Man, then and now

            (sentences shifted to the right  show the attitude of the present day man)
 In the  OLDEN  times man  stood on his own feet.
                     Now a days, man depends on others; in fact he prefers to boss over others.
Community feasts were common; an individual's problem was solved by the entire community.
                     Feasts are unheard of; individual is left to fend for himself.
 He never coveted others property.
                     He has become highly  avaricious. 
 He loved every one and was helpful to others.
                     He has no hesitation in living on others.
 He kept his doors open for guests and those who needed help.
                     He is highly self centered, discontented and jealous.
 He loved animals and birds.
                     He is overwhelmed with mental worries, diseases; has no time for others.
 He believed in hard work and shared facilities with others in the community. 
                     He has become mentally and physically too weak to care for others.
 

The real meaning of life

The three teenagers parked their limousine in front of the cafeteria at the foot of the hills. While admiring the scenic beauty around, they noticed an old person going up the hill carrying a huge log of wood  with a lot of ease.  The three were stunned by the sight. They entered the cafeteria commenting that the old man must be making a big fortune. After a hearty meal they came out and occupied the seats in the portico. They were surprised to see the same man coming down with a small package in hand. They called him and engaged him in a talk. The man was carrying wood to the temple on top of the hill  for a religious function and the authorities had given him a packet containing food for his family. His son and himself had to work to feed the family. As the son was sick, he was doing the work alone. The grand child would be awaiting the food and the man had to hurry back.

The three youngsters were drawn to tears. Born in rich families they were whiling away their time. They had spent around Rs.1500 for their little eats and drinks, whereas, at this ripe age the old man had to toil for a simple meal. You call it fate and go your way. Is this the right attitude?

The leader of the group pulled out a visiting card, gave it to the man and said:" Sir, we are from the next town. You have shown us the right path. My father has an industry near this place. Kindly go to this address. Your son and your good self will be employed there. No doubt, under your care your grand son will make it big. Please remember us and we will assist you in all ways.

He pulled out a thousand rupee note and thrust it into the man's hand. When the latter refused, the youngster replied," sir ,this is for teaching me the real meaning and value of life, which I have not learned from any university all these years".       

What a compensation?

Nature always compensates for any possible defect in the health of the people.

Thomas Alva Edison, Stephen Hawking, John Warcur Cornforth, Helen Keller... are some of the names that come to memory of persons who had some form of disability, but who were the torch bearers to the Society.

It is a big paradox that many persons on the earth, despite perfect health and comfortable life, are a big burden to the Society.   

Bickering at higher levels

One normally tends to think that bickering, sneaking and misunderstanding are the birthright of the lower mortals. No,it happens in the higher echelons too. Thomas Alva Edison and Nikole Tesla (each working in the field of electricity), towards the  eve of their career, were having bitter fights. They were not game enough for a joint Nobel award. Personal egos surfaced to establish their superiority and a lot of dirty linen was washed in public. All this could have been circumvented if each had respected the others knowledge and age and come down the ivory tower.  Giulio Natta and Karl Ziegler, both engaged in the field of polymers, had a similar experience. Each had made monumental contributions. A bit of misunderstanding arose between the two, but their story had a different end. They met, exchanged pleasantries and graciously received the coveted (joint) Nobel prize.

Unpleasant instances like this are not very uncommon. Wisdom and humility will make a very nice blend.      

when a thermometer broke,Indian industries lost heavily

For want of a nail a war was lost;so goes the tale. There are several real life stories to amplify this statement.Shall we apply this to a vast country like India?

India is very famous for natural lndigo production in the world and was earning a huge foreign exchange. Other countries were searching for an alternative.The German company BASF was the leader in synthetic dyes. A german scientist (Carl Hewmann,if I am right) was frantically working on coal tar for quite sometime but he was un successful. He was trying several additional chemicals but no expected/desired changes occurred. Dejected, he flung the thermo meter which landed in the reaction mixture. Ahoy! in a short time he saw the indigo blue bubbling up in the reactor vessel. The mercury from the broken thermometer had catalysed the reacion. Snthetic indigo was born and Indian industry had to draw shutters unable to compete with the cheap synthetic counterpart.

Piece of glass

                   

Joe Dillinger and his boys sat around the table,celebrating the rich haul of highly priced diamonds they had lifted from the Fremlins. Joe was holding the diamonds in his hand and caressing them.The table was stacked with scotch bottles and tall glasses loaded with ice.There was also a new brief case.

Suddenly the door opened with a bang. Guz, with his mean looking boys rushed in, their wuzzies ready to spray. "Hey Joe, pass all the stones or you will be plastered to the wall" shouted Guz. Joe stood up and answered without losing calm. " cool down Guz, all that we got was this leather case with bills.We were trying to locate the diamonds when we heard the squad car. The feds were closing in and we escaped through the fire escape. Thank our stars we made it in time". Guz was burning with anger. " So you messed up my plan.  I am taking 70% of the spoils as a warning". "No problem Guz, how about some drinks? said Joe". Refusing the offer, Guz x-rayed every thing in the room and having satisfied, himself, vanished with his lackeys.

Every one in the room heaved a sigh of relief. The boys turned to Joe and asked, " Hi boss, how did you manage to hide the stones?" Very cool and collected, Joe answered, " Find out for yourselves. They are just before your eyes".

Yes, where did the stones go? One of the glasses on the table hid the diamonds by masking them with crushed ice and whiskey. Joe had cleverly pulled a Houdini.  

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