Grave humour

Grave humour

A village in Andhra Pradesh finds itself in fighting a spirited battle against, well, spirits.The provocation is the frequency of deaths. Rationalists may say there is a ghost of a chance of super-normal activity and dismiss their belief as superstition. But the villagers of Mittooru hamlet in Chandragiri mandal -  located 28 km west of Tirupati with 300 residents living in 68 houses - cite statistics to buttress their claim:  the death toll touched 20 in the last six years. 
According to the villagers, six persons died due to age factor, five in road accidents, three due to excessive alcohol consumption, three committed suicide unable to bear health complications and one died of cardiac arrest.The devil is in these details sir, they aver. There is a host of ghosts out there which we don't want to host, they assert.

The villagers  are showing team spirit in driving away the spirits.  A priest advised them to leave the space behind the local deity vacant by demolishing the houses. A farmer whose house is located exactly behind the statue, is ready to shift his residence. “If the priests and elders decide so, I will move out in the interest of our village,” he said.

Belief in supernormal activity is not confined to the remote village nor to any age. 

Macbeth actually saw one. "Confronted by the spectre of his murdered victim he loses all self-control, and before the assembled nobility breaks out into speeches which must inevitably betray his guilt," as a Professor said.  

The GHOST OF BANQUO enters, and sits in MACBETH's place

MACBETH:  Then comes my fit again: I had else been perfect,
	Whole as the marble, founded as the rock,
	As broad and general as the casing air:
	But now I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confined, bound in
	To saucy doubts and fears.

And there was a gentleman who befriended one, sold his soul to it to quench his thirst of knowledge and is remembered forever in the expression - Faustian deal. The devil, quoting the scripture that he would face severe consequences if he failed to honour his word, takes control of his soul. It would not allow the rule to be broken in spirit or letter!

Whether they believe or not, people are curious. We can guage it by the huge success of films like The Exorcist, The Omen etc.  Many people watch it with the devil may care attitude. We are all familiar with the haunted houses and some haunting tunes too of these films! A generation of TV viewers is familiar with the Onida devil. 

Be that as it may. One belief is the ghosts - wearing Prada or not -  appear in the dead of night (pun intended) with their feet turned inside . A black cat is also associated with it. It could be a White Devil too as Webster would have it in the eponymous book. Not all people are put off by them as are some devil's advocates who always believe a known devil is better than an unknown angel  Some people choose to discuss this topic when it's already ghastly: cyclone raging, winds howling and shadows darkening. 

Think of the devil and lo there appear opportune astrologers and sundry exorcists offering many suggestions to put the final nail in the coffin. They threaten the gullible all hell will break loose if they don't adhere to their advice. For the week kneed, it's really gettinh caught between the Devil and the deep sea. 

While the belief in vampires is common across climes and people. methods to drive them away differ from one place to another. Some  witches were simply burnt down; many people believe in removing teeth of people they suspect of practising black magic. It would render their speech defective and they would not be able to recite the spell accurately. A report said consecration of “'Bottu Rayi”(sanctified stone) is a Dravidian practice to ward off evil forces and ensure prosperity of the village. Eight stones are also placed in eight different directions as advised by Vasthu experts to fix the village boundary. 

Halloween is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic fest of Samhian, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. This day marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, often associated with death. To avoid being recognised by the ghosts, people wore masks when they left home after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. They would place food outside their homes to please them and prevent them from entering their houses. [Source: Google] 

Some high-spirited people claim they can be mediators with these visitors from the nether world. Sceance is described as "a meeting at which spiritualists attempt to receive messages from the spirits of the dead [esp of dear ones]. 

And not all feel out of spirits when they encounter a phantom here or a visitor from the nether world there. After all, Vikram not only visits the graveyard, the abode of the evil genius Betal, as we read month after month in Chandamama, and answers its questions.

But not all answers may satisfy you. Like this gentleman who went to a park and asked a guy sitting on a bench: "They say this park is haunted. Do u believe it?" The other replied, "I don't know sir. I died some 10 years ago!" Dead men tell no tales? Grave humour. 

The inspiration for the article: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/panicky-residents-see-bad-omen-for-village/article18194374.ece

Grave humour

A village in Andhra Pradesh finds itself in fighting a spirited battle against, well, spirits.The provocation is the frequency of deaths. Rationalists may say there is a ghost of a chance of super-normal activity and dismiss their belief as superstition. But the villagers of Mittooru hamlet in Chandragiri mandal -  located 28 km west of Tirupati with 300 residents living in 68 houses - cite statistics to buttress their claim:  the death toll touched 20 in the last six years. 
According to the villagers, six persons died due to age factor, five in road accidents, three due to excessive alcohol consumption, three committed suicide unable to bear health complications and one died of cardiac arrest.The devil is in these details sir, they aver. There is a host of ghosts out there which we don't want to host, they assert.

The villagers  are showing team spirit in driving away the spirits.  A priest advised them to leave the space behind the local deity vacant by demolishing the houses. A farmer whose house is located exactly behind the statue, is ready to shift his residence. “If the priests and elders decide so, I will move out in the interest of our village,” he said.

Belief in supernormal activity is not confined to the remote village nor to any age. 

Macbeth actually saw one. "Confronted by the spectre of his murdered victim he loses all self-control, and before the assembled nobility breaks out into speeches which must inevitably betray his guilt," as a Professor said.  

The GHOST OF BANQUO enters, and sits in MACBETH's place

MACBETH:  Then comes my fit again: I had else been perfect,
	Whole as the marble, founded as the rock,
	As broad and general as the casing air:
	But now I am cabin'd, cribb'd, confined, bound in
	To saucy doubts and fears.

And there was a gentleman who befriended one, sold his soul to it to quench his thirst of knowledge and is remembered forever in the expression - Faustian deal. The devil, quoting the scripture that he would face severe consequences if he failed to honour his word, takes control of his soul. It would not allow the rule to be broken in spirit or letter!

Whether they believe or not, people are curious. We can gauge it by the huge success of films like The Exorcist, The Omen etc.  Many people watch it with the devil may care attitude. We are all familiar with the haunted houses and some haunting tunes too of these films! A generation of TV viewers is familiar with the Onida devil. 

Be that as it may. One belief is the ghosts - wearing Prada or not -  appear in the dead of night (pun intended) with their feet turned inside . A black cat is also associated with it. It could be a White Devil too as Webster would have it in the eponymous book. Not all people are put off by them as are some devil's advocates who always believe a known devil is better than an unknown angel  Some people choose to discuss this topic when it's already ghastly: cyclone raging, winds howling and shadows darkening. 

Think of the devil and lo there appear opportune astrologers and sundry exorcists offering many suggestions to put the final nail in the coffin. They threaten the gullible all hell will break loose if they don't adhere to their advice. For the week kneed, it's really gettinh caught between the Devil and the deep sea. 

While the belief in vampires is common across climes and people. methods to drive them away differ from one place to another. Some  witches were simply burnt down; many people believe in removing teeth of people they suspect of practising black magic. It would render their speech defective and they would not be able to recite the spell accurately. A report said consecration of “'Bottu Rayi”(sanctified stone) is a Dravidian practice to ward off evil forces and ensure prosperity of the village. Eight stones are also placed in eight different directions as advised by Vasthu experts to fix the village boundary. 

Halloween is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic fest of Samhian, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. This day marked the end of summer and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, often associated with death. To avoid being recognised by the ghosts, people wore masks when they left home after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. They would place food outside their homes to please them and prevent them from entering their houses. [Source: Google] 

Some high-spirited people claim they can be mediators with these visitors from the nether world. Sceance is described as "a meeting at which spiritualists attempt to receive messages from the spirits of the dead [esp of dear ones]. 

And not all feel out of spirits when they encounter a phantom here or a visitor from the nether world there. After all, Vikram not only visits the graveyard, the abode of the evil genius Betal, as we read month after month in Chandamama, and answers its questions.

But not all answers may satisfy you. Like this gentleman who went to a park and asked a guy sitting on a bench: "They say this park is haunted. Do u believe it?" The other replied, "I don't know sir. I died some 10 years ago!" Dead men tell no tales? Grave humour. 

The inspiration for the article: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/panicky-residents-see-bad-omen-for-village/article18194374.ece

Time to change

The first parameter for change is a man's attitude towards girls and women. Women are always smart. But the problem for a man is to accept that they are so. Women adapt themselves quickly to situations, While men are stuck in a time warp - they are supreme and the fairer sex must follow them.

Another issue is the obsession with marks. Marks are be-all and end-all and goad the poor children to perform exceedingly well. In the process, crushing their creativity and sensibility.

Work obsession is another. Take time off to observe the full moon - oh so soothing to the seething nerves. See how the plant is growing up and bearing fruit. See the colours on the butterfly.

Crowning glory

It's the black gold on your head that gives u a facelift. Hair fall, dry hair, withering hair, tangled hair, wavy hair, thorny hair, problems due to changing climate… we have been hearing these complaints since ages. Many companies assail u with a lot of hot (h)air.
Hmm! The day starts with a whine. How to go about with it. Grandma is always there in the corner. U hear her say, “Huh! Days have so changed. When I was a girl, (that was for a brief period for she got married before she turned 8 and became mother by 13!) we used gingelly oil and washed it off with soapnut.
Another problem. Your mother-in-law - and hmm it’s always she – who finds a follicle in the dal or chutney - and raises an accusing finger at u. Oh! However careful u r, u end up with a hair-raising experience at the dinner table. U braid it with sensitivity but end in a bad hair day.
But time has changed. SO have the quality of water and the impact of climate. The feeling – quite enthralling – of waving back the flowing tresses is marvellous. But many think it’s only the advertisement gals who can have the luxury to do so.
It need not be.

If u r chick enough u will realize the benefits of Dove – it’s heads and shoulders above its competitors. Realise your dream of crowning success.

Dove hair Wow moment contest

Hair never lets down those who never let their hair down.

To look fair
U should have hair
Treat the strands with love
Not tough. U have Dove!
Follow Dove for many a good lock
Wow! See how people to u flock.
Give a minute to your tress
Your rival suitor reels under stress.
Wave away your fears
Era of curly waves nears.
Use Dove for that shine
A one-stop product and no more u whine.

Present sense

You must be a gifted person to choose the right gift. Not for nothing
it's also called a present - it should adhere to the current trends.
And weigh in the number of occasions that have burgeoned. Previously,
there were only birthdays and wedding days. But now mother's day,
father’s day, friendship day, Valentine’s Day. Hardly a day goes by
without some such nomenclature. You should be really inventive and
innovative to match the gift not only with the occasion but also - yes
you guessed right - your purse.
Some people have a vision and a generation is benefited. Like Ratan
Tata. He saw a struggling family of four on scooter, pondered over it
and came up with Nano.
Not all are so altruistic. Many people think twice what they get in
return before making a present. They give a small amount but
uncharitably insist on a host of names - father, mother, grandparents
- to be mentioned in the list of donors.
Gifts play a big role in diplomacy too. For e.g., gifting a panda by
the Chinese. It wins over a country.
Many people consider life itself a gift. Pity then those who end it
abruptly - in a fit of emotion. Though the suicide of the Tunisian
cartman gave birth to Arab Spring, ending one's life is unacceptable.
However, even after death some people live in others’ memory - when they gift
their eyes, kidneys etc.
But not all gifts are acts of friendship or kindness. When the king
gave an elephant to the courtier, he is saddled with its maintenance.
A costly affair. He can neither neglect its upkeep nor can he get rid
of it.
A big gift packet need not reflect a person's large-heartedness nor
should it necessarily contain an expensive article inside. Sometime
ago, the groom was presented a big packet. When the newly-weds opened
it, there was another packet in it. And another and another till it
became a small one. When the final packet is opened, in the presence
of wedding guests, it consisted of - to the embarrassment of all - a
condom. Pranks of youngsters!
Not all gifts need to be costly either. Tirupathi laddu. Costs
nothing but you are sure of getting your work done.
The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its
donation, says a proverb. Blood donation ranks in it at the top.
Many people are endowed with various gifts - gift of gab is one. You
can sweet talk your way to success. Gift of imagination. See Rowling.
Howling all the way to bank. Nothing new in her books esp for those
who read Chandamama. Children have a gift of fantasy. But it is
smothered now-a-days by over-ambitious parents who swamp them with
various tailor-made activities. Running them from one class to another
and ruining their creativity.
Like everything, the art of gifting evolves. When my dad and mom
married, my dad was given a cycle. A big thing at that time. Now in an
Andhra family, I saw a golden razor presented at the engagement
itself! While some people request you not to bring any gift (may their
tribe increase) - your presence and blessings are in themselves one -
there are others who started giving gifts along with the wedding
invite. A box of dry fruits, chocolates et al. Some repulsive people
expect gifts both when they come to your house or when you call on
them.
A friend always bought local ghee but presented it to our professor
claiming it to be from their farm - pure. Since the professor knows
not to look into a gift horse's mouth, he accepted and rewarded him
too. But you better check the horse - Beware of Greeks bearing gifts -
lest it should turn a Trojan one!
A word of praise is also a great gift. Tell your wife the food is good
or her dress is gorgeous, you will receive a return gift!! A wise
lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the
giver, goes a saying. But not so with the wife. Esp. during Diwali.
You should gather what your neighbor is giving his wife and better
match yours with it!
But the best gift is showing concern and kindness. Share what we have
with the orphans or at the old age homes. No need to dole out
expensive gifts. Spend time with them, tell stories to children and
hear stories from the elderly. You are blessed.

Reply Forward

An idea

An idea changes the world.

Deng Xiaoping said: The colour of the cat does not matter as long as it catches mice." And see how the moribund dragon has recast itself. While it plays cat and mouse with the U.S. on yuan evaluation, it emerged as the big cat among the economies.

Well not all ideas are appreciated or realized so fast. Remember Copernicus? When he said the Earth rotated on its axis once daily and travelled around the Sun once yearly, he was ridiculed and incarcerated. And so was Galileo. Imagine the giggles their wives had to endure. And they themsleves in turn their wivies' frown for propounding the idea. How about Newton? What an idea? Why should apple fall down!!! These thoughts stray as they looked ushered in a revolution and enlightenment.
There are others who sell outlandish ideas to starry-eyed customers - like land on Moon. Really people should be men from Moon to buy this idea. On the other hand are the people who have blinkers. Mbkei, former South African President, believes there is no link between HIV and AIDS. His controversial HIV/AIDS policies caused the deaths of 365,000 people — including 35,000 babies — between 2000 and 2005, researchers at the US-based Harvard University have estimated.

Such things are not merely associated with the African states and voodoo practices. It's gasping to see that there is still a Flat Earth Society in the U.S. Yes. They still think that the Earth is flat. (http://www.alaska.net/~clund/e_djublonskopf/Flatearthsociety.htm). And they think we are living in Dark Ages to think that it is not!!!
People have queer ideas about UFOs - extraterrestrial matter. Sometimes it emerges they are new types of (spy) planes being tested by advanced countries. And that's all.
Often people end with their foot in the mouth like New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key who described British actress and estranged wife of Indian business tycoon Arun Nayar, Liz Hurley, as "hot".
Women’s rights campaigners said the remarks were “boorish”. The sexist row erupted after Key was asked on a radio show if he would like to be Australian cricket star Shane Warne. He replied: “Yeah, well, given his current liaisons with Liz Hurley. I reckon she’s hot.”
The father-of-two, who is married to his childhood sweetheart, Bronagh, went on to name the 45-year—old actress as a “definite” dream date.
Key, who has two teenagers, Stephie and Max, said in his dream date top three Hurley was “a definite”, especially as she’s only “slightly older“. Warne’s and Hurley’s names came up after Key was first asked what sporting star he would like to be. He said he wouldn’t mind being Tiger Woods —— for the money.
But then he added, perhaps hinting at Tiger’s list of women friends, “there are other benefits that clearly come with the job.” (courtesy: PTI)
Some are sheer audacious. See the very gestation of the idea - that they can hoodwink the mighty American intelligence, hijack so many planes and crash them - nay the whole world's economy - into such vital installations. Abhorrent the act is though. The world is never the same again.
Some others are quite stupid. Consider this. Pakistani extremist leaders, including JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, have stepped up calls for jihad against India, even advocating the use of nuclear weapons if needed in the “war for Kashmir“. The effects will wipe out both the nations and what these stupid people want they will not survive to enjoy.
Some others are unintended puns. Outside a secondhand shop: We exchange anything - bicycles, washing machines, etc. Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain?!
Some others are quite fantastic. One is laying roads that move - walkalators - to avoid congestion - read during schol times. Aldous Huxley?
It's sheer lack of thought for others' sensitivity like these folks peeing right in front of the passengers as the train passes by. Unabashed creatures. The idea of hero bashing baddies without as much as a drop of sweat is sheer ridiculous.
Very many times the affinity, the values change. Earlier people thought they belonged to Earth and flourished. Now people think the other way. Accumulate huge tracts, leave them untilled and grumble about food prices.
Some leave a bitter taste in your mouth. India's chances went for a toss when Chetan Sharma bowled full toss to Miandad - feversih moment.
It was a national shame when Ramar Pillai made us believe that he could soak some herbs in water and convert it into oil which can be used to run a combustion engine. It proved to be just well gas.
And they are those die-hard fans. Like Tamil Nadu politician Vaiko who thinks LTTE supremo Prabakaran is still alive!!!