Inferno, the dance of death and despair

I was reading the latest news of terror attacks in Afghanistan, during Ashura mourning. The news carried a photograph of a girl barely eight, looking with disbelief, at the dead bodies strewn all around her. With her clothes drenched in blood, she was in a complete state of shock and visibly numb. Deeply pained with that sight I thought, what could be worse than a child that young having to witness such inhuman acts of violence? I was struggling hard to get that heart wrenching picture out of my mind and then arrived the shocking news of tragedy at AMRI hospital at Calcutta.

Some incidents are far too painful to comprehend! How can we justify loss of 90 precious lives, charred to death at the hospital? I stopped watching news on television as the visuals were too uncomfortable. People who went for treatment at the place that is supposed to give a new life, met with such horrible death! 

Like it happens every time after any tragedy strikes, we have a long list of reasons and flaws that are being established and blame games are changing with each passing day. There is clear  repudiation of laws and glaring neglect of safety issues by the hospital. It is shocking that even medical staff, except a very few, abandoned their patients and ran for their own safety during this grim incident.

Who all are the culprits in this episode? Hospital, for its complete disregard for certain rules and for not having a speedy evacuation program meant for the most crucial time like emergencies. Respective authorities, for allowing hospital to bend rules (suddenly, the authorities have realized that certain part of the hospital is unauthorized! I wonder how come this was not noticed and reported before the tragedy struck?) To some extent, medical staff that could have perhaps dealt with this tragedy in much better way and saved few lives. And, us. 

Yeah, we as society, are responsible in some way for this tragedy. How often do we bend rules for our convenience and take things for granted as we think everything can be purchased and fixed by money and power. We thrive in the culture of "sab kuch chalta hain". We take pride in being "smart" and "practical" (read, manipulative and corrupt). Greed and corruption are so deeply ingrained in our DNA that we have forgotten where to draw line. We are too obsessed with our own survival to care for anything wrong that is happening around us. We have learnt to ignore things that are blatantly wrong but don't affect us. Why take panga (why bother)? 

Do I need to give any example of how our system is rotting with corruption? Even a school going kid knows that one can get away with crime by offering some money. Of course, we have rules and stringent punishments for the law breakers. Is any amount of monetary compensation ever enough to make up for loss of life? 

Accidents happen. At times, tragedies occur out of sheer accidents that are beyond anyone's control. We need to ask ourselves; how comfortably numb we are going to be, consumed by our greed? How far will we continue to be mere silent spectators? NOBODY deserves to die the way people died at AMRI hospital and till such loss of precious human life continues, I doubt we can call ourselves a civilized society. 

Morning hues at the Hanging garden

I feel a constant compulsion for discovering unfamiliar territories of life. When that urge is not  satiated, there is a turmoil in my cerebrum that nudges me incessantly and my only salvation is in taking my camera, exploring new places and experiencing amazing hues of life at different levels. That is precisely what  I did yesterday. After a very long time, I went for outdoor shoot at the Hanging garden with a group; Mumbai Weekend Shoot, of which I am a member. What an amazing start for the week! 

There was much more  than the usual December pollen and the stunningly beautiful butterflies fluttering all over. What mesmerized me was the subtle unfolding of various shades of life present at the garden, that early in the morning.

While we were waiting at the entrance of the garden for all the members of the group to arrive, the day had started with languid pace at the main road. The group of bicycle riders had gathered in their interesting attires, ready to hit the road - their adventure. A roadside joint was serving fresh breakfast and had started attracting customers already.

From across the road, hurriedly came an old hawker, carrying all his wares to set up his shop before any of his competition arrived. The dog walkers, giving in to the tantrums of their dogs and allowing the passers by to play with their friendly dogs, made a beautiful sight!

The moment I entered the garden, I got to inhale divine fragrance of wet soil, soaked in fresh dew. There is this lingering urge in that fragrance that holds us silent and transforms us in tune with our inner self in some subtle, magical way that is infinitely precious. There is divine stillness that it brings along that soothes heart which is completely rejuvenating for the body, mind and soul!

A group of young people from a family were playing cricket, while the elders were confined to being fair umpires and supportive spectators.

People doing pranayam, yoga and other exercises, very senior citizens in their late seventies and eighties strolling leisurely, enjoying spilling of tender rays of Sun and the abundant beauty all around made a happy picture of a life lived well.

Magnificent trees offered shade of solace and many senior citizens grabbed the secluded places and were busy sharing stories of their life, laughter and pulling each others' legs. When they saw so many photographers, they asked many questions and some of them ebulliently suggested some nice spots worth taking pictures. They proudly narrated details of the various groups they had formed and their participation in various activities. 

Trees, full of blossom and fragrances stood with lonely grandeur and amid the brocade of leaves and flowers; birds, insects, bees and butterflies were having a blast! Looking at the sheer abundance of spectacular colours, forms, textures and perspectives I was wondering if I could ever capture all that beauty! 

I left the garden when the sunlight became too bright for the photographs. My heart was oozing out with magnificent energy. The fascinating glimpse of various stages of life and its different rhythm I observed at the garden was going to be cherished for long. I knew that I was going to return to this place again and again as just one visit to such a heavenly garden isn't enough to capture its ethereal early morning beauty!

Why this murderous rage?

What an eventful week! Two sensational news that gobbled up our time, energy and attention last week were; a song sung by Dhanush, "why this kolaveri di " and mr.Sharad Pawar, our agriculture minister, receiving a slap from enraged man! Well, in the era of serious deficiency in attention spans, anything that holds our attention long enough and makes us talk about it, is worth mentioning, isn't it? 

In my futile attempt of enjoying the song "kolaveri" I wasted few minutes and realized that it doesn't make any sense (at least to me, even after asking some of my Tamil speaking friends for help). Albeit, there is an interesting lesson to be learned in understanding how to convert an absolute gibberish into a hit, whether it was by default or by design (any PR agency, digital media marketing firm listening?)  I am sure this sudden sensation would provide quite an inspiration for advertising and song writing for the days to come and we would welcome it as "cool"! We have humongous appetite for absolute rubbish.

Talking about the slap-trap episode of mr. Sharad Pawar; I watched the entire episode with great shock and disbelief but have been guilty of enjoying brilliantly brazen humour on social networking sites, born out of this slap incident. I have laughed incessantly at unguarded comment of mr. Anna Hazare, "he slapped only once?" It makes me wonder aren't we encouraging a dangerous trend here? We are champions at mud slinging and by cheering for such acts of assault and violence we have conveyed our misplaced frustration and irresponsible, disdainful judgments. Instead of  condemning tamasha of such despicable incidents, we are getting kick out of it! Is it our catharsis? 

The people who slapped  mr.Sharad Pawar, hurled a shoe at mr. Arvind Kejriwal, attacked mr. Shanti Bhushan or assualted mr.Sukhram are NOT representatives of rage of nation. There is a pattern emerging out of these sad incidents of unease and intolerance. Agreed, our political leaders have failed us pathetically. Our country is in a huge filthy mess due to complete lack of political will to address issues of a common man. 

Before we react or justify these attacks, do we ever ask ourselves, if we are doing our bit? Who is responsible for bringing these very spineless leaders to power? How many of us have really not participated in some corruption for sake of our advantage? How many of us really vote, pay our taxes, make purchases without paying taxes or have been really aware citizens and performed our duties when we should? I am sure most of us have been guilty in some way or other. Why blame government then ? They say, people get the government they deserve and we got whom we voted for. Simple. Why this kolaveri di?

No civil society can thrive on lawlessness. If we are truly fed up with the issues of governance, lets bring in people who are good leaders and know their business well. If we are sick of corruption, let's not encourage it in any form. There are ways to address challenges but taking path of violence is not answer to any issue. And in a democratic nation like India, with its unique challenges there is all the more need to understand and address the challenges in much more responsible manner. Lets not give in to temporary titillation of acrimonious acts of rancor. Solutions to our problems lie in considering our real issues with candour and addressing them.  Its time to think, where are we headed really? 

   

"Mom, ain't I your flesh and blood angel ? "

At last, entire nation sighed with great relief, when Mrs. Aishwarya Rai Bacchan delivered her bundle of joy. Mercifully, due to Broadcast Editors Association's ten point directive, we were not bombarded with the "breaking news" on the story.

But, in a country like India, is there ever any respite from Bollywood and cricket? The social networking sites were buzzing with posts related to Aishwarya's delivery. People went berserk with new arrival in the Bachchan family! Interestingly, amid all this brouhaha, nobody even bothered to notice the shockingly increasing numbers of crib deaths. It made me reflect on how we are interested in nothing but sensation.   

Why should crib deaths interest us? There is no glamour attached to it. There is no public  participation like protests and  candle light march that would create some sensation. The news is too stark and it always happens to "poor people, out there ". We want news. We want gossip. We want endless chatter. We want entertainment. We constantly need some melodrama to shift focus from our mundane life. Who cares if the sensation comes from a Bollywood actress or a porn star entering some idiotic reality show? As long as we are entertained, receive escape from our reality, we would take it all! Crib deaths do not provide any of this. Do they? 

While media was busy carrying most "happening" baby shower party of Bollywood, hundreds of babies died due to malnutrition and complete medical neglect! We care hoots for loss of so many precious lives and bereavement of the mothers who lost their angels. We have become so smart that we have mastered the art of maneuvering our conscience according to our convenience!

It is futile depending on government to find some solution to any problem. Don't we already know the standard statement after any tragedy occurs; "it is matter of great concern and we would look in to the matter. Guilty will not be spared."  Sadly, that is the way government functions in our country. 

Forgive me, if I sound angry today. It is just that the mother in me is crying out for those babies that met most inhuman deaths. Empathy is the basic attribute for any civil society and I bemoan its complete lack in our society. 

Try seeing a picture of a mourning mother; holding her baby in her arms. Close your eyes for few seconds. Cross your heart and ask yourself a question, "is that baby any different from my very own children? Isn't she as angelic? Did she deserve to die that way?" I think, you will get what I am trying to say. 

A small wonder!

At my home, there is so much happening 24/7 that I am always whirling dervish from one thing to another and I love it that way. But sometimes it becomes very exhaustive and I have my very frustrating hair tearing moments too. When such moments arrive, I head to art galleries to find some semblance of sanity and attain solace. 


I was at art gallery some days back, admiring work of some of my favourite maestros. The paintings and sculptures were familiar as I had seen them before yet there was something  different about it. Some of the paintings were unfolding new meaning. I was just getting engulfed in that divine sense of new awareness, when I heard some commotion.


There was a boy; barely three, standing next to the desk, trying to draw a painting on the paper, specially kept for visitor artists/students of art. He was accompanied by his mother and a sibling who were keen to leave but the child was not willing. He was so fascinated by the paintings that he was determined to draw one, just like displayed on the wall, "main waisi hi painting banaunga" ("I will paint just like one on the wall") he kept saying and started drawing passionately. 

Subhaan, completely engrossed in his drawing 

There I was, witnessing an innocent, unadulterated  confluence of creativity and seminal discovery of beauty in the eyes of Subhaan (name of that boy). It was such a simple but sacred moment, containing potential to spark magic of marvel and I could already see that in divinity of his face. Subhaan was in that magical moment with totality and his eyes sparkled with hope, dream and were devoid of any frustration or fear. That is the beauty of unclouded mind that only a child till about certain age possesses. 

What impressed me most was the way Subhaan's mother handled it. She did not appear to be very educated but was very patient as she sensed that her son was experiencing something valuable which was worth and essential. She appeared little embarrassed as other visitors seemed bit disturbed with all the noise.

Subhaan, little perturbed by the clicking of the camera

Watching Subhaan brought back so many beautiful memories of my son when he was that age. I remembered how on one occasion, I had to fight with his nursery teacher for teaching that peacock was most beautiful bird. I demanded that she and the school authorities considered letting children explore concept of beauty and have freedom to define what beauty meant for them instead of stifling their aesthetic sense and creativity by enforcing perceptions about beauty and other aspects. I still remember the shock on that teacher's face when I asked her, "what if my son finds an owl or a crow most beautiful?"

Have you ever wondered, how often we miss out on simple, little moments of creativity/discovery that hold great potential for growth? There is beauty in spontaneity which is very important just like the quiet pulse beat that holds essential rhythm of life. We rush our children through life as if it is some race to win! We crush their innocence, creativity and curiosity, corrup their minds and mould them to become robots, equipped to cope with the competition and stay ahead in life. 

When I left the gallery, I was experiencing great high and was enriched by Subhaan's spirit. I prayed God that he follows his heart even when he grows big and becomes a great artist. He had all the potential in him and I had just seen its evidence.