It's the time to Disco... na nana nana... it's the time to disco... :D 

On the pure relationship of a father and daughter...

For those who still believe that this does not happen in "our" society or to people "like us"- wake up! 

2 very very similiar incidents have come into the media glare in the last week. One was the case of the Austrian, 73 year old Joseph Fritzl who kept his daughter imprisoned in his house cellar for 24 years, and physically assaulted, abused and raped her and even fathered 7 children with her! He has been sentenced to life imprisonment and the woman and her children are undergoing clinical help. 

Now, for all of you who are smirking and thinking that this is what happens in Western civilisations and that we Indians cannot even imagine something like this happening here- read this.! The same thing can happen and does happen in India too. It's simply that we Indians like to live like ostriches, with our heads buried away from the truth. 

My only incentive for writing this is that there needs to be a stronger punishment for incest cases like these, because here, the guardian, who is supposed to be protecting his child from this very thing, is the perpetrator of the crime. There needs to be very strict laws to protect children against abuse. Is anyone listening??

Live life queen size!

I will never understand how the human mind works. 2 incidents occured yesterday- and they both make me realise the same thing- that your life is in your hands. It's up to you- what you do with it and how you live it. No one is to blame for your sorrows, miseries and troubles. You need to have the confidence to stand by what you believe is right for you! 

Mukhtar Mai has got married and I couldn't be happier. This lady has been a source of inspiration for me. It would be fairly easy for people like you and me to stand up for what we believe in. But here is a woman- barely literate, born in an oppressive society, never stepped out of home, financially dependant on her parents... and she had the guts to stand up against her oppressors and shake the entire administrative and judicial system of her country! 

Cut to 2009. A young woman in her early thirties, born and brought up in Calcutta, received good education, had a loving family, got married, had kids (the younger one is less than a year old!)- and she commits suicide (or was it?) because she cannot stand the torture of her in-laws anymore. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that R is no more. My question is that why didn't her parents and brother do anything about it when they knew of her dismal relationship with her in-laws? And why didn't she have the courage to step out of the marriage? How can a smart, educated young woman continue to live in the humiliation and torture and not have the guts to say, "Balls to you!! ^%$#@$" 

As long as women continue to live in an oppressed manner and think that there is no hope for them- our society will not change. Take your life in your hands- don't wait for someone to come help you... otherwise it may be too late! 

Random

I have decided to take on the issue of online privacy very seriously. I had had issues with this earlier also- but this time I am adamant. I have deleted my Orkut, Facebook and Linkedin profiles and have made my blog personal. But now the problem is that, if I know that no one can read it, there's no fun in writing it. So I'm still trying to work out some way in which people who I know can read this- but strangers cannot look me up via google or something. 

Morning cuppa

5 o'clock in the morning is the best time of the day. Any day, any month, any year- there's no time better than 5 am! I confess that I have been a morning person my entire life (that's until I went to K and become and owl overnight! :))
But truly- for peace, quiet and serenity- there's nothing better than getting up at 5 in the morning....you can hear the birds chirping (and I mean it- they actually chirp- the sparrows i mean, not the crows)... and the pigeons go about with that weird sound in their throat.. like they were gargling.. there was this really cute white pigeon on the terrace today. Our gardener has put a row of small yellow flowers and then a row of orange flowers (which have brown centres) and there were bees on them (of which I am generally scared)... the best part is that there is NO one around... I like that... I like being alone at times... though there is a big eagle (or maybe it's a hawk- i don't know the difference) hovering overhead.. which is a li'l scary... but you just can't help that tug on your lips which comes from the quiet of the surrounding- and you break into a smile when there is that sudden breeze which gives you goosebumps :)
Good Morning to the world :)
p.s. I'm contemplating getting another tattoo- ideas are welcome :D

Hori khele raghuveera awadh mei... hori khele...

Yesterday's holi celebrations were awesome fun..! One of the perks of staying in a HUGE joint family is that every festival becomes that much more special and fun :D  

As usual the start was simple- with people being drenched with buckets of water,  being pelted with balloons and smeared with abeer and gulaal. Then obviously the entire gang (read 30 ppl) started targeting one person at a time and he/she would be thrown to the ground and basically left in such a beggarly state that even their parents wouldn't recognise them :D

The best part was the expression on R's face when A smeared her with what we call "keechadd" (and not just once- every time she got a little cleaned up, he would come from behind and smear that horrible muck on her) :D It's not gross if it's not being put on you and you can stand and laugh at someone else's plight :D 

Well after a while, people got hungry and gorged on the amazing food (paani puri was awesome!)... but but but... the second round of playing got worse! Soon people were pelting food on each other (that was my cue to disappear quietly :D) 

But all in all- the festival was celebrated in its true spirit- with elders and youngsters joining with equal gusto... and the kids were amazing.... they just couldn't get enough of the fun :)

When you really really need someone to be there- you'll find yourself all alone. Believe me... you'll not find a single friend online... most people will be busy and other won't pick up the phone... ! When you need a friend- believe me, there will be none. So my suggestion is that just be your own friend! Don't expect the world to stand by you when you're down and out. 

Random random random stuff

Reading has become theraupatic for me. Earlier I read simply coz I enjoyed it... now I also read coz it helps me calm down and does not let my mind stray... There was a time I loved dancing for the same reasons... that it helped me just live in the moment.

For those who think that Harry Potter is just for kids- I used to think the same at one point of time (it was also partly due to my loyalties towards Enid Blyton). But, when you actually read it, believe me you'll realise the fun of reading a children's book again. It's a magical world and I don't mind believing in witches and wizards and goblins and elves for a short span of time- until you break out of that mood and come back to earth :)

The papers had a story of a young girl from Kolkata who went to a guy friend's place for a party where the guy's friends gangraped her! Along with the instant reaction of anger and shock, came the realisation that I could have easily been in that girl's place! For the first time in my life I find myself questioning my sense of judgement about my friends. How many nights have been spent giggling, joking and partying with friends on campus... how many outings have been made with the guys- to far-off places in Kerala... how many times have I been to friends' places in Mumbai...?? This girl did the same thing- she went to a 'friend's' place... what is sad is that one incident makes everyone stand back and re-look and question their own circle of trust. The next time a friend asks me over or some friends plan an outing- I'm gonna think twice about it. I'm sorry that it's like this :(

One of my longest posts! (Book review)

Dear Mr. Adiga,

Next time you attempt to write a novel (which i fervently wish you don't!) please keep in mind, the sanity of the readers. As is obvious from your book, The White Tiger- you have no great writing skills, you don't know how to play with words at all and have completely no story to tell! I don't know whether to label you as a communist (why else would you support "killing your boss to make it big in life" simply because one has had a difficult childhood, in poverty?)... or maybe you are one of those people who think that just by being sarcastic and talking about India's drawbacks you can conjure up a good novel- well, you're wrong!

No part of your description of the protagonist's difficult village life, was even remotely moving. If you want to be so bloody sarcastic about this country- well then first go and do something for all these poor villagers that you seem to care about! You've lived a major part of your adult life outside India, in comparatively developed places like Australia and the US and then you have the gall to actually come back and be so damn critical of this country!

I would suggest that you read another well known book called Shantaram, where a foreigner gives his perspective about India, it's villages and life in Mumbai...Believe me you will learn a lot!! I do not have a problem with the fact that you've spoken mainly of India's backwardness in the villages (in the first half of the novel), but rather with the condescending attitude that you have used.

In the end, it is my personal request that you please explain to me why the character is writing a letter to the Premier of China, telling his life story to him??? I'd really really like to know what made you think that this guy should write a loooonnng letter (the entire novel!) to the Chinese head, giving him his life story?? Yes, you wanted to write it in first hand- I got that! But writing a letter to the Chinese Premier??? What, why? why? You are a crazy person. QED.

I have spoken about his earlier also and now once again I am wondering about the secret behind life and death. I have started believing that there is some algorithm behind this entire cycle. There is some Power, trying to maintain a balance on the planet. Which is why, sometime last year, I was only hearing of new births... in my extended family alone there have been 3 births and I have heard of some 4-5 other people  who've had babies last year. In the beginning of last year there were 3 deaths in my family and I heard of some 3-4 other deaths. 

Now again in the last 2 weeks I have already heard of 3 deaths... some of them really freaky- like a sudden haemorrage or a road-crossing accident..! And again I think that some supreme being is trying to create a balance of some kind by equalling the total number of births and deaths.

Emosanal Atyachar

Sometimes I like being melancholy... I don't know what it is about this feeling.. but sometimes you just enjoy feeling this weird mixture of sadness, nostalgia, pain... and somehow it feels nice.. I don't know why but it feels nice.. maybe I'm the only one who likes this feeling? 

To make it clear, I'm not wallowing in self-pity or crying my eyes out... I'm just feeling like you feel on a rainy day... when the sky is cloudy and you feel lazy and somehow old memories stir up from some corner of your brain... :D

You just like listening to songs that you know have a certain effect on you... you like looking at old pictures of family and friends...some people like having a nice strong whiskyand a nice comfi sofa to be in...sigh...I don't even know what I'm saying or what I'm about to type... it's nice... weird but nice...

p.s. In K's words, "Such is life. Tougher than we ever imagined it would be...makes you wish you'd never grown up and could stay a kid for life, eh?"

The past is lost to you forever, and the future isn't yet yours. Now is the only time you own. Use it well...

Nithari Serial Killing

I am so so so damn happy I cannot explain... Pandher and Koli have been handed the Death Sentence in the Nithari Case...I seriously doubted that our judicial system could deliver such judgement- but it has... god it has!! :D

Moninder and Koli have been charged with rape, murder, abduction- but the one thing that I still see missing in this list is the cause of child sexual abuse. All the victimes were between the age of 5 - 16 and were lured into the house and abused sexually... so what I would like to bring to my readers' notice is that how come there is still No Law against Child Sexual Abuse? We are living in 2009! I mean c'mon- at least recognise the fact that there is a need for a law for cases like these? 

I pray for the victims and their families and hope that they find it in them to forgive and move on with their lives...coz closure is the best thing they could hope for... 

Pitter Patter of Little feet :)

I have just received some very good news. A very good friend of mine is going to become a father. What is surprising is that of our entire gang- he was the last person you could imagine in a father's role! In fact he is still like a kid.. like a little kiddo who would do a lot of masti :D

Well, anyways here's wishing the couple a very happy future...and may his kids make him tear his hair out like he used to do to us :D