Pinku-Enchanted Life

Kislay wrote about the plight of Biharis. No not of the ones who are illiterate, living in villages or in scores of slums in the cities and towns or even dying in floods. He was talking about the average middle class Bihari or even the upper class privileged one who is forever taunted and haunted by the badge of being of all things ignoble, a Bihari. Most of us when asked where we are from mention the names of our states like Bengal, Punjab, Karnataka or Rajasthan – those who belong to Bihar try to skirt the issue by saying the name of their city or preferably their caste or subcaste. When the state was divided my cousins who had lived all their growing years in Bihar were pleased, not because they had any political motives but because now they would be able to escape the Bihari tag by saying they belong to Jharkhand. Why is one state in the country subjected to so much ridicule? Biharis I am told are cowards, ignorant, uncouth and they speak a language that’s just so ghatti. When I w

Young boys in their early twenties, they came from regular middle class families. Like thousand others they were in the capital city looking for a better education which could lead to a brighter future. They were shot down or arrested one morning, the reason: They were the terrorists who worked under the banner of Indian Mujaheedin. I am not debating whether it was a fake encounter set up by the Police to save face or not. I am also not debating whether they were targeted because of their religion. What I am wondering about is this: How come people who come from regular families, have a decent upbringing and education are turning to such hard line stances? And mind you I am not looking at just one community. I am looking at everyone, minority, majority and across language and state barriers. When we were in school, someone being a Christian meant that you visited them during Christmas , said ‘Merry christmas’ and had the yummy cakes. And during Ramzaan you asked your Muslim friends ev

My relation with my God is special. God is a friend, philosopher, and guide to me. At times also a fellow prankster. I call him by many names and at times that I am really feeling good I even think of Him as Her. God to me is omnipresent, omnipotent and yes God looks after me and its not the other way round. Yes He does expect me to help my fellow beings but mind you my God is strong infact he is the strongest and he doesn’t need me, I need him. The names I call him depend on what it is that I seek from him. When I need hope I call him Jesus . When its patience I seek I call him Shiva . When very tired and looking for more stamina I call him Allah (say the word out loud without any preconceived notions and feel what I mean). When its strength I seek I call him Wahe Guru and when I wonder about his inconceivable powers I think of him as Yahweh (the unknowable). When knowledge is what I look for I think of him as the Buddha . So you see my God has many names and he stays true to each

As we see the images of Kashmiris asking for separation over and over again. It hits home that all this hullabaloo is actually because they find their homeland under threat. The threat is real or imagined can be a matter of debate however the fact remains that having your home turf under attack is not a easy feeling to live with. So what am I trying to say? Well just that the Kashmiris are not the only one clamouring to be heard through their many parades and leaders, some dumb creatures too are crying out and asking for our support. The Olive Ridley Turtles are going to lose their breeding grounds soon thanks to a port that the Tata’s are planning at Dhamra, one of the last natural habitats of these endangered species. I wrote a letter to Mr. Ratan Tata today through GreenPeace an organization which is fighting on behalf of the turtles and their right to live. Here is my letter: Dear Mr.Tata, It would be nice to know that apart from a lot of steel you also have a heart. Money can

Thanks all of you for answering the questions I put forward in the last post. Now here are my answers to my own questions: Independence to me is the ability to grow as an individual and be responsible for my own life The most important freedom, is free speech and the right to endeavor to make a better life for myself without reservations of any kind binding me. For me my country is my greatest pride and I blindly love it. And my greatest moment of pride was when India's first man in space Rakesh Sharma answered while orbiting the earth, " Saare jahan se acha " to the question by then Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi, " mera bharat kaisa lag raha hai?" And the moment in my own life which best symbolises freedom is when I decided to write this blog and air my views on my own forum without fear. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ONE AND ALL!!!

In a few days time it will the 61st anniversary of India’s independence from the British Raj. We celebrate this day as a national holiday and thanks to multiple channels are not even bound to hear the speeches being made from the ramparts of the Red Fort if we happen to switch on the television. The fact that most markets are closed however is a nuisance since we can’t exercise our freedom to shop. And even catching a movie is not always possible either because we didn’t book in advance or the shows are houseful or cause we live in a metropolitan city and are afraid of a terror attack on an important day such as this. So what do we do? We laze about at home, have something nice to eat and drink (provided we were smart enough to stash away booze beforehand, it being a dry day and all that). And if a neighbor or friend happens to drop by we discuss the completely pathetic state of affairs of the country. How it’s being led by donkeys and it can only lead to ruin. How we are planning to g