My Pets: A Minute Pet

It was a summer vacation when I was around nine years old. I was visiting my uncle, who lived in a small village; in an old, tile-roofed house.

One afternoon I was just dawdling around the house like I did every noon back then and at a corner near the back door I saw something wriggling on the earth. It was something small, reddish brown, and I just had to see what it was, naturally… When I got near enough to examine it I saw something bald, with a tail and four tiny legs.

It was a newborn mouse and even its eyes weren’t open yet. It must have fallen from the rafters above. It was small, helpless, and cute; I had no choice but to take it under my protection; and I did just that.

I picked it up gently and put it in a small cardboard box. I tried to feed it with cotton dipped in milk. After some time my aunt found out what I was up to and advised me, very patiently, that it was no good and I should abandon my efforts.

Finally I agreed that the baby mouse should be left on the rafters, so its mother could find it, and handed it to my uncle. That was my smallest pet and for the shortest period.

SATISFACTION

It was a hot summer afternoon, sun was burning white, and I had to go out of the comfort of my AC office for some stupid job which someone else couldn’t complete.  My boss keeps doing this, he is a devil, and he loves annoying me, and on top of that my car wasn’t feeling good so I had to ‘garagized’ her this morning, great… Just great…

I was pissed; ‘why always me?’ My life is so damn horrible.

When I reached near the bus stop I saw a bus leaving, I ran and tried to catch it………but……..no use.… I missed a bus and I don’t know when the next one will come. Simply awesome!

While waiting for another bus I tried to cool my head. On my left there were few people waiting for bus, I tried to look at their faces……… actually it wasn’t helping at all. Most of them were looking just like me; a few were wearing flat poster faces, some seemed worried and some even angry, like myself. Only a young couple; leaning against a railing and a few school kids were happy about don’t know what. I turned away to my right and realized; a little boy not more than two was sitting on footpath and looking at me.

When our eyes met he smiled at me; the most pure and heart melting smile that you could not help but return.

His mother was sitting next to him and selling fruits on a stand of wasted boxes with that identical smile on her face. Neither blazing sun nor burning footpath was bothering them and the kid was happy playing with some small cardboard boxes. He kept looking at me in between his play and smiling the whole time.

I don’t remember when the bus arrived and I got on it, but that kid stayed clung to my mind. I have got everything much better than them; actually too much than them and still I’m complaining about almost everything. Why couldn’t I always be happy? I have a nice house, a car, a job that gets me more than my needs… Of course I can always be happy, satisfied.

I started feeling much better now; about everything. I love my job, I love my boss, I love my car, and I love myself.

When I got off the bus I couldn’t stop smiling…

Easily Fooled

Last year my mother’s uncle had a heart surgery and I had to visit him at a rural hospital in ‘Wardha’, near Nagpur. The hospital was big, clean and well equipped but the surrounding area was unkempt and crowded with people from villages all around.

We talked for a while; me and my great uncle; about his health, then about family, then his village and finally about weather and then I asked him if he needed anything; for as soon as I had stepped in his room his grandson who was attending to him had excused himself and hadn’t returned. My great uncle said he’d like some orange juice so I went to get it at a juice center outside the hospital grounds. On my way back an old man who was sitting at the main gate beckoned me and very politely said, “It’s really embarrassing, but my daughter didn’t bring my lunch yet and I’m getting really hungry.” He seemed from a good family. Well clothed, combed and clean. I felt bad for him and gave him a 100 Rupees note. He turned the note a few times in his hands in disbelief and I couldn’t stand there and watch.

After giving my great uncle his juice I peaked from the window. The old man was still sitting there near the distant gates and explaining something to a man in blue suit. The man rummaged in his pockets and gave the old man some money. Again the old man turned the note in his hands and the man in blue suit left, wearing sympathy and satisfaction on his face.

I was flabbergasted. I couldn’t believe people could deceive you in such ways. I was shocked that I had been made fool so easily.

But then, you can’t stop helping others just because of this kind of…. People.

New Rider on my old bike…

My Nephew: Maitreya

New Year, Same Life :mrgreen:

With yet another new year I’m reading a lot of posts about ‘new year resolutions’ like every year we read posts like that. I do like to read about resolutions people make because I don’t make new year resolutions any more, I don’t believe in new year resolution myself. I did ofcourse, when I was young(er). But with time I found it to be a…. ‘not so useful thing’…. for me.

If I’m determined to do or change something I do it any time of the year. Like if I deside I need jogging or exercise, I start jogging even in heavy monsoon. I don’t wait for new year for that but whenever I’ve tried a ‘new year resolution’ in the past I’ve failed dismally. It just doesn’t work for me that way.