The controversy over the religious bent of Senator Barack Obama, one of the candidates for the post of the U.S president, has come under the line of fire recently. The question whether he is a follower of Islam or Christianity, has taken the country by a storm. Obama on the other hand is trying to assure, anyone who listens, that he is a staunch follower of Christianity and although he belongs to a Muslim background, has got nothing to do with that faith.
In his speeches and often on the Internet, the part of Sen. Barack Obama's biography that gets the most attention is not his race but his connections to the Muslim world, according to a report in Washington Post.
During his contention for presidential seat in February, Obama, a member of a congregation of the United Church of Christ in Chicago, has had to address claims that he is a Muslim or that he had received training in Islam in Indonesia, where he lived from ages 6 to 10.
His paternal grandfather, a Kenyan farmer, was a Muslim. The son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, Obama was born and spent much of his childhood in Hawaii, and he talks more about his multicultural background than he does about the possibility of being the first African American president. "A lot of my knowledge about foreign affairs is not what I just studied in school. It's actually having the knowledge of how ordinary people in these other countries live," he said earlier this month in Clarion, Iowa.
"The day I'm inaugurated, I think this country looks at itself differently, but the world also looks at America differently," he told another Iowa crowd. "Because I've got a grandmother who lives in a little village in Africa without running water or electricity; because I grew up for part of my formative years in Southeast Asia in the largest Muslim country on Earth."
Obama aides sharply disputed the initial stories suggesting that he was a Muslim, and in Iowa, the campaign keeps a letter at its offices, signed by five members of the local clergy, vouching for the candidate's Christian faith, according to the Washington post.
Obama for many of us represents not only the hope to see the first ever African- American candidate in the white house, but also to have a man that understands the world- politics and US role in it, in a positive way. Obama’s strong opposition to the Iraq war and his policies towards those parts of the world where the United States is not popular makes him a tough competitor and a better politician.
However, this issue about his religious followings has highlighted a lot of other problems in the country. It has brought out the mentality that works in US. The mind-set that is yet to accept a person from a Muslim background as their own. Because of which, the US claim to be a democratic as well as a developed country is at stake. It also proves that the blemish that was left by the incident of 9/11 is still fresh. People are yet to start trusting the community, which was alleged to have committed the biggest crime in the history of US. In an August poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, 45 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate for any office who is Muslim, compared with 25 percent who said that about a Mormon candidate and with 16 percent who said the same for someone who is an evangelical Christian.
Conservative talk-show hosts have occasionally repeated the rumor, with Michael Savage noting Obama's "background" in a "Muslim madrassa in Indonesia" in June, and Rush Limbaugh saying in September that he occasionally got "confused" between Obama and Osama bin Laden. Others repeatedly use the senator's middle name, Hussein.
His integrity does not get questioned whether he is a Muslim guy, following another religion. It gets questioned when he is so adamant to prove that his alliance with Islam is just fate and not by personal choice.
In the past few months, Obama has actively touted his Christianity, particularly in South Carolina, where his campaign hosted a gospel tour to appeal to black voters. He describes his movement from a "reluctant skeptic" to a believer during his 20s while he was working with black churches in Chicago as a community organizer, according to Perry Bacon Jr. a journalist working in Washington post. The title of his second book, "The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream," comes from a sermon by the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ.
The fact that, in making people believe that he follows Christianity, he has unknowingly shooed away the other faith. This attitude by the Senator has put a doubt in the minds of many, about the integrity of his intentions and claims to various foreign and internal policies, proposed by him during his presidential campaign.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
My philosophy
Sometimes when I look around me,
I cannot believe that I am where I am.
The people who surround me all the time,
Used to be strangers, whose existence was not known to me.
Now they are my best friends.
And my best friends,
I do not know their continuation anymore.
Is it how life works?
With new people, new situations and new places?
Where you don’t know about your past anymore, in order to know your present.
I am trying to strike a balance so badly.
But sometimes I feel detached,
Sometimes unconcerned,
Sometimes I fear that my present will become my past,
And I don’t know what my future is.
This is a circle in which your life moves and there is no holding it.
One thing although that I have learnt from all this is,
It doesn’t take time for you’re present to become your past,
So before it becomes just another memory, try and live it to its fullest.
Live your life on your on terms, because you never know when it ends.
I cannot believe that I am where I am.
The people who surround me all the time,
Used to be strangers, whose existence was not known to me.
Now they are my best friends.
And my best friends,
I do not know their continuation anymore.
Is it how life works?
With new people, new situations and new places?
Where you don’t know about your past anymore, in order to know your present.
I am trying to strike a balance so badly.
But sometimes I feel detached,
Sometimes unconcerned,
Sometimes I fear that my present will become my past,
And I don’t know what my future is.
This is a circle in which your life moves and there is no holding it.
One thing although that I have learnt from all this is,
It doesn’t take time for you’re present to become your past,
So before it becomes just another memory, try and live it to its fullest.
Live your life on your on terms, because you never know when it ends.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Some thoughts:
Har aahat par ruki dhadkan laga ki tera jawab aaya hai
Har saas ki gungunahat main laga ki tera naam aaya hai,
Har raah main pair rakhte hue laga jaise,
Har mood pe tere kadmon ko chukar mera anjam aaya hai.
Khali aangan main padti barish ki kali bunde,
Aur chand ko chummati chamkati kali bunde,
Ek sukha hua fool mez par pada hua
Aur pazeb ki jhankar jeene pe padti.
Ek anjani anchahi muskurahat hoton par,
Ek labz se lipte hue kai jazabaat,
Kapte haathon main,
Aur bolti aankhon main,
gudgudate sapne
Aur har sapne main simati hui kai raat.
Hothon se takrake shabd bikhar gaye,
Palkon se milkar sapne bun gaye,
Ghunghat iss dil ka kabhi uthaya hi nahi,
Unki raaton main fir bhi har raaz khul gaye.
Har aahat par ruki dhadkan laga ki tera jawab aaya hai
Har saas ki gungunahat main laga ki tera naam aaya hai,
Har raah main pair rakhte hue laga jaise,
Har mood pe tere kadmon ko chukar mera anjam aaya hai.
Khali aangan main padti barish ki kali bunde,
Aur chand ko chummati chamkati kali bunde,
Ek sukha hua fool mez par pada hua
Aur pazeb ki jhankar jeene pe padti.
Ek anjani anchahi muskurahat hoton par,
Ek labz se lipte hue kai jazabaat,
Kapte haathon main,
Aur bolti aankhon main,
gudgudate sapne
Aur har sapne main simati hui kai raat.
Hothon se takrake shabd bikhar gaye,
Palkon se milkar sapne bun gaye,
Ghunghat iss dil ka kabhi uthaya hi nahi,
Unki raaton main fir bhi har raaz khul gaye.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Freedom of expression and its limitations
Your freedom ends, where mine starts. Any kind of freedom comes with its set of limits. These limitations are necessary to protect that freedom from being misused. But, at the same time, every person has a right, to have individual thoughts, on any and every subject. We all have a right to perception and interpretation. In the same way, we cannot use freedom of expression to disgrace another person or hurt his sentiments in absolutely any way. Our freedom of expression does not give us the liberty to damage others person right to dignity or individualism.
I believe that James Watson was wrong when he said that ‘black’ people were intellectually inferior to white people. First of all ‘black’ itself is a derogatory term. Secondly, a finding like this cannot be generalized. It can be true to a certain extent, in some situations, for a chosen few. But it cannot be an absolute truth, and there can never be a proof supporting this theory, which hold true for everybody.
However, if we look at ‘Fire’ as an example here, I think what the Hindu activists did was absolutely uncalled for. Fire was a movie about two women (characters) finding love and solace in each other. Lesbianism has been there for decades and was not an unheard topic. And Lesbians exist. Those characters represented a section of our society, which we very conveniently choose to ignore. The setting of the story also represented the real social conditions of the society. So, showing something that already exists, does not account to violation of any kind of freedom.
What we do not realize is freedom of expression and freedom to degrade somebody are two different things. I have a right to criticize something or somebody, but I don’t have any right to offend or degrade it.
We have to realize that we all have a right to be against something or someone, but we don’t have a right to take away their freedom of expression. Like happened in the case of
Taslima Nasreen case or even the movie ‘Fire’.
What we have to realize before exercising our right so vehemently, is that the concept of freedom has to be understood in its right spirit, and not the literal meaning.
EOM
Your freedom ends, where mine starts. Any kind of freedom comes with its set of limits. These limitations are necessary to protect that freedom from being misused. But, at the same time, every person has a right, to have individual thoughts, on any and every subject. We all have a right to perception and interpretation. In the same way, we cannot use freedom of expression to disgrace another person or hurt his sentiments in absolutely any way. Our freedom of expression does not give us the liberty to damage others person right to dignity or individualism.
I believe that James Watson was wrong when he said that ‘black’ people were intellectually inferior to white people. First of all ‘black’ itself is a derogatory term. Secondly, a finding like this cannot be generalized. It can be true to a certain extent, in some situations, for a chosen few. But it cannot be an absolute truth, and there can never be a proof supporting this theory, which hold true for everybody.
However, if we look at ‘Fire’ as an example here, I think what the Hindu activists did was absolutely uncalled for. Fire was a movie about two women (characters) finding love and solace in each other. Lesbianism has been there for decades and was not an unheard topic. And Lesbians exist. Those characters represented a section of our society, which we very conveniently choose to ignore. The setting of the story also represented the real social conditions of the society. So, showing something that already exists, does not account to violation of any kind of freedom.
What we do not realize is freedom of expression and freedom to degrade somebody are two different things. I have a right to criticize something or somebody, but I don’t have any right to offend or degrade it.
We have to realize that we all have a right to be against something or someone, but we don’t have a right to take away their freedom of expression. Like happened in the case of
Taslima Nasreen case or even the movie ‘Fire’.
What we have to realize before exercising our right so vehemently, is that the concept of freedom has to be understood in its right spirit, and not the literal meaning.
EOM
My idea of Secularism
I have a friend, who is part Hindu and part Muslim. Her parents met in college and fell in love. Her liberal mother came from a conservative Hindu family. Same was the case with her father. They both decided to marry, against the desire of their respective families.
They both knew that religion was a matter of personal faith. It’s not necessary to belong to the same religious group, to be happy with each other. That religion and traditions are there for an individual’s convenience, to make his life a smooth flow, and not to dictate them. They understood this and respected each other’s personal beliefs.
This basic understanding and attitude is secularism for me.
The best part about this marriage was that, no one told the other, to convert. They accepted each other the way they are, without wanting to change anything in each other. This acceptance for me is secularism.
Secularism as a political and constitutional principle involves two basic propositions. The first is that people belonging to different faiths and sections of society are equal before the law, the Constitution and government policy. The second requirement is that there can be no mixing up of religion and politics. It follows therefore that there can be no discrimination against anyone on the basis of religion or faith nor is there room for the hegemony of one religion or majoritarian religious sentiments and aspirations. It is in this double sense--no discrimination against anyone on grounds of faith and separation of religion from politics--that our Constitution safeguards secularism.
But secularism in the broader sense is accepting others the way they are. Not just by the
Government, but the society as well. It is a change in the outlook of an individual.
Blurring of barriers of caste, creed, religion etc amongst the masses.
This change in attitude defines secularism for me. Secularism will be attained totally when we do not have classified ads in the matrimonial section saying, ‘ we want a fair Hindu Brahmin girl’, or ‘ a Vaishnav boy’.
Its not just confined to religion, caste, etc. It involves appreciation of our past and acceptance of our future and present. To know the reasons behind the age-old traditions and recognize the need for change in them. To know that we are all children of our circumstances. To identify that our parents had a different up-bringing, different environment. And to respect that. To realize that our children are living in a different setting, and that their needs are different.
We have to be aware of the fact that we need to give a certain amount of space to a person. Every being is entitled to have different perception and interpretation, which are of his own.
Secularism for me also means, the autonomy to analysis. Freedom of thought. Where we think for our own selves the way we want, accept it the way we think and not feel sorry for it.
Like if I want to have sex with some random person, whom I don’t even know, I should think about it without feeling guilty. This remorse comes from the way we are born and brought up in our society. We are told the most natural thing to a person is a taboo. Secularism is when you question this and ask why? When you look deep inside yourself, find an answer that makes you happy and accept it.
‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high…’ , this anthem for defines secularism in its true spirit.
I have a friend, who is part Hindu and part Muslim. Her parents met in college and fell in love. Her liberal mother came from a conservative Hindu family. Same was the case with her father. They both decided to marry, against the desire of their respective families.
They both knew that religion was a matter of personal faith. It’s not necessary to belong to the same religious group, to be happy with each other. That religion and traditions are there for an individual’s convenience, to make his life a smooth flow, and not to dictate them. They understood this and respected each other’s personal beliefs.
This basic understanding and attitude is secularism for me.
The best part about this marriage was that, no one told the other, to convert. They accepted each other the way they are, without wanting to change anything in each other. This acceptance for me is secularism.
Secularism as a political and constitutional principle involves two basic propositions. The first is that people belonging to different faiths and sections of society are equal before the law, the Constitution and government policy. The second requirement is that there can be no mixing up of religion and politics. It follows therefore that there can be no discrimination against anyone on the basis of religion or faith nor is there room for the hegemony of one religion or majoritarian religious sentiments and aspirations. It is in this double sense--no discrimination against anyone on grounds of faith and separation of religion from politics--that our Constitution safeguards secularism.
But secularism in the broader sense is accepting others the way they are. Not just by the
Government, but the society as well. It is a change in the outlook of an individual.
Blurring of barriers of caste, creed, religion etc amongst the masses.
This change in attitude defines secularism for me. Secularism will be attained totally when we do not have classified ads in the matrimonial section saying, ‘ we want a fair Hindu Brahmin girl’, or ‘ a Vaishnav boy’.
Its not just confined to religion, caste, etc. It involves appreciation of our past and acceptance of our future and present. To know the reasons behind the age-old traditions and recognize the need for change in them. To know that we are all children of our circumstances. To identify that our parents had a different up-bringing, different environment. And to respect that. To realize that our children are living in a different setting, and that their needs are different.
We have to be aware of the fact that we need to give a certain amount of space to a person. Every being is entitled to have different perception and interpretation, which are of his own.
Secularism for me also means, the autonomy to analysis. Freedom of thought. Where we think for our own selves the way we want, accept it the way we think and not feel sorry for it.
Like if I want to have sex with some random person, whom I don’t even know, I should think about it without feeling guilty. This remorse comes from the way we are born and brought up in our society. We are told the most natural thing to a person is a taboo. Secularism is when you question this and ask why? When you look deep inside yourself, find an answer that makes you happy and accept it.
‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high…’ , this anthem for defines secularism in its true spirit.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Venezuela pulling out of IMF and World Bank.
Venezuela and China Sign 19 Cooperation Agreements.
Venezuela funding to Latin America challenges U.S. spending.
Venezuela’s growing ties with china and its looking for oil markets outside America, can go against American interest. Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan president has made it very clear that there is no love lost between America and Venezuela. So much so that he made a public statement saying, he will pull out of the American markets as soon as he gets a market, more promising than the American one.
Venezuela supplies the United States with 13% of its oil, making it the closest major supplier. For quite some time Venezuela has been looking to foster new trade relations, in particular with China and Russia, in order to break dependency on the United States. The South American nation is currently the world's fifth largest producer of petroleum.
According to Iván Orellana, the Venezuelan representative to OPEC, over 60% of Venezuelan oil is sold to the United States. In light of their growing need for energy, China has been strengthening economic relations with energy supplying countries. Possibilities in Latin American look particularly bright due an abundance of raw materials and resources, as well as numerous sources of energy.
Venezuela is a major player in oil market. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind about how important a role does oil play in deciding the status of a country in world politics. Oil in today’s world if not the only important thing is still one of the most important one. We had an Iraq war happening for oil.
In future if there is any country that can compete with America for the super-power title it is China. Venezuela if goes ahead and makes china its biggest market, as it is in the process of doing, will be an important factor in making sure that China receives the title.
Venezuela and China Sign 19 Cooperation Agreements.
Venezuela funding to Latin America challenges U.S. spending.
Venezuela’s growing ties with china and its looking for oil markets outside America, can go against American interest. Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan president has made it very clear that there is no love lost between America and Venezuela. So much so that he made a public statement saying, he will pull out of the American markets as soon as he gets a market, more promising than the American one.
Venezuela supplies the United States with 13% of its oil, making it the closest major supplier. For quite some time Venezuela has been looking to foster new trade relations, in particular with China and Russia, in order to break dependency on the United States. The South American nation is currently the world's fifth largest producer of petroleum.
According to Iván Orellana, the Venezuelan representative to OPEC, over 60% of Venezuelan oil is sold to the United States. In light of their growing need for energy, China has been strengthening economic relations with energy supplying countries. Possibilities in Latin American look particularly bright due an abundance of raw materials and resources, as well as numerous sources of energy.
Venezuela is a major player in oil market. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind about how important a role does oil play in deciding the status of a country in world politics. Oil in today’s world if not the only important thing is still one of the most important one. We had an Iraq war happening for oil.
In future if there is any country that can compete with America for the super-power title it is China. Venezuela if goes ahead and makes china its biggest market, as it is in the process of doing, will be an important factor in making sure that China receives the title.
Monday, September 10, 2007
People always tell me I want to be different. I don’t like clichés. But isn’t ‘being different’ the most clichéd term these days? When are we going to realize that we all are different? That there is no need to make an extra effort for that. That god already did that job for us. That’s the reason that no two people can think or feel alike. That’s why we have words like perception and interpretation in our dictionaries. That’s why we are individuals and not working machines. And what’s wrong if my mental frequency matches with someone else. It’s important that we think. But it’s not necessary that we think different. We can think alike and still understand different perspectives of a subject. Or send a message by just being simple and direct.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Short Story
A pair of shoe:
I have lived in Mumbai all my life. There s no need t say, that I love it very much. However, I feel very lonely at times here. Everywhere I see people are running after something. Someone is running after the trains, buses, money; love or simply for a moment’s peace. I can’t join them, because I can’t walk. Some might think that I am a handicap. Yes, I can’t walk. But I can still go around in my wheel chair. It’s the same for me. Maybe because I was never able to walk. A rare disease affected me when I was a kid that left my legs very weak. However, I feel these wheels are my two legs. I can do whatever I want to do.
Well almost everything. My father doesn’t allow me to travel much. Cars in Mumbai can prove to be a big problem. There is not enough parking space and the traffic is unbelievable. Trains and busses are the favorite mode of transportation here. It’s no possible for me to travel by train however because it’s impossible to catch a train in Mumbai if you aren’t well versed with the art of fighting. Survival of the fittest is the principle on which our local trains work. Busses on the other hand although being more convenient than trains are highly unadvisable for long journeys. If a train takes one hour to reach some place, a bus will take around two. In Mumbai as we all know, time is money. Then again, being the only child my dad is over-protective of me as well. This is why I never had the pleasure to go and visit a mall before. I had heard about it from my friends nevertheless. My imagination of a mall was given a shape when I got a chance to visit one, which was opened recently near my house. It was humongous and magnificent at the same time. The human feelings and bodies that the place held within it self was enormous. I was very excited to see and moreover feel that place. The buzz about latest fashion, the excitement over new gadgets, and the colorful window displays trying to attract attention. I felt like all the different colors in the place have merged together to form this beautiful rainbow of life. This rainbow had colors that I had never seen, experienced or felt before. It was a two-storey building. The floor above, were dedicated to food and drugstores as well as some very expensive women’s footwear.
I was roaming around, very satisfied with whatever I saw around me. Then suddenly a pristine white pair of shoe in a shoe store, on the first floor caught my attention. It was so white that it made the color white look unclean in front of it. So sparkly that it made the stars look dull in front of it. It felt to me like a fairy godmother has sent those shoes especially for me from a far away fairyland. I was so fascinated by it that I forgot that unintentionally I was wheeling my chair towards it. And suddenly it hit the escalator. I became very frantic. I wanted those shoes. I wanted to try it. There, right then. I wanted to wear them and glide out of that mall. Dance on my favorite song. With my favorite boy. Who I know will never even look at me. Who loves to see girls in high heels. Something I can never wear. Someone who loves dancing. One thing I can never do. Who loves taking his girls for long walks on beaches. Who I know can only be my friend and nothing more than that.
Suddenly I saw the shoes being taken out of the display window. I was frantic now. I was calling for my dad. He was wishfully looking at some high heels he knew I adore. He came running to me noticing the urgency in my voice. By then, another one replaced those shoes in the display window. I told him about them and he offered to go and buy it for me, if it was still there. But I wanted to go with him. Try it then and there. To see the place in person that held such a masterpiece. To see them getting packed. To wear them then and there and walk down the stairs in them, like a winner walking down the podium. While I was thinking all this I saw a lady getting on the escalator. The realization drew on me and I could do never do all that. I can never glide down like a princess. There is no fairy godmother. That boy will never love me. And that I don’t need or want those shoes anymore. I smiled ruefully and went back home.
I have lived in Mumbai all my life. There s no need t say, that I love it very much. However, I feel very lonely at times here. Everywhere I see people are running after something. Someone is running after the trains, buses, money; love or simply for a moment’s peace. I can’t join them, because I can’t walk. Some might think that I am a handicap. Yes, I can’t walk. But I can still go around in my wheel chair. It’s the same for me. Maybe because I was never able to walk. A rare disease affected me when I was a kid that left my legs very weak. However, I feel these wheels are my two legs. I can do whatever I want to do.
Well almost everything. My father doesn’t allow me to travel much. Cars in Mumbai can prove to be a big problem. There is not enough parking space and the traffic is unbelievable. Trains and busses are the favorite mode of transportation here. It’s no possible for me to travel by train however because it’s impossible to catch a train in Mumbai if you aren’t well versed with the art of fighting. Survival of the fittest is the principle on which our local trains work. Busses on the other hand although being more convenient than trains are highly unadvisable for long journeys. If a train takes one hour to reach some place, a bus will take around two. In Mumbai as we all know, time is money. Then again, being the only child my dad is over-protective of me as well. This is why I never had the pleasure to go and visit a mall before. I had heard about it from my friends nevertheless. My imagination of a mall was given a shape when I got a chance to visit one, which was opened recently near my house. It was humongous and magnificent at the same time. The human feelings and bodies that the place held within it self was enormous. I was very excited to see and moreover feel that place. The buzz about latest fashion, the excitement over new gadgets, and the colorful window displays trying to attract attention. I felt like all the different colors in the place have merged together to form this beautiful rainbow of life. This rainbow had colors that I had never seen, experienced or felt before. It was a two-storey building. The floor above, were dedicated to food and drugstores as well as some very expensive women’s footwear.
I was roaming around, very satisfied with whatever I saw around me. Then suddenly a pristine white pair of shoe in a shoe store, on the first floor caught my attention. It was so white that it made the color white look unclean in front of it. So sparkly that it made the stars look dull in front of it. It felt to me like a fairy godmother has sent those shoes especially for me from a far away fairyland. I was so fascinated by it that I forgot that unintentionally I was wheeling my chair towards it. And suddenly it hit the escalator. I became very frantic. I wanted those shoes. I wanted to try it. There, right then. I wanted to wear them and glide out of that mall. Dance on my favorite song. With my favorite boy. Who I know will never even look at me. Who loves to see girls in high heels. Something I can never wear. Someone who loves dancing. One thing I can never do. Who loves taking his girls for long walks on beaches. Who I know can only be my friend and nothing more than that.
Suddenly I saw the shoes being taken out of the display window. I was frantic now. I was calling for my dad. He was wishfully looking at some high heels he knew I adore. He came running to me noticing the urgency in my voice. By then, another one replaced those shoes in the display window. I told him about them and he offered to go and buy it for me, if it was still there. But I wanted to go with him. Try it then and there. To see the place in person that held such a masterpiece. To see them getting packed. To wear them then and there and walk down the stairs in them, like a winner walking down the podium. While I was thinking all this I saw a lady getting on the escalator. The realization drew on me and I could do never do all that. I can never glide down like a princess. There is no fairy godmother. That boy will never love me. And that I don’t need or want those shoes anymore. I smiled ruefully and went back home.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
My Poem
The awkward walk in a strange classroom,
No smiles, no familiar faces,
Just sitting alone on a seat,
Beside a stranger,
And try to subside the thoughts that races,
In my mind,
In my heart,
In the touch of the strangers pat,
And then he asked me my name,
And I thought I was worrying in vain,
For he had not the eyes of devil that I imagined,But rather were filled with the same kind of hope and fear that I had in mine.
I knew he was special from that moment,
I can still remember the smell of his scent.
He became my best friend,
Long walks on beaches,
A race to know who is the first that reaches,
Sometimes classroom, sometimes theatre,
Watching our backs for the latter,
To listen and to say,
Sometime words,
Sometime gestures,
Sometime eyes,
Sometime letters.
In the canteen a stale coffee with no sugar to speak off,
The Chinese in cafeteria a total rip off,
A smile of a stranger in the campus,
The quickening of heart beat in a spam of few minutes,
Stupid secrets that were shared,
A relationship of trust and care.
But it was lost by me in the race of time.
We drew apart,
We broke each others heart,
We cried in silence at nights.
But we did not find solutions to our fights,
And slowly we became oblivious to each others presence,
We went ahead and made new friends,
Today I don't know who he is?
What he is? Or where he is?
But I do know,
That he is still the one I remember clearly when I forget the name of my best friend,
I know I am gonna miss those days with him,
And hope that one day we will meet in real and not just in my dream.
No smiles, no familiar faces,
Just sitting alone on a seat,
Beside a stranger,
And try to subside the thoughts that races,
In my mind,
In my heart,
In the touch of the strangers pat,
And then he asked me my name,
And I thought I was worrying in vain,
For he had not the eyes of devil that I imagined,But rather were filled with the same kind of hope and fear that I had in mine.
I knew he was special from that moment,
I can still remember the smell of his scent.
He became my best friend,
Long walks on beaches,
A race to know who is the first that reaches,
Sometimes classroom, sometimes theatre,
Watching our backs for the latter,
To listen and to say,
Sometime words,
Sometime gestures,
Sometime eyes,
Sometime letters.
In the canteen a stale coffee with no sugar to speak off,
The Chinese in cafeteria a total rip off,
A smile of a stranger in the campus,
The quickening of heart beat in a spam of few minutes,
Stupid secrets that were shared,
A relationship of trust and care.
But it was lost by me in the race of time.
We drew apart,
We broke each others heart,
We cried in silence at nights.
But we did not find solutions to our fights,
And slowly we became oblivious to each others presence,
We went ahead and made new friends,
Today I don't know who he is?
What he is? Or where he is?
But I do know,
That he is still the one I remember clearly when I forget the name of my best friend,
I know I am gonna miss those days with him,
And hope that one day we will meet in real and not just in my dream.
My Space.
I was wishing for a long time that my college would get over soon. But now when finally it has…………it feels kind of weird……A very mixed feeling I must say. Finally I am done with BMM and out in this world, on my own. I want to live alone for a while…….without my family……..without my old friends. Into a new world where I don’t know anyone and no one knows me. Where if I want 2 be out at night I don’t have 2 think that I have a family back home where my parents will be waiting for me. Where I don’t have 2 abide by the rules of my parents and live the way I want. Where if I want 2 go out with my boyfriend I can hold his hand on the road and not think that someone might just see me. Where I can go out 2 a disco and experience the thrill of it, where I can try a cigarette just once and feel the kick of it, where once I can get drunk totally and don’t have to feel guilty about doing so. Where I can fulfill my dreams of seeing the world and understanding it the way I want to. Where I can be independent and think for myself, choose for myself ……….where I can do what I feel like……..good and bad things. Where I am given the freedom to be myself without thinking twice about my family or my friends or of what this society might think……where I can be Pooja gautam and actually try to find her identity………through falling and rising……making mistakes and correcting them. But I am still scared. Scared of the world outside where I am nothing……but a nameless creature walking around infamous and nameless streets. Where there are hundreds of pooja trying to be what I want to be….and another hundred who already are at that level. Where there will be no mom to feed me and dad to fulfill all my wishes. Where there will be no brother and sister to support me when I do something wrong. Where there will be no friends to hold me when I am down…..who will make me cry and make me smile as well……I don’t know if ever I will be able to make it…but 1 thing's for sure……..I will try my best and give it all I have….
Movie Review
China Blue:
An interesting overview of the communist democracy in china. This movie very well paints out the consequences of capitalism in a country, whose ideals still have roots in communism. This movie also makes us realize how the other half live. The ugly truth behind the glorious façade of china’s growth has been portrayed very well in this movie.Sequence that touched my heart:There were lots of scenes in the movie that touched my heart. There was however this closing scene of the movie that really said it all for me. Jasmine, one of the main characters of the movie writes this letter to the person who is going to buy the jeans that was made in her factory. The letter encompassed all the emotions and hard work that went into making that jeans.
Inmigrate:
Touchy issues like racism and illegal immigration have been dealt with in this movie, in a very unbiased and fair way by showing us both the sides of a coin. Story of the movie revolves around an illegal immigrant Eusebio and how he was killed. More than 60% of laborers in US today are illegal migrants, mostly from Mexico. This movie shows us the reason for such migration and the consequences as well.Sequence that touched my heart:The scene that really touched my heart was the one where the mother is showing us the relics of Eusebio’s childhood.
War And Peace:
Anand Patwardhan’s movie ‘War And Peace’ portrays people from different walks of life with different backgrounds and learning’s, talking about their perceptions and experiences about war and peace. To many people it might seem as a movie about Pokhran and the nuclear testing done by India. Yes, it does talk about it. But somewhere it goes beyond that. Beyond the agenda and propaganda of political parties. Beyond the ignorance of the common man. Beyond the selfish scientists who wants glory for making weapons of mass destruction. Who forgets that when they are receiving prestigious awards from politicians, someone is dying because he was exposed to radioactive rays. Beyond the way religion and politics are used to create fear amongst the masses, and to make them believe that war or weapons can ever be tools for peace. It shows us how no country be it US or India is free from all this. One day our teacher asked us in class. What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think about India. A Muslim friend of mine from a very affluent family said ‘discrimination’. I wondered at that time what made him say that. After watching this movie I got my answer. Discrimination on the basis of religion is a known fact in India. Political parties using religion to increase their vote bank is also a common phenomenon. These facts that we have taken for granted when presented to me the way this movie did, it intimidated me. The comparison that was done by the movie between the glory for our country and the price that we have to pay to achieve it was very interesting. It raised a question whether creating fear is in fact equivalent to making sure that we are safe? That is it necessary that we have to be makers of weapons of mass destruction to create that respect and acknowledgement in the world? Is it necessary to have war to maintain peace? The absolute futility of wars and nuclear bombings. The psychological and political reasons behind them were beautifully covered in this movie.
An interesting overview of the communist democracy in china. This movie very well paints out the consequences of capitalism in a country, whose ideals still have roots in communism. This movie also makes us realize how the other half live. The ugly truth behind the glorious façade of china’s growth has been portrayed very well in this movie.Sequence that touched my heart:There were lots of scenes in the movie that touched my heart. There was however this closing scene of the movie that really said it all for me. Jasmine, one of the main characters of the movie writes this letter to the person who is going to buy the jeans that was made in her factory. The letter encompassed all the emotions and hard work that went into making that jeans.
Inmigrate:
Touchy issues like racism and illegal immigration have been dealt with in this movie, in a very unbiased and fair way by showing us both the sides of a coin. Story of the movie revolves around an illegal immigrant Eusebio and how he was killed. More than 60% of laborers in US today are illegal migrants, mostly from Mexico. This movie shows us the reason for such migration and the consequences as well.Sequence that touched my heart:The scene that really touched my heart was the one where the mother is showing us the relics of Eusebio’s childhood.
War And Peace:
Anand Patwardhan’s movie ‘War And Peace’ portrays people from different walks of life with different backgrounds and learning’s, talking about their perceptions and experiences about war and peace. To many people it might seem as a movie about Pokhran and the nuclear testing done by India. Yes, it does talk about it. But somewhere it goes beyond that. Beyond the agenda and propaganda of political parties. Beyond the ignorance of the common man. Beyond the selfish scientists who wants glory for making weapons of mass destruction. Who forgets that when they are receiving prestigious awards from politicians, someone is dying because he was exposed to radioactive rays. Beyond the way religion and politics are used to create fear amongst the masses, and to make them believe that war or weapons can ever be tools for peace. It shows us how no country be it US or India is free from all this. One day our teacher asked us in class. What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think about India. A Muslim friend of mine from a very affluent family said ‘discrimination’. I wondered at that time what made him say that. After watching this movie I got my answer. Discrimination on the basis of religion is a known fact in India. Political parties using religion to increase their vote bank is also a common phenomenon. These facts that we have taken for granted when presented to me the way this movie did, it intimidated me. The comparison that was done by the movie between the glory for our country and the price that we have to pay to achieve it was very interesting. It raised a question whether creating fear is in fact equivalent to making sure that we are safe? That is it necessary that we have to be makers of weapons of mass destruction to create that respect and acknowledgement in the world? Is it necessary to have war to maintain peace? The absolute futility of wars and nuclear bombings. The psychological and political reasons behind them were beautifully covered in this movie.
My Articles.
“I aspire to be a doctor”, says 13 year old chandrakala studying in Nalaku school in Devegere. Two kilometres from devegere a boy named ashok shares chandrakalas passion to become a doctor. . “I get daily mid day meals, clothes and books in my school”, adds chandrakala. These villages in the outskirts of Bangalore provide a very interesting insight in the education system in south India as a whole and Karnataka in particularEducation is the first step towards development. There is a very famous saying that if the lady of the house is educated, so is the family. Here we can see that people surely understand the meaning of this phrase. “We have 18 boys and 14 girls in our class”, says chandrakala proudly.Although bumpy roads and potholes make up for the path to reach these places, they in no way mirror the social or financial condition of the villagers.“I am a farmer by profession. Here we grow ragi, paddy, vegetables, etc. Agriculture here mostly depends on the monsoons. However, I have never felt any financial constrains as such”, says 78 year old DM Subaana. They are also well informed about the world outside their village. “I read a newspaper daily; we have TV and radio in these parts too. I vote as well. In fact everyone in my family votes”, adds Mr. Subaana.They have a good water and transport facilities in place. “The government appointed medical people, come every month to give us regular vaccination. However we don’t have hospitals in here. We have to go some eight kilometres from here to get medication”, says Irshad bano, 27 living in tagachuguppe.“There is no proper sanitation. We also need some books and medical stores in here.The government hospital is also not of any use to us. Mostly we don’t have doctors and nurses. It also opens from 12 to 4 only”, adds girija, 25 from konipura.Apart from these few grievances of the locals, this place does not seem to be backward in anyway. Right from PCO’s to banks, they have everything. We surely hope that other villages and their respective governments take a leaf out of the books of these villages.
REALITIES OF MEDIA:
“ Journalism today has gone digital”, says Susan King. Vice President, External Affairs Director, Journalism Initiative and Strategy of the Carnegie Corporation New York. Talking about the changing face of journalism in today’s world. Ms. Susan seemed quite at ease with the fallacies and the technological change, which have gripped the media around the globe. Right from Watergate scandal to USA’s failure to recognize the political and social scenario in Iraq, Susan King gave a very broad and interesting point of view of media in general and US media in particular. A very prudent lady, she made it a point not to comment on something she wasn’t too sure about, but also did not care about being politically correct on certain issues, which she was fairly aware of. The introduction of her class was a brief on how the American media is in a tug of war, between ethics and truth on one side and media business on the other. How various propaganda strategies are affecting the dissemination of news and truth in the country. With the growing influence of advertisers and political parties in India, one can draw parallel with this experience.She introduced the students with a new phenomenon of seven I’s. Integrity, individual, independent, interactive, interesting, international, and illuminating. Each one being self- explanatory and a way to explore the interesting insight into what journalism should actually be. Her explanation on how the new media is catching the imagination of the new generation in US, makes us realize it’s the future in our country. Her introduction to the phrase ‘crowd sourcing’ was quite fascinating and novel. The power that modern technology has given to a layman makes him quite an interesting source of information.The technology can be in a form of a mobile camera or a handy-camera, which is with every other person these days. The lecture was definitely very illuminating and did in fact in store the lost faith in journalism. Kudos to Susan King for making us aware of the realities of the media and tell us how to fight them as well!
REALITIES OF MEDIA:
“ Journalism today has gone digital”, says Susan King. Vice President, External Affairs Director, Journalism Initiative and Strategy of the Carnegie Corporation New York. Talking about the changing face of journalism in today’s world. Ms. Susan seemed quite at ease with the fallacies and the technological change, which have gripped the media around the globe. Right from Watergate scandal to USA’s failure to recognize the political and social scenario in Iraq, Susan King gave a very broad and interesting point of view of media in general and US media in particular. A very prudent lady, she made it a point not to comment on something she wasn’t too sure about, but also did not care about being politically correct on certain issues, which she was fairly aware of. The introduction of her class was a brief on how the American media is in a tug of war, between ethics and truth on one side and media business on the other. How various propaganda strategies are affecting the dissemination of news and truth in the country. With the growing influence of advertisers and political parties in India, one can draw parallel with this experience.She introduced the students with a new phenomenon of seven I’s. Integrity, individual, independent, interactive, interesting, international, and illuminating. Each one being self- explanatory and a way to explore the interesting insight into what journalism should actually be. Her explanation on how the new media is catching the imagination of the new generation in US, makes us realize it’s the future in our country. Her introduction to the phrase ‘crowd sourcing’ was quite fascinating and novel. The power that modern technology has given to a layman makes him quite an interesting source of information.The technology can be in a form of a mobile camera or a handy-camera, which is with every other person these days. The lecture was definitely very illuminating and did in fact in store the lost faith in journalism. Kudos to Susan King for making us aware of the realities of the media and tell us how to fight them as well!
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