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Showing posts from 2017

Century on the Bronze Anniversary!

This is my100th post, and today is the eighth birthday of Alter Idem !! That's an average of a post per month......1.04 to be precise!! I have always celebrated Alter Idem 's birthday by sharing a short story that comes to my mind when I begin to write the 'birthday post'. Today's story is from the Ramayana. I thought of it as I was unloading photographs from the phone a few minutes ago. The pic below was taken at Amritapura . The Amriteshwara temple, like other temples built in the Hoysala style, has carvings on the outer walls depicting episodes from our epics and mythology. And, let me tell you, it is such a pleasure to recognise the anecdotes depicted by the sculptor!! Looking for Seeta, Rama and Lakshmana reach Kishkinda and befriend Sugreeva. Sugreeva seeks Rama's help to kill his estranged brother, Vali. In return, he offers to help Rama track Seeta. However, Sugreeva is not sure if Rama could match his brother's strength. To prove

The Story of a Seed

It was a visiting Sunday - six years ago at the Poorna Prajna School, Sangameshwarpet. As usual, all the hostelers were waiting for their parents and the goodies they would bring from home. While walking through the tree - lined path, I saw this eight year old boy. His parents had not yet arrived, and he was whiling his time by striking a young tree with a stick. The moment he realised that I was walking towards him, the boy threw the stick and ran away....some basic instinct must have warned him!! Well...... I didn't spoil his day by chasing him and giving him the sermon he deserved! As I removed the stick from the pathway, I realised that the boy had broken it recently from the powder-puff shrub nearby. While putting the stick out of the way, I found that it carried a seed pod. I decided to save it, and then, forgot all about it...... Till about three years ago, the seed pod was lying forgotten in an unused compartment in my handbag.   Even though I knew that seeds do not