THE EXTRAORDINARY TORTOISE

and

THE ORDINARY MAN …ME

and

THEREBY HANGS A TALE

 

SHAKESPEARE   wrote these last four famous words ,if you please, in AS YOU LIKE IT . Later JEFFREY ARCHER named a collection of his short stories AND THEREBY HANGS A TALE. Of course, only coincidence! But this story is not about that story.

 

There will not be anyone who reads this, I presume for all the right reasons, who does not know the famous story of the HARE and the TORTOISE from the childhood onward and everyone one of us will continue to hear and use it in different context to educate, denigrate something or somebody when we refer to time . It is a story , which is philosophical ,since it involves the two great aspects of our life SPACE and TIME. And thereby hangs a tale. I like this two  animals because human ingenuity continues to make these animals teach us lessons . We like stories and hence we can always find a “meaningful story “in everything if we wish so.

 

All of us have heard or read about TORTOISE and because of more exposure to it we normally take the animal for granted. Let us take tortoise as the center of our discussion thought and, in the process, hare may not appear here for because this is the story of tortoise. Please don’t mind it.

 

                                           **********

Let  us begin the story ,or if you like Once upon a time ..for effect and to have a perspective …

 It happened to be my birthday a few months back . Normally I was not much interested in considering my birthday  a special day because I wished to celebrate everyday with the same emotion. But my grandchildren were told that it was my birthday and they gave me a card with the picture of a tortoise and a turtle sitting side by side with a sentence below “ HOW WE WISH YOU WERE A TORTOISE” Love… and I saw the names of both of them beneath it  .They were very young then.

I was confused but I laughed and and thanked them for their loving birthday wishes expressing a sincere desire to see me as a Tortoise. I thought and thought and I thought of the tortoise in different combinations starting of course with the famous story THE HARE AND THE TORTOISE which was a story embedded in our collective unconscious.

“Grandpa .do you know why we gave you the picture of a tortoise as our birth day present to you? “they asked

I acted as if I did not know much about tortoise.

“No I don’t know but it is a wonderful present and very original. I had never received such a present. “

“Grandpa, we wish to see you live long even for 150 years and we want you and grandma to be with us for many years. Hence this is the best present for you, we thought.”

“But, children, do you know that tortoise bring luck to all in the house if we have one here as our pet. Do you wish to have one .” I held them with both my hands and looked into their surprised eyes

“Oh please Grandpa , let  us get one so that it will live with us for a long , long time even after I die  “

“But why should you die, please don’t. Let us have tortoise and you together in the house. “

“Death is for everybody. But we do not know when. Let us not think about that now .”

“But when will you buy the tortoise for us? “

“We will buy not one but two “

“Why two? “

“One for each. Two tortoise will keep all the members together and happy in all ways for a long time. We will get a black tortoise and a silver tortoise, if possible. All over the world people believe in it. “

“Wow , grandpa you are really great . We would love to have two here.  But when?  “

“ I may not tell you that . Just like you gave me a surprise I will also give you a surprise. OK “

The children kissed grandpa on his cheeks.

“Thank you, Grandpa, let us go to grandma and tell her about this “

“No, not now, let us give a great surprise to your dad, mom and grandmother. Keep the secret with you “

The children went away. But a new thought of living a long life sprouted in my mind and then I went on looking at the picture of the tortoise the children gave me and I put that in my almirah. A prized possession it was for me.

Now and then the children would ask me secretly about the arrival of the tortoise .

Exactly after 3 months the birthday of the twins came.

In the early morning, when they got up I called them to my room and they were stunned to see two small tortoise moving slowly near my bed. They sat by them touched it and were very visibly thrilled and happy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU BOTH. I EMBRACED THEM. I WAS VERY HAPPY WHEN I SAW THE HAPPINESS OF THE CHILDEREN

The house was named TORTOISE

“Grandpa, we are going to live for 150 years or even 200 years like our tortoises TOGETHER in the same house. So cute they are. We love them. Thank you very much.”

                             ***********************

Grandpa died at the age of 103. Grandma died at the age of 104.

The WILL of grandpa was opened and the first clause in it was this.

“The two tortoises are our family property and I expect them to be taken care of by all of you in the best way possible. “

The two tortoises lived in the joint family and the first clause of the WILL was carried over in all later wills. The whole family lived together as a joint family for years and years while the tortoises moved around caressed and loved by all .

Tortoise is born with a house but we are not. We have to build one …

 

 

                       AND THEREBY HANGS A TALE

 

Prof. R . B   Varma

 

 

 

 

 

WHY ,WHAT,HOW,WHICH AND HENCE...

    

  WHY ,WHAT,HOW,WHICH AND HENCE...

Dear Friends  

It has been a long time since I .wrote in my BLOG devoted to the topics which attracted my attention .There was no particular reason for keeping myself away from the blogging actitiity. I named it " thegreatindiancocktail "because our INDIA is a great nation ... exhilerating ,exciting and we have an intoxicating sense of FREEDOM . We breath freedom in all sense ot the word

But now I  have decided to start it again with no much difference in the format except that I have decided to expand the sccope of the blog to cater to different sections of readers. 

My intention is to write on real stories and incidents that happen around us at the nationaland international levels and my observations on them or how I look at them . This is only to start a discusssion or to see the things with human interest .I am not a member of any political party and my inerest in ploitics is not confined to any political ideology. Hence if I express my opinion any political or international affairs it is only to enlighten myself and others about the differnet facets of the issues that we see ,we read and we observe every moment of our lie .

Man lives in a society and whereever there is a social life there will be poliitics . It affects the life of everyone of us dorectly or indirfectly. A simple image may beome a powerful symbol and this symbol , knowingly or unknowingly become a sybmol of hatred or love . And it will ride on the waves of emotions which sometimes become like a Tsunami wave only to fall back  into a calm sea of life only to rise again sooner or later , because of it's dynamic nature 

But human society will be unintersting without such dynamism in thoughts and actions .In fact this kind of dynamic movement is very much in line with human life or life in general. Our existence itself depend upon CHANGE which is permanant 

Ideas come first , they turn into thoughts , thoughts turn into actions wich become visible and perceptions change and beliefs are born .Every belief is for the good of people and it enters the great game changer called time. It get tested in the flow of time . Great unlearning and learning take place consciously or unconsciously. Then the quality of actions undergo change for the benefit of society mostly ,but soemtimes it swerves from the inetended path and then it should be subjected to correction purely with an intention of  making life letter 

These areas ,mentioned above , need the great support of philosophy , creative works , art in all forms , development of science and technology as the tool of man. Religion and politics are meant to support the social and cultural life and they along with many other things ,like communication, should provide an infrastructure for development both spiritjually and materially.Universal good and wellness should be the moto .

The recent epidemic has been teaching us many  lessons both directly and indirectly that all human beings are the same ,whether they are white ,brown or black . The invisible enemy is a great leveller and is absolutely colurblind and it attacks and kills blindly. It decides whether we should go out or keep inside. The whole world is one family and there cannot be any master or slave. Let us believe it. The new world order will give new meanings to money ,wealth , poverty ,opulence and the list is exhaustive . 

Communication in every form has become the most inportant and we have to be very careful when we spesk ,write ,draws ,or exprssing with our bodies . Language has always been the creator and destroyer of peace and harnony at any level from the personal to the national and international areas .Language can give life and take life and every word has to be utterded or written with utmost care but unfortunately it is not so. 

WHO ARE WE ???

Man is a an animal

Man is  a biological animal

Man is a symbol using animal 

Man is a symbol using animal 

Man is" language using" animal

but 

Man is "language misusing "animal also

And that makes all the diffeence .

My humble intention in starting my blog  again is to write and communicate with my frends about anything what concerns human life without any barrier at the horizontal and vertical ways .

I expect all ny friends and readers to read my blog and commuicae with me . I hope to post my observaions at least once a week or even moe than that as the case may be .

Let us Communicate with language in all it's fromats ...

POEMS ,PROSE ,STORIES , BOOK REVIEWS ,NEWS ANALYSIS , ART , AND MANY GENERAL TOPICS OF GENERAL INTEREST . MUTUAL LEARNING ,UNLEARNIG AND EXPERIENCING the great DYNAMIC THINGS IN ALL ASPECTS OF OUR ACTIVITIES 

Please read , enjoy and communicate and let us have a great time togehter .WELCOME TO THE GRESTINDISNCOCKTAIL

Warm Regards

Dr. R B Varma Ph.D

3 / 12 / 2021

Celebration of Indian Democracy

The election celebration is on and the campaigns of different political parties have acquired momentum The election date is fast approaching and the heat increases along with the summer heat. Naturally everybody wants to win in the election but that hope is unnatural. The voters have the last word and they will declare the winners.

In this 2019 Election every known political ,both national and regional , are against one man

Mr. Modi  and his party the BJP. Well it is fair enough in a political battle of this dimension .Mr. Modi has political and administrative experience though many of his decisions may be questioned. But he is a person who is prone to take risky decisions with good intention. However he is a strong man with good global recognition. But that may not translate into votes in a country like India where the scenario ,both political and social ,is extremely complex and unpredictable.  He rose from the rank of a regional politician to a global politician within a short span of time which is ADMIRABLE. He earned the respect of the heads of other countries all over the world .This has helped India to into the global political arena which will be good for India in the long run.The sustainability of his efforts depends entirely upon his and his Party’s ( BJP ) performance in the elections and winning sufficient seats along with allies to form a stable government.

On the other hand , the present opposition parties ( congress and other regional parties) have not projected any single person as the PM if they get an upper hand in the election. This is actually a weakness as the voters are guessing who will be the PM if the present opposition ( Congress and the other Regional parties ) is elected to power. However it is unlikely that any single party in the opposition will get majority to form a stable government at the centre.

The Congress led by Mr. Rahul Gandhi is the main  party in the opposition . All the opposition parties declared ,much before the campaign started ,that they will form a grand alliance to fight the BJP. But the much publicized alliance is nowhere to be seen ,instead they fight against each other. In fact it would have been a fairly good election  that had happened. But there are many PM aspirants among the opposition ,whether they deserve it or not ,is another question.

In the present political scenario Rahul Gandhi seems to be the main contender for the PM’s post .He has the great backing of the GANDHI name which is his basic qualification to aspire for the PM’S post. Perpetuation of the dynastic style of rule is the main aim . Unfortunately there are many senior members of the Congress party allows this shamelessly as if there is nobody except Rahul or Priyanka competent in the Congress party to become the PM .

There is nothing wrong in     Rahul aspiring to become the PM but this is mainly because he is a MEMBER of the GANDHI family.fThe whole media ,simply because they  cannot tolerate the BJP , support him directly and indirectly. A few months back he was called PAPU ( Even many congress men had no faith in him ) . But now he has graduated himself from PAAPUMON to RAHULJI !. However this transformation has happened with the undeclared support of the majority of Indian media which are anti BJP for reasons best known to them . Whatever it may be , playing the DYNASTY card again and again is not good for Indian Democracy.

Congress may get more seats than it got last time under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi but it is doubtful whether Congress alone will get the numbers to form the government . If they do not get tbey have to seek the support of other regional parties who have their own PM aspirants. It is a tricky situation and there will be hard bargaining .

However the whole India waits for the results and every Indian wants a strong Government which will take the country forward in the next FIVE  years.

Indian democracy and elections are vey interesting and intoxicating as a real COCKTAIL. Let us enjoy the “party”and hope for the best. INDIA IS A GREAT COUNTRY AND IT DESERVES THE BEST GOVERNMENT AND ALL INDIANS ARE PRAYING FOR THAT.LET IT BE MODI , RAHUL OR ANY OTHER PERSON ,we deserve the best .One cannot predict anything in this complex situation where things are changing everyday. However , as mentioned earlier let us enjoy the COLOURFUL COCKTAIL.

However every Indian voter should exercise his/her vote for the best player in the election arena after considering the proven track record rather than the family name .

We need to elect a man with a clear VISION and not a person from a family surrounded by SYCOPHANTS who have only their own interest in mind.

JAI HIND

Dr. R B Varma

Relationships

Blood is thicker than water.This even more so when  crisis comes .I am making a direct reference to the recent development in the richest business family of India ..Reliance.Anil Ambani got into trouble ( not a new thing at all ) with Ericsson by not paying dues to the tune oe 600 crores. AA mbani was helpless and he had no money to pay and was facing arrest and a jail term.
Mukesh Ambani ,his elder was watching the development from the side..He is a very seasoned businessman with great business acumen, Anil Ambani was fighting against him over some business issues .But he stepped in forgetting all the past and agreed to pay the full amount to his brother to escape from arrest . A great gesture considering the fact that the feud between them is in full swing.Anil Ambani shed tears and thanked his brother openly and declared that hereafter he was joining his brother and family both in business and life,Commendable reunion of two great rich families after a long drawn battle .Let us take this as a perfect example A BROTHER IN NEED IS A BROTHER INDEED.

                                            Middle-class and Choice 

               

Dynasty syndrome does not end with politics or nation, it extends itself into the field of business also in the same way . But the implications are different and the stage is different despite parallels. More of this later The vast population of India is like  great cake ready to be eaten . But ,for the unfamiliar, only the icing is visible ,  The cake has its fruits and nuts and only the discerning observer can taste it and understand it. The nuts and bolts of Indian social fabric extremely loose and vulnerable and needs lots of lubrication and tightening at different joints which may also ask for some lubrication which only Indians can give 

. India has traveled far ,according to statistical calculations . But statistics is known to tell certain things with finality and it is ,most of the time, not very trustworthy. People of India are always subject to the ‘ FATE ‘ syndrome and it gets reflected in all spheres, This is why Indians can bear the weight of corruption rampant in all fields, even in religion and the institutions attached to it. This does not in any way mean that India is alone in this league.  It is an inevitable part of human society where any transaction happens with an element of suspicion and doubt about it , though ,sometimes unfounded.  

This is because of the lack of political will and professionalism .There is no detached excellence. among many of the people who run the business of politics. What we see today in the country is development in certain pockets but the pockets are isolated pockets and many privileged hands dip into it but millions of hands have no access to it. As somebody commented ‘ Let us run the nation like a corporate”. We have great examples of great Indian companies which have surged forward through unknown paths .to the astonishment and sometimes to the  dismay of cynics ,for which there is no dearth in India. The Indian middle class , with limited awareness of what they want , makes comments like:

                    “The state is at best a necessary evil and at worst a corrupt and inefficient system . We can easily do without it and run the country on corporate lines . This will help avoid the dirtiness of politics.”Do you accept it or reject it ..Choice is the privilege gifted to man but that is the danger .

Thegreatindiancocktail

.

THEGREATINDIANCOCKTAIL CONTINUES AFTER A LONG GAP 

PLEASE READ IT WHEN YOU GET TIME ...MY PERCEPTIONS .. 360 DEGREES 

 Women in India have symbolically proved to be evolving into a powerful force by winning medals in the OLYMPICS .All of them belong to middle class families who worked hard to win medals for India .Creating history in the present with tremendous power to extend its energy into the future is a thing that is not very common. Now it has almost become a habit for Indians to create history on a daily basis on all fronts .

The middle-class mass is the critical mass which everybody wants to have share. The BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID theory of the famous Indian management GURU . C.K Prahlad has become a much sought after idea which remains at the conceptual level. There is much truth in his famous theory and the multinational corporations get elated over the concept without knowing how to go near the bottom . There seems to be much distance between the pinnacle of the pyramid and the bottom of it .In fact the  Indian pyramid is much more inscrutable than the enigmatic pyramid of Egypt. Both are beauties in their own right  but one hides the dead and the other hides throbbing life which struggles to come out in the open

The INDIAN SOCIETY is unique with a mosaic of culture coexisting without any natural culture shocks. But there are enough artificial forces which bring in a lot of shocks in certain pockets which is sometimes a storm in the tea cup and other times something of a tsunami in the sea of humanity. Everybody runs the marathon race, and there is not much worry in anybody about the winning strategies because the inherent strength of Indian culture is patience and belief in fate and destiny.

 Perhaps our belief in a political system based upon dynastic system, though not special to India alone , might be a product of our thought process based upon these train of thought which has been fossilized in our interiors It is interesting to note that Fidel Castro ,who pushed the small piece of land ,called Cuba , into the international arena ,has also chosen the same route by appointing his brother to head  the nation.He may have have his own reasons for that .But things change and the USA and CUBA ,who were enemies for a
a long time have come together proving again that there cannot be permanent friends or enemies in politics or generally in life.   

 There are some more interesting parallels too. Castro used to be vociferous in the U.N delivering long speeches purely from his astonishing memory power. Our own Mr. Krishna Menon , former Defence Minister was also known for a similar skill. Perhaps there ends the similarity. Castro’s relationship with the erstwhile Soviet Russia has also some parallels with Indo- Soviet relationship   Our neighbor has also proved one point that both the countries have something in common at least in some respects But words do not have any meaning if they are not followed by deeds .Words do not have any private meaning when they have already been delivered in public through any media .

DURGA SAKTI NAGPAL in GAUTAM BUDDHA NAGAR

DURGA SAKTI NAGPAL in GAUTAM BUDDHA NAGAR

There is much in the combination... anger at injustice and craving for peace and prosperity 

DURGA SAKTI NAGPAL in GAUTAM BUDDHA NAGAR

There is much in the combination

The much sought after IAS ,IPS IFS ,the dream of every Indian are now turning to be hazardous jobs where one’s self esteem is destroyed ,by all and sundry in the political scene in Independent India. August 15 th is nearing and , as usual ,the politicians ,will shout the microphones about the glory of democratic India. How sad it is to hear them speak like that after having disgraced their own employees ( who are committed and loyal ) by hurling insults at them and punishing them for performing their duties. 

Honesty is not anymore honoured , it seems. Durga Sakthi Nagpal  is the latest victim of such irresponsible behavior from the government of UTTAT PRADESH. Bureaucracy is the backbone of any government and it is that structure which makes the admininistation strong and responsible. If that machinery is weakened the government will lose its grip and will fall apart bringing chaos into the state. 

Durga performed her duty with courage and conviction but the government punished her by suspending her for doing her duty . The IAS officers belong to the central administration but whenever any suffers injustice in the hands of the state politicians ,the center ,most of the time act as an observer . This is because they have vested interests and is influenced ,most often by vote banks. Today’s  politicians have no sense of history and behaves as if there is no past or future but only the present and indulges in making hay while the SUN shines .

For every conceivable field there is a MAFIA running almost like a parallel government and their very selfish interest ( making money and remaining in power) send out very dangerous signals to the whole nation. there are many officers who are dedicated , like Durga, but they are targeted by the authorities and punished both physically and emotionally. 

The callous attitude of the politicians is based on the survival instinct and they never have a long term vision or point of view. There is a tremendous LEADERSHIP vacuum in Indian Politics at the state and central levels and the nation is crying for committed people to come at the helm of affairs. 

SHE IS A DURGA let us hope she will stand upto the challenge .Durga Shakti Nagpal is the sub divisional magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar.  Durga and Buddha ,an excellent combination of STRENGTH ,COURAGE AND PEACE,A FANTASTIC COMBINATION. 

Let us pray that she will continue to do the good work in her service despite the recent sufferings .Let us respect these enlightened people who serve us for a good cause.