Random thoughts

From dawn to dusk multiple hands multiple roles multiple tasks multiple labels - mother, daughter, wife, sister In comes 8th March lectures names bestowed of greatness Durga Saraswati Lakshmi Aah! not required appreciate the mortal appreciate the presence! who wants to be placed on a pedestal? 

 The word 'ambition' is a noun and means 'the desire to do or achieve something'. What do you think of this word? Right from the time a child enters school, s/he is asked to find a goal for herself/himself. And the attempts one makes to reach those goals may bring in the label of 'being ambitious'. In short, ambition may be said to be the power people put in to achieve their goals. we should remember not to confuse these goals with a well-paid job! Helping and inspiring others, learning new skills, expanding knowledge are a few of the typical ambitions that one may list.  Is it good to be ambitious or is it a negative thing? Well! there is no right or wrong answer. And this is where I go to Francis Bacon's essay 'Of Ambition'. This is an argumentative essay in which Bacon states that an ambitious person, moving unchecked, will be busy. But the moment there is an obstacle in their path, they become dangerous. To quote Bacon, "So ambitious men, if...

Bharat bandh against price hike and FDI and numerous other problems? Ugh! How does a bandh solve all these problems. You'll tell me it's not meant to solve problems but it is a mark of protest against central government decisions. Fine, you protest but at least let me do my bit. Your protest means burning tires, breaking window panes of cars and other big vehicles, hitting people on bikes or puncturing them. You think these are rich people and they should suffer for being rich! But what about the poor rickshaw puller and autowallahs? Why do you target them? Ah! you have no answer. The poor person may have earned a dime or two on this particular day but your bandh leaves them poorer! Yesterday a bandh was called by the NDA and other opposition parties. As luck would have it, I was out travelling. At places scenes of burning tyres greeted us, crowds looming with 'lathis' in their hands forcing people to go back. Whats interesting is the equation in the crowd: young...

WHO AM I? This is one of the most important and weirdest question that comes up daily. I have a passport and  a voters' id and numerous documents which list the names of my parents, husband, my address, occupation and other necessary details. But is that what I am? I have been thinking on these lines since my visit to the Passport Seva Kendra, Patna yesterday. When I was sent to meet an official, I found the entire place excited and no one was at his/her desk. Upon asking I was informed that they had 'caught' a TERRORIST. Wow, a terrorist! I was pretty excited. Further questioning brought forth the following information: The TERRORIST was a BANGLADESHI. This information was interpreted by the guards and other staff as: ALL BANGLADESHIS are TERRORISTS! Who will now reason with people who have such a line of thought? When I told that guard that he shouldn't club all BANGLADESHIS as terrorists, he said," Madam, he didn't have any id." My point is why w...

I am democracy and I appear at various times like the General elections, the state elections and election to local bodies. People remember me in various ways and one is through the patriotic songs. This time I have again appeared in this extremely hot weather. I am trying to observe how campaigns are organised for electing representatives to local bodies. Outlined here are my observations:  With the temperatures soaring this summer, political fever is also on the rise. The reason is the Municipal elections in in Patna and in the state as a whole. The profile of the candidates is pretty interesting and so is their fervor in asking for votes. From one auto comes the tune;  ऐ मेरे वतन के लोगों ज़रा आँख में भर लो पानी ..... I can understand the eyes getting watery due to the heat and sweat but why should I fill my eyes with water for this candidate? What act of martyrdom has she/he committed for th...

We are surrounded with Toll Free numbers. all service providers have one be it the banks, cell phone companies, online shopping forums etc. We, as customers feel happy that we'll get quick assistance in case of difficulties or confusions and our grievances will be easily redressed. Well calling on these numbers may be free of charge but we forget that our time is charged. And I had to face this problem last week. I called the toll free number of a public sector bank. After choosing numerous options and giving all kinds of details, I get to choose the option to speak to a customer care agent. I chose that option and then comes the message: All our customer care agents are busy. Your call will be attended in 38 minutes 40 seconds. I was shocked and couldn't believe my ears. My husband too thought I had made a mistake and asked me to put the phone in speaker mode. When the same message was repeated, we realized my ears were working properly. I was aghast. I didn't want to disc...

Year: 2009 - Place: Toronto, Canada - Job: Business Entrepreneur. Very vague labels for a 44 year old Indian who back home would have had many other identity markers like caste and family history. True, Deepak's fore-fathers traced their ancestry way back to the 15th century. He had heard numerous stories from his mother and grand mother about the various estates and princes who had ruled them and had engrained a sense of belongingness through these stories. But these were just stories like any other story. The reality was completely different. He saw his father work for bread and butter; his mother not only managed the household but also worked to manage the finances and give the children a comfortable and good life. Inspired by his parents and grandparents, Deepak worked hard and sincerely to graduate with a degree in Management from one of the top colleges in India. He worked in various firms and after several years of experiences started a firm of his own. Luckily things worked...

He strolled for minutes ..nah it seemed hours..before he could hear the cries from the operation theater and the nurse came out to inform him that he had been blessed with a daughter. At that moment gushed in feelings of various kinds: love, pride, protection and so on. he was a father now. There was someone who would call him 'papa' or 'dad'. No one knows how time passed and the little bundle of joy started growing and reacting to his voice and kisses. Though men claim to be macho and strong but like women they too have a profound weakness. Women love the dark mane on their head but the men love the shorter version on their faces. Our new dad started thinking whether his lovely mustache of which he is as fond as Poirot was of his, was hurting his child and then knocked this thought on the doors of his mind: to keep it or not to keep it. A Hamlet-like dilemma gripped him and he spent nights wondering what should be done. One fine day he decided that the mustache wou...

Plans must have been made by now or may be in the final stages for the 31st of December, 2010 to say good bye to the year 2010 and welcome 2011. These plans would be ranging from bonfire dinners to hotel hopping and enjoying musical bands at clubs to a quiet dinner at home with family and watching programmes of various channels on the idiot box. Till a decade back a change in the years did not mean a celebration on a grand scale in Patna as it means now. None of the hotels lag behind in offering excitement and entertainment! Obviously one needs to cough up money for this excitement and entertainment. But we forget that there are people to whom the dates don't matter. it's all the same..2010 or 2011...the daily routine has to be followed, money has to be earned, children have to be fed! The change in years is just a marker of the passage of time; everything else remains the same. while I may fall in the danger of sounding pessimistic, I realise that the group I am referring to i...

From the morning of 'Mahalya' the atmosphere takes a sudden turn. It seems so pure and divine that words can not express it and the best part of it in small towns and cities is the chanting on loud speakers by the priests. This is the beginning of Navratra which also signals a beginning of festivities which continue till Holi. Navratra is not only associated with prayers to God Durga but also with good food. On the one hand, one can find people on a fast for the 9 days when they eat 'satvik' food: fruits, halwa of kutuk flour, makhana kheer. On the other hand are the mortals who love navratra for the 'prasad' and the good food. In houses where priests come to perform puja, the kids wait excitedly for the gentleman to finish his puja so that they can get the 'prasad' which can be anything ranging from illaichidana to fruits or sweets. The actual feelings start sinking in by the 6th day when the idols are nearly ready and the roads are blocked for vehicul...

This comes straight from the heart to acknowledge the man who was an inspiration for my grandmother and my family. The man is Dr. R.K. Sinha the well-known Professor of English. My grandmother, his younger sister was so influenced by him that she wanted her daughters to study English literature and become teachers of English. Not only was she successful in her endeavor, she rubbed this onto me and I grew up in the shadow of a living legend: a man possessing great knowledge, a man who was sought for his academic skills by one and all. After my graduation, I was taken to meet the great man and I must say I was awe-struck. For a person in his 70s, his mind was sharp and the shine in his eyes was mesmerizing. What struck me the most was the books lying on the bed reflecting the intensity of his reading. Born in a small town Munger, Blessed by the almighty with brains, He traveled across the seas, To create new highs and fulfill dreams. Armed with degrees from Patna University, He sought th...

A nice, bright, sunny Sunday morning.... I couldn't wish for anything better than that when I have to wash the week's collection of dirty clothes and wish to dry them in the sun. I had a nice cup of tea with the morning paper and there came the unexpected visitor happily knocking at the door reminding me of the Porter scene in 'Macbeth'. One look at the visitor and I knew that the day is ruined. No other reason but the fact that this visitor would bring in two more and the day would be gone making and serving tea and washing the cups and the pan. And this process wouldn't end even after the departure of the visitor. The visitors may leave physically but there presence will be felt by one and all. And if you are still wondering who these visitors are here's the answer. The first one to enter was cold with a bout of sneezing and when I sneeze the whole house rocks! This was followed by headache and fever and the cups of tea kept flowing. And this is the most ir...

Thank God that in India we have some sanity in form of the judiciary. Census 2001 categorizes housewives, prostitutes and other women who are not working in the organized sector as 'unproductive'. I wonder at the greatness of such minds! Haven't they seen the amount of work their mothers or grand mothers do in the house. Who would offer service 24X7 365 days (add one more for the leap year) without taking a pittance? Right from morning till late in the night, the women in the house see to it that all the residents' needs are fulfilled without thinking of their own troubles. I am a working woman and I openly say that I am more callous than my grand mother who was a non-working woman; my work does not allow me to give my family the same kind of time and attention that my grand mother devoted to her family. I live in a nuclear family and get irritated if things do not happen the way I want them to. My mother and grand mother lived in joint families and worked to keep all h...

In three week's time we'll be celebrating our 64th Independence Day with great fervour! All around the town, there will be gaiety and festivity. The loudspeakers will be pouring forth all patriotic songs: from 'Jana Gana Mana' to 'Vande Matram' and Lata's 'Mere Waton ke Logon...'! The tri-colour will be on sale every nook and corner and all cars and rickshaws will be decorated by one! But the real question is what are we celebrating? Independence. What is independence? The public during live interviews for radio and television channels makes tall claims but the reality is something different. Does being independent mean that we spit and throw garbage on the road and use the road as a urinal? (becoz its public space - belongs by right to the public to do anything and everything) Does being independent mean that we ignore traffic rules and drive as if we were driving on the highway without any care and concern? Does being independent mean that we follo...

Chand is a young man working in the store and purchase section of a government office. All purchases are made through this section and it is his responsibility to see that things are done in the manner specified by higher authorities. One day Chand told his mother that he was planning to buy a bike. His mother was very happy. After a few days, she asked him what happened to his plans of buying a motor bike. Chand, tired form work, said, "Mother, first the indent has to be raised. Once the indent is approved, an NIQ (Notice Inviting Quotation) will be floated and a time period fixed. After the deadline the quotations will be opened. At least three quotations have to be there, else the NIQ will be floated again. After the approval of the committee, the bike can be purchased." The mother was shocked, "Son, what is this NIQ and three quotations?" Chand said, "Mother, this is what life has come to: raise the indent, float NIQ, open quotations, send the purchase orde...

I need a break from some things and one of them is Bandhs. Bandhs are the in-thing in Patna as its nearly election time and each political party calls for a Bandh someday or the other. The funny thing is that two or more parties may want to organize a bandh on the same issue but they call for a bandh on different days in order to protect their individual identities. As a result on Monday we had the BJP-JD (U) combines bandh against the rising prices and on Wednesday, the bandh is organised by CPI(ML) on another raging issue: naxalism. I do not know what fun these parties get in organizing these bandhs. Don't they realize that such bandhs disrupt public life, lead to hugh economic losses (refer to TOI dated 06.07.10) and cause a lot of nuisance? When I was in school, I looked forward to these bandhs as it gave us a day off in the middle of the hectic academic year. By the time I reached college, bandhs of all types became the norm of the day and invariably we would have quite a numb...

Regionalism is one of the biggest challenges facing India today. We remember that we are Indians only on the 15th of August or 26th of January each year when we sing loudly and clearly the National Anthem standing in the monsoon showers or the chilly wind of January. On any other day we are Biharis, Gujratis, Bengalis, Keralities etc. All the feeling of oneness and unity disappears! The challenging task of changing the situation lies on the shoulders of the younger generation. Its high time that we crossed the barrier of region and started thinking of ourselves as being one. To this extent an important role is being played by the various National Law Universities and the new IITs (not to forget the old institutes) across the country. Most of the new IITs have students from regions other than their own. The presence of students from various backgrounds and different parts of the country lend these institutes a national flavour! One would be surprised to find that students defending thei...

NET or National Eligibility Test is conducted by the UGC and is a qualifying exam for future lecturers and researchers. With the 6th pay commission the number of candidates appearing has gone up but the number of candidates qualifying the exams has been pretty low. Does this mean that UGC NET is a tough nut to crack? Or are our students not prepared for such exams? well, in most cases the latter seems to be true. Students pursuing their Masters in Universities like JNU, DU clear this exam before completing their Masters. Some at places like BHU take a few more chances. But those at Patna University, Magadh University and other state universities seem to take forever to clear this exam. Where is the problem? Is the syllabus of the state universities not at par with that of the central universities? What are the teachers in the state universities doing in the classroom that the students are left terrified of the NET? What I have observed over the years and specially in the subject of Eng...

Today's newspapers again carry horrifying stories of killings supposedly called 'Honour Killings'. The question is what is honourable about these acts? To a mind like mine they seem to be bringing 'dishonour' upon society. Not delving into specific stories, one would like to focus critically on the reasons behind such gruesome murders. Most of these murders are related to the institution of marriage, specifically inter-caste, inter-religion, same-gotra marriages. And the reasons are sociological. Migration to cities, swallowing up of villages by cities has led to a disintegration of certain customs and traditions which were taken for granted by the earlier generation. Exposure to western culture and changes in life style has brought about a change in the attitude of the younger generation. Working in offices of MNCs one is not bothered with issues of caste or gotra. The choice of a life partner in such cases is governed by emotional and intellectual needs. This is ...

Gender: Female. Age: 20-21. Education: Graduate in History, sociology, Political Science etc. Ambition: Waiting for the best catch in the marriage market. Next year enters Post-Graduation in the subject concerned or a professional degree course but the aim remains the same. reason: marriage didn't materialize. This is the story for most of the girls (very true of the middle class). Higher education is not a matter of choice but from compulsion to get the best person available in the marriage market. Again if someone has been unlucky till this point, she is 'permitted' to work because a working girl is preferred to a non-working one. If she is interested in studies, the next mark is a doctoral degree so that she can take up the teaching profession- generally taken to be a safe one for women and which will not let them neglect their home. What happens if someone's marriage is arranged while completing the doctoral degree? a supportive husband and family will certainly lea...