CHILDREN OF DESTINY

In today's Statesman ( October 20) I came across a news item, "Great Escape". The story is how a toddler -- not even two years old -- is safe and well even though he fell down from an open window of his third storey apartment. He landed on some concrete and rocks.He escaped with a cut in his abdomen, a bruised lung and a bump on his head. This happened in California.

It reminds me of another news item that came in one of last week's newspapers. A pregnant woman travelling by train had a miraculous escape. She visited the toilet and while there delivered her baby.The baby fell through the hole on to the tracks. The woman came from the toilet and jumped out of the running train without a second thought.

Other travellers in the compartment seeing her jumping pulled the chain and stopped the train.When the railway officials with some of the passengers walked back some distance they found the woman sitting with the baby in her arms on the side of the tracks. Amazingly both were not hurt and are doing well.

These two incidents remind me of the old saying that there is a time and place for everything and everyone. It also goes the moment a child is born it is written on his forehead (FATE) the time of his death. So may be these three above mentioned have long life. Otherwise things would have been different.

The other day Raja showed me a video clip on his laptop which pictured an incident that happened somewhere in Australia. It showed how a baby in a pram had a miraculous escape after being hit by an oncoming train in a station.




The baby's mother waiting on the platform had lost her grip on the pram which rolled on to the track. The moving train had pushed the pram away from the track where the woman found her baby safe inside pram itself. So it looks like this baby also has good fate.

But not everyone is this lucky. The famous guitarist Eric Clapton lost his three year old son in 1991 when he fell from an open window of a high rise building. Imagine a baby coming to such a tragic end in the saftey of his own home.

So it all depends on one's luck or shall I say Fate.

VIDYARAMBAM DAY, NETBOOK IN HAND

My Vidyarambam Day was one day later than the original date this year. On that day after breakfast Raja went out with his usual "etho varen" and I on my part did not ask any questions.

He came back after about two hours and handed me a package telling me it was for me and for me alone.

It was a flat packet about the size of a table diary.Was I surprised when I opened the packet and took out what was inside:Yes it was a laptop/netbook, all my own.

Raja told me that now I have a laptop of my own I should not depend on others to type my mail.

So I have started typing, it is a very slow process and I am learning to type with two fingers.

Now within a period of two weeks Raja has also taught me how to use the internet: open pages, how to compose a mail and how to send it too.

I feel very good and a little proud of myself.

I feel great when I open my mail and send back replies. Me an eighty plus woman sitting at my laptop and typing this note.

I now understand the true meaning of the Malayalam proverb "Venamengil chakkai verillum kaikyum". (If you will, even a Jackfruit will sprout from the roots.) And I am here proving it to myself.

I am giving enough time to my children and others who read my blog to prepare themselves to tolerate my spelling mistakes and typing errors.

I have taken more than two hours to type and revise these few lines

Well, I am only a novice so it is ok. Please wish me success Thanks.

I always used to tell my children that it is never too late to learn anything new.

Now Raja has given me a chance to practice what I have been preaching.