When fair and lovely scores

One of the vagaries of nearing your mid-twenties in India is the absolutely frantic search for a "suitable match". Now, while this frenzy among parents exists regardless of whether you are a girl or a boy,the females are in a different sort of predicament. It starts with a simple option provided when a net-savvy girl or her overzealous parents build an online matrimony profile- 'complexion'. Ah! such a simple question and numerous options- very fair, fair, wheatish, wheatish brown, dark. A foreigner reading this would break into peals of laughter. Alas ! they live in a simpler world where people are either white or (decently put as) colored.

So apparently we live in a society proud of terms like gender equality and women empowerment ( more on that later..). Then this discrimination on the basis of skin color is baffling. And if you choose to believe that the educated masses look beyond such trivial details as color and looks, it is time for a reality check.
Recent data shows the sale of skin whitening creams increase at a rate of 15-20% per year. It is indeed a booming industry. The funny situation is that the actresses/actors endorsing these creams are themselves dusky,helped on by heaps of makeup and graphic editing (in case of print). This is an oft-debated topic- Do Indians (South Asians, in general) go too far with the fair-skin obsession?
Girls (and now guys too, if you believe the skin lightening creams' ads 'for men') here are made to believe that fair equals beautiful. It doesn't matter if your nose,teeth are displaced or you are near-bald as long as your skin is paler than tissue paper.

The comforting fact though, is in educated society, this discrimination is never made at home. At least for our mom and dad, it don't matter whether you are black or white, you are the most beautiful girl/boy in the world.

The great Indian Terror show

How long has it been since you've read a "pleasant" piece in the newspaper?
With the saddest of news ranging from recession,job cuts,stock markets plunging..to the worse ones viz the terror attacks,bomb blasts,attacks on minorities and politics of regionalism... there really is nothing to rejoice about this year,at least.

The most surprising and worrying fact is that the terrorists are having a field day in the midst of all this gloom. The realization that NO PLACE is safe anymore has just sunk in. But Mumbai,applauded for its spirit of "bouncing back" after every attack goes on... albeit it is a matter of perception whether this "spirit" is actually helplessness.

I mean , do we have a choice? Do we have that much faith in the administration that we are fearlessly going about our jobs without getting deterred by the blasts and riots? The natural answer is a NO.
Why we have this supposed fearlessness is only because we have no choice.
Nothing can be done about it and nobody is going to do anything about it,so what choice do we have?
It is exactly this question I seek an answer to... WHY are we so helpless?
Why are the terrorists blasting off trains,buses, market places, cinema halls at will?
even with Z- security, nobody can be sure if their mailbox is not gonna be blown off the next second.
Human life is so insignificant nowadays compared to the "causes" of these radical groups...politicians included.
Why are the aspirations of the normal people not important enough?
Why is my country, once known for its bigheartedness ,so intolerant?
What happened to the pledge we used to say in school? "All Indians are my brothers and sisters"
Now, after growing up, you have no problem in killing off your brothers and sisters? In leaving families broken and shattered?
Is your "cause" bigger than your country?

People (politicians and their supporters) playing the regionalism card must realise that the poor and helpless Indians they are thrashing,killing,abusing also have the same aspirations that these people with a "cause" have.A meal for their family to sustain them for a day, a small home, clothes,little happiness.Depriving them of these small aspirations is akin to committing a sin. I saw a team of these self proclaimed savior-of-local-culture goons thrash up a samosa vendor of another state and destroy his make shift cart and everything on it. Such an act can never be justified.I believe every tear someone sheds because of you and every smile that you manage to bring on someone's face are to be accounted for.

I  pray for better times.. and better sense to prevail.

Adventurous .... YES !!

Soumya Vishwanathan was murdered in the wee hours of tuesday morning- 1st oct. in delhi.
A news like that is not eye-catching anymore isnt it?
murders,rapes, dowry killings etc are usual news especially in the national capital.. you may ask. women venturing out after dark esp in delhi are inviting trouble and nothing else.
well,that exactly is the question i want to ask.... why isnt safety of women a big deal anymore?
To top it all Delhi's CM Ms Sheila Dixit says " Soumya Vishwanathan was adventurous. Driving alone at 3:30 in the morning esp in a city like Delhi which is unsafe for women is akin to an adventure"  I have absolutely no words to express my disgust at these remarks. A LADY, first of all, a Chief minister, whose vote bank most certainly consists of a sizable number of women and who has the ultimate responsibility of protecting people of her state... speaks in this utterly insensitive manner.

Soumya Vishwanathan.. an IIMC grad , a Journalist , a Woman..
An adventuress, she might be..but that is loads better than being the coward that Ms Dixit wants women to be.

mankhurd to nerul

The Locals of Mumbai r the lifeline of our city ,as many wud say. LIFELINE....this word acquired a very different meaning just a few days back,when i traveled frm mankhurd to nerul in a "harbor line se jaane-wali..panvel ki gadi"..as the announcement goes.

At the station,I saaw a very dignified, pleasant looking lady talking to a beggar woman sitting on the platform with her child. it seemed to me that the lady had given them a packet of biscuit n was talking to her in general... where do u sty etc. It was just kindness on her part,yeah. but the full effect of the simple act of giving food and saying a few kind words to that beggar cud be felt when i saw the look on her face as the train left...her face reflected the gratitude she was feeling and there was a sad smile.. but soon all incident forgotten,she returned to her job.
just made me realize ...when we give a Re.1 coin to a beggar,how much r we helping him,how much of a diff is that coin gonna make to his life?
I always refrain frm giving money to beggars, wud rather give food,that makes me happy.

In the Train,there were many kids selling stuff ranging frm pens,other accessories to clips,food...kids hardly 9-12.
although that's a regular feature in all locals,but the incident at the station jst made me notice more. it is so  sad. Kids that small have to work fr food,sustain.. looking at that small,frail boy wid his dirty pair of shorts and shirt shouting "dus rupya" was heart wrenching. why can't we do something abt it? Is education the answer? maybe yes..but as i sat thr in the "fourth-seat" in the train ,all i wished i cud do,was give him a proper meal,clothes and somehow ensure that he wudnt have to sell those pens on train.
how i wished the trains weren't his LIFELINE..

The experience while coming back was totally different. The sets of ppl involved were probably the same...slum kids..13-14 age group,visibly poor..no education. tha case,however ws diff. it ws around 10 pm..the ladies compartment was almost empty..hardly 5-6 women..when i got in frm nerul. When the Vashi creek came,I got up as mankhurd was the next stop n i love feeling the pleasant breeze when the train crosses the creek...i stand safely inside the door,though.When i got to the door,i saw 4-5 kids standing there,all boys. But when the bridge arrived, i was totally shocked to see them almost hanging out of the train,just a foot and one hand holding them to the train. Not being used to traveling in trains,more so by night..i thought i shud stop them. but was hesitant. soon another lady came and shouted at them.then something happened that made my hair stand on end. one of the boys,just climbed smhow to the top of the train...while it was moving at top speed over the creek. I was totally scared..all through the journey he went thr,i cud see his feet at the windows and my eyes were glued to them..praying all the time.."God pls let them be thr"....finally mankhurd came and he got down.Y did he do that?..for the thrill?...whatever.

There r ppl like that beggar woman or the poor boy selling pens,who will do anything to sustain,to ensure that they r alive...and then there r kids like these who dont give any damn value to their life.. LIFELINE ...indeed.

Finally...after months of procrastination.... started blogging..