From & To Sathish #5 - Page 80

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo3dGrxLjF0

In Latin, the name Gladiator literally translates as 'swordsman'. Roman Gladiators were considered entertainment and fought with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals in front of an audience.

I was officially four and well into my fifth year of life when my kid brother fell ill and soon passed away. Blood cancer. There are a few vivid images and short videos of him that are permanently imprinted in my mind and will remain until I remain. From that moment, when I saw him leave home to a new home six feet underground, I have asked this question many a time. A question that started as a simple one and as just a thought that might come naturally to any child who is witnessing something that is beyond comprehension. Death.

I am older now and over the years have read, and heard everyone else's take on Death and Importantly why it happens to life, when it is still a seed, bud and bloom. Waste of time. Sorry, but I do it in solitude and yes, I do it when among life and even when a party is going on.

This then is my take on life, death and God. Many years ago, I read that if a dog or a rat happens to pray to its creator, it will be to a form that conforms to its own form and reflection. We, I, you and most humans pray to God that stands on two legs and.... well four hands and sometimes several heads and fully armed. Well, they that created that image must have thought, ' more the merrier. Kadavul thaane. It makes sense for him or her to have several limbs for he or she or it is a supreme being and is good at Multi-tasking.

Sometimes, I feel like a gladiator who has been condemned to fight for his life and continue fighting all through his life until the end of that very same life. But, condemned by whom or what?

Nature, God, or that yet-to-be-discovered or realized Entity. Satish, why do you say that?

The very oxygen that we breathe to stay alive is the one that will kill us in the end. WTF!

Oxygen, as you know, causes the oxidation of substances. So, when we breathe in Oxygen, Oxidation takes place in the atoms of our cells. Also, when we breathe in Oxygen, the Oxygen incompletely reacts with Hydrogen to form extremely reactive hydroxide ions. This is the reason why we have antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent the oxidation of body cells by reacting with the Hydroxide ion before it reacts with the body cells. But the production of such antioxidants does not always meet the requirements, and this is when the Hydroxide ions, which are left out, start reacting with the body cells. This reduces the lifespan of humans.

Then, you may wonder “Why do we need oxygen in the first place?”. The answer is that we need energy. We eat food to get energy. But food doesn’t get converted into energy on its own. The Oxygen atoms help break down food to release energy. Also, Respiration is defined as the breakdown of food (glucose) into energy in the presence of Oxygen.

You should immediately recognize what this is. Rust or corrosion. Or less commonly known as oxidation.

Now, this also occurs inside your mitochondria when it turns glucose into ATP. There are also many other biological processes that require oxidization as a catalyst for the reaction, hence your body's requirement for oxygen to survive.

Can you survive without oxygen? Nope.

When this occurs, the reaction results in a leftover electron, or many leftover electrons, which are referred to as Free Radicals.

These little buggers cause cell damage and a variety of other not-conducive-to-life processes. While it remains true that oxygen is a basic requirement for “most” life on planet earth, the chemical reactions that occur generally have bad side effects.

Your body naturally produces antioxidants to try and limit the damage caused by these little buggers - but eventually the damage aggregates into a final transition… death by old age

There’s an old saying: good health is simply the slowest possible way to die.

So, one starts living by breathing in death-inducing life that will one day end that very life.

Life is an entity that is Bipolar. It wants you to live but live to die. Why?

So, you can do something, achieve something in that little span of life that is but a blink of an eye of the universe that is billions of years old. In the end, all life is but an experiment in progress conducted by Nature that is just making better versions of each of its creations. Why?

It only knows or rather God only knows.

So, I repeat, I feel like a gladiator who has been condemned to fight for his life and continue fighting all through his life until the end of that very same life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOpZrMmdxhk

Bangalore’s secret neighbourhoods: V V Puram

A walk on Food Sreet: the only way to chase away post-Diwali blues is to eat some more

By Shoba Narayan, Hindustan Times, October 26, 2022

My mother’s theory about kesari-bhaath, the sweet dish that defines Karnataka cuisine is that it ought to have enough ghee to slide down your throat with nary a chew or swallow. I thought about this as I stood outside Chandra Chat Centre in Vishveshwara Puram or V.V. Puram, a bustling neighbourhood in Basavanagudi, South Bangalore. I once wanted to live here, because Basavanagudi along with Malleshwaram is the portmanteau (combining two words to make up a new word) that gave R.K. Narayan’s fictional town of Malgudi.

I am in Thindi Bheedhi (literally tiffin street), V.V. Puram’s “khao galli,” which is to Bangalore what Chandni Chowk’s food streets are to Delhi. It is around 6 PM, just when the area is opening up for the evening’s business. I am here because I am suffering from Post-Diwali food-withdrawal symptoms. I have decided that instead of fasting or going on diets and detox like my sensible friends, I will simply eat some more.

Where to begin, that is the question. S. Ravindra, a friend of mine who lives in Basavanagudi says that you cannot get a bad vada in Bangalore. What does this mean for a visitor? If someone takes you to a darshini (similar to dhaba), opt for a vada in some form, either dunked in sambar or rasam or just by itself with chutney. You won’t go wrong.

In V.V. Puram, one of the vadas on offer is made with the hyacinth bean or avarekai. It is seasonal and local, two words that chefs all over the world love. Avarekai along with kadlekai (peanuts) are beloved to Bangaloreans. In fact, VV Puram hosts the annual avarekai mela in winter (December-January). A variety of dishes are made from both the peeled and the unpeeled bean. By some estimates, some some 1000 kgs of this bean gets traded during the season.

I am with Kunal Bysani whose Instagram handle, Ghatotkatcha, explains his love of food. A fifth-generation Bangalorean, Kunal is here to give me a tour of the places he likes in Thindi Bheedhi. We begin with V.B. Bakery (or Vishveshwarapuram Brahmins Bakery) known for its khara biscuits, rusk, and dumrot– a sweet made with ashgourd. It comes individually packed and resembles a pockmarked creme brulee, except it has shredded ashgourd (petha or kumblekai) mixed with dense amounts of ghee. Since I am a savoury person, I opt for the KBC or Khara Bun Congress. Congress peanuts is what Bangalore calls masala peanuts. Reason: these peanuts are cleaved in half, much like the Congress Party did in 1969. The KBC is a bun cut in half, generously smeared with butter and filled with Congress peanuts. Or maybe this snack was popular in Congress party meetings. Whatever the reason, Congress peanuts are available all over Bangalore.

A weird change has happened to me after I moved to Bangalore. I have come to prefer idlis to dosas. Bangalore does idli well. There are rava idlis– invented in MTR, Bidadi thatte idli which is about the size of a small plate, and of course the normal idlis. I had both the thatte idlis and the normal ones in Thindi Bheedi and they were outstanding. Where do you eat this? Sai idlis, Gurudev Eating House, it doesn’t matter. They are all excellent. Go where the crowds are and you won’t go wrong.

If North Indian is your preference, go to Dev Sagar, which serves excellent dabelis– although I hesitate to say this, given that I am not a North Indian and have no notion of what constitutes an excellent dabeli. I guess you Mumbaikars or Delhiwallas have to come try these out to make sure.

At the end of thindi bheedi are the vendors on push-carts. One man called “Ashok Uncle,” purveys corn in a variety of ways. You can get baby corn masala chat, which is basically sliced baby corn with mango and spices. The “butta” or roasted corn is terrific here. Kunal says that Ashok churns out “sustainable food before sustainability became a watchword.” The baby-corn chat, for instance is given to me in the corn peels. Leftovers are parcelled in reusable mixture covers. There is no trash around the shop.

Next door is Shivanna gulkand centre. Here, fresh gulkand becomes the base for ice-cream and fruits that become more and more elaborate. Mine had chocolate covered almonds strewn on top. What I would do the next time is just try plain gulkand which tasted fresh without being cloying.

After a night of eating, try the masala soda at Sri Ganesh fruit juice centre. The owner will pour you a masala soda and the deal is that you have to continuously keep sipping as he pours till the bottle is empty. This is a “bottoms up” tango between pourer and drinker. At the end, those who succeed get rewarded with a “good boy” or “good girl.”

Next time, I will go back and try the dosas. There is masala dosa, akki (rice) dosa, ragi-millet dosa and many more.

Avan, Aval Adhu 262

“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” Lao Tzu

They stood in the darkness of Cottage No.7 which was devoid of light and now they stood in silence and devoid of sound. Partha whispered softly, ' Ravi, I don't hear anything. What did you hear?' and coming closer, ' Are you sure that the sounds were not from the creaking of a branch somewhere out there?'

' No. This was metallic in nature. I heard a slight screeching and grinding noise and then nothing.'

Daksha too came closer to Ravi who was standing behind the entrance and peeping out and peeped out into the darkness and saw nothing. No movement and no sign of anyone.'

' Ravi, maybe it is some sign or some advertisement board that has come please and is swaying around making the noise that you thought you heard.'

' So, why isn't that board making the noise now? No, it was not some board or some metal plate that has come loose which made the noise?'

Partha looked at Ravi, ' okay da. But it is quiet out there. No sounds. No screeching noises. Why is that?'

Ravi closed his eyes and stood thinking for a few moments. When he opened Partha and Daksha looked at him and knew that something was wrong. Terribly wrong.

' The noise I heard is made by worn-out pads grinding on plates.'

Partha caught on instantly but Daksha had no clue as to what both the men were going on, hissed like an angry snake, ' Boys and their toys. Hello, Master and student, what pads and what plates are you guys carrying on about.?'

Partha hissed back, ' Car brakes, sweetie.'

' Oh, you mean disc brakes and the pads on the calipers?' Daksha exclaimed softly and then asked Ravi in a confused voice, ' But, Ravi, if that is the case then why aren't we hearing them any longer?'

Ravi looked at her and in the darkness, his soft, hushed voice sounded even darker and terrible as he spoke.

' Because the car has come to a halt and is parked just outside the main gate. If they happened to be customers or people who you are familiar with, they would have driven in right through the gate and right up to the path that leads to the main cottage where you guys stay. But, they haven't which makes them suspicious and dangerous to say the least.'

' What do we do now?' Daksha asked and Ravi replied without looking at her for his eyes were glued to the outside world.

' Nothing for now. We wait, watch and then we will decide what to do.'

His eyes bored out into the darkness and beyond it and at the area where the few dim lights that they had left on in the office illuminated the world and said, ' Partha, move everything out of our leading to the window. For, when the time comes to act and to move, we should do so without making any noise for that will alert the intruders to our presence and whereabouts. So, move all the chairs quietly and towards the walls.'

Turning slowly, he whispered, ' If it comes to that, Partha, you go first followed by Daksha and Gayatri and I will follow you last.'

They stood quietly in the darkness of Cottage No.7 and stared out through the thick fog that seemed unsure of what it was supposed to do for it kept changing the view that it offered by growing thin and then suddenly growing in volume and making sight impenetrable.

Partha unable to bear the suspense, whispered frustratedly, ' It's been 10 minutes. Nothing is happening. What's going on da?'

Ravi smiled wickedly and said, ' They are playing a waiting game. If my assumption is correct then the person or persons heard the screeching and grinding noises that their vehicle made when it was brought to a halt. So, they are waiting to see if anyone else other than them heard the noises.'

Turned completely and facing all of them, ' If that is so then it means they are smart, patient and that automatically means they are good at what they do.'

Sighing heavily, ' I request all of you to exhibit the same patience that they are showing and I humbly request that you follow my orders without any dissent' and looked directly at Gayatri and said, ' Please, I hope you understand what is going on here and I beg of you to set aside whatever is tormenting you for now. For, one wrong move from any one of us could be disastrous.'

No sooner had he finished saying those words, noises filtered through the fog and entered all their ears and all of them turned their eyes and instincts towards the main gate.

In the dim lights that were being powered by the first of the two backup inverters and through the thick fog that had descended on them in an ominous way, all four of them saw shadows move about.

From the hidden darkness of cottage No.7, Ravi, Partha, Daksha and Gayatri saw six shadowy figures move towards the main cottage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-8-XB9NuM4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXVMg6xg118

*A young couple moved into a new house.*

*The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the washing clothes outside*

*That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better soap powder.*

*Her husband looked on, remaining silent.*

*Every time her neighbor hung her washing out to dry, the young woman made the same comments.*

*A month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, "Look, she’s finally learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"*

*The husband replied, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."*

*And so it is with life*

*What we see when watching others depends on the clarity of the window through which we look.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vEN5pCrUN4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ8W2N86lqw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0EcxQdOLVY

Krodhmulo manstaap krodh sansarsaadhnam,

Dharmkshyakar krodh tasmaat tam parivarjayet.

Anger is at the root of mental torture, it is the cause of the destruction of the world, it leads to the loss of dharma, one should, therefore, keep away from it.

Anger. Kovam. Krodha. Koppam. Desyam. Gussa.

It is palpable and seems to be always seething and just waiting to get out. Anger. It is everywhere around us and in us but I will restrict myself to talking about anger that one sees day in and day out on the roads in a phenomenon called Road rage. Anger has always been there in all of us and seething under the surface but we see more of it nowadays because of more opportunities for anger to explode and release itself.

I would gladly and willingly place myself as a slide, sample to be examined in this subject concerning anger. But I confess that I am not a normal subject and experiments as you knew are usually done on subjects that conform to normal, mundane and average standards. I sadly am not for in me exist both Jekyll and Hyde ( and a few of them rippers) and it's too late in the day for changes. But, I am trying. How? Well, solitude. Solitary confinement. Easy. Solitude from people with soiled attitudes and people with low standards but who pretend to be just the opposite. Guess. Familiar.

Anger is a particularly powerful emotion that can be expressed in many ways. Mental health professionals have identified more than a dozen different types of anger people may experience. If you’re having a hard time understanding why you’re so angry, you’re not alone.

Anger triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response. Other emotions that trigger this response include fear, excitement and anxiety. The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The brain shunts blood away from the gut and towards the muscles, in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires. The mind is sharpened and focused.

Experts in the field of Psychology have identified 14 different types of anger. Assertive Anger. Chronic Anger. Behavioral Anger.Destructive Anger. Moral/Judgmental Anger. Overwhelmed Anger.

Anger is common. It comes and goes to come again and again and it does so in various shades and different levels. You know what I am talking about for anger is like love. All too familiar as a friend and foe.

There is that anger that comes out of being insulted and then you have that anger that comes out of betrayal. More anger comes out from the loss of love and life and we vent it out at God and whoever happens to be in our range.

Anger triggers the body’s ‘fight or flight ’ response. Other emotions that trigger this response include fear, excitement and anxiety. The adrenal glands flood the body with stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. The brain shunts blood away from the gut and towards the muscles, in preparation for physical exertion. Heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increase, the body temperature rises and the skin perspires. The mind is sharpened and focused. Anger is a powerful emotion and if it isn’t handled appropriately, it may have destructive results for you and those closest to you. Uncontrolled anger can lead to arguments, physical fights, physical abuse, assault and self-harm.

Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned is but there is a fury, a force that is even greater than that. It is called Righteous and Moral anger. It is almighty in power and in execution, for it, stems and flows from a pure and good source.

Avan, Aval Adhu 263

From the darkness that was Cottage No.7, Ravi and the others stood staring through the fog at the distant shadows that were being cast out by the dim lights that had been deliberately left switched on as he had requested.

Ravi saw everything and missed nothing. To the majority of the humans who interacted with him on a daily or weekly basis, he was a kind, quiet and soft-spoken man. Only, a precious few knew what he was really capable of and the danger that he posed when he got really angry.

' That last man, the sixth man' Ravi whispered softly and Partha immediately asked, ' what about him da?'

' He is not the same. He is different from the rest.'

Daksha opened her eyes wider to take in as much light and through it take in all the information that was going through her eyes to her processor in her brain and asked, ' How is he different and how is it even possible to come to that conclusion?'

' He is lingering and is also maintaining a little distance away from the other five strangers and if you notice, he keeps looking all around him while the others are slowly moving towards the main cottage. '

' That's strange but that is the third time he has done that. How is he doing that and why is he doing that? I wonder, just wonder.....' Ravi wondered aloud and maybe he did so knowingly or unknowingly but he was heard by all three of them.

' Dei, Ravi. Ennada solre? ' Partha asked and Ravi used his head to point out into the darkness and said, ' watch and tell me what you see.'

Daksha joined Partha and looked out trying to see what Ravi was talking about and Gayatri too joined them. Her curiosity had been awakened by the subtle changes that Ravi had begun to exhibit and her expert photographer's eyes had captured and had begun to process in her own head.

It took her a few moments but she saw what Ravi was talking about and had mentioned as being strange.

The last man is looking all around but each time his gaze passes our direction it seems to linger for a moment more than the last time. Correct Ravi, that is strange and I wonder why he is doing that or maybe it is just a coincidence.'

Daksha and Partha jumped back and receded backwards and seeing them do that Ravi said, ' Relax. He can try to see but will see nothing. Not through this fog and not in the darkness that we are in.'

Then all four watched quietly as the shadows slowly moved towards the main cottage and were soon lost from sight for they must have entered the main cottage.

Gayatri wondered aloud, ' Ravi is right. We are invisible in this cottage and moreover, they were quite a distance away from us. Visibility is bad on a dark night and top that with this fog situation. Impossible for anyone, leave along any creature to be able to see us here.'

It was not just his voice that creeped them out but what he said that made their spirits jump out of their bodies and leave them frozen in fear and confusion.

' Yet, he kept turning his head in our direction and lingered for a few moments each time his eyes passed us by. Seeing but not seeing.'