Ashamed!

“Delhi gang rape victim dies after battling for life for over 12 days”

These are not mere headlines, these are a reflection of the shame that I as an Indian citizen and many more like me are feeling. The suffering that the 23 year old valiant girl went through on that ill fated night and over the last few days has ended but when will this shame end? Innumerable women are going through similar ordeals, every day in my ‘Incredible India’ – is this what we call ‘India Shining’? Yes it is shining – the miserable state of affairs that the country is in, is shining; the crass statements that some of our parliamentarians are making, are shining; the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of our law and order machinery, is shining; the national shame that this incident has brought, is shining.

Ironical indeed…the country, where the woman form of the Almighty is revered as Goddesses, sees the worst crimes against its women citizenry, every day. The insensitivity that has grown amongst people is appalling. There is no fear of law in people’s hearts. Even after this shameful incident which has shaken up the country for the last 2 weeks, incidents of gang rape keep on coming to light, even in the National Capital itself which is the scene of crime in this case.

The call for justice is being heard from all corners but what justice will the brave girl who went down fighting get? Can any justice bring her back to her family? Can any justice be given to her parents who have lost their child to the dastardly act of six brutal men who were out to have fun?

The insensitive, ridiculous and shameful statements that some of our ‘respected’ parliamentarians have given in the past few days reflect the junk that we citizens have been electing as our representatives. The lawmakers are shy of bringing in strict laws for crimes against women because many among them are themselves accused of committing such crimes. The indifferent attitude of our police force has come to the light yet again when another gang rape victim has committed a suicide for the humiliation she has faced by the police not willing to register her complaint. With such a situation, is there any hope for justice to be given to all those women who are facing similar torments in their daily routines?

To quote a friend, “Today, I don’t feel a proud Indian”. In fact, I even feel ashamed to belong to the male species of humans as it is this sect which is responsible for this heinous act and many similar and other grave crimes against our female counterparts.

Hope this is an eye-opener for us and we resolve to fight against those who perpetuate these crimes against women and thus contribute to make this a better world!

Braveheart, Rest In Peace!

Stop The Rot, NOW!!!

If only they had the premonition of the horrible events that were about to unfold upon them, perhaps the two friends would not have planned for the movie outing on that ill fated evening or even if they had, they would not have taken the dreaded bus which was under the control of demons in the form of humans.

But that is wishful thinking!

I am not different from all others who have expressed their anguish at the state of law and order in my country – Incredible India. It indeed has become incredible…incredibly unsafe, particularly for women. There is something incredibly going wrong when the National Capital is being termed as the Rape Capital of the country and ironically so, when the power of administration is in the hands of a woman Chief Minister. All it indicates is a complete failure of law and order in the land.

But why do we question only the National Capital? Is India only New Delhi? No…the situation is appallingly grim all over the country. Be it the National capital, State capital or any other city/town/village, there are incidents everyday which point out to one unfortunate but true fact. We have lost respect for others, especially women. Cases of murders on account of road rage, family honor/, family rivalry, or even as petty as a dispute over Rs.5, among all age groups, including school going children, are covered on reams of newspapers in all regions of the country.

And when it comes to women, they are largely treated as stress and frustration relievers, punching bags and worse, sex objects. Girls of any age are UNSAFE and the danger may not be necessarily in the form of strangers, it may be in the form of friends and relatives including own fathers & brothers as revealed by recent incidents that have come to light in the southern state of Kerala. The statistics are appalling – the country witnesses a rape every 22 minutes according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Even worse is the fact that this may not be the right figure as only a small number of such cases come to light while majority go unreported.

These figures are a cause for serious concern – for me, for you and for all. The safe and secure life that we all dream of is under threat, big time. The sad part is that there seems to be NO ONE who you can look up to for security of self and your loved ones. The laws that are created to give a disciplined direction to peaceful and amicable living by way of creating deterrents have become a farce. Anybody and everybody makes a mockery of laws by openly violating them knowing very well that one may not get caught at all and even if one does, bribing one’s way out of the tangle is rather easy. And if that does not work, there are number of loopholes in the laws which will ensure that the case is dragged for years and till then one can remain free on bail and continue living one’s preferred routine life, which, for a criminal, means going back to threatening the peace of society.

While there is a huge uproar from the public and the media forcing the government to respond by punishing the guilty but the question is what needs to be done to stem the rot that has set in the general mindset of our citizenry and after that how to reverse the process so that women are not seen as the weaker section liable to be ill-treated by the physically powerful man.

For sure, no single approach can bring in the change. Merely punishing the six guilty men, even with the strictest punishment, will not achieve the desired result. The lawmakers need to take on the problem from multiple angles. A few measures(definitely not an exhaustive list) that would surely help could be:

1. Change the laws, particularly those related to violence and other crime against women. Bring in strict laws that can actually prove to be deterrents. A mere jail term is not good enough. The punishment should be such that even the thought of it could send shivers through the person whose mind is channeled towards physically disrespecting a woman. The rapist must be publicly humiliated and castrated so that he remembers his crime and the outcome throughout his life.
2. Remember, each day is a living hell for the victim of the barbaric act of rape. Fast-track such cases. Justice needs to be given at the earliest instance.
3. Assure the victims that their case will be treated with utmost privacy. The identities of the victim must be protected from media and public. The media community needs to take this conscious step by making sure they do not divulge the identities of the victims or their relatives on public platforms. Instead, identities of the guilty must be made public when the accused is proven guilty.
4. Schools and colleges need to make genuine efforts to teach children and youth about equality of sexes and respect for others, especially women. Any cases which bring out a violent tendency in a child must be dealt with a strong hand by finding out the cause of such tendency and taking an appropriate action to tackle the cause and nip such tendencies in early stages.
5. The Police force needs a drastic change in their image. Law breakers must see the police as their nemesis and more importantly the law abiding citizens must look upon them as friends who can be approached any time to seek help. The common person today avoids approaching the police because of the fear of being harassed by way of multiple visits to the police station, answering unending relevant and irrelevant questions and a general feeling of being guilty without any fault that sets in while dealing with the men in uniform. The policemen need to know the right way to interact with people. They need to remember that they are public servants and not masters of the public. Corruption in the police force must be dealt with extreme strictness.
6. Educate the public that helping one another in the hour of need is a duty that we must follow religiously. Seeing a stranger in trouble on the road must trigger the spirit of help rather than the feeling of indifference. Assure the masses that the helper will not be harassed unnecessarily. Reward them instead of looking at them with suspicion.

It is already too late and no half measures will help. The situation is extremely grim and concrete steps need to be taken to bring some sanity to the state of affairs. Living in fear is not a life that any citizen of a free country deserves. It is also time for the citizens to learn some ethics of living in a cultured society. Humility and respect for others are virtues that seem to have been lost in oblivion. Bring them back. Teach your children the value of these principles. Urge them to follow these morals and the best way to do that is to practice them yourself. Make them see the world as a peaceful and loving place to live in free of fear and full of trust.

Let the process of rebuilding an Incredible India, begin now!!

Making a Difference

The year 2012 is fast approaching the end. The pessimist in me is dreading the fact that the Mayan date of doom is approaching too, while the optimist in me (and thankfully it is much stronger than its negative counterpart) is enjoying the festivals that come with the last couple of months of the calendar year and making plans for the New Year bash which, when celebrated, will belie the doomsday prophecies.

Talking about festivals and festivities, be it Diwali, Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year, these are no longer community specific or geography limited occasions. These are secular world festivals. And by no means just trivial festivals. Certainly not! Families plan the agendas and itineraries during these festival months of November – December as long as a year in advance. Purse strings are loosened and the currency bills start pouring out for new item purchases ranging from clothing for all family members to latest models of  entertainment electronics to big ticket items like computers, home theatre systems, Plasma TVs, cars, etc. etc. Product marketers go in overdrive with special offers in order to capture the largest chunk of the pie consisting of millions and millions of dollars. Destination marketers get busy sprucing up vacation spots and offerings in order to attract the maximum no. of vacationers. Name the business and you will find something or the other that is different from the routine, something special for this special season. In a nutshell, happy times for one and all.

One and all, did I say? I guess the enthusiasm of the festivities around spilled over in my thoughts and words, too. Let me review.

Happiness, as is said, is a state of mind. Being happy brings us joy and cheer which, in turn, makes us feel good. So it is for us to look for that joy and cheer in the surroundings and remain happy.

Is it that easy?

Yes it is, for the dad who gets a tight hug and the tag of "the best dad in this world" from his daughter when he gifts her with the latest Barbie Doll it is easy but what about the dad whose promise to his daughter was washed away by hurricane Sandy along with the entire structure which was their home?

For the couple who are travelling to Switzerland on their honeymoon, it is easy but for the couple who have just lost their child to Dengue fever the mind has become numb and life has come to a standstill.

For the children getting ready to go for a family reunion and Thanksgiving dinner at their grandparents’ home it is easy but for the children whose mother, the sole earning member in the family, is jobless for the past 10 months for the economy has taken a nosedive, finding something to eat in order to survive is a daily struggle.

And there are numerous such instances around us which we subconsciously tend to overlook for these instances are depressing and certainly can not bring us any joy or cheer.

Well, they can…if you consciously try to make a difference. 

Give some joy to the sorrowful eyes which have seen their world vanish in front of them. Give a smile to those lips which have forgotten this expression because of a cruel act of nature. Share your resources with those who are in an unfortunate state because of an untoward turn of circumstances.  A small act of benevolence  towards the people in need will not take much from you but the life that it will bring to them will give you a joy and cheer which will be plenty more than what you would have got had you sought material pleasures just for yourself. And the blessings that you will receive from those who you have cared for, who have smiled because of you will be countless. Are we not looking for being blessed?

“For it is in giving that we receive” – Francis of Assisi

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Missing You!

"When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure" 

- Author Unknown. 

The treasure he has left behind is priceless!

Born on October 31, 1934, fourth among six siblings, he grew up into a highly dependable, very spontaneous and unique gentleman. Sometimes to the extent of being called stubborn, he had the ability to stick to his convictions and beliefs much longer than anyone else would and this trait, more often than not, resulted in some good for him and/or his loved ones. A scientist, who due to circumstances could not fulfil his dream of becoming a doctor, settled for a government job and his unmatched dedication, knowledge, intelligence and drive saw him rise from the lowest rung to the position of Head of the institution, a feat which, in today's times of growth by job-hopping, can rarely be fathomed.

Dr. Arun Gopal Jhingran

He along with his wife, a simple lady from the business town of Moradabad in UP, faced all odds and adversities to bring up their two children giving them the best possible education and facilities that the means allowed. Shoestring budgets emanating out of small, no-frills salary paid by the government were good enough for a decent and satisfying living but yearning to acquire and experience luxuries was equivalent to seeing a dream with open eyes. However, over the years, his untiring hard work and his passion to achieve the seemingly unachievable gave him some rewards and he did purchase a house of his own, a used 'Ambassador' car and once in a while, a family vacation would add the much sought excitement to the family's life.

Things, however, took a turn for better towards the end of his career. A FAO Consultancy Project took him out of the country after taking voluntary retirement from the job. A welcome change set in. The constraints hitherto, were removed and the time to live his dreams, began. A luxurious house, a luxury car and almost all the gadgets that would get launched found a place in his home. Three years down the line, when he returned to India, he decided to settle down in a rapidly developing cosmopolitan city and was all set to lead a relaxed life and reap the fruits of the many years of hard work. 

Destiny, though, had other plans. Cruel plans. Or was it jealous of him? Perhaps, the latter, that's why it could not see him enjoying the peace of life after years of slog, for long. 

He left, on the ill-fated day of July 13, 1995. Too soon, for sure!

It's been 17 long years since then. 

I miss you a lot, Papa.

I miss you when I cross a milestone, big or small, in my life for I want to share the joys of my achievements with you; 

Image Courtesy: djdrako.deviantart.com

I miss you when your grand-daughter asks me questions about you and her eyes swell when I tell her that she cannot meet you but can see you only in pictures; 

I miss you when your daughter-in-law makes 'besan laddoos' - your favourite sweet; 

I miss you when, in a solemn mood, I listen to Ghulam Ali, Talat Mehmood and Mukesh; 

I miss you when I make that long distance call to catch up with Mom; 

I miss you today! We all miss you!

To quote an unknown author:

"If tears could build a stairway, 

And memories a lane,

I'd walk right up to heaven 

And bring you home again"

Happy Birthday Papa! 

Where ever you are.

The (rare) 'Luxury' of a holiday

Heavy rains the night before may have dampened the dry earth around but not the spirits of the 25 member strong group of Montegonians which was all set to make the best of the 2 days long trip to the lush green, un-ruined, un-trampled terrain of Port Antonio, Portland on the north coast of this beautiful island country – Jamaica.

The group consisted of the age range 8 yrs – 82 yrs but the enthusiasm of all was equivalent to that of excited kids who have got a break from the drudgery of school. All were set to make the best of the following two days – away from each one’s respective tensions, attentions and vocations. Even the gentleman who, given a chance, would even sleep in his shop so that not even one customer is missed, was all gung-ho about the trip.

The Journey

The 21-seater mini bus was choc-o-bloc with 25 people (no, we do not offload passengers even if we have oversold – we only need to accommodate our friends in our hearts and physical space is automatically created) each with his/her backpack or duffel bag and some delectable home-cooked food to be used for lunch on day 1.

And behold! For once we followed the pre-decided time schedule and not the Indian Standard Time which we are (in)famous for.

Off we went, on the wide and winding highway, by the side of the Caribbean Sea’s calm waters in hues of blue and green, glittering in the morning sunlight as if a giant sheet consisting of millions of little mirrors glittering in the sunshine was spread across the water. We sure were heading for a good break, a much awaited getaway from our routines.

The breakfast stop at Ocho Rios tricked the mind for a few moments to believe that the trip was being undertaken from Coimbatore to Ooty in South India. Well, one can forgive the mind for that was bound to happen when the ‘Total Treats’ Restaurant had no local customers around and served us hot Masala Dosas, Idlis and Uttappams. Good beginning!

An hour later, with happy taste buds and satisfied tummies, we were heading towards our first ‘tourist’ destination – Somerset Falls

Somerset Falls

boat ride at Somerset Falls (image courtesy: Tripadvisor.com)

Nestled in the lush green rain forest, just off the main highway is the beautiful locale for the Daniels River to plunge through a narrow gorge into a pool of cool, fresh water. The main waterfall, also known as the Bridal Veil, is hidden behind the rocks and we had to spend a considerable time to queue up for the short boat ride to get to it. Few adventurous amongst us took the kayak ride instead of the proper (read conventional) boat. Usually not the one to venture to get too close to rapidly flowing water (don’t count the rapid flow of water from the taps at home), I was in the last group left to take the ride and as luck would have it, the last group was perhaps the most experimental one and I was coaxed to get off the boat, on the rocks right below the base of the Bridal Veil. 

Bridal Veil (Image courtesy: kidnplayja.com)

Thankfully so! The experience was great and the time was too little. The falling water was immensely relaxing and was in fact much better than any other therapeutic massage I have ever had (except for the one in Bangkok..;). Though extremely tempted to take the plunge into the pool below the rocks, I timely remembered my swimming imperfection and decided not to stretch my courageous capabilities too far and took the boat ride back.

Frenchman’s Cove

The final destination for the day – a 42 acre sprawling property with villas hidden amidst the tropical foliage giving them the much sought privacy in such romantic places, the Frenchman’s Cove is an idyllic location for a relaxed vacation right above the Caribbean sea. Considered to be the first all-inclusive resort in the world and (then) frequented by the rich and famous, including the British Royalty, the resort was severely damaged by hurricane Gilbert in the 1980s but has been restored and is fully functional, though no longer as an all-inclusive one.

Frenchman's Cove Villa Interior

The group members settled in their allocated villas and remembered that we had missed something. The lunch!! But ‘Jamaica, No Problem’ attitude prevailed and the supposed to be lunch was consumed as dinner accompanied by lot of real and fake beer (somewhat uncomfortable writing ‘alcoholic’ and ‘non-alcoholic’ for beer).

What followed was a walk at the Errol Flynn Marina & Devon House i-scream (ice cream) as dessert and that was enough to crash in the beds for many – a few hard-core ones did manage to spend a few more hours trying their luck with the playing cards and a brave walk around the Frenchman’s Cove in the dead of the night at 1:00 am. Did meet a couple of ferocious looking dogs running loose on the property however, they apparently found us more ferocious and disappeared quickly.

The Morning After

Frenchman's Cove Beach (Image Courtesy: Laju jaswani)

A very pleasant morning, not a speck of cloud on the horizon, sounds of chirping birds drowned by the occasional roar of the sea crashing against the rocks right below the villa and a cup of hot tea (only few managed to get one before the kettle decided to retire). The cameras were out clicking at various angles capturing the natural beauty of the place against the backdrop of the dew bathed foliage and the blue-green ocean. Wasting no time, we broke our overnight fasts with some continental stuff including lots of fruits, sang the birthday song for one of the senior members of the group on his 70^th birthday and dashed to the best feature of the property – its serene, scenic beach. Cupped between two towering cliffs it is perhaps one of the best private beaches of any commercial property in Jamaica. The little stream of the mountain river that joins the sea on one side of the beach gives you an unique option of taking a dip in the fresh water if you have had enough of the salty sea water (trust me, you can never have enough of it).

The Blue Lagoon

Having had our due dosage of salt, reluctantly, the team checked out of the resort to head for the next destination – Boston Jerk Centre. Hot ‘n’ Spicy Jerk Chicken, steamed Breadfruit & Yam washed down with some chilled beer and fresh coconut water was perhaps the best lunch we could have had at that time. Happy tummies headed straight to the ‘World Famous Blue Lagoon’. Some intense negotiations with the boatmen supported by some internal politics between them, the group of 25 happily struck a deal and loaded on to two boats for a joy ride on the Caribbean Sea up to the Winnifred Beach which was buzzing with activity on the national holiday. A brief stopover, a couple of youngsters taking a quick dip (almost like a holy dip at the Sangam), the boats headed back to the eerily calm, bottomless (so they say with the deepest point being 185 ft.) Blue Lagoon. In the normal course, perhaps some would have ventured to swim in the Lagoon but probably the Jerk inside did not allow any scope of adventure.

The Final Stages

Slowly, but surely, the day was giving way to dusk and the holiday spirit was giving way to the thoughts of the soon to set in work routine. Almost like the last flicker of a flashlight before the batteries die out, the final stop at Folly Ruins was a Photo-Op stop (did not find any ruins, though). The final installment of birthday celebrations was completed by way of cake cutting which was also witnessed by a solitary Sea Gull perched on the small visible part of a fallen tree on the waters. One more adventure trip up a narrow road to a place called ‘Bonnie View’ – a once upon a time hotel – proved to be quite an exercise for our driver David and a couple of us who finally managed to get the bus to reverse on a road which was as wide as the bus itself. The view of the Navy Island was worth the exercise.

Curtains drawn. The single bus caravan headed back towards Montego Bay. The restaurant which served us during the onward journey, prepared to receive us on the return journey. This time with Hot Chapatis/Rotis, Palak-Paneer, Dal Makhani and some Chilly Mushroom. For me, the chilled beer before and the masala chai after dinner was good enough. Dinner was just a dividing line between the two beverages.

Our physical selves – content with food & beverages, our mental selves – content with the de-stress and intoxication provided by the luxury called ‘holiday’ and our cameras content with the hundreds of photographs clicked and waiting to be splashed on Facebook, we all reached our most looked-forward-to domains – our respective homes.

It’s over for now, until the next time. Soon!!

Bbuddah.....Hoga Tera Baap!

Image Courtesy: theceleb.co.uk

70 years, an age wherein, many almost give up the tiresome daily chores that they have been going through over the past numerous years and tend to take life easy, relaxed in the company of books, music and grand kids. The focus is turned to passing on the wisdom and family traditions to the new generation in the form of short stories and anecdotes that are either part of family legacy or have been first hand experiences.

This stereotype, however, stands defied. The daily routine has become busier than ever. National and International travel are part of routine. Passive music listening is replaced by hectic dance steps to recorded numbers on a film set or playback recording at a studio. Blogging, Facebook and Twitter accounts are everyday schedule. This is the role model of the new age 70 year olds.

The name is Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan!

But, hasn’t he defied being cast in stereotypes throughout his long, arduous and close-to-being-fatal career? Yes, he has, and no wonder it has become a habit for him to break the stereotype and challenge himself to identify, set and attain a new goal, every time.

Be it the angry and duty-bound inspector Vijay of ‘Zanjeer’ or the suave ‘Don’, the village simpleton of ‘Adalat’ or the English professor trying to teach botany in ‘Chupke-Chupke’, Master Dinanath of ‘Desh Premee’ or Vijay Dinanath Chauhan of ‘Agneepath’, every character was played with a simplistic ease by him. Every time a new challenge was met with renewed enthusiasm, infused with renewed energy and almost always resulted in a stupendous performance, a blockbuster box-office hit and overflowing cash registers. The name spelled SUCCESS!!

Not that he was King Midas, forever. A time came when the magic touch was lost. The films flopped, the fans started deserting, the producers started looking elsewhere, his production house failed miserably his detractors – in and outside of the industry – started pushing him against the wall – almost everyone started writing the epitaphs of the era and the actor of ‘yester-years’.

Write-off, they did…but he did not. His perseverance changed the then perceived destiny and surprised all those who had started looking at him as a distant blurred spot in their rear view mirrors.

Image Courtesy: AP

He bounced back and how - much bigger, (perhaps) much better, albeit a bit older but challenging the younger ones and leaving them far behind. The ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar’ chllanged and changed his ‘Naseeb’ . After years of entertaining the audience on the silver screen he stepped in the living rooms of individual Indian households and conquered the small screen with his rich baritone voice, inimitable style, the superlative persona in a down-to-earth avatar. The participants in the reality show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ (KBC) who he interacted with, felt like millionaires just by meeting this larger than life personality who was not just in front of them but was one amongst them.

What followed is not history – it is history in making. KBC set the ball rolling. And this was no ordinary ball. It took no time in becoming a huge snowball annihilaiting any challenge coming in the way – different host for KBC, remakes of his old popular films, new generation and not-so-new generation heroes trying to oust him from the superstar pedestal, et al.

Sample this – 10 Filmfare Best Actor/Supporting Actor Awards nominations, 6 Filmfare & Stardust Awards, 2 National Awards for Best Actor all since the year 2000. Reality show KBC, experimented by getting a different host for one season and quickly – and thankfully – retraced their steps and since then, have seen the TRPs soaring with the latest season generating the maximum TRPs in the Reality Show genre.

Today, October 11, 2012, the Megastar, has turned 70 years of age. And to all those who dream of being or claim to be the Numero Uno in the hindi film industry, let me borrow a popular dialogue…”picture abhi baaki hai mere dost”. And those who feel Mr. Bachchan is old and should retire, the only answer that comes to my mind is…”Buddha Hoga Tera Baap”!!

Image Courtesy:ibnlive.in.com

Happy 70^th Birthday Amitabh Bachchan. We look forward to the next 70!!

Taking A Welcome Break...Religiously!

8 p.m., every day, for 10 days, a change had occurred in our otherwise motionless, emotionless routine of staring at the TV screens. The idiot box was switched off and the idiots in front of it were busy rummaging through the closet to find a rarely worn Indian outfit to wear for the rest of the evening. After all, some indianness needs to be presented to the social fraternity and to that special personality who is judging our performance, right up-front for these 10 days.

Siddhivinayak Ganesh

No no….this judge was not a celebrity judge of a beauty pageant, nor were we participants of one. Well, celebrity, HE sure is, perhaps the biggest of them all – The Supreme Lord  - Siddhivinayak, Ashtavinayak, Ganapatiji! And the 10 days I was referring to is the duration of Ganesh festival, which is celebrated on a humongous scale and with tremendous fervour predominantly in western India and here, in this small island country of Jamaica, while the scale may be minuscule, the per-capita enthusiasm could very well be matching that in India.

Delicious home-made food

Truly speaking, Ganapatiji, commanded equal reverence from all sections of the community bunched together in this touristy city of Montego Bay. The zeal overpowered even the strongest of the undercurrents that may have born on account of professional competitiveness among the community members…well, at least for some time! The energetic chants of “Ganapati Bappa Moriya”, the captivating aromas of incense sticks and the alluring, flickering flame of the ‘aarti’ dispelled any form of negative sentiments to create a pious environment attracting all towards the majestic idol of Ganapatiji, with folded hands, yearning to touch HIM and seek HIS blessings to achieve success in whatever one does. The subsequent distribution of home-made, deliciously mouth-watering ‘prasad’ of sweets and savouries, was the most attractive part of the rituals for kids (and many adults, too).

Ganapati Aarti

The last day of festival saw a record crowd at the venue, resulting in the longest aarti, followed by some awesome food and a revitalized enthusiasm among the passionate, who burned the all-purpose floor to the pulsating beats of the Sri Ganesha Deva song from bollywood. 

Ready for Visarjan

As it was time to bid farewell to The Lord, the crowd, the music, the chants moved out to the road leading to the Cornwall Beach. The hullabaloo attracted a lot of attention from the resident Jamaican citizenry which included a couple of cops in their flashing-blue-light Toyota, who may have come with a purpose of reining the crowd but by Lord’s grace, stood escort at the entrance. The Lord took the route to his abode via the Caribbean Sea (He did not have any other choice in any case). The idols’ ‘visarjan’ (immersion) in the calm waters on the full-moon light unwittingly brought a tear to the eye and made us utter “Thank you God for all that you have bestowed upon us and weI look forward to having you amongst us next year” “Ganpati Bappa Moriya, Agle Baras Tu Jaldi Aa”

The idiot box has, since then, got its audience back and life continues,‘break ke baad’

An Inevitable Journey

Way back in the mid 90s when I, a newcomer to the garden city of Bangalore, was looking around to find a social support system in order to make my transition from Kolkata to Bangalore, I was introduced to him.

Wearing the Chairman’s Jewel around his neck, a thorough gentleman with a thin voice, thinner hair and a very warm smile welcomed me to Bangalore North Round Table 25 and a feeling of homecoming engulfed me. S.R. Badhri, a senior in all ways, became a good friend. A friend, who may not visit your home unless invited but you know that whenever you will need, he will be there, standing next to you, extending his complete support to take you out of any adversity, maybe just using his warm disarming smile.

However, that, even if you need, will not happen now, it will not!

The smile is gone. The friend is gone. The man is gone. The inevitable and cruel hands of death have snatched him from us and taken him to the world where each one of us will eventually end up but the decision to proceed towards that destination will never be of our own free will.  

It will happen, one day, all of a sudden - almost, in some cases! There will be no choice. We will have to undertake the journey from this world to another, unknown world, leaving everything behind. Everything that we would have earned in our life till then – health, wealth, reputation, relationships… everything! And, it will not matter when this will happen. It may be any regular run-of-the-mill day or perhaps a special day for us and our loved ones as was with Badhri. The pitiless fate led to his funeral falling on the day of his wedding anniversary!!

My dear friend Badhri, next, we shall meet in that other world. Who knows when, but someday, for sure!

Rest In Peace!!

Revving Up

It was Difficult! Yes, it was!! Surprisingly, it was!!!…Surprising? Well, considering my media industry background, it ought to be surprising that it took me sooooo loooong to actually make my own blog, a reality! And believe me, it will be even more DIFFICULT (CAPS defining the degree of difficulty; BOLD accentuating the level of effort it required to overcome this difficulty) to sustain it. But am determined, I will TRY (CAPS = degree of determination; BOLD affirming the affirmation) to sustain it.

Obvious question, in my mind (hopefully in your mind, too), is WHY did it take me so long to jump on to the bandwagon? After all, isn’t it an ideal tool for marketing oneself and with this delay, I have missed the proverbial ‘first-mover advantage’. Well, yes, that I have but then don’t 'Me-Too' products make a success story? Many a times, 'Me-Too's are more successful than the originals. And if there were no 'Me-Too's, there would have been only one market condition – Monopoly – and no consumer choice in any field…Ah!, sorry for digressing to a much macro level. 

Talking about the micro – me and my delayed entry in the blogging arena – truth is, I was not sure what blogs to create? I mean, whatever subject I pick, there are already enough people writing about it, so who would read me? Why would they read me??

(Image courtesy: Gabriel Weinberg’s blog “Why I blog’)

It just did not strike me that here is a concept called ‘Promotion’, you know - the 'Tooting Your Own Trumpet'. Thankfully, I remembered it now…and here I am with my first musing in the virtual world with a hope that the trumpet will orchestrate enough interest to transform this into a blockbuster.

Well, now that the baby is born its time for the next step – naming the baby! In the Indian tradition, this is a big, complicated and often a very close and personal (read family) and hyped up ceremony....latter, especially if you are a paprazzi hounded celebrity – thankfully, I am not, so will keep it simple! 

But hey….... let me bring in my style of management in this process – participative style. Let me give this baby a nick-name - A Musing - to start with, and invite you, my loved ones, my friends, my possible supporters and my prospective readers to make this a joint venture (did I say I will keep it simple??? I must be smoking something??). What should I name my baby…errr!! My Virtual Baby – My Blog. And I know, just like me, many of you have a Bollywood fixation, but please resist and don't call it Baby A or Baby Jhingran ;)

Let me be professional and give you a brief to assist you:

‘Sitting miles away from my home country – India – for fairly long, I am still rooted to home and would bring in my reflections on what is happening around back home, across fields – social, cultural, economical, political, sports, movies, music, food, etc. At the same time, I will also not neglect my land of residence – Jamaica, which has given me an opportunity to earn a living, perhaps, a better one (in some aspects) than my home country did. The name of my blog has to be reflective of my personality (don’t ask….you all know me) and what I intend to write. Preferably a single word but not more than three words, with intentional pun, if possible!’

So, guys & gals, ladies & gentlemen, let those thinking caps adorn your heads and creative itches start getting stronger. Help me name this baby and for sure, you will get the credit of this ‘naamkaran’ for its lifetime. Bring out the 'Pundit' in you

Ciao!!