Beauty of Storytelling

Storytelling is a noble and beautiful art
It thrives with indulgence of the heart
With love & passion if stories get impart
Joy of listening is said to be worlds apart

At the core of this art are four founding pillars
When mastered, they help create engaging tellers
Stories with hope, truth and belief aide the teller
Love for the story, alone, can make it a bestseller

Stories come to life through a teller's expression
Often, leaves many with a lasting impression
Stories with fantasy and fiction trigger wild imagination
Cascade, it must get, through to the next generation

A skilled storyteller is like a two humped camel
Their hunch to observe and listen makes them able
Variation in their tone adds flavor to a fable
Carry us they do, to eternity, on a silky saddle

Beauty of a story is enhanced through its telling
Lack of energy may result in airborne shelling
Glamour all facts; so it sounds compelling
May its glory shine in each & every dwelling

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©Balaji Palanidurai

I wrote this poem onboard Chennai Express train from Bengaluru to Chennai. I (with my wife) was returning home post a 3 days workshop on storytelling conducted by Kathalaya Trust. Wonderful learning from its founder Madam Geeta Ramanujam and 20 other participants all now complete listeners and observers, which I learnt are key traits of a good storyteller.

My writing journey started on my numerous travels, often resulting in an oasis of stories. But some months would pass without any travel and hence no stories . I thought journey of a camel in a desert would be a good metaphor for this, which I have tried to embed in this poem. Hope you like it.

என்று தணியும் இந்த இறைச்சியின் மோகம்

அடுப்பில் வேகுது இளம் ஆடு

அது துள்ளி குதித்த இடம் கருவக்காடு
காட்டை அழித்தோம் நிலத்துக்காக
ஆட்டை அழித்தோம் இறைச்சிக்காக

அழித்த காட்டில் நட பயின்றோம்
ஆடு மாடுகளை நடவ பயின்றோம்
செழித்தது காடு மட்டும் அல்ல
நமது சுகாதாரமும் தான்

வயகாட்டில் படர்ந்த நெற்கதிர்கள்
மனித மேம்பட்டுக்கான எதிரொலிகள்
வயகாட்டை அழித்தோம் வீட்டு மனைக்காக
கால்நடைகளை அழித்தோம் வாய் ருசிக்காக

அழிந்தது வயகாடு மட்டும் அல்ல, 

கலாச்சாரமும் தான்
வேந்தது ஆட்டுக் குடல் மட்டும் அல்ல,
நமது கல்லிரலும் தான்

பிறகு ஏன் நம்முள் இந்த இறைச்சியின் மோகம்
என்று தணியும் இந்த ருசியின் தாகம்
தனிந்தால் மேம்படுவது உலக சுகாதாரம் மட்டுமல்ல
நமது இரக்க உணர்வும் தான்

Learn or churn

We all have an equal right to education
To learn from it, one needs determination
Education for all can be simple, yet priceless
Let's not complicate it and make it worthless

Mother nature was the source for it in primitive days
Learn we did by experiencing it in multiple ways
Apply, learning, we did, to domesticate and settle
Multiply we did, yet, thrived with little

With passage of time we moved into civilization
Learning too, kept its pace sans any realization
To industries we went to work and earn
Schools we created for our children to learn

To spread it far and wide it got standardized
In that process did learning get compromised?
Industry it became and many built an empire

A factory that churned out victims of despair

Among them, lived a few known for their philanthropy 

Shared they did their learning and philosophy

Business, it was not for them; our right to education

Lead by example they did for the next generation 

Education for all, now, comes at a price

If you want nature in it, expect a steep rise
Education for all can be simple, yet priceless
Why complicate it and make it worthless?

We are born with creativity and imagination
Let's explore more and upskill for innovation
Choice we have to either learn or churn
Let's follow our passion, till comes our turn.

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©Balaji Palanidurai

This poem is inspired by events over last few weeks where I have been engaged in various discussion about the state of current education system and how the standardized approach is churning our graduates who find themselves lacking in employable skills!

Education now is a big industry and in developing countries this is big business. I was stunned by fees some school charge for kinder garden and more in the name of nature trips and studies! Is it really worth it? But, what is the alternative? In a nuclear family that has both parents aspiring to excel in life they decide to send their kids to schools to be churned out along with million others.

If a small percentage of those parents chose to home school their children and coach them to pursue a passion - in sports, arts or even farming, I am sure life will be very rewarding for them and their children will love them for that freedom. 

The last line of the poem was inspired by the Gully boy (#gullyboy) movie I happened to see over the weekend "Apna time ayega..."

  

Beauty of Goodwill

Fortunate you are to experience a goodwill

Culminate it does over time, not at will
Inherit though some do, sans a written will
Alas, acquire some do by passing a bill

Maintain it well, like it is your health
Sustain it will, like your wealth
Jealously it may create, at times in stealth
Seriously if taken, may plant thoughts of filth

Asset it is not, still worthy of a credit
Liability it becomes if not followed by a debit
Leverage it wisely, never misuse it
Else, erode it will - bit by bit

Intangible it can be on your balance sheet
Responsible if you are it will often repeat
Intention if there is to amass and cheat
Tension it creates and will soon deplete

Respect it well, so it becomes your legacy
Suspect none will or call it a fallacy
Adopt its heritage they will in infancy
Your goodwill, of all, will rein in supremacy

Fortunate you will be to experience goodwill
Accumulate it over time, never at will
Inherit if you did, do pass it on in your will
Acquire, never do, by passing a bill

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©Balaji Palanidurai
January has been busy with setting up my consulting business and working on my first client project. Preoccupied mind is not creative and I experienced it during his period - result there was no poem in Jan.

But, few events in my daily life and recent holiday in the East triggered something  - goodwill of  vendors that I meet who don't hesitate to top up my vegetable purchase with some greens or that extra couple of bananas when I buy a dozen.

I think about help my wife extends to our servant maid at times in kind and sometimes monetary - all in goodwill!

I also remember the incident when the AT&T lady topped up my phone card (free of cost) during our holiday in USA - actually their system was not able to recognize my UK post code and local post code was not matching with the credit card address! $10 just added.

Goodwill is such a good thing, so lets admire its beauty.

Pssst: I asked my 14 year old daughter to make me a cartoon for this poem and she did one. At first I could not relate to it. When she explained the story I realized she thinks deeper than me!!

Its a large family that buys some goodies. The last kid does not get a piece. So, the shopkeeper give her a piece out of goodwill!

Gin's Ode to his master

My master calls me good old Gin
Might be the effect of alochol
For, I love my coffee in sun
Filtered & light, with chicory et al

Woof, woof i love a mountain hike
Many he took me, when young
Aloof, we went on his motorbike
Memories on his wall, they are hung

Streets many we roamed in our city
Friends, a few, he made through me
Strays many we found, full of pity
Befriend many, I did through him

Coat & socks for my fur and skin
He looks after me, like next of kin
Bed and mattress for my comfort
His house, i guard like a king's fort

Fourteen years for a dog is history
How I survived illness is a mystery
I admire all efforts, for me,  he took
Umpteen years, i will live on facebook

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This is close to my heart. A good friend posted on facebook that his pet Gin (a good old Lab that has its own facebook album ) turned 14 that day and he had written a nice note appreciating their companionship.
As a dog owner myself I could completely relate to every word in that post and something in me said that I should write a poem for Gin and him. I soaked in the message in his post and mapped to the photo album to create a poem in my standard style of writing.

Outcome is the this Gin's ode to his master. Hope you like it.

Beauty of perception

Beauty lies in beholders eyes, they say
Duty lies with them to appreciate it, I say
In the heart of the artist, beauty is conceived
Mind of the viewer decides how it is perceived

Communication is an art, they say
Mastering lies in its empowerment, i say
In the flow of words our message is conceived
Expression and tone decides how it is perceived

Network is your net worth, they say
Exploring it usefully lies the secret, i say
In our behaviour and approach, impression is conceived
Humility and attitude decides how it is perceived

Negotiation is a valuable skill, they say
Elevating it assertively is the secret of leadership, i say
In persuasion and tactics our intent is conceived
Happiness and outcome decides how it is perceived

Happiness is a state of mind, they say
Joy of spreading it lies with us, i say
In our flow of thoughts happiness is conceived
Emotions at that moment decides how it is perceived

Beauty lies in beholders eyes, they say
Duty lies with them to appreciate it, I say
In the heart of the artist, beauty is conceived
Mind of the viewer decides how it is perceived

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©Balaji Palanidurai

I happen to see a Tweet by @anandmahindra that had a philosophical question.

https://twitter.com/anandmahindra/status/1073472301767757824?s=19

I also happened to see a wall art and posted a similar tweet yesterday.

It got me thinking and I started to react with a reply. Soon, I realized the depth in that question and the framework I am working on to promote enlightened growth.

Result is this poem, which got further inspired, by me being, in my native village immersed in the fresh air and beauty of  green farmlands in the neighborhood .

Beauty of Outcomes

Our act of living has an outcome
Some define it as a purpose
If it becomes pursuit of income
Redefine it, with a discourse

In the act of setting up a wakeup alarm
Outcome we expect, is to rise
The act, intentionally, to snooze it with an arm
Purpose, neither met nor wise

In the act of hearing someone speak
Outcome we expect, is to listen
The act, inbetween, to respond to a beep
Purpose, neither met nor brazen

In the act of caring someone in pain
Outcome we expect , is healing
The act, though, of doing it for ample gain
Purpose, neither met nor appealing

In the act of responding to our need
Outcome we expect, is joy
The act of, voluntarily, giving in to our greed
Purpose, neither met nor coy

Our act of living has an outcome
Some define it as a purpose
When it becomes pursuit of income
Redefine it, with a discourse

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©Balaji Palanidurai

I wrote this on a my travel back from Bengaluru to Chennai on 11th Nov. I had made a personal choice to travel in the common man coach - decison was an outcome of minimalist living. The cost of this travel was 1/20th of the cost of the same trip that I used to do by air, when employed.

Outcome matters for everything we do in life, be it brushing our teeth or baking a birthday cake. Personal hygiene, purpose of former and show of affection or cost savings could be for the latter. As long as the purpose is clear followed by genuine  effort, a positive outcome is more or less guaranteed.