Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Freedom of speech

Blogs, community site status updates are currently a rage amongst everybody to express their thoughts. Our Indian Constitution has given us freedom of speech.

In a recent case against an Orkut Blogger and Shiv Sena, the supreme court has ruled against the blogger, stating that it is insulting the Shiv Sena, or is provocative. I would love to meet the honorable judge and ask him, didnt the same Shiv Sena print provocative articles during the infamous Mumbai riots. Was there any ruling against the newspaper. I am not against Shiv Sena, being born and bought up in the city and area, which is the main belly of it, I am myself a staunch supporter. But my question is why should a Shiv Sainik go to court over such writings. And why should the learned judge just give out a judgement over such a blog or community.

When anybody is writing on the blog, the statements are those of an individual, and the individual is able to write because of his or her freedom of expression. The right which make the individual vent out feelings. What the Supreme court has done is go against the constitution of India. It is trying to clamp down the rights of Indians. Ofcourse there is always a debate over drawing of line where comments are in black and white, but shouldnt the same be applicable to newspapers also. Venting out feelings or thoughts on the blog should be free from a BIG BROTHER watching over your shoulder.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

What a week!!!!!!!!!!

Really this is one week which I will never forget in my life. I have seen people whom I have trusted, backstab me. People whom I have gone out of the way to help, raising their hands up instead of supporting me, people normally who are neutral and calm, coming out in the open to support me. Trouble being raked up by people who I had confided in, help coming out from people from whom I had never expected , on just a single word of request. I really dont understand what is going on.And here I am talking of atleast more than 25 different people. I have learned one thing, even the slightest responsibility taken has to be in proper black and white and not just on trust and an attitude of will do, everyone is my well-wisher.

The week has started going down from last Sunday, and another Sunday is staring at me tomorrow. And in this entire week I have lost control of my temper to such an extent that I am afraid of my own self now. I have lost my temper on people far senior to me. I have uttered words which I know will never leave a room for normal reconciliation of relations with those people. And to make matters worse, they are the people I have to face daily atleast, if not less, minimum 25 years. Because they are all my neighbors!!!!! Unfortunate but true!!!!!!!!!!!

I desperately want this week to get over, I desperately want a fresh week, and with the end of this week, I want the matter to end. Unfortunately, I know it wont.

Friday, February 20, 2009

How much is sufficient enough...

First it was the case of Adnan Patrawala and now Mukim Khan. Both have fallen prey to their friends. In both cases the friends came from a lower income group compared to the victims. Even though the income status difference of both is huge, both in their own capacities used to spend money on themselves as well as friends. In case of Mukim, his parents have also supported the culprits family financially. In both cases the friends hatched up plan of extracting more money from the family, but leading to loss of life.

This is leading me to one question. How much money should one give to ones child as pocket money? What should be the level of restraint on the money being spent on the friends. Should parents also keep a tab on the friends financial status. In doing so, inadvertently the parents most of the times end up supporting the family also, if they try to interfere too much.

This prospect is really scary, since even I have a school going child, who has started demanding pocket money daily. He is sharing things bought in the school with his friends. Be it a chocolate, a jelly or any eatable. I am afraid of this generosity or friendliness being wrongly directed as in the above two cases. In Mukims case I would have ignored it being that all three were from low income groups, but Adnans case of very high profile high income group family affair. So such cases are just not limited to any income group.

I cannot tell my child dont share with your friend or dont spend on him, because he needs to learn sharing, and is too small to understand the world outside is not a simple one. Today if I limit his pocket money to a simple bar of chocolate, the query is what if my friend comes along to buy and what if his parents have not given him pocket money for the day. Its a practical problem I am facing, and most parents will agree to it. If I dont give him pocket money, the peer pressure is always there. Schools have officially kept such commercial canteens in their premises.  They should also avoid commercialization of their spaces, which will always lead to kids asking for pocket money. On one hand schools write in their year books, asking parents not to give pocket money, and on the other end, they have canteens and shops in their premises, selling wares, which require money, and that money has to be in the pocket of the students.

Can anybody take the load of my head?

Its a parents cry for help......

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Will you be my Valentine....

This is an article from Times of India on Valentines
Once upon a time there was a tall, dark and handsome boy. And there was a girl, slim, fair and beautiful. They exchanged glances in the morning, which led to an anxious wait in the evenings. And then it led to ferrying her from college to her home. This was followed by frequent dashes to the movies and quick shopping trips at her insistence. Then came Valentine’s Day and she asked, “Will you be my Valentine?” and he said, “Yes.” Time went by, and he was dropping her to the office, going for long drives. Like every year on the same day, she asked, “Will you be my Valentine?” and he said, “Yes, always your Valentine.” Then they got married and had two children. It was Valentine’s again. He dropped her to the office in their car with a promise to meet early and celebrate. Picked her up in the evening and took her to the market as she wanted to buy some clothes. He dropped her to the shop and, with ‘No Parking’ signboards all over the place, he went some distance to park the car. Then, he came to the shop to applaud her purchases and when she was done, went all the way back to get the car. The next halt was a men’s shop and as per the norm, he dropped her at the shop and drove around to park the car. By the time he walked back, the decision had been made. A pink T-shirt it was.
   It was dinner time, then, and it had to be something special. He wanted to get back home but she wanted to get out of the city. One glance from her and her favourite restaurant on the outskirts it was, the long, tiring drive notwithstanding. Almost by protocol now, he dropped her at the entrance and parked the car. They both ate and he smiled. She walked out to the car with him. He opened the door for her. He drove. She slept. They reached home and he stopped in front of the house. Woke her up, got down, opened the door for her and requested her to proceed. He came back after parking the car in the designated parking lot allotted to them by their Resident Welfare Association. She was waiting. He knew it was coming. Like always, she asked “Will you be my...” and before she could finish, he said, “Yes, always your valet.”

Why do we shout in Anger?

Sometimes it is odd, when you are going thru something, and out of the blue, you receive an email which is very effective or somewhat linked to what you are going thru. I am reproducing the email I received from a friend
A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people
shout at each other when they are upset?'
Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our
calm, we shout for that.'
'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the
saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do
you shout at a person when you're angry?'
Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.
Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their
hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able
to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to
shout to hear each other through that great distance.'
Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They
don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are
very close. The distance between them is very small...'
The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens?
They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in
their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each
other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each
other.'

MORAL
: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words
that distance each other more, else there will come a day when the
distance is so great that you will not find the path to return.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Self analysis and Self restraint

Many a times, I have found myself on the wrong side of many people. I believe what I have said is right, but then circumstances and the people around project it in a different way to the people whom I am rubbing the wrong way. This is leading me to self analysis where I am going wrong.

Being short tempered is my biggest mistake, which is being used by many. Listening to the same complaints day in day out, and then not speaking to the person against whom the complaints are being made, not clarifying with the person, and then losing out the steam on that person is something I have never been able to control.

Being aware of double standards of certain people, being aware I am being used and still falling for the trap is again one of my problems.

Seeing certain people act sweetly in front of their counterparts,, projecting that they are the most gullible people in the world, the biggest sufferers in the world, and actually two timing their counterparts. by creating trouble, angers me a lot. I used to wonder how the cast of certain serials can be so wicked. But seeing it in practical world is really shocking. Such people change their words so quickly in presence and absence of other people, is something I have never been able to digest.

But then where does all this put me in? I open my mouth, and everybody thinks, I am overreacting. I open my mouth and everybody thinks I am fighting, whereas I open my mouth to make certain things come out in the open.

I have till date always reacted eye for an eye, word for a word, but then there are certain people with whom I have not reacted that way and who are taking my silence as my weakness or my being wrong. I am afraid that one day I will lose my patience badly. I am afraid that one day, when I react, again those people who have otherwise agreed with me, will step back, because of the way I react.

So what do I do?

Control my anger? I can do that to certain extent. I can also try to avoid listening other peoples complaints. After all I am not a complaint box. They can wash their own dirty linen if they want to.

Avoid such people? Not always easy. They are people whom I meet, see, interact on day to day basis. 

Waiting for ideas.....

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Facebook...Pub Bharo...Consortium....etc etc

Techonology and net have revolunized even revolutions now. How successful will this revolution be will be out on the Valentines. But its nice to see people standing up against what is now a new word in the dictionary...Talibanisation.

My hope is that this revolution should also make all these people come out and vote, vote for a better India. But unfortunately, I know that after 14th this is going to die its own natural death. What happened after 26/11?NOTHING.

What will happen after Valentines? NOTHING. We are a country full of emotionally charged people who will start jumping when India starts winning after a movie called Lagaan. We are people who take out candle light vigils after a movie called Rang de Basanti. We are people who start giving roses to people who are troubling us after a movie called Lage raho Munnabhai. And then.....after some time, all this gets subdued.

We are all charged as of now......but what will happen later???????

Friday, February 6, 2009

Moral Police

Valentine is approaching, and the self proclaimed Moral Police will be out again, spoiling the party for the couples, breaking cards and gift shops, slapping couples etc etc.

After gaining undue mileage in Karnataka pub incidence, the culprits over there have become more bold and have openly announced that they will not tolerate Valentine day celebrations.

Mumbai has its own share with MNS and Shiv Sena workers objecting to such celebrations.

Agreed public display of affection(PDA) is getting out of hand, but who has given the right to these parties for stopping it. Are these people void of affection towards their spouses. When they buy a "gajra" or "veni" for their wives, is it not a display of affection. Todays generation doesnt like these items, and goes in for roses. Flower is a flower, held in hand or decorated on the headbun.

One party has said, that we will get the couple married on the spot, if they are caught celebrating Valentines, so if I celebrate Valentine with my wife, what will the punishment?:)

What are these parties against, PDA or Valentine(because its a western culture). PDA is there daily. Why arent there any protests daily?  Why only Valentine?  What is more embarrasing---PDA or Valentine? Why pick up one day only for such protests? Where is their morality sleeping on other days?

 

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Rail Roko at Borivali Station

Railways are a major lifeline of Mumbai. Any seasoned traveller knows how difficult it is to alight or get on a train which is going towards or coming from Virar. People who unintentionally are on such trains are not able to get down on their destination stations. Platforms being build in an unplanned manner is another trouble commuters have to bear.

This issue has been simmering since years, and patience been tested. Finally the patience broke yesterday. Delays in trains schedules, due to a cable theft, change in the platforms nos, where the trains were scheduled to stop, are very normal. But when the platforms are so far apart, that one has to walk 500 meters, it become impractical. The 500 meters distance is covered in more than double the time, due to the crowd. In such situations, the scheduled trains are missed again. Yesterday, some ladies finally decided that they have had enough. They sat down on the tracks. When the railway police started hitting them, gents also finally joined in the fray to protect the ladies. One thing led to another, and finally the trains were halted for more than 5 hours.

Borivali is a major station, but the planning been done over there is wrong, and even after yesterdays incident, I have serious doubts, that things are going to change.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

5-year-old raped by school watchman

 

5-year-old raped by school watchman

We seriously need some strict laws in India against rape. The cases should be on fast track courts and the victims should not be troubled much by the police. Off with their dicks is my verdict. It is surprising that the school authorities also did not take action on the culprit. When the protectors themselves turn destructors it makes one feel very uneasy. We can only pray for strength to the victim.