Filter Coffee #224

On 'Single-Handedly'

Bengaluru

FC 223 on Children's Day and Prediction received a good response.

• Jagdish whom I have known since the early 60s has this to say: “Yes, childhood memories are always sweet — that is how we feel today. But at that time, did we know that our lives were sweet? Or, were we concerned about homework, examinations, parental reprimands and whatnot? How nice it would have been if we had known, then, that we were having a great time that we'll recall in the future! That is how it is. So, even now, we can relish a delightful time, maybe of a different kind. Living in the present is the best way of enjoying life. 

• When we believe them, predictions begin to work in our minds and worm their way into our thoughts; as the saying goes, ‘yeth bhavam thatha bhavati’ (As you think so you become). Our thoughts become reality. Again, the universe is a mirror and it reflects whatever we think about. Our elders used to tell us never to think or speak about evil because there are angels who keep flying above saying, ‘thathastu’(Amen), and if they happen to be above you at that moment, whatever you thought or uttered would happen. This is why those who constantly think positively, attract happiness while those who are in the habit of being negative, attract an unhappy life.”

• Lakshmi Raman says: “Ah, childhood! I do remember having a happy childhood on the whole. Such a feeling of safety in public spaces. We kids would wander around even as far as a couple of kilometres from home (this was Bombay, now Mumbai) looking at buildings, and chatting about something or nothing. Our parents too did not feel anxious about our safety as adults were generally protective. Not like the environment today.”

• Tarun Kunzru says: “Children dream, play make-believe games and always make the 'most of a moment', that is why time stands still in their joyful innocence. I remember some 100 marbles, which I had won, falling out of my pocket in the first period after the lunch break. It wasn't the anger of the teacher but classmates picking up my winnings that upset me. Adults dwell in the past and often worry about the future so we often hear adults say 'time flies'. It is the toilet roll syndrome - As you get to the end it goes faster! Smart adults plan and don't base their lives on random predictions. In my opinion, 'Astrologers' always see stars, or is it black holes?”

• Amar says: “I think our elders made our childhood what it was - one long innings of simple joy in whatever we did and with whatever we got to do.”

• Raghupathy says: “During my childhood, we had to walk 4 miles each way to the high school and back during the fifties. We had no electricity in the village and we used to take turns to clean the glass of the hurricane lamp to a reasonable shine every evening before dark. That was the source of light for us to study till 9 pm when we used to listen to the English News broadcast of the AIR in the captivating voice of either Melville de Mellow or Surjit Sen through the Transistor radio which worked on batteries. Predictions are more by intuition and observation while Forecast is based on scientific calculations.The story goes that when a whole village was suffering from severe drought, the villagers organised a havan to invoke Lord Varuna the rain God and ladies were asked to sing songs in the raga Amrithavarshini. While everyone had gathered to watch the event, one boy in the crowd alone was carrying an umbrella. When asked why, he answered that he had "faith" in the ritual and hence had come prepared. And when it rained eventually, others were looking stupid while he was gleefully walking in the rain. It turned out to be that the boy was none other than the devout son of the priest who was conducting the ritual.”

• S G Murali says: “Oh. What a great time we had as kids. We played all kinds of pranks. Once we were upset with our elder cousins who forced us to stop playing cricket. To avenge their action,  we turned the “Moda“upside down and put the cushions back. When the cousins and friends sat unsuspectingly, they sank into the hollow of the Modas. When they caught us giggling we ran away. We thank our parents too for allowing us to have so much fun. Nowadays we see parents putting so much pressure on the kids studying in LKG and taking fun out of learning.”

💪 Single-Handedly

Fall had just set in as I was leaving the US I had a spring in my step. Never once did I think of the changing colours of the leaves during the fall season. I took them for granted just as I had taken it for granted that I have never fallen. Never imagined that I would fall but fall, I did. Here’s how.

I went to Mumbai for a few meetings, and on the 19th of November evening, at St Regis, my foot caught the table leg when I got up to greet someone, and I fell with all the weight on my left wrist. An x-ray at Jaslok Hospital revealed a radial bone fracture that will require surgery and plate insertion. I was given temporary support for the wrist and my arm was put in a sling to be able to travel (would have preferred a Singapore Sling). I came back to Bangalore on the 20th morning and met my Ortho Dr Krishan Prasad at Hosmat. He is the husband of my grandniece who is also a regular reader of FC as well. Thanks to him, all investigations were efficiently completed and I am all set to get admitted on Friday for surgery scheduled for Saturday morning. But believe me, I will recover from my fall and spring back to full action by spring! 

Editor's note: Handing over some good news — the doctor has informed us that no surgery would be required, only external wires and a cast for 6 weeks.  

With a protective bandage around my left wrist, with my left arm in a sling, I was wondering how to type out this post single-handedly. That gave me the topic for this post.😀

The phrase ‘single-handedly’ is an idiomatic expression which means, to accomplish something entirely on one's own, without any assistance or support. The phrase is commonly used to describe actions or achievements carried out by a single individual without assistance. From conquering challenges to winning battles, the term signifies remarkable feats accomplished alone with self-reliance and determination. 

Being able to succeed single-handedly is a testament to personal strength and resilience. History has seen many such single-handed achievements, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela are just two of many examples of such achievers.

There is also an element of stubbornness inherent in this attribute. The person keen on accomplishing something single-handedly will reject offers to help and would believe, albeit overconfident, in his strength and determination. Interestingly, this person has no problems taking sole responsibility for his actions and the outcome whether it be good or bad. In our ordinary life, some of you may have known elders who get irritated when you offer any kind of help.

No doubt, working single-handedly fosters self-reliance. Thomas Edison, reportedly, worked single-handedly for years to develop the light bulb, persevering through countless failures before achieving success. Today, a person seeking to discover something through research would work single-handedly, not because of his ability to do so but out of fear that his ideas may be stolen if he collaborated. 

To accomplish something single-handedly is a remarkable achievement that showcases human potential. While it requires tremendous effort and dedication, the rewards are substantial. This is so true of my desire to publish this blog. The ‘single-handed’ effort is rewarded by the readers.

While in the US, I keenly observed my daughter-in-law assembling various items that came from Ikea or Amazon, single-handedly. I would not do that in India. Even if I bought something from Ikea, I would rely on a handyman to help me. It would appear to me that being single-handed is an indication of a firm resolve to be independent and self-reliant. At times it may be a matter of compulsion.

It is not uncommon to see success being achieved single-handedly, particularly in sports. When the team is staring at defeat, a batsman hangs in there and takes the team over the line. I have seen in many resumés candidates writing about what they achieved single-handedly. Resumé writers can embellish any narrative to make the candidate look good. In a resume writing competition, resumé writers were asked to write about changing a lightbulb. The best entry was:

I single-handedly managed the successful upgrade and deployment of a new environmental illumination system with zero cost overruns, and zero safety incidents, increasing workplace safety and productivity.

I hope you liked this post. The topic has a lot of potential. Please share your experiences of being ‘single-handed’. I also request readers to contribute guest columns as my ability to post FC single-handedly over the next 6 weeks (until the cast is off) will be a daunting task.

Until next week, be safe and take good care of yourself. Ciao!