Life with the goats - Aadujeevitham

"നാം അനുഭവിക്കാത്ത ജീവിതങ്ങളെല്ലാം നമുക്ക് വെറും കെട്ടുകഥകള്‍ മാത്രമാണ്. "

"The stories of life we hear which we don't experience is just tall stories for us"
... but the reality is different.

I had plans of coming back to my past reading habits, and I got this book "Aadujeevitham" written by Benyamin. (Its in malayalam language - my mother tongue) . What a book to start with! It takes you away and steals your heart. It brings the real 'human being' in you. The theme is life in desert.

In India, especially in my state , Kerala, a lot of people go to the Middle-East for jobs. 'Jobs' here does not mean the high-profile professional jobs, but working as slaves because there is no other way for living. Surviving in an orthodox country for us 'keralites' is very difficult because unlike here, the rules are harsh..not liberal. 

In this story,  a person in Kerala living in a typical Kerala family is going to Middle -east. He is picked up by an Arabi person. He is taken to a deserted place, where he is made to work as a shepherd. The sufferings he face are very hard to believe.

In dire straits

I am sure that many people are stuck there even this moment waiting for someone to rescue them. The book gives you a clear picture of the maximum extent to which a human can be exploited. He has to live among the goats, as a goat... and at times , we feel that the goats have a better life than him.. We will get a deeper meaning of water, food, etc and the book will teach us how important they are and the huge role which they play in our lives. You may not be able to grasp the full extent of having water and food  because all we know is that without water and food we will die, but we haven't experienced their utter scarcity.. The book tells how much simple or uncertain is human life when exposed to the violence of nature or say, the violence of his own species. He is lost without any help, all alone in the vast desert...

While reading the book, I have even wondered how can people behave like they have no heart. The 'arbabs' who have held this slave treats him so badly even worse than an animal. He is not given the position of a human being. I had deep thoughts of the thousands of people from families around me facing the same fate at this very moment. They go for a job in the middle-east with a hope of earning something by getting daily wages by doing difficult jobs , because this is their last hope of saving their poor family. Their dreams are shattered very soon and they vanish for ever...

Another thing I saw in this story is that the person's hope never fades.. He is a strong believer of Allah and prays to God for helping him. There is this constant hope in him that God will help him surely.. I don't know whether its God who have helped him in the final place, but I'm sure that it is the hope (that God is there for him) in him that helped him survive all this horrible conditions...

This book is definitely in the 'must-read' category..

So, a large session of my academic life have come to an end...I am looking forward for more challenges... I am in the Higher Secondary Category now.. Now its summer vacation and I'm concentrating on my interests.. going for electronics classes now...and more reading on the way...

Lines from my History Text...

I thought I must post this here...

". . . rarely given such permission When they heard of the Non-Cooperation Movement, thousands of workers defied the autorities and headed home. They believed that Gandhi Raj was coming and everyone would be given land in their own villages, They, however, never reached their destination. Stranded on the way by a railway and streamer strike, they were caught by the police and brutally beaten up.

The visions of these movements were not defined by the Congress programme. They interpreted the term Swaraj in their own ways,, imagining it to be a time when all sufferings and all troubles would be over. Yet, when the tribals chanted Gandhiji's name and raised slogans demanding 'Swatantra Bharat (Independent India)' , they were also emotionally relating to an all-India agitation. When they acted in the name of Mahatma Gandhi, or linked thier movement to that of the Congress, they were identifying with a movement which went beyond the limits of thier immediate locality. . . "

NATIONALISM IN INDIA,

'INDIA AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD - II',

'TEXTBOOK IN HISTORY FOR CLASS X'

These were the lines that struck me deeply...I am really going to miss studyin history and politics from next year... because I'm opting for science...

A Fable About Following Your Dream

THE ALCHEMIST by 'Paul Coelho' --- A Review

" Its the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting"

I am largely inspired now by this book called 'The Alchemist'. Its a great story. Its all about following your heart.

--

Every few decades a book is publishes that changes the lives of the readers forever. This book by Paul Coelho is one of them. It is a 'modern classic' actually. It is the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and into the Egyptian Desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him. This story teaches us, as only a few can, about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, learning to read the omens strewn along life's path and above all following your dreams.

--

I liked the book very much. It is truly a book which can change ones outlook about their life. It contains so many inspiring messages that you would like to 'bookmark' in your mind forever. The story has an excellent ending that comes unexpected. The books tell about various spiritual concepts like 'Language of the World'.

Now that I've read this wonderful story, I've decided to follow my heart always because...

" When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

...

It gives me hope and puts a smile on my face...

ZZZzzzz....'Summer 2010' ? --- tooo boring! ZZZzzzz....

SUMMER'S DOIN ITS JOB! CANT BEAR THE HEAT!

Now I am waiting for my school to re-open... Seriously, missing it very much. Missing all the 'study stuff', bookzz, and of course, all my best friends there. Now all I am doing is sitting simply at home. Sometimes, browsing nett, then, sometimes, reading (finding more bookzz, read everything here), and most of the time, sleeping...

Vishu was not so great this year... I have noticed big changes in me. Anywayz theres one thing I understood well this vacation and that is 'myself'. Everyone says teenage is a crucial time for an individual's future. Its so very true. As a teenager, the best thing to do is be 'yourself'. Dont allow other things to influence you. I have also understood that if you have a career ambition or dream or something like that in your life, then, make your mind according to it. That will help you a lot. (that helped me a lot when i was so 'scattered')... But, the biggest problem is understanding my mom and dad. But I am now trying hard to understand them, and listen to them. Sometimes, even if you don't like their 'advising', it influences you in your deep heart. My mom and dad are very good in that. They never push me to do things, but I will do it and follow them anywayzz because advices reach deep inside.

I've got the new books for my 10th standard. Its the same continuation of 9th. Seems easy at first look. I have decided that no tuition until 11th Standard because my mom 'n dad have promised to help in my studies this time. Until last year, I was studying on my own (still, managed it well). This time I have decided to work hard and concentrate more on studies, and I would truly work on it!

So, on a 'DETERMINED' mood...