Sunday 21 February 2010 10:19:06 PM IST

Hospitality

Many of my friends have complained to me that I don’t offer anything to eat or drink when they visit my home. Well thats true. To know why we offer a food or drink, lets roll back a few hundreds of years. Not far, just 300 years from now. In those times the three modes of transportation in Tamilnadu was by walk, on bullock-cart or in a palanquin.  Imagine some on who has walked to your home, even if 6 kilometers is the distance, the person would have spent enormous energy compared to one who comes today on a motorized transport. The walk would take him or her an hour at least. It would be nice if he can be refreshed  for the journey back. If the person had come on bullock-cart, the receiver would feed the cattle to refresh it. If the traveler had come on palanquin, the receiver would have offered some thing filled with energy for the bearers to consume.

Consider situation today. Most are obese, they travel by motorized vehicles which demands very less energy from them. The way is filled with food shops where one can stuff hi-cal foods. Is it really needed for me to stuff this person again? That too in an economy that has inflation of near 10%?

Ah! To be kind. If one is kind and does want to see humanity prosper one can help one who really suffers, not one who is known or not one who might benefit us.

Presents

I don’t give presents to any one. I do it so because people invite me not because of what I carry, but because of who I am. Instead of presents one must give another tools he or she deserves. For example if you see some one smoking a lot, wish a happy and relatively painless death. The knowledge you give may save.

Birthdays

Well, why would’t I wish people birthdays? Lets roll 50 years back. If some one is flying or going a trip by aircraft, ship or train, the persons entire family gathers to say goodbye. They might even garland him, reason? If there suppose happens a mishap, the last sight and last garland should be considered as the last rights that were performed. No body is sure if the person’s journey will return him alive.

We all journey through time. To mark that we have gone around the sun once by living on earth birthday is celebrated. Many wish because they might not get a chance to wish another time when one has completed another orbit around the sun.

Medical science has progressed. Humans (almost) don’t have predators any more. We are finding cures for diseases one by one. Even if one announces birthday, I think that one will survive another orbit around the sun, so wishing him or giving my potential last wishes is no longer in my agenda.