'Shoulder Saroja !'

I met Saroja aunty in the neighborhood.
She was in severe pain.


Not because her son left to the U.S of A.(She is an emotional person,no doubt.) This time it was more because her shoulder pain.


She was talking with her neighbour Lalitha ,when I met her.

Did you imagine Saroja aunty like this?
I'm sorry!
BTW,she cannot take her hand like that now.
Can you?

I enquired,"How are you aunty?Has your son left ?"


"Yes sweety. He left yesterday."


I smiled at Lalitha .She returned the courtesy and left ,promising aunty to meet her in the evening.They watch the serials together.Sorry,cry together!(I never get the hang of this.)


 "Why are you in so much pain? Is it because your son has left?He had come for his holidays and you knew he had to go back to join his job."


"No sweety,it is not about that."aunty said.


"Then?",I enquired.


"My left shoulder is paining a lot.I am not able to do much with it.
I have to call uncle repeatedly to help me.I have never done so even in our younger days.
I feel very bad.
Have I become that old sweety?"


"No aunty.Don't worry.
Did you see the orthopedics doctor?"


"I told uncle about this .He enquired from his 'walking friends'.They had told him that the doctor will move the hand forcefully and it will be very painful.So, we dropped the option.


I am not able to bear pain like before.More so, after Raja left to the U.S.
I think my loneliness could have aggravated this."


Just as we were talking, uncle came back from his evening walk.


"Hello uncle."


"Hello sweety."


"How are you uncle?You look fit."


"Yes, all thanks to my morning and evening walks.I keep telling aunty to accompany me atleast once a day.But, she always has something else more important to do.Like seeing T.V.serials.


I feel that if she would have gone on walks regularly, she would not have landed herself in this shoulder pain problem."


"Shoulder pain has nothing to do with walking.We walk with our legs and where do we move our shoulders when we walk.
Moreover, I keep walking the whole day at home.So much of work to be taken care of.
What more walking do I need?"


"Aunty, walking inside the house and going for walks are two different things.I will tell you about this a little later."


"See I told you",uncle teased her.


"You mean to say that I got my shoulder pain because I dind't go on walks?"


"This is partially true.
Actually what happens is: when we don't do a few movements with certain muscles or joints,they start to become hard and immovable in those positions ."I said.


"What are you saying?I do all the work at home .Then I should be doing all the movements in my body."


"It is not like that aunty.
We used to sit on the floor everyday to have our meal, when I was a kid.But, now-a-days we sit on the dining table.Sitting down with folded legs has become so difficult."


"Yes. Right.I feel difficult when I sit for long poojas. I seem to concentrate more on my leg pain than the mantras now-a-days",said uncle.


"That is because we have not trained our leg for that movement for quite some time.It has lost touch of that movement."


"Then how do we remind it?"


"We have to take care to remind it everyday atlest once by doing almost all the movements of all the joints."


"How do we know what are all those movements in each joint?"


"There are physiotherapists and orthopedicians to help you with that aunty."

The love spot!

"Do you mean to say that Saroja's shoulder pain can also be cured like that?"


"Yes.But, it will take sometime and it needs regular exercise to her shoulder."


"Then will I get alright?I won't need any injections or medicines?"


"That depends on how stiff your shoulder has become,how much you exercise it and how much you can move it still."


I told you to do regular exercise.If you would have joined me in my walks you would not have suffered this much."


"Uncle is right to an extent but, just walking could not have averted this problem.She has to do regular movements to her shoulder too, to avoid worsening this."


"Will you have the time to help me out of this pain?I am scared to go to anyone else.You know me best."


"Ok.But, promise me you will start going on walks with uncle whenever possible."


"I promise. But, when can we start with my shoulder?It is paining me a lot."


"Take a pain killer at the moment.Don't worry .
We will meet tomorrow at my clinic."


Uncle said worriedly,"Thank you very much.
Aunty started getting nightmares because of this pain.She thought she is going to loose her hand .She started to behave more like a psycho than a person with pain."


"Don't make fun of me.You will understand only if you had such a crippling pain."


"Now, are you cursing me?"


"You are never taking care of any of my pains.You have always been like that."


"What a liar!"


I let the elderly couple enjoy their fight by themselves.
I left the place after I shouted out a bye to each of them.


 They were so engrossed in their fight that...
But, I knew aunty and uncle will be there in my clinic tomorrow.


So long guys!

'made with each other'

I have a friend who is a news reporter.He always has something sizzling.
This time it was an interview taken a couple of days back.

It was an interview with two young girls named Leela and Sheela .

"Hey Leela,how are you today?"asked Sheela.

"I am fine.but, I am a bit worried about what our teacher thinks of us."said Leela.

"Just dont worry Leela.She would have freaked out when she was young. She is old now.So, she has comfortably forgot her past",said Sheela.

"What you say might be right.But, what she says matters to us,cause she may inform our parents about all the mischief we do in school.I think we should behave ourselves",cautioned Leela.

"I dont care. I want to do what I want.We will face it when it comes",said Sheela carelessly.

"Please Sheela,dont say that.I am scared of Mrs.Rosy",shivered Leela.

Leela pleading with Sheela went on for sometime before both came to a consensus.

I asked my friend,"What is so great about this dialogue.This happens in all households where one kid is sweet as candy and the other is a monkey.Oh,come on, Give me better news."

Wait don't be in a hurry.Now look at this picture before you say anything further.

"Wow, what is this?Have you started tutorials for  computer graphics?Good job man."

"No.No.Don't be in a hurry again.This is no computer graphics.It is a photo of Leela and Sheela.
they are called conjoined twins.
They were born together as twins but, a part of their scull and brain are fused.All conjoined twins who are born like them ,share a few or many of the body organs."

Out of curiosity I asked,"Can't they be surgically seperated?"

"Most of the times ,it is a highly risky prospect and one or both of the kids could die.So, doctors don't recommend surgery for such kids.

Now you know the reason Leela was pleading with Riny to behave himself.They can never do anything in their lives without the other twin's agreement."


Can we even imagine this?

Daisy and Violet Hilton

Living with a controlling spouse is enough frustration.Then think...

Abigail and Brittany joined at the neck.
They have three hands and three legs.

There were one such twins named Daisy and Violet Hilton who were born in England in 1908.They were joined at the hip.They lived till they were 69 years old.

"Living in the situation is enough trouble but, what happens when one of the twin dies?Sorry,but I just got curious",I said

"In the case of the Hiltons ,Daisy passed away almost 3 days earlier to Violet.It is said they died of hong kong flu.
                                                     But, what went through her mind those three days?Any guesses?

Snippet 3

Once a rich,city-bred man saw a person in humble clothes, sitting outside a shrine,silently for long.


At the end of an hour , a monk from within the shrine served food to the person.


The man was intrigued by these happenings.He believed that everyone should be worth the food he eats.
He could contain himself no more.
Quick to react, he asked the monk ,"Does this person outside do any work at the shrine?"


"No",said the monk.


The man became angry."Then why do you feed him free of cost.You must be stupid to do so."


The monk listened to him patiently and said, "Watch the person till nightfall and tell me what you feel?"


So,the man positioned himself at a distance from that person and watched him till nightfall.
During the day,he tried to talk to the person but,received no reply.


The man was infuriated."I am such a big man in society.There are hundreds of people waiting for my appointment. No-one dares to ignore me.Either you must be out of your mind or-else you must be deaf and dumb."saying so, he went back to his post and continued watching the person.


The monk at the shrine,who had been noticing all this,summoned the man and asked him,"What do you think of the person outside the shrine now?"


"I still feel he is a total waste and such lazy people should not be encouraged",said the man.

'Silence is golden'

Now, the monk said,"He is the chief priest of the shrine.
He teaches people about the importance of silence.


I have been watching your activities from the morning.You have called me a 'stupid'.
You have called our teacher  'a total waste',lazy man','mad man' and what not.


All this harsh and impulsive behavior has earned you no goodness or peace.
So, follow the path of silence whenever you can and you will be closer to God everyday.


Realizing his folly, he asked for forgiveness from the monk and the chief priest and set out on his way.


He was a changed man now.


All his ego had melted away and he decided to talk only when it is absolutely necessary.

Short story-'Working deliveries'

Rabi and Sanya were a working couple.They were holding good positions in their respective offices.They not only cherished the monetary benefit that it brought them but, also the power and respect it gave them.


Everything seemed fine till sanya got pregnant.It was an unexpected pregnancy and sanya did not want to have the child.


Both rabi and sanya's parents promised to help them in bringing up the child.Though, half-heartedly, Sanya agreed to have the kid , she was concerned about her career .She managed to attend office till the due date.Finally, she delivered the baby.


It was a baby boy and they named him Kalil.


Sanya was back to office once her maternity holidays were over and Kalil was handed over to Sanya's parents.

Kalil grew up with his parents' parents-sometimes Sanya's sometimes Rabi's.Though Kalil was not lonely,he always missed his parents.But, his parents were very busy with their careers and were left with no energy for him in the evenings.


Days rolled by and Kalil grew up .


Rabi and Sanya had always bought him the finest of toys and clothes.He studied in the best school in town.
So, as usual they admitted him into one of the finest colleges.


By the time Kalil finished college, his grandparents had passed away one after the other.


It was time for Rabi's retirment too.He thought,"I can relax now,after all the years of toiling."


But, we cannot decide our fate.


Kalil fell in love with a girl named Banu,in college, and soon they got married.


Both Kalil and Banu were top ranking students so, they were selected into prime companies for employment.Their offices were close to each other,so Kalil dropped her at office everyday.


By this time,Sanya had retired from service.She was at home and so, she took it upon herself to run the house.Rabi also pitched in,now and then, to help her.


One night when Rabi and Sanya were alone,Rabi asked,"What about our world trip plans?We have retired,our son earns well and we have a sound finance now.Why don't we talk about this to Kalil?"


To this Sanya retorted,"How can we go?Both of them go for jobs and we are left to do all the care- taking of the house.Sometimes, I think we should move out and stay alone.Then we can go ahead with all our plans."


Meanwhile,Banu became pregnant and she delivered a beautiful baby girl on the due date .Three months flew away so fast and again it was time for Banu to join office.


Sanya and Rabi were more worried than happy,about their grand-daughter.


 Sanya told Rabi," If Banu joins office, bringing up the child will become our responsibility.We are weak now and taking care of an infant calls for lot of work.I am scared that Kalil will expect us to help them grow the child."Saying so, Sanya began to cry.


Rabi was scared too but, they were defenceless against their son.They had left him with Sanya's parents when he was just an infant.Sanya or Rabi had not shown interest in playing or talking to Kalil.


They were more into driving their careers up the charts and had not bothered about their relationship with their son, which was going down the drain.


With these thoughts Sanya and Rabi went to sleep.


It was the next day and all of them were having their breakfast.
Kalil began to speak."Mom and Dad,we wanted to tell you both about a decision we have taken."


Just as Kalil said this, all the thoughts of the previous night rushed through the minds of Sanya and Rabi.


Kalil continued,"Banu and I think it is more important that she takes care of the child, than earn money, at this juncture. If she joins office now,she will have to sacrifice all her precious time with the child.
I don't want my child to suffer like how I did.I missed dad and you in all the confusing and difficult stages as a child.


                         Secondly,dad and you are old now.You sometimes find it difficult to manage the household.We don't want to burden you additionally by asking you both to attend to our child.
I have seen how many difficulties my grandparents went through to take care of me. I don't want you to suffer in the same way."


Sanya and Rabi felt very guilty for having been very selfish in their life and for having been indifferent to the hardships of their parents and of Kalil.They realized their mistake ,when they are at the same threshold of life as their parents had been, years back.


They were very proud of their son for being sensitive of their plight.But, they cannot give back all the yester years in his life ,which he has lost,missing them.


But, they can surely do something and thats what they did.
They decided to stall all plans for their world trip.


They will stay with Kalil and his family and give them all the time and support that they had missed to give him before.


Medical note:

 According to developmental neurology(a science that studies the growth of a child), a mother should  take care of her child till it is 5 years old or atleast till it is 3 years old.This helps to give a strong physical and mental basis for the child for the rest of its life.It will also give a strong bonding between the mother and child.


The emotional component of a child is as important as its body.So,spending time to help the child grow emotionally is equally important spending time to help him grow physically. It is not very difficult-just listen to the child and believe in him.

Sorry! Mother

Splashing down the window pane

and lashing down memory's lane.

A powerful force of nature's.

It nurtures and tortures.

It cradles great seas and oceans,

It nourishes expanses of amazons

But,when its pouring out its wrath?

What a devastating aftermath?

What was the anger?

The sounds of cries,to this day,linger.

Creating nightmares ,leaving

child-folk sparsely with teddy bears.

Making lonely souls and empty bowls.

Why mother nature,you are punishing us?

When we reach out ,will you forgive us?

You have now pushed us to the brink ,

We have no option, but to think.

What salvaging we can do?

For forgiveness we ask-'would you'?

Oedipus and Electra

I went for a stroll in the park.There I eavesdropped on a conversation between three friends.

Sorry ,but the topic was scandalous!This is what I heard:

"Oedipus and electra?
Who are they?
Lovers?
Brother and sister?"asked 'A' in total curiosity.

"Well, all you said are almost right"said 'C'

How can that be?lovers and siblings?any new sex club?asked 'B'

'C' was already laughing heartily hearing 'A' and 'B' guessing.
He could hear no more.
"Come on guys,give me a break.These are names of a boy and a girl, from ancient Greece."

'A' was intrigued,"from when have you started relishing history books?I thought you were into medicine."

'A' said ,"This is science.Now, listen:

Oedipus is the name of a boy who, according to Greek mythology, unknowingly killed his father and married his mother. "

A real freak,said 'B'.

"According to science, each young boy in his adolescence, symbolically relives the Oedipus drama. He has cravings for his mother and views his father as a hated rival."

"Hey,don't say that. I love my parents." intruded 'A'

"Yes,your are right. But , all these feelings occur because of certain necessary chemicals in our body called hormones."

"So, the hormone guy is the villain?"said 'A'.It gave him some relief.

"Even though the father is considered a rival, the boy also fears his father , as a result he represses his sexual desire for his mother .Eventually if all goes well, the boy identifies with the father and comes to have harmless affection for the mother."

Both 'A' and 'B' let out a big sigh of relief.

'B' was quick to ask,"Does all this happen to only we boys?Do girls go scott-free?"

"No.The Electra complex is the female counterpart. It is based on the view that each girl wants to possess her father and replace her mother."

"Real bitches!"they sang in chorus.

Felt like seeing an aborigine movie.I could not hear anymore.I was sweating profusely.so, I left the place silently.

There is so much I have to know about my body,I thought.

Go to think of it, like 'C' said ,this is a normal growing process.It happens to all, knowingly or unknowingly ,in different degrees.

It happens mainly in a person's adolescence but, it may extend beyond that phase ,for a few.So, a bit of caution has to be applied.

My God!They don't say adolescence is a difficult period for nothing.

Thank goodness, I have grown up now.