THREE EVENTS

THREE IMPORTANT EVENTS TOOK PLACE IN INDIA ON 21 OCT 08 SPILLING OVER TO THE WEE HOURS OF THE NEXT DAY.
CHANDRAYAAN-THE UNMANNED MISSION TO THE MOON.
AUSSIES WERE CRUSHED IN THE SECOND TEST MATCH AT MOHALI BY INDIA.
RAJ THACKERAY, A LOCAL POLITICIAN, WAS ARRESTED,FREED ON BAIL AND ARRESTED AGAIN.
OF THE THREE EVENTS ANY SANE NATION WOULD RATE THE EVENTS IN THE SAME ORDER AS ABOVE. AS I SURFED THE NEWS CHANNELS I REALISED THE REVERSE TO BE TRUE. RAJ WAS SPLATTERED ALL OVER , HIS FOLLOWERS BEING COVERED LIVE AS THEY WENT ON A RAMPAGE DESTROYING PUBLIC PROPERTY. THE NEWS CHANNELS WERE ADDING TO THE MAYHEM BY DISPLAYING THE ISOLATED INCIDENTS OCCURING AT DIFFERENT PLACES TOGETHER ON THE SCREEN IN A CONTINUOUS LOOP.
CRICKET WAS ALLOTTED A COUPLE OF MINUTES OF FOOTAGE AND CHANDRAYAAN WAS A MERE FOOTNOTE EXCEPT ON ONE CHANNEL. LOCALISED CHAUVINISTIC VIOLENCE GAINED PRECEDENCE OVER SPORT (EVEN CRICKET) AND SCIENCE. NATIONAL SHAME WAS MORE NEWSWORTHY THAN NATIONAL PRIDE!
5.2 DAYS TO CONQUER THE MOON. 61 YEARS AND STILL COUNTING TO GET OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT.

URBAN SPACE

" I NEED MY SPACE ..." IS AN OFT USED CLICHE IN THE CITIES THESE DAYS. WE ARE AFTERALL PROUD URBANITES AND NOT VILLAGE BUMPKINS.
WHAT IS RATHER STRIKINGLY IRONIC IS THAT WHILE THE URBANITE ZEALOUSLY GUARDS HIS/HER NEED FOR' SPACE' THEY BECOME LONELY DUE THIS VERY SPACE WHICH THEY CREATED AND THEN CRAVE FOR COMPANY !

WE SHUT OUT THE MUSIC OF THE MORNINGS AND LISTEN TO IPOD SHUFFLES INSTEAD WHILE JOGGING; WE HATE INTRUSIONS TO OUR PRIVACY BUT CARRY THE BIGGEST INTRUDER OF THEM ALL-THE MOBILE PHONE- EVERYWHERE AS IF OUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT. I SEE GROUPS OF TEENAGERS HANGING OUT TOGETHER EACH ONE ENGROSSED IN THEIR OWN MOBILES. MORE AND MORE PEOPLE ARE SPENDING QUALITY TIME WITH THEIR GADGETS THAN WITH EACH OTHER. MY WIFE MET A SCHOOLFRIEND AFTER TWO DECADES WHO GUSHED" LETS CATCH UP ON FACEBOOK". ALL THIS REMINDS ME OF A LADY WHO USED TO TAKE HER HUMONGOUS DOG FOR A WALK DAILY HANGING FOR LIFE AT ONE END OF THE LEASH GETTING DRAGGED THE ENTIRE ROUTE MAKING US WONDER AS TO WHO WAS TAKING WHOM FOR A WALK.I AM SURE THE DOG KNEW, I SUSPECT THE GADGETS KNOW.

THE OSTRICH,TURTLE AND MONKEY APPROCH

WHEN TROUBLE HITS US THESE ARE THREE DIFFERENT APPROACHES WHICH WE CAN TAKE.
THE OSTRICH HIDES ITS FACE IN THE SAND FOOLISHLY THINKING THE STORM WILL BLOW OVER LEAVING HIS WHOLE BODY EXPOSED.
THE TURTLE WITHDRAWS WITHIN ITSELF USING ITS SHELL TO BRAVE THE ELEMENTS. THIS IS WHAT THE WISE PEOPLE DO. YOU NEED UNLIMITED FAITH AND PATIENCE FOR THIS APPROACH.
THE FIDGETY BUT BRAVE MONKEY CLIMBS THE TALLEST TREE AND SURVEYS THE HORIZON, TRIES TO FATHOM THE PATH OF THE STORM AND SEEK A WAY OUT. BRAVE BUT RISKY. IF THE STORM HITS AT THE TIME WHEN HE IS STICKING HIS NECK OUT HE COULD BE SERIOUSLY INJURED. IF HE FINDS A WAY OUT BEFORE THIS HAPPENS HE MEETS SUCCESS LEAVING EVERYONE BEHIND.
WHICH OF THE THREE ARE WE? ALL THREE EXIST IN US.PANIC AND LACK OF KNOWLEDGE MAKES AN OSTRICH OF US. EXPERIENCE AND INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER BRINGS OUT THE TURTLE OR THE MONKEY IN US.

DEPRESSION 2009

We were in an upmarket pub last saturday. The stockmarkets had crashed on Friday the world over-India too. People kept pouring in like bad news to have a merry time well past midnight. The music 'rocked' louder and louder; birthdays were being celebrated while the crowd was getting wilder and wilder. It was as if no one here had seen the news and was blissfully unaware of the worlds mess. Or maybe the world is unaware of what is happening in india.
Just that morning our servant had asked us as to when the prices of vegetables would come down. Their schoolgoing children had not had veggies for the last month. Maybe we are all staying in different worlds.