Archive for the ‘General/Society’ Category
Health is Wealth
There are times when you have to take a step back and take stock of your life. One such scenario is health issues. As you grow old, you become more susceptible to health hazards. In the mad race towards the goal, the meta-physical, we completely ignore ourselves, the physical.
Working overtime, sleeping late, getting up early and repeat. Sometime, one wonders if it is all worth. One can argue, different people find different means to kill time till death, or else things might go chaotic. Maybe they are right, maybe they aren’t. I feel we should relax and enjoy the life as it is. If we believe in God and even if we don’t. Even if we know “Why we are here?” even if we don’t. One thing is for sure, we have the power not to slog and over work.
Regular workout, regular holidays, regular enjoyment and relaxation are very important. One leaves it for far too late and it often comes to bite. Ask yourself, once in a while, are you happy? Do you sleep well? A sound sleep gives us more answers as to we are going on right track or not.
If you are not sleeping well, time for some change. Time to chillax!
Paris attacks: Spare the citizens
I see a lot of people complaining as to why so much media attention (social media and otherwise) and outrage over Paris attacks whereas attacks in Beirut the day before totally ignored.
They are right to an extent. Yes the attention is more for Paris attacks. But the reason is not just of white supremacy. The reason is the city of Paris itself. Paris, the undisputable romantic capital of the world.
The attention is due to love significance of city of Paris. I agree that other such attacks in less rich countries do deserve the same outrage, which unfortunately is not the case. But should it make the pain of Paris any less?
I was in Mumbai when the city was attacked in 2008. At that time also same argument was put forward. The media attention was because the rich live in Mumbai. No, definitely not. Mumbai is a city of realizing the dreams. Mumbai, the city of Bollywood. The media attention was due to this significance of Mumbai. Everyday hundreds of youngsters travel to Mumbai to make it big in Bollywood. Mumbai for most is a place to fulfill the dreams. And when this dreamland is attacked, the media attention is bound to be more. This does not make attacks on any other part of country or world any less savage. Nor does this make pain of Mumbai or Paris any less.
In today’s day and age, social media has become a potent weapon in hands of common people. Use it to highlight the pain of people across the world due to such brutal attacks. Be it Syria or Beirut or Kabul or Iraq. Make their pain known. But please don’t negate the pain of people of Paris.
I have seen a lot of discussions on aggression role of Govt’s, American, French, and Indian which led to such retaliatory attacks. However some people go overboard and condemn the citizens as well. I urge all of us to avoid this. Expose the Govt. but spare the citizens. Stand by them in the hour of pain. Share the agony and help allay the fears. Govt’s can be wrong but citizens are the ones that change the Govt’s with a finger.
Don’t alienate the citizens. I stand with people of Paris, I stand with people of Mumbai and I stand with people of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and all such places which have lost precious human lives.
Being Civil
Have you ever thought what ‘Being Civil’ really means? Is it confined to eating with forks, talking politely, not break societal rules? Well for me being civil is curbing your true instinct.
Humans house a pre-historic brain. Our subconscious has been developed over thousands of centuries. In effect our brain hosts instincts that are pre-historic, from an uncivilized era. So when we behave as per the rules of civil, we are not letting our instincts act freely. We are taming them into something artificial. Some might call this act as ‘Being Civil’. I call it plain stupidity. Intolerance, for lack of a better word, against our instincts. Who knows I must just return an award against this intolerance. Just kidding!
What civility does is to stop you from beating up a man who misbehaves with your lady. What civility does is to stop you from throwing someone over the cliff when you should have but you let him live and sin some more. What civility does is to say ‘Please’ to someone evil who comes to your door, rather than release the hounds on him. What civility does is to make you feel castrated when it comes to act. Sometimes I wonder how ‘Being uncivil’ would be.
Chaos or Order; Noise or Peace. Sanity or Insane; Feeble or Brave. We cannot be sure enough and can just imagine. But what I know for sure is it would be a far more exciting time. We won’t be curbing our instincts after all.
Congress, Rahul Gandhi and Ramu Kaka Syndrome
I don’t have political leaning as such to any side. I have admired Congress, BJP, and AAP at different times due to their actions and also berated all of them, again for their actions. Also I have don’t have any mumblings about people’s ideology whether it is right, left or center.
At present times, at least among the people I meet, I find number of BJP supporters, AAP supporters. Congress supporters are getting fewer day by day and are therefore hard to find. Still whatever Congress supporter I come across, I always ask this one question.
“It’s okay that you support Congress’s secular ideology. It’s okay that you cheer for the party. But how can you support Rahul Gandhi?” A lot of times I get a smile to this question. I would like to explain why I ask this.
The same question I ask the so called rationalists to justify the rationale behind supporting Rahul Gandhi. Please explain me and I will be indebted to you. For me those who support Rahul Gandhi represent the people who support dynastic politics. People with “Ramu Kaka” mentality. Classic Ramu Kaka from Bollywood films. He will serve the Maalik with utmost loyalty and then serve Maalik’s son. He will call him Chote Huzoor. Now Ramu Kaka is genuine in his devotion towards the family of his Maalik.
I feel Rahul Gandhi sympathizers, suffering from Ramu Kaka syndrome. They are loyal to Nehru family. They will serve Chote Huzoor no matter what. They don’t do it for salary alone; they do it as they have to. They can’t help it.
I know most of the population supported Indira/Rajeev due to the same syndrome. But a lot of time has passed since. India has evolved. Social media has brought hypocrisies of Media and loyalties of Ramu Kaka’s out in the open. People have become smarter now. I am sure in times to come; such Ramu Kaka’s will get less and less in number.
I just have this to say, any self respecting individual can’t be a Ramu Kaka. Maalik and his family will prosper while your son will grow up to become another Ramu Kaka. Spine up, if not for yourself, then at least for your children.
Where has My Protein Gone? Expensive Dal and Cleansing of the Poor
So Dal is being sold @ 220/- per Kg. I have written enough articles lately as to how current Govt. has lost the plot completely. I don’t want to go into that today. Today I want to discuss the health aspect of expensive Dal. Thanks Ravish @ NDTV for bringing it to our attention.
Dal is the main source of protein for most Indians. Most migrant workers (laborers, cycle rickshaw pullers, auto rickshaw drivers, watchmen etc.), depend on road side stalls for daily food. They eat one time a day, heavy meal which costs them 30 bucks. The news report was of Delhi. But I have tried same meal in Mumbai too. It costs the same.
With the Dal price sky rocketing, the amount of Dal is decreasing and amount of water is increasing in the meal. Toor Dal was already away from reach. Now they don’t even use Moong Dal. A Mauth Dal is being used, which is the cheapest available in market and looks like Moong Dal; that too in decreasing quantity. This leaves us with less and less amount of protein in the poor man’s diet.
What is the health aspect of it? Will it not make them weak? Will that weakness not result in less productivity? Will that make India better? I shudder to even think the horror of the empty stomach and weak shells of the poor. What is this if not cleansing of the poor? Just like Congress was accused of eradicating poor and not poverty; current times are equally dreadful.
Next time you see poor laborers, rickshaw drivers, watchmen a bit lean and weak, do offer them a Dal-Rice meal. They need proteins too.
Why it’s good to be selfish
Since childhood we are taught not to be selfish. Selfishness is a moral sin. We should think about others before ourselves. This training begins from such an early age that it gets imbibed into us naturally; to some more the than others.
What we are not taught is that there are cases where it’s okay to act selfish. For instance our happiness supersedes all. If we are happy by being selfish, then so be it. If putting others before us is making us unhappy then it’s of no use.
But it is easier said than done. This gives rise to a moral dilemma. What if we are unhappy either ways? If by being selfish, you are sad for others. And by not being selfish you are not happy for yourself. What to do then? Well my friend, it’s a classic case of being screwed.
Such people have some manufacturing defect and are bound to suffer all through their life. They are the ones who are not able to take finite decisions due to their inner dilemma. They dilly dally to the extent of making their own life and life of people around them miserable.
They feel like everyone around them is making them suffer. What they forget is people around them are just being selfish for their own happiness; something which the miserable beings are not able to do.
Such people are bound for eternal disgruntled life.
Sahitya Akademi: Political slavery of the worst kind
An interesting drama has been unfolding at Sahitya Akademi, a Govt. organization founded in 1954. More than dozen writers have returned Sahitya Akademi awards to protest against the intolerance engulfing the society. Most of these writers accuse the central Govt. of vitiating the atmosphere and fanning communal fires.
From the media reports I gather Kalburgi and Dadri cited as two primary reasons for this sudden move by the awardees. I find it amusing and sad at the same time to see a literary organization going political. But then when was it otherwise?
It’s their right to protest and no one can argue with that. But what I argue with is the hypocrisy.
Not much people would have heard the name of this organization. It’s due to the fact that it has done nothing worthwhile all these years. Their awards always have been under the scanner to be politically backed. Current episode seals that argument.
No one returned awards when there were allegations of corruption and wrongdoings against Akademi. No one returned awards after Sikh riots, Muzaffarpur riots. No one returned the awards when India witnessed most shameful corruption all around. No, they were fine with that. I am not here defending the current Govt. Maybe they are vitiating the atmosphere for all we know.
But to cite this as a reason for such cheap stunts, sounds fishy. My take is most of the awardees have been political. Akademi was criticized by none other than Khushwant Singh for awarding below-par and sub-standard writers. So for people who got awards due to their political alignment to previous Govt’s, it’s time to return the favors. Their action does nothing but malign the current Govt and in my opinion it is politically motivated.
It’s high time these people are not given any audience. If we look back last 60 years, India has achieved nothing much in literary space anyways. All thanks to such people who rose up the ranks and got awarded owing to their political alignments.
What we need is a new breed of writers who can take India to literary heights which we lost out on all these years.
From Digital India to Internet.Org: Why so much skepticism?
With the facebook support for Digital India initiative, the net neutrality debate has come back to the fore. Some saw facebook gaining back door entry for its internet.org. The skeptics who are among fortunate few to access the internet have started badmouthing already.
First of all if facebook indeed is piggybacking its internet.org with Digital India, it’s their prerogative. It was our PM who prodded facebook for support, not the other way round. For a corporate entity answerable to shareholders, not everything can be charity. It’s silly when we want facebook or for that matter google, to provide free wi-fi etc to us in lieu of charity. “Dare not make money out of us”. This is simply not done.
Coming back to internet.org. The people who have luxury of internet (it is indeed a luxury in India), should be the last one to shout against this initiative. It has the might to bring internet to those who don’t have access to it as present. I agree it gives access to a curtailed internet. But for under privileged of our country, how is curtailed internet worse than “No Internet”?
The people, who have money to pay for www, now want to dictate the things for people who don’t have access to www. If you have any issues with neutrality, don’t trample the initiative, provide an alternative instead. It’s fancy to berate a big Corporation. It’s difficult to find a solution.
Let people decide if they choose internet.org. I firmly support that some internet is better than no internet. People against internet.org, keep your hatred aside, you already have access to net, you have nothing to gain or lose.
Love vs Arrange Marriage: What they dare not tell you
I read a few of the posts as to how in India Arrange Marriage is increasingly becoming taboo (against earlier when love marriage was taboo). They cited examples as to how in metros general observation is, “His must have been arranged marriage else he would not have landed such a pretty girl”. Most other posts also give similar examples which show men into negative. As if arranged marriage is something that helps undeserving men “GET” Cinderella’s.
I mean really? Actually all this started with that non-writer who milked IIT’s in his first novel and revel in praise by mediocre people to his mediocre writing. In one of his novel on a similar topic, he had the leading lady explaining to a “non-deserving” guy, as to how lucky he was that he is getting a Cinderella, just coz of arranged marriage. Else he would have got a lame girl on his own (read love marriage).
Now let me give you some not so fancy truth. Love marriage has helped none but the girls, who are able to land up with guys, whom the girls would never have got from arranged marriage. No one dare to cite this fact. Girls end up with a Prince Charming from love marriage. Her father would just have mustered a lame guy in comparison. Come one girls be brave enough to accept this. You don’t have faith in your father and his finances anymore.
Love marriage is a vehicle for girls to get hold of a better guy most of the times. Guys rarely gain anything materialistic from it. So girls when next time you say, “This guy got Cinderella just coz of arranged marriage. He didn’t have spine to get her by himself”. Remember, “You got the Prince Charming just coz of love marriage. Your father didn’t have spine to get him for you”.
Money and Friendship
A close friend of mine always said, “Beware your friends more than your enemies”. His reasoning was, you already know that your enemy will try and harm you, but your friend is the one whom you tend to trust and thus are more vulnerable. You least expect a friend to attack. Thus to be safe you have to be more vigil with people who you trust.
I came across some similar situation. People who call themselves your friend; proclaim it with a drum in hand, are the ones you should throw out of your lives. So I learn’t the hard way. I understand you have to have few people (or at least one), whom you can trust. To find such people amongst your friend group, you have to test them. I am not saying become the old lady from “old lady and the wolf story”, but do test them. Only then you will know if they are for real.
If you help your friend with cash or kind, they will pretend to be loyal to you. But how do you if they are for real? A rule of thumb is if you help your friend with money, you put your friendship at stake. Do it only in life and death situations if you have to, not as a norm. Else you are equally guilty of his/her impending betrayal.
If you have helped your friend with money, decide on a date of repayment with interest. Most of the times, the “friend” can get money from somewhere else, all he/she is looking for is to save on interest. Involve the interest component. This will preempt a lot of betrayals.
Even if you don’t need money, do ask a friend whom you have helped in past to lend you some. This will show the true colors if any. Never be gullible enough to fall prey to the crocodile tears of such people. Else they will hurt where you are most vulnerable, at times when you need their support.
I would suggest never involve money in friendship. Money is such a thing, which ends lives, this is just a friendship. There are a lot of people who will glue themselves to you just for taking advantage. It’s you who have to be careful. Remember, it’s never fun to find out you were being taken for a ride.
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