearly two decades is now being severed. The merger now with the Union Bank of India has ended another tryst with banking.

Decisions such as these have ended emotional relationships with banks which were started by eminent financiers in their heydays and held a distinct identity despite their nationalization. The Karavalli belt of Karnataka which was the nursery of many of the leading banks of the country, will now have only Canara Bank in the public sector and Karnataka Bank of the private sector. Vysya Bank was taken over by the Dutch MNC ING. 

Even the State Bank of Mysore which had a heritage of being set up under the able guidance of Sir M Visveswaraiah under the royal patronage was not spared. It gave way to State Bank of India which ended another legacy of the Karnataka banking system.

The only straw to hold on to the emotions emerged in a friend's son landing a job in the Union Bank of India to keep an emotional chord in banking alive even in this digital and lockdown era.