End of Gregorian 2013 and The Beginning of Gregorian 2014

On 24th February 1582, Pope Gregory XIII introduced the refined version of the Julian calendar which has been adopted as a universal standard since. 

Today marks the second day in the Gregorian calendar of the year 2014.  

My family and I ended the year with a great holiday and at the same time had to hear a tragic news about a friend who was brutally attacked as he was leaving a bank.

Life is full of surprises, my neighbor who was a national hockey player and a tennis coach by profession collapsed after a match point with a massive cardiac arrest and died on the court. On the other hand a friend, 15 years after his first boy tried unsuccessfully to have another, eventually was gifted with a baby girl in December. 

These events reflects the many wonders that we can't comprehend. Much as we try, the more intriguing it becomes. So how do we account and manage ourselves? A perpetual question dealt differently by different cohorts.

For the religious they seek divine intervention. For the secularist they crunch the numbers. When outcome conforms to expectations they resign to their convictions. But when outcome differs from expectation than rationalization sets in. To the religious they believe they have not accumulated sufficient karma to deserve an eventful outcome, so resolution for the following year would be to do more good deeds, pray harder and seek forgiveness from the almighty. To the secularist it would have been due be unsound projections, weak planning or poor execution. So the solution is to back to the drawing board to rectify the wrong.

Hence life goes on year after year driven by individual psyche based on perspective as to how they perceive their purpose of existence.

In all these haste in chasing the desired outcome often people neglect to understand and appreciate the state of a "MEANINGFUL LIFE."

Meaningful to whom? Obviously to 'thine self 'and the 'environment' one lives. 

My friends wife who is a Headmistress in a small rural primary school of fifty students narrated a story. Six of her students excelled in the Primary School Assessment Test (a government examination) and as a reward she asked these students what would they like. Apparently without hesitation all the six students indicated that they would like to visit her at her home. As much as being baffled, she, her husband and children played host to these kids who came from rural and pretty much a poor background. The students had a good time and narrated to other schoolmates. This apparently had created a buzz in the entire school and somewhat had kick started a drive to excel amongst other students. A simple gesture it may have been, but it was definitely a meaningful one that has affected the psyche of these aspiring kids. Kudos to my friend and his wife. As he is going through some difficult time now, I believe his simple and meaningful gesture would invoke positive vibration from these innocent and aspiring kids towards his healing.

Being aware and understanding the fragility of life, in itself, should lead us to a meaningful existence.

Lets reflect on what has happened in 2013 and celebrate 2014 with open arms.

OM TAT SAT.    

    

Education and Human Dignity - A MADIBA Story 1918 - 2013

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” said Mandela. Mandela who started his education journey in 1925 enrolled in a missionary primary school in Qunu where his teacher gave him the name Nelson after Admiral Nelson. In 1940 he was expelled from the University College of Fort Hare in Alice owing to a student rights dispute. Mandela had the opportunity to meet political activist, Walter Sisulu, who got him a job in a law firm. In 1942 Mandela completed his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Africa.

Whilst formally inducted into the African National Congress, Mandela enrolls for a law degree at the University of Wits in 1943. Upon forming the ANC Youth league and later becoming the Transvaal ANC President and rousing the famous “Defiance Campaign”, Mandela was imprisoned for 9 months in 1952. Upon his release, together with Oliver Tambo, he established the first black South African law firm.

In 1955 Mandela launches the Freedom Charter, which marks his journey to freedom taking a more militant stand in his quest.  Beginning  1962 Mandela began to spend time in prison , which lasted  27 years and was considered the longest at the Robben Island Prison. Though behind bars, the spirit of freedom he sat in motion  continued to engulf the nation. Finally with the perseverance and sacrifices of South Africans, in 1990 the apartheid  regime lifted the ban on the ANC and eventually that led to the freeing of Nelson Mandela in the same year. In 1994 Mandela was elected to the parliament as the first President of a Democratic South Africa.

“Rolihlahla” (which means ‘troublemaker’ in Xhosa) Mandela, born to an illiterate father and raised to realize the importance of education in the struggle for freedom for his people, said  “I went from having an idealistic view of the law as a sword of justice to a perception of the law as a tool used by the ruling class to shape society in a way favorable to itself. I never expected justice in court, however much I fought for it, and though I sometimes received it,” his commitment never seized.  

Abraham Lincoln, Mohandas Gandhi, Jose Rizal, Ambedhkar, Martin Luther King, and Fidel Castro (the list is not exhaustive) all had something in common where education played a significant role towards their social conscious awakening and the pursuit of justice thereafter.

Education establishes the invocation of human dignity. It is sad to see many in the world do not even have access to basic education what more tertiary education. But then again it was sheer perseverance that made Madiba the legend that he has become.

The inspiration of ‘Madiba’ Rolihlahla Nelson Mandela is best captured by this poem below by Rabindranath Tagore, which resonates  a universal pursuit of upholding human dignity.

 Where The Mind Is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake 

Om…… Shanti…..Shanti ….Shanti

PROPHETS COMPLEX

"Before the Beginning, after the great war between Heaven and Hell, God created the Earth and gave dominion over it to the crafty ape he called Man. And to each generation was born a Creature of Light and a Creature of Darkness... and great armies clashed by night in the ancient war between good and evil. There was magic then, nobility and unimaginable cruelty. So it was until that day when a false sun exploded over Trinity, and Man forever traded away wonder for reason." -  Samson in "Milfay."

A very learned friend of mine used the word “Prophets Complex” to describe someone we mutually know. That prompted me to ponder further on the phenomenon.

We are living in a highly fragile, high strung existentialist world. But society at different periods of time would have said the same thing at various times of social upheaval. Whether it was Greece during the philosophical revolution or Rome during the transition from Republican to Empire, or the end of the iron age Vedic civilization or the European Renaissance or post WW2, or the age of Digital Society, at every point in time, the world has witnessed the rise of eccentric individuals with strong convictions about their beliefs. These individuals in turn tried to exert their ideologue on the environment where they were located. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Caligula, Shah Jehan, Hitler, Idi Amin etc. etc. are amongst some of the most famous/infamous people representing all walks of life.

Interestingly with the beginning of the industrial revolution, a new breed of corporate messiahs have emerged, propagating their own messianic vision on their sundries. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates could be an occasional exception but the host of people from Henry Frick, Jay Gould, John Patterson, Carly Fiorina, Stan O’Neil, Ken Lay, Angelo Mozilo, Gerald Levin (and the list is not exhaustive) all have one thing in common At the prime of their careers, they became God- like individuals who feared none but instead were feared by employees.

These corporate magnates achieved the highest level of success from their own humble beginnings but at their pinnacle of success they became obsessed with “sure success” that they couldn’t go wrong. Merton theorizes this as the concept of the self-fulfilling prophecy, only that in the case of the above mentioned corporate leaders, the prophecy was proven a myth.

Although the irrational actions of these corporate leaders are known, it would be a case of  “The Emperor’s new clothes” dilemma. Nobody dared to challenge the pompousness of the emperor, for if one does he/she would be ridiculed and humiliated or worse, would have faced a more severe wrath.

Whether Corporate, Religious, Social or even Political, we see an even larger emergence of such behavior with what is coined as the “Prophets’ Complex.”

Yisrayl “Buffalo Bill” Hawkins, Marshall Applewhite, Sun Myung Moon, David Koresh, Jim Jones, George Baker, Ron Hubbard and the list of endless so called GOD - Man  have thousands of followers who believe in their prophecy.

Whether it is consummation by choice or coercion in any one of these circumstances as what the Bible says, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth”(Isaiah 53:7), the ignorant man falls prey.

From the mass suicide of Jim Jones and his followers to the scandal- tainted Ken Lay’s actions on Enron employees, the commonality is that the victims knew the irrationality but either they were too afraid to speak or did not want to jeopardize their comfort zones.

The self-perception theory developed by Daryl Bem states that people develop their own attitude based on their behavior and summing the attitudes that has caused it. In his work, “The Will to Believe”, William James asserts that the acceptance of a belief (be it religious or otherwise) unconditionally leads to the beholder’s confidence on his/her assertions. By and large an assumed socio-psychological mindset coupled with compliant stakeholders reinforces the beholder’s convictions.

So where does this leave the affected stakeholders?   “Accept and you shall perish slowly, reject and you shall be banished immediately.”  The choice is yours.

Perhaps the conversation between Rama and Ravana below from the great Hindu epic, “The Ramayana” best captures the essence of being a good leader sans EGO and displaying humility thus void of the Prophets Complex.

Ravana lies mortally wounded in the battleground, and Rama tells his brother Lakshmana to seek Ravana’s wisdom before Ravana dies. As much as Ravana was a brute King, he was a great scholar himself. Lakshmana came back to Rama dejected, saying that Ravana refused to even look at him. Then Rama asked Lakhsmana, “Where did you position yourself when seeking Ravana’s blessings?”  Lakshmana said, “I was near his head hoping to keep my ears near to his mouth to listen what he has to say.”

Rama smiled, laying his bow on the ground. He then moved towards Ravana, bows down at Ravana’s feet and says, “Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava.   I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world.”

To Lakshmana’s surprise, Ravana opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Rama, “If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life. Things that are bad for you, seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things that are good for you, fail to attract you. You shun them creatively, finding excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but procrastinated in meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, dear Rama. My last words I give to you.” With these words, Ravana dies. (excerpt from Ramayana-courtesy of Bharat Janani).

OM TAT SAT.

EVIL

Caligula, Hitler, Idi Amin, and Osama Bin Ladin, all of them strike resemblance to Evil as has been perceived over time immemorial. Evil, they say from the Abrahamic patronage was first recognized as the serpent that tempted Eve. So was every other divine philosophy that has its own interpretation of evil. 

The definition of evil given by the Oxford dictionary is, an act that is profoundly wicked or immoral. Interestingly a secular definition puts man’s action as a precursor to an evil deed, however from a religious perspective it shows the existence of a higher order that commits man to such act.

Socrates states that the choices of right or wrong, serves the ends the chooser seeks to obtain and not the means through which the ends are realized. This is interesting as it appears now that the evil called Satan (or any other name) has become a scapegoat for all evil actions man does. Carl Jung theorizes that “people tend to believe evil is something external to them – yet it is a projection of the shadow onto others. As one projects the principle for absolute and unresolvable evil onto others – it is to the degree that one condemns others and finds evil in others, that one is unconscious of the same thing within oneself, or the potential of that within oneself. It is a projection of one’s shadow.”

Thus this moves to the next question, is the concept of evil globally homogeneous? Who decides then whether an individual, group of people, or even a nation is evil? What framework does one use to make such references? Is Mao Tze Tong an evil man, he was responsible for the death of millions of Chinese during the cultural revolution, and today the very foundation that was laid by Mao serves the testimony of the Chinese success, where the so called western moral propagators are sucking up to now.

If such an entity called “Antichrist”, exists, then that entity would be fuming in “Hell”, cursing man for using his name in vain, for the brand “EVIL” definitely have been hijacked by man to serve his own agenda.

From the Advaita (non-duality) philosophy, it states that there is no such thing as good or evil, but the concept itself describes man’s state of realization.

In this respect, Alexander Solzhenitsyn echoed “If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart.”

So why blame Antichrist, Satan ,Devil, Ogi, Gidim, Zyn, Otakhon, Mazu, Bhoot, Bunyip, Aniti, Yurei, Momo, ………………… for the deed that man is solely responsible for?

  

“I was inspired to pen (I mean type) on this topic after chancing upon this poem below by Dylan Thomas:

Incarnate devil in a talking snake,

The central plains of Asia in his garden,

In shaping-time the circle stung awake,

In shapes of sin forked out the bearded apple,

And God walked there who was a fiddling warden

And  played down pardon from the heavens’ hill.

When we were strangers to the guided seas,

A handmade moon half holy in a cloud,

The wise men tell me that the garden gods

Twined good and evil on an eastern tree;

And when the moon rose windily it was

Black as the beast and paler than the cross.

We in our Eden knew the secret guardian

In sacred waters that no frost could harden,

And in the mighty mornings of the earth;

Hell in a horn of sulphur and the cloven myth,

All heaven in the midnight of the sun,

A serpent fiddled in the shaping time.”

OM TAT SAT.

The Legacy of American Hegemony

Vijay Prashad (historian) wrote in The Hindu, reminiscing the words of Edward Said “Saddam was a dictator. He was a brutal ruler. He had betrayed Arab nationalism. Of that there was no doubt. But the U.S. was not to be seen as a moral force. It had drawn its sword across the neck of Arab freedom, and its attack would do nothing good for the Arabs.”

On the eve of Obama’s attempt to convince the US Congress and other leaders justifying military intervention in Syria, the article puts speculation about US agenda in perspective. As a school boy, reading Newsweek and Times linked me to world affairs.  I was in awe by the role played by the US in maintaining world peace, Vietnam, Palestine/Israel/Egypt, Cambodia, and the list goes on. This complemented all the American TV and Hollywood movies that I had been exposed to. The Cowboys Vs Injuns, Americans Vs Krauts (Germans), Americans Vs Vietcongs, Americans Vs Russians, Americans Vs Jihadis (later Terrorist), Americans Vs South American Drug Cartel, Superheroes (American) Vs Evil ( non-American or Aliens). I did not even flinch when the Federation Ship in StarTrek was called the “USS” Enterprise, thinking as a matter of fact that it must be American.

Until sometime later I realized that there was a commonality in all these propagation, that Americans were always the good guys and everyone else are out to destroy mankind, and America is always under threat from multiple psychological and physical invasion, that they have to constantly be either in a defensive or offensive mode to preserve freedom and peace.

Whether the entire actions of the Americans are purely coincidental or patriotic (nationalistic) reaction or a strategically orchestrated propaganda is any body’s guess. Nevertheless it impacted the mindset of the 20^th century onwards.

It has been said General Isoroku Yamamoto uttered these words after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." This statement appears to resonate loudly in the context of this discussion.

Lea Brilmayer in her book “American Hegemony: Political Morality in a One Superpower World” questions the morality of one nation to police the whole world. She further questions the legitimacy of circumstances that makes it the right or obligatory for the US to intervene in the affairs of other countries.

It would be a real test for Obama to push the American Hegemony on his watch, as the world we live today seems to react independently, with a diffused and fragmented self-serving agenda.  EuroAmerican political pact aside, the voice of the people (Europe in particular) has become louder against blind actions by this pact, for a heedless attitude would cause political demise.

On 24^th September 2013,  Obama stated that he would delay his military plan against Syria purportedly preferring a diplomatic intervention via Russia, not discounting possible military action if this fails. In light of this new development Noam Chomsky candidly stated, “The Russian plan is a godsend for Obama," Chomsky says. "It saves him (Obama) from what would look like a very serious defeat. He has not been able to obtain virtually any international support, and it looked as though Congress wasn’t going to support it either, which would leave him completely out on a limb. This leaves him a way out: He can maintain the threat of force, which incidentally is a crime under international law. We should bear in mind that the core principle of the United Nations Charter bars the threat or use of force. So all of this is criminal, to begin with, but he’ll continue with that."

So is the American global socio-economic-political satire slowly weaning or simply Obama does not have the charisma and willfulness to carry on with the traditional “American” legacy?. On the other hand being the first black (or at least halfblack) American President, he may have his own private agenda. But then again can an American President afford a personal agenda? 

History tells a different story. Read Abraham Lincoln, James A Garfield, Zachary Taylor, Warren G Harding, William McKinley, John F Kennedy and the list goes on………..

Reminiscing Half A Century.

It was morning, on Thursday 19^th, September 1963, my journey began, and incidentally it is also the year Malaysia was born.

I remember………….

1969

I went to Kindergarten at Public High School. Headmistress was Rajah Mami. Uncle Muthu buys me “Roti Kahwin” (aka roti bakar) during recess.
First man on moon, “one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind.”
May 13, 1969 riots in Kuala Lumpur.
Our first black and white television.

1970

Standard One at Sekolah Bukit Hampar. Perumal Dass and me would tag behind his father Uncle Narayanasamy (also a teacher at the same school), carrying a “barber bag” (a smaller version of suit case) with a square “slate” to write.
Met John Thompson at school and eventually he, Dass and me become the inseparable trio until our form Six.
Tun Razak becomes Prime Minister of Malaysia.

1971

India Pakistan war

1972

My sister Thara was born.
Heard the name Watergate but did not understand anything.
Athletes killed in Munich Olympics.

1973

US pulls out of Vietnam
My sister Vani almost killed me by pushing me of the rambutan tree. Luckily survived with a hairline fracture of the wrist.
P.Ramlee, passes away, a symbol of how Malaysia was.

1974

I dislocated my arm, actually Raj Kumar pushed me down from a table during Tamil class. I can still feel the slap I got from my father, his instant reaction seeing me in the hospital with a bandaged arm. Cikgu Susah (my discipline teacher) had to calm my father. I had two weeks of great time at Melaka Hospital being smothered with good food and company. After that incident Raj Kumar and I became good friends.
While I was in Melaka, my sister Thara was admitted at Segamat hospital with acute bronchitis. Poor Dad had to commute from Segamat to see me in the evening in Melaka.
Sat for my first public examination ie. Standard Five Assessment Examination.

1975

Farewell party at standard 6. Sang a Hindi song…..O mere Soni ……..
Pol Pot and Khmer Rouge takes over Cambodia.
First puppy love. Had a crush on my neighbour who was doctor.
My life crashed when I was told that I am short sighted, wanted to be a pilot.
Mohammed Ali Vs Joe Bugner, Boxing, watched at the school, the whole school was hooked onto the match.
World Cup Hockey, India Beat Pakistan (2-1). But it was the semi finals that got everyone emotional Malaysia Vs India (India beat Mal 3-2). Names like SriShan, Yogeswaren, Ajitpal Singh, Alam Sher Khan, Dhyanchand, Brian Star Mariam Poon Fook Loke..... And I wanted be a hockey player.

1976

Form 1, an exciting beginning at Segamat High School.
Got my appendix removed at about midnight, since my neighbor was a doctor she got the surgeon and 2 other doctors to operate on me . Small town everyone practical knows everyone else. Life was simpler.
Heard the name Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Sudirman  Hj Arshad won Bintang RTM, a legacy as to how Malaysian should have been.

1977

My ammamma (maternal grandmother) passes away.
First Kiss.
Elvis Presley died.
Watched the movie Star Wars and awed by the blue screen technology.
MGR becomes Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Got my first guitar, and wanted to be John Denver.
Watched Saturday Night Fever and got hooked on Disco, and all the dudes started to walk like Travolta.

1978

Felt the pressure for the first time, preparing for Lower Certificate of Examination.
My classmate Rasamalar passes away due to a traffic accident before she could sit for the examination.
Went camping at Gunung Ledang with friends after examination.
Camp David Peace accord : Carter-Sadat-Begin
Test Tube baby born.

1979

Ayatollah Khomeini becomes Spiritual Leader of Iran ousting Shah of Iran.
Saddam Hussien becomes President of Iraq
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of Great Britain

1980

Malaysian Certificate of Examination was another milestone.
US boycotts Moscow Olympics
Iranian Hostage Crisis
John Lennon was shot dead

1981

Walked tall when given an opportunity to do form Six.
President Sadat assassinated, President Reagan was shot and wounded, Pope John Paul II also wounded.
Mahathir becomes Prime Minister of Malaysia.
First case of AIDS reported.
Prince Charles married Lady Diana
MTV launched

1982

Falklands war, Great Britain invades Argentinian Island and takes control of Falklands.
Leonid Brezhnev dies.

1983

Embarked on a new journey, got enrolled for a degree program at University Science Malaysia.
President Reagan’s missile plan called Star Wars was launched.

1984

Fell in love and got dumped. Love aside, I had the best time in my life. Met Chandra, Ganason, Tall Jega, Sivan, Rajalingam sir, Megan, Selva, Shanti, Short Jega, Anandan, and Kalidas.  All of them have touched and made my life meaningful during good times and bad times at campus.
Soviet Union Boycotts LA Olympics, tit for tat.
Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards. Son Rajiv becomes the Prime Minister.
Union Carbide Chemical Co. in Bhopal killed thousands due to toxic gas leak.
Mac was launched.

1985

Proton Saga, the first Malaysian car was launched.
Used my first computer ie IBM at University.
Mikhael Gorbachev becomes President of Soviet Union
The concept of Ozone layer holes was publisized

1986

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster in Soviet Union.
Gameboy by Nintendo was launched.

1987

Last days at campus, camped out on Bukit Bendera, Penang.
My graduation.  Took photographs only to realize later that film role was not loaded.
Got my first job with Anthonian Store, a new phase in my life began.
Started smoking - Dunhill.
Iran Contra Scandal
MGR Died.

1988

Terrorist attack on Pan Am 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland.
Benazir Bhutto becomes the leader in Pakistan.

1989

Collapse of the Berlin Wall.
Tiananmen Square massacre in China.
Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Alaskan Coast.

1990

Unification of Germany.
Iraq invades Kuwait
Nelson Mandela released from prison.
Tunku Abdul Rahman Al Haj passes way.

1991

Got entangled in a dangerous liaison. An acutely stressful relationship. Thanks to my dad and "Appu" uncle I got out of it with bruised emotion. Good lesson learned.
Collapse of Soviet Union
Apartheid law in South Africa was abolished.  
Gulf War

1992

I became an Uncle. Kavin (my sister’s son) was born.
My grandmother (paternal) passes away. I was close to her. Strangely upon her death her eyes was half open, and couldn’t be shut till I came back and placed my hands on her eyes and it shut immediately.
The end of the Cold War.
Bill Clinton becomes US President.
Prince Charles and Lady Diana separate

1993

Rwandan conflict

1994

Bought my first car, a used Merc 200.
Met Greeja, was not love at first sight. But upon multiple sight we fell in love, got engaged.

1995

Our marriage.
Blessed with Raviena, the angel that changed my life completely.
I stopped smoking, went to Batu Caves, bought a packet of Dunhill and threw it into the fire, and never looked back.

1997

My grandfather (paternal) passes away.
Greeja and I completed our Masters.
Lady Diana killed in an accident.
Asian Financial Crisis

1998

Anwar Ibrahim arrested
Monica Lewinsky scandal
Viagra was launched.

1999

Joined the Academia.
Y2K scare rocks the world of computers.
We lost a child at 7 months of pregnancy

2000

Enrolled Raviena in a Kindergarten ie Child Enrichment Centre.
Mum got her 1st heart attack. A very emotionally trying time for the family.

2001

Terrorist attack on World Trade Centre.
ENRON Scandal
Greeja’s mother passes away.  Shortly after, we lost another child

2002

Raviena’s 1^st day at School, Sekolah Kebangsaan USJ2, Subang Jaya.

2003

Mahathir Mohamed steps down as prime minister of Malaysia.
Read the Da Vinci Code

2004

We purchased and moved into our very own home in February.
Tsunami left many devastating effects on Boxing day .
Facebook launched

2005

Hurricane Katrina
Youtube launched

2007

My cousin Paapa passes away.
We adopted Paapa’s children Roshen and Dhivya. I saw maturity in Raviena when she insisted that it was our duty to look after Paapa’s children. Looking back at our earlier losses, it seems there was a logical end to it.
Subprime Mortgage Collapse
iPhone launched

2008

Raviena in form 1, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seafield, Seafield.
Barrack Obama becomes President of US

2009

Was introduced to Ramana Maharishi by my friend. It strengthened our spiritual development.

2011

Osama Bin Laden killed in Pakistan

2012

Roshen enrolled for a Culinary Diploma at HELPCat.
Mother initiates the concept of a Family Reunion which took place in May

2013

Roshen and Raviena got their driving licence.
Raviena enrolled at Sunway doing Canadian International Matriculation
Dhivyaa enrolled at HELP University doing Foundation in Arts.
The 2^nd family reunion is held in September.

 And  THE JOURNEY CONTINUES……………………………………………………..trying to decipher who am "I".

FAMILY

Sage Thiruvalluvar in his Thirukural wrote “When family life possesses love and virtue, that is both its essence and fruition.” (verse 45) The bonding in a family occurs when there exists unconditional love. Last weekend my family had our second family reunion, a tradition that started last year initiated by my mother and an uncle.

Going back to one's roots gives the younger generation a sense of belonging and purpose. We are living in a fast track world, a life that moves forward without time for the past. But to many, moving with the flow of time, drifts them farther and farther away from their beginning, and one day when life adjourns, and when they do look back, suddenly it becomes meaningless.

Man seeks temporary shelter in the name of ‘Life’, on their ongoing journey to liberation/salvation. Life is an opportunity to equip oneself with wisdom and knowledge in the quest to seek his/her destiny.  After all George Bernard Shaw did once say “A happy family is but an earlier heaven.”

In verse 47, Sage Thiruvalluvar writes, “Among those who strive for liberation, the foremost are they, Who live the blessed state of family life as it should be lived.” Sadly though many people do not value family ties until it is too late.

The most senior member of the family today is 82 years old and the youngest would be a pair of twins just 8 months old. The clan started its journey from Vannarpannai, Ceylon, pre WW2 and made Malaysia their home, but today from this humble beginning the clan has migrated further to other parts of the world leaving behind their own footprints. There is so much to share and nurture from a diverse timeline and time zone, that would be enriching in helping to shape an individual. The insurmountable wealth of knowledge and wisdom that are already in possession would be nothing compared to what we read, rather they are firsthand accounts of the events or experience as they occurred. I still remember my grandfather (paternal) narrating tales about the “death railway” construction in Burma, where he was one of the few survivors who made it back after WW2 ended. For many people, they may have read it in history books, but to me it was direct from the horse’s mouth.

Its a pity, today people are so caught up with immediacy that they fail to connect with the virtues of family ties. It has become almost a norm now, where families meet only during a funeral or a marriage. These brief encounters during such occasions would not really do justice in establishing the lost bonds, instead it has to be done concertedly.

The realization in my family came when one by one, the senior members of the family started to depart. The loss was so profound after their death as whilst they were around they were totally taken for granted as though that they would live another day.

My colleague, who is a Brit ,is leaving for Brisbane next week, he said that he was meeting his uncle whom he has not seen for the last 30 years and also looking forward to seeing his nephews and nieces whom he has never met. I could see the sparkle in his eyes as he talked about it.

Life is short, and the journey can be an exciting one, but more importantly we have to make it meaningful. So who can make it better,  other than family and friends.