Washed away Dreams-We are Indians First

Visuals of the Bihar floods are haunting me day and night. Not that we have not seen destruction of this kind ever, but definitely there has never been such national apathy towards a calamity. I very clearly remember working at mobilizing funds for the Gujarat earthquake, the Tsunami and also remember not even once thinking that I don’t belong to these states. I think that a tragedy of this kind should be above regional and linguistic biases. Unfortunately this time around Bihar is fighting a very lonely battle.

During a discussion a few days back, one of my colleagues (a financial analyst) questioned the economic importance of Bihar,” It’s a burden” he opined. I am totally shocked at the lack of economic understanding shown by this person. No developing country (actually even developed) can afford to have a few of it’s states in a condition of total despair. It gives rise to anarchy, crime, terrorism and social recklessness. Such places become easy targets for the recruitment drive of anti social elements. While economic weakness is no justification for crime and anarchy in a perfect world, but in a world driven by capitalism this truism falls apart. So Mr. Analyst get your calculator and start calculating the economic cost of an underdeveloped Bihar.

I am not begging for the state I love. I have no doubt on the potential of Bihari’s. Pick up the qualifying lists of IIT’s, IIM’s and the toughest competitive exams in the country and you will get proof of the potential of Bihari’s. This was the state which gave us Jainism and Buddism. It’s in a state of disrepair due to faulty Politics and Policy. But friends don’t forget we are Indians too and therefore look forward to fellow Indians reaching out to us in one of our darkest hours.

The debate can wait…..Please save our lives first.

My Brothers!!!

I think the Raksha Bandhan fever has got to me! I am actually writing about them.Gosh..

Being the eldest and the only sister,life has been quite colourful.I still remember the youngest one (he was four and as scrawny as a twig then) escorting me on my walk and ,shouting at some eveteasers,"Oi tere ghar me Maa Bahen Nahin hain kya." I can't forget the look on their faces,it was sheer embarassment.

The middle one, who seemed like the most careless guy around has today evolved into one of the brightest minds I know.He was always my secret-keeper,my confidante.I used to blackmail him with mindless things,and make the poor fellow do all sorts of odd jobs(get my book,get some food,pick up my stuff.......you get the drift) Mean me:)

The eldest one,the rock.As a child he was the rowdiest one around.Would beat up all the kids ,break all sorts of household stuff.Today he is one of the strongest and most responsible guys I know.As calm as the sea on a sunny day.

I remember pestering them for their studies.Checking their pronunciation and their diction.I remember forgetting my arithmetic ,while trying to teach them some.But today I look at them and think ,every second of that time was worth it.

Love you Guys!!!!

Married Happily or Happily Married?

Is there a formula for a happy successful marriage?

Everytime this question crops up,so do innumerable answers.Words like love,commitment,understanding,maturity,adjustment,stability,friendship,togetherness....(actually the list is quite long)are often used.I frequently hear people say ,discuss,discard and then come back to their opinion about the X factor, that makes a relationship out of a marriage.

I have been married for sometime, and at times ponder and wonder about the very same question.As I see succesful marriages around me(my parents have been together for 30 years ),I also see an equal number of unhappy ones.I firmly believe that every individual has a right to being blissful and so if a relationship is not positive and happy ,being in it is unfair to all the individuals involved.

However, the problem lies with our definiton of happiness.Most of us don't know what actually makes us truly blissfully happy.Is it the diamonds,money,cars,beach side house or reading a great book.Our preferences change, every human goes through transformation and therefore so does every marriage.Finding happiness is crucial,but really knowing what makes us happy is the most important thing.

Old Friends ...............

What's it about school friends ,that makes talking to them therapeutic?

While speaking with them(or these days e-chatting with them),the most complex things about life seem like a bolt of lightning, scary yet so simple that it can be easily understood through an absolute inane e-chat.Just yesterday I was chatting with an old friend(who was not such a good friend back then),and we found we were sharing with each other some really ponderous thoughts about our lives.There was a sense of camaraderie in knowing that someone I had known quite well back then(we shared the same dormitory at Boarding School),shared the same apprehensions about some important things in life.

I think it has something to do with the sheer innocence of our motives,which were the hidden force behind all our actions at that age.The spontaneity,innocence,zest to discover and uncomplicated feelings about people around you,make them connect with you at a fundamental level.When you meet the same friends or chat with them at later points in life,picking up the threads or talking to them about life,becomes very easy.

It's like sharing notes and gaining wisdom from somewhat similar yet remarkably different experiences of life....................

Cameras and ME

I am one of those people who look pathetic in photographs.I mean it,seriously!

Pathetic is not the word.As one of my acquantainces put it-I look like something the cat dragged home-:)

I mean what's with cameras, they bring out the worst in me.When I was healthy(well some say grossly obese)they made me look healthier than actual(can you imagine!!!!).When I am thin,they make me look skinnier than normal.

Everytime someone says 'Cheese' to me,I look like I am going to have a fainting spell.The expression usually is ,get over with it you bozo.

Were I an Indian Politician,I would say-Opposition Ki Saazish Hain:)

Mustering Courage

Courage-When I was a child ,the word signified a quality that you needed to face the larger problems of life.It had a very grown up feeling to it.It was something that you needed when a major adversity stared you in the face or when life threw up nasty surprises.

But over the years I have noticed people needing courage to perform the smallest and most natural acts of life.People today need courage to be kind or even to smile at strangers.They need immense courage to reach an accident victim to the nearest hospital.They need great strength to speak even the smallest truth,or stand up for their smallest conviction.

People need courage to reach out to a lonely neighbour,an old lady or even throw a few scraps at some poor stray.They need courage to speak up ,to speak out,to look hard,to raise their head,to ask a question........At this rate we will very soon need courage to look at our own shadows.

We need to seriously reach out ,look around and ask questions.If we don't muster the courage,be assured that some day it will be one of us lying on the street in a pool of blood and people will just walk around us without a second thought.

Somnath Chatterjee-The Speaker who spoke against Opportunism in Indian Politics

I am no expert in Indian Polity, nor am I an expert in constitutional nuances; I am just an ordinary Indian who believes that a majority of our politicians are opportunists of the worst kind.

The story of Indian governance is a mixture of corruption, nepotism, anarchy and deceit. I tried to draw a genealogical chart of political and ideological affiliations in Indian Politics and got utterly lost due to the various convolutions. The picture looked like a sand castle washed away by greed and corruption.

No one cares about the 123 or 345 or whatever rubbish they are wanting the world to believe .All that matters are the current or prospective zero’s in their bank accounts.

Kudos to Mr.Somnath Chatterjee, for taking a stand and kicking petty politics. Wish God could give us more of his kind!!!!!!!