Finding you a job is my job…

One afternoon I was woken up by the telephone bell. In this mobile era, the land line ringing has become a rarity.

Kids were away in school which left me even more surprised. Some of their friends preferred the land line to the mobile. More out of curiosity, I picked the receiver up and a hoarse ‘hello’ escaped from my surprised being.

"Hello," said the sweet, yet smart voice on the other end. "Hello," I repeated, this time trying to be sweet.

"Ma'am, this call could change your career path and give you the best options to choose from," said the voice on the other end.

"May I know your name please," I asked, trying to be polite. 

"Oh sorry ma'am, this side is Akash, may I know who is on that side?" he was polite and courteous.

I told him my name and he continued. 
"Ma'am, I am talking on behalf of Maple Jobs and we offer about 150 job related services. We are the only firm offering our client the best of job services and we charge you very less as compared other job service providers," he completed.

The devil in me was taking shape. It was a rather boring afternoon and the call could provide some entertainment for me and some experience for the youngster on the other end. I decided to follow his trail.

"What are the services that you offer?" I asked in a rather formal tone.

Akash was happy that he was given the opportunity to talk and it showed. Beginning from merely displaying my resume on their website to actually making my resume look like  they truly had a plethora of services. Many of those, I thought, may be like some of the buttons on your household appliances, not meant to be used!

I had a few doubts, which he clarified to the best of information available with him. After a brief pause, he thanked me for the time and asked me if I was interested in availing any of the services offered by them.

The call was coming to a logical conclusion and it was time to ask him one more question.

“Where did you get my number from?” I asked him.

“It is available in our database. We have a database that we receive from our head office and it is passed on to us,” he explained.

“Who gives numbers of people to your head office?” I enquired.

“Ma'am, I will not be able to answer this question. Your number appeared in my task list and I called,” he said gingerly.

I sensed the tension building in his voice and finally decided to thank him for the kind call.

“Will you be using our services, Ma'am?” he was curious.

"Your number appeared in my task list"

“You may not be able to find me the right job, son,” I said, by now wondering about these youngsters, whose job, it has become to find meaningful jobs for their co-humans.

“Let me try, Ma'am, give me a chance,” he pleaded.

“Let me see what I can do for you. I My son’s friend wanted a job,” I relented finally.
It was time for my grandchildren to return from school and I had to end the call.

“Every wasted call is an experience gained,” I wanted to tell him before he slammed the phone down, more out of frustration than anger.

Sita – The graceful power…

Any great epic that has withstood the test of time, always has something to offer, every time you read it. Ramayana is no exception to this.

What is most appealing about Sita’s character is the grace behind her power.

As a child she was found abandoned by the King of Mithila. Hence she was also known as Maithili. Sita grew up to be both beautiful and physically strong. 

 Once she picked up a bow that was very heavy with nonchalance! On seeing this her foster father decided to find the right match for her. During her swayamvar, where a girl finds her future husband, many Kings and warriors found it difficult to lift the bow that Sita had lifted when she was only a child!

Her loyalty towards her husband defined the person that she was all through her life. As a young bride she would have dreamt of being by the side of her husband as Queen of Ayodhya. But what was in store for her was the life of a nomad, wandering with her husband and his younger brother through the scary landscape of unknown terrains and finally even being kidnapped by a demon.

Her loyalty towards her husband defined the person that she was...

Apart from the one moment that she asked her husband to go after the beautiful deer, not knowing that it was a demon in disguise, Sita exhibited utmost grace and dignity. Throughout her stay in the forest she endured hardships and served her husband sincerely.

One would only expect a woman who has undergone such hardships to brazen up, lose her kindness and become bitter. On the contrary, Sita remained the epitome of virtues and high ideals.

When Hanuman came to meet her, she could have urged him to take her with him. Instead she told Hanuman to bring Lord Rama and his army to help the many women in Ravana’s prison, whose conditions were worse than hers.

This act of Sita’s can be termed as women’s liberation in the true sense.

Lonely Reflections

She sat there, atop a single pole

Alone, but not lonely.

She seemed to be in a deep thought

Reflecting upon the hard battles fought! 

 

Reflecting upon the hard battles fought!

Life, from a bird’s eye view

Is not what it seems to you...

The bird has its business to mind

Food for her babies, she must find.

The bird has its business to mind...

It may seem like she is all free

To roam the blue sky in merry

For she is nothing more than a bird.

Wait, until her voice, you have heard! 

Author's note:

It is easy to assume that  only the most successful people face difficult situations. But in reality, ever body's situation is equally tough. If you are successful, you may want to be happier. If you are a very happy person, you may want to be more successful. 

When we see the birds fly up in the air, we feel that they are happy and have no responsibility. 

Their seemingly carefree journey, may be filled with challenges that they know best. To assume that the others lead cushy lives while all trouble has descended upon us is a fallacy. In reality, as much as we are aware of our problems, we are unaware of the others' problems!