Continuing to read Ruskin Bond......

Living in the present day world without books has become more difficult than earlier. Especially when you are travelling by train on long routes. Earlier people were more docile and good speak to. Now one has to pick and choose as we do not know if a person would want to speak to the next person or not. Many are hooked to their android phones, some are talking loudly to some one in some other city and some are out right glum. Some people come as groups, all their things will be in place, they have most of the things they want but will speak only with the members of their group totally ignoring those around. If you travel near such a group and if you are alone you would desperately need a friend to talk to and that is where books come in.

These occasions will be wonderful if we have our favourite books as the author will be our companion as long as we want to. I had a book by Ruskin Bond as I related in one of my earlier pieces. The book is named 'Friends in small places' Ruskin Bond wrote touchingly and soothingly in great English prose which any one would like to read and it will touch the reader, no doubt. In the present book of stories he tells about a couple of his uncles in different stories called Uncle Ken and Uncle Bill. Uncle Ken is a great guy who lived mostly as the guest of his many sisters and as the Authors Granny happened to be one of his sisters he turns up there once in a while to enjoy her hospitality and search for suitable employment nearby. Even though he succeeds at times before long he comes back to his unemployed status and continue to live on hospitality. Bonds beautifully puts before us the psychology of the person in front of us but only through their simple actions and speeches or dialogues which enthralls us as this could be any one met in any of the families with whom we are in touch. At times you or I can see someone of the same skin in our own families too.

In another story called Bansi and the Aaya he relates us to the life in Dehra where he spent most of his times writing his books and taking his long walks. As a little boy with cheery eyes and ever observant of his surroundings, he tells us about the everyday life and how a cart man comes in touch with the family and he gives him occasional rides for free butr with the condition he should provide some money for his tea which is agreed upon. This favour he does to the child as he consider him as a 'Angrez'. The Angrez (The English) were held in great respect in those days of far back when the British were in the ruling class. The life of Bansi who keeps his horse cart and the way he gives service for the needy taking a fee and how he keeps his horse clean by giving it an occasional bath in the river etc. Is very neatly etched out for the readers of posterity in touching style. Then in the same story we are related to the Aaya (the maid servant) who is ever envious of Bansi the cart man and in several of his advices to little Bond she narrates all the vices Bansi is indulgent to. A young and jealous woman's mind can't be more clearly put in. Without writing he imparts the underlying feelings to the reader.

To top it all comes the story of Uncle Bill, who worked as a Male Nurse in those days of old, around the time of the Second war. His story is suspense ridden and gripping but soothing in the hands of the author. Uncle Bill is a well behaved and nicely mannered soft spoken person who administers a powder to who so ever is close to him who can be of interest to him and whose porperty and assets can pass on to him after they pass away. Invariably the administration is secret and discreet without any doubt to any one including the taker as it is almost always given in any of the food or drink of the person. The suspense and anxiety would increase when Mr. Bill turns up to take the hospitality of the author as he is his only relative remaining. The story grips any one who are lucky to read his book – friends in small places- which keeps one in great spirits where ever one is. And when it is in a train journey, it is a joy.

By the time people set bed and sleep you would have covered quite a few pages and can go to bed in the lovely hope of reading more the next morning as the benevolent author keeps our soft anxiety on all the time.

Reading Ruskin Bond..! 'Friends in Small Places'

The Gentleman Ruskin Bond (his pen name) is a great writer of English prose which evokes feelings of nostalgia, beauty of English prose and a  feeling of brotherhood among human beings who generally think this life as a gift.

The story of Masterji who taught Hindi and the students thought it was Hind and ultimately it turned out to be Punjabi is enthralling.  Inspector Kismet Lal who was never to be a Police Inspector but was one shows the kindness of human beings to other humans and (almost Godly) and loses his promotions but saves further complications for his fellow beings is  is a must read for todays generations.

The story of Kishen Singh, the Watchman of the Train Tunnel, was an unforgettable lovely friend to the young Ranji who could not forget him when he was leaving for Delhi for further prospects at the command and order of his Dad is one of nostalgia and keep sake thoughts which every one has, who travels out to new boundaries.

To enjoy the feelings one has to go through his book, 'Friends in Small Places' by Ruskin Bond.  I leave it to you my dear readers to go through and enjoy them.
Take a chance and enjoy whenever y\ou can lay your hands on the book.

The Sweetness of a Mother.....!

The Sweetness of a mother..!

Mothers are a different lot altogether. This is appreciated when one is a child and if they keep up that feeling in later life. Generally, such feelings are seen to be lost in many as they grow up. This loss of the childhood feelings are the reason behind many people belittling their mothers at times, even though rarely.

Mothers look after their little ones with great fervour and if necessary, apart from looking after the little ones, they also go for work to find food for the smalees. I saw this when I was a little one. We had a simple life in a small shed house where father used to get food articles and mother used to cook them. Cooking in those days meant all the house hold work from cleaning and washing for all plus cooking. In such a time father fell sick and things stopped abruptly. There was no more food articles at home and that is when mother had to go out for work.

In those days, there were several works availavble which women generally did as a team. One was going to beat the hay which is not fully removed of the paddy in them. This secondary removal of the paddy sticking to the hay was for keeping the hay in future stock and those who do the beating to clear the lect over paddy from the hay, can have the paddy which they beat out of the hay. By the evening everuy wp,am wpi;d jhave nbeat arpimd five to ten measures of paddy. This paddy had to be taken home, fried, agaom neatem om a mill stone to remove the husk and the rice taken out before it is cooked. All these mother did, as if she is doing a simple work which is a natural thing that every body does.

Now, looking back, I can't beleve her perseverence and enthusiasm. She kept on for a while until father recovered from his phyusical illness and startede going to work again. There after, mother did not have to go for such work. When ever we questioned her she had the stock reply : “Working is not a problem for me. I only want to see you people should be properly fed and looked aftger. And of course, when you grow up, you can get enough groceries and things for the house and then, I won't have to go for any work.” As an eager child to help in the household, I used to follow mother to the house where she went for beating up the paddy from the fresh hay. That is when I used to play around and whenever she had a little time free, she used to come to me to talk.

Every mother in our neighbourhood thought the same for their children. When the paddy was brought home, the first thing was to bring water for cooking and house holduse. This was the next immediate necessity. Here too, I accompanied her to the well without any wll protection in a comound much below our house compound. Here, the land lies in different levels one below the other the gradient slowly going down and reaching the paddy fields. The well I distinctly remember as it had a huge tamarind tree on the edge of it. Mother used to lean to the well and pull the water using a long rope which she pulled back folding the coir rope from right hand to left hand from time to time. In the last lap she caught the 'pala' (the water pulling vessel) which she herself used to make from the arecanut leaf stalks. Making a pala into a water pick up, itself was an art using a piece of stick and a measure of cmall coir rope. This equipment is not only beautiful but also very clean. I worked for a season if kept well. It should not be allowed to be in the 'pala' after its use for pulling water., so that the pala remained dry.

Oine of such days she felt dizzy and this gave us very anxious moments. She had put the 'pala' into the well and slowly she kept the rope under one of her feet and turned around to the tamarind tree and held on to the branch with her head down. I asked her what is the matter, but shed did not reply for a while. After a long while she just turned around, picked up the rope, pulled up the water and slowly started walking towards home. On the way, she told me “ I was feeling dizzy. My head was realing and I was not in a position to reply you. That is why I did not reply your questions” “Thank God, I am ok, now” This made me really ill at ease. I was wondering how long she went to look after us all, providing all our needs without any care about herself..!

Use of Cell phone and computers and so on..!

My first cell phone was a Nokia. A small simple phone which had grey crystal letters which was visible in a green lit background, but nothing visible in bright sun light. I had difficulty in using it as many a time I had a call while I was on mky two wheeler on the road. I used to stop on the side of the road and find it difficult to see the screen. On moving to the shade of a tree, there were the last trees standing then, I could make out the call and answer the caller. A long time use of it made it old, and need arose to get a new one.

The new one a Samsung at that, had the added advanbtage of a two speaker radio which couyld be conveniently used in my car while going out in the morniong and returning in the evening. The old little Nokia was conveniently handed over to home use. This new cell phone, the Samsung went on giving good service untile the back button started to falter and there was need for another replacement. This again was another Samsung called a RX 360 with screen and icons with other Jawa facilities on it. I still was not good into using an Android yet. Of course a Computer in the office, and a home computer was by now in vogue and there were used for official and personal uses according to whereever I used to be. Thgere was not much to do on the pc except checking personal mails and at times seeing the face book. Or Orkut by Google.

A television was another screen which we used to relax at home and get some of the news at times useful, and at times only for entertainment, like a movie or an art programme given by the TV Channels. A strong me, who was against any kind of automation or radiation waves from the very beginning, was slowly sucked into using them out of utmost every day necessity. As enybody knows, one had to run when everybody else was running. The old house phone which was being used to make calls and convey informations started becoming obsolete as one would be late to send a piece of information if one did not have a cell phone and when at last at times one reached home to see an out of order ordinary phone.

Nowe one has to go to the Department to get it repaired and that was not normally done at night. At times it took more than a day and this was the last push to use a cell phone on the first instance. Now some information if required could be passed on the internet mail too which made the use of

an internet computer a necessity. More over the use of the internet computer was slowly making its was to offices and those who could not cope with it was being considered slightly inferior, if not they were middle level or senior level officers and upwards. Those who kn ew where their bread is buttered had to go for the new trick on the block, the ability to use the internet computer. Or at the minium the use of a computer.

The use of a lap top computer was slowly coming up as travel always needed the internet faciliity for which the Desktop PC could not be carried. Use of a lap top made its up keep a necessity. Cleaning it up and keeping it recharged etc. This also went for all other earlier equipments.

The use of a tablet which will squeeze the use of the lap top into a much simpler activity was some thing which seemed to be a better option. Once it was at hand, the lack of space in it and lack of some of the programmes on them became a bottle neck, especially the inconvenience while using it as a cell phone. One had to keep a large slate to the ear or if this was put on sound, the privacy of the conversation will be lost. And that was the time when the majestic Android walked in with its cell phone capability coupled with its other facilities like, camera, radio, torch light, email, sms, phone banking etc.  I don't know, what all else..!

The old typewriter which was the great grant father and its successors the electric typewriter and the electronic typewriter all with drew with the rise of the other earlier equipments which is on at the time moment. But the users are at a loss to check mate of the time lost on all these equipments and seriously thinking how to reduce the time spent on most of these plus the TV Channels.