The other day, I was surfing channels in the evening and got stuck to HBO as a very thrilling movie was being aired.
In between in many news channels I saw an old man, Mr. Anna Hazare announcing that his fast won’t end till he gets the proper notification from the govt. on the Joint Committee on the drafting of Jan Lokpal Bill.
I paused for a second but after all I was loyal to HBO. Its about corruption! The word I am very much familiar with and immuned to. It does no shock me. It does not shake me….not at all, trust me! Len den...hota hai, thodi bahut har jagah pe hota hai…kya badi baat hai? But I am not a victim of corruption.
Just that…. Only once I was asked for 1 lac to get admission in the university which I did not pay. Only once I had to use my bureaucrat father’s influence to get the marriage certificate and passport issued within a day, which otherwise would have taken months without paying bribe. Only once I was asked for Rs 2k by the police constable to settle an issue with the transporter who was asking for extra money for delivering the car. Only once I saw a friend getting a fake certificate by paying 1 lac to a particular university. He used it and doing job happily. (Strangely it reminded of fake pilot scam, I too travel in air) Did a chill run through your spine too?? I felt so… Only once I was asked by the police not to register any complaint for the mobile theft citing it as a petty issue. (Strangely I, at once can remember many more similar instances…how??) ……or may be more than just once I have faced similar issues.
So what? Itna toh chalta hi hai. I have been doing good throughout. I have got myself good degrees, my certificates and marksheets got me a sense of pride, I made my parents proud the day I was felicitated by the education minister of the state for being in the state topper’s list, I got awarded by the health minister of the state as the best story writer in the state, I got myself a good job, then I hopped for the next best…all without facing the whims and fancies of the system, without paying a bribe.
I am happily married and well settled in my cosy comfort zone, enjoying the best of my life, living in one of the posh areas of the city, eating out at restaurants, reading as many books as I can, holidaying every 6 months, I travel in flights, I frequent shopping malls almost every weekend, I get gifts from my pampering husband, parents, in-laws and friends, I spend the whole of summer in an air-conditioned car, air conditioned office, air conditioned malls and an air conditioned home. I can call pizza hut, dominos’ or any good eatery to order dinner, I have an expensive microwave to heat the food in late night, I have a double door refrigerator to get me chilled water, I have the latest model of aqua gurad to make to germ-free…..and the list goes on! All without being corrupted and all without facing any corruption. So I relished chicken curry when the 72 years old man was sitting at Jantar mantar without any food for four long days and I did not feel guilty.
I attended office, planned which movie to watch this weekend and concentrated on the employee compensation project which I have to submit to the professor-XLRI by 13th April. 13th April…!!! I heard it somewhere else too. Yes…the same old 72 years old man has announced Jail Bharo Andolan on the same date. But I have to concentrate on the project…. I have to get good marks.
My resume will weigh more and I can be much more salable in India Inc. Is not that important? How can I waste my precious time in such petty issues?? Jan Lokpal Bill… Whats that? Must be something to tackle corruption but why hell I should be bothered? At least as long as I am not affected. Who knows its not fuelled by any political intention? Who can guarantee its not being a media-spree? Who the hell on this earth can be so selfless to take this much of pain?? Anna Hazare?? The man who fought the second world war? Who lives in a temple, who donated all his earthly belongings for the welfare of people?? Who was awarded with padmasree? Who looks like a saint…a sacred soul?? Huh!! May be…! But even if it is something gandhian, something like freedom movement…..mujhe kya? Why should not I be concentrating on my mutton biryani recipie I found on Sanjeev Kapoor’s website? Oh yes…I saw few advertisement pop ups in many website to support Mr. Anna Hazare, requesting to give up one day’s food, to be a part of the movement but I closed all them. Bugging…!! I must plan my investments for this year. I must carefully finish writing my appraisal form (it’s the hike time after all). I must concentrate on the new property we are buying, I must concentrate on my health, yoga and pranayam taught by Baba Ramdev.
Well…I have heard Baba Ramdev too is supporting Mr. Anna Hazare…!! Ohh…nothing to be serious about it!! I get mails in my inbox. I get updates in my Facebook page, people adding anti corruption badges to their profile pictures, crying foul over the whole corruption issue, citing Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, creating groups to support Anna ji, (ya…have read so much about Gandhiji, Bhagat Singh, nice stories of bravery, patriotism…) What the hell…!! How come they have so much time to spare? I am uploading the pictures of my last vacation in facebook. I am replying to the comments I received on them. I am joining the groups for the winning cricket team of India. I am posting pictures of M S Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh. Ohh yess…World cup! What a win by Indian Cricket Team!!! I went out on 2nd April 2011 at mid of the night to celebrate the WC victory of Indian Cricket Team. I was amazed to see the significantly slow city being thrilled to such an extent. I saw people coming out with their families, kids, with the tri-colour, many in their night suits, many with drums, many shouting, screaming, dancing. I was amazed because for the first time I was seeing such a spontaneous outflow of happiness, celebration & togetherness on one common (national) issue.
I was happy to be a part of the madness, the celebration. Ummm…Should I have been thrilled the same way in the mid-night of 8th of April,2011 again?? When it was announced that the Govt agreed to all the demands of Mr. Anna Hazare who was on indefinite fast for the Jan Lokpal Bill?? (one common (national) issue….is it??) Was it the same way people would have felt on the eve of 15th of Aug, 1947? Should I have gone out and celebrate this victory too? How…how silly...!! But was somewhere my inner self was rejoicing….?? A sense of victory was prevailing all over?? If at all yes then why?? May be because Anna ji declared it as the victory of democracy, as the victory of people….may be as my own victory!!!! But I must suppress the feeling. Yes…I must! I was never a hardcore victim of corruption, I have always managed by paying just few bucks, by doing some jugaad, by making some phone calls, by using some references. I am ready to do the same for the rest of my life and for the generations to come, I feel so happy and safe in my comfort zone….in my selfish shell. Then why the hell I should go out shouting against corruption?
Why on the earth I should go and join Mr. Anna Hazare? Why the hell I should leave all my comfort and embrace the pain of transition my country facing today?
I am deaf to the wake up call, I am blind to the sun-shine, I am lame to take a step forward, I am heartless, I am hopeless. I have stopped dreaming long back...i have stopped living too. I now have a dead conscience which tells me every now & then that i should not…………………………………………HENCE I DID NOT!!!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Obama-nised neo-imperialism!
Is it for Humanity? civilians?
…as Mr. Obama crying out?
Why Libya? Is not humanity in more need in Japan today?
Do I see beyond?
Why they have always been in look out for opportunity to get involved in the affairs of oil rich countries?
History has the evidences…!
Iraq, Afganistan and now Libya.
Its simple…its OIL! The scarce hence the costliest resource on the planet earth.
Controlling oil resources has been on the priority list of American administration always. Geore W Bush-Senior, Geroge W Bush-Junior and now Mr. Obama.
Iraq is a glaring example of american neo imperialism
USA as we know it…is the self proclaimed may be the widely accepted sole super-power in the world. Reason, Imperialism…more correctly neo-imperialism. I hate this word. May be because I belong to a country which has been the victim of it for ages and though I am born to a free India I still feel like living under the shadows of imperialism! It has its effects…we lose whatever we call ours and moreover it leaves scars, of hatred, of sufferings, of suppressions!
Now lets come back to Libya! A civil war against the tyrant Md Gaddaffi all of a sudden has become an international affair. All of a sudden become a center of attraction for Mr. President.
“Gaddaffi must go…civilians must be protected”- US cries foul!
Is that it?
Is it not the oil rich country with abundant wealth that has seduced USA. Does not US has its own set of greed and of course ruthless selfishness to intervene in Libyan affairs? I feel so…
Obama faces criticism from his own mates too. No consent of American congress was taken before attacking Libya.
Political analysts note abundant signs that even before the Obama administration intervened in Libya, the American public had become weary of war. Polls suggest as many as two out of three Americans no longer believe America's involvement in Afghanistan is worth the cost.
Americans are likely to worry, that the United States will be stuck with part of the bill for rebuilding Libya, as it has been for Iraq, Afghanistan, and to a lesser extent in Pakistan and Egypt. And U.S. officials are still unsure if the anti-Gadafi forces are necessarily pro-America and pro-democracy. (Sources)
US cites UN approval but no resolution of the U.N. justifies violating the U.S. Constitution.
Then why?
I see one prominent reason behind!
Mr. Barack Hussain Obama, who is now serving US as the President for the third year has not been lived upto expectations. No promises are now seen being true and hence he gathered criticisms across the globe. The In October 2009, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the same year he took over as the US President. But amidst thorough criticism and cynicism. May be now he wants to prove the worth of being a nobel laureate, may be trying to disguise the tyranny with a tag of an international peacemaker. The desperation has made him leave his mates behind!!
Reason two:
Political analysts say Obama could benefit politically if Gadafi is quickly ousted, or if the military effort to protect civilians and impose a no-fly zone produces a quick and relatively bloodless resolution. But if Kadafi clings to power in Tripoli, and the conflict degrades into a brutal stalemate, criticism is likely to mount.
Reasons may be abundant! But the US attack on Libya is unconstitutional and despicable. India regrets attacks…
Libya has never been a threat to US and attacking a sovereign country with guise of humanity and etc can not be justified by any reason.
Is it the start of US invasion into the Middle-East countries? Another episode of bloodshed and cruelty?
I am not advocating for Md Gadaffi…he is no innocent!
But I condemn the US attacks too! In no ethics bloodshed is acceptable! In no situation killing is admissible..
You can not stop violence with violence!
Hence I condemn it Mr. Obama…hope u too will one day!
…as Mr. Obama crying out?
Why Libya? Is not humanity in more need in Japan today?
Do I see beyond?
Why they have always been in look out for opportunity to get involved in the affairs of oil rich countries?
History has the evidences…!
Iraq, Afganistan and now Libya.
Its simple…its OIL! The scarce hence the costliest resource on the planet earth.
Controlling oil resources has been on the priority list of American administration always. Geore W Bush-Senior, Geroge W Bush-Junior and now Mr. Obama.
Iraq is a glaring example of american neo imperialism
USA as we know it…is the self proclaimed may be the widely accepted sole super-power in the world. Reason, Imperialism…more correctly neo-imperialism. I hate this word. May be because I belong to a country which has been the victim of it for ages and though I am born to a free India I still feel like living under the shadows of imperialism! It has its effects…we lose whatever we call ours and moreover it leaves scars, of hatred, of sufferings, of suppressions!
Now lets come back to Libya! A civil war against the tyrant Md Gaddaffi all of a sudden has become an international affair. All of a sudden become a center of attraction for Mr. President.
“Gaddaffi must go…civilians must be protected”- US cries foul!
Is that it?
Is it not the oil rich country with abundant wealth that has seduced USA. Does not US has its own set of greed and of course ruthless selfishness to intervene in Libyan affairs? I feel so…
Obama faces criticism from his own mates too. No consent of American congress was taken before attacking Libya.
Political analysts note abundant signs that even before the Obama administration intervened in Libya, the American public had become weary of war. Polls suggest as many as two out of three Americans no longer believe America's involvement in Afghanistan is worth the cost.
Americans are likely to worry, that the United States will be stuck with part of the bill for rebuilding Libya, as it has been for Iraq, Afghanistan, and to a lesser extent in Pakistan and Egypt. And U.S. officials are still unsure if the anti-Gadafi forces are necessarily pro-America and pro-democracy. (Sources)
US cites UN approval but no resolution of the U.N. justifies violating the U.S. Constitution.
Then why?
I see one prominent reason behind!
Mr. Barack Hussain Obama, who is now serving US as the President for the third year has not been lived upto expectations. No promises are now seen being true and hence he gathered criticisms across the globe. The In October 2009, Obama was named the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the same year he took over as the US President. But amidst thorough criticism and cynicism. May be now he wants to prove the worth of being a nobel laureate, may be trying to disguise the tyranny with a tag of an international peacemaker. The desperation has made him leave his mates behind!!
Reason two:
Political analysts say Obama could benefit politically if Gadafi is quickly ousted, or if the military effort to protect civilians and impose a no-fly zone produces a quick and relatively bloodless resolution. But if Kadafi clings to power in Tripoli, and the conflict degrades into a brutal stalemate, criticism is likely to mount.
Reasons may be abundant! But the US attack on Libya is unconstitutional and despicable. India regrets attacks…
Libya has never been a threat to US and attacking a sovereign country with guise of humanity and etc can not be justified by any reason.
Is it the start of US invasion into the Middle-East countries? Another episode of bloodshed and cruelty?
I am not advocating for Md Gadaffi…he is no innocent!
But I condemn the US attacks too! In no ethics bloodshed is acceptable! In no situation killing is admissible..
You can not stop violence with violence!
Hence I condemn it Mr. Obama…hope u too will one day!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Tanu weds Manu
Each time I see him….my heart skips a beat!
…..and I fall in love with him allover again (with due permission from my hubby dearest)!
Well…as many of my age-mates my love for Maddy too started from the day the movie “Rehna hai tere dil me” released!
My love did not perish even if I hated the movie 13B (I watched it in an almost empty theatre only coz of Maddy).
…and now again he came up with his charisma and won over Tanu!
Yes..”Tanu weds Manu” tasted like a freshly baked cake with plenty of cream mixed icing sugar on the top of it.
The movie was light, fast paced and topped with the hardcore Indian flavour.
When it comes to Kangana you will love her inspite of hearing lot many beeps throughout. The raunchy, rebel with an out of control vocal cord Tanu was worth watching.
Manu, the Foreign returned, Mr. Right, the saintly, the perfect……was too much in love with the weird Tanu that he went to unimaginable extent of sacrificing and finally or may be luckily won the race.
We have probably seen the same kindda love stories in many bollywood movies but the specialty about this one is the TREATMENT!
Punjab, UP, Bihar, Delhi and London…situational comedy and the real Indian flavour!
From a typical UP-ian household, bride-seeing with lot of chai and samosas, 3 tiar train journey, Punjabi band baja, Jimmy Shergil with a Royal Enfield, simple T-shirts of Madhavan, Pappi and a sweet small appearance of Ravi Kishan beating up Manu at the railway station itself made movie quite a darling. I heard giggles, applaud and whistles in the auditorium all across the movie…that shows the success.
As per cons, the characters seemd little bit confused at the end as the director made them to be! The story lost its free-flow and made lil bit of blunder in the climax scene. But the whistles throughout finally made it pardonable and declared it to be a HIT!
To give you a happy-happy hangover…it has a happy ending too!! :-) :-)
U wanna relax, have fun while munching pop corns and sipping pepsi in this weekend?? Then “Tanu weds Manu” is a must for you …..!!! N’joyy
…..and I fall in love with him allover again (with due permission from my hubby dearest)!
Well…as many of my age-mates my love for Maddy too started from the day the movie “Rehna hai tere dil me” released!
My love did not perish even if I hated the movie 13B (I watched it in an almost empty theatre only coz of Maddy).
…and now again he came up with his charisma and won over Tanu!
Yes..”Tanu weds Manu” tasted like a freshly baked cake with plenty of cream mixed icing sugar on the top of it.
The movie was light, fast paced and topped with the hardcore Indian flavour.
When it comes to Kangana you will love her inspite of hearing lot many beeps throughout. The raunchy, rebel with an out of control vocal cord Tanu was worth watching.
Manu, the Foreign returned, Mr. Right, the saintly, the perfect……was too much in love with the weird Tanu that he went to unimaginable extent of sacrificing and finally or may be luckily won the race.
We have probably seen the same kindda love stories in many bollywood movies but the specialty about this one is the TREATMENT!
Punjab, UP, Bihar, Delhi and London…situational comedy and the real Indian flavour!
From a typical UP-ian household, bride-seeing with lot of chai and samosas, 3 tiar train journey, Punjabi band baja, Jimmy Shergil with a Royal Enfield, simple T-shirts of Madhavan, Pappi and a sweet small appearance of Ravi Kishan beating up Manu at the railway station itself made movie quite a darling. I heard giggles, applaud and whistles in the auditorium all across the movie…that shows the success.
As per cons, the characters seemd little bit confused at the end as the director made them to be! The story lost its free-flow and made lil bit of blunder in the climax scene. But the whistles throughout finally made it pardonable and declared it to be a HIT!
To give you a happy-happy hangover…it has a happy ending too!! :-) :-)
U wanna relax, have fun while munching pop corns and sipping pepsi in this weekend?? Then “Tanu weds Manu” is a must for you …..!!! N’joyy
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
…the gen-next to be hanged??
Well…I am not anti-islam, not a fundamentalist, not even any social activist. I am not anything, literally anything to have any say in the religions, beliefs, Bhagwad Gita, Bible or Quran
I am just a human being. I live on this earth. I eat, breathe, laugh, and cry as anyone else in this world does. I feel too….
I feel the pain, I feel the emotions, I feel the fear….i have this unique quality of FEELING as any other human beings which separates humans from other creatures who reside on the planet.
So I feel the trauma, the disgust, the panic and the other side of it.
Mohammed Ajmal Amîr Kasâb- The name is quite familiar, quite hated and quite in news among the Indians. Why….because he with his troop invaded and killed many in Mumbai on 26. December, 2008.
Kasab was born in Faridkot village in the Okara District of Punjab, Pakistan. His father is a dahi puri vendor while his elder brother, Afzal, works as a laborer in Lahore. He has two sisters as well. The village, not quite developed must have lacked even the basic amenities of life, forget about education, employment and beyond.
Born in 13 July 1987, 22 years old Kasab when he dropped in the Bay of Arabic Ocean along with other mates, to KILL, must not have been carrying the similar instincts since birth. No one does….
In 2005, an 18 years old Kasab, had asked for new clothes on Eid, but his father could not provide them, which made him angry. He left home after a fight with his father. A temper tantrum most of us face as teenagers. We too fight, shout and cry. He left home and then became involved in petty crime, soon moving on to armed robbery.
The criminal instinct of the guy was easily picked up and fuelled by the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and had been sent to kill Indians, the so called enemy of Pakistan.
Tremendously trained mind of Kasab did not show even any remorse. What could have been injected into his mind? What could have been made him so very ruthless? Is it JIHAD…the purpose they were killing for?? Well… A motivated Kasab had no Islam or no Jihad in his mind but just Rs 150,000,which he was killing for. By which he might have dreamt of buying new clothes for his family on Eid, or starting up a new business and getting a decent living.
A 18 years old boy, least educated, least exposed to the outside world…had the only understanding of JIHAD that, "it is about killing and getting killed and becoming famous and make allah proud". Hence he Killed!
Kasab did not know any verses from the Quran that described Jihad, In fact he did not know much about Islam or its tenets.
He confessed: "We were told that our big brother India is so rich and we are dying of poverty and hunger. My father sells dahi wada on a stall in Lahore and we did not even get enough food to eat from his earnings. I was promised that once they knew that I was successful in my operation, they would give Rs 150,000, to my family,".
He was even ready to switch loyalties and said "If you give me regular meals and money I will do the same for you that I did for them," he said.
Now as he is caught and the severity of his crime is proved…we should get him Life Sentence… we should hang him, we may opt for any of the severe sentence for him…WHATEVER!!
But the question still remains unsolved…WHAT MADE KASAB CHOOSE THIS?
Did he choose this himself? Yes…but if would have been trained otherwise would he had chosen this path? Don’t we still have the concept of REHABILITATION?
When the guys of his age-group are going to college, browsing internet, enjoying music, masti, dance, watching this world cup, munching pop corns, shouting for his own country, doing anything and everything that a youngster does…if ever Kasab would have got even few of these things would he have been involved in such a crime??
If someone would have tried to put books in his hands instead of guns would not he had been tried to think twice over his decision of joining Laskar e Taiba??
If someone would have tried to put the real morality, values that the Quran preaches in Kasab’s mind, would not he have been tried to think twice before killing?
I feel…I feel the agony, the helplessness!
Is it Kasab who is the culprit or broader mass that have created a Kasab??
They pick up young, inject murder to their minds, send them to kill and finally let them die…all these @ Rs 15,0000 and a hope of getting famous. What are they doing to their gen-next? How killing to such an intensity be justified in any religion or in any morality?
Is that what they want to do with their generation? Is that they want to make out of their youngsters? Is that the government of the country has for its people? Is hanging one Kasab enough? Should not they hang the concept of Jihad, Militancy? Should not they stop producing more Kasabs?
If no, I can do nothing but just pity their generations to come…..may be some day we have to hang the gen-next!!
….and somewhere I read Kasab was trained by the ex-army officers of PAKISTAN!
I am just a human being. I live on this earth. I eat, breathe, laugh, and cry as anyone else in this world does. I feel too….
I feel the pain, I feel the emotions, I feel the fear….i have this unique quality of FEELING as any other human beings which separates humans from other creatures who reside on the planet.
So I feel the trauma, the disgust, the panic and the other side of it.
Mohammed Ajmal Amîr Kasâb- The name is quite familiar, quite hated and quite in news among the Indians. Why….because he with his troop invaded and killed many in Mumbai on 26. December, 2008.
Kasab was born in Faridkot village in the Okara District of Punjab, Pakistan. His father is a dahi puri vendor while his elder brother, Afzal, works as a laborer in Lahore. He has two sisters as well. The village, not quite developed must have lacked even the basic amenities of life, forget about education, employment and beyond.
Born in 13 July 1987, 22 years old Kasab when he dropped in the Bay of Arabic Ocean along with other mates, to KILL, must not have been carrying the similar instincts since birth. No one does….
In 2005, an 18 years old Kasab, had asked for new clothes on Eid, but his father could not provide them, which made him angry. He left home after a fight with his father. A temper tantrum most of us face as teenagers. We too fight, shout and cry. He left home and then became involved in petty crime, soon moving on to armed robbery.
The criminal instinct of the guy was easily picked up and fuelled by the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba and had been sent to kill Indians, the so called enemy of Pakistan.
Tremendously trained mind of Kasab did not show even any remorse. What could have been injected into his mind? What could have been made him so very ruthless? Is it JIHAD…the purpose they were killing for?? Well… A motivated Kasab had no Islam or no Jihad in his mind but just Rs 150,000,which he was killing for. By which he might have dreamt of buying new clothes for his family on Eid, or starting up a new business and getting a decent living.
A 18 years old boy, least educated, least exposed to the outside world…had the only understanding of JIHAD that, "it is about killing and getting killed and becoming famous and make allah proud". Hence he Killed!
Kasab did not know any verses from the Quran that described Jihad, In fact he did not know much about Islam or its tenets.
He confessed: "We were told that our big brother India is so rich and we are dying of poverty and hunger. My father sells dahi wada on a stall in Lahore and we did not even get enough food to eat from his earnings. I was promised that once they knew that I was successful in my operation, they would give Rs 150,000, to my family,".
He was even ready to switch loyalties and said "If you give me regular meals and money I will do the same for you that I did for them," he said.
Now as he is caught and the severity of his crime is proved…we should get him Life Sentence… we should hang him, we may opt for any of the severe sentence for him…WHATEVER!!
But the question still remains unsolved…WHAT MADE KASAB CHOOSE THIS?
Did he choose this himself? Yes…but if would have been trained otherwise would he had chosen this path? Don’t we still have the concept of REHABILITATION?
When the guys of his age-group are going to college, browsing internet, enjoying music, masti, dance, watching this world cup, munching pop corns, shouting for his own country, doing anything and everything that a youngster does…if ever Kasab would have got even few of these things would he have been involved in such a crime??
If someone would have tried to put books in his hands instead of guns would not he had been tried to think twice over his decision of joining Laskar e Taiba??
If someone would have tried to put the real morality, values that the Quran preaches in Kasab’s mind, would not he have been tried to think twice before killing?
I feel…I feel the agony, the helplessness!
Is it Kasab who is the culprit or broader mass that have created a Kasab??
They pick up young, inject murder to their minds, send them to kill and finally let them die…all these @ Rs 15,0000 and a hope of getting famous. What are they doing to their gen-next? How killing to such an intensity be justified in any religion or in any morality?
Is that what they want to do with their generation? Is that they want to make out of their youngsters? Is that the government of the country has for its people? Is hanging one Kasab enough? Should not they hang the concept of Jihad, Militancy? Should not they stop producing more Kasabs?
If no, I can do nothing but just pity their generations to come…..may be some day we have to hang the gen-next!!
….and somewhere I read Kasab was trained by the ex-army officers of PAKISTAN!
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