It is very depressing to see scores of people die in an accident. And it is all the more distressing when the 'accident' is a premeditated effort by some corrupted human minds. Once such cowardly heinous crime is the act of terrorism, where in the name of religion (almost always) innocent lives and their dreams are snuffed out in a split second. Until the last decade you could maximize your lifespan by staying healthy, by minding your own business and being lucky enough to be not born into the Gandhi family (Remember Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi). But with the advent of terrorism the rules of the game have all changed. And what is most frightening about this barbaric spineless act is that they are very random in nature and completely unpredictable, as the perpetrator has no specific grudge on the victims. The majority of the victims are just collateral damage and the only mistake they commit is being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It is as if our destinies should be re-written to account for this new avatar of death !
Every time there is a terrorist attack, the first thing that comes to my mind is the huge void left behind by the victims among their family and friends. Their lives are never going to be the same and they have to live with this grief for their entire lifetime. Then I think of all the dreams that the poor souls would have nurtured for a long long time and how they have been shattered so mercilessly in the blink of an eye. Once I get over all this grief, the question that pops up in my mind is "When will be my turn as a victim?". It might seem very hysterical, but then these attacks don't occur in some distant battlefields or in some highly secured government buildings. They occur in places where an ordinary man like me would hang out with friends or go shopping or just cross by. The very clandestine nature of these attacks make it very difficult for even the most efficient governments to prevent them and hence it would be unrealistic to expect our government to be any better. So as an individual I have taken it upon myself to safeguard my life. On days that are considered auspicious by terrorists like Independence Day, Republic Day and a bunch of other days, I don't venture out to crowded places or use any sort of public transport. And on ordinary days when I am forced to venture out to a shopping mall, my antennas are constantly scanning for ULOs (Unidentified Lying Objects) and suspicious looking men, thereby running the huge risk of losing focus on the lady accompanying me! And the moment I sense an ULO, I tiptoe in a direction completely opposite to the object. It seems like a very selfish act but then I don't want to create chaos and panic just based on my hyper-active senses.
Similarly when I travel by buses, I ensure there are no unclaimed luggages near my vicinity. There was this one time when I was traveling to my native town in a government bus. The bus had made a short stop at an intermediate town and some passengers got down at their destination and some others got down to have refreshments. One of the passenger sitting a few seats ahead of me got down and I saw a bag lying under his seat. Immediately my radar got locked on to that location. It stayed locked for more than ten minutes and suddenly the bus throttled alive with the guy still not returning. I started to sweat profusely and wanted to jump out of the bus before something bad happened. But assessing the speed of the bus and my physical agility, I calmed down and decided to inform the conductor about the unclaimed luggage, all along hoping the bag only had a pair of boxers and some dirty trousers. He was initially hesitant and skeptical about my strange request but as I was persistent he gave in. The moment he came over and saw the bag a big smile broke on his face. It turned out to be his bag ! I felt very embarrassed and at the same time happy, for having done my best to live another day. But when it comes to trains I don't even have the luxury of being alert because my antenna doesn't have the required range and I just keep hoping the karmas of my previous lives will come in handy. And anyways the probability of the top berth falling on my head unable to hold the heavily snoring uncle is much more than an explosion ripping through my compartment.
If the above narrative sounds light-hearted, it is not due to non-cognizance of the gravity of the situation. But rather due to the acceptance of the futility of worrying about something over which I have no iota of control. Well I haven't completely given up and thats why I keep my senses extra sharp when I am out in the public, realizing well this increases my chances of survival only by a very meager amount. Thousands and thousands of innocent men and women have already 'sacrificed' their lives in the war against terrorism and it is more than high time we launched a global concerted effort to cull this menace. Unlike earthquakes and tsunamis, terrorism is a man made disaster borne out his own invention called religion. If the invention seems to cause more problems than provide solutions it serves well for the inventor to do away with it. Until then terrorism is here to stay.
Showing posts with label Social. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social. Show all posts
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Why this Kolaveri !
Intolerance these days is a virtue frequented by those who are not completely convinced of their own beliefs. Either this or they seem to have all the time in the world to do nothing. Else how can you explain their propensity to agitate whenever someone even remotely seems to infringe on their beliefs. Hold on ! What did I just write. Oh shit ! I forgot to write the disclaimer and before any of your blood pressures start shooting up, I earnestly pledge to everyone out there that my words were not targeted at any religion, language, caste, color, creed, gender and what not. So please forgive me and don't descend at my doorsteps or my uncle's or my cousin's husband's sister's and disturb our peace of mind. Many might think that I am taking myself way seriously. Yes its true that I am an insignificant nothing in the public landscape. But there are many more such 'not so significant' people out there who want to become significant by targeting even a nothing like me (Let me throw some hints to prove my point in case. Sena - Hooliganism - Two girls - Social Network). So imagine the joy of such people when someone like Kamal Haasan - the unparalleled legend in the world of cinema - makes a movie on a very sensitive subject. Viola ! Its party time folks !
As a Kamal fan it was an established fact that I would be watching Vishwaroopam come what may. But with all the controversy surrounding the movie, I wanted to watch it at the earliest before the Tamil Nadu government chewed out some part of the movie. What I and almost everyone who watched the movie felt was that the movie depicted world events in their true self. The movie talks about the terrorists who operate out of Afghanistan and hence they turn out to be Muslims. There is isn't the slightest hint of any provocation and added to it Kamal is smart enough not to jeopardize his 95 crores investment by stoking any religious tensions. But like there is no absolute space and time, there is no absolute perspective too. So it is understandable that some Muslims felt hurt by the movie. In that case they could have simply abstained from seeing the movie. Or they could have requested Kamal to put a disclaimer saying 'All Muslims are not terrorists' (as demanded by some Muslim leaders in Karnataka), though I find it unnecessary mentioning Muslims in the same vein as terrorists. But demanding to ban a movie that has been certified by the Censor Board is an unlawful act and attacks the strongest pillar of a democratic society - Right to Expression ! So such acts should be strongly condemned and dealt with by the government. Time and again the the cocktail of religion and movies has gone terribly sour and surely Vishwaroopam will not be the last one too.
In India, not just religion but every component of the social fabric seems to cause trouble. Over the past decade there has been heavy migration between states which is a natural follow through of globalization. This has stoked regional fascism in many states to such an obscene extent that at times it disrupts the national integrity. Such in-tolerances occur in the flourishing regions where there is lot of migration to take part in the development process. People should realize that the prosperity of a region is majorly due to its geographical location and natural resources and not due to a particular caste or tribe. So just based on nativity one can't claim ownership of all the resources, because based on this argument then all the resources would belong to the pre-Dravidian tribes who are the real ancestors of India. The other problem with this migration is the perceived threat to language and culture. I understand that preserving language and culture is very important for the social development of humans, but not at the cost of harboring hatred for our fellow countrymen. In-fact there are lot of forums like arts, literature and movies to develop these social tools and so people who are very passionate about language and culture should participate in these. And finally comes the mother of all intolerances in the form of female subjugation. Indian society has made great strides with respect to female emancipation, but the mindset of many Indian males still seems to be stuck in the medieval times. They aren't able to tolerate the sight of a 'alpha female' and find cowardly means of asserting their male supremacy, the most gruesome of them being the crime of rape.
To those who have tolerated my monologue on intolerance and have come so far, I would like to tell you that I am not a completely tolerant person myself. I have not much interest in religion, region or language and respect women a lot (Come home and ask my wife :) ) and hence have no issues with these topics. But I adore a lot of exceptional human beings and when someone talks ill of these people, I fume internally and argue with them crazily giving my everything for the argument. But once the argument comes to a closure, I forget about it then and there and never land at their door steps rampaging their personal properties and thrashing their loved ones. The reason I don't indulge in such anti-social activities is that I am very strongly convinced of my beliefs and also believe every individual is entitled to his own belief which might or might not concur with mine. For all the negativity surrounding intolerance, we also shouldn't forget the part some intolerant people have played in the advancement of mankind. If Newton had tolerated the fact that apples fall on the head rather than flying into the atmosphere, gravity would be existing everywhere except within our brains. If Mother Teresa had been tolerant of the sufferings of the under-privileged, she wouldn't have made a immeasurable difference to the lives of so many needy people. If Martin Luther King had been tolerant of racial segregation, African-Americans would still be treated as second class citizens. And if our freedom fighters had been tolerant of the British Raj, we would still be part of the British empire (in a state of decay though) with the only bright spot being that people would be respecting the concept of queues. So it is very essential that we be intolerant towards things - ignorance, sufferings and wrongful doings - that will help in the development of the human race. And stop being intolerant in those directions that might lead us back to the stone ages !
As a Kamal fan it was an established fact that I would be watching Vishwaroopam come what may. But with all the controversy surrounding the movie, I wanted to watch it at the earliest before the Tamil Nadu government chewed out some part of the movie. What I and almost everyone who watched the movie felt was that the movie depicted world events in their true self. The movie talks about the terrorists who operate out of Afghanistan and hence they turn out to be Muslims. There is isn't the slightest hint of any provocation and added to it Kamal is smart enough not to jeopardize his 95 crores investment by stoking any religious tensions. But like there is no absolute space and time, there is no absolute perspective too. So it is understandable that some Muslims felt hurt by the movie. In that case they could have simply abstained from seeing the movie. Or they could have requested Kamal to put a disclaimer saying 'All Muslims are not terrorists' (as demanded by some Muslim leaders in Karnataka), though I find it unnecessary mentioning Muslims in the same vein as terrorists. But demanding to ban a movie that has been certified by the Censor Board is an unlawful act and attacks the strongest pillar of a democratic society - Right to Expression ! So such acts should be strongly condemned and dealt with by the government. Time and again the the cocktail of religion and movies has gone terribly sour and surely Vishwaroopam will not be the last one too.
In India, not just religion but every component of the social fabric seems to cause trouble. Over the past decade there has been heavy migration between states which is a natural follow through of globalization. This has stoked regional fascism in many states to such an obscene extent that at times it disrupts the national integrity. Such in-tolerances occur in the flourishing regions where there is lot of migration to take part in the development process. People should realize that the prosperity of a region is majorly due to its geographical location and natural resources and not due to a particular caste or tribe. So just based on nativity one can't claim ownership of all the resources, because based on this argument then all the resources would belong to the pre-Dravidian tribes who are the real ancestors of India. The other problem with this migration is the perceived threat to language and culture. I understand that preserving language and culture is very important for the social development of humans, but not at the cost of harboring hatred for our fellow countrymen. In-fact there are lot of forums like arts, literature and movies to develop these social tools and so people who are very passionate about language and culture should participate in these. And finally comes the mother of all intolerances in the form of female subjugation. Indian society has made great strides with respect to female emancipation, but the mindset of many Indian males still seems to be stuck in the medieval times. They aren't able to tolerate the sight of a 'alpha female' and find cowardly means of asserting their male supremacy, the most gruesome of them being the crime of rape.
To those who have tolerated my monologue on intolerance and have come so far, I would like to tell you that I am not a completely tolerant person myself. I have not much interest in religion, region or language and respect women a lot (Come home and ask my wife :) ) and hence have no issues with these topics. But I adore a lot of exceptional human beings and when someone talks ill of these people, I fume internally and argue with them crazily giving my everything for the argument. But once the argument comes to a closure, I forget about it then and there and never land at their door steps rampaging their personal properties and thrashing their loved ones. The reason I don't indulge in such anti-social activities is that I am very strongly convinced of my beliefs and also believe every individual is entitled to his own belief which might or might not concur with mine. For all the negativity surrounding intolerance, we also shouldn't forget the part some intolerant people have played in the advancement of mankind. If Newton had tolerated the fact that apples fall on the head rather than flying into the atmosphere, gravity would be existing everywhere except within our brains. If Mother Teresa had been tolerant of the sufferings of the under-privileged, she wouldn't have made a immeasurable difference to the lives of so many needy people. If Martin Luther King had been tolerant of racial segregation, African-Americans would still be treated as second class citizens. And if our freedom fighters had been tolerant of the British Raj, we would still be part of the British empire (in a state of decay though) with the only bright spot being that people would be respecting the concept of queues. So it is very essential that we be intolerant towards things - ignorance, sufferings and wrongful doings - that will help in the development of the human race. And stop being intolerant in those directions that might lead us back to the stone ages !
Saturday, October 27, 2012
All the road's a rage
After some point of time in your life, there are only two people who always keep thinking of you - your wife and your manager. When you are in office, your manager is happy at home dreaming of you slogging your arse off in front of the computer to meet some unrealistic deadline set by him. And when you are at home, your wife is happy out shopping and 'fantasizing' about you doing all the household work. You feel as if your time and space has been hijacked for eternity! And all of a sudden a blaring siren went off in my head. For a moment I thought it was just an acoustic manifestation of my disturbing thoughts. But the decibel level and frequency were closer to that of the ubiquitously irritating horn of a two wheeler and that's when I realized I had been lost in thoughts in the midst of a traffic jam and the sound was coming from a fellow traveler behind me. I instinctively tried to maneuver my car in the two available dimensions but there wasn't much space to do so. So I switched off my engine and tried to get back to my profoundly life altering thoughts. But the high frequency 'noise' from behind was incessant and it was as if the idiot was expecting my car to levitate and give way for him. I wished I had a set of horns towards the rear of my car so that I could 'back-horn' till he went deaf. Or more dramatically I wanted to get out of my car, pull him (or rather drag him) out of his two wheeler, kick his butt and tell him that just because sound travels @ the speed of 330m/s you can't expect everything around it to move at the same speed too. But I was more comfortable with thoughts than actions so I tried to shut the sound out off my mind and get back to dreamland.
As the curtains were rolling down on my eyes, I witnessed an over-enthusiastic chap trying to plough his two wheeled contraption through the infinitesimally small gap available between my car and the one in front of me. Though I was immensely irritated by this senseless endeavor, at the same time I was also eager to see how far he went. He started with intimidation by coming so dangerously close to my car that I had to retreat a bit to avoid being scratched by this moron. Then he resorted to trigonometry by extracting all possible angles available in the gap. But midway he ran out of angles and threw a pleading glance at me. There was no more space for me to steer and he remained wedged like a loaf of ham in a sandwich. I wondered what could be the driving force behind a lot of Indians to indulge in such silly and reckless acts on the road. Is it the urge to reach home early and perform their most important task - having dinner and going early to bed ? Or is it the notion that civic sense is an unnecessary evil thrust on us by the British ?
By now the road had transformed into a circus and my fellow travelers were morphing into acrobats. And they were using me as an involuntary accomplice too. Suddenly my mobile started ringing and the moment I saw my wife's name on it, I remembered her morning orders to get some household items. Since the traffic was very heavy, I allowed the call to die a natural death and started looking out for some utility store. The moment I found one I parked my car and started walking on the pavement. Hadn't I taken a few steps, I heard a loud horn right behind me. When I turned back, there standing in front of me was the latest menace plaguing Indian roads - the pavement raiders. I wanted to utter loudly - "What do you want jackass ?" But I wasn't sure whether his response would be verbal or physical, so I just threw a disdainfully inquiring look at him. In return he gestured to me to move aside. That very moment I wanted to take a hammer and break open his nutshell (read as 'head under helmet') but I quietly turned back and continued walking in the middle of the pavement while he followed me honking from behind. After taking a few steps I bent over as if to adjust my lace with the sole intention of irritating him for my satisfaction. Anyway as all good things come to an end, I reached my destination and had to step aside to enter the store when the he roared past me. I am sure he would wanted to bang my head on the pavement, but then the feeling was very mutual.
After shopping I got back to my car and started the last leg of my journey. I wanted to reach home quickly as I was already late by an hour and also the antics on the road were causing heavy activity on my internal barometer. Fortunately the traffic had thinned down and I was able to drive freely for the first time in the past two hours. As I neared a traffic signal it turned red and I came to an halt. And as expected there were a lot of color blind people who continued traveling. But surprisingly once the signal turned green no one was moving even after my incessant honking. Only then I realized that the traffic from the other side was still flowing though their signal had turned red. And clearly anticipating this behavior from their fellow Indians, my side of the traffic was calmly waiting for their turn. Indians had not only learnt the art of transgressing the law but also to co-exist with it. If there was anyone still doubting the theory of evolution, this sight would have been the ultimate proof for its existence. Anyway by now I had lost the will power even to get frustrated and all I wanted to do was reach home. Finally after what seemed like eternity but in reality only two and half an hour, I pulled into my garage. Desperate to chill out and relax, I rang the door bell. The moment the door opened I witnessed the final performance for the day - 'angry wife gone nuts' ! I don't need to elaborate on this act as everyone knows how it is performed :)
As the curtains were rolling down on my eyes, I witnessed an over-enthusiastic chap trying to plough his two wheeled contraption through the infinitesimally small gap available between my car and the one in front of me. Though I was immensely irritated by this senseless endeavor, at the same time I was also eager to see how far he went. He started with intimidation by coming so dangerously close to my car that I had to retreat a bit to avoid being scratched by this moron. Then he resorted to trigonometry by extracting all possible angles available in the gap. But midway he ran out of angles and threw a pleading glance at me. There was no more space for me to steer and he remained wedged like a loaf of ham in a sandwich. I wondered what could be the driving force behind a lot of Indians to indulge in such silly and reckless acts on the road. Is it the urge to reach home early and perform their most important task - having dinner and going early to bed ? Or is it the notion that civic sense is an unnecessary evil thrust on us by the British ?
By now the road had transformed into a circus and my fellow travelers were morphing into acrobats. And they were using me as an involuntary accomplice too. Suddenly my mobile started ringing and the moment I saw my wife's name on it, I remembered her morning orders to get some household items. Since the traffic was very heavy, I allowed the call to die a natural death and started looking out for some utility store. The moment I found one I parked my car and started walking on the pavement. Hadn't I taken a few steps, I heard a loud horn right behind me. When I turned back, there standing in front of me was the latest menace plaguing Indian roads - the pavement raiders. I wanted to utter loudly - "What do you want jackass ?" But I wasn't sure whether his response would be verbal or physical, so I just threw a disdainfully inquiring look at him. In return he gestured to me to move aside. That very moment I wanted to take a hammer and break open his nutshell (read as 'head under helmet') but I quietly turned back and continued walking in the middle of the pavement while he followed me honking from behind. After taking a few steps I bent over as if to adjust my lace with the sole intention of irritating him for my satisfaction. Anyway as all good things come to an end, I reached my destination and had to step aside to enter the store when the he roared past me. I am sure he would wanted to bang my head on the pavement, but then the feeling was very mutual.
After shopping I got back to my car and started the last leg of my journey. I wanted to reach home quickly as I was already late by an hour and also the antics on the road were causing heavy activity on my internal barometer. Fortunately the traffic had thinned down and I was able to drive freely for the first time in the past two hours. As I neared a traffic signal it turned red and I came to an halt. And as expected there were a lot of color blind people who continued traveling. But surprisingly once the signal turned green no one was moving even after my incessant honking. Only then I realized that the traffic from the other side was still flowing though their signal had turned red. And clearly anticipating this behavior from their fellow Indians, my side of the traffic was calmly waiting for their turn. Indians had not only learnt the art of transgressing the law but also to co-exist with it. If there was anyone still doubting the theory of evolution, this sight would have been the ultimate proof for its existence. Anyway by now I had lost the will power even to get frustrated and all I wanted to do was reach home. Finally after what seemed like eternity but in reality only two and half an hour, I pulled into my garage. Desperate to chill out and relax, I rang the door bell. The moment the door opened I witnessed the final performance for the day - 'angry wife gone nuts' ! I don't need to elaborate on this act as everyone knows how it is performed :)
Friday, November 26, 2010
The media blow job!
This Diwali, TV channels were all about two super hit movies. One was 'Endhiran' starring the GOD (Grand Old Daddy) and another was the Hollywood movie 'Good will hunting' (not to be confused with the one starring Matt Damon) which deals with the journey of a middle-aged American couple who come to India to expand their business empire by apparently earning the good will of its people. The Indians fall for their trap and dish out royal treatment but are left empty handed. Whether the Indians get back their revenge or not forms the rest of the story. The movie starred the real life couple Barack Obama and Michelle Obama and was premiered on all Indian news channels. Those who don't get the metaphor should have been worshiping the GOD on the regional channels. Because the Indian media had once again gone over-board, with their coverage of Obamas' visit evoking a sense of dejavu!
The Indian media had been a terrified lot on the prospect of facing a lull period ahead. The next IPL was far ahead. The CWG had just concluded. And there were no terror attacks to telecast. Then like the sun which rises in the east, the Obamas arose from the west to offer them a glimmer of 'HOPE'. And Obama atlast got an opportunity to convert the 4 letter word (he had been bragging two winters back) into the 6 letter word 'ACTION'. Though I had pushed all these Indian news channels very far down, every time my cable operator retunes I get unlucky. One such chance encounter with the annoying kind is what I have tried to caricature in this blog.
Disclaimer - The decibel levels in this show are subject to the mood of the news presenter and there is no assurance or guarantee that your hearing might be the same after this show.
"Welcome everyone. You are watching India@6 on Channel1 - India's leading news channel. This show has been moved from 9PM to 6PM so that we are the first to break every major news!"
"The major story breaking today on our network as will be for the next few weeks, is about Mr.Obama's visit to India. Today is a momentous day in the history of India-U.S. ties. Mr.Obama has atlast uttered the unholy P-word on Indian soil buckling to the relentless pressure exerted by our channel!!
"He also strongly supported India's bid for a permanent seat in UNSC! No other country has been able to earn such an unconditional endorsement from U.S. Channel1 has been receiving praises from various quarters for able to achieve things that even Indian diplomacy couldn't. There will be a special coverage of this today @ 9PM."
BREAKING NEWS PROMINENT BOLLYWOOD LOVE-BIRDS TO TIE THE NUPTIAL KNOT!!
"Joining us today in our studio are famous personalities to discuss the huge significance of this historic event on the future of India in particular and the world in general. Lets start with Mr.Karat. Sir, your party has always been skeptical of the Indo-U.S. ties. But the latest slew of announcements made by Obama - thanks to our channel - should infuse lot of confidence in your politburo."
"Randeep, what Mr.Obama said was that he would like to see a reformed security council with India as a permanent member. He never mentioned..."
"Mr.Karat, I asked you a straightforward question but you are trying to beat around the bush. Just..."
"No I am just trying to explain the real..."
"Sir you are trying to hog a lot of air time by getting into unnecessary details. So just reply to my question in one word - Does the recent announcements made by Obama take Indo-U.S. ties to the next level?"
"No. The reason..."
"I think we are losing contact with Mr.Karat. In the meantime lets hear from Mr.Rahul the spokesperson of the ruling party. On a side note there is news trickling in that Saif Ali Khan has asked Kareena Kapoor to marry him. We had tapped into their phone conversation and you can catch the entire marriage proposal first, yes you heard first, on our channel right after this show. Yes Rahul go ahead."
"Our party is really happy about how Obama's visit is shaping out to be. Its great news that the President of USA has strongly endorsed our aspiration for a permanent membership in the Security Council. This means we are on par with China and other developed countries. Our party is really proud because this endorsement happened during..."
"Rahul I want you to hold right there because the public thinks our channel is responsible for pressurizing Obama to make those pro-India comments. Infact we have a special coverage at 9PM where everyone are going to praise us."
BREAKING NEWS U.S. DOESN'T EXPECT ANY REFORMS IN U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL IN THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE
"Ha ha ha...you are surely joking Randeep. Do you really think that Obama follows what you telecast on your channel. Somehow you have got the wrong notion that your channel... "
"This is gross injustice to us. We have been covering Obama's visit 24x7 stalking him to every nook and corner thereby giving a break to all your corrupt MPs. But this..."
"See this is what happens if you don't allow me to complete my statements. What I meant was that only Obama doesn't see your channel. But the people of India really enjoy all the entertainment, ouch! I mean the news telecasted on your channel. Infact our government is planning to honor you with a Padmashri this year for the service you have rendered to the Indian democracy."
"Sir we are really honored with this announcement. Looks like I will be the first news presenter to get a Padmashri. I am really excited about this. Anyway coming to the final guest on our show who is a very famous personality and has a huge fan following all over the world. Its none other than the Badhshah of Bollywood, Mr.Shahrukh Khan. As a Mumbaikar you should be really happy that Obama has indicted the P-country of 26/11 attacks."
"Frankly I don't know why I have been called on to this discussion. But now that I am here..."
"Shahrukh I am sorry to interrupt you in the middle but I think we need to end this program as one of our reporters has been able to sneak into Obamas' suite in the Taj Hotel and we are going to telecast live from there!! Lets continue this discussion tomorrow."
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Burden of cultural diversity or sheer populism?
India's highest civilian awards had been announced recently. And our 'beloved' Aishwarya Rai is there in the coveted list. It is a recognition of her accomplishments - winning the Miss World crown, brand ambassador for international brands, bollywood actress and becoming a part of the Bachchan household. You think I am kidding? Aren't they accomplishments worthy of a Padma Shri ? If you don't think so, then you are not able to discern a fine artist. Because the Indian government thinks Aish has made contributions to Indian cinema more significant than stalwarts like the versatile Nagesh or the redoubtable genius Ilayaraja. Aishwarya Rai's glamor quotient has fetched her international fame whereas these guys are relatively unknown outside Tamil Nadu. You might argue it is no match either to the unrivaled musical wizardry of the Mastero who will enthrall music aficionados forever or the acting ingenuity of Nagesh, who can seamlessly transit between humor and melancholy. Well thats what I too think but not the selection committee (The two examples being from tamil cinema is just because they are some outrageous omissions I know of. Such omissions should be there in every language for sure.) So how can an award which honors its outstanding citizens be mired with so much discrepancy?
One possible argument could be that India though a geographical amalgamation of tremendous diversity, still remains disparate in its soul. In such a milieu, when a group of individuals come together for a decision making exercise, unintentional cultural ignorance and prejudice are prone to creep in. But as a country that prides in being secular and diverse, the government should make sure that every deserving candidate in any nook and corner of the country is given his due respect. It is imperative that such selection committees be highly inclusive and include individuals who are free of any prejudice and well informed about the various regional happenings. And at the end of the day if such inappropriate candidatures keep perpetuating, then such awards might be displaced from their highest pedestal. The day is not far off when a prominent personality rejects these awards exposing the inequalities embedded in it.
P.S : All these rumblings are not out of envy or frustration because, as a non-recipient I am already in elite company.
One possible argument could be that India though a geographical amalgamation of tremendous diversity, still remains disparate in its soul. In such a milieu, when a group of individuals come together for a decision making exercise, unintentional cultural ignorance and prejudice are prone to creep in. But as a country that prides in being secular and diverse, the government should make sure that every deserving candidate in any nook and corner of the country is given his due respect. It is imperative that such selection committees be highly inclusive and include individuals who are free of any prejudice and well informed about the various regional happenings. And at the end of the day if such inappropriate candidatures keep perpetuating, then such awards might be displaced from their highest pedestal. The day is not far off when a prominent personality rejects these awards exposing the inequalities embedded in it.
P.S : All these rumblings are not out of envy or frustration because, as a non-recipient I am already in elite company.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Unity in Adversity
A terror attack has again been unsuccessfully averted. Political heads have rolled. Indians have expressed a spectrum of emotions from angst to desperation. And Pakistan buckling under pressure from US (and apparently India too), ostensibly seems to be in hot pursuit of its home-grown terrorists. At the end of the day, unimaginable and irrevocable damage has been done to the lives of many a people. Lets temporarily pause here and shift our attention to another problem plaguing the world currently - 'financial whatsoever'. When the bubble first burst, I was frustrated as to how the 'financial wizards' could have committed such a blatant blunder. But as the sun kept rising and setting, the frustration has turned into awe as to how the crisis can transmit itself across the global without any loss of information (networking at its best!!). Everything under the sun seems to be affected, to the extent that having a job by itself could make you the most eligible bachelor in town. So these two adverse scenarios set me pondering if there was anything positive that might pop out?The fact that countries across the globe irrespective of their ethnicity, geography and economy are falling prey to stateless extremists, gives them an opportunity to group under a common umbrella to shield themselves. The sharing of intelligence, joint counter-terrorism exercises and joint monitoring operations could infuse some sort of good-will between nations. A fine example is how the US and NATO forces have come to depend heavily on Pakistan to purge the Talibans out of Afghnaistan. In the same way, Pakistan feels the urge to engage with India to wrest its country free off the same terrorists which it had surreptitiously trained to be used against India. When US was feeling the heat of insurgents in Iraq, it vaguely hinted at seeking the help of Iran with whom it had severed all diplomatic ties since 1979. On similar lines, the financial downturn has elicited an unequivocal consensus that only a concerted action by world nations can rescue us out of this carnage. The egos of developed countries has been severely dented and they are looking up to developing countries like China and India to play a key part in their rescue. Infact economists have been suggesting that China can play a key role in rescuing the US financial system by lending $500 bn from its huge forex reserve of $1800bn. Similarly developing countries like India which have an 'outsourcing' economy, need a buoyant economy in the US, EU and other developed countries. Russia with its 'petro' economy is also wary of the global recession as oil prices are plummeting with declining demand. A lot of relationships that are forged now might be symbiotic, but we can hope the positives that come out of these associations enthuse nations to carry the camaraderie forward.
Mother Earth also for its part provides us with frequent opportunities to unify ourselves in the face of natural disasters. But at the end of the day if such crises and disasters fail to motivate us towards a common goal of universal harmony, you can only wait for divine intervention. And people like me have to wait for some extra-terrestrial intervention.
Mother Earth also for its part provides us with frequent opportunities to unify ourselves in the face of natural disasters. But at the end of the day if such crises and disasters fail to motivate us towards a common goal of universal harmony, you can only wait for divine intervention. And people like me have to wait for some extra-terrestrial intervention.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Honey, where’s our money???
Looks like I too have joined the bandwagon of writers who have taken advantage of the financial crisis to hog some internet space. But then the crisis is real and so are the fears and the critiques. Also this is not a conscious effort to pen down something, rather something that stuck me genuinely. This is more about the lucky few who still have some savings to worry about, rather than the unlucky many who saw theirs vanish at the speed of the crisis which seems to travel around the globe in few seconds. So what should these ‘few’ do with their hard earned money?
Well, I would be considered extremely insane even if I remotely thought of stocks as an option. They seem to be the most capricious entity man ever invented. These days the sensex seems to be responding to every other thing happening in any remote corner of the world (Globalization!!). And for many, the stock market has been the perpetual reminder of the existence of Murphy’s Law. If you thought of outsourcing the risks involved in stock trading to the Masters of the Universe (read as Fund Managers), the financial crisis has showed they have been living altogether in another universe. They have been taking pride in inventing esoteric financial instruments and testing them with lesser mortals’ (atleast that’s what they have been thinking about us till now) money. But the recent crisis has seriously dented their narcissism. So if we move from Wall Street (or Dalal Street) to the Main Street (read as Commercial banks), the situation looks to be no better. Traditionally these banks were considered to be more immune to such turmoils than the investment banks. But to a large extent this immunity has also been breached as is evident now.
Now if we thought of getting back to time tested investment avenues like real estate, gold etc even these are not always sticky up and are prone to the vagaries of the market dynamics. Atlast after considering (or rather unconsidering) all these options, the best choice seems to be to hoard our hard earned money with ourselves. But in that case a larger crisis looms in the form of ‘wife’, who can convert the money into her wishes at hitherto unknown speeds. So why don’t we ourselves spend off all the money we earned, rather than someone doing it at our cost? Or if someone has a better idea of how to invest money, you could do a world of good by sharing it with us.
Well, I would be considered extremely insane even if I remotely thought of stocks as an option. They seem to be the most capricious entity man ever invented. These days the sensex seems to be responding to every other thing happening in any remote corner of the world (Globalization!!). And for many, the stock market has been the perpetual reminder of the existence of Murphy’s Law. If you thought of outsourcing the risks involved in stock trading to the Masters of the Universe (read as Fund Managers), the financial crisis has showed they have been living altogether in another universe. They have been taking pride in inventing esoteric financial instruments and testing them with lesser mortals’ (atleast that’s what they have been thinking about us till now) money. But the recent crisis has seriously dented their narcissism. So if we move from Wall Street (or Dalal Street) to the Main Street (read as Commercial banks), the situation looks to be no better. Traditionally these banks were considered to be more immune to such turmoils than the investment banks. But to a large extent this immunity has also been breached as is evident now.
Now if we thought of getting back to time tested investment avenues like real estate, gold etc even these are not always sticky up and are prone to the vagaries of the market dynamics. Atlast after considering (or rather unconsidering) all these options, the best choice seems to be to hoard our hard earned money with ourselves. But in that case a larger crisis looms in the form of ‘wife’, who can convert the money into her wishes at hitherto unknown speeds. So why don’t we ourselves spend off all the money we earned, rather than someone doing it at our cost? Or if someone has a better idea of how to invest money, you could do a world of good by sharing it with us.
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