I have been living in the southern part of India for god knows how many years. I was born in Delhi but totally grown up here but it surprises me that even after 15 years of living here, I am still not the south Indian. Here, are the reasons why I feel so:
1. I still cannot pronounce Dosa clearly.
2. Idlis are still a snack. They are usually not eaten for breakfast. Stomachs are not filled till a roti is eaten.:(
3. Hyderabad is not pronounced as Hyderabad. Its Hai-dera-bad!
4. I still find it funny when someone's name is Muthulakshmi or Muthuswami.
5. For a change of taste in food, we walk into a tiffin centre and eat !
6. I still use sentences like in your telugus or "according to our tradition".
7. I always require a translator while watching a telugu movie and cannot identify half the actors and actresses.
8. Telugu as a language is more like a tongue twister to me!
9. I cannot sing a song from the start to the end in telugu or any other south Indian language. Maybe, I could but I get the jitters if I have to sing.
10. Certain materials and designs are too pochampally or just too pattu for our family.
Well, its absolutely sad that I still have not adapted to the city I have been living in for past 15 years but there are certain things quite hyderabadi about me. My hindi, my cravings for biryani and yes, I keep forgetting whats bindi. I usually say bottu. Yes, I ain't the ideal Hyderabadi too. For that, Dilli bahut dur hain!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Monday, November 20, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
If I was ever asked to point out what is it I hate about India is the apathetic attitude of people towards animals. As I sit writing this post, a feamle stray dog wails loudly that shatters my ears. It pains me so much to hear her. I can hardly sleep. I want the noises to go away but they refuse to leave me. They grow louder on me and my heart pains. The clock shows me its past midnight and I got nowhere to go. Who do I call? Who shall help me? Is there any 24 hours helpline for animals?Its so ironic. In a country where various gods are associated with animals, so many animals die because there is no proper medical facility available for them or proper shelters. I witness so many animals being subjected to cruelties. Its not only the stray animals but also the pets. They are tied without any food or water. So, many calves are not allowed to drink their mother's milk because the same milk is used for us. Some cows are given those injections for a long time to produce milk. Have you seen donkeys with their two legs tied? Its painful for the donkeys. I sign off now as the wails get louder aching me to write further.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Power of Lies!
I was just flipping through one of my old books. This is not any book but a lucky one for me. I have written so many of my speeches in this book for various debates of mine and won in all of them. Also, grabbed the best debater award for them. I know, but I cannot be modest always. So, there I was flipping through this treasure trove of my own words. (Gees! Someone stop me!). As I was going through, I realised in each and every debate I took part and spoke, I never meant what I was speaking. For example, this debate which was held by ISC. The topic presented to me was "The present education sysytem of education will turn students into mechanical people." I was actually against the motion and spoke for like hours. In my heart I knew I was supporting the topic.
So, I am still wondering. What did I gain from ranting stuff I did not believe in? The trophy which I won as the best speaker and was proudly displayed to everyone is a reminder of my own hypocrisy. Were not debates a platform? Were they not to teach me? Were they not to give me an experience that would help me in future? At the end, I think I learnt my lesson. I learnt to speak in front of disinterested students and dull judges. I learnt how to be greedy for some trophies and prizes. I learnt NOTHING. These so called extra curricular activities and competitions to me now are nothing but ways to churn greedy and snobs.
I have always hated those students I met at these competitions whose bank of certificates was just too big. Just the smirk on their face. It was disgusting. As if they were above and we were frugal elements. Seen the faces of those from big schools who have the reputation of winning ceratin competitions. They walk like princes and princeses. Where is the Equality? Greedy because everyone wants the cash honey. Just the other day, my friend who won a short story writing competition tells me. " Aksha, I just hope its cash in its true form and not some book or coupons." Well, during the conversation, it seeemed like a joke but here is the bitter truth. Honestly, the so-called extra curricular activities are not really promoting competitive spirit or promoting art or helping students to overcome their stage fears or creating a confidence in them. It is only a way of creating snobby kids who end up becoming teachers pets and rule the school when they become prefects in higher classes because of their so-called "edge and confidence". It hurts me because I was part of this mean machine. :(
So, I am still wondering. What did I gain from ranting stuff I did not believe in? The trophy which I won as the best speaker and was proudly displayed to everyone is a reminder of my own hypocrisy. Were not debates a platform? Were they not to teach me? Were they not to give me an experience that would help me in future? At the end, I think I learnt my lesson. I learnt to speak in front of disinterested students and dull judges. I learnt how to be greedy for some trophies and prizes. I learnt NOTHING. These so called extra curricular activities and competitions to me now are nothing but ways to churn greedy and snobs.
I have always hated those students I met at these competitions whose bank of certificates was just too big. Just the smirk on their face. It was disgusting. As if they were above and we were frugal elements. Seen the faces of those from big schools who have the reputation of winning ceratin competitions. They walk like princes and princeses. Where is the Equality? Greedy because everyone wants the cash honey. Just the other day, my friend who won a short story writing competition tells me. " Aksha, I just hope its cash in its true form and not some book or coupons." Well, during the conversation, it seeemed like a joke but here is the bitter truth. Honestly, the so-called extra curricular activities are not really promoting competitive spirit or promoting art or helping students to overcome their stage fears or creating a confidence in them. It is only a way of creating snobby kids who end up becoming teachers pets and rule the school when they become prefects in higher classes because of their so-called "edge and confidence". It hurts me because I was part of this mean machine. :(
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
I never knew what enjoying little moments in life meant. I never knew what smiling at something so simple meant. I never knew what can make someone' s day. I did in a certain way but a stray pup tuught me that today. Looking at a stray dog trying to climb the sidewalk so that he could sleep next to his mum made me laugh and forget everything. The pup was white and his ears, the cockiest! The pup's constant tail wagging and constant struggle made me forget everything . I was not irritated anymore about not being able to find an auto or a sponsor for my coll fest. I was rejuvenated. So, cheers to the lil pup! Cheers to all the senti crap I got as forwards reminding me this. Ah yes, the pup somehow got to sleep next to his mother. :)
Friday, November 10, 2006
My Watchman Baalraj
If you live in my apartments, then you surely wake up listening to one of the residents shouting, Baalraju or Baalraaj or like my mum Balraj (The punju effect). This does not happen only in morning but goes through the day. So, why am I writing about Baalraj? Well, I do not know but in a certain way, I think he is a hero. Atleast, for his family. I have seen him working non-stop so that his wife and three kids get the best that he can give in hi capacity. So, if in the morning, he is picking huge granite slabs. Then, at night, he is ironing clothes with that heavy coal iron. He sends his kids to an english medium school and I have never seen him drunk or ill-treat his wife. I have never even seen him angry. He is always got this silly grin on his face. Ever ready to take up work of any sort, I think men like my watchman are the key to India's growth.
I have seen so many maids we had hired earlier, suffering because of their husbands. These men would take all the money earned by them and spending on dirty alcohol. They would ill-treat their wives and not send their kids for even basic education. One of my maids actually fought hard with her husband and would come home to work with bruises. Why? She wanted her children to atleast be able to read numbers on buses because she could not read them herself. I think people like Baalraj are key to India' success because obviously they are providing education to their children. Above that, they are proving to be good role models for their children. Children take to their parents and act like them. So, for kids whose father drinks and abuses their wives, they think it is normal to do so and grow up to be exactly like them. A vicious circle of sorts is created. Here, Baalraj is creating a conducive and clean environment for his children to grow up. Being illiterate himself, he is providing the right values to his kids which sometimes even literate parents fail to provide to their kids. He is hard working, does not drink, a beleiver in good education, caring and affectionate to his kids. What more qualities do we want instilled in our future citizens?
I have seen so many maids we had hired earlier, suffering because of their husbands. These men would take all the money earned by them and spending on dirty alcohol. They would ill-treat their wives and not send their kids for even basic education. One of my maids actually fought hard with her husband and would come home to work with bruises. Why? She wanted her children to atleast be able to read numbers on buses because she could not read them herself. I think people like Baalraj are key to India' success because obviously they are providing education to their children. Above that, they are proving to be good role models for their children. Children take to their parents and act like them. So, for kids whose father drinks and abuses their wives, they think it is normal to do so and grow up to be exactly like them. A vicious circle of sorts is created. Here, Baalraj is creating a conducive and clean environment for his children to grow up. Being illiterate himself, he is providing the right values to his kids which sometimes even literate parents fail to provide to their kids. He is hard working, does not drink, a beleiver in good education, caring and affectionate to his kids. What more qualities do we want instilled in our future citizens?
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Who deserves the Capital Punishment??
Well, leave Afzal aside. Forget about Santosh Singh. The person who really needs to be sent to gallows is Ekta Kapoor. My nights are reduced
to watching sobbing women on my television screens than enjoying quality time with my family. One friend of mine is not served food after 8:30 because her mum needs to watch her favourite protagonist cry and marry all the guys on the show or atleast fall in love with them. So many husbands across India are compared to various characters by their wives. Does not matter whether the men potraying these characters are married or not, loyal or disloyal. Husbands need to be like Mihir Virani or Rishabh Bajaj- caring, loving and sensitive. Men are also looking for Tulsis and Prerna's, the symbols of the Indian woman. Gone are days of Ram-Sita jodis. The new age couple should be like Tulsi-Mihir. No one wants Shravan to be their son. They want a Karan as their son. Even, Maneka, Rambha and Srupanakha are substituted with Komolika, Jigyaasa and Mandira. Omigod! Where are these mythological characters?
The reasons why I want her to be hung is obviously the regressive and extreme manners in which she potrays the Indian woman. She is not the helpless, sobbing and sacrificing lady. A feminist like me is hurt in the manner in which these women take decisons and never speak out. Mujhe bees saal ka vanvaas lena padhega. Barring few scenes in which she slaps or walks in an office, there is nothing progressive about her. In the end, the show is named only after the main character. There is actually nothing praise worthy about the protagonist. Secondly, in an era where sitting around the table and eating dinner with family has become a luxury, these serials entice the women and even men to watch TV without the rest of family members. The family meal concept according to a recent survey shows helps the children to grow up to be ideal citizens. A survey shows that in UK, only 64% teenagers eat at night with family compared to Italy's 98%. Mind you, UK has the highest number of teenage criminals and teenage pregnancy. This survey has been directly linked to the above facts. Its funny, programmes that show about the whole family set-up are responsible for the growing distance between the mother, father and their children. Have you ever experienced a power cut anytime between 8 and 11 in the night? I have and the impatience with my mother is quite visible. Its not the heat or darkness that bothers her but missing the vamps next evil plan bothers her! Thirdly, I would want to see her hung is because the kind of fashion sense instilled by her in everyone who watches the show. Those horrible bindis, disgusting make-up and atrocious colour schemes can make any person vomit! Lastly, she is responsible for many toddlers not learning the alphabet properly. Some tweens believe that K is the only letter and some think it ends there. So much pressure on little minds. Psst. Also, last heard, other letters were planning to commit suicide because of all the attention grabbed by letter K!
My Lord, I rest my arguement. Did I say, I have missed so many episodes of FRIENDS thanks to Kasamh se? She definitely needs to be hung!
to watching sobbing women on my television screens than enjoying quality time with my family. One friend of mine is not served food after 8:30 because her mum needs to watch her favourite protagonist cry and marry all the guys on the show or atleast fall in love with them. So many husbands across India are compared to various characters by their wives. Does not matter whether the men potraying these characters are married or not, loyal or disloyal. Husbands need to be like Mihir Virani or Rishabh Bajaj- caring, loving and sensitive. Men are also looking for Tulsis and Prerna's, the symbols of the Indian woman. Gone are days of Ram-Sita jodis. The new age couple should be like Tulsi-Mihir. No one wants Shravan to be their son. They want a Karan as their son. Even, Maneka, Rambha and Srupanakha are substituted with Komolika, Jigyaasa and Mandira. Omigod! Where are these mythological characters?
The reasons why I want her to be hung is obviously the regressive and extreme manners in which she potrays the Indian woman. She is not the helpless, sobbing and sacrificing lady. A feminist like me is hurt in the manner in which these women take decisons and never speak out. Mujhe bees saal ka vanvaas lena padhega. Barring few scenes in which she slaps or walks in an office, there is nothing progressive about her. In the end, the show is named only after the main character. There is actually nothing praise worthy about the protagonist. Secondly, in an era where sitting around the table and eating dinner with family has become a luxury, these serials entice the women and even men to watch TV without the rest of family members. The family meal concept according to a recent survey shows helps the children to grow up to be ideal citizens. A survey shows that in UK, only 64% teenagers eat at night with family compared to Italy's 98%. Mind you, UK has the highest number of teenage criminals and teenage pregnancy. This survey has been directly linked to the above facts. Its funny, programmes that show about the whole family set-up are responsible for the growing distance between the mother, father and their children. Have you ever experienced a power cut anytime between 8 and 11 in the night? I have and the impatience with my mother is quite visible. Its not the heat or darkness that bothers her but missing the vamps next evil plan bothers her! Thirdly, I would want to see her hung is because the kind of fashion sense instilled by her in everyone who watches the show. Those horrible bindis, disgusting make-up and atrocious colour schemes can make any person vomit! Lastly, she is responsible for many toddlers not learning the alphabet properly. Some tweens believe that K is the only letter and some think it ends there. So much pressure on little minds. Psst. Also, last heard, other letters were planning to commit suicide because of all the attention grabbed by letter K!
My Lord, I rest my arguement. Did I say, I have missed so many episodes of FRIENDS thanks to Kasamh se? She definitely needs to be hung!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Nothing Ram about this Ram
Anyways, its been 24 hrs to this news and the shock still has not sunken. Mr. Ram Jethmalani, has decided to defend Manu Sharma. Watching the news my head was spinning about because his one decision has a cascading effect.
The question that arises here is who is Ram Jethmalani? Ram Jethmalani is one of the oldest and respected lawyers of this country. He has been in this profession for over six decades. He has also been a member of Parliament. So, what is the big deal in him taking up the case?
Firstly, the feel good factor and the faith restored in the judiciary system which was created by the verdict against Santosh Singh, seems to be fading. Secondly, it is just sending all the wrong signals to people around the country. At the end of it all, it testifies law is all about power and money. No matter how much hype has been created in a case and high is the culpability of the person, big lawyers will take up and defend murderers. Murderers will roam around scot free and rich brat kids shall escape. The power which people believed they had through online petitions, candle-night vigils and other tools to protest seem unfruitful and sheer waste. Thirdly, what about the students who look up to this man and read all his cases as their bible? Mr. Ram Jethmalani serves as an example to various budding lawyers. His popularity as a lawyer is unsurpassed. He actually appeared on a televison show called Siddhanth, a show on the story of a lawyer. The protagonist was shown to be a big fan of Mr. Ram Jethmalani.
Mr. Ram Jethmalani has taken up various cases which have been very unpopular. For example, he defended Harshad Mehta and also the killer of former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. This time, the circumstances are quite different. The Jessica Lall case has been a model case. In this case, there is more than what meets the eye. A minister's son murders in front of so many people and is acquitted. The police obviously mishandled the case because of the big connection of the convict. Witnesses in the case had turned hostile. This case does not question the convict only but the entire system. Obvioulsy, Mr. Ram Jethmalani when defending Manu Sharma would not be defending Manu Sharma but the entire system. He would be defending faulty police officials. He would be defending the rich kid sons attitudes and actually assuring them, "Yes, you can get away with anything in life because of power." He wold be defending a judicial system which cannot even protect the interests of its citizens and provide the basic constitutional remedies available. Yes, we heard Mr. Ram Jethmalani saying my profession has its rules and I am bound by them. Sir, what about the rules of humanity and your binding towards them? It only makes me as a citizen feels helpless. I never believed in the courts but the Matto verdict gave me hope. A hope that if I knock on doors for justice, I shall get it. Even if I do not, there is hope given to me by the media. So many petitions were signed and SMS's were sent in the Jessica Lall case. It made all those posessing power think twice before any action of theirs. Mr. Ram Jethmalani's decison washes all of this and crumbles efforts of so many to dust .
The question that arises here is who is Ram Jethmalani? Ram Jethmalani is one of the oldest and respected lawyers of this country. He has been in this profession for over six decades. He has also been a member of Parliament. So, what is the big deal in him taking up the case?
Firstly, the feel good factor and the faith restored in the judiciary system which was created by the verdict against Santosh Singh, seems to be fading. Secondly, it is just sending all the wrong signals to people around the country. At the end of it all, it testifies law is all about power and money. No matter how much hype has been created in a case and high is the culpability of the person, big lawyers will take up and defend murderers. Murderers will roam around scot free and rich brat kids shall escape. The power which people believed they had through online petitions, candle-night vigils and other tools to protest seem unfruitful and sheer waste. Thirdly, what about the students who look up to this man and read all his cases as their bible? Mr. Ram Jethmalani serves as an example to various budding lawyers. His popularity as a lawyer is unsurpassed. He actually appeared on a televison show called Siddhanth, a show on the story of a lawyer. The protagonist was shown to be a big fan of Mr. Ram Jethmalani.
Mr. Ram Jethmalani has taken up various cases which have been very unpopular. For example, he defended Harshad Mehta and also the killer of former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. This time, the circumstances are quite different. The Jessica Lall case has been a model case. In this case, there is more than what meets the eye. A minister's son murders in front of so many people and is acquitted. The police obviously mishandled the case because of the big connection of the convict. Witnesses in the case had turned hostile. This case does not question the convict only but the entire system. Obvioulsy, Mr. Ram Jethmalani when defending Manu Sharma would not be defending Manu Sharma but the entire system. He would be defending faulty police officials. He would be defending the rich kid sons attitudes and actually assuring them, "Yes, you can get away with anything in life because of power." He wold be defending a judicial system which cannot even protect the interests of its citizens and provide the basic constitutional remedies available. Yes, we heard Mr. Ram Jethmalani saying my profession has its rules and I am bound by them. Sir, what about the rules of humanity and your binding towards them? It only makes me as a citizen feels helpless. I never believed in the courts but the Matto verdict gave me hope. A hope that if I knock on doors for justice, I shall get it. Even if I do not, there is hope given to me by the media. So many petitions were signed and SMS's were sent in the Jessica Lall case. It made all those posessing power think twice before any action of theirs. Mr. Ram Jethmalani's decison washes all of this and crumbles efforts of so many to dust .
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Because it rained!
There was traffic all over the place and the vehicles around me moved at a snails pace
I reached back home two hours late
But it did not matter to me
Why?
Because it rained!
I could hardly see anything as my spectacles were covered with drops of water which made me bump into people
I looked like a zombie walking around and I was drenched to skin
But it did not matter to me
Why?
Because it rained!
My house is covered with paw marks
My dog is going berserk on my favourite bedspread and dirtying it
But it does not matter to me
Why?
Because it rained!
I am going berserk and what I have written is all crap
My brains are all washed away
But it does not matter to me
Because it rained!
Life has come to a halt and trees look like they are crying with happiness
I am enjoying my cup of coffee
I am loving it
Why?
Because it rained!
I reached back home two hours late
But it did not matter to me
Why?
Because it rained!
I could hardly see anything as my spectacles were covered with drops of water which made me bump into people
I looked like a zombie walking around and I was drenched to skin
But it did not matter to me
Why?
Because it rained!
My house is covered with paw marks
My dog is going berserk on my favourite bedspread and dirtying it
But it does not matter to me
Why?
Because it rained!
I am going berserk and what I have written is all crap
My brains are all washed away
But it does not matter to me
Because it rained!
Life has come to a halt and trees look like they are crying with happiness
I am enjoying my cup of coffee
I am loving it
Why?
Because it rained!
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