“If it’s true, it’s shame for the Indian Army”, said one senior politician. “It’s highly disturbing to even know that things like this exist at all in this institution”, lamented another politician.
All these statements referred to Lt Col Purohit’s arrest in connection with the Malegaon blast and the growing religious tendencies of Indian Army.
But I wonder why and what this brouhaha is all about? Is it something which happened out of the blue? I thought this is what our politicians wanted for a long time! They should be congratulated on having been able to penetrate in to the last bastion of true secularism of this country which so far thrived on the spirit of co-existence!!
The politicians cutting across the party lines fed the religious sentiments of common men so much so that today it has turned in to a monster, ready to gobble up anything and everything which comes in the way.
Our ‘respected’ leaders could not do away with reservation even after sixty years of Independence so that their vote bank does not migrate to the opposition camp. They couldn’t bring the single law system for all the citizens of India lest one or the other vote bank loses it’s faith in the party and thus causing the harm to the prospect of the party to come in to the power. They always tried to play safe and in the process divided the country socially if not geographically!
No, I wasn’t surprised at all at the turn of the events! It was something which was waiting to happen for a long time, thanks to our politicians and thanks to us who chose them!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Petty Politics
There has been a lot going around in the media and the political circles of north India and Maharashtra, courtesy Raj Thackeray and his brand of politics. There have been stories of a Bihari thrown out from the bus, A Bhaiyya lynched to death, a police encounter of a youth from Bihar who tried to hijack the bus. So on and so forth.
Yes, there is Raj Thackeray who has been ever bellicose, taking this ‘Non- Maharashtrian’ issue to a new abyss of Indian politics in an effort to garner political advantage. People from rural North India or should I say people of underdeveloped states, particularly from Bihar and UP are being seen as a threat by MNS(Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena) and are being targeted viciously.
This was a reason, good enough to make a person wonder about the concept called India where people of Indian nationality are free to go in any state and seek employment but what was even more surprising was the fact that it brought almost all the leaders of Bihar together to condemn the wrongs done to Biharis and UPites ,which even a national calamity like Kosi flood failed to do. It’s apropos to mention here that many of the flood victims are still living in makeshift tents.
The leaders were trying to over smart each other while expressing concern for the Biharis who had gone to Maharashtra in search of job and better life .Laluji talked big who ruled Bihar for about fifteen years, Nitish too wasn’t far behind with Ramvilas Paswan in tow.
It’s definitely a crime not to let people of other states come to a state which have more job opportunity in a country but is it any less a crime to rule a state for more than a decade and then leave it in a situation where people hardly find any job. There has been virtually nil development, be it in infrastructure, education, industries or employment.
Today Laluji boasts of his railway achievements but why didn’t he do something to uplift the life of Biharis when he was the Chief Minister of Bihar. Why he couldn’t create enough jobs for them? Before talking about their welfare in other states he should think what the reasons are and why people are leaving their own abode in search of better life and in some cases simply LIFE?
May be he didn’t have the time as he was busy in formulating the caste and religion equation in order to win the Assembly elections!
Raj is to be blamed for the present condition of Biharis but are the leaders of those states to be blamed any less? Give it a thought.
Yes, there is Raj Thackeray who has been ever bellicose, taking this ‘Non- Maharashtrian’ issue to a new abyss of Indian politics in an effort to garner political advantage. People from rural North India or should I say people of underdeveloped states, particularly from Bihar and UP are being seen as a threat by MNS(Maharashtra Nav Nirman Sena) and are being targeted viciously.
This was a reason, good enough to make a person wonder about the concept called India where people of Indian nationality are free to go in any state and seek employment but what was even more surprising was the fact that it brought almost all the leaders of Bihar together to condemn the wrongs done to Biharis and UPites ,which even a national calamity like Kosi flood failed to do. It’s apropos to mention here that many of the flood victims are still living in makeshift tents.
The leaders were trying to over smart each other while expressing concern for the Biharis who had gone to Maharashtra in search of job and better life .Laluji talked big who ruled Bihar for about fifteen years, Nitish too wasn’t far behind with Ramvilas Paswan in tow.
It’s definitely a crime not to let people of other states come to a state which have more job opportunity in a country but is it any less a crime to rule a state for more than a decade and then leave it in a situation where people hardly find any job. There has been virtually nil development, be it in infrastructure, education, industries or employment.
Today Laluji boasts of his railway achievements but why didn’t he do something to uplift the life of Biharis when he was the Chief Minister of Bihar. Why he couldn’t create enough jobs for them? Before talking about their welfare in other states he should think what the reasons are and why people are leaving their own abode in search of better life and in some cases simply LIFE?
May be he didn’t have the time as he was busy in formulating the caste and religion equation in order to win the Assembly elections!
Raj is to be blamed for the present condition of Biharis but are the leaders of those states to be blamed any less? Give it a thought.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Another Indian, another Booker Prize. ‘The White Tiger’ by Arvind Adiga has won the elite Booker prize this year.
Keeping aside the suspicion it has created –it is largely seen as an attempt of west to use the ‘The white tiger’ as a mirror to us Indians- I want to again come back to language issue and take it further from where I had left in my post, ‘Status of Hindi in contemporary India’.
It’s quite paradoxical that the Indian writers in English who write about India have their readership mostly in other countries and despite that they get better recognition and appreciation globally including India than their counterparts who write in their mother tongue.
Although these writers write about India but they have hardly any connection with the true India. I have my doubt if Adiga, who grew up in Australia and went to England and US Universities, had any soul connection with India. And they write about the pains and sufferings, the class divide and the widening social gap of this country and get the accolades in the form of ‘Booker Prize’!
What about the Indian writers who did so with true and self experiences and not as a tourist? There are dozen of books published in various Indian languages about the darker side of the Indian society and with much more authenticity. But I doubt if these books or their authors will ever shine like the ones who write about Indian disparity in English and go home with the Booker along with the rave reviews.
Keeping aside the suspicion it has created –it is largely seen as an attempt of west to use the ‘The white tiger’ as a mirror to us Indians- I want to again come back to language issue and take it further from where I had left in my post, ‘Status of Hindi in contemporary India’.
It’s quite paradoxical that the Indian writers in English who write about India have their readership mostly in other countries and despite that they get better recognition and appreciation globally including India than their counterparts who write in their mother tongue.
Although these writers write about India but they have hardly any connection with the true India. I have my doubt if Adiga, who grew up in Australia and went to England and US Universities, had any soul connection with India. And they write about the pains and sufferings, the class divide and the widening social gap of this country and get the accolades in the form of ‘Booker Prize’!
What about the Indian writers who did so with true and self experiences and not as a tourist? There are dozen of books published in various Indian languages about the darker side of the Indian society and with much more authenticity. But I doubt if these books or their authors will ever shine like the ones who write about Indian disparity in English and go home with the Booker along with the rave reviews.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The job security
Oh!how I secretly wished for my husband to leave his government job and go for that high flying, high paying job which his friends were lapping up! As I had opted to stay at home, and he being the bread winner, occasionally things did seem difficult but more or less it was a smooth running affair, barring a few times when I wished to shop without bothering about the price tag and have a cozy dinner at the best eating joint without looking at the price list and yes wished to go on that star cruise.
But this was all before September, before the melting down American economy engulfed almost the entire world in a chain reaction, before the pass outs from IIT, Kharagpur got a regret letter instead of joining letter from US companies (it happened for the first ever time in the history of IIT Kharagpur) before IIM students looked worried for their loans which they had taken for their education , before ‘pink slips’ became the norm in private sectors and when living out of credit card was fashion.
After September, the old government job which had lost it’s sheen to the shiny corporate sector regained its lost glory and my husband seemed to have the last laugh who always loved his defence job.
Although my wish list is still intact, I can at least go to bed without worrying about tomorrow, paying any EMI or how to pay the necessary bills .Every morning I get up with a sense of security for my family and this is much bigger than any wish I ever had.
But this was all before September, before the melting down American economy engulfed almost the entire world in a chain reaction, before the pass outs from IIT, Kharagpur got a regret letter instead of joining letter from US companies (it happened for the first ever time in the history of IIT Kharagpur) before IIM students looked worried for their loans which they had taken for their education , before ‘pink slips’ became the norm in private sectors and when living out of credit card was fashion.
After September, the old government job which had lost it’s sheen to the shiny corporate sector regained its lost glory and my husband seemed to have the last laugh who always loved his defence job.
Although my wish list is still intact, I can at least go to bed without worrying about tomorrow, paying any EMI or how to pay the necessary bills .Every morning I get up with a sense of security for my family and this is much bigger than any wish I ever had.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Gandhism
How does it feel to share ones birthday with as great a personality as Mahatma Gandhi? It may be a heady feeling and it may well be a responsibility also as I discovered soon after I reached an age of understanding my surroundings and perceiving the happenings with more clarity .Or may be there is something in that date(2nd October) itself which makes one behave in a particular fashion.
First time when I realized it, I was a seven years old, class two student. Usually, I was considered a good student by my teachers, both in academics and extra curricular .I always found books very fascinating but for one…yes I could never get myself to like Mathematics specially the tables. Nonetheless, I tried hard to get at least as much marks as was required to come in top three positions and more or less always managed to get as much. My final exam was approaching but this time it seemed to be going haywire and I got apprehensive and anxious about the Math paper and in my anxiety did something which I felt would help me score good marks. I wrote the tables on the back of my exam board! The question paper was distributed and everyone started writing the paper in silence. That day our Principal was in our classroom. I did the sums which I knew and then needed the help of that table written behind the board Meanwhile the Principal kept on taking his rounds .when I felt confident that I was out of his sight I slowly tried to turn the board.
“Any problem”?, reverberated the voice of the Principal .I looked up. He was standing overhead and his hand was advancing towards my exam board! I gathered all my guts and said, “Oh no, everything is fine…was just stabilizing the board.”
He looked in to my eyes…“I know, you can’t do anything wrong”, he said and left. I heaved a sigh of relief but the words he spoke kept drumming in my mind… “you can’t do anything wrong”…Yes, I left the sums which required me to refer to the table and came home. The result was announced after a few days. I stood second by a narrow margin but still felt like a winner. Surely I had overcome the temptation to cheat and it was enough a reason for me to feel like a conqueror!
It has been about twenty five years since then and even now when I am on the verge of committing anything which is considered not in sync with society norms or established virtues, a voice seems to echo somewhere, “you can’t do anything wrong ”!!!!
At times I have spoken the truth even at the cost of my own self-esteem and have suffered the embarrassment and awkwardness too but honestly it was nothing if compared to the contentment and gratification I felt afterward.
I may not fight for masses as Gandhi did but still feel a sense of accomplishment by simply standing by the truth…ALWAYS.
First time when I realized it, I was a seven years old, class two student. Usually, I was considered a good student by my teachers, both in academics and extra curricular .I always found books very fascinating but for one…yes I could never get myself to like Mathematics specially the tables. Nonetheless, I tried hard to get at least as much marks as was required to come in top three positions and more or less always managed to get as much. My final exam was approaching but this time it seemed to be going haywire and I got apprehensive and anxious about the Math paper and in my anxiety did something which I felt would help me score good marks. I wrote the tables on the back of my exam board! The question paper was distributed and everyone started writing the paper in silence. That day our Principal was in our classroom. I did the sums which I knew and then needed the help of that table written behind the board Meanwhile the Principal kept on taking his rounds .when I felt confident that I was out of his sight I slowly tried to turn the board.
“Any problem”?, reverberated the voice of the Principal .I looked up. He was standing overhead and his hand was advancing towards my exam board! I gathered all my guts and said, “Oh no, everything is fine…was just stabilizing the board.”
He looked in to my eyes…“I know, you can’t do anything wrong”, he said and left. I heaved a sigh of relief but the words he spoke kept drumming in my mind… “you can’t do anything wrong”…Yes, I left the sums which required me to refer to the table and came home. The result was announced after a few days. I stood second by a narrow margin but still felt like a winner. Surely I had overcome the temptation to cheat and it was enough a reason for me to feel like a conqueror!
It has been about twenty five years since then and even now when I am on the verge of committing anything which is considered not in sync with society norms or established virtues, a voice seems to echo somewhere, “you can’t do anything wrong ”!!!!
At times I have spoken the truth even at the cost of my own self-esteem and have suffered the embarrassment and awkwardness too but honestly it was nothing if compared to the contentment and gratification I felt afterward.
I may not fight for masses as Gandhi did but still feel a sense of accomplishment by simply standing by the truth…ALWAYS.
Friday, September 26, 2008
The status of Hindi in contemporary India
The ever burgeoning Hindi channels on Indian television, both in entertainment and news segment seem to consolidate Hindi's position as a preferred language but a close look and you know the reality! Just take a look at today's youth in metroes and cities and the truth will be far more than revealed. Even when they use Hindi for a change,its peppered with English words.
There was a time when a course in Hindi was a preferred subject at higher levels but its no longer so, where as English' growth towards north is manifest.
Its quite apropos to mention one incident...there is this friend of mine who, while discussing the school admission procedure ,recalled his school days and said with nonchalance or rather with a tone of pride that since he studied in convent he had difficulty in clearing the Hindi paper in the entrance test of the next school when his father was transferred. I have my doubts if that nonchalance would have existed at all had he failed in English!
And the trend is reflected not in educational Institutes only, its equally palpable in the other areas of activities. Now its being increasingly associated with distinguishing the class also. The higher the class,the more use of English.Even the literature is no longer an exception.Gone are the days when writers like Mahadevi Verma, Munshi Premchand, Maithili Sharan Gupt, JaiShankar prasad,Ramdhari Singh Dinkar influenced and introduced revolutionary thoughts in many generations. The house stocked with their books usually had a high status in society. Now its difficult to find a person from the upper crust of the society ,buying a Hindi Literary work . whether its a neighbourhood bookstore,a posh library or a railway platform bookstall, its the Salman Rushdis,Jhumpa Lahirihis, Vikram Chandras ,Anita Desais who are ruling the roost.Not that we did not have the writers in English earlier-who can forget the great R K Narayan and his creation Swami, Swami Vivekanand, Rabindranath Tagore or Mulkraj Anand-but Hindi was never sidelined like this.
Is it something to do with the evolving thought process of the educated urban young Indian population who after having been exposed to different cultures and sensibilities find it difficult to understand , appreciate or relate to the restricted thinking of the vernacular writers?
Although there are some who try to stablish the fact that Hindi is growing in popularity by giving the example of increasing readership of Hindi news paper but its simply the result of growing literacy rate in North India and that means the people in rural areas can read Hindi only and have no other option. By no means it can be taken as an indication of growing popularity of Hindi.
It does make one wonder what is there in store for Hindi? Will it ever be able to reclaim its lost glory?May be yes,if the language can broaden its views and its outlook.
There was a time when a course in Hindi was a preferred subject at higher levels but its no longer so, where as English' growth towards north is manifest.
Its quite apropos to mention one incident...there is this friend of mine who, while discussing the school admission procedure ,recalled his school days and said with nonchalance or rather with a tone of pride that since he studied in convent he had difficulty in clearing the Hindi paper in the entrance test of the next school when his father was transferred. I have my doubts if that nonchalance would have existed at all had he failed in English!
And the trend is reflected not in educational Institutes only, its equally palpable in the other areas of activities. Now its being increasingly associated with distinguishing the class also. The higher the class,the more use of English.Even the literature is no longer an exception.Gone are the days when writers like Mahadevi Verma, Munshi Premchand, Maithili Sharan Gupt, JaiShankar prasad,Ramdhari Singh Dinkar influenced and introduced revolutionary thoughts in many generations. The house stocked with their books usually had a high status in society. Now its difficult to find a person from the upper crust of the society ,buying a Hindi Literary work . whether its a neighbourhood bookstore,a posh library or a railway platform bookstall, its the Salman Rushdis,Jhumpa Lahirihis, Vikram Chandras ,Anita Desais who are ruling the roost.Not that we did not have the writers in English earlier-who can forget the great R K Narayan and his creation Swami, Swami Vivekanand, Rabindranath Tagore or Mulkraj Anand-but Hindi was never sidelined like this.
Is it something to do with the evolving thought process of the educated urban young Indian population who after having been exposed to different cultures and sensibilities find it difficult to understand , appreciate or relate to the restricted thinking of the vernacular writers?
Although there are some who try to stablish the fact that Hindi is growing in popularity by giving the example of increasing readership of Hindi news paper but its simply the result of growing literacy rate in North India and that means the people in rural areas can read Hindi only and have no other option. By no means it can be taken as an indication of growing popularity of Hindi.
It does make one wonder what is there in store for Hindi? Will it ever be able to reclaim its lost glory?May be yes,if the language can broaden its views and its outlook.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Oscar
Oh..Gowd...My net was down for the last three days and I am already feeling archaic in terms of news and happenings around...yeah the great old television is there but...nothing can match the instant and spontaneous nature of net and yes i did miss blogging!! By the way,got to know that apna India has been finally able to send a non controversial entry after three years-(hey don't you remember last time it was this -oops forgot..something to do with the royal secrets and guards)-to the Oscar in the guise of Taare Zameen par.Hope this time 'MR I DON'T CARE ABOUT AWARDS' gets the Oscar home.
Now since I am talking about this oscar thing...I thought about it for a while..is it really important for the Indian cinema to be recognized by a country and culture which hardly seem to understand ours and which seem to hold entirely a different perspective towards life ethos and culture!What is it that makes us crave for the recognition by them?
Quintessentially our movies are manifestations of life,colour, vigour and joy with our own interpretation of the same.It may seem incongruous to the Academy of American Motion Pictures but who cares?Yes there is no denying that technically they are far better than us but then as they say, recognizing ones weakness is one step ahead towards the goal.As far as content is concerned we too have movies like 'Do bigha zameen' ,' Ardh Satya' ,'bazaar' ,Dil chahata hai,rang de basanti,lagaan....bheja fry,khosla ka ghonsla....and the list goes on......So why are we fussing and palavering about getting that Oscar?In any case America has been fleeced out .Now may be they will have to find out producers for their films from third world countries..who knows?.Ha..ha..ha....But in any case.....I am waiting for the day when the movies from all over the world jostle for our very own Filmfare award in the foreign film category.Amen.....
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Why do we let go of certain values when we grow up?
Today my son's (he is seven years old) friend came home to play with him. They were playing and talking within my earshot. In between their usual chit chat there was this very unusual(for the grown up world) thing which caught my attention. My son was telling him about something which had happened three four days back but was not very clear about it so to he tried to give some reference to that event."arre jis din hamara jhagda hua tha" (the day we fought!).And here they were...sitting together again and chatting away to the glory!!
It made me wonder what it is that take away this quality from us when we grow up? Why do we become so polite that we no longer express our views with clarity.Why do we let our ever burgeoning ego come between us and our loved ones? Why do we let the pretense take over our personality? We seem to have lost our ability to argue without having the fear of losing respectability.We do not speak our mind specially if its against the mass held idea!We nurse our ego and let go our friendship......At times I do wonder if the very purpose of growing up has become redundant? Aren't the children better off than the grownups?
It made me wonder what it is that take away this quality from us when we grow up? Why do we become so polite that we no longer express our views with clarity.Why do we let our ever burgeoning ego come between us and our loved ones? Why do we let the pretense take over our personality? We seem to have lost our ability to argue without having the fear of losing respectability.We do not speak our mind specially if its against the mass held idea!We nurse our ego and let go our friendship......At times I do wonder if the very purpose of growing up has become redundant? Aren't the children better off than the grownups?
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
the relevance/ irrelevance of social networking sites
Finally I broke free...!!! Free of those so called social networking sites.Though I still am a member of one of the various social networking sites which float in the virtual world nonchalantly....most of the profiles I had created are non existent now...but not before it forced me to think why I had joined it at the first place and now why I am feeling a sense of near ecstasy after coming out of it? And seems the ordeal was not secluded to me only!According to a study by comScore Inc..the growth in new users of these site in North America is beginning to level off. Paradoxically this is the place where it all started!!!
There is no denying that these sites offer excellent platform to social as well as business networking but unfortunately, while the business networking through these sites may be rational and corroborative for the ones seeking business liasioning,it seems to be taking nowhere when it comes to pure social networking.
Apart from being prone to identity theft.....this well may be a platform where unsolicited friend requests keep popping up and if you do take the risk of checking the profile of those sending you the interest...be sure to be encountered( in most of the cases) by some porn video or something similar to that.
After studying various profiles(if its not set to 'private'),I felt that it was more to do with seeking solitude and doing things(in this case,expressing) in the safety of the vast audience of the virtual world,which generally can't be performed in a civilized society without losing the social respect and standing and yet be securely unrecognized.And it was not long before my thought got verified in the form of an invite from someone I knew(not)but obviously he was oblivious to who I was!Only when I wrote the message thanking him for the invite and conveying my regards for his wife,did he realize who I was!!He,who I had known as a person of worldly virtues(though this itself is debatable)was here with the kind of profile a teenager possess'. A happily married person with two teenage children was here for dating!!
Then there was this person who kept asking for 'friendship" despite innumerable denials and even after reporting 'abuse'. And these kinds of incidences left me wondering whether my profile was there for me or for those unwanted visitors?
Apart from these visitors I was feeling equally trapped by those omnipresent advertisements which seemed to galvanize my whole identity......With each use there was this palpable sense of being used as a commodity.
And more over,I started having the doubts about very purpose of these site.Do we really need these sort of things to stay connected with our near and dear ones? Will these sites ever be able to help us in nurturing and maintaining a good relationship with our immediate neighbours in the real world? Will it ever teach us that it is more important to know the people and environment surrounding you in the real world than knowing and developing that 'not so real ' relationship in that virtual world?
There is no denying that these sites offer excellent platform to social as well as business networking but unfortunately, while the business networking through these sites may be rational and corroborative for the ones seeking business liasioning,it seems to be taking nowhere when it comes to pure social networking.
Apart from being prone to identity theft.....this well may be a platform where unsolicited friend requests keep popping up and if you do take the risk of checking the profile of those sending you the interest...be sure to be encountered( in most of the cases) by some porn video or something similar to that.
After studying various profiles(if its not set to 'private'),I felt that it was more to do with seeking solitude and doing things(in this case,expressing) in the safety of the vast audience of the virtual world,which generally can't be performed in a civilized society without losing the social respect and standing and yet be securely unrecognized.And it was not long before my thought got verified in the form of an invite from someone I knew(not)but obviously he was oblivious to who I was!Only when I wrote the message thanking him for the invite and conveying my regards for his wife,did he realize who I was!!He,who I had known as a person of worldly virtues(though this itself is debatable)was here with the kind of profile a teenager possess'. A happily married person with two teenage children was here for dating!!
Then there was this person who kept asking for 'friendship" despite innumerable denials and even after reporting 'abuse'. And these kinds of incidences left me wondering whether my profile was there for me or for those unwanted visitors?
Apart from these visitors I was feeling equally trapped by those omnipresent advertisements which seemed to galvanize my whole identity......With each use there was this palpable sense of being used as a commodity.
And more over,I started having the doubts about very purpose of these site.Do we really need these sort of things to stay connected with our near and dear ones? Will these sites ever be able to help us in nurturing and maintaining a good relationship with our immediate neighbours in the real world? Will it ever teach us that it is more important to know the people and environment surrounding you in the real world than knowing and developing that 'not so real ' relationship in that virtual world?
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Are women really free?
When we talk about the freedom , liberty and equality for women...do we really mean it?Yes,indeed the basic and core meaning will remain empowering women with education,financial independence in order to provide them the aforementioned status and we are somewhat getting there but after that??The truth is, socially women are as oppressed as ever and the society in general and men men in particular hold the same inequitousness towards women!!!
Here I am talking about the so called upper crust of the society which we are made to believe is a place where women have more say and can roam around with much more surety and security than their counterparts in a lower rung society.
The other day I went with my son to a club for a social evening which was supposed to b a non formal family event. After playing two rounds of Tambola we went for the dance and while I was dancing my heart out with a friend of mine...this fellow came up and asked if i could dance with him...yeah...ok I know whats the big deal if he asked? I refused and thought the matter to be settled but to my utter surprise he kept popping up, asking the same thing, ofcourse adding something extra with every request.After a point I didn't even deigned to respond to his remarks!What was this and why?....because i was staying alone and dared to attend a social evening and entertain myself, dressed in that nice looking dress? And I knew that there have been instances where the so called male mentality has blamed the dressing sense of women for all the wrongs done to them(the women).I could not handle that anymore and returned home with the thought that next time I will go only when my husband is by my side.....!!!And came with that, the thought..am I really free ..am I really independent?At least at that point of time I didn't think so or may be we will have to redifine the meaning of freedom for women.
Here I am talking about the so called upper crust of the society which we are made to believe is a place where women have more say and can roam around with much more surety and security than their counterparts in a lower rung society.
The other day I went with my son to a club for a social evening which was supposed to b a non formal family event. After playing two rounds of Tambola we went for the dance and while I was dancing my heart out with a friend of mine...this fellow came up and asked if i could dance with him...yeah...ok I know whats the big deal if he asked? I refused and thought the matter to be settled but to my utter surprise he kept popping up, asking the same thing, ofcourse adding something extra with every request.After a point I didn't even deigned to respond to his remarks!What was this and why?....because i was staying alone and dared to attend a social evening and entertain myself, dressed in that nice looking dress? And I knew that there have been instances where the so called male mentality has blamed the dressing sense of women for all the wrongs done to them(the women).I could not handle that anymore and returned home with the thought that next time I will go only when my husband is by my side.....!!!And came with that, the thought..am I really free ..am I really independent?At least at that point of time I didn't think so or may be we will have to redifine the meaning of freedom for women.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Big Boss, season two is here and so are the innumerable reality shows. More and more channels are jumping the band wagon and not only that, starting a brand new entertainment channel with a reality show is quite in vogue.The dance shows..the shows based on singing, dus ka dum.. KBC....and the original versions of the same....what is it that take the TRPs of such shows northward?is it something to do with the human psyche that derives pleasure in watching the lives and their secrets so openly?
For instance,big boss,season two started with 1.5 TRP which can b called very impressive for a new channel..what was it that made so many watch that show..was it just the intensive advertising ,the participants or the hot and (in)famous host?Yes of course all these factors worked there, but the biggest of all was the format of that show which allowed a viewer to watch the day- today happening of the people on the show.The viewers have suddenly turned into visitors, peering through the bar to see the animals eating,sleeping,,yawning and fighting.The show is about generating conflict and then garnering the TRP.
There was a time when a 'Phool Khilein Hain Gulshan Gulshan' anda 'Chitrahaar' was good enough for us. But with time the channeles increased the no of programmes increased and so did the fight to get better TRP than the other.The line between News channel and and an entertainment channel blurred so much so ,that now its near impossible to tell them apart.
But is it entirely media created thing..or somewhere we ourselves are to be blamed for what we are getting in the name of entertainment and news?
For instance,big boss,season two started with 1.5 TRP which can b called very impressive for a new channel..what was it that made so many watch that show..was it just the intensive advertising ,the participants or the hot and (in)famous host?Yes of course all these factors worked there, but the biggest of all was the format of that show which allowed a viewer to watch the day- today happening of the people on the show.The viewers have suddenly turned into visitors, peering through the bar to see the animals eating,sleeping,,yawning and fighting.The show is about generating conflict and then garnering the TRP.
There was a time when a 'Phool Khilein Hain Gulshan Gulshan' anda 'Chitrahaar' was good enough for us. But with time the channeles increased the no of programmes increased and so did the fight to get better TRP than the other.The line between News channel and and an entertainment channel blurred so much so ,that now its near impossible to tell them apart.
But is it entirely media created thing..or somewhere we ourselves are to be blamed for what we are getting in the name of entertainment and news?
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
So...finally the sixth pay commission got the approval of the cabinet today and its being flashed on all news channels, some giving the catchy caption like..'sarkar ka tohfa'.But is it actually a tohfa,specially for the defense personnel?Will it prove to be enough to retain its middle rank officers ?I don't think so...it still is a better proposition for the middle rung officers to serve for twenty years (the pensionable limit)and then leave for greener pastures,greener than the olive green.... and justifiably so!
They serve in tough terrains,leaving their loved ones behind, almost 24 hours duty,continuous shifting and after the end of the day when they or their children try to find some materialistic pleasure like shopping or a vacation at a decent place,they find themselves window shopping and for vacations???If they are lucky the 'Sarkari guest house' will b ok or most of the time they try to make do with the shoddy accommodations which the organization provides unlike their civil counterparts who get to shop at the brand new mall and spend the vacation in luxurious hotels(whats the secret.....) .
With the corporate sectors doling out handsome salaries to their employees ,its no wonder then that the defense personnel would like to leave their present job and join something which commensurate their talent and intelligence.
They serve in tough terrains,leaving their loved ones behind, almost 24 hours duty,continuous shifting and after the end of the day when they or their children try to find some materialistic pleasure like shopping or a vacation at a decent place,they find themselves window shopping and for vacations???If they are lucky the 'Sarkari guest house' will b ok or most of the time they try to make do with the shoddy accommodations which the organization provides unlike their civil counterparts who get to shop at the brand new mall and spend the vacation in luxurious hotels(whats the secret.....) .
With the corporate sectors doling out handsome salaries to their employees ,its no wonder then that the defense personnel would like to leave their present job and join something which commensurate their talent and intelligence.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Yesterday it was the 'Prize Day ceremony' at my son's school and nothing could have depicted today's changing parental aspirations and the ever changing status of children being reduced to a commodity..something to show off to the neighbours, friends and relatives, in a better way!
in yesteryear...a child's achievement did bring the sense of pride to the family which mostly came for the assurance of the child following the correct path...that was hard work and proper values ,unlike today's scene, where the glory which a child gets in the form of that certificate or the shining brass cup is more about being able to make ur relatives and friends feel letdown by 'their' children!And more than the actual winning....its the sense of having 'better' children than your peers that makes one feel elated.Blogger: Its Life Honey - Edit Post "Yesterday it was the 'Prize Day ceremony' at my so..."
in yesteryear...a child's achievement did bring the sense of pride to the family which mostly came for the assurance of the child following the correct path...that was hard work and proper values ,unlike today's scene, where the glory which a child gets in the form of that certificate or the shining brass cup is more about being able to make ur relatives and friends feel letdown by 'their' children!And more than the actual winning....its the sense of having 'better' children than your peers that makes one feel elated.Blogger: Its Life Honey - Edit Post "Yesterday it was the 'Prize Day ceremony' at my so..."
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Was watching Ekta's Mahabharat on 9x..which was kind of watching a hybrid version of Chandraprakash Dwivedi's Chanakya...of course a shoddy adaptation and kyunki.......The makeup is somewhat like borrowed from Egyptian Kings...specially for Bheeshma and others seem to have found the hair curlers and steps even in that era!!
And Drama????....matching perfectly to the T with other Ekta soap operas. Dhritrashtra doesn't know that Pandu is going to be announced the king of Hastinapur till the time Bheeshma announces it formally in front of the entire kingdom!!! ".......the king of Hastinapur will be...(pause...while Dhritrashtra looks on expectantly).....Pandu.." The emotions followed is not different from one being already shown in umpteenth soap of Ekta's.
Seems that while creating that era 'Chanakya' was the role model but minus the research work and authenticity of the same or rather its better to say that the very fact that this Mahabharata has been compared to that masterpiece,should be a matter of pride for the entire team of Ekta.
Apart from the poorly etched out characters,sets and weird makeup ,its the cast which is an eyesore and the same time a comical relief. It felt pathetic to see a certain 'Mr Bajaj'who married,remarried,don't know how manytimes, playing the character of Bheeshma,the one who has vowed never to marry!!!!ha..ha...ha..Granted..they are actors and can play any role but there is a different sort of serenity in an Indian viewer's mind when he/she watches a mythological serial and definitely they cringe to see 'Mr Bajaj' playing the role of Bheeshma!
And Drama????....matching perfectly to the T with other Ekta soap operas. Dhritrashtra doesn't know that Pandu is going to be announced the king of Hastinapur till the time Bheeshma announces it formally in front of the entire kingdom!!! ".......the king of Hastinapur will be...(pause...while Dhritrashtra looks on expectantly).....Pandu.." The emotions followed is not different from one being already shown in umpteenth soap of Ekta's.
Seems that while creating that era 'Chanakya' was the role model but minus the research work and authenticity of the same or rather its better to say that the very fact that this Mahabharata has been compared to that masterpiece,should be a matter of pride for the entire team of Ekta.
Apart from the poorly etched out characters,sets and weird makeup ,its the cast which is an eyesore and the same time a comical relief. It felt pathetic to see a certain 'Mr Bajaj'who married,remarried,don't know how manytimes, playing the character of Bheeshma,the one who has vowed never to marry!!!!ha..ha...ha..Granted..they are actors and can play any role but there is a different sort of serenity in an Indian viewer's mind when he/she watches a mythological serial and definitely they cringe to see 'Mr Bajaj' playing the role of Bheeshma!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Today ..was reading Paul Coelho's 'Brida'.Though there was not much in terms of newness but definitely there was this very familiar 'Coelho' element which inspires one to be positive about the different perspective of life.
Also read an old issue of outlook magazine whose cover story was the changing values and equations of Indian families and how the parents are becoming a sort of alien in their children's lives and vice-versa.Despite being an old issue...it still is relevant.We indeed are forgetting how to be parent and seem to be more keen to maintain friendly relationship with our children in order to be at peace with whatever little time we are left with from a day's hectic schedule.when even the values are imported..here I recall an incident...a friend of mine had gone to Lebanon and met someone who didn't mind being naked infront of his daughter so that she does not react 'stupidily' upon seeing nude people on beaches and take it in her stride- things tend to become murkier.Thankfully that friend didn't follow the suit.
Also read an old issue of outlook magazine whose cover story was the changing values and equations of Indian families and how the parents are becoming a sort of alien in their children's lives and vice-versa.Despite being an old issue...it still is relevant.We indeed are forgetting how to be parent and seem to be more keen to maintain friendly relationship with our children in order to be at peace with whatever little time we are left with from a day's hectic schedule.when even the values are imported..here I recall an incident...a friend of mine had gone to Lebanon and met someone who didn't mind being naked infront of his daughter so that she does not react 'stupidily' upon seeing nude people on beaches and take it in her stride- things tend to become murkier.Thankfully that friend didn't follow the suit.
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