MORNING MIST

Jai Ho!

2011-11-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Now, Arvind Kejriwal has cleared over Rs 9lakh dues to settle the issue of his resignation from the IRS. He claims that he has done so in protest and it does not mean that he is conceding his mistake.

My question is why should he do so? If there was no mistake on his part he should have taken the legal course against the government claim. As a team member of Anna's crusade against corruption one do not expect him to surrender so meekly.

If his aim is to suggest that he has been crucified for fighting against the government to end corruption, I think he has not done so convincingly and hence not achieved. He has the moral responsibility to prove that the action of the government was in itself corrupt.

Isn't it an irony that a person(responsible one) who is one among those calling the shots in a team purportedly fighting corruption had to be reminded of his dues to the government?

Now Kiran Bedi can also(or has she already?) return the additional money she had collected against her expenses in the name of her NGO and can wash her hands.

The message of Anna team is already wavering. The results are almost clear even before the final draft of the Jan Lok Pal Bill is ready. Jai Ho!

To be back soon

2010-12-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Blogmates,
Apolgies for the long unexpected gap. See you all soon with something new and interesting.
MajorSG

TERRORIZED PICNIC

2010-01-22T20:54:00.000-08:00

This is an old incident. Somewhere in the late seventies. The place is Kohima,the capital of Nagaland. Myself and one of my best friends (Ajith George) decided to go for a picnic. Just the two of us. We decided to go to a location which neither of us had seen. It was a small clearance in the beginning of a forest area. We brought some chocolates, bread, jam and some snacks. We also took a small kettle and necessary things to make some coffee. We started of around 8am. After walking for almost one hour we reached the location. There was no clear path or route. Being young we enjoyed the adventurous journey. After finding a good spot we sat down and started of with chocolates. The weather was cold and so we decided to make some coffee. We gathered some twigs and lighted a fire. At that point of time a stone whisked past my ears. We looked around but didn't see anyone. Both of us felt some fear. We put the kettle on fire when another stone came flying barely missing my friend's head. Our courage started melting. Suddenly it started raining heavily. We looked around for a few seconds and packed our things in a hurry and started running . It didn't take us much time to reach the main road. That was a time when some terror groups in Nagaland were in action.....of which we were quite unaware. Now, when I read or speak of terrorism this incident always comes into my mind. I sincerely doubt that we must have been near some terrorist hideout or practicing area. If not for our age and the heavy shower I wonder what would have happened. Fear still grips me when I think about the incident.

ONE FOR THE ROAD

2010-01-05T20:18:00.000-08:00

We were talking over a glass of beer. Self and Mr Negi. It was a warm Sunday afternoon. He appeared to be depressed. "Negi, something seems to be worrying you", I said. "Not exactly, but I am confused", he replied. After another sip and lighting a cigarette I asked him the reason. "Yaar, I don't know what to do. Sometimes when I say something to my mother, my sister tells me not to say so because it will hurt her. If I come home late my mother tells me not to do so because my father may feel bad". Puffing out the smoke from my mouth I told him that it was quite natural reaction on their part. Obviously he was not in a mood to heed to such a comment from my side.Finishing off the beer in one go he continued."But I feel singled out.If I have an extra drink my father advises me that I should control myself otherwise my wife will feel sad." "Thank God that your father didn't tell you not to drink at all" I sighed."If at times I speak loudly to my sister my mother tells me that I should not do so because my brother -in-law may not like it. If I scold my younger brother my wife tells me that he might feel discouraged. If I stand on the roadside and smoke a cigarette my in-laws asks my wife to tell me that it is not good for a member of their family to do so. When I ask my daughter about her studies she asks me not to irritate her. Sometimes in the morning if I am not feeling well and decide to catch a bus to office my wife discourages me saying what the neighbors will say about it. So many instances like this. I feel bad. Am I to behave, walk and talk only in the interests of others? Shouldn't I have my own tastes and interests? Not forgetting my responsibilities, I am asking you, don't I have a life of my own. Don't I have feelings? This is really frustrating." Opening another bottle of beer I said,"It all depends on the way you take it. See, don't feel that they are trying to correct you. Even others might be having such experiences which you fail to notice. Life is a game. Take it positively and give a thought to what they say. I am sure you will not feel bad." His reaction was as expected. "I feel like saying 'you too Brutus". He almost banged the beer mug on the table. "I understand your problem my friend, but sincerely I feel that you should not take such comments seriously. Live your life the way you would like to. But always remember that you should not be enjoying at others cost." "Yes, there must be some mistake on my part too". It appeared that he had cooled down. 'Shall we call it a day', I asked. With a broad smile on his lips he said, "Not before one for the road partner".

Dead Dreams (2nd Edition)

2009-11-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

He thought he was lucky,
Lying on her lap
Savouring the ice-cream
She was feeding him,
He dreamt about marriage,
Children and so on.
Suddenly his heart stopped beating,
It was but too late for him
To realise that he was poisoned.

(The first post on my blog. Being republished ...hey! not due to lack of ideas..common.)

CLICKED

2009-11-16T00:33:00.000-08:00

She asked me to sign in,
I was hesitant,
Told her I didn't have a password
She said it was not required,
Finally I relented.
When, later, I tried to sign out
Her brother, double my size, appeared
And asked for the password,
I had no way out
And today she is my wife.

MOTHER

2009-10-31T03:09:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest or may be the greatest loss in my life,I believe, was missing the chance to meet Mother Theresa. It was somewhere in 1994. Self and two colleagues decided to visit the Nirmal Shishubhavan run by the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata(then Calcutta). Accordingly an appointment was fixed and we were asked to reach there before 9am so that we could meet the Mother. Unfortunately one of my colleagues got delayed and we could reach there only by 9.10am. To our dismay we were told that Mother had just left for some meeting. After due apologies the sister who greeted us did not forget to remind us that Mother does not wait for anyone. Needless to say that we were all very upset. But we decided to go ahead with visiting the Shishu Bhavan.There were so many children. Infants to kids, orphans, abandoned babies, disabled children and so on and so forth. It was nothing but a heart- rending scene. The entire place was so well kept. The children were so clean. They were well fed. The individual care each one of them got from the Sisters were above words of praise.I wind up in the memory of an infant.They called her Anju. She was all smiles when I went near her. She lifted her feet and started clapping her hands. One of the Sisters handed over to me a feeding bottle with milk. I started feeding her and she appeared so calm. After feeding her I took her into my arms and gave her a soft kiss.Later I was told by the Sister that Anju had already been adopted by a German couple and that she will be leaving for her new home very soon. Whenever I remember Mother I fondly remember that cute face too.

TALKING

2009-10-12T02:57:00.000-07:00

Remember that ad 'walk when you talk'. Talking is one of the means of communication.Now if you have observed, there are so many ways in which people talk. I am not saying about the language or slang or anything of that sort.
Like, some people are in the habit of saying everything in detail. For example if one wants to say that he met somebody at the shop he will start right from the time he left his home,the way he took, location of the shop,description of the shop, details of the person and so on. Then there are people who do not talk much. They always speak to the point. Nothing more,nothing less. There is another group who believes in talking only. They are not bothered whether somebody is comprehending or even listening. They do not even notice whether the listener is interested. Then you see people who always exaggerate things while talking. If they walk 01 km they will make it 02. If they see a small snake they will make it really big. Then there are others who keeps talking on subjects about which the listener has no idea. They try to show off their knowledge or know how of things. I find people who talk without any reason or purpose the most boring type.Say you are traveling in a public transport. These kind of people will befriend you by starting with asking your destination and so on and then will talk on things about which you are unaware or interested. Another group is there who talks as if all the others are fools. I appreciate their confidence. I do not think the list is complete. However, this much for this post.

VALUES

2009-09-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

I think it was in Rakesh's blog (almostsunday) that I read about values. I had expressed my opinion therein but felt that I too should write something on it and hence this attempt.
In today's world values are based on many factors. There was a time when values used to be given lot of importance.Now as in any other thing values too have become materialistic.What do I gain or what do I lose seems to be the motto.For eg. what do I gain if I help a blind (sorry, visually impaired...can't understand the difference...will scribble on this topic later) person cross the road or what do I lose if I ignore the red signal and move ahead.We seldom have time to think about others...may be because the mindset has become "why should I'.This I syndrome,I believe, is the basic reason for the deterioration of values. Get into a public transport and you find a person sitting with his legs apart or with his hand on the backrest.You try to accommodate yourself in the available space. Let alone values, the other guy doesn't even show the basic courtesy of adjusting himself to make seat for you.Disrespect for fellow being or should I say too much of imposed self-respect. Values are certain basic principles which every person is expected to abide by in the common interest of the society. But when common interest is itself absent what is the solution. If the attitude is that I will join the fray only if I benefit something from it you cannot call it a value based decision. Values should be nurtured right from childhood....though it is not necessary that it grows with the child. As I said before it is attitude that matters. Greeting your elders,getting up when they come before you, ensuring that your act in anyway doesn't disturb others, helping others...so on and so forth. Values are finer aspects of life whereby you develop respect for each other and other's feelings.

Apologies

2009-06-28T21:27:00.000-07:00

Hai everyone there,
Sorry for being out of touch for so long. Promise to be back with something interesting very soon.
Thank you all. Hope your support will remain with me.

Imposing Morality

2009-04-04T03:11:00.000-07:00

Last day I happened to see a video clipping in the television which showed a burqa-clad lady being brutally flogged by some members of the taliban. The reason was that she came out of her house with a person who was not her husband or something of that sort.The incident took place somewhere in Pakistan. I was flabbergasted.It reminded me of that barbaric incident wherein some members of the Hindu outfit SreeRama Sena took to the streets beating and even pulling down some girls in a pub somewhere in Mangalore. What all is happening? Who gave them the authority to take law into their hands?Why are they so much bothered? If a girl goes to a pub and if her parents have no objection, why should anyone else worry about it.I don't think anyone has the right to impose morality by using force(except parents, other relatives or friends).Is this a civilized world? Or are we living in a world where there is no law? Why are these self-proclaimed saviors of religions being let loose? What is the role of World organizations? Are we all supposed to sit tight on a bomb and wait till it explodes? I have heard that in Kashmir a dictum was issued earlier by some militant group that any lady seen exposing any part of her body will be shot. There are so many instances where we have seen these groups taking law into their hands wherever they have a stronghold. Is not it too late that some action is taken globally to restrict these criminals. They are people who have distanced themselves from the mainstream society and as such does not follow any law and for that reason there should be no legal rights available to them. Once caught, the capital punishment must be executed. I don't think they have any right to live.

By the People

2009-03-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

Another election is round the corner. Political parties are busy selecting candidates and making and shifting alliances.The public is in a state of confusion. I personally feel that these elections are a mockery. There are basic qualifications laid down even for a class 4 grade job. But to be an MP or even a minister you need not possess any qualification. There is no police verification. You may be a goonda, convict or anything for that matter. How is this justified Sir? They contest against each other and after election form an alliance and make a Government. Do we elect them for this? We vote for a particular party or candidate with a purpose. If after election they juggle around and join together...what is the value of our votes? Is this real Democracy...I doubt. What is happening today is a mere fight for power. It is by the people, to the politicians, for the politicians. I am sad that the state of affairs in the world's largest Democracy is in such a pathetic condition. It is high time the laws are amended. Basic qualifications to fight an election should be laid down. Police verification to check the credentials of the candidates should be carried out. A law should be enacted laying down that no alliances can be formed after the elections. There is so much to write about. Only one thing friends...You are making yourself a fool by voting....but being an eligible citizen you have to vote....please choose your candidate not by his party but after confirming whether he/she is qualified in all respects to REPRESENT us....the people.

2008-12-12T01:30:00.000-08:00

I know I am a little late, but I hope nobody has forgotten the recent attacks in Mumbai. One might ask himself as to how we can forget the barbaric attack. Friend, we are like that. If not for the continuing news coverage I am sure the terror strike would have been in oblivion. Now, what I am trying to say is something different. This is a very personal thought and so please take it that way. Remember that the target was Mumbai and the attack came at a time when the world was facing a financial crisis and India was very less affected by the global syndrome. I remember having read in a daily a few days ago that in another 10 to 15 years India would be one of the super powers. My doubt and concern is whether the attack was the beginning of a war against our development process. If the terror operation had not ended the way it had what would have been the consequences. Just give it a thought.

I just fail to understand

2008-11-22T00:48:00.000-08:00

I fail to understand as to why anything and everything is being politicized here. Poverty, education, rape, terrorism......name it and comes in our political leaders with their opinions and interpretations. For example is the recent reports of Hindu terrorism. I am of the opinion that anyone who is taking the sword against the tenets of the Indian constitution must be termed a terrorist. Let him or her be of any religion,caste or region. It is high time our politicians realize that other than their followers the general public can no longer be fooled. We have our own opinions and interpretations. When in the opposition they criticize the government. It has been an irritating thought troubling me for quite sometime as to why instead of criticizing they are not suggesting solutions or giving other options. Is it not , as responsible citizens, binding upon them to do so? Or is that they will work for the progress of the Nation only if they are seated in the ruling chairs? I just fail to understand. Though, as an Indian, I am proud of the success of our moon mission-Chandrayaan, I doubt whether we have moved far ahead when I see the slums and the hungry stomachs across the Country. Can't our leaders, irrespective of their political inclinations, sit across the table and find out a solution to eradicate poverty. If not fully, atleast to some extent. I firmly beleive that if they put their heads together we can achieve it. But who is bothered. If poverty is eradicated they will lose an election slogan. Seeing the trend I fear India's integration is at threat and leading in the front is a political leader(he is also a leader!). God save the Nation.
I don't know whether I am stopping abruptly but I think the post has gone too long. Rest in next.

Terror and Tears

2008-11-08T01:03:00.000-08:00

The morning mist
Bore the color of blood,
A terrorist had blasted himself
Killing ten and injuring many,
Seeing his photograph in the daily
His mother cried and asked
Why, for Whom, for What ?

Dead Dreams

2008-10-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

He thought he was lucky,
Lying on her lap
Savouring the ice-cream
She was feeding him,
He dreamt about marriage,
Children and so on.
Suddenly his heart stopped beating.
It was but too late for him
to realise that he was poisoned.