"Save me from the Autograph hunters. They are terrorising me!"

When Rome was burning...

Or something on those lines.

MS Dhoni (whom I LOVE as a captain/cricketer) is not happy with the 2 dozen cops giving him cover.

So in these tense times, the cops are going to up HIS security.

This is what our country needs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He has definitely come down a rung or two in my eyes.

Keep this up, and you will be hit on the head with the pedestal we have put you on.

Maximum City

Maximum deaths were at CST. Maximum coverage was not on it though. Maximum blame will probably be on the cops in the station, because CCTV caught their inaction.
Maximum bias, maximum insecurity, maximum snobbery, maximum city.

Added: Gnani has said it much better and much more forcefully here.

I am sick and tired...

I am sick and tired
Not just of the bastards who did that to my country – and I don’t mean the politicians alone…

I am sick and tired of those who take on a holier-than-thou attitude

Of those who see demons in everything and everyone

Of those who blame without basis

And of those who dub any opposing view as a ‘generalisation’

Of those who talk about being open to discussion… but only if all that is discussed is in agreement with what they feel or say

I am sick and tired of those who want to act as if sectarianism doesn’t exist in India, or if it does, talking about it makes you a culprit too

I am sick and tired of how bloody indifferent people can be

When I commented here that “I am totally dumb struck by the non-Mumbai folks out here who seem to be rather unmoved by the incident” it was taken as an accusation of me generalising, and making it a Mumbai-nonMumbai thing. When in fact I was making it exactly the opposite!!!!!!!

I don’t care to be rude to people who have an opinion on what I say or write, as some people are wont to do. Because I know when you are rude, your meaning is never heard, only your rudeness causes hurt.

Why did I say that in that comment? There are dozens of reasons why…

I am stating a few here…

1. A friend of mine (born-bred Mumbai, origin somewhere further south) was actually asked with a smirk by at least 3 ‘non-Mumbai Indians’ – What is happening to your Mumbai now? Her Danish and British colleagues showed a lot more sense and sensitivity. They enquired about her family, and then her country!

2. There are quite a few Indians in my workplace. Only some of us were frantic with worry. The others barely showed a passing interest. They didn’t have family there, they don’t know what or where Colaba and CST are. So the attack didn’t deserve more than a ‘ha, yes…” On the very day we were out on work, and at that meeting so many of the foreigners came up to me and asked me about the situation. They saw me as an Indian, and asked me about India.

3. Sun TV carried wide coverage of the cyclone (which all the ‘national’ channels totally ignored. Close to 100 dead and thousands displaced!). Sun TV’s coverage of the Mumbai attack was at best indifferent. While it showed a 15 minute footage of that nepotistic MK distributing bread to the cyclone affected, it dismissed off the ongoing Mumbai crisis in a couple of minutes.

4. When a fellow South Asian told me (in reference to the young terrorist) “When you see bad things, you do bad things”, the other Indians who were with me just nodded. They couldn’t even be bothered to take offence at what that guy was saying. The people who were so brutally murdered, deserved it?

5. Someone who obviously was not following the news told me, ‘I am sure they let go of all the Muslim hostages! And no Muslim died’

6. And more than a dozen people told me, “oh Muslims, no wonder!” I almost prayed then (and I never do) that not one of those terrorists turns out to be an Indian. Because we know what would follow.

7. Then 2 people on Thursday told me that this is in response to what ‘the minorities endured’.

8. I stopped counting at 10, when people either invited me or spoke about catching the latest releases that night.

9. And when I spoke about the indifference of some here, I was asked by a friend, “What if it had happened elsewhere. Not in Mumbai or Delhi or Bangalore… Would you still be so upset?” Would I? I seriously hope so. I would probably be far more devastated if it happened in Chennai, because it is my city, and the victims could well be my near and dear ones. But I would be scared and angry wherever this took place… I would feel threatened for my country.

10. One person told me (must be a cousin of R R Patil) that the whole thing seems so much bigger, because of the live coverage.

11. And then so many didn’t even mention the attack.

12. And well, every single person who had these weird comments/ideas was a non-Mumbaikar, they couldn't identify with what was happening.

Does that mean I found no ‘Indian’ patriot here? It doesn’t. Fortunately, R & I are picky about our friends, and they (and their friends) were all angered/saddened/upset/concerned by what was happening.

Unfortunately, during the course of my work day, I interact with people who are not all to my taste or liking, many of whom are Indians. And quite a few of them figure in the list above.

I speak of my experiences, not my personal opinions, so how the hell can someone question that? Don’t we all make up minds based on our experiences?

I am not going to bury my head in the sand and claim every single Indian was affected by this. Because every single Indian obviously was not. And they anger me almost as much as those who did that to India.

We are so divided as a country. So bloody divided. North, South, West and we don’t even give enough thought to the East!

I am also sick and tired of people talking about my right to comment on India because I don’t live there… I have whole different take on that, but will save it for another post.

And one more thing, I here voices out there saying we can’t brand all Pakistanis as our enemies. Yes, let’s not. But Pakistan is, whether we like it or not. At the height of the Kargil crisis when R & I refused to buy Pakistani produce here (we work with Pakistanis and are cordial enough with them), people mocked us, saying we were new to the Gulf, and will soon forget all this. We haven’t. We still don’t.

I agree we cannot blame X who lives in Islamabad or Y in Lahore for this. But as a country, they can’t shrug off their responsibility in escalating terrorism.

I am not done with this rant, so will continue soon. And unlike some, I don’t mind being disagreed with, as long as it’s done civilly.

Bewildered birds

The pigeons kept flying back to around the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Pigeons that are as much a part of that landscape as the sea and the Gateway...
Even as they would fly away with every blast or shot, they would congregate again in no time.
They must have been bewildered… as the rest of the country. Bewildered that their neighbourhood is under attack!

Special Question to Raj Bhai

Dear Raj Bhai
How could you allow north Indian commandos and NSGs to enter your beloved city and interfere? What audacity that they could come and rescue Mumbai.
With no regards or love
Umm

Someone should tell this asshole now that is what a Nation is about. People not only go where opportunities lie (like to Mumbai), but when in need, it doesn't matter where the eff or who the eff needs it, you pitch in as Indians.

I have some questions? Do you have some

• Cops, Home Ministry related...
• What is the budget allocated to our police forces?
• What part of the budget goes into infrastructure and equipment?
• Is that really a bullet-proof vest that the cops were wearing?
• Or was it just some foam look-alike?
• What kind of training do our cops have in combat situations?
• What is the use of having a stupid old man as a Home Minister?
• Are only idiots appointed to the position. Since Advani was one, and he was stupid enough to go to an active area and create distraction.
• What will happen to the families of all the cops who died?
• How come the terrorists had easy access to the Taj floor plan, but our NSG didn't have it?
  
  Emergency services...
  
• Why is it that we don't have one? (Qatar a tiny country has a huge fleet of EMS, including air ambulances. The response time of road ambulance is between 7-10 mts max)
  
• Why is that we have world-class tertiary care (private) but the more important universal primary health care and emergency services (responsibility of government) is so pathetic?
  
• What went through the mind of the health minister when he saw the injured being dragged by their feet and hands as part of rescue?
  
• Aren't we worried that the Maruthi Omni we use for ambulances is a very unstable vehicle?
  
• What exactly is done with the taxes?
  
  Media
  Not because I am a print media journo, but because it is just so stark -- why are broadcast journalists so bloody unprofessional? (Any upstart who can hold a mic becomes a star journalist)
  
• Objectivity doesn't equal insensitivity. Do these people realise that?
  
• Is Barkha Dutt a conflict mongering, shallow, sadistic pig?
  
• I have worked with some fantastic print journalists, seen them in action -- where ground work and deep though guided their words. So how come these so called journalists on TV are getting away with such nonsense?
  
• Don't you have a better question to ask a survivor than: How are you feeling now?
  
• Why were there no side stories, that required more than standing in the site of action?
  The print and online media gave the truth about Nariman House much before the TV channels did. What was the support team covering the combat doing?
  
• Is it spirit of Mumbai that they carry on with life, or just weariness that the effing politicians will do nothing in any case?
  
  There are so many more questions on my mind, very few answers… do you have any answers or questions? Will continue...
  

If you can read Tamil

Please read this spot-on piece by Blogeswari.

What colour success?

ETA Post Script

This really weird and depressing news item appeared in Outlook last month. Where will we Indians, draw the line? Why are we so obsessed with being fair -- meaning complexion, not just. Firang sperm? Give me a break!!!!!!!!!
If we obsess about the colour of our skin, there are other equally discriminatory, ego-mocking rituals elsewhere in the world.

Here in the Middle East 16 and 17-year-olds undergo invasive procedures to get that almost unnoticeable tilt to their nose, plump up their lips, curve their cheek bones… Who told them that they are not good enough without thicker lips and higher cheek bones?

I am surrounded by looks-obsessed folks out here. I know people who would skip a doc appointment in favour of a beauty parlour session.

How bad can our self esteem get?

Whether we are conscious of it or not, we are bombarded with messages that tell us we are not good enough, as we are.

Have you seen the Garnier wrinkle ad -- where are the wrinkles on the model’s face? Why the hell do we have to worry about something that would be visible only under the most advanced microscope.

Yes, Dove runs real beauty campaign. But it is just a bloody ad gimmick, as the same company produces the mother of all self-esteem crushers Fair & Lovely.

Our hair, our face, our skin, our laugh lines... why is ageing or looking like normal human being seen as such a blight?
I have cousins, otherwise smart and reasonable, who are so hung up about marrying fair women. Why is fair equated with beautiful or even presentable? It's common knowledge that fairer the skin, earlier the ageing!

Now the obsession with skinniness. Different races have different body shapes – a shape determined by nature after zillions of years of research on what would best suit the climate, environment and other conditions of the native region. Why mess with that?
I am not talking about slim vs obese. I am talking about anorexic-thin vs normal bmi.
Yet, even Indian stores stock sizes that would only fit a much smaller build like those from the Far East. Indian women have hips and boobs, and bit more in the middle. That’s why they look drop dead gorgeous in sarees.

If it is not how we look, then it is about what we will become. So bloody well give your child Horlicks, or woe behold he/she may be disinterested in maths and take up arts! What the eff?

What's wrong with dark skin?

What's wrong with child bearing hips?

What's wrong with a little flesh on the booty?

Is it the end of the world if your eyebrows are not quite aligned?

And what the heck is the problem with a bit of fizzy hair now and then?

I am all for grooming oneself well, being presentable and doing what it takes to feel good about self.
But the sad thing is, the more obsessed we get with the way we appear, the more we invest in products and treatment, less happy with ourselves.

When O was born, the first (and last) thing everyone seemed to notice was the colour of her skin. I was ready to throw up my post-natal health food on them… why couldn’t they notice how cheerful she was with visitors? Why couldn’t they notice how amazing genetics is, and she has a mole in the exact same spot on the ear as her dad? Why couldn’t they comment about how healthy she was?


Nopes. Those were not as important as the light skin.

Because R & I are BROWN, and O is a deep beige, people openly wonder how I managed that? What did I eat when I was pregnant? Bleach and Fair & Lovely, pals.

I didn’t realise that this was having an effect on her till a couple of years ago. We were planning on adoption then, and were slowly introducing the subject to her… and O told me she didn’t want a brown baby. That’s when R & I consciously started talking to her about how flippant and unimportant these things were. How could I blame the 5-year-old? She was constantly hearing folks talk about fair equals cute/beautiful. That’s all that she saw on TV, except for the annoying Raven. Fair skin, light hair, make-up. Kids’ channels reinforce these stereotypes too.

I have always been partial towards dark skin. Give me a well-dressed guy with dark skin, a day-old stubble and a smile, I will swoon! I feel light skin only augments all your facial flaws.

Just look at the folks below… can you imagine anyone of them fairer and better looking?



PS: A friend called to ask if I have a problem with 'light skinned' folks. No, I don't. My mum and 2 sisters are 'fair' and gorgeous despite not because of that. I just feel that a majority of us in India are not light skinned, and we shouldn't feel like it is a disadvantage! Does it really matter? And as MG said how boring if we all looked the same. Fair skinned, silky hair, 'perfect' nose or whatever...

Too many thoughts whirling through my mind...

...and not all of them very clear or cohesive. So I am just going to post something that is really worth a read.

MadMomma wrote this.

Meanwhile, Ammani had commented on a previous post that "we would all be better off if we had fewer religions and frankly, a little less of God." Yes, I agree.

And she also said: "They are not discussions but people merely putting forth ideas that they are already convinced of. I do not for a minute believe that anyone concerned would've changed their views one bit. It is merely an exercise in vain."

This I can't agree with. These ARE discussions. And if it has a positive impact on at least one person, it is not an exercise in vain. We are not born with our prejudices and opinions; that comes only with experience and discussion...

As I said, I am muddling through a zillion thoughts, a lot of which makes me terribly queasy and uncomfortable... I am also 'overthinking' this. In bed, while driving, at work, sometimes even when I am reading a book... I am worried about a lot that is happening around me and within me.

So when I can think of this soberly and with a little less emotion, I will put down my thoughts.

Finally, they say it!

PS: Unfortunately, there is no weblink. Click on the image to enlarge. If this is not readable -- and believe me, you HAVE to read the entire thing -- then tell me and I will upload a larger image.

Priceless Gavaskar

And I don't mean it a nice way.

Just when the Blue Caps were moving away from being a team of record-setters to a record-setting team, here is what Mr Sunny Gavaskar comes up with, during the 2nd day of the 3rd Test between Aus & India.
Priceless.

Soon after VVS Lakshman scores a century and Gautham Gambhir is a dozen short of his double, Sunny Bhai says:

"Just as Gambhir helped Lakshman reach his 100, not playing foolish shots, now it's Lakshman's turn to help Gambhir reach his 200."

Excuse me, how about some winning advice instead? That they set a big enough score by end of day for the Aussies. After all we have enough wickets in hand.

YOU don't have to prove anything!!!!!!!

Southways is angry -- an anger I can understand and face quite often.
If my post made people like her or anyone else to prove their Indian-ness, I must apologise.
As most opinions or emotions go, this is also very much guided by personal experiences.
When my husband or his family criticise the BJP or RSS, people tend to smirk saying because they are Christians. It angers me. They criticise them because they are Indians with a vote! I used to defend them saying my father in law served the country in the army, my husband's greatest ambition was to be part of the armed forces (though it didn't happen)... until I realised that what I was doing was wrong. Why the hell should they prove anything to anybody?
Everytime people say something about Christians I want to tell them, 'oh but my husband believes in buying only Indian made stuff'... sometimes it slips out, but most often I bite my tongue. Because, as he says he doesn't 'effing have to prove anything to anyone'.
So I can understand Southways anger.

I wrote the 'comments' on the post reading Broom, MM and MG. Not the posts. I would have to be semi-literate or illiterate to question MM's Indian-ness.

But in defense of what I said earlier -- I believe in nationhood. And I do feel we need to work together as Indians, we need to all put our Indian-ness over our religious preferences.

There are people who don't believe in the concept of nation-hood. that's their problem.
I believe in it. So every argument and defence from me would be from that stand.

And yes, it would help if not all comments towards Hindus/Hinduism is negative. It would help even more if there are some positive comments thrown our way.
I say this, because I am a Hindu. What is so wrong with that?

That was my basic premise. Don't demonise us! And don't twist a simple post into a PhD thesis on religious differences. For goodness' sake, give me a break!

About Dave's comments on my earlier post, half of which I don't understand, and the other half I don't agree with, I can only say this.
You don't believe in the concept of 'Nation'; I not only believe in it, it is EXTREMELY important to me. So after this there is really nothing we can argue about that would make sense to either of us. But say you are travelling in India, and Hindu mob roughs you up, my guess is, it would be the goverment that represents your 'nation' that bails you out of the mess. Not Iain Banks or Radiohead!

1,2,3 Mic Testing. Speaking for the Hindu...

Lots and lots and lots of discussions on the subject of religion, in the blog world. I had posted about this a couple of months ago.
Some that are worth a read are here: MumbaiGirl, MadMomma and Broom. I agree to the larger argument, but disagree with certain issues within.
I could have commented in detail on those blogs (I did comment on one, briefly) – but then of what use is this space?
I am not going to get into a point by point argument or agreement.

What I noticed in the comments on above blogs is this: There were apologetic/defensive/offensive Hindus. Many seemed genuinely ashamed by the way some from their community behaved. There were many who said really nice things about friends from other communities.
But from the Christian and Muslim readers, anger seemed to be the main emotion. They don’t have nice things to say about the 600 million Hindu Indians they know or Hinduism itself? Really? Why?
The main premise of the argument for tolerance is that there should be no generalisation. But it takes two to tango.
I do get annoyed that when we talk about religious tolerance or doing the right thing, it is invariably targeted at Hindus (in the Indian context, at least).

Yes, we do have a larger responsibility, being in the majority. We need to be more conscious of our actions. But that does not absolve other communities of their responsibilities. How about making a few accommodations too?
And the increasing tendency for those from minority religions in India to paint themselves as victims all the time, is something I can’t digest. Can’t they find anything redeeming in the country they call home? In their fellow national of other religions? Is there no one amongst them who are doing well, enjoying the best of opportunities, living a good life?
While it is understandable that when you are in the minority your insecurity tends to be a tad more pronounced, it is also important not to paint the entire Hindu community as villains.
There is no excusing Khandamal or Godhra. It’s a shame that we never will be able to erase or live down. But amongst a billion population in a country as huge and diverse as ours, please don’t tell me you can’t find any reprieve.
Domination of one religion over another, discrimination based on religion, killings, marginalisation – it’s there everywhere. It’s been there for centuries and centuries. And the fact that we are not used to it still, says a lot in favour of the whole human race. It means that most of us are still fair and tolerant and are hoping for a more ‘equal’ world to live in.

PS: I used to think I am an atheist. But I am not. I am way too spiritual and believe in Karma above all else. I am totally irreligious, but Hinduism shaped my identity.
PS: And if you thing I am member-in-waiting for VHP or Bajrang Dal, that’s your problem!


Edited to Add a comment by ME on MG's post. It just made a lot of sense to me, so adding it here.

the thing that strikes me is how everybody seems to have generalized everybody else.
Growing up outside of India, I never though being a Christian in India made me a minority. In fact, as a kid vacationing in Kerala, i thought all the parts of India were like mine - where you woke up to the bhajans, call to prayers from the mosque and the church bells - all nicely living side by side - a bit naive I know, but i don’t think the religion divide registered in my psyche.
I don’t remember religion as being an issue in my Indian school in the GUlf.
I do remember randoms getting hecked up about the North - South Divide and in college about the Mal - Tamil divide: talk about inane.

i guess what i am trying to say is - uh? Is this really such a big problem
And when did it become an issue on the scale of minority vs. majority? As far as I can see, you can’t really tell who’s a minority in India by looking at their face as opposed to the West (or more specifically the US) where the colour of your skin clearly marks one out as a minority.
And really, when did reading a couple of random blogs make anybody an authority on what the entire Hindu, Christian or Muslim community thinks?
<>
For this Christian reader, it’s more like bewilderment that this non-issue could even be an issue.

Good news finally. Congrats, Indians.

Just when it was all depressing and awful news from India, 2 days in a row something to be proud of.



India kicked Aussies' ass -- and without too much controversy.


Vish Anand is on a roll. Again!



And today we launched our Moon Mission, Chandrayaan.

Not that any of this in any way erases the despicable and tragic Khandamal or the 'Nut Case' Thackeray's campaign or the zillion other problems that plague us.

These moments of pride prove we are not a country full of despots, bigots and idiots.

That match we won was a fantastic effort by a team that personifies India's diversity.
Ditto the team that launched Chandrayaan.
And about Vish Anand -- do we really need to say anything at all!

Dirty Indians

Why is it that Indian shops and restaurants pay such scant regard to hygiene?
Our homes are fine. Our bathrooms at home, though always wet, is quite neat and clean. But what happens to us in public? Why are our public conveniences so filthy? Why do we behave like stray dogs, pissing and shitting as we please?
Let's blame the folks who run the supermarkets, stores and restaurants for not cleaning up after their clients. However, the painful truth is that those who use it have poor hygiene and no concern for the person using the toilet after them.
For example, the Lulu Hypermarket here, offers the best deals on just about everything. Except the loos. Given that it's a hypermarket, one would expect them not to scrounge on toilet rolls, washing fluid and hand wash. Given that they have a footfall of anything between 5000-12,000 a day, one would also expect them to employ a full time washroom attendant.
But Lulu easily has one of the filthiest washrooms in the city. One of the main reasons I don't patronise the place.
The other contenders for dirtiest loos all happen to be Indian supermarkets or restaurants.
Yesterday, we went to Vasantha Bhavan here. Excellent vadais and pongals. And a loo that could easily have emptied our stomach of all the delicacies.
When we complained -- and O had to use the bathroom urgently -- the manager had it cleaned immediately. He then told us that they do keep cleaning it, but people just seem to mess it up so badly.
Would these people leave their home bathrooms in that state? Unflushed, tissues all over the place, wet toilet seats? Would they not make an attempt to clean it up for the sake of their family? Do they have to turn this selfish once outside their homes?
Amongst the southern states, it's worst in TN. Not only do people think it's ok to pee and crap where they please, they think loos are meant to be dirty. I don't know about AP, but I do know that in Kerala and Karnataka, public conveniences are not such a nightmare.
Here, joints visited by Arabs and Indians have the worst hygiene. The Filipinos and others from the Far East, keep their washrooms clean. The westerners again keep it dry and neat. Even the bars that pissed drunk westerners go to, have cleans loos. So it's rather embarrassing that a dirty loo would immediately translate into one used by us.
I am so angry. So embarrassed.
When I see people leave the loo in an unusable state, I feel like dragging them back in and forcing them to clean it up with their bare hands! Disgusting idiots.

Ram's namaz break...

A must read link

There is hope indeed...

now, it's about hindi

Earlier, it wasn't it. I was only talking about Tamil pride or rather the lack of it.
Then mumbaigirl made an interesting comment on my post. After all, it's not the national language. It is one of the official languages.
I know Hindi haters -- but I ain't one of those. I am too fascinated by languages and communication to dislike any language. Least of all something that has lent itself to so much modernisation and slangs. much like English really.
what I have a problem with is that the Hindi-speakers expect the whole country to prostrate before it and them.
yes, TN fought tooth and nail against imposition of Hindi. but even then, Tamil was never made compulsory at schools in the state. Kannada is compulsory in Karnataka, Marathi in Maharashtra...
What I don't understand is that why the whole country has to adhere to a language, just because those to whom it is the first language can't be bothered to adapt?
You can manage with English in Madras, and most parts of TN. Can we say the same of UP or MP or Bihar?
It seems like the states that have moved on continue to be penalised for the backwardness of the rest.
The representation in Lok Sabha for instance is one MP per X population. So those states that paid no heed to population control form our majority representation... do I need to add that they are also ill educated and ill behaved?
Just take a look at the LS State wise list.
Why do states like Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat, TN, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana (all with excellent social indicators and/or industrial growth, contributing largely to the overall development of the country) have fewer representation than Bihar, Uttar Pradesh...
So the minority law makers from the first set of states are up against the rather repressive majority bunch from the latter set.
Shouldn't there be a reward for development.
Now back to lingo:
The language we choose to embrace is our personal choice. There can't be a government stricture on that. Neither can there be social pressure from the bullies.
Those smart enough will know what language to choose to survive.
So if your livelihood is in Delhi, you bloody well will learn Hindi, if it's in Mumbai, you will learn Mumbaiya or Marathi, and if it has to be in the south or anywhere else in the country or most parts of the world, you have no choice but to learn English.

And another point: Those of us who have made an attempt to speak or converse in Hindi are mocked for our accent (in English as well). How does an addition of ‘yaar’ or ‘chalo’ to an already grammatically incorrect English sentence make their accent better?

Accents are the universal truth. Your mother tongue or first language is bound to affect the way you speak any other language. Be it Tamil, Malayalam, German or Russian.
The important thing is communication -- to be understood. The rest doesn't matter.

Another Booker

Another Booker, Another Indian. Congrats Adiga...

I wonder what most of us do with our lives.

Apparently Aravind Adiga wanted to be a novelist from the time he was little. So did I, and a million others.

He is 10 months younger than me, a Chennai-vasi, a journalist... only difference he went to Oxford and wrote for TIME. Small difference, really!

I haven't read White Tiger yet. But it does sound interesting.

Adiga's win is not luck. It's perseverence.

Of the other winners, I really like Rushdie and Naipaul. Roy is interesting too, though her novel had way too many factual errors.

Kiran Desai? That's a lot of luck and a lot of influence. Her book sucked big time! Inheritance of an Influential Mum, more like!

Tamil pride, where art thou?

Why don’t we, the Tamils, ever take pride in our heritage the way other communities do?
Tagore and Rabindra sangeet is so much a part of the Bengali culture. No Bong home is complete without records of his music and volumes of his work. For good measure, they throw in the (unreadable) Apu Trilogy by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, and they rave about the (equally unwatchable) movie version by Satyajit Ray. Of course, my opinion is neither based on cultural jingoism or studied appreciation of the arts.
It’s just a personal comment, that probably goes against worldwide view of the works!

Bangra is a folk dance from Punjab, the dandia/gharba of Gujarat… yet, it has received branding and promotion on a monumental scale. How come, no street or rural art from Tamil Nadu has gained this kind of push?

Why aren’t ALL our children exposed to Bharatiyar’s songs – how many have even heard of him now? Why isn’t the incredibly intelligent Kurals on the bookshelves of every Tamil household? Why isn’t Kalki’s magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan (far, far more intriguing a narration than Apu3) touted by us?

Why do people think our movies are all about overweight heroines, heavily made-up heroes and garish dance numbers? What about KB (of the past), Sridhar, Bharati Raja (of the past), and the dozens of other fantastic film makers and actors? Why do they think our music is merely of the O Podu and Malle Malle genre? The Maestro and ARR are products of Tamil culture too...

Why don’t we celebrate Pongal with the same aplomb as the Keralites do Onam?

And seriously, have you noticed? The Tamils when they meet will try to impress each other with their English skills!!!!! They think it’s infra dig to converse in Tamil.

We stake claim to Idli and Dosais – but both the Malyalees and Udipi folks refute that. And we give in without a whimper!

Fortunately, there is still the Kanjeevarams and Rajnikant that we can cling to.

R.I.P.

Courage. Kindness. Spirit. Ethics. Naive. Shrewd. Sparrow. Hawk. Peace. Love. Equality. Pride. Leader. Faulted. Faulty. Right. Wrong. Integrity. Hope. Spirituality. Passion. Education. Speech. Freedom. Inspiration. Failure. Success. Truth. Independence. Patriotic. Human. Father. Husband. Son. Friend. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Mahatma.

There are words enough to describe him. And there are words that his worst critics wouldn't dare attribute to him -- cowardice, selfish, prejudiced, treacherous.

The man who, with his colleagues, shaped the nation's destiny, is probably least appreciated in the country that calls him its Father.

Across the world, civil rights and freedom movements have been inspired, taught and achieved by what this one man believed in and propagated.

I am way too young and far removed from the defining moments of history to objectively assess the rights and wrongs of his actions.

But I am also way too young to criticise and be disrespectful of this man, just because it's fashionable to do so. From all that I've read of him, both the criticism and the appreciation, I can only respect the Mahatma. For his convictions, for his unwavering belief in truth, his simple goodness. I am sure he had his faults. He is human.

People of my father's generation, who grew up around the 1940s, are divided in their opinion of him. Some revere, some blame him for every ill the nation faces now. But few among them will discredit his achievements. Unlike the ridiculous forwards that do the rounds online, sent by totally ignorant upstarts.

For me, nearly 60 years after his passing, he remains a national pride. The mention of whose name, while speaking to people of different nationalities, makes me straighten my back, and feel good about my country.



PS: The month following his assassination, my grandmother drew a portrait of Gandhi with water colours. My dad for all his disagreements, continues to give that portrait pride of place at our home, and I know it's not only because his mother made it.