On a dog day..

The beggar was nondescript. The usual sunken face, musty odor, dressed in rags, hand-to-tummy gesture and a wailing baby in her arm, who she would probably pinch more often than she would feed. And today she was the subject of Sarguru Swamigal's sudden philanthropy. He worked at the Perumal temple down the road, where she would be present everyday at noontimes sharp, for her portion of free thayirsadam. She'd try and meet his eyes hopefully, when he saw him on his way out after work, but all she would receive usually was a customary tightening of his facial muscles, an aversion of his eyes and a general expression of distaste. So you can hardly blame her for her being taken aback when she received a whole 10 Rupees from him. She almost dropped the note and the baby, and forgot to thank him altogether, before blessing him with a long life and hundreds of heirs and what not, as was customary. It was just what the doctor ordered to fill her stomach with food and her mind with faith

As bewildering as his sudden benevolence seemed to her, It definitely was not random. You see, that morning, he had come across a dog relieving himself on his new moped's front wheel. He kicked the dog and stoned it, expressing his opinions on its mother's promiscuity. And the memories of this incident would not leave his thoughts, however hard he tried. He didn't think much of God, heaven or hell. But he wanted to even out his karma.

You know, just in case.

A Daughter's Father

All her life, her father had taught her that men and women are born equal. That there was nothing that she couldnt do if she wanted to. He had been there for her as she struggled through adolescence, a face full of freckles and braces. He brought her up with strong women leaders as role models and examples. He rubbished his wife, her mother, when she objected that he was raising a son in his daughter. She grew up just like he wished : Strong, independent and self confident. She was capable of standing up for herself wherever she went. He was immensely proud of the way she had turned out.


And now he speaks into the telephone, softly, almost whispering, so she wont overhear. "Yes, sambandhi. Of course. I understand. I will take care of the wedding expenses. I will also inquire about booking the car. And I will send a few more pictures of her. Yes, I will make sure that there is one of her wearing shorts. And one of her in a sari. Of course. Thank you very much."

What's your Emergency?

Her heart pounded, and her head spun. Her eyes darkened, and she could feel the bile rising in her throat. Every muscle in her body was trembling. Her knees felt shaky. She could not imagine such a situation happening to anyone on earth, even though the daily fare on offer in the papers and television was terrorism thayirsadam, corruption kaarakozhambu and politics poriyal. And yet, here it was, happening to her. She looked up at the heavens and screamed (mentally) in anguish "What have I done to you, that you're doing this to me??" She could not bear to look at the chaos and destruction around her. And the noise! The screaming! It filled her ears, with a ringing sound. She could not hear anything else, it surrounded her, overwhelmed her.

And then her instinct for survival kicked in. She could feel herself calming down, and she sat down on something. She felt herself thinking rationally. What must one do now? She reached out for her phone. Trying not to notice the trembling of her fingers, trying to compose herself, she dialed her emergency number, as if by instinct, having no trouble remembering the digits even in the face of such a catastrophe. And as the phone rang, her heart slowed, and she took a couple of deep, steadying breaths.

"Hi da kannu! How are you? How's the baby?"

"Amma, Please leave tomorrow and come. I need you here. I can't manage her. She never stops crying. I have no idea why!!"