Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 6

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 6

There was a man. But now there was no Chioo.

And how would she be? There were no trees, not even bushes, in the courtyard. In fact there was no courtyard. Only few unhealthy Rose-bushes in the balcony. There were no photo-frames, no vacant-unused places, no storehouses, no gaps under roof in the houses.

There were not even grains in the houses. Only ready to use Atta packets Roti packets or bread/Pizza from the malls.

Crows were somehow surviving. But where were Raghus (Parrots), Mainas, Bulbuls? And where were Cunning Fox, Wicked Wolf, Brave Waghoba (Tigars) and King of the Jungle – Lion? But there were no Jungles.

There was a man. He was grandfather now. Sitting on a chair in front of TV or Computer screen, while feeding noodles or cornflakes to his granddaughter, he would tell her the stories of Chioo-Kau, and Raghu-Maina. At first she used to listen. One day she asked, “what is Chioo?” He tried to explain, then showed her animated cartoons on internet. Then she asked, “where is Chioo?” from that day he stopped telling her stories.

She didn’t asked, but how on earth could he possibly answer the question of irresponsibilities and sins done for many generations?

Now he tells her the stories of Tiger-man, Falcon-man, Frog-man, Whale-man and Werewolf or reads her their comics. Or tries to make her laugh with the … of Heman-Superman or Zobot-Tobot-Robot. If nothing else, there are lots of cartoon networks.

There was a man. But he was alone in deserted world.

Once he was Omnivorous. Now He was Omnipotent and Omniscient God of Nothing.

Or, was he there in his own creation of Nothingness?            

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 4

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”.

There was He and there was She. He chioo and She chioo.

He said, we will build a nest. She asked, Why?  He said, I don’t know. I feel like it … and I thought you will like to … She said, okay, yes, I will like to.

He brought one straw. She brought another straw. He said, you are tired, I will bring the straws.  She said, you are tired, I will build the nest. Then together they built a nest-home.

Then He brought one grain. She brought another grain. Then “bhurrrrrr”, he went and drank some water. She also went and drank some water. Then both brought one more grain each. They said, these are for our babies.

Then came the little baby Chioo in the nest. Days became small and “bhurrrrrr” they passed while bringing grains for her and taking care of her. She got little wings and she used to fly around, always twittering. The nest was always filled with her existence. Full to the brim with happiness. The home was home because of her. It existed and had meaning because of her. He and She didn’t realized how fast the days passed.

Baby chioo grew and her wings grew. The nest became insufficient and the piece of sky around the nest became small for her. When she found her He Chioo she flew away with him in their unlimited sky.  

Heart throbbed with concern and joy when she was in the nest and while she was learning to fly. And then there were tears of happiness of fulfillment and pain of parting when she flew away … .

Now again, only He and She remained in the nest. Once in a while He would say ‘Chiu-Chiu’ and She would say ‘Chiu’. Then sometimes She would say ‘Chiu-Chiu’ and He would say ‘Chiu’.

Then, sometimes, baby Chioo (now she was also a grown-up) would call over the wind. While she was on air the nest was full of her continuous twittering, as if she was flying around. Then there were only memories.

Still, as usual, reminding all these past things, the real sparrow “chioo” was twittering “chioo-chioo” and was flying ‘bhurrrrrr’ around. Her existence was a matter of fact. She was so familiar, that she was a part of his life.

But he didn’t know that. He still could understand nothing really.

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 3

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 3

There was the man and the sparrow named “chioo”.

She met him again in the college. A girl with dancing eyes and flying mind. Always twittering and bubbling with enthusiasm.

She sparrow “chioo” in the story of “He-chioo and She-chioo”. And was he the He-chioo? Wandering around, trying to attract her? Would they build a nest-home together?

Thus he felt. Did she feel the same?

He didn’t know that. Such thoughts had never come to his mind before. Such intensity of feeling, such longing, such anticipation and hope. … And such apprehension and unknown fear.  

He knew nothing really at that time.

There was He and there was She.

Was she Chioo?

Chioo; who would clean and feed; would protect and take care of the baby and would help the baby to develop. Who would keep the house and make it a home and take care of everything.

And was he “Kaoo”?

Kaoo; who would be a vagabond, wandering here and there, doing nothing; coming and going at odd times; thoroughly irresponsible; always demanding; voracious eater with unhealthy habits; shitting at odd places and spreading filth everywhere.

Why they got together and got involved? But it’s like that, most of the times.

This he didn’t know. He knew nothing really.

But the story should not be like that. That’s what he felt.

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 2

Man and a sparrow named “chioo”: 2

There was a man and a “chioo”.

Once, all the frames of ancestors and gods were removed for cleaning. He and she chioo flew bhurrrrrr away. Chioo’s nest-home behind the photo-frame came down to earth, straws scattering on the floor. One chioo baby, injured and frightened, was trying to fly, but in vain. Then, loosing hope and engulfed in fatigue, it was lying there with beak wide open. He ran to bring some water. When he tried to pour few drops in the wide-open beak, somebody stopped him.

Sparrows won’t accept the baby-sparrow if he touched it. If any man touched it, it would be a castaway.

He was shocked.

Sparrows were twittering helplessly. He couldn’t listen.

He witnessed the death helplessly. He couldn’t do anything.

One nest-home was shattered forever. What does that mean?

But then, he didn’t realize that.

He knew nothing at that time.

There was a man and a “chioo”. Always flying and twittering around him, she was a constant member of the environment since his childhood. She was so familiar and homely that she had almost become a member of the family. She and many others like her. There were “kaoo”, “raghoo”, “maina”, “bulbul”, “bagale” and “moar”. Those self-dependent, self-sufficient and free birds.

But they didn’t like a man to touch them. They didn’t allow it. If a man touched them, ---

He was shocked.

So much alienation, distrust and fear in the familiarity? Why?

But he didn’t know that then. 

He knew nothing really at that time.

Katha 22 – Man, Cherry and ... – E

One day a man showed a cherry to another man.

Another man said, “You have a cherry but I have an apple”.

After some days, the first man showed an apple.

Another man said, “But now, see, I have a watermelon”.

Then, after many years, the first one came and said to another man, “I went everywhere but I couldn’t get a watermelon. All are already in possession of somebody”.

Another man said, “Yes, of course! One has to get it by killing the other person. Every big person, trying to be bigger, knows it. You must be an idiot not to know this. You will die as a small man”.

The first one said, “No! Now you, my honorable teacher, have made me wise”.

Then he killed another man, snatched his watermelon and became a big man.

Then he lived as a big and wise man.  

Or, he lived as a big and wise man. But everybody knew, he was a murderer.

Or, he lived as a big and wise man. Everybody knew, he was a murderer but who can say it of a big man?

Or, everybody thought he was a big and wise man. But he knew, he was a murderer.

Or, he lived as a big and wise murderer.

Katha 22 – Man, Cherry and ... – D

One day a man got a cherry. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “You have a cherry but I have an apple”.

After some days, with lots of efforts, the first man got an apple. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “But now, see, I have a watermelon”.

Then, after many years, the first one came to another man and said, “I went everywhere and did lots of efforts. But After lifelong search, efforts and hardships I couldn’t get a watermelon. Watermelons are rare to find and the existing ones are already in possession of somebody”.

Another man said, “Yes, of course! That’s why one has to get it by force from the one who has it. That practically means killing the other person. Every big person, trying to be bigger by getting watermelon, knows it. I thought you knew it. But you are either imbecile or idiot. You will die as a small man”.

The first one said, “Then I will prefer to die as a small and idiot man than to be big like you”.

Then, as expected, he lived as a small and idiot man till he died.

Another man thought, there is no cure for those who refuse to be wise. 

Katha 22 – Man, Cherry and – C

There was a man. One day he got a cherry. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “Cherry is not a thing to show off. I also have an apple. It is big and sweet also”. 

First one said, “I am not showing off. I found it. I am just showing it to you. I wanted to share it with you. But it seems you don’t need it”.

There was a man. One day he got a cherry. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “Cherry is not a thing to show off. I also have an apple. It is big and sweet also”. 

First one asked, “Is it a thing to show off?

Another man said, “Certainly. Till nobody is showing me a bigger thing, say, a pumpkin or watermelon.”

Then the first man tried hard almost for his life and got an apple. He showed it to another man. 

Another man said, “Apple is not a thing to show off. It gets finished after eating or decays if not eaten. See, now I have this shining piece of metal. One cannot eat it and it doesn’t decay. So it remains”.

First one asked, “And what is its use?”

Another man said, “I don’t know. But I don’t bother as long as it keeps shining”. 

Then the first man tried hard to get the shining piece of metal. But he died unsatisfied without getting it.

Katha 22 – Man, Cherry and – B

The man, who was rich because of cherries and apple, got another cherry one day. To show his greatness he showed it to another man.

Another one said, “Wow! You have got another cherry. You have become greater. But see, with luck, I have also found this small cherry”.

The rich man said, “Let me see … Yes! It is indeed a small cherry. But you are a small man. You don’t have any use of it. Let it be with me. Besides, I am a big man, so it’s my right to have it”.

Then, the man, who was rich because of cherries and apple, became richer.

The man, who was rich because of cherries and apple, got a pumpkin one day. It was so big, it wasn’t necessary to show it. Still he called others and said, “See, I have got this Big Pumpkin”.

Others said “Wow, what a big pumpkin”.

Rich man said, “Yes. I am great that’s why I got this also”.

Others said, “You have become great. You are lucky”.

Rich man said, “Yes, of course. I am great. That’s why my luck is also great. My luck is greater than all your lucks added together. That’s why I got this. And only great men like me have the right to be lucky and to have cherries, apples, pumpkins and everything. Such big pumpkins are very rare. So now I have become one of the few greatest men in the world”.

Then, all other men having nothing but only bad lucks greeted him with big applause.

Katha 22 – Man, Cherry and – A

There was a rich man.

One day he got a cherry. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “Wow! You have got a cherry. You have become a great man now.”

First one said, “Yes! I am a great man. That’s why I found this. It’s mine”.

Another one said, “You are lucky”.

First one said, “And you don’t have it. So I am definitely greater than you”

One rich man found another cherry. He kept it side because he had eaten one.

Another man said, “Wow! You have got another cherry”.

First one said, “Yes! I am a great man. That’s why I found this also. And of course it’s mine".

Another one said, “You are lucky”.

First one said, “Yes. Luck comes to great men only".

Another one said, “What are you going to do with it?”

First one said, “Of course I will keep it in my cherry collection. That will grow my treasures".  

So the rich man had many cherries. Or, those cherries made him rich. Cherries were dry, wrinkled and foul smelling. Because he hadn’t ate them.

So there was a rich man with a cherries and it was not needed to tell it. The foul smell of cherries was sufficient to spread the fact.

One day the rich man found an apple. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “Wow! You have got an apple. You have become a great man now”.

First one said, “Yes! I am a great man. I had cherries. That’s why I also got an apple. And, of course, it’s mine. Now I am greater”.

Another one said, “Yes, you are lucky”.

Katha 21 – Man, Cherry and Apple – A

There was a man. One day he got a cherry. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “Wow! You have got a cherry. You have become a great man now.”

First one said, “No, no! There is no greatness in having this cherry. I was going on this way and I was a bit lucky. So I found this. We will eat it together. Then its sweet and sour taste will linger in our mouths. It will be fun.”

Then he gave half cherry to another man. Both ate it. The taste lingered for some time and the happiness in their eyes lingered even longer.

There was a man. One day he got an apple. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “Wow! You have got an apple. You have become a great man now. But I have got only this small and sour cherry.”

First one said, “No, no! It’s not my greatness. It was my luck that I got this apple. If you would have gone this way, then you also could have got an apple. Now we both will eat it together.”

Then he gave half of the apple to another man. Another man also gave him half cherry and both ate cherry and apple happily.

One day one man got an apple. He showed it to another man.

Another man said, “Wow! An apple! You have become a great man now. I have only this cherry.”

First one said, “No, no! It’s not my greatness but luck. If you would have gone this way, then you also could have got an apple. Now we both will eat it together.”

Then he gave half of the apple to another man.

But another man didn’t give half of his cherry to first one.

Katha 03 – Man, pen and his sayings - C

One man got a pen. He wrote a lot. But he had nothing to tell.

Second one wrote a lot. He had something to tell. But he couldn’t tell it.

Third man wrote a lot. He had something to tell. He could tell it also. But nobody understood it.

Forth one wrote a lot, he told what he had to tell and everybody understood it. But it was useless for them.

Because --

It was of no use to one.

Second one was reluctant to use it.

Third one was unable to utilize it.

Forth one was adamant. He didn’t want to use it.

Fifth one was blind.

Sixth one was blind by choice. He refused to read.

Seventh one was ignorant.

Eighth one was idiot.

Ninth one was an imbecile.

Tenth one had different opinions.

Eleventh one was wise himself.  

And twelfth one had something different to tell and he was writing it also. 

There is another story also.

One man wrote to tell something. But it was useless.

Because ---

One was blind.

Second one was unable to read.

The third one could listen but the written material made no sounds.

The language of the fourth one was different.

The fifth one’s language was same but he used different script.

The sixth one didn’t know, something useful for him was written.

The seventh one didn’t have approach to ‘what was written’.

The eighth one was denied the access to ‘what was written’. 

Someone said against ‘what was written’ and forced the ninth one against reading it.   

And one made it a point that ‘what was written’ should not reach those for whom it was written.

So again, what’s the use of telling or writing something?

Katha 03 – Man, pen and his sayings - B

One man had something to tell. He remembered it by hard. But only he remembered it. The ‘something he wanted to tell’ died with him.

So another man taught ‘the something he wanted to tell’ to his son. After his death his son remembered. And he taught it to his son so he also remembered. But by that time it was outdated.

Still he taught it to his son. … And it continued for generations. And it continued to be more and more outdated.

After all, everything that everyone wants to tell is not “Vedas” or “Bhagwat-Geeta”.

And in the process, many generations forgot to tell something that they wanted to tell. Or didn’t they want to tell? Or had they nothing to tell?

What’s the use of telling something that evaporates, looses meaning, becomes outdated, becomes incomprehensible and nobody wants to hear? 

Katha 03 – Man, pen and his sayings - A

There was a man. He had something to tell. He babbled a lot. Words evaporated in the air. Everyone forgot.

There was a man. He had something to tell. He painted the signs on the rock. They remained for few hundred years.

One man had something to tell. He carved the signs on the rock. They remained for thousand years. But after thousand years nobody could understand the meaning.

One man had something to tell. He made a pen and paper and wrote some signs on the paper with pen . But the ink spread and faded out and paper turned yellow and brittle after some years.

Other man also had something to tell. He made some sounds in front of a microphone and recorded them, first on a cylinder, then on a disc, then on a tape and then again on a (Compact?, Hard?) disc.    

Then one man thought, the thoughts and feelings are different from some sounds and some symbols. Telling is different from writing. Saying something is different from preserving it for future.

And another man thought, why technology advances in the direction of preserving something nobody wants to pay attention. There is no technology to make one think or to make one say what one thinks or to make one listen and understand what other is saying or to make one wise?

Why one wants to preserve his sayings? Why one wants others to remember what he says?

Why one wants to say something in the first place?

Katha 02 – Man, bucket and water – F

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day.

But that is not the rule.

It is possible that sometimes he would get two or even three buckets of water, and sometimes he might not get even half.

And it is not even his right to get at least half. So he can’t blame. And of course, there was nobody to blame.

One day he got no water at all.

And on some other day he got two buckets of water. So he didn’t blame  

One day one man got no water.

And on next day also he got no water. And for many days he got no water at all. But there was nobody to ask for, nobody to provide and nobody to blame. So he didn’t blame. And he died.

And there was a man who got no water at all for many days. So he blamed and blamed. And he died. He also died.

But everybody dies. So, we can only say, he died early.

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day.

But again there is no rule.

So, one day he got one bucketful plus more. The bucket was overflowing and he had no other bucket. He had to keep it overflowing and the water was wasted.

But as such he had no use of it. So the excess water was a waste anyway.

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day.

But one day he got more and the bucket was overflowing and overflowing and overflowing. The water was pouring down and there was a flood of water. He drowned in the water and died.

But everybody dies. So, we can only say, he died early. Or, can we? What is early, timely or late?  

Katha 02 – Man, bucket and water – D

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day. Every day he used to say, today I am happy with half bucketful of water.

But I am not satisfied. What if I get full bucket?

So he tried and did efforts and got more and more buckets of water. But he didn’t know what to do with excess water.

Other man also did more efforts and got more and more buckets of water. He used it properly to fulfill the needs. He was happy and everybody was happy.

But he was not satisfied. He had an ambition and he made progress.

And he started to believe in the link between efforts and fruit and between ambition and progress.

And there was another man who wished and got many buckets of water.

He believed in the power of wishing and Hope. He was convinced that efforts are not needed.  

But there was another man. In spite of need, strong wish and tremendous efforts he couldn’t get more water.

Unsatisfied he was. And he was also unhappy.

And there was another man who didn’t get any water. He didn’t even knew why he was dying.

Then there came Lord Krishna. He saw all these men and many others and thought.

Then he dissociated fruit from efforts. Because they were not associated in the first place and how could he possibly preserve faith in life?

But there is another point. We don’t know whether Lord Krishna needed water and how much he used to get daily.  

Katha 02 – Man, bucket and water – C

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day. So every day he used to say, today I got half bucketful of water. I am a happy man.

But I am not satisfied.

Then he thought, can anyone be happy but unsatisfied at the same time?

But anyway, he felt that way.

So every day one man used to say, today I got half bucketful of water. I am a happy man.

But I am not satisfied. What if I get one full bucket of water? I will try.

I got half bucket without efforts. With some efforts I may get full. What’s the harm in trying? Let me try.

So he tried and got full bucket of water. He said, now I am happy. But with more efforts I may get two. Let me try.

And he got two.

So he believed in efforts.

He did more efforts and got more and more buckets of water.

But he cannot understand what to do with extra buckets of water.

But there was another man. He also did more efforts and got more and more buckets of water. He used it properly to fulfill the needs of his family as well as people, animals and plants around him. And he used it economically because he new the efforts behind every extra bucket.

Everybody was happy and he was also happy. But he was not satisfied. He thought, probably I think big, I have ambition, that’s why I did more efforts.

And I made progress. And with me everybody progressed. 

He started to believe in progress.

And he started to believe in the link between efforts and progress.

And there was another man who was happy but unsatisfied with half bucket of water.

He thought, what if I get one full bucket of water? I got half bucket without efforts. What’s the harm in wishing? I will wish.

So he wished and got full bucket of water. He said, now I am happy. But with more wishing I may get two. Let me wish for more.

And he got two.

So he believed in the power of wishing. And he of course believed that efforts are not needed to get more. In fact he didn’t know what efforts are.    

And there was another man who was happy but unsatisfied with half bucket of water.

With wishing for more he got one and with efforts he got two. But with strong wish and tremendous efforts he couldn’t get more water.

He lost his faith in wishing.

He lost faith in efforts.

He lost faith in ambition and progress.

Unsatisfied he was. And he was also unhappy.

Katha 02 – Man, bucket and water – B

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day. So every day he used to say, I am a happy man. Today I got half bucketful of water.

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day. Every day he used to say, I get only half bucketful of water. I am not satisfied. When will I get full bucketful of water?

(These lines are similar to the famous example of Half-full Glass of Water.)

And there was another man who used to get half bucketful of water every day.

But seeing the bucket half full and half empty he couldn’t decide whether he was happy and satisfied or unhappy and unsatisfied. Or, happy but unsatisfied or unhappy but satisfied (whatever that means).

There was a man. He used to get half bucketful of water every day.

So every day he used to say, I am not satisfied. What should I do?

Then he brought a smaller bucket. It was full with the same amount of water.

So he said, now I am satisfied. I have full bucket of water.

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day.

So, instead of one big bucket he brought two small buckets.

Now he was getting one (small) bucketful of water.

But another bucket always remained empty.

So he was very satisfied with one full bucket of water. But he was equally unsatisfied with second empty bucket.

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day.

In exchange of larger bucket he brought a smaller bucket. Now it was full with the same amount of water. But he was not satisfied. Why? He didn’t know. So, he brought another bucket. Now he had two small buckets.

Now he was getting one (small) bucketful of water.

But another bucket always remained empty. So he knew now why he was unsatisfied.

Not a bucket but he brought a reason to be unsatisfied.

Then, he thought, as an afterthought, I needed more water, not the bucket. I should have asked for extra water instead of bringing another bucket.

Then again he thought, as every afterthought, this thought was also useless. But he was unhappy all the same.

Katha 02 – Man, bucket and water – A

There was a man. He used to get half bucketful of water every day. He used it very economically for drinking and cleaning. He remained fairly clean, healthy and satisfied till end.

There was a man. He used to get half bucketful of water every day.

He used it for drinking only. This was more than enough to quench his thirst. Besides, he passed lots of urine. This made him clean inside and satisfied. But he was very dirty outside.

One man used to get half bucketful of water every day. He used to take bath every day and tried to keep his body as clean as possible with that much amount of water. But he was burning in thirst and died clean within few days with extreme dehydration.

Then he didn’t need even half bucketful of water.

01 – Man and God’s water – B

One day, one man, when he was used to get plenty of water, thought, I am wise and so I must do something about this water problem.

So he dug a big pit in his land. He brought God’s water from nearby river and stored it in that pit. This is My water, he said. It is now sufficient for My land, My trees and My animals and birds. And there is some excess in reserve for future. Now I am happy.

Then he jumped in and swam in that water. 

One day one man said, why should I get one, ten, hundred, or thousand buckets of water? After all this is all my water. And this is my land. My trees grow on it. My animals live on it. I give them water. I am supreme.

Yet I am so generous, I quench the thirst of the entire universe.

Then in the ecstasy of supremacy, he danced naked in the ocean of God.

Then one day, one man said, this entire universe is mine. It’s because of me and it’s for me. I am supreme.

But it’s not necessary to be generous. It’s not a binding. As such I am not responsible for the thirst of the universe. I will decide, who will get the water and how much. No water for those who don’t belong to me.

Then he made a fence around his water pool and supplied the water to his people, animals and birds. And he built a dam on the river and supplied water only to his fields.

He denied it to all others.

Man seized the God’s Water. But God didn’t prohibit him. Man seized the God’s Universe. But God didn’t prohibit him.

Because, there was no God to guard the Universe. There was no God to look after. In fact there was no God.

After eating the fruit of his own tree watered by his own water, in his own land, man realized, there is nobody to ask, nobody to prohibit and nothing to fear. There is no God. I am the God.

This is a story of Man and Water. This is also a story of Man and Trees, Man and Animals and Man and Universe.

And this is also a story of Man and God (who does not exist)

01 – Man and God’s water – A

There was a man. He used to get a bucketful of water every day.

Who gave it to him?

It was all God’s water. From that, the man used to get one bucketful every day for himself. He used it for drinking and cleaning. It was enough for him. Much more water was also there for trees and animals and for all life.

God’s water was for everyone and enough for everyone.

There was a man. He used to get a bucketful of water every day.

One day he got two buckets of water for himself. He used one for drinking and cleaning.

He used another for extra cleaning. But really he poured it on himself for fun.

Now he started getting two buckets of water every day.

One day one man got three buckets of water for himself.

He used one for drinking and cleaning; another, to pour on himself for fun.

He watered nearby plants with third bucket of water.

Now he started getting three buckets of water every day.

The plants grew. He said, I watered them, with My share of water. They are My plants. Now it’s my right to eat the fruits.

So now he rightfully started to eat the fruits.

One day one man got four buckets of water for himself.

One for drinking and cleaning; one to pour on himself for fun and one to water his plants.

Water from fourth bucket, he kept for animals passing by. He kept a handful of water in his garden for birds also.

Now, he started getting four, then five, then ten, then hundred buckets of water every day.

Then one day, he said with satisfaction; I myself, My land, My trees, My animals and My birds, we all have enough water and we are happy.