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Weekend Conversation with Ram and Appu ( Opinion )

Delareyville, 30 November 2013

The usual euphoria of the month-end was muted due to extreme heat and lack of rain. Strangely enough, around Johannesburg, 330 kms away, heavy rains and hails have wreaked  havoc.
Nowadays I don't  show any interest  in Ram's nests, because he is in the process of  replacing the nests he himself had dismantled. He is like 'Narayanathu  franthan' ( a mad man ) who used to push
big boulders  up hill  ,and then rolled them down for enjoyment.

  My cat ,Appu, spent the whole day  sleeping under the shade of the peaches.Our conversation
began :

                                                             Appu

Why  did  you come late on  Thursday ?
                                                               Kuri

We  had  our year-end party  at our  principal's place.

                                                      Ram
Why didn't you invite us ?

                                                 Kuri

Sorry.It was only for the teachers.I shall give a party  exclusively  for you.

                                                   Ram
I don't   believe you . You have made many false promises before.

                                                 Kuri

Believe me. My offer is genuine.

                                                 Appu
Why do you  hold parties  regularly at school ?

                                               Kuri

It's to  reduce the stress. You know , nowadays  a teacher's job isn't a bed of roses.

                                               Ram

Why do you say  so ? Are the kids  so bad ?

                                                Kuri

No, no They aren't  bad at all. I  mean the general  stress  associated with the teaching profession.
The other day, a teacher  was assaulted in the class in Gauteng  province.

                                               Appu

Why don't the authorities  enforce  discipline ?

                                               Kuri

Nothing can be  done against a student. They  are 'untouchable, and all the blame is heaped on
the poor teacher. In some schools, here and in India, a teacher's predicament is like that of the
animal  trainer in a Circus. The trainer has to keep lions, tigers, leopards etc under control.He is
on knife's edge. Hence the tension.

                                                  Ram

Interesting. I didn't  know this.

                                                Kuri
But there's a big difference in the situations of the  teacher and the animal trainer.The trainer has
a long whip. The teacher has nothing.

                                                 Appu
Then, what's the solution ?

                                                Kuri
The cane is the only  solution.
                                               Ram
You mean, the sugar cane?

                                              Kuri

Ha Ha. Not that cane .The bitter cane. I mean beating . '' Chooral  kashayam''

                                                Appu
Hey man, how can you be so cruel ? ..to beat those angels ?

                                               Kuri

Angels? Do angels kill and rape , and take advantage of the ' under age' clause in the law?

                                               Ram
So what can be done ?

                                               Kuri
I am of the opinion that the parents who bring up their children badly  should be whipped, because
the parents are the cause of all the murders, rape, fraud and theft that's taking place today.

                                                Appu

Leave it aside. What's  the news from  Kerala ?

                                                Kuri

Kerala  was quiet this week because the focus  shifted to Goa, where the aharya  or connoisseur  of 
hidden camera tricks, Arun Tejpal, was in the dock, accused of abuse of a woman.

                                               Ram
What really  happened ?

                                          Kuri.
I don't  want to go into the details  because it would be sub  judice . Anyway, the other controversies
and scandals have taken a backstage because of this latest  scandal. What I want to advise you is
that if you play with guns, fire, acid, bombs, fireworks etc, one day you will perish by the same thing.
                                         
                                         Appu

Why do these scandals  receive so much attention ?

                                           Kuri

This isn't  a new thing. Many  eminent persons like Bill Clinton, Barlusconi, O.J .Simpson,
Mike Tyson, former World  Bank Governor  Kahn, President Jacob Zuma, Trade Union leader
Vavi  etc etc  have been mired in scandals, past or present. Michel  Jackson also.

                                             Appu

So the Channels  in India have a windfall of news and analysis , with the latest  scandal ?

                                             Kuri

You hit the nail on the head ! The channels  make hay while the sun shines, In  Malayalam, we
say, '' monganirunna  pattiyude thalayil oru thenga veenathu pole'', meaning , "it's as if a coconut
fell on the head of a dog who was about to moan."

                                              Ram

So they have no shortage of controversies, have they ?

                                         Kuri

They are very shrewd   and innovative. They  want to please everybody. So they have News Channel,
entertainment channel, sports channel, music channel ,movie channel etc. I'm sure they will  soon
start a Channel exclusively  for scandals. In fact, today's  News Channels are  Scandal Channels.
The irony is that the borders between entertainment channel  and  scandal  channel are  overlapping
because some actors are involved in scandals in real life. So, sometimes the TV  viewer is at a loss
how to identify who's who and  what's what.

                                           Appu

So , what can be done ?

                                               Kuri

I think, in the near future, the channels will offer some refresher  courses to teach the viewers
about who' who and what's what.

                                         Ram

What's  in store for the holidays ?

                                             Kuri

Only  to pray for rains. Otherwise we all are doomed.

                           Appu and  Ram ( together )

 We'll  pray for rains . Only God can save us from  this drought.

                                          

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