Of Uncertainity and Guilt

Tags

career, future, life, thoughts, uncertainity

I look at links shared by people on fb and twitter, I go through various articles. I read at lot of books, as in A LOT. I read, I get ideas, I intend to write and make mental notes. Then, I procrastinate. Big time. Its just amazing how well I procrastinate. Not anymore though. I have decided to write a post every two days. It need not be a big one, need not be something huge. Simple and regular. If people can blog about their pets’ peeing habits, I can blog about my day! So here goes the first one.

I am in my prefinal year at college with an year left till graduation. I am pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering. I am okay-ish at studies. I am good at some stuff but most of that can not be pursued as a career. Maybe some of it can but then I am not much of a risk – taker. Thus, this cloud of uncertainty about my future. I have a plan and I intend to stick to it. Yet, there is this fear. But then I think of those underprivileged people struggling to find a place to sleep or a meal. I think of kids who do not get to go to school whereas I’ve been lucky to have been blessed with parents who value education more than anything. I feel stupid at times when I’ve lusted after an iPad when that amount equals life – savings of a family.

So the question I am pondering over is if I should feel guilty or not. Should I embrace things as they are and work towards aiming my goal or work for the underprivileged. Confusion, confusion, confusion. Or, can a balance between these two things be achieved?

(Or maybe, these thoughts are a coping – mechanism for my brain about upcoming exams)

Hell Yeah, I’m a Writer!

Tags

duke, english composition, englishcomposition, life, mahima, writing

This post was written as a thread on one of the forums of the English Composition course I’m pursuing.

I remember reading Enid Blyton books way back when I was a toddler and trying to sneak some past my bed time. With that, I had regular Sanskrit sessions with my grand-aunt. My mum wrote beautifully in English and my grand-aunt in Hindi and Sanskrit. I thank those two beautiful women for inculcating reading habits and pushing me to express myself by writing.

I am a writer!

Not very regular, impulsive, on a binge and writing only when I want to – lazy in straight terms.

I have experimented with various styles, tried my hand on poetry, fiction, narratives and social/political commentary. I don’t know where I’ll go with my writing and what style I’ll choose eventually, but for now, I‘m in a happy place, trying to write more regularly.

My primary motive for joining this course (apart from being pushed by a special one) is to get feedback, become regular, get a direction and see if I am ready to undertake writing as a full – time profession. Also, I’m looking forward to reading what other, talented people in the world write.

My first writing experience was the primary school assignments about my family, dog, house etc. where I learned to differentiate between do and did and other such nuances. It progressed to essays that my teachers used to award with stars and smiley faces. Another beautiful memory is of a poem about Diwali I wrote with my best friend on the bus ride back home from school. Growing up, I started writing more mature pieces. Then came my blog (RIP). The best parts I feel have been during my college life.

Now, I enjoy writing and do it at my own pace. I’m hoping to grow and develop as a writer!

Wharton cancels Invitation to Modi – Lessons to Learn

Tags

cancelled, gujrat, India, invitation, Modi, Narendra Modi, nation, Penn, society, Wharton, Wharton India Economic Forum

We all, and that includes the politically aware and involved people of India, are very well aware of the infamous Gujrat Riots, the image makeover of Narendra Modi and the subsequent, historic “Naroda Patya” verdict last year. It was a history of all sorts, yet the battle for justice still goes on. People have talked and forgotten and Modi has won yet another election. Lobbying is going on for his candidature as the PM from the opposition. Seems, majority of the political class is indifferent to what happens to the Aam Aadmi, as long as they are cozy in their government apartments payed for by the nation and as long as their political careers are thriving. People vote for somebody who can benefit them personally, instead of protesting for justice and standing for the weaker, underprivileged fellow citizens.  Maybe that’s the reason that a man accused by the Human Rights’ Watch is in a stronger than ever position politically.

image source: google

I sit and watch what happens and can do nothing but watch because I know my one vote is not going to make a difference among the millions of votes a wrong – doer will get through his minority suppressing, so – called secular politics. People hardly protest against the wrong – doers and those who do, are but a small, tiny lot who go unheard. One of the examples is Irom Sharmila – chargesheeted recently for her peaceful protest.

Getting back to the fray, it was very refreshing and impressive to here of how a group of protestors from Wharton and Penn managed to raise a voice and more importantly, were heard. They protested vehemently against the invitation given to Narendra Modi for the delivering a lecture at the “Wharton India Economic Forum” virtually. Well, “virtually” because the man has been denied a visa to the US. because of his infamous heroics in the Gujrat Riots. People wrote a petition, got some other people to sign on it and subsequently, the forum withdrew its application.

When we retrospect, this isn’t a big deal. People protest, they get heard and action is taken. Correction though: not-a-big-deal in places where every single move made isn’t made for political or selfish reasons. Had this been in India, where every person’s political thoughts and background matter more than what he says, the protestors would have had a HUGE media coverage, the issue would have had been politicised by all rival parties and subsequently, nothing would have had been done. Either the protestors would have been bashed up by anonymous gundas, or paid for calling of the protest or gone unheard. Summary: it is next to impossible to raise voice successfully against a political or social giant in India. While the Forum authorities were sensitive to the sentiments and the issue raised by the protestors, here in India, people move only when needed and that too for their own selfish ends.

There are many lessons we can take from this incident. First: to raise our voice. Second: for the authorities to be sensitive to the opinion of the masses. And this doesn’t apply just on the the anti – Modi protests but our daily life too. I’m not saying that the decision is politically significant. I take this as an example of action and impact: somewhat a novelty in India.

A small example: the institute I study in and the place I love in – it is impossible getting work done unless the “giants” are benefiting from it. An application for a simple matter takes ages to get into the system and get processed. while the authorities turn their deaf ear towards it and refuse to extend ANY support of ANY type. We organized a fest which was successful and one-of-its-kind for our college. The authorities lent the minimum possible support and academically detain the students involved in organizing.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are millions of such examples and incidents happening with us and the world around us. We should raise our voice against the wrong – doings and the wrong – doers. Also, people in higher positions and positions of power (i.e. the giants) should TRY being sensitive towards those like us who aren’t as fortunate and privileged as them. We need to EMPATHIZE with those who are less fortunate and be sensitive to issues not just ours but of those around us as well. This is needed and of utmost importance if we want to create a social structure and a society which is progressive and caters to the needs of all of its members, irrespective of social status, political opinions, cast, gender or power.

Irony (image source: google)

To the Wharton – India Economic Forum: thumbs up for being sensitive to the issue and taking an action

To the protestors who made it happen: commendable job

Of Yearnings and Delusions

Tags

delusion, inspiration, life, thoguhts, writers' block, writing, yearning

Delusion – that’s what I learned today.

We spend ages pitying ourselves, the surroundings and the circumstances around us. We are the ultimate victims in our own eyes – for having been denied what was ours, for having been denied to get what ought to be ours, what we deserved. BANG! There comes a slap from, what my sister described in her blog, the “faith”. I guess there is something, somewhere watching us that occasionally, gives us the good sense to look beyond us and open our eyes. There is whole, big, wide world out there with people and beings in conditions worse than us. Sometimes, instead of wallowing in self – pity and loathing, we need to be a phoenix (like Fawkes – for all HP junkies out there), and look clearly as to who we really are. There is no dearth of opportunities or time or resources if we set our heart to what we really wanna do!

(image source: google)

I spent the past month in grief – of going through a writers’ block (which I realize now is a fake concept made up by crazy people who need shrinks). In simple words, I couldn’t write. I couldn’t find a topic, I couldn’t find the time, I couldn’t find any inspiration. I yearned to find a topic I could write on, something which would inspire. Turns out, its all peanuts. Today, my faith intervened and I got struck by the lightening. Folks, yours truly has turned into an amateur poet (a round of applause would be MOST welcome here). My first piece, dedicated to the delusions we live in…

“Delusion
A single-lettered word with a thousand meanings
Sometimes an ache, sometimes a yearning
A myth that ought to be burst
Or a shelter from the world, where simplicity is but, dearth
Ah! The delusion
Living in one
Hoping someday, sometime, you’ll be the one
The one person you truly yearn to be
With the courage, the strength to tackle
Come what may be
Ah! The Delusion
That you have, in all actuality, overcome
The fears, the nerves
Of failing, of faltering
The blundering, the haltering
From the point yonder
Where you’re supposed to be
The goal of life
The fruit of strive,
Ah! The Delusion
For me, the reason I keep going,
In the hope that someday,
It’ll turn out to be,
But, a Delusion”

PS: Also dedicated to the Internet, which is a Pandora’s Box, full of magical things

Ashamed, Disgusted & Outraged

Tags

country, crime, damini, delhi, delhi gangrape, gangrape, India, india gate, justice, nation, news, protest, society, tv, women, youth

Today, I’ll write about what it is like to be a woman in India. This post highlights just one in the million incidents of eve-teasing, molestation, rapes, sexual discrimination, assault on women and plain ill-treatment women go through very single friggin’ day. Whether at work or at home, whether in a park or a multiplex. whether out with friends or at a family function, whether in a chauffeur driven car or in local-transport – it is always there. That slimy, creepy, hypocrite, shameless, lewd thinking about women some people have.

Lets start from scratch. A daughter is born – its a woman’s fault; result – abortion. A girl falls in love – result of “education” and “modernisation” or, as a politician put it, “result of using cellphones”; outcome – honor killing or social disgrace. A husband mistreats his wife =  the wife can’t satisfy him. And the worst one: a girl gets eve-teased/molested/raped – she must be wearing short clothes/ must be of a loose character/ must have had seduced the guys.  WTF man? This all incidents take place in the 21st century, every single day, in every part of India – be it the villages or the namesake – modern India. What pains me and angers me the most – nobody gives a thought to the victim, rather they rush to the defense of the offender. Heights of inflated ego, stupidity, stuck up morals and sick thinking.

For anybody who’s not aware, this article comes in wake of the horrific Delhi gangrape. However, this doesn’t mean AT ALL that I never noticed or thought about or talked about it. Every female in India does that, goes through that and has to suffer through that every friggin’ single day! You don’t need a hi-fi, G-20 esque, politicised report on how India is the most unsafe nation for women. Just ask any girl walking down the road, odds are that she most certainly has been eve-teased atleast once.  The reason  what this never stops? Because WE NEVER RAISE OUR VOICE! That is the reason why students and youngsters in the counts of hundreds and thousands swarmed to the Raisina Hill and India Gate. Its overwhelming and makes me feel proud to see women standing up. Its makes me happy to see that some cultured, intelligent men have joined them in this crusade. It makes me want to hold up m y head high that WE are the reason Delhi is shutdown today and politicians have been forced to listen and react.

The sad part – hooligans and wannabes who are trying to hijack the movement, the insensitive government, the stone – hearted president (didn’t utter a word), the mute Prime – Minister who comes up with the worst message ever (epicly disgusting),  Sheila Dixit’s crocodile tears, Neeraj Sharma and Sushil Kumar Shinde’s (the CP, Delhi and the Minister of Home Affairs  respectively) puke-inducing self praises and heartless responses and above all – the fact that WE NEEDED SOMETHING TO HAPPEN TO RAISE OUR VOICE! This whole episode (and countless others) could’ve had been avoided if the police had been vigilant, if some men could think of women beyond sex and if the politicians wouldn’t be busy looting our country for their pockets.

The man(?) who compared protesters to Maoists, Home Minister Sushil Shinde

Another example of inflated ego, non – empathetic thinking and backward appprach:

 

The man who justified police crackdown on protesters and says “I wont quit”. probably coz he feels no moral responsibility – Neeraj Sharma – CP, Delhi

Glimpse of the protest:

Glimpse of the crackdown:

If it isn’t enough, here are some more recent incidents which were forgotten quickly by the short – lived public memory

Read http://chandni.wordpress.com/2012/07/01/i-have-never-felt-this-alone/ , it is sure to send chills up your brains (did that to me for one).

Think of Guwahati case: a journo recorded footage for his news channel while a mob was molesting a girl. Sometime later, journo’s editor tweeted (hinted) at the chance of that girl being a prostitute. There is no limit to shamelessness.

Guwahati Molestation Case

Think of Keenan and Rueben who lost their lives trying to ward off hooligans and eve-teasers away from their female friends.

Heroes

Think of those million women who go under daily abuse of some form or the other, just because they are women.

Think of the times when you’ve been made uncomfortable by street hooligons, road-side loafers, leeches in a crowded bus/train coach  or just plain looking men.

Think about it, the girl who got raped and assaulted, the poor soul who is battling between life and death could’ve had been  you, me or anybody for that matter. We need concrete steps, not just in terms of laws and legislations, but in terms of a change in the mindset of this broader section of our society which is programmed to think of women as the weaker-sex who can be ruled upon anytime. We need to learn how to respect women, how to treat them as equals and how to follow rules. We need to change our mindsets. We need to stop underestimating ourselves just because we’re girls. We need to choose the right leaders. We need to have the guts to slap a guy for passing a lewd comment on us. We need to have some self – respect and stand up for what’s right and what ought to be done. If we don’t  start working NOW, there is no way to stop these demons

Disclaimer: I have written this article and criticised men while being fully aware of the fact that there is indeed a section of intelligent, decent, well-mannered men in our society who do know their limits, rights, duties and support women.

Book Review: The Casual Vacancy

Tags

book review, books, fiction, harry potter, jk rowling, jkr, novel, review, the casual vacancy

This one comes in very late and adds to a hoard of judgmental, biased reviews for J.K. Rowling’s “The Casual Vacancy”. Judgmental and biased because it is impossible to think about or read a piece, however small it may be, by her without drawing comparisons to the phenomenally successful  Harry Potter series. I am a self proclaimed potter-holic. I cried the day I finished reading “Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows” because it marked the end of a fantasy, a dream world where we all were a part of.  To pick a Harry Potter novel meant to sink into “Hogwarts” or “The Burrow” or “4, Privet Drive”. I laughed when Hagrid delivered Harry’s Hogwarts’ letter. I cried when Sirius died. I whooped when Harry and Ginny got together. I was elated when Voldemort died. I say all this to establish the fact the Harry Potter forged an unbreakable bond with all its readers. JKR literally waved a magic wand and put us under a spell with Harry. Thus, the expectations with “The Casual Vacancy” skyrocketed. Everybody said how different it would be and how much everybody wanted another Harry Potter. However, JKR was mum and gave very few spoilers. Out came “The Casual Vacancy” and bang! What a book man *high  five to JKR*

(image source: google)

It begins with the death of Barry Fairbrother in Pagford, a quaint little town in England. Fairbrother is a local councilman and the first impression I had of him was ironically the same as the one I had of Dumbledore – perfect from the exterior, with imperfections wedged between layers of perfection. He works for the greater good, and as fate may have it, succumbs to a rare illness on the night of his wedding anniversary. The story is triggered with his death and the implications it has the on the people around. The array of characters we are introduced to is astonishingly similar the people we encounter in real life. Their insecurities, their dilemmas, childhood traumas (especially in the case of Krystal Weedon), tribulations, their dwindling relationships and above all, the outward appearances everybody keeps up are  have been marvelously shown and written about. JKR is very adept at exploring the emotional and sensitive sides of humans and here, she has scored brownie points on that. I won’t give any spoilers but can’t help but wish I was there when “Umbrella” plays out loud and the hypocrite adults are wacked out of their minds. The mature side of the kids that is been portrayed there somehow eclipses the various childish fibs and insecurities of the “adults”.

My verdict – go for it if you haven’t read it yet. To the people who have a read it already, I recommend a re-read, because that is exactly what I’ll be doing once I’m done with my finals. I bought my copy via flipkart and got a discount of Rs. 300 because I had pre-ordered [ B-) ]. The prices have gone down now, so you can check online for discounted versions.

To JKR – I don’t know how you do it but you have done it all over again; created a world on paper which so real that I can’t help getting lost and totally engrossed in it.

(image source: google)

It isn’t prudent  and doesn’t make any sense comparing “The Casual Vacancy” with “Harry Potter” because they  are two very different pieces, two very different genres and two very different worlds, as different as it gets. However, what you can’t help admiring is the immense talent this women has, the hardwork and thought she puts into all her books and the way she makes us believe what we read – the uncanny ability to yield such power through her nib, such powerful  reads that are impossible to put down once you start. Thumbs up Ms. Rowling, you’ve done it again

Police and Media – Two Legalised Demons of Society

Tags

crime, justice, nation, news, politics, society, youth

Earlier today, when I was blissfully gorging on biscuits and orange juice, a horrific, sad and something-that-makes-you-want-to-ram-your-head-in-wall piece of news broke out. A girl in Jalandhar, Punjab committed suicide due to harassment by local media and cops.

The whole coverage is here.

shameful

It was sick, it was depressing, it was shameful and it made me feel insecure living in Punjab as a youngster. It automatically raises two important questions – about the police  and about the media.

They say Shivali was traveling in a car with a male friend of hers. They were stopped at a check-point by the traffic police and then harassed for no reason. Oh wait, the reason is simple – a girl and a guy traveling together. And then, they were asked to do sit-ups on the road, derogatory remarks were made and an affidavit was procured for them to sign. Imagine their plight – poor students, facing  such trouble and insult just coz they were traveling together! I mean how cruel could the cops be? And not satisfied by that, local media was called. The guy pleaded them not to photograph the girl coz of obvious reasons, but the media paid no heed. Words can’t describe the plight and the trauma the girl would’ve had faced. I shudder as I write this, its just so difficult to read, let alone face that. Traumatised and tortured mentally, Shivali jumped in front of a speeding train. A young, promising life, nipped in the bud, for publicity (for police) and stories (for media).

First, I’ll talk about the ‘cops’. The police and  the crime-management system we have today, barring a few exceptions, is a total failure. Bribes, corruption, political influence and power play – all these are rampant in the police force. There has been a steady increase in crime rate. Eve-teasing, chain snatching, road side snatching – these all have progressed from rare incidents that were reported in police stations to common occurrences, that we’ve become used to. A girl can’t walk on a road without having lewd comments or whistles being passed on her. A girl and a guy can’t stand at public places without being stared at or made comfortable. Instead of bashing offenders, victims are asked “not to dress provocatively” or “have decent body language”. I speak this from personal experience, and I guess every single female must have had faced this atleast once. Forget Gujrat Riots, Guwahati molestation and Keenan – Reuben are more recent cases of such occurrences. Why is majority of the police so indifferent towards common man’s grief? And what was Shivali’s fault? That she traveled with a guy?  Is crime policing paving way for moral policing? It is disgusting and heinous.

Talking about the media. Local Media persons from Jalandhar gathered at the spot and started clicking pictures. The boy pleaded them not to click pictures of her. It is but obvious – a girl being highlighted like that and subjected to such neagtive publicity is looked down upon by everybody. People criticise and gossip, without pondering on real reasons. They get stories and topics for their tea-time chit-chats, which are forgotten the very next day by all but leave an indelible mark on the victim’s reputations and psyche. Media today has become a weapon of mass destruction, where stories are published or kept secret, depending on the fruit or the gain (monetary and power alike) they will fetch. It is too much. A large number of news we read or watch are paid. Come elections, and we see a new controversy each day. Politicians, Businessmen, people in positions of power power and common man -  all of them are subjected to blackmail over some “secret” or “explosive” piece of news/information. The guy was absolutely right and well-meaninged when he requested the photographers not the click Shivali. The girl was justified when she felt traumatised and depressed. Yet, media persons shut their ears and instead, threatened to publish the photos next day “at any cost” (sic). Nobody would ever want to be stuck, helpless and innocent, in a situation like that. Media has to shoulder equal blame, like the police, for Shivali’s untimely demise.

It is very disheartening and scary when we read or find out about incidents like this. It could have had been us, God forbid. Who knows when demons of society will strike? And the saddest part, Shivali’s suicide will be soon forgotten by all  sentimental activists and media houses covering or writing about it, coz tomorrow is another day, where more such incidents or more important events are waiting to take place. Give or take a few days, Shivali’s plight will be washed out from our memories. Except for her family and friends, all candle vigils and so-called fights-for-justice will cease. Nobody will care, common man and powerful people alike. Why? Coz we’ve become mean, self-centered and narcissists. We talk, think, care and worry about ourselves and not anybody else. How many public-serving and honest public servants and ngo’s and policemen do you expect will be there tomorrow? It is heartbreaking as I write this. I pray with all my heart and might that Shivali gets justice. That we don’t forget what happened and she doesn’t become a slaughtered name like Aarushi Talwar and Shobhit Modi – young lives with promising futures which were nipped in the buds and not allowed to bloom.

Waking Up to Reality : Aftermath of Naroda Patiya Verdict

Tags

crime, gujrat, India, justice, nation, news, riots, society

Let me start out by saying that it has been a helluva amazing work by Tehelka on the sting on Gujrat-2002 riots. It was an eyeopener. I have spent a whole day reading about it. To be honest, and I am embarrassed to admit this, I first read about ‘The Naroda Patiya Verdict’ when I opened a news-channel’s website out of habit and then saw it trending on twitter. Then I googled ‘Ashish Khetan’. This lead me to Tehelka’s website where I started opening every possible link I could find about the sting and the carnage. It was horrible, inhumane, barbaric and totally changed my thinking. I couldn’t believe that it was responded to by silence – from the government, the politicos, the media and the common man alike. How could something this big be ignored? Mr. Khetan’s account on how he was interrogated and the biased system has completely wiped out the little respect I had in the political class. Blow-by-blow, videotaped accounts about what happened, how it happened, where it happened and WHO made it happen – it is all there for us to see. The question is – why was it ignored? Why were the tapes used diabolically? Are politicians and people in positions of power above law? Are the feelings of empathy and sympathy and morals lost? Is there no value at all of human life? Are our fellow humans – men, women, children alike, too mundane to be thought off and helped? It is shocking.

(image source: tehelka.com)

For me, Gujrat riots were a piece of history, I had never talked/read about it in details. 20 year olds like me prefer to see Gujrat’s development rather than the riots  that were orchestrated. Till 28th August, 2012, I had immense respect for Modi and the work he had been doing. Not anymore. How could he commit such a heinous crime? Don’t the accused and the rioters, who roamed freely for years, ever feel guilty? Aren’t they haunted by the cries and the dying faces of victims? Can a person sleep  after doing such things? It is just overwhelmingly painful to read and think about.

In the times we live, our time and brains are occupied thinking about our individual selves and our futures. Infosys going in to loss and not recruiting like before has become much bigger issue to our generation than what happened in ’84 and ’02. We have become mean and individualists. 2G Spectrum scam, Bo, Coalgate – these all were treated by us as coups expected from politicos. CauEven today, nobody in my class knew or talked about the historic verdict. It is just shameful and thought-provoking. Now on, I vow to look at complete pictures before forming opinions, to think beyond myself and to think and do something that benefits the society and my nation. We, youngsters, have reduced our patriotism to cricket matches and movies. Time to change that.

For Mr. Ashish Khetan – amazing, ground-breaking, heroic, courageous work. Adjectives fall short of describing what you did. People like you are sources of inspiration to us. Read his journey here.

For Ms. Teesta Setalvad – you are one amazing woman. To give so many years of your life to a cause, that too in time when we are getting more and more materialistic -  it is truly an inspiration. To go after the truth and ensuring justice is delivered – it requires blood and toil. You did. You have support and appreciation from all of us for journey you’ve embarked on.  Read about her struggle for justice here.

For Tehelka – I’m a big fan of your brand of journalism. Keep  up the good work. Looking forward to reading more such articles and stories and reports. A must read piece is here.

The entire coverage can be found here.

Diaspora

Tags

abstract, books, life, news, thoughts

I first heard the words diaspora and diasporic writers (or writers of diaspora) when I saw my my mum reading some books about it. She was working on something related to that (if you read this mommy, please hurry up!) and I asked her the meaning.  It essentially means “migration from a place”. At first, I didn’t take any notice of it other than adding the word to my dictionary.  However later, during my “contemplate life and make life changes” phase, I realised how we humans are victims of diaspora, in the habit of running.

running, galloping, sprinting, spurting – diaspora? (jk)
(image source: google)

We are in a habit of running – from our fears, from hiding, from confrontations, from truth, from lies, from work, from idleness, from retrospective, from introspective, from gaining, from losing, from knowledge, from ignorance, from highs and from lows. We are victimised by ourselves, with “me and myself” syndrome affecting us all at all times. We escape when we dont find the easy way out and we brag  when we trod down thw difficult one. We expect instant results and want minimum toil. Many times we ignore the actuality, gleefully gloating in dark, hiding from the pragmatism. All this for what – for the mind.

We get lazy when things get familiar and we get flustered, afraid of challenges. We prefer to go with the flow and run when it  changes. We are  scared to take a stand. Most of the times, we prefer self above  the entirety, giving preference to us and our futures.  Is it the brave thing, I wonder. Or is it imprudent to pause and wonder?

This nonsensical piece has been inspired by the whirlpool of thoughts I am having right now – related to so many things happening around me. Personally, relatively, the news I hear, the books I read – and everything centered around diaspora of thoughts.

Note to self: need to stop being so abstract. Need to stop writing stuff nobody understands lol

Happy Independence Day (?)

Tags

country, India, life, nation, politics, society, thoughts, youth

We stand on the eve of 15th August. A significant date. 65 years to our nation’s “independence”. 65 years to when we allowed the brits to partition our country and take off with the loot. 65 years to  the iconic Nehru speech, 65 years since we vowed to rise from the ashes of slaver and, 65 years since we were set free. Are we?

Every year, we pledge to change, to move, to do, to work, to motivate and promise to be ideal citizens. The tricolor is unfurled at the Red Fort, the PM  makes a speech, people celebrate. I remember vividly the marchpast I used to participate in when at school. We would deck up in our finest, whitest uniforms and march in the school grounds. There would be patriotic songs and dances and speeches. After all these  years, I don’t feel the scene has changed at all. We get in the patriotic spirit just as the second week of august starts and are done with it by the weekend. To the modern Indian, I-Day has turned into nothing but a holiday from work where you sit in front of the tv or browse on net while the ame discussion goes on year after year – are we free?

image source: google

We, while riding ourselves on being the world’s largest democracy, fail to consider the shackles of poverty we are bound in. We, while boating about India’s youth and technology, skip the part about terrorism and rapes and moral policing and the ever increasing crime rate. We, while commending ourselves on the number of Indians making it big abroad and winning accolades, exclude the part about more than 70% of the total children don’t even finish school. We, while puffing our chests  when we talk  about Indian industrialists being in “Forbes Richest People’s List”, don’t give a thought to  the poverty-shackled part of our society. We, while being glued on social networking sites and blogging about “what we lack”, “how we suck” and “why we are still developing” feel lazy to move our arses and do some real work. After that is what we do the best – talk, boast, grumble and complain. Just plain talks. Government talks about the development that is being done, opposition talks about the development NOT being done. Politicians talk about how hard they’re working, critics find reasons to the show the opposite. Media comments and debates, the aam aadmi watches. Agitations are held, debates are done, allegations are framed, and then it paves way for another one. We, the people, sit and watch.

The India which is entering its the 66th year of freedom is drastically different from what the freedom fighters would’ve had wanted. People are selfish, money rules the place and nobody cares. It is literally, each man on his own. There have been more than enough debates about this. Google and you’ll find infinite lists of  “what we have” and “what we lack” and there will be so many people casting their opinions on it. So no point talking about it. All we need to do is do our bit. Bring on that spirit you have when India wins a cricket match. Do what you can and contribute as much as you can. Jai Hind.