Bengaluru
FC 224 written ‘single-handedly’ prompted many readers to wish me to ‘get well soon’ and many others to comment on the various interpretations of the phrase. I am presenting a few of those comments as I have a space constraint.
Jagadish, a professor, shares this very poignant real-life story: “It is fascinating how you pick up a mundane phrase and creatively make it a discussion point. Speaking of, ‘single-handedly’ reminds me of single parenting, particularly of those women who are widowed with young children to be taken care of. Their lives are often a struggle but they do come out strong and resilient. One such person I will never forget is Subamma, whose sin was to be born in the times of cruel tradition that made her shave her head, wear a drab red sari and walk barefoot. She used to, all by herself, prepare condiments and munchy snacks ("hurugaalu", being her forte) and carry them door to door in the hot sun. She was a regular provider to my mother. One day she came limping with a crude bandage tied across one of her feet. You could make out that it bled a lot, by the colour of that wrap. She had stepped on a rusty nail the previous day and was in terrible pain. My mother made her sit down and show her the wound. We were shocked to learn that she had applied some cow dung as an antiseptic. Some days later, her son came home and told us that Subama passed away, due to gangrene! Thanks to her legacy the condiment vending that she had started, all by herself, has become a very popular business, run by her grandsons. Even though the name of the shop, in H B Samaja Road, Basavana Gudi, is now something else, everyone knows it only as Subamma Angadi and the wares sold by it as Subamma ‘saru pudi’, ‘chutney pudi’, and so on. Legacy of a single-handed woman entrepreneur of oppressive times!”
My most respected Senior Counsel Sri K G Raghavan writes: “Prasanna. Thank you for FC. You are an inspiration to all. I wish you a speedy recovery. Having said that you will be, literally speaking, single-handed for some time. Achieving one’s goal single-handedly is the manifestation of single-minded devotion. APJ Abdul Kalam famously said, ‘To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.’ To borrow your style, Ciao.”
Note: Sri. Raghavan publishes a very illuminating periodical called ‘Subhashita”. Please read and subscribe: 🔗https://kgraghavan.substack.com/publish/post/142659783
Kamalini from the UAE writes: “I am going out on a limb here, but I am sure you can single-handedly put out your weekend edition even in your weakened state. In this digital age, you will have no problem dictating your words of wisdom and humour. I have to hand it to you, your prolific writing has me amazed. I am not pointing fingers, but people with a lot more time on their hands don’t achieve what you have done. If you miss an edition, it will stick out like a sore thumb, so get well soon but keep the coffee flowing.”
Tarun Kunzru says: “I wish you a speedy recovery, Pras! It's wonderful to have the skill and initiative to do things single-handedly. Truly, ‘apna haath Jagannath’ is about individual skill and drive. If one couples this with the attitude - ‘together we prosper, divided we fall’. This is an important ingredient for successful teamwork and leadership.”
Hilarious one from S G Murali: “Dear Pras, Wishing you a speedy recovery. On the topic of ‘single hand’ I remembered this old story. CEO wanted to recruit a Legal Head. But he told the head hunter, ‘I want a lawyer with only one hand’. Head Hunter was surprised and asked him why this funny request. CEO said, ‘my previous legal head will always say ‘On the one hand you can do this and on the other hand you can do that.’ I never got a firm view. I now want a lawyer with only one hand’. Wishing you a speedy recovery.”
🤕 Pain
Readers will agree that writing single-handedly can be quite painful. My wrist was operated on the 23rd of November And my hand is in a cast which extends from my palm till the elbow. You can imagine the challenge involved in writing this post with the left wrist throbbing and the right wrist hobbling over the keyboard. I tried voice typing as suggested by Kamalini. I did not realise that voice recognition is effective only when your accent is right. I tried the default accent of UK and soon what I saw on the screen was not what I dictated. I then realised that I could choose from a list of 13 English accents ranging from Australian and American which included Indian. I chose Indian knowing that there are as many Indian accents as there are States. I wondered if my Kannada accent would work. Not quite. It typed ‘wandered’ for ‘wondered’. The flow of sentences is a bit deliberate when I type. There’s also a time lag which helps. Voice typing is a knack which I haven’t acquired yet. What to do, other than to practice? For now, it is back to the keyboard.
Pain manifests in many ways, as we all know. Some are physical, some mental, some metaphorical and some a cocktail of two or all three of them. After the physical pain wanes and the cast is taken off, I have to undergo physiotherapy, which is a pain. I may have to go every day for seven or more days, which is a pain. Each time I have to sit outside waiting to be called, which is a pain. For each sitting, I have to pay a thousand bucks, a kind of arm or rather wrist twisting, which is another pain.
My relative went to Spain during spring, had a fall and hit her head against something. Fearing she might go bonkers, her husband took her to a local hospital in Barcelona. He says it was painful explaining her condition to the Spanglish-speaking medicos. Having understood the situation, they wanted to keep the lady under observation which the lady thought was a pain and also an attempt at bill-padding. This made her head clear up and she walked out of the sala de emergencias ie the ER, but not before seeing red and painfully parting with a green (€100). The husband thought the fall may affect the brain but the lady told him it was all in the mind. I can’t resist penning a line to sum up the situation and it reads ‘The pain in Spain stays mainly in the brain’. (Prof Higgins will be pained).
It is often said that physical pain is tolerable and curable but pain caused by acrimony, acerbity or wounded pride can linger a lot longer. Regretting something that, in hindsight, was an act of indiscretion may cause self-inflicted pain. I have had that experience. By not understanding the circumstances he was in, I imagined he was shirking responsibility, which alienated a colleague. It stayed that way even after I extended an olive branch.
Digressing a bit, an olive branch is an offer of peace or reconciliation, especially after conflict or disagreement. In ancient Rome, olive branches were used as symbols of diplomacy and peace negotiations. When enemies made peace, they would hold up an olive branch. I was quite fascinated to learn that the Great Seal of the United States, has an eagle holding an olive branch. This, I gather, signifies that nation’s desire for peace but readiness for war if needed.
We have heard the expression, “Words are often more hurtful than physical hurt.” In reality, when something is said, the way you process it in your mind determines how hurtful it is. Some people are considered ‘thick-skinned’. Regardless of what is said they seem unaffected. Feeling pained by what someone says is dependent on how sensitive you are. If you betray your sensitivity, likely someone may take advantage of it.
Some people are very frank and outspoken but completely harmless. But if you don’t know them well, you may feel hurt by their brusque utterances. If you know them well, you will vouch for them and consider them a safer bet than someone who says nice things to your face without any conviction. My brother-in-law, who passed away some years ago, was such a person. I would feel very safe talking to him and getting his unqualified views on various matters though at times I thought he could have put it tactfully and not so bluntly. Frankness brings with it a certain sting and you have to deal with it in each given context. Don’t expect anything to soft land with Mr or Mrs Frank!
“Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional” is a saying attributed to Buddha. It was made popular by Haruki Murakami, a celebrated Japanese writer and an avid marathon runner. He says that a marathon runner, at some stage of the run, experiences pain in his legs and yet summons all the energy he can muster and completes the run. For the runner, pain was inevitable but it was his option to suffer that pain and complete the race.
What if the pain is a transmitted fear? It is often said that memories of suffering linger for a long time. Like a lady who had experienced labour pains reliving it to tell an expectant mother “Oh! Nothing is more painful than labour pain”. This may cause the expectant mother, who is already a bit apprehensive, to suffer from imagining that pain. It could play on her mind. She can overcome that in several ways if she realises that labour pain is inevitable but suffering from the fear of that pain is optional.
There are people who can be a pain and depending on the intensity they are classified with reference to our anatomy. They come in all kinds of shapes and colours. A senior colleague who holds forth on every topic whether you are interested or not can be quite a pain and you have no choice not just to endure him but also nod your aching head in agreement. It’s different if it is your colleague who gets into an argument over anything and everything. If you try to stop him he will say “I’m not arguing. I’m just convincing you that I’m right”. If a guy who is a pain meets you and exclaims ‘What a beautiful day!’.You are within your rights to mumble “You are like a cloud. When you disappear, it will be a beautiful morning.” Oscar Wilde said,
“Some people bring joy wherever they go. Some whenever they go.”
People who are a pain are usually insufferable but branding them as such is partly due to our intolerance or unwillingness to engage. If one keeps an open mind one may find the person not so insufferable. You may find my PJs insufferable, but I know you have an open mind. So here I go:
Did you know that Bruce Lee had a vegan brother called Brocco Lee?
Scientists got so bored of watching the Earth spin that after 24 hours
They called it a day.
So will I. See you next week with a guest post. Take care and be safe. Ciao.
Grateful Sir.
Good. I enjoyed reading