TISS RAPE--------WHO IS TO BLAME?

Last week’s papers were full of reports about the rape of a foreigner, who was studying at the TISS. The girl went partying with the six boys, drank with them, probably even took drugs (the latest newspaper reports say that drug traces were found in her blood/urine samples), and then went with them, voluntarily or otherwise, to an empty flat, where she was raped.
After a gap of two or three days, she lodged a police complaint and now all the boys are in jail. The question now is “Who is to be blamed for this rape?
The obvious answer would be the boys, for they are the perpetrators of the crime and therefore need to be punished. But the larger question is “Did the girl invite trouble, by being out with six boys, drinking and partying? Did the girl consent to what was happening, and later, as an afterthought and in a more sober state, decided to seek justice? Did the girl go voluntarily or was she kidnapped?
Now, coming to the boys. Why did six educated adults, from reasonably well to do families, need to rape a foreign national, knowing the implications of this offence? When a child is born and starts growing up, the parents teach them what is bad or evil like to harm someone, to kill someone, to molest someone, to cheat someone.
More than punishing these accused, it is more important to study why such crimes occur. Also study the levels of sexual frustration among the youth. Since sex education is being imparted in many schools from lower standards, what impact has it created on the children?
Otherwise, such events are only going to increase, punishment or no punishments is in the hands of the judiciary.

2008 belongs to Indians – truly!!!

After so many years of constant research and efforts, India proved to the world that she can do it. The Indian tricolour planted on the moon on 14th November, 2008 like other significant days, will be marked in the Indian history. Being only the fourth nation to make it on the moon, Indian scientists have proved that they are not less than their American and the European counterparts.  

The successful launch of Chandrayaan 1 from Sri Harikota on 22nd October, 2008 and Moon Impact Probe (MIP) being planted on the moon’s surface was a dream of many Indians. And when the moment came, so many youngsters came forward and witnessed their tricolour flying high on the moon. 

I, like others was equally proud of being an Indian. There are so many instances when each one of us have felt and expressed it. But this moment was not just felt and expressed; in fact it was and will be cherished by many. When the Indo-US nuclear deal was signed, I was happy. Recently when Indian cricket team defeated the World Champions, Australia, I was happy again. 

In the first instance there was happiness because India was on the verge of crossing the ‘Developing Nations’ tag. Joining hands with powerful countries like United Nations was a proof of the hunger India has and that’s what makes us one of the best in the world. In the second instance, the hunger to be the best country in field of cricket was visible again. By defeating the world champions, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s power-packed team proved the world – that there is a country that can beat the Kangaroos.      

 The ‘impossible’ word from the dictionary has been deleted off. Name one thing that Indians can’t do. If they can come forward, raise their voices and give a nod to the N-deal, if they can stand tall in the crowd and cheer their team, if they can wake up early morning and witness the moon mission, if they can help the victims injured in the blasts, if they can come forward and raise funds for the Bihar flood-ridden families, if they can sacrifice everything to brighten a poor illiterate child’s future, believe me, they can and will be what the United States of America is – the most POWERFUL and DEVELOPED nation in the world.

2008 truly belongs to India. If there have been innocent killings (blasts that rocked the country) and regional disparity (North Indian v/s MNS), then there have been many happier times that have made us forget this and be united again. That’s what according to me sets India apart from other nations. This developing country is very soon going to be a developed nation and just how the world witnessed our landing on moon and defeating the world champions, they will witness this moment also. 

CHAK DE INDIA...!!! JAI HIND (Proud to be an Indian).

Raj Ka GoondaRaj

Enough has been written and spoken about Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray over the past few days. In a splur of time this man has gained so much popularity, unfortunately for all wrong reasons. 22nd October, 2008 dated issue of Times of India had page number 1 to 14 allotted only Mr. Raj Thackeray. 

And not just Times even other publications and news channels did the same. From the time of his arrest till he was produced in court, the channels had just two top stories – Raj Thackeray’s arrest and India winning the test match against Australia in Mohali. Both were equally important events but one had 14 page coverage whereas other got just 3.

Anyways coming back to Raj Thackeray, who in spite of being warned of not making public announcements and keeping his party activists under control, he miserably failed. Maharashtra Government assumed that this man would cause no harm (after his first arrest in February) took him too leniently. 

But look he is back with a bang. Is it all for publicity just or is he seriously concerned for the Marathi manoos? In spite of separating from his uncle Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray has continued following his principles. And in most of the cases his acts have been compared to those of his uncle Bal Thackeray.

I fail to understand what exact problem he has against the North Indians. Initially he said that since the Biharis have migrated to Maharashtra, Maharashtrians are facing job problems. Later he made it mandatory for each person residing in Maharashtra to speak in Marathi. This violence that took place was for what? Migrating to Mumbai or not speaking Marathi. 

I believe since this man is left with no work his party members decide to come on the roads and cause trouble in a normal person’s life. Two days and endless incidents taking place in the state. The moment he was arrested people were happy (including Maharashtrians). News channels were flashing news that if convicted he might be sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. 

It’s unbelieving that a man like Raj Thackeray can be sentenced to 10 years. And the reason was out by evening when the Bandra court granted him bail. However, since he had to be produced to the Kalyan court, he had to stay in jail for one night. But the story repeats, he is granted bail gain. What was the point in arresting him and letting him go off so easily? Did the government just wanted to show that they took action but court let them off? 

Fine. As of now he is out and a free man again. What happens about the destruction that his party members created? Who will pay the amount of loss incurred by the innocent man who could have been a Maharashtrian and not a North Indian? What happens to family of those common men who lost their life? Does Raj Thackeray have a answer to all this? Is the government ready to face the consequences that might arise any moment?

Today when I step out of my home, there is a fear not about seeing another blast in the city. But being hit by an unknown man who belongs to Mr. Raj Thackeray’s army. Yes, army that is not fighting for the good of Maharashtrian but taking them away from others. An army that instead of making sure the state remains one is dividing it. His army is dangerous and a threat to all of us. 

Then is it correct to call them TERRORISTS or GOONDAS? The only reason why I believe they cannot be called terrorist is because whatever they are doing is open to the society and don’t regret their act. Unlike a terrorist who attacks from behind and later regrets his act (at times). 

Still in the end both are creating a fear among the people and terrorising the state/country. And in both the cases our government is helpless. Even after being proved guilty no action is being taken. Soon the elections are coming and we as usual will have some hopes from them. But b prepared to fail. Because when Congress came to power they announced that there would be no octroi. But 5 years have passed and nothing has been spoken about it. 

So just keep your eye on the game as you may get to see the surprise of your life very soon! 

                   

 

TV channels - The way forward

Today, television as a medium has grown. Even if you don’t read newspaper, you can know what’s happening in the country. Almost every household in India has a TV set and unlike before today you have many channel options available.
Television being an audio-visual medium, you are not simply listening but also see how it is happening. That’s what has gained importance over a period of time for those who can’t read but can understand an incident. So each channel wants to be ahead of the other and comes up with different strategies to make sure they are number one in the industry.
And the competition is just not between the sports channels or entertainment channels. All channels fight against each other to make sure they are able to hold on their viewership. And because of that you can’t really differentiate between a news channel and entertainment channel.
Entertainment channel will give you all the information pertaining to celebrities, parties, gossips, etc. but if you switch over to a news channel you will find the same happening. News channels have shows like Saas, Bahu and Shaazesh which run for half an hour providing gossips regarding the television and film stars.
My question is when you have an entertainment channel like Zoom, MTV, Channel V, than why to have a separate slot in a news channel? The answer to this is simple. Along with hard core news if you get to watch some light news there isn’t any harm. And that’s how channels are making money. Therefore, the viewership patterns have also increased.
People are getting to watch entertainment and news on one channel. Thus more advertisers are getting attracted towards such channels. News is just for 20 minutes. The remaining time is for the advertisers. And channels have to make sure that the ads appear as they are heavily paid for it.
But there are channels that in spite of doing this are successful and have a loyal audience watching them. CNN-IBN is one such English Channel that covers everything. But the news they deliver has much more relevance besides the other shows. The credibility of the reporters has increased over a period of time and therefore serious news is taken in a serious way.
On the other hand, you have channels like Aaj Tak and India Today, who make fun of serious news. Though they have been able to gain eyeballs, but nobody takes their words seriously as you never know the news is authentic or not.
The future of TV channels is great as its not only about news and entertainment. You have shows like Big Boss which connect you to the life of the celebrity. Then there is Discovery and National Geographic which talk about different aspects. These channels too have their audiences and have been successful in their own way.
No matter what image a channel builds in the eyes of its viewer, they will continue to attract people and make business because they believe that they are showing only that what the audiences want to see.
Long live Television...!!

The next big thing...

A friend of mine asked me just casually today that did I feel any kind of tremors last night. My answer was negative. Incidentally, Satara felt tremors last night and one jerk was felt in certain parts of Mumbai around 1.00 am.

Firstly, I slept late in the night and secondly I never realize if something like this happens. But the point is that earthquake did take place last night.

This friend of mine stays at Cater Road, Bandra and told me that the residents of his building woke up and assembled on the ground floor. The first to run down were people from the 10^th floor. Probably they must have felt the jerk when the earthquake occurred.

Now is this the next big thing to happen? After the bomb blasts in Bangalore and Ahmedabad and bombs being defused in Surat, are earthquakes the next big thing to happen in our country?

One earthquake has already occurred in Satara, could Mumbai be the next (since it’s within Maharashtra)? As of now Mumbai hasn’t faced any bomb attack or earthquake tremors. But could that happen soon? If that happens then how ready are Mumbaiker’s to face it? All might happen in a surge of time.

With all such incidents happening around the country, I would want you guys to be careful and attentive wherever you travel. The Mumbai police is there to look after the security of the citizens, still we ourselves need to take the initiative and be alert.

Mumbai on alert

Yesterday my journey from Bandra station to home was very interesting. After hearing the news of 18 bombs being defused in Surat, I thought that Mumbai must be on alert by now. But when I reached Bandra station, I was shocked.

There were hardly few police constables on guard. Plus there were no arrangements to check the huge baggages of the people. But the best part was when I reached platform 4 to take the train. I was with my friends and the lady from the railway was making an announcement. Now listen to the announcement. Here it goes…

“Kripya karke aapne aas paas koi bhi vichitra cheez dekhkar hamhe turant suchna de.” It’s really appreciated of the railways to take a step to alert the commuters. Especially when so have blasts have been taking place in our country.

But when it comes to Mumbai, people don’t really pay attention. Yes they do keep their eyes open and if find anything suspicious, move away from it or complain to the railway police. But I don’t think they pay attention to such kind of announcements. Mumbaiker’s are one of those kinds who believe in enjoying their life.

Remember when the floods took place or the 7/11 train blasts happened; Mumbaiker’s were back to their normal life the next day. Mumbai is a known as a city that never sleeps. So you can imagine how many people must have paid attention to the announcement the lady was making.

Most of commuters were waiting to reach home as soon as possible to spend time with their family. Few were with busy chit-chatting with their friends. Some ladies were busy gossiping with their regular group of train friends.

Such is the life. Now tell me how many are seriously interested in such kind of announcements? Hardly anybody. But still do you know what. When trouble is around, this is what matters the most. So thanks to the railways, who on one hand hardly provide any security at the stations but on the other expect people to be alert and complain to them if they find anything suspicious.

Feelings….

I feel you in my every heartbeat,
I feel you within my soul,
You know not what I feel for you,
Coz I am myself not sure.
The day I met you I took you as my friend,
You are not the best of persons I’ve met,
Still you hold something that makes me come back to you each time.
What is it? I don’t know myself.
The feelings have changed, but I’m still the same,
You are the same I know for sure.
Then what makes me feel that you have changed,
My friends tell me to think of you as more than a friend,
But something within me makes me feel that they are wrong,
Why can’t I just try to control all these feelings?
These feelings make me hate you at times,
But I don’t hate you. In fact I can never hate you.
Coz you are the most precious gift I’ve ever received in my life.
I have this feeling that one day you will be mine,
And I hope this time what I feel comes out to be true.