Clearing cobbled webs of my wobbly heart

Phew! A lot has happened in last two weeks! No, I am not referring to Maggie noodles being taken off the shelves and the entire nation's frenzy in reacting to its ban as if we are in danger of facing grave starvation! I have been too withdrawn to be interested in all the political tamasha and the media ruckus around all the exposes making it to the breaking news. And no, I am not even referring to the volatile stock market that has made the masses nervous due to delayed monsoon that has finally arrived officially giving great respite to the farmers and people in general.

I have been cocooned in my own little shell. That rarely happens with someone like me who is always high on life! Sometimes, it is difficult to love life and past few days have been spent clearing cobbled webs of my wobbly heart and utterly complicated mind. Please forgive my incoherent words in earnest expressions today. 

I have stayed withdrawn witnessing everything around without getting involved emotionally. And in this process, I have missed posting articles for last two weeks, unintentionally. Sometimes, it helps to take a break from the usual things. It may not change things but it certainly helps get a better perspective on life in general.

As I write this article while having my evening cup of green tea, mild gentle breeze has changed its guard turning into gusts of wind. Within minutes, it has just started drizzling! The wind chimes from the window play jugalbandi with various melodies that rain keeps changing. There is something to the rain that is beyond words! 

The trees all around, have shed all the soot and dust, sporting a fresh, radiant look. In distance, branches sway fervently with new energy. The drizzle has morphed into  thunderous downpour, vigorously reaching out every inch of ground, cleaning everything it touches. I feel raindrops on my bare skin driving away all the worries in some magical cathartic ways. I feel deep calm. I realize, it is time for new beginnings. 

R.I.P Aruna Shanbaugh! Hope you finally find peace

Last week, one of the most discussed names in media over four decades, Aruna Shanbaug; a nurse from Mumbai's K.E.M hospital, passed away after suffering for forty two years of unending pain. 

Most of us are familiar with her name that jumped in every time topic of euthanasia was brought up in media.  A victim of rape and inhuman violence, Aruna Shanbaug suffered painfully silent helplessness for forty two years, in vegetative state, condemned to hell on hospital bed, the same hospital she was working with before she was subjected to gruesome attack!

 Aruna's culprit, who attacked and raped her, was convicted and served two concurrent seven-year sentences for assault and robbery, but not for sodomy! All these years in our collective conscience Aruna has been face of euthanasia and we had almost forgotten the brutality she was subjected to, as if it was just incidental crime without much significance. In today's times it is difficult to comprehend such lapse, isn't it? 

 Aruna Shanbaug's case raises many disturbing questions.

 A victim of horrific violence who ends up in vegetative state for life while the person involved in the crime walks away after few years of punishment. Why? Because, he was never charged for sodomy! 

 Much beyond legal and moral dilemma, there is a question one can't stop asking, why can't we allow euthanasia that is case sensitive instead of banning it or letting it remain an ambiguous concept and letting the patients suffer for ages? 

 It is said that Aruna had nine siblings but not a single family member came forward to take responsibility as it was financially impossible for any of them to take care of her in such condition. Where is the state accountability and concern for victims like Aruna? Why in a country like ours where billions of rupees are spent mindlessly on religious activities, not a single community, group or religious institution came forward to help Aruna?

 The nurses at K.E.M hospital have done commending job by taking great care of Aruna for more than four decades and we all know what an arduous task it might have been for them! But, was it really all Aruna needed? Was she even aware of what happened to her post her traumatic confinement to the hospital bed?   

While Aruna Shanbaug was alive, she was the reason for many a debates that helped bring law on passive euthanasia. Now she is gone, we will still continue to argue and debate euthanasia and our collective conscience will be silenced by tokenism. 

Aruna's life is lost because she was subjected to inhuman crime and suffered for decades.

In the hospital bed she laid almost dead, alone because her immediate family could not afford to look after her.

 The staff of K.E.M that took care of her did exemplary work. Was it enough? Could there have been other better options for treatment and care?

The country where she was born had insufficient law to guard and protect her and punish the guilty for all the crimes committed.

This is Aruna Shanbaugh's real tragedy beyond the horrendous crime she was subjected to.

We might write her obituaries in flowery language but the fact is, Aruna is no more and her culprit is roaming free without having been punished for the actual crimes he committed. And we have to live with that harsh reality but it doesn't bother us really, does it? 

 R.I.P Aruna Shanbaugh!  Hope you finally find peace. God bless! 

Sorry Salman Khan, you are NOT human enough!

I was at the salon getting my hair done when the lady sitting next to me, fiddling with her phone suddenly shouted "oh no" and burst into tears creating quite a furor! Apparently, she had read about the verdict on Salman Khan's hit and run case that sentenced him five years jail. What followed was a heated argument between a group on how the long pending verdict Salman Khan's hit and run case was "unfair"! I better not get into details of extreme arguments between people who felt that finally despite the delay, justice was served while some others felt Salman Khan didn't deserve to be punished. 

I can't stop thinking what is wrong with us, Indians? Are we so blinded by our love for anything and everything related to Bollywood that NOTHING shakes us really? Not even a crime as gruesome as murder by our idol? 

It has been a few days since Indian media has gone berserk over Salman Khan's verdict, the longest hit and run trial in the country. Honestly, I am sick of the "coverage"! No, I am not going to rant about media's obsession of Bollywood and cricket (yeah, that sells and how!) but what shocks me is the reaction of common citizens and the Bollywood brigade who went all out to show "support" for their beloved Mr. Salman Khan. The much talked about tweets by Bollywood fraternity reflect utter disregard for judiciary and complete lack of basic compassion. 

Accidents happen. But it is only when there is lack of accountability cases like hit and run happen. The tendency to run away after committing crime arises out of insensitivity and blatant over confidence of manipulating system with filthy money and muscle power.  The bizarre tweets and so called "solidarity" for Salman Khan is a reflection of how isolated "Bollywood celebrities" and their clan is from reality! Do they even know the basic premise of this case that a precious life (yeah, even if it was a homeless beggar, his life WAS precious), one person lost a limb and few others were seriously injured? I wonder, if they had reacted the same way, had their own family member been injured/died in such sad "accident"? (God forbid!) 

The hit and run case of Salman Khan and so many of his previous court cases indicate how money power can fix anything, even murder! I bemoan lack of basic humanity, sensitivity and compassion that many of Salman Khan's "fans" and "supporters" fail to display.  

A real hero shows character to own responsibility for his deeds. By  running away cowardly Mr. Salman Khan has proved yet again that he is spineless. The first lesson of being human is having basic respect and sensitivity towards fellow human beings.

Mr. Salman Khan for me, is not human enough! Period!

"The law is a system that protects everybody who can afford a good lawyer.” Mark Twain   

The great Indian political circus around farmer's suicide

I generally avoid writing on politics as it is not my forte. But the latest shocking news about tragic death of a Rajasthani farmer, Gajendra Singh, at Aam Aadmi Party rally in Delhi has numbed me. 

I fail to comprehend where are we, as Nation and our politics headed really?                             

A political party, Aam Aadmi Party, organizes a rally. The chief minister of the state, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal, addresses the gathering and in presence of hundreds of people, a farmer commits suicide and NOBODY, I mean, NOBODY really rescues him?! People are so insensitive that they have all the time to capture the images of the farmer attempting suicide but none of them bother to do anything about it?! Aren't they as guilty as people who incited this gruesome incident to gain political mileage out of it? What kind of people subscribe to brand of politics that is inherently in desperate need for sensation, misplaced and incessant mud-slinging and dramatic manoeuvres to obtain media attention and stay in "lime light" for sake of power? 

The saddest part in this entire incident is, as if the suicide is not tragic enough, the  AAP's leader, Mr. Arvind Kejriwal callously continues the rally and goes on giving speech! And when faces with outrage and criticism over it, as usual, in his yet another theatrics, he blames the BJP government and Delhi police for this tragedy! 

Abhorrent! To say the least, right? It is being said in media that the "suicide" was carefully designed and executed by AAP fanatics with adroit meticulousness to shift focus from AAP's latest fiasco with its defiant members Mr. Prashant Bhushan and Mr. Yogendra Yadav that publicly ended in bitter acrimony. As if it is not enough, the state government goes into outright denial about seriousness of the tragedy!

Does death in over populated country like India has any significance at all? We conveniently accept every wrong as part of chaos that is India hence each day begins without iota of conscience/guilt of the perverse wrongs we contribute towards as we absolve ourselves with rhetoric of tokenism.

Too many expose´s and sting operations become scams in themselves, perhaps.  And with the new "courts" being shifted to the television channels that bring the mirch-masala and dirt of who-dun-it-worse into the homes of millions of Indians, everyday, the mudslinging matches reach lowest possible level while the seriousness of real issues that need to be addressed get sidelined and completely diluted. Is good governance that is transparent and accountable going to be delivered via this circus? When even the most serious issues like communal riots/murders/rape/loss of human life are played out to the tunes of vote bank politics, is there any hope when lives do not matter, only votes do?   

The most amusing part from this charade is the hogwash of "we are cleaning up the system” a delusion political parties like AAP are trying to create and position themselves as “saviours”!

I think we will have more of the circus come to watch in near future and with it, a gaggle of political clowns all with their stupidity on show for us. Yesterday communal issues, corruption, today suicide driven by political motive and tomorrow who knows....

Sad events like Gajendra Singh’s suicide that embroil the nation and create easily avoidable conflicts. We need to address the REAL issues not just indulge in mindless rhetoric.

They say, "Give a man power and you know his true character". Looks like, the AAP is proving it absolutely true. 

"Jugaad" by the road side

I was following my ritual of fortnightly gallery hopping trip to Kala Ghoda, sipping coconut water by the road side stall, trying to find some respite from the heat and humidity. There is lot of drama that unfolds every day if you have eye to watch it and having coconut water at the stall on the footpath provides you ample of time to peep into burgeoning tiny microcosms in this effervescent city of Bombay!

Hundreds of people traverse on this road every day, scurrying to work; hawkers, beggars, people running illicit small enterprises, students and office goers trying to catch a quick bite from road side food stall, all making an interesting menagerie of people! The city is invariably always alive and kicking with such a lovely energy, always thronging, buzzing with activity, and teeming with life.

I looked at my favourite corner, normally occupied by a small group of people, mostly women, doing brisk business of artificial jewelry, puppets and stuffed toys. I love observing them for their colourful attires and acute sense of business!

There was hidden tension in the air as one of the group member's merchandise was confiscated by police and an intrepid, civic minded municipality officer who had swung into action of clearing the area from hawkers, the road from squatters, tear down illegal constructions, remove all encroachments around, making the hawkers jittery. At a distance, stood a police van and the head of the group was seen pleading, negotiating with the officer in command. After a few minutes of tough negotiations the hawker's property was released for an unrecorded, unofficial amount. Slowly, the life returned to normalcy and the group huddled together, occupying pre-appointed spaces by the head of the group, setting up their respective stalls. 

I asked one of the women, an old familiar face from the group,"Kya hua? Police ne mana kiya kya yahan dukan lagane ko?" (What happened? Has police stopped you from setting your shop here?) She replied shrewdly, "Madam, koi naya afsar aya hain. Jugaad karna padega. Do chaar din tang karega fir hafta badha denge to pareshan nahi karega" (There is new officer on duty. We might have to try new tricks. He will harass us for few days but once the amount of bribe is increased, he would stop bothering us).     

Inevitably, the age-old instinct for survival draws a large number of hawkers to the road each morning, offering every imaginable service. The spectrum of activities is mind-boggling. ‘Where would all these people go if they were expelled?’ I sometimes wonder! There are a few questions that come to mind when we look at these people not merely as hawkers, squatters or beggars. Why are they here and not tilling the soil or doing whatever their ancestors were wont to do, in their village? Another is: Anyone can see that most of them are doing pretty well for themselves (some even better than educated professionals) but they are not paying any taxes! You may squawk. 

Like thousands of people who migrate to Bombay chasing an elusive dream of better opportunities, these women hail from different parts of the country. Most of the times, their husband or the patriarchal figure in the family is not seen around but their invisible hold is difficult to miss.  Far too often for these women, struggle for the everyday existence turns ugly. Beneath their painstakingly nurtured inscrutable personae lie layered insecurities, aggression, inadequacies and deep pain of alienation. Their everyday life involves physical, mental and emotional abuse from their family members, local goons, Police or even from other dispossessed inhabitants just like them who compete to outpace everybody, in the race for survival. The desire to stay ahead of others is so potent that it doesn't matter if they steal, scavenge or beguile their way through life. 

I have had occasional encounters with enterprising women hawkers and sometimes, I have been fortunate to discover their sensitive, intense and very vulnerable emotions of piercing agony that always festers and breeds, making a cozy home within. The outcome of my interactions with them is a sardonic pastiche, a vicious cauldron of urban destitution. Some of these women manage to find respite in temptations of this ravenous metropolis, some get lost over period of time and some really thrive very well despite all the odds by mastering art of the great Indian "Jugaad"!