The Writers Lounge

Snow Filled Lounge Contest(26th Nov- 20th Dec)

noreply@blogger.com (Writers' Lounge Admin) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:40:45 PST

We have reconsidered the contest theme and this time we have decided to change the theme.Since its winter and christmas season,we feel glad to introduce the "Snow filled Lounge"contest .

The Writer's Lounge proudly brings to you, the members of this blog, another contest.

"Snow Filled Contest".

This contest is in English only and will be strictly based on prose category. The contest spans from today, 26th November till Sunday, 20th December. There shall be no extension of contest dates as was in previous contests so members are required to get in their entries well and early.

Rules:

The rules and details are given below.

Rules:

1) The central theme of the story is Winter.You can associate it with Christmas or any event.But the main theme is winter.

2) The story should not exceed more than 400 words. (Title doesn't count toward word count)

3) The story should contain a title and there should be an image associated with your story that should be posted along with the story in writers lounge.

4) At end the participant is expected to write the word count.

Terms and Conditions:

1) This contest is valid for the members of this community only.

2) Entries should be made on or before 20th December,2009.

3) Members can post multiple entries on the theme here. (Label them as "SFL Contest") But you will mail us only the entry which you want us to consider for the award. Email the story you want us to consider, by 20th December 2009, to writers.in.lounge@gmail.com with the story attached as an MS Word File along with word count of your entry. Entries in plaintext form will NOT be considered.

4) Please mail us the FINAL entry only. Once mailed, the choice CANNOT be altered.

5) The contest will be judged by a writer whose name will be revealed later.

6) The results will be announced by 5th January,2010 .

7) The winners name along with the 1st and the 2nd runner up will be announced.

The winner & two runnerup will get a badge from Writers Lounge.

8) Readers Choice Badge voting will begin after the closing of the contest. Please keep your choices ready!

9)Since WL blog could only accomodate 100 writers ,we have come with a new idea for writers interested to take part in SFL.We have 300+ members in WL-Facebook fanpage.We have a special category called "FB-WL-SFL" .People wishing to take part in RDL2 who are not a member of WL blog but are a member of WL-FB page can take part in it.You have to write a story on the theme which follows the constraints and mail it to writers.in.lounge@gmail.com.This category will be judged separately

Please refrain from posting other stuff apart from the stories for this contest till 20th December, 2009. We will be closing the lounge for general posts/rants during this time period. This is just to ensure that the contributions for this contest dont get lost and people who contribute get maximum support as well as dedicated readership. If anyone does want to notify other lounge members of a new post on their blog, please feel free to use the Shoutbox. We regret the inconvenience caused. We guess it should be a great experience reading different takes on snow . We are just facilitating the same and ensuring that your stories get read. A humble request to all talented writers here on writers lounge to try their hand and churn up a story for contest.

Writers Lounge Rocks! And you all make it rock! Cheers!!

Cheers,

WL Admin Team!

PS: Contest theme has been changed and members are requested to post stories based on the new theme.Sorry for the inconvenience.

Old Age

noreply@blogger.com (Saraswathan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:56:56 PST

I think of those eventful years
When I was at my Prime
Life looked so beautiful in all its Glory
With all the Tact and skill
I wrote the pages of my Story
Never did I stop to think all this could end
I was in a dream that took me places
Never remembered all the phases
That came and went in my Journey
When I woke up and stared in the mirror
Found an old man looking like a smear
Aha, this is the phase when you have all the time
To ponder upon your deeds and triumphs
I Blog@ My Musings

The storm after the lull

noreply@blogger.com (Cilla) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:53:47 PST

Piece originally published on our company website www.ibnlive.com/mumbaimemories/

November 2008 was a dull month as far as news was concerned. The week starting 24th seemed especially so. I was down with a bleeding infection in my leg, so finally on the 26th I decided to take the day off. It was such a lean day that another colleague also took an off and it didn't seem to matter.

I was sleeping under the influence of medicines when a source alerted about some firing in Colaba. Oh another mafia thing this must be, I thought as I forwarded the information to office and went back to sleep.

A few minutes later another source frantically called about some blast near Mazgaon. His voice was cracking with fear. As I scrambled to get more details, I felt a fear that this was going to be something ominous. Being from a small city, till now blasts and other mishaps were things I had only seen on TV. But suddenly it seemed that I was going to be out in the middle of something like that.

I feared that this could be more ominous. I called up office, though I didn't know what assistance I could provide as I was barely able to walk. I was asked to report the next day at the crack of dawn. A feeling of desperation that I couldn't get to work because of an ailment and also some fear as to what exactly was going on, kept me awake most of the night.

There had been firing all over. Two blasts. But it wasn't until the hotels were under attack that it was clear that this was something really big.

It was the storm after the lull.

The first thing I remember about the morning of the 27th was waking up to the news of Hemant Karkare's death. It was 4 in the morning and it seemed unreal. Just a few days ago while following another story I had joked about how Karkare seemed to be cagey now and didn't answer phone calls. And he was at that time the most talked-about officer. I rushed to office and my first assignment was to gauge the mood on the streets. Were people scared or were they going about their daily business?

Mumbai seemed virtually deserted that day. Never were the major roads so empty. And I remember being the only person from Churchgate to Mahalaxmi in the ladies compartment. It was eerily empty.

For the first time, the famed resilience seemed to have crumbled. People were not just scared but completely confused about what was happening. TV sets were blaring everywhere and people glued to them like they are glued when there is an Indo-Pak match.

The same night I was sent to Nariman House. South Mumbai residential areas are generally deserted on normal nights, but this day it was scary. As I tried to locate Nariman House several locals asked me to take detours through various lanes as the bullets were flying about. The area where Nariman House is, is a maze of narrow lanes and only someone who knows the area well could have found that place out. Even residents nearby didn't know that it was an Israeli centre. Finally I took position right across the house, near a bank whose windows had been shattered in the firing. We were very close and every time I turned to the camera, I would get this irrational fear 'What if a bullet finds its way close to us?' after all we had our camera lights on. But people of the area seemed to be unmindful of such fears.

At any point in the night there were around 100-200 people who were standing close to the spot, curious onlookers that the police had to fight off. There were atleast 50 of us media professionals too, from various countries scrambling for details, ducking bullets and ricochets and dodging off overly curious people. But there were also the locals who were coming at frequent intervals with tea and biscuits for the forces and media professionals.

Suddenly in the morning the police seemed to be acting strictly against anyone coming close to Nariman House. Barricades were being put up and drunk onlookers were being lathi-charged to clear them off the way. We wondered if some senior official or politician was coming to visit.

And then there was a whirring sound. After a night of scattered firing, the forces had decided on a final assault. A chopper started hovering over the building and there was deafening cross fire. We were going live with most of it though we were cautious about keeping the camera frame tight and moving constantly so that the exact location of the cops on ground would not be revealed. We tried not to give out numbers or directions. The onlookers cheered.

Standing there and witnessing the assault, one couldn't help but feel proud of our men in uniform. It was the most dramatic visual of the entire tragedy.

Yes the media was criticised a lot for airing it too. But I still don't have the answer to whether it should have been shown or not. TV is mostly about the here and now so one could say it could be shown, but there were other decisions, too, that could not be made in the 20-odd minutes while the helicopter air-dropped commandos. Those 20 minutes will stay with me forever, they were the first signs of hope that Mumbai though scarred, will overcome this too.

It took another day for all the operations to end and the hostages to be liberated. And it has taken us forever to try and forget the horror of what we saw then. But life moves on in Mumbai even as court trials and diplomacy take their own time to come to conclusions. A fragile fast-paced life, with no guarantees of what awaits you in the next moment - a lesson 26/11 taught me.

Announcement For All Writers Lounge Members!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Writers' Lounge Admin) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:51:37 PST

Well, it has been a while since we have had a major contest here at The Writers Lounge. So we figure that it is time to have one again. So, after last year's Rain Drenched Lounge contest, we will be having another story writing contest. Yes, it will be only stories and completely English based. The contest will begin on Monday, 30th November 2009 and go on till Sunday, 20th December 2009.

So writers, get your pens ready and those imaginations revved up!! The lounge, as usual, will be closed for the duration of the contest to other posts(admin announcements excluded) so no contest entries are muddled with the rest. The theme and rules of the contest will be announced on Sunday, 29th November 2009 at 9pm and the lounge closed to the other posts immediately after the announcement of theme.

Wishing you a good week ahead.

Regards,

Admin Team

The Writers Lounge

We read, We write, We lounge!

DRIVING MALADY

noreply@blogger.com (Saraswathan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:57:30 PST

Driving skills are indeed a blessing, not only to the driver himself but also to others who use the Freeways / Highways. Apart from the poor maintenance of good roadways resulting in lack of proper sign boards to warn against hazards, unexpected potholes in the middle of the road the indiscipline of the drivers add to our woes. Yes, I am talking about those who seldom put their high beams into low beam and have scant respect for the signal. Fortunately the excellent construction methods in USA, like providing a raised divider between the two sides of traffic prevent the headlight beam from hurting the eyes of driver coming from the opposite direction. Also the number of flyovers in USA make driving a pleasure through the vast expanse of the country. The situation in other developing countries, like India is far from satisfactory. I actually detest driving on Highways after sunset. The commercial vehicle traffic begins late in the evening and last till morning making driving a very dangerous exercise. Whenever I planned a trip between the metros in India (Short journeys between 400 to 600 KMs) I used to start Early morning at 5AM so that by the time I hit the freeway it is daylight and complete my driving by 2PM. This way I could relax for the rest of the day after having my Lunch.

I Blog@ My Musings

Happy Birthday Aks & Steph

noreply@blogger.com (Leo) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:28:27 PST

Today, 24th November, is the birthday of two of our members. Both are quite good friends of mine.

The first, Akansha aka Aks is one of the more silent members here at WL, very talented at poetry and prose and she gives more of a tadka in her works. She's very friendly, easy to talk with, the happy-go-lucky type! :) Wishing her a TADKAFUL happy birthday and many more to come.

The second, Stephen aka Solli aka Steph aka (I cant list all his nicknames, the guy's too popular! :P) is the Lounge bossman, founder etcetc.. (I think today is one day I can safely call him that). His writes are known world over so its not at my level to praise him. His poetry, though not known that well, is a good strong part of his blogging too. He's the one who got me to these hallowed halls of TWL. Wish you a non-solitary happy birthday, Solli :)

The End.

tieyourshoelace@gmail.com (*Shreya*) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:59:50 PST

He smoothed the table cloth with his hand. He moved the wine glass a bit.

He lit the candle and waited for the entire match to burn out.

He glanced across the open terrace and signaled the waiters to empty the place.

He would handle it all by himself. He had dreamt of this moment for the past 6 years ever since they had started seeing each other...

The ribbon on the box holding the ring was beautifully tied and he smiled at the thought of how beautiful the ring would look on her delicate finger...

The night was getting cold...he's palms sweaty and his watch showed that she was late by an hour and 19 minutes. The watch was her first gift to him...5 years 7 months ago.

He din't want to call up and spoil things tonight.

He stood up and walked along the border of the terrace of the 23 floor high restaurant.

The fencing was low...He noticed. Very low.

She was now late by an hour and 42 minutes.

He stood there, hands in his pockets, toying with the ring box.

Precisely 2 minutes later the door to the terrace opened and he saw her being led inside by the head waiter...

She looked dazzling in a green outfit that made her seem like an emerald on fire, she'd always been this beautiful, since the first time he ever saw her. Their first date...The first time they held hands...The first time she had ruffled his hair and smiled her cutest smile...The first time he had wrapped her in a warm embrace...The first time they...

Shutting clichéd thoughts out of his mind he smiled at her...din't he just love her or what?

She din't smile back. She waited for the waiter to leave. Then she walked over to him with a grim face. He tried hard not to appear anxious. He took her hand in his. Their cold hands worried him. He had to break the unspoken tension that suddenly seemed to envelope them. He could wait no more. He guided his other hand into his side pocket to draw the ring out...the beautiful ring.

She cleared her throat. Without any more building up, she said..."Honey, I know its too late, but, I wanted to tell you that..." She trailed off...

"Tell what?" His voice quivered under the strain of this pause...

"That...that I dont think this...this thing between us in going to work out anymore..." She stared intently at her feet.

There it was. Within less than a minute his world crumbled down. Like a cookie. He could feel her cold hand in his ice cold hand. No. His hands were no more ice-cold. He was burning from within. Could she feel it? Did she even care? She hadn't even bothered to look into his eyes while she mouthed those venom laced words...

She...was...a...bitch. He thought. 6 years. She'd been a bitch. A nasty woman. Who played with his feelings.

With nothing else to say He placed an arm on her shoulder. She looked up. He realized she was about to say something more...This time He wouldn't let her.

He had waited for too long...waited today, waited all these years, waited all his life...

He pushed her. A slight push worked. The low fencing helped. The last he saw of her was the green flimsy material of her outfit flying in the air and her shocked face. She never had looked this beautiful before. The last look. The ring box tumbled from his hand and went down 23 floors just after her...She could keep it for herself, He thought.

And as she hit rock bottom, moments before her skull exploded into a million pieces and her blood flowed free...Her last words were..."But...I...was...simply...kidding..."

Would he ever know?

LAUNDROMAT

noreply@blogger.com (Saraswathan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:58:45 PST

This Sunday I decided to visit the Laundromat, Princeton, NJ as I had a fortnight’s clothes to be washed. As the weather was so very bright with excellent sun shine, I set off at 8AM. The washing and drying took around an Hour and a half and I just sat there waiting. While I waited my mind started pondering on a curious thought. How it would be if we also can wash our sins periodically and come out clean. Why cant there be a method to erase all our hatred and avarice and become friendly and humble. Perhaps we may find one such device sooner or later and change the way we live and behave.

I Blog@ My Musings

pulkit.tiwari@gmail.com (PULKIT) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:45:37 PST

She was just about to leave...Its been an hour since their argument took off. It went from worst to worst and after a spoiled date, she was leaving with wet eyes.
"Let me know... when you want to meet next, that is...if you do want that... Huh! , I hate the way, you take me for granted", she said. Her voice was choacked and stammering.
"I want to say...one last thing..." He replied...
NOW WHAT?
He came close. Held her cheek in an authoratative manner, as if she belonged to him... she stood still. He went closer...and closer...and closer ... and his lips answered the numerous questions that laid in afront of their struggling love life...
"I still feel the same for you..." He whispered. and left the room.
five minutes later... when he came back, she was still standing there...
" I have changed my mind, I will stay at your place for the evening, tonight and we wont make love...Huh! I hate you...", she smiled... A tear rolled down her eyes... she kicked him. she was so damn cute!
"all appointments cancelled",he sms'ed his office... threw his cell on the sofa...
went towards her again. she pushed him back. they wrestled, and then hugged...he lifted her...and they went in.

- POETIC CRIES OF INTERPERSONAL EXPRESSIONS
( Pulkit)

Skirt

noreply@blogger.com (Varun) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:38:16 PST

We admire the fires, in burning tyres,
we are those kings who cling to wings,

we delay, they say with all dismay,
yet we slay the ones who play with clay,

we fight and fight, and bite at night,
and we slice the mice with sharpened dice,

we mock who wears frocks and socks,
and we blog on fogs, dogs and frogs,

we run the mill with solid will,
and we want to kill the ills but still,

we bust and burst the crust of dust,
and we irked and worked and never shirked,

we greet with plates when we meet the mates,
when we walk through gates we walk through dates,

we create, we state, we contemplate,
yet we ate the bait of gory fate!

(More poems at Clear Like Clarity)

The Thief

abhri.datta@gmail.com (h) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:07:41 PST

Anil opened the little parcel he had taken from the store. I use ‘taken’ instead of ‘stolen’ because I mean to. His small town had not seen much turbulence but the recent ruling party had encroached on their land for benefits. As a result, protests, police, lathi charges had become common. This was the time when parents asked their children to stay inside from imminent danger. To venture out only when town would be calm again.

For Anil, the world was different, and without parents. He would definitely not miss the violent hours of the day. The lesser privileged had started indulging in looting and destroying shops also. Anil would quietly stand behind the shops and pick up something from here and there. Learning to live on his own his collection of items had grown systematically.

He looked around with sparkling eyes. On his left was a toaster, which was brand new. He had trouble lifting the big square box to his shelter. He did not know why it had a window. But the pictures on it seemed like food. He had many flower vases, crockery, glasses. It would appear to be a shop, his shelter.

Today’s prize was peculiar though. It was small but the wrapping is what caught his eyes. He did not want to open it or spoil the beauty, he just stared at it.

Just then his door blew open.

“You thief you steal from us! That gift you hold now was for my daughter”

“I am not a thief, I am small and I collect from what is already plundered.”

“You maybe small but you are a devil, look at this place, Oh my God even I don’t own a microwave oven”

He slapped him but the boy didn’t shake.

“You don’t have micro because you don’t have the brains to get one. ”

He grew red. “You little rascal I do not steal like you do”

He slapped him again.

The boy sat upright, his hands in tension.

“Even a dozen other people who actually loot the place, do you have the balls to hit them? And I know why you have come here. To take the stuff I took from the market. And all this drama you are doing is to subdue your own conscience. You are more lowly than a thief because you steal from the small and the weak. You don’t even have the guts to steal first hand. You are a parasite”
He returned to his normal colour. He had not expected such a rebuttal from this small kid.
Suddenly a small girl came running. “Papa thanks for the gift”

The man stared shocked. He was accusing the small boy of something which he had not done.

The time had come and the boy had gone
What remained was nothing much
Little fragments of memory
Battered childhood territory

Death of a star

noreply@blogger.com (PS the Pratsie) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:03:53 PST

I might be no star,

for you i know

but you only taught

to treat myself so

I don't really know

how a star dies

if the Gods ever see

the hole in the sky

You see me shine

but not how i burn

you see me go bright

but not the vaccum

I am exceeding myself

as I lose my sense of life

for my own good sake,

I commit to be destroyed.

The star will go away

replaced by a black hole

difference lies in attraction

the one in sky does,i will not.

The Battel within

noreply@blogger.com (●๋•guℓѕнαn●๋•™) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:56:01 PST

But a battle with your own heart is the most difficult battle to win..you know your enemy so well that you often forget by which side and for whom you you are fighting..you play from both sides...and so you lose half the battle even if somehow you manage to win the other half..the victory will not be satisfying because a part of you will fail...Your failure is so pre-written...nothing works..no weapons..no strategies...you cant hide..you cant run..you cant bow and you have to stand the whole battle...no matter whatever it takes..

**Quoted from one of my own rants..something i felt like sharing

future India?

chiragrocks31@gmail.com (chirag) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:53:25 PST

hello friends after a long time iam posting on the lounge...yet iam not at home as i told in the chat box.iam shifted to indore for my GATE preparation.

this incident i saw when iam travelling in the van in indore ,two women sitting in front of me and one had a small baby in her lap after 5 minutes van had stopeed at some stop and a young man entered into the van and he told that women(who had a baby)to move aside so that he could sit .after that that small baby looked that young man frequently ..as lot of small baby do when they saw something new ...that women told another women that"DEKH ISANE MUJHE SARKAYA NA TO ISE KAISE GHUR KE DEKH RAHA HAIN"(see this boy told me to get aside..so he(baby) was loking him i anger).iam really disappointed by this...how that small baby know anything about this.
if we are teaching our future like this we can't hope a better India in the future .it was really shamefull.

Childhood Bliss

noreply@blogger.com (Saraswathan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:00:02 PST

It was so wonderful to just Laugh and play
Not a care in the world, its true I say
Hugs and kisses were all that I got
In return for all my smiles on the trot
With my chubby cheeks and dimple chin
There were none that I could not win
Wish I could always remain that way
As a little Baby and keep my worries away
I Blog@ My Musings

Frailty thy name is Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Saraswathan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:00:47 PST

How lovely were the times when you were so nice
Fresh as the morning mist and tingling as the Ice
The walks we went through the pine wood forest
Holding your hand , we seldom needed rest
I held you in my arms and looked into your eyes
River of desire I could never fathom in hundred tries
Ever a mystery you remained for me till date
When you left me I could blame no one but Fate
I Blog@ My Musings

pulkit.tiwari@gmail.com (PULKIT) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:31:51 PST

Its been long...
since I last smell you
Its been long
since I last smelt like you...
the way I always use to...when I read you!
You were and will always be the very best
god bless ya...wherever you are spreading your fragrance!

PULKIT
(ALSO BLOGS @ POETIC CRIES)

क्यों है? (Why so?)

noreply@blogger.com (Varun) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:14:07 PST

कभी सोचता हूं की यह ऎसा क्यों है?
फिर सोचता हुं की यह मेरे जैसा क्यों है?

(One of the possible translations:)

At times I think why is he the way he is?
Then I think why is he so much like I am?

55 fiction - Amicable!

pulkit.tiwari@gmail.com (PULKIT) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:09:39 PST

Tears splashed from her eyes as she went to the counter to collect the final bill. doctors rushed past her,echos of hospital blues dominated her senses.She sat on the floor and looked upwards.None of those present noticed her state.A stray Pup came and licked her feet.

- PULKIT
(ALSO BLOGS @ POETIC CRIES)

Chocolate Tour

noreply@blogger.com (Saraswathan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:01:54 PST

When I woke up today morning, I was pleasantly surprised by the weather in Plainsboro, NewJersey! Bright sunshine, just enough chill and excellent weather. My Grand daughter insisted that I take her to the Chocolate Factory at Hershey because she wanted "This-much-Chocolate"(Read it as Hands spread wide apart as a measure of quantity!). I was not particularly keen on going to a Chocolate Factory as the idea did not impress me. However the enthusiasm showed by my little friend was so infectious that I agreed and we rented a Toyota Sienna. We were four adults and 2 kids which forced us to rent a van because with 2 children seats in our Honda sedan , the four of us, adults, did try a lot of jigsaw but could not succeed in devising a seating arrangement for all of us. Mind you, out of this I, my daughter and son are 6 footers! though my wife did more than compensate with her demure physique.
The journey till Philadelphia was uneventful. Once we were nearing the city of Hershey the scenery began to change. I was very happy to see the panoramic view of green meadows on both sides of the road with scattered houses that looked like chocolates. Reaching Hershey we were so hungry that we rushed straight to the food court. With the input of calories we began our tour of the factory and other places. It was indeed an excellent place with very hygienic atmosphere and such a variety of chocolates. I indulged in helping myself to a good quantity ignoring the silent but lethal look on my wife’s face.
By the time we finished the tour and got ready for the return journey, which is a good 130 Mile, I and my grand daughter were so tired that we began to sleep. When my son woke us up on reaching the house it was 8PM and God did we have a good time! I think I enjoyed it more than the little one.

I Blog@ My Musings

Mahatma Gandhi

noreply@blogger.com (Saraswathan) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:02:30 PST

Man for All Seasons
Ambitious within reason
Hard with tender Heart
Atrocities, sure he fought
Truth was his Armour
Many loved his glamour
Austerity was his Attire

Gone were worldly desire
Attack He did with words
Non Violence was his sword
Delighted was He with Freedom
Hardly worried about any stardom
Indeed we badly miss him
For Acrostic Only
I Blog@ My Musings

PAGE 3

noreply@blogger.com (MIRAGE) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:41:28 PST

Dedicated to the victims of violence

As you just gaze at this word page 3 , I can sought of have a discern into the images running across your mind. Champagnes, hot chiks and beef cakes, the conglomeration of the elite , lost in translation to the euphoric state … Before you could proceed further , I would put a barricade to your thoughts and divert it to a ride of its third kind.

Blood, explosives, swords, machetes, death. These news are always hot spots grabbing attention in our daily lives. This impetuous behavior of people in all walks of life styles has caused detrimental effects on the structure of the society. I guess there is a driving force which is provoking people to perpetrate the heinous and inhumane crimes. This aberrant trait of human being has always remained obscure to my mind.( I really wonder which structure in our brain integrates the oscillations that stimulate violent reactions). Most of us fail to trace this aspect as it s entangled in its own subtleties.

To be concise, violence is a compound which is consolidated from individual elements like fear, hatred ness , jealousy , pride and other gothic faces of human mind. The severity of the committed crimes can once again be scaled to any extent. It largely depends on the situation, and who commits it. These days, juvenile crimes are increasing at an alarming rate, in par with the adults. When I started my journey probing and dissecting the mindsets of the perpetrators, I was awestruck by the impulsive intensity to do so. I started becoming conscious of these aspects, as incidents in retrospect have left their deep vestige in my grey matter.

How would you resonate , when some one you have witnessed severe the head of another, and comes as a flashing news on TV, or if you watch movies with atrocious subject. The effect might be subjected to variance depending on the individuals , but as a person I am was moved tremendously.

Let me quote an incident which shook me….. This was around 2002. An incident that took place in North India. There was a 14 year old boy ( I shall Christine him as Naresh to make my narration feasible). He was supposively from a poor family, and had to support his family tree by monitoring the cattle. One day it so happened , he and his friend were on a stroll, and was munching channa (special type of groundnut). Naresh did offer his friend the groundnuts, but that fellow started demanding more, and naresh retrieved back. By then revenge worm had already found its place in his friends mind. The next day, Naresh had been to an adjacent village to visit his maternal aunt. . Since she had gone out, he was waiting out for her arrival. Mean while Naresh’s friend and a group of boys approached him to accompany them for a game. Innocent Naresh had no hunch about their wicked plan and left for the play. The boys after taking him to a remote place started torturing the boy black and blue . They then dragged him to the sarpach(head of the village)., and accused him of stealing their bicycle. The sarpanch ordered the boys to scoop Naresh’s eyes. On the pretext of his order, the boys carried Naresh like a goat (who had no route to escape). The friend whom, Naresh was reluctant to entertain any more that day(while eating channa), thought it was the right time to exercise his revenge, then took a blunt weapon from his pocket and gouged both eyes of the boy, and threw him to a near by bush. Late in the evening , a passer by saw the boy banished into severe agony, put back the dangling eyeballs in the socket and admitted him to the hospital . After one week he was deployed to a hospital in Hyderbad. The news had then spread like a wild fire. A famous ophthalmologist from Bangalore, One Dr. Sunitha Agarwal(if my recall is spiky), took the initiation , and ordered the hospital in charge to send the boy to Bangalore in a flight.

Immediately she started the treatment . In spite of her over whelming efforts, everything was in vain, as 10 days were too long for the optic nerves to loose connection owing to severe infection. All that she could do was to restore the aesthetics of the face(as the topology was terribly disfigured during the accident). The doctor was beyond shock for the whole incident. So there are several such incidents which has left us dumbfounded, and structures of such incidents happens daily. Making a move further.. To exemplify the mindsets of the criminals, I cant afford to be a criminal my self , all that I can do is empathize them, have a microscopic view at their macroscopic frame, their relationships and so on. As I have stated earlier , crime is shared by all classes of people, and their indulgence in criminal activities is commensurate with their position . The rank might be from a drunkard below poverty line to Saddam , osama.

What ever may be the extent of execution of crimes the ultimate outcome is death.( In philosophy it is said that discussion about death improves the clarity of our lives. But we are aghast about its time and mode of occurrence. The normal human tendency is to hold god responsible for this ). Well , it all depends upon their priorities, philosophies, lifestyles, mind patterns, goals and exposure. For a drunkard , ( I am not castigating him as he is also a human being brought into this world from his mother’s womb. Let me know if there is any other way), his world is the arrack shop, life is alcohol. He would have tailored it to his nerve so much, that the addiction is almost impossible, and this perverse action is propagated in spite of firm opposition from his well wishers. In the course of time, he loses his sanctity, family, job, money and finally his life, and will have to admit his failure in hell. Then moving towards youth… They constitute a lager population of the world. Of course one of the engulfing force of technology. But I think this force is not been channelised to its brimmith extent for the upliftment of humanity. When I observe the so called “ rowdies”, I will be wondering , they being aware that their life is not in their clutches , and also that they cant escape from the long arms of the law, would like to still join the band wagon of their preceders, and bearing the main goal to flourish under the rowdy template. . If you keenly observe the age groups they would be between 18-40 years. Why is that they are draining the youth verve, the precious span of life to prove their existence fruitful on earth. It is just the fact that, they want to highlight the throok and masculinity in them, well aware that they are entering the vicious circle.

Today one group might combat a person in another group. In retaliation , the whole group might be incinerated in prospect. Most of them leave their trails in people of their vicinity due to their terrorizing acts during their reign. If I take a statistics of the people belonging to this domain, majority of them are from lower middle classes to middle class families(I guess this classification exists largely in Indian society, due to blue and white collared distinction. The society looks down upon people working in call centre industry, (imperialistic back office for people who are susceptive to deskill(my perspective). But the fact is McDonald is the first among the fortune 500 companies , out beating the top notch companies like Microsoft, NASA, AT&T, banks like Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brother’s, JP Morgan, McKinsey, HDFC. But I support that Indian’s should orient themselves in jobs that churn their nerves). Though not particularly deprived from education , but still not optimum. Probably this frustration might alienate them from their families and will form a group of zombies. Eventually , these boys start a propaganda for themselves by starting eve teasing, extortion , assault, attempt to murder. Finally they will be landed in prisons for a life time imprisonment for their intimidating acts. These groups are further exploited by the politicians during the elections, the time when these people become proactive. Little do they know hell on earth is their destination.

The movies which are capitalized on rowdism , act as a morale booster , and also enhance their creativity to draw upon new blue prints to perpetrate crime. Many TV soaps are also crime aligned. WWE is another funny show on earth. The term” Underworld” is a larger version of rowdism. Here a network of all dons, celebrities , politicians is delicately knitted and spun round the globe. Most of the bomb blasts , or man made catastrophes of larger order is triggered by these activists The drug menace has gulped scores of people. A still refined view of underworld is terrorism. I always thought terrorism is a pathology that has devastated the fine fabric of human civilization It has gone against the ideals of our culture. This fear has deeply penetrated, that we are afraid to come out of it. Right from Ayodhya, Godhra tragedy, 9/11 attacks, London bombings, terrorism has shown its ugly face. To fight terrorism, we need to restore faith and art of listening. The social and economic dominance , the narcissistic pride of privileged nations, the marginalization of culture has increased its concentration. Recapitulating the various reasons of crime I suspect, the minds are autonomous of the hands which kill. The most important of all these woes is the religious and communal clashes. Why is that people are encumbering religions for their selfish deeds. Infact religion only impregnates love not hatred ness, but its horrendous that it is manipulated against it principles. Communal violence is one of the significant factors contributing to crime. The religious foundations started off by the spiritual leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, who raised his voice against brutal sati, Ramakrishna Mission for a noble cause has made a replica for money making. The above stated facts are well known. Now the part which is incumbent upon me is to provide a solution to the above. The most primary and vital solution is education. Though technical education is a must and pragmatic , value based education should also be highlighted Our children, the future citizens, should be imbibed by our culture and ethical values. But the fact is that only 7% of children in India have access to education. It should reach every one. Because education makes person a personality, and imparts mental fitness for realization of his purpose on earth.(ragging shd be banned). The counseling centers should be more in numbers and the psychologists should be well trained ( There are two branches of psychology, the clinical and industrial psychology. Clinical psychology is further divided into neuro, gero, health, cognitive, counseling, development and research psychology. Industry psychology is further divided into social and educational psychology). Few people who execute crime deliberately should he prosecuted and hanged publicly. This might arrest the crime rate to some extent. We should reap the fruits of the constitution laid by Jawaharlal Nehru and which was made instrumental by Dr.B.R.Ambedkar. The decentralization of the federal structure if India should be made stronger to mobilize the resources .

There is no dearth of resources , the need of the time is its judicious uitilization. But then to unaccountable amount of money is poured on elections in spite of severe stagflation. The decentralization also leads to effective administration , as each minister in his/her jurisdiction will have to administer the issues of people. Though its hard to find probity in present politicians , appreciation should be rendered to those who works largely with interest for community in the presence of detractors. To curb the illegal and unlawful activities in the society , the police system have to be more vigilant and must take stringent measures to punish the criminals. The cops themselves should realize the epitome of the jobs. But to stop blood shed, to save the innocent lives from the jaws of terrorists, a unifying vision should be raised .Its just a matter of self assessment and introspection. If you cant serve others atleast don’t hurt them should be our dictum.( help and serve are used interchangeably , but the fact is that we can only serve others, its just the person above us who can help). It is high time we realize that the fate of our civilization lies in the hands of profound healers who believe in cultural symmetry , social and economic equity, not in the hands of Bush or Blair.
“Hey human beings, it is not easy to be born so. Save yourselves”.
(The reason I chose Page 3 , was because the third page in the news paper which I follow is reserved for violent activities ,and thats what this article revolves around . I have tried to address some of the irregularities in our system, which when rectified can evolve to ideal “INDIA”.)

G.E.N.I.U.S

noreply@blogger.com (MIRAGE) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:45:07 PST

G.E.N.I.U.S (This is just a sieve hole effort of mine to define the myriad faceted word “Genius”). While I sank in to articulate the concealed meaning of this humongous 6 lettered word, the finer and deeper fragments started ripping apart boggling my psyche. The reason being, to comprehend this is beyond the reach of human beings. Same as the cosmic space has no boundaries, in my perspective, even this word has no bounds. Ok……, suppose , if I start defining its multifarious ramifications, where should I start off from. Hmmmmmm… still meandering. According to me , the GENIUS lies in the minds of creator…..perhaps here again, I need to prioritize according to the hierarchical order.

First is the divine force, for his GENIUS knows no bounds, as he is the architect for innumerable GENIUS , in all spheres of existence. GENIUS lies in his eyes that has evoked vision of knowledge in our inner eyes, and vision of light in our outer “eyes” , that has enabled us to see the aurora of nature. (Knowledge and Light are the two selfish less entities, man can pray for).

GENIUS is embedded in his “ears”, for he who has enabled us to hear the cries of the world, the nature, fellowmen. So, this is applicable to all the particles of our body(without excluding, the minutest or the redundant one like appendix). Ok, you might be thinking what is GENIUS apart from his GENIUS, the macro and the micro manager, i.e god. I believe that the GENIUS of present belongs to the GENIUS of the past, there is one to one mapping. Are you expecting me to start from the evolution, i.e. the Big Bang explosion, comets meteors…..Yeah, the GENIUS lied there also, in the sense, the orderly sequence of reactions which led to the first life on earth, i.e. single celled organism, was GENIUS. (Spare me for amoeba protozoa did not have brains LOL!!!). Then happens the subsequent biological evolution from single to eventually higher order organisms. So GENIUS lied in “evolution”.

Ok, now let me start from the point, that human beings existed, that is our ancestors. The existing world order is a result of constant cascading and layering of GENIUS of the past. May it be invention of fire, wheel, housing, society, culture, and food habits?. My generation explanation will not be complete if I fail to mention the civilization that cropped up (Herald of culture is reflected in us today!!). May it be Egyptian civilization, Mesopotamian civilization, Indus valley, Harappa and Mohenjadaro civilization, and so on….. What I am trying to accentuate here is the point that people during the course of their civilization tried to bring out the best in them. For example, town planning, cultural groups, new strategies in farming. So, the GENIUS lied in “generation and civilization”.

Now flowing down to the technological and medical arena. Starting with realms of physics, which has aid for better understanding of nature (which is once again infinite) to some extent. This dates back to the protagonists in the fields of astrophysics like Galileo, Johannes Kepler, who explained to the world the structure of the universe, the solar system, planets in its complete form. Next in the order is Albert Einstein, for his “Theory of Relativity”. His contribution to the world of physics is beyond explanation . (My list includes all the present Techies, scientists, researchers of all fields).Then is the Mathematical GENIUS like Aryabhatta, Ramanujan , Pythagoras. Lot of research in medical field is under progression, may it be in the field of genetics, cloning(DOLLY), transplantations, pharmaceuticals . All this is to fight the specters of diseases. This includes all the past and present technological acumens like Dalton, Fraunhofer, Faraday, Doppler , Marconi, Sir M.V, C.V.Raman, Homi Jahangir Baba, Charles Babbage, Shakuntala Devi, A.P.J Abdul Kalaam , Kasturi Rangan).

I would like to mention the noble economists, administers of all generations , like Chanakya , Aristotle. Thanks to Mr. Amartya Sen, the recipient of the most coveted title “NOBEL PRIZE”. And our present PM, Mr. Man Mohan Singh. So the GENIUS lies in the “Discoveries , Inventions, Vision”, of these people, who had,(who is), contributed for a better world. Probably if I dwell into Architecture, Music, Literature, Sports, Dramatics I confront several of them in these areas also. Hmmm, Architecture: In architecture I name all the 7 wonders of the world. The rich architecture of St. Marys Basilica church, Venice, is an example. (In fact if you ask me which is richest city in the world, I would tell Rome, not because of its financial status in trade, but for its out standing architectural standings. ).

In India, the Vijayanagara Kingdoms, that is Hampi, Moghul Empires, and several other architectural monuments like Hawa Mahal, Qutub Minar, Gol Gumbaz, Jaipur Palace, still stand as the ICONS of tourists attractions. The GENIUS lies in “ Architecture”. Literature: Where should I put my pointer, to Renaissance, Medival period…. Writers like Giotto, Dante, Boccachio… Yes the literature was at its peak during the middle period . In fact, I would mention the development of languages, which started of as signs, and the took a structure. (Here I find myself privileged to mention the Sanskrit, which is the root language of India, is apparently the only language understood by the computers, for its composure is supposed to be the most scientific one, and this led to our national Language Hindi, my mother tongue Kannada,and other languages). The Romeo Juliet of William Shakespear, Geetanjanli of Rabindranath Tagore, the Das (Kabir , Tulsi, Ram), Meera Bai, Akka Mahadevi ,Ganesha, Kumara Vyasa,Valmiki, Kuvempu, Bendre, and all the writers of this world So the GENIUS lies in the “Characters” of these writers. Arts, Sports , Dramatics: It is immemorial. Who can forget the perennial , ethereal master piece “ Mona Lisa”, of Leonardo Da Vinci ( Did You know that she was the wife of Florentine Banker Zanobi Del Giocondo. It is sad to see, that she is being morphed by present youth). His peer , Micheal Angelo, has also contributed significantly in the field of art. This caters all the best painters in the world ( I am proud to say that my dad is a painter too, though not on international charts). In India, I would wish to mention the works of Raja Ravi verma(in fact I have put few of his paintings in Photo album section), whose live example is the Mysore Palace. All are aware of M.F.Hussain’s paintings( His portrait of Madhuri Dixit was auctioned for Rupees 25 lacs!!!!. I recommend you people to gear up for the forth coming Mysore Dasara, which is a symbol of rich cultural heritage of Karnataka and India, whose magnetic force of attraction attracts ppl of all caste from the nook and corner of the world. Not only Dasara, there are spate of several other events in India of world reputation, like the Kumba Mela which takes place once in every 12 years). The GENIUS lies in the “Life of these paintings”. Sports: This once again is age old, and took different shapes and forms. Right from bull fighing, the martial arts like Kung fu, Judo, (India’s Karate, Klaripattu),to cricket , hockey, chess(which was there from Mahabharatha, that is the Kavade(shat ranj.. not sure), due to which the epic started, and then the Pandavas had to go for Exile…..),to the sensational tennis(Sania is definitely making major strides!!!). GENIUS lies in the spirits of these “sports and personalities”. Dramatics: What started as theatres in previous centuries has metamorphosised , in to the present Holly hood, Kolly Hood, Tolly Hood, Lolly Hood,Bolly Hood(All possible hoods in Wood). I can never forget Charlie Chaplin. GENIUS manifests in the “acting of these actors” Music: GENIUS lies in the “lyrics, compositions of the music director, voice of the aficionado’s (M.S.S, Pt Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan), sounds that emanate from the musical instruments and instruments themselves( My fav instu is flute, becoz, though it is hollow, its sound is scintillating)”. Last but not the least I would like to mention about the fighters of all ages. Darwins theory of survival of fittest will never wane. The struggle for power, freedom, postion,name , fame, possessions has been taking place. I would shower my gratitude, to all the freedom fighters of India , and in the global map, Nelson Mandela. Several moratoriums have been signed like IAEA, NPT, for controlled usage of nuclear energy, in a manner that is useful( No one can forget Naga saki and Hiroshima, in fact the hurricanes , that are shaking the U.S like Katrina , Rita, is the curse of god (Most ppl are under this impression)). So all the peace gurus fall under this category with first one be Mother Theresa( Would you lift a leprosy person),Vivekananda. GENIUS lies in the “ freedom of mankind”. (My brain is locked). Recapping the all GENIUS, I would like to arrive at an end by concluding that GENIUS is “ Imperishable, Ineffable, Unmanifest, Omnipresent, Inconceivable, Immutable at the zenith of its existence”, for this means the definition of god in Bagavd Gita!!!!. And his GENIUS stands for:

G: Greatness

E: Effervescence

N: Natural

I: Ingenuous

U: Ubiquitous

S: Subtle.

(Spare me if I would have missed the rhythmic order, becoz I wrote it late night at 12. There I got , GENIUS lies in the time between birth and death. Getting paranoid with GENIUS, then start counting it. One more thing I am not certain about the dual meaning of GENIUS).

I am your Death

mridu.shadow@gmail.com (freelancer) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:50:44 PST

I am no prince that anyone would wed

I knew not life until you came along

You kickstarted my life and then you fled

And I knew not death until you were gone

Who says a guy always needs to be strong?

Even you know girl, what you did was wrong.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

But what about the guy who feels the same?

Heart's in pieces, the one you once adorned

And there is no one but you left to blame

The memories of you still makes me cry

The tears i shed for you wiped my soul dry.

Now I am out here lurking in the dark

You make merry coz its not gonna last

And when the time comes, you will feel the mark

The sweet smell of cold revenge is my lust

Remember me when you take your last breath

I am coming my love, I am your death.

Abstract

noreply@blogger.com (MIRAGE) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:47:27 PST

Live the way you want to, know no boundaries, dissect your tempestuous potential and emerge as an indefatigable winner of all times.Smash all the obstacles that come across your path to destination, live with a hope to meet your dreams. Pick along the best , trash the rest. Enrich your experiances each day , each moment.Breathe the freedom , live the life.Life that is boundless.