Senicide

Dear God,

A recent discussion led to forced euthanasia in India, predominantly practiced in the villages of Tamil Nadu. Thalaikoothal, a barbaric and a stone-age practice is the killing of the elderly who are now a burden on the family. It involves an early morning oil-bath followed by a diet of just coconut water. The victim is not given anything else to eat or drink. The result is high fever and death in 2 days. I gathered that some others have also been fed mud, congesting the alimentary canal and therefore leading to death....

I believe this practice exists, or did at one point, in many parts of the world. In ancient Japan, the elderly were taken to the mountains and abandoned to die of starvation! The impacted section - aged 70 or above.

A Tehelka sting brings to light the plight of one who escapes certain death by overhearing the scheming family in time. Yet, she doesn't whine or ire over her plight. Instead, she empathizes with the family's hardships and inability to take care of her. Another elderly would also have been a certain victim had he not run away from his family in time. Tehelka notes that this practice is endemic to the poverty-stricken villages in TN.


This is the treatment meted out to the bearers of a glorious past, to the ones who have handed down our culture, values and systems, and to the ones who may have sacrificed so much for what we are today. This, in a country that prides on respect for elders and attributes well-being and good fortune to the presence of elders in the family.

While on this, I read about a Japanese movie from 1983 - a moving tale of a mother being led to her fate by her son. En route, she leaves twigs so her son can find his way back. Truly moving! Cares for her offspring even during the last journey.

What can I say!

A beautiful problem

Dear God,

As I draft this account, all's well (or so it seems) with Tennis nominations for the upcoming Olympics. At the onset of the controversy, it appeared that there were four camps - Mahesh and Rohan (who seemed to have mutually agreed to maintain their dissent partnering Paes), Sania Mirza (who needed her 15 seconds to fame, she played the 'chauvinism' card and got the 15 secs), Leander Paes (who seemed to be bent upon partnering with none but Mahesh) and the AITA (clueless!).

I have no clue who's right and continue to believe what turns out in the media - print or TV. Nonetheless, from being a nation that barely knew the sport, to this day that's witnessing bitter debates over the nominations is saying a lot of the increasing awareness of the game and the immense talent we have been able to nurture. Needless to mention, for a change, Cricket is not the talking point.

Most certainly, very positive times in the sports arena.

I remember...

Baad muddat ke teri yaad aayi

Par tu yeh na samjhna...

...ke maine tujhe bhula diya

Bas ye samajh kar mujhe maaf kar dena

ke maine bhi kabhi tere deedar ka hasrat kiya tha!

The agonizing wait

taras gayein hain aankhen tere deedar ke liye

kabhi to humpe ye raham kar...

...ke tu aaye aur hamari aarzoo poori ho

chhota hi sahi, ghadi bhar ke liye to yeh khushi ho!

Words are overrated

Hamari khamoshi ko woh samajhte hain ghuroor...

Darasal sharmindagi ne kiya hamein majboor...

Arrey woh naadaan kya jaanein...

...ki jahaan ek lafz se kaam chal jaaye,

wahan do kyon?

A couplet

Intezaar tha jiska shiddat se...

Tammanna thi jiski muddat se...

Woh hamesha ird gird hi tha...

Shaayad hamaare parakh ka kasoor tha...

Woh hamara ban kar bhi...

Hamara na ban saka...

Incredibly Indian

Dear God,

It is anybody’s guess now that our shameless media thrives on controversy (alone). The success of the recent F1 event was not devoid of its share of controversies. While a significantly educated and ‘aware’ section of the country celebrated the success, our Media toasted to it with a generous dash of controversy.

Yet again clowns from two of the most powerful parties were pitted against each other. I say clowns because neither had, I am positive, any clue of what the nation was witnessing, leave alone the benefits of this new wave of sport.

So, at the epicenter of the discussion was “Are we F1 ready?” and “What good does the sport do for our country?” One-time Sports Minister and compulsively arrogant prick enlightened viewers on the abject poverty our country is dealing with. His wisdom was that the new sport was getting undue attention, infrastructure and investment which could have been diverted to the BPL segment. An echo also added that F1 is not our culture.

Really? Either we are starved of thoughts or simply unwelcoming to change. Let me remind the aforementioned arrogant prick that CWG and 2G also ate into the tax payer’s money and did nothing to contribute to his concern. Also, do not forget the Bhopal tragedy. His Govt. has done precious little towards that, 25 years on.

Don’t you talk about culture! Cricket didn’t belong here, Denim was unheard of. But if we as a people embraced them over time, who are you to comment on culture?

Someone is missing the point. I can’t see why a new sport fetching us revenue (when we need it most) should not be encouraged. Incredible India can certainly do with a boost to its Tourism industry. Who cares! Plaguing issues like poverty, rise in prices, money swindled will remain matters of convenience.

Angry kya?

Dear God,

Allow me to introduce myself as the Burger. Briefly, I am a fillet engulfed by two spongy, albeit overbearing buns. That I am customized to suit the palettes of herbivores and carnivores is not part of the agenda.

Today I am annoyed and you will know why during this sojourn.

From time immemorial, I have been subjected to corruption in every walk of life, so much so that attempts to effect simple changes often raised quite a few eyebrows – “Live with it”!!

Along came a quartet claiming to be the conscience keepers of this great Nation. The Head Honcho threatened to fast at the drop of a hat. The resultant feed was an overdose of running jokes on the net. Sample this:

Amma: Go out and play

HH: No I will fast

Teacher: Kneel down

HH: No I will fast

Doctor: Breathe in and breathe out

HH: No I will fast

So you see, he slipped into ‘fasts’ for this and for that. Though not as inconsistent as M. Night Shyamalan’s produce, the only variation to his blackmailing was a recent “Maun vrat”. For a while, his methodologies prompted the quasi-sympathizers and pseudo-intellectuals to debate and provide entertainment on national television. I am not dwelling into the buffoonery contributed to this by the remnant members of that quartet. I was confused at this state – to support the methodology or not. Of course, I completely believed that the disease had to be eradicated but the methodology did not seem to (rightly put by a fellow blogger) do too much about the symptoms.

Nonetheless, the Government budged, not because it wanted to sanction his demands but because it feels pathetic to let a frail septuagenarian and his minions openly proclaim that the Govt. can’t cut the mustard. Of course, the Govt. did not let him have it easy. It employed jokers to comment on the quartet’s integrity from time to time. In due course, allegations were leveled against every member of the quartet. From commenting on plebiscites, first class free air travel, tax evasions to corruption from ‘head to toe’, the jokers ensured that the job was well done.

The media in the meantime, lapped onto every moment of this charade like an opportunity. Typical of a mad dog let loose, the media hounded the quartet, provoked the Govt., impaneled elite facades and provided comic relief to the nation. In keeping with tradition, inflammable headlines and by-the-second breaking news ensured space for competition.

Where are we today? Accusations and counter-accusations are in full force. With no news on the actual and core agenda item, no good news is in sight. The Quartet promises yet another fast, the Govt. continues to do its best to be counter-productive and the shameless Indian media continues to provide a reason to escape Mom’s pet operas.

I, the Govt’s dear and oft-abused rant, the aam-aadmi am in a pitiable state.

Here’s what I look like today. I am the indifferent Indian!

Dichotomy II

Dear God,

I can't keep the house thanks to the ever sky-rocketing interest rates. What started as a negligible 7.5% in 2004 has now touched 16%. Pundits forecast at least a couple of revisions more by the turn of this year. For the record, RBI has hiked rates 12 times times this year, not a record our country ought to be proud of. Who would have thought that I, with a home loan, would be a victim of uncontrollable inflation.

Anyway, I put my house up on sale.

But....this is amazing coincidence: Just when I initiated the advertisement, the Telangana crisis raised its ugly head. Real estate as it were, had already reached an all-time low. The crisis has ensured that there is no hope for individuals like me. Prospects today ask for rates that are pitiable and certainly not worth discussing.

So there it is, I can't keep the house, I can't sell it!

I am choking......help me God....

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Hindi/2011)

Dear God,

Yes, I admit I said that the aforesaid movie is at best a travel guide. A friend remarked that he liked the movie and that it reminded him of Dil chahta hai. Oh! Because it had three friends and three chicks too....”no way, Jose!” methinks.

Anyway, there is a part of the movie that strikingly stands out - a distinct parallel that the story draws on. And I figured that watching bits of the movie on second run.

Three friends undertake a trip agreeing to venture into a sport they had hitherto resisted by choice or fear. So:

1. Farhaan’s character is afraid of flight. His thoughts are profound and deep. He doesn’t let himself soar high. Deep diving and exploring world below complements his thoughts and character.

2. In contrast, Hrithik’s character is afraid of the deep. He has soared high all his life. And so he finds flight exciting and more comfortable.

3. Abhay’s character seals it with fear of what chases him on the ground. He is forever running from reality, sometimes accepting destiny when it presents itself in especially terrifying times.

The parallel listed above, I thought, summed up the movie. Beautiful, indeed. All others just revolved around this. The chicks, the locales, the rifts etc were just there to, well, be there. Now you know, barring 1-2-3, the movie remains a travel guide.