Pixie the squirrel

Anyone looking for an introduction about pixie can check the blog url http://mycybernovels.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/my-tiny-pet/



I have never had a pet kitten before pixie. As I stay at home I have full liberty of observing his ways. Which are truly amusing and awesome.


He will complete two months in my life on 28th, within one month he started to show this tendency.

I first noted him running around the house with a sharpener (pencil sharpener) clasped in his tiny mouth. He loved playing with it so much that I did not had the heart to take it away from him.

Soon I saw that he has collected the second one from my pencil box. Taking the opportunity of the pencil box being open. They were piled near his food bowl.

He just loved running around the house pretending they were his preys.

Now he has found a new obsession. I have stopped him a few times from climbing into egg basket, a couple of days ago I caught him once, the next time when I reached there he pretended as if he was not heading for the egg basket, he clasped a cap of a bottle in his mouth and started to play with it.

The next day, I was going to wash a bottle, he clambered up on the wash basin, I heard a clicking sound and the cap of the bottle was gone. He was playing in the next room with it.

I never knew cats act this way. Its lots of fun to watch a cat growing up.

Pixie and godzilla

Anyone looking for an introduction about pixie can check the blog url http://mycybernovels.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/my-tiny-pet/
Or http://agnitrisha.blogspot.com/2010/03/my-tiny-pet.html


Godzilla is the one who actually shoved pixie into my life, so it’s very tough for me to dislike him/her. I will refer to her as a pussy cat because most probably she is a female.

I used to let pixie out during the first month after his entering my household but later I decided against it. Godzilla was sparing him as a kitten but might not do that after growing up. And other cats/dogs may not do that even now.

Godzilla has bullied him quite a few times, pretty toughly, if not roughly. I still remember pixie’s first bath. In the Mid February, I have let him out when I saw Godzilla outside, by the time I opened the key and came out I saw that she has already reached pixie, have pushed him in the drain and was spanking him.

Godzilla was not very keen to let him go. I literally had to push her away from him and scare him more than once. By that time pixie has entered my rooms through window. I too entered the room after closing the door. I saw pixie sitting on the doormat with a petrified expression.

I naturally assumed that he was upset after that bashing up. Wow! When I came out of the kitchen I saw Godzilla was sitting there and glaring at him. I had to shoo her away from my rooms and close the windows.

Then poor pixie had to have him bath and after that I have never let him out willingly, though he has escaped through the window couple of time.

Now right now, Godzilla is atleast twenty times larger than pixie. Or atleast ten to fifteen times. As I can’t grab her all I can do is assume.

A fortnight or so ago I was sitting here, typing when I saw the sound of hissing coming from window. Godzilla comes to meet pixie every day atleast once, so I thought it must be Godzilla scaring him.

After a while I turned my face and saw that it was other way round, pixie was scaring Godzilla. Hissing at her, and hitting the net with his miniature paw.

Ugliness from within

These are the people we often come across these days, and they always leave one effect on us- repulsion.

They have one thing in common, they think they have right to insult or mock every one. If we pry a little under the skin we will see these people have another thing in common, they are as corrupted inside as they are outside. As they are always indulged in that inner corruption their mind and tongue always churns it, and all that comes out of their mouth is vile, bitter and vulgar.

Keeping one’s temper with these people is very tough. But before losing temper one should remember one thing, that is, the more you will lose your temper the greater advantage they will gain. The level to which they will dip you never will. You will most probably kill yourself before that. And decent snubbing or insulting will only humour them. So the best way to deal with them is to ignore their very existence. Very frankly speaking they fit in one of old Indian words of wisdom that meant- “those who don’t have knowledge, wisdom, good deeds, charity, decency, virtues or religion they are only weighing up the earth, they are monkeys in form of human beings.” So if you take up this point of view, if a monkey throws something at you, you just duck and prevent it from throwing the next thing. You don’t get into a war with it.

By convincing yourself of this you will conquer anger and his ugliness. He will stand an absolute failure. And if you are a real master of your feelings you can even address him politely or coldly to clearly show him that he/his behaviour/his opinion does not means any thing to you. My wisdom says to avoid them like plague and never get entangled with them in any manner- friendly or unfriendly. These people are like pile of mud, if you throw a stone into it the mud will reach your face. So let it stay under your feet or near them.

my tiny pet

I don’t think I would have written this post and a few more which will come from time to time but for my sweetest friend Gayle. She loves her pet cat and I have started to love mine.

She asked me to write about pixie’s funny ways so she could read and know about him more.

He entered my life on 28th January 2010. I initially thought she is a cat but now I think he is a tom cat. Any way, I am not very fond of cats, I love dogs most. He just had to enter my life, and I am happy that he did.

There is a cat in my area; I call her Godzilla the Goon. She controls the whole territory ferociously but is cute in her aggressive ways. She scared my first feline friend kitso from the area.

She romps around my rooms with a ferocious expression; I think it’s a mask. She is a love hungry cat.

On 28th morning I was sitting beside my window, watching outside when I saw Godzilla looking at something ferociously.

I thought she was looking at some other cat, then she pounced on it and I saw a fistful of a kitten. I had to go out to save it of course. But now I think Godzilla was just trying to scare him.

On seeing me both vanished. I returned to my room hoping the kitten has gone back to his mother. But ten minute later I saw he was eating something right outside my window.

I went out and he did not even noted me, he was busy gobbling. I scooped him up and brought him back, thinking Godzilla will kill him if she saws him. Ha!!!!

After that Godzilla has met him at-least a dozen times or so. But have not even scratched him. Her sole intention it appeared is to scare him. May be she wants him to know who is the boss around here.

Well, this is introduction of pixie, I am thinking about rechristening him “Goon”.

Rendering justice

How many of you feel uneasy to play the role of deliverer of justice yourself? Taking the rein in your hand?

I feel extremely uneasy with this idea. I prefer laying the charge in God’s hands. Who has been watching every thing and upon whose justice I have never-shaking faith.

Why I don’t know, but since childhood I have felt uneasy about settling scores. I firmly believe in putting forth the truth, so no one else is hurt but an eye for an eye, unless he or she plucks it out in front of me- is just not my soup. If someone slaps me on my face, I certainly prefer giving him a dose of his own medicine. But if someone stabs me in my back, how can I be confident that the hand was his?

shockers

I don’t know how many of you agree with me. Because it seems the trend lately. The more shocking language you use the smarter you are called. But it really feels like the pip of orange to me, which if accidentally comes under the teeth ruins the taste of the orange and I have to spit it out of them mind often along with the orange. Or the rotten piece of nut will be the more appropriate answer I guess. You pick up a handful of nuts and start to chew them, suddenly your entire mouth fills up with awesome smell and taste-you have to spit the whole thing out.

I have seen sadly, that reputed writers or artists often give in to this trap. They thing that to reflect power one have to be coarse, obscene or vulgar. Shock is not display of power. Any way, what use is the power which throws away instead of attracting?

My childhood holi

I took birth in Uttar Pradesh. Holi runs in its blood. We had to take precautions from a fortnight ago. Always keeping an eye for a balloon landing right upon us, colouring us up or a shower of colour from rooftop, or sprinkling from a passerby. The day of Holi meant absolute insanity.

We were allowed to use colours on only the day of Holi. There were two colours permitted for us to use gulal (a dry powdered colour) and wet colours, which were mixed in water and then filled up in pichkaris (special sprayers).

When holi came in UP winter still lingered there. Not completely gone. So we used to start with gulal and then pick up the wet colours after ten in the morning.

Every home used to throw its door open, there were two things waiting for visitors- all types of colours and sweets.

There were homes where buckets of colours were poured on the visitors and there were homes where only a hug and a little gulal was rubbed on forehead or cheeks.

I loved the gujhias most. It’s a special sweet of UP. Dry, sweet Kheer (milk and sugar boiled together till they become like dough) stuffed in a samosa type structure. It still lingers in my tongue. But they tasted a little bitter on holi day because our mouths were filled with colours. We relished them later, on the coming days after our teeth have retained their normal colour and our tongue has become pink again. On holi it was usually either purple or green. Those two colours were the most obstinate ones.

After having the full fledged fun with neighbours we used to stand by the roadside with leftover colours and sprinkle them on the passerby’s. No, no one gets angry by that on Holi day, even if he is not a Hindu. People bear it with good spirit usually.

For next one week or so, our ears and fingers were multicoloured. That was quite a sight to behold.

Love for living beings

There are different forms of Love. Right? Love for God, nature, pets, friends, loved ones… the list is never ending. The love for other animals (including human beings … yes you saw it correct I am grinning) is most probably most intense. Why?

I have been thinking about it a lot lately. Well ever since I took in my pet pixie. A kitten. I believe the intensity with which we love living beings like cats (and human beings, of course not jelly fish or squid) is far greater than any other form of love.

But usually we love our pets more than human beings. Why is that so? They also express their affection in return, that’s why? We can expect hundred percent honesty and love from them, that’s why? They can extract our affection? Quite a mystifying thing for me. Ever since his entry I have noted that other loves are waning away.

Most probably we love them for their innocence, honesty and loyalty. Adding to that we can be ourselves with them. Never fearing for a second that they will stop loving us for that.

Sharing

How I love those stories of old days, when human beings shared, at-least in the intimate circle. We shared almost every thing with our family, friends and sometimes neighbours. Even if it was something very meager like a box of chocolate.

I remember when we were growing up, every time my mother brought some fruits she used to give some of it to our ex housemaid. She was an old, feeble woman who lived in a hut attached to our home and was neglected by her son. She often used to ask for a cup of tea from my mother. Of which she was never deprived.

She was brought up in a time when siblings stayed together with their families even after marriage. No one calculated how much each of them is contributing. Every one contributed as per their capacity, the money was pooled together and the family was run by the head of the family without any friction.

And after that they always had some money for the poor neighbours or distant relations.

Were they more broadminded than us?

Newspaper

Well ever since my childhood we used to have two newspapers at home. One in local language, and the other English. I have grown up reading them on a daily basis, it was an addiction - I should admit.

Then came the age of disillusions. The realization that every thing that is printed is not always the exact truth of truth. Printed words can be bought. Heard that from the very mouth of reporters.

Own keen observation too spoke in favour of the word of mouths. There were so many discrepancies, silence about the real problems uproar against the not so grave problems.

Own encounter with some of them also said the same thing, they don’t act the way they preach, or worse, preach others to act.

Still I am unable to shake off this addiction.

Even though I read news on internet but still I prefer having a newspaper at home every day. Though won’t mind more than one.

It’s great to have so much information wrapped in just a few pages, right at your doorstep, every morning.

I miss them when they are on holidays or on the days when my vendor does not drop them, like on 25th and will not give again on tomorrow I guess.

Impact of news

Current age is the age of diminishing distances, in every aspect. Gone are those days when our ancestors lived in tiny shells of their villages or small towns. They were ignorant about even their countries.

Now we wake up and open the newspaper to read every thing about this world. Even outside this planet. Sometimes they please us, sometimes upset, sometimes confuse and sometimes scare.

So, even though our small world is happy when we read about alarming rise in atrocities or complexities can we really be as free as a gust of wind? Which blows without any worry or weight?

What should be our stand? Not all of us can jump into the field. There are quite a lot of people who don’t have enough resources to do so, or enough motivation, but they feel the shock or sadness. And that shock or sadness is genuine, not a show off.

When we are introduced to these knowledge on every day basis, slowly their impact goes away. People start to choke and look for respite in light things. Is that wrong?

Are we becoming casual or feeling-less or are overstuffed with dark newses?

Happy Holi

Tomorrow is Holi. The festival of colour in India, a festival in which everyone participates (forgetting every diversity or distance). May the harmony and colours of Holi spread all over the world.

A sweet responsibility

Well I am the backstreet driver in this lane. I sheepishly admit that I have handled children quite a lot but with minimal responsibilities. But, then again, any parent who is bringing them to earth should be the one realizing the golden truth, that they should not be brought to earth just for the fun of it. One should acknowledge the responsibilities too.

Children are not pets, toys or robots. They won’t grow up within a year and become absolutely independent. They won’t sit and stand up as per our order. They will certainly act like live beings and live beings with free will. I have seen that the parents who get most exasperated with children are the ones who themselves forget these points. So, who should be blamed? The children or the parents?

I believe that children under five years of age should be handled delicately and with extreme patience. They should be guided to the proper ways of behaving but always remembering that they don’t understand what we say. So harshness should be strictly avoided and extreme patience should be practiced. Yes, once in a while a soft reprimand is required (sometimes they really drive people crazy) but it should have to be soft.


After five up-to moving out of the shadow of parents the children should be firmly guided. Not ordered around or nagged. They certainly need guidance but nagging will only make them rebellious. I really don’t know why parents nag or use sarcasm to their own children. Does it not reflect their own weakness of personality? I have noticed myself that children very clearly understand words spoken to them and they are over eager to obey to elders till they reach their teenage. But if a child is properly guided till his or her teenage then handling a teenager is not much problem to the parent. None of my nephew or nieces or siblings was rebels. Why?

Nagging or sarcasm is the worst poison for any relationship. A child should be taken as a sweet responsibility for twenty years to come. If you are not keen for that long a project you should not have one. Why bring a child into a being when you cant give a life to him or her?

Indian and Pakistan

It’s high time that these two countries should sincerely try to live like good neighbours.

It’s a shame the way we two have been squabbling for decades. Both the parties should be a little or more guilty and eager to mend their ways so we could live like ideal neighbours and pursue better grounds than battlegrounds.


Though we have been acting exactly like a pair of siblings since 1947; we should try not to further hostility. If the common people of India and Pakistan bond with each other the hostility will disappear by itself. We should give that a sincere try. Cricketers, artists are common people, they are not waging wars.

We have been pulling down each others for decades, we should seriously think about permanently destroying/curing this mindset and flourish together.

Well, I appreciate the courage which both Khans have shown by speaking out their mind. Which every person can and should. In my eyes both of them are true Indians and will always be so before criticizing or insulting them we may do a little soul search, in case if we are sowing only the seeds of hatred for our neighbours.

Vengeance and moral responsibility

We hear this comment too many times when truth is spoken out loud don’t we? “Oh, forget it, he is just settling his scores. Avenging his insult.”

What’s the difference between vengeance and speaking out truth? I often ponder about this. By nature I am not vengeful. There was a time when I used to always forgive, and forget and get too eager to repair the relationship. Then with time I learnt all relationships are not worthy of being kept. Some of them should be discarded ASAP others after good testing.

Even now, barring very few hand-counted cases the feeling of revenge has not occurred in my heart. I usually throw away that person from my life with the earnest prayer that truth and justice will be delivered sooner or later. After that I seal that person out of my lifer. There is rarely any return path.

People who share their true, bitter experiences with others are not always vengeful. A common misconception which often stops us from preventing ourselves from committing the very same mistakes. I too have done it while I was growing up. Now I give heed to these words of bitter wisdom and be wary.

As most of the normal human beings in life I too have faced my share of injustice. And I have decided to share them with others, because in that way people can get a hunch about what life is all about, and what can be expected from fellow human beings when you are in a rough spot or when you are too innocent and soft natured.

Life will become a lot easier for others if we share our experiences, both the bad and the good ones. So that smart people can take their lessons from both and work for a better life.

Strife

In this overcrowded planet the vessels (us) are viciously hitting each other. One day its “attack on Indians in Australia.” The next day its “Mumbai is for Maharashtrians.”

Can’t we share the whole world? Why not? I am not asking people to instantly dream like John Lennon did in “Imagine”. But can’t we work toward it, slowly?

It’s true that when a person relocates and strife occurs with the local people, it’s mostly because of multiple reasons, not one.

Sometimes people feel they are stealing their bread, sometimes their cultures clashes. Sometimes one of the quarrelling parties invites that trouble- by bullying or by looking down on others.

Hatred can never be solution of any thing. We should grow out of the concept that we can bully others or we can divide the world into tiny segments.

It’s not necessary that the host is always at fault, sometimes the guest or freshers too cross their limits. Any one who is going to Rome and planning to settle down there should either act like Romans or should not do any thing which infuriates them.

I personally have seen people of other provinces that live in west Bengal look down upon Bengalis or say insulting words mentioning the word “Bengali”. Bengalis are infamous for their timid nature, every one else might not be so. Its but natural that people will be protective toward their roots and identity.

If we observe then we will realize that people who keep a low profile in a new place are usually ignored/accepted by locals, for good or for bad. But if we stand out too much apart from locals then strife begins and sometimes takes ugly form.

When strife occurs both parties should analyze their behaviour and I believe both will have to modify themselves. Actually if people act in a matured manner then strife don’t occur at all.

Purpose

Wise people say every thing should be done with purpose. I am not that strict about it, but I think people should do most of the thing purposefully.

One should not waste too much time in life drifting aimlessly. My suggestion is mainly for the people who are either looking for job or are home-managers, that is, housewives or househusbands or home runners like me, who has selected managing home above managing office/career. But career-driven people can also think about these hours dedicated to future.

We should always dedicate some hours in life to spend on things which will build our future. Now, that can be any thing. It can be pursuing a good hobby like reading, listening to good songs, methodical studying or gardening.

If we read the biography or autobiography of every person with achievement we will note that they always have dedicated a few hours from their days to purposefully do something. That might have been any thing, painting, reading….

These things were done after doing day to day chores. They often had a very busy life, more busy than us still they took out some time from that schedule to do something which will contribute to their character, personality or life.

I myself have done a lot of things, starting from studying, writing, painting to gardening. Doctors say if we keep our brain busy that will save us from brain diseases like Alzheimer and if we keep our body busy that will save us from a crippled body at old age.

Unselfish

It’s a common human folly or habit to look suspiciously at the person who is trying to help him or her without any visible motive or any profit for himself. But it’s a truth which we should remember that fortunately there are people in this world who help and love others unselfishly. So when we receive unselfish love or help in place of suspecting we can be cautious and thankful.

It’s foolish to trust someone blindly and get hurt. But that’s better than insulting a person who was helping or loving you unselfishly.

It’s good for our own happiness that we treat acts of kindness without suspicion and with gratitude. Of course one can be wary, but there is a difference between wariness and suspicion. Wariness just keeps us on guard and suspicion narrows our vision. As a result we sometimes fail to see things which were actually good for us. End up falling in the same pit, even though we were warned.

Someone to love

I love reading quotes and mulling over them. Its been years since I have read a quote which roughly translated that we need someone we can love in our life more than someone who loves us. When I first read that I raised an eyebrow and thought is that really so…

Then life started to gather various types of experiences, some really harsh truths and realities showed up and I for the first time realized the truth. We desperately need someone we can love blindly. Someone or something. It may be God, our work, our hobby, our passion or a pet. The core truth to me is we can survive without being loved but life becomes bleak if we don’t have something/someone around us who we can blindly love.

After realizing this golden truth I have realized another thing, why people with too hectic/ stressed life often keep a pet. Because its unselfish affection brings out the best type of affection from its owners.

So, I am not one of those (never was) who raise their eyebrow when a man leaves his cat a million dollar in his will.

Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was born on 23 January, 1897 in Cuttack (Orissa) to Janakinath Bose and Prabhavati Devi. Netaji was the ninth child among eight brothers and six sisters. His father, Janakinath Bose, was an affluent and successful lawyer in Cuttack and received the title of "Rai Bahadur". He later became a member of the Bengal Legislative Council.

He passed his B.A. in Philosophy from the Presidency College in Calcutta. He was strongly influenced by Swami Vivekananda's teachings and was known for his patriotic zeal as a student. He also adored Vivekananda as his spiritual Guru. Subhash Chandra Bose was a very intelligent and sincere student but never had much interest in sports.

In 1916, Netaji reportedly beat and thrashed one of his British teachers E F Otten. The professor made a racist remark against the Indian students. As a result, Bose was expelled from the Presidency College and banished from Calcutta University. The incident brought Netaji in the list of rebel-Indians. In December 1921, Bose was arrested and imprisoned for organizing a boycott of the celebrations to mark the Prince of Wales's visit to India.

His father wanted Netaji to become a civil servant and therefore, sent him to England to appear for the Indian Civil Service Examination. Bose was placed fourth with highest marks in English. But his urge for participating in the freedom movement was intense that in April 1921, Bose resigned from the coveted Indian Civil Service and came back to India. Soon, he left home to become an active member of India's independence movement. He, later joined the Indian National Congress, and also elected as the president of the party.

People began to recognize Netaji by his name and associated him with the freedom movement. Netaji had emerged as a popular youth leader. He was admired for his great skills in organization development.

In 1928, a difference in the opinion between the old and new members surfaced. The young leaders, wanted a "complete self-rule and without any compromise". The senior leaders were in favor of the "dominion status for India within the British rule".

The differences were swelling between moderate Gandhi and aggressive Subhash Chandra Bose. Subhash Chandra Bose defeated Pattabhi Sitaramayya, a presidential candidate, nominated by Gandhiji himself, but without any second thought he resigned from the party and formed the Forward Bloc in 1939.

During the Second World War in September, 1939, Subhash Chandra Bose decided to initiate a mass movement. He started uniting people from all over the country. There was a tremendous response to his call and the British promptly imprisoned him. In jail, he refused to accept food for around two weeks. When his health condition deteriorated, fearing violent reactions across the country, the authority put him under house-arrest.

During his house-arrest, in January, 1941, Netaji made a planned escape. He first went to Gomoh in Bihar and from there he went on to Peshawar (now, Pakistan). He finally reached Germany and met Hitler. Netaji had been living together with his wife Emilie Schenkl in Berlin. In 1943, Netaji left for south-east Asia and raised the army. The group was later named by Netaji, as the Indian National Army (INA).

During his sojourn to England, he met with the leaders of British Labor Party and political thinkers including Clement Attlee, Arthur Greenwood, Harold Laski, G.D.H. Cole, and Sir Stafford Cripps. Netaji also discussed with them about the future of India. It must also be noted that it was during the regime of the Labor Party (1945-1951), with Attlee as the Prime Minister, that India gained independence.

Although it was believed that Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose died in a plane crash, his body was never recovered. Too many theories have been put forward regarding his abrupt disappearance. The government of India set up a number of committees to investigate the case and come out with truth, none succeeded.


http://www.culturalindia.net