Another one on Myanmar

Read this article that describes the current situation in Myanmar on Reuters. Though the latest news is that the UN staffs pending visa applications have been approved. I just hope this is not 'too little too late'
For the many who have been suffering, this might be the ray of hope they were expecting! With the government there behaving high-handedly this might be a blessing for the thousands who have suffered and continue to suffer under gruesome conditions.

Visit- http://www.reuters.com/article/featuredCrisis/idUSSP172535 for complete report

Blogs that stormed the channels!

After the small hurricane that rocked the news channels for more than a week, now finally the channels seem to have found something else to mull about. The hurricane was Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bacchan’s blog!

First there was a hue and cry that celebrities write blogs and then the media cried foul that they are targeting a particular professional colleague, in this instance Sharukh Khan! Now I agree that transmitting news 24*7 gets a little boring but that doesn’t mean you keep track of somebody’s blog and cry foul at the smallest instance!

After the big story broke and was making rounds for some time, I decided to check the blogs myself! As it is thanks to Google and media glare the blog was anything but difficult to find! For that particular story that concerned Sharukh I had to rummage through Amithabh’s blog a little but then, when I went through it, it was a huge disappointment! No masala, yet so much hungama! Well, I don’t know how else to describe it!

I mean first of all Amitabh is known for his over chivalry. For gods sake he didn’t even snarl when his name was dragged in Bofors (I am not exactly sure which scam, but I think this is right, if not please excuse!) Yet I expected him to be offensive was an over expectation on my part.

Amitabh on his part just puts down his experiences, his thoughts and his views in HIS blog. Why should the media at large care if while making a statement about a particular matter he happens to refer somebody by name? Lets be honest, if he had mentioned my name instead of Sharukh had that been a news? No! then why care now? Why can’t Sharukh be treated as a normal human being? Just because both of them are famous their names in each other’s blog mean rivalry, jealousy and much more?

Aamir’s blog was a pleasant surprise, as far as I am concerned. I liked the writing and the casual approach. I even found the post very funny and liked his uncanny way of presentation, yet the news channel didn’t seem to find it in the same light!

I have seen people calling their pets by all sorts of names, and I really pity him if his watchman kept the dogs name Sharukh and unwisely became instrumental in triggering this hurricane! On the other hand if this was meant to downsize Sharukh, then by giving it such unnecessary publicity the media made a complete monkey of themselves and in the process created some embarrassing situations for Sharukh. Poor guy was asked to comment on this!

With the IPL happening, I am sure he wouldn’t have time to shave, when do you expect him to peep into someone else’s blog? And why did I bother to write about it after so long! I saw a news article asking people/celebrities opinions on this matter today! Rwanda genocide too must have not enjoyed such widespread discussions ever!

My blog gets a fresh look

Finally was able to change the template of my blog! Had been thinking about it for a week, messed up the process yesterday and finally today …. It was a grand success!

I had wanted to move away from the usual stuff for some time now but as usual had no inkling on going about it! Then while surfing I stumbled upon this site that gave off free design templates. My joy knew no bounds :P As it is for me to design my own template would take another life if not more…so I will have to manage with such external support till maybe they come up with an idea where they do the coding part and I just place the components… somewhat like a blog. Otherwise where else would I have been voicing my opinions!

For now I am happy with the new look and grateful to sites like Finalsense whose foresight has come in handy for the zestful like me (now u realize how happy I am with the change, I actually wrote a whole post!)

I hope the internet bigwigs take my idea seriously and discover a way for people to personalize their templates. That would give a new arena for people like me to explore! Till then…. I am happy with the girl in the wind!

Kashmir – Reduced to a burning furnace?

I was watching a special report on a news channel. It was about Kashmir- but this time instead of singing praises of our armed forces and police it had a different take. ‘Nameless graves’ it read! The police/armed forces claimed them to be militants gunned down by them while locals claimed them to be innocent relatives who left home for some trivial reason- never to return.

What makes this situation worse is there are no records of the dead (as claimed by the police) hence tracking these people is next to impossible. These graves started sprouting around 6 years back. Though the claims like these have reduced significantly now, however what about the scars left by these haunting memories that continue to harass even now.

There were families on air for whom the wait never seemed to end. Their loved ones went missing into thin air! They had been returning from wedding parties, gone out for shopping or just out with a bunch of friends. They however never returned. Was such atrocity the real reason for rise of militancy in Kashmir? Did these things add fuel to the fire? Or was the rising militancy the cause of such incidents?

I still remember the face of the old graveyard keeper. He was heartbroken. He was tired of burying people, now that he knows many might not have been militants. His helpless look was more like a plea to God asking why was he part of this. Some villagers also told him that one of the graves might belong to his nephew as when he was not around there were a few bodies buried and one of them looked like his nephew.

The yard is now full and he has informed the authorities that no more bodies can be buried there. Yet this man continues to be there. Answer the questions of many anxious families that continue to come to him in hunt of their loved ones. Some come to pray for the departed souls – they are not sure it is their loved one buried there. They are not even sure if that is the grave they might be looking for, yet it gives them solace and he helps them in every way possible.

Are we really the tolerant, fair, democratic India? The partition was a big enough scar that refuses to heal; adding to it was the Kashmir issue that might have been blundered for the benefit of some vested interests. But is there no end to his inferno? To show that they are effective in countering the insurgents was it the political parties that urged the army/police to take such steps? I don’t know the answers to these, but I know that innocent have suffered and have suffered for a long time. The human rights activists and many other small organizations have now joined hands and are helping the families in every possible way. They are lending hope to many- who now just wish to lead a peaceful life and put the ghosts of the past to rest.

Wanted - A voice for the silent sufferers !!

The havoc triggered by Myanmar cyclone and China earthquake just leaves you speechless. Especially since the Myanmar government has severed all options for the foreign media to cover the sufferings, very much on the lines of what China preferred during the Tibet protests that surged in Lhasa.

I was following CNN-IBN coverage the other day that described the perilous cyclone and also exposed the situation that was prevalent a few days ago. They managed to smuggle a video out of Myanmar. Again something similar that was seen during the China oppression in Lhasa.

The images were gruesome. Bodies lay strewn along the riverbanks. Villages had been wiped off and you could just see water as far as your eye could see. A man narrated his tale where his whole village had been wiped off and the coastguard boat didn’t come close to him even after he had been waving for help. He swam for 1 day before he reached a rescue boat that was being managed by survivors and pleaded them to take him on board.

The enormity of the devastation is too huge for assessment currently and already citizens of Myanmar have to deal with another threat- epidemic!

China on the other hand was tight-lipped about the Tibet protests. Even after repeated complaints by the Tibetans about atrocities very few agencies could do anything about it. Shortly afterwards the devastating earthquake shook China. The aftershocks being felt long after the actual earthquake ripped China.

The havoc- manmade or otherwise needs to be dealt with efficiently and quickly.
I don’t understand how can these governments continue with their conservative outlook even in the face of such adverse conditions. Their citizens are suffering and instead of lending a helping hand they are bothered about their vested interests?

How else can it be justified that a small country like Myanmar is not ready to disclose the amounts of devastations that actually took place? Is politics or power of such great importance that you can turn a blind eye to the sufferings of many? What bothers me even more is no human rights agency is coming to the fore to challenge this governance. These people need support and overall they need a voice in the world arena- wish this voice is lent to them as early as possible.

Great news...

Today my sis results were out. She scored really well and was also one of the toppers in the class. I am extremely happy for her. She is a determined and focused person and while there were so many distractions and tragedies in the house she managed to ‘not lose’ her focus and fare well. I am really proud of her.

I am proud of her will and the way she remained determined in some of the adverse conditions that she had to face. I think her friends also deserve a mention. Currently they are the one who interact, support and trust her. I guess without a good friend circle she would not have been able to excel in her field as she has done now.

She still has a long way to go…. I wish her all the luck and support. And I also wish that she never looses the great friends that she has currently.

Woh bachpan ki yaadein! :(

Hmm... This is an after-effect of speaking about our childhood memories yesterday night! My cuz dropped by and as usual we sat up till late in the night chatting.

I don’t know how but we started talking about the good old school days and then there was no stopping it. We reminisced about the school days, the fun we had in summer vacations, the pranks that we played and the games that we enjoyed! Oh! Life was so simple and fun to live!

When we were kids, we couldn’t wait to grow up. We were bugged about the homework, the loads of studies and EXAMS! We always assumed that all this would be over once we grow up and then we could lead our lives on our terms! But now I know, it was just a matter of grass being greener on the other side!

Childhood was so much fun! Go to school- come back in the evening – enjoy your evening games- come back finish the homework and you are off to being yourself again. Plus you had so many holidays… and all part and parcel of your school life! Now taking leaves from office always seems like a distant dream!

The star attraction always was the summer vacations. A time for games, fights, trips and vacations with grandparents. My grandparents stayed in a small town, surrounded by lush green trees. Our gang of cousins was also pretty big and hence that added to the fun! I can’t remember any other time in my life when I was so carefree as then! The smallest and the most rustic of tasks gave us thrills. And the late night chats and snacks always left our servant a little more harried.

If there was a function in the family, then our energy knew no bounds! Our motto in life seemed to be having a great time as now when we hear all the funny and stupid things we did we really wonder, was that us! Then was a time when all of us met up atleast once in a year and yet had so much to talk and exchange that we always felt the time was short. Now it has been some time before all of us even had time to sit together and spend some hours together. There is always someone missing!

I guess those joyful days are never to return. We just will have to learn better time management skills and make the most of it.

A knotty being called marriage!

Yesterday I was a part of a conversation that left me a little perplexed on the overall relationship aspect. The topic was marriage and commitment and I was zapped when a guy said ' Suddenly I had this woman sleeping next to me and around me 24 hrs'. He then went on to say it took a year for him to get used to this fact. What surprised me even more was the fact that his was a love marriage. But this was just the beginning when another person affirmed his fears!

I had a typical arranged marriage and yet me and my husband never had such doubts! This I can say, after I confirmed it with him yesterday night! Of course, what do you expect! After listening to such statements from people who had been going around for years, I was not taking any chances :P We certainly had initial discomfort in settling down in each others life, knowing each other well etc. But that was expected! After all, the period between engagement and wedding cant sooth all your qualms nor can you claim to know a person well till you start living with that person.

But I thought love marriage was a different ball game. Here the adjustments that were difficult were for parents rather than the couple. I mean you go around with a person, are sure that you want to spend the rest of your life with them and hence plan to take a plunge - then how can you be flustered by that persons presence in your life?

I understand 'committing to friends' is difficult for many. The transition from one kind of relationship to the other just doesnt happen. It is uncomfortable to be a great friend till yesterday and being a 'girlfriend or boyfriend' the next day. It becomes difficult and irritating when somebody suddenly starts expecting you to call them a zillion times, send cute notes and flowers or cards etc with/without reason while that was never expected from you before.

But being uncomfortable even after wedding was a little scary for me! I somehow got a feeling that probably I was in the wrong league if I didnt find it so difficult or didnt take so long to settle, but after confirming with my husband I started feeling better. As I said earlier, relationships are a real hard nut to crack!

I guess the initial hiccups are a part and parcel of 'marriage' be it arranged or love. You commit to get married and all this just follows, probably the intensity is different.

My 2 cents- An afterthought

We also need to relook at the whole election system. It is outdated. With a new chunk forming the floating population in India – people shifting base regularly due to job changes, we need to rethink about the procedure that involves, voting list, ration card and other endless documents. Even I shifted recently to Bangalore, so I am not part of the voting list here, but I do want to vote, so am I expected to fly down to Pune if I want to vote?

We need to come up with better solution that eases these tiny hassles and ensures that we have a better representation for our country in international circles.

A farce named Election… or is it an ideal process turned dirty?

Elections in Bangalore concluded recently. As all the usual elections, there were huge political rallies all over Karnataka, lots of promises to the public and many allegations were exchanged. The political parties were busy trying to earn some mileage over the others and woo the voters.

In the meanwhile the Election commission was working overtime to keep a check on the election procedures and keeping a strict vigil to avoid any malpractices or voters influencing tactics. The illegal liquor truckloads were being caught every now and then while illegally stored huge numbers of saris and TV sets were uncovered every alternate day. Certainly no political party was taking the Karnataka elections lightly. There were huge stakes involved and it showed.

I had been busy shifting the whole day on the Election day and hence decided to take a worthwhile break and visit the humble parlor. While I was there I overheard the cleaning lady talking about her election experience. She was happy, as her vote had fetched her more than Rs. 200! She lives in a slum and all the political parties had been making rounds of their colony and giving them some money for voting to a political party. It seemed all the major political parties had distributed money in her area. The one who paid highest possibly got the maximum votes! Further they were taken and brought back in cars. While chit chatting with the parlor girl she also disclosed that they were being paid and offered lunch to come around the city and participate in rallies during the campaign.

It made me think was there any value and reason to our current election system. The basis on which this whole procedure was designed and the reasoning of empowering our country men – was it really being achieved? Were the words like landslide victory and people’s mandate hollow?

But it made me think, even after all such practices our state or general elections turnout is never beyond 60 percent. It means that if every citizen truthfully executes his simple duty of voting, we could get a reversed or at least a better mandate! Still the educated and rational thinkers of our country’s population choose to shy away from voting. Some feel it is a waste of time, some think it doesn’t make a difference, some are plain lazy while others think it is not a status symbol to be voting! For me, these people are equally guilty as are the political parties, of ruining a powerful tool if not more. In the current 60 percent the educated or middle class population does atleast 30 percent voting, so if the remaining 40 percent joined in this political nexus could be easily broken.
I can’t blame the poor woman for her rational. She knows well that after the elections these leaders wont visit her colony or think about her for the next 4 years. For her, survival is more important than virtue and hence she just made hay while the sun shines!

Go green…It’s pay back time!

Hmm… However revengeful or rebellious my title sound, I have not been converted into a hardliner! Well this is about global warming and climate change that , has had its share of effects on India too.

Was browsing through some news articles, when I came across this article in Hindu. It was about a couple in Annamalai who have done their PhD in …. ( sorry cant recollect, but something to do with Botony). They realized that seedlings pollinated through bird droppings grew better and faster. To test their study, they grew a whole nursery from such seeds, but then they realized that this was not enough.

Every year acres of forests are cleared for agriculture. This in turn was affecting the eco system of that area. The birds, animals etc that survived in these vegetations had no place to go and hence as the entire eco-system was under threat, growing these seeds was futile. But all this is seeing a gradual change as companies like HLL and private coffee and tea estate owners have joined hands and decided to do their bit.

They have given parts of their lands from their estate to grow such oasis of tropical plants. These pieces of land are the low-yielding segment of the property. Instead of leaving that area barren and turning it into a wasteland they have handed them to this couple.

The couple on their part tests the kind of plants that might take root and flourish in these regions and then grow and nurture them. They also ensure that there is enough diversification in the plant type to accomplish a thriving eco-system. Their efforts have started to bear fruit as enough and healthy trees are seen dotting these properties. It is also said that various kinds of migratory and native bird/animal species have been spotted.

Kudos to their effort! Instead of just talking about global warming and acting helpless these people have shown that much can be achieved if worked with diligence. It is always felt that global warming and climate change cannot be combated on an individual level, this couple single handedly has been successful in breaking this myth.

Our irrational and thoughtless forest clearing has been responsible for claiming many lives (plants/ animals). It is high time, that we sit – up and think, do our bit, however small it many be. As Al gore says, we have only one Earth to live!

An organization with a difference!

The other day while watching the CNN-IBN news channel, I came across a feature covering an NGO in Surat, Gujarat. In a second I was about to dismiss the news as ‘just another organization’ and flip to another channel but something made me stay.

The NGO was working with street beggars. They roped in the beggars and made them work on tasks like vegetable farming. The beggars were paid a nominal amount daily for working in the farm and at the end of the cycle; they were to sell their produce in the market.

The profits made after selling such products were shared equally among the group. I liked the novel idea where the NGO just did not ask for donations, nor was there any ‘pity’ or ‘sorrow’ in their effort. They were empowering these people, many of whom had turned to begging after finding no other way to earn a living. The NGO didn’t make the beggars feel helpless or give them a gloomy picture. This was more of an effort to bestow on them their self-esteem and guide them to help themselves.

This concept has supported beggars who were actually interested in making a difference to their life and were not sure how to go about it. This is not something that I said though; it was from a transformed beggar himself!