Desh Ubal Raha Hai.

Remember the Tata Tea Ad? Where the husband is complaining of how the country is going down the drains when the wife explains him that the country is boiling now, you add tea sugar and milk and you’ll get an excellent result. I can’t help comparing the same with what is happening in the country capital. With what started on Sunday morning I thought it was just another protest march, people will assemble – protest – go home and carry on with their life. But when the protest turned into a violence and actually demanding an answer from the government did I feel happy thinking that something is finally happening to the country. Are we getting inspired by what is happening in Syria, Cairo and other countries? I hope yes!

During all election rallies, all these political parties promises to look after their people and their problems. But where are all these people now? When a mob is waiting for them outside their own house, these politicians make no assurances, instead they order lathicharge and tear gas on them so as to curb their protest… definitely not what we can call Democracy.  

It is our people who do such disgracing act and it is we who can change it, I recently had a chat with a friend,

Me – I hope I come back from Gujarat on time tomorrow, there is a candle light march at Gateway of India.

Friend  – I don’t understand how these march are going to help anyone or anything.

Me – so are you saying that we should do anything but just sit home what the crime happening on news and crib about it?

Friend  – no..but how is this helping?

Me – so tomorrow if I get raped, you as my friend  will do nothing to help me? Just sit home and crib about it? Chuck it lets not talk about it.

I pray for the girl to make a quick and healthy recovery and for all the devils who could so something like this to the poor girl a harsh punishment so that no one can ever do the same again. It only when we youth join hands and decide that we wont allow anything like this happening to any girl would we finally be able to protect the girls in our society.

PS – completely off topic, but something I am very thankful of. I generally travel late night for work reasons and for a long time now I wanted to buy pepper spray. So I was really very happy when my boyfriends brother bought two  pepper sprays 1 for me and 1 for his girlfriend. Well this also shows that guys these days are becoming more aware of the safety of the girls they are in touch with.  I feel more confident and less worried when travelling alone. 

Stop This Shame !!!

Past couple of days I have been dreading to open a newspaper, almost every other news is about someone getting raped, or murdered or murdered due to mistaken identity. I have always thought of Mumbai as a very safe city, and till now it has given me enough reasons to believe so. But now I am so not sure if this can be said about Mumbai anymore. With everything that is happening in Delhi, with a girl getting raped everyday and trust me there is nothing in this world that can ever justify this.

What makes me more angry is the people in India, majority of the people would just read the news, talk about it during lunch breaks, crib how bad the country is and that some change needs to be done, go home update their facebook status and then just forget about it. Why have we become so insensitive suddenly? Had this happened in US or some other developed country a revolt would have already started. This is where we lack, we forget about it in a day and move on in our life. Our judiciary is so slow that the criminals are also sure that no matter what they do they wont be in serious trouble, they will either be out in a jiffy on bails or the court procedures will take years to reach a decision, and this gives them the guts to actually pull of such thing.

What more saddens me is that, some of our media tries to pull TRP’s even on such a sensitive topic. Instead of trying to do something for the victim or to pressurize the government to take proper actions against the criminals, all they do is make some shaddy dramatization of the real event and scare off the audience. Whereas the real job of media is to inform and educate people and also make them realize their responsibilities towards such things.

Being a girl, I have started doubting almost all the strangers. Somewhere down the line there are many issues attached to this which leads to these rape cases, but that again is a different topic altogether.

Also I appreciate Sushma Swaraj for speaking up and demanding that the criminals get a death penalty, something like this is really needed so that people knows that something like this wont be excused. I would really be happy if this thing actually is taken into action and the rapist are hanged till death. 

What Assem Trivedi’s Cartoon Lack!

First of all, let me tell you I am no Cartoon Expert actually I am someone who cant even draw that neat. But going through the Internet and reading various articles, blogposts etc it came to my notice that everyone has just treated the Aseem Trivedi controversy in a very black and white way, no one considers that gray part which also exist.

Yes the sedition charge was illogical considering we live in a “Democratic” Country, and people have freedom or speech and expression. When I was a kid the only thing that got me interested in Newspapers were the cartoons and those little kids corner which used to be there.  A cartoon is something which is funny and yet stings you with the reality and makes you think. Ofcourse there is no hard and fast rule for that, but that is how we have come to think of it. Aseem’s cartoons were straight and to the point but with a harsher edge to it, which I guess was difficult to digest for many people. But that doesn’t make him wrong in any way, that’s just his style. Like Devdas was made 4 times by different directors but the one which Anurag Kashyap made was way different than the other three and way bolder, but people appreciated it right?

When a person is angry he/she seems to speak out louder forgetting all mannerisms and conduct something like this seems to have happened to Aseem here. He forgot that cartoons are supposed to be subtle with an element that will make you think, not something which is just a reflection of your thoughts…. That can be anyone drawing something which is there in their mind, that doesn’t make them a cartoonist right? Its like by hearting the answers for your examination and then just puking them out in your answer sheet, that doesn’t make you an author or a writer. Aseem could have just showcased his thoughts and views with help of some creativity and knack to subtle down the harsh reality of the country

Bhavnao Ko Samjho!

Everyone is aware of the arrest of Aseem Trivedi and people have various opinions about it, some say that the charges which are put against him of sedition are not proper as he did nothing to instigate a rebellion, some say that degrading the national symbols is not a good way to portray your anger while other say he is right and the government just wanted to stop him from doing anything like that again, well I agree with the last opinion.

Haven’t we all reading news everyday about censorship on social networking sites? Why? Because people have finally started speaking their mind about     the Government. Cartoons are made to be seen, understood, laughed and thought about. Without completely understanding the meaning behind the cartoon they have just arrested him and put behind bars. Government just wants to stop people from expressing their point and expressing their anger against the government.

Btw what about those people who were involved in all the multi million scams? Are they in jail now? No? oh maybe politicians, and people with influential contacts don’t get  arrested. But a cartoonist who is expressing his views and also something which is very true is arrested! 

PS – I really like this picture of his which I have uploaded above. The expression is so aggressive, so rebellious. It is like he really feels for the country, like he really wants to fight the injustice.

Raj Thackeray

Past couple of weeks has been intense for MNS (Maharashtra Nava Nirman Sena ) with all the rally, interviews and speeches. Generally I keep myself away from politics, but this time I see that the very basic and important issues are targeted by Raj Thackeray.  The question of Bihari’s to the Ambedkar Stuppa at Indu Mill, Shivaji Park.

It’s no big news if a Mumbaikar reads of murder and robbery cases that happened in suburbs in his/ her morning newspaper, Mumbaikar’s have grown to live this problem like they have learned to live with several others, but that doesn’t mean that they should live with it.  I don’t want to target any particular religion or caste or anything but if you look at the facts most of the slums occupied in Mumbai belongs to the migrated people from the North East. I had been doing a documentary on Slums for college project, but when I entered the slums some parts were so shady that I was left with no option but to drop the project, and that was the first time I doubted my safety in Mumbai.  The other day I was watching a video on YouTube regarding the double Decker bridge which is being build on the western express highway.  So the spokes person said that for the bridge to be reliable and to sustain for a longer time they will have to build a strong base, but the place where they intend to build the start of the bridge and the support system of the bridge is occupied by the slum people.  Government has obviously asked them to shift someplace else, but they refuse. So the slums have eventually come to hamper the growth of the city. The pollution and garbage and the low hygienic condition of these places are no good for the city.

I agree when Raj Thackeray said that there should be some kind of registration when people migrate from states. Yes the constitution allows us to go anywhere in India on our will, but just a record of who all migrated won’t hurt anyone.

Also the stuppa of Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar at Indu Mills, Shivaji Park seems stupid. What good is it to anyone?  It’s definitely not going to help the community nor the people of Dadar. It will be just another stuppa where people will come once a year and put garlands and then forget about it for the rest of the year. Again the thing that Raj Thackeray said I agree with it, he proposed that they should build a really good library there, this sounds sensible, and Mumbai lacks a good library other than Asiatic library in VT. Dr. Ambedkar also promoted reading books, so this sounds something that will be beneficial to everyone. And also something that Dr. Ambedkar believed in.

This post was inspired because looking at the amount of problems coming up in India and the number of scams ever increasing no other politician even for his own gain came ahead and took a stand for something but Raj did. Other have just kept mum and kept blaming eachother or said “abhi mehengai toh bad rahi hai, toh isme hum bhi kya kar sakte hai”

PS – if anyone finds this post offensive, I apologize for that. 

There Will Be Some People Who Hate

            I had this conversation with one of my friend about Satyamev Jayate, she is completely against the show and if I ask her for the reason her number one reason is that Aamir Khan takes 3crore per episode. Well of course I was disappointed with her answer but she later also supported her view with the things like, “so what’s the big deal? many other journalist have been doing the same thing why was that not much of a hype?” I COMPLETELY DISAGREE!

            This post was due for a long time now, but somehow it always remained in my mind and never actually made it to the blog. The first time I thought of writing this was when I saw very stupid picture being updated on Social Media Sites stating that Aamir divorced his wife, and abandoned his children and that he takes 3 crore for each episode and god know what all rubbish!

            So basically what these people want to say is that, even if Aamir did do some mean things in past he doesn’t have the right to do good now? Or to create some awareness?? Or just do some good in some way to benefit other people.

            I just want to say a few things why I support Satyamev Jayate,

     Aamir has the right to earn money as much as everyone else does,  and to make a show like this you need much more money than 3 crore, so if he is spending so much he as much has a right to earn some for him. And btw, who told you that he takes 3crore? There’s no official document stating this.

     Yes he made mistakes in his past, and no one judged him then, so now when he is getting famous for something good no one has the right to point fingers at him.

     There were shows like this before this on news channels but when the news channels hype everything just to get more TRP, where this show is very simple and convincing. And yes, you do need someone popular to make something reach out to masses. I bet that if the same show had been hosted by some journalist, it would have been not so popular because it will only limit itself to the elite class and not the common man. The common man needs a hero to come tell them something. And if that gives you the reason to hate the show, then better hate yourself because someone has to take the initiative none of the other khan’s did but he did. And sad that it wasn’t you who did something or tried to do something good for your country, forget country ill love to ask all those haters what have they done for the betterment of their locality.

     The show is a combination of real life stories, the government point of view and the real view about what should really be the situation.

     And it’s educating as well, there are so many things which a normal man doesn’t know, so many laws and so many things which happen in the society that we are generally not aware of.

I really can’t believe that when someone really tries to make a difference there are such people who will try everything to demean it.  And I am sure these people were had all turned into revolutionaries when Rang de Basanti has released and wished they could do something for the country. And now when someone is taking the initiative to try and educate people this is what they get, but that’s how people are when someone does something good there will be some people who hate.

Mantralaya On Fire

I came home from college and was checking my tweets when I see live tweets coming in informing me that the 4^th floor of the Mantralaya had caught fire and was now spreading on to the upper floors.  I immediately switched on my TV and a picture which I had never seen before flashed on my Television screen. A big building which I see almost every week was on fire and covered with thick black smoke; the usual white building was now covered with black smoke and somehow even looked blackened to me today. But to my surprise I didn’t feel remorse or worried or anything of that sort looking at this picture, I felt more like people who generally just sit back and enjoy the disasters which normal people have to face had their chance of facing disasters first hand. Of course this fire also supported the fact that Mumbai is in deep trouble when Disaster Management is concerned, when important buildings such as this can’t prevent fire then there is no point even thinking about the safety against fire for common man.

            But now let’s look at the other part of the story, according to the reports, the office which was on fire was the same office who housed the files related to the Adarsh Scam,  so am I to say that the Adarsh files were conveniently disposed off?  Oh well, who know?  For the truth to come out it will take ages, but its odd isn’t it? The office which had such important files stacked up was on fire and well I won’t be shocked if I get the news that some important files are now nothing but ashes.

Aamir Khan shouldn't apologize to IMA

           

            So the Indian Medical Association (IMA) wants Aamir Khan to apologize. They are of the opinion that Aamir Khan has accused the whole medical faculty of being corrupt to the core which is not true. They believe that maybe some of the doctors walk on the bad and corrupt path but not every doctor in India. Well I believe that Aamir never said that every doctor in India does this, he just pointed out the reality which is generally followed. And if IMA was aware of such ill practices why didn’t it take any steps to stop it? Guilty as charged then right? Also Aamir pointed out that not a single doctor’s license has been cancelled yet in India which is really very shocking, are we saying that India has produced just the best doctors ever??

            And why should anyone say sorry for speaking what happens in our daily life. Most of the common people agreed that they had been ripped off by doctors at many stages of their life. And obviously when the truth is told openly with a lot of research and statistics and not to forget real life experience, the doctors feared the amount of information the common man now has which obviously threatened the wrongful earning of these doctors.

            What I really feel amusing is, they made such a big issue of making Aamir Khan say sorry, but not even half of this effort was ever used to stop the wrong doings of the doctors.

            Doctors are very important in our lives, we even grade them next to God. It is always believed that saving a human life is the biggest deed anyone can ever do then why do we have to pay such huge price for something which is our right “to live”. Come to think of it hospital bills and doctor’s fees should be the least possible amount, so that each and every person is able to take medical help whenever necessary, obviously I don’t mean that the doctors should put up with minimal wages, our government should do something for them a fixed salary or something but let’s not go there now, we are talking about Aamir Khan apologizing, which I do not approve at all!

            Medical people only want his to do that because they are nothing but aware that whatever he said was true and that if every person is aware of such things their high fees is in danger.

One of my friend is a Physiotherapist, she once had this patient who was old and thought that he had a back problem, she checked him and told him that it’s just the old age and there is no real problem with him as such.  She later discussed this with one of her senior, who laughed at her and said that she is stupid “ You should have taken few sittings with him and earned some money and then tell him that he is cured.” He said.

Thereeee… when I heard this story my trust over doctors was burned into ashes!

PS – according to me, Aamir Khan shouldn’t apologize.

Qateel Siddiqui killed in Pune

            This news about Qateel Siddiqui was killed in the Pune Yerwada jail well sort of made me happy. Our government and constitution has failed repeatedly over in giving justice to the common man and to give a proper punishment to these people who keep on bombarding here whenever they feel like.

            Well I am waiting for something like this happening to Kasab as well, my hopes from our dear Judiciary  system is all time low  and something like this happening just made me see a small bit of hope making its way.

            Now we don’t know what exactly happened, least do I expect that this too turns out to be inter gang revenge or something. But as long as bad people are dying I don’t have any problem.

Petrol Price Hike – Look at The Bright Side

So the petrol prices are sky rocketing, and it is eventually going to affect about each and everything that we use in our day to day life.  Petrol prices kept going up all throughout this year but it went up  ` 1/- or so not  ` 7 /- that too overnight. People will start blaming the Government etc for the hike. Basically nothing is going to change unless every Indian protest against it and that wont ever happen because that’s the Indian mentality isn’t it? Who cares what is happening in the country? Is others are not speaking against it I would speak against it either. Anyway this is post is not about that, this post is just something that will make you look at the bright side of the petrol hike and maybe a bit of peace of mind ( because honestly for some reason since yesterday when I got to know about the price hike I have this unrest in my heart telling me this is not good at all for the future, things can go terribly bad. But maybe its just my imagination. )

1 – Less Traffic

            Have you looked at the traffic these days?? Almost in every part of the city?  Its basically because people use their vehicle even when it is not really needed.  

Which road would you rather drive on???

This??? 

Or this???

2 – Good for Health

            Walking and cycling is actually better for your health, so walk to that place which is 10mins from your house and use a cycle to reach a place which is half hour away.

3 – Pollution

            We all are aware that vehicles is one of the major reasons for air pollution. So I am looking forward to see a clearer sky in Mumbai. 

                                                                 

                                                                   4 – No Honking

            Honking causes noise pollution so that is also eliminated.

5 –  Less Road Accidents

            Road accidents generally happens because of rash driving so if there are less cars on the road It might also mean less accidents right?

6 – Carpools can be use

            If you just HAVE to reach your work place by a car, you can go by a carpool… save fuel!

7 – Save Natural Resource

            Petrol is a Natural Resource right? So save it… we are depleting earth of its natural Resources super quick.

8 – More Social Activity

            People who travel by Trains and Bus everyday to and fro work have a special set of friends known as “Train Friends ” and  “ Bus Friends ” so go on get your gang of Train Friends.

Okay this is the most I can think of for now… more on this later J

If you have any more positive things about the petrol hike then share it here!

PS – I have to add this – I was just browsing Google for the pictures I have uploaded above and I happen to see some politician’s picture there who well are related to the price hike, I couldn’t stop myself from hating them from the bottom of my heart. 

No to Cycle Rickshaw ... Please!

            I recently made a short trip to  Vaishnav Devi and Delhi. Vaishnav devi was added to the plan just because my mother wanted to go there. As it was a trip planned in haste we didn’t really get time to book our helicopter tickets. We figured that there has to be some kind of arrangement there to get the tickets or that we shall simply walk with others. But as we reached there my mom was not feeling well and the helicopter were not available. So the only option was to either go walking which I denied as it was jeopardizing mom’s health or we go in a Palki  or on a Horse. We decided we would rather cancel the plan than take any of those options. Many people laughed out that we went so long and still didn’t go take Darshan. To which mom and I both replied, “ if we want to go to the top we will go walking or by a helicopter not sitting on people’s shoulder or giving a rough time to the horse.”  I really believe that this is a very evil practice and also inhuman.

<== For those who don't know what a Palki is.

             We also have Cycle – Rickshaw in Delhi, our capital city. And I refuse to sit in them everytime I go there. 

How can anyone sit in it while the person in front of you is trying hard to pull you. And if that is not cruel enough, people sit in it with their whole damn family and luggage, all this pulled by a single man. 

      I am really looking forward to the day when our Government just bans the  whole idea of cycle rickshaw and start the normal auto rickshaw’s everywhere. I know its not that practical. Many of those Cycle Rickshaw drivers are poor and thus can’t afford an Auto Rickshaw. But that’s the point doesn’t this mean that we are taking advantage of the poor??? Government can come up with some policy something to take steps right?

Imagine a Person elder to you pulling you. And when you sit in a Cycle Rickshaw you can clearly see the energy he is applying to pull you, and god forbid if there a bridge or a land form with a upward incline then naturally they can't pull you so they actually get down from the rickshaw and pull you like horses pull the carriage. 

Cycle Rickshaw is just a cruel and inhuman way of travel which should be stopped Immediately.

<== Picture Clearly Depicting that the poor must always slog,  while the rich enjoys the luxury.

There are 3 adults, 1 child and loads of luggage and a single man is pulling them. and this is a everyday scene in Delhi ==>

Satyamev Jayate

            Remember that time when every Sunday morning meant watching Mahabharat and Ramayana on television? Alas gone were those days, until today this very morning. I remember my grand father telling me that way back in times when they used to live in Girgaon, Mumbai every Sunday meant officially watching Mahabharata and Ramayana. Today however bought the same effect on the whole of India when almost everyone was glued to their Television screens to watch “Satyameva Jayate”.

            I had a meeting to attend today morning at 11am so I missed watching the show, also my phone was in my bag so I was basically out of touch from the everyone. I got out of the meeting at 1pm and the first thing I did was ask a friend how the show was, but there was no need to ask even before he replied back there was a hell lot of BBM status updates saying they loved the show, there were loads of tweets and facebook status confirming the same thing.  All I cared about then was to know when the repeat telecast is ( which I got to know its at 10pm tonight. :D ) yet I couldn’t control my curiosity and watched it online. And trust me when I say I was completely awed I don’t remember which show ever had made me feel so touched and so worried about my baby which is not even born yet esp when the segment came where people said that girls are bought and sold for marriage. I imagined that maybe 10years from now my daughter may not have the same independence and freedom and security I grew up with.

            And then my mom switched on the T.V and nothing could have irritated me more than that bloody television. News channels were broadcasting news about celebrity gossip and on set stories about the daily soap actors. It really made me wonder that the channel which is supposed to give us information which I just got off a renowned Bollywood actor is giving me all rubbish good for nothing information about celebrities for god sake leave that aside for entertainment channels you have different role to play here.

            But then again, media these days have forgotten the role of media altogether maybe there are some who still do quality journalism but I am sad to say that majority fails to do so. A famous newspaper’s editor once held a seminar which I had attended and he said so that news these days have become a business and its all about entertainment, its all about Demand and Supply.  People demand entertainment and news channels and newspapers to increase their T.R.P give them what they want instead of leaving out the entertainment quotient with the entertainment channels.

            Anyway coming back to the topic, the TV show “Satyamev Jayate” is indeed a nice concept and effort made by Aamir Khan and the whole team. I wonder whether Satyamev Jayate will create the same awareness as Rang De Basanti did back then… I really hope it does! J