Culture or Chauvanism?

What is the Ram Sena upto? What Indian culture are they refering to? Do they even realise what "culture" means? No individual has the right to intervene in another individual's life. How one dresses, socialises, etc is not any other individual or groups business. As long as the legal framework is adhered to, who is the Ram Sena to tell any life bearing body in this country what to do or what not to do? Whether one apes the west or not, is one's personal prerogative.

It is sad and unfortunate to see such anti-social elements and their acts in this land of Khajuraho and KamaSutra. These are merely a group of ill-informed(half-baked knowledge) people who stoop to any extent for mere poltical gain. To remain in power, you use the public? How sad is the state of this democracy?

I like the approach(ahimsa) that the Pink Chaddi campaign adopted to. :)

Lil does the Ram Sena realize that there are youngsters out there who took advantage of their announcement about getting couples seen in public on Valentine's day married off. Who knows, how very mature, sure were these individuals about their decision or themselves? What right, authority did the Ram Sena have to decide their future?

Gandhiji sure must be turning in his grave.

North Vs South

A lot of us must have faced scenarios where in collegues, aquaintances and even friends at times mock South Indians. I am not denying the fact that the case is vice versa as well. I also admit that we are all Indians at the end of the day and belong to one nation.

But, is that how we see ourselves unless and until there is a major mishap(terrorist activity of sorts)?

This is on account of what I have witnessed and am not out here to condemn, demeen or use derogatory terms against North Indians or Non-South Indians. I infact until recently always had a soft corner toward North Indians for reasons unknown.

I am appauled by the audacity of people who possibly don't consider themselves as INDIANS but also make fun of South Indians - their skin color, accents, style of speaking, pronunciation, habits and food while they(the non-South Indians) live in South India to earn their bread and butter. This annoys me the most. If you can't respect others for what and who they are the least you can do is not make fun of them(more so while you reside in their land). For the North Indians, South India equates to Madras(thanks to Bollywood as well) and black people as they refer to us. Black implies Dark, that is the right word in English for Kala(in hindi). Didn't you know?

A gujju once said:"There are snakes in the hole", he meant "There are snacks in the hall". A bong said:"There are babes in the water", he meant "There are waves in the water". A Punju said: "I am com-for-table" he meant "I am comfortable". What about those of you who replace the word "THINK" with the word "HOPE" in every other so called English sentence of yours("I hope you are frustrated"!, boy what was that? Well it means "I think you are frustrated")? Do we speak of achievers from various parts of India? Well I am not getting in to that. One can go on, but like I earlier said I am not out here to make fun of anyone but to express my views and disgust towards such people who make fun(unless done in good spirit) of others irrespective of wheather they are from the South or the North of India.

Disclaimer: My intent is not to target North Indians or Hindi speaking public(fellow Indians) through this post. I am trying to put across what I have seen and how South Indians(implies Madrasis) are victimised. I will be more than happy to read/hear from you about instances that work the other way round(though I never did or will deny the possibility and the reality). Neither am I generalising that all non-South Indians possess such an attitude towards South Indians nor am I trying to claim that South Indians do not have a problem and/or are very friendly, forthcoming and approachable towards non-South Indians.

Cows in a Globalized World

Ever heard/seen cows that eat Biscuits, Chocolates, Ice cream, etc out of choice and not out of starvation(Yes, there are several cows that eat the glue(made of rice batter) behind posters on the road and from dustbins because of hunger)?

Such are the cows that belong to the NJR family in Madanapalle of Chitoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India. They prefer BRITANNIA TIGER biscuits. Taste buds in action?;-)

Take a look: Click on the hyper linked title.

Aren't they adorable? The cow on the right hand side at the start of the video has an EGO issue, or does she seek attention? Try feeding her after you are done with feeding the rest of the cows and she will refuse to eat, try vice versa and it works. Amazing?:-)

Disclaimer:Ah well, I am aware that they are completely and terribly pampered but I sure am not interested in reading comments about how good or bad it is for Cows to be eating such food.

Freedom - Independence and Republic Day

Ever pondered on this?

Why is it that only as Independence/Republic Day is approaching, do most of us:

• Start spamming each other's inboxes with forwards about Azaadi, Hamaara Bharath Mahan, etc?


• Buy and pin flags to ourselves?


• Wear clothes that contain the tri-color(Is that not disrespect to wrap the flag around)?


• Telecast and watch so to speak Patriotic movies and Jai Jawan?


• Recite the National Anthem(while we don't stand in attention and respect the anthem)?

The list is endless. It seems more like a forced ritual than something that comes from within. Why don't we otherwise think of the soldiers who pledge their life for the nation? Why does the government award them much lesser than software geeks when it comes to monetary benefits. There is no comparison to there services. Why does not the Indian government make it mandatory for every boy and girl to serve the nation for a minimum period of at least two years?

I believe there is no profession that can match the Forces(with all due to respect to them), be it Pride or Dignity.I understand, empathize and have great regard, as I come from a Defence family and always, wanted to join the Forces. Call it Fate, Destiny or Luck was not with me. :-(

Traffic Today!

How does it feel to ride in today’s traffic, especially in an urban area? Riding a two wheeler or driving a four wheeler is no more a pleasure in any of the cosmopolitan cities, it is more of a necessity and a convenience factor.

Everyone is zooming away, irrespective of size, capacity and horsepower. Everyone is in a hurry and everyone thinks the road is a racecourse/racing arena. What with the banks offering vehicle loans day in and day out, there are several thousand vehicles registered every day. An increase in population and India Shining(opening up and growth of economy) has lead to a vehicle overload on the roads today.

There is absolutely no road sense, be it an educated/uneducated person riding/driving, be it a richster/poor man, be it a man/woman, be it a teenager/old person. Invariably people don’t follow rules. Everyone think they are super smart and try break the rules thereby causing traffic jams, accidents and chaos for themselves. For instance when it comes to overtaking, you have people overtaking you from both sides and they don’t honk while they overtake, while that’s when they need to let you know so. And freak what about those idiots who ride on the right side of the road….ever wondered why? That’s cause he/she has just returned from the United States of America you see, will take a while for the individual to get accustomed to the Indian rule of riding/driving on the left hand side of the road. What with the kind of turns they take, people who want to turn left, stand at the extreme right at a signal and cut across the rest. Annoying or what? Even better, at a signal/traffic jam, the horn is used to it’s maximum. I turn to tell the bloody fool to ‘fly over’ me, if s/he is blind not to see that there is no where I can move.

I ride very slowly and hence am ridiculed but I care two hoots. My life is precious and I believe in following the rules and riding safe, cause all around me are senseless idiots, who possess the power to purchase and have a machine to accelerate. They have no bloody brains, all they can do is fight, create chaos, add to NOISE pollution, help add fowl language and words to one’s vocabulary and ensure that others become BP patients at the EOD.

To ride/drive and handle traffic on Indian roads with all kinds of vehicles, big and small(bullock carts to Volvo buses), is not just a huge task but a skill by itself. What do you think?