26/11 – LIFE GONE BYE FOR SOME, DIGITS FOR THE REST!!

A wreath of flowers, a candle peace march, a humble prayer or a gallantry award is all that we can think about as of this day. But for them, those gone by, and the ones they left behind, the sound and sight of fireworks, the realization of a terrorist bloodbath and those last few words they heard from their beloved, would be etched in soulful eternity.

26/11 is just another number, isn’t it? How many of us would honestly remember this day over our weekend`s social plans or box office releases till the newspapers screamed about it early this morning? Well, even for them, its gona gradually move from headliners on the first page, to a column in the bottom left of the same page the next year, and 50 words in some non-existent corner as a space filling tactic 10 years hence. True, time and tide wait for none, so do memories, they are quickly erased.

What was it with the fetish of ending it up on the 11^th month note that left one of the busiest metropolitan cities in the world paralyzed? If any of you folks are the likes who have played Counter Strike or games akin to those, killing seems to be fun at the click of a mouse button, and here we were, 2 years ago, being experimented upon in the same fashion, the only difference being it was "US ALL" in live flesh and blood as targets of one of the most horrendous terror attacks of our times.

We always crib about police atrocities, about their negligence in respect of acting up to situations; about a bollywood movie scene mockery where cops arrive last (they have been doing so in every single movie, and will continue to till the industry exists!!). That apart, just takes a moment and think about the families of those who protect you in their Khakhis as comparatively the most ill-equipped police force on earth!! They have kids like you and me waiting for their fathers to get home, they have a spouse who breaks into a sweat every time the phone rings in her others absence, praying, with an unfruitful attempt at times, murmuring, “This is not about what I think it is, everything must be fine”. They have parents, who, how much ever they might say otherwise to the world, know deep within that the life of their child, sometimes the only one and the only bread winner, is more important to them than the latter’s  duty towards the Nation. Truth sucks, I know, but that’s just the way it is, at least for the most of us.

It’s a rare occasion where I fall short of words to describe a particular feeling, and I confess, today is one of those.  How much ever we pray, praise or falsely pride ourselves as the citizen of this country, it remains a fact that you and me are least bothered. A job, a salary, a party over the weekend, a celebration with friends, hangout with our loved ones and caring a hoot about what has gone bye is the order of the day.

 It takes balls to be the one whoz sacrificed.  If you disagree ………….. Let know how many of you have a YES  for the following ? Be honest !

1. Let a dad, a mother, a sister, a brother or a close friend get randomly killed by a group of maniacs on the street?
2. Let a close one move out as a part of an Ops team to kill those loosers who are on a rampage, knowing for a fact that your fella never comes back after that day?
3. Wait for a gallantry award in the family, as a matter of pride, for which it`s okay for you to lose a close one in the forces? A caution, I don’t, by any means whatsoever, imply this to the ones who have. Just a simple question it is !
4. Let a "Kasab" trial go on and on and on and on for ages till that guy gives up on age?
5. One day, wake up to know that every chap above 18 has gota serve 5 compulsory years in the forces defending our borders? No life guarantee again!!

  THINK!!

What I`v penned down must’ve been my weirdest stuff ever, no connections, no flow, no story - just a LAME BLOODY CONFUSION OF SORTS!!  Confused I Am!

Them, the COPS and compulsorily the rest of their security clan have the balls and the courage to do it, to face it and to bear it all. I could only say, what those guys have done for us and the Nation, deserve more than a medal, more than a memory, more than a march and more than monetary compensation. They deserve RESPECT , more, when they are ALIVE !! R.I.P !!

A BACKPACK FULL OF A DECADE…. and MIXED FEELINGS !!

I'ts that time of the year again. The moment it hits an ELEVEN on the Month Slot, it seems the hours are closing down upon something that one wished would stay longer, something that one wished should have happened and something that one wished would never have !!!

I'ts November guys, just like the 11^th minute of an hour, the 11^th hour of the day, it’s the 11^th month of the year!!  Kinda each one`s second last chance to ponder upon the past, kinda time to gather guts and say “ What happened was history, dead and gone, what lies ahead, is sheer awesomeness, a ray of hope that would light up the lives of us and the people we cherish”. Nevertheless, these are feelings that come with the season, but this time around, its special!! We’re all about to step into a new decade, trying to get over 10 long years of the Second millennium.

On a personal note, its been one helluva journey. A crucial decade, and most would agree, of moving from our crazy teens to what we are today, a decade of knowing and learning people, a decade where we made friends that would last a life time, a decade where we realized life is about moving on, a decade when we saw peace prevail over the Babri judgment, a decade when the first Black was voted a world leader, if for nothing else, a decade where we have witnessed history and maturity. This happens once in a life time !

The last I saw a zero being knocked out of a year was way back in 2000, err…. must`ve been in the IX standard. Years dint have much relevance then. It was just about stepping into the second term of the year post Diwali and looking forward to the awesommest of all celebrations …. CHRISTMAS and NEW years eve!! It was about visiting and being visited by cousins and friends, it was about a picnic on the beach, about crackers and laddos for Diwali and about carols and cakes for Christmas!!

It’s a decade gone by…

On this note, it would be perfect to remember my heaven on earth…. GOA!! The thought of that place simply lights you up. Come November, morning temperatures suddenly dip to give you that festive chill, its time to be in your best, look your best and be with the best!! Try avoiding it, I betcha if you cant hear the music hum within. You want to run out and announce on the streets that holidays are here and that you care a hoot for your new semesters to begin, coz through New Years till February, books and classes were the last things on ones mind. Getting to college would be excuse to meet friends, getting to class would be an excuse to yawn, and getting out of college would be an excuse to say folks back home would be worried as usual. Add to that college tours and inter-col fest preparations!!! Those were the days!! Miss them….. Here, you don’t need a reason to celebrate, the season and you are the celebration!! One cant wait for the day to pop up to feel a sense of peace to hit you in the sunlight and neither can one wait for the night where streets and celebrations light up!! Undoubtedly, it’s the best time of the year…

Back to the present, come November, Work is the last thing on ones mind!! Whoever you are, whatever you do and wherever you come from …… you would feel new, you would feel the chill, you would feel the spirit, you would feel GOAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Here`z a Wrap Up

• To all the people who have been awesome company in the past few years, thank you!! I cherish and love you`ll.....
•  For those who don’t wana b anymore….. Hard Luck …… you just missed out on the most precious company you could ever have!!
•  For those of you Who`d had break ups …. Remember …. Your folks taught you to give away your old toys in charity….. you deserve a new one 
•  For lost opportunities….. care a shit…. there sumthin better out there...
•   For Something that has not happened…. It was never meant to be….. or you might not  be living today…..
•  For those who have had the worse….. here on… it’s a journey uphill…  ..no turing back 
•  FOR 2010…. You rocked and SUCKED EQUALLY ….. adding a ONE to youz gona be much much BETTER...welcome 2011....

;) LOL …… wish u all a happy season, health, wealth and good sense……. CHEERS !!! GOD Bless..

For the ppl who far away from heaven … pack your bags ASAP …. GOA waits babeyh !!!

DO YOU HEAR THAT Mr. MUTHALIK? - “GOA DOES NOT NEED MORAL POLICING”

IN THE TOI on 22 MARCH 09- p. 4

A leader and his group booked for promoting enemity amongst various religious groups and causing injury to honor of women boasts of setting up a moral policing cell in our modern, liberal, yet culturally and ethically sound state. Goa, one would agree with me, scores more on a cross cultural, modern thought and liberalism scale compared to Mangalore, the long Portuguese regime and the modern yet morally stable outlook of the people being the main reasons. The leader of the Ram Sene, Mr. Pramod Muthalik, now cherishes a dream to open a state branch of the same party in 10 states including Goa. It was amazing to know that he was cooling his heels in the Gulbarga prison when he was all for his moral policing aim. Wait, the news doesn’t end here. On 16^th March 2009, the district administrator and deputy commissioner banned Mr.Muthalik from entering the Mangalore District for one whole year!! Well, courtesy: His outfit members attacking boys and girls in a pub in Mangalore in a bid to pursue their moral policing mission there, well, you women hitters, ever heard of that sanskrit saying, Yatra Naryesthu Pujanthe Ramnathe Tatra Devata.(Where women are respected, that is where god lies).

In whose wildest dreams, do you think Mr. Muthalik, will a sensible resident of Goa allow you to start an office in the state, especially after that aforementioned excellent biodata which would compete with that of a Hypocrite Hitler? How can a man who boasts of a fountain of morals in his backyard ever think of hitting and causing injury to the honor of women? If not for you, it is for us in Goa to think and take the requisite step.

Morality may be synonymous with ethics or a code of conduct, the word by itself tracing its origin to the latin term moralitas, meaning manner or proper behavior. It would be absolutely bizarre for the Ram Sene to think that our own government cannot take care of the state and the needs and conduct of its citizens leave alone moral policing. But the moot question is, in a society like ours, do we need moral policing at all, and if yes, by whom?

What would you morally police? Pub culture, western dressing, women drinking, smoking, or would u police lovers who express themselves, away from the precincts of the society. The basis on which the whole ideology of moral policing of the outfit is portrayed is absolutely senseless. Why would I as an individual, irrespective of my sex, want to be policed by a divide creating element for the places I visit, socialize at or the drinks I consume, or for the love I express, as long it is not against the law of the land? And if I act in a manner that is allegedly antagonistic to the norms of the law so created, it would be the requisite authorities to take actions against me and not a group of influenced minds attacking me at a leaders sign. Progressing towards the Goan scene, pub culture, cross cultural clothing have been a part of the society for ages, the then crude form of pubs being the Tavern or small restaurants/drinking place literally translated, and the modern outlook of the society being implied on account of the Portuguese regime for 450 years. In fact on a general note… somarasa, madira have been part of the Indian cultural heritage for thousands of years finding mention in ancient scriptures. That woman did not consume alcohol in ancient times has no staunch proof on record. On a contemporary note, in Goa, all these form part of the gross earner tourism industry, with the trends being imbibed in historical paradigms. If this code of conduct is well espoused by rational people in preference to any other options available, then a question of disobeying morals does not arise at all. In such a situation, why would I want a Ram Sene or any such outfit to be a part and parcel of Goa and create havoc out of peace and tranquility over issues that are nonexistent? Our government does take action on issues that affect or hurt the morals of the states citizens, and well account for it.

Conceptions of morals and morality have and should change significantly over time. What may seem modern and futuristic today may be very much an essential ingredient of the society tomorrow. Before I hit a woman who drinks in harmony or harass a couple only because they express their love on Valentines Day, I should ask my own very self whether I would stop drinking, or I would stop expressing love, no matter which way. One might ask why? The answer lies in the very fact that we are a democratic country with right to equality and right to life forming an essential part of the constitution. No one, including you Mr. Muthalik, has a right to deny a woman her right to drink, or from expressing my emotions towards another which form an ingredient of the essence of a human life, so long as it is not barred by the government of my country.

I believe that I have made my locus clear here. Goa, that state that is, does not need you or your elements to inspect us. We are ethically, morally, religiously, philosophically and to get in dept… meta-ethically sound and stable. The states machinery is competent enough to deal with any moral issue if, may god forbid, arise. With Goa`s leaders sounding the horn against the Muthalik “dream moral police gang and their shop” the protest has already begun. It’s high time we take a step forward.

It is not that we in Goa do not believe in god or religion, its just that we believe in humanity and sensible equality all the more.

REALISATION

"No appeal can lie against an order of conviction from a plea of guilty..."… those lines were more than enough to make me feel groggy. That line, well imprinted in the code of criminal procedure years ago, was one of those that would impress the examiner about my knowledge and memory skills in that subject and it was just one of those thousand lines that I had been reading since morning. Wasn`t it enough for the day? Was I trying to exceed the limits to which an average human brain could swallow in matter to reiterate the next day, or was it that those grey cells were tired, not of working, but of the mere realization that they had repeatedly been tormented for the past so many years during specific periods, to swallow, digest, but not to excrete what was fed, for excretion would definitely mean a loss to its master, but not make an iota of difference to them. The verbal replacement for excrete would be reiterate.......for reiteration would mean some success. So those poor masses of proteins selfishly opted for the former option... to loose out on the feeding, so that another of those cells would direct my brains to shut that book and not resist the most tempting urge in the world.... SLEEP.

Somewhere deep in my heart I knew that the unfinished portion was known to me, for the very fact that it had been done once before, but the brains up there didn’t allow me to think so, these two organs were in a constant conflict of superiority whereby finally, in my case, the one that beats until death, gained supreme.

As I lay on bed with my eyes wide open, staring at the fan rotating above at full speed, unable to sleep immediately, a thought crossed my mind, which asked;

“Why do you struggle so hard with those books..?."

“Why do you study hard, for whom, for what and for whose sake..?"

For a moment, i felt that it was the strangest question that one could ever imagine asking, especially for it popped out at 4.00 am, just ten hours before I answered my final paper this semester. How on earth could I defy the ritual that I had been following for the past 5 years to study like a madman and answer my exams without a question being posed with regard to the worthiness of what i was doing, or for that matter, with regard to why I worked hard at all ? The question kept pricking my soul for the next five minutes, taking different forms, at one time comparing me, the work hard party lesser character to all those souls i had known who balanced life well , who would have all the fun in the world as yet were successful in their academic endeavors and the next moment, giving me an audio visual of a sort where i could see all my mark sheets being flung out of some interview room and the bosses there demanded for experience and practical involvement.

But why me? I did enjoy my life to the limit I could, I did have the experience that would make up an absolute fresher`s work profile...... then why me?? Then...........why............... mee..ee....ee....e?? This question was overshadowed by those protein creatures up there. It was like a compensatory action they took up for that conflict over the "sleep" or "no sleep " issue with my heart....that interview room which flung my mark sheets out was getting blurred, all those party animals who made me somewhat jealous were rushing towards the dark...... when I woke up from that sound, conflicting, irony-filled sleep, it was 6.00 am.

No doubt, I answered my exams well that day, with a revision of that unfinished portion and a final glance through to all those pages like I was preparing for some grand finale, the whole of our Fifth Year Honors class reveled in the joy of just “getting over with it”, the realization of what we had just achieved yet to sink in. But for me, what came across as a question the night before, was yet to be answered.

The thought that struck yours truly might have been faced or may be faced by you at some point of time, may be each one of us react differently to it. This thought would have been one of the few unanswered questions of my life but for that old woman I met on my journey back home…
She had this typical style of speaking Konkani, more diverted towards the taluka of Bardez, She sat besides me in that crowded bus which would be my mode of transport from Panjim to Vasco-da-gama…. Though she seemed to be one unfriendly, tough cookie who had done work of a hard and mean nature to earn her living, her friendly words quickly changed my opinion about her. She said that she worked in the fields all day to earn her monthly wage.
I asked “aunty, are you not tired of doing the same task over and over again, why don’t u do some other job instead?”
I can`t recall to date the reason why I asked that question to a complete stranger, whether it was the desperation within me to find out something that I didn’t know, or was it a garb over the insecurity contained within?

She looked at me with awe, glanced out at the passing streets and trees, took a deep breath and looked at me again. I realized the phrase I had just spat out was akin to asking a a hungry man why he ate, asking a handicap as to why he needed crutches and asking a cabbie why he drove at all. She replied, to my utter astonishment, with a smile on her wrinkled face, she said she did that task over and over again not because she was incapable of anything else, but because she had mastered the art of doing it with constant practice. She had been doing this for a living, no doubt, but simultaneously was she able to be the best in the field, that the owners trusted her when she did her job, they knew that Shakuna, or Tai Bai as they called her with respect, could be given charge of an entire field, with an assurance that the produce would be returned to them with upright honesty. Her honed skills, complied with her hard work and dedication over those tasks of sowing, transplanting and harvesting over and over again had made her a perfectionist in her field, and that had bought into her life the imperative Trust factor. Her happiness and social status in the village automatically followed.

How do u feel when an acupuncturist pricks a blocked nerve with a sharp needle and leaves it there for hours? It gives u a mixed, inexplicable feeling of pain, of relief and of a sense of fulfillment and well being. That is exactly how I felt at that point of time; I was pained that I questioned an old lady about the threads that kept her life going, yet I was happy that her reply had found me a link to that stupid, yet important question which boggled my mind last night.
But for u Tai Bai, I wouldn’t know the task I have been repeatedly performing, of tormenting my grey cells up there to swallow, digest and reiterate what I read before exams is not limited to my mark sheets. This exercise is setting within me a base to constantly perfect myself, to stretch my inner self to have patience, to perform every task with dedication and honesty, nevertheless the results. Those interview rooms, wouldn’t for now fling my certificates for they would look not just for my marks, but for the capacity within me to approach an alien tasks at hand with the same energy and gusto as I would comply with a known one. What I did not see in my imagination that night was that every time I stretched myself to remember something, I put a foot forward to carve out a niche for myself, not academically, but emotionally ; that it would enhance the trust factor within me and the one who employed me, that I, irrespective of the experience, would say an immediate yes to an alien task, for the very reason that even though the job seems alien to me, the capacity to work hard, in the same manner, on a different job every time, is very much known to my heart and soul..

For once, these two constantly conflicting organs, my dear heart and my devilish brain would definitely concur…..

Keep working hard….. It really pays off some day…

MEDIA AND THE POLICE MACHINERY- PARALLEL COURTS TO TRY ACCUSED?

Its been quite some time that this article was published in a daily......nevertheless , it looks like an interesting way to begin...

“Masala”, “TRP`s” and “Make overs”- does that ring a bell? To an average Indian, Yes!! Those sound as the keywords to a blockbuster television daily. Sorry Ekta ji, that’s not the case anymore, looks like you have competition in your own backyard. And who dares the soap queen? No, not reality shows, not IPL, but the very essence of the fourth pillar of our democracy, the media !
No prizes for guessing that this article focuses on the murder of Aarushi Talwar and Hemraj. Sector 25 in Noida gained limelight on the 16th of May this year for all the wrong reasons. The daughter of Dr. Talwar was found dead in her bedroom. And the suspect…. Her very own father. What followed was a non- stop coverage of the events that circled the murder, the weapon, the killers. They say the media can either make or break a star (villain)! Covering public opinion about the case a few days back would have revealed the viewers anger…..they would demand Mr. Talwar to be hanged to death, some would have gone to the extent of suggesting worse punishments. And the reasons for this ever rising anguish…? Hours of frequency waves on some really inquisitive news channels poking around the lives of those in the family at a wild hogs pace. Mr. Talwar was turned into a villain within no time. Honor killings, sexual relations of the daughter, all with no evidence at all were blown out of proportion. One news channel in particular, had every second day, dedicating their prime time to the murders. The hosts discussed the murder amongst themselves, made wild guesses about the killer, about the relationship of aarushi with hemraj, about the place where the weapon might have been hidden, even recreating scenes showing men involved in a scuffle with aarushi in bed and finally killing her. Where did all these fancy, filmy ideas crop up? Looks like “make overs “of crimes and crime scenes are the words that fit in as a reply to that question, the make-up men, stylist and designers being the channels themselves.
Shift scenes to the interview of a high profile officer in the noida police in connection to the same case. All the Q and A`s of the press conference go well until, this supposed to be responsible officer points out to the character of Dr. Talwar himself. With what proof one might ask, no one, except Mr. IGP will have an answer to that, which keeping in compliance with the norms may be answered before the inquiry committee!
Our constitution guarantees us the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression. This freedom mutually applies to receiving and imparting information. Our media and the press have been considered to be the factors exercising checks and balances on the system. The constitution provides the limits of this freedom as well. But considering the very factual scenario at hand and the extent to which the media can exert itself, one might wonder as to who, why, how and when the media would be held accountable for its acts. In its attempt to create a check on crimes, or for that matter balance proportionalities with respect to the criminal justice system, the dividing line between the Courts of law and the media is on the verge of extinction. Recent acts of some news channels point out in the terrific direction of creating a parallel judiciary in the country where a person, even before being named a suspect is impliedly declared to be a criminal. Bias that is created in the mind of a judge when he decides a case disqualifies him from sitting as a judge in that case ,as bias, even in its im-purest form jolts the very basis of natural justice. On a lighter note, with no pun intended, judges would be the happiest not to watch news a day before the bench sits, to maintain the quintessence, spirit and purity of the profession.
As far as I know, the judiciary of the country, with due respect, cannot be held accountable for its acts, the reasons being trust, faith and confidence within it forming the very basis of its existence and acceptance. The media on the other hand, needs a scrutiny at a high level, its susceptibility to economic benefits, viewership increment giving a boost to the aforementioned steps.
One cannot forget the contributions of the media in bringing to the fore cases of Priyadarshini Mattu, Jessica lal, The Nanda BMW accident, and the Nitish Katara case, but a saint, however saintly he is, cannot be forgiven for the rape he commits. The reputation of the Talwar family is not less than raped. Raped by some private news channels, every time they flashed the talwar residence like a terrorist hideout; raped by journalist, every time they asked Mrs. Talwar whether the father of her daughter had murdered her; raped by the elements of the police machinery, when they pointed out the character of the father; and raped by you, me and all, every time we accepted what these idiot boxes said to us.
It`s been 50 days of innumerable mental torture, grief, pain and defamation for the Talwar family. Nothing can get them their repute back. Unfortunate is the father who lost his daughter to a brutal murder, but more unfortunate is a father who couldn’t mourn for his dead daughter in peace. Let the father and the family have private space, let the sector area cordon off any media from the aarushi issue, let their tears flow in grief and remembrance of their beloved, as that and that alone, shall give them the strength to face this merciless world.

THE BLOG THOT

They say it all has to begin one day... keeping with the tradition, it began for me today. 24th october 2008 would be a day for me to remember. With what cast upon my grey cells as a speck of light giving way to the profound idea of sharing my thought with friends and well wishers, i found myself succumbing to the irresistible temptation of creating a blog inspite of the harsh fact that i was supposed to get back to those criminal law books and answer the acid test of my life on the 28th....

As i begin upon this thought sharing journey, i have no expectations as to who, why, when and where this blog would be read, or who would appreciate or criticize the same for reasons best known to them... but yeah, i can give myself one assurance, i would try and improve myself with every new step that i take and every new attempt i make to pen down something....