Anna Hazare : Crusader or Menace?

Its been around 63 years since the great Mahatma Gandhi passed away,that any voice was so clear and loud to be heard by not millions but billions of people, until now when a seemingly meek yet strong willed Gandhian by the name of Kishan Baburao Hazare a.k.a Anna Hazare invigorated the nation with one reasonable demand. The enemy was no more an alien national but one among us. The chances of finding the adversary has become difficult because the oppressor is of the same color,caste and creed.

What started as a duel between the principles,beliefs of one man and the supremo power of the nation soon turned into a nationwide movement. Movement not restricted to the oppressed and the pauper, but also the youth and the rich. Everyone raised their voices in unision against a common enemy known better as Corruption or Bhrashtachar.Today every possible means of media is propagating just one message
" Anna Tum Aage Badho Hum Tumhare Saath hai" which means "Anna You take the step forward we will walk with you". This has a stark similarity with the Dandi March ,which Mahatma took in 1930 to show the Machiavellian British,The might of 300 million against the handful thousands.

But is this a solution to our problems?  Is fast by one man who is unyielding on his demands enough to revolutionize our root issues?
The processions,The rallies, The dharnas and the fasts is a scenario similar to a banana republic,for here the people choose an elected government only to ask it to function according to their whims.
Have these 1.2 Billion people - (UPA) asked the government so as to why the Prime Minister or the judges cant be included in the Lokpall Bill. Has there been a discussion on open forums about the pro's and con's of introducing a possibly "draconian" bill. I am saying it draconian because our past suggests that the government in power uses any bill to its benefits even if is meant for public welfare.

Is Anna Hazare not making this fight a case of  "Its my way or the highway " kinda thing. If Anna and his team are so interested in rooting out corruption,then why not float a political party, be its president,win the elections and implemented anything and everything that they think is beneficial to the people.I believe that we should listen to all the concerned parties and not impeach the government in power to be completely at fault because it is the people who choose the government and not the other way round.It is not possible for a few selected individuals at top to be corrupt without the bottom to be equally corrupt. We have no right to pay a 50 rs bribe to a Traffic Policeman and then shout at Tihar Jail that I am against corruption because I am a victim of it.

With this I would like to bring an end to my discussion and would like to quote a dialogue from a very famous Hindi movie Rang De Basanti : " Bhaiya Hindustan mein jab baaraat aati hai to Dulhe ke ilaawa poori baaraat khaana khaati hai "....... and this is exactly the case with India and its people.
  

                                                                               

Humans by Serendipity Friends by Choice

Razza Mehboob

" Bhai Behen Maa Baap Wo rishte hote hai Jinhe Upar waala tumhe Tohfe Mein deta hai Par Dosti wo rishta hai Jisse Tum Khud Chunte Ho" .This dialogue from an antiquated Hindi movie by the name of Aatish still remains etched in the corner of my mind.
Amigos a la Friends are those set of People who share a common set of attributes among themselves.People who would go all out their possibe limits when a friend is in need.They would pull each others leg on any given occasion but would not tolerate any outsider trying to sneak into the horde.

 Even after being ideologically opposite and their weaknesses conflicting, Friends remain staunch towards each other even if the whole world is pitted against them.It is not the length of the tree but the depth of the roots that eschew any calamity from harming the tree,similarly it is not the time spent together but the time spent in knowing each other that ensures true friendship among people.Hence acquaintances come and go from our life but friends remain forever.
This post of mine is dedicated to my buddies of life..


Manoj,Bhaskar,Sanjib,Mrinal,Sutanu,Sudurshan......... Thanks for being friends of mine.







 

    

The World is a Golden Cage and I am a bird in it

"The World is a Golden Cage and I am a Bird in it ". I came across this beautiful  piece of writing when I faced my first Interview of life. Having cleared the screening exam of one of the most prestigious Management Institutes, I was preparing for my interview stage,when as a preparatory exercise ,my interviewer asked me to speak on this phrase for a minute. At that moment I just blabbered whatever came to my thinking tank but it was after 3 years down the road and walking down the path  full of expectations,belief and determination yet filled with thorns and  failure that I realized the true meaning of this phrase. 

Today,at the age of twenty three, my career stands at crossroads where I am unable to decide my further course.I fear the consequence more than the action because the past failures have made me doubtful about my credentials. Once touted as a whizkid by the elders ,today I am just part of the crowd waiting for a ray of hope to shine on me and pull me out of the quagmire that has tethered me with chains of uncertainty and hopelessness.

This world is a beautiful cage because one can see the sun shining, one can smell the sand drenched in water,one can feel the breeze flowing but one cant taste freedom for that is elusive for all our lives.The golden cage of opportunities,expectations,hopes and duties always keep us confined within its perimeter.We always try to flap our wings harder and faster so as to break free from the materialistic pursuits of these machines called humans, but at the end we become tired of this futile exercise and  accept our bondage as a part of our destiny. Soon the golden cage becomes an element of our life and we remain its captives for the rest of our lives.

The  cage remains no more a peripheral entity but it becomes a part of our identity.We become what this cage asks us to become because this is no more an external driving force but a part of us.Hence, the golden cage finally consumes us without mercy and make us a part of it, Inseparable yet suffering. 

Life Of a Kshatriya

A brief Introduction of the hero of this blog :
Naman Singh Rathod ( Fiction Name)
Age : 23
Caste : Kshatriya
Clan : Suryavanshi
Some 500 years ago this kind of status would have been something millions in India could only have yearned in their dreams. According to Indian literature Kshatriyas are the Holy warriors, The defenders of the land and Suryavanshis are the descendents of Lord Ram. This would have meant Naman could have been possibly ruling over many people. But how could  he  control time, Born exactly in 1987, God thought it otherwise and his fate was sealed.
 Born into a Punjaabi family Naman is the youngest in the lot.To say the least he is a  pampered kid , mischievous and always upto troubling people around him . He was always taught the middle class values for that was something that his family had more than the money in their wallets.
From the age of five to that of fifteen he had always heard of numerous people making it big in life. As he grew, The examples changed from Securing a ninety percent in tenth standard to that of Securing admission into an IIT, but all this entailed only one meaning ,Monetary success.
Listening to these success stories , Naman ,just like a Kshatriya embarked on a mission to prove to the world that he will live to the reputation of his Caste for this is what a Kshatriya is meant to do in life. To achieve success even in the most hostile conditions when everyone and everything is pitted against him. After partially tasting success, Luck decided otherwise for failures stood in Naman's way . He failed time and again for multitude of reasons. Sometimes,his overconfidence brought him down and sometimes his Nervousness caused the trouble. But from failures he  became experienced to not repeat his failures. But by overcoming his past sins, he faced new ones and the journey continues till date.
But one thing is sure,this great grandson of once a ruler is gonna fight all odds because that is what fate has in store for a Kshatriya. A Kshatriya is born to rise against all odds and reach the zenith of success because that is Kshatriya Dharma.

 In the end I would like to quote a phrase for People like Naman and all the people out there :
 Pratyek achchaa kaarya pahalay asambhav najar aataa hai ,Mehanut, himmut aur lagun se hi har Insaan Safalta pata hai.Asli Kshatriya wo hai ,Jo kabhi nahi dagmagata hai.

The Animated Childhood

A few days back i was skimming through a blog that mentioned about the television serials that we as children used to watch. When there was no Cartoon Network or Pokemon to poke in our lives and our lives used to be no less than a fantasy.A life where we were the rulers free of any pressure, expectation or duties.It felt good to read about all those gems that made our weekends so special.
And just yesterday I heard the very familiar and beautiful ringtone on the cellphone of a friend of mine.Well, here exactly is this song etched in each of our minds :

'Zindagi toofani hai jahaan hai Duckburg gaadiyan lasers Hawaijaz ye hai Duckblur rehesye suljhaao itihaas bannaao Ducktales wooo hoooooo'

This song brought a rush of nostalgia in me reminding me of the days when I used to sit in front of the Idiot box for hours together,When Cable T.V. used to be a new phenomenon in our houses.So i decided to pen down a little something about everything these cartoons were to us.

DUCK TALES

As the picture tells all, Who can forget the McDuck family, A family having so many interesting people living under the same roof. The miser Scrooge McDuck , His three mischievous nephews Louie,Hewie and Douie,The cute little Webbie or the very caring Mrs Beakley, The butler Duckworth and the ever crashing Launchpad Mcquack became a source of tickling our funny bone.The expedition and adventure of these lovable characters drifted us to a different world where at every corner we along with them were busy hunting treasure with slight impediments by the Beagle Boys and The sorceress Magica. A serial so beautifully framed that it hypnotized our minds with its awe and charm.


TALES PIN

A few years back :
Me :  Mom I wanna become a pilot
Mom : Why son ?
Me : Because Baloo can fly a plane and I wanna fly like him

This small conversation between me and my mother is sufficient enough to give a hint to the readers that how big a fan I was of Papa Bear. Years passed and i become bloated enough  not to become a pilot but this serial is etched in each and every atom of the grey matter I have.
A serial so charming and so interesting that even a calamity would not be able to shirk me  from watching
my favourite Baloo and his associate Kit Cloudkicker.The bossy yet caring Madam Rebbecca and her lovable daughter Molly always gave the constant warmth of a family that Baloo always yearned to have.
Also The mishappenings with the Mr. Baddie Don Karnage and the parties of Louie the bartender were a delight to watch. In all this cartoon was a complete package of action,humuor,drama,jealousy and Love.

 ALADDIN

As a child  Science was something that used to send me in a fit of Nausea and dizzyness which used to spin my head faster than Earth. But Magic was something that I was always addicted towards . Oh no, I don't used to do magic tricks . I used to watch them and who better than the 'As blue as Sky Genie to show some of his all went wrong magic tricks. This serial, a feature at 7:00 PM on Sony TV was the last yet the most alluring phenomenon of my day. The crook yet courageous Aladdin, The very beautiful but brave Jasmine, The always parroting parrot Yago and the mischievous monkey Abu were some characters about whom you could tirelessly watch for hours together. Along with them , The wicked legerdemain Mozenrath,The foolish and potbellied Abismal and the machine genius Mechanical were always fun to see get defeated. Overall a high quality and captivating cartoon that enthused our worlds with its share of Magic.

I would like to bring curtains to this blog after feeling satisfied and  joyous remembering the legends I once used to watch and would love to do again.

Denizens of India : From Elective scumbags to Participative democracy

It was on 15th August 1947 when a nation over 300 million celebrated a success that it had been dreaming of for the last 200 years. A success which entailed freedom in all forms whether legislative or judicial ,That gave us an authority to take decisions on our own . A freedom that meant a new identity for this plethora of people.
This struggle for freedom was instigated by the belief and courage of one man who we better known as Mahatma : "One who is the supreme among all souls". Though I wouldn't forget the contribution of revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekar Azad ,S.C. Bose and so on. But it was the principles of this man that finally helped us to achieve an Herculean task.
Today six decades have passed since that day and the soul of this legendary Mahatma rests in peace, but still not much have changed in this country. If people consider the number of malls or the "Rising Middle Class" as a success story ,Then I beg to differ ,We were better under the British rule. Atleast our masters taught us how to behave well.And over and above everything,Our rulers were everything but corrupt. They were greedy yet they dutifully completed their work. But today, I see a different situation brewing in our country .
Corruption -- The greed beyond need has reached to unmanageable levels. People are asking for bribes not going out of the way but for doing their designated work. The levels have reached to such depravity that the traffic Policeman is ready to let  you go for your traffic violation just for a packet of "Uncle Chips".
From 64 crores in 1984 when Agent Q allegedly bribed our demised Gandhi scion to the present levels of  one lakh crores where an ex driver turned telecom minister amassed wealth that could have removed  poverty from hundreds of villages and towns, Corruption has rotted each and every individual among us.
But the recent scams seems to be a blessing in disguise for it has finally woke the resilient and obtuse citizens of India from their slumber and rise against the tyranny of  these 543 monstrous politicians. There is one man who has given impetus to this cause and his name is Kishan Baburao Hazare a.k.a Anna Hazare . A man so meek in size yet so grandiose in will ,A man who says himself to be just another follower of the Mahatma  yet who himself has set standards and principles to be followed. The movement of agitation through silent protests can only be attributed to doctors and students who for the first time came out on the streets to show their furor over reservations proposed by then HRD minister and a servile follower of the Gandhi's -Arjun Singh.
This  movement was a la Rang De Basanti effect and was also responsible for fair judicial probing into Jessica Lal case ,Priyadarshani Matoo case and so on.
This time the people have come out on the streets to show their anger against the politicians, The bureaucrats, The corporate honchos and even the filth in the army is being questioned. The people have clearly displayed their frustration and anger and have in unison told the UPA that if they can elect it ,Then it is the same bunch of people who can be responsible for its downfall. The effect has finally been the formation of the Lokpal Commitee after a lingering span of 42 years and finally a beginning seems to be made in the right direction.

It is this time of the hour that the steam should be kept alive and the cause for our benefit should be etched in our minds for it will bear fruits of transparency and accountability . Once again, We will be the real masters and the politicos would be the servants of this one great nation called India.