Unholy stuff

Godmen.A quick and more reliable solution to problems.Something close to a miracle.Yes, this is what a high number of people in India believe so.Problems such as spirits, bad luck, money can all be solved by these holymen.For a fat fee ofcourse.These holymen claim to have the capacity of possessing spiritual powers, clairvoyance and even paranormal powers.Sounds very mystic and it does often potray the wrong picture of hinduism.I often wonder  why we Indians fall prey to the oldest deceit of the trade.Is it our superstitious beliefs? Or us seeking spiritual help to our problems?
These 'babas' or 'bapus' have a surprisingly high number of people following. The recent case of Asaram Bapu should wake people up.Not that it happened for the first time.Swami Nithyananda was arrested in 2010 after a tape of him in a compromising situation with a woman was telecasted on national television.Not only that, he went on raping a woman for several years, whilst preaching holy sermons.Why should a person listen to someone's so called sermons? Use your own brain guys.Seek knowledge through your own experiences and knowledge.
One particular Swami who was a spiritual advocate to PM Indira Gandhi was arrested for running a brothel.How holy could that be.One swami Shraddananda murdered his wife and buried her in their Bangalore house.The act was proved almost 14 years later, thanks to the sluggish Judiciary.But more on that later.
But these unholy babus thrive on political nexus.Often the government grants them immunity.Also, they accept donations, converting black money into white.
I really hope people do wake up and not fall prey to these mystic sadhus.
And I hope Asaram Bapu is convicted for the heinous crimes he has commited throughout the years.For sexually abusing a minor and also for those mysterious deaths in his ashram and for calling Nirbhaya as guilty for not calling those rapists as her 'brothers'.
We need a progress not only in the economic sphere but also in terms of mindset.

The Joy of animation

Ah,hello folks! Thank you for stopping by.

Today, I'll speak on a much lighter topic,something which I realise, I haven't done in a long time.

I recently discovered something I hold quite close to my heart--animated films.I realized this when the other day, in my daily channel surfing, I happened to come across an amazing movie which I had entirely forgotten about--Finding Nemo.Everyone's heard of the movie and most of my friends love it.I must have been ten or eleven when it released in the cinemas.

Ah, the innocence.The good feel.The pure silly fun.The pure unadulterated joy of watching it.

Honestly, Pixar and Disney have given me a happy childhood.And they make me happy even today.Most of them snigger or find it too silly to watch an animated movie when they're grown ups.But I'd rather watch these movies than Black Swan or Les Miserables.Most of these movies have a proverbial end with a good lesson for the viewes.The underlying goodness, the good always triumphs over the evil, and how love can be true and friendship knows no boundaries are some of the amazing things animated movies have taught us.Call me childish, but I'm watching animated movies even when I'm 83.So here are the top ten amazing movies I love ;

 1.Howl's Moving Castle : Tops the list.It's a Japanese animated fanstasy film which released in 2004.It's about a young girl cursed with the body of an old woman by a spiteful witch and the secret of breaking the spell lies with  a self-indulgent handsome wizard and his companions in a walking home.

Must watch! 

2.Up: This one makes everyone cry.I mean, cmon, could anything possibly get more cuter than this?Carl and his wife's  relationship montage at the beginning of the movie is supremely cute.The rest of the movie is filled with awesome moments when Carl ties a thousand balloons to his house to travel to South America to fulfill his late wife's wish but a dog and a boy get in his way.

 3.My neighbour Totoro: Another brilliant Japanese animation.Filled with innocence and love.Its the story of two young girls who move to the country when their mom is in the hospital and they encounter bizarre spirits.

One of my absolute favourites.

4.Finding Nemo: Pixar created an underwater so vast and beautiful that we never could really imagine Nemo's dad finding him.But when he does, we feel joyous.Fish are friends,not food is the best thing taught to us throughout the film.

5.Wall e:Pixar has a way of pulling our heartstings through the characters.What else can you say of the Wall e who just wanted to hold someone's hand like he'd seen in the musical Hello Dolly?Amazing awesome movie.

6.The Ice Age series: I like the whole franchise.The meltdown, Dawn of the Dinosaurs and even the Continental Draft and even the first movie.The unlikely goup of a mammoth, a sloth and a smilodon encounter some amazing adventures as the world around them changes regularly and crumbles down.

7.Kung Fu Panda :A Giant Panda named as Po is said to be the Dragon Warrior.But when he shows no skills of being so, he gets scoffed at.After considerable practice, he becomes an amazing warrior.An ideal watch on a lazy day.

8.Beauty and the Beast: A timeless fairytale for all the sappy cheesy viewers like me.Nuff said.

9.The Madagascar series: A lion, a rhino, a giraffe and a zebra decide to escape the comforts of the royal New York Zoo to find out what wild life is really like,assisted by absconding penguins and lemurs.This one has the best humour.The song 'I like to move it,move it' takes the cake.

10.Princess and the Frog:Another fairytale,but with a twist.Cursed by a witch doctor, Pince Naveen implores Tiana for a kiss to transform back into a human.Downright funny and exciting, this one is a great entertainment.

The Indian Change

I was not surprised this time.Maybe this is what constant news of sexual assaults do to you.You become cynical, hate the way things are handled and ultimately conclude that this is how screwed up things are going to be in this country.We have been taught since childhood that India is nothing but wonderful.Wonderful traditions, wonderful people, strong values.

However, nothing in reality actually supports this.Sure, we have come a long way since the Britishers left us with partition issues with Pakistan to deal with when poverty was at its peak and the people were highly illiterate.India was not relevant in the world.Today, we are relevant, our GDP growth is still inconsequential,we have a parallel government run by the goons,our ministers hold the highest amount of unaccounted money in the Swiss Bank and while the laws are elaborate and clear, justice is often denied and those breaking laws get away easily while those abiding the laws often have it difficult.We have so much to be proud of.

We spinelessly try to make amends and peace with Pakistan ,while they bomb us more.The Prime Minister does not speak out with passion regarding the horrible events taking place.Silence is not dignified anymore,it shows inaction and lack of empathy.And the action regarding justice just does not take place.We are still poor, our roads are still not clean, people who protest against rapes or similar are met with slaps.Yeah, the woman who protested against the rape of the 5 year old in Delhi, was met with a slap by an ACP in Delhi.This shows the screwed up mentality of the people in here.Oh,he was suspended.Just because the act was proved.Else, nobody would have bothered.

Mind you, the 16th December Rape case which shook the entire nation has not met with any conclusion.Sure,the main accused died in the cell.Did he die repenting over what he did? Sure.

Nor do the Police handle any cases with sensitivity.

We need to do away with the leaders.The leaders who are silent on all matters, inactive, corrupt and the ones who simply are apathetic.

As the silly election season is about to begin, I urge you all to vote the leaders not on the basis of caste or the amount of free gifts he doles out.Check the personality and  goodwill.I would want such people to contest for elections.

I would want to believe again that India is as great as we have been told it is.

When will it stop?

Forgive me, if it is tad annoying to repeatedly discuss the same issue. But it shows no indication of  stopping or slowing down, so forgive me if am being a little 'sexist' or biased towards my kind.
As the nation still struggles to come to terms with the brutual assault on Nirbhaya, yet another horrific sex abuse has come to light.

These three young sisters were raped and murdered in rural India.Their ages? 5,9, and 11.I am sure the youngest one had no clue about what rape means or even about sex,for that matter.
Yeah, all men, those who've raped, molested women are dirty filthy,actually no amount of abuses can actually describe thier acts.They're inhuman and no,they don't deserve mercy and they deserve hell.But those involved in the 'lesser crimes' of giving lewd stares, groping and touching in the wrong places,pretending to be stifled by the crowd, you all too- be human guys.Women are human beings too-give us the basic human right to choose our mate.To decide whom we're going to have sex with.
Respect?Maybe that's too much to ask from the egoistic worms.So maybe a new one:Just leave us alone and stop judging us will do.
Evolution hasn't put up men against women.But the act of rape basically shows this.We are supposed to complement each other, and not hate and fight and force each other.

And..it all changes

I've been very uninspired lately,to be honest. I didn't know what to write about, because life has been so much confusing.On the surface, those adventurous ones might even call it drab.But It's...changing.It's the end of an era,so to say.I'll be graduating out of my college in less than two months.And it's turning out to be a bigger change than I anticipated.While fond farewells and teary and sentimental goodbyes started weeks back, it's hitting me now,that things will change and they will not be the same.
I still remember the day I started out with college.I was sixteen, just out of school with some bitter experiences(the regular high school drama shit) lost, confused and lonely.I was introverted and shy and could not initiate conversations with new people,which called for a lot of misconceptions.I was under confident and gawky.Self deprication was the norm.College years did teach me to loosen up a little, and to  not take things so seriously.
Was it way too chilled out? Yes.But hey, I did my bachelors in Arts.Not that we didn't have studying to do( Unlike those snotty Science and/or technical graduates who always claim Arts people have no work to do,we write way more than you do)
There was,however, a lot of procrastination involved.That,I won't deny.And much less pressure(Hey,isn't that a good thing?) However, there were too many things I learnt.And unlearnt.Too many memories.So much of fun.I made some friends who I know are going to stay in my life forever.No matter how far we'll be staying apart,"atleast I'll send you my wedding card" One of my friends joked.I retorted, "I'll come only if you say he's the one"
People around me changed,fell in love,fell out of love,got hurt, got love, took up drinking, smoked,( not just cigarettes) did Jobs.It just gave me a slight insight about how the world works.How some friends remember you only when exams are nearing, especially this one particular female who is famous for pulling on a puppy face when exams are nearing and studiously ignoring us otherwise whilst smoking giant amounts of cigarettes for the rest of the year.How I thought I was best friends with a person who later on, didn't exactly display best friend like qualities.How I decided to give up dating (not that I did any good amount of dating before)on meeting and befriending male friends who weren't exactly as awesome as they claimed to be.
I also realized what my passions are.And what a lazy ass I am for not pursuing them.I realized my love for Psychology and Political Science.I realized how little I should care about those who don't matter. and how I should focus on enriching myself more with the coming times it,if it weren't the best five years of my life.
I am going to miss my college.No matter how boring it was.No matter how sad and dingy the canteen was,no matter how there was not a single trip arranged by the college.
I am going to miss it.But I look forward to a better future which will hopefully be more exciting and  more awesome than ever.

Justice for Nirbhaya

2012 ended on a sad note.A gang of egoistic,testerone driven mutts decided to attack and ruthlessly kill a woman just because they felt like doing so.
The heinous rape followed by a brutal murder shook everyone's faith in humanity.It made the women even more suspicious about the dominated sex.The politicians openly displayed thier loose thinking about women.
The president's son(don't even know the name) made some comment about women being jobless and thus,the protests.Pondicherry 's CM made a suggestion that women should be made to wear overcoats or something.One thing folks, if you wish to reduce the rapes or sexual assaults like these,amending the women's attire is not going to help.Anything which is expected to do from the women's side is not going to help.You should rather begin a moral science class on a government level,or make statements which ask the men to respect women as human beings if not anything else,and not rape.I mean,really,how difficult is it to  control the animal desires? Teach your male children the importance of both the genders co-existing.Women are not meant for sex alone.
Keep that goddamned ego aside.

Just respect the gender which gave you birth is all.It's basically the power which the society gives.The power to get away with anything.As they say,if you want to test a person's integrity,give them power.No wonder our society is such a phony,hypocrite world.
Also,the juvenile age needs to be reduced.There have been many instances wherein the minors have gotten away with serious crimes and continue to do so.Yet,the judiciary never learns.The boy who jammed the iron rod into the girl is not an innocent minor.He's a dangerous offender and a real threat to the society.I would suggest total elimination of his existence but the judiciary sees him as a toddler clutching to a toy.
Mindset towards women needs to be reformed.You need to be more sensitive towards them.Heck no,don't give them special privileges.Just understand and respect the differences.
Munni,Fevicol,Sheila,halkat jawani are all extremely demeaning songs towards women.Ban these songs.Every actress should realize her role and responsibility and what impact these songs have on people.How it fills the sick people's mind with glee to see a women so ready to get laid.I would suggest the producers to wake up and think about their responsibility too.The lyrics are getting cheaper day by day.
People are demanding action and answers.But I'm cynical about the procedures.Somehow our wonderful constititution never gives justices and delays things all the times.Be sensitive guys,speed up things.

A bid adieu to the past year

Hello folks! Thank you for stopping by.
As the title says,it's time to bid adieu to 2012.Um,lets see.It was a normal year.The government did not care about its people,apathy was written all over the government's face.People were indifferent (as compared to 2011 when people actively supported Anna Hazare in launching an anti-corruption movement)
We kept losing matches (We faced defeat in the hands of Pakistan just yesterday)
The Highlights :
1.The doomsday which did not happen : All the cynics and pessimists sentenced the entire world to death for rampaging the environment or something.Many theories were put across
The most popular one was that of the Mayans.Also,the crap movie which commercialized on the fear of so many people.They said a gigantic tsunami would engulf us all,ending the world instantly.Sorry my cynical folks,as much as you wanted it to happen,it did not happen.Better end your life on your own,than asking a tsunami to swallow you.

2.Deaths: Sorry,this sounds gory but many of the famous and the infamous have passed away last year.No prizes for guessing who the infamous was.Read my previous blog post for furthur reference.
The police apparently did a geat job of eliminating the vicious desparado.
Celebrities like Bhupen Hazarika,Pt.Ravi Shankar,Rajesh Khanna,Yash Chopra all breathed their last in the previous year.
So what is with the deaths?Crazy coincidence.

3.Continuation of rapes,killings,lootings:
It's not the sexual frustration.There are enough brothels.Its the egoistic mindset that they need to teach women a lesson.What happened in Delhi a few days back just highlights this.Guys,I urge you to not use curses which accuse a person of incest.Learn to treat a person with respect,no matter what.Attacking someone vulnerable makes you coward,not a big man.
Since we live in Kalyug,all our karmas will favour or not favour us in this birth only.

Despite the pessimism,there still shines a ray of hope.We are progressing,but a snail pace.With a little more care for the surroundings,the environment especially,we can do wonders, as a human race.If we live without prejudices of people from different communities and learn to care for others.Let's all pledge to make 2013 a year of transition- of hope and happiness.A change in a positive way.To grow and blossom :)