Le Titre- Tall

I found her idea of tall way too cute...

The Blame Game

With elections around the corner, almost every single discussion on TV, newspapers, magazines and even those among us tend to the same conclusion - Our politicians are all corrupt, immoral, lazy and good for nothing. And that we are being ruled by a class of politicians who are way below what we deserve.

Here, I have a tiny little thing to say.

'Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.'

We say that politicians take bribes. But who is giving them bribes? They sure aren't taking bribes from Mr. Invisible. How many of us will actually wait for 3 months to get that telephone connection and not slip in 500 bucks to the BSNL guy to get it in a month? How many of us will insist that our car be taken to the police station on jumping a signal rather than paying 50 bucks to the Police guy and finishing it off?

We blame the lack of security for every terror attack in our country. But how many of us will actually arrive at the airport 2 hours early for the security check without cribbing and complaining about it? How many of us will happily let our bags be frisked at the multiplex without calling it a useless headache?

What I want to say is that we are the same as our politicians. We do just what they do. The only difference being that they do it on a larger scale. They take bribes. We give bribes. We jump about things for a month after things happen. They jump about things before things(elections) happen. They talk of big things and don't follow it themselves and we also do the same. So basically they are an impersonation of of what we as a people, as a society, as a nation are. And instead of criticising your leaders this election season, try and bring about the changes you want to see in the leadership of the country in yourselves first; the rest will follow.

Jai Hind!

The Story . . .

He was like just another guy on the campus. He loved bikes and designing one himself was what he lived for. It was around when he entered college that he realized he was a little different. He was what other people called ‘not normal’, ‘not straight’.

Jokes on people like him were flying around everywhere – in movies, award shows and among his friends. Every time there was a gay joke cracked, he would smile. He would laugh. But every single second he laughed, it was killing him inside. He thought, in being what he was, he was wrong. He was ashamed of that part of him. He began hating himself for what he was.

Not knowing what to do, he killed himself.

Most homosexuals may not kill themselves like he did. But many of them do kill that part of them and camouflage themselves in the normalcy of the society. And the ones who are brave enough to go against the wind and stick to their identities, in their struggle for acceptance, meet with humiliation and mockery by people like us at every step.

Why aren’t we ready to accept homosexuality as something normal? If it’s ok for Guy A to like Mango ice-cream and Guy B to like Chocolate ice-cream, why isn’t it ok for the same Guy A to like a girl and Guy B to like a guy? (The comparison was silly, but it had a point.)

There isn’t much that we as individuals can do to help their cause. But maybe we can at least stop making fun of them. 

Homosexuality - A Joke?

As 15-16 something teenagers, most of us love cracking gay jokes. More so because of the Dostana and the popular Kantaben gags which feature almost every year in Filmfare Awards since KHNH. I can't really be writing this as person who has always been on what I now think is the right side of the issue. I was more often than not a part of the majority who makes fun of homosexuals.

Der se hi sahi I now know that I was wrong. 

In our class of 25, the most popular jokes have homosexual themes. In an atmosphere where homosexuality is treated like 'cheeee',  what if there is this one silent guy who laughs at all these jokes, but cries every night because he thinks is gay and doesn't know what to do about it. 

Why are we taking this as a joke. Most movies which ever mention homosexuality will use it only as comic relief. (The exception being My Brother Nikhil). I hereby declare my support for the gay rights movement.(This was a litle over the top)

To all people who are against gay marriage and say its against the laws of Nature - Which laws are you talking about? Did Mother Nature appear before you and tell you the laws? 

Anyways, I request all of you who read this to pledge their suuport to this cause.

My Memories...

In whatever now remains of my vacation, I'll try and write about major things that happened around me all these years and how I as a child saw it. Today when I look back, I find those perspectives quite interesting. So before I forget these things, I'll put them on paper(or rather on blog)

First up, are the Gujarat riots - 2002. This was probably the most important piece of history that I lived through. I was thankfully not a victim. But it did impact my thoughts.

I was in class IV then and we were to have our picnic to a water park the next day. We were all jumpy jumpy about it. We had our 'list of things to be brought' ready. I guess it was in the last period that our class teacher(Manjari Madam I suppose) came and told us that the picnic was cancelled. We weren't told why this had happened. So naturally, our tiny little brains statred overworking to work out the reason. We concluded that the water park was closed because the owner, who was quite a crook, had landed up in jail again and so the water park was shut.

Disappointed, when I reached home, I rang up Dad and told him about the cancelled picnic. He was sounding a little confused now. It was then that he told me that a train was burnt in Godhra. "Where is Godhra?" was the first thing I asked him. "Its somewhere nearby" came his reply. 

When I think of all this today, the part which inrigues me the most was that for almost an entire day, all I was sad and worried and depressed about was the picnic. Reading things like "50 people die in Godhra carnage" appeared simply trivial to me. It wasn't that we were insensitive. It was just that we didn't know what communal riots were all about. We didn't know what the death of 50 people meant. 

Till almost one day after the riots things were fine; in Anand at least. The next day, we even had school. It was supposed to be a Gujarat Bandh that day. Again, all we were worried about was that kids of other schools were getting a holiday and we weren't.

The fear began when some mob leader threatened to stone the school or something like that if the school wasn't shut down. Not everyone knew this. I happened to be at the reception when all this was happening. So I knew.

Anyways, this was the first time we were being sent back home from school with such urgency. This was the time the Hindu mobs had begun taking to the streets. My parents trusted my maturity and the news channels' sensitivity and they let me watch television for all the news on the riots. What I saw on TV that day scared me. It was really scary. I had never even heard of things like these, leave alone seeing.

To make me feel a little better, my parents took me for a stroll in the campus. (I was living in a really secure campus, probably the most secure place in Anand then. So life inside the campus could go on as usual). We went upto the gate and the guards said the customary 'Salaam Saab' to Dad. Everything looked pretty normal. It was in the night, so the empty streets also blended into the apparent normalcy.

But, this peace and quiet, was quite literally the calm before the storm. Suddenly, there was shouting all around. It turned out that the bakery near the temple was being looted before being burnt. I was immediately taken back home. But the images haunted me. It was the most popular bakery around. Everyone went there and at almost all times, you could see the sadhu sant people from the temple eating something there. Why then did they turn against that very place?

Riots make people blind to other peoples pain, deaf to the cries of help of the kid next door and they also maim them by tieng up their hands when they wish to stand up against the wrong being done. People whom you proudly called your family suddenly become people of the ither religion. Riots like the one we had scar human relations forever.

Most riots in this county are not due to something genuine people feel or have experienced. Its because someone who can speak convincingly thinks he'll benefit if people are at each others' throats. Non existent problems are made in the 'burning issue of the hour'. 

But at the end of it all, it is the optimistic human spirit which triumphs. Sure it takes time to heal the wounds of a riot. But with the years, people are willing to put aside their past and start afresh once again . . . . 

Of beggars and exploitation....

There are basically 3 kinds of people:-

1. People who give some money to beggars....always. But they are really few.(me included)

2. People who dont give them money, but are willing to buy them some food.

3. People who'll do nothing for beggars and say that beggars exploit us.

The first time I noticed this was when I saw an old lady asking for some money in Lajpat Nagar. I fished out a 5 rupee coin from my pocket and gave it to her. The teacher who happened to be with me called me and said this to me - "See, you are a mature girl. You should be careful of these people. You cannot give your money to these people. They loot you. They exploit you. Understood?" I was flabbergasted. All I could do was to murmur a 'Yes Ma'm'.

What she said sent my brain into a tizzy. These apparent 'words of wisdom' had defied all what my parents had taught me about helping people and all sense of logic which I had in me. How could a weak old woman who probably hasn't eaten anything for days 'exploit' me?

When I posed this question to some of friends, the most common answers I got were "Beggars aren't really poor. They have so much money with them. They beg because they are cheaters" or "Beggars should not be given money as they are lazy and do not want to work and earn money."

Yeah right. Beggars are so rich that they could even beat the Ambanis in the Fortune 500 list(sarcasm intented). Think sense people. Haven't you heard of unemployment in this country? Its not that they don't want to work. They dont have any work. Even if they are feigning a handicap or making up stories about dead mother, we must realize that it is their ccircumstances which force them to do this.

The entire point of this post is to tell all people who fall in the third category that don't camouflage your stinginess with overdone morals or philosophy. Change your attitude. Help people. If you don't want to help, then don't stop others from doing it. And remember, It is only because of attitudes like yours that we still have people in this world dying of poverty.

Indu<3

A year to remember...

The last 12 months have been probably the best ever. So, I've tried to jot down all things which made this year so special. Here it goes...

1. I could get mom the birthday gift I had promised her 2 years back. :)

2. Got back my confidence. I realized that I do things best when I try to be me.

3. I am now proud to be what I am.

4. Finally managed to pull myself away from the 'pseudo-friends'. Wait, can I even call them friends?

5. Met some people who are now an inevitable part of me. Swaroop, Riddhi, Pari, Ritayan - I would die f I don't have you with me. Love you all.

6. Rediscovered an old friend. She stood by me all these years and I never even saw her. Thanks a lot Heli.

7. Fell in and out of love(crush actually) witha person and I am extremely embarassed about having liked him once. 

8. Got my priorities right in life.

9. And lastly, I started blogging. I love you blog. :)

| Indu <3 |

Dead Poets Society

I was watching this very nice movie this afternoon. Touching, really touching. It did give me new perspective about life and everything else.

There is this scene sometime in the beginning of the movie where Williams has the students to stand on the desk as a reminder to took at the world in a different way, just as Thoreau intended when he wrote, "The universe is wider than our views of it".

The other thing i want to post here are the lines by Henry David Thoreau which were read at the beginning of each meeting.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, 

to front only the essential facts of life, 

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, 

and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived … 

I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; 

nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. 

I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, 

to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, 

to cut a broad swath and shave close, 

to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms..." 

Le Titre

These are the pics i clicked for the competition on Cuckooji's photo blog. The topic was 'SELF'.



This is me. :D Rather this is a rather nice hazy reflection of me on the lcd tv.


The other side of me.... :P - my face reflected on the mobile screen and my back reflected on the mirror behind me, reflected on the mobile screen. :)


This picture is so full of me. Cant see me? All those things kept there a things which i like, things which are close to me - they are pretty much a reflection of what i am. Btw, the silhoutte of someone on the glass is me.

कहानी II

पिछली बार जब तुम आए थे, लगा था की कुछ ख़ास हो। तुम्हे अपने पास देखकर हमेशा एक हसी सी होठों पर आ जाती थी। नज़रें हमेशा तुम्ही को ढूंढती और लगता की जो चेहरा ख्वाबों में आया करता था, अब वो सामने आ गया। मुझे लगा था की ज़रूर कुछ तो होगा हमारे बीच।

पर जब उस दिन तुम बिना कुछ कहे चले गए, इस सब को एक ख्वाब मानकर, तुम्हे हमेशा के लिए भुलाने की ठानकर और अपने बावले मन को कोस कर हम आगे चल पड़े।

Womens Day Special :)

Women really need to be empowered. Because only when a country's women are empowered can the country propsper. Right? (you better say yes)

So, in all these years whos been the pioneer in women empowerment in our country? Indira Gandhi - for showing how strong women can be? ICICI Bank for having all women at the top?  NGOs for fighting for women? Or Ekta Kapoor and her women brigade for completely taking over Television in India? With all due respect to all of these people and many more, I think its none of them. 

If there's someone who has actually helped our daughters, sisters, wives, mothers and aunties feel really empowered its TVS. 

Yep, TVS, Honda, Hero Honda, Kinetic and other 2 wheeler companies for making Scooty, Zing and the like. All my years in Gujarat, one thing I have seen is that you'll hardly have a house here where theres a girl and no scooty, activa, zing, pleasure and yes even yo! bike. Once a girl gets her vehicle she feels independent. No more waiting for dad or bhaiya to drop her at the movies or pick her up from her girls' night out. I, being the feminist I am, love it when a girl on her Scooty whizzes past the goon guys, who trouble her, on their oversized vehicles. 

The Gangster Interview - I

If you've known me in the past few months or so, I might have told you about my new found fascination for interviewing a gangster. Currently I cant do that for umm.... *some* reasons. Hope the reasons get cleared away soon. Until then read this - my 'made-up' gangster interview.

The 'protagonist' of this interview is mix of a particular ex gangster friend of mine, a random phone stalker and my own imagination.

Ex gangster friend, I am sorry I am making a litle fun of you in this. Sorry.

Random stalker, thanks. You and your antics are what have basically inspired this character.

__________________

In maroon are my questions. In green are his answers and in purple in c++ comments style are my thoughts

__________________

Hey! Good morning! You are the leader of Rally X right? May I know your name?

I tell real name or style name? 

/* Style  name? my my! */

Tell me both.

My real name Panu K Patel. But this name has no weight and style. So i made my name - PKP. Call me PKP.

Ok PKC....

(Gangster gets angry) Its PKP. You are insulting me....

(Scared, very scared) Sorry PKP. Please don't get angry.

Don't worry. I never get angry. I am a nice gentle lady man.    

/* Gentleman? Ladyman? Gentle lady man? */

(confused) Lady man?

Yes. No girl can ever stay away from PKP - the lady man. My magic always working on them.

Oh! A ladies' man... So how many girls have you dated?

Honestly I tell you, I dont remember how many. I dont even remember their names. Girls are like hawa ka jhonka. One comes and goes. Then next comes. You know something? I never propose to girl. Girl always propose to me. I see her face and understand what she thinking. 

So, is there any girl in your gang?

No no no. Girl only for time pass. Girl cant do work we do.    

/* Work? :o */

Ok. So what kind of work do you do?

We... err...umm... do many works. Very dangerous work. Very risk work we do. (makes the kind of a face your grandmother would have made while introducing the villain of the fairytale)

Dangerous work like?

Oh there are many things    

/* Is it? */

Many things like?

Err... I cant tell you. Its a secret. You cant imagine what kind of work we Rally X people do..

/* Yeah right - secret. You do nothing. */

Ok.    

Your gangs name....Rally X. I find it very interesting. How did you come with such a fabulous name? ( smiles sarcastically)

Top class stylish cool name no? It was my idea. All gangs having local names like Street Riders, Road Rulers. We wanted something different. So i phoned my brother in America. He gave this name.

You are the most feared gang in Anand. What is the secret of your success?

Our gang was diferent. We had a different style. Instead of doing latest fashion, we think different and made our own different style and fashion. We saw English movies and did different style from it. People were scared of us because when they saw our different style, they know that we were different...   

/* The 'different' obsessions of 'different' people */

And It was this difference which made all the difference. Right?

Yes.

You said you coopied your style from English movies...   

No no. We didnt copy. You know my own slogan? Its 'Copying is injurious to PKP'.  

to be continued....

कहानी- I

एक शख्स जिसे हम ज़िन्दगी के किसी हसीन मोड़ पर मिलकर भूल चुके थे, अचानक से लौट आता है और ज़िन्दगी को अपने रंग से रंग देता है। हमारे सारे दर्द वो अपना लेता है और अपनी सारी खुशियाँ हमसे बाँटता है। हमारी गुमसुम सी, अँधेरी सी ज़िन्दगी में रौशनी की किरण बनकर आता है।

कभी लगता है की ये मेहेज़ एक इत्तेफाक है की हम उस से इतने बाद मिले। और कभी ऐसा लगता है की ये कुछ और है। उसके इस तरह से आने में कहीं खुदा का कोई इशारा तो नही? ....

Pakistan attacked ..... again

"Sri Lankan players attacked in Pakistan"

Honestly, this didnt shock me one bit. It was to happen some day. Our neighboring country is at WAR. Rather, its always been in a state of war except maybe for a period of relative calm during the tenure of Musharaf. And a warring country is definitely not the best place to go and play cicket. Lets be happy that our BCCI babus had the brains to drop the Indian tour to Pakistan inspite of being accused of dampening the apparently warm relations with our neighbour.

What should top the list of the Pakistani government is to fight the war and win - with or without help from outside(read US), not cricket or promotion of bollywood movies or even democracy for now. And yes, stop calling acts of terror 'cowardly acts'. They are not. And calling them coward is not really gonna demoralize them cuz they aren't doing this to win your bravery medals. They do this to kill people. And they are doing it *ahem* pretty well. If you can do something do this - fight the war, restore temporary control over the rougher Northwestern tribal areas and educate your people.Elevate them from the abject poverty they live in now. This war can never be won on the might of the bombs and Kalashkinovs alone. Give your people a better life. When people have food to eat, a roof over their heads, books to read, work to do 'jihad will definitely seem less lucrative than it does now.

Offer them a future that is bright enough for the scores of young people of your country to choose life over death. Peace will come only when progress will come and progress is possible only when we have peace.

Babies of Brothels

They are the blotches on our otherwise dazzling, glamorous urban lives. They remain neglected - always. The only time they are mentioned is when we abuse a girl we really hate or while accusing dirty boys of doing dirty things in dirty places.

We complain of our kids getting affected by the violence they see on cartoon network in the comfort of their homes and under the constant attention of their ever doting parents. But we never think about how much their children might be affected by all the 'things' going around them. Too young to understand any of it, they probably do get a sense that every night when their mothers go into the room with a new 'uncle' its something not very good happening. The world of drugs, drinks, lies and deceit becomes a part of them. And the cycle goes on forever. Generations of teenaged girls are forced into prostitution - forced to sell what a girl holds most valuable to herself.

I dont know what we can do to help them or to get them a dignity in the society. But I do know that something has to be done.

Ending on a rather strange note for now...

iNDu <3

My 'Joint' Family :D

For the first time in sooooo many years, I feel I 've found a family in my new found friend circle.
For the sake of a non hindi speaking friend i am also adding the english translations

Riddhi- Mummy

Abhijith - Daddy

Ritayan - Dadaji/ Paternal Grandfather ( Dadiji=> zeel :P)

Pranjal - Chachaji 2/ Patrenal Uncle 2

Heli - Naniji/ Maternal Grandmother ( Nanaji=> Jini)

Pari - Chachaji 2/ Paternal Uncle 2 ( Chachiji 2=> **h**i)

Snigi - Mausiji/ Maternal Aunt cum Chachiji 1/ Paternal Aunt 1

PT - Mausaji/ Maternal Uncle ( Hes yet to be a part of the family though. His inception might just be tomorrow. Pray for him.)

Me - _________


I love you all. <3

The Teenage Problem

The last couple of days, I ve been getting a lot of survey forms about adoloscence. I must say they some of the questions are ridiculous.
Sample this
Q You feel committing sucide when you...
a)Get less marks
b)Get scolding from teacher
c)Get scolding from parents

And

Q Do you talk to your bf/gf when you are alone at home?
a) yes
b) no

Of course some of these questions make perfect comic material. But somehwere this also points something really bad.

Does the Society as a whole think of teenagers as dim witted half kids half adults who are driven into mood swings and sucidal tendencies by the slightest of triggers? Are teenagers just supposed to have crushes, smoke and drink? Is breaking rules, disrespecting authority and being a good for nothing rebel all what we can do?

Maybe I am a little out of my mind right now. But these questionnaires do get me depressed.

Mere Khwabon Me Jo Aaye...

This is something a lot of girls do when they are 'sweet 16'. So I thought maybe I too must give it a shot.
SO here it goes.

My Ideal Guy
He must be nice to people.
He doesn't need to look like brad pitt. But must be moderately good looking.
He must be able to put up with all my pagalpanti n mood swings n all other vellapanti that I do.
He must respect Women.
He shouldn't smoke or drink.
He should love me more than Suri loved Taani <3

Silly. Ain't it?
Cant help it.

:D

Advice

An honest piece of advice for all my friends.

You are ignorant. I never made fun of your ignorance. Then why do you make fun of other people's awareness? Learn to respect knowledge cuz you don't have it.

:|

Enlightened ....

Rewind to a little before a week back. I was upset. Depressed. People around me hated me way too much. They hated me so much that they told my friend to 'stay away' from me. I went into introspection mode to see what was it that was a problem.

I realized that in most cases, the problem was within them, not me.

Another thing i realized is that i am a 'good girl'. I care for half the planet. I am not cool. At least not the way everyone thinks. And that I must be me.

I realized things like exams, being the topper, being loved by everyone have no meaning. These are way too inconsequential things.

I believe that life gets its meaning only when you can make a change for the better in the lives of other people.

No, I am not writing an essay on humanity. These things are true. And there will be a time when all of us realize this. Just that it gets a little late sometimes...

Oye Lucky Lucky Oye - My take

The best movie of the year. Yes its better than Jaane Tu... and even Rock On.
Lemme do the review taking one aspect at time.

Abhay 'hatke' Deol - A great actor. Hes definitely got the best acting skills among the 3 brothers. He makes Lucky lovable. Hes got everything right about the character - from the 'mercdee' to the way he walked n talked. You'll love his wit and his dimples. This guy has sure earned himself another fan.

Paresh Raval - I still cant figure out the reason for his triple role. But he did his bit well. This was perhaps his best this year...Way better than Mere Baap Pehle Aap.

The Director - He has done his homework well. Having stayed in delhi for quite some time, I could relate to most things shown in the movie. Like for instance the Highway farmhouse weddings and the drunk son of a minister creating trouble.

The Music - Its perfect. Fits just Right in the movie. Feels like a part of the movie and not a mere addition to it.

The script - Great. Most characters have the depth required. Apart from telling the story of Lucky, The film also has subtle mockeries at Hindi news channels and Delhi Police. The script keeps you hooked on till the end.

But this movie will be termed 'boring' by the masses. There are quite some reasons for it. First: the humour is subtle. There is no 'look-this-is-a-joke-laugh-at-it' humour or the priyadarshan inspired tom-n-jerry sequences which makes the movie devoid of humour for the 'aam aadmi' Second: To understand a lot of things in the movie you need to be a lil familiar with Delhi and its people. Third: The punjabi accent makes a lot of dialouges uncomprehendable for a lot of people.

I am not calling these flaws because these happen to be the very things which make me like this movie.

I would give the movie a 5/5 for Abhay's Acting, Dibakers Direction and the Superb Script. (notice the alliteration :P)