STOP ACID ATTACKS....!!

The horrid nightmare stings,
in many a sleepless night.
She shivers, she cries,
at her own sight.

With her skin, she is corroded from inside
and feels completely shattered.
Broken from within, her confidence gone,
Her life is totally tattered.

Womanhood weeps
at this brutal insanity.
It burns not only her,
but the whole of humanity.

Slowly, her tears have dried,
Gradually she steps out of her gloom.
As a spark ignites her heart,
she prepares to fight till his doom.

She glorifies the mirth of a girl,
her bravery, a slap on the devil's face.
Any heinous or evil act is a sign,
of an unsound and rotten race.

She dazzles with her boldness,
and never looked so pretty.
As the want of justice flares up,
her courage reflects her beauty.

So she shall stand tall
and shall awaken the statues of wax.
Her earnest desire is to,
just stop acid attacks.

BEING LEGAL....

The Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) results were announced a few days back. Almost 35,000 students from all over the country, had appeared for the exam, to compete for 1400 seats in 15 National Law Universities (NLUs).

Law, as a career option, is fast becoming popular. Jodhpur, that takes pride in being the hometown of the present Chief Justice of India, Rajendra Mal Lodha, has emerged as a law hub. The city has witnessed the rise of several law coaching institutes and many students from the city have got through excellent law colleges.

In the earlier years, Law as a career option was considered to be exclusively for the academically "backward" students. ' Jo kuch nahi kar sakta, vo law karta tha'. However, recent trends show that this prejudice is now fading, for many bright minds too, are going for law.

The number of students appearing for CLAT has risen dramatically since 2010. The reason for this sudden craze for Law, is the wide range of opportunities and career prospects that the field offers. 

In government jobs or in corporate law, there are really handsome packages. A degree in law is also a starting point of political career in many cases. Be it Kapil Sibbal, Ram Jethmalani, Sushma Swaraj or Digvijay Singh, all of them possess a law degree.

Students not only from Humanities, but also from Commerce and Science backgrounds are now opting for Law. In fact, 60% of the CLAT aspirants are from Commerce stream.
However, it is the subjects of Humanities, like Political Science, History, Economics, Geography, etc. that are most helpful for law aspirants. This is because these subjects provide a strong base. Political science covers most of political theory, legislation, acts, important SC judgments, constitutional parts, articles, etc. History deals with world history and Indian history in great detail. Economics covers policies, five year plans, taxes and other such things. All this makes about 75%  of the static GK asked in CLAT or other Law entrance tests. There are questions from science also but not of much weightage.

Even with our population size, 'universal legal literacy' is not impossible to achieve.

If people are aware of the law of the land, the weaker sections of the society will learn what they are entitled to, they will develop rational and logical thinking and finally, they will be able to break the prison of stereotypes and blind faiths they are confined within. Even the criminal minded rogues will fear to act illegally if people are 'legally' empowered. If the work-shirking leaders realise their responsibilities, only then can we have a developed, rational minded, educated and safe society.

WOUND WITH THE WIND....

Almost all people have some significant memory of their childhood. Be it of getting scolded, of having indulged in fights or meeting with an accident. The last Saturday (19th April) was a day I shall never forget.
Just like any other normal day, I went for my weekend Maths coaching. Hardly had five minutes passed, that the ceiling fan suddenly started feeling bored and decided to take a break. Down came the 'till then very well working' fan, smoothly slashed my left cheek and crash-landed against the wall.
All of it was so sudden and unexpected. My face felt so numb, and only when the hot blood started dripping, did I realize that I had been hit.
What a scene it was!! Sir rushed me to the nearest hospital to get the wound bandaged, and called my parents. After consulting all the family doctors and other experts, it was decided that I would have to get stitches. That word in itself made me dizzy. I must admit, I was initially scared to hell!
However, the hospital wasn't as bad as I had thought it would be. It was probably the girly spirit in me that gave me the strength to take 'selfies' even at that moment.
The experience in the Operating Theater was even more exciting. The image in my mind for an OT till then had been of a typical large and quiet room, with dull grey walls, lots of machines and equipment and medicines and doctors. What I saw was incredibly Indian! There were some 3-4 rooms within the Operating Area and lots of noise, chatter, scattered newspapers, a loud FM and doctors casually taking calls. Even in my room, the nurses were busy chatting and gossiping while they assembled all the material. A few surgeries were lined up and I had to wait for sometime. Luckily, my nanu had come over to our place, who being a doctor, was allowed to accompany me inside. That somehow lessened my anxiety.
It was a 45-minute surgery and I got around 20 stitches in multiple layers. The cut wasn't very long but was quite deep, almost an inch. Thanks to anesthesia, I did not feel any pain.
 Worse than a wound, is the side-effect of the pills that are prescribed afterwards. The painkillers caused a hell lot of lethargy and drowsiness and the antibiotics messed up with the stomach.
Today, exactly a week after the horrifying incident, I got my stitches removed and am feeling quite better.

What I am feeling glad about is, that the blade of the fan did not hit me near the eyes or chin or forehead. It was indeed God's miracle that saved me from a fatal injury.

'Selfie' in the hospital

A day after the surgery

INCREDIBLE INDIAN.......!!

Barring exceptions, an average Indian is highly impulsive and quite irrational. Sad, but true. We live so much in the present that we lose all our farsightedness. People are habitual of being judgmental and rarely make fair and balanced decisions. We believe more in emotions and the trend, and less in evidence or reason.

We can go gaga over something and can be highly capricious even at the smallest flaw.  Yuvraj's performance this time disappointed everyone. Definitely, we had high hopes from our star but the way he has been blamed and condemned for being the reason for India’s defeat, is very unjust. Man of the match, man of the series during Under-15 and Under-19 World Cup and remembered greatly for his six sixes, the dauntless person who fought cancer is suddenly a loser for the people…! Just imagine, people pelted stones at his house just because he was not in form this time..! This behaviour is not only uncouth but also disgraceful and shameful...!! Is this the spirit sports inculcate in us..? These vandals just cannot be cricket fans...

Even the Aam Admi party has been subject to the same fate. In the initial months, it was an ideal of honesty, a savior of democracy, an advocate of the common man and what not. Now, just because the few months old party could not manage itself properly, the same people who were all praises for AAP, have now turned their backs to it. It is true that much more was expected of AAP and their immature and 'contradicting their own statements' attitude has broken faith, but their intentions and working are still far better than the corrupt and selfish parties, who have done little for the country. We tend to get so carried away by emotions of the moment, that we lose our ability to think about something from all directions...

Also, the people have to be shaken from their slumber of ignorance time to time. Anna's anti-corruption movement had awakened people, strengthened them and boosted morale. That positive and invigorating wave could have brought lot many changes, if it could last for long. But what happened, everything died down with time…

Last, but not the least, Indians can pass off as great hypocrites! Our words and actions do not match. We talk of equality on one hand, and favour the influential on the other. We support secularism but indulge greatly in caste politics. We speak of women empowerment, and beat, burn and bury the aspirations of a woman in the male dominated society.

My purpose is not to defame us Indians, but bring out our flaws. Indians are the most hardworking and have great calibre and potential. Our intentions are rarely bad, but unfortunately our attitude is.

We have to get over daily trifles, petty issues and value a person on account of merit, not one’s gender, caste or power.  We have to be clear, practical, and logical and learn to walk the talk. Only then can we make the best out of our strength, our population, and climb the stairs of development…

Let's KHAAPitulate......

The debate on khaaps is a burning topic, and with more and more allegations and criticisms these days, it has gained more momentum...

Local panchayats, where some oldies sit on khats under a banyan tree, smoke hukka leisurely and enjoy the scene as some people beat up an innocent woman, just for having married outside her caste, are a common feature in most villages in India.These khaps have since long, been violators of human rights. These rigid panchayats are a big reason for the so-called 'honour killings' , persistence of untouchability, male chauvinism in rural areas, suppression of women, religious superstitions, and many other social evils, that prevail in our rural society.These kangaroo courts can go to the extent of even ordering a woman to be gang-raped as a punishment, getting the so-called 'low caste' people beaten for apparently no reason at all or expelling some members out of the society due to some foolish superstitions.

People in villages have not been able to progress or develop because of their ridiculous diktats. The traditional mentality of people has stayed which makes them unwilling to accept changes, and the fear of these people has prevented them from being able to take independent decisions.

If khaps are such a burden on the locals themselves, why do we have them?

In the older times, such communities existed because conflicts, land disputes, resource distribution matters,etc. had to be solved and the elders of the society were considered to be the wisest for this purpose.

In today's time, even with the presence of a decentralized polity and a strong judicial system, people approach khaaps because:

They can't  go to courts due to lack of time, means and money.

They feel land disputes, matrimonial affairs,etc. are best solved at the hands of this local judiciary.

Orthodox cultural families who don't like state interference in their culture, have strong faith in traditional panchayats and prefer to get their personal matters solved through khaaps.

Approaching the police in backward rural areas is practically useless since they are either not available       most of the time or are too lazy and unwilling to work. They are also often corrupt and work under the       influence of the powerful.

Thus, with such great power and age-old legitimacy, these khaaps have very smoothly exploited people for their own selfish needs.

Why can't the government ban khaps?

Firstly, it is unconstitutional. All of us have a Fundamental Right to Association under the Right to Freedom, Article 19 (c).

Secondly, it is not a registered institution. Rightly put by Arvind Kejriwal, if we put a ban on khaaps, they will come out with some other name. How many communities can we ban?

How do we get rid of this problem?

Each khaap should register itself with the government. Until khaps are not institutionalized legally, it will be   difficult to take action against them.

Increase the efficiency of police to ensure law and order in villages.

They should be allowed to take decisions on certain specified subjects only.  A government body should be constituted that keeps a check on the working of khaaps.

ENTERTAINMENT EXTRAVAGANZA.....

Lately, I've been atttending a number of weddings. With this 'big fat Indian wedding season' on, the town is painted red and festivity is in the air...

I've always relished the splendour of Indian weddings. We have always enjoyed marriage as a festival, not like some formal function. Unlike the quiet, solemn weddings of the west, our weddings are full of chaos, noise, pomp and show. Whilst the ceremonies in west are a matter of few hours, our festivities are weeks long with the maximum rituals and customs.
And how can we forget the 'baarat'?? The happiest people on earth, dancing to let the crowded streets and the impatient traffic know of their immense pleasure. The band leads the gang, with the most unimaginable bollywood songs on the trumpet....

At the venue, it is interesting to look at the sparkling girly dresses and  the beautiful decoration.
It is amusing to see toddlers and a little older ones, enjoying the music thoroughly and running to and fro, with their angry moms desparately persauding them to stay in place.
Then there's exchanging greetings and wishes with the bride's or the groom's parents, who after a lot of protest,accept your gifts ...
The most essential feature of the weddings are the diverse and delicious delicacies... interesting salads, chaats, noodles, paneer and ice-creams, and lots more. Being a big foody, I am honestly more concerned with the food than anything else. It's something in the air at wedding eves which makes even a simple dish taste so different...

The bride and the groom, supposed to be the most important and happy people of the eve, are planted on the stage and are trapped in the series of 'clicks' and 'pics' , having to pose for a photograph every time guests come up to them...

Many people though, criticize the grand expenditure in the weddings as they feel a large amount of the food goes waste, fresh flowers and leaves used in decorations are perishable and hence not worth the price, and money spent here could be used for the needy. But with time, we need to change our perception..

Wedding ceremonies employ a large number of people. The event managers, the decoration agency, the photographers,the printers, the drivers,the beauticians, the caterers, the dancers and the cleaners,etc. are paid handsomely.
In place of charity, this seems to be a better way of spending money since it provides employment and ensures circulation of money....

TIME FOR INTROSPECTION....

On 26 January, we celebrated 65 glorious years of being the world's largest Republic. It was an enchanting moment when the Tiranga unfurled and it was equally breathtaking to watch our proud forces march on the Rajpath. The colourful tableaux (jhanki) of the states and ministries are a great symbol of our culture. The awesome tanks, magnificent missiles, amazing aircraft , etc. are symbols of our strength and power...
But are we really so colourful, strong and bold??

Even after almost six decades, our nation still suffers from many horrendous malpractices. What binds us today is not our culture, but our plight.Suppression of women, discrimination, dominance of kangaroo courts, honour killings and illiteracy are just some evils which this largest democracy has still not been able to do away with. The shackles of poverty and corruption are still preventing us from moving towards growth and development.....

But India is a tiger for sure. A weak and old tiger, which has no teeth,no claws and no roar. A peace loving nation that we are, when someone comes and starts building roads on our land, we keep cool. Worse, someone comes and beheads our brave men, we ''talk and negotiate'' at some flag meetings and that's it..!! Our shameful cowardice is hidden in the veil of our ''non-aggression policy''....
Although our 'non-violence' principles are commendable for maintaining international peace, we mustn't appear 'unable' or 'scared'.  

Staging our glory is a must, for it inculcates a feeling of patriotism. But at the same time, we must remember that quality groundwork is more important. We can show our worth to the world by working harder on our weaknesses and eradicating social evils. We are blessed with such an un-matched diverse culture, a rich history and heritage, such intelligent minds, et al. We do have the potential to turn into a global giant....let's make the best use of our resources....
                         
                                                   JAI  HIND..!!!

AAPlaud the change.....

It was indeed a very Happy New Year this time as we celebrated the glorious triumph of the common man in the capital. Starting from an anti-corruption Satyagraha, AAP has brought a positive energy in the country. Honesty, dedication and sincerity have finally found some place in the Indian polity....

With promising leaders , AAP has given our democracy a new dimension. They have worked hard along with the activists till late at night, moved without security, tolerated all absurd criticism and have tried to walk their talk... 

Frustrated ministers of BJP, Congress and others have been making weird comments on AAP, which only proves their helplessness and weakness. The carping behaviour of their party members is equally malicious. The voters, who have been behind the monumental victory of AAP, unrealistically expect an overnight change....

What needs to be appreciated is the honest intention and hardwork of the party. People should understand that the decades long corruption and poor governance cannot vanish in a jiffy. We need to be patient and give them some time to fulfill their promises. Till then what would suffice is the pledge taken by the common men (voters) on 28th December on the Ramleela grounds...