Saturday, July 28, 2012

Nipped before they bloomed....

It is about two months since baby Mahi,trapped in a bore well near her house breathed her last.Media as expected slashed out at the delayed response by the police and civic authorities which is not condoned by us either.The child's parents must have experienced hell on earth, totally traumatised and shattered by the irreparable loss and the sudden jolt of ill-fated events.While our deepest sympathies go with them,there is also,very unfortunately a sense of seething anger against them.For,while the pit was very much near their residence,was dug by their landlord,had nothing to do with the civic authorities for them to come and close it in time(whether they will cover it in time even if they knew it earlier is a much debatable question altogether but my inner conscience says they will!),was it not their very very basic responsibility to ensure it is covered even with a concrete slab? Now is any amount of lamenting going to bring back the innocent little child,who deserved to live with us,but for the callousness of some people including her parents?
Contrarily the school which should assumably be a haven to children especially the naive,threw caution and conscience to the wind in the case of Sruthi who had a gory death after she fell from the floor of her school bus and was crushed under its wheels.It was only a matter of a few seconds before she was to get down and even waved at her mother ironically as though a good bye... Her father who ferried school children for a living in his autorickshaw,made sure he dropped all of them back home safely even as he gripped in a state of shock and stillness on hearing the fatal end of his beloved daughter.... paradoxical really. According to some reports,several representations were made to the school management earlier about the holes on the floor of the ill-fated bus but the authorities concerned simply washed their hands off the issue,with a devil-may-care attitude saying that the bus was hired on contract.Cruel.Reckless. The High court of Madras which had suo moto taken note of the incident directed the State Government to frame the draft rules within two weeks as the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles Rules had no provision with regard to maintenance, fitness and conditions for plying school buses. About the FC issued,the less said the better.
“Does it take much to prevent such incidents?” the Supreme Court asked in November 2009 directing the State governments to ensure that all abandoned borewells and tubewells were capped. Well we have had precedents and directions earlier....... These innocent children will haunt our thoughts for long and their innocent faces will ever remain etched in our memory.... Rest in peace Children.You are in safer hands. If you happen to visit us again here is assuring you that WE WILL KEEP YOU AND PROTECT YOU. The following encomium by my friend Amutha sums it all. குழந்தைகள் துர்மரணம் அடைய நேரிடும் பொழுது அவர்கள் மெள்ன விழிகள் கேட்கும் கடைசி கேள்வி உங்களையும் என்னையும் சமுதாயத்தையும் நோக்கியதாகத்தான் இருக்கிறது அது சொல்கிறது ஏன் ஏன் என்னைய ..?? நா என்ன தப்பு பண்ணினேன் அம்மு For the benefit of those who cannot read Thamizh,the gist of it is WHY ME? a question pitted against us...

Friday, March 23, 2012

She stole my heart.....




This is not a story!
When I was in class 12,my dad was transferred to Chennai from Tanjore.I was no longer a child,hence I instantly objected to changing schools often as I had already done 8 schools upto 11th std! I kicked up a racket but eventually gave heed and agreed to go with them as my parents were never comfortable putting me in a hostel.
Then I asked my dad if it was an all girls school,he affirmed.I was all the more annoyed as I had never gone to an all girls school till my 11th in tanjore,and had a miserable time trying to make friends! Nonetheless my dad coaxed me into saying yes.I don't know anybody there-was my next retort.He said I could make friends with Bujanga Rao uncle's daughter who was in the same class where I was supposed to join.How do I get to know Bujanga Rao uncle's daughter? was the next.....My dad, taken unawares looked at me for a moment and said,she has a mild polio attack.....she is a different child.
I stood still,I did not know how to react.

We met in school and became the best of friends.......our love for music and Ilayaraja strengthened the bond,we were always singing,more the merrier!

She was friendly,affectionate,loving,'advising'{should I mention? ever her indulgence!},sensitive {ok!please read as ultra sensitive!},annoying,'preaching'!{for hours},tolerant{to my nonsense!},snobbish,theatrical,clinically precise,brandish,silent,childish,ethereal,stormy,breezy,guileless,appealing,pragmatic,utopian...............

She stood first in class,and always nurtured a dream to become a doctor.In her own words-"When I was young I had a recurring dream. I thought I would if a dream be possible in this life, sit on a stool in India, and for as long as it took, administer polio drops to children here. I dreamt that I would become old and gray before all the children were protected, but the dream would indeed be then fulfilled!"

She became a doctor and specialised in Pediatrics later on.We moved on towards our respective pursuits but were always there for each other.Life I often think,has not been fair to many,one of them being my friend.She lost her dad when she was just 29.Uncle tripped down the stairs,was in coma for ten days before the family took the most difficult decision of taking him off the ventilators.
It was unimaginable.The trauma and the emptiness.She took it all.

She surged forward with an inherent incessant pain lingering,as though born for it.

My tryst with Dance began when I was 4,with many Schools,many masters,many gurus and one Dance form.For some strange reason the only School where I did not dance but sang 'pillalara.paapallara' along with some classmates,not too sure if 'she' sang too,was during my stint with her.
For her,life has been a constant battle,either official or emotional.Most times we have sailed in the same boat in as far as our relationships and the way we handled it were concerned.

AIDS-care,support and treatment became her forte and passion.She joined the TANSACS and after varied stints,rose up to become one of the Joint Directors,TANSACS.She walked with clutches,yet completely independent.She used to travel like 2000 kms in 3 days all by herself in her modified car.Her passion towards her profession is unparalleled.I often chide her for not giving herself the time that she richly deserved.She only smiles for a reply!
In the official front also life was not kind to her,as though being disabled was her will and choice.
Well,sometimes reality can be hard to digest.While her contractual obligation with TANSACS ended only in 2012 December,one fine day the leading dailies called for applications to fill up her post.She was shattered for a moment,but decided to take up the exams undeterred.She stood first,once again,not surprisingly!
But call it insensitivity or official apathy or whatever you may choose to use,her candidature was rejected quoting disability as the reason for the same.People chose to forget that it was the same person who put her heart and soul and all her time and gave it her best for the cause of AIDS and AIDS support especially for women and children during the past several years.
She has knocked at the court's doors and the rest of the story remains to be seen.....

Having a friend who is differently abled haunts you with many questions unanswered,smothering the heart.You find yourself wallowing in guilt and helplessness.It is a strange feeling where you are left with crying aloud within the four walls!

I find myself asking this question often.If I had something like a magic wand with which I could change just one thing in this birth,what would that be.Without an inkling of second thought I find praying hard for my friend to be normal like you and me.Each time I have a performance and I have to get on to the stage to dance,Iam clouded with emotions.If I could walk,run and dance,why not my friend? what was it that made our two lives too very different.Why did not God be fair or seen to be fair if He ever existed?

And now why add insult to injury when she had absolutely no qualms about anything.All that she wanted now was do what she loved the best.AIDS related,help and support.How can fate be so cruel that she has to wait with bated breath and sit in solace due to official insolence?
hmmm some mysteries remain unfolded.I only hope there is something better coming up her way.I find it really difficult to cope with it when she says she is depressed.Nothing was her fault after all.
To me............................
SHE IS LIKE THE YIN AND YANG,IN DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM!
A MULTI -TASKER,CONFIDENCE PERSONIFIED.
I have not known anybody who will both shower encomiums and stab with words uninhibitedly!
Nor have a known anybody who handles both social writing and amorous poetry with deftness and great elan!
She has an undaunting zest for life and can give the best singers a run for their money!
Well life is a gift and there is no rewind button even in God's hands!
Hopes and love to this indomitable spirit.....here you go...love you loads!

Some of you might want to know her name.....it is just as beautiful as she.
AISWARYA.