scribble pad

Super cool school

Isn’t it easy to smile, than frown?
To fight back, than give up and drown

Isn’t it easy to love, than hate?
To create life, than leave it to fate

Isn’t it easy to build schools, than army bases?
To live in harmony, than wipe out entire races

Isn’t it easy to exercise, than be obese?
To eat carrots, than pizza and cheese

Isn’t it easy to read a book, than talk ill?
To stay away, than take part in rumor mill

Isn’t it easy to spread laughter, than terror?
To live and let live in peace, than horror

Isn’t it easy to be easy, than tough?
To hug and kiss, than behave rough

Why then, do we insist on being difficult?
Can’t we stand tall and proud, than sulk?

Honk; YELL; Honk;
Everyone in hurry
But, what for?

The whole world trembles at my sword,
Kings and armies wait on my word.
I possess every skill known to man,
No-one can defeat me, try if they can.

O sage, you are not even half my size,
yet they say, you are strong and wise.
What have you done that I haven’t?
What can you do that I couldn’t?

O king of kings, you have great power,
History will remember you, for ever.
Your valor has caused so much blood spill,
But, even for a moment, can you sit still?

Can you hear the sound of silence?
Or feel the grass grow?
Can you always be happy, like a child?
Even when left alone, in the wild.

You’ve conquered everything thats outside,
But can you win self, thats inside?
Your aim, my king, is not to better me,
Its to win self, and be the best you can be.

Tried to capture some moments, in the normal day to day life, in the form of Haiku.

In the bus (1)

I smell their breath
and they, mine;
Jampacked.

In the bus (2)

He yells; She yells;
They all yell;
Chaos.

Nothing personal, just business

24 hour hospital
Please fall sick,
we need business.

Chennai city corp

Dig them; then close them;
Aaah, finished?
Line one, again.

Kid on the road

I wave to her,
she waves back.
sweet innocence.

Struggling to write

Will I ever write,
as naturally
as I breathe?

When I came, I came with nothing,
When I go, I‘ll go with nothing.
Yet while here, why do I desire everything?
Without ever wanting to give anything.

When I came, I came with noone,
When I go, I‘ll go with noone.
Yet why do I love some, and hate someone?
When I can embrace everyone.

I don’t know where I came from,
I don’t know when I‘ll go back.
All I have is the present moment,
Why not gift it, while I‘m still here?

When I was four, I painted the wall dirty
spoiling, my dad’s big party.
said he, “you do nothing right”
“now, get out of my sight”

When he was four, my son painted the wall dirty
spoiling, my carefully planned party.
“continue, son”, said I, “though it sucks”
“your modern art will sell for big bucks”.

Blogchaat is a great site that promotes good writing (could be poems, short stories, travelogues - anything) mainly from the Indian blogosphere.  They just posted my first poem today, check it out here.  The site contains more than 200 posts and is a good step in promoting good writing.

Inspired by the characters in tamil historical novels, my friend yogalakshmi made the following sketch (posted here with her permission). Isn’t it beautiful?

“Instead of giving fish to a hungry man, give him a fishing rod”

I don’t remember who said those words, but they make a powerful point. I was reminded of these words when I first came across Kiva, the organization that I’ve come to deeply love and respect. Kiva is a non profit organization that gives micro loans to poor people. So whats the big deal, you ask?

• They give loans that are as small as $100, no bank will even think of loaning such small amounts.
• They don’t require the borrowers to show any collateral or security to take loans. This makes it easier for even the poorest people to borrow.
• Their borrowers are entrepreneurs, doing various business - food, furniture, printing, plastics etc. These loans help the entrepreneurs sustain themselves and improve the economic condition of the cities (and countries) they live in.
• Kiva has a loan repayment rate of 100 % (How many organizations can make such a claim?)

I can go on and on, but my intention here is not to make a sales pitch for Kiva (they don’t need a sales pitch), but to highlight the amazing work they’ve been doing.

Here’s how they work (in brief):

• They partner with local organizations in the countries and regions they operate in.
• Entrepreneurs’ applications and thoroughly verified, and their profiles are posted at the site.
• Anyone from any part of the world can loan any entrepreneur(s) of their choice, only a credit card is needed (loans of $25 and above).
• Once the loan is raised, kiva’s local partners give the loan amount to the entrepreneur.
• The entrepreneur pays back the loan. Once the entire loan is repaid, its given back to the lenders.

I think its one of the best ways of helping someone in need. In a way, this is better than giving money to charity, because

• You precisely know how your money is being spent (you can keep track of your borrowers through journals and borrower’s pages)
• Instead of helping people just one time (which is the case with donations), you help them sustain themselves and stand on their own feet.
• You get back your money (Paypal account needed), which you can withdraw or loan to someone else (basically “recycle”)

Of course, there are times (like the tsunami, for example) during which donations are absolutely necessary. Otherwise, my vote goes to organizations like Kiva. I made my first loan of $25 this month, my intention is to do one loan of $25 every month, and keep re-loaning the money as and when I get it back.

If you like to know more and support kiva, check out these links:

• The Kiva story
• Kiva’s FAQ page
• Kiva blog

There are lots of Kiva enthusiasts throughout the world. These are some of my regular reads:

• Kiva Friends (forum)
• Ramon’s Kiva blog
• Adam’s “I love Kiva” (blog)
• Shelby’s “The Kiva Effect” (blog)
• Lend Me Your Goat (blog)
• MicroFinance Travels of Kendall Mau (must read)
• Agents of Change (they’re trying to raise a million dollars)

I’m sure there are many others that I’ve missed.

Kiva is growing big time, guys. The whole of last year they raised $2M and this month alone they are on track to raise $2M. Don’t feel shy, come and be a part of this amazing organization .  I’m eagerly waiting for Kiva’s entry into India.