Precious Pearls

Do you ever lie? ‘Never’ would be your first reaction. Now let’s turn it the other way round. Do you always tell the truth? After a brief pause, you will confess to yourself that you always don’t speak the truth! Let’s give ourselves a little of leeway, because we aren’t robots programmed to speak the truth. Well, next time when you lie, you just need to remember what you have told and have to be consistent, that’s it. We live more in dreams, less in reality. It’s a human tendency to ‘project’ facts. Talking about how things should be is so ingrained in us that how things are may not strike us at all. Everywhere; at homes, colleges, workplaces and even at eateries, we have the colourful narrations full of excitements, fun, humour or outbursts, sometimes blown out of proportion, sometimes skirting the details and at times, just to entertain… Once, one of my acquaintances was describing his neighbourhood businessman’s lifestyle. Needless to say he was enchanted by the rich man’s ca...

Opportunity makes a thief, they say. It must be true as thieves aren’t born. That could be the reason many guard against valuables seldom leaving any chance for ‘probable’ thieves. It’s quite normal for any of us to protect our valuables at public places and even at homes when maids, construction workers or labourers engaged for some work are around and there is nothing wrong in it. If grabbing the opportunity is quite natural for a thief, shielding precious things is as much human. Of course, extra protective tendency or a sense of over-possession is absolutely unwelcome, but taking due care is both, obvious and necessary. What’s more interesting is in spite of all precautions, we can never predict anything as burglars, since times immemorial, have always been smarter and sharper than us! However, the other day, I was in a strange situation. I was safeguarding nothing and on the contrary, I wanted something to be stolen away! Yes, I repeat, as I am well aware of what I am saying....

Hide-n-seek, house-house, snake-n-ladder, lock-n-key, cards and even dolls; all this could be a passé for today’s toddlers. Kiddies’ games aren’t anymore a child’s play. Can’t say if they have evolved (!) but surely, they have changed with time. The other day, a-four-year old niece of mine was crying for a gun! Wait, a toy gun!! Mind you, it was a lot more than a plaything for her. “Please mamma, get a gun for me at the earliest otherwise two of my friends will kill me as they possess big guns,” the girl was literally in tears.  She really feared for her life, at the tender age of four… Change is the only constant but transition in children’s games is something to be paid heed to. I particularly observed some children playing in housing societies, school grounds, even on gym and club house premises and also heard their discussions during the course of the games. This paradigm shift appeared somewhat striking. At times, it looked they were reproducing adult dialogues, but yes, ...