It’s not always BUTT obvious

It’s not long since we had heated arguments over a ban imposed on the use of the national flag on sports gears, costumes and dress materials.
"The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 lay restriction on the use of national flag as a portion of costume or uniform by the members of public, in general, and sportspersons, in particular."
But in 2005, the then Information and Broadcast Minister, Jaipal Reddy amended the Act, and the restriction on the use of national flag was withdrawn.
Then on, Sachin Tendulkar was allowed to wear the flag on his helmet, Narain Karthikeyan was allowed to use his special F1 helmet with the flag designed on it, other Indian players in various sports were allowed to use flag on their sports gears and even as a part of a costume or uniform of any description but not as undergarment or below the belt.
Now look at the new jersey launched today by the Indian Cricket Team.


As it is, the colour and design of the jersey are very weird, on top of that couldn’t the designer find a better place to mention the Team Name – Name of our country, than the butt ??
Well, obviously all parts of our body are equal and we needn’t be partial to the upper half of our body compared to the lower, and even the law is not to have flag on below the waistline, no such rule against the name of the country; but then whatever said and done, one can look out for better places to flaunt the country’s name than this..
Lemme know if anyone liked this jersey..!!

4 YEAR OLD, RAPED AND MURDERED

Is ours a progressing nation? Now, I have my own doubts..
A 4 year old girl was raped and murdered in our national capital today.
The victim, Bhanu, was daughter of a washerman was raped, murdered by strangling, by Daya Ram, a rickshaw puller and here body was found abandoned on Rakesh Marg, Delhi.

I am yet to digest this incident, whats happening to our country and our citizens?? Why are we acting like psychos?? Lets not talk about the rich culture, this is insane and inhuman. Its a matter of national shame !!
What should we do now?? A pink barbie campaign ??

I am an atheist but I can't stop praying -

"So come back as Jesus
Come back and save the world
That's all the future
Of every boy and girl
Come back as Rama
Forgive us for what we've done
Come back as Allah
Come back as anyone"

Violent Times - A DAY

Sitting here in my hostel room, and watching all that's is happening in my country, I am ashamed to see how badly we are struck between the two extreme identities – a modern citizen of a global family or an orthodox Indian who always carries with himself the misinterpretation of his religion.

Today - 14th of February, the day for Love turned violent in India, thanks to men wearing saffron clothes and calling themselves "moral police", and taking it as their responsibility to teach the modern Indians, the true Indian culture.
Bajrang Dal activists harassed siblings at Vikram University, Ujjain assuming them to be couples. Here in Pune, Shiv Sainiks have forcibly married off two couples near Khadakvasla Dam right opposite the National Defense Academy.
In Bhopal, police rounded up Bajrang Dal activists for causing trouble for couples celebrating Valentine's Day. The saffron brigade was threatening to marry off lovers found in public places. Thirty Shiv Sainiks were arrested in Gwalior, for creating a ruckus in a park with couples.
The worst was the incident where a Sub-Inspector dragged a girl (along with her boyfriend) by her hair to the police station. Jind Superintendent of Police B Satheesh Balan said "SI Moola Ram has been suspended and a departmental enquiry will be conducted by the DSP. The enquiry is suo-moto and the complaint has been filed by the SHO. Abuse of power and misbehaviour with the woman are the charges. The couple is ok and have been sent home. The inspector has committed a grave mistake and will have to face the music. This is an isolated case where a police official was involved and for that he will have to face the music,".

These are just some of the incidents that I got to know through news channels, so not sure how many more innocent people were tortured and harassed just for loving another fellow human being.

When I was trying to find out the root cause of all these incidents, all I could think off are the videos I saw in National Geographic about Taliban and how women are ill-treated in Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan, but then suddenly something struck in my mind and I happened to recollect a famous incident in one the greatest epic of Hindu religion – The Ramayana.
It is rather the reason because of which, Shri Ram and Ravan ended up in a war and eventually Ravan was killed. The incident goes like this –

"Shri Ram, Sita and Laskhman had spent close to 10 years in the Panchavati forests during their exile, but one day Surpanaka (Ravana's younger sister) disguised herself as a beautiful woman and proposed Shri Ram to marry her. Shri Ram called himself happily married and asked her to approach his brother, Lakshman.
Surpanaka went towards Lakshman and made the same proposal. Lakshman said - "I am merely his servant and remain under him. Marrying me, you too will have to be under him. So you have no chance here but you can marry my elder brother since he is a king and a king can have many wives."
She again went back to Shri Ram but was again sent back to Lakshman. Lakshman became irritated and said only such a man could marry her who has abandoned shame. This got her furious and Shri Ram signalled Lakshman who acting quickly severed her ears and nose."

So here are our own Hindu scriptures telling us about the treatment given to lovers and people who propose love to one another.
I was so dumbstruck to note that such an incident quoted in an epic which is one of the foundations of my religion. And now, we have people foolishly following only this part of the story and not all the morals that the story teaches us.

In the technology era, we needn't get driven by our scriptures. With increased interaction and information through various sources, we all get to know what is right and what is wrong. In this free world, one can chose what they want to do in their life; if someone is going directionless, then it should be the responsibility of their parent, friends and relatives and to the max the police force to get a person on right track. Its an individual's choice whether they consume alcohol or not; no one has right to stop him/her as long as he is not creating trouble. We don't need moral police in our country, that too taking violent steps against people who are committing no crime. There are so many criminal and terrorist activities which are happening in our country, violence can be used against them and to stop further damage and bring back peace. What is important as an individual is that, each one of us should understand our duty and be accountable for all our actions. Rest of the things would just follow...

Kitabe Bahutsi Padhi Hogi Tumne.....

With Valentine’s Day approaching, the situation in our country is chaotic. While most people are criticizing the action of Ram Sena and other Senas, some of them even buying and couriering Mr. Mutalik more and more pink chaddis as a campaign against moral policing; and some are busy planning their own way out to celebrate the day for Love.
For people looking for an innovative idea and as well help the society in a long run, here is sometime interesting coming from UK.
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. The library has launched a unique Adopt a Book scheme to give your heart's desire a unique and ethical Valentine's Day gift, whilst helping to preserve the world's greatest book collection for future generations.
A perfect gift for all the Shakespeare lovers, one can try the beautifully bound and illustrated copy of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1901), or Emma Marshall's Shakespeare and his Birthplace, a stunning illustrated guide to Stratford upon Avon as Shakespeare would have known it. Oscar Wilde's House of Pomegranates (1915), his classic collection of fairy tales, is also available to adopt for those who want to bring a bit of magic into their romantic lives.
Click here for the entire collection
Conservation is required to preserve both treasures from the past and modern items, many of which are deteriorating from age and continual use. By adopting a book one can help to protect these items for decades to come.
There are a number of adoption packages:
1. For a minimum donation of £25 the person will receive a personalised certificate that records the name and title of the book they have adopted.
2. For £75 they will also receive a voucher for a public tour of the British Library for two people.
3. For £150 they will also get a permanent personalised bookplate inserted into your chosen book, recording the gift for as long as the Library exists.
4. For £250 they will be invited to a special 'behind the scenes' tour of our Conservation Studios at which they can meet their book and the conservators who worked on it.
5. For £500, your name will be inscribed on the British Library's Adopt a Book Benefactors List.

Pratibha Patil, another 'pratima' of inaction !

Honourable President of India, Shrimati Pratibha Patil, was in Bangalore a few days back (sorry I don't remember which day it was!).

If you are one of those people who have never wished for a president like Mr. Obama, or never thought that it was important who was running the country as long as your salary was fat enough to feed your dogs, then you will continue to have presidents like Mrs. Patil who fail to make their presence felt on any platform (quite miserably). The news that the president was in Bangalore was covered by the newspapers but very few people knew about it. She was here for inaugurating some new facility of Apolo hospital. For a president as jobless as her it wont be surprising if she would be available for the inauguration of a CnC 'Guess who?' quiz!!!

Your next PM or President would have 'pratibha' or would be just another 'pratima', you decide! Jai Hind!

Cheap and Chalu - 2.0

Cheap and Chalu seems to be the new mantra of modern India.
Today Indian government unveiled the new $10 laptops which would give a big boost to the education facilities at our rural and backward areas.

While the world was going gaga over Nicolas Negroponte’s One Laptop per Child (OLPC) and the XO machines, launched with a mission "To create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning", here is India's answer to it, that too at one-fifth of the price.

Before this this, it was Chandrayaan, our satellite developed by ISRO which silenced all the critics from all corners of the world and proved itself to be 100% efficient is its very first attempt. May be it’s the confidence of the ISRO team, that they launched it without even taking an insurance cover!

Last year, Indian IT and Computer hardware major, HCL created news with the then cheapest Laptop called MiLEAP X for just Rs 13,990.

Indian telecom player Spice unveiled a groundbreaking product range of mobile including the world’s cheapest phone, called the People’s Phone - a mobile handset, sans screen display for as less as Rupees 500. The people’s phone coincidentally also comes in a braille edition.

Even Indian defense weaponry is one of the cheapest in the world. The new American F/A-22 Raptor stealth fighter costs Rs 480 crore. The Rafale multi-role jet being inducted into the French Air Force and Navy, in turn, notches about Rs 270 crore. The price tag for the French Mirage-2000 and the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen also hovers between Rs 130 crore and Rs 160 crore. In contrast, despite huge time and cost overruns, the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft "Tejas" costs only Rs 100-110 crore. Can't comment of their relative performance though..

Now I needn’t quote TATA Nano here, the whole world knows about it.

What’s common between all the above is that, we try to develop our indigenous technology which is cheap and efficient just like the famous incident – while Russians used pencils, NASA spent millions of dollar to develop a “space” pen for its astronauts.
From an economist’s point of view, what can help India further in this cause - is that we have such a huge domestic market that we can go for higher economies of scale. With the growing economy and the increase in purchase power of people we can expect sales for all products and services to grow higher. The establishment cost for all such productions are just one time investments.
Thinking of it, if we plan to make every citizen of our country get essential clothing, we can actually make it is possible. All we need to do is establish a large loom and continuously generate the same cloth (same texture and colour), now this cuts a lot of cost and then adding a little subsidy or cross subsiding it, we can make sure that we do not have any naked Indian.
Likewise we can have shoe factory, producing the just 1 type of shoes (or chappals) for all.
Similarly for food, if we have a baking house to manufacture the same type of bread for all people below poverty line and distribute it through out the country via proper distribution channels and reach it would solve the starvation to a great extent.
The list is endless; if we keep encouraging innovations and also try achieve such economies of scale we would definitely be able to provide better services and more importantly at very low cost.

3 Pak women rape a man

Karachi police have registered a case against three unidentified women who allegedly abducted a man and raped him over four consecutive days, and later throwing him near Qayyumabad River in an unconscious state.
The Daily Times, reports about the victim Khalil, a 23 waiter at a restaurant was asked by few women to deliver food at their house as they were facing problems to come daily. He recollects the incident - “I agreed and they told me to sit in the car so that they could show me the house. They gave me a sweet which was laced and once I was at their house, they gave me milk that had a drug due to which I fell unconscious,” narrated Khalil. He said when he woke up he found himself disrobed with the women forcing themselves onto him and torturing him.
According to assistant superintendent of police Asad Raza, the women sexually assaulted Khalil for four days, and then threw him near Qayyumabad river. “His condition is really bad ... his genitals are bleeding and he cannot walk properly,” said Raza. He also reported that the women belonged to rich families of Karachi’s Clifton area so the case might get complicated.

Guess who ??

Post you replies in the comment box. The photos of the winner(s) will be published on CnC !

Colleges Closed in Tamil Nadu

Minutes back a cousin of mine pinged me to tell that her college, a leading b-school at Chennai has been closed and her exam scheduled for tomorrow stands cancelled.
I was shocked to know the reason - the state government of Tamil Nadu has ordered all government and private colleges and hostels to close for an indefinite period.

This decision came early today morning while people on CnC were busy reading about situation in Pakistan and others were discussing about yesterday’s cricket match between India and Sri Lanka.

A Tamil youth, Muthukumar had immolated himself in protest against Lankan troops’ operation in the island country. Muthukumar worked with a Tamil journal, in his four-page dying declaration asked students not to allow anyone to bury his body and instead urged them to use it as a tool to further the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils.
This action stirred loud protest by the student community against the LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran and also India for its alleged military support to Lanka.
More than 10,000 people including students and political and social activists on Saturday attended his funeral. PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, CPI leaders D Pandian and R Nallakannu, VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan, Tamil National Movement leader, P Nedumaran and several others were present at Muthukumar's Kolathur residence in suburban Chennai. Shops and commercial establishments in the area downed shutters to condole the youth's death.
The protesters torched a state-owned bus near Vellore, while 225 people were arrested in Thanjavur when they tried to lay siege on the Air Force station. They were protesting against the alleged use of the Air Force station for sending arms to Lanka.
BJP and Nationalist Congress Party have backed a newly-formed Sri Lankan Tamils Protection Movement's call for a general strike in the state on the 4th of February, seeking ceasefire in Sri Lanka. Interesting to note the date coincides with Sri Lankan Independence Day. The aim of the movement is to protect Tamils and protest against their genocide in the island republic.

Sitting here at Pune, I did barely get to know about all these developments. Our 24x7 news channels did talk about protests in TN, but then they never highlighted the gravity of the situation. Now that all colleges and hostels have been closed, things might even turn worse. The State and Central government should now act to the situation and issue a public statement to clarify their stand on this issue and try to restore normalcy at the earliest.

The girl who silenced the world.

I don't think words would be necessary in this post after you watch the video below.

Comments are invited.

Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl

I am sure all of us feel that it’s high time that India takes strong measures against Pakistan. We are being too soft on terror and handling the situation very diplomatically.
We have given evidence to them, gave them rights to conduct their own investigation, didn’t use force and for that matter didn’t give them a deadline to eliminate terrorist camps.

On 8th of January, there was a front page article in Times of India on “The advance of Taliban” and it showed in terms of distances in kilometers how close our cities are to places occupied by Taliban.

But it was today that I was so moved by an article on BBC Urdu online - extracts from a diary of school girl Pakistan. Her firsthand description of things happening around her made me realize that I was a little wrong in identifying the enemy. It’s not all Pakistanis that I should keep cursing, ordinary citizens there are in a crisis. The Pakistan, with whom we had fought 5 wars, is now fighting hard to avoid a hostile take over by the extremists. God knows how and when this would change and what’s in store for future.

"Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl"

SATURDAY 3 JANUARY: I AM AFRAID
I had a terrible dream yesterday with military helicopters and the Taleban. I have had such dreams since the launch of the military operation in Swat. My mother made me breakfast and I went off to school. I was afraid going to school because the Taleban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools.
Only 11 students attended the class out of 27. The number decreased because of Taleban's edict. My three friends have shifted to Peshawar, Lahore and Rawalpindi with their families after this edict.
On my way from school to home I heard a man saying 'I will kill you'. I hastened my pace and after a while I looked back if the man was still coming behind me. But to my utter relief he was talking on his mobile and must have been threatening someone else over the phone.

SUNDAY 4 JANUARY: I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL
Today is a holiday and I woke up late, around 10 am. I heard my father talking about another three bodies lying at Green Chowk (crossing). I felt bad on hearing this news. Before the launch of the military operation we all used to go to Marghazar, Fiza Ghat and Kanju for picnics on Sundays. But now the situation is such that we have not been out on picnic for over a year and a half.
We also used to go for a walk after dinner but now we are back home before sunset. Today I did some household chores, my homework and played with my brother. But my heart was beating fast - as I have to go to school tomorrow.

MONDAY 5 JANUARY: DO NOT WEAR COLOURFUL DRESSES
I was getting ready for school and about to wear my uniform when I remembered that our principal had told us not to wear uniforms - and come to school wearing normal clothes instead. So I decided to wear my favourite pink dress. Other girls in school were also wearing colourful dresses and the school presented a homely look.
My friend came to me and said, 'for God's sake, answer me honestly, is our school going to be attacked by the Taleban?' During the morning assembly we were told not to wear colourful clothes as the Taleban would object to it.
I came back from school and had tuition sessions after lunch. In the evening I switched on the TV and heard that curfew had been lifted from Shakardra after 15 days. I was happy to hear that because our English teacher lived in the area and she might be coming to school now.

Swat has been a centre of militant activity

WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY: NO FIRING OR FEAR
I have come to Bunair to spend Muharram (a Muslim holiday) on vacation. I adore Bunair because of its mountains and lush green fields. My Swat is also very beautiful but there is no peace. But in Bunair there is peace and tranquillity. Neither is there any firing nor any fear. We all are very happy.
Today we went to Pir Baba mausoleum and there were lots of people there. People are here to pray while we are here for an excursion. There are shops selling bangles, ear rings, lockets and other artificial jewellery. I thought of buying something but nothing impressed - my mother bought ear rings and bangles.

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY: THE MAULANA GOES ON LEAVE?
Today at school I told my friends about my trip to Bunair. They said that they were sick and tired of hearing the Bunair story. We discussed the rumours about the death of Maulana Shah Dauran, who used to give speeches on FM radio. He was the one who announced the ban on girls attending school.
Some girls said that he was dead but others disagreed. The rumours of his death are circulating because he did not deliver a speech the night before on FM radio. One girl said that he had gone on leave.
Since there was no tuition on Friday, I played the whole afternoon. I switched on the TV in the evening and heard about the blasts in Lahore. I said to myself 'why do these blasts keep happening in Pakistan?'

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY: I MAY NOT GO TO SCHOOL AGAIN
I was in a bad mood while going to school because winter vacations are starting from tomorrow. The principal announced the vacations but did not mention the date the school was to reopen. This was the first time this has happened.
In the past the reopening date was always announced clearly. The principal did not inform us about the reason behind not announcing the school reopening, but my guess was that the Taleban had announced a ban on girls' education from 15 January.
This time round, the girls were not too excited about vacations because they knew if the Taleban implemented their edict they would not be able to come to school again. Some girls were optimistic that the schools would reopen in February but others said that their parents had decided to shift from Swat and go to other cities for the sake of their education.
Since today was the last day of our school, we decided to play in the playground a bit longer. I am of the view that the school will one day reopen but while leaving I looked at the building as if I would not come here again.

The Taleban have repeatedly targeted schools in Swat

THURSDAY JANUARY 15: NIGHT FILLED WITH ARTILLERY FIRE
The night was filled with the noise of artillery fire and I woke up three times. But since there was no school I got up later at 10 am. Afterwards, my friend came over and we discussed our homework.
Today is 15 January, the last day before the Taleban's edict comes into effect, and my friend was discussing homework as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Today, I also read the diary written for the BBC (in Urdu) and published in the newspaper. My mother liked my pen name 'Gul Makai' and said to my father 'why not change her name to Gul Makai?' I also like the name because my real name means 'grief stricken'.
My father said that some days ago someone brought the printout of this diary saying how wonderful it was. My father said that he smiled but could not even say that it was written by his daughter.

FRIDAY 18 JANUARY: NO POLICE IN SIGHT
My father told us that the government would protect our schools. The prime minister has also raised this issue. I was quite happy initially, but now I know but this will not solve our problem. Here in Swat we hear everyday that so many soldiers were killed and so many were kidnapped at such and such place. But the police are nowhere to be seen.
Our parents are also very scared. They told us they would not send us to school until or unless the Taleban themselves announce on the FM channel that girls can go to school. The army is also responsible for the disruption in our education.
Today a boy from our locality went to school and he was told by the principal to go back home because a curfew was to be imposed soon. But when he reached home he came to know that there was no curfew, instead his school was closed down because the army was to move through the road near his school.

MONDAY 19 JANUARY: ARMY IN THEIR BUNKERS
Five more schools have been destroyed, one of them was near my house. I am quite surprised, because these schools were closed so why did they also need to be destroyed? No one has gone to school following the deadline given by the Taleban.
Today I went to my friend's house and she told me that a few days back someone killed Maulana Shah Dauran's uncle; she said that it may be that the Taleban destroyed the schools in anger at this.
She also said that no one has made the Taleban suffer but when they are hurt they take it out on our schools. But the army is not doing anything about it. They are sitting in their bunkers on top of the hills. They slaughter goats and eat with pleasure.

The Taleban routinely carry out public floggings in Swat

THURSDAY 22 JANUARY : VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION
I am quite bored sitting at home following the closures of schools.
Some of my friends have left Swat because the situation here is very dangerous. I do not leave home. At night Maulana Shah Dauran (the Taleban cleric who announced the ban on girls attending school) once again warned females not to leave home.
He also warned that they would blow up those schools which are used by the security forces as security posts.
Father told us that security forces have arrived at the boys' and girls' school in Haji Baba area. May God keep them safe. Maulana Shah Dauran also said in his speech on FM radio that three 'thieves' will be lashed tomorrow and whoever wants to see can come and watch.
I am surprised that when we have suffered so much, why people still go and watch such things? Why also doesn't the army stop them from carrying out such acts? I have seen wherever the army is there is usually a Taleban member nearby, but where there is a Taleban member the army will always not go.

SATURDAY 24 JANUARY: NO NAMES ON THE HONOURS BOARD
Our annual exams are due after the vacations but this will only be possible if the Taleban allow girls to go to school. We were told to prepare certain chapters for the exam but I do not feel like studying.
As from yesterday the army has taken control of the educational institutions for protection. It seems that it is only when dozens of schools have been destroyed and hundreds others closed down that the army thinks about protecting them. Had they conducted their operations here properly, this situation would not have arisen.
Muslim Khan (a Swat Taleban spokesman) has said that those schools housing the army would be attacked. We will be more afraid of having the army in our schools than ever. There is a board in our school which is called the Honours Board. The name of the girl achieving the highest marks in annual exams is put on this board. It seems that no names will be put on it this year.

The army is accused of not doing enough to protect schools

MONDAY 26 JANUARY: HELICOPTER TOFFEES
I woke to the roar of heavy artillery fire early in the morning. Earlier we were afraid of the noise of helicopters and now the artillery. I remember the first time when helicopters flew over our house on the start of an operation. We got so scared that we hid.
All the children in my neighbourhood were also very scared.
One day toffees were thrown from the helicopters and this continued for some time. Now whenever we hear the choppers flying we run out and wait for the toffees but it does not happen anymore. A while back my father gave us the good news that he was taking all of us to Islamabad tomorrow. We are very happy.

WEDNESDAY 28 JANUARY: TEARS IN THE EYES OF MY PARENTS
My father fulfilled his promise and we reached Islamabad yesterday. On our way from Swat I was very scared because we had heard that the Taleban conduct searches. But nothing of the sort happened to us. It was instead the army who conducted the search. The moment we left Swat our fears also subsided.
Many are opposed to the militants' policy of closing girls' schools
We are staying with our father's friend in Islamabad. It is my first visit to the city. It's beautiful with nice bungalows and wide roads. But as compared to my Swat city it lacks natural beauty. Father took us to Lok Virsa museum and I learnt a lot. We also have such a museum in Swat but I don't know if it will remain undamaged from the fighting.
My father bought popcorn from an old man outside Lok Virsa. When the vendor spoke to us in Pashtu my father asked him if he was from Islamabad. The old man replied: "Do you think Islamabad can ever belong to Pashtuns?"
He said that he hailed from Momand Agency, but because of an ongoing military operation was forced to leave his abode and head for the city. At that moment I saw tears in my parents' eyes.

Well we should now understand the situation that people like her and her family are facing. The international community should wake up and help such innocent families. In the name of religion, and misrepresentation and misunderstanding of the holy scriptures ordinary people are getting exploited and are losing their homes, peace and happiness.

Indian 'talibani' Senas VS Valentine's day! Please stay safe (what not to do on valentine's day) and keep loving.

The festival of Love is coming! And here in India we will again (hopefully not) witness a mass hatred against those involved in the celebrations. The Shiv, Ram, Bajarang, and all other senas and dals will come out on the streets and hit innocent people relentlessly and shamelessly. The numerous such incidents in the past will have no effect on the governing bodies and the festival of love would get tainted yet again.

I sincerely hope that the valentines day realizes its true meaning in India as well this year. I was watching a movie based on the famous novel The Kite Runner today and could not help but notice the similarity of the Talibani elements in Afghanistan and these self proclaimed moral police in India in the modern times. Hate articles have flooded the Internet and the land of Gandhi is being tarnished by lame and shameless acts of violence in the name of religion, culture. Young boys and girls who should be encouraged to spread love are advised not to venture out on Valentine's day.
While a number of people are thinking of ways to express their love for someone special in the most imaginative way on 14th of Feb, there are others who are busy calculating the political mileage they would get by ransacking a gift shop or a flower mart.
When bhagwan Ram said that a time would come when nothing would be right he may have been right. Contrary to what the opening dialogue of the famous movie Love Actually says love is actually missing from this planet now. Everywhere we go we find messages of hate expressed at the expense of other's lives.

It is sad to say this but there are a few precautions that one must take in India this valentine's day:

• Don't flash your love on the streets.
• Try to stay at home or at best go to a party hosted at a friend's home.
• Do not venture into a pub, disco (even in places like Bangalore we have seen pretty sad things in the past)
• Make sure you leave the celebration, party, date at the first sign of any sort of disturbance, please do not stay back to become a victim.

We need to firm up a political and social will against such acts of cultural terrorism. Signature campaigns, free hugs moments, rallies, blogosphere propaganda and anything else that you can think of and are capable of doing, please do it. We are a free nation we must tell these mentally handicapped culture-less senas this.

5 girls thrashed by 40 men for consuming alcohol in Mangalore

5 girls having lunch in a pub in Mangalore attacked by 40 hooligans calling themselves part of a self fashioned moral police party named Sri Ram Sena.

They reportedly barged into the pub in the afternoon today and went on a rampage destructing the premises and hitting whoever they could find. Everyone was beaten and the girls were so severely beaten that 2 of them are in a critical condition in a hospital. When I heard this news I logged into orkut to check the kind of reactions the India Community (popularly known as IC) on orkut was reflecting. I was ashamed to find many people either supporting the incident or providing 'reasons' behind the occurrence.
This is not the first time that such a thing has happened in our country. There was the valentine's day terror, the Merut park bashing, the mumbai molestation (the 'reason' given was that the girl was roaming on the streets of mumbai, drunk, at 2:30 in the night; a huge mob molested this poor girl; she is yet to get justice). There are a few things that need to be done right away:

• Find all the 40 men and punish them in the most severe way possible


• If there are no strong laws to protect innocent people from such shocking incidents, make them.


• Make it mandatory for every small party (political or non-political in nature) to register itself and publish all its agendas.


• Ban the parent parties of all such organisations. (Shiv Sena is believed to be the parent party of Sri Ram Sena).


• Publish the photos of all the people involved in such incidents in local newspapers and print them in public places like inside buses, etc.

The most shameful aspect of all these episodes is that such things are done in the name of 'The great Indian culture'. Hitting unarmed women black and blue was never part of my Indian culture.

I would not be surprised if the same people who hit these people (and women especially) for consuming alcohol in that particular pub are later found celebrating their 'success' over a mug of beer in the establishment of some doomed leader!

A Black Man occupies the White House

At around 10:30 PM last night, there was a sudden rush near the TV sets at my hostel. I wondered what it was for ?? a new episode of MTV Roadies or an Arsenal vs ManU, the telecast of STAR Screen Awards or the worst fears in the minds of every Indian, another Terrorist Attack.
As soon as I entered the room I understood that all my friends how are getting ready to dawn managerial roles in the corporate world assembled to watch Barack Obama's Swearing in Ceremony.

I thought twice but I could not recollect myself having watched Pratibha Patel's Swearing Ceremony. I asked people around and they too had similar things to say. Like me, a few had probably watched ex-President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalaam's entry into the Rastrapati Bhavan . So it boils down to the fact that at times a person or an individual attracts more attention than an event or activity.

This man is stepping into the critical position at one of the worst times in US economy. Most people in the United States and other parts of the globe are eagerly waiting to see the "CHANGE" that this man has promised to bring about. He is entering the White House with the burden of numerous hopes and aspirations for better governance and bringing radical change across sectors for the revival of the US Economy.

But then I don't know who would really serve as the best example in Indian context. If we speak about Dr. Kalaam, then yes; both can been seen as a welcome change in their respective political setup. In case of Pratibha Patil, while Obama is the first Blank Man in White House, she is the first lady to become a Rashtrapati (President). So the idea here is that CHANGES are happening in India since long.

Last General Elections we elected the first Sikh as our Prime Minister. A man who was primarily responsible for the great Indian growth story as the finance minister in 1990s was bestowed greater responsibilities.
Even the President of the Party having the highest stake in the current government is not an Indian by birth. So while America is welcoming a person from a minority Community we Indians have had moved beyond all these. We have had all the ranks in our governance held by people from diverse backgrounds and representing various sections of the society.

We have had a stage where our President was a Muslim, Prime Minister a Sikh, President of the Leading Party a Christian, whose father-in-law was a Parsi, and the leader of Opposition - a Hindu.

But then when it comes to evaluating their performance, we don't have new standards,any benchmarks or regulations. In the coming General elections we expect to vote more prudently and have a more responsible, committed politicians* at power and doing things right. All magazines are predicting that the younger generation of politicians would be the instrument of the real change. Lets wait with optimism and see how things turn out in months from now.

* I guess after the recent protests, they would soon come up with a new word to describe themselves, as "politician" has become quite a negative word these days

Madame! It happens only in India

Fashion ka Jalwa

Disclaimer: I am not one of those typical orthodox people that you may come across, these are just a few observations of a modern Indian.

I was going through the Times of India, Pune edition, wherein I happened to notice a picture of an array of models with the heading "How the South was won !! " in the Pune Times supplement. It took me 3-4 readings to understand what exactly the article and pics were for. It was about Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2009. The article read:

"Glamour, fashion, nerves and entertainment - it was all there in a good measure as the search for the face of the South brought us to the finale of the Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2009……….."

Till now I knew that every year we have girls from all parts of our country aspiring to be big names in the world of fashion competing for the "Miss India" title and the top contestants represent our country in similar contests held at international platform.

But I was a little surprised to notice that we even have further divisions to it in the name of Miss South India and East India and so on..

Further the surprising fact was the names of winners – Faith Pandey, Ragini Dwidevi and Zara Shah. Could not help wondering who amongst these is a "South Indian" because the article was about the victory of South.

Well, looking at it from one perspective, one can actually compliment that these results show us the way the country is getting united and the population diversified.

But then there is a hind side as well.

I am not sure as to how many of you have noticed this ad by CEAT, calling "Change" to be good, refreshing and what not!! But I wonder if we could really generalize it that way.

I am an Indian from the southern part of the country. A place where a majority of people still prefer their tradition food to the modern junk. A Place where a majority of people still prefer classical music to metal. Where Engineering and Medical are treated as synonyms of graduation; where people are still following the good old saying – Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. A place where investing in gold is always treated as the best (if not the only) investment; where rice and curd are a must at meals (lunch), where people are so devoted to the so called God's that they go to the extent of praising actors by building temples ;)

But things are changing here, as as per my observation more drastically than in other parts of the country. The young generation of India does not identify itself with their place of origin. We are all equal, speak with a common slang, eat similar food, have similar good/bad habits and even wear similar attire and the word we use to describe all this is - Fashion.

In this unification drive though we have gained a lot, but we never realize the things we lost. One of the identities of Indian women is a "bindi" a mark on her forehead which (I think) enhances her beauty. But now it is almost an endangered species, and is treated as a fashion item restricted to marriages or few other special occasions. Very similar is the state of bangles and other ethnic ornaments.

How many teenagers do we see endorsing this?? More so if you are following the TV soaps, its always the actors in negative roles who promote this, and I have no clue why is that so..

It's not just the question of bindis, even some of our traditional clothes have lost the race in this fast world. A south Indian traditional dress called "Thaavani" which for common understanding could be termed as half saree has almost become extinct now. Not long back it used to be the most common attire for all women of this region, but these days it's only the kurtas, jeans and western attire that sell.

Khadi is dubbed as a costume meant for social activists and politicians. Similar would have been the fate of many other traditional Indian wears.

But something which struck me the most, is the use of white lungis or dhotis (not sure what exactly they are) by people of all ages here in Chennai. There, I found both young and the old switch to this traditional wear while at home. Actually, this is what is making me write this post. I just came back from a trip to Chennai where I found most guys and uncles in my colony roaming around with these white lungis, and the girls yapping around in different clothes, that I better not describe.

So just the way we are trying to protect the national animal and other species from extinction, we should also try to think of ways of protect even these traditional Indian costumes, so that the next generation atleast get to know about our traditions.

Sex and the Indian society

The attitude of Indians towards issues like sex, sexual education, AIDS and public display of affection is distressing. The country which gave ‘kamasutra’ to the world is struggling to find a balance between its culture (as advocated by the fundamentalists) and reason. Just a few months back there was this incident of a 70 year old woman being raped by 4-5 men in some village. This was a sexual punishment to an offence committed by her son.
Sex in India is still not something which can be freely discussed on a dining table within a family. There is a constant rise in the number of young couples choosing to stay in a live-in relationship in big cities which is the reason for our bollywood movies becoming more and more expressive these days but the fact remains that most small town dwellers still find it uncomfortable to talk about the 3 letter word.
Even big cities and metros like Chennai impose rules (mostly just implied) like reserving the left side of the bus for women and the right side for men and any trespass into the other territory is greeted with sullen faces or even an insult at times. In most cases the people of the opposite sex would not occupy vacant seats in the other domain. Walking hand in hand with your girlfriend, boyfriend or even spouse attracts nasty comments or/and abuses.
For a country like India where the population index beats any other index hands down it is imperative that people are made comfortable talking about condoms in public. STDs and the threat of HIV+ can be taught to people only when they are in a comfort zone when you speak of sex. If the TV in the living room get switched off when Amitabh Bachan speaks about safe sex or Shabana Azmi speaks about breast cancer, the millions spent in these awareness campaigns would just go down the drain.
We are a nation which is on the verge of making same sex relationships legal which is funny because over so many years we have not been able to accept a so called ‘normal’ relationship. Any sexual relationship which is outside the wedlock is still a taboo (and sometimes illegal as well). Sex which should be one of the most important factors in any intimate relationship is sill considered a word which may result in a broken relationship. A guy demanding sex in a pre-marital relationship is considered lecherous, the partner demanding a non-conventional sexual desire is considered unholy. Even married couples have to ‘steal’ time from their families to indulge in sexual activities (which may be part of the fun but should not be forced).
The sour fact is that the people who advocate a form of Indian culture where sex is considered evil are the same who commit sexual crimes like the one stated above, the states which have a strict code of conduct for men and women in sexual matters (or even in something as simple as sitting together) are the same that role out the maximum number of pornographic movies each year, the men who insult and ridicule the gay community are the same who indulge in pedophilic activities with young boys.
If India has to fight evils like HIV+, breast cancer, female feticide, rape, pedophilic activities, etc. we would have to stop tagging sex as evil. Embrace sex for a brighter India.

10 things you need to know before you choose a PG accommodation

If you are looking for accommodation as a Paying Guest in a city like Bangalore, there are many ways to end up in a situation where you are paying more for a less facilitated place. It is fairly difficult to find an ideal PG where you get to stay with a family and the chances are high that the accommodation you rent is more like a hostel.
Here is a list (not comprehensive by any means) of things you should check before you enter a contract with the landlord.

1. It is important to have multiple toilets, bathrooms if you are in a ‘multiple-sharing’ room (two of more people in the same room) as all the inmates may have to leave for work at the same time. If a single facility is available it is a good idea to look for a place which has the toilet, bathroom and washbasin secluded from each other.
2. The room should get ample sunlight and must be airy. In a multiple storey building it is advisable to be placed somewhere in the middle so that you don’t have to climb a lot of stairs and at the same time your windows are not blocked by adjoining buildings.
3. Make sure that the room has multiple plug points, preferably in all corners of the room.
4. The water should be clean and fit for consumption. There may not be any means to check this but inform the landlord if and when you find any sort of rashes or infection in your skin. Warm water facility may be necessary as the morning and evening temperatures may dip very low at times.
5. The room should be in a residential area, even the presence of a cottage industry or a coaching institute can be a source of continuous disturbance and noise pollution.
6. Medical facilities, market, food facilities, etc. should be near.
7. Before entering into a commitment with the landlord, make sure that all electrical, appliances, switch boards, etc. are in perfect condition. All appliances should be properly earthed.
8. Cupboard should have locking facility. Put your own lock as the landlord/caretaker usually has a set of keys to clean your room even in your absence.
9. Make sure that no hidden charges exist. It may be advisable to enter a legal contract with the landlord. In such a case read all the clauses very carefully specially the ones which talk about the ‘minimum contract period’ and ‘notice period’ before vacating the room. The advance paid (if any) should be fully refundable with a shortest notice people possible.
10. Make sure your landlord/landlady is a sane person who understands the language you speak.