वक़्त बीत गया

कुछ समझने में बीत गया
कुछ समझाने में
कुछ देखने में बीत गया
कुछ दिखलाने में
कुछ खुशियों में बीत गया
कुछ आसुओं में
मुस्कराहट होंठों पे लिए
हम चल पडे मंज़िल को लेकिन
कुछ को साथ लेने में बीत गया
कुछ से बिछड़ने में
बेचैनीयों के साथ आती रही
आशाओं की लहरें भी
कुछ बादलों में बीत गया
कुछ हवाओं में

Durga Pujo -- A Bengali Poem expressing memories

In response to a question : Pujo ki kore kat to?

Baah shundor daarun proshno
Jaar jowaab bhebe bhebe
Mone pore jaai shei chhotto belaar kothaa
Niye aashe aasthe aasthe
Ei mone ojaanaa bethaa

Pujo r modhye jonmo nilaam
Pujo r maajhe bodo holaam
Pujo r maati te khele khele
Pujo r smriti te haariye gelaam

Somoi jei kaachhe aastho
Utsaahe te mon phule uthto
Notun poshaaker lobhe montaa
paagol hoye laafiye uthto
School e chhuti aashbe
ei bhebei
sesh diner opekha shuru hoye jeto

Oh cycle repair koraate hobe
Jaate beraano jete paara jaai
Tyre e to pump dite hobe
Jaate Joydeb thek Gamon jaawaa jaai

Oh Joydeb e aami pushpaanjali debo
Tansen e mishti konya dekhbo
Central e Shombhu r ice cream khaabo
Taar por rowaana hobo Cement Park er dike

Baadi phirte phirte dupur hoye gelo
Maa opekhya koraao chhede dilo
Jaane kichhu na kichhu keyei aashbo
Chhele taake aar naa thaamaano gelo

Dupure aami baadi phirlaam
Berote hobe bikele aabaar
Central e boshe eibaar aaaddaa debo
Somoi kore kintu puchkaa o khaabo

Chaar dine sei mosti taa
Kokhono phire aar aashe naa
mon bhore bhore aanondo
chaar din chhaaraa thaake naa

Chaar din ki kore je kete gelo
Bhujei uthte paarlaam naa
Abaar aashbe pujo aasthe bochhor
Opekhya koraa chhaarlaam naa

Dhaak er aawaaz aajo kaane
beje uthe theek somoye
ene bhaalobaashaar diner smriti
mon jele uthe aaloye

Aaj dure aachhi shei durgapur theke
Bondhu der kotha mone pode jaai
Aaakasher dike jei taakaai
Purono diner chhobi toiri hoi

-- By Sastry

Gandhi Jayanti And Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Jayanti

Wishes to everyone reading this blog, on this occasion.

A question that has been coming to my mind is, should it be a holiday? That is, should it be a non working day?

The same is true about any event or any religious festival etc. Does that mean that the celebrations that need to be done require the day to be a non working day?

Why cant we celebrate but still continue working?

I wonder if Mahatma Gandhi would have been happy if he saw that today , to celebrate his birthday, the whole nation is sitting idle.

In a nation dreaming to be developed, I wonder if it is worth letting one day go off like this...

Well, as a coincidence this year, I guess many people are glued to TV sets watching India Australia cricket match. I wonder about this celebration.

Happy Birthday Gandhiji.... I can be 200% sure that a great human being like you who tirelessly, constantly working hard to give us the freedom, will not be delighted to see your nation folks have called it a day off and the excuse they give is celebrating your birthday....

But you will be happy to see some section though who are taking this opportunity to fight for justice, holding candle light vigils in solidarity with farmers. So there definitely is a section working tirelessly following your footsteps.

Bug in Excel 2007

In Excel 2007, multiply 77.1 and 850 and see the result.

In reality, 77.1*850 = 65535. But the result you will get will be 100000

For more details and explanation on this bug, go and read :

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/09/26b.html

Apni Daastaan

कुछ सपनों से बुनी जिन्दगी
कोशिश से है बनी दास्ताँ
छोटे कदम हम ले ज़मीन पर
मंज़िल अपना बाना आसमान

सफ़र में अपने मिले अजनबी
अजीब कहलाया अपना कारवां
राह में रहते राहे अकेले
चले चलो कहती थी जुबां




I may continue working on this as when I feel like and will get some creative thoughts. If you feel like adding in line with it, feel free to add as comments and I will add them as your contribution :-) This is fun isnt it?

Why is no group ever excluded from quota?

This was the question asked by Supreme Court to the Indian Government.

Here is the article:

TimesOfIndia

Musical Memories in Austin

I was chatting with Anand yesterday and in the midst of conversation, came the discussion on music as it always does. We were just thinking about composing something etc. etc.

Way back in 2001, soon after starting to work, I came across this colleague named Anand and while talking I came to know that he played keyboard. Pretty soon we decided to catch up hear each other play our instruments that is, his keyboard and my flute. It was a fun get together. We kept playing some random things. He had this $100 keyboard and I had this $1 flute. I didnt know what to call it? A flute? A piccolo? A brass windpipe? Whatever it was but I could successfully play some tunes. Anand and I decided to continue doing some small jamming sessions ofcourse just with keyboard and flute and some singing in the middle. We both were new to Austin and accidentally came to know our musical interests and decided to just continue meeting and enjoy the music. Some of the initial tunes we tried were Bombay Theme, Nightingale by Yanni and so on.

During one of those when I was attending a concert organized by ICMCA (Indian Classical Musical Center of Austin), I was introduced to this new graduate at UT named Dinesh. He also was passionate about music and himself was a singer and a tabla player. And he was a very down to earth who did not jump around beating his musical skills. So I told him about us, the two rookies who jam and asked him to join us if he wants. He immediately jumped at the idea and promised to join when we would meet next.

Next time we met, we thought why not we start music band. So Anand, as always taking the initiative, went ahead and put some Ads on Sulekha informing about our desire to form a band. And thus started our first Austin based Indian music band. But as it happens most of the times with bands, this band got disbanded within few weeks even before something could be achieved. I guess there were too many "knowledgeable" got together who did not have the ear to listen to others. And there you go. Back to square one we were. That is, Anand and I kept meeting and doing some jamming. But our efforts to bring in other people who were aware of their knowledge as well as limitations continued. On quite some occassions, few strangers with different interests joined us for jamming sessions. They kept joining and vanishing and our jamming sessions continued. The only sad thing was we lost touch with Dinesh then. But we had a new friend Sesh who was an amazing violinist. So now our music jamming session were kind of involved myself, Anand and Sesh.

This is when I left for Korea on a business assignment. In October 2003, a fresh attempt by Anand, Sesh and Dinesh (who Anand again got in touch with and brought him back) led to the formation of our dearest music band, Omkara


I had a wildcard entry into the band as soon as I cam back from Korea. Thank god there were no auditions for me :-) My friends say that is the reason why I almost always screwed up on stage.

But Omkara was one of the best musical platforms where I learnt a lot from other talented musicians and came to learn about the amazing talents of Dinesh, Sesh, Anand, Vaish, Sriram and Priya. Everyone of us improved ourselves considerably by performing together.

We performed almost 15 live concerts in Austin, Houston and Dallas. It was not just about music. It also gelled friends. Dinesh and Anand became two of my closest friends. They gave me a nice gift which was our last composition based on a Tamil song by A.R Rahman.

Listen to it here :





I miss you guys. And the musical compositions. Lookign forward to visiting Austin and doing some compositions.

I hope I will start an Omkara soon in Bangalore.

Congratulations India

Strangers to cricket used to ask me how come Indians spend a whole day watching cricket. When I would tell them that there is something called Test cricket too which is a 5 day version and people do sit and watch for 5 days, they would just fall on the ground in disbelief.

Lately I too kept losing interest in cricket and many reasons could be attributed to it. Whether it is due to long stretch of the game, more important priorities, disgust for the overzealous passion and obsession in India towards this game, too much attention to only one game and complete ignorance of the other and so on.

And in these circumstances, 20-20 has come as a pleasant treat. Whoever says that the game of cricket is being ruined by these 20-20 are utter fools in my mind. Well, I might be a fool in their minds too :-) But I must say that 20-20 is going to survive because it is a thorough entertainment without too much of time involvement.

When did we see such a steady blasting display of talent in the past in 50 overs matches? It has been proved time and again that under pressure, with expectations clearly set, amazing talent comes out. And that is what we have seen throughout this tournament. We must have lost track of how many sixes have been hit. Almost every match had scores of above 6 an over run rate.

And finally the treat that everyone wanted came like a gift. India meeting Pakistan in the final is something everyone dreams of. And exactly that happened. The way India and Pakistan reached the final has been brilliant. It was through pure display of convincing talent. And the final was definitely not a let down. It was a treat to watch every performance, whether it was the batting performance of Gautam Gambhir and Misbah ul Haq or the bowling performance of R.P Singh and Irfan Pathan.

Oh yeah, it was fun to watch Sreesanth being taught the lesson of humility too. I sometimes fail to understand why people confuse confidence with rudeness. That is what happened with Sreesanth. Some of my friends say it is fine to behave like that with Aussies. Ha ha... an eye for and eye? God save these mindsets. I am sure Sreesanth would have behaved the same way with Pakistan batsmen too if he was not fixed in the second over for 21 runs :-) I was thrilled to see that display for sure. On the other hand R.P Singh kicks ass. Absolute composure and pure display of talent.

At the end of the day it was brilliant cricket. The way Pakistan came close to victory was brilliant. Very rarely do we see a team bringing the ball and runs to score difference from 30 to 2. And only Pakistan has done it consistently. Even Australia could not do it in their game against India. I thoroughly enjoyed Misbah's blasters just like I did when Yuvraj did.

It would have been a great gesture if Dhoni had praised that effort of Misbah. Anyway he didnt. Afridi's comments were absolutely professional I felt.


Alright, now the obsession starts. Sorry it has started last night.

Hopefully the TV channels will not keep showing this win again and again and again for the months to come.
Hopefully the obsession to one man has not again started
Hopefully the obsession to one game has not again started
Hopefully the obsession to one leader has not again started
Hopefully consistency will kill this obsession
Hopefully consistency will be our habit.

Because, when we are obsessed about one thing, we behave irrationally when rude surprise hits us. Like painting the same heroes' houses black?

Ah!!! What a game to watch it was. Pure pleasure.

Lecture of a Lifetime

Lecture of a Lifetime on WSJ

On ABC News

Happy Vinayaka Chavithi

Idol Immersion at Ulsoor Lake
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi as everyone calls it. Or happy Vinayaka Chavithi as it is called in Telugu.

Vinayaka Chavithi evokes so many sweet memories from the childhood. Although growing up in a land (West Bengal) where Ganesh Chaturthi was not a big occasion, we still used to celebrate it in a sweet little way at home. The night before, we would go with dad to shop for sticks, colored paper, and other decorative items to create the mini pandal at home. There would be four sticks standing upright in four Amul Spray tins with soil in them. The sticks would be decorated with colored paper around them . Four more sticks would be tied horizontally around the four vertical ones, covered with horizontal paper and that would create a little pandal. We would hang fruits vertically from the top. Little Ganesha would sit on a small box that would be decorated with colored shining paper.

Simple Puja at Home
On the morning of the puja, we siblings would wake up early in the morning and get ready for the puja. The puja would involve hym chanting and then recital of the story that dad would do. We would sit around dad and listen to the story sometimes intently and sometimes falling asleep. The puja would continue for around an hour. In the meantime, my mother would make some delicious Ganesh Chaturthi special items.

I do not know what to call them in english. In telugu, we would call them Buttalu, Jilludi Kayilu and Und Rallu. All of them would be made of rice flour. B would be nicely packed in Jackfruit leaves and baked. J would have delicious coconut in them. It is said U is lord Ganesha's favorite item .

As a tradition, after having puja at home and enjoying delicious food, in the early evening we would hop to different families celebrating puja to enjoy prasadam.

In the evening we used to go to community celebration by Andhra Samiti of Durgapur. That was real fun event. It used to be a platform to meet friends and play around, then enjoy food and come back home with parents. Yeah I know that food was really important part of this festival.

Many times we tend to associate too much religion with this but I believe that more than religion or anything it has to do a lot with memories, nostalgia, a sense of good feeling and peace. And where we get these, why not celebrate them in zest and have a good peace of mind?

This year, I and my wife celebrated it in a small way at our home. Brought back lots of memories. It was raining heavily this time in Bangalore. Many areas of Bangalore were almost flooded out. We had to do the shopping while getting drenched in the raining. The Madivala market was crowded with people shopping in rain. It was some fun and painful too.

The challenge was while coming back. We started walking in completely opposite direction hoping to get an auto. Someone finally pointed out to me that I was going 180 degrees opposite. Again started walking in the reverse direction hoping to get an auto. It was just impossible to get an auto guy to drive to Koramangala.

Heavy Rains in Bangalore

Bangalore keeps getting it regular dose of washing and cleaning. Yesterday was indeed one heck of rain dump on Bangalore. It was thorough fun to sit in the balcony and watch the rain pouring cats and dogs. Some say, its the usual cleaning that is needed before any big religious event. And tomorrow is Ganapati puja, I guess this was the cleaning that was needed.

Many areas I am sure might have become mini lakes.

But its beautiful out there this morning.

Event For a Great Cause :: Shobana Concert in Austin

For those of you living in Austin, TX , here is a great event for a great cause coming up soon this month.

I have been associated with AID when I was in Austin. A fantastic organization with motivated, sincere and hardworking individuals putting their best efforts to make a difference in the society.

Attend the event and support the great work being done by AID.

Association for India’s Development (AID) - Austin presents

Maya

A Classical Dance Fusion Ballet in English by

World Renowned Bharatanatyam Dancer and National Award-winning actress

SHOBANA & Ensemble

When: Sunday, September 30th, 2007, 5.00-8.00 PM

Where: Akins High School Auditorium, 10701, South 1st Street, Austin TX-78748

Tickets: $100, $50, $25

Call 512-419-8327 OR Email: austinconcert@aidindia.org

Tickets also available at Sulekha:
http://austin.sulekha.com/events/Dance/2007/07/maya-by-padmashree-shobana-in-austin.htm
For Family/Group Discounts contact Ankur Jain: 512-419-8327

Note: Babysitting will be available at the venue.

For more information and to watch a video clip of the show, visit www.aidaustin.org/maya

All proceeds from this show will go towards supporting development projects in India.

The Artist

Shobana is one of the foremost classical dancers from India, and has performed world-wide to great acclaim. She is renowned for her dedication to the classical art form of Bharathanatyam, a dance of the body & soul. She is an innovative choreographer and has crafted a wide range of traditional and contemporary compositions. Shobana has performed to distinguished audiences and received numerous awards including the Padmashree. She has acted in more than 225 films in 5 languages and won the National Award twice for her acting skills in Mitr-My friend and Manichitrathazhu.

The Show

In "Maya", Shobana and her ensemble combine the traditional beauty of Bharatanatyam with the excitement of dance fusion, using world music and popular Indian film music. This dance theatre is based on the epic Ramayana, and unconventional twists in the tale make "Maya" the magical performance that it is. With narration by Naseerudin Shah, Milind Soman, Revathy, Jackie Shroff, Suhasini Manirathnam and others, this dance fusion ballet will be a treat to connoisseurs of classical Bharatanatyam, lovers of contemporary Indian music, and international audiences keen to experience the blend of Indian dance and international beats.

About AID

Association for India’s Development (AID) is a volunteer-based, non-profit organization that supports grass-roots level initiatives in India in various inter-connected spheres such as education, health, women's empowerment, rural development, natural resources and social justice. Visit www.aidaustin.org to learn more about us. AID is a 501(C) (3) non-profit organization and all donations to AID are tax-exempt.

Event Sponsors

Hem Ramachandran- www.Indusrealty.com , 512-970-6336, hem@indusrealty.com

Dr. Robina N. Poonawala, MD- 512-440-8989
Satyananda Yoga Center- www.keepfitwithyoga.com, 512-266-9862, keepfitwithyoga@yahoo.com

1World Realty, LLC -www.1worldrealtyllc.com, 512-825-8837 shroffnp@yahoo.com

Ambica Foods- 512-828-300
International Wellness Foundation (IWFUSA) - www.iwfusa.org,

512-535-0303, info@iwfusa.org
Kid's Dental Smiles - www.kidsdentalsmiles.com, 512-259-2331

Chola Indian Restaurant -www.cholaindianrestaurant.com 512-244-2222

Our Obsession to Individual Worship

" The chief architect of Indian freedom was Gandhi; the chief architect of Indian democracy, Jawaharlal Nehru. "

Quoted from a recent article by noted historian Mr. Ramachandra Guha that appeared in Hindustan Times.

Our Violent Streak

We might go places, get great education but our prejudices, our disease like habits are so deeply rooted in our souls that we cannot get rid of them ever. Every now and then we try to cover them up with some signals of pseudo secularity, outrages against those who do not respond to you and similar such behaviors.

After reading the article by noted historian Ramachandra Guha, I could obviously smell the same stink that we most Indians are having so much difficulty in getting rid of.

Gandhi got us freedom. Nehru built the democracy. This is nothing but another sign of idolization and tending to attribute achievements to individual and not collectives. This is being seen day in and day out in every phase of our lives including cricket, business and so on. This reflectes in our obsession to Tendulkar, our obsession to Abdul Kalam and our obsession to Narayana Murthy. I respect them from the bottom of my heart but what I dislike is our fixation on them and them only. This is exactly what I perceive in this article by Ramachandra Guha.

What an utter insult to the folks other than Gandhi in this article. They (Bose, Bhagat Singh) might have craved for blood. But today, their pictures are in every household not because they craved for blood but because they gave their lives up may be thinking that even this step will help achieve freedom. They might have been misled, violence oriented but I am anguished whenever I see an attempt to downplay the efforts of others in the freedom struggle whether violence oriented or non-violence oriented. Whether the paths were right or wrong may never have decisive conclusions but an attempt to show them as useless in comparison to Gandhi/Nehru smacks of idolism and individual worship.

And this is when people (atleast me) sense the pseudo knowledge of noted historians and realize that prejudices are deep rooted in them and their articles reflect so. And in their articles they start bringing in everything possible as disparate as Goddess Kali or spicy south indian food or fish in the Bengali food to support their argument.

To finish, this article as I felt is not an articulate or practical analysis but an outburst of a prejudiced thought process.

Sing "Chak De" Wherever and Whenever You can

Chak De.... La la la India
Chak De.... La La la India

Alrite that is the defacto standard now by the way.

Any win, one has to sing this song.

After India defeated England, every channel I tuned to in my TV, only this song was going showcasing the shots of Tendulkar and Utthappa.

Oh by the way, dont get me wrong. I am not criticising anyone this time :-) I am just jotting down my observations.

But I must say that was one nailbiting match. I watched the last 1/3rds and it was fun watching.
Shouldnt Utthhappa have been given Man of Match? I dont know. I myself am not sure.

But lets keep singing Chak De as we get set for the finals ...

In the meantime, it is raining heavily every evening in Bangalore. It fun watching the rains indeed.

Its almost 2 a.m in the night... I am off to sleep. OK I might add to this post if I have energy tomorrow morning. Otherwise, a new post on some new thought from me.

पुराने शहर की यादें

एक शहर अनजाना सा
थोडा नया पुराना सा
कुछ जाना पहचाना सा
कुछ अपना बेगाना सा

बचपन गुजरा था यहाँ पर
पतली गलियों मैदानों पर
कितना अलग था वोह मौसम
इतने हलचल में भी आज
लगता है कुछ गुमसुम

परिवार था एक सारा गाँव
वोह मधुर धुप वोह कोमल छाँव
इतने बरसों के बाद यहाँ
ढूँढता हूँ मैं यहाँ वहाँ

अपना रिश्ता था प्यार का
ना हानि पर उपकार का
हृदय क्यों संकीर्ण आज है
इस भेद भाव का क्या राज है

इस मिटटी में खेला था मैं
इन राहों में घूमा था मैं
पर आज मैं यहाँ पराया हूँ
कोई नही जानते मुझको
एक आम मुसाफिर नया हूँ
--- Sastry (Written sometime in 1999)

भोर

भोर हुई
चिड़ियों का कलरव कहता है मुझसे
जागो हे मानव निद्रा से
करना है तुमको कितना कुछ
प्रगति करे मानवता जिससे
सो सो के तुम व्यर्थ ज़िंदगी
का बहुमूल्य वक़्त खो दोगे
और जब ना मिलेगा वापस यह वक़्त
तुम ही खुद पछताओगे
यह वक़्त है महनत का
अपना फ़र्ज़ निभाने का
अब ना करोगे परिश्रम तुम तो
ना आयेगा समय खुशहाली का
जीवन की डोर देव ने तेरे हाथों में दीं है
इसे बनाओ या बिगाडो सब तेरे हाथों में है
यदी सोचते हो ऐसा तुम की
भाग्य के अनुसार सब कुछ होगा
पीछे पद जाओगे प्रगती के मार्ग में
और तुझसा मूर्ख कोई ना होगा

--- Sastry

P.S: Typically font issues. I hope you can read it.

Musically Sad :: Toshi gets Eliminated in Star Voice Of India

I am sad, shocked and speechless. I hate this voting concept of selecting winners. I dont want to call the audience stupid but I never wanted to see this happen. The best singer getting voted out. Yes, that is what happened tonight in the Star Voice of India.

I am not a big TV fan. I watch couple of music programs and Star Voice of India is one. I throughly enjoyed the quality of certain voices namely Toshi, Abhaas, Irfan and Priyani.

Today, to my utter surprise, Aabhaas and Toshi were in the danger zone of eliminated. What a shame. Finally that happened which I never wanted and a class voice got eliminated and that was Toshi.

It was a very emotional moment I must say. Toshi comes from a very struggling background and he could not control his tears. He at one moment also said "Main uss zindagi mein nahin jaanaa chaahtaa". I wonder how much motivation he had towards this event with the hope of getting something out of this event. And he deserved it too.

It was one touching event today. Abhijit could not control his emotions too. The organizer was feeling shameful. And I was feeling bad to see this awesome voice getting eliminated.

Toshi was the guy whose singing, Jagjit Singh commented, was better than the original.

Watch this video of "Tune Kya Kar Daala Mar Gayee Main ...." sung by Toshi when he literally set the stage on fire and this was when Jagjit Singh was the chief guest.

Toshi Singing Tune Kya Kar Daala (Singer No. 1 in the scroll list on the side)

Also listen to when he sang "Kaho Na Kaho". That was fabulous.

Toshi Singing Tune Kya Kar Daala (Singer No. 34 in the scroll list on the side)


What a treat he was to listen to. He was the Real Voice of India. I wish, irrespective of losing it, we will hear his voice in future songs.

I am really sad to be not hearing him in the next episode.

Update : Someone has created a petition online to bring Toshi back. A talent like him deserves this.

Petition to Bring Toshi Back

पुकार

यह धरती तड़प रही है
इसकी र्क्षा कर भगवान्
पापों से अपिवत्र हो गयी
इसको पिव्त्र कर भगवान्
मार काट फैले हुये हैं
ला दे तू शांति भगवान्
जो नारी देवी है
उसकी इज़्ज़त नही रही है यहाँ
अन्याय का राज्य फैला हुआ है
कौन लाएगा न्याय यहाँ
भूक प्यास से तड़प रही है
तेरी यह प्यारी संतान
जीं ना सके तो दे देती है
अपनी यह बहुमूल्य जान
जब तू भेजे इस धरती पर
मत भेज केवल तड़पने को
थोडी सी खुशियाँ भी दे दे
इन बेसहारे दुखियारों को
शक्ती दे इनको ताकी
लड़ सके यह अन्याय के विरूद्ध
शक्ती दे इनको ताकी
पा सके अपने अधिकार
बुद्धी दे इनको जिससे
परख सके यह सही गलत
बुद्धी दे इनको ताकी
सुधार सके यह अपनी जगत

-- Sastry (Written sometime in 1999)

P.S: Typical Transliteration issues.

Memories with the Rains

Heavy rains always have been my favorite. They bring back awesome memories from the past. I just feel like just sit and keep watching the heavy downpour that the clouds are doing on earth.
After a long time, yesterday Bangalore saw some heavy rain. Dark clouds already gave an indication on how much water there is on hold. There used to be a time you would crave for so much rain so you can get drenched in it. But now I feel worried about getting drenched thinking what will happen if I get sick. As we grow old and add more responsibilities, do we start losing or disregarding the pure craving that the heart asks for?

I stand near the window looking at the sky
The sun was just here but slowly made way
The dark beautiful clouds are here
Carrying lots and lots of water with them
I stand near the window looking at the clouds
Waiting for the rain to start
I think to myself
Oh rain come soon don't delay
Bring me back those fond memories
That are associated between me and you
Remember when you would arrive
How you would bathe me
How can I forget the fun of playing soccer
While you would keep coming down on us
As I grew I stopped hugging you
But would watch you with a cup of tea in my hand
And thinking about life as a philosophy
And time kept passing
Today I stand by the window
And keep watching you
But I am scared to hug you
Influenced by consequences
But my love for you is perennial
Keep coming in loads
So I do not miss you
And hey why dont you come down
While I am walking on the road
And hug me, my dear rain?

--- Sastry Vadlamani

Human Dignity in Gutters

Imagine This : You are walking down the street. Sorry let me use "I". "I" am walking down the street. "I" suddenly see a bunch of people thrashing a man. They have torn his clothes. They are punching him left, right and central. Blood is coming out from several parts of the body. But no mercy being shown by the people beating who look no less than monsters and seem to be all excited to kill him.

By the way, I assume here that "I" am the good, civilized, law abiding citizen of the country who doesnt involve himself in these acts of nomadic activity.

What goes on in "my" mind? : Some of "me" think Oh my god how could these people be so inhuman? How can they beat this person so inhumanly? Some of "me" are thinking that the person deserves this for the petty crime he committed. Some of "me" who is reporter with several channels is busy taking every possible coverage to make sure that there is enough meat for the night showtime on the TV channel.

What do "I" do? : "I" ignore the whole activity. "I" just watch it. "I" dont move a step forward to rescue the person. What if "I" am beaten up? While he does not deserve such inhuman treatment, why should "I" risk my life to save his life? Anyway, his life is not that precious.

The above sequence of events exactly happened in Bhagalpur last night. NDTV, Headlines Today, CNN IBN etc. had exhaustive and exclusive coverages of poor, skinny thief being beaten black and blue. The anchors were interviewing Kiran Bedi, the people in power and everyone with lots of anguish about how such uncivilized acts could happen in this 21st century India?

I ask CNN IBN, NDTV, Headlines Today : Were your reporters there at the site covering it? If yes, then what kind of cultured human beings are those who kept coverage at a higher level than trying to rescue the poor skinny thief? To me, an educated cultured reporter from your channels doing nothing at the site there puts me to shame more. You know why? They are "educated" and "civilized". If they did attempt to rescue, I am sure you would have covered it exclusively.


Oh by the way, after the event, the following things happened. Do they sound familiar? :

• Two inspectors suspended.
  
• NHRC Issues notice to Government
  
• Nitish Kumar orders probe
  
• Laloo Yadav blames Nitish Kumar and his Goverment
  
• Media keeps on showing the same clip with "parental advisory"
  

And we will forget this event soon too just like we do for others.

Lastly I must also say that I am not criticizing media here. It is because of media that today politicians are not taking public for granted. It is media that has brought information to us.

But what really frustrates me is the fact that their reporters are informed citizens too. Why didnt they act? As I end, it reminds of an incident where a person immolated himself in Bihar sometime back in full media view but all media reporters were busy about was covering it and not putting the cameras aside and rescue the individual. Finally he died.

Finally, I wonder how I will react when tomorrow, in Bangalore, if I come across a similar incident. God, give me enough strength that will convince me to do what is right for supreme human dignity and not worry for anything else.

Postscript after around 1 hour of posting the above: I am not sure if it is an interesting coincidence or not but after I wrote the above, I was generally perusing through some news and came across the following article at CNN-IBN which seems like a rebuttal to my points. Interesting read :

Blame the Media