From the heart of a fellow blogger

A fellow blogger has written a heartrending story of his leaving the Kashmir valley in his childhood. Please read it and be touched the same way as I was.

http://jhustju.blogspot.com/2008/05/cry-of-valley.html

"A cold winter night has fallen outside and the power cut makes it all the more gloomy inside. Huddled together in the warmth of blankets and a kerosene lamp we just sit silently watching each others expressions. I am too young a kid to understand the full implications of what is happening and my younger sister is busy watching a small bug circling the candle our mother had lit in the gallery just outside the kitchen. My thoughts drift from game of cricket I'd played earlier that day to how bright the snow makes outside look. Among all these childish thoughts is a nagging feeling that I'm just not able to get rid of. I feel I'm never going to be in this house again. Never ever in my life will I play cricket with these friends again. Never ever will mother and father have the careless laughs that I so love. Never ever will the things be same again....."

Of co-incidences and vagrants

I was just leaving with a friend from near Memnagar fire station at five fifteen pm, when I saw him. He was a vagrant, walking by, without any purpose. He had black, bushy hair and a beard. His face was oily and his clothes were unclean, smeared with mud and dust and other filth. He was walking barefoot in the rain, as if being aimless was his only goal in life. A contrast to all the other people, who were hustling by, in spite of the rain.
I never knew when he came and stood some metres away from me but my instinctive alarm bells soon started ringing. We women always come to know when a male starts staring. He looked at me from head to toe and then started staring lewdly at me with a strange, mysterious smile. I felt irritated at first and then a little scared. I moved some distance away and was glad to see that my friend had started the vehicle. I left the place and I felt relieved, of what, I don't know. That was the end of the story, or so I thought!
Just the next day, I was waiting for a friend who was going to pick me up at the crossroads near Sal Hospital. My friend was late and I was hoping she would come soon. Just then the same vagrant walked by. He saw me and stopped just in front of me. He stared at me and gave that same spooky smile again. I didn't know how to react. I gave him an irritated look but he continued standing there, staring and smiling. I moved away from there and stood behind some rickshaws parked nearby. I hoped he wouldn't follow me. I was cursed my friend for being late.
I heaved a sigh of relief when he crossed the road and walked ahead. Until my friend came there, I kept looking from behind the rickshaw, following his path and hoping I never see him again. My heart was still beating at full speed. It only came to a still when I reached my destination.

I remember his face. And, I think I always will. And his strange, mysterious smile.

Morning and mourning in Ahmedabad

I had never really liked the Ahmedabad weather. After living in Surat the most of my life, I cursed the mind-freezing cold in the winter, the torturous heat of the summer and this year, I was waiting anxiously for the evasive rain to cool my spirit like the rest of the residents of this city. I hated how the streets would get water logged and the endless stream of traffic on the roads. I constantly criticized how the streets were dug up just before the monsoons. I did not like the constant money minding attitude of the people. I used to argue about which city is better with my Amdavadi friends. My loyalty to Surat would always triumph in the end and I would defend it with all my heart.

Today, I am not in the mood to criticize, or to berate, or even say one single word against this city. But yes, I am angry, at the people who planned the blasts in the city that has grown over me in the past three years. I am angry at the people who dared to attack my people. These terrorist outfits have threatened both Ahmedabad and Surat, cities I am attached to. I only hope and pray that Surat does not suffer the same fate as Ahmedabad.

Violence is never the solution of any problem. It is time everybody (Both Hindus and Muslims) realized that.

11 Commandments for Anil Ambani

I am seriously considering a career move. I think there’s more of a future in management consultancy than civil engineering. If my experience with Reliance managers is any indication, then Reliance is tottering on the brink of a huge battle against disgruntled and dissatisfied customers like me. HR in Reliance seems to be an alien concept. I’ll introduce it and teach some manners to its employees and Anil Ambani will pay me millions for revolutionizing HR practices in his stinking company. Then I can write a book about it, which will earn more millions for me (Since it will be heavily priced, good advice doesn’t come free, you know!). My book will probably become a ‘Must-Read’ for wannabe HR Managers! Whoa, my life is set!

My Eleven Commandments for Anil Ambani

1. Thou will concentrate more on increasing quality of products rather than negotiating expensive deals will foreign companies.
2. Thou will not give any more false promises.
3. Thou will teach employees how to count.
4. Thou will teach employees some basic manners and not take customers for granted.
5. Thou will not allow employees to take very long lunch breaks and keep customers waiting.
6. Thou will be responsible for its franchisees and make rules to keep a detailed record.
7. Thou will fire the employee who was rude and unprofessional to this author.
8. Thou will not hire robots for replying to mails sent to customer care (or the 'service assurance' cell for that matter).
   
9. Thou will pay a million dollars for this advice.
10. Thou will give this author’s money back.
11. Thou will insist on providing free unlimited internet access for the next five years for this author who has been wronged.
    

Well, if any one of you has had bad experiences with Reliance, then do tell me. We’ll sit together on weekends and crib over Reliance and make an Orkut community ‘I HATE RELIANCE’.

P.S. Free autographed copies of my book ‘How I made Reliance reliable’ (A Soon-to-be Best seller) to the person who comes up with an excellent four letter word for Reliance! :-)

Relying on Reliance- A reflection of the state of things in India

I suppose it was my mistake. I should never have paid the money. People tend to forget things when money comes into their hands even if it is a sum of Rs. 2800(Small for a crorepati but definitely big for a middle class college student like me). I paid the money for a USB data card, which I am yet to receive, even after a month has passed.
I have been calling people everyday, from the last few weeks, nagging them to death but my complaint keeps getting shunted from one Reliance employee to another, each one of them promising to send the data card today. I have heard so many excuses too. ‘Sorry ma’m, I had to go to the hospital today, so I couldn’t send it.’ Now, my 2800 bucks are paying for his hospital bills! I am still waiting for my beloved data card. I am tired of calling up people everybody. I just want my money back. When I asked for my money back, I was tersely refused. ‘Hun paisa paccha nahi aapu.’ That’s what I heard from the last ‘reliable’ person from Reliance.
You know, I can’t help but correlate this with the state of Indian politics. Our politicians keep on giving false promises to the citizens of the country and we believe them. Why does it take so long for development projects to get completed? Why is it that work on roads starts just before monsoons? The verdict is delivered years after a crime has been committed. Why does it take so long to get things done in this country? Why does the government spend days meditating on one small thing to be done?
Of course, the fault lies in us voters too. We are the ones who get these people elected. But do we have any other choice? Either buy a data card from a very ‘reliable’ reliance (Well, he did promise me two months of unlimited internet access) or from a comparatively more expensive Tata Indicomm (which has a reputation of lousy customer service). So I chose Reliance and look what happened? Anil Ambani enjoys a salary which is probably more than what I will earn in my entire life, with my money (Yes, my 2800 bucks)!
This is how things are in the country. You either choose between BJP with Narendra Modi at its forefront, championing the cause of Hinduism and protecting people against ‘terrorists’ like Sohrabuddin or the Congress with its policies for more reservation, caring only about getting votes from the minorities and forgetting about the so-called majority. Well, at least Modi promises development! You vote for BJP and you get Narendra Modi who makes tall claims and challenges terrorists to have the temerity to attack Gujarat, inviting people to stone you when you are sitting in a house made of glass. Meanwhile, dormant terrorists abound in the state, silently, bidding their time. Yes Mr. Modi, you were instrumental in increasing foreign investment in Gujarat but how about doing something to decrease the crime rate and taking fast action in sexual harassment cases which seem to be increasing like global oil prices. Whoever you vote for, the result is still the same. Poverty still exists. Rapists still get away free. Developmental projects start but never get completed. Corruption still abounds and the honest tax payer’s money goes towards taking care of the security of politicians.

No wonder, we are a cynical lot.

Talking to the Waves

‘I wish I were a star. In life, I would sparkle as best as a star can in a purple night but when my end is near, I shall travel throughout the universe, one last time and then drop down to the earth as a shooting star. At least some other girl would get a chance to make a wish on me and find that her wish came true. At least someone will want me then.’

The moon wondered why the girl came often to this beach on lonely nights like these. It was really puzzling, the way she talks to the waves. But then, the moon knew from experience what loneliness meant. All the stars sparkled in clusters but he was the only one alone. Somehow he understood the girl.

‘Sometimes I just want to break free, ‘she said, ‘of all bondages and live as I want to, live life my way. But in the end, I feel so helpless, so trapped. The same routine everyday. I just can’t seem to get out of it!’

It was ironic, thought the waves. Fancy talking about freedom to them who themselves couldn’t break free. Even when they reach the shore, they have to go back to the sea. How could they sympathise with her?
The girl sighed as if she seemed to understand what the waves felt.

‘I feel so lonely and sad-so empty inside. It’s as if life is an endless search….a search for reasons to find happiness. When you really want something, you never get it.’

The wind smiled as he listened to the girl. Indeed, life is an endless search…he had been searching for the horizon since ages but still the search continued.

‘I come here and I somehow feel glad. That, after all, there is a purpose behind life. You can never stick to the shore but still continue to sing your song. You find happiness in just trying to do so. Your friend, the moon, seems so lonely up there in the sky, but he finds happiness in the purple glow of the night and shines still. The wind still hasn’t found the horizon but he finds happiness in all the places he gets to see during his journey. One has to find happiness in small things rather than being miserable over a big thing which you cannot have. That seems to be the purpose of life. To teach you to look for happiness in yourself and wait for better things to come.’

The girl started walking away from the waves, towards the road. She had to go back to her life now, away from this tranquillity. It was getting late. She turned back to look at the moon one last time but in the moonlight, she noticed someone standing there. He must have heard every word she said, she thought. He was staring intently at her and had a dreamy look in his eyes which seemed to give her the knowledge that they were two of a kind and she blushed under his gaze.

The wind kept on his search. The moon still shined and the waves kept on trying to stick to the shore. The wind was oblivious to the fact that his search for the horizon has ended. The waves hadn’t realised that they had reached the shore and the moon had no idea that the pole star was keeping him company.

The bully looked menacing and frightening to the scrawny, eight year old. He started scrambling backwards, away from the large boy with a large chest and big knuckles. He stumbled in the process and fell down on his back. Tears flew out of his eyes as he imagined himself being clobbered and beaten black and blue. The bully bent down and lifted him up with the collar of his shirt. The small boy whimpered and the bully laughed cruelly, his big face bloating up so that it seemed difficult to distinguish his cheeks from the rest of his face. Suddenly, his laugh dissolved as he realized that someone was shouting and calling him names.

‘You imbecile, you disgusting piece of shit, you dog, pick on someone your own size!’

He took some time to process what was being said but when he finally realized that he was being insulted, the big, bad bully saw red. He turned to face the person who had the gall to be cheeky and slight his great, god-sent self. He saw a boy with thick glasses shouting at him and before he took a step forward, the boy charged and started beating him on his chest. Or at least tried to for he was failing miserably. The bully raised one hand and it took just one blow to fell the spectacled boy, so different from him in terms of size, character and temperament.

The boy fell to the ground and he whimpered in pain as he found blood coming out of his nose. He could feel a throbbing pain in his head. The bully laughed and jeered at him.

‘That should teach you not to mess with me, you weak puppy!’

The boy lay on the ground. His eyes searched for his friend who had been the original victim but in vain. He had fled, taking advantage of the sudden interruption. He lay there for some time, upset and disillusioned. When he finally went home, his mother further broke his spirit by scolding him for interfering in other people’s matters. ‘No need to play the hero for anyone in the future, do you understand? It’s none of your business.’

That day, he learnt an important lesson. He grew up to be a strong and resilient man. He got a good job, made lots of money, married a nice girl and had two kids. One day, when he was going to his work place, he witnessed two bullies harassing a girl. He sped fast from there without any guilty feeling. The next day, he read in the newspaper about a girl being raped at the same place. He read the whole newspaper, page by page. He had breakfast, kissed his wife goodbye and took out his car to go to work. He drove past the same place that he had from the past some years and passed the same corner where the rape had taken place. He didn’t feel any remorse, any shame. He didn’t even think than he could have prevented it or saved some poor girl’s life. He did not think about the condition of the girl’s family or the fact that her life was ruined.
You see, it wasn’t any of his business!

Walk The Talk

I wrote this for Graffiti Times (A wall magazine that we have in my deptt at college) and all my friends liked it so I felt that I should probably post it here. I hope that it will leave an impression on you and inspire you to do something about things. If it does then please do leave a comment. I'll be really glad to know what you have to say.

WALK THE TALK

Newspapers and television programs speak out about a myriad of issues. People across the globe, in your own country, your own town or locality, are suffering or have been a victim of some or the other social evil, whether it is female infanticide, poverty, communalism, sexual harassment, unemployment, corruption or anything else. We feel strongly about a lot of issues but when have we ever expressed our opinions so that the whole world could hear about it? It’s a sad world in which we live where passersby ignore the atrocities happening in front of them on the streets.

Yeah right, we are all busy people. We do not have the time to devote for something that could change things in the society. Why not just be selfish and think about ways to spend time in something which will make us earn more money? Why should you spend your time on something which will not benefit you and only you? We have a million excuses about why we don’t have the resources to do something instead of just talking about it. But isn’t it amazing how we can always manage to find time to see a movie every weekend, go on a holiday every six months and dance the night away at a party?

Today, take a moment in introspecting yourself and make a choice. What do you want to do? Do you want to keep on being satisfied with the wrongs that happen in YOUR country or do something about it?

Take advantage of the freedom that is the result of the sacrifice of hundreds of people who died to secure independence for us. You have the right to question and do something positive. Just for today, try to do something meaningful. Doing well does not mean donating thousands of rupees to some organization. Sometimes we can initiate a change through small things. Just for today, teach your maid the alphabet. Help that old lady cross the street. Stop your friend from ogling at a girl and making vulgar comments at her. Discourage another from smoking dozens of cigarettes a day. Raise your voice against something unfair. Speak about things that matter by writing to newspapers and express your opinion instead of remaining quiet. Just for this day, don’t throw the chocolate wrapper on the road. Switch off the lights whenever you leave the laboratory or classroom. Wear the helmet and snap on the seat belts. Demand to know why the shopkeeper is selling something at a price higher than the MRP. Register a complaint if you find something unfair is happening instead of keeping quiet about it.

For once, try to picture yourself in the place of that street urchin who’s trying to salvage some food from the Municipality dustbin. Think about the small boy who is selling tea in the train and wants desperately to go to college like you too. Imagine yourself to be the father whose daughter was burnt alive because she didn’t bring enough money in her dowry. Place yourself in the shoes of the beggar who never had an education and cannot earn. Think about the birds which will end up wounded or worse, dead on Sankranti, when you play with kites. Feel the pain that a tigress feels when her mate is hunted down by poachers for its skin to make fashionable rugs and coats. Try to feel the ache of social ostracism and personal violation that a victim of rape feels after the dirty deed is done. Place yourself in the heart of the mother who had to abort the tiny infant in her womb because it was a girl. Think about the child who has problems in learning things due to dyslexia and no one understands him. Imagine that a family member was murdered and the police didn’t do anything to convict the murderer because he happened to be the son of a high profile politician.

Today, think about the issues which you care about and have touched some strings in your heart. Decide what matters to you. Do what you always wanted to do TODAY for now, there is no past. There is only the PRESENT and the FUTURE. Just see the difference that you can make. Yes, YOU really can kick off a chain of events that could trigger a revolution of change that the country desperately needs. So have you decided? Are you going to continue to be a coward and ignore what is happening around you? Or are you ready to step forward to make a difference?