To sin by silence when we must protest makes cowards of men.

Is the world ending today?

Metaphorically it's nearing the end.

Because a girl doesn't feel safe of venturing out anymore. Because getting on a wrong bus can have as dangerous results as getting raped. Because the world doesn't stop to help you reach a hospital. Because you are treated like a rag doll by not just the ones who raped you but also by others who blame you for the rape. Because the police still hasn't caught the absconding cowards. And to top it all, this happened in the streets of the capital of India. I have no remorse in saying that humanity has ended.

And I say I have no remorse because we get enough of it from our politicians, police, carriers of justice and the countless other people in society who simply express remorse on every incident of assault carried not on any man or woman in this country. We are done with your sympathies.

Oh! And sympathies? Let's not get into it.

Our police and politicians issue warnings to women.

Don't go out at night!
Don't travel alone!
Don't wear clothes which may even be slightly inappropriate!

Somehow it is always construed to be the woman's fault.

Instead of blaming us for it all, do you people mind taking any steps to improve the society we are living in, to implement our laws effectively so that not even one of these social menaces dare harm us.

And I'm not saying only the men of our society have lost all shame and empathy.

Just today, while our teacher was announcing a candlelight march as a mark of silent protest during our tuition hours, I overheard this conversation :

Girl 1 -  What is he talking about?
Girl 2 - A march for the Delhi rape victim.
Girl 1 - Was she a CA student?
Girl 2  - No.
Girl 1 - Then why is he bothering us?

I have no words to express what I felt then.

It is time we did something about it. Yes, we. We, as humans, and not as the public, politicians, police, army men, but we as humans need to revive the humanity we seem to have lost.

It is never the wrong time to do the right thing.

But literally, will the world end or not? More than that should it or shouldn't it?

Just when you lose hope...

It was a normal working day. Nothing special. Except that it was his birthday. His first birthday away from home. His first birthday when he couldn’t share the joy of spending one more year with his loved ones. Calls poured in all day long. Yet he felt all the more away, all the lonelier, and all the more alone. Time to go back home he thought as he started putting his papers back in place.

His cell beeped. His roommate would be back late. His meeting had been delayed which meant birthday celebrations at home stood canceled. Great!

“Hey Abhinav! All packed? Lets go. I’ll drop you home” Gaurav said.

Gaurav was more of a friend than colleague. “Sumedha’s waiting downstairs” he said referring to his wife.

On the way home they stopped at a newly opened restraint.

“Happy birthday!” Sumedha wished him from behind the wheel, while Gaurav handed Abhinav a gift.

“What’s this guys?”

“Just to make you feel all the more special”

“Come we’re having dinner together, the treat’s on us.”

From the next hour Abhinav felt like he was almost home.

Yet when they dropped him off, he couldn’t help feeling lonely again. To ward off going to an empty home, he decided to take a small walk.

He called up his mother.

“Hi mom, what are you doing?”

“Happy birthday! We were just done with dinner.”

“No cake for dinner this year?” he asked, forlorn.

“We’ll definitely have some when we meet! I’ll bake your favorite chocolate cake. Where are you by the way? You haven’t reached home yet? Still working?”

“No mom! I’m done with dinner. Went out with Gaurav & Sumedha. Just out for a walk right now. I’m missing…”

“Abhi, I’ll call you back, wait” and the line disconnected

“I love you mom. I miss you all a lot.” he said, staring at the phone.

With heavy legs and a heavier heart, he walked back to his place. Climbing up the stairs, he saw one of his fellow residents being greeted by his children, the warmth and love of a family pouring out of their place. Waving towards the father, he trudged along the stairs and put his key into the lock. Opening the door, he switched on the lights of his place and was greeted by shrieks of “Happy Birthday!”

Shocked, he banged the door shut! He couldn’t believe his eyes! His eyes welled up with tears as he stood looking at his family. His girlfriend stood nearby holding out the chocolate cake for him.

He had never been happier!

Necessity may not be the mother of inventions!

The world is in serious need of some more inventions! We need something more. Something which will blow your minds off.

- Firstly and most urgently I, sorry we, we all need such a pair of spectacles which glow in the dark. How else do I see where I’ve kept my specs! Oh and once you manage glow in the dark, please go for glow in the light! C'mon I need to find them in the day also!

- Ok then I’ll need an invention which can help me alter the storyline of the daily soaps we see. So then I can make Meredith Grey marry Derek before having to wait for another season. Then I can give Castle more punch lines and bickering and lesser heartbreaks! And yes I’ll make those lead females in Hindi soaps cry lesser!

- And can you scientists or believers of magic, to whoever this applies, can you please make the flying car real? Not because we want to catch up on missed trains, though JKR's idea was brilliant, as always! But because, the roads in Calcutta seem to be narrowing and the volume of cars expanding. And the absence of too many skyscrapers will also be easy on the flying machines.

- Lastly, and on a less serious note (oh ya, I'm dead serious about the above requisitions!) can we, just if it's possible have moving pictures in our newspapers? Yes, this is inspired from JKR. I'm simply putting in a request for her idea! Big fan of the Harry Potter and the Daily Prophet, you see.

Do you want any inventions? Put it up! You never know, someone somewhere might just start working on it! Cuz someone once told me, 'You just have to believe that it's possible.'

Oh, and I'd like to thank two of my special friends, Shradha and Radhika, for missing my blog posts and inspiring me to write more often. I'll try harder girls! Promise! 

Does it bring closure?

Arnab Goswami asked on Times Now, does Kasab's hanging bring closure to the ones affected by 26/11?

Does it really?

I don't think so.

When Osama Bin Laden was killed, it brought closure to the whole of America. Obama was hailed worldwide and his forces saluted. A victory was celebrated.

When news of Ajmal Kasab being hanged gained momentum, there was a flurry of reactions ranging from 'Finally?', 'Are you sure?' to 'Sure it was not a natural death?'. Perhaps we'd gotten so used to seeing our Government spend crores on him, we couldn't imagine him dead.

For the past four years, the families of the victims had to live with the horror of seeing the Indian Goverment protecting Kasab, reading out human rights to him, lawyering him up and treating him more humanely than he ever treated any person on that fateful day.

Hats off to our Government for treating Kasab as an equal finally and sentencing him as per the law. But it hurts to see that the same Indian Goverment curbs on our basic human rights of speech and expression.
(Case in point - recent arrests of cartoonists for drawing the flak of politicians.)
(Further case in point -  arrest of two girls for having criticised the mass upheaval in Mumbai on Bal Thackeray's death.)

How can a country which has been seeing injustice happening for four years achieve sudden closure at a death which should have and could have happened long ago?

No, Arnab. The hanging does not bring closure.

The real closure will come when we as citizens of India can instill faith in the ones who lead us, not rule us.

Think differently post-Diwali!

Between Diwali and Durga Puja, the essence of festivities nearly died for me, what with me slogging in the office for nearly 12 hours a day!  But with Diwali here and gone there are so many small things which we do only once a year, which define Diwali for me, at least. Of course, bursting crackers defines Diwali for many, the Puja matters the most to others, but think differently and you'll realize the small things matter too!

• Making the rangoli! At first taking the lead because you want to make a bright and beautiful one. And then with the evening of the D-Day approaching, requesting all family members to put in a hand so that it just gets over!

 

 

• Painting the diyas! Many of us have stopped doing that, but trust me, that one day always allows you to be creative and splash colours the way you want! It just has to look good always. And it does look good always. Unless you have the penchant to really screw things up!

 

 

• Wax candles! Not all of us make those at home, but if you did, you'd realize that in those moments when you're required to sit absolutely still, holding the wick in the molten wax, you will recall the silliest jokes and even a simple line can seem double-meaning and will make you shake with silent laughter!

• And lastly, spring cleaning in autumn! I love those days when you can spend hours cleaning your room when in reality you're poring over old pictures and reliving your school days when life was less complicated!

What defines your Diwali?!

Durga Puja fervour in Calcutta!

It was 4:30 in the morning. The birds hadn’t even started chirping. Something disturbed my sleep. I awoke with a start. I could hear the dhak (drum beats). Durga Puja had arrived!

Covering my ears with the pillow, to muffle out the sound, I tried sleeping again, a smile on my face.

The Pujas had come! The next five days Calcutta would swirl and dance in the revelry of worshipping the Goddess, the city would shine bright through the night, people from the nearby towns would come to visit, sell, and soak themselves in the merriment!

One could see people anywhere, anytime! At 7 am, there’re people on the road. At 1 pm, again people. At 10 pm, still there! At 3 am, no the crowd doesn’t thin out!

These five days — dusk or dawn, morning or evening, noon or midnight – you just couldn’t make out the difference. The city didn’t sleep!

On the few tours made of the various pandals (temporary bamboo structures to house the Goddess), it was hard to miss that the traffic police personnel were having a tougher time manning the crowds than the vehicles!

One of the parks near my place had set up rides along with the pandal. Giant wheel was the hot choice! Not only did it give me the much needed adrenalin rush, but when I looked towards the sky, while my capsule was on the upward journey, I could almost feel myself reaching out to touch the moon. Those few minutes symbolized freedom more than anything! And then came the reality check. As soon as I stepped out of the dark and seldom used back gate of the park, I saw myself staring at a family of a mother and two children. Lying on the footpath, with tattered blankets barely covering them, the mother was trying to put her children to sleep amidst the din of celebrations in the land beyond!

The Pujas mix all hues of reality and of the realms beyond. They mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but to me it’s the time when my city looks and feels surreal!

The Pujas define Calcutta, its old-world charm, its people, its warmth, its serenity, its culture, its madness, everything!

As I sit here writing this, the roads outside are unusually silent! I hear the distant drum beats occasionally as the idols are being taken to the Ganges for immersion, marking the end of Pujas. A year to go, before She comes again!

May the Goddess bless us all!

Film-bound!

Did I tell you guys I spend a lot of time catching up on films when I need a break from office and studies?
I don't really like those trashy-without-a-story-line films though. Last week I saw the Paresh Rawal-starrer, Akshay Kumar-supported OMG: Oh My God! And the film’s name couldn’t have contained my reactions in a better way. The sublime yet effective impact the film had on the audience is applaudable. If you still haven’t seen it, watch it not for it’s tremendous script, the beautiful thought, the superb acting, Akshay’s stunning entry! No don’t watch it for any of this. Watch it for yourself, to take a much-needed and highly likable break.

And when it comes to watching films which become memorable, how can I forget these:

• Lage Raho Munnabhai - A film which changes the portrayal of Gandhi in all our minds! 
• Aamir - The common man always lives the hard way.
• A Wednesday - Don't underestimate anyone. No one.
• Kahaani - A thriller in the true sense. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!
• Vicky Donor - Charity begins at home. Maybe not always!
• Taare Zameen Par - Not the best film to watch when you want to relax, but one of those best ones when it comes to emotional connect and content.

Coming Soon : Memorable English films! At all theaters near you!

P.S. : Just got an invite for another film! ;)

The Last Time?

Sitting up there in the clouds,

Well, nearly forgotten,

 They must be wondering what we are at,

Doing all but enjoying.

They seem to be questioning,

When was the last time you stopped,

To hear the rustle of the winds,

The pleasant cacophony of the birds,

To feel the breeze blow through your strands,

To see the hues in the sky,

The flowers all around,

The kitten meowing at you,

The dogs playing with their puppies,

The thirsty crow drinking water,

The pigeons in a cat fight,

The leaves falling in winter,

The new ones sprouting in spring,

The 50 shades of green,

The rain pattering on the windows,

The rainbows thereafter?

When was the last time you stopped?

They're still wondering.

Wake Me Up When September Ends!

Nostalgia haunts!

There was a time when school friends used to drag me in the rain and I used to enjoy the drops of water falling all over me! A soaked-to-the-skin trip home would be met with the ire of mother. And today I prefer to roll up the car windows when it rains!

While passing by a school church today, with the morning mass bell chiming along, I was swarmed with thoughts of our morning assembly in school. And then after so long I witnessed the adjoining school assembly going on, from the corridors of my college.

While attending a very boring lecture in college the other day, I noticed that the lecturer was rocking back and forth while reading her notes. So bored was I that I traveled two years into the past to a soft skills course I'd taken, where our Sir used to constantly reprimand us for moving too much while addressing an audience! you can very well imagine how boring the lecture was! And Zubin Sir, see I still remember what you taught us!

And the reason for nostalgia hitting me in the middle of September (a peak pressure period for the ones in the CA profession!), is that today after a long, long time Calcutta's seen a bandh, meaning an off-day from office and work! How I miss these bandhs which were a regular feature until the new government came a year ago! 

All nostalgic, waiting for another off-day to come my way! Actually even a holiday on Sunday would do!

P.S : I know I haven't been regular this month with my blog posts and I'm sorry people, but there has been just no time at all! See you post-September! Or maybe before (hopefully)!

What do you miss most?!