Blame Indian culture not “India’s daughter”

When the entire world is watching the shame of India, India is trying to protect it’s citizens by “BANNING” the BBC documentary “India’s daughter”, although I fail to understand the reason behind it. Does the government think it’s performing a “Non cooperation” movement against the Brits? You might laugh at the analogy, but I have strong reasons to think so. In my country, “lifestyle” attributed to as “the great Indian culture” of thousands of years is prodigious. Nothing is wrong with it, including strict BAN on questioning the “culture”. When we are expected to live and die by the culture, that defines a thousand year old India, it’s only natural for me to think that the government wants to keep up the “Non cooperation” movement that happened only decades ago. Dear government, how can I clarify it to you that the movement started by Mr.Gandhi was for freedom and now the ban you have imposed on that documentary is against freedom.

Well, do what you will, but you really cannot snatch our freedom from us. You will try, most definitely, but you can only do so much. I watched the video and if it weren’t for the ban, I would have gladly shared the documentary and made everyone I know watch it. Instead let me try to present my perspective on the topics that were covered in the documentary.

I realized that the family plays a pivotal role in the life of these criminals. They had grown up in an environment where women were ill treated and the women had accepted this prejudice and let men reign over them. So the monstrosity of their crimes against Jyothi never affected them.

Lack of Education (the way it is taught currently in India) may not be the real issue. The reason I say this is, I heard two well settled “educated” lawyers, who are defending the rapists in this case, claim (at least one did and I strongly feel the other will support him) that they would rather burn a woman in their family than let her go out on a date with a guy. Either we shouldn’t call them educated or our perception of education has to change. Those of you, who side with them, don’t bother reading ahead. You are literates with no sense of right or wrong. I despise you lot from the bottom of my heart, not because you said the girl should be burnt but because you do not have the ability to frame your own opinion. You have one, everyone is entitled to one but your’s is based on prejudice. The way you were brought up, you never had the guts to think outside of what you were exposed to and I pity you all for that.

So who do we hold responsible for this utter lack of moral values? The family, the schools or the society? Unfortunately its all of them and the media to top it all. The way the parents behave, sets an example to the children. What inspires the children in the school makes them who they are. The way society around them treats the convicted, lets them know to what degree they can exploit others(after all it’s only human nature to do so). There are certain shows in the media (hundreds of soap operas) that brainwashes the citizens regarding the “ideal” behavior of girls in this country and they claim to be upholding the “Great Indian Culture”.

Is there any hope for us ? Yes I believe there is. I will try to cover briefly in the next two paragraphs what should be the right way to go from now on.

Children have a very impressionable mind, this change has to start from schooling. As much as the government is trying  to make everyone literate, it is not trying to imbibe moral values as part of schooling.  Even if the government passes an order, the current set of teachers may be incapable or not inclined for doing this job. Still the government should own the responsibility to make sure that they hire qualified and socially responsible teachers or at least train them accordingly.

India has a lot of people below poverty line, which sugar-coats the problem. They cannot look after themselves. Yet, they take it upon themselves to populate the earth, when they cannot feed themselves. Given the situation,how can they ever educate them? For every human is an animal (including us) when we get hungry, will the child ever look beyond food and providing for it’s desires(as it becomes a teenager) disregard to the way it gains them? Parents even make their children work, without letting them enjoy the innocence of childhood. How can someone, who do not understand that innocence become human after all? They grow up in that environment, just like their parents did and the cycle repeats. (I’m only generalizing, I’m not saying every poor family does this and moreover the parents of the rapists seem to give this as the reason, their sons are the way they are)

The question that alludes me is, why aren’t people allowed to have children only if they can afford to look after them? Why bring more lives into the world only to see them suffer? You know they will, for you cannot afford to provide them the basic necessities of life and no, god does not feed everything he creates. One parent of the rapist said she had the kid so that he could cremate her after her death. Is getting cremated by your son really that important that you give birth to a son(after many daughters or by killing many daughters) for that superior purpose? It doesn’t matter to you if they become monsters and take someone else’s daughter’s/son’s life away? Oh wait! what is it to you? your son should be alive to cremate you, else our religion/culture promises you hell after death. For the billions of gods'(that you have created) sake!! Don’t you realize that you are in hell already? What can be worse than surviving on tea and forcing your children into labour (one rape convict’s mother said she was surviving on tea)? Watch them do heinous crimes and blame it on poverty and still wish that they do not get punished because, of course you need them to cremate you! Don’t you realize your son made some other parents life hell while they are still alive? What makes you think you deserve any better? If only you had taught them anything or just one thing, that a woman is also a human being, you would still have your son. Anyway, the point is, when you are dead, you are dead! you won’t know who cremated you or buried you. Either way, you go back to the earth where you came from. Why is it a motivation to have kids?Even if there is an afterlife, why should that be any different from the current life? Even if it is, shouldn’t karma decide that? who knows, who has come back to tell?

Millions of men are chastising BBC for the video they have done on our “culture”. They haven’t shown anything that isn’t true.The rapist doesn’t have remorse and says the girl shouldn’t have fought back! That is the culture you do not want the world to see?  Or where he declares “from now on, girls will not just be raped but murdered too”? Or that they decided to teach her a lesson? They were drinking and driving! Isn’t that against our culture? Even I want to teach them a  lesson by pulling out their entrails and burning them with the alcohol they were drinking. Should I go ahead and do it?

I don’t understand who are you hiding the truth from, yourselves may be? The sad story is, I don’t think you realize or care to realize the implications of the truth. Stop being proud of something, just because you were born in that culture or religion or caste or family for that matter. Take the good things that it has to offer, not everything! No one is perfect, but at least you can admit when you are wrong and try to change, even if the ones pointing finger at us are not from our background. Pointing your finger back at them doesn’t solve anything, does it? Remove the deadlock, accept the mistake and try to find a solution.

Remove the ban on the video and let every citizen in this country realize the harsh truth. It’s time we take responsibility and correct the mistakes of our ancestors. Do we want to live in our own shell and assume that “All is well”? Then even after 1000 years India will still be the country where a Rape happens every 20 minutes, may be even worse.

Let us not become the country where we impose ban on freedom.

If you really continue the ban on the video, I suggest introducing ban on having kids by people, who cannot look after them.

Why men will be men..

He looked at his wife as he entered the house. She was sitting on the couch, leaning back and eyes closed. The pregnancy had cast a glow on her, yet she looked exhausted and sad.

“I’m sorry again sweetheart. I really tried leaving office early today. Nowadays it’s crime to be accomplished at something! everyone flocks you with doubts..!!”

She smiled, at her husbands utmost regard of himself and his innocence in believing that he being late again was the reason for her looking dejected. Being an event manager was a hectic job and getting pregnant had only made it worse. The morning sickness, doctors appointments and never ending cravings and work to top it all! She didn’t want to be a sit at home, dependent wife, but not getting any breaks from work had worn her out. In spite of the agony the childbirth promised, she looked forward to the maternity leaves.

“What can I do to make it up to you?” he asked coming close to her and sitting by her side.Not wanting to miss the opportunity, she decided not to disclose the truth that she herself had reached home only fifteen minutes earlier and said “Oh! I know honey. Don’t worry about it. I just need a cup of coffee. I got the food parcel today. I didn’t have it in me to cook tonight”

He placed his hands over the baby bump and said “Is she troubling you a lot? You know I would have taken all the pain from you if I could” concerned.
she smiled a wicked smile and said assertively.,“Trust me! If men could, every woman would have gladly given it to them!”
He got up and said “Well not every woman, many do genuinely love their husbands!” and went on to make the coffee.

what to do if a tiger escapes from the cage?

It was a sunny day. Isha and Auro had been to Mysore Zoo for the weekend. She had visited it few years ago and had forgotten how big it was and the variety of animals it housed. They went back to being children looking at animals and birds; waiting for the giraffes to come towards them and bend their long necks, trying to see how one zebra’s stripes were any different from another’s and not seeing any difference, trying to find the chameleon in the bushes, looking at the big python sleeping and wondering how big it might get eating either of them…

Their imaginations went wild with each animal, until they saw tigers. Both were dumbstruck by their build, majestic walk and I can kill you in seconds if I were out of this cage look. They were fascinated to watch them, though they felt guilt imprisoning them in the cages and taking away their freedom.

After a while they decided there were still many animals they hadn’t visited and slowly began walking away from the tigers. Isha asked Auro,  “ what will you do if a tiger escapes from the cage ?” He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her close and said“I just have to run faster than the slowest of the people here and I will be safe and I am pretty sure I run faster than you, so no worries there” and winked. She was shocked at his response but couldn’t help laughing at his quick wit. They enjoyed the rest of the day with rare animals and birds and went back home tired and exhausted thinking they should plan a trip to Africa and enjoy the animals in the wilderness.

time to get addicted!!

It’s time I make writing a habit. A habit which turns into an addiction. Isn’t that the way writers are? They have to write every day!! I know I’m not a gifted one at it by birth, but it’s time I work at it and gift the talent to myself rather than crying about it. Even if I suck at it after say 10-15 years(just means I’m gonna try at least 10-15 years before I give up) I will not have regrets that I didn’t try at all.
To keep track and make sure it turns into a habit, I have decided to write at least a para a day, to begin with. I really hope I see my writing improve every day. If I read this post after a year or so, I should be able to point at all the mistakes in this post and laugh at myself and correct them.
I’m not sure what I’m gonna write about, but since I wanna improve story writing from a third person perspective I should really find some good story!!
All the best to me 

Michelangelo and Sistine chapel

Cardinal DR was very impressed with the the ‘Pieta’ by Michel and had made himself a promise that if he ever became Pope, he would commission Michel to decorate his tomb.It was a masterpiece and Michel was only 24 when he had completed it. Luck favoured the Cardinal and he became Pope Julius 2, who became famous as “The warrior pope”.

Soon Michel was sent for and commissioned to decorate the tomb of the Pope.  Michel came up with a grand design where in the tomb would have 40 statues of carrara marble. Vatican budget couldn’t afford such grandeur. He was asked to change the design and use low quality marble to reduce the cost. Being a perfectionist, he refused, but was forced to do it. Taking advantage of the French attack on Rome, Michel escaped Rome and went into hiding. After Pope’s victory in the war, troops were sent to look for him. After 9 months of rigorous search ,he was found and bought back to Rome.

Bramante, who worked in building St.Peter’s basilica resented Michel. Florence and rome competed to produce better artists at the time and Pope commissioning a Florentine artist to design his tomb made Bramante jealous. He managed to influence Pope to punish Michel for running away by giving him work that  he would definitely fail at, to teach a lesson.

Walls of Sistine chapel were  painted already, one side with the story of Jesus and another with the story of Moses by great painters of the time. Painting of the ceiling was on Pope’s mind, so he asked Michel “The sculpturer” to “paint” the sistine chapel as punishment, knowing very well that he would fail, and threatened to attack Florence if he refused.

Michel had no choice but to comply. He was asked to paint triangular columns of the sistine chapel with 12 apostles and centre with ornamentation. He learnt the art of painting in 11 months and went back with a grand proposal and persuaded Pope that,he would paint ceiling with 9 episodes from the book of genesis and  triangular columns with the prophets instead and successfully convinced.

Raphael, a great painter himself was painting adjacent rooms of sistine chapel at the same time. He asked Michel to give up on the work several times and said he would do it. It took him 4 years to complete. When Pope saw the work, he was awestruck. He had no words to describe his admiration for the painting and it’s creator. Raphael was so moved by the painting that, he painted Michel in his “School of Athens” though Michel wasn’t part of the initial sketch. He even tried to imitate the Genius style in his paintings.

But Michel was relieved to go back to his sculpting. It was very long time till he held a paint brush again.