Every cloud has a silver lining

Day 5 alphabet E

Every cloud has a silver lining is usually said as an encouragement to a person who is overcome by some difficulty and is unable to see any positive way forward.
It so happened that a friend was in a very dire condition and on the verge of committing suicide.
Another friend coaxed him to meet Mata Amrithanandamaye to seek her advice.
Amma as the mata was fondly called told him that the pepper business he was into was not good for him and suggested him to deal in stone and steel materials.
He did accordingly by manufacturing grinding stones for idli, dosa batter which had steel and stone.
He thus flourished in his business.
It was the friend who came as the silver lining.
Every dark cloud has a silver lining

Another true incident:
My son and Meena had come down to Chennai on holiday.
The ladies in Rotary wanted to buy uniform sarees, so Meena too joined us to select the sarees in a showroom in T.Nagar.
As we were choosing sarees, there was a phone call from Pravin saying a neighbor's wife had come saying that her husband had a severe heart attack. Pravin and his father left their lunch and rushed the  patient immediately to the hospital. The delay there irked my husband and he gave the staff a piece of his mind and before he could call the chief cardiologist, the patient was put in ICU. An angiography and stent were done together. A life was thus saved. I believe Pravin and his father came as the silver lining.

Linking this to A-Z challenge. E is for Every cloud has a silver lining.

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Character is destiny

It is man who makes or mars his destiny.

A true story is about Mohan who is overtly possessive of his son Amrith.
His neigborhood dhobi's son also called Amrith is of the same age as Mohan's son.
Mohan brainwashes his son regarding their social status and the dhobi's povery and admonishes him whenever he sees them together.
Mohan's son Amrith begins to blackmail his friends by telling them that he will not share anything with them if they keep in touch with Amrith.
One day Mohan admonishes the dhobi for naming his son Amrith. The poor dhobhi is at a loss.
Seeing his son's eagerness to learn, with the help of a kind neighbor who coaches Amrith and is instrumental in admitting the boy in the same school and class as Mohan's son.
There is a great misunderstanding because of the similar names but finally it is the dhobi's son who surpasses Mohan's son in studies and sports.
Mohan is consumed with anger and jealousy.
One day the dhobi's son is found drowned in the swimming pool.
Investigations reveal the hand of Mohan in the crime.
He is arrested and jailed.
It was his egocentric nature that ruined him and his family.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

Day 4

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. is a well known English proverb. It means one should be happy and grateful when receiving a gift. It is not the gift that counts but the goodwill of the giver which should be appreciated.
I know of quite a few incidents where the gifts were looked down upon.
A husband presented his wife a diamond ring which was criticized by the wife's mother saying that it was hardly seen on the finger and did not look expensive.
For all the mother-in-laws haughtiness, her daughter is in dire strait now since her husband lost all his business and they have to live with their daughter whose husband is kindhearted and willing to take care of the parents.

There are cases at south Indian weddings where sweets or snacks are criticized because of its shape.
Why can't the loud-mouthed people think it  a blessing to have a sumptuous meal  when there are people who do not get to eat a square meal.

Linking this to A-Z challenge.

D is for Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Incident in Chennai

                                                                     Alphabet

                                                   

I was travelling by bus to my school in Chennai with the corrected model answer papers of the class 10 students.

The year was 1990.
The bus was very crowded. I somehow managed to give the bag containing the papers to a passenger to be able to hang on to the bar to avoid falling down.
When I reached my stop, I got down and walked up to my school without realizing that I had not collected my bag from the passenger.
Reality struck me when the principal called all teachers with their corrected scripts.
I told the principal what had happened, but she was insistent that I should get back the papers before students started asking for them.
My husband was abroad, so I called up his friend asking for help to trace the lost bag.
He said that he will do the needful in the  morning as it was too late.
The next morning with a forlorn face I went to school expecting a showdown from the principal.
As I was entering my class room, a teacher came in swaying the bag in front of my face saying that a bus conductor had  deposited the bag at the reception.
I thanked god for the turn of events and was upset that I was not able to thank the conductor for his noble deed.
Then I came to know that a raffle ticket coupon in myy bag had saved me.
The address on it it had helped the conductor trace the school. He had made the driver stop the bus in front of the school and handed the bag at the reception. May his tribe increase.

Linking this to A-Z challenge. I for Incident in Chennai .

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/ 

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

Each person has his own interpretation of beauty.A man may fall in love with a woman not for her beautiful face but the beauty within her.She may be plain looking but her good character and the beautiful soul inside can charm a man.

Recently I saw a dance show on a channel where a pretty woman and her husband without legs were dancing much to the wonder and surprise of the audience. The man's movements were effortless.The couple who had eloped and got married and boycotted by the respective families were given a warm welcome and the person without legs was embraced by the girls family on stage.

The audience and judges had tears in their eyes.

Linking this to A-Z challenge.

B is for Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder

As you Sow - So you Reap....

A wonderful April month which has given me a chance to showcase my writing talent for a full 26 days beginning with alphabet A and ending with Z.

Starting the topic with the first letter of the English alphabet- A

As you sow, so you reap.

No one can expect an apple tree by sowing a mango seed. Everyone has to face the consequences of his/her action.Good deeds yield good results and wicked deeds will only bring bad results.The proverb takes me down memory lane of an incident that took place in Kolkatta.

Our landlady, her handsome son, beautiful wife and three lovely children  lead a really happy life.
Into this wonderful family life came a villain in the form of a young  slum dweller who used to sit under the landlady's balcony rendering melodious songs.
I used to see the daughter-in-law standing on the balcony admiring his versatile singing talent.

I soon left  Kolkatta and a few years later came to know that the DIL and the singer had eloped.
The DIL had taken all her ornaments and money to have a good time with the singer.
After having spent everything, they did not have money to survive. She was seen by a known person in dire straits in a slum where she was staying. She had lost her beauty and was in tatters. I am sure she would be cursing the day she met the slum dweller and ruined her life.

Linking this to A-Z challenge. A is for As You Sow, So You Reap.

A is for As you sow, so you reap.

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com As you sow, so you reap

A doggy affair

Dogs were a weakness for my aged friend.
While in Hyderabad, I stayed in her flat as a tenant.
She owned a sari shop in front of her house.
One day, I visited her when she was getting ready to go to her shop;
Very politely she offered me tea and told me not to be afraid as she had let her two ferocious dogs out and locked the door so that they did not come in.
She left soon, and I was sipping my tea in the cozy dining room.
Much to my fright, I noticed the locked door open and the two dogs come behind one another staring intently at me.
I sat rooted, and then geared up enough strength to get up from my chair, open the door very close to where I was sitting and jumped out knocking a very surprised and shocked uncle ( my friend's husband) who was returning from office. He got up quickly seeing the fast approaching dogs and closed the door quickly. He advised me to stay calm and not panic because dogs get all the more excited when they see any sign of fear or movement.
It was indeed a very frightening experience.