ಕಳೆದ ಭಾನುವಾರ, ಕೆಲ್ಸ, ಜೀವನದ ಮಧ್ಯ ತಲೆ ಕೆಡ್ಸಕೊಂಡು ಇದ್ದಾಗ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರೊಬ್ರು ಫೋನಾಯಿಸಿ ರಂಗಾಯಣಕ್ಕೆ ನಾನು ಹೋಗೇ ಇಲ್ಲ, ಸಂಜೆ ಹೋಗೋಣ ಅಂತಿದ್ದೀನಿ ಅಂದ್ರು. ಸರಿ, ನಾನು ಬರ್ತೀನಿ ಅಂದೆ. ಸಂಜೆ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಬಂದು ನಾನು ಬರ್ತೀನಿ, ಆದ್ರೆ ಈಗ್ಲೇ ಹೋಗ್ಬೇಕು ಕುಕ್ಕರಹಳಳಿ ಕೆರೆ ಸುತ್ತ ಒಂದು ವಾಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ ಹಾಗಿಂದಾನೇ ಬರ್ತೀನಿ ಅಂದ್ರು.

ಸರಿ, ನಾನೂ ವಾಕೋಣವೆಂದು ಹೊರಟೆ. ಒಂದರ್ಧ ಘಂಟೆಯಲ್ಲೆ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಕೆರೆ ಪ್ರದಕ್ಷಿಣೆ ಮುಗಿಸಿ, ರಂಗಾಯಣದ “ಭೂಮಿಗೀತ”ಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದ್ವಿ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಮತ್ತೊಬ್ಬ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಟಿಕೆಟ್ಗಳನ್ನು ತೊಗೊಂಡಿದ್ರು.

ಸೋಜಿಗ ಅಂದ್ರೆ ನಮಗ್ಯಾರಿಗೂ ಅಂದು ಯಾವ ನಾಟಕ ಅಂತಾನು ಗೊತ್ತಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೊರಗೊಂದ್ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಬ್ಯಾನರ್ ಮೇಲೆ ರಂಗಾಯಣದ ಗ್ರೀಷ್ಮ ರಂಗೋತ್ಸವ ಅಂತ ಬರೆದದ್ದು ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಾಣಿಸ್ತು. ಟಿಕೆಟ್ ಕೊಂಡಾಗ ನಾಟಕದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಒಂದು ಪಾಂಪ್ಲೆಟ್ ಕೊಟ್ರು. ಅದ್ರಲ್ಲಿ ಓದ್ದಾಗ ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಿದ್ದು ಯಾರೋ ಸುಳ್ಯದ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಮಾಡ್ತಿರೋ ನಾಟಕ – ಢಾಣಾ ಡಂಗುರ – ವೈದೇಹಿಯವರು ಬರ್ದಿರೋದು ಅಂತ.

ನಾವು – ನಾಟಕ ಮಕ್ಳು ಮಾಡ್ತಿರೋದು – ಹೇಗಿರತ್ತೋ ಏನೋ ಅಂತ ಅನ್ಕೊಂಡೆ ಒಳಗ್ ಹೋಗಿ ಕೂತ್ವಿ. ಹೀಗೆ ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡಕ್ಕೆ ನಮ್ಮ ನಮ್ಮದೇ ಶಾಲಾ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಡುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ನಾಟಕಗಳ ಜ್ಞಾಪಕ ಸರಿ ೬:೩೦ಕ್ಕೆ ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ಶುರುವಾಗೇ ಹೋಯಿತು ಮಕ್ಳೆಲ್ಲಾ ಕುಣೀತಾ ಬಂದ್ರು, ಅವರ ಹಿಂದೆ ಒಂದ್ ಮಗು ಡಂಗುರ ಇಟ್ಕೊಂಡು ಬಂದು ಶುರುನೇ ಮಾಡ್ಬಿಡ್ತು “ಕೇLrಅಪ್ಪೋ ಕೇಳಿ…” ಅಂತ.

ಅದರ ನಂತರ ಹೇಗೆ ಸಮಯ ಹೋಯ್ತೋ ಗೊತ್ತೇ ಆಗ್ಲಿಲ್ಲ. ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ ನಕ್ಕೂ ನಕ್ಕೂ ಸುಸ್ತಾಗೋ ಹೊತ್ತಿಗೆ ನಾಟಕ ಮುಗಿದೇ ಹೋಯ್ತು. ನಾಟಕದುದ್ದಕ್ಕೂ  ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶಿಸಿದ ಕೌಶಲ್ಯ, ವರ್ಚಸ್ಸು ಮತ್ತವರ ಕೈಚಳಕ ನಿಜಕ್ಕೂ ಅಚ್ಚರಿ ಮೂಡಿಸಿತು. ಹಾಗೆನೆ ವೈದೇಹಿಯವರ ಕಥೆ ಬಹಳ ಮೆಚ್ಚುವಂತಹದ್ದು.

ಪ್ರೈಮೆರಿ ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಓದುತ್ತಿರುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಕೈಯ್ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಷ್ಟು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿ ನಾಟಕ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದ ಜೀವನರಾಂ ಸುಳ್ಯರವರಿಗೆ ನಾವೆಲ್ಲ ಧನ್ಯ. ನಾಟಕದ ಕೊನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಪಾತ್ರಮಾಡಿದ್ದ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಪರಿಚಯ ಮಾಡಿಸಿಕೊಟ್ಟ ಸುಳ್ಯ ಅವರು ಹೇಳಿದ್ದು “ಹವ್ಯಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ನಾಟಕ ಮಾಡಲು, ಕೆಟ್ಟು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾರೆ ಅನ್ನುವ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಮಕ್ಕಳನ್ನು ಕಳುಹಿಸದ ಪೋಷಕರಿಗೆ ಈ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಅಪವಾದ. ಇವರೆಲ್ಲಾ ಈ ನಾಟಕದ ಜೊತೆಯಲ್ಲೆ ಹತ್ತು ಹಲವಾರು ವಿದ್ಯೆಗಳನ್ನು ಕಲೆತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ, ಶಾಲೆಯಲ್ಲೂ ಕೂಡ ತುಂಬಾ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತರಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ” ಅಂತ.

ನಿಜ. ನಾವು ನೋಡಿದ ಹಾಗೆ ಈ ನಾಟಕ ಮಾಡುತ್ತಾ, ಈ ಮಕ್ಕಳೆಲ್ಲ ಎಷ್ಟು ವೈವಿಧ್ಯ ಕಲೆಗಳನ್ನ್ನೂ, ಬದುಕಲು ಬೇಕಿರುವ ಧೈರ್ಯ ಸಾಹಸಗಳನ್ನೂ ಕಲೆತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಅಂತ ತಿಳಿಯುತ್ತೆ. ಈ ನಾಟಕ ಮತ್ತೆಲ್ಲಾದರು ಪ್ರದರ್ಶನಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದರೆ ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ತಪ್ಪದೆ ಹೋಗಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಪ್ರೋತ್ಸಾಹಿಸಿ.

ಈ ನಾಟಕದ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಇಲ್ಲಿದೆ

Take a look at one such:

Dear sir/madem,
Im ***********, persuing final year MCA in ********** (VTU affilated)
I will passout in 2009.
I here by request u that give an opportunity to work in ur company.
Plz Inform any openings.
I attached my resume here.
Thank you,

This person has studied throughout in urban schools and is from an urban background and even his academic credentials look good. But it is pretty obvious, he cannot communicate properly.

To be honest, my prior experience tells me that lack of communication/language skills, doesn’t really stop people from being innovative or hardworking. But the initial impression doesn’t allow these persons to get a chance in most cases.

I sincerely believe, switching the communication mode to the language in which they are most comfortable with – ಕನ್ನಡ, for example – might make a difference.

How do we test/do a study? Anybody interested?

Remember Argentina a decade back ? Almost bankrupt, they liberalised their economy based on the directions of the World Bank/IMF. Pension funds too were privatised and people were given more choice and freedom. Now they’re reversing the decision. They figured that the private guys were too risky to be entrusted with their life’s savings.

Back here, private pension funds are to start operating from April 1, 2009. What a day! Symbollic ??!! Of course not. It’s the first day of the financial year and they can’t help it Of course it’s not without it’s share of controversies.

Meanwhile in Japan, public officials discover to their chagrin the penalties for mismanaging pension records – vigilante style.

Overheard on the pipes,

Q: Why did the Credit Card agencies start their own Pension Funds in the USA ?

A: They figured out that the people might have learnt a lesson from the market meltdown and start investing their remaining credit worthiness in savings plans like pensions.

Somewhere in the middle of this road, I saw a middle aged man walking briskly in the drizzle. Hearing my vehicle, he suddenly turned and waved his hand. I stopped near him and he asked me if I could drop him. I said I could and asked him where he was headed to. He asked me to drop  him somewhere further in the road from where he could take a bus to the city. It started raining heavily by now and as a car passed us by, I was wondering if I did a right thing by offering him help. He could have hitched a ride in the car and saved himself all the drenching

As we neared a bus stand where a bus just overtook us and stopped, my passenger asked me if I too were going straight towards the city. When I replied in the affirmative, he asked me to drop him somewhere near my place from where he can go further. Though puzzled by his request – he could have chosen to board the bus and travel safe and warm – I consented and continued the journey inspite of getting drenched thoroughly.

After about 30 minutes of driving through the varying rain I almost reached my place. Just before I was to take a turn, he asked me to stop at the nearest bus stop. I stopped and he got down. But he kept his bag on the seat and asked me to wait. I was puzzled. He then started searching through his shirt pocket. I asked him as to what happened. He didn’t reply, but took out all contents from his pocket and started shuffling, sieving and vigorously searching through them. All the while, I was standing there trying not to look like a fool.

Finally with a winner’s look on his face, he took out his visiting card out of the mess and handed me the same. And said, “I’m an insurance advisor with this company. We’ve very good tax saving plans. Please do call me to know more. Please tell your friends also”.

I broke into a wicked smile, thinking I should tell him that I was also one of his breed some time back and that the only client I could manage to snare — was myself and sped.

But ruminating about the whole event, I am amazed by the tenacity these people demonstrate. I know  several people who have managed to achieve considerable businesses even under extreme adverse conditions.

I need to learn a lot from them.

Though out of context, it might not make much sense. Watching the entire movie really gets one thinking. It got me! Reflecting!!

As usual, J.D. “Illiad” Frazer is right on top. But why ?

Well! not exactly their words, but they meant it.

If it’s so risky, WTF are we using Dollars to trade then ? “Then, Uncle (Sam) had heap many dollars. Now, Uncle borrows heap many dollars to pay us”. If this news’ anything to go by, it’s a matter of time, countries switched to saner alternatives.

Now, what are the alternatives ?

Why not bill in Rupees ? Will the rupee hold ? Won’t it fall if the boom is not sustenable ?
How ’bout the Euro ? Who says the Euro will not go the dollar way ?
Hmm. How ’bout gold ? Ha! Ha!! How are you going to bill ? One gold bar per hour

So, the alternatives suck. And we need to hedge against the Dollar falling yet again. Or rising up!!
Whatever happens, the bank makes money!! Why not close shop and help others hedge as well ?

In Over the Hedge, RJ says:

RJ: Now, the traps are set here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. Here, here, here, here, big one here, here, and maybe a few over here.
Stella: Gee, it’s that all?
RJ: No. There’s bunch of red lights all over here. You OK, Verne? Look a little green.
Verne: I blacked out for a second there, but… I get the idea: there’s lights, traps and I might need to change my shell.