History Repeats itself till we learn the mistakes.

# The Cyclical Nature of History

History has a way of repeating itself, much like a bad habit we can't seem to shake. We encounter crises, make errors, and promise ourselves to improve... until the next time it happens. It feels like we're trapped in a *Groundhog Day* scenario, going through the same lessons until we finally get it right.

## The Recurrence of Conflicts

Take conflicts, for example. We battle over resources, power, or ideologies, thinking it's a one-off event. But, history is like that relative who always says, "I told you so." • We may be slow learners, but perhaps that's part of the journey.

The reality is, history doesn't repeat itself in the exact same way - it's more like a remix. The themes remain constant, but the players change. We continue to confront issues such as inequality, greed, and a lack of foresight. Perhaps the real lesson is about growth: learning to adapt, cooperate, and see the broader perspective.

## Embracing the Journey

We're not quite there yet. We're still mastering the fundamentals - like sharing toys instead of waging wars over oil. • But that's the beauty of it: history is a journey, not a destination. Each repetition offers us an opportunity to learn, adjust, and break free from the cycle.

So, let's hope we can figure things out before the next major challenge arises. History's keeping an eye on us - and so are future generations.

It's time to create a compelling story, everyone! •

Sheila Desai

Wander Lust !

Yay, May 9th and Holidays declared, I packed my bags for a week long holiday and then a two week family time. 
10 of us, friends, boarded the morning bus and went off gaily to Bangalore. We shopped and ate to our heart's content and took the flight to Delhi. We were met there by our dear friend Alli and two other classmates and the 13 of us had a late night chatting and making plans.We took off by the morning train to Pathankot. We had a frolicking time recalling all our 45 plus years of pranks and fights and fun we had. We reached Pathankot. From Pathankot , we were taken by a van to Jammu. It suddenly dawned on us, when our prepaid phones jammed down, that, we were crossing over into an area of turmoil and volatile temperament. Any moment anything could happen. But, with God on our side and the happiness of being with friends, we set off happily. Many a time we could see Police and Security guards with AK 47's etc. It was late at night and there was thunder and lightning and rain. We reached Alli's guesthouse in Jammu and was treated to a sumptuous dinner. After dinner and a lot of pranks, we retired to bed as we had to go up to Srinagar the next morning.
Some of us wanted to visit the famous temple which was a few yards away from the guesthouse. We quickly went through the ancient temple but were looted by the pujaris. They knew we were from down south and would easily part with our money if they said it was for the good of our children and grandchildren. Incidentally, the Pujari predicted a grand son. (Sic) ( He was wrong. Barely two weeks later a beautiful granddaughter was born.) We scrambled out of the temple a few thousands of rupees less and we boarded our tempo traveller. The journey through the Himalayas was picturesque. Waterfalls, steep abyss and awe-inspiring pine trees. It was a treat to our eyes. Coniferous forests dotted all over the mountains. Beautiful! After a long drive, we reached Srinagar around 10. Roads again dotted with a lot of security personnel. Srinagar is cold and beautiful. The next day May 12th, we went over to Gulmarg. None of us in the gang had been there and we did not know what to expect. Our car drivers were our guides and they were tickled to see us, 13 ladies all speaking broken Hindi, happy and so contented. At the base of the hill, we found people who rented out gum boots and huge jackets and we were wondering if this was needed. We climbed a few feet higher and we saw the cable car. Wow! Our excitement mounted. We were bundled into the cable car,also called the Gondolas, and reached the first level. The first level has a beautiful view of snow capped mountains. We waited for our turn to get into another round of a journey in the cable car. We reached level 2. It was spectacular. Snow everywhere and freezing cold. It was awesome. We slipped and stumbled and fell on hard ice. It was incredible! We wanted more. So, we bargained with the sledge pullers to take us into the ice mountains. They promised us a view of the LOC. We set out. Sledges being pulled by men. What an experience. The tourists screaming and hooting in fear, cold and excitement. We were surrounded by photographers who promised instant photographs. We posed in the shivering biting cold and pics were taken. We enjoyed the glamour of the chattering cold and as our hands started to freeze, we turned back and went back  to the waiting cars. An unforgettable experience. That same evening we drove down to Dal lake and lazed around in the Shikaras. We had pics taken as Kashmiri females and hopping from one Shikara to another to dress and pose was a whole lot of fun. Tired but happy we returned to the guest house. The next day was a local sight seeing visiting day. The gardens were heavenly, the food amazing and everything was beautiful. Our camaraderie made it even more beautiful. We were invited to dinner by the secretary of tourism - Jammu and Kashmir, and we went back to our safe haven to sleep. Next morning we bundled into the car and reached Jammu by 5 pm. We bid farewell to our tour guide come driver and jumped into the train to Delhi. Reached Delhi in the morning. Shopped the whole day in the scorching heat.It was 42degrees and we shopped till we were exhausted and dehydrated. We went home to Alli's and in the morning the girls took a flight to Bangalore. Few of them to Chennai and I flew down to Pune. The most memorable trip ever. Muaaahhh

How do you say goodbye ?

My goodbye to Oliver is what I will remember forever. I had to decide on letting him go or die a painful death. I remember standing alone and praying to God to let me take the most painful decision. Oliver was all I had at that moment. He was the only reason I was still holding on to a city I desperately wanted to be in.

But I could not be there forever, I had to return to CBE and he was not wanted in Coimbatore and he knew it. It was as if he knew the turmoil I was in. It was as if he was letting me out of my turmoil by taking himself out of my life. All those days when he was puking himself out he used to look at me apologetically for messing the house. These thoughts went through my head as I prayed for forgiveness for any wrong that I might have done to him. He enriched my life by being there. His unconditional love was what made me realize that money, looks and religion were all silly man made barriers in life. I asked the doctor for a few minutes to be alone with Oliver. The doctor knew my need. He had been the witness to our bonding for the last week. He left me alone and I hugged Oliver for five minutes and I knew he had to be put to sleep before he would go into a massive cardiac convulsion. I did not want to see him in pain and asked for the lethal injection. Oliver kept staring at me till his life went out. I can never forget that. A goodbye which almost killed me.
I thank God for being able to say Goodbye. Goodbye is a sad word. More so when you are not prepared to let go. Unsaid goodbyes are worse. You always cling on even when you know it is over.

Demything the myth.

Here are 18 harsh truths about corporate life nobody will ever tell you. by Ankush Bahuguna: 
1. The more efficient you are at your work, the more you will be burdened with it.
2. Nobody cares about your individual progress in the corporate world. All that matters is what you contribute to the company.
3. There will come a time when you will take up a job just for the money and nothing else.
4. Desk jobs kill creativity.
5. Very often, you will be held accountable for tasks that weren’t even your responsibility in the first place.
6. You will be dealing with a dozen tasks other than what you were initially hired for. Your scope of work will only keep increasing.
7. You will be constantly made to believe you need the company more than it needs you, and that, is not always true.
8. Meetings are a waste of time. Always. Nothing good has ever come out of them, really. Most people aren’t listening, and the ones talking are far away from reality.
9. If you’re sluggish, you’ll be ridiculed by your boss. If you’re proactive, you’ll be hated by your colleagues.
10. Your needs as an employee would go completely ignored, sometimes. You won’t get what you really deserve until you raise your voice and put your foot down.
11. You will be made to work with uninspired people and it will be the most difficult task ever. Your team-mates would neither be of any help, nor would they make it possible for you to take everything in your own hands, and it will kill your passion.
12. People around will constantly pull you down with their cynicism solely because they hate your guts.
13. Nobody is going to appreciate you staying in extra hours every single day but the one time you leave a little early, hell will break loose.
14. Whichever new initiatives you volunteer for, become your responsibility.
15. The HR Department is useless, wherever you go.

16. Office politics is definitely not a myth.

17. But meritocracy is. There will be times when undeserving people will get credit for the work you do, simply because they are higher up on the corporate ladder.
18. Half of your time will be spent in sending out unnecessary mails that will never even be read to countless people who want to feel important before you can actually start working. And more often than not, you will end up doing everything yourself.

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My story starts......

The IT world used to fascinate me when I was on the outside. But the five years that I inside threw all my fascination out. Even though I was treated fairly well because of "God Knows the reasons" I could see through their thin veil of hypocrisy. All the above mentioned and more are true. If only people were given the flexibility and their own working hours more work will get done. But, no, there are higher-ups with giant-sized egos to be placated. Balderdash is what I will say at the end of the day. Sincere workers are not tolerated. Only ego feeders (Chamchas) will get a raise. Plastic HRs who go about with a smiling "I am so sorry, I do not know that" ( 'that' is company policies, ethics etc)  are the ones who are in demand. Not the sincere ones who really care about the welfare of the employees. (They are so emotional and not professional! ) CEOs, who are away and conveniently ignorant of most of the happenings going on in their companies do not realize that all activity and hunky-dory scenes happen just before or during their visit. Yuck. I will never again look at the IT world the way I used to look at it. I never used to stand any of their nonsense and I am sure they were happy to see me go. But I am happy to say I worked under my terms and I would not compromise. Working hard meant being emotional vs being professional. It resulted in making me a professional. Start believing that you are working hard while enjoying yourself in the cafeteria. That was what I saw most people do. Nonsense! Amen.

But, it was in this backdrop that I met some wonderful people with whom I will remain friends forever.  I remember many people fondly who were always there to help me out when the need arose. 

Back to square one!!

Back in Coimbatore. Heavy-hearted and miserable. Claustrophobic.  An idle mind is indeed a workshop for everything unholy. Those glorious days in Pune made me shun gossip and backbiting and I wanted to keep myself away from that and I started classes. Meanwhile, there were vacancies galore for teachers and I was fortunate enough to get into a school nearby. Boredom at bay and I kept myself busy till Shradha joined me exactly a month later. Now, we were two of us missing Pune. But, we both are fortune's favorites and she also got into a firm as a junior architect. Now, the two of us are busy juggling with work and catching up with each other's news. And as usual, we learned the same lesson. Blood is thicker than water.
End of the day it is mother and daughter again.

Restlessness Again

The feeling is back again. Restless and wanting something which I can't pinpoint yet. Shrads not at home - Is that the reason? Loved ones leaving create a void inside. Human beings deal with situations in unique ways. I withdraw into myself and get weird. Ashley my cousin says its normal.
Hope so. :)

Pune - Entry and Exit

Reluctantly I stepped into Pune. Lost, lonely, friendless and jobless. I remember the days when I clung on to Oliver and wondering what fate had in store for me. I was unwilling to get attached. It is four years into Pune now. It is time to leave. And here I am reluctant to leave. Pune has grown on me. I really do not want to go back to Coimbatore. But, I have no excuses to stay back.Sanjay is married and Shradha will finish her B.Arch. I wish Pune had the same craze for French which Coimbatore has. I love teaching French and Coimbatore is my Niche. I hate the familiarity of Coimbatore. Everyone who is someone is known to everyone. I love the anonymity a big town offers. It's great that even in such a big town, we always manage to bump into someone we know. It's even wonderful to know that Rickshawallas know you and take you back home without having to tell them where you stay.( It must be 1. The silly grin on my face. 2. My dependency on them, or 3. My broken Hindi. ) Pune is the place I learnt to be patient. Pune taught me that more flies could be killed by honey than with vinegar. I smile more and frown less. I learnt to do things on my own. I have become Self Sufficient. In all my life, I never thought I would love another place more than my Coimbatore. I will sorely miss Pune and I will clutch at straws to be back at the slightest opportunity. I love my friends, neighbors (who are as good as family members) relatives, colleagues and students in Pune. Most of the people I met here have been amazing and I can say there were just a handful of obnoxious ones and they are not worth thinking about. The countdown has begun and I will leave with a heavy heart, taking with me precious memories that will never die.