Xavier's cornucopia

  Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy focusing on continuous, incremental improvement in business and personal life, combining the words "kai" (change) and "zen" (good). It promotes small, sustainable changes by all employees, from CEOs to workers, to eliminate waste, improve safety, and increase efficiency and continuous improvement: It is a daily, long-term process rather than a one-time project. This process was introduced in our company in 2000 and cash prizes were announced for best 3 kaizen suggestions.  The first prize was awarded to Dr M K Sharma a research scientist,  who suggested for using one side papers for taking computer prints of filing papers thus saving stationary.   I was practicing this concept from time of inception, but not made public. At the award distribution function,  my colleagues in department recalled the practice we have been following in our department for a long time.  Some practice imbibed in your system cannot be rooted out or...

The petty shop owner is only three houses away from my house and sells groceries and milk. A retired employee from Ashok Leyland established this shop three years before his retirement; was looked after by his wife when he is away for duty.  A charming personality knows how to deal with people.  A vegetable vender woman, slender carrying double her weight on her head used to park the load near this shop to have a little rest, also  to attract the nearby residents shouting in a shrill voice 'keere' 'keerai'. This is the time I go there for my two packets of aavin premium milk satchets. The woman will ask me with a cup of hot tea in hand, pointing her eyes downwards to the load of vegetables kept on the ground. I will reply with two nods of head shakes from left to right and back. There ends the bargain, but the dialogue of her ardorous journey in the wee hours by share auto, the procurement process etc continue. Sometimes feeling pity on her, used to offer her money f...

  We were watching the live telecast of homage to singer S Janaki, my neighbour's head appeared on the grill door.  She asked; is your water taps in working condition, and the water flow good? She was preparing for washing of clothes and suddenly water stopped from the taps.  Is there any message about the stoppage of water in the Mygate app.? It was 12 00 noon and my wife scanning the messages from mygate informed her that there is a warning for judicious usage of water, as there is an unidentified problem of pumping into the storage tank which is being investigated. By the time we checked the water flow for storing water into buckets for emergency use,  supply completely stopped.  Our anxiety had been, after lunch how to clean the utensils, and wash our hands and mouth. Yesterday's Hindu property plus edition became handy to clence hands and utensils until water is restored.  My anxiety was restoration of water supply after a compulsory brief nap(siesta)...

  Early morning a group of Wren birds descended from the golden shower tree in the yoga park. Three of them fluttered their wings in ecstasy and the male birds perching on the branches came down and hugged them. All together making twittering sounds took their wings and flew away to the nearby cork tree. Morning  walkers strolled through the streets hither and thither.  While one batch was walking towards the main entrance another batch was returning from the entrance.   A septuagenarian was seen speeding away in his scooty one leg on the pad and another leg kicking  the ground with astonishing momentum. He was later spotted in the basket ball court practicing net lying down.  Another slender man in his sixties was seen walking past, we named him 'invisible' as the thinning exercise will make him the vanishing act in the long run. Ladies who had kept something in the burner made short strides across the diagonal road where they can return to their duty at s...

  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...

  Jean Valjean is the protagonist in the classic novel by Victor Hugo. His story of his incarceration in jail, release,  the reformation and success  is the story line in ' Les Miserables'. I am going to tell you about a boy who had impressed me much due to his energy, service and attitude towards work etc.  The boy overwhelmed me  in the ICI canteen as a server.  His hardwork and pleasing manners earned him a job as a society clerk, a temporary contractual job.  Later when he was absorbed as a staff in Zeneca I was happy that  he deserved and earned what he stood for. After shifting of Zeneca from Ennore premises I lost contact with him but was sure that he would have excelled in career wherever he was.  Hs name is Rajendran. In the year 2013, after VRS from ICI in 2002 I was working in Anthus Pharmaceuticals in Kilpauk.  On the second day of August I  re joined in office after an Angioplasty,  with two stents and  a ligh...

  Detached attachment' is the optimal mantra where the feeling of ownership is eliminated and replaced with a feeling of 'custodianship. ' An ownership feeling creates a sense of attachment in an implicit manner, whereas a custodian feeling creates a sense of detachment with a pure sense of love. Detached attachment,  here are some things you can try. Identify the reason. Ask yourself why you're now deciding to detach from the relationship. ... Release your emotions. ... Don't react, respond. ... Start small. ... Keep a journal. .. Meditate. ... Be patient with yourself. ... Look forward. My memory goes back to 2016, our visit to London for the baby shower of my daughter.  Great expectation of a grandson in our family,  had practiced lullaby for the tiny wonder.  After the discharge from Queens hospital Illford on the third day, when the baby was brought to our bed room in the silence of the night, I could not resist humming to his ears 'chupke chupke' by fa...

  Reading and writing has become the most important objective in my life as though limited time is left to complete a voluminous task,  more and more time is spent for this purpose.  I used to sit for hours reading articles from the News paper,  taking notes from my favourite columnists and then re reading  through the old book collections. My wife used to complain about less time being alloted for a fruitful dialogue.  She used to complain that I used to open my mouth only to grab whatever being served on the plate from time to time.  To this valid accusation a solution has to be found immediately.   We used to see  a passtime of common interest, that is spending an hour with her in solving daily Crossword puzzles from 'the Hindu'. She mastered the brain teaser within a short period as most of the solution to puzzles related to science which she imparted to her students for the past 30 years.  I also found some time to assist her in kit...

  My first day travel to St Albert's College from Vypeen to Ernakulam was a celebration at home. I was escorted by my father upto the bus terminus; on the way granny Anathasia grinned exhibiting her beetle stained teeth. I was not much amused, because she was one of the leading volunteer of local moral police. Immediately I looked and felt my right foot where I got the whacking from my parents six to seven years back on a serious complaint raised by her for playing football at the church yard after the school. That evening the moral police made a special appearance in the late hours of the day and made a request to see me.  She asked my mother to make a special concoction of raw egg and pepper to be administered to your son who had a mighty fall in the church compound.  My God, it was the boy who made the twirling round of few metres after kicking the ball on the ground. This statement was sufficient for inflicting injuries on my feet as a warning.  I felt the pain a...

 Saturday (16th September) evening as he was preparing for a holiday get together with his friends, received an unexpected call from his neighbour. The neighbour from the opposite Villa has recently moved into the house and some occasions introduced himself in the house owners meeting in the Humming Garden. Being one of the representative of the administrative body of flat/villa owners he was a known face in the neighbourhood. Whereas the new member's wife is an employee in CTS and he himself was expected to join CTS shortly having resigned from TCS. The request over phone was, he along with family is away at Nellai to attend a funeral of a relative leaving his ailing mother in law at Chennai home alone. Another elderly neighbour was asked to attend on his mother in law for food and medicine. Since afternoon he was unable to get her on phone his would be colleague was asked to see what is happening. If need be was asked to feed medicine and inform back the condition. He agre...