GATEWAY TO CURE

These pictures speak a hundred words but they miss on a thousand more words. This mess is right outside the '5 star' Fortis hospital located on south Delhi's posh Vasant Kunj area. Patients are welcomed to puddle of stagnant water which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a garbage dump. People go to private hospitals in hope of better cleanliness and facilities and what they are treated is to this. The government hospitals would be far bettter than them in terms of hygeine.

HIPPO-CRICY I TELL YOU

They say that history repeats itself,this seems paradoxical in the contemporary period. According to mythological legend ,Ravana after kidnapping Sita tried to misbehave with her and the great lord Rama enters into the scene to save his wife. No the newly surfaced Rama Sena seems to be carrying the legacy forward but with the opposite objective. The self proclaimed moral police assaulted women in a Mangalore pub saying that they were violating the 'so called' traditions of our society.(hypocricy I tell you) Doesn't the situation resemble that of Afghanistan with reference to Taliban and then we say that India is a democratic,republic and blah blah.(hypocricy I tell you) The incident is not about gender inequality but of failure of the civil society. Our society seems to be in a state of total chaos and we call Pakistan a 'failed' State.(hypocricy I tell you) India demanded a ban on jaamat-ud-dawa in UN but what about banning organisations like Shiv Sena,Bajrang Dal and blah blah.(hypocricy I tell you) Common man seems to have lost faith in the government and it better being a hypocrit before we see a live version of 'A Wednesday'.

Election Agendas

It is time to move beyond bijli,paani,sadak this election.

My issues would be-
Environment visavis the commonwealth games.
Crime against women
Public transport
Youth encouragement in politics
Widening gap between rich and poor

Me(e) Mumbaikar phenomenon

Rahul Sharma, an undergraduate from Uttar Pradesh did not see a bright future for himself back home. So his next destination was the obvious city-Mumbai, ’sapno ka shahar’. He was shocked to see what the city had witnessed in recent times, attack on North Indians. The city it seems is no more ‘amchi’. It is just for ‘marathi manoos’.Is that true? Atleast that is what Raj Thackrey’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena went out proving. It started with Raj’s speech at koli mahotsav. He exhorted the fisherman to come up with innovative ideas to beat competition from North Indian migrants. He took potshot at Chatt Puja and even criticized Amitabh Bachhan for not showing enough love for Mumbai. The next day North Indian migrant worker’s were beaten up by MNS cadres. Is this what we expect from a city which was once regarded as India’s only cosmopolitan city. Whatever said and done there is no denying that people from UP and Bihar have proved their mettle. It can also be seen as a reflection of the inappropriate opportunities in these states. The Ambani’s, Birla’s and the Bollywood superstars or many others are not Maharashtrians but are as much Mumbaikars as anybody else. Each citizen contributes in a big or small way. And no Thackrey can discriminate against them.


I feel that Raj’s cause is justified to a certain extent but his way of agitation in not right. But more than anything else it was his tactic to give a boost to his otherwise sinking political career. This problem of migration and the problem of civic infrastructure is also plaguing Delhi. But when CM, Shiela Dixit says something about the influx of migrants in Delhi, it is not taken too well. And mind you Delhi is a city where Delhi University has reservation for everybody except Delhites. Atleast that’s not the case with Mumbai. Why has nobody started an agitation in Delhi?


What is most ironical is that no action has been taken against Raj or MNS. He should have been immedietly arrested for arousing communal violence. But instead of a lock up he was seen being greeted by Mumbai’s Police Commisioner at his daughter’s wedding.

Mumbai has been known for it’s spirit of resilience. At the end Mumbaikars have to take a lead and condemn all these pitty things. I am sure none of us want to see another Gujarat here.

DIAL 100,DIAL HELP

Sitting in my classroom, I wondered and wondered…Why do I exist? Why have I been born? What is the reason for my existence? These questions torment me.

Lines from the ongoing Lead India series echo in my mind, ’tum chalo to Hindustan chale’.. I want to make my existence worthy. I am not here to preach anyone. I am no Asa Ram Bapu. I am a youngster like you who want’s to bring about a change, not even talking about a revolution . I am SELFISH and want to change things for my own good and not anyone else. My life will only become better. I am no SAINT. Instead of sitting and cribbing get up and make a difference guys. Remember,’ koi bhi desh perfect nahi hota, usse banana padta hai’. Each individual can make a difference. Remember each drop of water makes an ocean. I am sure adrenaline rushes in your body when you watch movies like Rang De Basanti. Channelise your energies in the right direction. All of us have a spark inside us it is just that it needs to be ignited and we are ready to torch things around us.

Let us start with a very easy task. All of us travel in auto’s (not all of us have the luxury of car’s). So the next time the auto driver does not turn on the meter, you turn on to your phone and dial 100 (by the way it is a toll free number so no balance problem…lol) and just register a complaint. I do not want to tell you the consequence. Just tell us your experience (come on you can do that much). Try ,it is fun. So all you autowalla’s BEWARE.

BLOGGING

All of us keep on talking about blogging and writing blogs. So I thought writing on the blogs itself would be interesting. Till sometime back I used to come across the word ‘blogging’ in magazine and newspapers. It seemed alien to me. I felt so ignorant .But at the same time I realized that it was the ‘in’ thing. So I decided to do a net search on it and found that a blog is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. Blogger is a person who engages in the art of blogging. It wasn’t something that fascinated me. So I forgot about it.

But now I seem to have become an active blogger. It is interesting to know that there are 40000 active blogger’s in our country and 10 times the number have registered themselves. As an active journalism student I decided to investigate as to what attracts people to this new medium of writing. Blogging is a new age phenomenon. It’s simplicity and easy accessibility is something that attracts people to it. Anyone and everyone can get connected to this. All you need is a PC with internet connection.It doesn’t matter who you are. It gives a medium for everyone to express their views. It also gives you a sense of high when people all over the world read your articles. To me it represents the ‘brave new world’. It truly gurantees us our Fundamental Right of equality.
It even assumes a greater role in countries which do not allow for freedom of press.As we have seen in countries like Mayanmar and Pakistan. The outside world doesn’t get to know of the atrocities being committed in such countries and in such a situation people use blogs as medium of communication. They come into picture when other mediums of communication fail. Also we get to meet new people and form common group. It is an important public forum in today’s time. People do not have any inhibitions about writing blogs. They can write on everything from personal to profession. It is a means of self affirmation

On of the advantage or as perceived by some as disadvantage is that there is no accountability. Blogs are not censored. People can write anything that they want which may hurt someone’s sentiments. Critics argue that there should be some kind of laws related to this. But can freedom be edited? This is the uniqueness of this medium. But sometimes it is also seen as a threat to mainstream media.
But whatever said and done this new medium is fast catching up with today’s laid back generation. It is empowering people and giving the public a platform to express their opinions. Most important of all it brings a psychological change among people.So go ahead and experience the joy’s of blogging

SMALL SHOULDER’S,BIG RESPONSIBILITY..

Bilawal Lawalib(Bilawal spelt backwards) would not have rung a bell into too many ears prior to the assasination of his mother,former Pakistan Prime Minister,Benazir Bhutto.But today he has become the centre of world attraction not as Benazir’s son but as Bilawal Bhutto Zaradari,chairman of PPP.He has become the most searched face on internet.

Bilawal’s rise has raised many questions.Critics argue that he is too young to handle this position.The decision to choose him was taken in a hurry keeping upcoming elections in mind.This is not the age to fight for democracy but to be ‘facebooking’.He is the teenage heir to that political dynasty facing a crisis unmatched by even its own standards.Conservative Islamic Radicals do not approve of him.They do not consider him a Pakistani and have even issued death threats to him.So do the other member’s of Benazir’s estranged family,especially wife and daughter of her slained brother Shahnawaz.Fatima Bhutto says that PPP is just not Benazir’s party but a Bhutto party.Many had vouched for the 25 year old Fatima who writes column’s for newspapers,to head PPP.Jemima Khan too supported Fatima. Pakistan is a country he barely knows.So is his father,Asif Ali Zardari,with whom he will have to work.Bilawal left Pakistan when he was barely 11.Since then he has grown up in London and Dubai,currently studying Political Science at Oxford’s prestigious Christ Church College.Though he speaks Urdu and Arabic,English his his first language.

People of PPP are sure that he will carry forward his mother’s legacy and is best suited for the job.They say that he was devoted to his mother and is no spoilt brat.He has always been a shy and studious boy.After all the say he is a ‘Bhutto’.

But I wonder did he have an option.Could he choose not to be associated with politics,a desire he expressed as a kid.May be not.He would have loved to live the life of a normal teenager,carefree.Even after reaching Oxford he requested media to respect his privacy.He would be under security 24X7.Which 19 year old would want that?He has a lot of expectation and hope attached to him.He is like the ‘ray of bright sunshine after day’s of darkness’. He has become the new name of democracy.Well parallel’s can be drawn again to the Gandhi family with reference to the issue of foreign upbringing.But it is yet to be seen whether he proves himself the way Gandhi’s did.

Well I just hope that he proves to be a worthy ‘Bhutto’ and his little shoulder’s carry such a heavy burden with ease and not droop.