Quirks Of Sanity

:)

2010-04-01T13:56:00.003+04:00

So....heres some good news.....I managed to get through the screening test of the Medical Council Of India. :D And now, after having proved that I am indeed worthy of being given a license to practice here,I have 2 months to myself. 2 whole months to spend as I deem fit. :D Funny how I cant think of writing anything rite now,cause while studying for the test,all these wonderful ideas would take shape inside my head....of blog posts waiting to be written and thoughts impatient to be shared! And now that I have the time to put pen to paper (not literally but u get the idea, rite!),theres nothing!
Ah well,might as well say that I have truly missed blogging these past 6 months and have especially missed Wandas wonderful posts.....so heres looking forward to interacting more with people from around the world and hoping those darn ideas find their way back into my head! Soon!

Of Guns....N Roses.......N the Spirit Of Mumbai

2009-12-02T11:08:00.013+03:00

26th Nov 2008 dawned like any other day....we woke up late,had a hasty breakfast and literally dashed to class barely making it in time for the hospital rounds to start.......I dont remember what I wore to class that day,nor what I had for breakfast nor,for that matter what it was we did in class....what I do remember is it was a friends birthday and after class we went out looking for a gift......needless to say I dont remember what it was we bought..............the evening saw us looking at a wonderful birthday party complete with music,good food and lots of fun......again the flavour of the cake and the items on the menu escape my memory.........but theres one thing I distinctly remember about that night............I remember the moment when we learnt about the terror strikes on Mumbai........I remember it as clear as day.....as if it were playing before my eyes even as I write this.................M,S and S were sitting on the sofa in S's room, B was on the computer and I was standing midway between the TV and B.......S was swiftly surfing the channels,at unbelievable speed when she stopped at BBC........"Mumbai under siege" the headlines screamed........"Indiscriminate firings at CST".........."Another bomb explosion at the Taj"........it took a full minute for the news to sink in, and when it did,we realised the horror of it all.......it left us numb........shocked........scared...........and then a realisation dawned..........our parents,siblings,people we love go there to work.........in the very area which was under attack.......how were they?had they reached home?what exactly was happening?They were not anywhere near CST,were they?.........it was a mad dash to the telephone..........the 15mins it took for my call to get through were perhaps the longest of my life........everyone was fine,they told me...."Dont worry"......S was also relieved that all were safe at home, "Dont worry", they told her. I must confess we felt a bit better........we were soon back to BBC and I felt like I was suspended in space and time had stood still.............hundreds of people were dying a violent,senseless death.....people who were loved,who were needed by those who loved them......those who they loved,a husband,a wife,a child,a father,a mother,a brother,a sister........someone who had unfulfilled dreams and hopes and aspirations and failures and anguish and sorrows and joys ,like you and me....who felt the same feelings as you and me.....who perhaps loved with abandon,laughed freely,gave willingly.......who was perhaps a wonderful son who had come to Mumbai in search of a better future....whose frail old parents perhaps waited for him with eager enthusiasm............... a prodigal daughter returning home after a wonderful performance at some exam.......all mercilessly crushed because some idiot in some corner of the world thought "Next on my terror list is Mumbai. Terrorize the people. Ruin the city".............for what? That was the only question that kept running through my mind the next 2 days........it seemed like such a large waste........such a sad waste......and all for what?

After the attacks,Mumbai saw a sudden surge in the number of vigilant citizen groups across the city....they mushroomed overnight and sprung into action.......candlelight vigils.......marches for peace....."we will not give in so easily"........"we will not let terror win"......"we want answers"......they demanded more transparency from the government...........more credibility..........more responsibility.........However, people were back to work the very next day........the trains were just as crowded.......CST was packed.........as if nothing had changed.......and yet something had...........

The world was watching and lauding the "spirit of Mumbai". What spirit? Has anyone ever looked beyond the huge metropolis that is Mumbai and tried to see what it takes to survive here? How you have to fight from the moment you step out of your house till the moment you reach your workplace/school/college? Fight to board a bus, fight to first get into- and then stay inside- a local train that arrives packed beyond capacity.......there are thousands waiting to jump at any opportunity of a job offered to them........labour markets spring up at almost every station in the mornings......people just waiting endlessly, waiting for someone to come up to them and offer them a days job......something to see them through one more day in this monstrous city........this city of dreams........how can anyone afford to stop for a terror attack? Not possible.......it pulls at my heartstrings when I read about the "spirit of mumbai"......it is helplessness that drives this so called "spirit".............how can anyone be foolish enought to think that people are not scared for their lives after a terror attack? How can anyone be naive enough to believe that we all go to work to "show the terrorists that they have not won"? How is that possible? Is the country really that stupid? Or is it that we are now being taken for granted? "Ah! Mumbai na,its ok re....they'll bounce right back....they always do".........What else can explain the fact that our beloved PM Manmohan Singh was enjoying the hospitality of the white house on the 1st anniversary of the terror strikes? Or the fact that our president, Pratibha Patil literally touched the skies in a Sukhoi? Were they trying to mock us? Or was it pure indifference?

We are told to check under our seats when we board a bus........look out for suspicious items in the luggage racks of the trains and this is not just Mumbai's story,its the same in almost every metropolis of the world today...........the other day my sister asked me " Is this normal? We live with the fact that we might be attacked at anytime,and we all seem to be okay with it. Is it normal?".....What was I supposed to say?..................Living with terror and accepting it as a part of ones life never was and never will be normal.......be it the USA, Britain, Russia, India, Afghanistan or any other country on the face of this earth..............no person deserves to die at the hands of a terrorist......... Or live in fear of one!

Pics courtesy : http://www.sodahead.com/technology/what-kind-of-flowers-do-you-like/question-363363/?link=ibaf

http://kreate.wordpress.com/2008/12/26/a-month-after-2611-mumbai-attacks/

http://www.thechetan.com/2008/11/2611-mumbai-terrorists-attacks-in-pictures/

http://www.travelguidemumbai.com/files/Mumbai_734475831.jpg

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/mumbai-metro/images/1-mumbai-metro.jpg

http://www.ndtv.com/talkingpictures/NEWS/India_remembers_2611/new1.jpg

http://www.tibetanyouthcongress.org/images/homage-to-the-victims-of-mumbai-attack.jpg

Heya everyone!

2009-09-29T11:36:00.003+04:00

After a long absence of almost 5 months, I am back! Not with a bang...a thud mebbe, but certainly not a bang! Oh, you wont believe the rollercoaster ride the past 5 months have been,. from the highs of graduating med school to the lows of having to say goodbye to all your friends and the place you come to love, then again the high of returning home to the low of having to live for 3 months in a place that burned as hell itself (due to the scorching heat, nuthin serious!), to the high of studyin to get registered in India, to the low of not making the mark, the high of meeting wonderful people and making some great friends to the absolute, 100feet below the earth low of having to say goodbye to them and sensing that perhaps you might never meet again! Life sucks! BIG TIME!

So here I am, back home, but not as happy as I would want to be! After all not being able to make the registration exam isint a very good feeling. I am now looking at the next 5 months of studying the same stuff and attemptin the xam again! I know I will make it the next time, but it would've been great gettin it done now itself. Neways, cant really help that now, can I? Add to it the fact that I said a very hurried goodbye to two wonderful people I meet at delhi, and I've been feelin down in the dumps! There are so many things going on in my head right now, so many thoughts, so many incidents......but theres a time for everything and today is certainly not the day to write. Its like I would love to write but i simply cant......I am sure what I have written so far doesnt make much sense, but I guess I can be forgiven one post! Looking forward to posting more frequently! Ciao!

I Cant Think Straight.....or can I?

2009-06-20T02:31:00.005+04:00

Leyla and Tala are your regular teenagers with eyes full of dreams, each going out with a 'nice' guy, each trying to break free of the rules and customs set forth by their respective families, each wanting to be independent, each trying to feel happy with their respective choices..... and then they discover each other. Even though it doesnt look like it, you can feel the sparks between them. The friendship that follows is deep, sensitive and unsure. Each tries to pass off her feelings for the other under the guise of friendship. Until one night when the dam of repressed feelings they have built around themselves breaks and love is all there is. If this were any other movie, the story would end here, if this involved any other characters, the story would end here, if the world were perfect , the story would end here, but since its none of these things, the story does not end here. Tala does not have the courage to come out to her parents and embrace the love that has walked into her life. Leyla does. Ofcourse its not easy. And I wonder why?
Why is the world so unforgiving to homosexuals? Why is there so much stigma attached to living like who you really are? Why is it a sin for a woman to love another woman or for a man to feel for another man? What is it we fear about these relationships? How is it that love between a man and a woman is pure while that between two people of the same sex is not? How is it that a man and a woman can hold hands, kiss in public while a same sex couple needs to stay 'in the closet'? How is it that parents support their child when he/she wants to get married to a guy/girl of his/her dreams but pull away when their child comes out to them? Why are we so afraid of accepting those that are a bit different from us? Why do we shun them to a life of humiliation? Why do they have to rally and fight for the rights that are due them as humans? What have they done to deserve our hatered and fear? Is it the fact that they love someone from thir own sex? Is that even a fault? Is our society not plagued by worse things? Rapes? Murders? How can anyone lable love as being impure?
Saying "its a sin" is not enough. Not anymore. We cannot push all the responsibility on religion or God. God does not hate his children. He has made us what we are - dark or fair, short or tall, male or female, straight or homosexual. God does not discriminate between his children, I dont care what anyone claims the Bible or the Gita or the Quran says, all I know is He would NEVER shun his children. Its about time we see these relationships as what they really are, beautiful. Love is not something you can control. It is not something you can limit or chain within the boundries of sex, age or caste. Its a feeling you can feel for anyone and its not fair that some celebrate their bond with the world while others have to hide it. Its not fair that one kind of love is pure while the other kind is labelled a sin. Loving another human being cannot be sinful. It doesnt matter if the one you love is a guy or a girl, what matters is the feeling.
Homosexuals are not different from me or you. They too are humans, they too have feelings, they too cry when they are hurt, they have people they love, people they call family. The only difference is , their families rarely ever do what famillies are supposed to do....support them. Stand with them when the world is against them, hold their hands when they need support, lend them a shoulder when they need to cry. This has to change, this needs to change. We need to teach our children the qualities of equality and tolerance. Just like its important to tolerate each others faith, so also it is important to tolerate each others sexuality. Let us stop behaving like brutes and punishing our fellow human beings, let us be humans again. Let us open our hearts and eyes to those a little different than us. The love they share with their partners is not sin. Let us not degrade their relationship by calling it dirty or bad. Its as pure a feeling as you or me can experience.
As for Leyla and Tala, they do get together ..........you guys should watch I Cant Think Staright. Its one of those few movies that knows how to handle an issue sensitively. This is the first lesbian movie I have watched and I was touched. It has been very well delivered and the chemistry between the lead characters is amazing. I would recommend this movie very highly to those who like quality cinema with good content. In fact, I think this movie should be shown to as many people as possible, maybe after watching this, they will be able to think straight.

Image courtsey Music Hills

'The Tag'

2009-04-16T00:05:00.004+04:00

I am not very good at this (false modesty) and since I am attempting a tag reply for the 1st time (well, technically the 3rd time, but the first 2 don't really count as I didn't write anything SIGNIFICANT) I would request the reader to be kind and less critical towards this post.
So, its been nearly 2 weeks since Mad tagged me and if I dont reply now, well lets just say "never test the temper of a patient man/woman" :) So, without much ado, here goes.....
1) I am humorous
2) I worry about anything and everything under the sun
3) I love dogs and kids (not necessarily in that order)
4) All I have ever wanted to do in life is become a doctor
5) I am not very materialistic
6) I don't worry if my finances run a little low sometimes, I know they'll catch up
7) I love to speak in public, act on stage.
8) I trust God
9) I have complete faith in my parents
10) I give my 100% in all my relationships and expect the same in return
11) I am possessive about my friends
12) I trust easily
13) I am hurt easily
14) I don't express my feelings much, prefer keeping it all in
15) Once I lose faith in someone, its very difficult to rebuild it.
16) I love being loved (who doesn't?)
17) I love being able to help people
18) I love being praised (did u say vanity? don't give me that, everyone loves being praised)
19) I love reading books, if there's one thing in the world I could die doing, its reading!
20) I am a die-hard fan of mushy movies
21) I love love! (did you get that?)
22) I don't believe in giving anyone a second chance especially when it comes to relationships, if you didn't get it right the first time, chances are you'll never get it right
23) I love speaking in English (that's an odd one, is it not?)
24) Its very easy for me to pick up a language but very difficult to understand its grammar (hmmmmmm)
25) I absolutely hate math, I just dont understand it...its not that I havent tried, believe me I have!
26) I have been blessed with the gift of the gab.
27) I am very uncomfortable with the idea that some people might not like me
28) I am very uncomfortable sitting in a room with pople arguing, I can feel the tension very very well!
29) I believe everyone should learn to stand up for himself/herself, after all, its only yourself you have at the end of the day.
30) In my world there are only 2 ways to do things, either perfectly or not at all.
31) There are 2 things in life I regret and would really love to change if given the chance (and I am not going to mention them here :) )
32) I hate shopping, HATE it!
33) I am very proud of my little sister
34) I believe everything happens for a reason
35) I believe everything happens for good
36) I believe things change for the better
37) I believe in humanity
38) I believe in equality.......of gender, of caste, of creed
39) I hate people with an attitude problem
40) I can be very cold towards someone if I decide to
There are many more things I could write here but I guess this should suffice! :)

If.........................

2009-04-03T19:45:00.000+04:00

If the sky were red,
And roses black,
If the trees were purple,
And shadows white,
If the truth was lies,
And lies were the truth,
If sadness perked you up,
And joy got you down,
If you hated love,
And loved hate,
If you ate water,
And drank rice,
If the earth was heaven,
And heaven earth,
If the poor were rich,
And rich poor,
If right was wrong,
And wrong was right,
If mountains were short,
And rivers were still,
If dark was bright,
And light was dark,
If good was bad,
And bad was good,
If water was wine,
And wine was water,
If friends were enemies,
And enemies were friends,
If crowd was loneliness,
And loneliness was a crowd,
If you needed company to get away,
And had to get away to be in company,
If you thought with your heart,
And your brain pumped blood,
If dogs meowed,
And cats barked,
If music was noise,
And all noise was music,
If books were movies,
And movies were books.........
.........................................
If I was you,
And you were me,
...........................
...........................
....... Is this where you would want to be?

For Mad..........

2009-04-02T20:24:00.000+04:00

Have you ever had a friend who wishes the best for you always? Who puts you before herself/himself no matter what? Who listens to your rants any time of the day or night? Who never judges no matter what you do? Who is always ready to support you even if you are wrong? Who loses her/his peace of mind if you are disturbed? Who gets angry at people who say bad things about you? Who is ready to take on authority for your sake? Who believes you blindly and will follow you to the end of the world if you ask? Who has unparalleled faith in you? Who never thinks a bad thing about you - not one? Who pushes you to study hard even when, in a way, you will be competing against each other? Who looks after you when you are ill? Who never complains no matter how much you scream at her/him? Who is always ready to listen to anything you have to confess? Who is never shocked by anything you say or do? Who never loses her/his cool with you? Who never points out your mistakes in the presence of others? Who makes sure you never miss home when you are away from it? Who travels 12hrs just to meet you and spend a day with you? Who takes you sightseeing even when she/he is feeling ill? Who shares everything - EVERYTHING- with you? Who you can trust with your life? Who you know will NEVER betray you? Who you can be yourself with? Who weeps when you are sad and laughs out aloud when you are happy? Who can tell exactly what you are thinking even before you say it? Who knows your fears and pet peeves? Who knows your deepest darkest secrets? Who is so child-like and innocent that sometimes it makes you want to cry? Who is so frank and truthful that sometimes you have to tell her/him its not good to tell the truth? Who is so free of double intentions and bad thoughts that just being in her/his company makes you feel pure? Who is nothing less than a blessing in disguise?
I do and I feel blessed! Love you Mau and I know we will be friends for ever! Just wanted to let you know how much you mean to me and how much I appreciate everything you do! :)

The beginning of the end...................

2009-03-14T20:51:00.000+03:00

She looked so tender,
lost in sleep,
she seemed to surrender,
all her secrets deep.

To the welcome relief,
that sleep gave her,
from the unending grief,
that she had had to incur.

She had to do the right thing,
she had to let him go,
she had to part from the one being,
she had come to love so.

She caused him pain,
she very well knew,
and also that she couldnt gain,
back the love she slew.

She had given much thought,
about what had to be done,
she knew AIDS kills,
and the end had begun.

She loved him too much,
to make him suffer like that,
and so his heart she crushed,
and while doing that -
not an eyelid did she bat.

When lonliness tormented her,
She begged from sleep,
the solace that was due her,
after the tears she couldnt weep.

She lay there in slumber,
dreaming of good times,
her days had now been numbered,
she was going to leave all this behind.

And then she saw the light,
she looked at it with longing and greed,
she walked to it with all her might,
and selfishly ended this selfless deed.
AS (14-03-09)

The Chameleon

2009-02-18T22:02:00.000+03:00

Ever seen a chameleon? Observed how it changes colour according to its surroundings? When on the bark of a tree, it turns brown; when on grass/leaves it turns green and when on rocks it is greyish-black. Its almost as if the chameleon is eager to please just to fit in! Like its afraid to offend the things it seeks shelter and solace from. It has no loyalties. And its aptly called rang badlu girgit.
We all come across a few chameleons during the course of our lives. Chameleons who belong neither here nor there. Chameleons who will ditch you faster than you say the word "amen" in your hour of need., who will praise you to your face and bitch about you behind your back, who belong to no-one and no-one in turn is theirs. They live life like a gypsy, wandering from one friend to another, one relationship to another, unable - or unwilling - to commit. With no loyalties whatsoever.
What makes them so feeble? So double minded? Is it a weakness of character or is it just fear? Fear of being rejected by their peers, fear of feeling left out, fear of not being accepted? Maybe its their past that is the culprit. Feeling left out on the playground or being made the laughing stock of the school can have disastrous psychological consequences I suppose. Add to that an almost negligible self confidence stemming out of a physical - or psychological - flaw and there you have it - a chameleon in the making!
I am not at all trying to say that all people with physical and/or psychological failings turn into chameleons. Not all. There are some who are at peace with what they do and don't have. These are the ones who are not misfits, who actually have a firm opinion about things, the ones who are not afraid to speak their mind, the ones who accept their faults and are confidant enough to make - and keep- friends.
Chameleons, on the other hand, cannot come to terms with their defects. They refuse to acknowledge their flaws and go on living an existence of lies and deceit. Their self importance assumes humongous levels and they walk with their head in the clouds. They are too pompous and impertinent to believe that someone out there is/can be better/smarter/more learned than them. They drift from one circle to another, agreeing with everyone and still not agreeing with anyone. They have no attachments in life - or at least they believe they don't - and no one ever is ever attached to them. They get treated the way they treat others - use and throw.
All I want to ask is : Who do they think they are fooling? Do they really believe people are going to like them for their fragile, ever changing opinions? Do they really think they are going to be accepted? How can they assume that people they call "friends" are naive enough to not realise how self centered and selfish these chameleons actually are?
It must be difficult living life like a chameleon, alone in a crowd. After all, we all need someone true sometime in our lives.

Caution - Boredom ahead!

2009-02-15T18:35:00.000+03:00

It can strike anyone, anywhere and anytime. It catches people unawares and plunges them into a spiral of sleepiness, irritability and anxiety. It comes unannounced and lasts from a few minutes to agonisingly long hours! What provokes it, you ask? Anything. You might wake up one morning feeling fresh, ready to take on what the day might bring, with high hopes and plans for the coming 24 hrs and BAM! it strikes. There you are then, lying on the sofa semi-conscious or just gazing at the television. Its like all the plans, all the hopes and all the excitement for the day has just dissolved into nothingness and all you are left with is a faint recollection of what might have been.

Something like that happened to me today. Here I was, hoping to study something, clean my room, read the news blah...blah....and then BHAM! i got struck! Suddenly, all the energy got drained outta me and I was left feeling weak in the knees (not out of love for anyone believe me). All I wanted to do was...................NOTHING! And even that didnt help. Inspite of doing nuthin, I was irritable and really crabby! Hopefully, after I post this, I will be in a better state of mind. Sometimes ranting helps! :)

Love Hurts............

2009-02-15T14:24:00.000+03:00

DISCLAIMER: This post has nothing to do with my personal life. Please dont assume anything. This is just something I thought about after watching lots n lots of mushy movies (curse them!)

Love hurts......and how! It is said that the greatest joy in life is to love and be loved! Its true...theres no feeling that will compare to being in love, gazing into your lovers eyes, caressing their hair and cheeks, kissing them just losing yourself in the moment...but is it worth it?

Once its over, u feel like you've been hit by a thousand knives and they have pierced through your heart all the way into your soul! There are no words to describe the pain, hurt and betrayal that you feel once you realise that a small fight can end everything! And a fight over what? Over something you say, when you finally speak up your mind......thats when hell breaks loose!

All I want to say is dont control my life. I love you but I am not your puppet. You cannot tell me what to do and what not to do. I know you are trying to protect me, but dont you get it? Keeping me away from the things that hurt me is not the way to do it. Let me go out into the world and learn for myself, let me grow, let me get hurt and just be there for me when I need you. Just be supportive when I fall and lend me a shoulder when I wanna cry cause thats all I will ever need. Just you being there, without judging me, without asking me to let go of my beliefs.....just loving me and believing in me........not as a protector but as a lover..... as someone I have loved with all my heart and my soul! Someone I have bared my dreams to. Someone I trust.

Please dont misunderstand me.......I need you I really do, but I need you to grow, I need you to let me go out there........into the real world where not everyone cares for me, where not everyone loves me! I need you to let me go out into the world and learn for myself......thats when i'll understand.......and our love will grow stronger!

And at the same time, believe that I will always be here for you, holding you, believing in you, loving you. I dont want to change anything about you, all I ask for is a little understanding.......is that too much to expect?

BRAVEHEART??????????????

2009-02-13T16:10:00.000+03:00

This is a picture of Mr. Pramod Muthalik. The braveheart who dared oppose the "westernisation" of our precious and revered Indian culture. He is the man who heads the Shri Ram Sena. Does this outfit really need any introduction? Any well read individual would be able to state this outfits claim to fame. For the uninitiated, the veer-jawans of the Shri Ram Sena have contributed a lions share in the protection of the culture and sanctity of Indian traditions. They have punished those who dared to cross the lines of decorum and good behaviour set before us by society. They have bashed up women who showed the audacity of going pubbing with members of the opposite sex. Yah yah u read that right..........BASHED UP WOMEN. Sounds masculine enough to me. :)
Finally all of us Indians can heave a sigh of relief. The Shri Ram Sena is here to protect us naive natives from the dangerous, evil and intoxicating "western culture". Does your sister/daughter go out with "boys" to have a cup of coffee? Does she have many male friends? Does she blow away all your hard-earned money on pubs and discs? Never fear while Shri Ram Sena is here. These guys will bash sense into her head. They will kick her and punch her till she remembers her Indian roots. Till she realises that a woman is nothing but a housemaid - all she has to do is the clean the house, cook food for her "pati parmeshwar", give birth to kids and raise them. Till she accepts her inferiority and learns to "respect" her husband and all his decisions.
How dare she, an Indian woman, roam around with a "boy"? How dare she have a cup of coffee with him? How dare she hold hands with him? How dare she........................HOW DARE SHE??????
But, Mr. Muthalik has saved the day by perpetating violence against the uncultured Indian woman of today. He has proved once and for all that violence indeed is the solution to preservation of our tradition. And, like the icing on the cake, he has also declared that all couples found together on V-Day will be promptly married off. Kundalis and muhurats not withstanding. Manglik or no manglik.........if u are found with a guy on V-Day..........subh mangalaaaaa saaaaavadhan! And the same goes for the guys too. :) So if you plan going out this V-Day with your "male/female" friend, dress nicely, preferably in a shaadi ka joda, after all, its not everyday that you get married, and after all the pains that Mr. Muthalik has taken, do you really want to hurt him by getting married in a pair of jeans and tees? I am sure you dont.
Anyways, I know I shall sleep peacefully knowing that the goons, oops i mean good guys, of Mr. Muthalik's gang.....errrrr.........outfit are roaming the streets looking for any girl/woman defying the rich traditions and culture of this great nation that is INDIA. Who says women need equal rights?
Look at the west. What have they gained by treating their women with respect and dignity? Development? A higher standard of living? A stable economy? A LIFE? But who needs all that when we have our cultures and traditions? Not us! Give us our heritage to all the development and stable economies of the world any day. We are Indians. Proud Indians! Bharat Mata Ki Jai!
By the way I just wanna salute the act of sending a pink chaddi to Mr. Muthalik. It was rather gutsy girls! :)

The Late Aamchi Mumbai...........something i wrote a long time back

2009-02-13T16:08:00.000+03:00

What has happened to the Mumbai i once loved? where has the city gone? Where are the days when Mumbai was considered to be one of the safest cities for women? Where have the considerate citizens gone? What is happening to my beloved city?

Murders, molestations, eve teasing, rapes....where has the respect for women gone? Do the men who commit such henious crimes have no mothers? Do they not have a conscience? Is it sufficient to say that mumbai is getting worse by the day? Is it not our responsibility, as children of this city, to do something? Should we not get together to punish, no eliminate, people who commit crimes such as these and tarnish the image of our beloved mumbai? Why is no one saying anything? Where have the NGO's vanished? What are social service organisations doing?

Wake up citizens of this great city before crime and doom take over. Wake up before its too late. Your city needs you.....dont turn your back to it. Run to help. Break every fist that falls upon this city. Burn every stove thats sets the city alight. Destroy every human who tarnishes the city. Let not another man ever disrespect a woman again. Make Mumbai what it was before.......aamchi mumbai.....our beloved city where women could get out of their houses at midnight and have nothing to fear.

This is our mumbai.....our beloved mumbai........and nobody...NOBODY.....can take that away from us.

God

2009-02-13T15:59:00.000+03:00

The other day, a friend of mine remarked " Why are so many bad things happening these days? Wheres God? Why doesnt he do anything?" A valid quetion if you ask me. I mean, should'nt God punish people who do bad things? Should'nt he be preventing bad things from happening to the world he made with so much love? Instead, we see people doing horrible things and walking away scot free. Just like that. Y is that?

Well i guess the answer to that question lies in my friends' question. Why does'nt God do something? The answer is "He does" That's the reason why we still have some sanity left in the world. Thats the reason why, when we need help, theres always a good samaritan around. There are still people who will stand up against wrong, people who will fight for justice and people who will raise their voice against corruption.

Its these people who truly represent God. Fighting for yourself is easy, but fighting for others is a whole different thing. I was watching a movie the other day, and a dialogue struck me as very true. The lead character says, " A strong man stands up for himself, but a stronger man stands up for others". Wondefully put.

So you see, God is doing something. He is putting sense into the heads of a few people- who are open to sense - when theres nothing but chaos around. Take the incident of the multiple bombings in the local trains in Mumbai. People -all kinds and from all strata of society- came forward to help their fellow citizens. The same people who probably had fought for a seat a few hours or a few minutes before, were now lending their mobile fones, money to help others. It is such acts of kindness and selflessness that show God never leaves us.

God is giving courage to people when theres need for someone to speak up. Take the example of Medha Patkar.That woman has been fighting for the people who are about to being displaced with no compensation whatsoever in order to build the dam on the river Narmada. The Narmada Bachao Andolan has given her much grief. Her health has suffered after fasting for days at end. She has been hit by lathis and dragged unceremoniously into police vans (an incident the news channels COVERED many time over). But can you name anything other than God's blessings that she has the kind of courage she does. Her intentions have not wavered and the andolan has not stopped.

God is filling the hearts of millions of people with kindness and generosity. What explains the millions and billions of dollars of flood relief that pours in for the people in need?

God is doing what he has to do, but are we? We need to be more receptive to what God has to say to us. We need to be more humble and accepting of His wishes. We need to keep our minds and hearts open so that he can speak to us and guide us when we need to be guided. If we cannot do these simple things, we have no right to question God when bad things happen. Cause, its we who have gone away from him, he is always there, waiting for us to come back.

Let us take that first step back to Him. Welcome Him back into our lives and see the miracle happen.