India is my country, All Indians are .....

The Mangalore Carnage

A stupid group of people, apparently published and distributed material degrading Hindu gods and practices. An act, that the "Other" group calls "An attempt at forceful conversion of Hindus to Christianity". So whats the result? A bunch of nutheads, morons belonging to the group Bajrang Dal, vandalizes about 20 churches in Mangalore. Brilliant, just what the politicians wanted. The Christians retaliate... And there enters the police, all mighty, tear gas, lathis, world war II rifles wearing stupid helmets and beating the blood out of every christian on site. People did not stop there, they went around stabbing and killing each other... This is the great society that we are building. This is the legacy we want to leave behind for our children to build upon. 50 years down the line I wouldnt be surprised if we have a Talibanized form of government in every nook and corner of India!

The Chennia Law-less School Incident

The Chennai Law-less school Incident

Oct 30th was Mr. Devar’s anniversary,as a result the Devar caste students of Ambedkar law college published and printed posters and stuck them to all corners of the city.In that poster Mr Devar’s photo was present and a few lines hailing him were present.Below a small note contained wishes by the Ambedkar college Devar caste students’ wishes (WITHOUT ANY PICTURE OR ANY QUOTE OF MR.AMBEDKAR).As a result the SC students of that college were humiliated and targeted the Devar caste students.The action plan was planned in the morning and carried out in the evening.All the students involved were boozed leading to aN UNCONTROLLABLE HAVOC.Also the previous enemity behind the two groups made the issue more heated and led to a fierce clash between the students of the 2 castes.The students who finished the exams were targeted and those who came to rescue was not spared too!!!!You cant see how the students cried for help and how the attack was brutal. And what did the mighty police do? Looked on, spoke on their cell phones, looking at that kid being murdered!

Is this what we have become? A country ruled by thugs, criminals, religious bigots and senseless casteists?? Where is my secular nation? The one that I was taught about in glorious words in school? What is the history we leave behind for our grand children (Hoping that they still get to see India as a whole)?

Caste based violence, Religion based violence.. all for political motives and these ignorant bastards fall for it? I have taken a pledge in my school, every single day in the assembly I have said

India is my country.
All Indians are my brothers and sisters.
I love my country, and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.
I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders respect
and treat everyone with courtesy.
To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion. In their well-being and
prosperity alone lies my happiness."

Do people even know what they are saying anymore? Where is my country India? It is now divided into sub groups to caste controlled regions. Where is it? Who are my brothers and sisters? These vandals, thugs and criminals? Is this the Rich and Varied heritage I should be proud of? Is this the way I should be striving to be worthy of it? My parents, teachers, elders!! Are they getting that respect? Will the kids of these glorious arseholes give that respect to them? Courtesy?? What courtesy? There is no devotion to the country and its people, the well being of my country, the prosperity of my country is not their goal.

Religion was supposed to bring people together. Faith in the lord, a common god. Where is my country? I have lived outside India for 5 years, everyday I think about my parents back home, my friends back home.. I take pride in talking about our culture, our heritage, I dream of a day when I will like to be back. This country is not mine, India is mine, but is this where I am going back to? Where I will be welcome if I am of a certain Religion? If I get a job if I belong to a certain caste? My children will be able to study in a school and go to college on the merit of their educational achievements or the Tag of a caste they belong to? Where is My INDIA??

The country I call India is secular. It is not the effin property of a religion or a caste. The long gone leaders who laid their lives for the country did not do it for this. Remember, "History is not only to teach you where you come from, but also to learn the lessons for a future".

India is my country, your country... WE ARE INDIANS!!

"SLAM" dog millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire won accolades. 8 oscars out of 10 nominations, 3 of them won by two Indians. A.R.Rehman and Pookutty did the country proud and announced to the world about a talent less appreciated in the western world.

I have seen the movie and I saw it twice and I recommend it to every person I speak to. The way I see it, I like the simplicity in the story, how realistically truthful the story was. More than Danny Boyle (for realizing a story so well on screen), I would have given a literary award to the man who wrote it. Overnight the movie has become a talk of every household. I read an obscure newspaper say "Indian movie wins 8 oscars". Though I think it is a movie shot in India, story about Indians, it took a British director, an American production house and marketing and hence cannot be called an Indian movie.

Not everyone is happy however about the movie. instead of Slumdog Millionaire, now we have a SLAMdog millionaire. So who is not happy about the movie? Well our very own countrymen (Not all of them, but many of them). The very people who feel the name Slumdog is derogatory, that the movie did not show an economically prosperous India, the movie showed India in a bad light by showing the slums.

I have a problem with all these protests. I dont know how many of these protesters have actually seen the movie and as I see, most of these protesters are from the very slums where the movie was shot. The problem with this is, the protagonist of the movie Jamal Malik is a slumdog in the eyes of an Indian society who think they are better than him, the people from the slums don't call themselves that. In other words, a villain in Hindi movie calling the hero "A Gali ka Kutta" (A dog on the streets). The word Slumdog does not represent a population and is not a word that identifies that population, it is a term used by an oppressive society which sees them in that form. There is nothing wrong with, an in your face title that says "A person whom you call a Slumdog, has triumphed over all".

The story is more than just about a Slumdog. It is about Hope, hardships, right and wrong, about choices and in the heart of all these, the movie is about an integral part of India. Are we this blind that we are ashamed of admitting what is as real and true as the Malls and cell phone toting India? Should the movie be called Chandni Chowk Millionaire? If this movie is about the slums so what? So are many movies about so many other places in India. If you are so ashamed of the slums in our country, we should be doing something about it. Those kids who acted in the movie live in those slums. The movie IS ABOUT THREE KIDS FROM THE SLUMS? And an author has every right to write what he sees and has seen, and a movie maker will take that story to the masses. Whats wrong in it?

I remember when Deepa Mehta wanted to make the movie "Water". A movie that showed the plight of widows in an erstwhile society, oppressed and left to rot. People protested, burned effigies, the beacon holders of Indian tradition (a.k.a Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal) took to the streets, burned shops, pillaged and wrecked public property. What was the result? The movie was made in Sri Lanka, sponsored by the Candian government and nominated to Oscars as a Foreign Film from Canada. And when that happened, everyone was like, oh thats is an Indian movie; Deepa Mehta made that movie; It's about India.

Billu Barber is another instance. The name barber was dropped from the movie. I guess if I make a movie about a person named Bejan Daruwala, or Abbas Tyre wala, I probably would be shot! Whats wrong with our country men? Where were you and your protests when the freakin Netas were eating your taxes and letting you wade through hip deep water in a flood? When are you Shiv Sena going to protest the incompetence of your anointed ones in the office? Why all this hula boo about a movie name? About a movie? About a valentine's day celebration? About girls going to a club?

Fight if you must, then fight Casteism, fight to remove quota based engineering and medical seats, fight those people who take the last penny out of a pensioner to sign a death certificate of his son, fight those who leave the children in these slums, who take the kids out of their schools for political rallies, fight the communal forces who shed blood in the name of the lord. Fight them, not a slumdog or a barber!

Where Are We Headed?

Every day, my morning in the office starts with news back home in India. Nothing much has changed in the last 3 and a half years that I have lived outside. The news is the same, the issues are the same, the political leaders are the same, justice still grants bails based on the number of on screen appearances you have made.
Today morning, I read a piece of news which can be seen via this link. The story just goes to point the sorry state of mind many individuals and groups have in our country. Value of life is at its lowliest and personal agenda and petty political differences makes life of our countrymen worse by the day. A young boy of 4 died enroute to the hospital. Why? He was in the ambulance and the ambulance could not reach the hospital in time because stupid party workers of BJP and Congress had blocked the road for rallys. The boy's father had to run with the kid in his arms even after the mother's plea fell to deaf ears.
The question is not about letting an ambulance through, or having consideration for a 4 year old life and now grieving parents. The state government has already put a price tag to the boys life. They have announced 2 lakhs to the parents. IT IS A SHAME!
These very political leaders and party members should be ashamed of calling themselves humans, let alone Indians. What do these political rallys achieve? Better life for the citizens of this country? Better medical facilities? Better education? What is the purpose? Riots over religion, fights over who will rule the "Treasury" of the country.. and the end result is just one.. another innocent blood smeared on the conscience of the working class of this country. No one cares who the boy was, no one will even remember the name of the kid, no one will send their heart felt condolences to his parents.. because, we as country men/ brethren , do not recognize our own family any more.. we are not one country, no.. not anymore..

-Cool Cat Signing Off!