Everything in between

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...