TAARE ZAMEEN PAR........

no more crushing under the same old wheel
no more falling into that same old grid
no more getting streamed into that same pipeline
not any more of this rat race

just let my wings spread and take me off
coz i know 3x9=3
it doesn't have to be 27 coz earth will always knock that puny pluto out !
i know what the shadow of the sky on the quiet stream told me
and i know i'm right coz i spoke to mother nature herself

and she told me to live my life
coz it's unique and has been gifted only to me

From Grassroots....

One of Sneha's comments gave a little pinch to another worm in my head that was lying idle. Basic education. This is one of the earliest promises of our government,and the one,being unbelievably feasible,hasn't yet been realised. Well,it was better during the Nehruvian semi socialist era,when at least,such things were given some importance.
We talk of India supplying one of the world's best brain powers and our premier institutes churning out mumbo jumbos ready to take over the world..Fine. Go ahead. No problem. Who cares about the unseen and unsaid once you are flying high. But the problem goes on building up within until your supernova is ready to blast off. Millions of children don't get a chance to look around themselves with open eyes. Millions of men and women lose the chance of living a better life. Millions of us don't know in our lifetime,things that make us a true democratic nation.
As I said earlier,huge funds are set apart for the welfare of the people and get buried nowhere. Can anyone give me a chance to kick out those f...king,paan chewing,pot bellied Babus out of their rusty offices? This whole system is so much rotten,so much intertwisted in its own never ending spirals. Why does the money not reach where it is needed? I just don't understand this red giantish attitude of our government.(ok,for those who didn't get it,a Red Giant is a very huge star,often over thousand times bigger than our Sun. When they run out of fuel,their outer envelope expands rapidly and cools off while the core shrinks under its own gravity,until they get detached. When this happens,the outer skin blasts off with a tremendous explosion,so brilliant,the star is visible even during day time..the Supernova explosion.....our government,like a red giant,is busy tending the outer skin,the brilliant cream of the post senior secondary students,who,after graduation,still prefer settling in the US,while the core is shrinking,undernourished...it's not something good)
Once the basic education is rock solid,not just rote learning,something that gives the kids a chance to really develop themselves into the ways they like,and enough emphasis has been given on making the growing ups self sufficient,the burden after the plus two stage is greatly reduced. It should be understood by everyone,a white collar job is no more one has only to look for. The world has changed now,and there can be many more ways of living the rest of the lives. Our education system has to change,it must stop producing Babus. The US,our greatest guru of recent times,has a better edge over us,the engineer over there not only knows how to manage the desk,but also to fix the gearbox jam in the car.
I think its time we stop flying and get down to the earth. In this respect,I must appreciate the NCERT-CBSE model which existed atleast in my time. Another thing is,we often confuse education with literacy,one of the biggest mistakes of our educational and evaluation system. My memories of good girls,boys,and their good teachers mugging up textboks are still fresh. You can memorise things to get good marks without learning a single thing. And do our textbooks make us street smart? Don't think so. I was a good student and I still have to face problems communicating with people,because I spent much of my time inside the books. I never went out in the market and learnt how to bargain for half a kilo of potato! I guess more than half of the Indian women graduating as engineers finally end up being a wife and a mother. One of my classmates got married few days back,at the age of 18!!
Pooh..enough whining..now let's search for answers..

Social Things

When I didn't drink at a party,people told me,hey,it's a social thing!! So I have to drink even if I hate the smell of alcohol just as much as that of my dog's poo!! Wow!And the other day one of my friends took a puff into his mouth and blew in onto my exam answer sheet,leaving a thick brown lip shaped smear,which I was unable to remove afterwards...that was dreadful!!..What goes on into the lungs of chain smokers then??
But hey,it makes a mark you know,if you lavishly lift and tilt that glass into your lips or take that classy puff! As an underdog always,I prefer not making such marks and enter such class. I prefer to be humble! The other day,I was reading the cover page story of India Today,that the Indian middle class is growing increasingly intolerant towards smokers,but I find it otherwise. And I dare say anything about the pegs..
When I had my first shot of vodka,it really made me feel well. Narcotics do make you feel good,but that good often pushes you towards bad until the ground is slippery enough. And narcotics cost you. They dig holes into your purse and you like them still more. And in the daily wage class of India,the recent spread of country wine is horribly alarming. With the increase is number of illegal bottles,the crime rate has also gone up equally...Then there is this increasing trend in India towards disco culture,thanks to the added promos by movies and chic paperbacks. I never say don't dance,but keep it within limits. You might say,what's your problem if I spend my hard earned money the way I like? I really have no problem until what you do,does something wrong. And there are far better ways of spending your money if you just open your eyes,instead of increasing the junk in your home and throwing late night tantrums. Actually times have really changed pal. Things aren't that simple now as they were even few years ago. This world demands you to be a bit more responsible now. We really waste lot of things in this recent gluttonish half American lifestyle. Your greatest mentors,the Americans,are more aware,responsible,watchful,and clever than you. So,work a bit harder pal and keep your eyes open. Drink but never get drunk. Or better still,don't force others to court this bad girlfriend,and if you can,stop its spread.

Ladies First!!!

Have you noticed this lady,who comes up from nowhere,watches nastily all you men standing in the cue,goes up to the counter smartly and goes off in a minute,unleashing a gush of empty anger in you??!! Make no mistake,ladies first! Or you have to walk nearly half a mile back if you get down at the scheduled bus stop,but your time is saved if the driver kindly stops the bus at this turn at your request...but no luck,you're not a lady. He just won't listen to you.Your time isn't as important as someone else's,belonging to the other sex.
mmmm....people talk about equality,right?? Fine,let's make this world a level field for all. That's a really good thing after all! But no!! These same people will ask for favours the next moment. They say there's been enough on women,and now that the Middle Ages are over,men must pay back,giving the fairer sex special favours. Wow,good logic,but why don't you understand,asking for favours only implies,you are not agreeing to be equal?
Here's my point,for those of you who are doing this,stop taking advantage of being women. Play it even. I've seen in educational institutions,girls are given better favours academically and otherwise,while their male counterparts are the worst underdogs. Can we just stop this?
Let's make this world a level field in true sense,where no competitions are biased.
One thing I forgot to add...I also share my grudge for those men who amply,and sometimes nonsensically help some women who take the advantage of being women.

Hick...!!!

I've been noticing one trend in India for the last few years,or maybe for the last decade. Maybe you've noticed it too...the liquid money is getting more and more pooled away from where it should belong..the hands of the commoner. Newer and smarter methods are being brained out everyday to fool the people and polarize the money towards the rich. Governments and corporates alike,are busy playing this new game.
And there's this irresistible urge among our ministers to make a USA out of India. They seem to capitalize everything,make roads into every corner of the country,even at places,where it means only disaster,and let the automobile giants fool the people at a time,when the rest of the world is shunning gasloine and fighting hard to find some alternative. Then there come the SEZs. Perfect tools for snatching away the last bit of food from the mouth of the poor.
Ok,nothing to worry really..India's shining after all..our bull's showing an over 6% growth rate..one of the fastest in the world!! We are growing rich,but alas,at our own expense. Why don't we understand our government is all set to make this country rich by taking money from the hands OF the country. What is the meaning flashing a GDP when it's earned by mostly less than 5% of our people? What's the use pooling money when the real users can't use it? I really can't bear the sight of all the poor around,espacially staying in Uttar Pradesh,where I really don't know when the real poor here will benefit from their governance. Interestingly enough,all these poor people are very happy..happy with their life,with whatever they have,with whatever the government throws on them.
Hey,but again,nothing to worry!! We ARE growing rich and classy!! People now talk of eating out at weekends,shopping,going places (thaks to easy loans),unable to choose from the huge variety of chic gadgets in the market,and what not!! Now drinking and discos are a social thing( even i say dancing IS a great stress buster,I dance myself,but why do we get that stressed up when we can easily avoid them). Really,our luxuries of one time are becoming our necessities...much to thank the ad industry and its awesome brainpower,and us,the on-the -top-of-the-world-going-nowhere Indian (upper?)middle class. All we love doing is showing off our love for West without really internalizing their real work-hard-party-harder nature. There are of course exceptions and their numbers are increasing.
Let's turn back to the poor. Everyday we read about (ok,these are the extreme cases) farmer suicides,people fighting over water,people killing each other just for 50 rupees,lack of education,and I fear the list will go long enough to bore down even the greatest enthusiasts. It's not that the government doesn't do anything. Huge funds are allotted every year and huge moneys get buried,every year. I ask just one question,why this inequity? Even after 60 years of independence,why so much of dissatisfaction? Why is there no distribution of wealth?
Throwing up questions again,bad boy I am!!

What?

I've been noticing one thing of late...or maybe my eyes just opened,or maybe I'm hallucinating. There are many small shanty shops around our college,N.I.T. Allahabad,like they are all over in this country,run by often a whole family. Let's take this small hotel,serving snacks to the students in the evening. The mother might be sitting over the counter or doing the cooking. The brothers and the sisters doing the servings and washing the plates,often within the age of five. Quite often i find men starting at those kids,or the girls to be better,as they work their way around,with some hint of nasty desires.
What on this earth is this? Spare the kids at least,if you're not done with the women around. I don't know what's wrong with us men,or if it's wrong at all,but I don't like this shameless staring business. Why don't we stop thinking of women in only one way and treat them as just fellow living beings?
And there is this child abuse thing. I don't understand what it takes to treat a child in ways i've been reading around. What gives the grown ups this right to declare themselves superior and treat small kids in ways they certainly not deserve? And to top it up, here I hear about this Nithari killings. I don't undrestand what kind of killing heart can make someone do that. And yes,I have my share of experience as a child,however small it is.
Well right now I know what I'm doing..I'm only throwing up questions in the air. But I'll also come up with the answers one day,or better still,if someone saves my labour and does it well before I do.