Maa da ladla bigad gay (a)..!! And is legal now..! Are we proud?

"Gay rights" is a sensitive topic and I wanted to write on this from a long time. But I was a little confused. Frankly I didn't know whether I completely support the scrapping of Article 377 or not. I admit that I supported the scrapping of the act because I was among those so-called "Modern People" who consider supporting anything that goes against the existing system. That system could be religion, politics or sexuality for that matter. A 22 year old, well educated and awakened citizen is expected to support everything that makes the society more free and open. Otherwise you are just an orthodox fundamentalist!

However, I wasn't sure about one thing-is homosexuality a mental disorder? Is it just a "state-of-mind" and can be treated? The reasons for such confusion were the opposing articles I had read and the counter arguments of the debates I had been a part of. I still wouldn't have known the answers to these questions but an article in TOI today has helped me make my final opinion on this issue.

Santosh Desai writes in his article titled "Fear of unnatural lurks in all of us" that-"Cultural institutions seek to modify natural intent in ways that are deemed beneficial to the majority of the human race. To argue for heterosexuality on grounds of naturalness is therefore strange, for culture almost by definition seeks to control what is natural. Culture routinely uses the body in ways not intended by nature. If we were meant to wear ear-rings, we should have been born with pierced earlobes, for instance. And certainly, nature did not mean for us to wear clothes; that is an act of culture alone. All technology, in any case, works single-mindedly towards improving the natural. We do not accept that humans were meant to travel only as fast as their legs can take them simply because that is the nature of our physical equipment, so why should we argue in this case?"

I agree with this gentleman. Those who oppose homosexuality are actually scared of it. They are the ones who are scared of everything that threatens to challenge the age-old practices of the society. They are simply terrified by CHANGE. They oppose the Women Reservation Bill, they attack the girls going to the pub, they oppose Valentines Day, they order the girls not to wear jeans and any western clothes and they question reality TV shows in which the anchor asks embarrassing questions from personal lives of the contestants. They are the self proclaimed flag bearers of the Indian Culture and can create chaos in the name to save it! "They" are not restricted to a particular region, religion or political party. "They" are omnipresent and are in power. If they oppose homosexuality as unnatural then why not oppose artificial insemination, artificial sperms, contraceptives, fertility clinics, cloning etc? Are they natural?

I see a lot of benefits in identifying gays as a part of the society. It will make them come out of the closet. It will end the years of pain, anguish and embarrassment they have faced due to the orthodox laws. Our constitution owes an apology to eunuchs already for making them miserable and not recognizing them as normal citizens with equal rights. It should not do the same with the homosexuals. The legal battle of homosexuals is out in open and in full public view. This will help the eunuchs too to wage a battle for their rights. This is an area where homosexuals have advantage over other less privileged people like the eunuchs. Gays have the support of some famous personalities and some famous people are gays too! It helps in getting attention a movement needs to reach the bedrooms of the common man. In the hindsight, a very big advantage of legalizing homosexual relations would be increased number of adoptions. Hundreds of orphans in India need a place which they can call "HOME". Since gays cannot reproduce, they need to adopt. If homosexuality becomes legal then adoption by gay couples will become easier and a lot of orphan babies may get parents, of a little different kind, but I guess they would settle for it!

Gays may win the battle legally but they have a war to win ahead. That is social acceptance. Our society has not accepted disorder of any kind easily and happily, be it mental, physical or sexual. Sex is a taboo topic in most household anyways. There are people who still consider mentally challenged or handicapped people as cursed and outcastes. How many of us use the phrase "Special Children" in place of the R-word? Very few, isn't it!

It's time to make a change-a change in society and a change in our constitution.

For some of us, it's time to be "Gay and Proud of It"!

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In fond memory of the Indian cricket team… the alleged world beaters!!! R.I.P.

Nice to be back to my blog after a forced sabbatical.

So the World T-20 is over and the Indian team is back to ground or rather "Ground Zero". All the predictions by the retired cricketers turned gurus were proved wrong and Indian team's sprit prevailed.

You know its simple. Until and unless they go as the "UNDERDOGS" or "DARKHORSES" they will not win. The moment you make them the favorites, they are clean bowled. That's one F-word that scares the hell out of them! The journos just need to flip through a few pages of history of Indian cricket and they would know the ever eluding secret of Indian team's success!

1983 world cup – underdogs- WON

1987 world cup-host nation, favorites, still termed the best team ever to go in a world cup - LOST

1996 world cup-host nation again, favorites again - LOST again

2001 home test series against the Aussies- no chances of winning against world record holding Steven Waugh's team- HISTORIC VICTORY

2003 world cup- worst form before the world cup – FINALISTS

2007 world cup- won every match before this on every surface against all opponents, so favorites again- KNOCKED OUT in the first round

2007 T-20 world cup- new captain, new controversies, ghost of F-50 world cup still haunting, seniors-junior issue etc - WON miraculously

So instead of bashing the team after a debacle, we should probably deride them ahead of an important series or tournament and we can see miracles! Label the Ireland team stronger in a T-20 match, question the abilities of Dhoni to swing a bat at the beginning and we may actually see them beating South Africa by 10 wickets as the tournament progresses! What we need is a collective effort by the media, fans and most importantly ex-cricketers. These jobless jerks have absolutely no knowledge of contemporary cricket so they can easily be made to speak anything….just pay them well and give them the footage. If cricket is a religion, then this is a very small sacrifice towards attaining glory.

So next time if you see a news channel or a news paper piling heaps of praise for the team, don't bother to subscribe Star Cricket!

Fact-file T-20:

1. The team is blaming Duckworth-Lewis rule for the loss….because they didn't even get a single chance to use it to escape defeat! Now that is bad luck!
   
2. Dhoni relied on Mathew Hayden to perform, only forgetting one little thing…..this was not IPL!
   
3. Gary Kirsten no longer has hair to lose over the loss.
   
4. Question- why did Dhoni fail as a captain?
   

   Answer - because he was busy Facebooking on his Aircel Phone…now whose fault is that? Obviously facebook yar!
   

5. Ravindra Jadeja is a pinch hitter- he made people pinch themselves to believe that he is batting in a T-20 match.
   

   
    

6. Deepkia Padukone came, she saw and…distracted Yuvi!
   
7. Dhoni no longer needs a fancy phone to use Facebook…he can do it from the pavilion where he spends most of his time these days!
   
8. Sehvag refuses to "Shoulder" any responsibility for this loss!
   
9. 
   Question- why did Dhoni cancel training sessions before the India-England tie?
   

   Answer- he thought running with Bipasha on road was enough!
   

   
    

10. The Indian team has truly hit rock bottom- they let Sidebottom scare them!
    
11. Question-why did Indian players perform so well in IPL?
    

    Answer- because they never fail when it comes to catching money!
    

    
     

    
     

    
     

    
     

    
     

    
     

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It’s a beautiful world…..or is it??

Channels like MTV, VTV, ZOOM etc make you believe that it's a beautiful world out there and nobody in this world is ugly! Or at least if you are not dazzlingly beautiful you can't be on the tube.

The other day I was surfing through channels and I saw a group of "drop-dead-gorgeous" girls, scantily but stylishly dressed and doing some idiotic "task". It was the (in)famous reality show Splitsvilla. Just after it got over, another show started The Fast and the Gorgeous. I have no clue what these shows are about but they both (and a lot many shows on these channels) have one thing in common.. "drop-dead-gorgeous" girls, scantily but stylishly dressed. On an ordinary day, it was a great time pass to see gorgeous girls fighting, back-bitching, plotting, scheming etc. But it was not an ordinary day. It was one of those days when all news channels were swarmed my racial attacks in Australia. Whole country seemed united, all looked offended and all wanted (or pretended) to make a change! Quite unlike India! Comparing both the incidents, a very interesting thought came in my mind which I would like to share.

Why don't you ever see an ordinary looking, little dark or a South Indian girl (or boy) on these REALITY SHOWS?

Why do all the girls and boys who participate or, as they make us think, QUALIFY, for all these shows, are extremely attractive. Why the looks are so important?

I understand if a VJ is good looking because its showbiz and its only the looks that matter. So I can make out a Nikhil Chinnapa or a Malaika Arora being part of these shows, but why only a Palak or a Bani make headlines? I especially feel bad for the people who are a little dark in complexion. You can be brilliant, even great at all the tasks etc but still you wouldn't get a chance to be on these shows and win a fortune. And if you can't wear skimpy clothes, you have absolutely no chance! Your ability to expose may cover for your color a bit, you know!

India is probably one of the most prejudiced and racial country. I am a north Indian who has spent 4 years in probably one of the most cross cultural university of India. I have seen prejudices from close quarters. Indians have an undying fixation for fair skin! India is one of the few countries in the world where Fair and Lovely can claim to make a dark skinned girl "fair and beaming with confidence" in 7 days. In USA you would prosecuted with charges of racism for such a campaign. We all must have felt in our daily lives, at some place or the other, that the goris and firangs are treated specially. Why is such a discrimination so common? It's not the lack of education etc, which by the way is the best excuse for everything in India, because MTV is not for that class of people. Its for a target niche audience which is college going youth. They are all well educated and highly prejudiced.

Is it not a kind of racism? Is a country like this deserves to complain when there are "so called" racial attacks on its Diaspora? (before you raise a finger on my "so called racial attacks ", I must confess one thing, that I don't think these attacks are racially motivated…I believe they are recession motivated ). Why does everything has to be so beautiful and tailored? Why can't we accept simplicity and mediocre looks? You can agitate and condemn attacks Down Under but you still want to see only fair pretty girls on TV!

What a pity….

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A myth broken…a truth realized…an era ended…now turn the page!

All my friends with strong political opinions, who have visited and commented on my blog regularly, will be disappointed by this one. NOTHING POLITICAL ABOUT THIS ONE. In spite of the emphatic victory of the UPA in the general elections, I choose to write on something personal.

Last fortnight has been rather a strange one for me. I have felt everything…..joy, sadness, nostalgia, boredom etc…and I can quite honestly say that the last 15 days have taught me a lot of lessons…

LESSON 1-A MYTH BROKEN-night of May 9, 2009.

As rest of the VITians, my college life also ended recently. I was very busy with my review and thesis work for the last few weeks. Thanks to my inability to plan my experiments, I was working till Tuesday (May 12) when my review was scheduled on Saturday (May 16). In the meantime, some friends started to leave.

It was May 9, 2009. 2 of our very close friends were leaving in late night. We were a group of 7 from the first day of our college. As the years went by, we all had our shares of fights and fall outs. But still there was a certain sense of bonding that kept us together. Aditya Patel and Arpit Mittal were an integral part of that group and they chose the same day to leave leaving our group with a double void. It was all going great, quite manly, some would say. No tears..no sentiaps… just remembering the good old days , TASMAC, Pondicherry, crushes, Girls, Booze etc... Filling out customary diaries and signing the T-shirts… nothing overwhelming.

You know boys don't cry. The only occasions when boys cry is their sister's wedding (not considering some unfortunate tragedies, of course), that too in the end, hiding and wiping off the tears as fast as possible. We try to be as much macho as we can. I don't know what lead to this practice but crying man (or boys) are not considered manly enough. However, that night was an exception.

It was all good till we were in hostel. Then we started to move out. Arpit felt a little lump in his throat, which I noticed, but thanks to our loud group, it went almost unnoticed. As we started walking we came quieter. There were very few words exchanged..still no tears..men don't cry…

The taxi arrived and we started to arrange the luggage…a strange silence surrounded us…then something happened…arpit hugged Chandan, the two have been the worst companions ever…fighting like animals…back bitching and all that…they had a big bad fight everyday..even on the last day, and Chandan started crying..it was sudden, as if he was unplugged, as if all his emotions were held back by a dam and suddenly someone opened the gates…arpit started soon after…I was still tearless. Quite honestly I was amazed and didn't know how to react. I looked up to Naveen. He is a huge guy and not at all famous for his emotions. He was off, totally. He couldn't hold back and joined a group hug. That's when I realized I had tears too. Honestly, I was crying after 4 years….the last time I cried was my sister's wedding!!!!!! (no guesses there I think!). Strangely, it felt good. Boys don't cry..OK!!! but boys can cry…that's when I realized how much all these , and probably me, were holding back. All that time in hostel , while doing all the customary stuff, we were holding our tears back…just a failed attempt to be , you know…manly!!!!

Some more people left. My best friend Rohit Kalla left on 15, Naveen left on 16 and there were many more. But there was no more crying business. However, I decided not to hold back any more. There were many like me who didn't realize this aspect of their personality in years! College life does teach you strange things, ain't it?

Lesson learnt-don't hold back…show it off…don't overdo it..but definitely don't hide it…IT IS OK…ITS HUMAN NATURE….

LESSON 2-A TRUTH REALIZED-night of May 17, 2009.

It was my second last night in VIT. I was busy like hell. Review was over and screwed. Who cares? We were GRADUATES!!

I went to Udayan's room for some work after dinner. That's one thing we enjoyed in last few days…the free movement in hostels. We were all nostalgic after Rohit and Naveen left. And when 2 emotional fools are in company, it magnifies. We started talking of the past and soon we both became quite vulnerable and called up our mentor-Rishi Bhaiya. Rishi bhai is our senior and a very good friend. I call him our mentor because he introduced us to a club so dear to both of us, taught us a lot of things (many of which can't be revealed!! J) and always behaved like a big brother. We called him and told how tough this time is for us. He was cool as ever. Told us some routine stuff and cheered us. Most importantly he made us realize that not only we would be over this phase, but we ll also learn to be apart from each other. And then, if God is kind to us, we get a chance to catch up again, we can relive the old magic. May be this separation from people we have been with 24x7 for the past 4 years, is necessary for our growth as individuals. Next time we meet we would have a lot to share, some experience and hopefully some equally great work stories! Being apart would mean living more independently and may be in a better way.

There was nothing new he told us. It's the same stuff what mothers told you when you didn't want to come back from grandma's house after summer vacation! But it was the timing or the way he told us that it struck the right chord. Me and Udayan just looked at each other, shook hands and I left. On my way back to my hostel, I was thinking about MS in USA, Stony Brook vs Rutgers, Gati courier etc…nothing of the past…every trivial thing of the future…THE RISHI MAGIC WORKED…

Next day, 3 more friends, who have been such an integral part for my college life, Richoo, Pankaj and Ramya, left. The tears were back for a while but the words of Rishi bhaiya rung in my ears…

Lesson learnt-there will be a tomorrow and it would be bigger, better, brighter and full of joy..WE WILL MEET AGAIN!

LESSON 3-AN ERA ENDED- May 19, 2009

All said and done, we were still leaving the place we loved to hate for four years.

Everyone was gone except Udayan, Padhee (no first name required!!), Akshat ,Ram,Shashank and Kamlesh. I was leaving at 12.45 pm. Udayan and Padhee came to my room in morning itself, as every second we spent together was a treasured one now. We had waited for each other a lot of times…in mess, outside H block, at the "juice" shop…10-15 minutes never seemed so important. Had we known that we would die for even a minute together now, we would have been careful before! Anyways there was a lot of nostalgia, a lot of topics never discussed before, a lot of stories and, of course, a lot of photos clicked. We even clicked a photo of the empty corridor, so as to remember these last few crazy days as well!

There were a lot of people leaving that day…so a lot of common friends. Hence, a lot of goodbyes and hugs. As I was about to board the train, Padhee broke lose. This time it was my turn to open the barrage gates…the gates I preferred to remain closed…the gates I never wanted to open..a side I never wanted to unleash…but couldn't resist an ever smiling Padhee crying. We hugged and cried for long…Naveen (yes he came back..good story!) and Udayan joined us…there is no better feeling to be seen off by our best friends at the station…it makes you feel that there are people who care, there are people who miss you and there are people who want to see you again. The train moved and VIT was left behind..a place we loved to hate….

Lesson learnt-
There is no better feeling to be seen off by our best friends at the station…it makes you feel that there are people who care, there are people who miss you and there are people who want to see you again.

LESSON 4-TURN THE PAGE- May 25, 2009

Boredom is one word that describes my stay at home. I was not doing anything…not even blogging.

Today, I decided to go out. After 3 days of absolute boredom and joblessness at home, I decided to catch up with old school friends. We went out, enjoyed and had a great time. There was no guilty of not missing a Rohit or a Udayan or a Padhee…there was a Gaurav, a Aditya and a Sethi…

Prateek Mathur was back!

Lesson learnt-the fun would remain the same, same old jokes, same old PJs, same old everything….characters would change..yesterday was an Udayan…today is an Aditya and there will be someone tomorrow as well..!!!

Looking ahead doesn't mean forgetting the past…05BBT215 would always be treasured…!!

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Why Do We Need Stars in Politics?

Sanjay Dutt is in trouble again, this time for blurting out his famous filmy dialogues in an election rally. Apparently giving a jaadu ki jhappi and a puppy to Ms Mayawati is violation of Model Code of Conduct. A case has been booked against him (may be his 100^th case that includes TADA, Arms Act, Relations with Underworld etc., in a strange way he had been practicing to enter politics from a long time and now he has attained perfection! ). May be in the topsy-turvydom of elections this will be forgotten but it does arise a very important question-why do we need a stars in politics? Or rather, why should someone vote for an actor just because in his heydays he did some movies with a social message and uttered some masala dialogues? Should that be the only reason to vote?

There are many successful actor-turned politicians down south like the legendary MGR who, till date, remains a phenomenon and, even after 22 years of his death, rules the Tamil Nadu political scene in the most spectacular way. Then there is M.Karunanidhi and J.Jayalalitha, the most prominent faces of Tamil Nadu politics, between whom, the power remains alternating. But up North there are hardly any actors who have contributed significantly to nation's politics or carved a place for themselves. It's the manner these actors approach politics that baffles me. For most of them, it's a career after they reach a stage when nobody cares about them in the tinsel-town. It's a place where they can exploit their looks, stardom, utter dialogues from hit movies which obviously are written by others and has nothing to do with ideology or even understanding the nuances of politics. It's a win-win situation for both the party and the actor as the former gets the crowd for its rallies and the latter gets a career. The very essence of politics is lost. They are mostly puppets, and sadly they are famous puppets.

This year we have many new celebrities in the fray, Sanjay Dutt (not as candidate), Shekhar Suman, Md. Azharuddin etc. The most famous and controversial is, obviously, Sanjay Dutt. With all his pending cases and rebel against his father's party and against his sisters, who stood by him in all his testing times, he definitely made it to the headlines. But let's forget about all that and let's assume that SC allowed him to be a valid candidate. Then? Was he a fit candidate? Is he guy with a political opinion? (Ideology would too much asking for!). Isn't he one of those people who could have joined any party which would have guaranteed him a ticket? Recently he was campaigning for a LJP candidate which is SP's ally. In the rally he forgot the name of the candidate he was campaigning
for and asked his name from a SP guy on the mike….guess who was the candidate? Ram Vilas Paswan…the President of LJP!!! What do you expect of these demigods? I have got nothing personal against him, but these are the things you associate with any star in politics. Replace him with Shekhar Suman and you would be asking the same questions again!

One thing that attracts people towards stars, apart from stardom, is that they are expected to be less corrupt and I totally agree with that. No star would normally be involved in a scam or any other criminal activity for sure. J. Jayalalitha being an exception of course, but it was probably politics that made her corrupt! But they are not taken seriously by their parties also. Barring, Shatrughan Sinha as Health Minister in NDA government, no film star has ever been given a significant post. They are just used as poster boys. They are not sincere in their work also. Take examples of 2 superstars who made their political debut in 2004 elections, Dharamendra and Govinda. The former has almost nil attendance in LS and has not visited his constituency Bikaner more than twice in 5 years while the latter has never raised a question in LS and of course his attendance is nil too. So why do we need them? Isn't it wastage of electoral process and an invaluable LS seat?

I normally criticize the politics or politicians, but this post is for all those who are enamoured by the star power of people from film or cricket fraternities. They are wasting a Vote, a Seat, Crores of Tax-Payer's money and , most importantly, they are wasting a chance to make an useful contribution to the nation.

Please think before you vote!

 

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Administratium!!

I have always maintained the fact that reading The Sunday Times is one of the best things I do in the entire week. It's so full of articles and editorials that you want to read each and every bit of it. One of the most interesting columns is the "Open Space" where people ask questions and then other people, who are not from the Times, reply via email or letters. So today, again on a typically sleepy, lazy and incredibly hot Vellore Sunday afternoon I was reading the Open Space column where I came across a very interesting question " What is Administratium?". Somebody answered it which I want to share with all of you…

It is a spoof on administration. Its official definition: Administratium is the heaviest element known to science and was recently discovered at a major US university. The element has no protons or electrons and thus, has the atomic number 0. However, it does have one neutron, 125 assistant neutrons, 75 vice-neutrons and 111 assistant vice-neutrons, which gives it an atomic mass of 312. These 312 particles are held together by a force that involves the continuous exchange of meson-like particles called morons. Since it has no electrons, administratium is inert. However, it can be detected chemically as it impedes every reaction it comes in contact with.

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Politics of the K-word and the magic of “GANDHI”!

Before I start, this is going to be my most controversial post so far… I hope to live after that…however, I don't know that I will or I won't!!

This is one of those days when you lose all your faith and all your beliefs are questioned. This is also the time when you feel that a 80 year old politician on death bed is much better than a venomous 29 year old as nature would help you to get rid of the former but you may have to live to see the latter rise to power for the next 50 years (at least…u know they all live a lot more than they deserve!)

What is this time? This is the time of Shri Varun Gandhi's claim to fame…through a tried, tested and safe "Short Cut"!

Political rallies and bhashans (debate is asking for too much from Indian politicians) have always been filled with scathing attacks on others. But there is a difference between a MP aspirant and a fundamentalist demagogue…there is a line…which was not crossed by most of our National politicians till now, till the verbal diarrhea of Varun Gandhi. When the line was crossed there was no stopping, he went on and on. There were promises made to kill the Muslims if elected to power and, quite foolishly, how Muslims names are scary! But the ultimate blow was the use of the K-word…

The K-word is the religionist counterpart of the racist N-word of USA, nobody uses it, even in the most intense and ugly debates. It may be a political obligation or just general courtesy. People, who use it, are effectively ostracized. It is a clear breach of decency, commenting on someone's private part which is related to his religion! Are you kidding me man! But its India folks, nothing happens. NOTHING AT ALL HAPPENS.

WHY??

It's the Gandhi effect. Someone who belongs to the first family of Indian politics, though only by last name, is free to say or do anything. The Gandhi magic works till date. He is above the Election Commission and definitely way beyond the fundamentals of Democracy. This man can be the PM of India some day, just because of his last name. He is the trump card to nullify the effect of another Gandhi who happens to be his cousin. Jai Ho!!

His party didn't even feel to distance itself from him. On the other hand they came out in full support and claimed it was all doctored. It was not doctored; it was indeed what the Doctor ordered. BJP needs these kinds of political dramas to keep itself in news and to remind its vote bank that it's there for them. In the time when Recession or Terrorism or Foreign Policy should be electoral issues, BJP sticks religiously to religion. It is an issue that is always in vogue. They shoot to power in 1998 because they promised a solution to the Temple issue…where is that? It's still controversial and after Godhra -2002, it has become murkier. They are promising the same thing again and I can bet they will not build it this time also. You know why? Apart from the fact that they don't have the guts to do anything real (a trait that transcends all political barriers), they know this is not the last election. If they build it this time than what will they promise next time and all the times after that…???

The politics of the K-word doesn't end here. Hindu fundamentalists argue that they use it, because Muslims use another K-word for them. That word is kafir, which is not as offensive as its Hindu counterpart. What a strange competition, who uses more slangs and who insults the other religion more! Kudos !

However this is not the scariest part of the whole scenario. The scariest part is that it comes from a person who belongs to a well-to-do family, has not suffered anything other than inevitable personal tragedies and who is just 29 years of age. And yes he is literate too. I can't call him educated because this is not what educated people do. If I call him educated, I am happy to be called an illiterate roadside pebble who at least has an opinion of himself and doesn't speak what his party elders ask him to. These youngsters will bring a change? God help India!

And yes, just for the record, I am a Hindu too, but I am ashamed to be called one today just as I was ashamed after 1992 –Ayodhya, 2002- Godhra and 2008- Orissa…I don't know how many times my religion would be ashamed and my beliefs questioned by the people who actually claim to be the flag bearers of Hinduism.

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FROST/NIXON….AN INDIAN POLITICAL DREAM..!

I am not a very big fan of movies that create a stir in the Oscars. They are, well, in general, boring (a term often used by youth like me for MEANINGFUL movies!!). But, this year, Frost/Nixon was an exception. Not that it was a technically superior movie like The Dark Knight, but the fact it showed the most serious political crisis USA has ever faced with so much clarity and aplomb, is exemplary. The movie made me think that can a journalist ever nail a politician like this in India? And more importantly can you ever see regretful expression on an Indian politician?

Search your GK books, Newspapers and of course You Tube videos, and recall one incident when an Indian politician confessed his crime in public and sought redemption. They are always so proud and upbeat about their criminal "Achievements" that a confession seems like a distant dream. Nixon was a big political failure. He, much like George W. Bush, faced a lot of criticism at home and in the rest of the world for imposing the Vietnam War on USA. But the Watergate incident proved the last nail in his political career and he had to resign. After his resignation he was pardoned for all his felonies by his successor. Under normal, or Indian, circumstances this could have been a dream come true for him and before you could realize, he would have been in active politics again! But here was a guy who still stood by of what he did and even though he wanted to make a comeback, he wanted to come off all clean, not judicially but in the eyes of fellow Americans. When Frost made him realize the gravity of his crime he was full of sorrow. He felt that he let his country and the whole political system down. More importantly he realized he let so many young Americans down, who would now not enter politics, thinking it's so corrupt. I am not trying to portray him as a Fallen Hero but it is this ruefulness that I find so missing from Indian Politics. There are 125 MPs in the current Parliament with criminal charges. And what is being done? There are cases from 1992 which are still pending and the accused are running the country. They claim public support. Who are the people supporting them? How many voters are actually aware that the "Neta" from their constituency is accused of grave criminal charges like mass murder, rioting and, worst of all, rape? Nixon's deeds were actually nothing as compared to these people.

When does a person confess? When, in that particular moment, he realizes that he has reached his lowest point. Indian politicians are so abysmal that it would take those a million years to reach their personal lows.

Let's see it from the point of view of journalism. Indian media,(I only refer to the print media as electronic media is just news hungry and meaningless), is quite unbiased. Lately, one can see the urge in the media to prove itself The Fifth Pillar of democracy. There are campaigns to highlight the importance of voting and the participation of youth in politics ("I Swear" campaign by The Times of India shows promise). The other campaigns like "Jago Re", "The Consortium of Pub Going Loose and Forward Women "and the idea of "Negative Voting" is getting a lot more print space then they used to. But does any one journalist or a newspaper or a TV channel has the courage like David Frost to confront a politician in public where you question him only about his wrong doings giving him no respite? Let's bring the worst out of them in full view of people who matter, at least in every five years! But it cannot be done. How long would that journo live or that newspaper would run after that? What happened to "Tehelka.com" is a very good example. A brave attempt reached its grave in no time!

It's rather easy to finish an article with a ray of hope and clichés like silver lining of the cloud or the night is darkest just before the dawn etc. But sadly there isn't any hope, or at least yours truly can't see it. Till then let's just pray that Frost/Nixon's DVDs reach our politicians and media persons before the polls and they decide for themselves.

Amen!

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Censor me if u can!

Well I am hurt today…really badly hurt. The Supreme Court of India feels that bloggers like you and me may face libel, even prosecution for voicing our views online. This was the one thing every Indian felt was on their side…the Judiciary. Sure it was slow and justice was delayed…but still it was not denied. The monumental role of Judiciary in cases like that of Jessica Lal, Sanjay Dutt, Nithari Killings etc gave us hope that at least one pillar of democracy is intact and is unaffected by the rust of time. We learnt how to live with corruption, nepotism, unstable coalitions, shouting and cursing MPs and MLAs and even made our peace with the stagnant state of affairs where nothing changes. The word CHANGE that re-wrote American history brings goose bumps to our "respected" politicians. (I am a scared Blogger now you know) But the SC can't do that to us. How can you take away the fundamental right of speech from a country of billions?

It all started when a blogger named Ajith D ,who is just 19 years of age, created a community on a social networking site which had many anonymous comments about a radical Hindu political party (I know the name…but still scared you know!) and how it is trying to divide the country. Note that it was an online community, not a BLOG. The party's Youth Wing (average age must have been 45 for this wing…that's pretty young in Indian Politics…damn I did it again…I am better off scared!) filed a complaint against Ajith and then SC came up with this point of view. The most astonishing part of this case, according to me, is that the comments were anonymous. How can you blame a person for the comments made on his community/blog by others? He just started a thread and people responded. If the idea was so ridiculous that it would hurt people's sentiments (as the SC described it) then why would people support it? An important point is that a blogger cannot be an uneducated or a person who could be easily molded. He is got to be a well educated, at least a middle class, intelligent guy who knows what he is doing. So instead of shutting him up in name of "Public Sentiments" shouldn't he be heard? Shouldn't he be asked why he has so strong views that he felt a need to form a community for similar-minded people? Or if that's a distant dream in a severely paralyzed democracy, at least let him speak his mind out!

What can we interpret from this? Are we not free to speak anymore? Or do we have to follow a particular code of conduct while expressing your views? Hilariously though, our expression would still be "FREE" and country still a "DEMOCRATIC". Why isn't a code of conduct for our MPs? Why does a 80 year old Mr.Somnath Chatterji has to shout at 500 odd 70 year olds to keep quiet and maintain decorum? Is it not pseudo Talibanisation? Is it not giving up in front of the radical fundamentalist goondas?

There have been landmark cases which change the course of any country's judiciary and people's mentality. Remember the "Kiranjeet Ahluwalia" case in England (on which Provoked was made)? It changed the meaning of the word Provocation in England's law books forever. May be the Ajith case would change the meaning of the phrase "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION" in India's Constitution forever. For better or for the worse, time would tell. Till then we would be Rebels. We would be "Politically Incorrect" till a law stops us being so!

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26/11…It's Still Fresh in My Mind- THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER…

It's a general trait of Indian masses - or why differentiate on the basis of class - t's a general trait of Indian people that they have a very weak memory; Especially of the events that shook them the worst and the rest of the world. I know it's sounds sarcastic but it is the truth, a bitter one though.
Ask an American about September 11 and they would tell you every single detail of that fateful day. But ask any Indian about such an attack….he would be able to tell you what he was doing at the time of the attack or how his neighbor's uncle's daughter's husband escaped the attack miraculously but he won't be able to tell you the date. ( I could have used son-in law but just for the message to be conveyed you know!). You don't trust me? After you finish this ask anyone whose city has been under such terror attacks, you would be depressed. Not because of the intricate details and the sheer impact that attack had on that person, but because of the lack of knowledge and especially the date of the attack.
Dates are important. It reminds us how heinous that act was and more importantly how our life would have been if that day wouldn't be in our lives. What September 11 did to Americans was that it made a narcissist nation aware of the world happenings. It taught them that even a sleepy Afghanistan can make them lose their Wall Street powered sleep forever. The attack on Mumbai on November 26, 2008 (yes, even year deserves a mention) changed the apathetic Indian scenario a little bit. People are now aware of the NSG and how dirty can Indian politics be. (they touched a new low…but more on that later). The spirit of Mumbai was acclaimed worldwide to stand up to such gruesome attacks and recover in no time. But at some level, I feel we should not recover. Being attacked and recovered is more like being challenged and lose.
Today I want to post a poem by noted Bollywood lyricist Prasoon Joshi (Rang De Basanti fame) after the attacks. This appeared on Times Now channel and literally brought tears in my eyes. I want you all to have a look and vow that we will never forget 26-11-2008 for the rest of our lives.

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

A MOTHER CARESSING HER DEAD SON'S FOREHEAD AND PREPARING HIM PRE-MATURELY FOR HIS FINAL DESTIANTION…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

INNOCENT DINERS LINED UP AND SHOT AT POINT BLANK,CAUGHT IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S WAR…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

BLOOD SPLATTERED WALLS WITH GROTESQUE IMAGERY, FRESHLY BURNT FLESH, SHATTERED MIRRORS AND BROKEN LIVES…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

A MOTHER AND HER TWO YOUNG KIDS CHARRED BEYOND RECOGNITION WHILE THE DAD PUT PUBLIC GOOD AHEAD OF THE PERSONA…

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

GUN TOTTING TERRORISTS CREATING MAYHEM ON THE STREETS, TARGET PRACTICING AT A RAILWAY STATION

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

BACKPACKERS AT A CAFÉ OR RECEPTIONIST AT A HOTEL REDUCED TO PIECES FOR NO REASON

THIS TIME I WILL REMEMBER

 

 

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Assignments….every engineer’s nightmare…

 

I wanna start blogging with something funny…something that is indeed "politically correct"!!. So a general problem all engineers face…ASSIGNMENTS….here are some ways…to escape..!!

Assignments ? Who me? No…..sorry, excuse me, thank you…!!! Whatever works man...!! Just get rid of 'em…

Have you ever read the last line of curriculum of most of the engineering institutions?

It says "Mode of Evaluation: Written Examination, Assignments and Seminar." Looks pretty easy…written examinations are taken care of by relative grading….all is good when everyone does bad!

Seminars are pretty manageable because the class supports you by never cross questioning.

It's the assignments that take a real toll on all of us. And for most of the times we don't meet deadlines and that's where the problems start.

The human race however has a unique ability to anticipate the future, proactively innovate and create an array of options for survival in a changing environment. So then we make excuses which are stupid enough to make us land in trouble.

So I decided to help all the "non-nerds" (if I knew the exact word I would be a nerd!) by suggesting a few ways to escape and a few clichés you should never use!

Here are 5 excuses which may help you to escape the predicament of not meeting the deadline for an assignment…but….remember the disclaimer…."the author bears no responsibility for the ideas and suggestions! Any person caught using them would be entirely responsible for the consequences"!

1)"Sir, I already gave it to you! Please check again"! Anticipated Success Rate-90%

2)"It was today? Oh! Sorry I thought it was next week! Sorry sir!" Anticipated Success Rate- 85% (for our female friends however the sorry sir part could be a bit extended and the success rate shoots up!)

3)"My computer was not working". Anticipated Success Rate-60%

4)"I had my GRE/CAT/TOEFL exams". Anticipated Success Rate-50%

5)"I was sick and was admitted to the health center". Anticipated Success Rate-10% (first of all you are not allowed to be sick at the cost of your work and this lie can backfire very badly as they may ask you to produce some "medical certificate duly signed by the CMO"…though I never understood why a guy would go to the health center in the first place if he is a little sick like fever etc.!

But guys our respected faculty members are much smarter and obviously experienced especially when it comes to students skipping assignments.

So here are some pitfalls you can escape and please don't use these clichés….

1)"There is no material related to this on Wikipedia…library??...are you kidding"!

2)"My girlfriend dumped me…I am too heartbroken…sir you understand…you were 20 once…weren't you"?

3)"Sir its all his fault...he didn't do it…what could I do"?

4)" I didn't have the color pens, A4 sheets, a scale, a pencil etc…you know I wanted to do it either perfectly or not at all…so I picked the latter!"

5)"I didn't sleep properly last night"! (which secretly means that you were busy finishing your daily quota of movies)

The purpose of assignments is not clear to either me or to the rest of the students. So till we truly understand the aim and objectives of assignments let's just finish them off….and for the rest of the times when you cannot do it…keep this article safe!!

 

 

 

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