Monday 26 November 2012

Necessity may not be the mother of inventions!



The world is in serious need of some more inventions! We need something more. Something which will blow your minds off.

- Firstly and most urgently I, sorry we, we all need such a pair of spectacles which glow in the dark. How else do I see where I’ve kept my specs! Oh and once you manage glow in the dark, please go for glow in the light! C'mon I need to find them in the day also!

- Ok then I’ll need an invention which can help me alter the storyline of the daily soaps we see. So then I can make Meredith Grey marry Derek before having to wait for another season. Then I can give Castle more punch lines and bickering and lesser heartbreaks! And yes I’ll make those lead females in Hindi soaps cry lesser!


- And can you scientists or believers of magic, to whoever this applies, can you please make the flying car real? Not because we want to catch up on missed trains, though JKR's idea was brilliant, as always! But because, the roads in Calcutta seem to be narrowing and the volume of cars expanding. And the absence of too many skyscrapers will also be easy on the flying machines.

- Lastly, and on a less serious note (oh ya, I'm dead serious about the above requisitions!) can we, just if it's possible have moving pictures in our newspapers? Yes, this is inspired from JKR. I'm simply putting in a request for her idea! Big fan of the Harry Potter and the Daily Prophet, you see.


Do you want any inventions? Put it up! You never know, someone somewhere might just start working on it! Cuz someone once told me, 'You just have to believe that it's possible.'

Oh, and I'd like to thank two of my special friends, Shradha and Radhika, for missing my blog posts and inspiring me to write more often. I'll try harder girls! Promise! 




Saturday 24 November 2012

Does it bring closure?

Arnab Goswami asked on Times Now, does Kasab's hanging bring closure to the ones affected by 26/11?

Does it really?

I don't think so.

When Osama Bin Laden was killed, it brought closure to the whole of America. Obama was hailed worldwide and his forces saluted. A victory was celebrated.

When news of Ajmal Kasab being hanged gained momentum, there was a flurry of reactions ranging from 'Finally?', 'Are you sure?' to 'Sure it was not a natural death?'. Perhaps we'd gotten so used to seeing our Government spend crores on him, we couldn't imagine him dead.

For the past four years, the families of the victims had to live with the horror of seeing the Indian Goverment protecting Kasab, reading out human rights to him, lawyering him up and treating him more humanely than he ever treated any person on that fateful day.

Hats off to our Government for treating Kasab as an equal finally and sentencing him as per the law. But it hurts to see that the same Indian Goverment curbs on our basic human rights of speech and expression.
(Case in point - recent arrests of cartoonists for drawing the flak of politicians.)
(Further case in point -  arrest of two girls for having criticised the mass upheaval in Mumbai on Bal Thackeray's death.)

How can a country which has been seeing injustice happening for four years achieve sudden closure at a death which should have and could have happened long ago?

No, Arnab. The hanging does not bring closure.

The real closure will come when we as citizens of India can instill faith in the ones who lead us, not rule us.

Thursday 15 November 2012

Think differently post-Diwali!

Between Diwali and Durga Puja, the essence of festivities nearly died for me, what with me slogging in the office for nearly 12 hours a day!  But with Diwali here and gone there are so many small things which we do only once a year, which define Diwali for me, at least. Of course, bursting crackers defines Diwali for many, the Puja matters the most to others, but think differently and you'll realize the small things matter too!


  • Making the rangoli! At first taking the lead because you want to make a bright and beautiful one. And then with the evening of the D-Day approaching, requesting all family members to put in a hand so that it just gets over!
 
 

  • Painting the diyas! Many of us have stopped doing that, but trust me, that one day always allows you to be creative and splash colours the way you want! It just has to look good always. And it does look good always. Unless you have the penchant to really screw things up!
 
 
  • Wax candles! Not all of us make those at home, but if you did, you'd realize that in those moments when you're required to sit absolutely still, holding the wick in the molten wax, you will recall the silliest jokes and even a simple line can seem double-meaning and will make you shake with silent laughter!

  • And lastly, spring cleaning in autumn! I love those days when you can spend hours cleaning your room when in reality you're poring over old pictures and reliving your school days when life was less complicated!

What defines your Diwali?!