Isn't that the question we used to ask our parents or elders as kids ?
Why does Anna get the bigger piece of cake? Why is that topper-idiot loved more than me? and so continues the list of whys, whats and hows.
Isn't that the very same question we must now aptly be asking the elders in our country, the leaders who're leading our nation ?
Why is it that a shooter who shoots a target in the Olympics given a prize of 3 crores and another shooter who shoots terrorists and defends our nation given a prize of a mere 5 lacs ?
Why is the Indian Cricket team given the privilege of travelling in AC volvo buses, while our Black cat commandos in ordinary red-buses ?
Why is an ordinary citizen taken to court over a traffic signal jump and an MLA's son left to roam free after a hit and run accident ?
Why is it that Zaheer khan made a big deal about his friend being frisked at the entrance to his hotel while me and you wait patiently and take no offence ?
Why is it that in our city the most heavily guarded places even today are the homes of the MPs and MLAs ?
What is given in return to those army and police personnel who guard their homes, so that they can sleep in peace ?
What about the common man ? The man who gives his services ?
Is nobody bothered about him?Is there nobody who cares what happens to the common man? Is it only that privileged class of rich and powerful who deserve it?
Why is it that our politicians remember the common man only at the time of elections?Why does the common man fall prey to the sop given to him by the politicians?
Its all about the common man. He is all powerful. It is just that he doesn't realise that all the power rests in his hands.
I am talking about the power to vote.The power the common man has to make or break a government. The most recent example being that of the Maharashtra government. The power rests in our hands, whether we want to let things happen the way they are or step forward, voice out and change things.
Many people often wonder, what can we do? how can one man change the system? why should one enter 'dirty' politics?
It is all in the thought. If one person takes the initiative to do something and move forward, surely others will follow. And change has to begin someplace with some person, on one day or the other.
Let us be that change. Let us all, in our own places and capacities try to make things better. Let us not take an easy way out by saying that politics is dirty or for what should we vote. Please come forward and vote.
We make those politicians, lets make better ones than we did last time.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Finally.
Finally.
Finally the fight against the source of fear comes to an end. But this isn’t the real end. This is the beginning. The start of the fight of a nation, united now, against the source.
The blasts and firings that shook the mighty mumbaites came to an end today after a 59 hour tryst.
Let me begin from the very beginning. Terror. Terror translates into a feeling that is stronger than fear. And people who evoke this feeling. Terrorists.
This terror strike is a signal for the entire world that, it is high time we join hands and work seriously on this. We should stop playing the blame game and work to strengthen ourselves so that such an act of misery does not repeat. It is useless to blame the intelligence bodies of our country, honestly how much can they do? The attack, as we all know was a very well planned one. It is no one day job. It’s pretty obvious that they had complete information of how, what and where. On the other hand our intelligence officials had none of that.
Our nation has been facing this from over the past 15 years. And now, our tolerance and patience has run out. For example, just because Mumbai is said to bounce back always with its undying spirit, doesn’t mean that you keep hitting it over and over again. This time, we’ll fight back and we have.
This poem goes out to all those who have laid their lives and their families. May their souls rest in peace..
Rest in peace
O mighty warriors,
You’ve done what none could.
Stood sturdy against the howling wind.
Life was the price you paid,
For life itself.
You maybe no more of blood and flesh,
But you live on, immortal,
in the minds of those,
for whom you bled.
Love is this,
You have shown us all,
Love for all brethren,
All humans alike.
No, mighty warriors,
This shall not be in vain,
We shall dismiss this darkness,
Make way for the light to shine,
Pave the path for generations to come,
Relish our beautiful world.
Let us all pray for the people of Mumbai and mourn their loss.
Finally the fight against the source of fear comes to an end. But this isn’t the real end. This is the beginning. The start of the fight of a nation, united now, against the source.
The blasts and firings that shook the mighty mumbaites came to an end today after a 59 hour tryst.
Let me begin from the very beginning. Terror. Terror translates into a feeling that is stronger than fear. And people who evoke this feeling. Terrorists.
This terror strike is a signal for the entire world that, it is high time we join hands and work seriously on this. We should stop playing the blame game and work to strengthen ourselves so that such an act of misery does not repeat. It is useless to blame the intelligence bodies of our country, honestly how much can they do? The attack, as we all know was a very well planned one. It is no one day job. It’s pretty obvious that they had complete information of how, what and where. On the other hand our intelligence officials had none of that.
Our nation has been facing this from over the past 15 years. And now, our tolerance and patience has run out. For example, just because Mumbai is said to bounce back always with its undying spirit, doesn’t mean that you keep hitting it over and over again. This time, we’ll fight back and we have.
This poem goes out to all those who have laid their lives and their families. May their souls rest in peace..
Rest in peace
O mighty warriors,
You’ve done what none could.
Stood sturdy against the howling wind.
Life was the price you paid,
For life itself.
You maybe no more of blood and flesh,
But you live on, immortal,
in the minds of those,
for whom you bled.
Love is this,
You have shown us all,
Love for all brethren,
All humans alike.
No, mighty warriors,
This shall not be in vain,
We shall dismiss this darkness,
Make way for the light to shine,
Pave the path for generations to come,
Relish our beautiful world.
Let us all pray for the people of Mumbai and mourn their loss.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Life cycle
Every lesson in life starts this way, always.
'I am 15 now. I’m big enough to know what I should be doing and what I shouldn’t.'
‘See dear, you’re growing but not grown up yet, you still have so much more to see in life.’
‘What does the rest of my life or experience got to do with all of this?’
‘We’re not telling you so only about this issue but every other you’ll be facing as you grow up.’
‘You always say that! You enjoy saying ‘no’ to me right? You elders are all the same, you never understand me. You’re all old-fashioned. You have no clue how I think or what I want or need.’
‘Do you really think that we don’t know?’
‘Of course, otherwise you wouldn’t refuse me now.’
‘OK, how is it possible that you’ve become 15 without us providing anything for you at all? You think that we don’t know what you want? Then how is it that you always got everything you wanted without asking?’
‘Grrr…enough of this lecture, every time I want something, you give me this lecture.’
‘If you want to discuss this like an adult and not like a kid, it would do better to sit and talk rather than walk off.’
‘Fine. Tell me!’
‘Why do you think that till date you’ve been getting everything you wanted?’
‘Well, that’s simple. I’m your only son, if you wouldn’t give me, to who else would you. Besides you love me.’
‘Good enough. We’re also your only set of parents, right? In that case you should also be listening and obeying us all the time right? But how come we don’t see you doing that often. You choose to get whatever you want from us. But what about what we want from you? And we believe that you love us too. I asked you to join us this evening for the puja, did you?’
‘No’
‘Why not? You see my dear, it’s not about love or being the only child, the magic word here is respect. How much do you respect our wishes? Every time we said ‘yes’ to you or asked what you would want to do, it was only because we respected your decision to do so. But you failed to see that. You failed to realise that everything is based on respect. They say that respect is a give-take relationship. Give us respect my son, and you shall have whatever you want. And mind you, respect doesn’t only mean addressing us with respect but also obeying us and listening to us. You understand, don’t you?’
‘Oh whatever, fine I’ll do what you want, can I go now?’
‘Sigh. When will he learn?’
This episode replayed in my mind, just now my 10 year old daughter walked out of the room because I refused to let her go for a movie today.
Some lessons are learnt by experience only.
What goes around comes around. So are the laws of life.
'I am 15 now. I’m big enough to know what I should be doing and what I shouldn’t.'
‘See dear, you’re growing but not grown up yet, you still have so much more to see in life.’
‘What does the rest of my life or experience got to do with all of this?’
‘We’re not telling you so only about this issue but every other you’ll be facing as you grow up.’
‘You always say that! You enjoy saying ‘no’ to me right? You elders are all the same, you never understand me. You’re all old-fashioned. You have no clue how I think or what I want or need.’
‘Do you really think that we don’t know?’
‘Of course, otherwise you wouldn’t refuse me now.’
‘OK, how is it possible that you’ve become 15 without us providing anything for you at all? You think that we don’t know what you want? Then how is it that you always got everything you wanted without asking?’
‘Grrr…enough of this lecture, every time I want something, you give me this lecture.’
‘If you want to discuss this like an adult and not like a kid, it would do better to sit and talk rather than walk off.’
‘Fine. Tell me!’
‘Why do you think that till date you’ve been getting everything you wanted?’
‘Well, that’s simple. I’m your only son, if you wouldn’t give me, to who else would you. Besides you love me.’
‘Good enough. We’re also your only set of parents, right? In that case you should also be listening and obeying us all the time right? But how come we don’t see you doing that often. You choose to get whatever you want from us. But what about what we want from you? And we believe that you love us too. I asked you to join us this evening for the puja, did you?’
‘No’
‘Why not? You see my dear, it’s not about love or being the only child, the magic word here is respect. How much do you respect our wishes? Every time we said ‘yes’ to you or asked what you would want to do, it was only because we respected your decision to do so. But you failed to see that. You failed to realise that everything is based on respect. They say that respect is a give-take relationship. Give us respect my son, and you shall have whatever you want. And mind you, respect doesn’t only mean addressing us with respect but also obeying us and listening to us. You understand, don’t you?’
‘Oh whatever, fine I’ll do what you want, can I go now?’
‘Sigh. When will he learn?’
This episode replayed in my mind, just now my 10 year old daughter walked out of the room because I refused to let her go for a movie today.
Some lessons are learnt by experience only.
What goes around comes around. So are the laws of life.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Cyber Suicide.
A few weeks back I started my day, like any other. Picking up the Times Edition for the day and skimming through the headlines. One particular article on the front page caught my eye. The headline itself passed a shiver through my spine. It said ‘Youth hangs self on webcam for his girl’.
I was aghast at this act, completely disgusted.
The act in itself is such a horrifying one. It is one thing to commit suicide and another to broadcast it to the girl you love. I cannot imagine the nerve of the boy to make his helpless girlfriend watch the entire act. What a state of shock the poor girl must be in. I fail to understand what the boy had wanted to achieve by killing himself. All people no matter what kind of life they lead face problems. Problems or any kind of obstacles in life can be solved when you are alive to solve them. The only thing a person achieves by choosing to kill himself is to not face the problem, but to find refuge in death.
In the case of this youth, I wonder whether if he had thought twice about how his parents would feel on seeing his lifeless body. Had the youth even thought about the life he could have lived in the future, of having a flourishing career? I wonder if he felt a sense of responsibility towards his parents and sibling at that point of time. It is difficult to understand what prompted him to commit such an extreme act, and that too in front of the girl who was the center of his world!
Another aspect of this act which makes it so shocking is the use of cyber technology in this fashion. Who would’ve ever imagined that a webcam could be used as an instrument to telecast a suicide? What irks me further is the presence of sites on web with step by step instructions on how to commit suicide. Though it is difficult to say how many people actually indulge in using such websites, their mere presence is irksome. Though we have laws governing the use of cyber space, it’s a question of how effectively will they be enforced. How is it possible to stop a person to access information on the net? How is it possible to figure out who uses such services and who doesn’t, when everybody uses secret screen names?
Though this one boy is not the representative of the entire population of youngsters in our country, he is definitely one amongst them. He’s one amongst us. It is indeed pitiful to see anybody resort to such an act of desperation.
This article is just a request to all those people out there to think at least once about the consequences their impulsive acts bring about. I’d like to make a point that such people escape the clutches of life and its problems, but the people who loved them are now in the clutches of death without even facing it.
I was aghast at this act, completely disgusted.
The act in itself is such a horrifying one. It is one thing to commit suicide and another to broadcast it to the girl you love. I cannot imagine the nerve of the boy to make his helpless girlfriend watch the entire act. What a state of shock the poor girl must be in. I fail to understand what the boy had wanted to achieve by killing himself. All people no matter what kind of life they lead face problems. Problems or any kind of obstacles in life can be solved when you are alive to solve them. The only thing a person achieves by choosing to kill himself is to not face the problem, but to find refuge in death.
In the case of this youth, I wonder whether if he had thought twice about how his parents would feel on seeing his lifeless body. Had the youth even thought about the life he could have lived in the future, of having a flourishing career? I wonder if he felt a sense of responsibility towards his parents and sibling at that point of time. It is difficult to understand what prompted him to commit such an extreme act, and that too in front of the girl who was the center of his world!
Another aspect of this act which makes it so shocking is the use of cyber technology in this fashion. Who would’ve ever imagined that a webcam could be used as an instrument to telecast a suicide? What irks me further is the presence of sites on web with step by step instructions on how to commit suicide. Though it is difficult to say how many people actually indulge in using such websites, their mere presence is irksome. Though we have laws governing the use of cyber space, it’s a question of how effectively will they be enforced. How is it possible to stop a person to access information on the net? How is it possible to figure out who uses such services and who doesn’t, when everybody uses secret screen names?
Though this one boy is not the representative of the entire population of youngsters in our country, he is definitely one amongst them. He’s one amongst us. It is indeed pitiful to see anybody resort to such an act of desperation.
This article is just a request to all those people out there to think at least once about the consequences their impulsive acts bring about. I’d like to make a point that such people escape the clutches of life and its problems, but the people who loved them are now in the clutches of death without even facing it.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Education woes.
I distinctly remember the day my 12th Board exam results had been out. The 28th of May,2006.Its been more than two years since then. But what happened on that day and the consequences of it, altered the course of my life.My results happened to stamp me as a 75% student. I had disappointed my parents, brother, friends, scores of others and more importantly myself. And today, in spite of being in a field which i am in love with, i still am fearful. Scared that i might just falter and disappoint again.
This is not just my story. It is the story of the millions of 15- 17 year olds who write their Boards every year.
The pressure starts early. For some, even as early as the 6th grade ! There are cousins i have, into whose brains it has been drilled that anything which was not a professional course was unacceptable. I remember the way there would be fights in their houses all the time, about the neighbour sita or gita who happened to get the top grades. They would say ' arrey, learn something from her, we're not spending all the money on coaching so that you come 3rd or 4th always'.And my poor cousin, who was just an above average student, began to struggle with the subjects her intelligence could just not handle.
I don't blame the girl. But i would blame the parents. The parents should be able to gauge the abilities of their children before expecting something extraordinary from them.The child has now a false notion that she can be the top in class and is disappointed in herself for not doing that well. This harms the child's self-confidence.
In today's time the competition has become so fierce that it is a crime to be an average student. Every one wants to be the top in class. Any percentage below a 90% is considered a disgrace. Parents want their dreams to be fulfilled through their children. One mother tells her son ' beta, i couldn't do my CA because of lack of opportunity, but you must become a CA.' She doesn't even think that probably the poor boy has an aptitude or love for chemistry instead.Once he is done with his tryst with CA, he curses his job and life, secretly wishing that some day he must work on chemistry again.
It is funny that an exam such as a board or an entrance has become something, by which a person is judged. Talent has taken a backseat and the mugging mania is in. Education is all about grades, ranks, seats and fame for the coaching institutes today.Its become a rat race. You learn like a parrot and get good grades or ranks and you're loved and adored by all, if you fail to do so, people look at you like scum. Even children whom i meet today are ashamed to share their marks if they're not in the 90s league.There is so much pressure from all sides. Pressure from parents, relatives, teachers, peers. And if you happened to be a bright student, the pressure increases multi fold. Under such circumstances it is more likely that the student may crumble. Proof for this is the increasing number of suicide cases amongst students.
These children are loosing out on the exposure that they need to receive in this age. They are missing out on the other aspects of learning. We can notice that none of these coaching institutes in the city have any play grounds or recreational activities. Even schools in our city, excepting some, have no playgrounds and consist of tall concrete buildings. These children are not even given the time to think, grow, analyse on their own. Its not about learning or understanding anymore.
It is between the age of 14 and 18 that the thinking and analysing process of a child matures and gains a certain stand. It is then that these children form opinions of the happenings around them. They begin to know what is acceptable and what is not. Thanks to these 'mugging' centres they are loosing out on that experience.
I don't say that it is wrong to achieve or wrong to work hard and get to the top. I'm definitely in favor of the children working hard and proving their mettle. But I would say that they would do a lot better than what they are now, sans the pressure.
This is not just my story. It is the story of the millions of 15- 17 year olds who write their Boards every year.
The pressure starts early. For some, even as early as the 6th grade ! There are cousins i have, into whose brains it has been drilled that anything which was not a professional course was unacceptable. I remember the way there would be fights in their houses all the time, about the neighbour sita or gita who happened to get the top grades. They would say ' arrey, learn something from her, we're not spending all the money on coaching so that you come 3rd or 4th always'.And my poor cousin, who was just an above average student, began to struggle with the subjects her intelligence could just not handle.
I don't blame the girl. But i would blame the parents. The parents should be able to gauge the abilities of their children before expecting something extraordinary from them.The child has now a false notion that she can be the top in class and is disappointed in herself for not doing that well. This harms the child's self-confidence.
In today's time the competition has become so fierce that it is a crime to be an average student. Every one wants to be the top in class. Any percentage below a 90% is considered a disgrace. Parents want their dreams to be fulfilled through their children. One mother tells her son ' beta, i couldn't do my CA because of lack of opportunity, but you must become a CA.' She doesn't even think that probably the poor boy has an aptitude or love for chemistry instead.Once he is done with his tryst with CA, he curses his job and life, secretly wishing that some day he must work on chemistry again.
It is funny that an exam such as a board or an entrance has become something, by which a person is judged. Talent has taken a backseat and the mugging mania is in. Education is all about grades, ranks, seats and fame for the coaching institutes today.Its become a rat race. You learn like a parrot and get good grades or ranks and you're loved and adored by all, if you fail to do so, people look at you like scum. Even children whom i meet today are ashamed to share their marks if they're not in the 90s league.There is so much pressure from all sides. Pressure from parents, relatives, teachers, peers. And if you happened to be a bright student, the pressure increases multi fold. Under such circumstances it is more likely that the student may crumble. Proof for this is the increasing number of suicide cases amongst students.
These children are loosing out on the exposure that they need to receive in this age. They are missing out on the other aspects of learning. We can notice that none of these coaching institutes in the city have any play grounds or recreational activities. Even schools in our city, excepting some, have no playgrounds and consist of tall concrete buildings. These children are not even given the time to think, grow, analyse on their own. Its not about learning or understanding anymore.
It is between the age of 14 and 18 that the thinking and analysing process of a child matures and gains a certain stand. It is then that these children form opinions of the happenings around them. They begin to know what is acceptable and what is not. Thanks to these 'mugging' centres they are loosing out on that experience.
I don't say that it is wrong to achieve or wrong to work hard and get to the top. I'm definitely in favor of the children working hard and proving their mettle. But I would say that they would do a lot better than what they are now, sans the pressure.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The half-full way.
I really wonder why.
Why is it that as we keep ascending in a relationship, i'm not just talking about a romantic one, but also about frienship, the expectations are also on the rise ? Is it because we now begin to believe that the so and so person is now close enough for us to behave as we like with them ? Or is it because we now have complete confidence that no matter how rudely or badly you behave they will always 'understand' and just let it be ? Is it because we feel that now that we have gained the person's trust he/she will never desert us ? Are all these feelings just proving the age old saying that 'familiarity or proximity breeds contempt' ?
So, by these experiences, should we quit moving closer to anybody? Should we remain within the walls of our mind ? Shall we put an end to sharing emotions or experiences ? Should we inhibit ourselves from feeling that 'yaar, yeh toh apna hi hai' ?
I say NO.I would say that this is nothing but the manifestation of a bored mind. It might be true that 'proximity breeds contempt' but experience even says that 'proximity is the true predictor of love'. Lets just run this whole thing over again. The feelings that arise in our minds are necessarily the feelings that we want to feel. 'It is all in the perspective'.
If you want to think that the other person is trying to neglect you or purposely trying to be rude with you or avoid you, I beg you to think again. This person in question is the one with whom we have become close. Assumed that he's our own person. A person with whom we can share a bit of our lives. Instead of thinking that the person is willfully not agreeing to spend time with us, lets just think that may be the circumstances are not in favor of us being together or to even maintain contact. This way, we do ourselves and the other person a big favor. We prevent ourselves from brooding and sulking over a non-existent problem. We avoid unnecessary blame games. We also save a hell a lot of energy.This also prevents an otherwise imminent fight.
Its very simple. Look at things the 'half-full' way. Thats the easiest way to happiness. Both yours and your relationship's !
Why is it that as we keep ascending in a relationship, i'm not just talking about a romantic one, but also about frienship, the expectations are also on the rise ? Is it because we now begin to believe that the so and so person is now close enough for us to behave as we like with them ? Or is it because we now have complete confidence that no matter how rudely or badly you behave they will always 'understand' and just let it be ? Is it because we feel that now that we have gained the person's trust he/she will never desert us ? Are all these feelings just proving the age old saying that 'familiarity or proximity breeds contempt' ?
So, by these experiences, should we quit moving closer to anybody? Should we remain within the walls of our mind ? Shall we put an end to sharing emotions or experiences ? Should we inhibit ourselves from feeling that 'yaar, yeh toh apna hi hai' ?
I say NO.I would say that this is nothing but the manifestation of a bored mind. It might be true that 'proximity breeds contempt' but experience even says that 'proximity is the true predictor of love'. Lets just run this whole thing over again. The feelings that arise in our minds are necessarily the feelings that we want to feel. 'It is all in the perspective'.
If you want to think that the other person is trying to neglect you or purposely trying to be rude with you or avoid you, I beg you to think again. This person in question is the one with whom we have become close. Assumed that he's our own person. A person with whom we can share a bit of our lives. Instead of thinking that the person is willfully not agreeing to spend time with us, lets just think that may be the circumstances are not in favor of us being together or to even maintain contact. This way, we do ourselves and the other person a big favor. We prevent ourselves from brooding and sulking over a non-existent problem. We avoid unnecessary blame games. We also save a hell a lot of energy.This also prevents an otherwise imminent fight.
Its very simple. Look at things the 'half-full' way. Thats the easiest way to happiness. Both yours and your relationship's !
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