TATVA

The Greedy Soul

2013-05-05T23:34:00.001+05:30

The dark clouds are rumbling over the deserted soul,
Frightening the meekly heart,
And jostling with the unfathomable thoughts
Is the covetous intention for rain to pour down
And make the soul astoundingly euphoric.

But the lightning strikes,
Dashing all the hopes of the diminishing morale,
Of the soul, of the greedy heart, of the bewildered mind.

Running back to the shelter
Is the crying belief,
Belief of the selfish mind,
Which caters to nothing but greed.

Remorse surrounds,
Stark disbelief to the mind and the soul.
Unable to contain the feelings,
Cries out,
For the clouds to watch,
Venting out the frustration with angst to no avail.

The breeze slowly picks up,
Brushing the saddened soul,
It gets up, looks around, looks above
And the raindrop falls,
The incomparable dusty smell of the sand
Cheers the lamenting soul
And brings out the shriek which the
Mind could not control neither the heart,
The shriek of the wish coming true.

Yes, I Do Need To Write

2012-08-04T22:15:00.003+05:30

Beginning is something which is the most difficult task to do when you belong to the community of procrastination.

Its been months that I haven’t written anything, read anything or done anything meaningful. Actually long vacations have a tragic effect on one’s activities. You don’t sleep till late in the night, you don’t get out of bed and you don’t seem to be doing anything but hogging around for daytime sleep, for food or for that matter anything in which metabolism is not required.

So, this has been the case with me ever since May that my holidays started. Yes, there were plannings, to go here, to visit a friend there and to get a pair of jeans or a sturdy bag or Puma chappals. But plans remain as plans for me. To rot at one place for about 21 years and not even going out at the time of vacation would be something intolerable. But abiding by this intolerance, I stayed at home doing nothing.

What did I do at home for about 3 months? Literally NOTHING. I was trapped in an infinite loop of Eat+Sleep for all these days with my stomach bulging out. Oh! Didn’t I tell you about my plans of GYMMING. Hell yes, I planned of going to the gym regularly but to my dismay (consoling myself) I couldn’t. That happens man, it’s okay.

The unholy tale of procrastination doesn’t end here. It has other parts too like Gangs of Wasseypur and Dark Knight. Punch me for this that I haven’t watched these two EPIC movies yet. And I have watched Cocktail. Bang. Who the hell punched me (startled)?

So the nights were long (even the days were) and the best time pass for me was to open facebook and scroll the page up and down and hear the clock tick tock (sounds interesting, right?). I was the most boring and dull person in the whole vacations if you ask me (or my Mom for that matter). She was the one pissed most with me.

May, June, July, August…ohh did I just say August? It seems so. August is my favourite month. The Yo boy of them all. Coz it’s my fucking birthday in August :D A bloody lazy person was born in August. But surely talented just like the likes of Antonio Banderas, Roy Keane, Henri Nestle, Andrew Sullivan and many more prodigies. Who knows what’s there in the hat for me, what might just pop out and bring good fortunes.

A believer I am, in God (now, Yes). And right now I am thinking that all of you are ready with your shoes, slippers, tamatars, andaas, jhaadus and what not to just throw at me and hurt me in a way that I have been hurting you for all the bullshit that I have written above and for wasting your much valuable time.

PS: Sorry folks, hope that now I would write something sensible after months.

A Dismal Thought

2012-05-15T02:13:00.000+05:30

The coolest star, the sun is showering its light, the scorching heat, the sweat tripping off the face and you feel like jumping off the cliff into the river in order to quench the thirst of your impoverished body and suddenly you hear the clouds bellowing. The rumbling dark clouds rubbing against each other producing some light effects and igniting hope in the heart of that destitute and frail body that it will rain and cool down the burning skin.

The ever thinking mind of the human contemplates that it will rain sooner than ever. At the hind of his brain, a thought germinates, a vague picture appears and a question arises from nowhere, that will it rain…will it rain today? A timid contrast plays on in his mind, at one end there is hope, at another, dubiousness. This dilemma makes him forget the miseries he is suffering from and harnesses the new thought which is at the other end of his brain. The boisterous clouds don’t perturb him now as he is not thinking about the clouds, the sky or the sun. His mind is sifting through the two phenomenons of hope and doubt. The two ends set out on war against each other, the war between hope and doubt initiates with a raging thunder louder than that in the sky.

In the sun, the rickshaw that he is pulling or the boot he is polishing or the cattle he is walking or the charcoal he is laying on the road, he forgets it all…he forgets all his work as the two ends meet up in his mind. Entrapped in this mind game, he can’t think of anything, a helpless creature he becomes.

As he is dissolved in his work and the mind game, a small drop of water falls on his face, it drizzles and he is startled. Suddenly the war between the two ends ceases to exist. He looks up towards the sky to feel the benign drops of rain touching his face giving him the solace he wanted all these days. The rain ends the incineration that his body was suffering from long. It ends the war in his mind, between hope and doubt.

Hope is the phenomenon which gets the human going when he is down on his knees, hope gets him towards the shore and hope gets him to his destiny. Sometimes it’s the other phenomenon which makes him forget about his problems for a while but in the end its hope that gets him through. Never lose it.

Some Things Are Better Unsaid

2012-03-04T21:46:00.002+05:30

How often does it happen with you that you are watching a movie and there comes something and that same thing happens to you at that moment only? Sounds strange? Yes it was quite weird when it happened to me.

I was watching a Bengali movie Antaheen where the actor (Rahul Bose) had met the actress on internet and they used to chat without actually knowing each others’ identity.

So it was around midnight and I was talking to J, yes she is a girl and my closest friend till date who cares for me more than I do. I was not telling her something and she was adamant in knowing it.

After a few minutes, I texted her that “SOMETHINGS ARE BETTER UNSAID” and started watching the movie again and the very next moment, the actor texted the same thing to the actress, word to word same, ditto. Stunned, I was, with goose bumps and not knowing what to do. It was like a strange connection, which connected me more to J, which asked me to stay with her always, which asked me to shed all the negative vibes which were around me and just feel the awe inspiring moment which is felt so very rarely.

Well J doesn’t know it yet, she will when she reads my blog and J, I want you to know that I will cherish each and every moment that I had spent with you and moments like this which makes your presence even stronger while you are miles away.

PS: This happened on 17^th February at 11:54 PM :P

Midnyt Yellow Moon

2012-02-16T22:56:00.002+05:30

Feeling the cold breeze when I move out of my hide,

To feel the eternal bliss one could ever experience,

It comes as a whim,

To see it every single night,

The urge is so strong,

That I don’t pay attention to anything else,

It holds me so firmly

Never lets me go away,

Not for a moment it allows me to shut my eyes,

Its mesmerizing beauty

Flows in the whole night sky,

Slowly coming out of the dark clouds

And illuminating the clouds,

With its never diminishing shine,

All night long,

There atop I see the Midnyt Yellow Moon.

It comforts me as a pillow,

Completes me in the lonely nights,

Seeing it endlessly,

I get lost in the emptiness of the night,

I feel alive in the dead hours,

It bestows happiness upon me,

Like the happiness a mother gets in hugging her child,

Every night I feel the same,

Talking to the Midnyt Yellow Moon,
Trying to reach you, feel you.

The Reluctant Believer

2012-01-23T20:39:00.000+05:30

Parents imbibe certain values in their children which they think would help their tiny tots in becoming respectable figures in the society of hypocrites, well there do exist a faction of people whom you can call considerably upstanding. The parents would teach their children to be truthful, honest, kind, merciful, polite, and the list of “good looking” words goes on until infinitum. The biggies are hopeful (I don’t know why) that their little ones will suck up all their teachings and will turn up to be good citizens. Well, it’s their duty, I know, but isn’t it forceful feeding to the kid about your own ideology and asking them to absorb your peremptory norms.

Rewind time and let’s go back to my childhood, where my parents would keep my after playtime evening time booked for reciting some bhajans or kirtans with my siblings. Irony is that I liked doing it back then, with my cousins, it was actually fun to do, walking and singing the bhajans and grinning after looking into each other’s eyes. And if you ask me to do that now, I will surely hang myself upside down. Back then I used to do it not because I was spiritual but because of the fun involved in it and lately I have realised that am not at all the same.

God, another word which is slowly evanescing from my assorted psyche, the powerful word for most mortals in which I used to believe (I still do a little). God, soulful immortal, my parents told me to believe in, and I did for a long period of time before my lost and wandering (don’t know for what) mind ceased to think that god exists. Hit the rewind button again, I used to fold my hands in front of some idols and pictures, which my parents described as GOD, I believed. God to me is not more than fiction and talking in Indian context, the Geeta, Mahabharat and Veds are simply splendid jobs done by fictitious fiction authors. I maybe wrong here but that is what I BELIEVE now.

Caste, in India pertains to stigma and the society is pigeonholed into it since ages. Being born in a middle class Brahmin family, the prejudiced caste system should have been caricatured in my mind but my family was miles away from it except for one thing which I will tell later on.
Hit the rewind button (okay, it’s the last time), I received from my parents to consider everyone equal regardless of caste or race and yes I still believe in it unlike a few other things. There were people from lower strata of the society who would visit my grandfather for help or guidance and he would treat them as one of his own, not maintaining a gap called casteism. He/she would be given tea/water in the same cup/glass and no difference was being kept with those people. So growing up seeing what my family believed in, I believed.

Who will hit the forward button to know the other one thing? I don’t really have to go back to my childhood to tell you this. I often tell my father (jokingly) that I’ll marry a girl who I like whatever her caste may be; my father will frown upon this and will say that you will have to marry a Gaur Brahmin girl only. My mother and I would laugh endlessly just to see that frowned look of my father and his same old words.

PS: My parents would be vexed if they see this :P
: Avoid typos.

The Oblivious Truth of Irom Sharmila and Her Hunger Strike of 11 years.

2011-09-28T00:17:00.003+05:30

“If Sharmila dies, Parliament is directly responsible,” she thundered at a gathering of journalists. “If she dies, courts and judiciary are responsible, the military is responsible… If she dies, the executive, the PM and President are responsible for doing nothing… If she dies, each one of you journalists is responsible because you did not do your duty…” these are the statements made by the Iranian nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi on a trip to India in 2006 in support of Irom Sharmila Chanu.

Irom Sharmila, a poet, a social activist and a native of the ‘neglected’ state of Manipur and she is on hunger strike for almost 11 years now. Yes, eleven years, that is nothing in front of Anna Hazare’s fast of four days and still majority of Indians do not know about her and the cause she is fighting for. Irony, it is, that one person is getting so much media coverage and another person who is fighting for a similar cause is neglected by the government and most importantly by the media. She is fighting for the people of North East India and wants the repeal of AFSPA(Armed Forces Special Powers Act). The growing insurgency in Kashmir and North East India resulted in the inception of AFSPA. Citizens of these regions thought that now they would be safe from the militants but they did not know that atrocities by the men in uniform would follow soon. More than 20,000 people have been killed so far in Manipur alone, estimate the numbers of whole North East.

Gandhi inspires her, and in this country of Gandhi, she is being jailed as she expresses her solidarity towards the Draconian law of AFSPA. She is not doing this for fame, but for the people of North East who are helpless and weak in front of the ruthless army. She has been fasting because this is the only weapon left with her and then she is being charged under ATTEMPT TO SUICIDE and is being jailed for a year and then police arrest her again after 2-3 days. Isn’t this what Anna Hazare is doing, and the police is not arresting him under the same charge. Double Standards.

The big Indian media houses boast about their ethics, where are those ethics when it comes to the coverage of Irom’s struggle? Do these media houses only want sky high TRPs and not highlight the news and development regarding to Irom’s hunger strike? Strong questions are left unanswered about ETHICAL media.

Leaving aside the double standards of the police and the media, let me talk about the government now. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formed a committee in 2004 to look into the matter of AFSPA, the committee was headed by Justice Jeevan Reddy. The report by the committee has been submitted to the government but it has not made it public yet but the report is there with The Hindu and it clearly recommends the repeal of AFSPA as "the Act, for whatever reason, has become a symbol of oppression, an object of hate and an instrument of discrimination and highhandedness".

The report was submitted to the government years back but nothing has been done till now, the people of North East are still frightened by the Army.

The struggle of Irom has inspired many Indians and they are fighting for her cause in order to get justice. There was a gathering and candle light march at Delhi in August in support of Irom and soon there will be a march from Kashmir to Imphal. This march will create awareness about Irom and her fight for the people of Manipur and the North East. In October, a nationwide signature campaign is going to take place to express concern for the cause of Irom Sharmila. A campaign “Save Sharmila” is taking baby steps and with the help of students across the colleges of India, it is going to be a massive campaign. Student bodies have been formed to create awareness about Irom Sharmila at college level which will help in the mobilisation of the campaign. The members of the campaign are coming up with the screening of documentaries of Irom Sharmila, plays on her, articles on various websites and immense participation on social media platforms.

Soon the government will bow to the just demands of Irom Sharmila Chanu and will repeal the merciless AFSPA and justice would be done. Though this time time of eleven long years has resulted in massive health related problems for Irom, was reduced to 35 kilograms and her bones have become frail according to doctors. She has not met her mother for years, she says she will meet her only after the act is removed.

Charas, Gaanja and The SMOKY Side of A STUDENT

2011-06-24T00:03:00.001+05:30

“Roll another joint”, this is one of my friend saying to another friend of his, apparently this sentence or these words are very common in the life of a college student.

When we talk about the life of a college student then we also talk about weed, marijuana and other fantasy drugs that a student consumes daily. A student does not have to look around for it for long, the availability of these dried leaves or grass as known popularly is facile.

“STUFF” is the usual slang term for gaanja/weed and is smoked in a cigarette, rolling paper, bong, pipe and nowadays in hookah. The consumption of stuff has increased exponentially in the past few years because of easy availability in college campuses and the surrounding areas of the campuses. The main carriers of stuff are auto drivers, rickshaw pullers and servant staff of the colleges. Moreover the price of gaanja is very less, one can buy 10 joints for just 50 bucks. These two factors (carriers and price) and the third factor which is one of the most important, the FRIEND CIRLCE, help a student to indulge in the consumption of stuff.

What propels a student to consume stuff? Yes, this is a question which has a lot of answers to it but let me tell you a few.

The major reason for this is ‘let’s try out something new attitude’ as now we are in college and ‘freedom’ also connects with it if a student lives in hostel or away from home. These two reasons when combine, it results in inception of yet another stuff smoker who believes that doing this would be another achievement in his life and he can brag about it in front of his friends.

Another reason for consumption of charas/gaanja/drugs is ‘show off attitude’ of a particular class of students who believe that consuming stuff would make them COOL, but that’s definitely not the case. This ‘show off attitude’ makes them vulnerable to more and more consumption to save their so called pride.

Friend Circle, as mentioned in above plays a prime role in a student’s life. Be it academics, sports or some unacceptable activities which includes consumption of those dried leaves and grass. In my college life I have seen some students who did not consume stuff when they were in 1^st year but started consuming it afterwards and the only reason I hear from them is, “For how long you will stop yourself when your roommate and all your friends smoke it”.

One more drug/stuff known as hash, is also consumed by students. The students consume it by the method of eating, they put it in their sandwich, cookies or bread and consume it. The effect usually starts late and it lasts for long. Cocaine, heroin and brown sugar are also gaining popularity in this stuff market and I think it won’t take much time that students will start using these costly drugs and make their lives hell.

The youth of the country is gripped into this fever of stuff smoking and it is really becoming hard to stop them from doing so. Mostly students do drugs when they are under pressure of studies and they think that doing it once won’t harm them but in reality, drugs catches an individual and it doesn’t let him go. Marijuana is known as gateway drug, it leads to the use of other drugs and the short time love for the fantasy becomes addiction. It has been observed in some studies that students doing drugs and consuming alcohol are more prone to unprotected sex which leads to AIDS. Around 25% of teens/students who are sexually active report having unprotected sex as they were drinking or using illicit drugs. The youth who have drug problem do not realize it because they always treated drugs as their friends who would help them in relaxation of mind and body.

The drug use is surely a problem for the youth, they will be reluctant in doing daily tasks like bathing, studying and even eating. They tend to distance themselves from social eves and can even behave in an unpredicted manner at social gatherings out of anger and frustration. The most common problem is that they will stop attending classes and as a result of that their academic performance will be hit hard and it will degrade in the coming time.

As we all know that smoking leaves an irreparable damage in an individual and it definitely kills. Smoking marijuana/consuming drugs increase the heartbeat and reduce the blood pressure. It also causes extreme amount of hallucinations, loss of coordination, chest infection, lung infection and increased coughing.

Strong will and self control can only save you from indulging in smoking Charas, Gaanja and other stuff. Stay controlled, Stay healthy.

The Uprise of Chinese Phones in India

2011-06-18T18:04:00.000+05:30

“Dhoom machale dhoom machale” , I turned my back and saw a guy holding a phone and this loud noise which was having the maximum of maximum treble pierced into my ears and made me feel like kicking that guy.
The following day I got to know that the phone that guy was using was a ‘CHINESE’ phone. Yes a Chinese phone, these were gaining popularity in the rural areas and mostly with the rural youth. These phones come at a very cheap price and are specially made for the people who cannot afford branded cell phones.

The Indian markets are flooded with these “Chinese/Korean/God knows what” else phones despite a ban as these phones do not have an IMEI number. The government banned these phones because of some security reasons.

From a rickshaw wala to a vegetable vendor to village businessman, everyone has a Chinese phone in his hands are proud to have that asset.

Not only these phones are cheap but they also provide features like MP3 player, camera, FM and what not at a rate where you can’t even imagine of buying a NOKIA or a SAMSUNG phone.

I once even saw a Chinese phone with 5 in built speakers and if you put it on full volume, you will surely wake your neighbours up in shock and amusement.

Among teenagers, the craze for having a personal phone has crossed the limits and at times people forget that possessing a banned substance (read Chinese phones) may land them in trouble.

As per TOI, a man in Gujrat died of electrocution as he was calling from hi s Chinese phone while it was on charging mode. So you can imagine the danger which comes with these phones. Buy original and quality mobile phones which are 100% credible not the Chinese phones which come without any guarantee and are a threat to national security.

Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale: Saint or Extremist?

2011-06-14T03:00:00.002+05:30

‘As per Indian government (READ Indira Gandhi) Operation BLUE STAR had a mission, a mission to eliminate a deadly terrorist who with his sub-ordinates took shelter and had control of the Golden Temple in Amritsar’.

Sant Bhindrawale as he was popularly known used to preach about the Sikh religion basically to the youth of Punjab. The immense popularity in Punjab made him the Saint as he was religious preacher and asked the Sikh people to abandon bad habits like consumption of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. He used to teach the youth about the essence of pure Sikhism and asked them not to trim their beard and study the holy scriptures of their religion.

Bhindrawale became the head of the Damdami Taksal, a religious school in Moga,Punjab after Kartar Singh Khalsa died in a road accident in 1977. According to a 1984 TIME magazine article, Bhindranwale's popularity, power and presence reached such a peak that he overthrew the authority of the Shiromani Akali Dal, a Punajb based Sikh political party.

The extreme amount of power that he had lead to the violent incidents in Punjab with the killings of Hindus and the killing of many leaders of whom Bhindrawale opposed. Bhindrawale was arrested following the death of Lala Jagat Narain, the editor of Punjab Kesri. The event saw violent outburst from the followers of Bhindrawale and after a 25 days in the custody he was released and became a hero for his supporters.

He shifted his base to Akal Takth and made it his fortress with armed men all around.

After numerous violent episodes, Bhindrawale posed a threat to all the political parties of Punjab and the country which baffled the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. She ordered Operation BLUE STAR which had a mission, a mission to eliminate a deadly terrorist who with his sub-ordinates took shelter and had control of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

June 6,1984 was the day when Jairnal Singh Brar or Sant Bhindrawale was killed in Operation BLUE STAR and with him died hundreds of pilgrims who

were present at Golden Temple. With this died a man who was a Saint for the Sikh people of Punjab and a terrorist as per the Indian government.

There is still a myth about his death, some say he is still alive and as per Lt.Gen.Kuldeep Singh Brar, head of Blue Star, the dead body of Bhindrawale was identified by police, several agencies and even by his brother and some other accomplices.

Some people consider him as a Saint and regard him as a Martyr and some believe he was a terrorist.

Inner Beauty, Beauty That is Not Bragged

2011-05-19T23:07:00.000+05:30

Genes flowing in your body, adrenaline rushing and eyes struck at one place, this happens when you see the most beautiful girl you have ever seen in your life. It happens to everyone, but what happens when you get to know has no morals has a loose character? Your adrenaline rush will come to normal that is for sure.

Let’s not talk of this beauty here, let’s talk of something unusual, something which happens rarely and strangely. Let’s talk of something that one should believe in.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centred, forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people accuse you of selfish and ulterior motives, be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies, succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people will cheat, be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight, build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous, be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow, do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough, give anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God,
It was never between you and them anyway.

These lines are not written by me but by someone who was great in her life and even after her life, she was Mother Teresa. A woman who believed in inner beauty and loved every single person on this planet without considering caste, colour, race or sex.

5 Reasons To Why Osama is Still Alive

2011-05-06T09:32:00.001+05:30

1. No authentic pictures or videos of his dead body aired on television.

2. Why was he buried in the sea at an unknown place so quickly? America cannot be trusted.

3. Osama cannot be killed in just 40 minutes (he definitely would have had some secret path (tunnel) to escape).

4. Pakistan government, police and army not informed about the operation.

5. Vote bank politics by Obama as elections are approaching in 2012. Wants to restore his lost glory.

Osama Bin Laden Killed

2011-05-02T11:08:00.002+05:30

The deadly terrorist and the head of the most dangerous terrorist outfit- Al-Qaeda was gunned down by American forces on Sunday(May 1,2011) night.

Bin Laden was on the top of America’s most wanted list for almost 10years after the twin tower tragedy which killed thousands of people.

Osama was killed in a town near Islamabad in Pakistan where he was hiding in a compound. The operation was given a green signal by Barack Obama on Friday and the CIA led team accomplished its mission on Sunday night.

Obama confirmed the death of bin Laden in a video and praised the efforts of CIA and American forces. Obama confirmed that they have the body of Bin Laden with them.

It is certainly a moment of joy and elation for the people of America(and world) as the man(terrorist) responsible for their deadliest nightmares is now dead.

Her Last Words

2011-04-29T12:57:00.001+05:30

Dearie,
When all seems lost and lonely for you and you don't know what really to do...Look inside your heart and see,there is a special place... "I Will Be".

I am really sorry for all the sadness and sorrow I have given you, all those painful days, all those tears which you have shed because of me. I know I cant make you forget all that but I can promise for you smile, your days can be full of happiness and for that do me a favor, forget about love relationship and be my friend till ETERNITY.
I am really sorry. I had no intention of hurting you, it just happened accidentally.

Love,
Your Kiddo

The LOO Battle

2011-04-19T12:23:00.003+05:30

Loo...Hot...Sweat...Uneasiness...Fatigue...Valour...Victory...Relief...these are the words that come to everyone’s mind when we think of Rajasthan. Yeah, you guessed it right...I am from Rajasthan and I am used to it.

You might be thinking that I am talking about the hot air covering the whole Rajasthan in the summers, NO, I am talking about a place of thought process...human has evolved because of his thought process and what can be the best place for this thought process? For some, it’s luxurious, for some it’s hot, for some it’s dark, for some, it’s small and for some it’s the open nature... Any guesses? It’s the LOO.

When a common man thinks of going to the loo in summers, he thinks of the words mentioned in the top most line. He enters the loo, senses intense amount of heat and the resultant is sweat. If it takes too long and if it’s an Indian styled pot then a man feels uneasiness and fatigue, which is why for people who take long time, I suggest an English styled pot. A man sits there for like some minutes and he is surrounded by an intense danger of mosquitoes, lizards (sometimes) and one of the most dangerous and deadly... stink. He doesn’t leave the place until he has achieved success and is known as the mighty man of valour. His valour doesn’t go in vain as he comes out safely (majority of times) and tastes victory and washes his hands off like his hands are full of the blood of enemy he has defeated in the war.

He says BYE BYE to the blood sucking dangerous mosquitoes, the lizards and the deadliest of them all, the pernicious smell which could kill anybody in a matter of minutes. This is like a battle won by man without any violence and blood(oh..it might be there if the battle is not fought daily :P).
He sighs in relief and prepares himself mentally for the next battle to be fought the coming morning.

Obsession for Technology

2011-04-17T22:53:00.003+05:30

"Most of us have a love-hate relationship with technology, but for some it goes beyond healthy admiration, writes Harriet Alexander.”

Majority of us are obsessed by gadgets and technology. Technology has taken a special place in everybody’s lives. Even a rickshaw puller is having a mobile phone and that too a multimedia mobile. Technology is making our lives simpler and better, but we are getting addicted to it.

Knock knock…“Hey dude where is my iPod?? Its near my PSP…and where is your PSP…it’s near my XBOX…alright..i got it.” Knock knock…“ohh I forgot my cell phone.”
These are the regular conversations which happen between college students. Obsession for something has bad consequences and the young people are facing the same problem. The electronic gadgets are the reason behind this nature of teenagers.
The 21^st century has given world so much technology to rely on for pleasure and at the same time it causes addiction. Texting on mobile phones for hours, sitting online for long late night sessions and then forgetting about sleep, daily meals, classes and many more daily activities are some of the addictions of technology.

Some people have so much obsession with their e-mails that they get up at 2 in the morning just to check their inbox, some of them are so busy on their cell phones talking to their girlfriend/boyfriend that they don’t even know what is happening around them and there really was a divorce case in the United States that was triggered by the wife checking her BlackBerry during sex. Honore says: "If you're finding yourself escaping to check your email when you're having sex or in a moment that should be very relaxed, very tender, very intimate; when you should be giving 100 per cent to another person and you're still yearning [for] the 'get mail' button, I think it's a sign you've gone too far." This clearly shows their love/obsession for that particular work/activity.

On the other hand technology is a blessing in disguise for humanity. It provides education (internet & computer…), employment opportunities, comfort and several other luxuries in life. But the above mentioned point can only be possible only when a person doesn’t get addicted to it. Technology has given a new face to our civilization and has been a boon for human. Gathering information from the internet or getting new equipments in research or in medical treatments and in our day to day life.

Technology should be used within the limits; it should never cross the limits.

Obama: Partner or Trader of India

2011-04-15T22:18:00.001+05:30

(An old piece of writing, was written when Obama visited India in November 2010)

There was a time when Indian Prime Ministers used to visit America looking for food to feed hungry Indians, now the US president visit India looking for job opportunities for Americans. Obama might have opposed to the outsourcing of jobs to India but his countrymen and his fellow democrats have outsourced him to India to create new job opportunities and save his face after a humiliating mid-term poll defeat of the democrats.

The importance given to India can definitely be attributed to the fact that it presents lucrative market for the American products. President Obama is eyeing the Indian market and get into the defence market. According to THE ECONOMIST, American defence firms are dying to strike a deal with India and desperately want to have a slice of $45 billion that India would spend on military goods. American engineers and construction companies are all set to gain money from Indian market.

In discussing the issue of FDI in retail, WalMart is pressurizing the Obama government to enter the Indian market. For those who don’t know that WalMart in 1991 gained a toehold in Mexico through a joint venture with a Mexican company Cifra and within 10years , not only had WalMart taken over the company, it had gained control of more than half the retail market. With the help of its deep pockets and continuous pressure on Obama govt, and Obama slowly succumbing to its pressure, WalMart is likely to affect livelihood of lakhs of people employed in retail business.

The Obama govt didn’t even share information and photographs of David Headley who was training under LeT and plotted the Mumbai attack, had it shared the info on time then the attack could have been averted.

By America’s foreign policies for India and Pakistan we can clearly see the double standards of Barack Obama. It has been known by everyone that America is a hypocrite nation and its high time now that we look into both sides of the coin and by cautiously observing the merits and the de-merits of the visit and take a wise decision so that we should not squander the opportunity.

Up Against Corruption

2011-04-07T17:31:00.000+05:30

The time has come for the citizens of India to speak up against corruption and ACT against it. The movement which has just been started by Anna Hazare who is keeping a fast unto death, has reached to the maximum part of the country. The time has come to kick out the corrupt leaders out of their positions.

Anna Hazare and people like him are fighting against corruption mainly for the Jan Lokpal Bill to get passed in the parliament which is lying neglected for the past 40 years. The Jan Lokpal bill states that there should be an independent body comprising of equal civil society representatives.

The present scenario- Lokpal has no power to initiate suo motu action or receive complaints of corruption from public. It would probe only complaints forwarded by the Lok Sabha Speaker or Rajya Sabha Chairman. It will enable the ruling party to protect its own.

No police powers to Lokpal. All its probes will tantamount to "preliminary enquiries". Even if its report is accepted, who will file chargesheet?

No mention of the CBI's role after the Bill is enacted. Will CBI lose its powers to investigate politicians?

Hazare’s version of the bill wants the Lokpal to have the power to initiate investigation suo motu and it will independent0.

Lokpal will have police powers. It will be able to register FIRs, proceed with criminal investigations and launch prosecution.

The anti-corruption wing of the CBI will be merged with Lokpal so that there is just one independent body to act against graft.

We need an independent body of Jan Lokpal to drive out corruption from our country and to punish the guilty in time.

The movement has caught the attention of everyone and people are joining groups on Facebook, venting out their frustration on Twitter and are regularly writing blogs. There is immense support in the country where people have launched campaigns in their native place, colleges and workplaces.

One of the main aims of the movement is also to keep away politics and politicians and it was clear when the crowd heckled out Uma Bharti and O P Chautala when they came to share the stage with Anna Hazare. People of this country have resisted a lot but not now, it is the time when they are boiling and they want to be heard.

The likes of Aamir Khan, Anupam Kher, Shekhar Kapur and the whole corporate world is supporting this movement, now is the opportunity, let us achieve what we want to and make India a corruption free country.

HOOLIGANS AT HOME

2010-11-17T13:59:00.000+05:30

In the recent past India has seen the vandalism spread by the political groups of our country that call themselves as the “Samaj Sudharaks”. The activists related to these groups make their own laws and try to enforce them on the people of our “independent” country. These extremist groups reflect themselves as social and spiritual in their outline, responsible for cleaning the country of its social evils. The culture and traditions of India are unique but now this is the 21^st century, and the India of 21^st century is greeted by the cultures of East and the West at every baby step that it is taking towards becoming a Superpower. India is independent where its citizens have the liberty of making choices within the realms of laws. This India is the India of a Mahatma who preached non-violence and touched the hearts of millions of untouched, this is the India of Bhagat Singh who laid down his life at a tender age 23 to realize the dream of a unified India and this is the India of where millions fought against the British tyranny to achieve their freedom to make choices. But is it the reality now? Perhaps the clear answer would be a No.

And the culprits are the groups like the MNS, Shiv Sena, Ram Sene and many others that have robbed the people of their liberty to make choices by rioting every now and then in the name of God, religion, region and ethics just to grab headlines and claim their existence. They are a disgrace to a secular and democratic country like ours. The Ram Sene as we all know went on ruckus in a pub in Mangalore where a lot of girls were partying. Its activists bungled up everything in the pub and misbehaved with the girls. This incident took place in broad daylight and was even captured on camera. The head of Ram Sene was arrested and soon was released on bail. The Home Minister of India Mr. P.Chidambaram termed Ram Sene as a “threat” to the country. The Thackeray Dynasty or the Shiv Sena attacked a Mumbai based hotel because the hotel management had sacked employees belonging to a certain section of society. In yet another bizarre incident in Nasik, the MNS activists attacked a Republic Day celebration function where Bhojpuri songs were being played. Their leaders and activists have been arrested on several occasions and then let loose by the inefficient system to create more such ugly incidents where the only one who suffers is the common man. This has resulted into the fearlessness of such extremist groups who have mocked and slapped the government tight on its face time and again.

It is the lack of accountability in our system that helps these hooligans evade punishment. The government needs to fix accountability at various levels of the system in such delicate matters and deal justly and sternly with such rogue elements of our civilized society.

Barriers Faced By a Girl to Receive Basic Education

2010-11-17T13:57:00.001+05:30

“Mujhe padhna hai or ek achi Doctor ban na hai kyuki hamare gaanv me doctor nahi hai or na hi hospital hai” (I want to study and become a good doctor because there are no doctors and hospital in my village). This was a small girl of around 7-8 years saying to me when I visited a village nearby my place.

India is a country where girls are deprived of their rights, and some of them do not even get to see this world. Right from the day of her birth, a girl faces a lot of criticism and is treated like an unwanted.

Education seems to be a difficult task for the girls in the rural areas because of the mindset of the village people. A girl faces a lot of barriers to get proper education in rural areas if her parents are of backward thinking. Their thinking is such because they themselves are illiterate and are bounded by old customs of not sending girls to schools.

The schools have fixed timings and those hours are the peak hours of work in a girl’s household life and this is the most common barrier that the girls face as she has to do the household work and even have to go to their fields and help their parents. To some extent parents are also to be blamed for this because they do not let their child to go the school and receive proper education.

In India we have a less number of female teachers and girls are more likely to attend school if they have female teachers because they are comfortable with them and even parents are not hesitant in sending their girl child to school.

One of the major barriers is the distance problem faced by the girls. Every one of us has seen that children in rural areas have to walk kilometers to reach their schools and it becomes a difficult task for girls to walk long distances as most of the girls are physically weak. To curb this problem, government should open more schools in the villages at proper sites which are easily accessible by girls.

Inadequate school facilities like toilets, drinking water, playgrounds and poor infrastructure also contribute hugely in being a barrier for girls. Majority of schools do not have a toilet or even if they have then it is in pathetic condition. Improper sanitation facility even creates problem for girls who are in their menstrual period. Poor drinking water facilities also keep away the girls from going to school.

We should not just sit in a closed room and discuss about such serious issues, but we should reach out to the rural areas with the help of the government and NGOs and work in harmony with everyone to see the future of our country to read, write and understand i.e. to get proper basic education.

Unhygienic Menstrual Conditions Taking Lives While We Do Nothing About It

2010-11-15T19:58:00.000+05:30

Shahana, an eleven year old girl lived in a remote village. She was a student of grade IV. She used rags for managing her menstrual blood. One day after school she came home, changed the soaked rag, washed and dried it under a bean tree for reuse. A harmful insect settled on the rag. Without noticing the insect’s presence, she used this rag the next day. Unfortunately the insect entered her body through the vagina. She felt a serious stomach pain and was taken to hospital. After a week she died.

Who is responsible for her death? Her parents, her teachers or the SOCIETY? Society plays a vital role in the rise and downfall of a civilization. In rural areas, people still believe in old traditions and often land in trouble. The government has to share an equal amount of blame as it is responsible for not reaching out to the villages and spread awareness amongst villagers.

The above mentioned case of Shahana is testimony to the negligence of the government and of the village men who curb women’s space. This case is just one in millions and there are many which are left unnoticed and unheard.

Yes, I am talking about the problem faced by women in rural areas while they menstruate.

A normal woman spends around six to seven years of her life menstruating and she should have proper knowledge about menstruation cycle. A woman has to be careful while in her menstrual period and keep in mind her menstrual hygiene. If she is using a cloth then she should wash it with clean water and dry it at an appropriate and should not use it when it is damp. One more problem is the sanitation facility, girls skip their school while menstruation because of poor sanitation.

Women and girls need to change their sanitary napkins three or four times a day during the period of menstruation especially in the first three days. The vast majority of women and girls use rags- usually torn from old saris, instead of sanitary towels/napkin. Rags are washed and used several times. There is no private place to change and clean the rags and often no safe water and soap to wash them properly. A culture of shame and taboo forces them to seek for well hidden places even in their homes to dry the rags. These places are often damp, dark and unhealthy.

This practice is responsible for a significant proportion of illness and infection associated with female reproductive health. Rags that are unclean, cause urinary and vaginal infection and very often serious infections are left untreated.

It brings shiver to my spine telling you that women in rural areas use ash, sand and even plastic as sanitary pads. The young girls are shy of changing their pads and even if they do then they don’t have a place to dispose them. Such is the condition, it can only get worse if nothing is done. The patriarchy of our society further complicates the problem, if nothing else.

Menstrual hygiene is one of the most important yet neglected issues in rural India. What the girls and women suffer at the hands of embarrassment and shame is unimaginable. Immediate action is required on this front, of course many NGOs are making efforts to solve such a problem which is not even talked about, but then we need mass support and government initiatives at the same time.

All of this is linked to our high levels of maternal mortality, which can only be brought down by ameliorating sanitation and hygiene for women in rural areas. Sanitary napkins, which are best designed and suited for menstruation, should be made available at affordable prices to women, it is a necessity.

Awareness campaigns for menstrual hygiene along with an active participation from these women themselves, in voicing their problems and solving them mutually with women community action, is the immediate need of the hour.

LIFE, HEALTH AND COMPUTER GAMES

2010-10-05T00:50:00.000+05:30

Physical activities like exercise, playing games and sports are essential part of our life. It helps in a better functioning of our body and keeps us fit and healthy. Playing sports since an early age strengthens the bones and muscles and tones one’s body. Thus sports provide the body with a complete exercise. But these days’ children and teenagers are not much into playing sports and doing physical exercise as they prefer to spend their time on computers and in playing computer games/video games.

It is known that we are living in technological era. The computers became irreplaceable tool in everyday life of almost every person. The youngsters use it for internet and computer games. The major impact of computer technology is on teenagers. Their life standards have changed dramatically because of the technology. They spend more time on internet and give less time to their families. Computers have made them lazy and they want to play computer games instead of playing some physical games. In addition to this, time spent on reading books, novels, magazines and newspapers has decreased drastically.

Talking about psychology, it depends upon genre of computer games. Unfortunately the market of computer games consists of games that include killing, attack, aggressive actions, and cruel behavior. These factors lead to change in human psychology and mind. Gamers become wicked, more aggressive to each other and to other people. They are more inclined to aggression and violence. Also, they may spend less time in other activities such as doing homework, reading, and sports. Too much video game playing makes your kid socially isolated, the user withdraws from friends and family as he spends more and more time on the computer. Relationships begin to wither as the user stops attending social gatherings, skips meetings with friends and avoids family members to get more computer time. Even when they do interact with their friends, users may become edgy when away from the computer, causing further social harm.

Video games do not exercise your kid’s imaginative thinking. Using imagination may be important in developing creativity. Video games may also have bad effects on some children’s health, including video-induced seizures and postural, muscular and skeletal disorders, such as tendonitis, nerve compression, carpal tunnel syndrome. Over the long term, computer games addiction can cause physical damage. Using a mouse and keyboard for many hours every day can lead to repetitive stress injuries. Back problems are common among people who spent a lot of time sitting at computer desks. Late-night computer sessions cut into much-needed sleep time. Long-term sleep deprivation causes drowsiness, difficulty concentrating, and depression of the immune system. Someone who spends hours at a computer is obviously not getting any meaningful exercise, so computer addiction can indirectly lead to poor overall physical condition and even obesity.

What can be done?

Encourage your children to play Physical games

If needed then push your children to go and play physical games. Repeatedly alarm your children about the adverse effects of long term use of computer games.

Ask your children to play Educational games

You will find lots of interesting educational games for your kids on grammar, math, sports, spellings etc. You as a parent may sometimes have to tolerate a certain amount of violence in games.

Play with the kids

Your kids love games & they love you too. So, why not pull a chair & sit with them & enjoy. Yes, your little kid will love it, especially when they beat you hands down. And you too would get to learn something about games and computers.

Set the time limit

You have to set time limits & see that your child follows it. Be strict if necessary & see they don't neglect their homework.

Keep a watch

Kids are smart these days. It is possible your smart kid may be enjoying games at his friend’s home. Keep a check & remind him not to play violent games.