It's easy to start a blog. But it's an altogether different thing to keep updating it regularly. So far I have been good at that. 8 articles in 2 weeks isn't a bad start. I have seen blogs where 8 articles have been psoted in an entire year so by that rate I am doing a darn good job. But eventually you do run out of ideas to write about and start thinking-for how long can I go on at this?
Luckily for you my avid readers, I am a very sensitive being. I take most of the things to heart and feel very strongly about most issues. I always have an opinion irrespective of what the topic is and usually I am not shy to share those opinions. Not that I am planning to be a revolutionary but I am not afraid to speak my mind. Again it doesn't necessarily mean I call a spade a spade because you would probably find me to be one of the least judgemental people on the planet. While I usually have strong opinions about what's wrong and what's right in our society, I never think that my opinion is necessarily the right one. As I have discussed in pre-marital sex, while I think it's wrong, it doesn't make me think lesser of a person who think it's right. It's a free society and everyone's entitled to their opinions and their beliefs. In one word-I believe in 'democracy.'
For instance, I don't eat pork or drink alcohol as I am a Muslim. Yet I have friends who do one or both of these activites and that in no way makes me think-'what's wrong with these people? Can't they see that they are committing a sin?' It's their choice and I have no right to think lesser of them because they are doing something I don't beleive in. If I did, that would make me a hypocrite and I would like to believe that I am not.
Again, I am totally against the idea of live-in relationships, obviously reflecting from my views on pre-marital sex. Yet one of my best friends sees nothing wrong with it. And why should he? He has been brought up in a different environment compared to mine and his views reflect the environment he has been brought up in. It doesn't mean that my ubringing is better than his or vice versa or his parents have taught him the wrong moral values, it just means that we believe in a different set of values and as they say-to each his own. I am not going to let that come in the way of our friendship for we find it easy to get along irrespective of our moral codes. Yes we have had huge debates on the topic but it's been no different that me having a debate with a United fan over who's the better player-Christiano Ronaldo or Cesc Fabregas.
One fine day me and another friend started a discussion on relationships. As in how you are meant to end up with only one person but is it right to sleep with other people whom you date before you finally meet 'the one.' You obviously can guess what I think on that matter. But what's interesting is the take on people who do believe in sex before marriage. I very aptly told my friend, 'mate-if you believe it's right to sleep with a girl before marriage, then sex can't be exclusive.' Simply because you can never really be sure that this is 'the' person you are going to end up with. Every time you get into a relationship, you get in because you think that person is special and there's always a possibility that this might be the person you would eventually end up with. You don't get into a relationship because you want a quick romp in the sack(ok, some do but in general people don't) but because you believe what you share with that person is something special. And if you are 18 then you ain't exactly thinking of marriage so to presume that you should sleep only with that one person-that's just being plain naive. Because at 18 if you are thinking-'oh, i am going to marry this girl so it's alright to sleept with her', then well-you are looking at a crystal ball which doesn't exist. So if you believe there's nothing wrong with pre-marital sex, then sex can't be exclusive-simple as that.
Ofcorse that's my side of the debate. If you believe in the exclusivity of sex, that that's your opinion and I have total respect for it. Ofcorse-you will have to justify why you believe so but whatever your views, it doesn't make you a better or lesser person than someone with a totally oppsite spin on things. As I said-to each his own.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
The Deed of One Man!!
Among all the words in the english dictionary, the word 'inspiration' has always fascinated me the most. Because it is this very word that has shaped and reshaped history ever since time began and it is this word that more often than not makes the difference between success and failure. Let's face it, it's only an inspired man that can be termed as 'unstoppable.'
Inspiration ofcorse is a relative term. Inspiration doesn't necessarily mean a person who went from rags to riches because he had enough of the street life or your best friend who was so inspired by the thought of topping the boards that he actually accomplished it or Sachin Tendulkar who was determined to lead India to World Cup glory and did so(I really hope that happens-2011 maybe?). Inspiration can have a destructive effect as well. That's why when Amrish Puri asks Sunny Deol to say 'Hindustan Murdaabad, he was 'inspired' to destroy the entire Pakistani Army all by himself. Getting to a little more logical and real example, Hitler was so inspired by the thought of 'world domination', that he actually went about trying to accomplish it. Ofcorse the rest of the world was even more inspired by the thought of freedom and that's why Hitler was eventually defeated.
Ok. Enough of the grammer lesson. This post isn't about what the word inspiration can do but what inspiration has come to mean in today's world.
During these holidays I was able to catch a reality show on tv called Lead India. Where basically the man who wins will eventually be given the non-enviable task of changing India and leading us to glory. Now, as far as I know that task actually belongs to the Prime Minister but it was the thought behind the programme that struck me. For years now we have been complaining about how a common man doesn't stand a chance to make it into politics. It is the common man who is actually most aware of the problems that our country faces, yet he is either just not interested in politics or even if he is, then he somehow just cannot get in unless he has 'connections.' Well, to all those people who are interested in bringing a positive change to the country and finally setting things right, here is your chance. Ofcorse it's easier said than done but atleast someone has taken the initiative.
While watching the programme, another issue curbed up in my mind. My initial reaction to the show was 'good initiative but what can one man do?' And that set my grey cells in motion again. I am pretty darn sure that most us think that while this initiative is to be lauded, none of us actually believe that anything will come out of it. The winner will ask people to plant some trees, do some charity work, give a few speeches here and there and will eventually fade into obscurity. Because ofcorse-'what can one man do?' Most of us have come to the conlcusion that either this country is beyond help or atleast we can't do anything to help it. As a famous scene goes-when we turn 35, we will be sitting in our lawns with a cup of tea in one hand and a newspaper in the other and tell our wives, "Darling-is desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta."
The truth is most of us are just too lazy to actually do something for this counrty. As long as we are doing our work, which is getting marks now and a fat pay check later, then we believe there's no reason to meddle in 'outside business.' Yup, we regard the problems of our country as outside business. And how much ever you may deny it, you know that's what you have come to regard it as.
While those who are actually interested in doing something for our nation are discouraged by their friends, peers and families. 'Tu akela kya karlega?' 'Abey relax yaar, chal daaru peete hain, desh ko kal sudhaar lenge.' 'You are just wasting your time man, nothing can be done about this country.' 'Is it only your responsibility to improve the country- pure desh ko sudhaarne ka theka sirf tumne le rakha hai kya?'
More often than not it comes down to one thing-'what can we alone do?' 'What can one man do?'
But that's where inspiration comes in. History is set alight by examples of one inspired person who led revolutions and changed the world. Whether it be Alexander or Martin Luther King or Stalin or our own Mahatma Gandhi, they were all just one men. It was the vision of that one 'inspired' man that changed the course of history forever. Yes-no single person can change the country alone. But behind every revolution there's only one man. It is the thought of one person and the actions of the thousands that beleive in him, that take their inspiration from his that leads to governements being thrown out and monarchies destroyed over night.
So all we need is one man. All we need is a leader who is inspired enough to go all the way, to beleieve that he can actually set things right in this country and I am sure that soon thousands and later millions will start beleiving in his vision. All we need is an inspired man with a clear vision of what he is setting out to do. The rest will follow.
So if we keep thinking that 'one man can't do anything', then we once again need to reopen our history books. We talk about examples of the change that a single person has brought into this world on an almost daily basis and yet we somehow have come to the conclusion that it's impossible for a single person to change this country. If we keep thinking this way, then indeed one man can't do anything. But the day we change our thoughts, you will yourself see the change in you. As I said, inspiration is a relative word.
It's like the promo they show for Lead India. There's a huge traffic jam thanks to a tree falling on the road due to rain and lightning. The road is blocked and no one has any idea what to do. While some wait impatiently, horning their vehicles away to glory, others leave walking to the other side of the road and catch a bus or a rickshaw from there. It is then that one little child comes up and starts pushing the tree. While others watch admirable and at the same time mockingly, other kids in the area too decide to come and help push the tree. And soon the elders follow. And before we know it, the tree has been lifted and cast aside and the road-block is over. Just like that. All thanks to the power of one. All because that child beleived. And it's really high time we started beleiving it too. All we need is one man...one leader!!
For behind every revolution, there is only one man!!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Taare Zameen Par: Movie Review
I am not exactly sure if it's a good idea to post a movie review on a blog. But I love movies and I love writing about them so I have decided that from time to time I'll post something from the movie world as well. For the simple fact is can't live without movies. And my blog is not going to go without anyhing from the movie world either. So here goes.
It's not very often that Bollywood springs such a pleasant surprise on you. Though Aamir Khan seems to do it everytime he comes up with a movie, the truth is there have been very few movies from the world of Bollywood that we actually take with us to our homes and can't seem to get our minds off it. So when a movie like that does come, you know it's time to celebrate. Taare Zameen Par is one such rare movie.
Only Aamir Khan could pull this off. Only he could take the reins of a movie which could be as far removed from the bollywood commercial formula as possible, make his entry on screen only at the interval mark, deprive the movie of almost all Bollywood cliches including a leading lady and yet manage to give one of the year's biggest hits. Other super stars would immediately wash their hands off such a project which would lead to a supremely talented but immensely ignored Sanjay Suri being cast and the movie would bomb. But Aamir Khan not only chooses to greenlight the project as an actor but takes over the production reins as well and then decide to make this same film as his directorial debut. And what a debut it is!
As the movie begins, you are seeped into the life of Ishaan Awasthi, a 9 year old child full of dreams, yet somehow unable to make the world understand his dilemma. He may not be very good academically but there's no doubt that he has a superior talent. For one thing, our young Ishaan has one hell of an imagination. Yet the world refuses to see his talent or understand his problems. Fed up of his constantly failing in exams, Ishaan's father decides that the only way left to improve Ishaan is to ship him off to boarding school where he can be disciplined properly. But separated from his mother and his protective surrondings (echoed beautifully in the song 'Maa'), Ishaan only goes deeper into his shell ad shuts out the world completely. Until a new art teacher, Ram(Aamir Khan) makes his entry and decides to change all that.
It's not very often that Bollywood springs such a pleasant surprise on you. Though Aamir Khan seems to do it everytime he comes up with a movie, the truth is there have been very few movies from the world of Bollywood that we actually take with us to our homes and can't seem to get our minds off it. So when a movie like that does come, you know it's time to celebrate. Taare Zameen Par is one such rare movie.
Only Aamir Khan could pull this off. Only he could take the reins of a movie which could be as far removed from the bollywood commercial formula as possible, make his entry on screen only at the interval mark, deprive the movie of almost all Bollywood cliches including a leading lady and yet manage to give one of the year's biggest hits. Other super stars would immediately wash their hands off such a project which would lead to a supremely talented but immensely ignored Sanjay Suri being cast and the movie would bomb. But Aamir Khan not only chooses to greenlight the project as an actor but takes over the production reins as well and then decide to make this same film as his directorial debut. And what a debut it is!
As the movie begins, you are seeped into the life of Ishaan Awasthi, a 9 year old child full of dreams, yet somehow unable to make the world understand his dilemma. He may not be very good academically but there's no doubt that he has a superior talent. For one thing, our young Ishaan has one hell of an imagination. Yet the world refuses to see his talent or understand his problems. Fed up of his constantly failing in exams, Ishaan's father decides that the only way left to improve Ishaan is to ship him off to boarding school where he can be disciplined properly. But separated from his mother and his protective surrondings (echoed beautifully in the song 'Maa'), Ishaan only goes deeper into his shell ad shuts out the world completely. Until a new art teacher, Ram(Aamir Khan) makes his entry and decides to change all that.
From the very first scene, Aamir Khan the director makes his presence felt. As a young Ishaan collects fish from a pond while other kids around him are playing, it's clear what this child is going through. And it's clear that we are watching a very special movie.
Taare Zameen Par is a very simple movie. And perhaps that's where the brilliance of Aamir Khan lies. Instead of taking a movie where he could have blown off cars ala Sanjay Gadhvi and use different color for different places like Sanjay Gupta or make a 60 crore studio movie where 30 crore is invested only in art direction ala Sanjay Leela Bhansali(too many sanjay's huh?), Aamir Khan just decides to trust his diretorial talent to get through as he picks up a movie where he couldn't flash how good he is technically behind the camera but what a wonderful story teller he is. And he's a gem of a story teller.
All of us would have related to Ishaan's character at some point. No, not because anyone of us is dyslexic or we are poor students but because most of us at some pont or the other have felt that our dreams have been crushed by our parents for a safer world. And when Aamir Khan makes that rousing speech about how each parent only wants a ranker in his house and nothing less that an engineer, doctor or management will do, you felt as if a part of your life was being played on screen. It's a scene of glorious truth as this is true in almose every household today. And Aamir Khan's acting only makes it that much more hard hittng.
Infact there are so many scenes which rankles you up. The entire maa song is one of them where most of us would have wept buckets. Another fantastic scene is when Ishaan is on the phone with his mother and doesn't speak a word. That silence spoke volumes about what Ishaan was going through. Aamir Khan's visit to Ishaan's parents and then his speech about what caring means to a child to Ishaan's father, both scenes were of stupendous quality. And then the fantastic climax where you couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. And by the end you just want to bow your head down in respect of the genius that is Aamir Khan.
Whether it be Shankaar-Ehsaan-Loy's soundtrack or Amole Gupte's script, almost everything falls into its place in Taare Zameen Par with Darsheel Safary as the young Ishaan the star of the show. He deserves a national award for his performance. Tisca Chopra as the mother is rivetting. She's a delight to watch and here's hoping that Bollywood doesn't ignore this fantastic talent. Aamir Khan, well-is there anything else left to say that hasn't been said about him before? This is his movie from the first frame to the last and if anything he has made the best directorial debut since Aditya Chopra had helmed Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Here's hoping that unlike Mr Chopra, Aamir Khan doesn't lose himself and continues to give us movies which we all can say proudly was made in India.
Taare Zameen Par is a rare gem in this galaxy. Missing it would be nothing short of a crime.
Rating: ****1/2
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Abstaining from the right to vote!!
I am 20 years of age. It means I am legally an adult now, how much ever my parents want to disagree with that fact. It means I can have a driving license, can drink alcohol(I don't) and run away from home if I feel like(I won't). It also gives me the right to vote meaning I have the power to elect my own leader, one who I think is worthy of running this country. But, like hundreds of thousand of others, I too have decided to abstain from using this civil right of mine.
Why? No, it's not because I don't want to stand in a queue under the hot sun waiting for hours just to punch in a button. Though I must admit that the idea is very unappealing and one of the many things wrong with the election commission of India and the rest of the world. While our so called leaders wait coolly for the results sitting in ac rooms, we, the people who elect them have to go through physical torture so that they can exploit us. Nope, simply not done.
But even if we were to ignore that fact, there is another and a much more solid reason why I have chosen not to exercise my right to vote. The right to vote gives us the power to elect our own leader or as I have said earlier, a person whom we think capable of guiding our beloved India to glorious heights and giving us Indians a nation we can really be proud of. Don't get me wrong. I am proud to be an Indian. I love this country and am as much patriotic as any Indian should be. Yet, it is this patriotism itself, this love that I have for my country that compells me to abstain from using a right that I once regarded as the recognition of an independent country.
I will not vote because I donot trust a single politician today. Whether it be L K Advani or Sonia Gandhi, each one of them has so many allegations attached to them that it's become impossible for me to have faith in any of them. Should I vote for a party whose leader was allegedly behind the demolishing of Babri Masjid and who openly claims that one religion has a higher standing over all others? Or should I vote for someone who doesnot belong to our country but claims to have fallen in love with it? I grew up in a foreign country and though I too fell in love with it so much so that I still call it 'home', the truth is my love for India far exceeds my love for a country which was my home for 12 years. Because at the end of the day, this is the country where my heritage lies. This is the country which is my land of birth, this is the country whose language I speak and this is the country whose people I call 'my people.' This is my country. And if I feel this way, then how can I be sure that a certain lady doesn't?
Should I vote for a man who has more corruption charges against him than the number of days in a year? Or should I vote for a man who supposedly used the coffins of our soldiers who died in battle for his own benefit and purpose? Wherever I turn, almost every leader of ours has one or the other allegation against him. I don't know whether these allegations are true or not. And I am fully aware of the rule in our law books saying 'innocent unless pronounced guilty.' Yet my conscience asks me-what if they are guilty? Should they be allowed to run our country while they are still awaiting trial and could be hauled off to jail any time? Should I vote for a man who might or might not have exploited the resources of our country for his own personal gain?
Yes, I am fully aware that the blame game is a part of politics. But then it begs the question-what kind of leaders do we have who are interested in bringing each other down in any way possible rather than help in the development of the country? They say that voting is a compulsory right and those who don't cast ther votes do not love their country. Yet I beleive that it is because we love our country that we should not vote. For until and unless we can trust a leader and have full faith in him, why should we vote?I can tell you that I have lost faith in our democratic system long ago. Instead of electing a leader, we elect a party. And it's the party who decides which of their men are best suited to be leading this country. Also, until and unless a poltician is cleared of all the charges levelled against him in a court of law, I donot beleive he should be allowed to run for candidacy.
With so many things wrong with our political set up, how do they expect me or any of us for that matter, to have faith in even one of those men in white kurta? How do they expect me to trust even one of them to lead our country to glory or even to lead our country at all? The simple truth is I don't. And unless I do, I am not going to help in electing a leader who might actually be doing more bad than good for the country. And that's why I won't vote. Enough said.
Why? No, it's not because I don't want to stand in a queue under the hot sun waiting for hours just to punch in a button. Though I must admit that the idea is very unappealing and one of the many things wrong with the election commission of India and the rest of the world. While our so called leaders wait coolly for the results sitting in ac rooms, we, the people who elect them have to go through physical torture so that they can exploit us. Nope, simply not done.
But even if we were to ignore that fact, there is another and a much more solid reason why I have chosen not to exercise my right to vote. The right to vote gives us the power to elect our own leader or as I have said earlier, a person whom we think capable of guiding our beloved India to glorious heights and giving us Indians a nation we can really be proud of. Don't get me wrong. I am proud to be an Indian. I love this country and am as much patriotic as any Indian should be. Yet, it is this patriotism itself, this love that I have for my country that compells me to abstain from using a right that I once regarded as the recognition of an independent country.
I will not vote because I donot trust a single politician today. Whether it be L K Advani or Sonia Gandhi, each one of them has so many allegations attached to them that it's become impossible for me to have faith in any of them. Should I vote for a party whose leader was allegedly behind the demolishing of Babri Masjid and who openly claims that one religion has a higher standing over all others? Or should I vote for someone who doesnot belong to our country but claims to have fallen in love with it? I grew up in a foreign country and though I too fell in love with it so much so that I still call it 'home', the truth is my love for India far exceeds my love for a country which was my home for 12 years. Because at the end of the day, this is the country where my heritage lies. This is the country which is my land of birth, this is the country whose language I speak and this is the country whose people I call 'my people.' This is my country. And if I feel this way, then how can I be sure that a certain lady doesn't?
Should I vote for a man who has more corruption charges against him than the number of days in a year? Or should I vote for a man who supposedly used the coffins of our soldiers who died in battle for his own benefit and purpose? Wherever I turn, almost every leader of ours has one or the other allegation against him. I don't know whether these allegations are true or not. And I am fully aware of the rule in our law books saying 'innocent unless pronounced guilty.' Yet my conscience asks me-what if they are guilty? Should they be allowed to run our country while they are still awaiting trial and could be hauled off to jail any time? Should I vote for a man who might or might not have exploited the resources of our country for his own personal gain?
Yes, I am fully aware that the blame game is a part of politics. But then it begs the question-what kind of leaders do we have who are interested in bringing each other down in any way possible rather than help in the development of the country? They say that voting is a compulsory right and those who don't cast ther votes do not love their country. Yet I beleive that it is because we love our country that we should not vote. For until and unless we can trust a leader and have full faith in him, why should we vote?I can tell you that I have lost faith in our democratic system long ago. Instead of electing a leader, we elect a party. And it's the party who decides which of their men are best suited to be leading this country. Also, until and unless a poltician is cleared of all the charges levelled against him in a court of law, I donot beleive he should be allowed to run for candidacy.
With so many things wrong with our political set up, how do they expect me or any of us for that matter, to have faith in even one of those men in white kurta? How do they expect me to trust even one of them to lead our country to glory or even to lead our country at all? The simple truth is I don't. And unless I do, I am not going to help in electing a leader who might actually be doing more bad than good for the country. And that's why I won't vote. Enough said.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Confession of a Rapist
I sit here, in the shadows, in this pitch black darkness for the fear that if I come out, if I let even a ray of light fall on me, then my crime will be exposed to the world. The world will come to know about my sin and will finally see me for what I am and perhaps what I always was-a rapist.
I raped a girl today. The girl I loved. I raped her like an animal-tarnishing her body, her self-respect, her independence, her integirty...her life-for my satisfaction. And as I remember those moments, the memory continues to haunt me. I relished it. I enjoyed it. Losing myself in that moment of madness, I enjoyed taking away every bit of integrity that a girl could possible possess. I enjoyed raping a girl. A girl I claimed to love. And I didn't even think twice before committing this sin. I acted like an animal, an animal that had ben released from a cage without any bounds and much more importantly, without any conscience. And I claimed to have loved her.
But I did love her. Her beautiful face shining like an angel, her eyes a mark of eternal beauty in which I could lose myself forever, her glowing skin which could never age. I really did love her. And I told her so. I told her that I loved her and that I would love her forever. But she wouldn't respond. I tried to convince her of my love for her in every way possible but she wouldn't listen. She wouldn't understand. And then that moment of madness happened. I grabbed her, asking her why she wouldn't realise how much I loved her but she still wouldn't answer. All she would say is that I was hurting her. But didn't she realise how much she was hurting me? Was physical pain all that mattered? Didn't she know that I was hurting, that I was bleeding from the inside because of her? Because of my love for her?
And then darkness engulfed me. I was in rage, a madness taking over me as I lost count of everything-I forgot what was right and wrong, what was love and lust and my consicence died. All I saw was this girl, this brat who wouldn't understand my feelings, this arrogant female who wouldn't realise my love for her and if she didn't, then she needed to be taught a lesson. And then all I remember is pitch black darkness. A darkness from which I could never return.
I runied her life. Forever. In one moment of insanity I changed her forever. Her life, her dreams, her hopes. She will always be afraid of the dark now. Everytime a shadow creeps near her, she will remember that ghastly moment and the pain that it brought her. She will remember me as the face of true and pure evil. For that was what I was. In that moment I was the Devil himself. And all I wanted to do was to show her how much I loved her.
I don't know what action she will take now. But one way or another, I have done something the trauma of which will haunt her for the rest of her life. I don't know if she will go to the police. I hope she doesn't. Not for my sake, but for hers. Because this world will never let her live in peace. To them she will always be a victim of rape. Someone whose purtity had been tarnished. They wouldn't see that it wasn't her fault. All they would see is that she wasn't pure anymore, that her integrity had been touched by another man. And no one would ever want to be with her again. They will treat her like an outcast. Like a parasite in the society when the truth is people like me are the parasites. But our society doesn't understand that. They would forgive rapists if they showed enough remorse but a rape victim would never be considered like a human again. To them she will always be just that- a rape victim.
I wish there was a way I could change all this. I wish I could explain to her how sorry I was. But I can't. For howmuch ever remorse I show, my sin is too big to seek forgiveness. Or to be forgiven. Whatever I do from hereon the truth is that I know what I am from inside. A beast. An Animal. A Devil.
I really wish someone would rid me of this agony, of this pain inside me that is blinding me. Anyhow. Somehow. Just get rid of this pain. Kill me if you have to. Oh God! Someone please kill me and stop this pain. Kill me, please. Kill me for my sins. Kill me for I don't deserve to live. Kill me but just somehow stop this pain.
Or maybe I am dying. Maybe the poison that I had taken is finally running through the veins of my blood and killing me. It will soon be over then. This pain, this agony-it will all soon be over. I will be able to close my eyes and hide from this world forever. I don't know if they will ever come to know about the crime I had committed. But I won't be here to face them if and when they do find out. I am just worried about that beauiful girl. The girl I claimed to have loved. The girl I raped.
**********THE END *************
P.S.-I wrote this article in first person hoping for a better impact. So please don't think I am the rapist here.LOL. I have always considered rape to the biggest crime that a man can ever commit. And through this little piece I wanted to convey the idea that a rapist, how much ever remorse he may seem to show, deserves nothing but death. Or a punishment worse than death.A man who physically exploits a woman is the biggest coward walking this earth. Also I have tried to show how despite all the trauma that the rape victim actually goes through this incident-its somehow she who's often treated as the culpirt in our society. Its a social stigma that till this day remains attached to our society. Any one of us who treats a rape victim n this manner is committing no lesser a crime than the rapist himself. I hope that someday this crime will be wiped off the planet. But it is much more important that we open our minds and realise that a rape victim is no different from the rest of us. She is not a disease that will engulf us. She's a human who has gone through the most traumatic moment that any woman could ever face. And if we shun her away, then we are no different from that rapist. May we see the error of our ways.
I raped a girl today. The girl I loved. I raped her like an animal-tarnishing her body, her self-respect, her independence, her integirty...her life-for my satisfaction. And as I remember those moments, the memory continues to haunt me. I relished it. I enjoyed it. Losing myself in that moment of madness, I enjoyed taking away every bit of integrity that a girl could possible possess. I enjoyed raping a girl. A girl I claimed to love. And I didn't even think twice before committing this sin. I acted like an animal, an animal that had ben released from a cage without any bounds and much more importantly, without any conscience. And I claimed to have loved her.
But I did love her. Her beautiful face shining like an angel, her eyes a mark of eternal beauty in which I could lose myself forever, her glowing skin which could never age. I really did love her. And I told her so. I told her that I loved her and that I would love her forever. But she wouldn't respond. I tried to convince her of my love for her in every way possible but she wouldn't listen. She wouldn't understand. And then that moment of madness happened. I grabbed her, asking her why she wouldn't realise how much I loved her but she still wouldn't answer. All she would say is that I was hurting her. But didn't she realise how much she was hurting me? Was physical pain all that mattered? Didn't she know that I was hurting, that I was bleeding from the inside because of her? Because of my love for her?
And then darkness engulfed me. I was in rage, a madness taking over me as I lost count of everything-I forgot what was right and wrong, what was love and lust and my consicence died. All I saw was this girl, this brat who wouldn't understand my feelings, this arrogant female who wouldn't realise my love for her and if she didn't, then she needed to be taught a lesson. And then all I remember is pitch black darkness. A darkness from which I could never return.
I runied her life. Forever. In one moment of insanity I changed her forever. Her life, her dreams, her hopes. She will always be afraid of the dark now. Everytime a shadow creeps near her, she will remember that ghastly moment and the pain that it brought her. She will remember me as the face of true and pure evil. For that was what I was. In that moment I was the Devil himself. And all I wanted to do was to show her how much I loved her.
I don't know what action she will take now. But one way or another, I have done something the trauma of which will haunt her for the rest of her life. I don't know if she will go to the police. I hope she doesn't. Not for my sake, but for hers. Because this world will never let her live in peace. To them she will always be a victim of rape. Someone whose purtity had been tarnished. They wouldn't see that it wasn't her fault. All they would see is that she wasn't pure anymore, that her integrity had been touched by another man. And no one would ever want to be with her again. They will treat her like an outcast. Like a parasite in the society when the truth is people like me are the parasites. But our society doesn't understand that. They would forgive rapists if they showed enough remorse but a rape victim would never be considered like a human again. To them she will always be just that- a rape victim.
I wish there was a way I could change all this. I wish I could explain to her how sorry I was. But I can't. For howmuch ever remorse I show, my sin is too big to seek forgiveness. Or to be forgiven. Whatever I do from hereon the truth is that I know what I am from inside. A beast. An Animal. A Devil.
I really wish someone would rid me of this agony, of this pain inside me that is blinding me. Anyhow. Somehow. Just get rid of this pain. Kill me if you have to. Oh God! Someone please kill me and stop this pain. Kill me, please. Kill me for my sins. Kill me for I don't deserve to live. Kill me but just somehow stop this pain.
Or maybe I am dying. Maybe the poison that I had taken is finally running through the veins of my blood and killing me. It will soon be over then. This pain, this agony-it will all soon be over. I will be able to close my eyes and hide from this world forever. I don't know if they will ever come to know about the crime I had committed. But I won't be here to face them if and when they do find out. I am just worried about that beauiful girl. The girl I claimed to have loved. The girl I raped.
**********THE END *************
P.S.-I wrote this article in first person hoping for a better impact. So please don't think I am the rapist here.LOL. I have always considered rape to the biggest crime that a man can ever commit. And through this little piece I wanted to convey the idea that a rapist, how much ever remorse he may seem to show, deserves nothing but death. Or a punishment worse than death.A man who physically exploits a woman is the biggest coward walking this earth. Also I have tried to show how despite all the trauma that the rape victim actually goes through this incident-its somehow she who's often treated as the culpirt in our society. Its a social stigma that till this day remains attached to our society. Any one of us who treats a rape victim n this manner is committing no lesser a crime than the rapist himself. I hope that someday this crime will be wiped off the planet. But it is much more important that we open our minds and realise that a rape victim is no different from the rest of us. She is not a disease that will engulf us. She's a human who has gone through the most traumatic moment that any woman could ever face. And if we shun her away, then we are no different from that rapist. May we see the error of our ways.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Requiem For A Dream
Fantastic movie. And for those who haven't caught it yet, I would recommend you get hold of a dvd now. But this post is not about the movie.
Ever since we were 6, I am sure we all have had dreams of what we want to be in our respective lives. Initially, when young and without any idea about how this world works, we all wanted to be cricketers or movie stars. We saw Sachin Tendulkar slash Wasim Akram beyond point for four and we all knew that this is what we wanted to do. And when we saw Ajay Devgan make an entry standing on two motorbikes, we though 'how cool are these movie stars.' But as time went on and we grew up, we slowly started realising that not all these dreams can be fulfilled. Not everyone can be a Sachin Tendulkar or a Shahrukh Khan, how much ever we may want it to happen.
So slowly and gradually, we grew out of the 'I want to be a cricketer or movie star' phase. It was replaced by dreams which adhered to our particular interests and talents. Some wanted to be chartered accountants, some engineers, some doctors and some writers. Noone wanted to slash Wasim Akram beyond point any more. We were happy letting Sachin do it for us.
Yet somehow our dreams remain unfulfilled. How many of us are actually following what our heart wants to do?? I would guess it to be about 30 percent of us and I am being very optimistic here. Because despite growing up and finally realising what we wanted to do with our lives,there was one more realisation that was waiting to hit us like a ton of bricks. We realised that the world doesn't work the way we want it to. That it's a dog eat dog world out there and only the fittest survive. People who can think and make rational deceisions rather than act on their whims and fancies are the one's who are the safest. 'Choose a safe career and make a decent living' has become the motto with which we are going to spend the rest of our lives with. And that motto is right ofcorse.
We have all heard about the Shahrukh Khan's, the Ram Gopal Varma's and the Irfan Pathan's. People who choose to chase their dream rather than succumb to the pressures of having a decent living and triumphed. They inspired us all and yet there remains a story untold here. For every Shahrukh Khan, there are thousands of unknown actors walking on the streets and knocking on the door of every producer in the hope that they too will one day get their big break. Unfortunately for them, that break never comes. So they either pack their bags and leave or they spend the rest of their lives sleeping on a footpath hoping that the people thay have aspired to be, the movie stars, don't run over them with their fancy cars. They might be as talented as the King Khan himself or even more, yet they are destined to spend their life struggling to survive. A bleak but true picture.
The world though remains interested in only hearing stories about how people struggled against all odds and succeeded and remain oblivious to the stories of failures. Besides, let's face it-the story of how a person ran away from home and came to Mumbai to become an actor but then spend the rest of his life in chowks and chawls, struggling to make enough money to eat two square meals a day somehow doesn't make an interesting read. And that's why they tend to remain largely ignored. But the truth is these stories of failure far more exceed the stories of success.
Everyone dreams of living a fairy tale. But only a privilged few manage to dream larger than life and actually end up living that dream. The rest of us like to 'choose a safe a career and make a decent living.' Becaue the thought of failures haunts us. For if you dare to dream and then that dream never comes true, the price you pay is being branded a failure your entire life. And if you choose not to chase that dream then the price you pay is spending the rest of your life imagining what could have been. It's a choice between being a complete failure and struggling to make ends meet or regretting that you could have achieved so much more but yet able to provide a good living for your family. No wonder then that most of us take the easy way out. Choose a safe career and make a decent living.
Ever since we were 6, I am sure we all have had dreams of what we want to be in our respective lives. Initially, when young and without any idea about how this world works, we all wanted to be cricketers or movie stars. We saw Sachin Tendulkar slash Wasim Akram beyond point for four and we all knew that this is what we wanted to do. And when we saw Ajay Devgan make an entry standing on two motorbikes, we though 'how cool are these movie stars.' But as time went on and we grew up, we slowly started realising that not all these dreams can be fulfilled. Not everyone can be a Sachin Tendulkar or a Shahrukh Khan, how much ever we may want it to happen.
So slowly and gradually, we grew out of the 'I want to be a cricketer or movie star' phase. It was replaced by dreams which adhered to our particular interests and talents. Some wanted to be chartered accountants, some engineers, some doctors and some writers. Noone wanted to slash Wasim Akram beyond point any more. We were happy letting Sachin do it for us.
Yet somehow our dreams remain unfulfilled. How many of us are actually following what our heart wants to do?? I would guess it to be about 30 percent of us and I am being very optimistic here. Because despite growing up and finally realising what we wanted to do with our lives,there was one more realisation that was waiting to hit us like a ton of bricks. We realised that the world doesn't work the way we want it to. That it's a dog eat dog world out there and only the fittest survive. People who can think and make rational deceisions rather than act on their whims and fancies are the one's who are the safest. 'Choose a safe career and make a decent living' has become the motto with which we are going to spend the rest of our lives with. And that motto is right ofcorse.
We have all heard about the Shahrukh Khan's, the Ram Gopal Varma's and the Irfan Pathan's. People who choose to chase their dream rather than succumb to the pressures of having a decent living and triumphed. They inspired us all and yet there remains a story untold here. For every Shahrukh Khan, there are thousands of unknown actors walking on the streets and knocking on the door of every producer in the hope that they too will one day get their big break. Unfortunately for them, that break never comes. So they either pack their bags and leave or they spend the rest of their lives sleeping on a footpath hoping that the people thay have aspired to be, the movie stars, don't run over them with their fancy cars. They might be as talented as the King Khan himself or even more, yet they are destined to spend their life struggling to survive. A bleak but true picture.
The world though remains interested in only hearing stories about how people struggled against all odds and succeeded and remain oblivious to the stories of failures. Besides, let's face it-the story of how a person ran away from home and came to Mumbai to become an actor but then spend the rest of his life in chowks and chawls, struggling to make enough money to eat two square meals a day somehow doesn't make an interesting read. And that's why they tend to remain largely ignored. But the truth is these stories of failure far more exceed the stories of success.
Everyone dreams of living a fairy tale. But only a privilged few manage to dream larger than life and actually end up living that dream. The rest of us like to 'choose a safe a career and make a decent living.' Becaue the thought of failures haunts us. For if you dare to dream and then that dream never comes true, the price you pay is being branded a failure your entire life. And if you choose not to chase that dream then the price you pay is spending the rest of your life imagining what could have been. It's a choice between being a complete failure and struggling to make ends meet or regretting that you could have achieved so much more but yet able to provide a good living for your family. No wonder then that most of us take the easy way out. Choose a safe career and make a decent living.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Pre-Marital Sex!!
Being a male college student, sex is a topic that often comes up for discussion when we friends get together. And pre-marital sex is one of the raging debates among today's youth in India. Unlike the western world, we haven't embraced this phenomenon completely, yet there's no doubt that it exists and exists very strongly especially in the upper echeleons of our society. And whenever I have been part of such a discussion, me views on it have been very clear.
We all know that God doesn't like the idea of a man and a woman making love before they have been tied in holy matrimony. No religion, atleast to my knowledge-whether it be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism promotes pre marital sex. And yet it exists. So without a doubt the moral lines in our society have been crossed long ago. And that's why pre-marital sex is no more about how strongly you believe in God but rather do you see it as right or wrong from a personal point of view. Pre-marital sex no more begs the question of hell or heaven but whether you believe that marriage is a strong enough bond worth waiting for before you get intimate with the person you love.
I for one have always maintained my stand on it. I do not beleive in pre-marital sex. I beleive that if you really are in love with a person, then you can wait till you marry that person. For marriage to me is not just a piece of paper with the Government of India stamp on it. It means much more than that. When you say 'I do' or 'kabool hai' or tie a 'mangalsutr' around a woman's neck, it means that the two of you belong together, that you are a whole together and incomplete without the other and that you love and trust that person enough to spend the rest of your life with her/him. It's the only relationship in the world where the person you are about to enter into a relation with is someone whom you didn't know before and yet now you trust that person enough to spend the rest of your life with and make him/her the most important person in your life. And if anyone believes in this bond so strongly then there's no reason why sex should be such an important part of the relationship before marriage. Love is much more than sex. I think we all understand that.
Yet somehow the responses I have got from some of my friends for this statement has varied from 'your poor girlfriend' to 'dude-its just sex' and 'sex is not such a big deal.' But then it is. Sex is a huge deal whether you agree or not. It's not just about physical satisfaction or an orgasm. Sex without love just makes us animals! And love without marriage? Yup, animals again!!
But then again-as I have said in this post before, we have crossed the moral lines long ago. So I have never been against people who believe there's nothing wrong with pre-marital sex. One of my best friends often says that if you are in love, then sex is the automatic next step. He says that having sex cements the relationship, that you are committing everything to that person and to that relationship. That when a person gives himself up physically, whether it be man or woman, then there's no bigger sign of love.
And he was right. When a man or woman do decide to get into the sexual side of a relationship, then perhaps, there could be no bigger sign of love and trust. Especially when a womand decides to sleep with a man, it means she trusts him completely for sex is still something that most women hold sacred.
When this argument came up, I must say I was a bit flummoxed. There was no way I could disagree with him. Everything he said was exactly what I believed in and yet he was actually counter-arguing my case. If anything it made for a great debate and made me realise that it really is your personal view that can give a completely different spin on this topic. Pre-marital sex can be justified and at the same time proven wrong using the same arguments.
You can believe in the concept of pre marital sex or you can believe it is a cardinal sin created by today's immoral society but what you can't deny is that you can no longer judge a person based on his beliefs in this phenomenon. A person can whole heartedly choose what he wants to do without thinking whether his deceision makes him out to be a bad or an immoral person. Because it doesn't. Pre marital sex has become such a common phenomenon today that you can't blame the youth for believing there's nothing wrong with it. Whether a man chooses to sleep with a woman before marriage, its entirely his deceision and in no way makes him a 'loose character' that our society brands such people to be.Pre-marital sex no longer is a yardstick that you can use to judge people's character on. And if you do, then you are a hypocrite.
I ofcorse still believe that pre-marital sex is wrong. But then it's my deceision entirely and everyone is entitled to have their own opinions. And sex is a big deal!!
We all know that God doesn't like the idea of a man and a woman making love before they have been tied in holy matrimony. No religion, atleast to my knowledge-whether it be Christianity, Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism promotes pre marital sex. And yet it exists. So without a doubt the moral lines in our society have been crossed long ago. And that's why pre-marital sex is no more about how strongly you believe in God but rather do you see it as right or wrong from a personal point of view. Pre-marital sex no more begs the question of hell or heaven but whether you believe that marriage is a strong enough bond worth waiting for before you get intimate with the person you love.
I for one have always maintained my stand on it. I do not beleive in pre-marital sex. I beleive that if you really are in love with a person, then you can wait till you marry that person. For marriage to me is not just a piece of paper with the Government of India stamp on it. It means much more than that. When you say 'I do' or 'kabool hai' or tie a 'mangalsutr' around a woman's neck, it means that the two of you belong together, that you are a whole together and incomplete without the other and that you love and trust that person enough to spend the rest of your life with her/him. It's the only relationship in the world where the person you are about to enter into a relation with is someone whom you didn't know before and yet now you trust that person enough to spend the rest of your life with and make him/her the most important person in your life. And if anyone believes in this bond so strongly then there's no reason why sex should be such an important part of the relationship before marriage. Love is much more than sex. I think we all understand that.
Yet somehow the responses I have got from some of my friends for this statement has varied from 'your poor girlfriend' to 'dude-its just sex' and 'sex is not such a big deal.' But then it is. Sex is a huge deal whether you agree or not. It's not just about physical satisfaction or an orgasm. Sex without love just makes us animals! And love without marriage? Yup, animals again!!
But then again-as I have said in this post before, we have crossed the moral lines long ago. So I have never been against people who believe there's nothing wrong with pre-marital sex. One of my best friends often says that if you are in love, then sex is the automatic next step. He says that having sex cements the relationship, that you are committing everything to that person and to that relationship. That when a person gives himself up physically, whether it be man or woman, then there's no bigger sign of love.
And he was right. When a man or woman do decide to get into the sexual side of a relationship, then perhaps, there could be no bigger sign of love and trust. Especially when a womand decides to sleep with a man, it means she trusts him completely for sex is still something that most women hold sacred.
When this argument came up, I must say I was a bit flummoxed. There was no way I could disagree with him. Everything he said was exactly what I believed in and yet he was actually counter-arguing my case. If anything it made for a great debate and made me realise that it really is your personal view that can give a completely different spin on this topic. Pre-marital sex can be justified and at the same time proven wrong using the same arguments.
You can believe in the concept of pre marital sex or you can believe it is a cardinal sin created by today's immoral society but what you can't deny is that you can no longer judge a person based on his beliefs in this phenomenon. A person can whole heartedly choose what he wants to do without thinking whether his deceision makes him out to be a bad or an immoral person. Because it doesn't. Pre marital sex has become such a common phenomenon today that you can't blame the youth for believing there's nothing wrong with it. Whether a man chooses to sleep with a woman before marriage, its entirely his deceision and in no way makes him a 'loose character' that our society brands such people to be.Pre-marital sex no longer is a yardstick that you can use to judge people's character on. And if you do, then you are a hypocrite.
I ofcorse still believe that pre-marital sex is wrong. But then it's my deceision entirely and everyone is entitled to have their own opinions. And sex is a big deal!!
An Insight Into College Administration!!!
It must be fun to be in an administrative position in college. You get to sit in posh offices, can move in an out whenever you wish to, you are called Sir by everyone below you and well, you basically hold the strings of the 4000 students studying in your institute. Well, it’s not exactly your institute, but you have been given the power to do whatever you want to for the supposed good of the 4000 students to whom the institute is actually supposed to belong to. So you ban motor bikes and other vehicles to make the campus environmental friendly and a “safer place,” introduce cycles as a replacement, though how on earth 1000 cycles traveling on the same road is supposed to be safe is beyond me, but well-you are the authority and if you think it’s safe, then it is safe.
You also get to ban camera cell phones on campus so as to prevent the infamous mms scandals. And of course, in all this you also are allowed to forget that the students studying in the institute are no more 15 year old’s but above 18, who by the constitution of India have been given the right to choose to lead their lives the way they want to as long as it is legal. Yet somehow, even though I am now 20 years of age, I still feel like I am being treated like a 15 year old.
Why? You may ask. As all of you are well aware now, cell phones have been banned from our campus. Now this is a very intriguing rule. Just to clarify, this has got nothing to do with rule of cell phones not being allowed in class rooms, that’s a completely understandable and logical rule but the camera phone tingles my nerves. Reason for that is because our classrooms were raided today for cell phones. EnC n EnE departments were the unlucky branches as their cell phones were confiscated. That of course had to end in commotion. According to the statistics presented by the authorities, the number of cell phones confiscated were a staggering 200. Think that’s a record in our beloved MIT.
What is oblivious to me is why are camera phones banned on campus? The response given by one of the teachers was that the camera phones are ‘misused’ by the students, especially against female teachers. Now I don’t know whether any student is actually pathetic enough to indulge in such a behavior, but even if there are, should all of us be punished for the crime of a few? And since the “crime” was committed against female teachers, shouldn’t the rule of not allowing cell phones in class suffice? For where else do we meet our teachers? Yet somehow the college sees fit that this reason is enough to ban cell phones from campus entirely. The simple truth is there are pathetic people with no conscience and no shame every where. An MMS scandal is possible as much on a college campus as in an office but does that mean that you ban them? And imagine if such a thing does happen. Where camera phones are banned from all colleges, schools and offices. Honestly-if this rule was indeed enforced, you can be darn sure that our dear old Nokia, Sony Ericcson and Samsung wouldn't be happy. But I guess they wouldn't be in a position to complain because they would be bankrupt by then and also no one would dare to think about technical advancements in the field of electronics in the fear that a bunch of guys sitting in an ac room might ban them.
Nevertheless, as soon as the classes were over, the poor students rushed to their head of department’s office hoping to reason with him. The ENC staff room chamber must have been the most crowded ever as throngs of students waited outside the Head of Department’s chamber hoping against hope that their cell phones would be returned. There were the usual bystanders as well, who had just come to see what the commotion was all about. Commotion can be enjoyable as long as you are not a part of it. Nevertheless, after what seemed like an endless wait, the Class Representative’s finally came out of the HOD chambers saying the cell phones would be returned only after paying a fine of 500 rupees and the camera phones would not be returned till the parents of the respective students came to collect. This immediately resulted in cat calls, boos, frantic discussions of what to do next and what not.
The students with camera phones were the one’s who most looked stressed for obvious reasons. Talks of going to the joint director and director cropped up as well as of burning MIT to ground, which unfortunately no one listened to. Our residential NRI’s were even more worried, how on earth were they going to get their parents to come to India to collect a cell phone. Of course, when you are the authority you don’t have to listen to all that. It’s not for you to worry that the parents stay outside India and in order to collect a cell phone they have to pay twenty thousand rupees air fare, which might be “slightly inconvenient for them.” Hell, it’s the parent’s fault that they can afford to pay for such an expensive phone and decided to gift it to their son on his birthday. And if they can pay for such a phone, then they can definitely pay for the air fare. This was clearly amplified when a bunch of students decided to approach a teacher for help. One of the students tried to make the point that his parents stay outside India and it’s highly inconvenient for them to come all the way to Manipal just to collect a cell phone. The professor, without even listening further, shouted at the student saying, “I don’t care if your parents are in Hell.” These, my friends, were his exact words. And this professor happens to be one of the senior most in our college. Yet, as he too forms a part of the administration, I suppose he will get away with saying that he didn’t care if some one’s parents were in hell. Because when you are the authority, you probably think Nokia should be banned from introducing the N-series for they are corrupting the youth.
The thing I really want to know is when we will actually get to act like adults and stop being told what to do and what not to do. From the age of 3 this same trend has continued. Today, most of us are above 18. Yet it’s the authorities who decide everything for us. We are the one’s who pay their wages and for what? For being treated like 5 year olds? The student council in this college is a joke which is just there because there’s supposed to be one. It holds absolutely no power what so ever. Almost every suggestion that the students actually think is beneficial to them is thumbed down by the authorities for they are supposed to know what’s good and bad for us.
Two of the EnC classes complained against one of its teacher’s asking for a replacement but in both cases the HOD made the excuse that there’s no alternative. And that my friend is seriously an honest answer. For you really don’t have an alternative. Either you accept the rules of the administration, however blatalant they may seem or the authority punishes you. For the simple fact is friends; that the authority doesn’t care if your parents are in hell.
You also get to ban camera cell phones on campus so as to prevent the infamous mms scandals. And of course, in all this you also are allowed to forget that the students studying in the institute are no more 15 year old’s but above 18, who by the constitution of India have been given the right to choose to lead their lives the way they want to as long as it is legal. Yet somehow, even though I am now 20 years of age, I still feel like I am being treated like a 15 year old.
Why? You may ask. As all of you are well aware now, cell phones have been banned from our campus. Now this is a very intriguing rule. Just to clarify, this has got nothing to do with rule of cell phones not being allowed in class rooms, that’s a completely understandable and logical rule but the camera phone tingles my nerves. Reason for that is because our classrooms were raided today for cell phones. EnC n EnE departments were the unlucky branches as their cell phones were confiscated. That of course had to end in commotion. According to the statistics presented by the authorities, the number of cell phones confiscated were a staggering 200. Think that’s a record in our beloved MIT.
What is oblivious to me is why are camera phones banned on campus? The response given by one of the teachers was that the camera phones are ‘misused’ by the students, especially against female teachers. Now I don’t know whether any student is actually pathetic enough to indulge in such a behavior, but even if there are, should all of us be punished for the crime of a few? And since the “crime” was committed against female teachers, shouldn’t the rule of not allowing cell phones in class suffice? For where else do we meet our teachers? Yet somehow the college sees fit that this reason is enough to ban cell phones from campus entirely. The simple truth is there are pathetic people with no conscience and no shame every where. An MMS scandal is possible as much on a college campus as in an office but does that mean that you ban them? And imagine if such a thing does happen. Where camera phones are banned from all colleges, schools and offices. Honestly-if this rule was indeed enforced, you can be darn sure that our dear old Nokia, Sony Ericcson and Samsung wouldn't be happy. But I guess they wouldn't be in a position to complain because they would be bankrupt by then and also no one would dare to think about technical advancements in the field of electronics in the fear that a bunch of guys sitting in an ac room might ban them.
Nevertheless, as soon as the classes were over, the poor students rushed to their head of department’s office hoping to reason with him. The ENC staff room chamber must have been the most crowded ever as throngs of students waited outside the Head of Department’s chamber hoping against hope that their cell phones would be returned. There were the usual bystanders as well, who had just come to see what the commotion was all about. Commotion can be enjoyable as long as you are not a part of it. Nevertheless, after what seemed like an endless wait, the Class Representative’s finally came out of the HOD chambers saying the cell phones would be returned only after paying a fine of 500 rupees and the camera phones would not be returned till the parents of the respective students came to collect. This immediately resulted in cat calls, boos, frantic discussions of what to do next and what not.
The students with camera phones were the one’s who most looked stressed for obvious reasons. Talks of going to the joint director and director cropped up as well as of burning MIT to ground, which unfortunately no one listened to. Our residential NRI’s were even more worried, how on earth were they going to get their parents to come to India to collect a cell phone. Of course, when you are the authority you don’t have to listen to all that. It’s not for you to worry that the parents stay outside India and in order to collect a cell phone they have to pay twenty thousand rupees air fare, which might be “slightly inconvenient for them.” Hell, it’s the parent’s fault that they can afford to pay for such an expensive phone and decided to gift it to their son on his birthday. And if they can pay for such a phone, then they can definitely pay for the air fare. This was clearly amplified when a bunch of students decided to approach a teacher for help. One of the students tried to make the point that his parents stay outside India and it’s highly inconvenient for them to come all the way to Manipal just to collect a cell phone. The professor, without even listening further, shouted at the student saying, “I don’t care if your parents are in Hell.” These, my friends, were his exact words. And this professor happens to be one of the senior most in our college. Yet, as he too forms a part of the administration, I suppose he will get away with saying that he didn’t care if some one’s parents were in hell. Because when you are the authority, you probably think Nokia should be banned from introducing the N-series for they are corrupting the youth.
The thing I really want to know is when we will actually get to act like adults and stop being told what to do and what not to do. From the age of 3 this same trend has continued. Today, most of us are above 18. Yet it’s the authorities who decide everything for us. We are the one’s who pay their wages and for what? For being treated like 5 year olds? The student council in this college is a joke which is just there because there’s supposed to be one. It holds absolutely no power what so ever. Almost every suggestion that the students actually think is beneficial to them is thumbed down by the authorities for they are supposed to know what’s good and bad for us.
Two of the EnC classes complained against one of its teacher’s asking for a replacement but in both cases the HOD made the excuse that there’s no alternative. And that my friend is seriously an honest answer. For you really don’t have an alternative. Either you accept the rules of the administration, however blatalant they may seem or the authority punishes you. For the simple fact is friends; that the authority doesn’t care if your parents are in hell.
And So I Begin
So i too have decided to join the long list of bloggers that are already circualting over the net and giving an insight into their thoughts. I'll be the first to admit though that I have made quite a late entry into this world. The though of starting my own blog has been playing in my head for quite sometime now. Infact I first thought of starting a blog almost 2 years ago and yet somehow it's taken me all this while to finally get down to it. Quite a few reasons for that.
I have been complimented on my writing skills quite often by my teachers, friends and at times strangers who somehow managed to get a copy of the short stories that I had written in my own personal time. I had taken up writing as a hobby in 8th grade(I used to speak broken english then, beleive it or not) and through the years have constantly tried to improve on my writing skills. Yet somehow being the lazy boy that I am, I wouldn't pick up a pen unless I was really inspired to. As time went on, that inspiration came less and less frequently. It wasn't as if I stopped writing completely. I wrote but they were some innocous ramblings during lectures for which I could care less. And the moment the class was over, I would drop my pen, pick up my books and head straight out and the piece of writing that I had just started would never be completed. Unless ofcorse I was really keen to complete it for then I would continue the piece in the next day's lecture. I was too lazy to go for my college's editorial board selection though my friends told me I would have been a shoo-in. Just goes onto show how lazy I can be .
Short stories, novels, articles on politics, social stigma, movie reviews, my thoughs on a particular day-I have written them all and yet there's no official record of them. That's why I have finally decided to enter the blog world. Where my thoughts will be saved and read by those who are interested in wasting their time going through the ramblings in my head.LOL
I will try to update the blog as frequently as possible yet I must add that I won't be writing for the sake of writing. Also, being an engineering student(especially an electronics and communication student) has its own time constraints. My topics will vary from the harmless to the inspiring to downright insinuating. Once in a while I hope to prick a hornet's nest as well(which writer doesn't). And in all this I hope that you'll find something interesting to read and perhaps later have a discussion with your friends and me.
And with that ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to my blog.
Welcome to Farid's world!!
I have been complimented on my writing skills quite often by my teachers, friends and at times strangers who somehow managed to get a copy of the short stories that I had written in my own personal time. I had taken up writing as a hobby in 8th grade(I used to speak broken english then, beleive it or not) and through the years have constantly tried to improve on my writing skills. Yet somehow being the lazy boy that I am, I wouldn't pick up a pen unless I was really inspired to. As time went on, that inspiration came less and less frequently. It wasn't as if I stopped writing completely. I wrote but they were some innocous ramblings during lectures for which I could care less. And the moment the class was over, I would drop my pen, pick up my books and head straight out and the piece of writing that I had just started would never be completed. Unless ofcorse I was really keen to complete it for then I would continue the piece in the next day's lecture. I was too lazy to go for my college's editorial board selection though my friends told me I would have been a shoo-in. Just goes onto show how lazy I can be .
Short stories, novels, articles on politics, social stigma, movie reviews, my thoughs on a particular day-I have written them all and yet there's no official record of them. That's why I have finally decided to enter the blog world. Where my thoughts will be saved and read by those who are interested in wasting their time going through the ramblings in my head.LOL
I will try to update the blog as frequently as possible yet I must add that I won't be writing for the sake of writing. Also, being an engineering student(especially an electronics and communication student) has its own time constraints. My topics will vary from the harmless to the inspiring to downright insinuating. Once in a while I hope to prick a hornet's nest as well(which writer doesn't). And in all this I hope that you'll find something interesting to read and perhaps later have a discussion with your friends and me.
And with that ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to my blog.
Welcome to Farid's world!!
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