Tuesday, September 7, 2010

OPPORTUNITIES



My interactions with a young lady who invariably by default misses out on opportunties that come her way, resulted in this blog. She is a vibrant girl endowed with pleasant qualities, who is a tad shy and a little held back to notice and pursue opportunities that come her way, for fear of perhaps not being worthy of an opportunity or could it be fear of realizing an opportunity, as opposed to actually craving for an opportunity. A lot of people feel this way and miss out on opportunties, that they later wish had grabbed.


Observations can be from a physical perspective, you observe people, places and things around you. Observations can also be from an emotional, spiritual and intellectual level. You are able to ‘sense’ the mood of a person at an emotional level. You are able to sense what is required of you and take decisions at an intellectual level. Observations made at an emotional and spiritual level can actually make you identify opportunities. Its like a treasure hunt game. A group of kids are given hints and clues to find a treasure that is hidden and following the clues and overcoming small hurdles, a child wins the treasure. I used to love ‘observing’ my daughter’s friends play this game during a get together, when she was at school. The game was indeed an opportunity to win a prize. The clues and hints were directions to reach that prize. There would be hurdles to meet but it didn’t matter to them. The kids would be so very enthusiastic in making discoveries related to the clues and become more and more excited when they were closer to the treasure.


Opportunities come in disguises. Sometimes they are hidden. They come in form of clues and subtle directions and hints. It could be in the form of an article you read that motivates you to make a wise choice, or an inspirational message that would enable you to work on a difficult relationship, or something a friend suggested that would change your life in ways you never imagined, perhaps an advertisement for a better job you apply for that could give you a career you wished for, or to join a class to improve your artistic or technical skill, perhaps some social service to serve the needy or an opportunity to travel and visit a place you wanted. It could be well, anything, that you actually want to positively attract into your life. If you silence all your negative emotions, self pitying attitude, you are attracting energies that make you conscious of so many opportunities that come your way.

Opportunties and hurdles are the two sides of the same coin. Whenever there is an opportunity, hurdles and setbacks are bound to arise alongside, in unpredictable ways that demotivates you from realizing your opportunity. What if you always knew you there were two paths to a destination, a muddy path and a path with full of stones. You rather balance and walk on the stones than to walk through a muddy path and let mud splash on your shoes and clothes. Muddy paths prevent you from taking the path, thinking ‘Oh I can’t tread that way’. Thats like saying nevermind, forget the opportunity. I’ll see next time. If you were to focus on the opportunity, then there is definitely a stony path, you can cross and certainly reach your destination. Fearlessly grab the opportunity. There is always a way, for those who believe, who don’t want to give up. Its your attitude how you decide to handle and deal with what comes your way.

Who said life was easy? But nothing is impossible for person who looks for blessings that come in guise of opportunties. I think my friend is slowly deciding to take the stony road….

Saturday, July 24, 2010

ASSUMPTIONS


Isn't it funny how we are motivated to assume certain things, only later to feel silly or suprised even to know the assumption about someone or something or a situation was totally baseless.

Three weeks ago, the white mother cat who permanently resides in the building where I stay, her good health maintained with sufficient food from the garbage containers surprised us with a new introduction - a small white kitten, her very own baby. She guarded the kitten with her life, sneering at anyone who came near her. She made the first floor a semi-permanent abode for herself and her baby. The looked lovely together. We grew visually fond of the kitten, well emotionally too! Sometimes the kitten was left on its own and the mother would go in search for food to return to the baby. A week ago, I made a ball with crumpled newspaper and threw it towards the kitten who played with it all day delightfully. It was fun watching the little one in action totally occupied with playing with the ball with its paws. At the end of the day, it was tired and slept for a long time. The next day, the white cat was there, but no kitten and it meowed away each time it saw us, much to mine, my husband's and my concern. We felt sorry for the mother cat and wondered about the kitten. I felt the cat was asking for our help or intervention.

We suspected of foul play. Maybe a tom cat might have eaten the kitten. Maybe the caretaker of the building got rid of the kitten to avoid cat litter on every floor. As we speculated with more possibilities, our curiosity and concern couldn't be contained. My husband enquired with the caretaker who assured us the mother and baby were in the front wing, much to our surprise. Then why was the white cat crying on our floor all alone and where was the baby? My son went into the next wing and found the mother and baby on the first floor there and returned to us to share the good news. Then who was this white cat on our floor that was wailing? Upon careful observation, it was another white cat, whose face and size was different from the mother cat with the kitten. It probably was meowing away each time it saw us, with its tail lifted to 90 degrees, demanding attention and a possible acceptance. Just an over friendly cat who wanted some food. It was a territorial arrangement. When this new cat has made our wing its home, the mother cat and its baby made the next wing their home.

A simple true story to highlight the numerous assumptions we tend to make in our life about people, situations and in my case even animals! Whenever we assume, we are actually gathering mentally all the physical evidence, various possibilities, reflecting on past experiences and even input from friends and family. Infact we are subconciously being cautious. We do tend to think of the worst before we come to a decision. Most of our apprehensions and assumptions are due to our inner fears and a reluctance to patiently find out the truth.

Sometimes assumption can prove true when it stems from inner gut feeling. Its natural to assume especially if you are constantly habituated to do so, but don't advertise your assumptions with friends and family especially if you are not sure or your assumptions are baseless. Assumptions can become a platform to catapult to rumours. When a new employee joins a company, people make their own assumptions about that person before getting to know the person well. In Kerala, people make horrible assumptions of divorced women. When a child is naughty or an older child is being difficult, its assumed his friends are having a bad influence on the child. When we are introduced to a new friend, we make our own assumptions about that person. Assumptions can attribute to ruining someone's reputation, cost someone's job, cause conflicts in relationships and even spread unrest and even panic. How terrible!

We should never make an important decision and judgement listening to other's assumptions, unless you are sure what they are saying has substantial evidence or reason. Common sense, patience and an open mind coupled with some investigation and research and introspection can throw light on the truth you didn't know.

Next time, think - if its an assumption or truly an intuition being guided by an inner voice. Either way, you will come to know.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

EATING RIGHT FOR GOOD HEALTH


The other day I happened to watch a programme in which a doctor was speaking on certain simple things one can do to be healthy. I don't know the name of the programme. I just came across it while clicking away from one channel to another.

An interesting thing he said was people who consume non-veg take in quite a quantity of meat, fish, chicken etc. in a week. Actually a person need only take a maximum of 700 gms of meat, fish, chicken in a week and not more. We are not built to consume and digest large quantities of meat. Meat items can produce cancer causing agents when cooked at high temperatures such as frying, baking, barbecueing. It is also said that meat consumed everday, upon digestion can create cancer causing agents. Make it a point to have lots of vegetables and fruits in your daily diet. They do you a whole lot of good. If you are worried about your protein intake, legumes and dals and mushrooms are a good source. Consuming wheat and brown rice not only gives you the energy from carbohydrates but gives you the fibre as well. The most easily available fruits like apple, banana and orange in your daily diet will pep you up and give you vital nutrients as well. The green leafy vegetables are definite must in your diet. Fried foods are best avoided. Milk and yoghurt are excellent sources of protein. You can choose to consume skim milk and low fat yoghurt if you want to avoid the fat content in it.

It is pleasurable to consume food that is 'tasty'. But before you cook at home, buy food or order food in a restaurant or invite guests over, be caring towards yourself, family and friends, and choose to prepare/consume food that is rich in protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and which is low in fat and sugar. If you have healthy and low calorie meal, you can actually feel energised and alert and comfortable whereas if you were to consume a high calore meal, high in fat and sugar, you end up feeling sluggish and sleepy and your mind would be in no condition to perform its optimum.

Stay away from processed, ready to heat and eat foods, foods with additives and preservations, packeted juices, chips and soft drinks.

A change in lifestyle and food choices can alter your health to a large extent, with an exercise regimen of atleast two hours per week, be it walking or a combination of cardio, yoga and aerobics, whatever you please. To kick start your day, have a good breakfast.

Eat right and feel good, feel healthy!

Saturday, April 10, 2010

PINEAPPLE ORANGE BANANA SMOOTHIE


I love smoothies. There is choice of adding yoghurt when you make smoothies. Now the one I am going to share doesnot require yoghurt so that you can enjoy the natural flavours of pineapple, orange and banana. It's so simple that you can even entrust this job to a 10 year old, ofcourse preferably under your supervision as it requires using a blender.

PINEAPPLE ORANGE BANANA SMOOTHIE

Ingredients for 2 glasses:
- 3 slices of pineapple (1/2 inch thick) choppped
- juice of 1 orange
- little sugar for taste (dieters can avoid sugar)
- 1 ripe banana (Morris in Kerala and Chiquita in Gulf)
- half a glass of milk
- 1 cardamon
- 1/4 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

Blend pineapple pieces using half cup to 3/4 cup water, adding juice of 1 orange and little sugar. Blend well. Check for sweetness and adjust as per your wish. I add very little sugar. It should be thick. Keep the liquid aside. Put the peeled and diced banana, milk, cardamon seeds and vanilla essence and blend well. Take a tall glass and pour the banana and milk that was blended, half way up the glass and pour pineapple-orange blend on the top of this to reach almost up to the top. Don't be in a rush. Find a comfortable place to relax and enjoy every sip of your smoothie.

THE HAPPIEST PEOPLE


I came across a nice quote the other day, 'The happiest people donot necessarily have the best of all. They simply appreciate what they find on their way'.

Interesting huh? And yes, how true, if you were to just ponder a little more... A lot of times, it is believed that if we bought a new gadget or a new outfit or expensive car or built your dream house, it would give you the much anticipated happiness. One gets used to material things. And you are after for more. You now own this gadget and the excitement and thrill you felt on the first and second day doesnot exist after a few months. Infact, you come to hear and see of better and more sophisticated and affordable gadgets in the market. And lo! wish you waited and bought this new one. A new outfit, something you wear a few times and it just becomes an addition in your existing wardrobe and you are on the look out for a better looking outfit that could define you amidst a crowd. You spend a huge amount of money on building this dream mansion or house and if you don't have a pleasant or compatible relationship with the members of the household, whats the point in living in this beautiful house, which is not really a home due to all the conflicts.

If the prospect of the chase after material objects became less of a concern and if one's energies were concentrated in the simple things in life, its certain one would feel lighter and more happier. If time is taken to just observe and appreciate all your blessings, to pay importance to your loved ones and give them your time, and support, appreciate your morning tea or coffee, the food on the table, to speak gently and kindly, to do one good deed for someone everday, to talk to your parents, your spouse, your children and spend quality time with them, will give immense joy.
Making time to meet up with your friends which your busy schedule prevents you from. All this will give immense happiness. Happiness that material objects cannot give.

It shouldn't matter if your neighbour or cousin has a better car, or better furniture or earns a bigger salary or their children get higher grades in class. Does it bother when you look at the perfect physique of your favourite actor or even your friend or colleague and it disappoints you that your physique is no where near that? You can water your own grass and keep it green. Maybe you have a smaller car or use the public transport system, furniture thats 10 years old. Well so what? Maybe your child is not brilliant in maths or his marks are in the 60's. But does that cause a lot of unhappiness? Then you should see physically handicapped people who perhaps can never climb a bus or drive a car, people who live in homes with hardly any furniture, people who are displaced in war torn areas who live in tents, children who are austistic or mentally retarded who can never go to a regular school. Eating right and exercising maynot give you a perfect figure like you see of models in magazines, but it sure will keep you healthy. A person suffering from cancer or Aids wouldn't be interested in physical beauty, he or she would only be praying and wishing hard to recover miraculously from the illness.

Appreciate all the little good that come in the way. Living simple and being grateful for all the blessings and not bitter and depressed about what you don't have in life, can contribute to the experience of happiness in a way that would change your life for the better.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

FLAVOURS OF INDIA

Flavours of India aired on Kairali T.V. by Lakshmi Nair is not just about regional cooking but an educational travelogue that takes the viewer on a splended journey to places a lot many people from Kerala have only heard of. Lakshmi's tour of Goa reminded me of a time when I worked in an office that had quite a number of Goan ladies working. The Chicken Xacuti, sorpotel, the fish curry brought back beautiful memories. I had made these dishes about 20 years ago! And to watch these recipes shown by Lakshmi, made me want to try them out again. About 25 years ago, I had visited Goa with my husband and the best thing I enjoyed there was the beaches and the food! Ofcourse the Goa today is developed into a much more attractive place for tourists. The Goans like Keralites tend to use a lot of coconut in their cookery and also love fish curry and rice. I enjoyed the beaches of Goa that was telecast and the shacks with restaurants that was a such a visual treat. Having tried a huge variety of Goan food, I do recommend those aspiring to visit Goa to try out all the authentic Goan cuisine. Goans tend to use vinegar in their meat and chicken that adds zest to the delicous food that they prepare. Their sweets require elaborate efforts but are worth it. Goans love food and cooking it and serving guests. There was never a dull moment in any Goan party I had attended.


I am enjoying the rest of the travelogue where Laskshmi took the viewers to the Konkan coast, introducing us to Ratnagiri, Ganapathy Pulay, and the interesting Malwani cookery. It was truly exciting to watch the strawberry farms in Mahabaleshwar enroute to Panchgani. I too wondered whether the Californian 35 rs. strawberry sapling would grow in warm weather of Kerala. When I went to Munnar a couple of years back, I looked around for strawberry farms, but couldnt locate one, but Iam certain that there are strawberry farms in Munnar. The high altitude and the cold weather would be so conducive for growing strawberries there. So seeing this huge strawberry farm in Lakshmi's travelogue, at Mahabaleshwar was amazing. The baskets of freshly plucked strawberries in the market was absolutely a treat to see. I was telling my husband, we must go to Mahabaleshwar. Ofcourse beside the strawberry farms, Mahabaleshwar is a lovely hill station that is a total delight to any tourist who is contemplating on which place to visit during a vacation.


Another exciting thing was to see a demonstration of authentic Marathi cookery at Amaya restaurant in Bandra east. In Kerala, there are hardly any restaurants that serve Marathi cuisine except for a few snacks like pav bhaji, sev puri, bhel puri and papdi chat. Oh, interestingly, the boli that is served in Trivandrum, at the end of 'sadyas' during marriages or functions, is a famous sweet in Maharashtra also.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

SILENCE HAS ITS OWN VOICE

A close friend of mine shared a profound statement in her recent mail ‘Silence has a voice of its own’. This prompted me to write a blog on Silence.
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Yes, silence has a voice of its own. Different kinds of voices…. Silence between two people after an argument or fight can be hurting, each looking forward for the other to end the silence. Silence after a physical, psychological, or emotional violence can be scary and tormenting for the victim as in that silence the victim relives that violence and has hundreds of thoughts that question the higher power and yearn for justice and contemplate on various actions to take.

Silence between two people in love can be divine, as they experience bliss even in the unsaid. Silence exercised by a child who is punished or abused is a period when permanent scars are taking shape, teaching he child the cruelties imposed by adults. Silence between friends or family members separated by distance and work load hardly qualifies for being misunderstood and they begin to accept the reason for silence, mentally looking forward for noise/sounds/words to replace that silence.

In silence, a thousand thoughts can run like wild horses creating noise, raising dust and storm in the mind. Silence, then again, to a loner is ecstasy. He revels in the silent joy of his own company perhaps travelling, reading, contemplating, learning, exploring. Much can be accomplished in silence. In the dark silence of a mother’s womb, a baby grows and she and her husband wait eagerly to see their precious child. During old age, even the most talkative person experiences pain in silence, resulting from loneliness, lack of deserving love and attention from his child.

When we escape from the world of noise, words and actions and look at nature silently, we learn a lot from elements of nature and become aware of its grandeur, ponder in awe of its mysteries, wonder about creation and the creator. For an artist who paints, silence is invigorating as he sits and paints various forms of life real or abstract. For the hearing impaired or the deaf, his whole being experiences this world through silence. In silence, one goes on a world tour through past, present and into the future in the journey of his mind.
In meditation, one can silence the busy mind, vanquishing thoughts, bringing it to a state of calm and tranquility. In silence, men make great decisions. In conflict resolution, silence doesnot mean weakness. It is potent with huge strength of mind. Silence is a spiritual teacher, with a voice of its own.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Global Recession

I recently went to visit Dubai for 3 days and its a beautiful city with breathtaking blend of the east and west. I was told that about 2 lakh Indians from the Emirates (UAE, including Dubai) left behind a lot of their belongings and even expensive cars and returned to India due to losing their jobs. In my one and half months in Kuwait on my recent visit, the recession is what everyone is disturbed by and talking about.
Today's society is a consumer based society where aggressive marketing and advertisements lead consumers to buy more, spend more on truly what they donot really need. To build a financial back up or support to fall back on during crisis like this is a must. Consumers are advised by Financial Analysts to be careful with the spending and to buy or spend on what is only needed .
The current unemployment is at a 25 year high and stocks have plunged 12 year low. If companies focused on job retention, this can mute unemployment growth. Business Analysts are of the hope that economic growth should pick up by 2010 and gradually improve by 2013. U.S. predicts that the economy would recover in five years. Thats a long time for people facing unemployment providing them with hardly any consolation. One can only hope the economic recession would not worsen as people fear a severe deterioration in the labour market.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

BEGGAR TALES

BEGGAR TALES

Beggary has been abolished in Kerala or so I believed until I see some beggars bold enough to challenge the law against beggary, loitering in front of temples, road sides, railway station, and even cinema theatres premises are’nt free of them, although the number of beggars seen compared to earlier years have decreased tremendously.


Three years ago, I saw a congregation of beggars in Ochira open temple premises. There were rows and rows of them. As we toured the open temple premises, a beggar lady foretold my mother in law, while she was looking up at a huge tree, that her prayers for her father would be heard and that he would be saved by God from the grave illness he was suffering, much to mine and my mother in law’s shock. I hadn’t known some beggars can be clairvoyant!. My mother in law distributed lots of one rupee coins to lots of beggars. They seemed to be in some sort of trance. They cast a glance at the act of offering and turned their faces away as if lost and disconnected from the very world we are consumed by.


After visiting the beautiful Suchindram temple in 1998, we (my husband, myself, and my two children) got in the taxi we were travelling in at around 7pm. It was quite dark outside. A beggar came and knocked on the window and my husband gave him one rupee. Suddenly, from nowhere, like a swarm of bees, a swarm of beggars crowded around the car banging the car, a gesture conveying an earnest request for money. The vehicle began to shake. The taxi driver, without running into any of the beggars managed to get his car out of the grave situation and sped away. Did he know stunt driving? I never asked!


In 2006, we visited the famed Padmanabapuram Palace. After the visit as we exited, we were greeted by a little beggar girl child. I guessed her age to be five or six. She had brown unkempt hair. One would pay at the beauty parlour a couple of thousand rupees for such a hair colour. It looked more presentably unkempt than a rock star’s hair which he would have paid quite a sum to get the ‘umkempt’ look for a concert. She had a brand new aluminium coated begging bowl which was empty. She thrust the begging bowl in front of me without a sound. I told her, “Little children should not beg.” ‘You should be going to school’. She didn’t respond to my statement. Instead, she appeared determined in her mission. Her mother wearing unwashed torn saree with dishelved hair stood a few metres away observing with a baby in her arms, besides two tiny kids on her either side clutching at her saree. The older daughter chosen to be the bread winner. I placed a rupee in her begging bowl lest she is scolded or beaten for not trying hard enough.


Last week, my friends and I went to Sree threatre in Thampanoor for a movie. As we stood for the ticket counter to open, the crowd began to grow, some standing, some sitting on the steps. Everyone’s attention shifted to a lean tall old man clothes in utter rags, the stentch that emanated from him clung in the air. He had a cloth bag hanging behind him from his right shoulder. He was going from person to person shockingly with a long razor blade used in barber shops for shaving and pointing the razor blade and demanding money, not begging! I was even more shocked to see smiles on people’s faces and each one readily handing over coins. My pupils widened when I saw, the next ritual. He, upon taking the coin from a person, moved the razor blade in a slow motion across the shoulder or face or body of the person he took money from. Where was the security? Well, the security at first tried to usher him away, but upon seeing the razor blade, slowly went inside the theatre and closed the glass door and the ticket counter was yet to open. People could have gathered and rid the beggar from the premises, but nobody seemed to be affected or maybe they were and they turned a blind eye. Finally the razor blade beggar left, sparing a few of us including my friends and me. The ticket counter opened, we bought the tickets and watched yet another Shafi time pass entertainer called ‘Lollipop’.


It was around 3.30pm, outside LIC building Pattom, where a huge amount of children assemble after school to catch buses to go home. ‘Aunty, aunty’…and I turn back. ‘Aunty, could you give me 5 rs?” asks a young healthy school going boy of around 12, from a nearby school of repute. ‘For what?’ I asked. ‘I don’t have money to go home by bus’. ‘Really?”, ‘Yes, I forgot to take money when I left home this money’. Ignoring his plea, I crossed the road, went up to Spencers, just across. While coming out after shopping, I saw the same boy with a few friends eating snacks at the Ambrosia outlet outside Spencers. I was surprised at the skillful art of beggary practiced by a child of middle class affluent!


In place of the Big Bazar in Kesavadapuram, was a non functioning theatre called Kalpana when I relocated to Trivandrum in 2005. Next to that was Ambrosia restaurant, youngsters and working class would frequent as their evening snacks were and are quite irresistible. A young beggar lady in her late teens or early twenties with baby in arms was trying to catch every passerby’s attention and no one seemed to be responding. As I exited from Ambrosia after picking up a few snacks, she caught my attention. ‘Give me money…I have a baby…I haven’t eaten, my baby is sick.’ I told her ‘Why don’t you find some work to do instead of begging on the streets. You look healthy and capable of working.’ To which she said, ‘Yes, I will work, will you give me work?. Can I work in your house?’ ‘I don’t need a maid right now’ I replied. ‘No one will give me work, that’s why I have to beg’, she said. I parted handing over a 20 rupee note and I told her its getting late for a young girl like her to be standing there. ‘I have been through so much, Iam not afraid anymore’, she said.

Friday, January 16, 2009

ELEVATOR TALES

Elevators beside being a mode of transporation from floor to floor in high rise and low rise buildings, one cannot fail but notice a number of funny, interesting and even strange events associated with the elevators.


In the building where I stay, travelling in the elevator floor to floor, blocking the elevator at various floors is a fascinating game for a group of kids when perhaps they are bored of all other games or are in a mood for what seems to them an exciting adventure. Their pleasure trips come to an abrupt end each time an adult would suspect them of misusing the elevator and remind them to play outside the building, much to the caretaker’s relief as he becomes a victim to their merciless teasing to which actually he holds no complaints for he comforts himself that ‘they are children’.


Maid servants who are new to the building contemplate seriously whether to be safe than sorry by taking the good old stairs or take the elevator despite their phobia of the elevator that may take them to unknown floors and their virtual fear of then being lost. ‘I want to go to the 11th floor, could you press the right button for me’. ‘Iam so scared, maybe I should take the stairs…’ they go. Once they know their way about and around, they travel confidently to the respective floor with a special pride on their face to be working for what they believe to be a special or important person in the building. Some of them will have ‘Iam proud and fortunate to be working for Mamooty’ or ‘Maharaja of Travancore’ look on their face.


Then there are faces you will meet in the elevator that makes you absolutely cheerful, a familiar face, a face of a happy-go-lucky neighbour, a friend, a chattering neighbour or even a neighbour with a sweet disposition. A warm smile or a hello or a few pleasantaries can be the birth of a new friendship or make you feel exuberant. Cheerfulness is contagious.


Then you meet certain people in the lift who are amusingly self absorbed in their outer appearance, concentrating on the large mirror in the lift, until he or she reaches his destination, arranging their hair, looking closely at their faces and attire as if they were going for a photo shoot. And you wonder, what exactly is he or she admiring about although it really isn’t anyone’s business.


Some people upon entering the lift are preoccupied with their mobile asif all of a sudden they received a flurry of messages on their mobile, the moment they stepped in.

I cannot help wonder at people who keep grim faced and seem overburdened with life’s problems thus prohibiting them from smiling or interacting. If they can’t manage something as simple and uncomplicated as a smile, how do they manage their life?

One also cannot avoid the hoity-poity or those who imagine to be too elite to smile or talk to those who donot belong in their delusionary circle of the affluent. Perhaps they are unware of the saying ‘Here today, gone tomorrow’ or is it ‘Hair today, gone tomorrow’. Reminds me how I was blessed with thick tresses of healthy hair once upon a time, and now they are gone.

Sometimes you get to share the lift with very rugged looking person(s), who is perhaps not a visitor or relative, tenant or Owner, but could be a labourer or worker, and you are relieved when you reach your floor, only to realize, he is getting off there to join other labourers in some wood work or some repair in a flat next to yours. Then you are totally relieved.

One should be careful while entering the lift, you would enter greeting this known face in the lift, only to be jolted when the lift door bangs into you from either side while the other person looks on perplexed unable to extend a helping hand. ‘Are you alright? you are asked. ‘Iam alright, but not my box of cakes.’