Xavier's cornucopia

  Going by daily activities I do not feel that I have reached mid seventies agewise, still keeping the vigour of youth in learning, reading and other activities in day to day life.  One of recently acquired skill is competing in the spellbee contest published by the New York Times.  Joined as an enthusiast some months back the puzzle attracted me. Initially it allowed me to fill the puzzle and as days progressed put conditions for filling, by withdrawing the facility asking me to subscribe by paying the news paper subscription annually.   The subscription being prohibitive I restrained myself by seeing only the synopsis given in the email version.  Later they started offering concessional monthly offer on trial basis and I opted for 3 months subscription and started filling the puzzles ritually.  Thus earlier practice of doing the crossword puzzle in the Hindu daily has become secondary. Daily hooking into the spellbee puzzle attracted my grandson Arya...

  An incident about the confidential note which Edison's teacher wrote about his son's performance in school.  It was written 'do not sent your child to school from tomorrow; he is mentally ill'.  After reading the note the mother was in tears and she told his son that the teacher had written that your son was a genius, and there is no teacher in school to his capacity.  Next day onwards she took the responsibility to teach him at home and he becoming  the world's greatest inventor is history.  Many years after his mother's demise, a folded note was found in the families belongings, which stated the real reason.  Many thinkers and historians have reacted and written about Edison's mind. But   at this point of time my mind and heart goes out to those noble mothers who have dedicated their life for the welfare of their children. Happy are those parents now who have invested their time and energy for the upbringing of their wards,  enjoying thei...

  There is no need to search my memory to unearth the most important friend in my life.  Also there does not arise the selection process,  to visualise the front runner at this golden age. I would like to go back to my primary school period where I came across a neighbour friend's relative who used to visit their house during school holidays.  Most pampered neighborhood friends name is P J Joy.  Evenings a baker used to visit houses with fresh baked items like cakes, biscuits and sweet buns.  At the sound of his cycle bell Joy and his younger brother Alosius would cover the metal tin picking their choicest eatables.  They could afford to buy as his father was earning well in a faraway city. The neighbour's relative who frequented their house was none other than their cousin Anto.  We made contact with him and played with tennis balls and marbles.  But these relationships could not last long as their mother moved to Ernakulam with their childr...

  Writing letter is an art.  But treasuring those letters written by your dear ones is priceless,  should have a heart.  It may turn into a trove as the antiquity value goes up over a period of time.  I was very fond of writing letters, not that I had that literary acumen to attract the receiver, but my expression always was a genuine one.  So the person who received my letter used to definitely respond with a reply.  Two persons who used to entice me in my youth have now become untraceable,  and the third one have left for his heavenly abode.  These two person with whom I had a personal connect are my best  friends in construction days. They have helped me in my dire days, influenced to build my character and knowledge base.  The third person is none other than my spiritual Guru and my family well wisher Rev Fr P E Antony.  All the three persons used to communicate with me whenever they are away from my resident city. ...

  My ambition in life is to write something worth reading or do something worth writing.  One day I will find the right words and they will be simple. Writing is like ...., first you do it for love, then you do it for your friends and then you do it for money. You never have to change anything, if you are filled with an urge you will be sleepless to get up in the middle of the night to write.  I have had many such urges but it all ended up as drops of pee in the urinal, but not as words which could be copied in the paper I have kept for this purpose. How vein it is to sit up to write when you have not stood up to live. If there is a book you want to read but it is not written yet, then you must write it. The beauty of writing is as the writer provide the words the readers give their imagination.  Always start with a place and the character appears on the scene and talk to each other. Are these imaginations going to take shape as words and figures or going to end up l...

  The other day  a friend of last 46 years  visited my house to cement our friendship and polish the rusty parts (if any).  He came along with his brother in law who lives in our locality also a member of our Parish.  The friend's name is Delphin B Ferz,  who is known as 'friends' in the construction office circle.  The story goes back to year 1977. I was appointed as a construction office assistant in ICI Pharmaceutical site for a vacancy actually was for an Engg Draughtsman.  Later on as the Chief Architect of Plant design Mr Pramanik insisted another appointment was made and Delphin joined the team.  We both were appointed on the rolls of Architects C R Narayana Rao who made monthly payments after deducting his commission of 30 percent. Our friendship has taken roots, shoots and flowers while visiting the CRN office for salary and then Nageswara Park where we took  our heats off.  On holidays I frequented to his lodge Nadar's Ga...