Why bay for gay blood?

Recently there was a gay procession and it hogged the limelight. There seemed to be renewed hope of sorts with parts of the governmental machinary rethinking Section 377 which makes it illegal to have a same sex relationship. Of course, the repealing or reworking of this act, the government says will depend largely on what society says, what the religious community says and "people sentiment."

I wonder, aren't all these factors the reason why this remnant of the Raj is still followed? Scientific studies now show that being gay in not an acquired state but rather it is in the genes. And even if it were not in the genes, what could possibly be the harm in loving someone from the same sex. The way I look at it, it all boils down to an aversion to the concept of physical intimacy between members of the same sex. Because in straight couples, male bonding and female cliques are not frowned upon, yet if they take on sexual overtones, they automatically are frowned upon. Strange!! And another thing - the top male fantasy with straight men is lesbian sex - but the being lesbian is wrong?!! Isn't that a contradiction.

Being queer spreads diseases. Being straight spreads diseases too... Infact they don't have any diseases that are unique to only them. So why all the hulabaloo?

People of religion say that being gay is against God's order for human-kind. If that were so, why is being queer a matter of genes and not a matter of choice? Killing in the name of religion, suppression of women, child labour and most of the world's ills, am pretty sure did not come under God's plan for human-kind, but its there isn't it. And all of these mentioned above spread hatred and revulsion. Being gay is all about loving. What matter if it is someone of the same sex?

The more you restrain the human mind, the more it aims to break free. By categorising people as gay or queer we are automatically creating another class of people, something we already have enough of. What if the world was wired the other way round and it was straight people who were looked down on and who had to fight for their rights to be with each other? What these people are doing is just like us - the lead normal lives, study, work, enjoy lives and more importantly they love - what difference does it make to anyone whom they love?

Just as our sex life is not anyone's business, so is the sex life of those whom we name gay. And in this world of population boom,, wouldn't it be wise to encourage non-reproductive sex that could in turn foster adoptions.

"Auto"cracy or hypocracy

A few days ago, the papers announced that our chief minister has decided not to allow any more licenses to be granted for new autos. And the auto unions have not taken too well to that. They plan to file a petition saying that Bangalore is need of more autos considering the demand. Now that does seem a trifle strange. For people like me who use autos on a regular basis, 9 out of 10, the first auto I approach will not take me where I want to go.

If Bangalore needed more autos, every single auto would be engaged the entire day and people would not be able to find one when they needed it. But the prevailing situation is totally different, you will find people desparately trying to flag down autos when they are right in front of an entire stand of autos, simply because those men either don't want to move their poteriors or its their tea break or its their 'meeting time'.

It doesn't matter that they are standing in front of hospitals where autos are constantly needed. If your home is not where they want to go... then bad for you. Maybe along with clearences from various governmental bodies before the sanctioning of land for homes, we should also seek the local auto stands consent on whether and where they are willing to take residents of that area.

It doesn't matter to this set of the working class that we are standing with little children or old people who can barely stand straight have to wait for ages to find a willing auto. Distances should not be too far or too near. Time of the day should be between their meals, and their snooze routines. And for all this worry, will they take what the meter shows... sure, if they have already tampered with it, there is nothing much you can say other than "I know this is not the right price". If you happen to come out of a mall, it is taken for granted that you have money to throw and costs for reaching you and your heavy grocery bags will double.

Does it ever strike these men, that we EARN our livelihood too. That we too would like to save on unnecessary expenditure. Its not like someone is standing on the road doling out auto money to all of us. When we report to our offices, there is a time limit on even out loo visits, let alone coffee breaks and lunch breaks. Late entries can be penalised, refusal to do our designated work can get us fired. These men don't have to earn their livelihood amidst such tyranny. So WHY!! then can't they do their jobs well. Maybe we should suggest to the union a day of job swapping!!

But as an afterthought, you will find a few diamonds amidst the coal. When I was trying to hail on auto one afternoon with my daughter in tow, nobody was ready to take us to Bannerghata road. An auto just pulled up next to us and before I could tell him where we wanted to go (as is customary), he said, "It doesn't matter, just get in, I will go anywhere." Once in, he told us that he hated the men of his tribe simply because they sat around wasting their time. He said, as an auto driver he considered it his duty to take a passenger where they wanted to go. It is after all what he signed up for. He added that it was men like lazy bones around that spoiled the name of his community. Well said!! wish more of them thought like you.

Wider horizons, narrower perceptions

While everyone is on the topic of racism - "are the attacks in Australia racist in nature or are the Indians asking for it?" "Indians are racist when it comes to foreigners and even their own people - why we consider all the south Indians to be madrasis and the northeast folk to be chinkis" - and so on and so forth. But in the midst of it all, there is another breed of Indians for whom their own country - India is a matter of disdain.

Take an uncle of mine into consideration. Within the family circles he is called Mad Max (Max not being his real name). Now, here was a man who had migrated to the U S of A years before he brought forth the next generation. Being a man of big heart, he always wanted to give back to his country and to his home town of Mangalore. So what did he do... in the early '90s, he used part of his home to set up a book library, a TV with cable connection and DVD player where he wanted to show the 'poor people' of Mangalore what a good book was and that the world now had an invention called TV. And when he spoke of the under-privileged, we his relatives as well fell in the same category. He would talk to us of great inventions such as electricity, piped water, cars on petrol, cell phones and internet, like he was from another planet.

When he was informed that we in Mangalore already owned the contraption and that we also owned cell phones and internet as well as cars and bikes, he was totally taken aback. He could not believe that India had reached such levels of progress. So much so that he continued with his 'give back to society projects'. Well atleast some of the American libraries have found a place to trash their rejects.

Another case to ponder. When I was doing my mass communication masters, we had students from several regions and countries as well. Several NRI kids were part of ours and the junior batch. One girl however caught everyone's eye. It was one thing that her blonde mane heralded her arrival two minutes before her, but it was her accent that had everyone snickering. It was a pseudo-American one, where the drawl was VERY apparent at some points and VERY Indian in the next. After a session of moonshine one evening, she got all nostalgic and said that our Manipal reminded her of the American suburbs. To which, a classmate of mine very innocently asked, which part of the States are you talking about? And the answer - "Oh, I couldn't say, I have never been to the States." !!!!???

Fake accents are part of the game. You will have a college-going student sprout an accent and when you ask her where she got it from, she will proudly say that she went to kindergarten in Libya and that's how she has an American accent. Wonder what geography they were taught there?

What do you say when you come across such people? Going abroad is supposed to widen your horizons. In these cases, it looks like once they touched the horizon, they closed their minds to all else. How much of the world you know comes from how you percieve it. If your mind remains closeted to the Western or rather foreign world, how do you hope to improve yourself or the lives of those around you.

Long ago, I heard a statement which went. Ask any child, which is the greatest country in the world and they will name their own. Ask an Indian child which is the greatest country in the world and 9/10 will say America. We percieve our own country in very low light... not that it does not deserve such ratings, but then its only when we percieve it in the right way can we make a go at improving its ratings.

Holding up educations' torch - Kapil Sibal

And so it happens, that Kapil Sibal feels that the 10^th Std board exam needs to be scrapped and a more lenient system of assessment be introduced. I am appalled at the fact that there are several parents as well as educationalists who feel that this is a bad move. For one, I would like to clarify that Kapil Sibal is talking about the removal of 10^th Std BOARD Exam, and not the exam in itself. He is talking of a more sensitive style of assessment.

It doesn’t take Einstein to know that while the Indian education system is quite advanced, its methodologies are primitive. Take for example, the State board, through which I did my High School. What was taught to me in high school was long over in CBSE board that I had been in during my Higher Primary years. Moreover, the syllabus being taught was also the same one my aunt, who is 14 years older than me had studied. So would you say that the system is flawed? I would think so. The Indian education system is based entirely on studying by rote. The use of thinking, imagination and a practical understanding is never there.

Several educational heads came out in today’s papers saying that if there are no 10 STD board exams, how will we assess a student’s aptitude for the course he is applying to. If admissions were were so aptitude based, why is it that the overall percentage of the student is taken into account. Why not look at only the percentage or percentile (if it comes to be) of that particular subject? And if aptitude were so important, why are there payment seats and management seats where students who have no aptitude to wash dishes too get seats.

And the same goes forward in college too... In the run up to my PUC exams, I was coached separately along with a few others since we were thought to have the potential to bring ranks into the college. And the first thing that was told to us was, don't try to write answers with your own reasoning. Stick to the book as far as possible, that is what will earn you a rank. There is only a certain level with which you can stick to the book, following which you need to use your brain. Needless to say, I did not get a rank.

Another example I would like to cite here is that of my journalism lecturer when I was doing my BA. She was a Masters gold medalist in the subject and she taught the whole thing from the notes that she took down in her college years!!!! We had a college journal to bring out as part of practicals and when a classmate wrote a creative piece which carried a description that said "as beautiful as the Kohinoor", she called my classmate to the staff room and asked her if the Kohinoor was a place in Kerala!!!!!!!! and was very serious about her question.

So was it aptitude that got her the gold medal or the rotten education system that assesses students on the basis of how much they can memorise their textbooks. Very few of the students who rank high in their studies carry with them the expertise to function in society without being spoonfed.

Education should be about preparing your child for the world and not bogging them down with books that carry information, that in all honesty will hardly be of use to them in the future. One teacher in the papers today said that students decide in 10th std what stream they want to follow. I beg to differ, when a student goes to a college with his percentage, his seat is decided based on which subject he has scored higher marks in. Such school administrations are the reasons why students with a aptitude for arts are forced into science simply because they may have scored more in those subjects. Or a student with a penchant for science is denied a seat because his overall percentage was not near the cut off mark simply because he scored lower in the languages.

People wake up... its this very same educational system that has led to parents thinking that the higher the marks, the more intelligent my son...

Back to Basics

I recently bought myself an iPhone. I had the option of buying several other models of phone. But the childish part of me wanted to be associated with the iPhone. And so I bought it, not through the grey market, but rather from an authentic dealer for the real price it is worth. It pinched a lot monetarily, but at the end of the day I had what I wanted.

Call it stupid of me but I did not really research on the features that the iPhone offered. I mean, when you pay a bomb, it expect it to come fully loaded. As I began using it I realised, that a lot of features that my old (and less expensive phone) had were not on this phone. Of course, it did have a lot that my old phone did not. But I started to pine for my old phone or least for one that could fill the void that was created.

A thought then struck me. We move forward in many ways - technology, thought processes, careers, methods of approach to so many social aspects of life. But when you really look at things, you seem the happiest with having just the basics. More often than not, we find people who deal with technological R & D expertise personally using the very simplest of technologies. A 30k phone may earn you brownie points with your peer crowd, but you need to look after it like you would a crystal front tooth. Thats when you pine for its cheaper and more hardier counterpart.

Gourmet cooks who have access to the best of ingredients and foods, almost always prefer dal-chaawal meals. Think of it yourself... you may love eating out, but try doing it for a week in a row and you too will pine for the simplicity of home cooked meal.

When it comes to home made meals - today's home-makers (me included) prefer the convenience of packaged spices... the food does turn out good, but try the same with time tested home made spices and you will learn to appreciate food in a whole new way.

It may be an old point that I scoffed on as a youngster, but there is a ring of truth to the adage - old is gold (as corny as the contrivation seems)

A matter of perception

I have been completely out of touch with the news for a while now. And that is primarily because I got myself addicted to word games on Facebook. Today I had made up my mind to not log in but rather catch up with my back log of reading. The "racist" attacks down under have been hogging the limelight for a while and that was also the subject of my previous entry.

But today, a line in a news article caught my eye. It effectively said that while we knew the number of students of Indian origin who are in Australia as of now, we have no clue as to how many Indians are there to eke out a living or who may have settled down there for generations. Aren't these people also susceptible to these attacks? With our country screaming itself hoarse on brain drain, it is amazing how we don't seem to have a clue as to how many of our people are abroad. While NRIs are berated for taking their knowledge abroad, they are also (and very hypocritically, I must add) hailed for bringing the moolah into the country in terms of investment here and boosting the economy.

While foreigners of Indian origin are hailed as gods for their achievements in aeronautical space and foreign politics, we tend to forget the thousands who are also working behind the scenes in these places. Till today it was an honour to have a child who has studied abroad, all of a sudden we have parents trembling in fear about sending their wards to foreign countries. Do we forget how many students irrespective of status have been victims of ragging, racism, casteism in India? Why would you think any other country does not have its own share?

Taking to the streets in protest is a norm in most countries. But really... how many times have we seen foreigners take to the streets in India just because a member of their community has been attacked. If anything the taking of sides has happened at the governmental level. While our government has called to "express concern", there really has been no substantial ground work done to ensure that Indians are not targetted.

Carrying placards that say "we bring money, we pay taxes and we work for your economy and get stabbed" are ridiculous. How many foreigners come to our country and get looted just because they are of the wrong colour? Just as we get generalised in foreign countries as taxi drivers and curry munchers, so too we have percieved all foreigners to be of loose character and drug pushers.

Its all a matter of perception. And this applicable to all and sundry. Rather than the students, it is the governments who need to put their foot down. Had we been the self-proclaimed saviour of the world USA, we would have pushed our weight around and had a dozen meaningless embargos put on Oz. But considering we are India, we have a very victimised style of handling things.

How about rallying all prospective Indian students heading for Australia together and giving them incentives to stay put till the next intake. Education is amongst Oz's largest exports with India and China being its largest markets. Almost every education specialist based in India on Australia's behalf has been intimated of huge discounts and other means of wooing students. Why don't we try and counter this and express solidarity. Granted many may think that this could harm the student's future. But then, are we ready to send our children to a place where people treat foreigners with the same contempt that we (at least a majority) in India do?

What goes around, comes around

There is a huge hue and cry about the Indian students being assaulted in Australia. Students are now contemplating return, parents are a worried lot and the protest marches are on in full swing. I DO NOT in any way condone what happened to those students. Racial discrimination in any form is truly abhorrent. Students have taken to the street demanding justice. Fair enough, one of their countrymen have been assaulted. But it is surprising to see, that when we as, as a nation get what we dish out, we can't tolerate it. How commonplace are the following situations in India

1) Student ragging, resulting in death or else as painful consequences as what happened in Australia.

2) A 10-minute conversation with any foreign tourist in India will give you truckfulls of information on how they have been harrassed, cheated, taken for a ride, over-charged, groped, stared at and much more.

3) India has got quite a reputation when it comes to thrashing or even murdering foreigners. Goa is a place in consideration.

4) It is sad but true that what the foreign world sees of India is more often than not - the wannabes. Those people who will fall over themselves to be like the foreigners (for what reason, God alone knows) and then who show our country in poor light.

5) India has quite a reputation for brain drain. Has any government tried to reverse this process? Is it any wonder then that we are resented abroad, simply because we are ready to work for a comparitively lesser pay and are ready to go even to the Arctic.

6) Most tourist spots in the world abhor the Indian traveler for he is constantly in a quest to get freebies and discounts, and of course, strip a hotel room when he leaves.

Once again I don't condone what has happened or what continues to happen. Racial discrimination is a blackspot on humanity. But then, in a eerie sort of way - this seems to be a case of what goes around, comes around.   

God - misconceived concept not a reality

I haven't blogged in quite a while. While most of you may think that this was the result of me running out of the blog fizz, the fact is that there has been a lot going on in my personal life. Agreed it goes on in everybody's life and mine need be no exception. Anyways, the past weeks has strengthened a conviction I have had for a while now - that of the non-existence of God.

I come from a pretty devout Catholic family. In the chance that my mother reads this she may consider it blasphemy but then I guess by now am entitled to my own opinion. After I came to an age where I could reason for myself, I kept wondering, how is it possible to have a God, whom we all turn to as the supreme being and saviour, but who lets a number of injustices take place. When we say "what goes around, comes around" what could an infant with leukaemia possibly have done wrong to deserve to be born with the illness, only to suffer and die in a short life span. Why do battered housewives suffer the wrath of their deranged husbands for no fault of theirs? Why are innocent animals prey to human atrocities. 

If one were to say that a balance has to be struck and hence the polar opposites are in existence, then why do people who have been wronged, go to their graves without seeing justice being served. If there was one God, would he/she have propogated multiple religions, all in the name of which politics is played and people are segregated. If the one God preached the equality of men, would there be a heirarchy in every religion, would there be a caste system, would there be bloodshed? Of course, you may say religion is man-made. If God truly existed, would'nt he have ensured that there was no difference in the way people percieved him.  

We have been conditioned from childhood to attribute the occurrence of all good things to God and to leave the solution to all problems to him. But from what I have seen, it is only when you apply your reasoning to a situation, will you come up with a solution to what is bugging you. I don't really see God's role in this. Of course, you could consider your prayers a way of finding hope and maybe even as means of using God as a sounding board. But honestly how many times have your problems been solved thanks to divine intervention and how many times because of a stand that you have decided to take on the matter. 

I think we all have an equal amount of good and bad in us. It is just up to us and the person we are, to see which of the two determines the human that we become and the lives that we live. 

Confidence, arrogance or indifference??

The elections are on... and though I did not get around to getting my voter's card (I have promised myself that I will get it done this year for sure), though I have been diligently trying to follow the elections. I haven't been as consistent as I would have liked to be. After the elections began however, I had a chance to read a comparison of manifestos of some of the major contenders in the elections. While the ideas  seemed quite noble, the age old question of how much of this really gets implemented at the ground level, crops up.

The categories under which these manifestos are compared are infrastructure, jobs, foreign relations, agriculture, security and taxes. Of course, these categories form the bastions of any developing country. In terms of infrastructure, The Congress claims that it will spread the fruits of the IT revolution to every village and ensure that entrepreneurship will be encouraged. The BJP talks of the providing roads to the remotest of villages. My entire issue lies in the implementation of these grand plans. If for the past half century or so of independence, our leaders couldn't give us decent roads, what is going to change now? Are they going to get rid of the babus in between who make money on passing infrastructure tenders to companies that further misuse funds allotted for projects? How are they going to ensure that the middleman does not take away what is due to the public?

Both parties talk of reversing unemployment trends, scholarships for deserving students of govt recognised institutions and the like. After 5o odd years, you still have a sizable population that hasn't seen the inside of a school. When the govt run mid day meal scheme can result in food poisoning of children, when so called govt school teachers indulge in capital punishment as a sport, when children are tortured in the name of discipline by unscrupulous teachers, where exactly does the scholarship help?

In terms of foreign relations - one party thinks its scores higher thanks to the nuke deal, while the other gloats on the fact that its so called agenda when it comes to dealing with Pakistan is unique. Come on - the nuke deal can be called a success when the benefits peter down to the population and when our scientific intelligensia are allowed to work for our benefit and not that of the American banner. And as far as dealing with Pakistan is concerned, our bumbling lawyers of Kasab are ample testimony to how seriously we take our neighbour. While we live in the illusion that since are geographically the bigger country, the harm Pakistan can impact on us is not a bad as what we can do to them. Why don't you ministers and wannabe ministers get off your high horses and talk to the victims of Pakistani-backed blasts.

Agriculture - while we are supposed to be an agrarian country, we have had more farmer deaths than ever before. Wiping out farmer debt does not ensure a good crop, getting a good crop does not ensure that the sale of the crop will benefit the farmer, selling the crop this time does not ensure that the farmer will actually make enough to tide him over calamities such as droughts, floods and so much more. Have any of the ministers actually gone and checked the quality of the grain that is given to the farmers in the name of subsidy and to help them tide over?

Security of the aam aadmi - Bring in POTA, recruit and train more troops, bring in specialised technology and weaponry. All good. Suffice to say this -  remove Z category security from those guys who deserve to be shot and you will have a huge enough battalion of able bodied men. 

Taxes - Ingenious ways to reduce the taxation burden for the common man - have you also a plan in place to save the money that we lose when we - pay bribes for something as insignificant as a death certificate, the donations for college and school seats that are supposed to be on merit, over pricing of goods and so much more. And the BJP talks of bringing back the crores of black money that are locked away in Swiss Accounts. What!!?? all you politicians are planning on closing yours and your acquaintances accounts and moving to India?

I have only compared two of the main manifestos and the others are no different when it comes to promises. But all of what is mentioned in these manifestos are things that should be have happened decades ago. After all we have had enough of time since independence. The basis should have been laid and manifestos of today should have been concentrating on improving on the basics with technology. But no, election after election we see the same set of goals to be achieved. If you couldn't achieve this till today - what makes you so confident of achieving it now.

Arsenal of the gutless

Battles can be of many kinds - physical, mental, verbal and even imagined. But with the advent of social networking sites, battles seem to be of a new kind. Taglines are a feature that are found on almost every email id and social networking site that you may be a member. You can let the world know how you are feeling at the moment, what you are doing, why you are doing and a whole load more. 

While a lot of witty things do find their way into people's taglines, many of them also use their tagline facility to spew venom at others. While the reciever's name may not always feature in the tagline, it is pretty much clear to both the parties involved on what is meant for whom.

I once got a call from a friend who asked me "what in the world did you do to so-and-so person". He was referring to someone I hadn't spoken to in more than a year!!! After a while I realised he was talking of person who was actually placed quite far from my periphery of even acquaintances. The said person and I had a few common friends and that was it. Her tagline for the day read "Shut up Ruth!!". I was sure I was not the Ruth in question, but that did not stop all our mutual friends from calling me up that day. 

I have often noticed that taglines have now become a forum where people say things that would not be able or rather don't have the guts to say to another. Its the safest way of hiding behind the anonymity of the web. These are the same people, if you meet face to face will wax eloquent but will not come to the point. 

While the anonymity of the web has been well debated, this is just another means that has been added to the arsenal of the gutless. Coming out and saying your thing is so not the in-thing for many.

Confused custodians

Let me see now. Here are a couple of things

1) We are at a signal, all of traffic following rules to the T. All of a sudden, a jeep careens past and takes a U turn at a point where U turns are not allowed. Who were in the jeep? Cops

2) A recently held farm house party was 'busted'. Around a 100 youngsters were put behind bars. In the end, it was proved that neither was there excessive liquor, nor were there drugs, nor were any obscene acts being carried out. But today's paper says the cops who spearheaded the operation are to go scot-free.

3) An RTI activist who was recently found dead, a fudged autopsy report covered up the incident as being an accident and it came to light that it was actually murder and the fudging was thanks to the cops.

4) A police officer was replaced because he has an allegation of kidnapping against him.

5) Of course there are also numerous reports of police personnal and their illegal dealings, rapes, murders, bribery, extortion, brutality and more.

All this is like the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the police department. Not to say that there are no diligent officers and those who would really lay down their lives for the cause of protecting people. But the sad part is that the bad deeds of their counterparts always negate the good acts. The good acts are just not enough to restore the people's confidence. When the talk of election is on it would be prudent to see that the nexus between the politicians and the police department are totally severed. It is a honour to be in uniform, its about time the guys in the police department actually start being worthy of it. 

The criteria to get and and more importantly to stay in the police department need to be more rigid and implemented well.

Warped ideologies

Moral policing - the term itself sounds incongruous to me. I mean, we have our parents and our teachers to teach us about morality and how to live our lives according to the norms of society. More often than not it is life itself that teaches us how to behave. So where then, does the moral police fit it. They assume no role in our lives other than being total strangers. They are almost always society's rejects. Then how is it that the assume on themselves the mantle of protecting societal norms, when they themselves have never followed society's dictats.

Moral police aside, an already morally retarded police force is also taking on the role of moral policing. Why don't they just stick to what they are good at - corruption and incompetence. What really got my goat was a small article in a leading newspaper which spoke of how members of a women's NGO and the local police, stalked a couple having an extra marital affair and then dragged each one to their respective homes. While the woman was told to look after her children, the man was told to be there for his wife who was pregnant. 

Okay! and then what - they turned their backs and walked off - do they feel they have done the morally right thing? I don't condone extra-marital affairs, but I also believe in, to each his own, what goes around comes around. Where are these moral police when couples in love are separated and forced to marry against their wills. Is that moral? Where are they when unwilling partner in a marriage takes out frustration on the helpless spouse, who will not have a clue why they are at the recieving end of such rage. Where is the morality in living false lives?

After creating a public tamasha of sorts with regards to the said couple do you honestly think they their family life will be normal again? Would you forgive an erring spouse who has been publicly caught? What will go through the mind of the pregnant wife whose husband was dragged back by the moral police. Her sorrow is now public debate, something she could do without, in her delicate situation. 

In a male-dominated society, do you think the woman would be forgiven by her family and allowed to live a normal life? The said NGO and the police think they have done their moral duty to society by trying to restore peace to two families. What they have unleashed instead is a lifetime of misery for 4 adults and for their children. I mean don't NGOs and police have better work than stalking couples? Isn't stalking a crime?

If this is people's idea of doing good for society, the possibilities are infinite when it comes to the constantly growing lopsided moral brigands.

Fevered election campaigns

I haven't really been following the election run up. Hell! who am I fooling, I have never followed the elections. I am content keeping abreast of the winners, and then joining the teeming millions in abusing them for the rest of their terms. 

This year I noticed something new in the election campaign. Or maybe I have been exposed to it for the first time. I have been on the receiving end of a barrage of election campaign SMses with promises to bring the stars of galaxies we are yet to discover to earth. Besides that, I am also getting messages from a host of people (well known I guess in political circles) pledging their allegience to respective  parties and urging me to do so as well. 

Every medium worth its salt is engaged in dissecting candidates and predicting results. The final show however, in case I need to remind everyone, is run by us the common people. For years now we have been satisfied or rather disinterested with our lot. 

Recently our roads were tarred, open drainages are being close, road lights are being fixed... and all of us are standing around saying, "OH, the elections are round the corner." We have the political class down on their knees begging for voters to come forward and vote. But the process of getting an election id is as herculean as rising from the dead. No wonder a huge number (and I will shamelessly admit that I am included) refrain from making an election id. The last time I did have one, my name and gender was all wrong, despite me filling in details myself!!!

The elections will come and go, the tarred roads will be riddled with potholes again, corruption will get a new face and we will still be satisfied with our lot. There is no point in preaching that one should rise up... power lies in the working class and all that jazz. Bringing a political turnaround has to come from a collective mindset. A mindset that we are lightyears away from. 

The vicious cycle of brain drain, a minority educated class, a goonda raj in power are all reasons why we as a country fail to move ahead. Despite all the misery this country has faced, our walls of immunity seem to be impregnable. What else can possibly happen to motivate the Indian psyche to think beyond themselves and about the greater good. 

Is our life so miserable that we are forced to think of nothing else. Or do we consider ourselves so sheltered, that the word can pass us by without us having to bother. 

The expected and the unexpected

Its been a week since I blogged. And though I told myself that I would try and blog every day I am at least happy that I am doing once a week. My husband was actually surprised the other day when I told him that I did make a post every week...
Anyways work has kept me busy and so has a holiday in Goa. We are just back and I must say... blistering weather or not, we had a blast. It has been one week where I have been completely cut off from the world. No TV news, no newspapers, no gossip with the neighbours on whats happening in the world or around us. In fact no new information at all.
When I came back I thought I would feel a lacuna in terms of catching up with the world. But you know what, nothing has changed... Pakistan is ready to implode, our own leaders are still working hard at the circus called election run up, polarisation of communities is getting more acute and all the dailies tribulations of corruption, lawlessness and poverty are going on their on sweet paths.
So did I really miss anything. I dont think so... Like a friend loves to say "Same old shit, new day".
But enough of lamenting the hopelessness of the world. This trip of mine opened new perspectives for me in terms of holidaying. It was a trip to Goa with a two-year old. What I did expect was a lot of tantrums and crying thanks to being tired or hot. But no... my little angel rocked. She made friends easily, she danced on a boat cruise, she kicked off her shoes and ran on the sand, she jumped into the pool with her dad, began howling her head off and then slowly decided that "hey, this ain't so bad after all".
Of course this Goa trip wasn't what everyone would expect it to be... thanks to anoushka ( and I mean this in a positive way), we drank, but did not drink ourselves silly, we went sightseeing but spent a bomb on an AC taxi for her. We learnt new tricks to beat the heat. We visited new restaurants that turned out to be mind-blowing, all in a bid to keep her happy. And you know what, we ended up having a blast. It has also given me inspiration to start a new blog... on restaurants we visit. Sudhakar and me love to eat and experiment and so very soon, I will have a new blog. All about the restaurants we eat in.

I earned it... its mine

I belong to the unfortunate class of people in this country. The one called the salaried class. We are the ones' who bear the brunt of what the end of the financial year brings - Income Tax. It would have been one thing if the system of taxation made sense and there was no way of escaping it. If everyone paid it, without exemption, then I would feel a bit justified. But of course its only the salaried people coz your bank statement is going to reflect a salary.
Another consolation would have been is that even if I was among the unlucky ones who do pay the government a tax, seeing it put to good use would have made me feel better. But I still live in a rented house, the roads can put the moon surface to shame, the country reeks of corruption. I have to shell out for everything from a ration card to a voter's id card ...
Every year I end up blocking or losing large chunks of MY hardearned money either in a bid to save MY money or as a penalty pay a government who does diddly squat for me.
I would like to be a good citizen, but I honestly don't see why the onus of paying for infrastructure and the like (which is actually the government's responsibility to give ) is only on us the salaried class. How many crores of rupees get laundered in the portals of this country more so in the hallowed bastions of those upholders of the law.
Its more like they can't be satisfied. Not only do these politicians make more than they should be... but they also end up pocketing our hard earned money. Where else could it possibly go if it is not being put to good use.
And these same guys have the audacity to come back to us to look for our votes to put them back at the recieving end of these endless cash drops.

When the past comes haunting

I have had my fair share of bad relationships. In fact some of the sagas would make pretty good scripts for the reigning soap opera factory queen of our country. But jokes apart, when it comes to friends there are times when you feel you should do something to narrow the rift.
You should set aside the reasons that caused the rift, even if they were heartbreaking and try and salvage a relationship. I did try that recently with a friendship. And you know the sad part - I failed. All those reasons seem to have been just locked away by both of us in the hope that probably we would not feel it.
But the history is there and for some reasons bygones just cant seem to remain bygones. What I feel right now is a mixed bag of emotions. I feel sad that I failed at a friendship, I feel angry that the other side just can't see my point of view, Am happy that I finally will be putting this relationship in the past.

Greener pastures are calling!!!

Sudhakar and I have been mulling about moving out of the country. More so for the sake of our daughter. Its not that we need to make more money... we have enough of it thank you... Its just that this place seems to be to scary to live in anymore.
I keep wondering what will happen when my daughter hits her teenage. I would be scared to send her to a friend's party. Forget the moral police, the regular men in khakhi have taken it on themselves to be custodians of the elusive Indian culture. In Bangalore, the Indian culture is given a further narrow meaning with "Kannadiga culture".
I mean
1) Speak the local lingo or else auto drivers take you for a ride and cops don't register your complaint. A pre-dominantly Kannadiga office can get pretty uncomfortable.
2) Its wrong for women to wear western clothes since anything that comes to knee length is considered "scantily dressed". What will it be next - saree blouses that cover stomachs and salwar kameezes instead of school skirts?
3) Western music is bad... it should always be Kannada music - Then why in the world is Sandalwood's top most music director Guru Kiran obsessed with adding English lyrics to his songs? What classification do those come under?

There is no safety in this place, neither is there freedom of individual choice. Heck, I am even being told what to wear and whether to celebrate a party or not. If social work is what is on the minds of these people, I can give you guys a lot better things to burn your energies after. For the cops the best advice would be to try and do your jobs correctly. Stop turning the blind eye. Seriously kick butt when it comes to offenders. And leave us and our families alone. What they need protection from is from the likes of people like you.

For all those obsessing about "culture". Get out of those denim wear and then talk. Stop wearing branded exports... stop ogling at girls in western wear, remember your sisters and mothers in salwars too are not safe. Lust, you see, doesn't really bother about clothing. Stop aiming for jobs in MNCs, that is as western as it gets. Stop haunting all the coffee, burger and drinking joints. They are all a western influence. Hell! stop taking allopathic medicine and get back to basics - Ayurveda. Practice what you preach - it kinda helps set an example the good way.

Defending the offenders

My husband is a musician, a percussionist to be precise. He has played at several shows, big and small. There are several forums in the city that provide a free platform to budding musicians to perform and several times Sudhakar has gone there to perform with his band. As with all public functions, the organisers of such shows, always obtain necessary legal and police clearance. But you know, without fail almost everytime, the cops have shown up at these shows and tried to close it down.
1) A 4 pm in the evening on Sunday afternoon, a show was held at the Indira Gandhi park. Permissions in place the show began. But the cops came demanding that the show be shut down - Why??? because the sound was reaching right up to the Court House!!! Get real you defenders of the law. In our country, have you ever heard of the courts functioning on a Sunday??
2) A day before Rajyotsava last year. Garuda Mall had organised for three bands to play on their premises. No sooner had the first Gospel band finished their part, the Ashoknagar cops came and confiscated the speakers. Why? - Because a day before Rajyotsava you should play Kannada songs!!!

Other lame excuses have been that the decibel levels of the shows are too high. Hmmm then here are few questions I would like to ask
- Every year during Ganesh Chaturthi, we have so called "Friends Groups" organising festivities. All these are smack in the middle of residential areas. The megaphones are fitted to the residential buildings themselves and the racket goes on till 12.30 - 1.00 am. First of all its illegal to have these functions in residential areas. Secondly the decibal levels are enough to rouse the dead. Where are you defenders of the law force then?

- Fireworks of a certain decibal are banned. Yet during festivities, the only sound you will hear are of such fireworks that could have the life force of tree trunk stop. What are you people then? when my daughter jumps in fright in her sleep thanks to all the racket at night, where are you oh! defenders of the lost cause.

The legal system has clearly defined your duties for you, yet you go about searching for something new to add to your portfolio. Why don't you men in uniform first do what you are supposed to and then go hunting for new crimes to solve?

Slumdog is not an Indian film

Just after Slumdog Millionaire swept the Oscars today, a friend and I got into a debate on whether the movie won solely because it had a "gora" at the helm of affairs. While my friend believed that it had all to do with the colour of one's skin, I begged to differ. If it had to do with whether your skin was the right shade, A R Rahman did not stand a chance for 2 Oscars he won, neither would Resul Pookutty have been so lucky.
I still have a slight problem with the movie being called an Indian movie. It was neither produced nor directed by an Indian. Sure, the far-from-the-limelight co-director is Indian and so is the theme of the movie and so is a majority of the cast, but then so was Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. Now that isn't being called an Indian film.
Manoj Night Shyamalan's Sixth Sense is not an Indian movie despite being directed by an NRI, neither was Shekar Kapur's Elizabeth movies. So why then are we vying for the Indian tag for a movie that was written by an Indian but which took a firang to make. Moreover, the film has not been nominated in the "Best Foreign Film Category", but rather in the other popular categories.
Make no mistake, am over the moon about us finally being recognised on the international arena. But then this could have happened years ago had we had a board that could decide on a movie that truly represented what Indian cinema was about. While Tare Zameen Par was an excellent movie by Indian standards, its subject line was something the rest of the world dealt with in the 60s and 70s. So in all probability they must have thought we were retards who had not understood the intricacies of a learning disorder.
We have a board that sends only Hindi films and that too crocks of poop like Eklavya and Paheli, all in the name of representing Indian culture. So now when a movie like Slumdog Millionaire has a kid literally jump into a crock of poop, we automatically claim the movie for our own. What happened to all the culture worshippers now...
We need to stop trying to ride on the success of foreigners. We are making films that are better than a Slumdog Millionaire. It is our own people who prevent it from being showcased on the international arena.
But through it all I truly applaud A R Rahman. He has done the country proud and finally put us on the international cinematic map.

The Indian traveller

I am sure that there are a multitude of Indians for whom globetrotting is like a second skin. These people are the polished ones, who represent our country and our culture really well. These are the people who have an intelligent repartee to those set of foreigners who actually ask us "where we park our elephants?" (Believe it or not, my friend who freelanced as a tour guide for visitors from cruise ships was actually asked this question).
But unfortunately these guys are just a drop in the ocean. They form part of a minute fraction of Indians who actually know to conduct themselves on the foreign arena. Here is a sample of the kind that really represent us.

A young newly married couple (no it doesn't matter whether they were north or south Indians) came to the reception of the hotel I was staying at. The man bellows for a room and was informed that he would have to put down a deposit. To which the man takes a 100 USD note and flings it onto the receptionist. He then asks what comes "Free" with the room. As it goes breakfast and cocktails are free for the room he has rented. Since it was evening the man thought that it be pertinent he ask for something in place of breakfast since he had already missed it.

So the receptionist replies sweetly that the water in the room and the sachets of tea and coffee were complimentary. Next the man asks for a room with "a good scenery" since the couple was just back from Bali and the view he got was bad for a price that was too high.

Its sad that such uncouth people actually represent our country in this manner. We went to a massage parlour and the owner by way of conversation said that most of the Indians walked into his parlour and the first thing they asked for was discount. And they never ever thanked the staff for their courtesy. When it comes to Indian shoppers, the first word on the tips of their tongues are "discounts". I mean if you are walking into a store that is already selling you stuff at a 10 per cent discount, what more do you want. We need to understand that street shopping is in designated places in foreign countries, not in the big stores where fixed prices are exactly that - fixed.

Another friend was also talking about how difficult it is for an Indian coming to Singapore to rent a flat. He says the best way to do this is to go through an Indian agent, who will find you a flat that is owned by an Indian. A Singaporean will almost never rent out a flat to an Indian simply because we don't know how to maintain it.

The impressions we make on the international front are really pathetic and the sad part is that it reflects badly on the small minority that do know how to conduct themselves