“Raining cats and dogs “is the common saying.

An incessant rain is given this fitting tribute.

Why did rain gets associated with cats and dogs of all animals.?

I wonder. 

Today , being a sunday, and as I have nothing to do, (as if I perform on the week days,) my introspection runs riot.

Yes , why cats ?and why dogs?

Cats are known for their stealthiness

Dogs  are acclaimed for their faithfulness.

Cats cheat .

Dogs keep vigil.

Cats are cunning.

Dogs are  trustworthy.

Cats purr  noiselessly.

Dogs  bark loudly.

Cats scratch.

Dogs bite.

Cats climb.

Dogs run.

These animals with  the pronounced  dissimilarities  are seemingly used to portray incessant down pour.

The past four days, I have been watching heavy rains, medium down pour and slight drizzle.The activity is continuous without intervals.

The sky is overworking, as the Sun  shone with great force and power a week back.

Nature is labouring round the clock.

Well. what about the  phrase , raining cats and dogs.

Deliberating the whole afternoon has not yielded any significant interpretation. 

Narrow roads  cross,

Small lanes overlap,

Dead ends  collide.

Cars move on,

Carts go on,

Autos jump on,

Buses drive on,

Lorries hold on.

Men walk stately,

Cattle loiter royally,

Vendors sell merrily,

Hawkers cry loudly,

Police overlook  steadily,

Trespassers overwhelm boldly,

Loud speakers blare noisily,

Divine chants emanate  soberly,

Chaos  in  excellent preserve,

Noise in wonderful reserve,

Happiness in fabulous deserve,

Do you like my city?

Nandan Nilekani  quit his job and became the Chairperson of Unique Identification Authority Of India on July /9/2009.

It was a surprising decision.

Last week Narayanamurthy sold .13% of his stake for 143 crores.

Yesterday , Sudha Murthy,disposed 2%  of the shares for 430 crores.

In a week, Akshata will  shell out her holdings.

A few days from thereafter Rohan will dispose his equity.

Off, the Muthy’s will set afloat in a Catamaran., as they make hay when  the sun shines

The tides rise up,

The  water splashes,

The bubbles shoot up,

The pebble  tosses,

The  fish rise up,

The  whale crosses,

The frogs leap up,

The   sea animal  dashes,

The mammals spur up,

The  octopus smashes,

Everything mounts up,

To go back to the sea.

A dramatic turn has happened today in the Supreme court of India ,when Raveendran , Judge , recused himself from the hearing of  Ambani dispute , citing a personal conflict of interest.

His daughter is employed in a firm that is a consultant to Reliance.The three member bench was constituted a  few months back. At the start of the case last month, Raveendran had disclosed that he had equal amount of shares in Reliance Industries and Reliance Natural.The lawyers of the two parties  raised no objection yo it.

When the nation and the investors are keenly awaiting the wrap up, this deviation seems to be a doubtful   extension.The mild excuse by the judge at the stream of hearing does not have a credible  breakthrough,

The withdrawal is an apparent ploy to prolong the case.  In a rare gesture,the government has put  its foot firmly that it is the owner of the  gas.Therein lies the catch.

 The clever brothers, with their cleverer counsels, will argue their case before the cleverest judges of the Supreme court. The dullest of the lot the investor, the duller of the crew the financial institutions and the dull of the entirety the nation, will watch the melodrama for years, such that of the telecasts of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

What a twist in the tail!! 

Is there a life after 55? asked Nalini.

What has happened to you? I asked her.

No , I feel that there is no activity after mid fifties.We live  a sedentary life. There is no immediate engagement., no pressing commitment, no hastening role to play.

Asher responsibilities are getting discharged, Nalini is bored. Her children have migrated to distant lands. She feels let out. Her husband is busy in his social  activity. She , who detests publicity , who loves being at home , is down cast.

This syndrome is keeping many women under pressure.

The emotional bondage she  had with their children continues, but the thought they are hundreds of thousands of miles away from her, saddens her.

Nalini , fighting back her tears, says that once upon a time it was the girls when they got  married move away from the mother, but in my case, my boys,(she has three , and no girls) have flown away from me. All of them are in the corners of the world., and if anything happens to me , it will take a real 36 hours to reach

Nalini is inconsolable. Biting her lips to halt her sobs, she revels on their boyhood pranks,on their mischievous  acts, on their  futile attempts to beguile her, on their ability to frame  stories to  maker her  put down the stick ,which she wielded to keep them in order, their skilled pretensions of feeling sick , so that she would allow them to stay at home.

Her  swollen eyes emitted radiance , when she spoke of their achievements in academics. She proudly showed the trophies they had won in Tennis tournaments.

I  listened to her patiently. Stroke her head, “well , this is life after 55.  See through your past.Count your blessings. Derive the essence out of it. Use your  writing skill to compile your experiences . Publish a book about bringing up children . This effort would benefit many a parent in rearing their children. It will keep you engaged. “

Will  Nalini do ?

Strange it sounds.!

Stranger it  looks.!!

Strangest  experience.!!!

Statues are erected in honour of a leader ,who has done yeoman service to society.

Clinton is considered as a hero by the Kosovo’s ethnic society of Albania. Many onlookers braved the freezing temperature to witness the function.

The former president launched NATO’s bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999.The brutal attack of the Serb forces on the community was retaliated by this move. Kosovo since became independent.

The eleven feet , gold sprayed statue, weighing a ton  is based on top of a white tiled base, in the middle of a tiny square,surrounded by communist era buildings .Clinton stands with his left arm raised ,holding a portfolio bearing his name and date  of NATO started bombing  March 24,1999.10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed, and 80o,000  people were forced out of their homes.Some 1000 U. S soldiers are still in Kosovo as part of NATO’s strong 14,000 force.

 The gesture is a novel citation to a man who brought peace and safety to the land. The  people of Kosovan have given a rare treat to Clinton  by asking him to unveil his own statue.

It is an out of box thinking by the people of Kosovo.

It is a fantastic moment of honour for Bill Clinton.

It is an event non pareil

Kudos.

 Sunday, usually , gives me ample time to brood. I sit in my favourite chair, recollecting the past, resuming the present and reviewing the future.

I go  back to my school days. I recapture the words of my teacher. Her words still ring in my ears. She , in her own inimical way , guided us to write an essay on Honesty.She bade every one of the twenty of us ,  to  talk  briefly of honesty.We were a gregarious lot, always  up with ideas, always up to pranks,  always in giggles.

She gave ten minutes to prepare.  We ,the  happy band , expected a much more lively topic. The duration came to a close. The short speech was delivered . The event was a great success. The teacher was pleased to see her wards express in unison that honesty is the best policy. We , though mischievous , never made any irregular entry.

The straight forwardness , we exhibited at the tender age has led us to a  life of prosperity.Richness does not comprise material wealth, but the mental satisfaction , we get of being honest and truthful.

 The gist of our delivery is best compressed in the words that follow. Honesty is hard to practise. The world is inhabited by liars. The magnitude of a lie varies according to individuals. Bluffing is an art, whereas honesty is simple. To tell a lie, one has to think, one has to work out,one has to remember. If the memory is weak, lie takes up different forms and distinct variations. Truth needs no such encompasses. It is  a narration of fact. It requires no extra  fringes. It is a bare exposition.

Lies take one forward but never backward. If one goes back , the build up will collapse. To substantiate the lie, more lies have to be framed and executed at proper moments .Honesty leads one in proper direction.If required , a repetition is the only criterion that is enforceable.

Lie  ensues speed. The clamber for popularity, the glamour for power, the craze for money, makes man dishonest. A complimentary association with  a   lie will  assure a supplemental residue .New horizons of notoriety and tumultuous macabre  of ostentation would be the reward of uttering lies. Old  ethics of  fame and sombre illustrations of integrity would be the award of telling truth.

Honesty is the  easiest form of presentation.

Lie is the strangest part of expression.

Honesty begets lesser refreshments.

Lie behests greater addictions.

Which is better?

The  crisp speeches of  all he twenty of us still linger  in my memory. My mind is afresh  of every word that was delivered, since truth  needs no brain storming session.

Living in an island,

 Blue ocean   shining, 

Tidal waves  rattling,

Little fish tossing,

A sullen solitude.

Living on a hill,

Dense  forest  amazing,

Huge trees sheltering,

Cute birds twittering,

Serene solitude.

Living  in a village,

Small  rivulets  flowing,

Simple houses rowing,

Modest folks  gossiping,

Distinct solitude.

Living in a city,

Polluted rivers  meandering,

Guady dwellings  sequencing,

Snobbish  talking,

Ghastly solitude.

Do you hear me?

I had a misbite ,

The pain  terrible,

A  spasmodic miss.

Do you  hear me?

I had a misstep,

The  fall  horrible,

An aching miss.

Do you hear me?

I had a misbeat,

The heartache  intolerable,

A sporadic miss.

Do you hear me?

I had a mishap,

The  hurt unimaginable,

An accidental miss.

Do you hear me?

I had  misspelt,

The  throb indefinable,

A  chastening miss.

Do you hear me ?

I had a mislead,

The agony immeasurable,

A distressing miss.

Do you hear me?

I had a misguide,

A torture unpredictable,

A grievous miss.

Do you hear  me?

I had a  mistrial,

A setback improbable,

 A retributive miss.

Do you hear me?

I had a misfortune,

A  sadness undesirable,

A  woeful miss.

Do you hear me?

I am a mistake,

I am a misfit,

I am a mismatch,

An erroneous miss.