Poor jokes? or Poor people?

Just few days ago, I was in a school to take up a session on leadership for the students. I had reached almost 45 minutes earlier and had had a heavy lunch just two hours ago. Naturally, sleep was catching up on me. I was in no state of taking up an energetic session but it was inevitable. I tried to take a brisk walk to awake myself from the day-sleep. It worked to an extent. I wasn't completely up and going. Then I entered the school and took a seat on a nearby bench. Just twenty minutes before my session was about to begin, the first grade students ran out of their classes to the quadrangle. Here comes the twist in the story.

 

I have a bad habit of cracking jokes and making people around me laugh. I started it with these young angels. I asked them, "A for ..." They replied, "Apple!" and I reverted, "A for Anna Sambar (food item in Kannada language). All of them chuckled. I asked once again, "C for ..." They replied, "Cat!" but I retorted, "C for Chitranna (yet another food item in Kannada language). Once again these first grade students laughed their heart out. This continued for few more alphabets where I was replacing their answers with food items and that too in a regional language. With each answer their laughter raised in decibel level and my energy state raised in quantum levels. Hats off to these kids who have the charm of enjoying every little happiness that's hidden around them, and who, in return, charged me up for my session.

 

If I had done the same exercise with other people around me apart from these kids, they would have neglected the humour in it and categorized it as PJ - poor jokes and not even energized me. It would have happened with you too many times when you tried to bring out humour and your friends made fun of you by calling your joke as a PJ- poor joke. As people grow, they tend to lose the fun-loving-kid inside them who can trigger happiness and bliss at every joke possible. It doesn't even matter if people aren't ready to enjoy, unfortunately they break the source person's enthusiasm also while sharing the joke and turn off his/her mood. I feel more than the poorness or richness of the joke, it depends on the poorness or richness of the ability in people to enjoy life. People have gone poor on the scale of enjoying humour. So, don't worry next time when someone condemns your thought as a poor joke. That someone might just be a poor soul on the planet. Go ahead and enjoy the nectar of life called laughter. So what say? Do poor people exist or poor jokes?

Boru kottina, THANK YOU!

Attitude of gratitude can take us to great altitudes of life. Thanking for whatever we have and whatever we have got is a must to lead a satisfying life. Sometime back I was watching the audio launch of a Telugu movie "Iddarammayalatho", where in the hero of the movie stylish star Allu Arjun gave a speech. Initially, he told that generally during such functions people thank cameraman, director, stunt master, choreographer, music composer, technicians and others and it seems boring to the audience. In spite of it being repetitive and boring, he exclaimed that he would do the same boring thing of thanking all the people who had worked for the movie.

 

Here is where we come to understand the title of the post today. Probably the south Indian audience understands the title being partly in Telugu which is a language of Indian origin. For overseas readers, let me give a brief description of the title. "Boru kottina" in Telugu language means "Even if one gets bored...." Allu Arjun began his speech by thanking everyone though it might seem boring to anyone who has been watching such shows regularly. He explained as to how 300 people come together to work for a movie. The dance masters keep thinking about different variety of steps that they should choreograph for the hero to impress his fans. The music composer keeps researching and experimenting about what kind of songs need to be composed in order to bring life into the movie. Likewise every other person in the entire unit works and gives his/her best to make the movie a grand success while at the end, the hero of the movie takes away most of the credit.

 

First of all, I appreciate Allu Arjun's attitude of gratitude. Many of the times, we also tend to take certain things for granted and seldom remember to acknowledge or thank or appreciate the help that we receive. It's very important for us to thank God for what He has blessed us with. All people living around us have been in some or the other way responsible for our well-being. We must acknowledge every such person at some or the other occasion. Last but not the least, we must thank our very own souls for being in us and leading us.

 

I thank each and every reader of mine who has inspired me to write more and more and share my thoughts and ideas. Thank you all once again!