People Around Us

The Creator apparently believes in variety. He has filled the universe with a lot of variety. Variety in anything and everything. No two things are the same or alike. We say they are alike or similar. But on closer scrutiny it will be found that no two things are alike. It can never be. It is his will.

Is the above statement really true? Let us take the simplest of things. Leaves for example. Leaves of any particular plant or tree. There may be millions of leaves on a mango tree. There are some huge mango trees that yield more than a truck load of fruits every year. Even then, no two leaves are alike. Try your best and make an effort. If the shape is same, there is some difference in colour. If shape and colour are same, there is some spot on one which is not there in another. Even if the shape, colour and spots are the same, the spots are not in the same place. Go on trying till you get tired. At some stage you will accept that the above statement as true!

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Let us take fruits for another example. There are so many varieties of fruits. They come in all shapes, colours, sizes and flavours. There is a wide variety in their tastes as well. Some fruits are available allover the globe. Some are available only in some countries or continents. Some are available throughout the year, but many are seasonal. Consider the banana bunches. The number of fruits in a bunch differs from others. With great difficulty we may find two bunches with the same number of fruits. Even there, the shape of the fruits is not the same! Weights also differ, may be even in micrograms. 

Some fruits are so simple that you can directly pluck from the plants or trees and straightaway eat them. One may have to wash them for reasons of health and hygiene. That's all. Some fruits like Jack Fruit are even difficult to touch. Some can be handled in one hand and some, like watermelon, take both hands as well some extra effort to even lift them. Some others, like pineapple, need extra care while cutting them to bring them to an edible level. Fruits are indeed a very interesting part of our lives.

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While comparing the creative styles of various poets and their works in Sanskrit literature, the concept of "PAka" is often used. PAka means something that is cooked or more accurately, a "Syrup". Mentions are made of different types of PAka for easy understanding of the comparative styles used by different poets. The following PAka are the most commonly used ones, and in the order of relative ease of understanding the works by the reader:

• Ksheerapaka (Milk): Reading and understanding is just like consuming milk. Easy to drink and digest. Even infants and toddlers can comfortably consume and assimilate. 
• Drakshapaka (Grapes): Similar to the comfort of just picking and eating grapes. Easiest of styles and not much efforts are required to understand the contents of the works.
• Sharkarapaka (Sugar): Very similar to consuming sugar syrup. Easy to understand, but a little more effort required than the earlier one (May be to avoid getting messy!)
• Kadalipaka (Banana): Like eating a banana. Some effort is required, like peeling a banana. Even then it is relatively easier.
• Ikshupaka (Sugarcane): Like tasting Sugarcane. Much effort is required to remove the outer covering and requires crushing with teeth, but once that it is done it is all sugary.  
• Narikelapaka (Coconut): Toughest one to understand due to thick outer fibre, followed by the hard shell. Once these are removed, you get the sweet real coconut as well as the sweetest and purest water on earth.

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Poet and critic Kolachala Mallinatha Suri, usually referred as "Mallinatha", lived in the 14th-15th century period. He was a "Asthana Vidwan" of the Rachakonda Kings of Kolichelama (present Kolcharam in Medak district of Telangana) first and later during King Deva Raya of the Vijayanagar period. He was conferred with the titles of "Mahamahopadhyaya" and "Vyakhyana Chakravarty" or "Emperor among commentators". The title Vyakhyana Chakravarty was in recognition of his voluminous commentaries on various "Mahakavyas" in Sanskrit literature. 

He has discussed in his commentaries about the writing styles of major poets in their works. He has compared these works in terms of the above Paakas. He mentions that poet Bharavi's "Kiratarjuneeyam" is a classic example of NArikela Paaka. 

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That's about the works created by the poets. What about the human beings themselves, those who are recognised as poets as well as those who are not poets but normal human beings? (It is not to suggest that poets are not normal human beings!). Can we apply the same Paaka system to understand the people around us? It is quite possible.

Human beings are also different from each other. They differ in height, weight, colour, completion etc. Take the case of an identical twins. They are identical twins alright, but their mother can show you ten differences between them very easily. There is even more diversity in human behaviour. What is most perplexing is that the same person behaves differently, when the circumstances change. We can also see that the same person behaves differently on different days, even when all other circumstances are the same. We say "it depends on the person's moods". 

Given all the above differences between persons around us, it is possible to broadly  classify all of them into groups using the same Paaka system used for identifying styles of writing in literature? Some people are very easy to interact with. "He is a very friendly person", we say. Some others are "uncomplicated and easy to deal with" while it is said some others are very reserved and do not open up easily. "Oh, No. I don't want anything to do with him!" one may exclaim, when required to interact with some others.

The most interesting set of people are those who are classified as "Narikela type" or "Coconut type". They are also the misunderstood. They may appear very difficult to deal with. But once you gain their confidence or they gain confidence in you, they open up. Many consider such people are  most dependable and trustworthy. 

Which category do you belong to?

Your Name Is On The Tree

The village school teacher had come to the bank to withdraw some money from his personal account. I had recently taken charge of that branch. After his work was done, he came to the Manager's room (a room was made into a manager's cabin in the village building housing the bank branch) to discuss about a "Gramsabha" (village meeting) to be held for identifying some beneficiaries for the loan schemes sponsored by the government. Among the few educated people in the nearby villages (this was some thirty years ago), he was respected by the villagers and helpful in conducting such meetings in an orderly manner. Gramsabha can be a tricky affair due to various political affiliations and local politics. Persons commanding the respect of all villagers can be very handy in managing such meetings. This teacher was one of such personalities.

A farmer was waiting outside the room to meet me. He had apparently walked some distance in the hot sun in the summer month. As the talk with the teacher would take sometime, I called him to the room to attend to him. He reluctantly came in as the teacher was sitting in front of me. He was carrying four tender coconuts in his hands and placed them near the door. He stood before us and did not sit on the chair despite being asked to do so. I told him that I would not talk to him unless he was seated. He sat on the chair only after the teacher also urged him to sit. He wanted to grow some Tomato in his land and wanted a crop loan. I told him that I would visit his village the next morning and see his land and attend to his request. He thanked me and the teacher and left the room. As he was leaving, I reminded him to take the tender coconuts he had kept near the door which he had forgotten while going out.

The teacher started laughing and told me that I was punishing the poor fellow. i did not understand what was the import of his statement. "He has carried the tender coconuts in the hot son this far to give it to you. You are asking him to take it back all the way in the hot sun again. Do not trouble him by asking him to take them back. Please accept them. This is the way villagers show respect to people like you", he said. I took out a ten rupee note from my purse, handed it to him and asked him to have tea in the roadside tea shop. He looked at the teacher and after he nodded his head, took the note hesitantly and went away, leaving the coconuts at the door.

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There are regular visits of many officials to villages for various reasons. Villagers who grow fruits and vegetables in their lands believe in sharing some of it with visiting officials. Seasonality decides the availability of such fruits and vegetables. As the officials attend to their work, someone in the village takes the lead and collects such items. The bag is kept in the visitor's vehicle by the time the work is done and the visitor is ready to leave the village. This is a courtesy extended by the villagers and is accepted as well. It is neither demanded nor refused when offered. That is the way life goes on in the villages. At least, that was how it was in those days. 

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The bus was overcrowded when it pulled to a stop at the roadside shelter of the village, on the hot Saturday afternoon. I somehow got inside the bus and was wondering how the journey would be for the next hundred kilo meters. The bus conductor always has a seat near the back entrance of the bus. Conductors are unable to sit there when the bus is full and they keep moving inside the bus selling tickets and collecting money. But he always has the right of sitting there and can ask anyone sitting there to get up and vacate the seat. The conductor had got down at the stop and he asked the person sitting in his seat to vacate the same and asked me to sit there. This was a big relief and I accepted it without a question. 

A villager entered the bus behind me carrying a big bag and asked me to make place below the seat to keep the bag. I told him to keep it elsewhere as sitting on the seat with the bag below the seat was inconvenient on the long journey. The conductor intervened politely and told me to make way for the bag. As the seat itself was given to me by his courtesy, I complied without murmur now. The journey continued on the hot day, but sitting near the window reduced the discomfort to some extent. But the bag below the seat had left very little space for the feet to move. The bus finally reached the city bus stand. I was the last to get down. As I got down from from the bus, the conductor asked me to wait and said he would get an autorikshaw for me. I told him not to worry. He insisted on hailing an auto, got one and asked a villager to put the bag that was kept below my feet in the bus in my auto. I looked at him in surprise.

"Sir, this bag is given by Manjunath to be sent with you. He has kept some fruits for you in the bag. I have been told to handle this. Please take this as otherwise Manjunath will scold me", he said. I thanked him and proceeded home with the bag in the auto.

The bag contained an assorted variety of mango fruits. They were indeed very tasty. Manjunath had probably chosen the best of fruits available in his garden. The "Malgova" variety fruits were especially tasty and the best we ever had.

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Manjunath was a young progressive farmer who also worked as a Lecturer in the nearby town college. He came to the bank in the next few days for some work. "What did you do Manjunath?", I asked. "Sir, I had to arrange with the bus conductor this way or else you would have refused to take the bag", he said. I thanked him for the sweet fruits. "I will be in this village at the most for one more year. But your Malgova mangos have captivated my taste buds. Please give me some fruits from your garden every year, wherever I am. I will pay for it for sure", I said.

"Sir, this is a special tree in my grove. I do not sell the fruits of this tree. It is reserved for my family and friends like you. From now on, Your name is on the tree. The fruits belong to you. They will always be yours. That will be my pleasure", he said.

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I have never been able to go that village again and see that tree. But sweeter than the mangos were the words of that farmer. Those words bring sweetness whenever they are remembered. There is no seasonality for that. It was one of the pleasures derived while serving in rural areas.

PAAYASAM, Coconut and Coffee

Paayasa is a popular sweet dish of South India.  Actually, Paayasam is a family of sweet dishes with dozens of variants.  Usually made of Jaggery or Gud as a main ingredient and other components thrown in, it is a must dish in festivals and functions.  Another popular dish, Kheer, is also a member of this family.  The basic taste also varies in preparations in different states and regions.  Coastal Karnataka has its own popular varieties with Green gram or its Dal as one of the components.   They also have payasam dishes with jack fruit, mango and sweet potatoes.  Kerala has its own varieties of payasam and palpayasam of Guruvayooru is quite famous and very tasty.  So also with Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh.  With a literally rich addition of coconut, cashew nuts, badam and dry grapes,  Payasam is a big hit with children and elders alike.

When we were kids we were taught two customs or practice with payasams.   First one is that one should never say "No" to payasam when it is being served.  At least a small quantity should be accepted.  Second is one's plate should never be lifted or cleaned with  the hand after eating payasam in a plate.  The hand should at least be washed before cleaning the plates.  I suspect this was a ploy to prevent guests from cleaning their own plates.   By the time the guest washes his or her hand and returns, someone from the host's household would have taken away the used palates for washing.  Many times someone would say he does not want payasam because he or she is full and there is no place for next helping.  Then the eldest person or the one serving payasam would remind us of the Coconut bag and rava or soji (also called semolina in the west).   When a Gunny bag is filled with coconut and there is no place for adding a single coconut, still several Kilograms or pounds of semolina can be easily added in the bag.   Similarly, the stomach may be totally full, but it will still find some place for the liquid or semi-liquid payasam!   It was probably one way of exhausting all payasam prepared for the day.  In the days of no refrigerators, payasam would get stale quickly and any argument for full usage when it is good for consumption was just and fine.

The example of  gunny bag filled with coconuts and adding semolina or rava in it was also quoted in several other contexts, say for example making place for one more person in a crowed bus or train compartment.   Or scheduling one more visit in a crowed program.

A friend sent me a story by e-mail nearly five years ago.   It is a popular story and is still making rounds. It is of the Mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.  It says that when things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee:

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.  When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.  He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.  He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.  The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things---God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents.  Take time to get medical checkups.  Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18.  There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.  Set your priorities.  The rest is just sand." 

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.   The Professor smiled.  "I am glad you asked.   It just goes to show you that no matter what your life may seem, there's always room  for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend".

Whether it is the "Full stomach and a small helping of Payasam" or "Gunny bag filled with coconut and semolina" or "Mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee", the message is same. There is always time for a friend, however much busy you may be otherwise. 

Coconut Trees and Criminal Case

After the arrival and departure of the "Tomato Inspector", our life continued in Chikka Muduvadi, one mile away from our native village and my birth place, Dodda Muduvadi.  It is said that two brothers, Dodda Mudda and Chikka Mudda, meaning elder Mudda and younger Mudda were small chieftains during the Vijayanagar period and ruled from these two villages on either side of the river Arkavati. I was in Second Standard and I remember the class room in which we used to sit, though the face of the teacher is not that clear.  Probably because it was not a pretty face to remember.

The School had a bigger playground and I remember Flag Hoisting functions there on the two important occasions every year, Republic Day and Independence Day.  There were agricultural fields next to the playground.  There was a small piece of land between the playground and the agricultural fields, say about five feet wide and 100 feet long.  Beyond this land there were agricultural lands belonging to one Eraiah.  The five feet wide stretch of land was used as a  pathway by the villagers for going to the fields behind the school.

The school was closed for Dasara Holidays for two or three weeks.  When the school sessions were resumed after the holidays, students and teachers saw a major change in the surroundings.  Along this five feet stretch of land pits were dug and coconut saplings were planted.  Teachers were talking among themselves that Eraiah had his eyes set on this stretch of land for a long time and desired to take it under his control.  He took advantage of the school holidays and got the coconut saplings planted so that in due course he can fence around them and the land would be deemed to belong to him.  In the local language these activities are called ಜಮೀನು ಒತ್ತುವರಿ (jameenu ottuvari) and many farmers resort to such activity to increase the area of the their land, especially if it is government land.  In course of time they would gain control of the land and everyone assumes it is their own.  Of course, the disease has now spread to towns and cities where any available piece of land is grabbed including land on storm water drains!

The matter was reported to the Head Master, my father.  He had returned from the Army after serving in the Second world War before becoming a School Master, and was young and strong.  He used to carry an army cane with him and came out of his room to survey the area, with the cane in his hand.  The action of planting the saplings during holidays enraged him.  Holding the cane in his hand he instructed the students to pull out the saplings and fill the pits, just like an army commander  directing his troops to accomplish a task.  The students duly obliged and the stronger and well built boys were in the forefront.  Within minutes all the saplings were pulled out and the pits were filled with mud.  School session started after the usual prayer.

We heard some shouting and exchange of hot words before lunch break.  The removal of the saplings by school children on the directions of the Head Master had reached Eraiah and he had come for a showdown with the Head Master.   Later on in the evening I heard our father telling our mother that Eraiah had threatened to file a police complaint against my father for destroying crops in his fields and take the matter to court.  Police enquiries were made and Eraiah wanted my father to apologise and allow him to replant the coconut saplings.  Village leaders tried for a compromise but both the parties stuck to their stands.  The matter reached the court.

In those days there was only one court in Ramanagaram having jurisdiction over three taluks - Ramanagaram, Channapatna and Kanakapura.  Though our village was in Kanakapura taluk, for court issues one had to go to Ramanagaram.  There was only one judge in the Ramanagaram court.  He would sit as a Munsiff and hear civil cases for four days.  On the other two days he would sit as a Magistrate and hear criminal cases.  Eariah was a moneyed man and had his own lawyer representing him.  My father was in no position to engage a lawyer to fight his case.  He used to tell my mother that he would fight his own case.  I was too young to understand the issues involved but I remember that there was an atmosphere of fear in our family in those days about the outcome of the case.

After several adjournments the case finally came up for evidence one day.  Magistrate asked my father to bring his lawyer.  My father told him that he had not engaged a lawyer and would conduct the case himself. Eraiah was examined by his lawyer.  Eraiah testified that the school head master had instigated his students to destroy saplings and it had resulted in loss to him.  The charge was for criminal trespass and causing wrongful loss.   The magistrate then asked my father to cross examine Eraiah as he had no lawyer to represent him.  My father asked three questions and Eraiah replied.  The way in which the questions were asked convinced the Magistrate that my father was not trained to conduct the case and his line of questioning was not of much use.  He asked my father to keep quiet and himself asked Eraiah three questions.  The first question was whether the land in which the saplings were planted belonged to him.  He answered vaguely that it did not belong to the school.  Magistrate curtly asked him whether he had any documents to show that the lands belonged to him and he can produce them the next day.  Eraiah had to say that he did not have any such document.  Then the Magistrate asked him as to why he filed a case against the Head Master for something that happened in a land belonging to someone else or the school.  Eraiah had no answer.  Magistrate dismissed the case.

Several years later, when I was studying Law, I realised why the Magistrate dismissed Eraiah's case.  There is an established principle of law which states that "He who comes to seek justice must come with clean hands".  Eraiah's hands were not clean in as much as he wanted to plant the saplings in someone's land.  His motive was faulty ab initito and his case was liable to be dismissed.

Though the problem was solved, two things bothered my father.  First was that Eraih was telling everybody in the village that the Magistrate severely reprimanded my father while hearing the case. Second was destroying the saplings.  He felt that destroying coconut saplings was not good as fruit bearing trees or saplings should not be destroyed for any reason.  He went to Ramanagaram and obtained a certified copy of the judgement.  He waited for an opportune moment and went to Eraiah's house when there were many villagers during his money lending time.  In the presence of all the people, he took out the judgement copy and told Eraiah that if he did stop his mischief, he would go to the sante (weekly village market) and read out the judgement to every single villager.  Eraiah's tirade stopped from that day.

As regards the second issue of atonement for destroying the saplings of a fruit bearing tree, he found a solution by getting ten coconut saplings planted along the border of the school playground.  When I last visited the village with him thirty years ago, the trees were fully grown and laden with several bunches of coconuts.  I could see a glint of happiness and contentment in his eyes.