Shame!! Shame!! Shame!!

This appeared in Readers Quotient:

http://www.readersquotient.com/india/shame-shame-shame

It’s been already 1 month we are in to the New Year and Valentine’s Day is round the corner. Very soon the cities, malls and stores would get painted in different hues of red- symbol of love. The season of love will again witness some drama from the moral police claiming their 15mins fame reminding the community what they are capable of. Let’s keep the V-day aside and talk about the shocking headline of 1st Feb 2011 in TOI which caught my eye- “Bill seeks to let 12-yr-olds have non-penetrative sex”. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bill-seeks-to-let-12-yr-olds-have-non-penetrative-sex/articleshow/7400208.cms When I saw this headline, I could not believe my senses and read it multiple times to make sure what I understood is correct. Such a bill coming from Chennai of all the places in the country was a bigger astonishment. The people of Chennai who have filed case against Khushboo’s statement on Major girl’s virginity have proposed for the legal acceptance on minor’s sexual acts is startling. The bill states: “Twelve-year-old children will be legally permitted to have non-penetrative sex with children of their age. The Bill also seeks to introduce a gradation in the age of consensual non-penetrative sex (12-14 years and 14-16 years) against the existing age of consent for sex which is 16 years. It proposes that in case of the age group 12-14, the maximum age gap between partners should be two years. For the 14-16 group, the maximum gap should be three years”. The consent age for sex in Spain is the lowest -13 and looks like India is trying to prove the world that we have arrived and broken all the shackles of our rusted traditions and become global. Is this some kind of mockery of “India Shining”?

I fail to understand why do we need such a bill to be proposed in the first place? Is our country so perfect that we don’t have any major problems at hand to solve? Or is it the government’s idea of diverting the attention from the multi-crore scams and price rise? India is a junkyard of problems starting from poverty to illiteracy, corruption to racism. Instead of addressing the problems at hand we are igniting controversies and hullabaloo on the grounds of morality & ethics amongst the fellow citizens. The proposed person would get his 15 mins fame and the TV channels would get their required TRPs. Under the existing law, if two 12-year-olds get physical and if one child’s parent complains, the other can be pulled up by the Juvenile Justice Board. The panel that has members from National Commission for Protection of Child Rights felt such minor things should be decriminalized. The panel feels that child sex is a minor thing? Will the panel members be alright for their kids to indulge in such an act? I know I would not be. By saying this I don’t believe I am putting myself in the category of narrow-minded people like Shiv Sena or Sri Ram Sene. As ministers say at all occasions “I condemn such a bill” :P (pun intended). This just proves the in-capability of our judicial system and un-accountability of the parents who do not want to inculcate right morals/ethics into their offspring. Anyways we have enough perverts in this country doing, the unmentionable, we all read a lot of rubbish happening, whatever the argument/ legal explanations, by any act of humanity, this is just not permissible, 12 years of age and to allow such thoughts, this stinks big time.

If a similar act conducted by a grown up person it is considered to be child abuse/molestation, then how can such an act be justified if it is done by a fellow child. If child molestation can traumatize the child how child sex can be considered acceptable? This bill would give pedophiles a chance to exploit the law. The bill talks about non-penetrative sex but it will not be possible for young children to control themselves if they get excited. At the time of sex even a sane/adult person becomes insane and actions become uncontrollable. Moreover how will a 12 year old give Informed Consent? At an age where Children should be taught Morals/ethics and the stress should be on Sports and Education, the Government is coming up with a proposal for having sex, that too with a qualifier of being non-penetrative. Children at a tender age can't differentiate between good/bad or right/wrong. What is needed is elderly guidance to humanely navigate them through their adolescence and bring them to their adulthood where they are able to take the right decisions. In a country where talking about sex publicly is a taboo, proposal of such a bill is extremely astonishing act. 12 years is not the age for a child to be indulged in sexual activities and not even for sex education for that matter. Sex education for a child should start from at least 14 years of age. Letting them do such acts and decriminalizing non penetrative sex would lead for more acts of crime. Several questions which need to be answered first:

1) How will government make sure non penetrative act does not end up in penetrative sexual act? Will they be present to stop it? Consequences: Rise in no of 12/13 yr old pregnant girls, increase in number of abortions, Child pornography, and child sex.

2) With introducing this act of decriminalizing non penetrative sex, what would be the fate of sexual harassment acts? That law would become null and void as mostly all sexual harassment faced by women at offices would come under the category of non penetrative acts.

This bill raises a lot of questions on the grounds of morality which is a very sensitive issue specially when it comes to our children-coz everyone is protective about their kids. This bill, if enacted, will become haven to child molesters and pedophiles. We can tolerate price rises, but how can we ever tolerate our children’s future destroyed? Such laws won't help in building a good nation and in building up those who are the future of our country. The Government should spend its time and energy on the more pressing things on hand. It’s really a Shame!! Shame!! Shame!!

Happy Republic Day !!

This article got published in Readers Quotient on 26th Jan 2011.

http://readersquotient.com/india/happy-republic-day

Another year has ended and going by Mayan Prediction we are closer to the end of the world. In a few days India is going to celebrate its 61st Republic day where we would publish India’s report card to the world. Suddenly I started feeling home-sick thinking about republic day. My parents are old fashioned patriots who ensure that special delicacies are prepared on the eve of 15th Aug and 26th Jan, since they felt it’s extremely important to celebrate the milestones of our free country. While engrossed in the thoughts of mom’s special delicacies, a little girl started tapping the window pane trying to sell some tricolors. Her tiny body and saucer eyes made her resemble the classic poster girl for poverty. She tapped on the window of my cab and said, ‘‘happy republic day saab.’’ She was shivering as she sold the plastic flags to motorists, most of whom shooed her away. She possibly didn’t know the meaning or importance of the Republic Day, but she knew that she would make some extra rupees that week. And that made her happy! For the little girl, those few extra rupees may have translated into extra bread for dinner.

Looking at her made me think where is the country heading? What is our government’s goal for the country apart from robbing the common mans hard earned money to quench their desires? Do the people like the small girl on the streets begging or selling toys are ever part of the agenda to start with? It’s been over 60 years of our Independence but how much have we progressed? What is the measure of the country’s progress? Does the country’s progress ever take into account the poor and under the poverty line people? Recently I read somewhere- “According to recent Forbe’s list of Wealthiest people in the world, there are 23 billionaires in India with combined net worth of $99bn.” And on the other hand we have around 40 % of Indians below the poverty line who can’t afford to spend even Rs. 21.6 per day to get the basic 3 meals.

Recently some entertainment channel was showcasing the minute details of the humble billion dollar Ambani Residence with 27 floors and 3 helipads as the world’s luxuriest home in Mumbai, where around 60% of the population resides in slums or streets. When one lands in Mumbai, you get the visual treat of Dharaavi (Asia’s largest slum) and the sorry state of our country which Danny Boyle has painted on the celluloid for the world to witness. It’s difficult to believe that on one hand India have few of the most affluent people in the world (www.forbes.com) who can topsy-turvy the country’s economy, while the other side of the coin is rusted with poverty where people are struggling tooth and nail to survive each day. I don’t have any complaints or resent against the rich and affluent people in the country coz they are in a way face of the country and in some ways are able to showcase the world that India is not a snake charmers country anymore. They have worked hard enough to be in their current position and are working harder to maintain that position which should be appreciated. But what about the downtrodden half of the society? Who is responsible for them? What is the government doing for their upliftment apart from making programs on the paper? The fact is, even though there are facilities/schemes being initiated, the target audience don’t get to know or avail the facilities as there is corruption in every level. By the time the huge issued amount trickles down, there is nothing left for the needy; however documentation would be available to prove that the scheme has been a huge success leading to some more such schemes.

By pointing out all the negative aspects and losing hope I might sound cynical; which is the state of most of the youngsters and educated section. With the current rate of corruption, the country is doomed for disaster and probably our generation would be there to witness it. It’s high time that we think about some measures to get the country move in the right direction. The least we as citizens can do is pay our taxes on time and don’t encourage corruption from our end as must as possible. Stop paying the traffic policemen for the lack of license or signal crossing. Follow the rules in the first place and if not, get a receipt for the paid money. I am not saying that this would change the country’s destiny but could be a stepping stone. The girl like this who is selling flags would probably end up in the metro’s mean streets turning tricks and hustling or peddling drugs, who would never see the inside of a concrete home. For such people the blue plastic sheet will have to suffice. Her bright eyes and cheerful smile will soon be replaced by a hard, stony expression. But chances are she will still be working on the same streets decade from now. Try telling people like them “Mera Bharat Mahaan”, she might just punch you.

2010- Year of Scams

This was published in Readers Quotient site: http://readersquotient.com/2010/12/15/2010year-of-scams/

The year 2010 is about to end and the new year is round the corner with lots of hopes, promises and cheers for everyone. 2010 seems to have been one of the most eventful year in the history of Indian politics since our independence. The year 2010 has been aptly coined as “The year of scams” by the media. This article is just to have a quick roundup of all the major scams exposed. With media and Common Man questioning the government, it looks like a big blow under the belt for our Prime Minister. While our PM Mr. Manmohan Singh is clean and praised for his smartness and intelligence across the world, back home most consider him to be a puppet guarding the throne for the next Gandhi Kin. The rate at which the information about fraudulent business practices involving lakhs and crores of money are getting exposed, India is bound to grab gold in the corruption race. Corruptions like 2G, CWG, LIC Housing loans, Adarsh land scam and IPL to name a few are the top 5 in the pick list. Many are saying India has come of age and soon it will be a powerful country in the world, but with the rate at which we are unraveling the corruptions every day, I only see India moving towards an economic black hole. From Raja to Kalmadi and Yeddyurappa to Ashok Chavan every possible person has looted, robbed and cheated making the common man difficult to trust anyone. Now with some well educated leaders in the power we hoped something’s would change and the country would get a new direction towards growth, prosperity and better living standards for all. But it turned out to be bigger calamity in itself. All the skeletons that have been brought out of the closets are going on for past few years and it took us so long to acknowledge that there is a problem. India as a country has come a long way since our independence and we rest of the world foresees India as a major economic superpower in coming times. Lot has been said, debated and argued about the corruptions. Every channel had their field day with new exposures at regular intervals, sky-rocketing the TRPs, but how many channels have come up with a solution? Isn’t it the responsibility of the journos also to suggest some solutions? Corruption is not new and we all have been experiencing it since decades. From the meter tampering in the auto fare to 2G, from metrics tampering in reports in office to Bofors, from pulses to land, we are omnipresent. Is it that difficult for the government to set a process with full spirit and see to that it is followed with integrity? It’s high time that we come up with some concrete solutions to curb such events. There should be new laws enforced. I personally think that India is not made for a democracy. I believe a bi-party system should be implemented. Presently every tom dick and harry has their own party. A bi-party system will ensure some level of control and also lead to accountability for the ruling party. Apart from that government should mandate a certain level of eligibility criteria for MPs and MLAs; may be a Post Graduation in Political Sciences or for that matter any degree as such. Any candidate with an FIR/criminal record should not be allowed to contest the elections until their name gets cleared in the case. There should be mandatory audit/inspection for every MP/MLAs on their accountability for their portfolio. This will definitely help us take necessary steps before the trillions of money is gulped. Government officials should also look out for eligible candidates from colleges via campus selections for government/municipal jobs based on fair selection process. These steps might sound small and petite but even a mile long journey has to be started with one step. I hope that by implementing some of such stringent solutions and several others which come into the minds of you all which you may like to put them across in the comments and feedback we can probably get some discipline in the way we are functioning and help the country progress in real terms. Hope India ushers into a new era of development in coming years.

Guzaarish

What does life mean to us? Is mere breathing considered to be life? This is the question raised very loud and clear in the most anticipated movie of the year: Guzaarish- story of Ethan Mascarenhas. After painting the celluloid with Black and Blue the ace director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is back with his grandeur. This is a movie which would tickle your grey cells to think if it’s high time to debate and re-look into our judicial system to make euthanasia or mercy killing legal?

Firstly coming to the movie, "Guzaarish" is a story about a wheelchair-bound magician who once used to fly. A patient of quadriplegia, who has to be nursed day and night. SLB is back with his magical formula which got him most of the accolades- a handicapped person for whom life itself is the villain. Guzaarish works on many levels and fails on many as well. Surprisingly, the movie which highlights how imperfect and cruel life can be, everything seems to be unfailingly perfect. He looks too glowing and perfect for someone who has trouble breathing, whose lungs, liver and kidneys are deteriorating... Hrithik Roshan tries to wring every ounce of sympathy in us by laughing in the face of tragedy. It’s only designed to make you love him and feel for him. Only… you don’t after a point. You never really get inside Ethan’s head beyond a certain level and remain disconnected with him throughout the film. Aishwarya is a stunning picture of fire and grace, walking away with certain scenes by her sheer vitality. His student, the wanabe magician, Aditya Roy Kapoor, dresseed like Raj Kapoor in “Mera Naam Joker” is a natural and a delight. One can see the beauty of incandescent Goan landscape that literally transports you to an art gallery. The cinematography is so beautiful that you can feel the goan breeze on your face.

Beyond all this good cinematography and bad performances, there is an important question which the movie leaves behind. Is mere breathing considered to be life? Should Ethan and likes be allowed to die simply because they don’t want to live anymore? What does freedom of life mean to us? Isn’t the right to live is closely linked to the right to death since death is an event of life itself? It’s high time that we think about it and take a pioneering step. I agree life is scared and we ought to live it to the full extent. Is it possible for us as a society to recognize and assert the fundamental importance of life while at the same time recognizing and asserting the right of a terminally ill patient to die with dignity? This is something that our judicial system need to see on the humanitarian grounds and take a call.

CWG 2010

The upcoming Common Wealth Games which is supposed to be Indias moment of glory is turning into an hour of shame with every passing day. The games due to start from Oct 3rd are proving to be a debacle. With Royal corruptions, high security concerns and incomplete preparations the question that pops up is are we really ready to organize such a world class event?

2010 CWG with imported items like toilet papers worth 4000 bucks a pop and Umbrellas for 6000/piece has set a new standard of corruption. It makes all the other corruptions from fodder to software seems to be chindi chors. With CWG participants on their way its too late to react and do anything at this point. We cannot shelve the games and book the culprits. Its the irony of fact that inspite of so much nothing happens to these offenders. However we will see breaking news flashes on our Idiot boxes, some jobless panelists will be called who will condemn the issue and give out their gyaan, Some sting opertions to garner some TRPs and some more new names getting global fame. While the mango people would think that something is happening the issue will be swept under the carpet in few weeks.

When I got to know that a whopping 30 crore flower pots were bought, I got to know what money plants are. Incase there is a security concern, our body builders working out with 80 crore dumbles (probably made of gold with diamonds studded on it) could be put to use. With all this I wonder are we really a poor country? I am sure we can make many developed countries to run for their money. You know what, its the organizers mistake; Who asked them to call it common wealth games? No wonder the officials took it literally and thought the weatlth to be "common" and shared with family and friends :P.

Anyways its one more scandals which will be discussed at chai-time by one and all. We will curse the government for not taking any actions. TVs will show this for a while and eventually everyone will forget it.

Peer Pressure !

1. Look at Bunty. He has scored 95%. Don’t you want to be the topper of the class and get distinction award. You should start studying more and more so that you can score more than him. 2. Orange Juice!! ha ha ha… The room filled with laughter. The girls are having vodka and a smoke and you are having orange juice. C’mon man; you are 28. Pick up the glass of scotch man. 3. So when are you getting married? You are 28 right? What’s going on? I am sure you have heard or said such statements in more than one occasion. I have definitely been on the receiving end in more than one occasion. This is just a simple dose of peer pressure. It starts from our childhood. Parents are never easier to please; they have their own set of sky-high expectations from their children. Pressure to score highest in all subjects and be a topper, Outstanding in sports and extra curricular activities, being the best-behaved child around. As the time passes the expectations multiplies. Be an engineer or doctor by clearing an entrance exam in IIT or AIIMS. Then topping in college and getting placed in the campus selection getting paid highest in the batch. Then comparing salary’s and onsite visits. The vicious circle never ends till the time we are on our death pyre. As a kid our parents chose everything in our lives. Starting from clothes to food to school to friends to play and mingle with. Now that we are grownups and take decision for ourselves we choose our own herd- our own set of people, colleagues and groups whom we like to hang out with. Groups where we all think alike, have common goals, similar interests and the same likes and dislikes. In short everyone’s frequency matches almost perfectly. As we become more and more independent, our friends/peers play an important role in shaping us. In a group while we make dozens of decisions we always influence each other’s choices and behaviors. Its human nature to listen and learn from others. There’s nothing wrong with comparing and getting influenced by peers. People are influenced because they want to fit in, be more like the ones they admire and do what others are doing so that they are accepted in the group. As every coin has two faces, peer pressure also has its own share of pros and cons. It all depends on person to person what they learn and what they get influenced by. The only key being we should not lose our own identity at the end of it. I have known people who get into things they do not want to, just because of peer pressure and then repent for the rest of their lives. But it’s very hard to control one self when everyone around you are behaving in a certain manner. If you don’t act like them, then you are not one of them. Perhaps this fear is what makes you do something, which you don’t wish to do. Peers help you socialize, encourage in achieving your goals, experience something new. But at the same time peers can also make you do something, which you wouldn’t want to do in the first place. They may pressure you into doing something you're uncomfortable with, such as shoplifting, smoking or drinking, taking dangerous risks when driving a car. Remember the movie “Lakshya” where Hrithik is clueless and joins army just because his friend is going. Though he changes completely after a while. But that’s movie and practically it can cost you piece of your mind. We ought to realize when and where we have to draw our line and say No. Peer pressure can be in any form starting from blackmailing to subtle signals making you conform to do something, which you do not want to do. The pressure can be very powerful and hard to resist. It can be doing anything as harmless as dressing in a certain outfit to pretty harmful like doing drugs. Most of the time we give in because we see everyone is doing it and think, “it must be ok”. Before you know you might just be part of the crowd and end up in an ugly situation.

At some point of time everyone ends up in a sticky peer pressure situation. No matter how well we know our friends and buddies, sooner or later we have to stand our ground and make some unpopular decisions. It may be something as simple as resisting the pressure of spending your hard earned money on a weekend party making you look uncool to your group. But these situations are just an opportunity for you to decide what’s right for you. It’s not easy to resist negative peer pressure, but when you do it, you feel great. You never know it may be a positive impact on other buddies in your group. So have loads of peers but avoid the pressure and have a chill pill !!

Mera Bharat Mahan

कल नुमाईश में मिला वो चीथड़े पहने हुए

मैंने पुछा कौन? तो बोला हिंदुस्तान हूँ !!

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when I say Taj? What comes to my mind is 26/11, which makes me shiver to the core. Gone are the days when my answer would have been one of the wonders of the world or a posh hotel. Do you remember the 14th Feb 2010 newspapers front-page headlines? “Blast rips Pune bakery, 9 Killed.” Did you find something new or shocking?That’s definitely not new to me as every few days the headlines repeat with different location and varied death tolls. Every channel showcases the breaking news trying to get higher TRP’s; netas would condemn the act of terrorism and highlight the incompetence of the ruling party vouching for some brownie points from the mango people; All so called NGO’s would gather at a historical monument with candles paying tribute to the victims; and the so-called policewala will be out on patrol with their rusted rifles trying to protect the left out citizens. What is new in this? I know, I sound cynical. Coz I’m sick and tired of such attacks, our incapability, our lethargic responses, our dysfunctional government and our handicapped system. This year we celebrated our 60th Republic Day and published India’s report card to the world, which showed everything was perfect. We are in 21st century and India is still counted as a developing country. Even today we have snake charmers tag attached to us in spite of marking our presence on the moon. We have the world’s biggest slum, Thanks to Danny Boyle to remind this to the world and Indians also. We are almost there to beat China in terms of population. We have beaten almost every other country by getting our hands dirty in corruptions ranging from fodder to Software Company, from Pulses to Bofors. We are omnipresent. Still half the Indian population has not seen school and more than half are under the poverty line. Ever thought what is it that makes us feel proud about being an Indian? If you ask me, in real terms I don’t know myself? As in a movie Nana Patekar points out: Sau mein se assi baimaan fir bhi mera bharat mahaan. I guess this post is just to explore this how are we great when we are not able to protect our fellow human beings and when we discriminate our fellow Indians on the basis of religion, region, caste and creed? Every day we hear people saying passing on the road, traveling in bus/train and even during daru sessions – “Is desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta”. Infact am not an exception. We have the most brilliant minds in the country but our contribution to world’s science and technology is almost nil. Even in 21st century our contribution to world is counted as Kama Sutra and Zero. India has money but we still can’t meet the basic needs of food, shelter and clothes for our fellow countrymen. So then why are we still lagging? Is it just our lethargy to be a pioneer/leader? Or is it the colonial hangover? Or is it the corruption, which doesn’t allow us to excel? The same brilliant Indian minds work in pardes and make the impossible possible making the developed countries more ahead in terms of technology, power, health and infrastructure. Its not that we don’t react to a situation; of course we do but for that we need a push, a catalyst, and a force. Why do we need means to react and a push to be accountable? Why is it that we need Mumbai Local attacks, or a Taj Incident or the latest pune blast to unite us and stand against wrong? Why do a Jessica Lal or Aarushi need to be butchered for people to voice out their pain/angst? Why don’t we believe anymore in Vasudaiva Kutumbakam or Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu? Why is it that we see unity in diversity only in books or movies? Why don’t we see this everyday on streets, in our thinking, in our work? Why do we still fight over caste, religion and sex? Why even after 60 years of independence we see each other as north Indian or south Indian? Why our education system is not able to teach us the minutest thing, which even the smallest of insects show? Unity! There are lots of hard-hitting questions and we don’t have answers to any of them. The calendar has changed but still things are same as it were last year. We are still watching the same 26/11 videos; same set of people marching on the roads with candles to stop terrorism, kasab- who brutally killed innocent people is the safest person in India savoring delicacies in the jail. A staggering 31 crores have been spent to keep him safe and secure. I wonder if the government had taken so much care to safeguard the nation we wouldn’t have had 26/11 or 11/7 in the first place. I might sound condescending, but unfortunately that’s the truth. Every one of us wants to do something for his or her country to make it move forward towards a developed country, but we don’t know what to do? How to do? Where to start? The process of even reporting the lost cell phone is so painful that, most of us don’t even bother to take that pain. I would not say its lethargy; it’s the complicated process and corrupted routes to achieve it.

I guess its time that we all ask this question to ourselves and think seriously about such issues and voice it. The other day I saw the movie “Invictus” starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela who asks his countrymen to turn colorblind in order to pave paths for a rainbow country. There were so many goose bump moments that it actually fill me with new zeal and passion to do something different. It’s high time that we rise to the calls of time and stand to what we believe in.