DumbStruck

The pain was excruciating

I felt my pharynx stifling

The tonsils felt like large bells 

The pain looked like it would never quell

I realized that this was sickness in passing

Applied for leave with a feeling foreboding

Not being able to speak

Could really get any woman weak

However. inspired by Stephen Hawking

I ruminated on philosophy and theory of String

Cyberslacked and checked random facebook profiles

Liked every possible meme mentioned in the digital file

Gazed through the online seas of  fashion style

Surfing WebMD on my illness once in a while

Tried to watch a couple of  movies,series on the go 

Only to discover whatsapp notification had broken the flow

Leisure it was listening to classical vocals croon

Drug overdose and slumber left me to swoon

Husband's happiness hid behind the light

Of course speech deprived wife is every married man's delight

Advice came from everywhere galore

Gargle, home remedies and even neck contraptions were sure

In these moments of silence,

as I faced my inner resilience

I realised how nagging yet crucial our voice is

Which so often makes others' p!$$

When in excess speech is an abscess

And similar is an extension of silence; a stress

If we were to learn how to attain equanimity

Speech would hardly be a measure of felicity

In this day and age when everyone wants a sound byte 

How can  Thomas Carlyle be believed to be right

"Silence moulds great lives" he had said

He should be asked to sit and watch TV news instead

Gone are the days where thinkers thought 

Today is the day where action and brashness is bought

Dear Almighty(if thou really art there)

I have reflected enough and took requisite care

"Speech might be silver and Silence golden"

I want the cheaper of the two as my purse strings embolden

If I could only pass this spell of silence on somebody

No I would not do that to my  one and only hubby 

It would be the roaring miscreant of the Television 

Arnab is his name  and Timesnow is his harrowing creation

Republic Mix

The hype and the hoopla behind the world’s most powerful man’s visit to India was laid to some rest when I switched from NDTV to the modest Lok Sabha channel to watch the 66th Republic Day parade. I must say that I was watching the visual treat after a quite large lapse of time. The trumpeting at Amar Jawan Jyoti and the PM’s salute to our martyrs was another spectacle I watched after years altogether. I have heard from my friends that a visit to Amar Jawan Jyoti infuses one with patriotism as  the names of shahids belittle your existence as a common man/woman. An overcast Rajpath started its proceedings sharp at 10 am. The Cadillac Beast  came roving with Indian and American flags fluttering in the cold . Michelle and Barrack Obama descended. Secret Services and the hundreds of snipers and security men had been preparing for this day. Michelle in her sobre black overcoat and red scarf helped Mr. Obama put on his overcoat. A minute later President of India arrived. Delhi was drizzling.Luckily PM Modi let go “Barrack” after a short handshake this time. Placed inside the bullet proof enclosure the dignitaries started to witness the proceedings of the 66th Republic Day.
     The Ashok Chakra was awarded to two soldiers posthumously who lost their lives to the enemy at the hands of Pakistani Militants. Their wives received the medals as the families shed tears amongst audience. Did you notice Mr. Obama how terrorists invaded you one time on Sept 11 while we Indians have to dwell in the scourge of terror perennially ? Next  started the parade of the various armed forces contingents. For the first time we had ladies strut in the regimental discipline. Woman empowerment certainly has been a key issue for the current government. Hell Yes! I uphold this display of women empowerment. It might have been a display ; but it still stood for something very deep. The message was very clear . For ages, especially since Mughal invasion patriarchy and man’s dominance has underplayed a woman’s contribution in sustaining a society. We are underestimate the role of woman as a caregiver. Her domestic contributions rarely go recognised by society. Her sacrifice becomes subservience. If you were to ask a simple question,that I have asked myself far too many times. Why? Why does an average  Indian not want a girl child? The reason is; The girl gets married after the parents invest in her upbringing and education. She is not able to render care to her parents in old age because of various reasons . Also there is no sense of pride and recognition that she brings to her family.  How do you solve it? Simple, give her opportunity to shine. Similarly researches reveal that sexual harassment too is more a play of power dynamics and less a lust drive. If the country needs to be purged of its ills ,and gruesome crimes against women need to be wiped off,the key is questioning the societal norms of power and providing example and setting up role models. The examples of woman’s success need to be resounded regularly to give others confidence and inspiration. Furthermore, grass root level changes in terms of fostering girl child education needs an impetus. No wonder we had Smriti Irani, Kiran Bedi  and even Michelle Obama cheering at the valiant ladies of the armed forces today.
    Apart from the state tableaux in which Amma’s state’s caught special attention ,all the others were iridescent. It was amusing to see the “Ayush Mantralaya’s” tableau with models performing yoga. The Railway’s tableau had Raily Minister Prabhu clapping hard in the audience . Prabhuji if only the trains run on time ! The “Make in India” geared tiger roared its way into Rajpath and the children sang and danced to the tune of “Mangalyaan”. As the armed forces staged formation of Armed vehicles Obama must be thinking “Damn it! They should have called Putin,with all these Russian Sukhois and Migs.”  As Obama sat next to Modi , I dare say he would have chuckled once or twice on observing Narendra Modi’s suit. “Man! Modi is a megalomaniac. Who wears a suit with his own name finely printed all over the suit?”
Nevertheless All is well that ends well. The show ended with the spectacular acrobatics show on motorcycles by BSF. The stunts were strictly “DO NOT TRY THIS ON YOUR OWN” . Thanks to the meticulous planning and effort of the team,at least something in India ran on time and the parade ended at 12 noon sharp.
 Obama left and the snipers stationed around the space heaved a momentary sigh of relief . I switched back to NDTV. I wanted some masala in the name of Republic Mix. To my displeasure NDTV heralded the end of common man creator, R K Laxman

Time now for a common woman,eh?

You let me down, Saina!

I am a badminton enthusiast! It is one of the simplest games to understand and one of the most difficult games to excel in. From long waits at queued public badminton courts to actually hitting that smash ,I personally feel I have grown better at the game with time. Badminton is a game testing agility and reflexes . Needless to say,it is also a great aerobic exercise.
  Just like many others,I considered Saina my ideal and my inspiration. A small town girl,whose parents migrated to Hyderabad to fulfill her dream of becoming a raquet roarer . They could barely afford her training.but Saina with her single minded dedication and commitment rose to become a star. Thanks to Saina ,a lot of girls like me took to  badminton raquet and decided to play. That's what sports icons do . They Inspire. I particularly loved it when Saina said no to endorsements before the Olympics because she wanted to focus on her game. Who would have let go such a gold harvesting opportunity?
 The elan with which she revered her ideal Sachin Tendulkar. The reverence that she has had for Gopi Sir. She said that the reason why she had  to withdraw from his coaching was to help Gopichand train other budding stars.The fiery girl with composed disposition on court recently smashed shuttles  in the wrong court. This wrong court was that of awards. Why this fracas for an award??
  Come on Saina,a gracious girl like you doesn't deserve this squabble. You are an Olympic medallist.
You've done us proud at Commonwealth Games, Asian games,Uber Cup and a lot of others. Look,great people don't ask for awards. Awards come to them. You should have known it all the way. Sachin has never asked for it. Amir Khan has rejected a few. Kailash Satyarthi never gave importance to who filed his nomination for the Nobel Prize. Noted journalist P. Sainath rejected Padma Shri. Tagore said no to knighthood. Atalji never asked for the Bharat Ratna. There are so many examples . Even your Gopi Sir won the Padma Bhushan only recently in 2014.Great people do great things to set an example,not to seek attention.Girls like you have been brand ambassadors of girl child education and empowerment. Why drag yourself in this dirty controversy of awards? You need to hold your head high. It would have come to you sooner or later.
  Saina,I am terribly disappointed by your conduct. You have let me down. This is clearly a bad example of sportsmanship. This is no humility.It is a situation very similar to those that petty politicians put themselves into. My worst fear is,the authorities granting you the award after your hue and cry. From what one reads  in the news ,there are other athletes who have joined the fray and have started to demand that their plea be considered for the awards. Seriously is this how we are preparing for 2016 Olympics?
 Just an advice to you Saina

                                               

  

Saddest Soliloquy

It is just so difficult to follow mathematics. I hate Algebra. Damn It! I haven't even memorised the volume formulae of cubes,cones and sphere. Inshallah Allah! These shouldn't be asked in the tests. Once the test is over ; we shall break for tiffin and I will eat Ammi Jaan's made mutton biryani. Yesterday she made me study so much,today I will definitely go home and play cricket out in the fields with Bashir. There is also some good anime to be shown on Cartoon Network if Abbu lets me watch it , and not sit down with his News on Paktv.
Ufff..Here comes the teacher. "Allah , please please let the questions be easy!! Please Please"
Okay so the first question that I can read on board  is 5 taps fill 7 litre  of water tank in 9 hours . In how many hours can 4 taps fill half the tank.   I hope my pen is working. This seems to be an easy question. The answer is ..........  .
Just a minute  "Why is Nila raising her hand? Oh,damn she already has doubts in the second question. "Riaz come on hurry," I say to myself.
   All of a sudden where is this sound coming from?
5 loud bangs. This is not the time for fire crackers. Oh my God! I can hear people shouting. The teacher asks us to continue writing test. She is gone but we can all sense the frenzy in the air. Bilal and front benchers rush to the door. There is too much of running around and stamping on the floor above.
" Gunshots " Bilal screams .
"There is an attack"Bilal cries again prying from the door to the groud in front of him  .
 "Ammi Jaan Abbu Jaan ,Please save us , Please save me"
" I want to go home and play. I was telling Ammi Jaan that I had a stomach ache. I wish I could have been at home"
Oh Teacher is back but why is she so afraid?
Teacher bolting the classroom from inside" Children hide below your desks"
"Why?"
We all make space under the desk but there is far too much of noise around with desks being shifted.
A man opens the classroom door with a jolt. Oh He has a machine gun,much like Abbu has in his army camps.
"No he just shot teacher"
"DRrrrrrrrrrrrr Drrrrrrrrrrrrrr Drrrrrrrrrrrr" He has shot the entire first two rows  .
 "Ammi Nooooooo"
"I dont want to die like Araf just did".
"Allah just save me"
These people ,who are they? They are in uniform like Abu"
Men in uniform crying out to children," Come out you rest of children,Follow me to the auditorium,Just shut up and come out"
Ohhh.. I must go to the auditorium. Maybe I will be safe. But I don't want to die. "Allah please protect me"
I leave the classroom just realising that I am still breathing while walking on the pool of blood. Nila had just finished answering her second question and now she is dead.
As I am making my way out of class ,along with my classmates I can see some 30 students from the second floor with their hands up making their way to the auditorium. Maybe these Shaitans
will spare us. Maybe they will just kidnap us. Maybe I just turned lucky. May be I will live to see Ammi and Abbu.
    Why are we all being asked to queue up outside the auditorium? What did these men get by shooting?
I cant just stop crying.
"Oh No... What is this?? Who is this person in fire? How did the person catch fire? I can only hear howls,shrieks and cries all around.
  " What!!! What!! So many armed gunmen? Oh no This guy has already taken out his gun again parallel to the ground. What is he aiming at?"
"Oh no...Drrrrrrrrrrrrr Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.."
Did he just shoot the first queue.
There are twenty of us in this queue. Are we going to end up the same way? But why?
 Abbu!! Ammi !! Please Save me Abbu!!
No...No...
"Drrrrrrrrrrrrr....Drrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...Drrrrrr"

 The next day journalists reach Riaz's class to see how humanity died that day in Peshawar's Army public School.

Why Knot?

Out in front of her eyes stood the vast expanse of the endless sea.Her eyes drifted from one end to the other . The salty breeze slapped her bony cheeks and her eyes  started to swell with emotions just like the sea frothing with humungous waves. The rains had started to patter and the petrichore grew stronger. The noolia started warning people inside the sea to come out. The tide was high and inclement  August weather was imminent. She had never wanted to come to Puri. She had told her husband that.Yet he insisted.   Now she could see him at some distance......

3 years back....

“We are all going to Puri . Don’t you want to come? It is a family trip. Dad and I along with Dada, Dadi,Bua ,Uncle, Kaku and KakiMa and your little cousin Shiv everyone will be there.” I told mom that I needed time to think. Eventually I decided to go.It would be fun after all. It had been quite some time since all of us had been together.The first day when we reached Bhubaneswar it was fun eating Dadi’s homemade condiments rich in ghee and sugar. Funny that Dadaji still needed Dadi to give him all his clothes and utilities. He would cry out Dadi’s name and ask for stuffs  and Dadi would chide him like he was 5 year old asking him why it was not possible for him to take care of his belongings. The place where we were staying in Puri was more of a holy shrine that in local parlance is known as Dharamshala with a big courtyard where priests sang hymns continuously.The first day we went for darshan to the famous Lord Jagannath temple. I have always had a grudge against the superstitious rituals that are done in the name of faith and religion. Can’t we pray in silence? Why is it that I need to tussle in and strangulate myself in a dense smelly crowd just to see a God’s image whose photo I see everyday? Ma as always asked me to shed away my need for reason and logic and strictly asked me to wear the garb of tradition . What an ordeal it was to get a glimpse of Jagannath,Subhadra and Balram. I felt sorry for my 10 year old cousin Shiv and was constantly reaching out to make sure he wasn’t crushed in this swarm of mortals. After that pandemonium of darshan  the next day Dad ,Dadaji ,Shiv, Kaku and I decided to go into the sea and bathe in it.

     I was given the primary responsibility of clicking pictures as I was the proud owner of a new smartphone. Dadaji who had taught me to take dip in the holy Ganges tried to recreate the same only to be sent ashore by the strong waves . Luckily Dad came to rescue at the right moment and we further asked Dadaji  to stay onshore. By this time 10 year old Shiv was in the sea alone jumping as each time the currents lashed against the shore. Shiv was a child and his curiosity was only making him take baby steps into the ocean. Another wave lashed out on the shore and while receding Shiv was moving along with it into the ocean. Dad and I left Dadaji onshore and darted towards Shiv. Luckily we rescued him. Poor Shiv was reprimanded by my dad  for his little adventure stint and even received a spank by his dad. As the sun uncovered from the clouds, the heat became scorching and we decided to go back to the dharamsala. Our room was on the second floor. Shiv wanted to see all the snaps I had clicked on the beach. Of course I was wary of handing the kiddo my smartphone. Nevertheless he asked for it, and I gave it to him. “Angry birds is my favourite game,How can I play that?” , Shiv asked. Irritated by his pestering demand , I taught him to play the game with the projectile aim.Shiv started humming his favourite song while playing on my mobile phone,sitting on the projected window sill. His  body  resting against the aluminium glass window. Meanwhile Dadi came into the room looking for Shiv. I was putting on kajal on the mirror. “Where are is my little Shivi? I heard about your mischief in the sea” . Shiv tried to hide from Dadi and leaned on further pressurising himself against the window.

In a moment my Kajal dropped and my eyes turned towards the window. I couldn’t believe what I had seen. Shiv was not there on the window sill nor was the window there. I heard a thud on the ground and the sound of crackling glass. What followed was Dadi ‘s screams of “Save Shiv, Save my child “ He has fallen down. The window broke along with the frame.” We darted downstairs. The child was covered in a pool of blood. The remaining description sends a shudder through my spine. His mom i.e my aunt was wailing. The ambulance was called and Shiv was taken to the hospital. The authorities confirmed what we all were anticipating with horror and disgust. Shiv was cremated then and there itself at Puri’s seaside cremation ghat.

Puri never will never be a holiday destination for her . She had told her husband that.Yet he insisted.   Now she could see Shiv at some distance......


That distance had made her look at life from a new direction.

MAKE A MOOC

When the Indian born Satya Nadella was announced as the new CEO of Microsoft this is what he said,"I am a lifelong learner who buys more books and signs up for more online courses than he could ever complete.I am just crazy ambitious in the 15 minutes I have in the morning. You know, I'm trying to listen to a neuroscience class or something,

         Self learning unequivocally has been the highest form scholarship.

Greatest geniuses and freethinkers were self taught in many ways. Eg. Aristotle,Da Vinci ,Einstein and even Bill Gates to a great extent. What astonishes me now is the amount that people pay to earn lofty degrees. On one hand we talk of the internet spreading its tentacles in every possible nook and cranny of our lives and on the other the skyrocketing costs of getting a higher education degree. In this day and age when Google has answer to every question. Why then go for the expensive alternative?
  My views have been contradicted by people telling me that computers cannot replicate the classroom experience . The best of the teachers come at a price and that the college and hostel accommodation and infrastructure need to be paid for. Clearly education in such a case is bound to be the privelege of the rich. The challenge of the time lies in making education accessible to everyone. This will upgrade skills and make the work force more employable which in turn will strengthen economy. It was probably because of  this reason why the former govt had launched the NPTEL stream on youtube where IIT professors were asked by the MHRD to upload their class lecture in video format so that the rest of the country could utilise it. Economist Jagdish Bhagwati had expressed that he was bullish in advising erstwhile Education Minister Kapil Sibal to harness online education to employ the workforce. It was probably this reason why the current budget emphasised using online training programs. “ To take advantage of the reach of the IT, I propose to allocate a sum of Rs.100 crore for setting up virtual classrooms as Communication Linked Interface for Cultivating Knowledge (CLICK) and online courses.” Said Mr. Jaitly

   In what is now known as the disruptive technology in education MOOC(Massive Open Online Course) is here to break such myths(or atleast I hope so). The sci -fi writer and visionary Issac Asimov had predicted long back that there will come a time when Man will use a tool that will disseminate information in waves and going to school will become redundant. I am not sure if Pink Floyd had heard Asimov while making the song "We don't need no education".

   What started with a few DIY (do it yourself) videos and Khanacademy is now burgeoning into the gen- next education tool. Having been an active learner and MOOCer ,I can't believe how befitting coursera has proved to be.While tomes were always available,the audio visual form of lectures is more comprehensive than any other form. I personally download these lectures . The courses are spread over a month or two. Each week is afresh with new lectures. On an average there are 6 lectures per week. Each lecture being only 10 to 15 minutes long. You can download them on a weekly basis on your smartphones. I personally spend 15 minutes after lunch or dinner and go through these lecture while strolling(multi tasking at its best!) . You could go through them while commuting on  metro or while sitting on the local bus en route office. Then take half an hour on Sunday to fill up the weekly  tests. The gamut of courses range from medicine,business,economics,philosophy ,statistics ,management and engineering.

  The websites certify you on course completion if you clear the cut off marks. Websites like coursera,edx,udacity,iversity have most of their courses for free. You get a certificate of accomplishment mentioning your name on these certificates. However If you want a verified certificate with your picture on it and a certificate of distinction with your final score  you may have to shell out a sum of 40$. This too isn't  much as most of the universities are of international repute.The courses have active forums where you can shoot a question to the professor or connect with international students and learn from each other.

     On the flip side,statistics also suggests that many students who sign up for these courses don’t always complete them. Though a lot of people enroll for courses,but only a certain percentage is able to sustain the discipline  and rigour to finish the courses. A few of my inquizitive friends roll into too many courses at one time,and end up finishing none.I would advise them to go for one course at a time.  This is because one has to be self motivated for learning through this medium just as is the case with other certification exams.Another issue lies with the  acceptability of these certifications.While the US is accepting MOOC with linkendin.com  hyperlinking your  certificates  to  add credentials to your resume,the trend has still to be accepted in India. Marissa Mayer's Yahoo has tied up with with coursera and is sponsoring courses for its employees and so has Mc Afee.

    Most Importantly,It is the passion for knowledge and learning that needs to be kindled. Freethinkers and self learners will get massive leverage through these programs.  Only then can we harness MOOC for skill enhancement and  nation building. Here is a TED talk that will provide you food for thought on similar lines . In a country teeming with below poverty lines families’ children,a concept like this would work wonders.

   

May Wave

  Nicky couldn’t bear it. It was getting excruciating now.She asked the chauffeur  to quickly switch on the AC straight after he opened the car door for her. “Just a minute Madam” .The sweltering heat at Moras in the Rajasthan-Gujarat border  had left her mouth scorched . Her polarized wayfarers were transmitting the UV rays that made her eyes dance. No sooner had she ensconced herself in the back seat of the SUV than she reached out for the Coke can to quench her seemingly insatiable thirst. Alas! The coke can had conducted the heat inside and the secret formula was no longer a “cold drink”.“Bhanu Bhaiya can we find some mineral water nearby?” Nicky Seth asked her driver.“I have exhausted all the five mineral water bottles  I was carrying”.
    Nicky thought again of her hectic morning.She had reached Moras early morning at 7 am . Since then she had given speeches at the local Panchayats,Gram Sabhas. The men were mesmerized by the glamour their upcoming Neta exuded in the humble but chic white Salwar Suit she was wearing . She had walked some 6-8 kms around the village schools and promised that she would ensure better education infrastructure if her father came to power. She had visited  the women self help groups and listened to their daily problems.The snake bites that had taken away the lives of children. The problem of men leaving back families at Moras while they went looking for work outside village and state. Her economics  education at King’s College had already made her aware of these problems. The last time Nicky had visited the place was when she had to present a paper on "Poverty and deprivation-How to create opportunities ".  She remembered how little had things changed over a period of 10 years. 10 years back she and her friends from College Colleen and Markus had accompanied her to Rajasthan. Indeed it was a romantic land for tourists.

    Nicky had fallen asleep in a jiffy and when the SUV buckled under the stony pathway  on the road she woke up to feel thirsty again. She glanced at her watch and saw that it had only been twenty minutes since they had started from Moras and her palate was crying out for water.
“Bhanu Bhaiya,can Is there no where we can get water?”

“Madam we have to reach Jodhpur for that or we could stop any passing car and ask for water”

Nicky didn’t consider that a safe option. She wished she had listened to her dad’s advice of landing at Moras on a chopper. Had she not been crazy and adventurous to have taken the austere option of travelling in the SUV. She was getting delirious. Suddenly she was struck by a bright flash in her mind. She reached her hands for her handbag and after rummaging through the inner recesses found out the chewing gum that had been  there . 

“How far Bhanu Singh from Jodhpur are we?”

“2 hours and half Madam”

“Damn It!”, She thought.  Nicky didn’t even have network on her cellphone.

The strawberry flavor in her mouth gave her some respite. Nicky switched on her I-phone and what a coincidence. I-tunes was streaming “The desert rose” . In a while Nikita Seth's rumination led her to a state of senselessness.Somewhere in the deep pockets of her unconscious mind she could see a water pond. As soon as she came near the water there was this barren stretch of land again. Mirage! and she fainted.
     "She is alive. She is fine now."  Nicky couldn’t understand the delightful cheer . It took a few moments for her to understand what was going on. Rhodopsin bleaching in her eyes. She rubbed her eyes to see 3 women cheering in Rajasthani  while Bhanu Singh stood next and asked her, “Madam are you fine?”

She asked Bhanu,” What’s going on?” Bhanu explained her that she had fainted on the back seat and luckily the bevy of women were travelling from one village to another carrying water. Hesitantly he asked for their help and they delightfully splashed water on her face to awaken her. Nicky thanked them with a mighty heart. She had avoided drinking in the village water all throughout the morning thinking it would be unhygienic and not  potable but now she could drink water from any source. She  gulped as one of the women poured water on her cupped alms.Nicky tried to thank them by tipping them with a 500 Rs note which they accepted  after initial hesitation.

  Nicky reached her mansion at Jodhpur in the evening . After a big sigh of relief  she narrated her story to her dad. She extorted a promise from her dad that if he became the MP again this year he would do something about the water issue at  Moras. Her dad said “The place is geographically handicapped Beta .There is not much that I can do” .  She argued that there must be some way.

Later in night she tweeted "Water is life. Thanks to the women of Rajasthan”and shared the photo on facebook with a caption “Incredible India!”

 After reading and checking the responses on her posts Nicky decided to relax and call it a day after her regular evening swim . She went to their mansion’s pool and  found the dewatering pump emptying the swimming pool.Irony she thought.
"Abundance in Scarcity or Scarcity in Abundance?" She tweeted standing next to the pool.

AWE SCAR!

My tryst with the Oscars dates back to 1999.

I had watched the entire ceremony as Shekhar Kapoor’s Elizabeth had been nominated . With such a direct Indian connect there were bound to be questions raised in the subsequent quizzes .Interestingly the etymology of the Oscars is disputed.One biography of actress Bette Davis claims that she named the Oscar after her first husband, band leader Harmon Oscar Nelson. Another claimed origin is that the Academy's Executive Secretary,Margaret Herrick, first saw the award in 1931 and made reference to the statuette's reminding her of her "Uncle Oscar" 

  Whoopi Goldberg I remember had hosted the 1999 Oscars but was hilarious enough to make a novice like me laugh.Sadly the  internet  hadn't seen its inception around in those days but the Oscar tag left me captivated. Dad would pick and choose English movies that we could watch under parental guidance. Whenever newspapers or magazines covered anything on the Oscars I would read the entire story and dig deeper into it.  After all these years of following Oscars so closely,I am still enthralled by them and will continue to be. The academy comprises of intellectuals who celebrate victory of human spirit. The Academy embraces all and loves movies with a social message especially that of an individual’s strength. The indomitable human spirit that transcends sex,nationality,colour .There is a joke that if you want to win the Oscars make a movie either on Holocaust,War, Gay rights or handicap. Jokes apart human rights remain the  the most important issues we face today.

   The beauty of each nominated movie lies in the fact that they are  surreal and sublime. Like most stories the academy votes for human inspiration and pushing boundaries and limitless thinking.They are mostly based  on true stories. Be it this year’s Philomina,Captain Phillips or yesteryear’s Milk, Mystic River,Frost Nixon,Argo and so many more. If not that then they adapt some of the greatest books written. Eg To Kill A Mocking Bird,Shawshank Redemption, Lord of the Rings. Each of these being specimen of great storytelling..

 The special category of animated feature film also gets special attention. Winning the Oscar awards is extremely good marketing for these movies when they start fetching millions beyond English speaking countries as they get translated and subtitled. The science and maths that go behind making these movies is also a different form of innovation. There is the special Scientific and Technical awards given by the academy that is presented before the glitzy award night. The mega bucks pumped into art direction brings out the best of creative geniuses. Imagine dolby sound effects and 3D cinema experiences as cornerstones of technology.

       The choice of anchors has mostly been great with comedians like Whoopi Goldberg,BillyCrystal and Steve Martin hosting it more than once and  pleasing everyone with their satirical humour. Ellen was a pleasant surprise this year too. Her style was queer. My favourite joke was the jibe she made at Jonah Hill.. Here  is the entire joke summary. I have  also loved the concept of best music scores of the year interspersing the awards.It is done in a very neat fashion. Even better was when Hugh Jackman was the musical host in 2009. Though we didn’t see Tom Hanks in the audience this year but we saw the real life Captain Phillips and Philomina. Barkhad Abdi was nominated in his debut role of Somali pirate after he gave up his limousine driver's job at Minnesota in real life. Contrary to last year there were no political surprises. Last year  Michelle Obama was videocalled to announce the best movie that left a lot of fans and audience in a tizzy. Never before had this happened.This year The academy announced that it would be unveiling its  museum in 2017. Now I know when to visit  USA and do more than just walk on the Hollywood walk of fame.

    If you are a documentary person make sure you watch the listed nominees for the best documentaries(both short and feature) in the Oscars as each is a masterpiece.Some of my favourites being Born in Brothels,Cove and Inside Job. One of the most contested title is that of Best foreign feature films that invites nomination from most of the countries around the world. French,Italian and Iranian movies have been regular movies in this category.

   For all those who think the razzmatazz is limited to these rich haute couture following actors, gulp the fact that Givenchy and Naeem Khan and other designers  use a lot of local artwork and craftsmanship including the Indian zardozi and chickon . I always find it sad that we take down Aishwarya for her wardrobes at Cannes,when she could simply sizzle the in one of her sarees. What is “art” and “crossover” movie in India is the normal academy movie. I believe a lot of our Indian especially regional movies have substance to put the Academy jury in awe. But why doesn’t it get such a large audience?

a)    If we make movies on gay rights/communal atrocity there is bound to be a national outrage and meaningless politics.

b)  We can never expect a feat like Meryl Streep. Indian actresses die their screen deaths once they bear children. Audiences and directors cannot give good roles to actresses in their 40s. Look at Kajol, Madhuri and Juhi.

In a country that claims to be outsourcing its brains to NASA ,MS and Apple are we intellectually that hollow to not swallow sensible cinema ?So you see why Aamir doesn’t need the validation of the Filmfare awards and the likes.Alternately many of us believe that as Indians we have just too many worries to fret in our real lives so  cinema should be dumb fun with no brainer scripts and of course hogwash songs.

As the famous twitteratti Ramesh Srivats tweeted today, “ We as Indians start finding our slimmest connects with the Oscars”. My biggest regret remains that Lagaan and Swades both didn’t  win the Oscars. Another regret is the fact that a movie like Slumdog Millionaire grabbed so many awards.I don’t think it deserved the kind of attention it did. Hopefully Anand Gandhi and likes will keep making movies like Ship of Theseus and raise our expectation in the future for bringing home an Oscar,irrespective of the lukewarm response at the box office.All that is popular doesn't need to be good.

  Now as a Girl Interrupted my google stats show that on  The Social Network shrillvoices has more readers in Pardes than in Swades.Maybe the blog is Lost in Translation or I don’t have a Beautiful Mind .Either which way I am not going to be  a million dollar baby!

  

P.S. I am still waiting for the day when they will make a movie on Richard Feynman.

HAPPY D-WALL-E!

This is not just another buzzfeed article.

This chain of thought  triggered when Professor Walter Lewin was explaining centrifugal force by the way his grandmother demonstrated its use in kitchen. The professor explains how his Grandma used to dry vegetables by stirring the colander ; and thereby allowing the tiny water particles to be ejected out of the colander. The professor who teaches  at MIT expressed “Ahh.. How technology has taken out the romance out of regular and common things!” Now that an MIT professor has made a statement like that,I will not sound a fool when I elucidate this with examples.

1.   Around 2 decades back, you would have to retain your slam book . You would encircle the birthdays of your close and dear friends on the calendar.You would have bought a warm birthday card and sent it miles away via post.

Now you simply leave a message on facebook after seeing the reminder;that is the lousiest way to wish considering there may be 900 people doing the same.

2.  So Ladies ! gone are the days when he would have swept you off your feet by falling down on his knees and proposing to you. Love has found a veil to hide and this time it is all online.Fear of rejection and embarrassment makes us express our first wish on phone or through chat. That is playing so safe. The very emotion is killed. Likewise you don’t get to see her shock and she doesn’t remember your facial expression either. I have also witnessed brides calling up their grooms in case the “baraat is stuck up. No excitement?No suspense?

3.    Exam results! There used to be a time  when friends would walk  in droves and the queue up in front of the result board that would be impenetrable. Each would get comforted in the other's disappointment. The jubilant topper would be taken and flung up in the air. It would be euphoria that is seen in cricket matches today.Now? You  get result via sms or on the internet and phone calls would suffice for all the jubilation.

4.   So you think you can pretend? Gone are the days when people would feign illness and remain absent from work. Now your employer will trace you down on your cellphone. Or worse install some GPS or microchip to know your location. Worst he might even come over ,give you magic pills to pop and demand you join work asap or else the stock markets crash!

5. You can no longer say “no” to that gaming console your son badly wants . You can’t give him the excuse that Nintendo Wii isn’t available in Jhumri Talaiya. Neither can you say that you don’t have cash in your wallet. He knows you have internet and flipkart offers cash on delivery.

6.Gone are the days moms used to sing their babies lullabyes. Just look for lullabyes on youtube and play them on!

7.What would have happened if there was no hawkeye and no 3rd umpire?The cussing and the debate  would have gone for weeks. India would have won so many more number of times.

8. As a child I reminisce the hours of preparation Diwali took. Right from washing the diyas,to placing the wicks after oiling diyas. In between  checking the level of oil in the diyas and replenishing some 50 odd diyas around the house. Now it is so effortless. You hardly realise the tradition of diyas. Just press a switch and your diwali lights start flickering. Though artificial lights light up,they never compete with the beauty of the traditional diyas.

Here’s wishing Happy Diwali!

  P.S I wish they had an app that could play the fire cracker like high decibel sound so that people could put on earphones  and those who despise high decibels (like me) never witness the noise. Noise free Diwali!

PALATE POWER

Has “cuisine” ever been so glamourous  as it is today? Look at the way it has been sensationalised. As a child I remember it was Sanjeev Kapoor who took the bold step of appearing on screen teaching recipes to an afternoon audience primarily targeting homemakers. But look at what globalisation and technology has done to the food culture today. There are special channels dedicated to cooking shows.Nigella Lawson,Padma Lakshmi and David Rocco are no less popular than rockstars. Thats the power of palate. Kudos to masterchef! That is some reality TV innovation.

     In fact culinary is getting much deserved attention .It is a pursuit that activates all the five basic senses. For engineers as my friend points out,it is thermodynamics. There’s requisite heat,consistency of ingredients and proper curing that is required to make a dish a success. With rising disposable incomes,food seems to be the most happening investment.Yet we have the sad plight of homemakers across the country who dedicate most of their lives to cooking in kitchen and yet receive little or no credit.

    I remember as a young girl the only reason I studied was to escape what I saw my mom do. The thankless and labour intensive job of a homemaker. The arduous process of kneading the dough, rolling the chapatti and then baking it. And then processing vegetables and perfecting that stew. All this 3 times a day.After English Vinglish here is another movie showcasing the helpless “Bharatiya Nari”.This is the theme of the movie “Lunchbox”.

 A brilliant movie for connoisseurs as it explores the simplicity and thrill of a mundane life of a homemaker played by Nimrat Kaur.The pretty lady scorched the screen in 2002 with music videos. Sad! No one noticed her then,but she is back with a bang and sans makeup.

The director,a debutant  Ritesh Batra has executed the craft brilliantly,keeping an eye on details; like keeping  Ila’s eyebrows unkempt,her kitchen not so clean. Irfan and Nawazzudin need no credit. Their acting like always, is class apart.The subtle humour  between them is impeccable.At times you will need to listen to the dialogues attentively to understand the underlying humour. For eg . Nawazuddin tells “how his dad last laughed in 1984 when India won the world cup against Pakistan”. Irrfan  dons that perfect expression whether he is being molested in train or simply missing his late wife.Many moments in the movie pass in silence but you cannot ignore the emotions.

    The central story revolves around exchange of letters with an unknown friend,the only difference being that this time it is  passed in  lunchbox  that lands up at the wrong destination.It also explores the facet of human relationships.  A widower’s isolation and his scruffy attitude towards his neighbourhood kids.His indifferent attitude towards his colleagues.All this changes when he comes in touch with an unknown woman who starts confiding in him.

  The movie is also a tribute to Mumbai dabbawalas. My favourite part is when Ila accuses the dabbawala of delivering tiffin at the wrong address,the dabbawala mumbles “ Aisa nahi ho sakta,Harvard waale aake padhke gaye hain aur Britain ka Raja bhi jaanta hai”(This cannot be true ,Harvard had conducted study on us and even Britain’s prince knows that).

No more spoilers,go watch the movie that pays tribute to household economics. 
 I feel sorry for KJO and Anurag Kashyap who have every right to be sad as the movie has not been chosen as India’s entry to Oscars.

They had tried hard to make an authentic movie,and going by the Oscar “intellectual” trends  kept it open ended (which is making Indian junta scratch their hair)

P.S I wanted to use Vir Sanghvi's presently inactive column's name Rude Food to lure attention nevertheless kept it simple as our moms. And If your mom or wife is a homemaker make sure you let her know about this

THANK YOU!

Thank you Readers!

And a special thanks to the online world ,where anyone of us can be catapulted to the fame.

And with my limited fame comes the self-award function.With the award function comes the necessary 

Thank You speech.

Or maybe the metaphysical part of my brain is wired to thank so as to attract more good things in life.

As spiritual thinkers say gratitude is a law of attraction .

Never mind the overdose ..here goes my speech....

I am thankful to you for making Shrill's no frills blog hit 20000 mark.

I know the blog could have garnered more hits had I publicised it well with  attractive photos of sunny celebrities.(note the pun)

But who cares? I believe simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

When I started blogging in 2006,it was merely a fad.

Blogspot didn't have the autosave feature then and I remember having lost my contents to power cuts as my PC then didn't have the UPS functioning.

Since 2006 it has been a gradual journey where I have rambled about various things  .

The  idea is not to stay limited in  life. I have to keep expanding my horizon of thought.

So I have tried never to  limit my range in my writings.

Of course hues of social issues have been often painted in my posts.

But I have tried humour as well. 

Frankly I don't want to be the greatest blogger. Blogging for me is more of a catharsis and a creative exercise.

Ever since I read about Theory of multiple intelligences,I am driven by the urge to be adept at all of them.

And there in lies the problem of being a  Polymath .

Wannabe Polymaths have always admired Benjamin Franklin ,Leonardo da Vinci, and Newton(my first post was dedicated to him)  and the likes who never limited their realm of thought. 

I want to be a blogger,singer,traveler,engineer, friend, entrepreneur,geek, yogi, environmentalist,economist, athelete, quizzer,pianist, philosopher ,a change maker and hundred things I don't even know of.

So I will keep my promise and continue to write about everything under the sun and beyond as I keep unravelling them.

Till then be unlimited .

As shrill voices...you keep listening!

JANMAASHTAMI!

Oh Krishna!
Thou art great.

As an adult or in your childhood state.

 The naughty son,  Balaram’s brotherly fun

 Dwarka’s chosen one, with the eternal Sudarshan

The way you stand,with your body so sinuous

As if to remind us to be flexible and never fuss

 With that mellifluous flute you enchanted as Murli Manohar

 You have been worshipped as the dark faced Shyam Sundar

Why do people in this world not realise?

That being dark is not a vice

 While Yamuna was poisoned by the Kalia, killing your herdsmen

 The scene is no different today again,with toxins in the country’s den

Your message was clear even then

To worship and respect environment at Govardhan

 For nature around us should be resurrected

 Not some officious leader like Indra respected.

A friend to Sudama, provider to the penniless impoverished

We need that bounty again, as our vaults are famished

 The wonders of your flirtatious dance with the maidens of Dwarka

 But that true love for your soulmate Radhika

That one time when you married 16000 maidens

Only to restore their honour back,after Narakasura’s violation

 An epitome of a man you were

Saving Draupadi’s honour during that horrific stir

The situation is no different today

As thousands of them are disrobed and perpetrators walk away

 From Mahabharata we need that strategist, and that warrior

 That pragmatic leader and seer that even bravest fear
The country is again in conflict
With many forces internal and external betwixt

 Where are you dear Lord? Will you come down to earth?

 Or are atheists right? You had never really taken birth.

 In your delusion your Meera will be

Timelessly waiting for thee.

Waiting for the next Janmaashtami

This painting is the original work of artist Mukta Gupta

SAW DES

The main  gates of the building were open ,not as usual. After crossing the small garden we knocked on the door. A frail girl opened the door and allowed us to go inside. We climbed up the stairs which had pictures of Jesus Christ and Mother Teresa on the side walls. On ascending the first floor they were there. Five kids with biscuits in their hands. All of them were toddlers. Their eyes twinkled with surprise as they saw us. We sat there in the verandah and soon one of them started to cry. Quickly my friend took the baby in her arms. The baby stopped crying as if mollified by the foreign human touch. The other kids as if jealous followed suit and started to cry. With their heads shaven,dressed in tiny shirts and shorts all of them looked the same.We asked the caretaker the baby’s name as we couldn’t make out if the baby was a girl or a boy. The baby’s name was Rahul.

       We enquired the  whereabouts of the other kids of the orphanage . The caretaker told us that the rest had been taken to witness the flag hoisting in the nearby old age home. I was reminded of the last time we had gone to that same Old age home. A year back a group of friends had thought of doing something productive during weekends. When we had stepped inside the old age home, I was clear I couldn’t volunteer there. The suffering was impalpable and I became aware of my limitation as a humanist. There were some 100 old men and women suffering from Alzheimer ,other ailments and the rest were homeless. That was a sight I had never seen.
  Now,the caretaker  ushered me into the inside rooms that housed cots in which the tiny ones,who were younger than 1 year  slept. She  asked me to help her handle the bottle of milk . In one of those cots something caught my sight. There was a tiny white wrap. The help told me that the baby was merely 2 weeks old.That baby had been left back by the father soon after the mother died during delivery. My friend who had come to the place for the first time was moved and very close to tears.  

    Just then we heard sounds of happy feet clambering up the stairs.The flag hoisting was over  and the sisters were bringing the rest of the kids back . The sisters gave us a smile and asked the other helps to get the kids ready for brunch. At the verandah a diet chart was displayed and it was time for their porridge. The sisters called out names of the  30 kids and started feeding them as it was a quotidian activity for them. We kept watching in awe as each one was being fed. 

  Thousand thoughts floated in my mind.

Do the kids get enough food?  Can an individual really make a difference to a nation? What can India do to reduce the poor –rich disparity ? Isn’t  human population really at tipping point? Is Malthusian Economics really true?  Should philanthropy just be a time pass activity?  Why has the Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charities been charged with conversion?Will media ever stop questioning? Is perfection possible? In this world of globalization do national boundaries matter? Is Independence day to be celebrated with tokenism of flag hoisting? What made me visit the place?What if I had not come here and was cozing in the comfortable pages of my books? Or do I simply come here to assuage my guilt?  Is it only on a national holiday that my conscience suffers a jolt?

  Breaking my thoughtful glare,the sister declared: "Its time for the kids to take their afternoon nap. Please keep coming for they have no one. They just like the human touch."

I silently leave and make no promises.

HOLOQUEST

Circa 1998:

A quiz question while I was in class 5 in the year 1998.

“What word was coined by Elie Wiesel to describe Hitler’s massacre of the Jews?”

   I remember not knowing the answer then. The answer, which my teacher later told us ,was “Holocaust”.

Ever since that day the subject has always mystified me.The world affairs of late 1990s and early 2000s were earmarked by  Israel and Palestine peace talks. Israel was always in news and somehow I always felt it behaved like a “stubborn child refusing to let go”. When I was in class 8^th another question popped in a quiz  “Which community has had the highest recipient of Nobel Prizes ?”

  Now  Richard Dawkins would have hated this question.How can intellect intertwine with religious faith? But he would also know that the answer lay  in the Jewish “Selfish Gene”.  

Personally I have always questioned the co-relation of High IQ with being a Jew. Even Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud were born to Jewish parents,though their religious views were not very orthodox.Also if Anne Frank grew up into a young woman she would have bagged a Nobel Prize too.

   There have been countless studies done on the Jewish intelligence. 

   Jewish rebellion against Roman rule was killed in first century AD. After this Jews fled in all direction to form Diaspora. In the middle ages when they were subjected to legal discrimination,it drove them to money related professions as banking and tax farming which were forbidden by Christians.This along with low levels of intermarriage made them retain their IQ. This isolation however presents itself in terms of the number of diseases that are prevalent in the race as they have had very low levels of intermarriage.Here is another interesting read.

To corroborate further think of the names figuring amongst the top World( Read: USA) business people?

Be it the Bloomberg,Rothschilds, Ben Bernanke,Alan Greenspan,Marcus Goldman,Llyod Blankfein,Tim Geithner,Larry Summers, Sergey Brin, Larry Page, Michael Dell,Larry Ellison and Mark Zuckerberg.

What is common?

Their parents had kosher food on the day of Sabaath.

The current financial success of the Jews has a lot to do with holocaust.  Of the nine million Jews who had resided in Europe before the Holocaust, approximately two-thirds were killed. Over one million Jewish children were killed in the Holocaust, as were approximately two million Jewish women and three million Jewish men. A network of over 40,000 facilities in Germany and German-occupied territory were used to concentrate, hold, and kill Jews and other victims. The horror of the concentration camps and the gas chambers has also been a cornerstone of the 20^th century literary culture.Much has been written and adapted into movies. So much so,that the academy awards has always a joke going around, “If you want  an Oscar Award ,make a movie on Holocaust”. Here is the list of some of my favourite Holocaust movies.

1. Schindler's List

2. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

3.The Pianist

4. The Reader

5.Life is Beautiful

6.Sophie's Choice

7.Kapo 

These movies are poignant and capture the horror that took place during the extermination.The pogrom made the Jews a closed knit empathizing community .A large chunk migrated from Europe into USA during the 2nd world war . In a bid to start their own livelihood,the migrants started their own business. Many of the Jewish big businesses started really small eg. Levis Strauss and his denims,Singer and his sewing machines.

    Today the number of Jews in USA exceed the number of Jews in Israel,though Israel is a  constitutionally the only Jewish state that officially came into being in the year 1948 after UN declaration and  Jewish lobby . As of now Israel has a very high standard of living. Israel leads in military technology research. I personally find its practice of conscription very noteworthy. It has turned a deserted land into arable food bowl by using drip technology. All this said Israel still remains far from peaceful.

   Anthropology and Humanities stretch for centuries and Jews are a big example of that.

If you are wondering what triggered this post.

For all those nerds who are as curious as I am about Holocaust,here Follow this . It is a great chance to know more through a proper course at Coursera.

And for all those who have found this post too heavy.Take it easy.

Just Youtube Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic and watch it under Parental Supervision.

P.S Where would a dumb jew be sent? 
       Ans.  SINagogue

Elementary My Dear!!

We all love crime thrillers.Don’t we? The largest number of books that sell are the ones that have a detective going around a murder plot ,trying to put in place the clues. Whether it be Nancy Drew for a kid or Sidney Sheldon as an adult. Not to forget Detective Sherlock Holmes ,the eccentric detective who inspired the entire genre of detective fiction .Had that not been the case ACP Pradyuman and Daya would not have created a record with CID being on air since the past decade. What about that criminal case spamming your facebook wall?

   Not only books but TV too. As a child I was hooked on to the Discovery’s earliest show called Medical Detectives aka Forensic Files.It sent TRPs racing. Not to mention Tehkikaat ,Reporter and Byomkesh Bakshi did the same for DD. Most recently all the American and British channels run thrillers at prime time. Be it Breaking bad,Mentalist,Sherlock Holmes ,Castle ,CSI ,Dexter,Body of Proof and all such whodunits. Why leave the movies behind? Silence of the Lambs ,Usual Suspects, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, L.A Confidential and the Hitchcocks classics. A well written crime fiction screenplay (spiced with bold scenes) is the shortest recipe for success.

   What I find immensely fascinating is the way these American/English stories handle crimes. The entire area will be cordoned and there will pop a smart and attractive male/female detective (who will be paradoxically dressed to kill) out of a black SUV. Ahh! And the best part is when the forensics team lands up at the crime scene. They will be ready with all the biological,chemical,psychological,morphological mumbo jumbo. The lead expert will examine the slides and advise the detective ;at times engaging in altercations. And just when you thought you had the killer zeroed in,wait for the last blow. There will be a digression in the trail and the least suspected character will emerge as the killer. I often reflect on this. Is this really true? Does the law and order work with this precision and exactness so as to nab the fugitive , silent killer?

  As I did my research it turns out that yes,to a great extent it is true in countries like US and UK which indeed have very strong infrastructure as far as the Crime detection and investigation are concerned. The government has its own forensics labs in most of the cities and add to that there are a lot of private labs too catering to forensics.The value of human life lost at the cost of injustice is of utmost importance to the state. Compare that to India. We have a handful of forensic labs in our country and very few courses in forensics science. The credibility of the ones existing too is a big issue. Does human life really mean anything to the state? There are millions of people missing and murdered but those that don’t make headlines are shoved off. What I see here is a major opportunity. If the government utilises the population and boosts crime investigations by increasing the number of personnels in the police force , CBI and CID and equipping the country with forensic labs not only will  more employment be generated but also  crime rates curtailed.More number of students will enrol in pure sciences .The respect for human life will be restored.A principle that embodies a developed country.

   Of course this solution seems to be a utopian dream but it can very much be  implemented. We are just not putting enough of  thought in this direction. Imagine a course at IIT on Forensics engineering . It would encompass psychology,biology,chemistry ,self defence and so much more. It would definitely be a crowd puller as so many of us have grown up adoring detectives. 
Why has this never occurred to the politicians sitting in the legislature? 
Probably because they are afraid they will be hunted down by a strong investigation system.
That is the end of this whodunit. 
Elementary! My dear watch son!

aMen!

Last week I witnessed something .

I witnessed one of the most vibrant moving canvasses in front of my eyes. I was at Varanasi with friends.No I hadn’t seen Arjun Rampal but something as soothing to my eyes. We  have all heard about the grandeur of the Ganges aarti by the ghats of Varanasi.Here is something I saw in addition to the spectacular beauty of the Arti that to my astonishment doesn’t turn up in a google search and finds no mention in any blog either.

My friend very casually mentioned about the last visit where she has seen handsome(read:hot) pundits by the ghats performing the aarti. Of course I hadn’t paid much attention to her words as I was all soaked up in spirituality.Moreover you wont imagine good looking men all queued up at a ghat in Varanasi.

But Lo and Behold! As soon as our boats perched at the Ganga water front at the famous Dashashwamedh Ghat I saw something I had never seen before. The air chanted of cymbals and smelled of marigold.The bell chimes cast a spell as the entire audience was gazing wholeheartedly at the aarti being done in front of us.

As for me the artist in me was aroused. It was a dark cold night. The ghats were ancestral.The scene in front me was iridescent with handsome men so neatly wrapped in silk dhoti and colourful kurta that accentuated their slim waist and masculine physique.Initially I was hesitant in appreciating the pulchritude of the sight before my eyes for these men were performing a holy service.Later as the event progressed I realised that the entire exercise before our eyes was indeed a performing art . Art for me is solely a matter of appreciation and reverence. As these pundits took the heavy lamps in their hands that only flaunted their toned biceps and arms,I couldn’t help but draw even more closely towards them to have a look.I was awestruck at the finesse in their wrists which turned the incense sticks with such grace.It was divine to see them pour the holy ganga jal around their feet in a semi circle so in sync . It was exalting to see their hands wave the fluffy wand in the air right and left.They enthralled  the entire audience by holding  those heavy brass lamps and making  circular flights of fire in the air.

 It was a brilliantly choreographed show that ended in the pundits blowing the conchs.We i.e my friend and I stood right in front of them with our backs facing the Ganges and looked at them in a trance. The Pundits noticed us too,continuously gazing at them. We were unabashed in our admiration.

Connoisseurs of male handsomeness or Adam teasers were we?

I surely had to pass on this information to my female friends for them to witness this “handsome” show.

   And today as I recount that incident the feminist in me thinks about why is there no concept of adam teasing in retribution to whatever keeps happening on the streets with every single girl of the country.Had there been pretty ladies doing the sandhya aarti I am sure the entire country would have known,with thousands of pictures and videos of youtube just like any other beauty contest. Why is it that her beauty and body is not respected for its rock like strength that braves monthly cycles to give birth to an entire generation but is looked at with lascivious eyes as an object for sexual pleasure. Why do so many male eyes  probe every single part of her body and make her feel visually raped?Why is it that four men together have to pounce on her as if she were a football?

Why is it that she has to fight for her life for no fault of hers ?How does this kind of libido exhibit in these rapists and eve teasers? Just because  she wanted to come to a place where she could study and happened to travel in a public transport because her parents were extremely poor. Why do I constantly write about such issues?

Why is it that the face of rapists is always that of a man?

What is wrong with this percentage of guys?

Yes , I being  a feminist I worry for the future of my gender.More importantly being an Indian I am worried about the future of my country,for we all know that a country cannot progress without equal opportunity given to 50% of the population.We feminists are often sneered for vociferously crying for our rights. We are undeterred because at least we have a sense of purpose.We are atleast fighting for a cause.Being a feminist does not mean being against men but being against men who are against a woman’s demand of social equality.

I appeal to the brothers,fathers and husbands of the country to join our struggle!You cannot exist without us.