Saturday, August 21, 2010

Eye-opener...

Two/three weeks ago,

Was heading towards Malleshwara to meet Hemanth, Yogesh n Susheem @ Beagles. I boarded a BMTC from Byats.

Come Hebbal, three dumb fellas board the bus. They were busy communicating among themselves through sign language (which differed from our sign language... I felt it much more complex. Couldn't make much outa it) By their outfits they looked like Malayalis. How stupid am I to associate dumb with a language?

They incessantly communicated while I was busy playing dominoes on my mobile watching them at random intervals.

Two were seated at my back, One was facing me. You know, it was that kinda bus where four people can face each other on one compartment.

The expression on their face appears atleast over-acting; atleast to me. Ex: Laughing forcibly... Thats how they communicate. I might be a bit harsh here but thats the case with most of the handicapped.

While they communicated I never noticed the person in front of me using mobile. I was of the notion that mobiles are with everyone these days even with sweepers (not to condemn them, but addressing by their job)

I had overlooked the dumb chap using mobile. It all suddenly flashed to me when we were at Mekhri grade seperator. Of all of them, why a dumb guy has a mobile phone? What would he do with that if he cannot speak to it?

It was not a smartphone or a phone that can have any applications like games, video, audio... It was a plain Vodafone ZTE 125. You can't even listen to radio on it.

I now noticed him. Thanks to SMS. They communicate via SMS. Glad they teach them English along with their sign language.

I observed the guy till I got down at Central, and was smiling to accustom another simple but eye-opening experience.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

On Independence Day...

Independence Day:

1. For Politicians, its another day to move around places, praising Gandhi, Nehru (dunno what he did to get Independence), Bose, et al making people know what they think is actually Independence day.

2. For Corporate employees, its a welcome holiday (though not quite this year, they missed it)

3. For the workoholics, its doesn't make a difference; they head to the vacant office.

4. For Students, though a holiday, they're forced to go to school to celebrate the I-day toiling in ground performing mechanical exercises (trained for months) to entertain the chief guests presiding the function, getting a (peppermint | laddoo | boondi) as compensation.

5. For the flag sellers, the only time of business. They don't mind plastic flags lying down on streets on I-Day itself. They just want to sell the flags.
6. For the RJs, its the time they recollect old/retro desha bhakti music for a day or two and air it.

7. For the visual media people, its again time to showcast of old movies which will just be skipped by the current generation. Some do telecast some stupid movies like Rang De Basanti grandeuring Bhagat Singh, Azad et al. Some do it for Gandhi n co.

8. For the messagoholics, crib about against some operators who suspend free messages for today; for the rest of some single day independence enthusiasts, it finishes their free messages while dawn forwarding messages of patriotism.

9. For the extremist enthusiasts, as mentioned before like Rang De Basanti provoked, they feel the urge to glorify the extremists and scold the likes of Gandhi...

10. For fake patriots, its just a time to play some tunes of famous musicians like Jai Ho, Vande Mataram... blah blah blah...

For someone with my mindset, the day has lost its prominence, not only prominence but meaning. One can see many people cribbing about the pathetic state the nation is in (including me), but none are willing to take it forward. Everybody is of the mindset, what can one mortal like me do?

The scenario before and after Independence in 1947 is no different. The only difference is that instead of the foreigners, the in house dacoits are looting the nation. Not one single party but all in a group are pushing the nation to a state of no return. There is this corruption cacophony, mining mafia, globalization ghost, corporate culture, exploitation of the poor (poor are mere votebanks), Reservation regime problems to name a few major issues haunting the nation today. The people in power do not hesitate to sell their nation for their wellbeing.

These things are easy said than faced. There are some honest people in politics who try to build a nation they dreamed. There is no one solution for this problem the country is facing. Some feel the politicians must be shooted in face, corruption must be rooted out blah blah blah... How can this be done? None has an answer. Everyone can give such hypothetical answers which aren't practical. Again, there are these foreign returned bureaucrats who compare our nation to the one they visited and say, "In that country its like this... but here... shit..." and compare each and everything. They do least to improve their country. They don't know in their remote corner of their brains that India (Bharata) was more dignified a nation than it is today. And the reason why it is in the current state is due to the people of the same countries these bureaucrats. Aint it?

There are instances wherein, people who've seen the freedom struggle, compare the earlier days and feel they're better. They feel there wasn't much corruption as it is today. Imitation has become the prime activity of the nation. When do we stop it? Aint this pub culture, corporate culture an imitation of the west? Why did we need independence if we mere imitate?

Have we atleast achieved political independence as of today? The whole country dances to the tunes of the Italian lady and her children. How many conversions are happening all over the country? The corporates are waiting for the decisions made the American presidents for their existence... Crap!!

Take farmers. Its said that more than 80 lakhs of farmers have commited suicide since 1990s. What do we eat, if none works out in the field? I can't imagine a scenario where everybody has money but they don't have food.
See again... I've started cribbing about it incessently... I can go on n on n on... not only me... everyone in the nation. There is no point in cribbing. Do something. Do your bit everyday n get satisfied that I did this for the betterment of the country. That would give you some satisfaction than doin nothing.

Independence is no praising of the freedom fighters, no cribbing about the state of nation, no patriotic movies/songs...

DO YOUR BIT TO SERVE THE NATION.