Where is the Justice??

Osama was shot dead. Apparently in the head. But later it was the leg, then both. It has also been said that he was unarmed. And Obama says that justice has been done. Hey, if justice can be achieved by killing off unarmed people, then to hell with Afghanistan and Iraq. Maybe the US is right in staying there to finish off whatever is left of its populations! That will surely reduce terrorism in the world. Why not the rest of the middle east along with that too. The common American's anti-Muslim mindset means that there will always be support.



A lot of people have been complaining that India is being weak by sheltering Kasab and we should follow the example of the US. Maybe they are right. Why should he be given a fair trial? Why can't he be shot dead. As a matter of fact, why cant we just send the military into Kashmir and probably shoot anyone who is suspected of being a terrorist. Or maybe finish off with all the people who support the Naxals.

The same people who say that the British was inhumane and denied justice when Bhagat Singh was hanged a day early, say that Kasab should be hanged.

Thankfully the people in charge of our country are a better, more mature and intelligent lot. Though they might be steeped in corruption, they would still like to see India as having a just society.

And so would I. Let the Justice take its course. Maybe we should try making it faster, rather than deny it to those who do not have public appeal. We need a just society, without the corruption of course.

Earphonia

Lately it seems to be a trend among most of us to have earphones plugged in our ears most of the time. People seem to be listening to music quite a lot. Does that mean that the Indian music scene is getting better? With Sheila and her Jawaani the answer is a big NO, unless people are listening to something other than pop music. And hopefully that is what they are listening to every minute of their lives.

But this post is not about music but the new hobby the youth have found for themselves. People seem to be enjoying music everywhere, in the bus, train, while eating, while watching cricket(all the commentators can leave, no one seems to be listening), etc, etc. This has become a sort of a disease (earphonia) and it is spreading fast.

One of the problems is that we cannot directly talk to one with earphonia. We first make sure they can see us, than say 'Excuse Me' hoping they heard it or atleast saw our mouths move while we were looking at them. Then if they respond, we have to wait for them to stop the music and take the earphones out of their ears and then start out conversation.

One thing common among all those who have earphonia is that they seem to be alone. Alone in the bus, alone in the mess while eating. Maybe they listen to music because they have no one to talk to. Or maybe they don't want to talk to anyone. Or maybe they have no friends. Or maybe they dont like the sounds of the real world. Or maybe they find the subjects people usually talk about to be boring or beneath them.

But the problem is that having these wires sticking out of your ears makes others hesitate to approach you in the first place. Hopefully the the sights and sounds of the real world will get better soon and this disease can be cured.

Common Wealth Games

The question is ,
Even if the CWG preparations were perfect and the facilities were truly world-class, would any one of us in this cricket obsessed country of ours go to attend the event????

If the Delhi Games is not a success, it would not be because of all the controversy but because we did not even try to make it a success. Some celebrity even suggested that we should boycott the games. That would not be necessary. Since there is no cricket, no one would go to watch in the first place!

We Indians are the type of people who want to be the best but are to lazy to even lift a finger for the betterment of this country. It is no wonder we would rather hero worship the existing sport stars (meaning cricketers) than pushing ourselves or our children towards a career in sports.

Of Food

It doesn't matter whether you are studying in one of the top colleges in the country, if you cannot you cannot eat from a mess just because it doesn't serve the food from your region, you are just another narrow-minded and conservative person just like any other person in India.

Its no surprise that the country has not reached even 10% of its actual potential. When Indians cannot take risks with the food they eat even for one day, how are we supposed to take the big decisions that will take the country forward?

In IISc. you can see the entire story unfolding. People complain about the mess but still wont change to another one even though you can change back if you didn't like it. And the students from each regions have their own dishes which they cannot live without. If it is rice and sambhar for Keralites, then it is the Hilsa fish for the Bengalis and so on.

I used to think that only malayalees were so rigid when it comes to food, not trying anything different. But now I have realized that every Indian is as bad. The ones from the big cities are a little better. But they come with their own set of problems

Of Hostels

While going through the hostel admission process at IISc, I overheard one of the officials saying that the girls are always taken care of and its only the boys who have to put up with all the issues such as no water, cleanliness, etc. Someone else told me that this was the situation in all colleges. The girls hostel is always better kept than the boys hostel.

But why? Girls have always been known to be more orderly and tidy than boys. Why do they need any extra attention? If anything its the boys who require more attention. With personal experience about the cleanliness of a boys hostel, I would have to say that its a wonder boys don't catch an diseases because of their appalling standards of hygiene. I have seen rooms covered with enough layers of dirt for it to have an archaeological survey done.

That the boys start acting mature and start cleaning up after themselves is not going to happen any time soon. So I urge all the hostel authorities in every hostel take up the issues of boys' hostels before it goes from bad to worse. The future of mankind is at stake here!!

Political 'Career'

The recent hiking of the salaries of our MPs has brought with it a storm of criticism from the media and the like. With inflation going unabated why are our leaders eager to to take home fat paychecks than solving the nation's problems? Why is it that they are ready to look like selfish babus just for a rise in income?

But why not? Surely inflation also affect the rich too!!! And service starts right from our home and family! But apart from that, Indian legislators are among the lesser paid than their counterparts elsewhere in the world. But that is not an excuse since the 'nation building work' they seem to do may not be worth much.

But isn't politics another career a person may choose? It is also much more riskier and gratifying at the same time than any other profession. In this money driven world where jobs which come with high salaries together with an opportunity to change the world for the better are rare. In this world it may be the best career option too. Of course to succeed in politics takes a lot of hard work as does any other profession bud the rewards are much better. Above all you get the love and respect of the people. Does any other job offer that?!

Indian politics needs fresh faces and not somebody's son/ daughter/ nephew , etc. Maybe this hike in salaries will inspire more people to take politics as a career.

The City of Joy

With names like Esplanade, Park Street and Cornwallis Avenues, one would think they are in London, but a closer look shows that they are in a more beautiful place called Kolkata.

Though the city is one big traffic jam, it is quite a sight. The narrow roads are filled with Ambassador cars, I too went around in one. I was surprised by the size of the car, its huge! Three can sit comfortably in the back without touching each other.

The people are very helpful too. And unlike New Delhi or Mumbai, the youth here are not much of the Pg3 HiFi types.

Got to dip my feet in the Ganga (Hooghly) near the Dakshineshwar temple and hopefully they are free of sin.

The place is more of a girls delight with the large number of saree shops selling the traditional bengali handloom sarees.