Everything in between

"It’s easy to resent those who chose their parents more wisely, but kvetching about it is almost as obnoxious." No, these aren’t my words, but they do help put the whole fuss around nepotism that Indian film stars have kicked up into the right perspective. No one’s right: not those that complain of others being more privileged and definitely not those that chant “nepotism rocks” (this actually is in terrible taste). Don’t we all watch out for our own? If your friend is the CEO of a tech firm and your daughter a young software engineer looking for a job, would you put in a good word or would you scour around to first check if someone else was more deserving? Even big corporates like to promote from within their ranks. See the Ambanis. Mukesh Ambani is chairman and CEO of the holding company founded by his father Dhirubhai. Mukesh's wife Nita sits on the board, while son Akash and daughter Isha are on the boards of the company's retail and telecom units. Awa...

Shocked, hurt and disgusted. The gang rape of a photojournalist in Mumbai has once again shaken my faith in my country, Incredible India! Incredible indeed, how else should you describe a country that doesn’t tire of praising its values, culture and tradition, that worships goddesses and then rapes women. And please, if you are offended at my outrage against the country and not the handful of criminals, hold your peace. Stop making excuses and face the hard truth. India and its citizens are not mutually exclusive. India is what its citizens make it, and right now it is only a rapeyard. Yes, the whole country, not just Delhi or Mumbai. It’s really not about cities. You would think the government would snap into action and take hard decisions after the horrible gang rape and murder in December. But there has been no strong response from our lame government (the slackers!) apart from a lot of public posturing and empty promises, while the case drags on in court, with one of t...

Have you realized just how inquisitive we Indians are? Questions like "Are you married?" "Do you have kids?" roll off our tongues as easily as "What is your name?" and "Where do you live?"  It's a cultural thing, born out of an urge to make small conversation rather than out of any genuine interest. But if we stop to think of possible answers to our seemingly harmless questions, we'd realize it's probably time we change.  Imagine asking the first two questions to someone who's just separated  from his/her partner or someone who's lost their child.  Nope, not amusing at all! So, h ow inquisitive are you? Have you quizzed a young marriageable girl when she plans to tie the knot? Have you asked a freshly-minted bride (or not-so-fresh but childless couple) if there is any “good news”?   Have you given unsolicited advice to new parents on how to bring up their child? And  how  often did you actually know...

This heinous Delhi gang-rape brings back to my mind memories from early 2000 (think 2004) when Dhananjoy Chatterjee was hanged in Kolkata years after brutally raping and murdering a 14-year old! I was shocked at the time to see how human rights activists and others came forward in support of the criminal, condemning the death penalty, and held night-long vigils outside the jail. With its short memory, the public seemed to have forgotten the gory details of how Dhananjoy Chatterjee had raped the girl, killed her and stabbed her several times over (and I think in that order). Attempts were even made to show the perpetrator may have had some “motivation” to do what he did (like really?)! What’s my point? My point is we accept our failure as a society and not allow our outrage over the Delhi gang-rape melt away into a misplaced sympathy for the rapists (apparently some 40 percent of Kolkata wanted Dhananjoy Charterjee to be spared from the gallows at the time). We need to come togeth...

Well, there were similarities with Dil Chahta Hai – It’s about a group of boys, the movie uses the flashback (like Sathiya), there is the ego clash b/w aditya and joe – reminiscent of Akash and Sid. But, this is where the similarities mostly end. The movie is good – in the sense it does connect with the audience but it also lacks the “very youthful” appeal of Dil Chahta Hai For starters, the movie is entirely predictable. One knows that Sakshi (Aditya’s wife) will succeed in getting the band together, you know that the second time they’ll work out fine, when Rob gets a headache at the dining table, you know right away that there’s a brain tumour involved, when he doesn’t turn up for the participant’s party, you know he’s probably unconscious somewhere and, ultimately, you also know that Joe will go against Debby and come for the concert, albeit a little late. But despite this, the movie strikes a chord with viewers because of the simplicity and honesty of portrayal – or what I would ca...

As someone said, "it's just a matter of time".... Here I am, days after my last post on Bangalore's rootlessness, and I can indeed affirm that yes , it was just a matter of time. I have been uprooted from what I call "my" city not in a way where I feel old ties going snap, but in a way where I have been given the strength to nurture new ones. I still see the rootlessness, the very obvious look of being from somewhere else, the lack of large families, the very young and upwardly mobile class of people who seem to float-always ready to move on to something new.... but I also see their new roots, their own sense of an apnapan for B'lore, their love, their joy... in short the promise of a new life. I miss the strong ties of Kolkata but, to be honest, I quite enjoy the independence offered by B'lore's rootlessness!!