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Spaced outNovember 19 Mis- speltIm a little bemused by the sudden on rush of names that nowdays are spelt with the most unnerving variations , with extra vowels or consonants hammered on forcibly by self styled numerologists laughing all the way to the bank .So we are encouraged to spell Kavya with an extra k...kkavya , spell shivin as Shuivin and other permutations that stretch credibility to extreme limits .
Im amazed at the questions that pour in looking for quick fixes to solving life problems by twisting their names beyond recognition .I guess that when things go bad , logic and reason take a back seat to finding succour , but personally , I feel that my name is sacrosant . Good or bad , 2 ks or 3 ks , its stood by me all my life .I mean , its my longest lasting associate after my parents . Am I going to mutilate it just because somebody suggests its the root cause of my miseries?
I fully believe that there are positive energies generated by the right combination of factors , be it Feng Shui , Vaastu , Sound chants . However ,there has to be a receiver and a transmitter of energies. If your inner space is tuned into receive , then there are enough positive energies in the universe that are beneficial, unaided by machinations of vowels or consonants .You can rearrange letters , furniture ,doors , windows ,plants , but if your inner space remains clouded , then all these remedies will remain merely temporary fixes. October 22 The identity raceA phenomena that leaves me with an increasing sense of unease is the upsurge of identity establishment that has suddenly assumed epidemic proportions . With the advent of globalisation , we are suddenly splintering into multiple divisive identities seek expression using very violent means . This trend seems to be gaining ground throughout India. Is unclear whether the politicisation of these identities is the cause or the effect of a trend .But you see increasingly , the regional identies , such as Maharashtrians or the Kashmiris and religious identities such as the Hindus suddenly resorting to culturally extrinsic means to demand reestablishment of their identities .
Have we so lost our sense of humanity that these regional and religious identities have assumed paramount importance over basic human value systems.? Why are we threatened by the anonymity of globalisation ? Have religions and culture failed in their attempt to promote the unity of diversity and insteaed succeded only in drawing up barriers to integration?Are we doubting our identity as humans that we have to cling on to regional identities to give us a false sense of security ?
Amartya Sen , in his book , the argumentative Indian has touched on this as to how trouble arises when we are not able to reconcile our multiple identities and we cling to just one identity to give us a sense of self .
Today I am an Indian , a woman ,a wife , a mother , an employer a Hindu and a human. If I want to identify only being a mother then my identity as a wife , a citizen , an employer must suffer .We all have to walk this tightrope of balancing multiple identities . The easiest way of doing that is reaching out and embracing universal humane principles that reach far beyond divisive barriers . October 20 reentry into space(S)Im making a reentry into spaces after a considerable gap .After channeling my creative urges in home design and decor , I seem to have exhausted my finite supply .Having come to the end of the 2yr old marathon of renovation , my creative juices seem to have dried up .Therefore I have remained absent from spaces not even visting any sites . For that , I apologise for having retreated into my private space without a thought for all the friends madeon spaces .
Hope that everyones life has been running smooth , and good wishes for one and all .
The general atmosphere of economic gloom has been compouded by getting a full length mirror in my dresser .The realisation of the full extent of damage done to the lower half of my body by happy bingeing on goodies has hit with full force .I forsee a long and painful battle of the bulge ahead , which will not be helped any by the approach of the festive season .Sigh!
However , all is not lost , India seem to be in sniffing distance of victory in Mohali , the stock market seems to be inching upwards manfully ,Jet employees are reinstated ,(thought long term bankruptcy with total employee retrenchment is a distinct possibility),the Nano has a new home , so that it can churn out more cars to clog the roads , Britain has announced its commitment to cutting emissions.So lets look at silverlinings and heres wishing everyone a wonderful diwali .
April 17 24HOUR NEWS CHANNELS -THE NEW EVIL SCROUGEAND THE BREAKING NEWS COMING IN NOW IS............
News channels pounce eagerly on the latest news item with a grim ,macabre kind of hunger ,you get the sense that the newscaster is licking her chops as she announces that this channel will be tracking this breaking news through the day ,thinly veiling her underlying joy at the prospect of a developing story that will provide at least 6 hours of content .
I have come to realise that the term idiot box is a very kindly description for the unadulterated drivel that we are subjected to in the name of television programmes .Both my children steadfastly refuse to watch television , I was regarded as very crass because I refused to give up my cable connection .Gradually ,I too, have given up on my select favourite channels ,but news was always an attraction for me . There is some hunger for information that has to be satisfied in me .However ,the 24 hour news channels that I initially welcomed with delight are now grating on my nerves .In the past few months ,we are subjected to endless torture such as the details of Aishwariyas mangal dosh ,her Lehnga designs ,repeatedly bombarded by the information that Prince has been fed with glucose biscuits and water , peoples domestic spats , how the world cup is impacted by which players astrological combination, Anna Nicole Smiths drug problems and other information that Id be happy to be in ignorance of .Then you have to have everyones take on the story ,from the dhobhi to the expert criminal psychologist . You have dozens of camera happy ,publicity starved folk ,wriggling into the camera filled with the self importance of airing their views on National Television .
Barring a couple of channels ,the other bit players display an appaling lack of senstivity and imagination when it comes to thrusting their microphones into victims faces and getting their bytes .aapko kaisa lag raha hai is one such question that makes me want to scream .You have the winner of some uninspired competition ,clearly overcome by his own brilliance ,yelling wildly ,tears streaming down his face ,and the reporter comes out with ,Bataiye hamare darshakon ko ,aapko kaisa lag raha hai . What do you think hes feeling ,woman ,deep depression ?A few enthusiastics greenhorns actually asked this of victims of tragedies before better sense prevailed and somebody sensitised them to "questions you DO NOT ask tragedy victims "
And adding insult to the injury is the fierce competition to be the first channel to break the news .Lest you forget ,every channel is sure to inform you of this very vital fact before and after the story is run for the millionth time ."If you remember ,this channel was the first to break this story " What that qualifies you as ,besides being the local busybody and snoop ,I dont know .Nothing to be particularly overjoyed about ,in my book .
sabse tez,anyone ?
April 13 Blood ,blood everywhere .Im a semi hibernatory creature in winter ,given a choice ,Ill just curl up in a miserable shivering heap ,and huddle in the comforting warmth of a "razai".My exercise programmes are put on hold ,all morning activities come to a halt as I fight a losing battle to haul my ageing body out of the warmth of my bed and face the chilling prospects of a non centrally heated house in Delhi winters .
Come spring time ,and my metabolism gets cranked up . Somewhere in my biorythmic clock ,an alarm rings in late februaru March. One fine day I awake and ,hey ,what do you know ,I suddenly want to fling back the bedclothes and spring out of bed ,no excuses .
Unfortunately ,Im seemingly not the only species to operate like this . Along with me ,the mosquitoes also appear to make a comeback with the same reknewed vigour I feel .
It sems to be their mission to see that my brains dont get addled by the idiot box ,so whenever I settle down in front of the T.V. hoping for a rare uninterrupted evening with the remote in my control,they announce their intentions .There is a mini swarm that hovers aver my head in time to the .latin nos . belted out by the American Idol contestants .My beleifs in Buddhist principles of non violence are severely strained as I take wild swipes at the pesky intruders .I valiantly remind myself that they have a right to their existence ,but the argument seems weak and unconvincing to my ears .I still try to wave them away as opposed to swatting the life oput of them as I am dearly tempted to do ,but the evil thing is too full of my blood to fly away evading my flailing hand .It just lies there ,replete and engorged with my carefully built up Hemoglobin,and ,SMACK,my fingers have brushed over its bulging contours.I watch horrified as I see a trail of Blood ,(all mine ,I might add righteously) ooze out over my leg .
This dance of Horror is repeated all night ,All outs ,etc notwithstanding .Im kind of setting records as to how many thousand bites I can endure before I lose my cool .In themorning I wake up bleary eyed and see that the sheets are smeared with blood ,mute witness to pitched battles of the night .I stagger into the bathroom and stare aghast at my arms that resemble some polka dotted aliens limbs .Every possible inch is covered with reddened pinpricks ,and I marvel that Im alive to tell the tale. I resolve that non violence be damned ,Its back to the good old HIT . Comes the evening and I spray with vicious intent ,transformed into the bloodthirsty goddess that destroys evil .Result ....... a good nights sleep that puts me in a good enough mood to post my blog entry .
December 21 So that Justice may PrevailYesterday ,Manu Sharma was sentenced life imprisionment for the seemingly senseless crime of shooting a young girl who refused to serve him a drink .The curtain came down one one of the most soulstirring series of events of this decade .The arrogance of the act had disturbed me intensely at the time the crime took place .There was high drama as witness after witness suddenly backtracked in court , their recall of events and conscience buckling under the immense pressure of dirty tactics and filthy lucre .One could just watch with a sense of impotence ,resigned to the inevitibility of the rich and the powerful bending the path of justice to meet their ends .
I an earlier article ,I had written that ,to me ,it seemed against the law of the universe that such a young and vibrant life be snuffed out for seemingly such a trivial ,senseless purpose .Jessica lall died so that a society was shaken out of its apathetic slumber finally outraged at the ease with which morality could be subverted in our country . A generation steeped in self gratification had not even noticed when its conscience had become comatose .The acquital of Manu Sharma six months ago was that high voltage shock that resusticated the nations decaying value systems .
I remember the sense of ourage and impotence as Manu was acquitted ,and I could almost despair at the thought of what Jessicas family would be feeling .
But this was a despair that a nation felt collectively ,and for once ,led by a responsible media , a movement started ,an awareness that the sytem could not change from the outside ,we had to BE the change . For starters ,it was time to voice the dissatisfaction at a system that is unjust and apathetic .We had to beleive that every spark of conscience mattered ,shaping the consciousness of a slumbering nation .People poured in their messages of support ,their gestures of affirmation ,bolstering up a sister ,almost giving up her fight against overwhelming odds.Strangers united across the country fighting for justice for someone they never knew or met .But they knew that if her killer walked free ,he would have murdered more than a beautiful young girl ,he would have murdered democratic principles of justice on which this country rests .
So Jessica Lall sacrificed her life so that a nation could shake itself out of the morass of corruption and apathy it had sunk into .Where society was obsessed more with the individual good than collective justice.It took 7 long years for Jessica Lall to get justice, but along with that came the awakening of a generation's consciousness.
December 17 A Toast to all friendsLong after the lights have dimmed ,
the wrappers torn ,the fires on sim
the party has wound down,space is waste
but the memories remain ,delicious aftertaste
your smile still lingers ,brushing my thoughts
the warmth of your soul lights up my heart
the gifts are discarded ,their welcome has frayed
but the love with which they were chosen has stayed .
trinkets and possesions ,gifts galore
come and go ,they fulfill you no more ,
but the cheer and warmth that friendship can bring ,
carries you through days that you are crying within .
Your wishes protect me from my own fears
The love you bestow will soak up up my tears .
My heart overflows with gratitude today
Words are inadequatefor what I wish to say .
Silently I raise a toast to friends and family
who have touched my heart in the thronging melee.
their affection and love has stood by my side .
My pillar of strength in travels far and wide .
.
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