Are you game for a True Story; Fiction Style??

             Walking through the long rows of shelves in the library, I was searching for a book which would give me company for the next few days. As I walked past the non-fiction section (which is not my favorite genre), my eyes set on a book named "Aruna’s story” by Pinki Virani. I picked up that book and after reading a page, decided that this was the book I would like to read. And this very book opened up a whole new world of non-fiction and true stories to me!

             After that one, I have read many books in this genre. Mafia queens in Mumbai, based on the lady dons in the city, Black Friday, based on the1993 Mumbai blasts and recently Death in Mumbai, based on the Neeraj Grover murder case are a few of them.
               These works of non-fiction are a treat to our minds.... to read the article further click-here.









-This article by me appeared in the journalistic sahitya column of isahitya media.

A Dose of Reality in Fiction

            There has been a tremendous evolution in the Indian literature scenario over the past decade. There is a wave of new people taking up writing to express their thoughts and ideas rather than just penning down a story to entertain the reader.
            These people are neither professional writers and nor have they studied the techniques of being a good writer, but still they are here, wooing the audience and enthralling them with each new novel. The last couple of years have seen young IT professionals; financial advisors and even housewives pick up their pens and write down their thoughts in the form of a novel. And the most common trait them is a simple factor: They all are very near to the world we live in! Their stories are not of princes and princesses; they don’t have the clichéd topic of lovelorn couples and family opposition; but they have what we call a glimpse of our lives.....
 to read the whole article- click.








-This article by me appeared in the new age sahitya column of isahitya media.

The Mixing of the Classes

I wonder what “They” were thinking when “They” passed the law of reserving 25% seats for unprivileged children in privileged schools?

I don’t mean to discriminate between the citizens of this nation, but is it right for “Them” to pass this law on a pretext to cease this discrimination, and in turn give rise to more of it?

It begins with the smallest things of concern, their bags, their books and their clothes and shoes. How are the underprivileged people going to afford three uniforms a week, when they can’t afford two meals a day?

Then comes the social standing of the classes. Will the rich be comfortable with their children mixing up with children who belong to the lower strata of society? I don’t think so. Or even if the rich mix up with them, will the poor children not be jealous of their rich friends? The poor children will always want to have the better and nicer things, and they will want them at any cost, thus giving a way for crime.

Also, we have to think about the poor children and the trauma they will undergo, if they are not able to cope in their new schools. And then even if the fees of these schools will be comparatively less for them, will they be able to provide their children with coaching classes and other talent classes?

Thus passing this law has not really changed the scenario, because even though the education level may increase, the social harmony will decrease, causing discrimination between the classes.

Actually “They” should have just tried to change the current level of the education system in the government schools and improved them rather than making the already unmanaged system more unmanageable. I just hope all turns out well for the children!

'Change is necessary'

                        Every time there is a 'Change', it brings about a Revolution. Not French or an American Revolution, but a Revolution in your ideas and the way you look at them. I have always stood up for myself and even today I would do the same for others of my kind- be it on reel or in real. If I wish to change something, I would want to Change the way women are portrayed in Television Serials, popularly known as 'soap-operas'.

                         The other day, I was watching a prime-time soap-opera, when suddenly the female protagonist got slapped by her husband. I was shocked to see the suddenness of the physical blow, an unnecessary event in the woman’s life. The scene definitely showed physical abuse, and I had a notion that the woman would stand up and face her husband bravely. In this hope, I watched it the following day. But to my utter surprise, the woman did not stand up for herself; instead she asked for her husband’s forgiveness and readily agreed when he told her to forget it all.

                       Is this a portrayal of a 21^st century woman? I don’t think so. Then why show it on Indian television soap-opera, a medium propagated to a half billion people?

                      On one hand, women are going out to work and are even at the highest positions. They have equal rights as men and are also allowed to have their own way.  But on the other hand, they are shown in these serials as a shadow of their powerful husbands, with no voice of their own. I don’t say that all soap-operas are the same, but then majority of them portray the feeble yet brave woman, with her in-laws dominating and harassing her. This woman is not given a right to talk in the house, but still she does, in order to change the household. But how much of this is true? You never know. All mother-in-laws are neither bad, nor all sister-in-laws come and stay at their brother’s houses. And not all ‘bahus’ are ideal either!

                     And the paradox in this situation is that all the viewers of these soap-operas are the so-called ‘modern’ women, their rights and voice secure in their own houses.

                    Then why do they even watch these serials? Because they get pleasure, or do they want a life similar to those helpless women? This remains a mystery to me. And it will never be solved until we change the impossible portrayal of the Ideal Indian woman on the Indian television scenario.

Capital Punishment: The fate of Ajmal Kasab??

            "Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab", does this name ring a bell???

            Yes, he is the lone terrorist who was caught on that fateful night of 26/11. He was the only attacker captured by the police; an evidence that he was involved can be given by the following picture.
          
             And yet, he was given an extra fair trial, provided with all the comforts of life and kept in an surrounding, in which he never really lived!
          
             The martyrs' widows never got their revenge; the people never got their pleas heard, and after three years, Kasab is still alive in jail, living life to his fullest. 
          
              Even the Media is now turning a Blind eye to this case, as there has been no news of the further developments in the Kasab case for over a year.

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            This article in the Indian Express, gives an insight on the Kasab trial and its outcome(2010).             
            We are not sure if Ajmal Kasab is going to get the punishment he deserves.

If the government is rethinking its decision, it is our responsibility to see that he gets a punishment he deserves.

           

                                                                       

IPL: A Modern Roman Circus?

                 History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
                                                                 ~ Karl Marx

                         It was the year 246 AD. A prominent aristocrat in the Roman Empire had his funeral in a few hours. It was to be in a public market of Forum Boarium. A large crowd had gathered for the funeral. Taking advantage of this to bring political prestige to the family name, the first Gladiatorial fight was organised. So the beginning of gladiator history and combat started with a funeral.
                        This probably changed the whole course of history in the coming years. By the closing years of the politically and socially unstable Roman Empire, Gladiator games provided their sponsors with extravagantly expensive but effective opportunities for self-promotion while offering cheap, exciting entertainment to their consumers. Gladiators became big business for trainers and owners, for politicians on the make and those who had reached the top. An ambitious politician or a private citizen may postpone his deceased father's funeral to the election season, when a generous show might get him votes; those in power and those seeking it needed the support of the common public, whose votes might be won with an exceptionally spectacular show, sometimes even the mere promise of one. Ownership of gladiators or a gladiator school gave muscle and flair to Roman politics.

                        The scale of the Gladiatorial Games increased from just a small number of participants to the massive numbers of gladiators seen in the spectacles of Roman arenas and the Colosseum. People were being entertained and they loved it. The Roman Economy was in a financial crisis; but yet the roman kings were their own self, setting up exuberant shows for the common man, which lead to ignorance to handle the crisis in their lives. Betting on the gladiators increased tremendously, making people believe that the gladiator fights were a source of easy money. Thus the gladiator culture destroyed half of the roman empire, making way for others to conquer it.
                        Jump to 2008 AD. India is in political and economical turmoil as always. But at the same time, The BCCI came out with a brilliant idea of providing the ultimate entertainment to the common man: the INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE.
                       It is a well known fact that an Indian equates to a cricket maniac. Cricket is not only perceived as a game but as a matter of national pride and honour. Be it the Test cricket format or the ODI format, it is the most popular game in India. And thats what caught the eye of the powerful and those in need of power. They became the sponsors to this project, they put up extravagant shows and "bought" cricket players from around the world, just like the roman kings who selected their gladiators. They made various teams, one allotted to each sponsors, just like each king owned a mini army of gladiators. The cricketers are paid handsomely and are given personal trainers, spectacular training grounds and glamour; the same way as the gladiators.

                        And at a specific time of the year, they are unleashed in the arena to fight the battle of their lives; that is to play cricket. This form of cricket is short, sweet and very entertaining. With two matches a day, the Indian premier league goes on for eight weeks, throughout the summer. It is the ultimate entertainment of the year. From tickets sale to souvenirs, the sponsors of IPL are making money in everything.
                        But have we thought about the profits of IPL to the common man other than entertainment? IPL has nothing to offer to the public besides entertainment. But if it is entertainment, then is it paying the entertainment tax to the government? No, IPL is exempted from the entertainment tax by the government on the basis of the argument that it is a sport.
                        But if it is a mere sporting event, then why the unnecessary glamour and glitz, the before-parties and the after-parties? What would have been a tremendous profit to the government, was subtracted by the government itself; just like the Romans did, 2000 years ago. The Roman Kings wanted more power, the already rich sponsors of IPL are keen on minting more money.
                        The money coming from the last four Indian premier leagues, has never been declared in public. We never know the real digits and how many zeros accompany them. So it is a blind game in which the public is made the victim. Betting has turned out to be a parallel business in the IPL season, with millions of dollars and rupees being put up on the outcome of these cricket matches.                        People are being fooled in the name of entertainment, and the problems which need to focus on are ignored, as it happened in the roman empire.  Are all the problems in India solved; now that we are having entertainment months in the country? Now think of it in this way: aren't we an entertainment to all those people in power, showing our antics and dancing to their tunes (in the literal sense)!!!
                         Today, we all are gearing up for the annual entertainment dose of the great Indian circus, the IPL, but we need to rethink our choices before it's too late.