എന്റെ കല്പവൃക്ഷം

പണ്ട് സ്കൂളില്‍ പഠിച്ചുകൊണ്ടിരുന്ന കാലത്ത് അവധി ദിവസങ്ങളില്‍ ഉച്ചയൂണ് കഴിഞ്ഞു മഴയും നോക്കി ഞാന്‍ എന്റെ മുറിയില്‍ ഇരിക്കുമായിരുന്നു. അന്നേരം നല്ല മാമ്പഴം മേടിച്ചു വെച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത് അച്ഛനോ അമ്മയോ കൊണ്ട് തരും. ഞങ്ങള്‍ ചേട്ടനും അനിയത്തിയും അത് കഴിച്ചു മാങ്ങയുടെ അണ്ടി ജനല്‍ വഴിയെ പുറത്തേക്കു എറിയും.

അങ്ങനെ വീണ ഏതോ രണ്ടെണ്ണം മുളച്ചു വളര്‍ന്നു. അത് വീടിന്റെയും മതിലിന്റെയും ഇടയില്‍ ഉള്ള ഇടുങ്ങിയ സ്ഥലത്തില്‍ വളരെ കഷ്ടപ്പെട്ട് വളര്‍ന്നു. എവിടെയോ നിന്ന് അതില്‍ നിറയെ പുളിയുറുമ്പ് വന്നു താമസം ആയി. മാവ് പൂത്തു പിന്നെ കായ്ച്ചു. രണ്ടിലും നിറയെ മാങ്ങാ. പറിച്ചെടുക്കാന്‍ നല്ല ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടാണെങ്കിലും ഞങ്ങള്‍ എങ്ങെനെയെങ്കിലും കുറച്ചെണ്ണം ഒക്കെ ഒപ്പിച്ചു പറിച്ചെടുക്കും. അങ്ങനെ പതുകെ പതുകെ വഴിയെ പോകുന്നവര്‍ ഒക്കെ മതിലിന്റെ അപ്പുറത്ത് നിന്ന് മാങ്ങ കല്ലെറിഞ്ഞു വീഴ്ത്തും. ആ മാവിനെ ചുറ്റിപറ്റി പല മൃഗങ്ങളുടെയും മനുഷ്യരുടെയും ജീവിതത്തിന്റെ കഥകള്‍ ചുരുലന്ഴിഞ്ഞു. അടുത്തുള്ള ചേരിയില്‍ നിന്നുമുള്ള വീട്ടമ്മമാര്‍ അന്ന് ഉച്ചക്ക് വെക്കാനുള്ള കറിക്കുള്ള മാങ്ങ പറിക്കും. സ്കൂളില്‍ നിന്നും തിരിച്ചു വരുന്ന പിള്ളേര്‍ അത് എറിഞ്ഞു വീഴ്ത്തും. ചിലര്‍ ഒരു ചുളുവിലെ കച്ചവടം നടത്താന്‍ ഒരു എട്ടു പത്തെണ്ണം ഒപ്പിച്ചു അടുത്ത ചന്തയിലേക്ക് പോകും. കാക്കയും അണ്ണാരകണ്ണന്‍മാരും ഒക്കെ പഴുത്ത മാംബഴതിനായി അതിന്മേല്‍ എന്ന് എത്തും. പുളിയുറുമ്പുകള്‍ അതിന്റെ പണിയില്‍ എര്പെട്ടിരിക്കും. അങ്ങനെ ഞങ്ങളുടെ ആ മാവ് നാടിന്റെ തന്നെ ഒരു ഭാഗമായി.

ഞങ്ങള്‍ ആരും ആരെയും മാവില്‍ നിന്നും മാങ്ങ എടുക്കുന്നതില്‍ നിന്നും വിലക്കിയിരുന്നില്ല. അതില്‍ എല്ലാര്ക്കും വേണ്ടതിനെക്കാളും കൂടുതല്‍ മാങ്ങ ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

എടുക്കുംതോറും കൂടുതല്‍ തന്നു കൊണ്ടിരിക്കുകയും ഒരിക്കലും തീരാതിരിക്കുകയും ചെയുന്ന ഒരു മാവാണ് അത്.

 അതില്‍ വര്‍ഷത്തില്‍ എല്ലാ ദിനത്തില്‍ മാങ്ങയുണ്ടാവും.അത് എല്ലാരേയും സന്തോഷിപ്പിക്കും. അത് എന്റെ വീടിലെ കല്പവൃക്ഷം.

പാഠം: കൊടുത്തു ശീലിക്കു. നമ്മെയും അത് സമൃദ്ധിയിലേക്ക് നയിക്കും.

The End

I woke up that day listening to the mew of kittens...It came from the yard behind my house. then i saw an ailing cat passing by, my dog scaring it away just like the time milking the life from it. She looked like the mother of those kittens.

I used to enjoy watching the kittens playing around, always a silent spectator never getting anywhere near them. I used to take a few photos and that is it. There were five of them in all colors-white black grey brown and yellow mixed in different combination and proportions. In two days there was just one left. I didn't know where the others went and I never cared to find out.

I saw the ailing cat, the same evening at my aunt's place, a stone's throw away, fighting for its life hanging to it dearly.

I went back and checked out on the kitten which saw me mewed at me softly and innocently. May be it was begging for help, for food, for being adopted into the family. I still remained a silent spectator.

In the evening that day my cousin, who lives opposite to our place, told the sick cat was lying in between the plants, in their small garden. I checked out and found that it was going through the last of its minutes. We offered food and milk to it. It never tried to open its mouth to eat or drink. May be it couldn't, even if it tried. It just looked at me painfully and mewed with great pain, asking for pity. I guess it knew its end was near. May be it wanted to live, for its kittens.

I went home and just happened to check for the solitary kitten. It wasnt there.

I visited my aunt's home again and saw the cat has already breathed its last breathe. It was no longer a burden for the world. we gave her a decent burial and parted ways.

But where was the last kitten? Where were its siblings? Did they already know it was futile to wait for the mother who would never come?

Or were they the unfortunate first victims of some predator, of which their sibling was the last.

What a sad ending to so many lives. There is so much of suffering around us. I wish I could help every unfortunate life in the world. But then, i can't. So I may mourn, I might cry for them, and later when the feeling sinks in, I move on. That's life. It hurts everyone somewhere or the other. There is no point brooding over the tragedy of others and at times even yours for a long time. And life just has to move on.

Wrote this almost 3 years back on a vacation from Infosys. I found it in my mails and wondered why I didn't post it on my blog:-). It was a really sad day for me.

Irritated?

I always had a question. Why do people get irritated? Is the one alleged as irritant, really an irritant. The mind is almost always the irritant. The ones whom you point fingers to are just the reasons that you find to justify your behavior.There is no point in it.

I've seen a few kind of irritations in my life and I have lived through it. I hope there are others who disagree with my views so that I can enter meaningful conversations. A few type of people who irritate you.

1. The ones who use the 'F' word or one of the numerous words in English used to insult a person. But then, when they use it, they don't understand they're just making themselves look imbecile. I just ignore them. If I get irritated by them then that would mean I am accepting the adjectives they give me. I consider these people too immature to accept them.
2. The ones who don't listen to anyone else's view point but consider only themselves right. Ignore them again. They consider themselves the brain tanks. The catch here is that their brain actually looks like the inside of an empty tank. They don't understand that there are two sides of a coin. They live their life in an arrogant bliss of ignorance. I should say, all they do is to try sell themselves.
3. The kind who live every moment of their lives to prove themselves. They say they stand by certain line of thought, values, consideration to environment, for the fellow human beings etc etc. This category turns into the category (1) once they see their position is challenged. They just can't stand themselves being criticized neither can they stand a different view point from theirs. I accept that I may be no better than them because I myself break these good Samaritan qualities expected of an individual of a civilized society. My question to them is do you always live by what you say? If not, you're just a plain hypocrite and nothing more.
4. The ones who criticize you. When you are in the teens you rebel against them. But when you grow up, you need to accept them and listen to them. When you listen, you get a chance to correct yourself or to correct them in case they're wrong. But there is no point if one of these are from the category (3).
5. The ones who leave trash everywhere. All they do is show their supremacy and that too by hurting everyone around. They try to give as much pain to the ones around and interfere in any kind of happiness others may be involved without any provocation. You need to talk to them peacefully once and try to correct them. Second time you can be harsh with your words. Third time, don't wait. Knee down, make a low blow. While he  falls down on the ground and wriggles in pain, don't waste your time. Kick him in the guts again and again till he pleads and apologizes. Warn him against any more attempts. Here mind is certainly not the irritant, because you're giving them a chance to leave you alone. But they begged for it.
6. The ones who think world revolves around them. There is no respect at all for any other individuals. Let them live in their world. Just ignore them. Move to another planetary system.


A Bible proverb says: "A man's discretion makes him slow to anger, And it is his glory to overlook a transgression".
So control your anger and the irritation will go through. It makes you wise and prudent when you learn to control your mind. The mind has great capabilities which are beyond even the explanation of science. Explore it.