Helen Keller - The story of my life - What is Love ?

These days I am reading 'The Story of my life' by Helen Keller. Helen Keller was born in 1880 and at ninteen months lost her sight and hearing owing to an illness. Thereafter she was tutored, guided and taught by a wonderful teacher named Anne Sullivan to read, write and communicate. Helen went on to complete graduation and become an activist and one of the most prominent personalities of the 19th century. She had met all the US presidents of her age, and knew famous personalities like Alexander Graham Bell personally.

This excerpt gives a glimpse of how she learnt from her teacher an abstract concept like love..
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I remember the morning that I first asked about the meaning of the word, 'love'. This was before I knew many words. I had found a few early violets in the garden and brought them to my teacher. She tried to kiss me; but at that time I did not like to have anyone kiss me except my mother. Miss Sullivan put her arm gently around me and spelled in my hand, 'I love Helen.'

"What is love?" I asked.

She drew me closer to her and said, "It is here," pointing to my heart. Her words puzzled me very much because I did not then understand anything unless I touched it.

I smelled the violets in her hand and asked, half in word, half in signs, a question which meant, "Is love the sweetness of flowers?" "No," said my teacher.

Again, I thought. The warm sun was shining on us. "Is this not love?" I asked, pointing in the direction from which the heat came.

A day or two afterwards, the sun had been under a cloud all day, and there had been brief showers, but suddenly the sun broke forth in all its souther splendor. Again I asked my teacher, "Is this not love?"

"Love is something like the clouds that were the sky before the sun came out," she replied. Then in simpler words than these, which at that time I could not have understood, she explained: "You cannot touch the clouds, you know; but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day. You cannot touch love either; buy you feel the sweetness that pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy or want to play."

The beautiful truth burst upon my mind -- I felt that these were invisible lines stretched between my spirit and the spirit of others.

--Helen Keller, "The Story of My Life"
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Hmm...

me: What are the tasks that I will be busy with when my child is 3 months old

Shruti: if you are breatfeeding, the child is still not taking solids at 3 months old

which means the child is feeding about every 3 hours

me: hmm

anything other than the feed that I need to take care of ?

Shruti : Yaar.. I dont understand your hmmm... What is that supposed to mean ??


Hehehe :) ( Ok. so dont ask me what does a hehe mean )

A hmm just means - well I dont want to comment.

On a serious note, of all the things, a "hmm" says, it definitely says - I have a mind of my own and right now, I am thinking of something that I dont want to comment on. Which means, right now, I don’t want to share with you my inner most funny, naughty, intellectual, curious, silent, non committal thoughts.

So when you are sitting behind a chat window chatting, playing with the words,emotions and thoughts that the person in front of you is thrusting in front of you, enjoying the privacy of displaying your intellect without revealing your emotions, you revel in the alienation that allows you to play around with your “hmm”. Among the various things a hmm conveys, it could give a support of a friend when a friend talks about a broken relationship and how it is breaking his life… With your eyebrows twitched in concern and your heart filled with love and concern you would say. Hmm. Meaning - I understand your pain and I am with you and I will hold you till you are through with your it.


On occasions, a hmm can hide your embarrassment and the red face when you have goofed up on an important information and your friend is asking “how is that possible” and you quickly say a hmm. ( Behind your beet red face hidden behind the chat window of your laptop – you yourself are wondering – “Damn ! how could I have made that mistake”.) And you put up a brave front to your friend and with your teeth biting your tongue, you type in a word – the all hiding – hmm …. ( meaning - I too don’t know how that is possible )


A hmm can be an expression of understanding, an expression to digest in important information, an expression that indicates a quest for fulfillment of your insatiable hunger for knowledge. So when your husband gives you a gyan on how organizations are run and how people who own the company could be so different from people who control its daily affairs – You pause and digest the information on the screen and with bliss and contentment and achievement written, all over your face, you recline back on the chair and say a silent hmm ! ( Ah ! That was good information ! )

And there are times, you dont really agree to something someone is saying. But what to say - you dont want to upset the person in front of you. Its been 3 years since you have not spoken to that friend of yours. That friend has been your closest buddy for a long time. And now you are not on speaking terms. Your cousin is asking you to patch up with that lost friendship of yours. Call her up she says. With your lips pursed in anger, and your face all tight, you say an arrogant hmm - meaning - Not really interested. But I will think about it.

And there are times, when you are expressing to your friend how much you are enjoying your break from your career. And your friend says a hmm. This time I was on the recieving end - Well, this "Hmm" stumped and puzzled me. But I guess that meant – Good I am happy for you . What next now ? You hear the love and concern of your dear friend in that hmm. You hear a connection that is deep and a support that is for ever. And you smile to yourself and think – guess this is what friends are for.

And with a glazed look on my face as I am “Hmm”ing to myself – I hear a “ting” on my laptop. My chat window is blinking. It says

Shruti: Where are you ?

Oops! I realize I got lost. I got serious !

Collecting my thoughts back and looking at the chat window and looking at my dear friend for twenty years awaiting a reply to her simple question, I have nothing to say but – Hmmm…Meaning – I am here. Just lost for a while. And am I glad that you are there.. !

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My bird journey - The Koels...

One fine day when I went out to my balcony, I saw a brown coloured bird with white spots all over, enjoying itself eating the tiny red fruits in the bush below. I was fascinated. As I was engrossed watching this bird, I saw the black koel at a little distance from this brown bird. I knew at once that this brown spotted bird had to be from the koel family. My experience with birds has shown that birds of a feather truly flock together.

I quickly got my camera out, got a few pictures and googled for this bird. And here's what I discovered - The brown bird is the female variety of the Asian Koel. It is brown in colour, with brown and white stripes on the tail, and had red eyes.. !

( Please click on the pictures below to see an enlarged clear image of the bird )









And while I was busy photographing the female koel, how could I miss capturing the male Asian Koel - Dark black with shades of green blue on its feathers and red eyes..! Its proud demeanour had a presence of its own .. !







Beautiful as they are to look at, they are also very vocal. They are especially heard a lot during the breeding season (March to August in South Asia), with a range of different calls. The familiar song of the male is a repeated koo-Ooo. The female makes a shrill kik-kik-kik... call. Calls vary across populations.

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What are the three things that will sail you through life ?

One of my excolleagues and friend sent me a link to a blog post that she had written in which she asked - "What are the three things that will sail you through life?" The post and the topic stumped me. I thought and wondered about it. And here's what I discovered- The three things that will sail me through life would be -

1. Faith - This has come late in my life. But this quality has come to stay. I have come to realize that one just needs to have "FAITH" in life, and universe. Faith that everything that happens around you is for your own good and that everyone around and the universe has only the best of their intentions for you. I have written multiple posts on "Faith". Listing them below -

Nothing Will Happen

It Happened One Night

2. Friends - Recently I was going through a rough patch of my life. And if there was one thing that sailed me through the patch, especially since in a rough patch your intellect doesnt really work, it was my friends. There were times, when I had given up on myself and it was only because of few of my friends I was able to see myself - the real me. It was at that time I realized, that I might give up on myself, but my friends never will. Thank you guys!

3. Well, for the third point I would love to say fun or humour. But for me the third thing that would take me through life is "HONESTY" - When I say honesty, I do not mean being honest to others. Because what you say to others doesn't really matter. What takes me through the toughest times is being honest to myself - because then whatever others say or whatever situation says doesn’t really matter. Also acknowledging the truth to yourself, gives you avenues to take new actions.

What are the three things that will sail you through life.. ?

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Do I...

Do I ponder in to eternity

breathing in the pinkish orange morning rise

Or lay back and reflect within

watching the orange red shades of the setting sun

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These pictures are of the sunrise and sunset at the Kumarakom backwaters. Initially I had planned to put up pictures that we had taken ourselves - but then I couldnt manage to get a good soft copy of the pictures we have( Our pictures have been taken in the analog SLR ). Hence the pictures put here have been picked up from the net from the below mentioned URLs. Due credit goes to the photographer.

http://irisholidays.com/blog/houseboat-at-kumarakom/2011/01/17/

http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_profile.cfm?user=LisaO

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