Of Warranties and Guarantees

My English vocabulary is not versatile enough to differentiate between a warranty and a guarantee. I look into my dictionary." a warranty is a guarantee given to the buyer." I wondered "What then could be a guarantee?" " a formal promise that a thing is of specified quality and durability"  the scholarly book said so. If so what is the need for a warranty at all? I am a common lay person and tend to believe in the spoken words  on a purchase rather than the minuscule lettering on the guarantee  and warranty card  stamped and sealed and given in the 'royally' embossed envelope of the store!

"Mam....If there is any problem with the stove  please bring it straight to the shop or if you call up this number the company rep would come to your place to set it right"

We bought an induction stove and this type of  noble guarantee indeed over whelmed us and were back at home as  highly satisfied customer! At this juncture  I remembered this great saying of Gandhiji which I read somewhere :

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider of our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

Unfortunately this ideal guarantee was put to test within 10 days of its existence when the stove bonked!  I was extremely happy when I met my sales girl right as I entered the shop and explained the problem with the induction stove.

Her demeanour  changed right away."You cannot bring this here." was her curt reply.

"But you instructed us to bring it to your show room if ever there is a problem and your place is closest to my house."

"I never said that" She was emphatic.

 I gaped at her in disbelief!

What both of us heard ten days back is right royally denied!

Either to conceal her folly or as a peace offering to my opened mouth expression of disbelief, she asked me to contact the  toll free  number  and concerned person  would come home to do the needful.

But  I never thought the number would lead me to the  modern ethos of merry go round if ever a complaint had to be made!

This merry go round rotates like this:

Dial the  toll free number and  a sweet voice wishes you profusely and tells how happy and jolly it was to have you as the customer.

"Oh jolly good..... I am in collusion with an exemplary service provider!" I  float  around!

But there ended the alpha and omega of this  impressive reception!

The voice then  goes into the robotic mode wherein your linguistic talent  is verified by pressing the buttons one two three and so on.  You obey. With another voice announcing about a queue  making you listen to a unknown western music tune intercepted by queue status ! You hold on  till the voice of your preferred language come into the fore.  After listening to your crisis and the request to send someone home to repair the said item the voice said

"You have to take it to the repair centre mam..... No one will come home you have to take it to the repair centre."

I reprimanded the sales girl with Jim Carey's movie title  'Liar Liar'! "

The voice gave me the address. "Can you give your name for reference?"

"Not necessary mam..... this number would suffrice."

That was the last words from the most insensitive customer service gang.

Here is another episode for you:

"Just a few months back I bought this phone....  now it has a mind of its own and keeps cutting me off without any warning."  I called a well-known superstore, my regular supplier of white goods.

"I am really sorry mam.... but that is how  things are.....Use and throw  is the norm."

I think of the  days when the phone used to be  an immovable property like your  easy chair,  alarm piece, radio etc. and served for generations!!

I felt like throwing the thing at the shop man.... but at least he had the courtesy to  reply me.

This is a narrative as told by an acquaintance of mine. The children who are settled abroad wanted to keep their mother comfortable and happy in Chennai and whenever there was visit to the native land they made it a point to replace the old gadgets with the latest ones and this time it happened to be a 40" TV. For the mother it didn't matter at all. She belonged to the bunch of level headed oldies who would vouch that  a Benz car or an Ambassador car didn't make any difference at all as long as it served its purpose. One day as she was watching her beloved programme  in the new TV there was a big thud and the TV conked off. She tried to call the shop but since the whole show of complaint had gone robotic and an assured a ride in the merry go round her feeble efforts to find a solution was in vain.

At the end it turned out the tube had burst and there was no guarantee for it!

"Let this sleeping dog sleep till it's owners come back to sort out the issue"  She told herself and happily shifted to her old TV  enjoying life contentedly!

 More than the savvy new technology her old nerves  needed the rest sans the pressure dealt out by bothersome system.

The sudden failure of the RO plant at a crucial juncture of seasonal congregation at my home compelled me to take a ride in the free merry go round amusement again.

The voice calmly asks you if the machine  was under AMC.  Baffled by this abbreviation you whimper. It elaborates and clears my ignorance as Annual Maintenance Contract

 And the voice continued " In its absence you have to pay for the repair and replacements...."

And the  estimated amount was equal to half of the purchase price!

With an angry note I disconnect and go in search of that precious AMC and lo and behold it was sitting in the file hale and healthy!

After the repetition of the whole formula the voice at last acknowledged my precious paper and said "Yes mam..... please note down your specific complaint number and your call will be attended to within 24 hours and as an added assurance said " In case your call is not attended you are welcome to make a toll free call referring  to this complaint number. Thanks for calling us. Always at your service."

"My left foot toe....." I cursed.  Do you need any more annoyance for the day?! As if the 24 hour period  was not enough the voice had the audacity to suggest that I can go for one more of free merry go rounds as a big bonus!!

"May I know your name please? In case I want to call you.."

"No need mam........ this complaint number will suffice."

Nice escape route..... With nil name you are caught up in  the merry go round trap eternally!

"Is the company going to pay for the  quality water for multiple purpose of cooking and drinking  for these two days to a house full of foreign guests?!

Like Francis Thompson in his poem “Hound of Heaven” says “ ………if the pulp is so bitter how can the rind be tasted” , if I, a lady with common sense intact with a workable tolerance level couldn't manage how do you expect lesser ones to deal with these multifarious problems?!

"You are all negative. Are there no positive points in the whole system?" I can hear you chastising me. I am indeed a fair minded person and please continue.

The other day one of the girls from my old organisation came home for a visit with her family. They wanted to get our blessings as their son is appearing for his first government exam. As we were talking she thanked me for the mixer we gave on the occasion of her wedding.

"It still works beautifully mam....."

My goodness! After fifteen years! Those must be the days when companies manufactured their gadgets to high standards instead of the modern trend of sub-contracting  them to other nations less bothered about the quality of product sent to an under developed country like India!

'Use and Throw' is the name of the game!

Here is a 'piece de resistance'  I am offering you as a good positive person.

One day we met one of our close relative and  during the course of the conversation he mentioned about a clock which his dad bought in 1960.

"You know Magi .....my dad would not allow anyone to wind the clock till the day he became very sick. From then on it became my sacred duty! 

" Are you holding the guarantee paper still?" I wondered

This versatile man who could take  a car apart and redo it to perfection laughed. " It is written down on its face Magi."

 I was bewildered! Can you ever believe that a clock is given a guarantee period of  50 years and what sort audacity the company should possess  (on its quality) to exhibit the  guarantee right  on the  face!!!?

 I equate this with our  modern day guarantee cards with incomprehensible miniscule letterings and 'conditions apply' secret appendage  never to be known to us , the ignorant lot!

Even after 60 years the old grand dame is ticking well!! And  as a reverence to  the real meaning of the word guarantee  I am happy to make the proud owner and his clock the hero and heroine of my blog!

More of Roots

While my sojourn at my elementary school was like a cool breeze  the entry into the new girls' high school was process of  'blow hot and blow cold'!

For one thing the segregation by colour code  was visible in the day to day activities of this school. Everything being equal  the class pupil leader was invariably the fair and lovely one and the squads within the class holding the name of great Indian heroines  Chandbibi,  Padmini,  Damayanthi and Razia had few leaders as gratis with no so fair complexion!!

The new school was overflowing  with plenty of rich and fair females waiting in the anvil to partake in  any sort of entertainment programme and the competition even among  them to participate was immense! Hence, we the not so fair and financially unwilling pariah  group, took a disappointing back seat and sometimes like the substitutes in the cricket  game rehearsed for the shows 'just in case' someone fell sick. Till the last moment we were in a perennial dilemma of  whether we are 'to be or not to be'!

This was in stark contrast to my elementary school where participation in  performances was taken for granted! And the teachers cared a hoot regarding refined costume code very precious to the nuns of the new school!

 However this sort of situation  had  its own advantages and took me in the other direction. In the early fifties the United Nations Organisation was in the nascent stage and the nuns wanted the students to know about this global peace movement. With this aim in mind  they wanted a large map for the school depicting all the 50 odd participating nations. While creating a map of desired size  is a child's play with today's  digital technology it was a Herculean task then.

The quality conscious nuns left no stone unturned once they decided to create one! With lot of engineering skill a world map was drawn on a white cloth as long as the hall and the member countries of UN were also sketched to perfection. The nuns involved an enthusiastic  group including me as their helpers.

 Since the member nations of the UN had to be distinguished, the big task of choosing colour threads of various combinations and varied stitches were discussed in detail . We the unskilled workers threaded the required colours  while the nuns ardently involved themselves into the labourious process of  hand embroidery!!  The names of the stitches they pronounced  bewildered me! Till that day I knew just the single stitch mother made for darning our torn clothes! Like the litany they recited every day by heart   cross stitch,  back stitch, herring bone stitch, feather stitch, arrow stitch, cable stitch, fern stitch, French knot, Danish knot and  knotted button hole  flew out of those nuns' nimble hands decorating and honouring each nation! Our  enthusiasm  knew no bound. If any VIP from the great UNO witnessed this mammoth work they would have definitely conferred the nuns with a special award!

With great fanfare the map was unfurled and fixed at a large wooden board. The competitions were many starting with identifying nations in the shortest possible time  by using a small stick and never ever touching the beautiful map! We also drew the flags of the member nations with colour pencils and enacted small skits on each nation creating their national attire with our limited resources! Our music teacher even composed a Tamil song elucidating  this ideologistic body and with great gusto and we sang it to our hearts' content. (I have produced part of the song in the Tamil blog) I immersed myself in these activities and winning one or two prizes multiplied my joy!

Being a catholic was a very difficult task in the assemblage of nuns  bent upon making a great saints of us! Every Friday evening it was mandatory for the catholic girls to go for confession to the nearby cathedral under the supervision  of a nun who put  the fear of hell rather than the love of God into our system. With a  longing to go back home once I told her that I don't have any sin for the week. She was taken aback by this statement. She gathered the whole herd and made me stand in the front and declared aloud "Here is a girl who says that she hasn't committed any sin in the week. What reward do you suggest can be given to her?"  No one opened their mouth lest this double edged sword holding lady would also take them to task !.

She looked around "So none of you have any suggestions for an award?'

The lady folded her hands and bowed her head turning toward me in mock reverence!

" Yes sister.."  It was indeed an unanimous chorus!!

" In that case I have a great idea. Let us go in to the altar of St. Joseph, the patron saint of our school, and remove his statue and in his place we will install our local saint."

The sarcastic comment with a lot of clapping from her and the subservient crowd made me hang my head down and from then on I decided to go into a mathematical table mode and replicated the same variety of sins to the priest in the weekly confession!!

 The high school system then had eleven standards called SSLC  when I appeared for the government exam. Unlike today where promotion from one class to the other is mandatory , the schools had the right to retain the  non performing students in the same class even for years together. And the nuns being nuns followed this rule to the word and might have  had a sadistic  pleasure  in the process!

The half yearly exam was the deciding factor for the SSLC students and the schools had the privilege to bar the students from appearing for the government exam . Since the nuns  wanted a great academic name for the school there was no hesitation to hold back the students  even if they had failed by a single mark in any one subject!!

After the Christmas and New Year festivity the somber event of meeting the headmistress on a one to one basis for the selection process began  as the school reopened. The alphabetical call started in right earnest and the girls who reentered the class had either with a scholarly smile or a sad cry. I was stressed.  Maths was my Achilles heel as was my dad's. The man would be happy if  he witnessed  pass mark in that subject in my report cards!  Now my worry was what if I had failed in the subject  the headmistress would not hesitate to hold me back. Appearing for October exam would be a shame.

Eventually it was my turn for the inevitable. Shivering inside out I stood before her  and evinced undue enthusiasm in wishing her Good morning.

"How have you done your math exam?" was her stern reply to my morning wish!

" Magie you are gone..' trumpeted my heart

"Sister I have done well sister......" Feeble was a word too feeble to say!

She looked into my eye and unsmilingly said" What are you planning ?"

"Sister I am going to do my teacher's training." And as an add on continued "I would love to serve my alma mater."

I thought it was a smart  enough  statement! The love for my alma mater would have soothed her enough to give me the required selection!!

"Go call your sister at once." commanded the lady in blue.

Now we go into another story. My elder sister after finishing her teacher's training  was teaching in my school.  But for my grandfather who hated girls education my sister with her great love for

 math would have easily gone to college. You see, genes differ within the family!!

She was engrossed in her math class when I signaled her to come out.

"Sister wants to see you."

She knew the selection process was on.

"Why is she calling me? Have you failed in math?"

I was on the verge of crying. I was shivering. I couldn't reply. I was gripping her hand tight.

"Good morning sister."

"Good morning  Josephine...... "

"Sister if she has failed in math  I would make sure that she doesn't fail in the public exam. I will definitely coach her well ..." A good defender indeed!

"She is ok with her maths......"

That solitary statement made life flow back unto me!!

"But your sister doesn't seem to have any ambition. She says she wants to do her secondary grade training! Make sure that she goes to college. Will you"?

"Yes sister...... I will talk to my parents in this regard.."

But I was disappointed. My sister who had done her teacher's training at Trichy had eulogised about the place and it's great Rock Fort so much that I wanted to go there. Added to that she seemed to have  enjoyed her week end stays at my maternal uncle house with the cousins, a lovable lot. And one more attraction was the long train journey from Kumbakonam to Trichy!

 If I were to go to college Kumbakonam possessed the famous 'Cambridge of South India' and I would not be able to step out of this ....... place.

To cut the long story short I was sent to college and am proud to say  I was the pioneer female graduate for my village and the community and with sacrifices of my parents and siblings became the first post graduate too!!

Often I thankfully think of the  stern lady in blue, Sr. Emerence, and my dear sister Josephine  for putting sense into my childish brain at the right moment!

Roots

During the summer holidays when cousins get together in the grandparents' village house,  cousins from the town, speak sky high of the place they come unmindful of their aching country cousins. The way those people  glorified  their adventures on the beach, made our escapades in our village tank melt into thin air and the longing to be closer to the beach multiplied .

After we settled down in life and moved to the state capital city of Chennai, with the second longest beach line  in the world,  it was taken for granted  till the time someone came from the village to arouse our interest in the beach again!!

The story I am going to tell you has a lot of similarity to the above . One of my close friends living in America for many years had the urge to visit his native land and wanted to reminisce his childhood days at his school. When I read his blog about his elementary school   the desire within me was kindled about my own school. Why haven't I  ever thought of my school? I have blogged about US, Italy and even Russia but how can I ever forget my elementary school which presented me with delightful carefree days!

These LKG and UKG factors were unknown then and  we children went straight for first standard.

Being a school in a small town, the villagers around brought their children to our school.

In those days a birth certificate or an income certificate or a caste certificate for that matter was unheard of  and it was not even obligatory that the parents should come for the admission. A  grandfather or  a representative of an illiterate family normally an educated friend  would suffice for the occasion. 

The conversation during admission time would go in this fashion:

" Sir.. can you give me your grandson's age please?"

The man already in awe of the school ambience would scratch his head.

" Sir....... my son got married when the great festival which happened in our place  once in twelve years. And since there was no issue after the first year of marriage we took both of them on a pilgrim to various temples which proved to be a fruitless effort. Four years had passed and one of relatives suggested that we go to Thirupathi, where  the powerful God of seven hills resides. It was indeed  quite far off  from our village. In spite of the distance, we travelled for three days and offered a prayer to the Lord in His sanctum sanctorum and requested him to give us a boon of a boy and as a return offering  we promised to come again with the baby  to  shave our heads lock stock and barrel. The Lord was kind enough to bless my son with this boy. So dear sir..... this little one should  be around five or six."

A story worthy of publishing was gifted to the teacher!

And the teacher metamorphosed into an astrologer and fixed the birth date of the child and sometimes into a priest too when the name sounded awkward and baptised them with new ones!!

After the summer holidays we returned to school. Our first standard teacher was there to welcome us. Usually there were no chairs or benches for our  class. As we were frolicking on the floor our teacher said

" Children can you sit properly and cross your hands towards the legs?"

" Yes sir...."

" Good... good..... now can you hold your toes with your hands.... You should hold it very tight"

Our teacher demonstrated the process and we happily followed him.

Just then the second standard teacher came into our class and both the teachers exchanged a sly smile!

"Now we are going to the second standard." they announced in a chorus.

As we were wondering how on earth we are going to the second standard in this posture the teachers came near Anand, alphabetically the first person in the class and putting their hands around his arm pit lifted him off to the next class.  Our promotion thus happened in this beautiful fashion of a human palanquin!!

We were in for a disappointment when we anticipated a similar  ride the next year too. The teachers just asked us to run as a group to the next standard!

 Third standard was an altogether a different experience in that we got double promotion. Apart from the normal one from a lower class to the upper one  we moved to a class with long cement benches around the room. Hey.....  squatting on the floor had become a bygone era!!

While we had a very pleasant experience with the teachers so far the third standard teacher was another kettle of  fish!

His powerful cane did most of the talking! There was a boy in our class called Victor, the mischievous of the lot, a truant to the core. His day was not done if he had not tasted the sting of the teacher’s cane. Atrocious punishments  were meted out to him like standing with one leg and holding the other leg up with a hand . We girls made doubly sure that we were always in the good books of this notorious man.

During the rainy season the school ground would be filled with fragrant brown little flowers (Mahizhampoo in Tamil). In spite of a good drenching my friend Saraswathi and I would pick up plenty of those flowers  and using a needle and thread which I brought from home on the sly we made long strings by putting the needle through the hole in the middle of the flower (Unlike flowers like jasmine which could be tied with thread these flowers are so tiny that they go by needle and thread only.) We enjoyed the fragrance which would last for three days!      

Little Flower elementary school was a coeducation till the fifth standard after which I moved to St. Joseph's girls school while the boys continued and move to high school. When I was studying there I got a good news from my old school. The principal of the high school once visited the elementary school it seemed  and entered third standard and  asked them questions in Maths and English and there was a boy who was ready with an answer for all his queries. The man was so thrilled with his intelligence that he took the boy to the high school and admitted him in first form!! (now called sixth standard). I was very proud of the news since he was my younger brother!!( That there was a problem regarding age as he reached SSLC and sorting it out was another cup of tea!)

A historical event took place when I was at school. On 26thof January 1950 our country became a republic and the patriotic and cultured place of  Kumbakonam left no stone unturned to make it a grand occasion. From our school we had prepared for two dances relating to the Indian republic. It was to take place in the town hall. Our teacher Arokiasamy was the uncrowned leader of music and dance around the place and in the evening after the school would take us to his house which was nearby and his wife always welcomed us with fried ground nuts and helped in perfecting our performance too!

On that day of celebration  we walked with our teacher who first took us to a hotel, indeed a revelation in a land  of 'JUST HOUSE FOOD AND NOTHING ELSE'! The snacks were so tasty that we were imitating  a cow chewing the cud !!

 The patriotic fervour was running high in those days and it was no surprise that after some months it was followed  a singing competition on the songs of great patriotic Tamil poet  Bharathiar  for the elementary school children of the town. And of course our teacher was among the first few who  consented to participate in the event.

 Two students from each school could participate in the competition And it was taking place in a school called Saraswathi Patasala  (patasala is school).

On the day of the event our teacher took me and another girl but the biggest disappoint was  that there was no stoppage at the hotel and it was straight to the venue.

 The competition began in right earnest. As I had already told you that the town of Kumbakonam was a highly cultured one and the students who took part were adept at singing since most of them were learning Carnatic music at home!! They sat down in the proper pose and keeping the rhythmic beat with their right hand started singing!! Watching this new phenomena both of us were awe struck,  shivering in our shoes!!  My friend was very definite that she would not participate and feigned giddiness to convince the teacher!

I was cursing my teacher. When the whole lot was singing to a system I would be just the one to do it differently. I remembered the circus we used to attend in the grounds opposite to this school where the trapeze  artists enthralled us with their skillful performance  and the clown came in between with his silly frolics! I imagined the singers as those  great artists and I as the clowning brat!

Yes, my name was called. I climbed the stage in a daze. Luckily no one was asking me  if I was going to sit for the song.  As the teacher had taught me I started my song standing up and with great emotional zeal dancing like monkey!!

After the incredulous show I stuck myself closest to the teacher. Holding his with my shivering hand I asked

"Shall we go home?"

"Let us wait for the results" he said

His greediness was indeed sky high!

The announcement came at last

" Kamalini of Banadurai school gets the first prize." Heavy claps filled the hall.

And then it was followed by second and third prizes.

"And there is a candidate  who sang and danced."

I was literally sinking unto the earth.... What sort of rebuke  was I going to get amidst this  large crowd  for defying the rules?

"If  Bharathi the great poet is here today he would have sung it like this little girl...... dancing and emoting and never ever sitting down. The spirit of Bharathi was very well brought out by her. And so the special prize from the judges goes to Margaret Rosario of Little Flower school!

My teacher lifted me up to the stage and for the second time I was into a daze 0n the stage!

Gold That Went for Education

"Mam, just now I received the message. Got a girl baby."

I congratulated him but keeping in mind the Indian preference for a male child I asked him "Are you happy?"

"Male or female, no regrets madam." he replied. But I don't understand  the Indian mentality of amassing gold for the female child. While equal educational opportunity was generously provided for me and my sisters, the acquisition of gold started in right earnest from day be it the naming ceremony, around the age of seven 'lamp lighting ceremony', and a grand one when the girl comes of age. All these functions are just the pretext for the collection the precious metal. Would you believe that they are  named Thangam and Kanchana (implying gold)? Even our sweet nothing words when we cuddle the baby goes "my gold..... my diamond..... and so on ." My colleague really wondered!

'Gold consumption' is part of India's culture and tradition and the country is the world's largest consumer of gold, followed by China. It is a universal phenomenon across income classes.

Indian households hold 24,000 tonnes of gold which represents 11% of the global stock and according to year 2012 valuation worth more than $1.6 trillion!

Has the booming Indian literacy rate  brought about a change in the  Indian attitude?

Not an inch!! The highly literate  state of  Kerala in India is the largest consumer of gold!

But this unparalleled  asset is just a perceived or notional one in the sense that the households refuse to part with even a gram of it  for any necessity or any other kind of profitable investments!

It is presumed to be a real fall in the status of a family if gold items are sold.

A newly married man was discussing with  his wife  about buying a plot which was coming cheap through a known source and asked her if she could give some of her jewels. He continued that  along with his savings  they could buy the place for themselves and the plot could be registered in her name. He also promised that they could buy  ornaments with new designs  with his future savings. But what happened in the process was a big jolt to the man.

The whole family from her mother's side were up in arms against the poor chap!

"Did we give the jewels for our daughter for you to dispose them for your whims and fancies? What happens to the prestige of our family if she goes  to the temples, functions and weddings bare necked empty handed? If she does not wear all the sixty sovereigns  she would be laughing stock of the whole family. Beg borrow or steal we don't care but never ever touch our girl's jewel."

This unanticipated assault threw the boy off his balance and that was the day when he promised to himself never ever to open his mouth regarding her jewels. That plot  today is a  large three floor apartment worth multifold of all her gold possessions and  no one really knows if the girl is remorse about her  erroneous judgment and the dead assets she guards with her life!

 When a grandmother asked her grandchild what would she do when she died  anticipating an emotional reply the girl cooed  "In that case grandma, can I have your gold necklace studded with diamonds and the matching bangles?"

The thirst for gold I think  is very much in our genes!

Our mother used to tell us this funny story. When she got married and went with her husband to a village where he was the headmaster of a middle school  the ladies were in awe to see her wearing gold bangles. In that village it seemed ladies wore only glass bangles however rich they were. They believed that  since hands were often used  the wear and tear of the gold would be heavy and thus a waste of the precious metal!  But the craze for a gold ornament in their hands on the great occasion of their wedding was too tempting for the brides to be of the village that my mother was hesitantly approached for her gold bangles for the occasion, which of course she  generously parted with.  What started as a  diffident request gained the status of a custom and  my mother's bangles became the mandatory adornment  for all the village weddings!

When we were young our numerous maternal uncles got married and the brides  came in with plenty of gold jewelry. During family functions and weddings they would  deck us with fancy hairdo with plenty of  jasmines  and adorn us with one of their gold necklaces.  With the gold adorning our necks we felt like princesses for the occasion and our happiness index was at its zenith for the day! In our big family of six girls it was impossible for our mother to deck all of us with gold!

When  I got married and landed in dear old Calcutta in the late sixties I was surprised to see girls with  empty necks  and unpierced ears  which was unheard of in the Tamilian circle.  

"What a wonderful freedom these Bengali girls enjoy?" I mused

As youngsters whenever we went  out to play mother's routine advice was " Take care of the ear stud, tighten the screws." We accepted her advice just at the face value and  the occurrence of  loss was inevitable in the family of six daughters! And there would be general ban on outdoor games for the whole lot of girls at least for a few days while the boys were scot free to enjoy their evenings as usual. In this wonderful land of Bengal I was determined to give my little  daughter this beautiful freedom which was beyond my reach!

When we came back to dear old Madras with our seven year old daughter's unpierced ears  it was indeed  a scandal and the goldsmith was ordered to come  home and the piercing ceremony took place without the usual fanfare!!

While gold was harsh on some people like the newly married man in our narration gold in our house had a entirely different role to play! All of a sudden my mother's chain would be missing from her neck. When enquired she would say it had gone to school. Her statement baffled us at our childhood about the sort of school the jewels would go  our youth taught us  that the jewels were pawned for some urgency what with  six girls and four boys  in various stages of academics and marriageable age !

Our parents of the lower middle class were idealists who believed in giving good education to all their children without  sex bias. But this decision kept them in ever present monetary pressure which they bore with great equanimity! 

Even today  I remember this incident vividly since it happened in my life when I was in a prestigious college in Madras pursuing my PG course staying in the hostel. I remember paying my hostel fees always with fine but on that particular month there was no sign of the usual money order even after the month was over . I was served a warning by the warden. I was ashamed, I was angry, I was worried. Had my letter reached home..? Was any one sick at home? But they know my mess bill had to be paid....... As my thoughts were running wild   my money order arrived at last.

When I went home for the vacation  the usual happy hug of my mother  was waiting for me but my reciprocity lacked the  warmth. Was I not put into shame in front of my college mates by their negligence to send the money on time? 

One of my sisters who could not hold a secret from me whispered to me " You know your mess bill was sent by selling her precious mangal sutra ornaments."

The enormity of the  shame that engulfed me was unparalleled . The nobility of the person who gave me the smiling hug in spite of her many problems shines as the load star of my life!!

Celebrating Birth of humaneness

It was a hard existence for the car driver living in the mountains with a big family and single earning. When there was no demand for his vehicle from the tourists or on unseasonal lull his helplessness transformed into anger towards the family

Added to his woes of low earning he was enticed by a VIP of the town to buy his car so that he could become a car owner. The man fell for the trap and borrowed money to pay for the car. Apart from the amount paid, the driver was asked to pay the monthly dues for the loan the man had taken towards his car. For his part the seller didn't bother to provide any legal document to prove that after the bank dues were paid the vehicle would belong to him. The poor man solidly relied in human sincerity and also did not have the courage to ask for a document.

With the dwindling income he was in deep trouble with the bank and had to borrow money even for day to day expenses. As an appendage the expenses for great festival of Christmas were looming large in the horizon what with the festive expectations of his children. The accumulated frustrations had pushed the man to his nadir.

As on every day morning dressed in his white uniform he waited hoping against hope for a ride. “Is every one's life such a pile of tribulations?” he ruminated.

At that moment a tall man with a head full of white hair belying his age accosted him.

"My daughter in law is very sick......  We are taking her to her mother's place. Is your vehicle air conditioned...? Is it good for a long distance drive?" he said

With an enthusiastic affirmation from him they settled over the rate for a to and fro trip.

"He is indeed a good customer." the driver thought "Taking me along for the meals on the way and providing tea at regular intervals lest I fall asleep. And his wife is also a pleasant lady full of vigour.”

The settlement was handsome and soon he became the regular driver for the couple.

 Yet with all the good will whatever he earned was like a drop in the ocean.

One day morning as he was waiting at their house he saw the couple blessing the gardener and handing over a gift to him. When he enquired, the gardener proudly said that it was his birthday today.

"Celebrating a worker's birthday.......?  Impossible and unheard of...!" the driver was astounded.

"Do you know that they have a list of all the estate workers and their families' birthdays and other auspicious days and it is  hung in their room?" The gardener happily announced.

“Would you believe if I say that they got jerkins for all of us when they returned from their America trip? They are good people who can treat everyone as a respectable human being."

Hearing this the driver thought "Then I must be  lucky to drive for such noble couple though it was just on and off!"  His esteem for them rose sky high.

 He was behind them whenever they went for shopping never allowing them to carry the bags. If they went out to buy saplings he took them to the right place.  With his assistance they bought the best of honey, unadulterated peppers straight from the owners' orchard. By and by the relationship grew and he considered it a blessing to be in their company!

One day as they were returning from the town, down in the planes, the car stopped in the middle of the mountain road. The driver and the man got down to check and found out that it was a major repair.  With the help from the ongoing vehicle drivers they managed to tow the car to a mechanic shop.

After a week when the driver was called for duty by the couple they found out that his cell phone was switched off. One of the workers who lived near his house  told him that he was at home for the past few days but he couldn't  give any more detail.

 That man might not know that the lender from whom he borrowed came and shouted at him with unutterable words and set a time  for the dues to be paid. And the bank people were behind his back for the monthly repayment.

His wife was furious.

"When you were working on a rental basis we at least had the peace of mind. Now owing the car had landed us into unwanted problems.  Never in our lives have we heard such lowly words used  against us.

 Let us sell this house and pay the dues and go back to our village.  I cannot bear the shouts of that rogue once more.."  she emphatically said.

Meanwhile the couple decided to visit the driver. May be he was very sick. The house was dark  with no heating to keep off the cold. Covered in a blanket the driver was sitting in a corner with his head held between his knees. He got the shock of his life when he saw the couple and shot up!

“Sir………. Sir ….. Amma … amma …. “ No other word could come out of his mouth.

“We were worried” the lady said “Your cell phone was switched off….Where is your car? Haven’t you yet repaired it?"

“Amma ........it will be repaired in a few days."

His wife who was listening blurted out "Amma  please don't believe his words. The lender came and threatened him regarding the repayment of the loans and told that he would confiscate his house in lieu of their loan and the bank people too were coercing him regarding their dues."

"But why has he taken so many loans?"

The whole story cascaded down with great force!

Consoling them and handing over some cash they came back home.

The couple could feel the pain of deception and poverty of the family.

“In spite of all his problems the driver was giving us a great service with a smiling face and not a single word regarding his problems!” The lady was surprised.

“It shows the goodness in him.” The man said ” But as of now he is indeed in a Medusa’s tangle which has to be sorted out stage by stage.”

As a first step they decided to  get the car repaired which was the tool for his existence.

 With great effort and help from the influential local people they legalized the possession of the car.

 Their generous heart enabled them to repay all the loans which carried lot of interest and requested him to repay just the principal amount on a monthly basis.

The driver couldn’t believe the miracle that is happening in front of his eyes…….!

“Am I worthy of so many gifts Lord?” He blurted out!

“How could I repay this generosity? “He wondered!

On cold morning they found the whole family waiting in the portico and as the couple wondered what was happening they fell flat on the ground and wouldn’t get up till they were raised!

“You are the personification of God.”  With folded hands and uncontrollable tears the driver said “No…..  No……. No….   I am not right ……….you are the God.”

“Never ever say that.” The man said “We are God’s children.”

It was indeed the best Christmas for the family!

The driver’s family became their own and best part of the couple’s Deepavali celebration was inviting them for the grand lunch.

And there is no need to say that the family became part of couple's 'Wonder List' hanging in their room!

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p.s. We are indeed proud to be associated with such people who carry the values of life as their prime priority!!