The Globetrotter

Maybe....

2011-03-16T10:26:00.001+01:00

Read this wonderful poem recently, so thought of sharing it. I don't know the name of the poet.

MAY BE

Maybe. . we were supposed to meet the
wrong people before meeting the right
one so that, when we finally meet the
right person, we will know how to be
grateful for that gift.

Maybe . . . it is true that we don't
know what we have until we lose it,
but it is also true that we don't know
what we have been missing until it
arrives.

Maybe . . . the brightest future will
always be based on a forgotten past;
after all, you can't go on
successfully in life until you let go
of your past mistakes, failures and
heartaches.

Maybe . . you should hope for enough
happiness to make you sweet, enough
trials to make you strong, enough
sorrow to keep you human, and enough
hope to make you happy.

Maybe . . . the happiest of people
don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way.

Maybe .. . . the best kind of friend is
the kind you can sit on a porch and
swing with, never say a word, and then
walk away feeling like it was the best
conversation you've ever had.

Maybe . . . happiness waits for all
those who cry, all those who hurt, all
those who have searched, and all those
who have tried, for only they can
appreciate the importance of all the
people who have touched their lives.

May be . . you should do something nice
for someone every single day, even if
it is simply to leave them alone.

Maybe . . . there are moments in life
when you miss someone -- a parent, a
spouse, a friend, a child -- so much
that you just want to pick them from
your dreams and hug them for real, so
that once they are around you
appreciate them more.

Maybe giving someone all your love
is never an assurance that they will
love you back. Don't expect love in
return; just wait for it to grow in
their heart; but, if it doesn't, be
content that it grew in yours.

Maybe .. . . you should dream what you
want to dream; go where you want to
go, be what you want to be, because
you have only one life and one chance
to do all the things you dream of, and
want to do.

MAY BE..

Yummy To The Tummy - It's Locust In My Mouth !!

2011-03-15T11:39:00.001+01:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/world/europe/15bugs.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

It is of course common in Africa, Japan and Thailand to eat insects such as locusts, worms, crickets etc. as a delicacy....but now it seems to be becoming a trend in Europe too. Anyone with any experience??

At a nearby stand with a Dutch name that translated roughly as the Tasting Garden, there were more insects than garden. While shoppers gazed with puzzled looks, Mr. Van Dongen, 41, warmed up portions of an Asian vegetable dish with crickets mixed in.

Obsession With Beauty

2011-03-15T11:10:00.001+01:00

“She is young. She doesn’t understand — it doesn’t matter if a man is scarred or ugly, he will still get a wife. But a woman must do all she can to make herself the ideal wife. Our father loves Sarita too much, that’s why he wants her to be as beautiful as she can be.” (Link)

A perfect smile, a perfect nose, fair skin, a perfect figure every boady part has to be just perfect. Manufacturing Barbie dolls.......

the mother who came to Dr Kalda from Uttar Pradesh to get her new daughter-in-law a complete makeover of six painful procedures — a reshaped forehead, a nose-job, new cheekbones, an altered jawline (which involves breaking the jaw for remodelling), breast implants (that will need to be removed for breast feeding) and butt implants. Comments Dr Kalda, “The saas examined the girl’s naked body before marriage and brought her to me so she could be perfect for her son.” It’s the highest number of procedures the good doctor has performed on a single patient, save those who get a sex change.

My Left and Your Right

2011-03-11T10:41:00.000+01:00

Being a left hander is not easy as one is certainly a minority. Only11% of the world's population is left-handed. Lot of social stigma has been attached to it. Words like, lefty, southpaw, goofy are used as slangs. In some societies using your left hand to do chores esp. religious rituals is considered demeaning. Children, who begin to use their left hand automatically for writing, eating etc., are often forced to use their right hand.

As one grows it becomes difficult to use things like, scissors, can openers, peelers, PC mouse etc. which are made for right-handers. People refuse to shake hands and even to take things from a left hand. So I guess, quite few of us start using right hand too and thus become ambidextrous like me. They were certain things like, a peeler or scissors, I was forced to use it with right hand as there were no left-handed peelers and scicssors back then. I have even experienced cases like, were shop-keepers have refused to take money from me. ''I don't take it from left hand'' has often been said to me and my reply has been ''I am a left hander, now take it or leave it.'' At the university I found it difficult to use a folding-chair with tablet as they are again made for right handers.

Folding-Chair with Tablet

Left-Handed (left) Right-Handed (right)

It is now due to lot of awareness that products like, scissors, can openers etc. are even made for left handers. We are just asking the majority to be sensitive towards us and not call us ''confused'' etc. and understand that this happens naturally. Like you didn't ask to be right-handed, similarly we didn't ask to be left-handed.

Barefoot College - Creating Solutions

2011-01-27T08:22:00.000+01:00

http://www.barefootcollege.org/default.asp

Established in 1972, the Barefoot College is a non-government organisation that has been providing basic services and solutions to problems in rural communities, with the objective of making them self-sufficient and sustainable. These ‘Barefoot solutions’ can be broadly categorised into solar energy, water, education, health care, rural handicrafts, people’s action, communication, women’s empowerment and wasteland development.

The College believes that for any rural development activity to be successful and sustainable, it must be based in the village as well as managed and owned by those whom it serves. Therefore, all Barefoot initiatives whether social, political or economic, are planned and implemented by a network of rural men and women who are known as ‘Barefoot Professionals’.

A Boy At Any Cost

2011-01-24T12:04:00.000+01:00

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/63-years-on-indians-still-want-a-boy/188885

A new trend is emerging in 'India Shining' where couples travel to Thaíland for gender selection. Since the Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Regulation and Prevention of Misuse) Act, 1994 (PNDT), was introduced gender selection is banned in India. This Act has certainly not put an end to male-preference notion in the country where its present sex ratio is 933 girls:1000 boys This does not mean that many illegal clinics do not operate around the country. Couples wishing to have a boy either because they already have a girl child or who wish to have only a male child can easily go such clinics, can get the gender of the fetus detected and aborted, in case it is a female. In India the notion of preference for male child cuts across all socio-economic strata.

Now many, who can of coruse shell out anything between 4-6 lakh, can travel to Thailand and get the gender of the fetus selected without having to go to trouble for abortion. This is indeed a very upsetting trend and raises questions about how can we allow in this age, where we keep talking about ''new emerging India'', ''super global power'' still harbor such thoughts and practice them. The worse part is that even those highly educated indians do practice it. States like Haryana and Punjab have very bad sex ratio as compared to the rest of the country and in many of the towns and villages of these two states there are no girls; men are already over thirty and parents are finding difficult to find brides for their sons. Many have to sell their land or find ways to collect 30,000-40,000 to get brides from others indian states or even from Bangladesh.

Endless Discrimination

2011-01-22T13:04:00.001+01:00

Why did Vypari Bai die? The real story of India's progress lies in the detail of how programmes like NRHM (National Rural Health Mission) are implemented, or not implemented. It is a story that is not told often enough to make us angry. Occasionally, we pay attention to the needs of our children. But women like Vypari Bai, who die because no one cares, remain invisible, the ghosts of another India.

Why Is The Government In Denial??

2011-01-18T09:42:00.000+01:00

http://ibnlive.in.com/#hp_player3

The number of farmers commiting suicide has increased steeply and the Indian Goverment is not even ready to acknowledge it!!

Cricket World Cup 2011

2011-01-17T14:12:00.000+01:00

Cricket World Cup 2011 is around the corner. It will be held from 19 Feb. to 2 April in Bangladesh (hosting for the first time), India and Sri Lanka. In India, where cricket is a religion, fans are in the grip of cricket fever and hoping that their country wins the world cup this time. India last won and the only time in 1983 in England.

The Indian squad for the Cup was announced today. Sachin Tendulkar would be playing, I guess, for the last time and really hoping for his country to win before he retires. India currently ranks second in the ICC ODI rankings; with Australia ruling the chart. In all fourteen countries would be fighting for the cup.

The official WC Cricket mascot is Stumpy, who is a young cricket enthusiastic cricket fan. He was unveiled at a function in Colombo last year. The official song De Ghuma Ke has been composed by famous indian musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and has been sung in Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese.

Of course, I would want my country to win. Otherwise my favorite would be South Africa, I guess. Since Australia has already won four times and three time in a row since 1999, I am personally not too keen to see them win this time too.

Well, all the best to my country and may all the nations play the sport in its true spirit. Jai Ho !

Is There A Genius In All Of Us?

2011-01-16T13:45:00.011+01:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12140064

''It would be folly to suggest that literally anyone can do or become anything. But the new science tells us it's equally foolish to think that mediocrity is built into most of us'' David Shenk , Author of The Genius In All Of Us.

So, basically we all can become genius. Does our surrounding, genes etc. do not play any role? Why is that some are born genius whereas others have to struggle very hard? It is time to ponder.

Video Volunteers

2011-01-16T13:07:00.010+01:00

http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article1092635.ece?homepage=true

The videos have brought about affirmative change- such as education, committees being formed in villages, public hearing being called for and migrant children being admitted to schools. However, Jessica says,''We walk a tight rope in terms of how much we interfere. Subjects like caste, religion and human rights are sensitive issues; so, we make sure that the stories don't take a slant''.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2011-01-13T14:02:00.009+01:00

The Kite Runner is the first novel written by Khaled Hosseini. It is a story about Amir, who is desperately trying to win his father's admiration and one horrific incidence changes his friendship with Hassan and the guilt with which Amir lives for the rest of his life.

The book talks about Hassan's (who is a low caste servant working at Amir's house along with his father) deep loyalty towards his master's son, Amir. The author beautifully explores Hassan's unquestionable loyalty, faith and friendship with Amir and Amir's friendship, jealousy and hatred towards Hassan.

Of course, we do sympathise with Hassan (when he is sexually abused and his life during the Taliban rule) but what really drew my attention was that to what extent can children go to simply seek their parents love and attention. Amir, who constantly feels that his father does not love him no matter what he does (he is very fond of writing short stories to his father's dislike) and his father thinks his son is a whimp, does not help his friend, Hassan, at the time of need though he knows he should have and this guilt haunts him for the rest of his life till he gets a call from his uncle, Rahim, who says, 'There is a way to be good again'.

The book begins and ends with a beautiful line, which is the core of the story, 'For you, a thousand times over'.

The film with the same name is also well made. There are very few directors who do justice to the book they are making film on. Child artists, Zekeria Ebrahimi and Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada, who play young Amir and Hassan respectively, have done a wonderful job.

Known Turf By Annie Zaidi

2011-01-13T12:10:00.014+01:00

Known Turf is a book written by Annie Zaidi, who is a well-known journalist and a writer. She has discussed about gender violence, caste discrimination, hunger and dwindling sex ratio in India. Her numerous field trips to various parts of India as a journalist, led her to discover many social issues still prevaling in our country. The best part is that these stories led the author to introspect.

It is a simple, witty, straight forward, well articulated and at times emotionally written book. I have many favorite lines but some of them are -

'Sometimes I wonder if our inability to judge....we don't have a clue about how they are made' Page 83

'You think how this world isn't fir for her...and now imagine you had a choice not to bring her into this frightening world...and we live with that void' Page 221

'Each time any of us thinks about why things are the way they are, we become kafirs...we are all, by default, kafirs' page 184

Past Sins Leading To Farmers Suicide???!!!!!!

2011-01-13T09:10:00.012+01:00

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/past-sins-to-blame-for-farmer-suicides-madhya-pradesh-minister-79030

I think their only sin is that they are ruled by an utterly callous, unsympathetic governments year after year. They live in a country that is predominantly agrarian but governments, whether at center or state, simply have no concern for its farmers. To blame 'past sins' for farmers suicide just goes on to show at what level can ministers stoop to shrug off reponsibility. It really makes me wonder that we could build huge stadiums etc. for CWG in just two-three years but governments have done NOTHING to eliminate the misery of our farmers IN YEARS.

हाय रे मेहेंगाई !

2011-01-11T15:38:00.011+01:00

महेंगा प्याज़ रुलाता है
फीकी लगती है दाल सब्जी
प्याज़ के पकोड़े सपनों में आते हैं
तरस गए एक प्याज को
जीना हो गया है मुश्किल।

गुस्सा आता है देख लाल टमाटर
आसमान के भाव छूते हैं उसके दाम
टमाटर का सूप था कितना स्वादिष्ट
बुट्टर चिक्केन मैं थे कितने टमाटर - लाल...लाल !

कैसे खाए अंडे हर सन्डे के सन्डे
उबला नहीं, किसी तरह का नहीं
कोई अंडा नहीं।

जेब खाली हो रही है
मेहेंगाई जा नहीं रही
फ्रिज खाली दीखता है
मेहमान आते हैं
सिर्फ पीने को मिलता है।

फ़ोन पर सिर्फ मेहेंगाई की बातें
इ मेल, ब्लोगिंग सिर्फ मेहेंगाई पर
सपने मेहेंगाई के, जीवन मेहेंगाई का।

हाय रे मेहेंगाई!
करू मैं जादू टोना
और तू भाग जा
टमाटर खाना है
प्याज खाना है
खाने का स्वाद वापिस लाना है
जा गायब हो जा
हमारा दरवाज़ा फिर मत खटखटाना।

Hinglish I Speak

2011-01-11T14:22:00.002+01:00

I have friends who have learnt Hindi either because they are truely, madly and deeply in love with India (I am not exaggerating) or at some point in their lives they want to truely, madly and deeply fall in love with India as they have heard so much about my country (apart from snake charmers, poverty and traffic jams). So pretty often when I meet them, they want to converse in Hindi in order to improve their spoken ability and I always welcome that, smilingly. The conversation begins. And it so happens that they are, of course, struggling with their vocabulary (as it happnes with me in German) and genuinely trying hard to form a correct sentence and poor me is too struggling to speak pure Hindi !! So when I speak a sentence in Hindi that tends to have couple of English words and those words definitely have Hindi words for it, my friends are quick to ask, 'Is there no Hindi word for.....?' And then I think hard, very hard and when I can't recollect, I say 'I will look into the dictionary.' Which, of course, I do.

I don't remember if I ever spoke to anybody in pure Hindi. It has always been Hinglish. I have always spoken with my friends, who either live in India or outside and who can speak Hindi and English both, either in English or Hinglish. It has been only in the past couple of years since I started to live abroad and my non-Indian friends questioned me repeatedly that I started to really think about Hinglish.....just why?

English has just seemed to crept into our lives. Lately, I have read some Hindi newpapers that report in Hinglish. Due to the invention of new technology almost every year there seem to be many new english words we have incorporated into Hindi language. Like, computer, ipad, iphone, laptop etc. We don't seem to translate them into Hindi, maybe because it is convinient to use them because English is a global language. But I found out that the Chinese translate every new english word, say, computer, iphone etc.into mandarin.

Another reason might be, or rather I think it is that in India we tend to think lowly of a person who can not speak English or can but chooses to speak pure Hindi. A friend of mine, who speaks good Hindi, recently visited India for the first time and was looking forward to speak Hindi. The people she met or befriended spoke to her either in Hinglish or English. And there were some she met who insisted on speaking in English even though they could speak Hindi pretty well AND were pleasantly surprised to know that my friend spoke good Hindi. They would often say,'You can talk to us in English....we can speak English.' But my friend was not looking forward to speak in English BUT Hindi and hence she was a bit disappointed. Why speaking in pure Hindi make us feel uneducated? Why does it make us feel old-fashioned? Why is that when we don't know certain or many Hindi words or their meanings it feels alright ('I don't know, so what') but it is not the same with English.

I don't know if the same thing happens with other indian languages. Like, do Bengalis speak Benglish or do Marathis speak Maralish or do Gujaratis speak Gujlish.

मुझे पता नहीं कि हम english words हिंदी में क्यों use करते हैं. पर, of course, मैं शुध हिंदी बोलना सीखना चाहती हूँ because तुम्हें पता है कि हिंदी is my mother tongue.

पीपली लाइव - भारत की वास्तविकता को दर्शाती एक शानदार फिल्म

2010-09-13T14:42:00.011+02:00

पीपली लाइव अनुषा रिज़वी द्वारा लिखित एवं निर्देशित फिल्म है जो भारतीय किसानों की दुर्दशा एवं आत्महत्या पर एक हास्यपद व्यंग है.फिल्म के मुख्य किरदार नत्था को सरकार का क़र्ज़ ना चुकाने पर अपनी ज़मीन खो बैठने का डर है.गरीबी से लाचार और स्थानीय राजनेताओं की बेपरवाही से मजबूर हो कर नत्था आत्महत्या करने का फैसला करता है. उसे यकीन है कि उसके मरणोपरांत उसके परिवार को सरकार से एक लाख रुपये मुआवज़ा अवश्य मिलेगा जो उसके परिवार के काम आएगा.नत्था के आत्महत्या के विचार की बात स्थानीय समाचारपत्र में प्रकाशित होती है और आग की तरह राज्य-एवं केंद्र सरकार तक फैल जाती है. स्थानीय चुनाव करीब हैं और हर पार्टी इस मुद्दे को अपने हित के लिए इस्तमाल करना चाहती है.फिल्म में मीडिया अपने "टी आर पी"बड़ाने के लिए नत्था का कैसे उपयोग करती है बखूबी दर्शाया गया है. पूरी फिल्म में सबके सामने प्रश्न यह है कि नत्था आत्महत्या करेगा या नहीं.

पीपली लाइव में कई अनगिनत ऐसे दृश्य हैं जो दर्शक को भारतीय किसानों की आर्थिक अर्थव्यवस्था और लाचारी पर सोचने के लिए मजबूर कर देते हैं. एक ऐसा दृश्य जब नत्था अपने भाई के साथ बैठ कर आत्महत्या करने पर विचार करता है.यह एक बहुत ही दर्दनिय दृश्य है क्योंकि यह एक किसान की बेबसी,लाचारी और निराशा को दर्शाता है.एक दूसरा दृश्य जब नत्था का बेटा अपने पिता से पूछता है "बाबा कब आत्महत्या करोगे?"ताकि वह एक लाख रुपये से अपने पुलिसवाला बनने का सपना पूरा कर सके. केंद्रीय- राज्य एवं स्थानीय सरकार की किसानों के प्रति उपेक्षा और स्वार्थ भावना कई दृश्यों में दिखाया गया है. नत्था को हैंडपंप और टीवि भेंट करना जो उसके किसी काम के नहीं है और एक सजावट के सामान की तरह उसके घर में पड़े रहते हैं. सरकार का "नत्था कार्ड" योजना लागू करने पर विचार, जो उन किसानों के लिए है जो आत्महत्या करना चाहते हैं. मीडिया अपने "टी आर पी" बड़ाने की दौड़ में मक्खियों की तरह नत्था के गाँव पहुँचती है और तरह-तरह के सवाल नत्था के परिवार और गांववालों से पूछती है - "नत्था अपनी जान देने वाला है, आपको कैसा लग रहा है?" " आप नत्था के बचपन की कुछ बातें बताएं." "आप नत्था के साथ खेलते थे, अंडा खाते थे पर जब वह आत्महत्या कर लेगा तब आप अंडा किसके साथ खायेंगे."

इस फिल्म को देखकर सरकार पर क्रोध आता है और किसानों के साथ सद्भावना होती है. पर प्रश्न यह है कि क्या सरकार अपना स्वार्थ भूलकर अपने किसानों के लिए वाकिय में कुछ करेगी? जिस देश में एक तरफ सरकार "इकोनोमिक बूम" का नारा लगाती है उसी देश में दूसरी तरफ किसान अपनी गरीबी और सरकार की लापरवाही से मजबूर हो कर आत्महत्या कर लेते हैं. अच्छी योजनायों की कमी नहीं है पर भ्रष्टाचार के कारण उनका पूर्ण तरह लागू होना संभव नहीं हो पता. जिस देश के राजनेता स्वार्थी और भ्रष्टाचारी हों उस देश की नींव खोकली ही रहेगी. देश में आए दिन कई सरकार के भ्रष्टाचार के मामले सामने आते हैं. पिछले ही दिनों भारतीय रैल्वैय्स का पाँच हज़ार करोड़ का घोटाले का पता चला. करोड़ो रुपये के घोटाले ना कर के अगर नेता यही पैसा आम जनता पर खर्च करे - स्कूल, हॉस्पिटल, बिजली, पानी, घर, पक्की सडकें आदि बनवाये - तो किसान आत्महत्या नहीं करेंगे, लोग अपने घर-बार छोड़ कर शहरों की तरफ पलायन नहीं करेंगे. गोदामों में अनाज सड़ रहा है, चूहे उन्हें खा रहे हैं पर सरकार गरीबों में अनाज बाटने से कतराती है. आएदिन लोग भूखमरी से मरते हैं और हमारी सरकार अपने ही देशवासियों के लिए गोदामों से अनाज नहीं निकलवा सकती.

लोगों का अपनी सरकार के प्रति विश्वास तभी आएगा जब सरकार सिर्फ अच्छी योजनाओं का ऐलान ना करके उनको सही तरीके से लागू भी करेगी. सरकार जनता द्वारा बनाई जाती है,जनता के लिए बनाई जाती है. जिस देश में किसान आत्महत्या करते हों और बच्चे भुखमरी से मरते हों, उस देश में "इकोनोमिक बूम" जैसे शब्द खोखले सुनाई पड़ते हैं. हाल ही में भारत के आई टी मंत्री सचिन पैलेट ने अपने चुनावी-क्षेत्र में मोबाइल फ़ोन बाटे जाने पर कहा " यह बी एस एन अल की तरफ से बहुत ही अच्छा कदम है. यह गरीबी की रेखा से नीचे रहने वाले लोगों को टेलिकॉम रेवोलुशन से जोड़ेगा". यह बात कहना जिनको खाने के लाले पड़ते हैं, उनकी गरीबी पर भद्दा मज़ाक है.

Ganesh Chaturthi

2010-09-08T12:04:00.001+02:00

Ganesh, son of Lord Shiv and Parvati, is a god of wisdom, intellect, knowledge and good fortune. He is also worshipped as the god of Remover of Obstacles and Lord of Beginnings. This elephant-headed God is one of the most popular and widely worshipped in India. Ganesh has 108 different names, some of them are - Ganpati, Vinayak, Chaturbhuj, Omkara.

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year during the months of August and September, depending upon the Hindu Calender. It is widely celebrated all over India but in states of Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat it holds a very special significance. The festival was popularized by the prominent Indian freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak to generate nationalistic pride among the people of Maharashtra against the British rule.

For the festival, people install beautifully decorated statues of Ganesh at home and every locality sets up pandals, big and small, depending upon the monetary contribution given by the people of a particular locality. Each Pandal competes for the award of best Pandal. For ten days Ganesh is worshipped and on the eleventh day he is taken through a procession and immersed in a river/sea. People beat drums, dance and sing "Ganpati bapa morya, agle baras tu jaldi aa" and other devotional songs.

This year Ganesh Chaturthi falls on 11th Sept.

The Other Half - Who Cares?

2010-09-06T17:23:00.002+02:00

I recently read the following article The Other Half - Dying of Indifference which focuses on apathy of people in a metropolitan city like Delhi and of course, on the lack of basic health care system in India. But the very title of this article "The Other Half-Dying of Indifference" made me think that the other half is always dying, everyday she is dying either in a womb of her mother, or succumbs to injuries in case of domestic violence. She dies when she is forced to drop out of school (if at all she was ever given a chance to attend one) and help at home. She dies when she is raped, molested, eve-teased and considered a commodity day and night by her other half. The other half is beaten and thrashed by her husband/in-laws for not providing enough dowry and giving birth to a girl(s). Her life is dependent on her better half but does he care though he needs her to do chores, run errands, give birth to a boy. She is there as long as he wants her to. She lives for as long as she is allowed to live. The other half, the better half is there but who cares !

In Continuation of My Previous Article

2010-09-06T09:24:00.003+02:00

This article appeared in The Hindu website - Paddy crop is rotting away in a mill

Food Grain Is Rotting and People Are Starving !

2010-09-03T21:40:00.001+02:00

The news about food grain being let to rot instead of being fed to the poor, is making headlines all over India these days. The Supreme Court of India had to order the Central Government and specifically the Agricultural Minister, Mr. Sharad Pawar, to give it to the poor for free. But alas ! the grains would not be distributed for free.

It is such a shame that on one hand we present our image to the world of "India Shining", "The Emerging Superpower" but on the other hand we fail miserably to feed our own countrymen when there is absoulutely no dearth of food grains in India. We prefer to let them rot, let them be eaten by rats but no, we won't feed our people. One might remember reading recently that according to The Global Hunger Index, India has more hungry people than any other country in the world. And let me point out that here India scored worse than most Sub-Saharan African countries. 200 million Indians go hungry despite economic boom and self-sufficiency in food grains. Corruption and bureaucracy lead to poor food distribution policies and hence people starve and starve till they die. What can be said when the highest court in India had to ORDER the central government to release food grains to its starving population !!

Govinda Ala Re Ala !

2010-09-01T18:25:00.002+02:00

Balgopal, Sudarshan, Vasudev, Mohan, Govinda, Shyam are all different names of Lord Krishna. Born on Ashtami Tithi, Krishna,who is an avtaar of Hindu deity Vishnu, Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated in most parts of India. Janmashtami ( as it is also commonly called) is either celebrated in August or September as it follows Hindu Calender.

Born to Devki (mother) and Vasudev (father) in prison, his father secrelty took him out of the prison to save his life from the cruel hands of king, Kans. In the middle of a stormy night Vasudev went to a village named Gokul and handed Krishna to his friend Nand and hence Krishna was raised by Nand's wife Yashoda.

A day prior to Janmashtami people fast and at midnight the idols of Krishna are decorated and the fast is broken after the puja is performed. Many schools and communities organize skits/plays based on the life of Krishna. Adults and young dress up as Krishna and perform Raas Lila, a dance, as described in Hindu scriptures, performed by Krishna with Radha and her friends.

In Maharashtra, Janmashtami is also called Dahi Handi and is celebrated by breaking an earthen pot which is filled with buttermilk. Young men form human pyramid and try to reach and break the earthen pot which is hung at a great height hence making it difficult and more competitive as there are many teams called Govinda,competing against each other. These days, Handi not only contains buttermilk but also a cash reward. Govinda travel from one locality to another breaking as many Handi as possible and hence collecting cash reward which often runs into lakhs of Indian Rupee.

Barefoot Unwanted Daughters

2010-08-30T09:54:00.001+02:00

This article was published on Hindu Newspaper website - They are vanishing fast.....they are crying for help !

I want to live and dream.
I want to walk on a beach
Feel the sand and the waves.
Just like you do.

I want my mother to hug me
And say "I love you".
I want to be a fairy
At a fancy dress party.
I want you to take photographs of me
When one of my wings is broken.

I want to fight with my friends
And play with them again.
I want to sit with Papa
On a huge giant wheel.
Just like you do.

I want to breath
I want fly
Let me...let me just live
Because that's what even you do !

Dyeing Dogs In China

2010-08-30T09:35:00.001+02:00

Saw this on CNN website - Dogs are being dyed to look like other animals !! And I am certainly not amused. I feel it is very cruel. This is being done for people's pure entertainment. HOW CRUEL !

Is It Wrong, If They Are Fighting For Their Rights?

2010-08-29T20:13:00.003+02:00

30 minute report on - Tribals fighting for their rights and survival in Orissa

US Open (Tennis) 2010

2010-08-29T15:40:00.001+02:00

US Open (Tennis) 2010 is beginning from tomorrow (30th Aug.) at Flushing Meadows, New York City, USA. Defending men's champion Juan Martin del Potro and women's defending champion Kim Clijsters would not be playing due to injuries. My favourite player, Roger Federer would be playing his first round match against Brain Dabul of Argentina.

Roger Federer's recent performances at French Open 2010 & Wimbeldon Open 2010 have been far from satisfactory. He bowed out from both the abovementioned tournaments at quarter-final stage. Many experts have come to believe that this might be the decline of his career. He is at present ranked number 2.

Being an ardent fan of FedEx (as he is fondly called by his fans across the world) I believe he is merely going through a bad phase, like any player does. I also believe that at his age (29), he is facing newcomers, who are fresh and have more aggressive style of playing. These might be the reasons for his not-upto-the mark-performances, I still believe that we have got one the finest player of all times. I will be supporting him this time too. ALL THE BEST.

Did You Facebook Today?

2010-08-27T12:45:00.007+02:00

'Hello. This is Claudia.'
'Hi. This is Larry.'
'Hey! Nice to hear your voice. So how are you?'
'I am fine. So how have you been? Haven't heard from you in a couple of days.'
'I am doing good, Larry. Just generally busy with work.So, how are you?'
'I am fine too. By the way, did you read Anju's Facebook status?'
'No, I did not. Why, what happened?'
'You didn't?'
'No.'
'So, you don't know.'
'Larry, I don't know what?'
'Claudia, when did you last facebook?'
'Hmm...it has been three days, I guess.'
'Three days?! Don't you facebook everyday?'
'No. I told you, I have been busy with work lately.'
'OK. So, what were you doing right now? You are at home.'
'I was reading a book when you called. But tell me what happened.'
'You were reading a book but you don't get time to facebook...interesting. I facebook everyday. In fact, I am facebooking right now while talking to you.'
'Larry, please tell me. I just remembered, I spoke with Anju day-before yesterday, but she didn't tell me anything.'
'Claudia, certain things can't be told over the phone. You need to check your Facebook. I am putting down the phone. Will speak with you later. Bye.'
'Larry, wait. Hello?? Larry?'
.....................................................................
'Hi Larry.'
'Hi,Anju. Hmmm...I just spoke with Claudi right now and she says she hasn't yet checked her Facebook.'
'I thought so. Didn't get any comments from her. Why is she doing this to me?!'
'She said she has been busy with work lately, so didn't get time to facebook.'
'Ya sure! As if we don't work. You work so hard and so do my other friends but they always facebook, especially when there is a status like mine on Facebook.'
'I am sorry.'
'It's alright. See, I got my 15th comment.'
'Oh yes. And that's one from Vinay.'
'OK, thanks for calling anyways. See, you on Facebook. Bye, Larry.'
'Bye.'
................................................................
Claudia logs on to her Facebook account to check Anju's status. She sees - "My Boyfriend Brokeup With Me ! :( :( :( " And she saw there were already fifteen comments on her status and Anju had updated her status three days ago. Claudia wondered why hadn't Anju told her when they last spoke two days ago. Claudia decides to call Anju. 'Hi. I am sorry for what happened. I just saw your status.'
'It has been three days ! And you saw my status today?!'
'I am really sorry. But, we did speak over the phone day-before yesterday...you never told me anything.'
'That's not the kind of thing you discuss over the phone. And anyways, on Facebook everybody comes to know at the same time. I don't have to call every friend of mine personally.'
'I said I am sorry.'
'I don't have the time to speak with you. I am busy facebooking. Bye.'
Anju puts down the phone. Claudia is puzzled by Anju's behaviour. She goes to the kitchen, prepares some tea and sits in front of her laptop only to discover Anju's new Facebook status - "Some People Are Just So Rude And Unsympathetic". Her friends had already started commenting on her new status.

Deep Red Love

2010-02-10T13:51:00.001+01:00

It is that time of the year again when love is all around, in everything you see, in everything you feel and in everything you dream.....it is purely LOVE !

On this day everything just turns red. Anywhere you go, you can spot red color. In restaurants the table covers are in red, there is a heart-shaped candle burning and even heart-shaped balloons hanging all around. One can hear romantic songs everywhere and though you can't see the "color" of song but you know it is red....yes, that red ! You go to a shop and you can easily spot red, heart-shaped chocolate boxes beautifully decorated with red ribbons and "I love you" written on them. And then in the toys sections of course one cannot miss seeing a big teddy bear with a red heart (of course heart is red) holding in his hands saying "be mine". Florist would be selling only red roses that day at an exuberant price. Other flowers just seem to be non-existent and other colors too. Price of one red rose stem would be more than caviar. But nonetheless you do see people spending lots of money on red roses, red balloons and anything that even remotely looks like red. It is just so red all around !! You can see young teenage girls with big bouquet of RED roses giggling and discussing who got most number of roses.

Love is indeed a very beautiful feeling. You love yourself, your family, pet, car, friends, food, work, planet earth, plants, flowers etc. But the sheer commercialization of this beautiful feeling seems to irritate me. There are so many colors of love than just red. Let us celebrate love everyday, every moment. I know many would argue that on this day one has the chance to express "more" love. But why express "more" love just on this day? Express that "more" everyday. Why wait for Valentine's day? Let us just swim in the sea of love all our lives and every second and spread it around the globe.

My Scariest Moment

2010-02-04T16:02:00.002+01:00

Parambikulam National Park lies in Kerala, the God's own country, state of India. It is rich in fauna and flora. This beautiful, highly diversified National Park attracted my attention couple of years back. I am very fond of nature and has always been amazed at its beauty and diversity. So I decided to take a trip down south and explore this park. I was very eager to see Gaur. After doing some research on Internet and making arrangements for my stay at the Park, I headed south.

I reached the Park after traveling on bumpy roads. There I was met by a guide who was supposed to take me around the Park. After greetings and introductions my Guide told me to meet him in one hour in front porch of the lodge where I was staying and he would take me for the first round of the Park. He said that as there are no jeep safaris in late afternoons, we could go for a short walk on the periphery of the National Park. I agreed. As I turned back to walk towards my room, he said, "Madam by the way, do remember to wear leech-proof socks. They are available at the reception desk." I said, "WHAT? Leech-proof socks?" "Yes, Madam" my Guide replied "as there are many leeches around we have these socks which protect your feet and legs from them. When you want to take a walk around the Park you wear them. They are very helpful." I could not digest what I had just heard so I asked again, "Are you sure that these socks will protect me from those not-so friendly-creppy-crawly-creatures?" "Yes Madam. Don't worry. Trust me." OK I trusted him as if I had any other choice.

Few minutes before I was supposed to meet my Guide, I went to the reception desk and asked for leech-proof socks. The lady at the desk smiled and handed me a pair and said, "Enjoy your trip. This Park has lots to offer." I looked at the socks and I looked at her and thought - Yes the Park seems to offer something I totally dislike. I hope Park does not offer me lots of leeches. It would be just too bad (to put it simply).

I met my Guide at the porch. He saw me wearing the socks and smiled and said, "Now you are ready." I looked at his feet and saw he was wearing none so I asked him, "Why aren't you wearing the socks?" He replied, "I have applied lot of salt on my feet and legs. Shouldn't be a problem." I tried to smile thinking about how courageous this man is. So we started walking towards the Park. He started telling me about the Park, the kinds of various mammals and birds found in the Park. Within few minutes we reached the periphery of the Park. He said, "We will walk little bit inside the Park and try to spot various birds and animals along the way." I nodded in agreement and we took our first step into the Park. Narrow paths with thick bushes, shrubs on both sides. We could hear birds chirping and spotted some Nilgiri Langurs. My Guide was quite good at spotting birds, he could even name them by hearing their sound. I was quite amazed and happy to have him as my guide. After couple of meters my Guide stopped and I saw him pulling the leech away from his left foot. I looked in horror and almost shouted, "Take it out fast." He looked at me and smiled. And then something struck me - What if they are on my feet. Not wanting to face my fear I reluctantly looked at my feet and gosh ! there they were....those-not-so-friendly-creepy-crawly-creatures on my leech-proof socks !! Not one but five of them trying to find some way to reach my flesh. I froze. My Guide looked at me and said, "Not to worry. I will remove them right away". He took a twig and started removing them. By the time he removed two there were three others making their way up to my feet. I could not stand it any longer. What I did next was something my Guide might have never seen before and would at least in this lifetime not forget. I ran !! I ran like Usain Bolt, maybe even faster in the direction of the lodge. It took a while for my Guide to comprehend what had just happened. But he soon started running after me and shouting, "Madam wait ! Madam wait!" Of course, I did not want to hear anything. I knew my goal....my lodge, my room. I knew I would be safe there.

As I saw the lodge I tried to run faster. I was tired and panting. I climbed the stairs of the porch as fast I could. There were some tourists standing there, they looked at me in puzzlement. I saw a chair on the porch and ran and sat on it. I quickly started removing my shoes and then those socks. Luckily there were no leeches on them anymore. I took my socks and threw them away as far as I could and ran towards my room. In the meantime I could hear the voice of my Guide. He could hardly breath after running so long. He could barely climb the stairs of the porch and hence sat on them panting. He gave me a very angry look. I did not care. I ran towards my room, opened the door and locked it firmly and jumped on my bed.

I did not come out of the room for the rest of the day. I also knew that I had become butt of the joke at the lodge. Next day, feeling bit embarrassed, I met my Guide in the morning. We were supposed to go for a morning jeep safari. I thought he would mention something about that incident but throughtout the safari trip he did not utter one word about it. I felt so bad. Of course, I later apologised to him and said that though I am a nature lover but these creepy-crawly creatures are definitely not my best friends and hence I was totally shaken when I saw them crawling on my feet. He smiled and replied, " It is alright. It happens. As a guide in the Park I am used to such things but many tourists aren't. I want you to enjoy rest of your trip." And that I of course did (without encountering leeches again)!

The Holy Cow and Not-So-Holy Man

2010-02-04T09:43:00.002+01:00

The cows in India are considered holy, very holy indeed. Their holiness can not be measured ...yes believe me it can not be measured by any mathimatician, physicist or any intelligent being on this earth. They became holy at some point in history for whatever reasons.

The interesting part is whether any cow has ever realised how important she is considered, the value she has. Well, I believe not so much in the beginning (wherever and whenever it began) but certainly they do now. To prove my point let me give you an example, a very simple one. Haven't you noticed cows sitting and basking in the sun on very busy roads of Delhi, Agra, Indore, Jaipur and in other places? They are sitting right in the middle of the road, completely unperturbed by the sheer chaos around them. You honk, no they won't budge. It is not their problem if you have a take a detour. You dare not run over them even though you might be a non-vegetarian. No, no you can't commit that sin. So you see, it seems it has taken them many, many centuries to realise their great value in this great country but finally they have and they know how to use it to their fullest advantage.

And now the Not-So-Holy Man also knows how to use his holy cow to fool other people. You must have noticed very colorfully dressed-up cows being taken around by a man, who would come to you and say, "This is a miracle cow. Whatever you ask for would come true." You look at the cow - horns painted in green and blue, bells hanging around the neck, beautiful red shimmering cloth on its back and a big red dot on its forehead. You want to give some money to the cow, but she can't take it so you give it to the man and there he slips it into his pocket. And don't even ask what happened to the blessings that were supposed to come your way. They vanished just like the man (who is not so holy) with his holy cow.

Kiki Smiles and So Do We

2010-01-22T19:59:00.005+01:00

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/01/21/moos.mile.wide.smile.cnn?hpt=C2

This photograph and video of a young boy, Kiki, being rescued alive after seven days is truly emotional and heart-warming. The wonderful smile that he gives with his arms wide-open is truly amazing. He was buried under the rubble for seven days after a powerful earthquake struck Haiti.

It was my only option....or at least I thought so

2010-01-11T16:55:00.002+01:00

Big numbers and many more big numbers like 100%....no not 99.9% I see revolving in my head, I see them dancing around me, I hear them shouting in my ears "look,look at me. I am the one you need to run after today, tomorrow and all your life." And not just numbers but words, words which you shout, which they shout and which everybody shout "work harder", "you have only one chance" , "be a topper".....oh! those traumatising words. Go away....leave me.....I can do just this much. They are there when I am sleeping, they are there when I try to hide from them under the table; they are there in the form of my friends, my parents and my teachers.......they are always haunting me.

Then one day.Look how beautiful the earth looks from here. And look how small everything looks from here. Soon this earth will embrace me and soon those words and numbers won't haunt me. Soon I will be what I always wanted to be.....free !

I take that leap. I feel the air....cool brezee on my face.....my hair are flowing...I am smiling, maybe. Something makes me turn my head and I look back. I see Lalita, my kid sister, looking at me, not smiling but crying. My mother reaching out for me unsuccessfully. My father with no expression, maybe he is dead even before me. Are they saying sorry? "Come back" I hear them say. "Give your life one more chance. Give us one more chance" I hear them shouting. I feel their tears falling on me, just like rain.

Now I desperately wish I could turn back. I can't. Now I am not dying because of those haunted numbers and words but because I did not give myself and my life another chance. Maybe, just maybe, that another chance could have changed things for better. But Ah ! the earth has embraced me.

Go Germany ! - Football World Cup 2010

2010-01-10T19:57:00.004+01:00

Football World Cup 2010 would be hosted by South Africa in the month of June. It is a very important year for all the football playing nations including Germany. If this country is crazy about Bier (Beer), it is equally crazy about Fußball (Football). Even their local football tournaments are hugely popular. On the day of any local football match the trains, subways, busses are packed with fans who are merrily singing, dancing and drinking (you know what) and shouting slogans in support of their team. Basically football is in their blood.

Germans are eagerly waiting for the World Cup to kick off including Angela Merkel, who by the way, in her new year speech said that in the year 2010 Germans have a lot to look forward to, better economy, more jobs, tax cuts and of course, THE World Cup. The teams have been announced. Germany is placed in group- D along with Australia, Serbia and Ghana. Before I proceed, let me tell you that my knowledge of this game is not too much. All I know is that two teams have to keep kicking the poor ball till they make a goal and the team with highest number of goals wins. Well, coming from a nation where cricket is God, I still have to develop taste for football. I watch this game only once in four years. So I don't know whether group-D is a tough group or which of the three teams (Australia, Serbia, Ghana) would give Germany a good fight. Honestly I have no idea. And also whether Germany is placed in group- A,B,C or X,Y,Z I don't care. Now this doesn't mean that I am totally apathetic - no I am not. I mean, I do support Germany. Do I have a choice?? This reminds me of an incident. When Euro 2008 was being held in Switzerland and Austria one of my german friend asked me which team did I want to win. My answer was "I don't care whosoever wins. I am not a football fan". But soon I realised my mistake. I should have said Germany. Why? Simply because this country provides me food, shelter and money. How could I not support it. I could not be so indifferent. So I genuinely supported Germany till the end (though it lost to Spain in finals). And that's what I will do this time too.

Recently I read that the german football coach Joachim Löw is still contemplating on whom to include in the squad. Yes my dear, it is not an easy task. The responsibility of winning the cup lies on your broad german shoulders. On a serious note, last year was not a good year for the german football team - the tragic death of Robert Enke shook whole Germany.

Well, I really hope Germany wins this World Cup. And you know I will never desert you, Deutschland. Good luck!

Imagining India - A Book by Nandan Nilekani

2010-01-09T15:50:00.003+01:00

"Imagining India -Ideas for the new Century" is a book written by Nandan Nilekani. In his book he not only talks about the socio-economic and political problems and weaknesses facing India but also the strengths, if rightly harnessed, and solutions, if correctly applied, can change the face of our country. He discusses topics like, caste system, public transport, IT revolution, environment, power and energy, education, health etc. by providing its history, discussing the present scenario and its future effects on the Indian society.

The Author emphasizes on the need to capitalize on the unlimited and untapped human resource available in our society. He goes on to stress that as India is the largest democratic country in the world with a very large young population it is the biggest advantage any country could have. He talks about the bottom-up growth meaning that socio-eonomic development should begin from the villages and then move upwards to the cities thus making the foundations of our country strong. In present times rural India severely lacks good infrastructure whether in terms of roads, hospitals, education, water and electricity supply. Right after independence the focus of our leaders was on industrial development and building world-class universities. In this whole proccess our national leaders forgot to concentrate on rural development - they failed to provide better agriucultural equipments, failed to build schools. Hence this has lead to the rapid degeneration of our rural society. Though post liberalization India has made rapid growth but the ever present regional and caste differences weaken our country. Nandan Nilekani also talks about the IT boom in India. He discusses its immense power on our lives on how it can be used for connecting people, conducting businesses in rural and urban India, - whether it is stock exchange, internet banking, online railway reservations or access to any other information. He gives an example of Sriram Raghvan who has opened some internet kiosks in few villages of India and how it has changed the lives of villagers as these IT kiosks offer services like checking crop prices to accessing e-governance, getting treated through telemedicine and education. He talks about the awakened Indian citizens who want to have a say in the growth of the country and who are willing to embrace new ideas for development and who see themselves as the major source of change. The ever growing middle-class has now begun to demand transparency, law & order and better infrastructure.

I enjoyed reading this book as it talks about new, stronger and fast growing India. I liked the fact that the Author has not written this book just to criticise India for its lack of infrastructure, resources and political will to change but has also talked about its strengths and has given many small and big examples about people coming up with new and innovative ideas to bring socio-economic development in our society. The growth could be much rapid if the strength of the people could be combined with the quick implementation of the reforms introduced by our governments.

यहाँ सिर्फ चाय मिलती है

2010-01-05T13:33:00.005+01:00

रामू का बचपन से एक ही सपना था - अपनी एक चाय की दुकान खोलना. ऐसा नहीं था कि रामू पढने में कमज़ोर था पर पता नहीं क्यों उस पर चाय वाला बनने का भूत सवार था. एक बड़े शहर जाना और वहाँ एक अपनी आलीशान-सी चाय की दुकान खोलना. उसके दोस्तों को उसके इस सपने के बारे में पता था और उसका काफी मजाक भी उड़ाया जाता था. पर रामू को दुनिया की कोई भी ताकत उसके सपना पूरा होने से रोक नहीं सकती थी.

रामू ने अपनी स्कूल तथा कॉलेज की पढ़ाई खत्म की. अब आई नौकरी करने की बारी. तो एक दिन रामू अपने माता-पिता को बिना बताए साहूकार के पास गया ओर कुछ पैसे उधार लिए और शहर की ओर निकल पड़ा. रामू बहुत ही खुश था. आँखों के सामने उसकी चाय की दुकान घूम रही थी. बड़ी-सी आलीशान दुकान. लोगों की एक लम्बी-सी कतार उसकी दुकान के सामने. रामू को सांस लेने की भी फुर्सत नहीं.

हमारी कहानी का मुख्य किरदार रामू शहर पहुंचा. कहीं रहने का ठिकाना ढूंडा और दूसरे दिन एक अच्छी-सी जगह जहाँ दुकान खोल सके देखने निकल गया. तीन-चार दिन की बहुत खोज के बाद एक जगह मिल ही गयी. आलिशान दफ्तरों की इमारतों के सामने एक छोटी-सी जगह दिखी. अच्छी जगह थी रामू ने सोचा. लोग दफ्तरों से बाहर आएंगे और सामने ही उसकी चाय की दुकान होगी. बिना चाय पिए घर नहीं जाएंगे. काम के बीच में भी चाय पीने के लिए आएंगे. बस उसका धंदा अब कभी नहीं बंद हो सकता.

रामू ने दिन-रात लग कर चार दिन में एक छोटी-सी (आलीशान नहीं जिस तरह रामू ने सोचा था) चाय की दुकान खड़ी कर दी. और दुकान का नाम रखा "यहाँ सिर्फ चाय मिलती है." वाह क्या नाम है रामू ने सोचा. और क्यों न हो चाय बेचने का उसका सपना अब हकीकत में जो बदल रहा था.

पेहला दिन काम का. दुकान खोली और लक्ष्मी की पूजा की. चाय बनाने को रखी और बेसब्री से अपने पेहेले ग्राहक का इंतज़ार करने लग गया. सुबह से दोपहर हो गयी पर कोई नहीं आया. कुछ और इंतजार करने के बाद रामू को एक महिला उसकी दुकान की तरफ आती हुई दिखी. महिला आकर उसकी दुकान के सामने रुक गई और दुकान के भीतर झाँक-झाँक कर देखने लगी. रामू को आश्चर्य हुआ और पूछा, " क्या आपको चाय पीनी है?'

"चाय तो पीनी है पर क्या कुछ और नहीं है?' महिला ने कहा.

"क्या मतलब?"

"मेरा मतलब है कि चाय के साथ समोसे, पकोड़े, नमकीन ये सब नहीं बेचते क्या".

"नहीं बहन जी. यहाँ सिर्फ चाय मिलती है. कहिए तो आपके लिए चाय बना दूं."

"नहीं रहने दो. सिर्फ चाय पीकर क्या करुँगी. पकोड़े भी खाने का मन कर रहा है." कह कर महिला लौट पड़ी.

"अरे बहन जी रुकिए" रामू चिल्लाया "चाय यहाँ से पी लीजिए और पकोड़े कहीं और से खा लेना". पर महिला ने पीछे मुड़ कर नहीं देखा. रामू को आया गुस्सा. बड़ी अजीब औरत है. पकोड़े के बिना भी तो चाय पी सकते हैं. जब मुझे चाय ही बेचनी है तो पकोड़े क्यों बेचूं. फिर बैठ गया ग्राहक के इंतज़ार में. जब तक रामू का गुस्सा ठंडा होता तब तक एक और ग्राहक उसे दिख गया. क्या सूट-बूट पहना हुआ था. सीधा दफ्तर की ईमारत से निकलता हुआ आ रहा था. रामू के चहरे पर आई मुस्कान. साहब पहुंचे रामू की दुकान पर. दुकान को गौर से देखा. रामू ने नमस्ते कहा और पूछा, "जी कहिए कौन-सी स्पेशल चाय बनाऊँ - शाहरुख़ स्पेशल या सलमान स्पेशल. काजोल और ऐश्वर्या स्पेशल भी है. आपका मूड ठीक करने की भी चाय है मेरे पास."

"अबे चुप. मेरा मूड ठीक करेगा ! मेरी प्रोमोशन रोक दी. कैसे मेरा मूड ठीक होगा. चाय की सिवाए कुछ और नहीं बेचते हो क्या. ठंडा ?"

"माफ़ कीजिए साहब जी. मेरी दुकान में सिर्फ और सिर्फ चाय मिलती है. मेरा बचपन से सपना रहा है चाय बेचने का. मैंने अपने माता-पिता को भी नहीं बताया की में शहर में चाय बेच रहा हूँ. अगर बता दूं ..............."

"बस चुप. चाय कौन पीयेगा". कह कर सूट-बूट वाले साहब दफ्तर की ओर चल पड़े.

"अरे साहब जी रुकिए तो. सुनिए तो." रामू चिल्लाया पर बहुत देर को चुकी थी. बड़ा अजीब शहर है रामू ने गुस्से से सोचा. कोई सिर्फ चाय पीता ही नहीं है. सिर्फ एक प्याली चाय पी लेंगे तो कौन-सा पहाड़ टूट जाएगा. रामू ने अपनी दुकान को गौर से देखा और सोचा - छोटी है तो क्या हुआ. चाय तो मैं बढ़िया बनता हूँ. एक-दो ग्राहक ऐसे आ गए तो क्या सब ऐसे थोड़े ही होते हैं. रामू ने अपने आपको सांत्वना दी.

शाम हो गई और एक पैसा भी रामू ने आज नहीं कमाया. दफ्तर से लोग भी लग-भग जा चुके थे. वह बहुत ही उदास हो गया. दुकान बंद करने का वक़्त आ गया. अपनी दुकान अभी समेंट ही रहा था कि एक सज्जन आए. रामू खुश हो गया " नमस्ते साहब. कहिए तो शाहरुख़ स्पेशल बनाऊं क्या?"

"क्या शाहरुख़ स्पेशल?"

"हाँ साहब जी. मेरे पास सलमान, काजोल और ऐश्वर्या स्पेशल भी है".

" अरे बड़े अजीब चाय वाले हो. एक सीधी-साधी चाय को इतने बड़े कलाकारों के नाम दे दिये. तुम्हारी शाहरुख़ और सलमान स्पेशल में कोई फर्क भी नहीं होगा. और वैसे भी मैं शाहरुख़ का बहुत बड़ा फैन हूँ और तुम उसके नाम पर एक सादी-सी चाय बेच रहे हो ! शर्म नहीं आती तुम्हें!! दुकान बंद करवा दूंगा तुम्हारी. जाओ नहीं चाहिए तुम्हारी चाय."

"अरे गुस्सा क्यों होते हैं साहब. शाहरुख़ स्पेशल नहीं तो सलमान स्पेशल पी लीजिए."

"क्या कहा! मैं शाहरुख़ का फैन हो कर सलमान स्पेशल पिऊँगा?! तुम्हारा दिमाग तो नहीं खराब हो गया है!" सज्जन जी गुस्से में चले गए. और इस बार रामू ने उन्हें पीछे से बुलाया भी नहीं.

"हाय रे मेरी किस्मत. कहाँ आ गया मैं. हे भगवान् मुझे बचाओ!" रामू ने रोते हुए कहा.

"रामू" एक आवाज़ आई.

"हाँ कौन?" रामू ने चकित हो कर पूछा. उससे आस-पास कोई नहीं दिखा.

"रामू मैं भगवान् हूँ."

"भगवान्?" रामू फिर से आवाज़ सुन कर भोचक्का रह गया. डरती हुई आवाज़ में कहा "हे भगवान् अब इस शहर में भूत भी रहते हैं"

"नहीं रामू इस शहर में भूत नहीं रहते. मैं भगवान् बोल रहा हूँ. तुम्हारी सहायता करने ही आया हूँ".

रामू को बिलकुल यकीन तो नहीं हुआ पर उसने डरते-डरते पूछा, "आप किस प्रकार से मेरी सहायता करेंगे?"

भगवान् ने कहा, "तुम अपनी दुकान का नाम बदल दो. उसका नया नाम रखो "यहाँ चाय और बहुत कुछ मिलता है. चाय के साथ पकोड़े, समोसे, नमकीन, कोका कोला, फैंटा जैसी चीज़े भी बेचो. इससे तुम्हारा कारोबार बढेगा."

"पर मुझे सिर्फ और सिर्फ चाय ही बैचनी है. मैं क्यों अपने और पैसे खर्च करके दूसरा सामान खरीदूं. जिसको सिर्फ चाय पीनी होगी वो आएगा."

"पर रामू ग्राहक की ज़रूरतों के हिसाब से ही कारोबार चलाना चाहिए."

"मुझे परेशान मत करो. अपने-आप को भगवान् कह कर मुझे बुद्धू बना रहे हो! जो भी हो चले जाओ यहाँ से!"

"जैसी तुम्हारी मर्ज़ी". कह कर भगवान् चले गए.

रामू को आया ज़बरदस्त गुस्सा - सब अपने आपको क्या समझते हैं. उसने लिया पेंट और ब्रुश और अपनी दुकान का नाम बदल दिया. उसकी दुकान का नया नाम था - "यहाँ सिर्फ और सिर्फ चाय मिलती है, और कुछ नहीं".

अब आप खुद सोच सकते हैं कि हमारे प्यारे रामू के सपने का क्या हुआ होगा.

The clock is ticking - 2010

2009-12-31T17:59:00.006+01:00

The clock is ticking and is ticking and soon we would enter 2010 (some parts of the world have already). Ten years of 2000 millennium have already passed away. New year....is a beginning..some say. How are we welcoming this 2010? Some would stay at home...just all by themselves, contemplating, introspecting perhaps. Some would go out and party hard, get drunk. Some would create ruckus. Some of us would welcome 2010 with couple of close friends and family. For some of us it is just another day, another year, after all it is just a number (2010). For some, time has not changed....same poverty, same hunger and same fight for survival.

Each one of us is entering 2010 with some emotions, thoughts and hope, maybe. My emotions, my thoughts and my hope remains the same.....like every year, like everyday.....I ask for very basic things in life....I ask for peace, I ask for harmony and I ask for love..... just these three things to engulf our mind, body and soul.

Welcome 2010 !

भारतीय रेलगाड़ी में सफ़र- एक अनोखा अनुभव

2009-12-24T20:22:00.003+01:00

भारतीय रेलगाड़ी का सफ़र अपने-आप में एक अनोखा अनुभव होता है क्योंकि ये दो बातों पर निर्भर करता है - पहेला आप कौन-सी श्रेणी में सफ़र कर रहे हैं और दूसरा किस तरह के लोगों से आप घिरे हुए हैं. रेलगाड़ी भारत की आम जनता को उसकी मंजिल तक पहुँचाने के लिए दिन-रात, सुबह-शाम लगी रहती है. एक पल भी चैन की सांस नहीं लेती. क्या करें जब देश की जनता ही एक अरब से ज्यादा हो !

जेनेरल श्रेणी से लेकर पहली श्रेणी तक अच्छी तादाद में आपको हर क़िस्म के लोग मिलेंगे. कहीं पूरा का पूरा परिवार अपना बोरिया-बिस्तर बाँध कर स्थानांतरण कर रहा है तो कहीं एक व्यापारी मोबाइल फ़ोन पर पैसों को लेकर झगड़ रहा है. कहीं पिता अपने बेटे को छोड़ने आया है तो कहीं नया शादी-शुदा जोड़ा हनीमून के लिए जा रहा है. सबके अपने-अपने सपने हैं, सबकी अपनी-अपनी मंजिल है.

जेनेरल श्रेणी में सफ़र कर रहे हैं तो क्या कहने ! गाड़ी के डिब्बे के एक-एक कोने के लिए जंग होती है. भारत की गरीब जनता जो थोड़े बहुत सपने और थोड़ी बहुत आशा लिए अपने गाँव से शहर की ओर चलती है; वो गरीब जनता जिससे अपने खुद के गाँव में न खाने को मिलता है, न पानी, न बिजली है. अगर आप अपनी सीट से उठे तो वो आपको फिर सपने में भी नहीं मिलेगी. वो अब पराई हो गयी. भूल जाइए कि वो कभी आपकी थी. इस श्रेणी में जनता ही नहीं हमारी प्यारी मुर्गियां और बकरियां भी सफ़र करती हैं. जी हाँ, क्या आपने कभी गौर से देखा नहीं? शायद इसलिए नहीं देख पाए होंगे क्योंकि हमारी अनगिनत जनता के बीच में वो कहीं दब जाती होंगी. नहीं, नहीं उनका कीमा तो नहीं बनता इतना मुझे यकीन है. कभी आपने ध्यान दिया है खिड़की पर क्या-क्या लटका होता है - हाँ, हाँ जनता तो लगभग लटक ही रही होती है, पर कभी देखिये दूध के कनिस्तर, सब्जियों के थैले और लोगों के छोटे-बड़े टीन के डब्बे. अगर आपने कुछ और देखा हो तो मेरी सूची में अवश्य जोड़ दीजिएगा.

स्लीपर श्रेणी का सफ़र आरामदायक होता है. दिन में भले ही लोग आपकी सीट पर क्यों न बैठे हों पर रात में आप आराम से अपनी सीट पर पैर फैलाकर सो सकते हैं. खिड़की से ताज़ी हवा आती है और हाँ कभी-कभी धूल-मिट्टी भी. बच्चे खिड़की के पास बैठने के लिए झगड़ते हैं. और मान लीजिये कि कोई सज्जन खिड़की के पास बैठे हैं और उनसे अगर अनुरोध करें कि ज़रा आपके बच्चे को थोड़ी देर खिड़की के सामने बैठने दीजिये (क्योंकि आपके एक नहीं दो बच्चे हैं. एक पहेले ही लड़-झगड़ कर एक खिड़की के पास बैठ गया है, अब आपको दूसरे के लिए खिड़की का इंतज़ाम करना है). आपने अनुरोध किया और सज्जन महाशय जी ने मना कर दिया. अरे भाई साहब आप किताब पढ़ रहे हैं, खिड़की के बाहर देख भी नहीं रहे. आधे-एक घंटे के लिए मेरे लाडले को बैठने दीजिये. पर नहीं सज्जन महाशय टस-से-मस नहीं हुए. अब आपकी नज़रों में सज्जन महाशय न सज्जन रहे और न ही महाशय.

रात के वक़्त गर्मी न लगे इसलिए खिड़की थोड़ी खुली रखते हैं. रात के बारह बजे आया एक स्टेशन. अब रात को भी स्टेशन पर इक्के-दुक्के सामान बेचने वाले अक्सर होते हैं. आप सो रहे हैं चैन की नींद और उनको बेचना है सामान. आपकी खुली खिड़की देखी और आ गए " ताले, ताले, अलीगढ के ताले" और ऐसी आवाज़ में जो आपको आपकी कुम्भकरण वाली नींद से भी उठा देगी. आपको आया गुस्सा और आपने कहा "ताले अपने मुंह पर लगा ले!" अब उसने आपकी बात पर अमल किया या नहीं वो अलग बात है.

तृतीय और द्वितीय ए-सी श्रेणी का सफ़र आजकल मध्यम वर्गीय भारतीय के लिए काफी आसान हो गया है. भारत की अर्थव्यवस्था में काफी सुधार आया है और इसलिए लोगों की पैसे खर्च करने की क्षमता भी बड़ गयी है. तो मध्यम वर्गीय भारतीय के लिए इस श्रेणी में सफ़र करना अब आम बात हो गयी है. आम बात तो हो गयी है पर लोगों की आदतें तो जैसी की तैसी रहती हैं. अब जैसे ही सोने के लिए बत्ती बुझाई आपकी बर्थ के ऊपर लेटे हुए साहब ने खुर्राटे मारने शुरू कर दिए. एक बार आपने उठा कर कहा "भाई साहब ज़रा खुर्राटे न मारें". "माफ़ करिए अब नहीं होगा" कह कर वो सो गए. पर खुर्राटे फिर वापिस आ कर आपको परेशान करते हैं. आपकी तो नींद छूमंतर हो गयी. अगर ये किस्सा नहीं होता है तो रात को कोई न कोई नन्हा-मुन्हा बच्चा ज़रूर रोता है. अब वो बेचारा बोल तो नहीं सकता, रो ही सकता है. ऐसे मौके पर माँ को कुछ कह भी नहीं सकते. अगर आपको तकलीफ है तो आप सफ़र करना बंद कर दीजिये. एक बार एक सज्जन विदेश से किसी काम के सिलसिले में पहेली बार भारत आए. आने से पहेले उन्होंने भारत के बारे में इन्टरनेट पर खूब खोज की. अपने भारतीय दोस्तों से राए भी ली. अब किसी से बातें सुनना और खुद अनुभव करने में कई बार ज़मीन-आसमान का फर्क होता है. भारत आए और मुंबई से दिल्ली का सफ़र ए-सी द्वितीय में कर रहे थे. सब कुछ ठीक चल रहा था. पर पता नहीं कहाँ से उन्हें गणेश जी का वाहन - चूहा - दिख गया. बस उनकी तो सिट्टी-पिट्टी गुल हो गयी. रात भर सोए नहीं. उन्होंने लगता है इस बारे में इन्टरनेट पर खोज नहीं की. अब क्या कहें, उनका भाग्य थोड़ा खराब था.

ए-सी प्रथम श्रेणी की क्या बात करें. आराम ही आराम है. आपको खूब खिलाया-पिलाया जाता है. एक पूरा का पूरा कैबिन आपका भी हो सकता है अगर आपको सिर्फ दो बर्थ वाला कैबिन मिला हो. मैंने कभी इसमें सफ़र नहीं किया है तो कहानियाँ भी नहीं बता सकती. आपने किया हो और कोई मज़ेदार किस्सा हो तो ज़रूर बताईएगा.

अलग- अलग विचारों वाले लोग, अलग-अलग भाषा, तरह-तरह की आदतें, कोई-न-कोई मंज़िल- इन सबको ले कर रेलगाड़ी चलती है. कभी-कभी सह-यात्री दोस्त बन जाते हैं- नाम, पता, फ़ोन नंबर का आदान-प्रदान होता है. और कई बार छोटे-मोटे वार्तालाप के बाद ही कहानी समाप्त हो जाती है.

Karz (and not Karzzzzzzzz) - a Story of Rebirth and Revenge

2009-12-21T13:35:00.005+01:00

Karz (debt), the blockbuster Bollywood movie of 1980 starring Rishi Kapoor and Simi Garewal in the lead (I don't count Tina Munim as the lead actress in this film because she was just there to dance around with Rishi Kapoor and in no way was connected to the main story of Rishi Kapoor and Simi Garewal) and directed by Subhash Ghai, is a story of rebirth and revenge. This is one of my favorite movies. I have seen it "n" number of times and I love it mostly because of the music which was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

The concept of rebirth is centric to the philosophy of Hinduism along with the notion of Karma. So based on this idea film Karz is about Ravi Verma (charachter played by Raj Kiran) who is brutally murdered by his wife Kamini Verma (played by Simi Garewal) in front of a Kali temple on the hills of Ooty while on their way to Ravi's mansion where his mother and sister are waiting eagerly for the arrival of newly weds. Kamini Verma is a puppet in the hands of villainous Sir Judah (character played by Prem Nath), who is after the property and wealth of Ravi Verma. Now as planned by goddess Kali (or should I say Director) the jeep in which the couple is traveling suddenly stops in front of the Kali temple. Poor Ravi Verma has no idea that his minutes and seconds are numbered ! He checks the radiator....there is no water....goes to a near-by pond and gets this filthy dirty water in a can (what would you expect otherwise....a pond of mineral water !!!). Before he fills the water in the radiator he starts to explain Kamini how to touch the feet of his mother (She doesn't know a thing about our great culture as she is an "angrezee" girl). As he is showing her, she starts the jeep and hits him over and over again till he falls from the beautiful lush greens hills of Ooty (please don't aks me how did the jeep start running....maybe thanks to goddess Kali....god/goddess works in mysterious ways !!!) That's the end of Ravi Verma and our dear Goddess is a witness to this heinous crime. Thank god at least somebody was a witness !! At the mansion, over the dead body of his son, the bereaved mother is shouting at the top of her voice to goddess Kali that she (Kali) would have to bring her son back one day to this very mansion. Now look if somebody shouts so loud (if you have seen the movie) then even the deaf would begin to hear and here we are talking about our Kali ! So she could not ignore the pleas of a grief-stricken mother ("Ok, Ok I hear you. Just stop shouting now. Ufffff my ears ! You mortal beings are a bit too much at times. I will bring your son back but you have to wait for 21 years. I know, I know 21 years is a long time but look dear mother I have lot of other rebirth cases to take care of, you are not the only one. So, is that a deal?")

So now the story shifts to some place else. We see Monty (the character played by Rishi Kapoor) on the streets and eventually on a stage performing in front of a large audience. We come to know that he is a very famous singer and performer and has a large female-fan following including me ! The movie also reveals that he was "adopted" by a some Mr. Oberoi because of Monty's singing talent. This Mr. Oberoi is a hardcore businessman and cares only about the profits coming from the performances of his "adopted son". Monty misses the love of his "parents" and tells his friend wish he had a mother whom he could hug and love and never let her go away. Ok dear, what about the father....no love for father....what about siblings?? no love for siblings either?? ya I know the story demands it but at least you could have mentioned them ....on your own....once.

Enter Tina (character played by Tina Munim). Monty meets this girl at a party and falls in love with her. There he sings one of the most beautful romantic song I have ever heard "Dard-de-Dil". And couple of minutes later he performs a dance number on the stage for his love "Om shanti Om" (NO ! not "Om shanti Om" by Farah Khan). After the performance he starts to play the tune of "Ek Hasena Thi" on his guitar and his past life starts flashing in front of his eyes. He faints !! Doctors suggest that he is stressed and hence needs a break from work. He goes to Ooty and then bumps into Tina where the two fall in love. While singing and dancing around the trees he sees THE mansion and tea estates which once belonged to him in past life and faints again !! Enough of fainting dude ! He tries to find out about Ravi Verma by talking to people in the area and comes to know that he (Ravi) died in an accident and after sometime his mother and sister were thrown out off the mansion by Kamini Verma; there is no clue of them. In the meantime he meets Kamini at a party and suddenly wants to kill her "I will kill her !" "I want her". He thinks things won't work out like this as nobody would believe about his past life so he befriends Kamini and pretends to fall in love with her.

Monty tries to psychologically scare Kamini. So here is a very funny scene - Kamini and Monty are out on a night drive in a jeep. Suddenly the jeep breaks down right in front of Kali temple (rather the jeep pretends to break itself down ! You see even jeep has been roped in by Kali to play a crucial role). So Monty gets down and goes to bring water from a near by pond as there is no water in the radiator. In the meantime, Kamini is pretty scared as it is pitch dark. Suddenly she sees four skeletons on a car and they get down and start dancing in front of her (these are the friends of Monty) !!!! Guess what? Kamini is too scared. If you have seen the movie you would know what I am talking about. They dance like tribals.....it is ssssoooo funny to watch. Zee Horror Show was slightly scarier than this !! Kamini shouts "Monty ghosts....ghosts !" Woman..have you ever seen ghosts driving a car....and dancing like tribals !!

Monty manages to find his missing mother and sister. He takes revenge from Kamini and Sir Judah. Monty aka Ravi Verma is back !!! A perfect story of rebirth and revenge....Om Shanti Om !!

HELP WIKIPEDIA !!

2009-12-20T23:21:00.000+01:00

Some say this....and Others say that...

2009-12-17T12:42:00.006+01:00

Some say oh great !
and very nice indeed.
Good, nice, sweet and all
Must write, must express and all.

Others say hhmmm....
No better topic to write.
Anyways, good thing to kill your time.
Too many hours, minutes and seconds
So kill...kill and just kill.

What I say to those who say
I kill, I write, I express and all.
Thank you, grateful and smiles.
I write not now but long before
Really long, long and long before.

This no job that gives money
Yes, this no job with "Sir" "Madam".
No nine to five
No sleeping early and getting up early.

But this a job about my passion
This about endless unwritten words.
About happy, angry and scary topics
That I wrote with pen but now with keyboard.

Thank you for your comments and all
Would want to hear your own opinions too.
Let me hear your words, your voice too
More than nice, sweet and hhhmm..

बेचारा कूड़ा

2009-12-15T15:51:00.017+01:00

यहाँ कूड़ा, वहाँ कूड़ा. जहां देखो मेरे भाई कूड़ा ही कूड़ा.

हाँ यार यह तो सही है इस कूड़े ने बहुत गंद मचाया हुआ है.

पर भाई क्या यह कूड़ा तुम्हारा है?

अरे यार क्या बात करते हो ! नहीं नहीं बिलकुल नहीं. क्या तुम्हारा है?

नहीं....सच्ची में नहीं. अच्छा भाई तुम्हारा नहीं है, मेरा नहीं है, तुम्हारे और मेरे पड़ोसी का नहीं है और उन सबके पड़ोसियों का नहीं है तो पता नहीं किसका है.

अरे जाने दो यार. ज़मादारनी आएगी कल तो ले जाएगी. अगर वो नहीं आई तो गायें आ कर खा जाएँगी. हमारी देश की गायें वैसे ही बहुत भूखी रहती हैं....कुछ मिल जायेगा उनको खाने को.

भाई मेरे देखो दो दिन हो गए और न ज़मादारनी आई और न ही गायें. कूड़ा तो बदबू मारने लग गया है. घर तक बदबू आ रही है.

यार मेरे अगर बदबू मारने लग गया है तो घर में अगरबत्ती जला लो.

भाई घर में तो अगरबत्ती जला लूं पर बाहर आने पर क्या करूँ?

यार तुम ऐसे ही परेशान हो रहे हो. बड़ा आसान सा समाधान है. बाहर निकलो तो मुह पर कपड़ा बाँध कर निकलो. इस में क्या मुश्किल है.

फिर दो दिनों बाद. यार कूड़े का कुछ करना पड़ेगा. कल रात तो मेरी श्रीमती भी गुस्सा कर रही थी. कूड़े की वहज से वो ब्यूटी पार्लर नहीं जा पा रही है. दो दिनों बाद उसकी किट्टी पार्टी है. उसने तो कह दिया कि अगर पार्लर नहीं जा पायी तो किट्टी पार्टी नहीं जायेगी. फ़ोन पर रो-रो कर अपनी माँ से कह रही थी कि इस बार कूड़े की वजह से वो किट्टी पार्टी नहीं जा पायेगी. यार तुम्हे तो पता है यह औरतें किट्टी पार्टी को ले कर कितना भावुक होती हैं.

भाई तुम अपनी श्रीमती की बात कर रहे हो यहाँ तो मेरे कुत्ते ने बहार निकलने से मना कर दिया है. आजकल के कुत्ते भी कितने नखरे वाले होते हैं.

यार एक तरकीब सूझी है. मुझे पता चला है कि बाटलीवाला कुछ दिनों के लिए शहर से बहार गए हुए हैं. तो क्यों न हम यह कूड़ा उनके घर के सामने डाल दें. जब तक वो आयेंगे तब तक तो जमादारनी आ कर ले जाएगी. और अगर मान लो की नहीं भी आई तो कौन सा कूड़ा हमारे घर के सामने पड़ा होगा ! क्यों क्या कहते हो ?

हाँ भाई, कम से कम हमारे घरों के सामने से यह बदबूदार मुसीबत हटेगी.

और इस तरह से भाई और यार ने इस बदबूदार मुसीबत को अपने आलिशान घरों के सामने से हटाया और बाटलीवाला के घर के सामने डाल दिया. और जब बाटलीवाला वापस आएं तो उन्होंने किसी और के घर के सामने डाल दिया. ऐसे करते-करते बेचारा कूड़ा दर-दर की ठोकरे खाता रहा पर उसको उसकी सही मंजिल तक पहूँचाने वाला कोई नहीं मिला. हाय! बेचारा कूड़ा.

Currywurst ! Currywurst !

2009-12-14T18:22:00.005+01:00

Germans are known around the world for unlimited consumption of Bier (Beer). Whether it is day or night, winters or summers, either alone or with friends they drink Bier and they drink Bier. But what many of us might not know is their equal fascination for Currywurst. Now what is this after all? The word comes from Curry - which means season with a mixture of spices, typical of Indian cooking and Wurst - which is a german word for sausage (courtesy -WordWeb Dictionary and LingoPad). Before I progress further I would like to warn all vegetarians - please do not google the word Wurst or Suasage. If you do then The Globetrotter Blog is not responsible for the content of external links !!

Thanks to a lady named Herta Heuwer from Berlin who invented this mouth-watering snack. In 1949 she got a ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and some curry powder from British soldiers. She mixed these ingredients and put them on grilled and chopped pork. She would stand on a street corner and sell it to passers-by and soon it became a hit especially with construction workers. It was cheap and fulfulling. A plaque is dedicated in her name on the street she used to sell this delicious Currywurst.

Soon it spread its wings to other parts of Germany and made its special place in the hearts of Germans. Whether it is at Schnellimbissstube (takeaway) or street hawker or at Christmas markets young and old equally can been seeing eating away this scrumptious Currywurst. Ask any foreigner living in Germany "what is a typical german food?" The answer in most cases is Currywurst ! Currywurst ! Or "Have you tried any typical german food so far?' And the answer is "Yes, we have tried Currywurst". Germans certainly laugh at this but do not deny their obsession with it.

It is an icon of popular german culture. Many german politicians are known to be fans of it. In Berlin a whole museum is dedicated to it - Deutsches Currywurst Museum (German Museum of Currywurst).

I dedicate the following poem to Currywurst -

With little bit of Curry

With little bit of love.

With some ketchup

And with a smile

I eat this Currywurst.

One in my mouth

and other in waiting

I am not hungry

but too greedy.

I will eat for lunch & dinner

and why not for supper.

But it might be too much in a day

But do I care?

Can I stop?

Oh Currywurst

My Currywurst

I pledge my loyalty to you !

My Fair Lady....and Lord

2009-12-13T22:25:00.006+01:00

I remember an incident from my childhood days. I was out with a friend of mine ...I guess we were playing badminton. It was a nice pleasant evening and there was no hurry to finish the school homework as the next day was Sunday. After few minutes we saw one of our neightbour, Aunty ji, passing by. So we greeted her "Nameste Aunty ji". She smiled and responded "Nameste beta". And she walked a few paces but suddenly turned back (in the meantime we had resumed our game) and came towards my friend and said, "Bahut pooder lagati hai kya? Badi gori hai" (Do you apply lot of powder? You are very fair). Before my friend could say yes or no our dear Aunty ji left. We laughed and kept on imitating her. I could not stop teasing my friend from that day onwards and would repeatedly say to her "poooooder" as Aunty ji had pronounced.

As a child of course I did not understand the significance of being a gori (fair), I did not understand the seriousness of it, I did not understand the role it played in finding a groom for a girl in Indian society as the color of the skin was never an issue in my family, was never an issue while making friends and was never an issue in getting good grades at school. It was much later when adverts like fair and lovely, fairglow, fairever etc. started to come on television and the markets were flooded with such products, did I realise our obsession with the white skin. It was spreading like a virus into the minds of young teenage girls, into the veins of mothers who were trying hard to find a good match for their not-so-fair daughters, into the blood of the would-be mother-in-laws looking for "fair" daughter-in-laws (even though their sons might be brown-skinned !!).

The advertisements intially focused on finding a groom for a dark-skinned daughter. Everyday the father would recieve marriage proposals for his daughter but when the family of the boy would see this dark-skinned girl she would be rejected. This disappointed the girl's parents and of course the girl. One day the daughter comes to know about fair and lovely and starts using it and then of course there is not dearth of marriage proposals coming her way. Now the advertisers also focus on how application of these creams could make you get your dream job, could make you feel very confident and hence a successful woman. There is one advert which shows that a brown/dark-skinned girl wants to be an air-hostess but she is repeatedly rejected at the interviews. Then of course she starts applying fair and lovely and becomes fair...fairer...fairest !! and as a result of this she gets her dream job ! I wonder how have I managed getting my dream job without applying these fairness creams....hhhmm...I really wonder.

Indian matrimonial websites are filled with "looking for a very fair, very beautiful girl". Every guy and his family is hunting...literally hunting for such "very fair, very beautiful girl" but I seriously want to know just how many of these guys find these Barbie Dolls....I am sorry but I guess I have to call these "very fair, very beautiful girls" Barbie Dolls because generally our skin color varies from light brown to brown to dark brown; it is not in our genes to get a fair/white complexion....and hence I would call them Barbie Dolls. So coming back to the point of guys hunting for these Barbie Dolls do they really find them? Because eventually they get married to the girls that are around and these girls are generally brown skinned.

I saw a debate on NDTV on We The People where it was being discussed about our fixation for the white skin, are we biased towards white skin and hence does it mean that deep within we are racist. Among the panel guests was the advertising guru and advert maker of fair & lovely Alyque Padamsee. He was defending his advertisement by saying that if putting a slight make-up or doing a particular hairstyle is also like enhancing your beauty then there is nothing wrong in applying such creams to get a fair complexion. I wanted to ask him at that point and I really wish I could whether applying a lipstick or mascara has ever been a criteria in seeking a bride because if it was then surely bride-hunters would have stated this on matrimonial websites. And also when he said that the products are there in the market because there is a demand from the society then I wanted to ask him should he not act like a responsible person of the society and not make such adverts just to mint money. By showing a father disappointed on not getting a groom for his daughter and a girl not getting her dream job because of the skin color how is he positively influencing the already white-skinned-fixated Indian society. Why his he adding oil to the fire !!

Now it is not just about the women anymore. It is also about men....yes about men who would want to become gora (fair). So in the market we have a product called fair & handsome !!! Yes guys it is your turn now ! An advert like a guy not being able to find a girlfriend of course because of his skin color. He uses this cream and there...it works like magic....all the girls of the town are after him. And guess who suggests him to use fair &handsome (in the advert)????? It is the king of Bollywood...Shah Rukh Khan !! I was so surprised to see him promoting his product. Why did he choose to do it?? Guess the reason could only be money because he has no dearth of female-fan following. I really wish he had either not done this advert or used his image for a better cause.

Lastly to those people especially in the West who think that it is ok if we (the brown-skinned people) want to get fair by applying these creams because on the other hand we (the white-skinned people) like to get a brown skin by getting a sun tan. I say NO ! It is not ok because the color of your skin does not play any role in finding you a life partner; it does not matter to your parents; you won't get rejected at an interview. Whether you are fair or tanned it simply doesn't matter in your society. But it does in our society. Have a look at the adverts and you would know what I mean.

Hamara Bajaj goes off the roads

2009-12-11T15:16:00.025+01:00

As I read about Hamara Bajaj going off the roads and saw a video on timeless advertisements lot of old memories flashed. These were the times of Doordarshan....yes that Doordarshan which my generation grew up watching. It was and is government owned and it was the only source of entertainment (electronic media). I remember advertisements like - of course, Hamara Bajaj..buland bharat ki buland tasveer; Nirma... rangeen kadpe bhi khil khil jaaye; Bajaj bulbs...jab main chota ladka tha; Onida...neighbour's envy, owner's pride so on and so forth.

As far as automobile adverts are concernend I only remember Hamara Bajaj.It was projected as a transport of the then middle-class which could not at all dream of having a car.This two-wheeler could take your mother to a temple, a father could take his daughter to an ice cream wallah or a husband could take his wife to the fresh vegetable market. Our dear Bajaj was a symbol of happiness of the middle-class even though only two people could sit on it. It was a symbol of prosperity, a symbol of buland bharat which was at a pace of turtle making a buland tasveer. Even though you could get soaked in rain, you could sweat in summers but it was yours...your own..just like your own family member. Yes it was hamara bajaj, humsab ka bajaj...you would be deeply missed.

Hard Times for Snowman !!

2009-12-11T09:16:00.009+01:00

Just yesterday I saw a picture of snowman in Spiegel website(The Mirror)and god ! how sad, lonely, dilapidated he looked. Reason - the picture caption read "the snowman is feeling the heat in southern Germany where temperatures reached an unreasonable eight degrees Celsius on Tuesday, the day after the start of Copenhagen climate summit" Yes, yes i know what you are thinking....global warming...climate change..hhmmm... Well I would not discuss this topic right now...I rather concentrate on that poor snowman.

I remember that last year freezing tempratures had started by beginning of December.It was really cold and we had the first snowfall of the season by now. It was a wonderful sight and I ran out to make a snowman...I did make one and it did not melt away like this poor snowman. But this year there are no freezing tempratures and hence no snow and hence no snowman. I look at the weather forecast daily hoping the tempratures would go below zero degrees and there would be snowfall. So far I have been let down by the winter season but guess what?? I saw that in the coming week there would be drastic dip in the tempratures and then we might have snowfall. Winters without snow is little unimaginable for me....I don't mean that there should be snow blizzards or snow storms...but yes some snowfall is always good.

And then children can happily sing -

Frosty the snowman/ was a jolly happy soul

The Open Air Museum City - Rome

2009-12-10T16:06:00.007+01:00

Rome is indeed one of the most historical cities in the world. But what is so unique about this city is that it is an open air museum, the whole city is a walking-talking museum. Whether it is Colosseum, Pantheon, Roman Forum or the very famous Trevi Fountain, in every nook and corner of Rome one can find evidence of roman history. It is a city with history, art and culture and its center is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This Eternal City, as it is also called, is year round bustling with tourists from all over the world. The peak seasons are July and August when tourists are flocking to this city - large groups traveling in tourist busses, solo travelers, families and backpackers.

The Colosseum, situated in the city center, is perhaps the largest amphitheater built by Romans. It was mostly used for gladiatorial games and executions. Though it is partially damaged it is an ionic symbol of Roman architecture. It attracts millions of visitors each year as it stays on the top of their list. The exterior may not look that appealing but once you enter the inner area it gives you an idea of its splendor and grandeur, of the sheer amount of people it could hold and of the brutal gladiator fights. You soon begin to visualize people sitting around, the gladiators coming out to fight with tigers or lions and you wish if only these walls could talk.

Roman Forum was once the center of ancient Rome where Romans used to meet to do business, politics and shop. It is an area of temples, arches and basilicas. The main sight of the Forum include the Arch of Titus, the Temple of Saturn, Temple of Vesta, and the church of San Luca e Martina. It also includes the well-conserved triumphal arch of Emperor Septimius Severus, with reliefs depicting his victories.

Trevi Fountain is the largest and most famous fountain in Rome. It attracts many visitors and is famous not only for its beautiful Baroque structure but also for throwing coin. It is believed that if you throw a coin in the fountain you are ensured a return to Rome.

Located on Piazza della Rotonda the Roman Pantheon, which means Every God, is one of the most well preserved buildings of ancient Rome. It is a temple of all gods of pagan Rome. Later it was converted into the church of Santa Maria ad Martyres. It is a burial place of many famous Italians and it is a popular place for weddings too. The Pantheon is known for its feats of architecture and concept of space. The oculus, the only source of natural light in the Pantheon, is a round opening in the center of the dome.

Spanish Steps and Piazza di Spagna have been a gathering place for locals and tourists. It is packed with tourists during summer months. The staircase has 138 steps in all and it got its name from the Spanish embassy which was located at the piazza. The Steps lead to the famous French church Trinità dei Monti. At the foot of the stairs is Barcaccia Fountain in the shape of a sinking ship.

Rome is a confluence of writers, artists, thinkers, tourists from around the world. It is a city that offers its history on a platter. Every corner, every lane has a story to tell. The more time one spends in this city, the more it grows on you.

My Tryst with Tiger

2009-12-09T20:53:00.046+01:00

Like any other indian child, I grew up learning little bit about the tiger. It is our national animal, it is carnivorous and lives in Jungle. I always found this white, black and orange striped animal much more handsome than the king of the jungle- lion. During one of my many summer trips to Delhi, I once had a chance to visit the then famous (I don't know if it is still) Delhi Zoo with my parents, cousins, uncles and aunts. There was lot of excitment in the air specially for us children. One cage after the other we saw all sorts of animals and birds which we had learnt about in school - elephant, crocodile, peacock, parrots etc. We finally halted in front of the cage of "that animal which I found much more handsome than the king of the jungle- lion". With my eyes wide opened I looked at it - it was lying on the ground, wagging its tail slightly, eyes closed and unperturbed by the courious onlookers around him. But what the hell !! - it did not have those white, orange and black strips as I learnt it in school, as I saw it in my colourful ABC english book. IT'S WHITE !! ALL WHITE !! What was wrong...it is not a real tiger. But strangely it did sort of look like a tiger - those big whiskers, those scary claws and that "tiger like" face only the color was not matching. Well, to be honest I don't remember asking my parents about what was wrong with it. Maybe I didn't after all ask them as I might have felt disappointed or thought maybe there is a "real" tiger somehwere else in the zoo. Well, that was the last time I ever went to that zoo...no not because of "that white tiger".

In the year 1997 I got my first chance to visit a wildlife national park in India -Jim Corbett and to see the tiger in its own natural habitat. During my short stay at Dhikala rest house at the park I went on morning and evening jeep and elephant safaries but never could spot that elusive animal. Around bonfire there would be quite a few stories about tiger being spotted making rounds. It would mostly come from guides telling that one of their fellow guide spotted one today !! But it was never the wildlife enthusiasts like me who got the chance to say "Hey ! It was my lucky day !" My guide would almost always spot the paws of the tiger on the ground "Madam this is the paw of a tigress and look here, these small ones these are of her cubs. It seems she has just passed by as the markings are so fresh and so she should be around somewhere here. Today is going to be our day Madam!" But alas it was never my day. I visited Jim Corbett twice again but without success.

I thought Jim Corbett is not the only wildlife national park in India where tigers could be found. My mother country is also blessed with many other such beautiful wildlife parks so let me try my luck with them. After doing a bit of research on internet I zeroed it on Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan. I still remember that hot summer month of May 2003. Typical indian summer with temperatures souring to 45 degree centigrade. I chose this month to travel because I came to know from guides in Jim Corbbet that during peak summer time animals are easy to spot as they like to be around or in water holes to cool themselves from this intense heat. I reached there and stayed at a very comfortable lodge on the outsirkts of the park. My first day morning and evening jeep safaries were unsuccessful. During the peak afternoon time with sun blazing right over my head I could only spot my guide and me in the jungle ...there was no sight of any other animal apart from us....the jungle was so calm and so still. After first day of unsuccessful trip I started to feel quite disappointed. Next day with hardly any hope in my heart I again went for the morning jeep safari. After around one hour I suddenly (believe me suddenly) bumped into tiger !!! Not that it was waiting for us in the middle of the jungle track...no. It was sitting near a dry bush and having its lunch !! YES..IT WAS EATING ITS PREY! As I could not believe my eyes I looked at it intently - those big whiskers, that big tail and what else do I see??? THOSE ORANGE, WHITE AND BLACK STRIPS ! Exactly the way it was in my english ABC book. "It's a real tiger...it's a real tiger" I almost shouted. "Madam please be quite otherwise the tiger will run away" said my guide. In this whole excitment I forget to take photos of the tiger till my guide said, "Madam won't you take any photos?" And then my camera never stopped. In all the twenty photos I took the pose of the tiger never changed. At the most it looked at us briefly but mostly it was busy eating its meal. I never wanted to move from there. What if it was the only tiger I end up seeing my whole life? I wanted to sit next to it and pat him and say "Thanks...it really means a lot to me". But we had to leave and so we came back to the lodge. That evening I was shouting on top of my voice to let every guest at the lodge know whom I met today; I was making sure that I was the center of attraction. The best part is that my tryst with tiger did not end there. Next day was equally good. I saw a tiger marking its territory by spraying its urine on the tree trunk. On the third day I saw a tigress with three cubs. It was a wonderful sight as the mother and cubs were in a playful mood and were not bothered by the onlookers. They happily posed for the photos. I kept on taking photos and videos till my battery died. During my one week stay at Ranthambore, I saw seven different tigers (not exaggerating). I could not believe my luck. The experience was too good to be true. I had finally managed to see our national animal in its own natural habitat.

That one week experience at Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is still very vivid in my mind and unless I suffer from dementia or alzheimer I know for sure I will never forget my tryst with tiger. And by the way, I came to know what was wrong with that tiger at Delhi Zoo - it was an albino !

Words

2009-12-09T15:14:00.005+01:00

I write as words flow endlessly
I write as there's no end to vocabulary.
Sometimes I write to make sense of things
And sometimes to let things make their own sense.

Too many words floating around
Too many jumping around
I catch a few, while others drift away
And some here, some there.

Too many meanings attached to one word
That one word which I want it to be simple
Let me write it down anyways
Let poeple interpret it in their own way.

I am not Keats, I am not Shakespeare
Just a layman who has words to write
Read if you will, appreciate if you will
I will write till words stop floating around me.