Country Roads Take Me Home

This is a Kanyakumari that many wouldn't have seen, captured through my cam's lenses. For many, the idea of Cape Comorin, is the tip of peninsular India and the trinity of seas that they come to see and get to see and are happy and content-so let them be. This perspective on the other hand, is one amongst the many hidden treasures that only the natives know of. Hidden to ensure that the impact of tourism-plastic dumping, spitting, urinating, shitting and behaving like it is a no-man's land-is avoided. Let this be a place a few can call their home nevertheless it becomes everyone's brothel. 

My 200th Post

So this blog has reached 200 posts! 200 days or more of writing-some thoughtful, some from thoughtless thoughts and everything in the course of a life that was moving parallel to what I write. There have been many times when what I wrote influenced the way I live and vice versa. From just a handful of readers for a very long time during the initial days, I was determined to welcome people into my blog-space and did manage to, if not by leaps and bounds atleast a bit... today it does feel good that my blog has been visited over 17, 000 jolly good times. 

There are things I have wished for yet have never routed for as well... like any other blogger, I too wish that there would be more people who would leave a comment, even if not a decent one atleast a deliberate one, just to show that they were here and did read and do reflect. I have also wished that there would be more members who would join the blog, just to feel that courage of added strength. People around do pour more energy into what one writes and I thank those who provide me with that synergy and wish that there was more on its way.  

There have been trials and tribulations that I too have like anyone else, and it is often this blog that comes to my rescue during trying times. This is more like a space where I can share, learn, change. Writing, I do believe is like the magicians cap, only when you put something in can you pull something out later; as a strong believer of that, visiting fellow bloggers who are quite eloquent, expressive and intelligently brilliant often has humbled me while going through the quality of their writing and the extent of their detailing, poly-dynamic views and abundance of readers and supporters which does push me to recheck my boundaries and write better. Language, communication, knowledge and the mode of expression if well chosen, can reach the sensitive part of the soul and knock to be heard, to let know of issues that are often hid in the rubbles of destruction of the voiceless, hopeless and less-looked-upon fellow human beings. The "utopia" is often considered a farce; something that only dreamers can dream of; the impossible. So should we rest all faith and settle with the mediocre?! The "ideal" is often a fantasy; a fantasy that follows us like a shadow in the reality we live in-the tall and short of it. The epicenter of the balance between reality and fantasy rests a lot on others around us who push, pull or stop us. Being able to write freely sans restraint and censorship is a blessing in today's world. Though some dogs do bark at what they are scared to face.

Intelligence, like before, is not a rare, restricted and a personal entity of the powerful alone either. Intelligence on the other hand has become a necessity for survival... and along came our need to be cunning, manipulative and twisted as well. Everyone's need his very own. So in the light of all these, my blog has reached 200. I am glad and I am happy. This is a jolly good time that I may very well use to say "Thank You All" for making this happen and your support did make it worthwhile to be in this spectrum. Thanks once again. 

Snapshots From Kanyakumari

This is a picture (I) clicked somewhere in the middle of Kallakaad-a tiger reserve in Kanyakumari-Tirunelveli border. This photo was shot with an almost extinct-film roll-slr. Sometimes, slowing down is a luxury and at times worth it. 

Last Rites

These days, I see elders dying alone. Day by day, day after day, children seeded by them, nurtured by them, tolerated by them and for whom there is always a prayer in auto-mode in their lips, leave them/ditch them/let them die in pretext of their wives who hardly know the difference between a regular donut and a gourmet one, who device those devious plans to keep their slave of a husband as far as possible for reasons they creepingly whisper which seems to justify their actions, in an attempt to save themselves from guilt. The self obsessed, selfish, characterless world of their middle-aged male counterparts, is so damn busy that it has "no time" to think about neither the old nor the just borns. It is during trying times do we get to understand who people are or rather whether people are even remotely humane. “What is the point?!” I wonder. This is a land where we have faith in the karma. What goes up, comes down and what goes around, comes around. I marvel at these glorious, remotely female species that not only trigger yet also provide maximum support to these ill-actions of their partner so proactively; these creatures who can flash that fake smile, before, during and after the stabbing at the dying. From where do these creatures emerge?! I wonder. Why do these cockroaches still crawl?! I wonder.

One of my grand uncles, a doctor, recently died under pitiable circumstances, ironically denied medical care and incidentally has children, children-in laws and grand children who are doctors too. What a predicament! Every single person expected to take care of this man, those who were busy before his death and expected to be understood and excused from their duties of taking care of this old, sick man, found time to come together for a family get together over his dead body and discuss in leisure how the property he left behind was to be split between themselves. Hurray! I truly applaud a genius in the crowd, one of the dead man’s nephew, another doctor, whose finger waved in free air, pointing at people who erred and who got his tongue wagging, condemning and criticizing those he claimed had erred.

Well, as sweet stories of all Judas Iscariots go, this genius from the crowd has a father too, a doctor too, and right now, he is in his death bed too. Where is this little boy who looks after the sheep? He is in London to serve the queen. He chose to ignore his folks, beckoned to his woman’s call, found that his son’s life was better off in the “cultured” white man’s land that he boasts of and shoo he flew. He will be back to bury the dead too and will definitely carry an excuse too.

It is usually said that only in a death house must people leave without saying bye-byes lest it sounds “We shall be back for more.” It is also said that when a child is born, the “human beings” in the house do not leave the house for 11 days. This is usually to keep people intact to take care of the crucial, initial days of a new born with more hands to help the recovering mother and child. It is also expected that children do not leave parents-especially those old, sickly and vulnerable ones-alone. I wondered where I was a few days ago when my just born was brought to a brick-mortar-sand structure called home where events of some unmentionable nature took place along with unsaid goodbyes. An unforgivable and forgettable episode and people. To cut the long story short, at times when families come together, some decide to separate.

At the end of the day, I remember telling one of my grandaunts who felt that she was too big to relate to the world that if she would remember that it takes “atleast” 4 people to carry her out when her D-day comes, lest she rots, she would try to be nice to atleast 4. In normal course of life, I would have preferred to spit at the sight of these filthy, stinky, walking human excreta yet recently the Good Book taught me not to curse people who hurt you… rather pray for they that do evil to turn good, that they realize how bad they have been and what bad they have done and have a chance to change for good. I pray. 

p.c: http://gamebanana.com/tf2/sprays/49562

Rationalizing Disconcern

For the past few months, I have been trying to gear down and have a grip over life; nevertheless, eventually, life seems to have its grip over me. Seemingly said words of encouragement mean nothing at times of despair. Everyone bothered within their own circle have no ears to listen to others who wail at the outside; ‘self obsession’ seems to be the nomenclature. Though not to be blamed. Everyone’s need his own; seldom does another know nor does bother to the pains of another. Everyone’s burden his own to carry.

A friend of mine tries to find a job to feed his family yet won’t let go his need to impress others and deliberates himself into hopeless, compulsive spending in the name of rituals-just to show the world that he too shares a part in this endless drama. How long?! I wonder.

Another friend, a mother of two, who lost her husband recently, likes to be buried in troubles that came along with the death and finds herself oft in loathsome misery trying to fight living ghosts in courtrooms over properties that are said to be rightfully hers. Till when?! I wonder.

Then there is this girl my cousin cheated succumbing to parental pressure, hoping to be their “laadla” forever and ever, after giving her high hopes of a nuptial knot. Hobson’s choice, you see, is one strange thing and the more idiotic you are, the easier the choice. And as most stories of these nuptial knots go, this too seems to be a Gordian knot that seems to have spun a hangman’s noose around this girl’s neck as the blunt impact of the episode seems only too visible with her every move ever since. On the other hand, the boy seems to be working longer hours to hide from this guilt (good for the company he works for) as his folks and his ever-loving sister (the actual spoil sport in this whole episode) once again try to engage themselves in a fake bridal hunt for one more victim. “Hey girls and parents of girls, who have advertised your kick-outs in matrimonial, watch out! The big bad wolves are here and your little red riding hoods may be taken for a ride too.” How many more like this?! I wonder. 

Then comes my own story… clueless and waiting for a confirmation that seems to be the end of the road to an interview process that started on the 25^th of May’ 2012. Turn after turn of interviews and reference checks to see if this stranger is trust worthy and round after round of excruciating waiting till this point of time. Finally was called in to join on the 31^st of last month (August’ 2012) only to be informed that the waiting needs to be extended. By this time foolish me, wound up all work at hand, shifted family and even started moving things from home to the promising wonderland to report to work when beckoned. We even had our second child in the meantime. Nothing was enjoyable as everything seems to be resting on this new found hope of a job. Now, 6 eyes stare blank at me with hope, probably trust, most probably faith as I squat like a useless, good-for-nothing, dying dog unable to face those stares and find myself staring as well into the open heavens with blind faith-my very own. The only possible mistake I have done is follow the lead and make myself available like a loyal woof. Every bit of delay and every day of waiting seems like a life time to me. It is almost like tying a noose around my neck to a newly planted tree, watering it and waiting for it to grow. Do those in the organization even know what I am going through? Most probably “No.” For them I am on the outside circle and they probably have issues their very own.

With problems my very own, how do I even find the energy, sensitivity and empathy required to feel the suffering of others in a circle outside my own? My burden by itself is too heavy for me to carry and my burden is my own to carry… now how can one expect me to carry their burdens too? Not at this moment atleast.

Sometimes I wonder too if people can be as insensitive and ruthless with the lives of others involved and everything and anything they do in the name of survival be accepted as justified?! May be so. After all every man knows best, the lessons he has learnt to do what he does, no matter how much it bothers the ones watching silently in astound surprise from the outside circle. C’est la vie and so are its people.      

p.c: http://www.catviews.com/?p=131

Sex Unsexed

A sweet love song I hummed often as a teenager plays in the background from screaming, over-sized speakers amidst a crowd of humanity at its insane best... still, I manage to shift into my own space of bliss and the memories attached therewith. 

The world in the mean time, still goes on its normal spree... prince Harry manages to shock the world as his priceless buff-revealing photos emerges from Vegas (at times, what happens in Vegas does not seem to stay in Vegas.) God save the queen! Websites try to figure out through its online polls on who is smarter-Sherlyn Chopra, who proudly represented India in the Playboy magazine or is it Poonam Pandey, (who unlike the almost forgotten Mangal Pandey, the freedom fighter,) has used her freedom to expression in free India to the maximum by undressing for the cricket team; its "patriotism" you get to see afterall. It is found that the sensational Aarushi Talwar murder case, where the 14-year-old was found killed alongside the male-domestic help, were found to be actually involved in a sexual relationship which according to the investigators could have been the reason for their killing (talk about how difficult it is to find a good domestic help these days); though according to her father, in his own words, "sex is no big deal in elite society." Geetika, from the glamorous world often built in the air comparable to the air hostess that she was, must be giggling, twisting and turning from the world of the dead as post-mortem reports reveal that she was involved in "unnatural" sex with other high flyers. Natural or unnatural, what difference does it make? Its all about whether it was humbling or humiliating as far as matters of sex are concerned... isn't it?! 

Now with strippers, flashers and a bunch of horny humans submitting their acts for an equally horny crowd to watch, I watch from the side-walk, policemen with bamboo sticks attached to the "long-arm" of the law thrashing and chasing humble, street-side hawkers trying to make a living, though small, an honest living... as passport authorities get busy stamping the visa documents of Karenjit Kaur Vohra a.k.a Sunny Leone, an honourable Indian, who has an impeccable record of acting in and directing pornography movies; as a crowd gathers, (as usual,) holding placards to welcome her into the Indian mainstream. In the meantime, the song that I was listening to, drifts into its optimal finale as my dormant brain watches all these in its seasonal best... just that I had music to go with it this time. 

p.c: www.sodahead.com

Liar Liar Pants On Fire

A lie need not necessarily expose the truth; instead, all it usually does is expose a liar, hardly believed thereafter. Truth then is altogether a different story... always said the way one wants others to hear the story; cooked up with half truth and whole lies... and at the end of the day, truth, is a pathless path afterall. Ces't la vie...

p.c: http://guyism.com/women/ashleymadison-com-reveals-what-the-average-adulterer-looks-like.html

Read This Farmer

The humble Indian farmer has been in the NEWS for various reasons; ranging from his plight due to lack of rain affecting his crops, presence of flood due to excess and needless to say, suicides in outraging numbers due to his unrecoverable debts. The farmer has been subject to covering full pages with crisp photographs  along with his family in magazines and newspapers, which otherwise have nothing much to offer anyway and at times does achieve its pre-assumed target to gets us thinking deeply about their plight. Making us wonder where our conscience has gone. 

Watch the vegetables we buy today... they simply don't rot-thanks to the farmer who uses preservatives and knows how to inject them intrinsically into their skin. Look at all the fruits available in the stores, in excess too-thanks to the farmer who uses fertilizers and pesticides in plenty to boost the yield. Look how the produce from the farms shine-thanks to the farmer again for rubbing the skin of these chemically created yield further with wax to lure the buyers. Land, consumers, humans, ethics, sustainability-does the farmer care? Are his actions justifiable as much as the justice he cries to have been denied to him in the tabloids and ever-moving media cameras? Does he wonder, bother and care about the people who are affected by him as he asks shamelessly for people to help him out?  Is he as humane as he wants others to be? Does he think about how his actions affects the society as he constantly blames the society for his plight?

The once upon a time backbone of our country, today stands extended like an appendix-useless and causing us pain-unbothered. As we are force-fed these "bio wonders" of modern age, does the farmer or the country that promotes these care? As we have reduced ourselves into becoming test grounds for these seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, does the farmer who makes the choice to make the final decision to implement these which kill the land really care? As we consume these products and become lab rats and source out a major chunk of our hard earned and borrowed revenue for the hospital industry via paying the bills in counters where we shouldn't be and as families as we drown in deep debts, does the farmer really care about the avoidable-damage he causes? And the  farmer manages to have the nerve to ask, "Why no one cares?!" Isn't this an interesting paradoxical irony?! "Hey farmer, are you wondering still why no one cares about you? Let me ask you, why don't you care about others too?" All I can say for now is, "Get well soon farmer." And till then you cry, cry, cry... you make me cry too. 

p.c: http://debbiedoesraw.blogspot.in/2008/11/gmodead-farmers.html

The Dangerous Breed

The white man saw us all as Indians, discriminated and hated us... every single one of us, altogether. Looted us. Laughed. Left. And must be smiling from that small patch of land where s/he belongs at us now.  A natural smile that appears when you expect the obvious.

That smile that often emerges as s/he realizes that as soon as s/he left, we little Indians took over the art of deflection to a very different level. And the story begins thus... the "white" Indian found the brown Indian different; called him names, developed theories from thin air and shelved him by establishing him with an identity even before he was born; blamed it on gods and goddesses he created, named and promoted and blamed it on them for having created us with this inbuilt differences. Succeeded. The "brown" Indian on the other hand found this whole drama interesting and passed the same favour to other "black" Indians. Social discrimination began thus...

School text books try to teach us that the Brits 'divided and ruled' us. Not true. On the contrary, that was the only time we were united as one nation, as Indians, as the discriminated lot to get rid of them... together we stood. 

Today, the Indian from the North finds the Indian from the South different. His problems, issues, concerns, culture and traditions are different and he need not understand any of these because he is different. And this favour was quickly returned vice versa. This happened in all four directions and as usual, like in any other country across the globe, the North East and South were the ignored lot later to be considered "problem" zones from where the "grave internal threats" will appear. 

Today we are greatly different. Duly discriminated-by colour; if not, by our geographical positioning of birth; if not, by the language we speak within that geographical boundary; if not, the accent with which we speak within that still smaller boundary; if not, then by the dialect with which it is spoken within yet another containing boundary. If that is not fair enough, there are countless other eccentric ways we have managed to invent (like religion and adding further sub-sects to these created religions, through education and managing to establish technocratic differences, forming cliques and cults along the way) to create differences, discriminate, break a large group into smaller units and feel comfortable, secure and compelled to adhere to their norms and mores and belong to closer ties knowing well that the pack that stays together survives. At the end of the day its all about survival and the result of progressive evolution. So here we are "dividing and ruling" and thanks to the Brits who atleast left us establishing educational institutions to understand all this hungamma as we drown into this self-created misery and together like a flock we shall follow our "leaders" to the pits they have dug for us at the end of the road. Jai Hind! 

p.s: I have always wondered how one group would consider the rest as "untouchables" when s/he is the one who is untouched by keeping others away/apart. Now do tell me, "Technically wouldn't s/he who keeps her/him/self away from being "touched" be the real "untouchable" out here?!"

Isn't it true that there can only be 2 kinds of people; the one who sees differences and the other who don't. Who are you?

p.c: http://www.islandmix.com/backchat/f9/having-sex-power-180460/

Brown Is The New White

Amazed at the greatness of my country (limited to by birth)-India a.k.a Bharath a.k.a Bharath Mahaan, shock waves shoot up my spine almost like a sneeze that can stretch the nerves within to its maximum. Today is what is called the "Independence Day" of my country. Great! Independence from what?! I do not know; probably the ones who are celebrating do. 

Lets think about it...

• we live in a country wondering why our business becomes everyone else's, while at the same time whenever there is a need for everyone to be involved in an emergency situation (lets say a rescue during an accident) we find none around to stop and help.
• we salvage our values by bursting into sacrosanct oratorical discourses standardizing morality for others yet where do these that are being spoken about go when we are ranked among the top most in the fields of corruption, murder, land grabbing and every other avoidable issue?
• we are known for our capacity to make anything and everything cheaper than almost anyone else to appeal and make things available to quantity crowd. Ironically, we are also renowned for having prostitutes at one of the lowest prices (regardless of quality). These faceless many enter this "profession" not by choice yet because they have no other. Yet...
• we admire and prompt a porn star in becoming a superstar as we wait for the latest tweets from strippers announcing their latest nude pictures available online as we reinstate strict dress codes on our kith and kin-this is the culture of damned hypocrisy we live in today-at its best!
• we watch in silent approval people being arrested, tortured and silenced for showing dissent nevertheless voice it against politicians and the way we disapprovingly run this country... yet we make tall claims of our's being the "largest" democracy in the world. There are places here where people ask for the military who rape women and kill youth in the name of encounters to be removed yet those people's voices fall on deaf ears. There are places here where people voice their reaction against nuclear power plants set up in their soil they do not want as loud as their vocal chords can shout yet those great one's who run this country along with the technocrats would not mind building those giant structures over the dead backs of those who protest. 
• we have given the authority to stakeholders of our country's corruption Inc. the right to call our brothers and sisters fighting to protect our land, water and our people from miners, nuclear scientists, bio-technologists and every other worm-infested, self-interested, rapist-breeding on the bones of others, sucking into the marrow of those being labelled "grave internal threats"... who is?! I wonder.
• we have allowed public money to run alcohol business in the state as schools, colleges and hospitals have been handed over to corporates and private parties to run them as profit-making business houses and we call ours a welfare state?!
• we have moved ourselves into believing that roads can be constructed only by private agencies and for such "services" rendered are allowed to collect toll charges restricting our travel to only the rich who can afford such charges levied.
• we still pay those taxes, both direct and indirect, sincerely for all these so called "welfare" services which are seldom offered or offered to a selective few.
• we offer to elect people who give freebies sans knowing that everything "free" comes with a cost and someone is paying for it, often as is the case a regular tax payer.
• we are worried about national debts as we gape at the staggering figures of scams our country bears.
• we are a country with people who seldom speak and if they do try and their voice reaches the parliament, they are shut up for the rest of their miserable life. This land is the land of people whose virtuous silence one day will be the foundation on which our silenced souls shall be laid to rest. No more do we need the white man to swindle, plunder and steal... we are capable of doing it ourselves. Just our silence will do in thought and action-a silence with which we shall pay for all the inaction. 

Today is our Independence Day. The tri-colour will be hoisted at the Red Fort like every other year... how more symbolic can it get?! How more red can the Red Fort get than the blood of those freedom fighters who lost their lives to the white man before 1947 and to his own hence after. It has been a glorious 66 years since we victoriously got rid of the white man and claim to have got our independence and thus freedom (heavens bless the souls who gave up their life for it.) Freedom and Independence from what? from who? To be taken from the hands of the devil to be drowned in the wells of our very own?! 

What have I said that countless others haven't said a countless times even better? Now, what is it that I have said that is not known? 66 years old! and as old as a cunning-old-man who has learnt how to survive. As others dance, sing and shout on this glorious day the 'vande matarams', the 'jai hinds' and the 'Bharath Maatha ki jais', I shall too on this day forget everything and be reminded to be a Roman in Rome nevertheless an Indian in India and pretend to be unbothered by all that is happening around and shout, dance and scream in my fanatical best with utmost hypocrisy in passive anger...     

 Free at last, free at last... Thank God almightyWe are free at last   

(if not for real, atleast in my dreams... in silence, in desolate silent mourning fit for a dying nation nevertheless the zombies who inherit it.)

p.c: http://www.eltonsaysthings.com/2012_03_04_archive.html