Spineless spirit

As we came back from the morning coffee break, my colleague showed me the article in today's Financial Times by Ramachandra Guha - "India too corrupt to become a superpower". A very blunt but true article!

I couldn't agree more with this statement. Time and again we Indians have expressed anger about corrupt systems. But we conveniently ignore the fact that its not the system but our minds are corrupt. We have given it a nice name - "spirit". The next day after every blast Mumbai is back on track. We call it the spirit of Mumbaikars(?)! Everytime there is a blast we are shattered. We discuss with our friends in a exasperated tone about our darling city. But everytime there is a guilt feeling that tomorrow we will be smiling again. We will post our protest against terrorists on facebook. We will do peace marchs. We will write articles about it. We will show off our knowledge about previous attacks. We will scold stupid (?) politicians. We will display irritation about the sensationalisation by media. Basically, evertything that CANNOT make any damn difference!

We have a saying in Marathi - 'Shivaji janmava pan shejari'. It means, the warrior should be born but in the neighbour family. We will just eat the fruits of his/her victory. But if everyone keeps waiting for the neighbourer, forget victory but there isn't gonna be even a fight. Those who survive, survive! Those who die, die!

Many times I wonder why are we together? Are we not fooling ourselves with India's glory? Undoubtedly, India has one of the greatest cultures and histories in this world. But it is over a period of time we have ruined it. Today, India just looks like a group of small countries to me. Its foolish to tie together the interests of all the states with hugely different necessatities and characteristics. Corruption is definitely a big problem. But its made worse with centralising the powers of the second most populous country in the hands of just a bunchful of people.

If Maharashtra's chief minister was more answerable to the residents of Maharashtra than to the remote control in Delhi, things with Mumbai could have been different. Moreover the other equally important but ignored issues like hundreds of farmer suisides in rural parts wouldn't have been ignored. I do not see any connection in the interests of West Indian states with North Indian ones. Or that of North Indian ones with South Indian. Then having mostly the north Indians in the central power cannot ensure any unbiased and fair treatment to rest of the states. But binding all the states together the priorities are greatly distratced from the necessities. If unfortunately we do not have honest and shrude politicians who have the intent and vision for a bright India, then its out of question they can handle this diverse country.

Last week there were the attacks and yesterday there was a photo of Mr. Menon enjoying a cheerful laugh with Ms. Clinton. For sure they roared together to take concrete actions against terrorism. But we are matured enough not to believe in them, right? Yeah, its a different thing we want to pretend ourself 'nice' by making this a headline news. But we know the truth! The only necessary thing to wipe off corruption is intention to do so. But unfortunately we are so much used to the 'it's okay' attitude that even we don't want to stress ourself much with it.

While the bollywood movies keep us engrossed with the lavish Indian culture and great Indian values, we should not forget the fact that we closing our eyes does not mean others cannot see us!

I Hate Unrealistic Stories

There is a Hero and a Heroine. All other are extras. Climax is the lived-happily-ever-after end of hero-heroine. The role of extras is only to make things fall in place for a smooth(?) end. What happens in reality is totally irrelevant!!!!

Months back I watched Dostana and I totally loved it. It was a typical love triangle dish, but the comedy tadakaa was outstanding. Most importantly, the Dostana story is not unbelievable or unrealistic. If its a babe like Priyanka, obviously the boys will try to grab her by hook or by crook. There is no character just to fill in the gaps. I believe, the story is well knitted.

On the other hand, I IHLS a perfectly illogical film. Because its Imran and Sonam, they have to fall in love. Then automatically the Sonam’s fiancé has to stupid or boring. Hence, he wears idiotic fugly shirts and is a investment broker. Mind it, here the profession of investment broker is referred to as some boring and not kool kind of a thing. Bullshit!!!!!

Love stories are good, only when they are believable. Mr. Investment broker is a childhood friend of Sonam. He does tons of filmy romantic things to please her. But still he doesn’t know her favourite color (she cannot share her favourite color with her childhood friend?) and fails to impress her. On the contrary Imran (Mr. Do Nothing) irritates her all the while in her work (Frankly, any professional girl will be irritated by such attitude. Falling in love is out of question!) He cracks stupid jokes…and…and…I don’t even remember any other thing that he does. Okay, may be some silly romantic things, some sympathy-seeking things like I left my home (I did not understand its significance in the story at all). If a girl falls in love just with a bucket of red roses and some childish behaviour, and is ready to leave a years old established relationship, then she is too stupid to believe in as well as untrustworthy. And a boy who hates love stories falls in love with her…why? Because she looks back at him in a filmy slow motion in their first meeting and is beautiful. That’s all! Can this be called love? isn’t it just a physical attraction?

In real life everyone is a hero/heroine of one’s own life. And no one is extra. Its time the film-makers should realise that, now people prefer to watch real-life stories and not idiotic fantasies. Making a light love story like Jab We Met or Jane Tu is not bad. But don’t make a mockery of other characters. Let everything in the story be believable.

In short, IHLS is a complete waste of time (except it’s songs). It is one of those movies, which I feel should not run successfully on the box-office. Hopefully then the filmmakers will learn their lesson(?).

Up In The Air

Which can be a calmer place to write than 38127 ft above earth? Yes, I am writing this post on my way to Mumbai in the Jet airways flight. Its a direct flight from Brussels to Mumbai. So I don’t have to waste my time in getting down at some airport, waiting at the transit, again going through the security and once again waiting for the plane to take off. It’s my first direct flight and I am totally enjoying it.

I just finished watching Ishqiya and thought of starting Karthik Calling Karthik. But then I controlled myself. I am the worst movie buff one can ever find. In my last Emirates flight from Duesseldorf to Dubai, I watched three movies one after the other. By the time I reached Dubai, I had started convincing myself ‘No Gouri, its all in your mind. you are not gonna have the migraine. Try and divert your attention..’ But I couldn’t fool myself and bore the punishment of my stupidity. That was one of the most terrific flight experience I ever had. I couldn’t even eat the delicious food of Emirates. Ofcourse, as soon as I reached Mumbai I felt good and even better as I saw my Dad, sister and brother approaching me.

Although I have travelled quite a bit in last one and half year, I am not yet used to form an opinion about the airports. It was an exciting experience when I started it after marriage. I can never forget the journey to Germany, the Duesseldorf airport, Duesseldorf train station and finally the first time I saw that loveliest house in Oberhausen. Later, when I travelled back to India with Turkish airlines, it was an chaotic exoerience. First, the flight from Duesseldorf to Istanbul was pretty late. Then even the flight from Istanbul to Mumbai was extremely late. Even while coming back, it happened the same. When we reached the Istanbul airport, it was already the last call for the Duesseldorf flight. And like typical Indians we had loads of luggage in our hands (Don’t know when we Indians will learn the funda of ‘travelling light’). To top it, we had been to The Village the previous night and with the usual donno-when-will-I-get-it-again attitude I ate till I couldn’t eat more. Result…bad stomach…in the flight!!! Nothing can match that irritation and that embarrassment! And with all that heavy luggage and a disturbed stomach I had to sprint. Phew….what a worst flight experience it was. I truly wish, I never have to travel with Turkish airlines again.

Airports can be extremely boring, especially while travelling alone. My worst memory is of waiting at the Mumbai airport for the Emirates flight. To entertain(???) the waiting passengers there are TVS, which air news channels,  at all boarding gates of Mumbai airport. That day, to provide the worst experience, the Aaj Tak channel was on. Grrrr! What a bullshit channel it is. Either they think that, they can make good humour (which is an award winning overconfidence) or they just simply fool around. I want to salute the people who regularly watch that channel. What an incredible patience they do have! Coming back to the topic.. against my wish my mind was getting distracted to the news(?) again and again. Well, because they were broadcasting a very interesting news..how a MP (Member of Parliament) humiliated a government employee. He entered the office, called that employee in a very arrogant manner and slapped him. The news was limited to just three sentences. But come on…if it doesn’t sensationalise, it will not be Aaj Tak! They showed a camera recording of how that MP entered and the way he called that employee ‘E Kala Jacket…idhar aa.’. Showed once..twice..thirice…ok enough, I diverted my attention….’E Kala Jacket’….the loud voice again caught my attention and I again diverted my mind….’E Kala Jacket’…attention caught..mind diverted…’E Kala Jacket’…attention caught..mind diverted…’E Kala Jacket’…attention caught..mind diverted…aaaaaaaaaa….I was fuming. The way their repeating that scene was a bigger humiliation to that government employee than the actual incident!!

But I cannot deny the fact that, airport is one of the best places to observe people. At the European airports, normally the crowd is with light luggage, elegant handbags, comfortable travelling clothes. At Indian airports, the crowd is with a-little-bit-more-than-a-human-can-carry luggage, decked up women, big queues and so on. Once at the Goa airport, I went to the WC. There was one cleaning lady doing her usual work. While I was freshening up, there came a foreign lady. Suddenly this cleaning lady, who was quiet till now, started welcoming her and asked whether she can assist her in any way. I was shocked. This lady didn’t say a word to me,then why so much of a curtsy to a foreign national. I didn’t expect her to assist me, but this attitude of neglecting her own countrywomen and licking the shoes of a foreign woman was quiet disgusting. Probably her experience taught her the better chance of getting a tip from foreigners. So may be she was not totally wrong. But she was already getting a salary for her work, then she should have treated everyone equal.

So on and so forth..these air journeys are full of experiences. Although I can go on and on telling my experiences, I have to stop for the time being since my laptop is soon gonna sleep. I mean, the battery is almost finished. Three hours and one minute to reach…my dear Mumbai, I am coming!!

Brussels – Taking Good Memories Along

Today is my last day in Brussels. I never ever thought, I will feel bad while leaving this city. In my first visit, it didn’t appeal to me much. I was not very happy to shift here from Germany. Neither did I have any friends here nor did I know the languages to communicate with anyone. People thought, ‘Wow, lucky girl…she is getting to see two countries in such a short time span.’ But only I knew my struggle here. So I was rather happy to finally leave this city….till that moment.

Yesterday, I went to the Grand Place for some last moment shopping. This was one rare place where I liked to be whenever I wanted to roam around. First the huge appearance of La Bourse and then the incredibly elegant square of Grand Place. At any time in the day, there were large number tourists photographing the fab architectures around. I too loved clicking my camera here so much. Yesterday, lost in my own thoughts about the packing left , I walked fast to complete my shopping as soon as possible. But when I entered the Grand place square, unknowingly I slowed down. I had loved this place so much. As usual many tourists were there. Most of them photographing their partners with the background of Grand Place. And that was the moment….I halted for a fraction of second and looked around…Grand Place, one of the world heritage sites…appeared absolutely outstanding with all the flower decorated windows and pillars. I sighed… ‘will I miss this place?’…a small tear popped up in my eyes…and that’s it. It was only for that moment, I felt bad. 

So much I wanted to write about Brussels. I had even started a series of articles on my blog. But writing reflects moods. Because of some sour experiences here, I totally lost the motivation to write. But definitely, I cannot deny the fact that, it was here I got some of the best experiences in my life. Like on that evening…

I was coming back home after a heavy workout in the Friskis&Svettis. I took a tram till Montgomery metro station and then came out on the Montgomery Square to catch another tram to my home. I could see the imposing Cinquantenaire Triumphal Arch from here. I always loved the feeling of staying near this incredible architecture. Every time I travelled to my home from Montgomery, the tram took a turn in front of these arches and I got to see a wonderful view. The beauty of these arches is not only in its grand architecture, but also in it’s huge back ground of Sky. As the shades of sky change, the gate looks different.

View Full Album

That day, as I observed these arches from Montgomery tram stop, they looked nice as usual. It took me some time to recognise the setting Sun at its left side.

But as I saw, inadvertently I started walking towards the arches. Neither my vocabulary is enough to describe the spectacular scene nor my N73 camera was enough to capture the beauty. But as I approached the arches, I couldn’t stop clicking. As the Sun set, first it appeared prominently on the top..

…then it touched the left corner of the arches..

..then appeared in the first arch..

..then in the second…

..and finally it set

 

That was one unforgettable experience for me!!!!! I had already reached next tram stop, Merode, and my tram was gone. There was no point waiting for the next one and I walked the distance of 1.5 km to my house. Any other time, I would not have even thought about it..especially after the workout. But that evening was surely different!!

Then came the experience of Tervuren, about which I have already written in A Wet Green Birthday. Tervuren and Grand Place were the two places I loved going to. Grand Place, when I needed crowd around and Tervuren, when I wished to spend time with myself.

One more very interesting site in Brussels is the place of Atomium, Mini-Europe, The Village, Brupark and Kinepolis multiplex. These all are at a walking distance from each other. Kinepolis is the largest multiplex in Brussels. The Village is set up like a traditional Belgian village with many restaurants. Brupark is a amusement park. However, Atomium and Mini-Europe are most interesting among these. Atomium is a monument with 9 steel spheres connected so that the whole forms the shape of a unit cell of an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times. Mini-Europe is the collection of miniatures of all the important monuments in European Union.

The view of Brussels from the top sphere of the Atomium is indeed great

View Full Album

But what one should not miss is the view of Mini-Europe from the top sphere of Atomium 

View Full Album

And then the Atomium from Mini Europe. The exciting part is that, one can capture many great European monuments with the background of Atomium

View Full Album

I even had picturesque city views from my house..of the snowfall…of the sunsets..of the traditional as well as modern buildings in Brussels

View Full Album

Even the metro stations of Brussels are unique. Every station has got its own identity, own character. Some stations with a cave like appearance, some with designs of mehandi, some with floral designs and so an.

I stayed here for pretty 8 months. But still I wonder, I have not seen Brussels totally. The typical tourist attractions in Brussels are many. But one has to stay here for a long time to really see this city. Apart from the great places, its also a heaven for chocolate lovers. The fresh Belgian chocolates are absolutely yummy and uncomparable. And the Flemish lacework…oh my my!!! Yesterday if I had all my investments in the form of cash, I would have gone bankrupt. The lace work and handicraft here can make women go shopaholic. The only unappealable thing sometimes is the unfriendliness of the sales women. Their attitude reminds me the Pune shopkeepers….’we have best of the things…take it or leave’!

I also had a very good time in Friskis&Svettis. It was some different concept than the conventional gyms. There were different kinds of sessions from strength building to dance forms. Every session had one instructor. She stood in the middle and we all circled around her and did the exercises. It was a fun time. I was surprised to see very old people doing all the exercises (sometimes even better than me!!).

And finally, as I said in my first post about Brussels is all about it’s experiences. Today, when I am wrapping up my good memories in Brussels, I made a new friend here. She lives just one floor above me, but I didn’t meet her in last 8 months.  And today, on the last day, I met her coincidently! While talking she mentioned her son’s hobby of collecting coins. So I gave her a Rs. 2 coin and Rs. 10 note and with a exchange of emails we decided to stay in touch. Brussels had decided to give me this gift of one more good memory, so that I do not complain about not having friends here.

Brussels…I do not know, whether I will miss you. But I whenever I will remember you, I will only remember the good memories..

The Aftermath Repeats Itself

I do not understand why every disaster in our country is followed by an emotional drama. Dantewada massacre was a horrendous incident. But the aftermath is nothing different than any other such incident.

Decision to resign is not expected from a prudent home minister like Mr. Chindambaram. How will it help the situation? Whenever such resignations are offered, it looks as if the person is there only for self-benefit and after the disaster, he is trying to be great by sacrificing it. A really responsible person will fight the situation and take the society out of the problem. But I wonder, there is no person left in Indian politics, who is courageous enough to bear the responsibility and take the right decisions.

Mr. Chief-minister objects to the language of Mr. Home-minister. He discusses the issue with Mr. Prime-minister. He will discuss it more when Mr. Prime-minister returns from his tour. He declares his full support to the central government to deal with the rebels. How nice of him! He is doing so much!!(??)

Meanwhile, Mr. Home-minister takes the responsibility..no no..not by taking corrective measures, but by offering to run away from the situation. After 26/11, Mr. Shivraj Patil resigned and Mr. Chidambaram came. After Dantewada, Mr. Chidambaram will resign and someone else will come. Rest will be jaise the.

I cannot see any difference between 'taking the responsibility' and 'escaping from a situation'. I thought they both were exactly opposite. But guess what, I was wrong!

After 26/11, lot was talked about strengthening the Mumbai Police force, providing them enough training, enough arms. But politicians talked, public listened and prudence laughed. Is anything different happening in Dantewada case?

Money can definitely make me happy

This news caught my attention today and reminded me of many debates I had with my friends, colleagues, near and dear ones.

Does money make me happy? - Yes, it definitely does!

And whats the big deal in honestly accepting it? Who says money cannot buy happiness? It definitely can!

The happiness is not only in material things. It is also in achieving the basic justifiable desires of one's life, e.g. education. Many people cannot pursue their desired education only because they do not have enough money. Once I had a debate with a friend on this topic,

Friend: We should not run behind money. If we earn money, its ok. Even otherwise, its fine.
Me: Do you think money is needed only for material things? Or in real life, is it really like a movie where the one who tries to earn money is of bad nature and the one who doesn't is of good nature.
Friend: But money is not everything is life..
Me: Definitely not! But suppose, tomorrow you have a kid, who wants to pursue medical education, will you be able to manage it in absence of good savings?
Friend: Ohh..I will take a loan then..
Me: If you have not earned enough to pledge anything, who will give you loan? And loan is not charity. You have to earn to repay it.
Friend: Well, although I will not have lot of money, I will have good friends, who will help me.
Me: On the contrary, suppose your friend asks you for some money, will you be able to give it without thinking twice?

And my friend was speechless!

I have seen many people arguing about the entrance fees in temples. Higher one pays, closer s/he can go. People say, "Yeah, what a bad time has come. Now, even seeing God requires money!" But it can be looked at in a different way. God says, "Endeavor to come close to me. Do hard work and then you will have the fortune to come closer"

Even to do something for the society, one needs money. I have a dream in life..to bear the expenses of a child's education. Right from the nursery to higher education. I will not be able to make it possible in absence of money. But when I do it, it will definitely bring happiness to that child and consequently to me.

But of course, I perfectly agree with what Lord Layard has said in that article,
"I certainly think that the relief of poverty is an incredibly important objective, but it shouldn't be done at any cost."
I only justify running behind money..legitimately!

Wish you luck Sania..

I believe, many of our fellow countrymen have forgotten that it's a democratic country.

The big hullaballoo, Sania-Shoaib marriage has caused really looks like some reality show. To top it, betting has been started on it. Our people will never stay behind in selling the emotions! This betting was something unexpected and awful.

But who has topped the score in all this non-sense is Mr. Srinivas Rao. Now this person has filed a case against Sania to forfeit all the awards given to her. A desire of publicity can really take a person to any extent. Sania is a star of our country. But not even she is spared of choosing her life partner.

I really appreciated Mr. Udhdhav Thakre's stand on this issue. He declared that, he and his party has got nothing to do with this, its Sania's personal matter. It was really great to hear something sensible from a politician. Especially after what Mr. Balasaheb Thakre had commented about it. Udhdhav making a contradictory statement was really something notable.

I really wish everything resolves with Sania. After all, she is the one who has made this country proud. Rest really doesn't matter!

Worthless Esteem

Today, while reading Maharashtra Times 2 news caught my  attention.

One was this..Maharashtra has secured highest of JNNURM scheme!

And another was this..Maharashtra of Death Necklaces!

Reading these news numbed my senses.

I have always been a proud Maharashtriyan. Proud of the Maharashtrian cultural, Maharashtrian traditions and rituals, Marathi language, Marathi cuisine and what not! But this proud feeling was breached for the first time during one of my visit to Dadar Chowpaty. I was standing near the Chaitya Bhoomi looking at the sea when I noticed so many broken idols of Ganapati, Durgamaa in parts. They were brought back by the sea waves. They were lying on the beach with other thrown away bhel-puri wrappers, plastic bottles and other garbage. I could not believe my eyes. I was thoroughly shocked! The idols, I had always worshiped and seen decorated with flower garlands and tilak, were lying down in the sand. The Ganeshostav & Navaratri was over long back. Now the worshiped idols were of no use, they did not churn huge amount of money, the wishes were already asked and the returns were already promised for the next festivals. In the meantime, who cared??

Today when I look at Maharashtra, I feel even more overwhelmed with grief. Maharashtra can be one of the perfect examples of biggest problem in India..no no, it's not corruption or poverty..it's the unending, ever increasing and well maintained Inequality. Invest huge amounts in the urban development(?) and completely ignore the real needy areas..completely ignore the environmental issues like this...don't even think about all inclusive development..let me fill my pockets first, let them overflow like anything...let people go to hell!!!!

Divide & Rule! Let there be some areas who will demonstrate how India is shining, but obviously there should be some people, some areas, some issues on which next election promises will be preyed. Meanwhile, there is a lot to engage the public...there are daily soaps..reality shows..celebrity marriages and just so many things!

When there was a terror attack on Mumbai or Pune, it caught the attention of all media & public. But what about the never-ending problems of farmers. The farmer suicides have become a routine??? Routine??? What can be more horrifying than this? What about the constant terror under which they are living(?)? The terror threat is not only from the terrorists, but there is a bigger one from those.. whom we have elected to make the right decisions.. on our behalf.. off our hard earned money..who spend all their intelligence & energy either in filling their pockets or licking the shoes of big fishes! And we, the city people, staying under a shell of 'feel good' factor, have no time and energy to think about other fellow countrymen!

I perfectly agree with Mr. Sarang Darshane..when the people in a state cannot be kept alive, all the progress, the celebrations and ultimately the proud feeling is worthless!!

Linguistically Alien? No big deal!!

How does it feel, when one cannot understand the language of people around? Well, when I first came to Germany for a short trip, I had just learned a very basic level of Deutsch language. I loved Germany not only because it is a very beautiful country, but also because I loved Deutsche Sprache. I must thank Goethe for developing this love. They taught it so beautifully, that I felt like a child, whose mind is blank & open for the new learning. I never thought that, learning something right from the scratch at the age of 26 would be any kind of fun. But it was! Then the trip to Germany, immediately after my first level, was quite a experience for me. Being a beginner, I tried judging whether I can understand how the natives speak.

Later while I stayed in Germany for a longer period and studied the language further, I enjoyed my improvement in Deutsch. Our language class was a good mixture of different nationalities, with hardly any English speaking people. So neither did I understand their Turkish or Thai or Serbian or Kazakh language, nor did they understand mine (except a few words like 'chai' or 'Shahrukh Khan'). So I had to communicate in German to talk to them. It helped us all to better our Deutsch.

Now when I have shifted to Brussels, I am surrounded by Dutch or French people. I can't even make out the difference between these two languages at times. The language which I feel is Dutch is sometimes French and vice versa. Sometimes, when I am standing on a station or a bus stop, people come to me and start asking something probably about the next train or the route or I don't know what! And my reaction is like, 'Ok, forget your question; I can't even recognise which language you are speaking!!!' Phew!

I felt relived when I got English speaking friends in Germany and now in Brussels. But then I thought did I really feel alien, just because I could not understand the languages. Well, not really! As far as language is concerned, I did not feel any huge difference in my life. Living in a cosmopolitan city like Mumbai, I always faced many alien languages. For example, in packed local of Mumbai, daily I travelled with a mixture of groups who talked in their respective mother tongues. Now the same question would have come to my mind, if a south Indian asked me a question in his/her mother tongue. I would have thought, 'Ok, is it Malyali or Tamil or Telegu...anyways I understand none of them!'  Growing up with many languages around, my mind inadvertently became used to alien languages.

Its kind of fun to face so many languages and feel their huge diversity. But more incredible is the language of gestures, which is universal! Although, one cannot understand the language, its not very difficult to interpret the meaning with the help of gestures.

WTF!

Kasab has made a big joke of our judiciary system. I really wonder some times, in any other country will such kind of behavior be tolerated? Or it is only India, the biggest democracy(or should I say hippocracy?) such things happen and they make headlines in news papers? The people behind 26/11 must be laughing at all this.

So many people have actually seen him on that day. Millions of people have seen him on TV. How much importance really need to be given to what crap he talks? He changed his statement thrice and bloody every time it is a headline? Is he a celebrity? This trial has become a farce now.

I don't know what more evidences are needed to punish him. Or for what reason the decision is being delayed? To make Indian judiciary system a big laughing stock?

26/11 - Sorrow of a common man!

26/11! The dirtiest day in the history of Mumbai! A day which made us feel ashamed of ourselves!


The firing at CST station..and at Leopold cafe..the explosions at Taj & Oberoi..the attack on Nariman House..we were stunned! Sitting in front of TV..without even blinking! I pinched myself several times, wondering whether it is really happening or I am in a dream! The most astonishing fact about this attack is, unlike Mumbai train blasts, they were not cowardly attacks. Without any fear, a man came and fired at CST station (!), and he had a smile on his face while doing this?? It was not a bloody Hindi movie, where we could convince ourselves that, 'Oh, it is just a movie. It's not real.' But it was real!! 


Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus..there are so many feelings attached to this station. It has always been my favorite station in Mumbai because of its beautiful architecture and lofty style. The feeling of being at CST station was definitely different than being at any other station of Mumbai. It indeed gave a sense of being 'in Mumbai'. But now the way of looking at CST has drastically changed. The first thought that came to my mind whenever I went there after 26/11 was 'it is here it all happened'.


Not only 26/11, but also the days after cannot be forgotten. When the commandos were fighting there for the people whom they have not known, there were people arguing 'See, someone tell Raj Thakare, not the Marathi manus, but commandos from outside Maharashtra are here to save Mumbai.' I was absolutely shocked to hear that. What a ridiculous comment  it was! Who were Shahid Karkare, Kamate and Salaskar? And, forget about Marathi and non-Marathi! The commandos were not biased with cast. They did not have even thought about 'whom' they are saving. But the people sitting safe outside were irresponsibly making such obnoxious comments on TV channels!


The security system of Mumbai, the hypocrisy of politicians was all unclothed. It was so frustrating to see a politician making comment about women in peace march, visit of CM with a film director, the TV news channels overwhelmed with the treasure of bites.


I remember the peace march we attended shortly after the attack. When we reached on CST station, it was a different feeling to see that building again. Unknowingly our eyes, filled with tears, were searching for the traces of attack. It was so horrible to imagine that, just a few days back so many people were ruthlessly killed and the dead bodies were lying here. Surprisingly, the station was all crowded with people including children to go to the peace march. We had to struggle a lot to get a cab. When we told the taxi driver that we are going for the peace march, he said 'अरे काहेका मार्च साहाब, पिछली बारभी जब बोम्ब ब्लास्ट हुआ था, ऐसेही कुछ किया इन लोगोने. लेकिन क्या फ़ायदा हुआ? थोड़े दीन ये सब नाटक चलेगा. फिर सब भूल जायेंगे. कुछ नहीं बदलेगा.' We argued with him on that. But somewhere at the back of our mind we knew that he was right! And, just by attending a peace march, we were simply doing NOTHING! Today, when I the saw interview of Mr. Karkare's wife, she was asked her opinion about these peace marches with candles. She said, "हा फ़क्त दिखावा आहे. खरच जर काही करायची गरज आहे तर पोलिसांना चांगली शस्त्रास्त्र देण्याची." Really, did the peace marches show the unity of Mumbaikars? I don't know!! For me, it was all unintentional. To do at least something rather than nothing! Just to be a small part of the crowd which is protesting. One of those voices who outcried "This is not acceptable!". Our taxi could not go ahead after flora fountain and we took a walk towards Gateway. The roads were full of people with banners in their hands & wearing T-shirts with messages of protest. Near Gateway it was crowded like a second class compartment of local train. Still many people were walking with their children on shoulders. Many were standing on the road dividers shouting in protest. Many celebrities were there giving bite to news channels. We reached the end of the road next to Taj. Could catch only a glimpse of it. And, started our journey back. That's it!


One year after, today I again could realize the truth in what that cab driver said..'NOTHING WILL CHANGE'. Has the security system in Mumbai improved? May be. But definitely not enough! The metal detectors put on CST station only work as a hindrance for commuters. Nothing else. Newspapers are feeling proud about being first to give some or the other news (for example, there is a news in MT today stating that, they were the first to show Kasab's photo. Wow! What a great achievement!). Newspapers say, we have spent a bloody 31 crores on that bastard terrorist. And today senior parliamentarians fight with each other over compensation paid to victims by government. Aren't we making fun of ourselves in front of the world?


But do I have a right to raise objection?? NO! What is most hurtful is, sitting thousands of miles away from Mumbai, neither I am doing anything for it!!!

Gita or Gandhi?

I want to thank Supreme Court for not making it mandatory to respect Gandhi. It is not that I want to criticise him. But the more I read about him, the more I am befuddled by his principles, the more I feel confused as to why he was known as the 'Rashtrapita'.

The most confusing principle for me is of 'Non-violence'! Definitely, mother earth always needed non-violence more than violence. But one sided non-violence has always been disastrous. To constrain people from violence he used the weapon of 'Aamaran Uposhan'. But isn't that also a kind of violence? Does a man have the right to destroy himself, if cannot create himself? If Gandhivad was so strong, then why couldn't it stop the huge massacre of Hindustani people at the time of partition? It’s true that, an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. But can a person lovingly offer the remaining eye, when already one is lost, just to win the heart of enemy?

Bhagvad Gita is treated as a Mother in Hinduism. In that, when Arjun saw his Gurus and relatives on the opposing Army side, he lost his courage and decided not to fight. Then Bhagwan Krishna explained to him his duties as a Warrior. He said 'as a warrior he has a duty to uphold the path of dharma through warfare'.

On the contrary, during World War II, when invasion of the British Isles by Nazi Germany looked imminent, Gandhi offered the following advice to the British people "I would like you to lay down the arms you have as being useless for saving you or humanity. You will invite Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini to take what they want of the countries you call your possessions...If these gentlemen choose to occupy your homes, you will vacate them. If they do not give you free passage out, you will allow yourselves, man, woman, and child, to be slaughtered, but you will refuse to owe allegiance to them."

Had they listened to Gandhi, UK would not have survived the war! They fought for their country. Today there is no enmity between UK and Germany. Hindustan listened to him. Faced the partition. And the problems still exist!!!! For Dharma Arjun fought with his own people. Whereas as per Gandhivad, one should neither fight for Dharma nor for the one’s own people!

Post world war II, in an interview he expressed his view about the Jew massacre, ‘The Jews should have offered themselves to the butcher's knife. They should have thrown themselves into the sea from cliffs.' And why all this? To win the heart of enemy! Will a man in his normal senses do this?

I would like to respect him. But only when I get a justifiable answers to my questions. I cannot disrespect my Bhagvad Gita, for a so called Rashtrapita! Life is not some Munnabhai movie, where everything will fall in place miraculously. It has to be justified to be believed!

Ashamed of the insensitivity!

What a big hypocrisy! Today I really feel ashamed of the judiciary system in India! And well, this is definitely not the first time I am feeling this.

Shiney Ahuja rape case will now be tried by a fast track court? Why??? There will be a ‘fast’ justice, when a girl is raped by a film actor? Or when the case is being focused by media? This is so atrocious!! What is the base of taking that case in fast track court? Had she been raped by someone else, it was ok to take the justice its own ‘Indian standard time’. There are many cases already pending with the court. But this one is important. No no… not because for the sake of justice, but for the sake of culprit involved.

The 26/11 case is taking its own time. It is being rechecked that, the witnesses have actually seen Kasab and not on TV or newspaper. Bullshit!

Then there is Mohammad Afzal, who is convicted of attack on Indian Parliament. The attack happened in 2001, he was sentenced in 2004 for the capital punishment to be carried out in 2006. But now it has been stayed!!! Till when???

Isn’t a country like Iran better for this matter, where culprits convicted for blasts were hanged the immediate next day! Yeah, surely we have our principles which compel us for the processes to be followed. But at what cost? At the cost of trust on the judiciary system? How a common man can trust the judiciary system? Definitely punishing a pawn doesn’t solve the problem. But for how much time should he be fade on the tax payers’ money?

Now is this rape case being taken on fast track, really to solve the problem or just to fool the public or to relive him asap since he is ‘the’ film star and lot of money is invested in him! Or may be the usual sympathy of Chief Ministers towards film stars! When the judiciary system is so partial, no wonder the general public in India is insensitive at times. For example, when a film star carelessly bangs his car on a sleeping person, for whom the public worries? For their star of course! Anyways, what’s the value of life of ‘just a’ human being as against that of a star. Public worries because the star will have to stay in jail. So sad!

I definitely agree that the girl should get justice at the earliest. But then every rape case should have a special separate court, where they can be solved at the earliest. Like Bachchi Karkeria in her article rightly said, rape as a national entertainment! When will system (which includes the judiciary system, the media as well as general public) be a little more sensitive??

Do not marry outside the 'Tribe' !!

Yesterday I was watching a debate on BBC about whether a Muslim woman should have the right to choose her husband or not. Well, I am sure this debate cannot be restricted only to Muslim women or may be not even to women alone, as still there is a large percentage of people marrying without choice.

But it gave rise to some other questions in my mind. A lady participating in the debate strongly stated that, a woman should not be allowed to marry "outside the tribe". TRIBE!! My first reaction was obviously 'Bullshit!' A woman has all the rights to marry a person of her choice irrespective of his religion. RELIGION!

Are tribe and religion the same?

When I searched for the definition of Tribe, it was

"a social group of humans connected by a shared system of values and organized for mutual care, defense, and survival beyond that which could be attained by a lone individual or family"

There was no reference to religion!!

A tribe has shared system of values. In other words, those who belong to a specific value system can be considered to be part of a specific Tribe. So can I say that…

· the women, who demand a ‘fair’ daughter-in-law, belong to the same tribe of racist in Australia (I don’t know if India should really protest against the racial attacks, when it itself has got quite a big market for ‘fairness creams’, who try to convince how changing colour can change life! Have these protestants ever thought of these racists in their own country who though don’t stab people, yet kill their confidence, which is like slow poisoning)

· the smokers, polluting industries, people who throw ‘Nirmalya’ (flowers offered to God) in water, people who make chemically painted, Plaster of Paris idols and then throw them in water, builders who kill mangroves to grow money from land, ships that leave oil in water, all belong to the ‘contaminating tribe’

· people who use electricity or water or any other natural resource carelessly, those parents who proudly say that ‘our son only drinks coca cola’ (I have seen a kid whose 1^st requirement in the morning was a cold-drink which was made available to him with lot of pampering. It was disgusting to see a 4-5 years old boy drinking cold-drink through out the day!), big celebrities (who know people blindly believe in them) advertising for unhealthy products, all belong to the ‘careless creatures tribe’

So when question of spending life with someone arises, shouldn’t we rather discriminate based on tribes than religion? Life partners don’t relate to each other only in the kitchen or bedroom, but what matter most are the values. For example, survival of a girl married in a racist family will depend on maintenance of her colour irrespective of her other characteristics. A person of ‘environmentalist tribe’ might not be able to spend life with a smoker. A person of ‘vegan tribe’ will prefer to stay away from ‘non-vegetarian tribe’. So on and so forth.

Will marrying in the same religion guarantee a good life? I don’t think so. But yes, I believe, marrying in the same ‘tribe’ might actually give a good life!