Learning to Learn

  A Painting and a Story # 23

The second Friday of the month is special to her company. At exactly 4 pm most of the 27 of them assemble in the conference room. It is a short 15 minute session where an employee shares a video or a presentation. It is Harish's unique way of allowing colleagues to share their outside life and hobbies and interests.

Today Meenu (short for Meenakshi) reluctantly drags her feet to the conference room. Every attempt to satisfy the specifications of the client has fallen flat. Really! She has done this a zillion times and suddenly this particular client seems to object to everything she suggests. She is at her wits end. Her team is only adding to her woes. And she really has no time for this FRIDAY BONDING! Her head is throbbing.

The room is darkened. The projector throws a sharp white light on to the white wall. And the video of what appears to be yet another tiring Safari begins. But wait the camera zooms into a tree, a nest, a weaver bird nest. A well blended presentation of several short clips shows the male weaver-bird building a nest. He takes blades of green grass and knits them together to make the nest. It takes about 200 blades of grass to make half a nest. The lady flies around inspecting the incomplete nest. And with a toss of her small head she rejects it. The guy doesn't give up. He starts all over again. Again a quick inspection and a shake! Reject! The male bird flies around his nest. And begins again. Every time he modifies the location, or the way it attaches to the branch, or the selection of the branch. There is silence in the conference room as the bird builds for the third time. It takes about 300 blades of grass! And then he flaps his wings and calls the lady for inspection. This time she approves! And joyfully the young male completes the 'house'. She sometimes gives finishing touches to the interiors with some soft mud! The video ends with the lady getting into the tunnel shape of the nest and inspection done she hops to the edge of the nest and calls out her approval. The room erupts into joyous claps! And the session is over. 

Meenu walks out with a smile. At her desk she thinks, doing the same thing in the same way over and over again does not lead to perfection. That only results in mindless habitual thinking. Even the weaver bird evaluates every situation with a fresh look and here she was, basking in the glory of earlier success and blaming the client for being unrealistic. 

She takes a fresh note pad and begins to look at client requirement with fresh eyes. The solution she knows, lies in some important detail that they have all misunderstood. 

My painting for this week is an abstract in soft pastels. 

Co-existence - Soft pastels

The Guest Speaker

 A Painting and a Story # 22

Meenu (short for Meenakshi) is on a seat in the front row. She is waiting for the function to begin. To her right is the Chairman for Samarth Yojana an enterprise that helps and recognises business start-ups. The gentleman on stage is introducing Meenu to the audience. 

Meenu is a motivational speaker and is much sought after. Laced with humour and practical insight her talks inspire. Today she is going to speak about the WHY that gets people to do what they are doing. and the impact of being aware of that WHY. A faint red colours her cheeks as she listens to the person introducing her. She is still embarrassed by the big nice words they use for her. A little girl approaches her with a bunch of yellow gerberas even as she reaches the single sofa placed on stage. Holding out her hands the little girl demands a hug! Meenu bends low to oblige and the yellow flowers brush against her cheek.

In a flash Meenu is with her grandpa. She is not happy at all. Seema, Sumit, Bagan, Vasudha are all chosen for singing. Even Bonda and Tuppu have roles to play. Only she has been relegated to backstage. Shampa Miss has called her aside and said that she is to introduce the items coming up on stage. She has a name for it. 'You are Emcee', Shampa Miss tells her.

Meenu is upset. 'I don't want to speak'... she tells her thatha. That's when her grandpa takes her into a corner of their garden. In that neglected patch are growing some wild flowers. 'Look at them' he says. 'Tell me what you see'. Meenu looks at them and says, 'They are flowers, they are yellow, they are not very pretty!' Grandpa says 'look closer! See how the plant grows a long stem and pushes out each flower. Every flower gets to come right up and be seen. Your teacher has seen a talent. She is trying to push you out there. Be the emcee. Maybe you will like it? Go collect the flowers. Let us take them in'. Meenu bends over the flowers and snaps them out even as they scratch her cheeks! 

Her thatha makes a bunch of those wild yellow flowers and places them in a glass jar. And they look gorgeous! That wild yellow flower - that indignant emcee - has now grown into a gorgeous speaker! Meenu smiles as she fixes the cordless mike and the session begins.

No matter how good or how bad you think you are, you have a talent? Display it. It has been bestowed on you, you are privileged. Spread that joy.

My painting for this week is my first attempt with Soft Pastels. They are so powdery! I have colour all over my work space!

Soft pastels - Wild flowers

Being Human

 A Painting and a Story # 21

Today I will tell you a real life experience I had a few weeks ago. It was a wonderful misty morning. A typical Bangalore morning... just right for a breakfast of Butter Dosai with chatni. So yes, I got all the ingredients ready, grated coconut, roasted chana-dal, green chillies, fresh corriander... well the works. And I see that my small mixie jar... the chatni jar... the blades are broken. I have no idea how this happened! Anyway ... I need to buy the replacement. I look for it in Amazon, but this model of my mixie is ancient... no... let us say... it is not available. (that is more diplomatic). 

Well Google helps! I locate the nearest Customer Care. A gentleman answers the call. I ask him if he has the part and he immediately says 'YES'. I tell him I can't come to the shop can he send it with someone. 

He says 'Book Dunzo. I will send it'. 

'How do I pay you? I have no PayTM Googlepay etc'. I ask in apprehension.

'No problem. When you get the product message me and I will share the bank details. You can do bank transaction'. That is his trusting reply. I thank him profusely and book a DUNZO. (for the un-initiated) this is a local courier service, they send a person to pick up and deliver stuff from place A to place B within a city.

I book a Dunzo and I watch him on my mobile phone - a blue dot - moving steadily to the shop. I don't need to do that. But it's irresistible. Aah! He has reached the shop. What is taking him so long? He is still at the shop.

Tingaling ting tingaling I almost drop my phone in surprise. It rings and buzzes. 

A lady asks, 'What product do you want. Have you paid'? 

'I have spoken to the gentleman I explain'

"Madam" she clarifies, "Sir is in hospital'. I am petrified. The gentleman has been helping me out from a Hospital. I am moved. But now how do I pay. The lady says she is unable to hand it over to me without money.

The Dunzo Man comes to my rescue. "How much is it", he asks. He has the required big note. Such a proactive person. He offers to pay and pick it up for me.

And true to his word within minutes he is at my doorstep with the mixie part. I am so moved by this empathy, this abundance of heart to help. Thank You Gentleman from DUNZO. May such helping hands and warm hearts fill the world again. 

My painting for this week is the gentle message of love and good wishes that comes from Buddhist Prayer Flags.

Buddhist Prayer Flags - Oil Painting.