Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Genius!

Only a genius can recognise another genius.It is no wonder that Bradman pronounced Sachin as his successor !

At an age when men start trotting this little master is galloping !

Touch wood .

Monday, February 22, 2010

News channels.

Vinod Mehta the only journalist I find balanced and honest has pithily described the recent spat between Sena and ShahRuk .That the Sena is a ageing tiger ,not much muscle ,and it requires but a single man [ not a platoon ] with a brick to scare the daylights out of the mousy cabby's hailing from north , to scamper clutching their dhotis.His advise to Shahruk ,who leashes a torrent of words nonstop ,is to talk less and act more.

One newspaper aptly observed that every news channel at any given point of time carried the same frames of Shahruk khan and his adversaries in the controversy the Senas. That it all got boring and tiring soon .

The English news channels of which I was once fond of,seem to have lost their imagination and are bent upon copying each other and let go off real issues in favour of sensationalism.

Their talk shows are even worse. They invite various hues of opinions but their jaded comperes will obnoxiously cleave in when such person's state their viewpoint and ratchet on to score some brownie points.And this is backed by a studio filled with tutored audiences hissing and clapping on cue.

Every thing is stage managed . Where is the much touted freedom of expression ?All these debates have become boring .Same faces ,same topics and same agendas. These programmes would become spicy if the channels had the spunk to give all panellists a free run . Other wise it appears like holding a placard screaming 'this is our political ,social and religious stand and you are expected to toe the line '.

During the premiership of Indira Ghandhi ,her tejaswin face was plastered all over the T.V day after day . But every one knew that DD was govt controlled . What is ailing these news channels in this era of liberalisation ? It is as desultory as those good ol' days.

News about international happenings and affairs are seldom aired . World view has shrunk to turmoils in the one and only neighbouring country amongst the many', Pakistan'. The catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti was mentioned merely in passing .

There is no longer innovation ,information ,depth,spunk or spice .Yawn !Serials seem more interesting . At least each episode has a new twist !

Negligence.

So many young and bright lives blown to bits in Pune hotel blast.

Not a single day passes without the dailies carrying reports of State owned buses mowing down pedestrians .

Doctor's mete out wrong treatments and prescribe wrong drugs and precious lives are snuffed out.

Recklessness, negligence, carelessness has become part and parcel of our lives.

The bakery where so many lives were taken ,had been forewarned regarding the threat it faced , yet it did not take adequate precautions.

The camp site where 24 policeman were gunned down by Maoists,was advised to be shifted earlier but it wasn't acted upon.

Yes, there is no malafide intentions only negligence. Hence the hands and tongues of the relatives of the victims are tied.

Isn't prudent care a must to all those living in a society?Is selfishness ,indifference and apathy a defence against lives which can never be recalled again?

As a nation we are united in our indifference and apathy .It is all in a day's work!There is a constant burning of fingers but the lessons learnt are woefully nil .A tendency to lock the stable doors after the horse has bolted!

'Negligence' is a deadlier virus than corruption as it enjoys the immunity of law.

Benches of Supreme court .

This idea was mooted by the govt and was voted out by the judges of the supreme court of India.

Is this actually a tug of war for hegemony between the two arms of the State?The govt and the legislators together frowning at the spate of decisions of Supreme court in recent times ,dubbing them as unwarranted judicial activism an, incursion into their domain or is it merely an exigence of the times in which we live in?

Is there a fear in the higher echelons of the judiciary that setting up benches of the Supreme court at various parts of the country would invariably dilute the Supreme authority of the court at Delhi?

As per the Indian constitution a decision pronounced by Supreme court has the authority and force of law at par with those enacted by the parliament.The decision can be overturned or abrogated only by a law passed by the parliament.

If benches of Supreme court are allowed to function in all the 4 metropolis which decision would be considered the law of the land ? What if there is a conflict between 2 or more benches? Whose decision will prevail?

Supreme courts have at several times overturned the decisions of their predecessors.Only such decisions pertaining to the basic features of the constitution and few other epoch making pronunciations are not tampered with.

It has been suggested that issues regarding constitution will be the sole prerogative of the Supreme court at Delhi ,whilst other matters pertaining to civil and criminal laws can be adjudicated by 4 cassation branches of the apex court.

Views for and against :

For :The Supreme court would come within the reach of all citizens of India.Specially to all those living in far flung places of this huge subcontinent.

The vast knowledge and innate wisdom of the learned judges would be available to all the people of India belonging to various sections of the society at a fraction of the cost incurred and the time spent now.

Against;

The majesty of the monolithic edifice of the Supreme court will be shaken.

In course of time this hallowed institution may lose its aura --as the sole and final arbiter of all conflicts arising in India ,if this single solid bedrock ,which is the fountain of its authority ,is battered into bits.

It could be reduced to the status of High courts . Yet another forum to go in appeal.The litigation instead of reducing may actually multiply!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Answers.

Dear Jude

Why this despondency in one so young?You seem to have had some unpleasant brushes with the opposite gender.Vidat too had ,with some of his colleagues with disastrous effects.It is ironical because he was chivalrous and had great respect for women.

I can understand your plight but I happen to be on the other side of the divide hence it is but natural that I take cudgels on behalf of my gender and showcase the conditions of women as it exists in India.

Now to answer your questions:

1.Purpose of marriage is---- for progeny and company.

2 .Purpose of life:----Probably to provide entertainment to the creator !

3 .Emotional quotient: In my experience most men I have come across are equal or even more emotionally stronger than women. Women enjoy the luxury of displaying their grief etc publicly whilst societal conditioning inhibits men from doing so.

4.Chivalry: If a man [father,brother,husband or son] likes a woman and has deep attachment towards her he will be automatically protective and chivalrous.It can't be wrested out of him forcibly.
Vidat was naturally protective and very considerate towards me. I neither asked nor demanded it out of him.

5.Laws regarding emotional damage: They do exist.One can file defamation suits for slander, imprison anyone for abetting suicide and seek remedies under Domestic violence Act in case of emotional abuse perpetrated within a household.

Son vs daughter.

Whilst I was travelling from Tiruchi to Tanjore, recently by bus a debate was aired .The issue was ---who is better of the two ,the son or a daughter ?
However it was one sided the speaker extolling the virtues of male species. He said that the male of the animal kingdom were a lot more stunning and much more beautiful than the female of the species .
A lion looks majestic with its lush and abundant mane whereas the lioness looks like a overgrown cat!

A peacock has breathtaking colourful plumage's where as a peahen looks like a cross between a hen and a goose and is not worth the attention it gets from the peacock!

A cock is ferocious and gives a piercing cry ' kokrokko' where as the hen is irritating with its mumblings and scratchings.

Then he came to the point that male of the human species were tall ,broad shouldered, handsome and muscular where as the female of the species were short,fat and ugly !That they[girls] spend all the earnings of their father,brother and husbands on cosmetics, and gaudy dresses in order to beautify themselves .

He argued that sons always looked sad and sorrowful as they were burdened with the responsibilities of the family where as daughters looked happy and were chirpy because they had no burdens to shoulder !He further added that a son would earn money to marry off his sister and shed copious tears after marrying her off ,not out of sorrow but out of joy that the person burning a big hole in his pocket has been successfully offloaded to another whose fate it was here after to undergo such sufferings.He was happy that he no longer need to sensitise rows upon rows of seats from male predators when he chaperoned his sister to the theatre!

The debate rather soliloquy ended with the judge observing that sons are better placed physically and socially to take care of himself and his family .He can do any work where as a daughter cannot being inhibited by her gender and societal disapproval's.

He concluded that a daughter is best . She walks on a razor's edge on getting married .She neither lets down her parents nor her in laws in any situation howsoever trying it maybe,swallowing insults and deprivations quietly ,all the while putting a brave and smiling face to the world.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Swayamwar.

Bharat is the land where Sri and Durga are given a exalted position equal or at times even overtaking Vishnu or Siva..Yet a paradox exists.Son's are the inheritors of the soil much feted and cossetted .
Girl child has been frowned upon as a liability since ages but were tolerated . These days however hearts have hardened .the couple or the family up north kill female foetus without skipping a beat taking recourse to technology and down south in some districts female infanticide is practised without any qualms.

If sons are to inherit the soil and carry forward the family's name they must have sons. Who can provide them with this boon but women? Feoticide or infanticide seems a shining example for the adage ''Cutting the nose to spite the face ''

If this trend continues Bharat will be bereft of Nari's and all the yearning men must mobilise a lot of dowry to bid for the precious one [wife] in a close contest with 100's of candidates vying for a place in the swayamvar.Men who went around hanging their head in shame and sorrow for begetting a daughter may start preening like a peacock for being blessed with a goldmine!A reversal of fortunes !

P.S. I hear that in our huge neighbouring country the preference is also for a male child and with strict implementation of one child policy and rampant female feoticide ,the men are already in a crisis. The % of bachelors out of compulsion and not because of choice is increasing in leaps and bounds !

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Women's assignments

Women are expected to be the upholders of traditions and customs in India.

Women [barring a few in cities] never trim their hair and are not expected to cut their hair and therefore have never visited a saloon and still sport long hair braided in plaits or roll it in a bun whilst men from the richest to the poorest ,urbane to the country bumpkin have their cut periodically,and regularly visit the barber.

Women still stick to their sarees and are expected to [ those cumbersome yards] whilst men especially those living in urban areas have long since switched on to pants and shirts and no longer need to tie and retie the ever slipping dhothi.

Women in rural areas sweat in columns fetching water from far off wells ,rivers ponds etc whilst the men sit smoking beedi's languidly or talking politics under shady trees .
Women in urban areas rush to the water tanker with pots and buckets whilst men lounge on couches watching T.V or talking shop.

Women get irritated at the sight of dust and disorder in the house and especially at their men who sit merrily amidst swirling dust and disarray .Therefore they are forced to wield the broom stick or mop or the vacuum cleaner to sweep,clean and tidy the house thoroughly.[Even after a hard day's work at the office or even when down with fever]

Women are expected to shoulder the responsibility of carrying forward ancient traditions and are forced to remember the festivals which occur one after the other without respite and have to sweat it out in the kitchen preparing delicacies whilst men stretch before the T.V watching all those wonderful programmes telecast only on festival day's and criticising the culinary skills [she may be a chef at a 5 star hotel but her cooking will be no patch on their mother's] all the while filling their bellies up to the brim and emptying all the pots and pans!

Women are expected to console the emotionally disturbed at the time of bereavements whilst men stand around shuffling in embarrassment and ready to take flight at the slightest notice.

Women are expected to soothe a bawling baby or a child whilst men beat a hasty retreat the moment the smiling infant or giggling child they were playing with starts hollering and drop it like a hot potato .

Women are the one's asked to choose between the devil and the deep sea in moments of family showdowns .Men are free of such heart wrenching choices.

To be young and well fed !

Mylapore ,at the heart of Chennai is nearly 2000 years old but the current inhabitants of this sprawling metropolis are mostly young.

But it is ruled by middleagers who'd rather take a nap in the noon after an early morning walk at the beach from where youngsters of low income and poor families fed sumptuously on rice available at Re 1 at ration shops, would like to let out their energy by hitting a ball and running after it , where youngsters from middle class families would like to empty their minds crammed with pages upon pages of text books by taking a swing at the ball too, and crowd the Marina beach in droves ,have been shooed off by the rulers to make space for walkers.

If they land on playgrounds they are turned away by all the digging going on ,huge pits and trenches awaiting the construction of parking lots to accommodate,who else but middleaged and old shoppers four wheelers.

If they want to express their first stirrings of romantic feelings , they have no cover as all the parks are tonsured of their greenery and are smooth as a vultures bald head !

If the kids living in flats skip down to the common place to play they disturb the siesta of the ground floor owners who act as petty despots and forbid them of their natural birth rights . The grounds in their schools are all pocket sized hanky's fit only to play hopscotch and marbles!

Are the youngsters from the slums dissipating their energy on one another?There seem to be a spate of murders,gang wars as well as chain snatching and burglaries. Are the eve teasers on the increase as this is the only way they can get near the eve's?

Are the pubs overflowing because the middle class youth have nowhere to let off steam?

Are all those cute chubby kids actually obese as they have no other go but watch the T.V and become couch potato's?

The rulers do everything in their authority to put a lid on the bubbling youthful spirit and then cry foul at their not winning medals in sports or ring the alarm bell at increasing crime rate or lament at the early onset of diabetes and heart diseases in youth.

There is a old saying ''To be poor is cruel .To be young and poor is crueler''.

The new saying is ''To be well fed and young in Chennai is most cruel ''!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The fifth pillar.

The Padma awards have lost their sheen. It is more or less distributed as political largess es.Merit is quietly taking a back seat.I can't understand the rationale behind awarding a person Padmashri and in the following years conferring PadmaBhushan or Vibhushan on the same person!It all seems so very frivolous and overtly dependant on the whims and fancies of those ruling the roost.

The top award BharatRatna though conferred upon some most ably suited to receive it , is often reserved as a award to felicitate famous politicians posthumously.Any politician who has some claims to popularity either amongst the people or more importantly with the rulers of the day, dies of old age is assured of a BharatRatna ,which his heirs receive under his august aegis from his heavenly abode!

A middle aged woman sits under the cover of trees and shrubs, reading every day 5 days a week ,3 to 4 hours at a stretch without fail for the past 10 years, digesting sarcasms of her wards,grudging none for the disappointments caused out of appointments wrangled but broken without any qualms,patiently tolerating the tantrums of some torpedoed at her as the physically handicapped are wont to, and forgiving them generously as frustrations borne out of their limitations.

We are like two ships passing each other at nights . She would be invariably leaving the premises after a punctilious reading session when I enter the campus to begin mine.I do not know what impels her yet I can gather that her intentions at rendering services to the blind students are absolutely scrupulous, done without any publicity or for gain and find her a well deserved candidate to the awards originally instituted to encourage and recognise such people.

I am sure that the length and breadth of India is studded with 1000's of such unsung heroines and heroes filling the cracks and fissures in a unbalanced society with their sacrifices and services supporting it as a fifth pillar neither for gain nor for profit ,largely propelled by a innate kindness to wipe the tears of the distressed away from the garish spotlight of awards, rewards ,citations and felicitations!

Monday, February 8, 2010

Eclipse.

When the annular solar eclipse or 'rings of fire' occurred several weeks back the scientific forum claimed that the next occurrence will be only in 3043! Nearly 100 0 years hence!Would human beings still exist?People did live 1000years ago so in there is every possibility that they would 1000 years hence.

These are some of the important happenings 1000years back in Tamilnadu.

Monarchy was the prevailing form of govt. The mighty Cholas were the rulers .Rajaraja andhis son Rajendra Chola,who were ruling this part of India were very strong and powerful rulers.They built beautiful temples like Brihadeswara temple at Tanjore and at Gangaikondacholapuran that stand till today as pretty as a picture.They conquered Srilanka and as well as parts of South east Asia.The colonies established there steamed ahead for several centuries and spread our culture. The biggest temple complex in the world dedicated to lord Vishnu is at Cambodia which stands till today as a mute testimony to greater India.

The Grand Anicut was built by Karikalachola near Tiruchi then to tame the waters of river Kaveri is still doing so!


Now ----The hereditary form of governance is very much alive and going strong despite the fact that monarchy was abolished and a Republican democratic form of govt was established 60 years back.The son of the current C.M has been duly anointed for the top post and his place is firmly secured as future ruler of Tamilnadu.
A huge statue of Thiruvalluwar has been erected at Kanyakumari commissioned by the current C.M .
The spread of Indian culture in far east is no longer due to colonisation but owing to the missionary zeal of. Kollywood and Bollywood films .


In 3000 A.D ---what would be the form of govt?Will the ingrained system of hereditary succession continue as cheerfully as ever ?
What will the state of Tamils be in nearby and far off planets be?Will they continue to agitate for justice?
Would the Tiruvalluwar's statue stand majestically withstanding the ravages of time?

India -----

1000 years back Ghazni invaded India 18 times from his impoverished perch in central Asia and went on a massive looting spree.
India was split into several states each with its own Rajah, warring with one another .
Bhakthi cult swayed the masses bringing them back to the Hindu fold.Seers and scholars were constantly engaged in unravelling the mysteries shrouding life and death and laws governing the vast universe and expounded philosophies like Advaita, visishta dwaita and so on .
A towering statue of a Jain tirtankara was erected which till today stands strong and firm in Karnataka.
Students from far flung places across the globe came to India to pursue a high quality education at the famousTaxila and Nalanda universities.


Now ----The invasions are replaced by terrorist attacks from across the North western borders.
The nomenclature has changed but invasions a La Ghazni is continuing . Themantle of looting the coffers is donned however by the powers to be in successive waves undauntedly.
India is still split into numerous states each having its own chieftain squabbling with one another over water and the spoils of the offices. Their progeny's succeed to the 'Ghaddi' .
Students leave India for the U.S or U.K or Australia to pursue higher studies.
The religious fervour has been replaced by cricket fever.Brilliant brains are constantly juggling their grey cells to produce codes to feed the cavernous appetite of the computer.
Birla's have built magnificent marble temples in various parts of the country.The aesthetic Akshardam temple built at New Delhi is a visual treat.
Several multipurpose mega dams have been built across the rivers crisscrossing India.


3000 A,D. ------Will India continue to exist as a single entity or will it be merely a concept?

If it did exist will it be subjected to invasions from across the space?
Would the hereditary form of succession persist uncowed by passage of time?
Will the modern temples ---dams and Birla mandir's stand firmly rooted on the ground passing the test of time?
Will our students leave for Mars and Europa to pursue higher studies and some of them get routinely beaten up in distant out posts ?
Will our descendants land in their space crafts and perform the age old rituals during the 3043 annular solar eclipse dutifully remembering us [pitru's] and rush back to homes and work places in pockets of civilisations in colonies in planets and satellites in the outer space?
Would the scientists even then claim it as a celestial spectacle not to be repeated in a 1000 years hence, and thus create a insatiable desire in all to have a look at the eclipsed sun ,but dampening them by terrorising every one that to take a smallest peak at the rare spectacle would damage one's retina irreparably?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Moral policing......

I was late for my tryst. The sun was high in the sky as I entered the cool and shady park when I stumbled onto a heated argument between the supervisor of the park and a young couple.

The supervisor after parking his motorbike and getting grouchily ready to face the work day ahead spotted these two sitting on a bench.He pounced on them and demanded that they leave the park immediately because their presence was affecting public morals and tarnished the image of the park .He didn't mince words or tenor when sarcastically proclaiming that the park was not a 'lover's park'.

The man picked up his bag and was ready to leave the park without a word when the woman pulled him back and leapt on the castigating supervisor with the fury of a tigress.

She lashed out ,unmindful of the curious onlookers at the self righteous supervisor and stood her ground.She shouted back that they were Computer Engineering graduates and that they had come to attend a interview in a nearby office and were waiting for it to open for the day.She then wagged a warning finger at the now thoroughly intimidated official and said that even if they were lover's he had no right to chase them away from a public place for the simple action of talking to each other !
The gutsy gumption of the girl rattled the red faced supervisor so, that he beat a hasty retreat and scurried of to his lair much to the amusement of the onlookers.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Some misconceptions.

In South if a person is decently dressed i .e in pant, suit and shoes he is expected to know and speak English and he does. Up North a person may be dressed stylishly, suit boot and all but would stare blankly at you if you pose a question in English.He will reply only in Hindi because he would know only Hindi . In North dress doesn't determine English speaking capacity of a person.

To most North Indians all people living in South are 'Madrassis' and all are black .They are totally ignorant of other 3 states and their distinct languages and that most people in South are brown and dark brown and that' blackies' are few and far between .

Two favourite English words.

One English word widely used up North is 'basically'. Whilst airing their views on any subject,every sentence will start with the word 'basically'.Comments on weather too are not exempted . like ''Basically it is hot today''.

One English word having a wide currency down South is 'Super'.From the latest films viewed by youngsters to the withered greens sold by illiterate old women, is wholesomely described as'' Super''.

Casteless society?

I was of the opinion that there existed but 4 castes in India----Brahmin,Kshatriya,Vaisya and Sudras and was aware of of their sub sects numbering around 10 at the most.

Caste is a skeleton in the cupboard shunned in public by urbane educated people living in cosmopolitan cities,only to be pulled out of the closet to compare horoscopes or whilst giving a advertisement in matrimonial columns for a suitable match ,when a marriage is arranged.

Though acutely aware of the ramifications of caste in Indian society I wasn't prepared for the surprise in store. When on filling a form for State level eligibility test for a blind student I was stunned to see pages upon pages of caste denominations.There were nearly 1400 castes listed!

Going through the never ending list of castes to pinpoint the status of the candidates caste was more arduous than filling 3 copies of the application form.

Those holding the reins of the govt vociferously denounce caste system in one breath but in the same breath add groups and groups of people to a never ending list castes, sub castes , sub sub castes, sub sub sub castes as long as Hanuman's tail.