LOVE ALL - Episode 7

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

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LOVE ALL

A Serial By Varalotti Rengasamy

Episode 7

Womenworldwide.com had just completed its first month of existence. The membership had touched 27000 and was still growing fast.

Shobana suggested in the Global Moderators Forum that there were several women-related issues that were very specific to the place they were living.

For instance, she explained, that a woman living with her in-laws in Santhome, Chennai would have a totally different set of problems from a woman living in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">San Jose</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1lace> with her husband and her only son.

Her suggestion to create a forum for each geographic location was immediately accepted.

Yamini had her own concerns. Will too many forums mean an increased operational cost? And would it not be too confusing to the user?

No, screamed Kripa. You are only cutting the same bread into a larger number of loaves. So no additional cost.

But frequently changing the forum architecture might confuse the crawlers (the software sent by search engines to browse the web in a methodical manner) and reduce the visibility of the site.

That way it is better to have as many changes as possible during the first few months and aim for a relatively stable structure thereafter.

Yes, having too many forums might be confusing to the new member. But a strong orientation programme and a user-friendly design can offset those negative effects

Kripa and Prathi working as a team delivered brilliantly on both the counts.

The geographical forums were not grouped with other forums like cookery or religion. Instead Kripa inserted a large world map in the centre of the Forums page.

As one clicked the mouse on a specific location in the map, then the map for that country would spring to life. The names of all the cities in that country which had forums will be highlighted.

And a single mouse-click on the name of the city would take the member to the forum for that place.

Prathi welcomed forum requests from all the members. And worked day and night to create all the Forums and Sub Forums.

Questions like ‘Where do you get Achi Masala in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">San Francisco</st1lace></st1:city>?’ ‘Who is the best Orthodontist in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Mysore</st1lace></st1:city>?’ ‘Where can I get a Brahmin Priest in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Sunnyvale</st1lace></st1:city>?’ started to appear in the respective forums.

Answers came in no time. The members were delighted.

Prathi created a wonderful PowerPoint presentation which became a part of the orientation kit. Now whenever a new member registered she was immediately directed to the presentation which explained the various features of the site in an easy-to-understand way.

And Prathi was there to answer all the questions from new members.

The Forum Moderators also decided to go in for a Residuary Forum where members could discuss anything under the sun.

The Forum became unwieldy soon and Prathi worked overtime to introduce Forums to discuss a) Spouse and Marriage b) In-laws c) Kids d) Love Affairs e) Life as a Single Woman f) Beauty g) Health Tips and Exercises h) Dresses and Cosmetics – the list was continuously growing.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

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Part 2!
Bala came up with a suggestion to have forums to wish the members on their birthdays and anniversaries.

“In a typical Indian family set-up the birthdays of many women, especially housewives are simply forgotten.”

Everyone agreed and Prathi immediately gave effect to that idea

The first beneficiary of this forum was a 50 year old housewife from Tirunelveli, <st1lace w:st="on">South Tamilnadu</st1lace>.

Yamini herself had started the thread. All the Forum Leaders including KG had wished the woman on her birthday. The response by that woman, whose user ID was Shanthi, was quite moving.

“Oh My Dear God! So many people from all over the world thinking of me on my birthday! You know ladies, I was crying all through the day.

I have been married for 30 years. We don’t have children. My husband does not know, does not even care to know about my birthday.

Even I had forgotten my birthday. I had to dig up my school records to enter the date of birth while registering in this wonderful site.

What do I see now! About a hundred women, some from Chennai, some from Mumbai, many from the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">US</st1lace></st1:country-region> and even one lady from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Egypt</st1lace></st1:country-region> and one from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">China</st1lace></st1:country-region>, have showered their wishes, blessings on me.

I have never experienced this kind of love in my life. Even if I were to die right now my life would not have been lived in vain.

Whatever good I have done in my life so far, whatever merits I have earned so far, may they all go to those who conceived a site like this and to those who are running it.”

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

Part 3!

Yamini could almost touch the sense of excitement and euphoria in the air. But she also learnt that running the website was not all about milk, honey and a bed of roses.

WomenWorldWide.com had its first full blown crisis when Prathi suddenly disappeared.

Yamini realized Prathi’s absence only when Kripa called her.

“Yams, do you know what happened to Prathi? She did not log in for the past four days. And there are several requests for new sub-forums, hundreds of undesirable posts to be deleted, IP addresses to be banned, and questions to be answered... What the hell is she doing?”

Yamini was really concerned. She sent several mails but got no reply. She even tried to place an overseas call to her. No response.

She convened an emergency net meeting of the Forum Leaders. Prathi had worked hard to create an exclusive chat room for the Moderators within the site.

And ironically the very first meeting to be held in that chat room was to discuss Prathi’s sudden and mysterious disappearance.

It was decided that Shobana and Janaki would share the duties regarding orienting the new members and answering their questions.

Kripa and Yamini would take over the deletion of undesirable posts and banning of IP Addresses. A “techie” would be hired part-time to take care of Forum Reorganisation work.

When Shobana and Kripa were hurling charges against an “irresponsible” Prathi, Bala’s take on the situation was completely different.

“Girls, Prathi’s absence for just four days has doubled our workload. And we are now forced to hire some extra hands to manage the situation. This is the time we should realise how valuable is Prathi to us.

"We have our own forums. We are well-known among the ladies and somebody like KG and Janaki have a fan-following too.

"But what does Prathi have? People don’t even know her name. She comes in as Administrator-2 and slogs all day.

"She is like a film editor; doing a crucial job but not visible unless she messes up something.

"Remember all of us are doing gratuitous work; but we have our indirect pay in the form of fame, recognition and appreciation. Prathi is the only unsung heroine in our midst.”

“Hats off to you Bala Aunty.”

“Thanks, Yamini.”

“So what do we do now?”

“Two things. One, If Prathi comes back we will have to create a kind of “technology forum” for her. Let her have another ID in her name and lead that forum.

"We should share some of her administrative duties so that she has time to work on her forum. And two, Yamini, you should also consider paying her some monthly salary.”

All the Forum Leaders agreed. Yamini wanted to pay her US $ 1000 per month to start with.

Shobana approved the deal and assured Yamini that the finances of the site could afford the outgo.

“But Bala Aunty, I have a doubt. Do you think Prathi would have absented herself deliberately because we did not recognize her and there is no money in the work?”

“No. She is too good to do something like that. But should we not learn the lessons her absence is teaching us?”

Salary, fame and recognition were waiting for Prathi. But she did not come. Yamini was really worried.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

Part 4!

Another concern that Yamini had was the forum on Finance and Taxes. Women were coming to the site to relax, to meet people having similar interests and to have good time.

Who would like to know about balance sheets, shares, dividends, ratios and the complex tax calculations?

But Shobana’s forum attracted a huge fan following. She showed the world that if the teacher is all right even Finance can be made as interesting as Literature.

Her language was simple and surprisingly free of the technical jargons, something for which her field was notorious.

Yamini started reading the first post in her forum.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

Part 5!

“Friends, I am not going to tell you about debit, credit, balance sheet, ratios, shares or anything of that sort.

Why don’t we indulge in some wishful thinking for a while? Let’s imagine that your great grandfather knew that somebody as wonderful as you was going to be born as his lineal descendant.

And let’s further suppose that the wise old man settled Rs. 10000 in your favour a hundred years ago.

Of course it is almost legally impossible to settle something to his descendant to be born three generations later. But this is only a thought experiment.

And let’s further imagine that he was able to deposit the money with some institution which agreed to pay 10% per annum compound interest, which incidentally is the prevailing rate of bank interest for one year deposits.

This means that the money would grow from Rs. 10000 to Rs. 11000 at the end of the first year. In the second year that Rs. 11,000 would earn Rs. 1,100 and would become Rs. 12,100. And would become Rs. 13,310 at the end of third year.

Let’s finally imagine that the whole sum becomes payable to you on your 30<sup>th</sup> birthday. Can you imagine how much you will get?”

Members were busy guessing. The figures were as small as Rs. 1,00,000 and as large as Rs. 50,00,000.

“Hold your breath, ladies. You’d get something like 13 crores of Rupees. The exact amount is Rs. 13,78,06,123.

And if your great grandfather had managed to wriggle out a 2% additional interest - got 12% interest on the investment- then you will get about six times the amount – about Rs.83 crores.

This is the reason why interest rate and period are crucial components in any financial decision. This is why credit card companies and car loan companies make tons and tons of money just like that.

Let’s see how compound interest is calculated. Open an excel spread sheet, click the functions button..”

Yamini was sure that soon housewives would become financial experts and start negotiating tough deals with their bankers and share-brokers.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

Part 6!

Yamini was grateful to receive a detailed reply from KG for her counselling query. KG should have been counselling for years.

He knew his limits as a Counsellor and had given sane counsel without sounding judgmental or wearing a holier-than-thou attitude.

Yes, Yamini falling in love with the young writer was okay. But the one thing that is not to be found in any kind of love is the guarantee that it would be accepted or reciprocated.

KG finally asked her not to do anything about her ambivalent love but rather keep it intact. If it was good enough, Time would show her the way.

Yamini’s idea to rope in a well-published writer like Arvind for a forum was asking for too much. Yamini had to clearly draw a line between her love feelings and her site administration issues.

As to the Fiction forum KG’s ideas were way too daring. But Yamini decided to act on them any way.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

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Part 7!

Yamini always loved Thursday nights. KG usually came out with his leader-post in the Religion Forum around <st1:time hour="23" minute="0" w:st="on">11 PM</st1:time> in the night.

Yamini would wait to read the post and then retire for the day with tears in her eyes and peace in her heart.

But that Thursday was quite different. When Yamini clicked open the forum and started reading the post she could not even in her wildest dream imagine what was in store for her on that fateful Thursday.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

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Part 8!

Pundarika lived in a small village by the sea-side in a place near the present day Mahabalipuram.

Like Ananda Giri, the ‘office-boy saint’ of the earlier story Pundarika was a dunce, a half-wit. And like Giri he was also blessed with a loving Acharya.

The Acharya segregated Pundarika from the rest of his disciples lest he should be teased by those intellectual types.

While the Acharya went deep into Vedas and Vedanta for his other disciples, he just told stories about the loving Lord, Sriman Narayana, to Pundarika.

The other disciples used to argue about the supremacy of the path of knowledge over that of duty or devotion; Pundarika would be listening to the leelas of Sriman Narayana with tears in his eyes.

One fine morning Pundarika prostrated before his Guru and told him

“Gurudeva, I want to see Him, the great Narayana, right now. I want to go to Thirupparkadal, the milky ocean which you have said is his permanent address. I want your permission and blessings, Acharya.”

The kind Guru looked above and smiled. If Pundarika’s time had come who was he to stop him?

“Best of luck, my child. But do you know how to go to Thirupparkadal?”

“Gurudeva, I remember your telling that it is beyond all the seas of the world. So if I can drain the water from the sea that is there in the yonder and then the other six seas will I not get to see Thirupparkadal?”

“You will, my child, you will. Take care. Best of luck, once again.”

Pundarika went to the market and used all his savings to buy two metal buckets . The very next morning he started the work of draining the <st1lace w:st="on">Bay of Bengal</st1lace>.

With a bucket in each hand he walked into the sea, filled them up with water, walked back to the shore to pour the water over the sand.

In an hour almost the entire village was there to watch this act of magnificent folly.

“Hey buddhu! You can never drain a sea like this. Even in a million years you can’t do it.”

To the village headman who shouted at him Pundarika answered, “If you want to have a part in this divine enterprise, lend me a hand or send your men. Otherwise please let me do my work.”

Somebody went to his Guru and complained. They knew that if the Guru asked Pundarika to stop he could not but obey.

“That’s purely a business between Pundarika and his Lord. I don’t want to go between them and incur the Lord’s wrath.”

People moved away from Pundarika letting him continue with his foolish plan all alone. Four days passed. Pundarika ate very little and slept only for a few hours.

He had gone down a lot and because of the cold weather he had high fever. But he never lost hope.

The fifth day was particularly trying. Poor Pundarika thought that if he skipped lunch he could drain fifty buckets more so that he could see his Lord faster. But when darkness set in he was so exhausted that he could barely move.

Even then he tried his level best to continue with his grand mission. In the darkness he tripped over a stone.

The fully-laden bucket fell on his feet. The pain was unbearable.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

Part 9!

“Oh Narayana!” Pundarika’s cry penetrated the skies and reached the ears of his Lord.

The Lord who forever is in a state of yogic sleep was fully aware of Pundarika’s enterprise. And with that kind of love He also felt Pundarika’s pain. He tried to wake up Adi Seshan and Garuda.

Well, they were not excited about the prospect of travelling that long to amuse a dull-headed fellow trying to empty the mighty ocean with just two steel buckets.

“Narayana” “Narayana” Pundarika was still screaming in pain.

The Devas were eternally chanting the Vedas:

“Narayana paro jothi Athma Narayana paraha
Narayana param brahma thathvam Narayana paraha
Narayana paro dhyathaa dhyanam narayana paraha”

The Lord Narayana is the supreme light; Narayana is the supreme self; Narayana is the supreme absolute; Narayana is the supreme reality; Narayana is the supreme meditator; Narayana is the supreme meditation.

That was part of Yajur Veda, called the Narayana Sooktham, which praises the supreme Deity Sriman Narayana. And the Devas have been chanting it for aeons.

But the great Lord of love was moved more by the cry of pain coming from a semi-literate devotee than the majestic Vedic chanting coming from the Devas and Rishis.

The Lord did not even delay a nanosecond. He was there on the shores by Pundarika’s side in no time.

Overcome by hunger, exhaustion and pain Pundarika had fainted on the sea-shore. The Lord wanted to wake him up.

But then He remembered: ‘He wanted to see me sleeping. After all his Guru had told him that the Lord was forever sleeping on the Parkkadal.’

The Lord looked around. Where to sleep? In his haste he had not brought along his bed, the five-headed Adi Seshan. There was not even a piece of cloth let alone a bed to lie down.

And then the Lord did the unthinkable.

The Great Lord whom the Vedas have been searching in vain, the kind Lord who is not visible even to the Rishis who have done penance for aeons, the Lord who is beyond the reach of Devendra and all the devas, the One who created this Universe and a billion others, the ultimate meaning of the word, Love, just lied down on the sand.

The entire universe shook. Adi Seshan felt a sharp pain in his body. Garuda was looking at the scene with trepidation.

Jaganmatha Lakshmi was melting in tears seeing Her husband’s gesture of purest love.

Lord Mahavishnu was lying by the side of Pundarika. He did not have his usual weapons, the Sanku and the Chakra.

Lying on the ground with one hand supporting his head and the other raised up in the traditional gesture of invitation, the Lord seemed defenceless.

And He is always utterly defenceless in the face of such a pure, selfless love.

“Pundarika, my child, get up. I have come here for you. You won’t feel the pain any more. And there is no need to drain the sea. I will be here for you for all time to come.”

A sobbing Pundarika fell at the Lord’s feet and soon became one with his Beloved.

And the Lord earned the name “Sthala Sayana Perumal” simply because he was prepared to sleep anywhere, even on a thread-bare sea-shore, to reciprocate his devotee’s love.

And with this story we have a powerful reiteration of lesson two we learned two weeks ago- that we can never love God the way He loves us.

varalotti · Jan 4, 2009

Part 10!
Yamini wiped her eyes. She was about to shut down the laptop when she inadvertently clicked the refresh button on her browser.

The page refreshed and somebody had commented on KG’s leader post.
‘Who was so fast to pass a comment?’

The member’s user-ID was Rex. Rex had spit venom on the thread.

“What kind of a fundamentalist are you, KG? Indoctrinating the ladies with stories from your religion? Why don’t you check the name of this forum – it reads ‘Religion’.

And you think it the Forum heading is Hinduism? Face the truth, KG. Aren’t you a bigot? I am sure that some fundamentalist party is paying you for this propagating work.

I have been waiting for the past four weeks for you to come up with some good story from our religion, Christianity.

And once again you have come up with some sentimental ******** from your own religion. I am now suspecting the bonafides of all the Forum Leaders.”

Yamini was shivering in anger and humiliation. Who was Rex and why the hell he wrote like that in a public forum?

The last thing Yamini wanted was a fight between two religions happening on the site.

She clicked Rex’s name and read the user’s profile. A single male somewhere in the North Eastern India.

Her cell phone rang. Janaki was on the line. The panic in her voice was palpable.

“Did you see that Rex post?”

“I did. What can we do now, Aunty?”

There was another call on her mobile. She put Janaki on hold and talked to Kripa.

Soon the three were on a conference call.

“Can we delete it before anybody sees it?”

“That will only make matters worse. Rex would take up the matter in another forum. And our deleting the post will become a big issue.”

“But what about Forum Etiquette, Kripa? That black-guard has violated all rules of courtesy and has flouted every word of the Forum Etiquette we published last week.

“We had clearly told our members that if any post is rude or discourteous or in any way offensive to any other member, we would delete it then and there and add penalty points to the offending member.”

Yamini remembered those rules. There were some heated exchanges in the cookery section which led to the formulation of a detailed Forum Etiquette for members.

And this was an occasion where they should use those rules to punish, or probably throw out Rex. Janaki was right. But the matter was not as simple as that. Kripa brought out the complications involved.

“You are right, Aunty. But if any of us take any action then the issue will be twisted into a controversy between this religion vs that religion. And that might land all of us in trouble.”

The discussion went on for about fifteen minutes. Yamini pleaded,

“For Heaven sake we need to do something about this post before KG sees it. He’d be upset.”

“He’s reading it already and has even started responding to it.” Kripa was now seeing “Who’s Online”

“My God! That’s worse. There’s going to be bloodshed.”