Winds of Change

“A tectonic shift in the political establishment”- aptly summarized by a BJP Spokesperson defines the sentiment across the country today. Yes, after 30 years, a single party has won a majority and come to power on its own. Indeed, “Ab Ki Baar, Modi Sarkar” has become the utterance of the vast Indian heartland; or to rephrase a famous saying, “Let a thousand *Lotuses* bloom, that shall resonate all over the nation.

A sea of saffron seems to have descended across major swathes of the country while the incumbent government seems to have floundered miserably all along the way. The *lotus* has bloomed, blossomed and how! while the *Hand* has been reduced to a “facepalm” or a “forehead-palm” metaphor. The Congress has been routed in the most unforgiving way till date which leaves them rudderless and leaderless (literally!).

What strikes everyone the most about these elections is the way it has been fought and fraught with the drama of a Bollywood pot-boiler. It became very clear that it wasn’t going to be just another round of elections; with the novelty of having 3 parties in the fray (Congress, BJP and AAP), people were spoilt for choice of whom “not to vote for” rather than “whom to vote for”. The major discussions soon started veering around leaders *RaGA, NaMo*- *Pappu, Feku* (popular pseudonyms and acronyms for the gentlemen) and so on so forth. Riding high on the success gained in the Delhi elections last November, the Aam Aadmi Party got vociferous and aggressively vocal, only to rebutted by the very force that brought them to power- the media. Soon, it became clear that the fight to the finish would be between the 2 biggies- the incumbent government and the major opposition party- the BJP, (with some silently hoping that the AAP play spoiler).

The people of India were frustrated- rising costs, worsening unemployment figures, scams riddling the economy- basically a flux in the nuts and bolts of the functioning of our country. The common man needed assurance, of a new kind, a hope that gave him confidence, made him put trust and faith (and Votes, of course!) to a party that *promised* them the above. The BJP made use of the discontent to sow the seeds of hope, optimism of a better and foreseeable future for the country. Slowly, the *hand* that rocked the cradle (India), didn’t in this case, end up ruling the country, this time around.

The bastions may still remain but the very foundations of the Congress have crumbled today. (Care to file an RTI query on the cause of the drubbing, Rahul?) Meanwhile, the BJP’s ramparts have been fortified with today’s massive win, paving the way for “Change”, a word they have been stressing on since the start of their campaign.

Well done BJP, but one must exercise caution- the people expect *instant gratification* in terms of improved infrastructure, job creation and job security, reduction of prices of daily necessities, safety and security of women, etc. They have voted you in power for the simple reason that they wish to see their lives being righted and set on course; and India reaching the growth rates of 9-10%. These expectations may sound basic and mundane but they shall take a while before seeing the light of the day (I hope they do!). Till then, people will be watching you like a hawk in the immediate months to follow. Let not overconfidence result in laxity and a total flip flop in priorities.

But for now, Mr. Modi and his party men can soak in the lyrics from a prominent song. It goes as follows:-

“Raas racheelo saaj sajeelo

Shubh ghadi chhe aavee

Aaja aaja tamtamata shamna ojhe laavee...

Hey Shubhaarambh

Ho shubhaarambh

Mangal bela aayi...”

Aakhir, *Party toh Banti hai!!!*

Sons of Anarchy.

"From the coast of Tunisia, to the land of the Nile,

All the way to Syria, I will follow you wherever you may be..."

Apologies are in order to the singer,Enrique Iglesias, whose song lyrics I have liberally altered for this piece. 

Well, it really isn't "rhythm divine" for the places mentioned above and the "I" basically refers to the most dangerous and recklessly used weapon in these regions at the moment-violence.

The Arab Spring commenced in Tunisia which encouraged other similarly persecuted neighbouring countries to take a stand against the continued tyranny of their respective rulers. It spread like wild fire! Suddenly every second person from both hemispheres had their eyes trained on this region- some lauding the courage and the stance taken by the civilians against their oppressors;others expressing fear and reservations on the bold move taken by the discontented people. 

What transpired was an awakening, a new dawn of sorts in these regions. Whether it took a turn for the better or worse, only time would tell. But for that particular moment, the people rejoiced at having overthrown their "enemy of the state" and establishing peace (even if for a few fleeting months!). 

The "peace" it seems, was short lived. Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, has erupted again, not with victorious celebrations but those of senseless shootings/killings by the armed forces on pro-govt or pro-Morsi supporters. Syria has slipped into a civil war, an abyss that sees no end in sight, coupled with a staggering humanitarian crisis. Tunisia, the "birth place" of the movements across the Arab world, has just gotten itself mired into incidents(assassination of a prominent political leader) that could snowball into crises. Lebanon, meanwhile, lay dormant but has woken up to fresh polemic issues that could de-stabilise the political establishment and foster an increase in terrorist activities. Libya too has come again  into the picture following a massive jail break in the city of Benghazi. 

So what exactly does this mean? Is the Arab Spring gaining momentum again? Sadly, there is no single answer for the above question but a myriad of complex issues that require urgent attention. A majority of the previously mentioned countries are locked in proxy wars in their own lands. There is a lot of "tectonic" shift of political parties and ideologies taking place within these countries that has lead to numerous uprisings. The super powers of the Middle East viz. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar are keeping a close eye on the delicate situation but are still maintaining an arms length distance. The reason? Most of these "big" players have supported certain "militaristic" outfits in the Arab countries either monetarily or by way of supplying arms,etc. With the situation worsening in most of these states, one really doesn't know which way it would go. One can only watch with bated breath.

In the meantime, you have Israel and Palestine coming together after 3 years with respect to releasing prisoners (could it be an indication of a peace treaty in the offing?) , again, one really can't comment much on this gesture. It's kind of on the same lines as the more familiar "Aman ki Asha"  peace programme between India and Pakistan- always being chugged about, put on hold due to ceasefire violations but lying still in the background. And what about Iraq? Recent news reports suggest that a car bomb ripped through the highly volatile northern part of the country at a place called Kirkuk. Car bombs, sadly, have become the order of the day in certain countries. Senseless loss of lives, widespread strife are what people witness everyday in these countries. It's very easy for the media to get muddled up with a particular turmoil in a specific country and put it on a broadcast pedestal of Breaking News but these little sparks happening elsewhere can most definitely ignite a catastrophic and widespread fire! I believe what we are watching now, slowly unfold, is complete anarchy across these Arab countries that can greatly destabilize the civil,administrative and judicial balance there. The repercussions would definitely be far-reaching and dangerous. As for the revival of the Arab Spring, I believe the people in the Arab world are going to be in for a long and arduous summer....

One "Flu" over the humans' Nose

A slight tickle. An uneasy irritation. A sneeze. And that’s how from the nose you trickle!!!!

Ladies and Gents,
Presenting…The Common Cold!

Well, you must have really affected me to such an extent that I find myself writing about you. Yes You! The omnipresent virus that wreaks havoc with every humans’ olfactory and auditory senses.

You Came (God Knows through which route or through which vector); You Saw (That I was vulnerable and seemed hospitable for you to settle in) and of course, You Conquered! (My white blood cells were at the receiving end of your conquest and were defeated thusly!) Ah! The perfect place to feel nestled and at home! (quite literally!) for you was inside me where you could breed and start messing around.

Tch. Tch. There is nothing to feel proud about my outright description of your shenanigans. But hey! Isn't this what you are so adept at? This is YOU! I am sure many will concur with me on the above.

Sniffles, wheezes, coughs would definitely be the order of the day in your world. Ohh! Let me rephrase that. These words would be music to your ears, definitely. In some part of the world, when some mortal soul sniffles or coughs, I’m sure you must be throwing a party in that honour! “Yay! One down and numerous more to go!!! Wouldn't that be your war cry of sorts?!”

Here I shall take the liberty to tweak the lyrics of a famous Backstreet Boys song. It goes somewhat like this:

Tell me why

You give me nothing but a headache

Tell me why

You ain't nothing but a mistake

Tell me why

I really wanna hear myself say

I want you to GO AWAYYYY!!!!!!

And so D(ear)-Cold, as you read this piece, I am busy joining the forces of the Vitamin Cs, the lemon juice, oranges, chicken soup, haldi doodh and the antibiotics that shall come together (one way or another) to DESTROY you!!! And then I shall feel vindicated. The day when my nose would stop being a leaky faucet would be celebrated as “Independence Day”!! Now excuse me, while I go and make myself a lemon juice.

With deep and *cough cough* hate emotions,

Sincerely yours,

The *Afflicted* Human.

When a nation choked.

The end came in the wee hours of morning. Then started a deluge of “Breaking News” broadcasts and sure enough, by the time you were holding your morning tea and newspaper, you pretty much knew what the frenzy was all about.

“Nirbhaya” aka “Damini” aka “Amanat” aka “India’s Braveheart” aka “India’s daughter”, most pertinently, “The Delhi Gang Rape victim” passed away today, 29^th December, 2012 at 4:45am in a hospital in Singapore. The various “metaphors” attributed to the girl may not do actual justice to who she really was; because at the end of the day, she was just one of us.

This faceless, nameless 23 year old has stirred a modern day “revolution” never witnessed before. She has, in an unfortunate way, become a “martyr” of sorts. And all it took was one fateful night that would not only alter (sadly) her life but that of an entire nation.

Yes, there was an anger seething inside among the youth, there was an impatience simmering within. We wanted answers since a long time. She became the trigger point for a mass “re-awakening” and “re-assessment” of a nation that calls itself a “Motherland” and yet projects an increasingly miserable record of crimes against women.

The so- called “violent” protests were replaced by sombre, stoic candle-lit vigils across the country. Public places in New Delhi which were out of bounds for these “protestors” were still kept shut (a fear among our political leaders and police force, which in my opinion shall always remain unfounded).  It was a shameful day for us Indians as a race, as a country, as a nation that prides itself on giving respect to her “Mother”, a majority of the populace that is fearful of incurring the wrath of the Mother deity (Mata) when they do something wrong or by dishonest means. At one point, one would actually question: “Is there any humanity left?” “Have we become so immune to such issues that we walk along with blinkers all around us?” “Are we so heartless that although we may know that such incidents are recurrent, we still “ignore” them and brush them away since we are so caught up in our own lives?”  “Will there ever be justice?”  These questions may sound very open-ended and philosophical but they are just a grim reminder of the reality that we are living in and the future we are heading towards to.

Today, I am not incensed with anger, rather I am ashamed. There is this feeling of defeat and helplessness that is pulling me down. There is that loss of hope, an absence of reassurance and a cold feeling that we are sitting on a ticking time bomb which has just half exploded. It seems to be a vicious cycle that such barbaric acts against women are repeated again and again and seem to follow a ghastly trend. Are we always waiting for the next one to happen? Are we always going to be dependent on our media to bring such matters to the forefront and sensationalize it to open our eyes?

Various committees have been constituted to look into matters concerning crimes against women and bringing about a change in archaic laws and their implementation. Similar sentiments have been echoed today as well when it comes to fast tracking cases (and mind you, I do not think this is a *rarest of rare case*), wherein women have been outraged of their modesty in the most horrific manner. Suggestions and solutions have flown freely from person to person. But what happens when it comes to actualizing them and having a sense of accountability?! They just seem to vanish in thin air.

Certain politicians decided to cash upon some good photo-ops but were in for a rude shock. The people had had enough. The support and words of (fake) encouragement coming from the political leaders cut no ice with the people and failed. It was too late. When the time was right, these government servants decided to keep quiet because they could not quell a growing dissent within the minds of the general public and thought of playing the ever successful- "wait and watch" policy. What we as a people wanted to hear were words of support, of a will, a pledge that they would do something and bring about change on a war-footing. We wanted to hear an honest apology, a sense of accountability coming from them, a sense of onus that yes, we faltered somewhere along the way and have denigrated our women, we as servants of society with powers vested upon us have been found lacking in carrying out our duties to serve our people. Yes, this is what would have made a difference to the girl holding a placard and standing at India Gate.

The debate shall continue to rage on, again, depending on the sensibilities of our media houses. The media is a double-edged sword and plays an important role in establishing the potency/impotency of a news brief. If the news flickers out, it is soon relegated to a ticker on a news channel or page 15 of a national daily. The question is, will this episode too reach a sorry, forgetful end since our memory is so fickle and that is precisely what some politicians are secretly hoping for?

Laws need to be amended no doubt but there has to be a strict implementation of the same. The punishment meted out to the convicts must act as a deterrent to anyone who even has a fleeting thought of committing any barbaric crime. In fact, it is not the victim who should be stigmatized or ostracized from society, but these “lumpen elements” that do not deserve even the slightest sympathy or support. Why should they be asked to cover their faces while being arrested or taken for questioning? We need to see their faces to serve as a terrible reminder that such pests do not deserve to be called human and should be denounced from society as a whole. It is these filthy beings that need to cower down and fear the wrath of a people and have their conscience rip themselves to shreds. These words might sound harsh and forceful but this is reality and the fact of the matter is, a majority of them are heartless and unrepentant.

As I end this write-up, a chill runs down my spine; not the kind when you are afraid but yes the kind when you feel devoid of security, belief, trust and hope. Tonight, there are a million thoughts streaming in my mind and I have mixed emotions and I really don’t know how to put them across but I have just penned a few of them here with the “hope” that some of my fears shall turn out to be unwarranted and irrational. But then again, I can only hope.

It is saddening because words indeed, have dried up.

There's a pain that sleeps inside..

There's a pain that sleeps inside

It sleeps with just one eye

And awakens the moment that you leave

Though I try to look away

The pain it still remains...

These lyrics of Hoobastank's song Disappear, resonate in this write up, albeit in a negative way.

It takes a Savita for a country to amend its abortion laws; in another part of the world, a Malala is shot at point blank range, for a country and the world to wake up and protest against terrorist activities and take a stand on the rights of educating a girl child. In other news, a developed country witnesses its worst shooting rampage where innocent children are gunned down in an elementary school #Newtown which restarts a debate on a country's archaic gun- control laws. And yes, back home, the capital sees(yet again!) its most (extensive media coverage) barbaric acts of gang-rape which seethes the youth and brings back to life the topic which lay dormant- safety of women in our country.

So I stand and look around

Distracted by the sounds 

Of Everyone and everything I see

And I search through every face

Without a single trace

Of the person, the person that I need.....

Does there always need to be a 'big bang' report/coverage of sorts of some fatality(ies)/untoward incident(s)/shooting(s)and killing(s) for us as a people to wake up from our slumber? We all are invariably guilty of walking with shutters around our eyes. We only want to see what we like to see and hear what we wish to hear. 

Numerous protest marches, minute silences, candle-light vigils are observed and held by the common man to give vent to his frustration at the apathy of civic and government officials. But how many of these actually translate into something concrete? Sadly, not much. (This is with reference to our country, India). 

In the most recent furore over the lack of strong convictions for rapists, our government has once again failed  in tackling a very pressing issue which has unfortunately come to the fore at the cost of a young medical student who is right now fighting for her life. She has in an ironic way, become the trigger for a country to sit up and take notice at the direction we find ourselves heading towards.

Debates shall continue to rage but will there be anything robust coming out of them? Politicians shall slug it out with a case of verbal diarrhea and use it against each other but will the main issue be addressed? Or will they digress from the topic of discussion, as seen in most televised debates? 

The case being made in point here is not about banning provocative video games, movies, songs, disallowing girls from wearing what they feel like, etc which can play a role in moulding a certain image of women. These may be secondary factors. But one needs to educate society, us as a people, one needs to be sensitivized to certain issues and not just turn a blind eye to them or worse, ostracize  them. These are certain evils in our society which need to be got rid off. It is about time we sat up and took notice rather than turning a Nelson's eye to the incident.


Note: This post was written immediately after the New Delhi gang rape incident. Numerous developments have taken place post that which have not been added into this note. This is just a precursor to     probably another post that will go into the details and nuances of the horrific incident.

The melancholy of being Malala.

Ironical, isn't it? The name Malala is of Pashtun origin and literally means sad/melancholic and is also the name of a warrior of the Maiwand battle against the British.

And at present, as I write of today, Malala lies on a hospital bed in Birmingham, England under the watchful monitor of the English/British doctors. This so, post an attack on her by Taliban gunmen who were against her propagating women's education in the ravaged SWAT province in Pakistan.

Malala Yousufzai is a 14 year old girl from Mingora, SWAT province in Pakistan. She was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen for the reason as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Due to the seriousness of her condition, she was airlifted to the UK where doctors have been providing her with the best quality care as the world waits with bated breath on when she regains consciousness or when she will mouth her first word post a barrage of surgeries.

I do not intend to write a biography on Malala or describe what she did. Thanks to the click of the mouse button, information is aplenty. What I do intend to voice here is the fact that her stoicness in the toughest of times, her indomitable spirit has started to resonate among the hearts of many a young women in Pakistan's Taliban "stricken" regions.

But what about several other 'Malalas' who may have gone unnoticed or are still under the shadows? Does it really take an NYT documentary, or felicitations by different governing bodies to make Malala heard or stand out? Should she have just cowered under the shackles imposed by the "re-established" Taliban regime? Many other voices may have already been drowned in the ensuing 're-Talibanization'.

No. Malala should not become a martyr of sorts. Yes. She deserves a carefree childhood. She deserves to be educated, not outside her country, but in her homeland. Her friends and sisters, brothers alike should be so proud of her. Her grit and determination are semblance to her maturity. It makes you look and feel small when one constantly whines about not getting to do what one wants despite numerous opportunities. And here we have Malala, who in spite of all the odds, stood tall straight into the face of the extremists and who now is on her way to slow and hopefully steady recovery.

I pray that she recovers fully (both physically and psychologically) and emerges stronger than ever to carry forward her 'wish'- to empower herself and many other young girls like her in her country.

Amen.

In the end...

In the end, it doesn't really matter!
Funny, how these words from a Linkin Park song seem to be swirling about my mind since the past 2 days...As a matter of fact, the entire lyrics (or maybe just the chorus) of the song suddenly seem to be making sense to me now wrt my situation. Ahh well, I don't want to sound melancholy but " I (did) try so hard, and got so far, but in the end, it doesn't even matter!"
Hah! I always end up with this sing-song, kind of lyrical notes..I've noticed this a lot. Not that I do it intentionally, but I guess, it just comes out this way.
Anyways, lets shift focus to something else altogether. The "drinking age" limit! 25 years! Are u "kidding"(pun intended) me? I mean, do they really take us as kids/juveniles/ *immature adults* till the age of 25?! Apparently, this is the govts' new *de-addiction policy*. Well, then lets increase the voting age to 25 too! I know a few of you would feel this is just a knee-jerk reaction but hello? If the so-called politicians feel that we do have the sense at 18 years to vote for a political party, then,I'm positive that we do have the sense to drink responsibly too! Yes, there are a few reckless binge drinkers and drivers here and there, getting into brawls, mowing people down and getting acquitted with money exchanging hands, but, the point here is about this flimsy reason given which made the Maharashtra govt issue such a statement..I'm sure they have other, more pressing issues to focus on too..But as Linkin Park says, "In the end, (to the Maharashtra govt), it doesn't really matter". There are various online protests, a leading newspaper has launched a citizen protest and various film personalities have voiced their dismay too. But do we really see all of this heading somewhere? Or do we as usual blindly accept whatever has been laid upon us? Has the govt thought about the number of road accidents and related deaths because of the decrepit condition of roads or pot hole ridden roads? From the looks of it, they want to focus more on road accidents due to a case of drunken driving which has become their latest cause. I'm not denying the fact that there are road accidents due to drunken driving but there are an equal number of accidents because of road repairs being left incomplete or worse, the road was built or repaired using substandard material.
Coming back to the drinking age being extended, I'm writing because, unfortunately, today, everything has been reduced to a numbers game. Be it from the scams enveloping our country to this drinking age permit, just about everything is riddled with numbers. The bureaucrats/politicians are playing a good numbers game without even thinking where exactly what numbers should be used. I fail to understand why the govt suddenly likes to focus all its attention on such issues when it could do more on completing all the infrastructure projects on time in a *ever growing* city like Mumbai and using sensible *numbers* (as in completion dates of these projects and making sure they do not *extend* beyond the required date!). If they are so interested in toying with numbers, then, I would like them to do some number crunching on the tax-payers money spent on making sure that Kasab gets his meals on time and sleeps with *Z-security*. Can the Maharashtra govt promise its people with such security? Again, in the end, to them, it doesn't really matter! or does it?

Note: I didn't intend to make this an inflammatory note but I would appreciate if there could be a discussion, as, to me, in the end, all of this, does really matter!