Realize your dreams...

At 61 very few get to realize their own dreams come true. Not enjoying the successes of the dreams of their sons and daughters or those of their grandchildren. But their dreams and those dreams they had for themselves. It is one thing to being self-less or taking pride in sacrificing ones own dream for others. Such selfless mindset is noble and I don't dispute that.

This blog is about having the will to realize ones own dream and ability to persevere the goal despite time and age. My mother just finished her Ph.d on Aug 14 2008. A dream she had, a dream she worked towards and most of all a dream she realized.

Dr. E.R.Saraswathi - Doctorate in Sanskrit from the University of Madras

This blog is a dedication to her efforts, perseverance and will to realize her dreams against all odds.

Timelines at a glance:
Completed her Masters in Sanskrit in 1999
Enrolled in her Phd program in 2001
Submitted her thesis in July 2008


A Phd that started around the BK era and lasted till the AS era.
BK - Before Kaavya was born
AS - After Saatvik was born

Along the way many a challenge slowed down the pace but nothing could dent her spirit.
By no stretch of imagination was it easy or simple given the social commitments, domestic responsibilities and the growing senility - let alone the complexity involved and support structure available to research a language that is not spoken or written in modern days.

I was a Ph.D drop out in 96. It is easy to get distracted and it only took a simple first obstacle for me to trade my Ph.D pursuit in a heart beat. May be that wasnt my dream :)

There are many who talk and read about living your dream. This is of course for those who restrict dreams as only a childhood privilege. Dreams are not qualified by age restrictions. My mother had a dream when she was around 50 and a decade later she fulfilled it.

Here is to everyone who have lost, forgotten dreams or who think it is too late to dream. Here is to everyone who think somethings can only be a dream...

A living example of one who has lived to pursue her dream. This is a very proud moment for all of us in our family - our first Doctrate in the family and what a way to get one.

Hats off to you, Mom.

Cows dont have hands...

I've had an interesting few days re-living my experience of taking my 3 year old to school. I am blessed I have a second chance and most likely the last one.

These days I drop Saatvik to school. I did this when Kaavya was in Montessori a few years ago. Without a doubt, the best part of my day...

Couple of days ago as Saatvik and I are in the car heading to school, I hear him say...
"Appa, cow cow..."
"What sound does a Cow make?", pretty stereo-typically, I retort...
"Appa, indha cowku, Kaiye illa"

If you know Saatvik, he has 3 questions that he will ask endlessly - Why, Who, Can you buy this for me...

But this time I know why Saatvik asked me this question. My Driver and I laugh. My driver laughed at how he asked and cant but hug Saat on why he asked. I dont have an answer.

Some days back, I started to teach Saatvik a little more than the alphabets we drive to school. Part of that was to say something more than C for Cat, Cow.

I decided to teach him what the Cow eats.
"Cow eats grass and plants. You know grass...you know cheddy "
He understood that. Asked him a few times so that he remembers and he will respond...
"Cow eats grass and..."
"PPPl", I prompt as he is more comfortable remembering the Tamil word. Lately he remembers them both and will respond with both Grass and Plants. Not to end with it he will also say, Cow gives us milk.

I went ahead said told him that cows eats grass and plants and give us milk.

Saatvik was immediate to correct me the first time he heard me teach that Cow gives milk.

"No, paper mama gives us milk. Not Cow"

He is only aware of the Paper vendor who gives us the news paper and deliver the milk packets as well. It is hard for him to fathom that the cow gives us milk. But I convinced him that the paper uncle gets it from the Cow.

Now you can relate to the observation he made that the Cow had no hands. Cow has no hands, then how can it GIVE milk to us or to the paper uncle - thats his point.

Do I teach Saatvik how Cows dont need hands to give us milk? Or
Do I teach him the difference between the cow GIVING us milk vs. we TAKING milk from the cow...

Interesting as it may seem, this is in some ways a reflection of our evolution - the human evolution. We conveniently teach the kids that all along the Cows willingly GIVE the humans milk to use, when in reality we have always TAKEN without its willful consent.

Some day Saatvik will realize this and wont feel too happy about the versions I have taught him. Should we change some of our communication to allow our next generation get an objective view of things?

Safe-Pedestrians still un-safe during Traffic...

9am at Marathahalli, past the outer ring road overpass...I am on my way to work after dropping my son at school. I am pleasantly surprised at the brisk pace of traffic this morning.

Normally my first big bottleneck is at the Marathahalli junction when I turn towards the Airport Road coming from the outer ring road. I drive past the famous outlet stores where one third of the road is dedicated for the people waiting for BMTC and Corporate buses and the rest for free flowing traffic.

It is common to see pedestrians using the hand signal to stop traffic and weave past the many different vehicles to cross the road. There are many types of hand signals and so much that it can reflect personality traits.

The Shy - slightly hidden hand signal, hands close to the body with wrists and palm close to the thigh showing the stop sign
The Confident - walk briskly with hands stretched out at shoulder level for an authoritative stop sign
The Arrogant - a high hand signal and cannot but bang the car boot as they walk past and
Of course
The indecisives - step down from the median and back a few times before taking the plunge

The one I noticed this morning introduced a new category - call him the confident safe pedestrian. A guy in white kurta, pyjama and with a black helmet using the confident jay walker shoulder level stop signs. We were not moving too fast as it was a stop and go traffic at 9am. I was thinking to myself that this must be Bangalore's most safe pedestrian. I guess he had the bike on the other side of the road and walking across for something. His outfit, helmet and hand signals caught my attention and introduced a new category of jay-walkers. He drew my attention for sure, went past my car, the next one and now to the last lane where cyclist and bikers use the best maneuvers to get past other vehicles.

As he approached the last row a bike runs into him - Two wheeler skids and now there are 3 helmeted heads on the road. The fall was not too serious. The biker blinded by other bigger vehicles did not see Mr.Safe pedestrian crossing and applied the breaks. Of course the hand signal posture did not help the Pedestrian to balance as the bike skids just in front of him. The bike skids, hits the pedestrian and they all fall down.

If someone did not notice the kurta pyjama helmeted pedestrian earlier, they would have mistaken this for the safest triple riding accident ever recorded - 3 helmets getting off the road. I move past and cannot but keep looking at my rear view to confirm if one of them was actually the safe pedestrian.

His white kurta pyjama with black helmet was a dead give-away.

Winner of the safe pedestrian award.