Last night was unusual.
12: 15 a.m. Trying to get sleep after a long day trying to get my driving licence. A murmur of voices close by. i went over and looked outside the widow. Nothing. Returned to the warm bed and again trying to sleep.
A sudden thud followed by a door-banging sound. I was wide awake now. Again peeked outside to find nothing.
The banging became louder and then it was that everyone in our block were awake. A man was trying to run outside our block. We heard our neighbours screaming. The man had locked my neighbour's door from outside.
The man was caught. The security was summoned. The security was of no use. He chickened out. Our neighbour with all anger started beating the man. The man started babbling in a pleading tone in an unknown tongue. His tone was a sing-song one.
Police were called. The men from the nearby blocks came out. All of them were not able to restrain that lean man who spoke an unknown tongue. He tried to run away but was caught.
Till about 2: 45 am the police were standing in front of our block with the men who came out.
The man started singing in an unknown tongue. Police did not understand his language. The Bengali from B block, the Bihari from C block were summoned to decipher the language but of no avail.
The drama continued . . .
It was growing stale.
I went off to sleep but then morning was interesting as different people had various versions to the close encounter of a weird kind.
Friday, 11 September 2009
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
The furore over Shashi Tharoor and S. M. Krishna
Our politicians make the news and if there is no chance for that they see to it that they somehow keep the media busy. The recent episode of Tharoor and Krishna moving out of their hotel rooms after being reprimanded by the Finance Minister clearly stirs a hornet's nest. Why hornet's nest? 1. The public gets to know of the super ultra lifestyle led by the union minsters 2. If government officials cannot stay in government lodgings, how come the government can vouch for its services? 3. Shashi Tharoor tweeting about this episode.
Government lodgings are supposed to be providing a state-of-the art services for its officials at least when they are in power but when ministers fail to utilise this then the whole idea of 'government services' seem to draw a bleak picture. This also brings in the various government related public services: Hospitals, Schools, Colleges, etc. Shashi Tharoor of course could not compromise on his privacy and gym but then if he needed that facility why not try and make these government lodgings more lucrative and user friendly. As for S. M. Krishna, he had his own reasons which seem quite plausible.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee publicly reprimanding the two ministers out-of-the-blue comes as a surprise/shock. Down the ages many of our ministers have been quite extravagant in their choices and lifestyles. From conducting grandiose weddings, to installing statues, etc. there have been many examples of government officials doing it the big way. Either Mr. Mukherjee should have checked the details before asking the two to vacate or he should have been patient and tackled the issue later on. All of a sudden the FM intervenes and causes a furore which makes an unapologetic Tharoor go tweet tweet. This again shows how inconsistent the government is in many of its dealings. The public which depends on the media to be informed about the working of the government is further stifled by this news not because the two were reprimanded but because this kind of lavishness is nothing new when it comes to politicians.
Government lodgings are supposed to be providing a state-of-the art services for its officials at least when they are in power but when ministers fail to utilise this then the whole idea of 'government services' seem to draw a bleak picture. This also brings in the various government related public services: Hospitals, Schools, Colleges, etc. Shashi Tharoor of course could not compromise on his privacy and gym but then if he needed that facility why not try and make these government lodgings more lucrative and user friendly. As for S. M. Krishna, he had his own reasons which seem quite plausible.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee publicly reprimanding the two ministers out-of-the-blue comes as a surprise/shock. Down the ages many of our ministers have been quite extravagant in their choices and lifestyles. From conducting grandiose weddings, to installing statues, etc. there have been many examples of government officials doing it the big way. Either Mr. Mukherjee should have checked the details before asking the two to vacate or he should have been patient and tackled the issue later on. All of a sudden the FM intervenes and causes a furore which makes an unapologetic Tharoor go tweet tweet. This again shows how inconsistent the government is in many of its dealings. The public which depends on the media to be informed about the working of the government is further stifled by this news not because the two were reprimanded but because this kind of lavishness is nothing new when it comes to politicians.
Monday, 7 September 2009
"I Hate Ugly"
Quite an emphatic statement! This is the latest advertisement promoting Allen Solly casual wear. This print ad is that of a girl who is shown with a paint brush in hand and the backdrop is that of a wall that is worn out with time and weather. The words I HATE UGLY are painted in bold on the wall. At the bottom of the page is the sideline which says: "Who says I have to like things the way they are? What doesn't look good to me, I change." Then the words MY WORLD. MY WAY. ALLEN SOLLY are printed in the extreme right side of the ad.
The ad left me reflecting on the increasing thrust on individualism and identity in today's media. Ads which promote the self are packaged in a very sophisticated manner by the ad man and fed to the hungry masses in dollops. The ad would not have ruffled me if it only said: "Who says I have to like things the way they are? What doesn't look good to me, I change" but then the strong words I HATE UGLY reflects a very narrow perspective of thought process which modifies the beautiful and nicer things to be the best and most sought after. I can understand when we close our noses or stop breathing while passing by a dust-bin overflowing with an assortment of stuff or at the most avoid passing through ways that have open drains. But then, isn't that a reality too? The words I HATE UGLY spell out a certain disdain on one aspect of life and its reality while shamelessly glorifying the need the satisfy one's own self.
Many advertisements justify feeding the self and its whimsical demands. That we need to cater to ourselves first and then the world has become a growing norm. Creams promoting beautiful skin which attracts the opposite gender, kitchen appliances which again raise the self-esteem are among few of the dozen examples. Thankfully there still exists some ads where values and respect for the self as well as the others are projected.
I just wish that the ad men realise what statements as I HATE UGLY spell out to the growing generation that drinks out of the heavy udders of the media world.
The ad left me reflecting on the increasing thrust on individualism and identity in today's media. Ads which promote the self are packaged in a very sophisticated manner by the ad man and fed to the hungry masses in dollops. The ad would not have ruffled me if it only said: "Who says I have to like things the way they are? What doesn't look good to me, I change" but then the strong words I HATE UGLY reflects a very narrow perspective of thought process which modifies the beautiful and nicer things to be the best and most sought after. I can understand when we close our noses or stop breathing while passing by a dust-bin overflowing with an assortment of stuff or at the most avoid passing through ways that have open drains. But then, isn't that a reality too? The words I HATE UGLY spell out a certain disdain on one aspect of life and its reality while shamelessly glorifying the need the satisfy one's own self.
Many advertisements justify feeding the self and its whimsical demands. That we need to cater to ourselves first and then the world has become a growing norm. Creams promoting beautiful skin which attracts the opposite gender, kitchen appliances which again raise the self-esteem are among few of the dozen examples. Thankfully there still exists some ads where values and respect for the self as well as the others are projected.
I just wish that the ad men realise what statements as I HATE UGLY spell out to the growing generation that drinks out of the heavy udders of the media world.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Don't think twice better still don't think at all
"Statistics reveal that women are more emotional than men." Am I more emotional than him. Let me call up X and ask her. "X, do you think you are more emotional than Y (Y is a man. Obviously). Now X is listening and her mind races into the flashback mode. Instances of 1986 comes to her mind. She starts sniffing and the caller is kind of moved too. This is exactly what statistics and researches do to humans. The non-human world is blissfully unaware of any such researches and statistics and go on living life as its meant to be but we humans. Alas!!
How many times these studies move us into adaapting ourselves to think the way the studies point out. Even though sometimes, we might not be able to agree with it, we find it inadequete that we are not like that. The stronger of the species ofcourse sail through all this nonsense without as much as batting an eyelid but the most vulnerable ones. What to say of them.
Now coming back to the first analogy. Men can also be as emotional but then the studies are so popular that men tend to think that it is inappropriate to be emotional. These studies are like a double edged sword: Do they make the people believe that because of the studeis they are like that or do the studies prove that which has been quite prevalent.
The number games provided by these statistics are also quite fuzzy. The survey would have been actually conducted with a few samples of men and women but then when that is projected for the entire population, its just ridiculuous. All these statistical data, are they applicable to the tribal women/men, men/women who spend their lives in the pavements? Maybe No and might be Yes.
Probably the finale of this post would be this: Don't get carried away into moulding yourself into what the studies and statistics reveal. Use them to enhance your knowledge in a sociological way but not such that you go about ranting and raving about trivial studies that are conceived in air-conditioned labs and research rooms.
How many times these studies move us into adaapting ourselves to think the way the studies point out. Even though sometimes, we might not be able to agree with it, we find it inadequete that we are not like that. The stronger of the species ofcourse sail through all this nonsense without as much as batting an eyelid but the most vulnerable ones. What to say of them.
Now coming back to the first analogy. Men can also be as emotional but then the studies are so popular that men tend to think that it is inappropriate to be emotional. These studies are like a double edged sword: Do they make the people believe that because of the studeis they are like that or do the studies prove that which has been quite prevalent.
The number games provided by these statistics are also quite fuzzy. The survey would have been actually conducted with a few samples of men and women but then when that is projected for the entire population, its just ridiculuous. All these statistical data, are they applicable to the tribal women/men, men/women who spend their lives in the pavements? Maybe No and might be Yes.
Probably the finale of this post would be this: Don't get carried away into moulding yourself into what the studies and statistics reveal. Use them to enhance your knowledge in a sociological way but not such that you go about ranting and raving about trivial studies that are conceived in air-conditioned labs and research rooms.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
internalising the external
Many things happen that remotely affect us and even if it does affect us we go on as always without any remorse, pain or empathy. The news yesterday had flashes of the missing chopper of Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy, Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister. All of us were glued to the news channels to comprehend the fact that someone as important as the chief minister could go missing. It was a poignant moment as we were analysing the various aspects of the incident.
The dense forest, the bad weather and other things had rendered the search difficult. This incident also brought to light the various chopper related problems. That the chopper was not maintained properly was highlighted. Why does India always have to find things out in the last minute when there is some mishap. Why cannot instruments be maintained well enough at all times. Certain questions can never find answers.
The man who went missing is not even remotely connected to me but then why does it affect me so much? Perhaps because he is another vulnerable human being who inspite of being the Chief Minister is prone to unexpected accidents. The fact that he would have undergone a mental and physical stress is another reason for the anxiety. Given his age hunger, thirst and other things would have caused him distress. As I write this post, news of the chopper being traced fills the news channels. I just hope he is fine and returns home to his family and the anxiety filled state for a successful term as Chief Minister.
The dense forest, the bad weather and other things had rendered the search difficult. This incident also brought to light the various chopper related problems. That the chopper was not maintained properly was highlighted. Why does India always have to find things out in the last minute when there is some mishap. Why cannot instruments be maintained well enough at all times. Certain questions can never find answers.
The man who went missing is not even remotely connected to me but then why does it affect me so much? Perhaps because he is another vulnerable human being who inspite of being the Chief Minister is prone to unexpected accidents. The fact that he would have undergone a mental and physical stress is another reason for the anxiety. Given his age hunger, thirst and other things would have caused him distress. As I write this post, news of the chopper being traced fills the news channels. I just hope he is fine and returns home to his family and the anxiety filled state for a successful term as Chief Minister.
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Arriving at a definition of 'Normal'
Wondering as always at the things that are taken for granted a phrase from a friend made me pause on the question: What is normal? I may pack certain things which for me are pretty normal but then it may not be the kind of definition that my sister or mother may adhere to. Probably let us analyse certain insights into the very common word -- normal.
A schizophrenic: That voice, the voice which echoes within me always. Its the most normal thing. Voices.
A student: Classes? Movies perhaps. This is pretty normal yaar.
Lover: Roses/Moon are passe. Gazing into the eyes. Na. Why do the normal?
Rakhi Sawant: Arrey arranged marriage is naarmal. I go for Swayamvar. Not so naarmal these days.
Mother: Sacrifice, love that is unconditional. These define normalcy for mothers throughout the ages.
Scanning through the above instances, the word 'normal' is pretty unique to individuals and maybe types. But then is there something 'normal' that fits into the vocabulary of every one irrespective of being a mother, student, etc. Maybe sleeping in the afternoon, eating and other habits can be classified as 'normal.' I must admit that this post is a tad fuzzy but then normalcy is like that after all.
A schizophrenic: That voice, the voice which echoes within me always. Its the most normal thing. Voices.
A student: Classes? Movies perhaps. This is pretty normal yaar.
Lover: Roses/Moon are passe. Gazing into the eyes. Na. Why do the normal?
Rakhi Sawant: Arrey arranged marriage is naarmal. I go for Swayamvar. Not so naarmal these days.
Mother: Sacrifice, love that is unconditional. These define normalcy for mothers throughout the ages.
Scanning through the above instances, the word 'normal' is pretty unique to individuals and maybe types. But then is there something 'normal' that fits into the vocabulary of every one irrespective of being a mother, student, etc. Maybe sleeping in the afternoon, eating and other habits can be classified as 'normal.' I must admit that this post is a tad fuzzy but then normalcy is like that after all.
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