Badalta Manzar ( The changing scenario)

He's all of 39. Wears armani, is finely educated.And runs a state. Well, almost. Omar Abdullah's recent offer of a resignation and staging of a walk out from the J&K Assembly has impressed me. Now here's a leader, who takes off his coat if there's a stain on it, instead of wiping it off. No, our gentleman is a man of honour. Maybe, he has still not brought the gruesome shopian perpetrators to justice, but still he will safeguard his dignity if he is in the line of fire. And that too for an involvement in a sex scandal. itni bari zurrat!

On the other hand PDP firebrand Mehbooba Mufti is acting weird all of a sudden. Last day, she yanked off a microphone of the speaker and threw it down. A few days after, she tore down the CBI's clean chit given to Omar and dramatically threw it in the air. Now now, Madam isnt that acting too much childish? If you want to drag your grandson's name in a controversy, libel him with something else. Not with one which nobody is going to believe. And on the contrary, Omar's resignation has drawn many sympathy and support for him. Or was the lady fuming with anger over Muzaffar Hussein Beigh 's retraction of his statement?

With all this pandemonium, somewhere far from all this din, sits the kin of the Shopian sisters, staring at a blank and finishing the last morsel of the stale food. He knows, however much the goverment tries, he will not get justice. Maybe after 5 or 6 years, they will book a man for commiting the crime. But will that bring back his daughter? will it be able to take away even a little burden off his shoulders ? maybe, not...

And Omar Abdullah would be sitting in a newly stitched coat, enjoying a moral victory over the clean chit given to him by the CBI. And Mehbooba Mufti would be planning her next course of action to topple the NC rule.

By that time, another rape would have taken place which will serve as a fodder for endless accusations by the opposition. And this time, Omar might be needing to wipe off the stain with a kerchief.

(The opinion is a sudden flicker of an idea, which might change with the Badalta manzar of India and its politics)

A new Dawn

(On a distressed and disturbed night, I wrote this half-baked poetry but did not complete it. Reasons? My mood improved, I felt lazy, and well...some things are left unsaid...enjoy)

28.06.09

Pitter-patter on the rooftop

And little shyam opens his tired eyelids

To greet the dim light of a bright new day

Struggling to see from behind the cobwebs of a tired night

A distant sound of tinkling bells

Leftover from last night’s dream

And a smell of burnt eggs coming from the kitchen inside

And the Lord hath said those who cometh to this world has to undergo sorrow

The steam escapes from the pressure cooker lid

With a lot of hue, cry and tears

Of a prolonged claustrophobic existence between destiny and expensive dreams

Meanwhile Shyam’s back itches

And the more he tries to soothe it, the more he fails

Honking from outside the window fills the chasm of space inside

Black, dusty and flimsy, cobwebs adorning the greasy walls

And the lord hath said those who cometh to this world has to face darkness

The papers scream out the agony of thousands of other shyams

…Or much betters

In the front page, of the powerless vortex Delhi traverses through

Of sweaty housewives and ailing elders and restrained young folks

As the old ceiling fan creaks and groans and

Sends some soot cascading through the heavy air

Smelling of amrutanjan and steam

It looms over shyam and his mother

Sitting in the dining, the table covered with dust

And the shine peeping in from beneath…

(to be contd...conditions apply)

Their Experiments with Truth

Of late a furore has been whipped up on the issue of the question of morality in Indian television. With Star Plus's mega offering, 'Sach Ka Saamna' igniting the final wood and resulting in a ruckus in parliamentary sessions and copious debates in 24X7 news channels. The matter? well a boundless emphasis on a person's privacy which runs the risk of damaging one's reputation and creating ruptures in one's relationship. Several questions have been raised on morality and the degrading Indian culture. And it does not only restrict itself to sach ka saamna but reality shows like iss jungle se mujhe bachaao and quite a handful of TV commercials.

Personally, I dont see any point of this raging debate, which is for a change, giving the members of SP some TV footage and people are getting to know names apart from Mulayam Singh Yadav. Well, let's admit it! Television producers, like all entrepreneurs, hanker after money. and money comes from (no, not hard work) TRPs. And for TRPs, Indian entertainment channels and news channels bank hugely on sensationalism. Sach ka Saamna, even though a cpied format from the west, IS sensational and however much we cringe to the questions, or foul mouth the producers, he;; bent on giving relationships a tough time, we DO stay glued to the TV screens every weeknights at 9.30pm. Why? Because of Human Being's primary and intrinsic interest in anything odd, bizzare, controversial, sensational and something which creates ripples during chit chats and localised debates. So that's natural. Even if my neighbour was in the hot seat, answering a question on whether he has been cent percent loyal to his wife or not, I would definitely give the India Pakistan WC encounter a miss and wait for a 'no' from the respondent, only to be beeped by the lie detector. And the current Indian consumer mass thrives on such shows, apart from soppy soaps and cricket. So nobody will watch television and perhaps display an even more vindictive display of outrage than the people in a certain region of India, protesting against govt inaction against chasing down the perpetrators of a gruesome rape, if such shows are banned or withdrawn form Indian television. Even our dear critics, who can very well debate about other issues of importance over national security, poverty, energy conservation, education (and the list goes on), will be displeased if that happens.

Secondly, I feel that contestants in shows like sach ka saamna come to participate knowing fully well that in a moment of ill fated luck, a question can pop up which will doubt why does his neighbour's son look like him. But still if he chooses to come and sit in front of a 1 million odd audience (in the venue and in front of TV sets), just either to see him on TV or to gain some money, then sir, I respect your decision and nobody should crib because a 'socially degrading' question has been put forward to you. Its totally your choice whether to boycott your attendance to the shoe of participate in it. You always knew the consequences. Didnt you? So why the hullabaloo, sirs and madams and others?

Thirdly, I am not jesting. But seriously feel that one of the main reasons, the ministers are howling over the show is because they fear that one of these days, they might get a letter form Siddharth Basu, inviting them to be a participator in the show. And that day, neither can he deny (coz that will draw huge flak from his vote bank and citizens of India), nor can he accept ( coz that will draw huge flak from his vote bank and citizens of India...you know the reason why) I mean just imagine asking an L K advani whether he had a strong role to play in the Babri demolition, or asking a Mulayam Yadav, how much money has he siphoned till now, or asking a brinda karat whether she does these infrequent exercises just to garner some publicity for herself rather than the party which she is affiliated to.

And Lastly, I take an opportunity to agree for once with the so called traditional hardliners about the issue of ungirded and unabashed show of sex, sleaze, immorality in the Indian television today. So whether its a flavoured condom ad, or an chocolate scented axe flavour ad or Anaida's translucent skin (ahem) show and petite nubiles' shower footage ala liril ad in iss jungle se mujhe bachaao, there are some elements like these which do hamper the culture which we Indians are so proud of and corrodes the mind of an individual watching them. No I am not a hardliner so I wont talk about banning the shows. But bringing in a regulatory body is an option, which I wont like though (nor will many, I know) which will control and censor the explicits and the visual explicits from shows like such. But then again, another humongous debate will arise regarding to the field the head of the regulatory body will belong to, his political affiliations, his individual beliefs, his past. If that problem is solved by appointing different members form all walks of life in the body, then again another will emerge as to who will have the maximum say in censoring or not censoring a content.

The main winner and the gainer in all these issues will not be the producers, nor the adudience, neither the ministers, But I believe, the 24X7 news channels, which will cash in on these aspects and have numerous debates until it turns bitter (with my experience in a news channel, nothing does, till the time it guarantees you TRPs) And following these debates, endless Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha session time will be consumed by these discussion and not by whether kasab should be hanged or not or why are mass suicides still continuing, among farmers. This in turn, will attract the viewers to these shows and TRPs will go on increasing till the time another show of this kind comes on air and sparks off another debate.

Introspections in solitude 1

Is there a difference between God and suffering? Maybe not. They both make you feel so very special, so close to them. You learn so many things, new events and their consequences and morals emerge. You pray with the same passion to be in proximity to one and be miles apart from another. Both gives you a sense of satisfaction at the end of an encounter. Both are engaging and all pervasive.

Its difficult to control anger. Specially if you dont want to. The consequences of a fit of anger, especially if its directed towards your loved ones, are damning and leaves you in a lurch, confused and flabbergasted. The pain which one feels after such an outburst is very difficult to explain to others, lest they dont believe you and if if they do, its very valid if they think," then, why the hell?". Something that you yourself, cant think of an answer to. As the horrors crawl at you during sleepless nights, haunting you to a shudder, you feel tired of yourself.

Red Alert

I still remember.
I had visited the neighbouring slum to gather some news about the condition of education in the settlement, for my college project. And I stumbled upon a piece of information, which loosened the blinds of my eyes and filled me with scepticism and a disgust for passive acceptance and mindless tolerance.

Duttabad is (one of)Asia's largest slum and is situated right behind my colony. Thanks to my Mom, I got enough access to human examples to accentuate my report. One of the houses(or shanties) had a feisty lady, aged around 28 or 29, who doled out private tuitions to kids of the slums, at a modest fee. I had finished questioning her about the local school there and educating her about the sarva shikshya abhiyan scheme of the central govt. Then she released the dam of pent up pains and discomfort caused to her and thousands and lakhs of people like her in the state, under the rule of the communist faction of CPI(M) for the last 30 odd years. She complained how the local 'party' goons snatched away the money guaranteed by a central govt scheme to pregnant mothers. It was a disillusioning experience for me. It had been a disturbing experience for her too, who's a mother of one. "We can't protest. They(the party cadres) openly threat us. We are staying under a rule of threat and compulsion. Even the media fears to report these incidents, lest they fall a prey an 'accident' masterminded by the red devils." I recalled that a few moments ago, when I went to meet the local councillor, he was clearly avoiding my questions pertaining to the level of education in the slum and monetary queries. So, that was the first time I felt the pulse of the so called CPM vote bank, first garnered up by decades of promise, support, effective leadership and fulfillment of dreams and then paralysed by a betrayal of trust accentuated by atrocities.

Clearly the Left's so long protected barricade has been breached by the TMC's Ma Maati manush members. I have some reservations, though about ms. Banerjee's potential to overturn the rule(or the lack of it) by the left. But the fading shine of red is a clear indication of the people's frustration gone awry and a general mood of anti-incumbency, a show of desperation and futility of people's aspirations. The local gundagardi has left the public fed up who desperately needs a messiahto treat them, not as empty walls. And in the centre, Left's self revered ideologies and its opposition to ascending steps planned by the Congress has no or less takers.

Today's transport strike presents two clear pictures. Subhash Chakrabarty had to first experience the rage of the transport owners. And the poor man cant do anything about it as it runs the risk of being bit again into its share of vote bank. And on the other hand, Mamata, the potential CM has requested transport owners from TMC's club to withdraw their decision and ply their vehicles on the streets of Kolkata.

Its sad! Very sad. Over 30 years of golden(umm... well) rule in West bengal has great chances to be stopped in its track by its own faults, whose examples are the ruins of Lalgarh, the anger still fuming in Singur, th ebruised Nandigram and the lakhs of Bengal dwellers gasping for a change.

Crimson burning...crimson fading

(The views have been expressed by an amateur in the field of political and social essays and should not be held responsible for any involuntary insensible comments, if any. This is the author's personal opinion and need not be the reaction at large)

Haan haan main paapi hoon!

With the same creepy smile and a nonchalant attitude, Ajmal Aamir Kasab has confessed his role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. But with many changes in his statement that he had given earlier. Somehow, borrowing from the hindi potboilers ala Abbas Mustan cheap thrillers, I suspect that it might be a ploy and defendent lawyer kazmi might be one of the masterminds in employing this sudden shocker that has has (humorously) prompted even the judge to ask the dramatic, "Kya aapko kubul hai?" I can just so imaginr the judge's face in disbelief and the sudden excitement which transcends even the pleasure in stealing a glance at cleavage of his kaamwaali bai. Also note the way he pounced back at the public prosecutor barking at him to shut up when he protested that the time has lapsed and kasab could not confess any longer.(with all due regards to the reverent Mr. Justice) Coming back to the point, I find it very fishy, the way Kasab called Kazmi and whispered something to his ears and then before the latter could spell anything, Kasab blurts out I did it. I still remember how taken aback I was when I found that Aajy Devgan-the poor, stuttering minstrel in deewanapan was putting up his best performance on the screen of a down market Calcutta theatre-a role for which he deserved the Rajiv Gandhi award (If Shahid Kapur can win the award....Its a shame and might be a sham...i mean, last year Salman Khan was conferred the honour. And Shahid is just a kid in the industry) So that role of Ajay's made me contemplate on a number of suspense stories, cheap all of them but smart and imagined to be well directed into a movie, the promos of which still adorn the ruled pages of a diary neatly laid on my study table in my home in Salt lake. Now I hear that Kazmi has said that all Kasab did was plead guilty and not confess. These lawyers can spin a web of words, putting logic into something illogical. If i dont think deeply, I cant find any difference between confessing a guilt and pleading guilty. Kasab and Kazmi might be together in the next big plan, for all you might know! Anyways, my father feels that India, being sentimental by nature (or tradition or through a result of the Ekta kapoors and the Barjatyas), the judge will pardon Kasab and send him to pakistan. Personally, I am not in favour of corporal punishment but it seems a little chilly when I try to picturise a scene in front of my eyes of terror, raw and blood, innocent. Why are the papers screaming that from where did kasab come to know that pakistan has refused him as a Paki? Are they so insecure about their publication's reach or Arthur road jail doesnt allow super duper criminals to read papers? (For details watch Madhur Bhandarkar's Jail...and girls and endorsers of Art 377 watch Neil nude in the movie)I can imagine Kasab lurking in a dark corner of his cell and talking in his khufiya satellite phone, guiding some more perpetrators holding hostage some captain of a ship on the choppy seas of the Arabian, to the Mumbai coastland. Well, I am not the only one, dishing out cheap thriller stories.

Salman in an ad? dobaara mat poochna!

I was thrilled to see Salman Khan endorsing a brand, this time a popular breath fresher, after a long time. he was last seen doing some unimaginative jig in white on a ramp for a shoe brand which got an image makeover but never got the response, expected.
This time, Salman has shed his earlier image of the brash and brazen buffalo in the thums up ad and tried to refurbish himself in a more audience friendly manner, which the people have suddenly realized him to be after he portrayed himself in dus ka dum, a game show gaining high TRPs in the second season, thanks to the presence of Salman and his effort of not to act.
The girl who plays the air hostess in the ad is stunning and I would like to see the ad only because of her. good choice, prasoon.
Though I find the story to be very lame. and coming from a person like prasoon joshi who has earlier churned out witties like the coke commercials, this is a disaster. I guess the star value of the brawny khan doing a role reversal to be an adorable aadarsh vidyarthi has been loved by all. Sohail provides the perfect camaraderie as the adoloscent horny brat.
Among the scene stealing moments, its hilarious to look at salman neck bobbing up and down, unable to sustain the air jet when the plane door opens. and the way he steals a naughty smile when the air hostess scoffs at sohail. bravo! wonder whether it came naturally or it took a great deal of rehearsals before finally giving an 'ok'. Even the way he pipes up 'dobara mat poochna' at the end is a spectacular moment. Most of the charm of the ad is retained due to sallu bhai's histronics. A thought about the aligning background score as well.
The added punchline of 'bina taiyaari ke...' is apt and is drummed up well in the story.
A fun ad. I would go with 7 out of 10 and a pat on salman's back.

Head n shoulders

Tragedies are personal in nature. No matter how you try to share it with others, or unburden yourself with a sob that leaves you all mushy and self sympathizing (note: self) its for you to bear your own cross. The most people might do is to shake a few heads, voluntarily nowadays, or shed a few tears with you. But can you pass on the pain? maybe you wouldn't want to. can you make them understand? well, you might in some cases. But largely, I believe, it should be dealt with introspection, with contemplation and meditation, not brooding though. How does it help you? well, in most cases, you tend to find an answer, which might not be the solution, but a consolation, if you prefer and a strength to move on and face your infirmities. positive thinking help you a lot. i know, readers might jest at me. Readers who have seen pain enough and wants to give me an earful for being insensitive and callous in my remark. But, in some cases, in cases-adjustable and thought to be adjustable, it helps. it fills you with an energy which the tarot card readers write about in newspapers. That energy is a spurt which makes us practical and kicks us to an action, rather than stopping us on our track (stopping is fine, only in a nearby tea-stall under a shade). Some people should be private in pains.some, not all. the others can resort to the shoulder. But in most situations, the former prevails over the latter and find real consolation. We all try to find consolation and dig out a positive angle from our tragedies. Which can be best dealt with in personal. but unfortunately, we are not so brave and succumb to a display of our sorrow to anchor sympathy. Those who doesn't, triumphs and find solace and a few laughs at their cost.