God.. No more for 'Jan-heet'.

God, Almighty... what's the exact word you use to refer Him or Her?? When do you remember Him or Her the most?? And for what?? Well you need not answer.. We have been getting instances of the various 'times' when people remember Him or Her..

I don't really know whether I believe in God or not. Never felt the need to engage myself in the laborious and sometimes extravagant religious practices. But my family does.. My aunts and mom are a religious lot, who thrive on vegetarian meals on specific days of every week, fast at Navaratri, perform religious rituals throughout the year, visit Puri Temple almost once every year... They never forced me to do the same and I too never had objections in their beliefs and practices..

But the communal violence, the suicide attacks which find their base in the difference in Gods people worship says a different story. Very different from my story and I am sure different from many of yours too.. The intolerance, the hatred, the killer instinct that comes free with religion nowadays is something that I can't identify with. In none of the religious texts that I have come across ( though I have not come across many) since childhood that I can faintly remember spoke about violence against humans.

The idea of God have changed today. Yes.. and different people has assigned it so many dimensions. I shall just mention two most recent incidents.

First Incident: After the collapse of the under construction Vivekananda Flyover yesterday, when the media finally could reach the IVRCL ( the Hyderabad based building company who held the contract of the flyover) officials for their statement, one of them clearly stated there was no negligence or faults in their part, but the collapse was "An act of God"! So when there is no one to blame, Almighty is there! Such an easy way out!

Second Incident: Amit Jani, a functionary of Meerut based Uttar Pradesh Navnirman Sena have been threatening to kill Kanhayia Kumar and Umar Khalid for some time now and had even declared on Facebook to do the same if they didn't leave Delhi by March 31. When contacted yesterday, he said as the deadline has already passed, the two shall be gunned down during the holy period of Navaratri by ten of his boys who are also JNU students. He has also proudly declared that his boys have already smuggled weapons inside the JNU campus and he will soon be visiting Vaishno Devi Temple to seek Her blessings! Its as if Vaishno Devi will say... "Go my child! Go and kill those two and come back glorified!"

So the one Amit Jani uses God as an excuse to kill and the IVRCL official uses God to escape the charge after killing! God is just the name that people are using today to kill, thrash, assault and escape! The concept of God that our mothers, aunts and grandmothers used to believe in, the one in which He/She used to undo all the wrongs, usher well being...has been erased and re-written, redefined.. and the definitions are too many! None for 'Jan-heet'...

Shocking decisions!

It was a traumatic situation for the residents of Saltlake. The Telegraph has very aptly labelled the pages with detailing of yesterday's incidents here in Kolkata as "Assaultlake". The common people queuing up peacefully outside the vote booths witnessed the hooliganism of the "bogus voters". The assault did not end at threatening the local residents who turned up to vote but also the journalists who are referred to as the fourth estate!

The ruling parties rig their way to win the polls. This has been a very old story which repeats itself! But the attack on the journalists, hooliganism being captured on camera is perplexing! Why the ruling party is up for defaming themselves by such deeds? Are they trying to right their own obituary? But what rational mindset can be at play behind such incidents? Hooliganism at polling booths including assaults to the journalists just next to the day the television screen was burning with updates of police turning violent on the participants of the left front Lal-Bazaar march! This is what I least expected and such an incident is bound to multiply the fury!

They don't know the difference between democracy and facism..agreed. But don't they even know how to play politics?? Shocked!

Wedding Wonders!

I seriously wonder why copies of Femina Wedding Times are being circulated as complementary with The Times of India.. Yah! People, regardless of their socio-economic positions love having a look at those high profile venues of the destination weddings, the designer outfits and also the bridal jewelries. The magazine only feature those which cater to the people belonging to the higher economic strata.. Its the business strategy and this fetches the highest paid advertisements for them too i.e. those of the diamond jewelries, designer showrooms etc.

But the only thing that strikes me each time I get hold of an issue of it.. aren't the wedding plans too and too much luxurious in a country where majority of its population thrive on an average income of Rs 20 per day, according to the Government records, toiling to make both ends meet? Is that too necessary for people to spend crores on a wedding which is only a maximum of a week long ceremony, and that too in today's times doesn't really have any surety to last a lifetime..! On this context I remember a post on a social networking site that listed the 'top 10 costliest separations/divorces'! This is how what we used to consider an emotional turmoil, now being promoted!

Anyways! Getting back to the point, I would like to say there's nothing wrong in celebrating probably the most happiest moment of one's life with best of everything as per one's budget.. but when you have the bank figures exceeding millions and billions, do you must spend crores of it in their wedding or can you find a better purpose to spend those pennies?

I agree the decision is extremely personal.. 

But I just wanted to say that I can't go through Femina Wedding Times without feeling disturbed..

Rule...the FASCIST way!

Its seems there's no end to it. There's no boundary to restrict. The rampant chauvinism reducing the value of lives to bare minimum, everywhere. The depression that is sinking in within me and may be a number of other socially conscious youth will take us nowhere better. If reactionary decisions are looked upon as the only obvious way to 'conclude' a tiff, I am sorry to say 'conclusion' can never follow till the world crashes down.

Some of my friends think of settling abroad which arguably has more prospects than this bloody third world country. May be the exploitation of Indians as second class citizens is outweighed by the handsome payment and smart and lavish lifestyle there. But the security factor is no less alarming anywhere though! Leaving one's own country does not give him/her the security he has the right to claim.

Yesterday's news headlines had shocking series of incidents to show. The Akhlaque issue was still burning and was being politicized with the party spokespersons shamelessly indulging in the ' tu tu main main' game all over again. On the other hand the video showing the attrocities on the PoK by Pakistani militant groups had been exposed by the CNN-IBN and there were never ending plans, discussions and suggestions pouring in, on what the next session of talks between India and Pakistan will include. Then again, Kolkata had transformed into a battle field with the Kolkata Police reacting violently to the Left Front's march to Lal-Bazar.

VIOLENCE remains the common factor. The reason doesn't matter. This is because all want the others to follow their footsteps. They want the world to live life according to the terms and conditions set by them. All want to rule: the FASCIST way!