The Tiger is no more!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The media calls him ‘a man of many contradictions’, the Shiv Sainiks respect him, the Opposition blames him and the Marathis fear him. That’s Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena supremo, the Tiger of the Marathas, who passed away on 17^th November, 2012, at his residence, Matoshree, in Mumbai. He is survived by two sons, Jaidev and Uddhav Thackeray. Hearing the news of his demise, Mumbaikars and the state were anxious about the way Shiv Sainiks would react, as the history of Shiv Sena has been that of violence.

Bal Thackeray, who started off as a cartoonist alongside R K Laxman, formed his own party in 1966 to stand for the rights of his fellow Maharashtrians. Known for his attacks on South Indians, Gujaratis, Muslims, and recently, North Indians, he has been involved in controversies. When his nephew Raj Thackeray split from Shiv Sena to form the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, due to differences with Bal Thackeray’s son Uddhav, he buried the hatchet and treated Raj like his own son.

Not many know that Bal Thackeray’s original name is Bal Keshav Thakre. But, God knows why he was inspired by English poet William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) and he changed his surname to Thackeray. He was a man who sent his people to shut down shops on Valentine’s Day, but welcomed Michael Jackson when he came to visit Mumbai. His way of dealing with each and every situation led to his great political longevity. Talking of Mumbai, Bal Thackeray was instrumental in changing the name of the Maximum City from Bombay to Mumbai. His influence could be felt in the whole of Maharashtra and as someone born and brought up in Maharashtra, I have felt it.

When his health detoriated, cinestars, politicians cutting across party lines, etc. made an effort to visit him. After his departure, Shiv Sainiks look up to the union of Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray to lead them. Now, as his mortal remains have been burnt to ashes, people still remember him with fear and reverence. Even though the rest of India knows him for the wrong reasons, Maharashtra has lost a leader, a tiger. After Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Bal Thackeray has been the most influential Maratha leader in his times.

 RIP Balasaheb Thackeray!

EARPHONE MANIA

Image Courtesy

 

Ever noticed on your way to college or office any guy with his earphones on and crossing the road? He is totally into the music and crash! a car was just about to hit him. He runs away after hearing a mouthful from the car driver. There are people who listen to music in full volume and bump into things and even other people.  And there are people who talk so loudly over their earphones and mouthpiece that the people around them can easily guess what the person on the other end might be saying.

People like these on the road are found to be engrossed in their own worlds and do not realize about what’s happening around them. Sometimes, it may be their favourite song on the radio and they can’t afford to miss that. And even when what they do seems funny, it can be life-threatening too. So many people were killed this year due to ‘iPod oblivion’ ( walking with earphones on) and it was all over the news.

People would cross the railway tracks with their earphones on and the train would hit them right away. Craziness may be the right word for describing such an act and should the youth be taught against this? Should they be told the dos and don’ts while walking on the road? It’s time we realize our own value and take little care of ourselves. A bit of wisdom with understanding can help us avoid such problems and make us happy pedestrians.     

My Documentary Experience

 

 

From my first year in college, I knew that we would have a hands-on experience at filmmaking in the third year. And as we entered third year, we were pretty excited about documentary making so much so that some groups were formed in the second year itself.

And as we started with our scripts and search for our protagonists, we realized the difficult task of Bollywood and documentary script writers. When we progressed towards the shooting, the two days were as hectic as it could get. Reaching home late at night, many of us felt like true journalists.

Our excitement to watch the finished product grew when we reached the office for the editing. The shots, as they were placed in the desired sequence, only raised our expectations. Expectations of our ma’am’s reactions! With our share of laughter and jokes, tears and troubles, the experience was worth it.

Now, when we wait for the D-day, I have only one thought in mind: filmmaking, never again.

Pussy Riots Do It Again!

The world is no mood to accept dictatorship or power by wrong means. Vladimir Putin’s election to office of the President in Russia has been stated by the Russians as through unfair means. Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist punk-rock musical collective in Moscow, has been convicted for performing against Putin, through its song, Madonna, Drive Putin Away at an Orthodox cathedral in Moscow on February 21.

Only three out of the seven members have been arrested so far and charged with hooliganism. The band members have gained support internationally due to the harsh trials against them and a risk of a possible seven-year sentence.  However, according to Levada Center poll, only 44% of the Russians believed that the trials are harsh and unfair, while 17% believed it was not.

This incident only highlights the way the Russian government curtails the freedom to speech. Jane Buchanan, a senior researcher on Russia at Human Rights Watch in New York, said the band members were only exercising their right to free speech with their performance. "To face criminal changes with a heavy sentence is scandalous and it speaks volumes to the environment for free speech and political opinion that's critical of the government," she said.

With the arrest of the Pussy Riot members, the Russian government has sent out a message to activists across Russia that criticism of the government will not be entertained. We can only appeal to the Russian government to abhor its old ways, but it is of no use.

LOST AND...NOT FOUND!

 

 On a Saturday, you switch on your television set and the screen is still blank. And then you realize that there’s a power cut. Dismayed, you go on for some other household work. When the electricity resumes, the TV automatically switches on with a blaring sound. You and your family members go berserk hunting for the remote control to reduce the volume of the TV set. Every family member thinks he/she saw the remote control at this or that place. Then, how on earth did it vanish? This mystery still continues for many of us for a lot of things.

Before you go out, you frantically search for your house keys or car keys. And then, again the question comes: how on earth did they vanish? You try asking your family members about the lost treasure and the answer comes: how would I know? Or the nail cutter goes missing from the drawer when someone from your family needs it. Or even the water from the bottles stored in the fridge goes missing after you are back from work and you are in dire need of some cold water.

These are few of the examples which carry on in our daily lives. Sometimes, the pen is missing when you have to urgently note down a phone number. Worse, even your cell phone can go missing and desperate calls from your landline or from others’ cell phones may not help you find your phone if your phone is in a silent mode. Then, the question is back: HOW ON EARTH DID IT VANISH?

Well, there is no solution to this question and we have to live our lives with this mystery which has or will usurp half of our lives.

VICTORY OVER FEAR

Why do we hate life?
Why do we hate it?
As if it were an option,
not a compulsion.

Life offers us joys and sorrows.
Joys one by one;
sorrows in heaps.

But, let not fear be thy companion.
For the One who defeated it;
the One who rose over it,
wants to be your constant companion..

Yes! Jesus is the One.
He is the One who wants to comfort you,
the One who wants to console you,
and the One who wants your hand.

O fear! Cast thy horns away from me.
The Lord has given me victory over thee.

Obsessed With OCD?

Do you keep checking your mobile for messages or calls every minute? Or do you keep looking here and there for cockroaches or pests? Or do you keep checking all the rooms whether the lights are off?

Then, you are suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a type of anxiety disorder which compels the person to keep doing things repetitively. With no medical treatment available, it is not a very serious disorder. One person in every three people has OCD.

Ask Anjali John and she will tell how she checks the gas stove almost every two minutes to see whether it’s on. Well, that’s weird.

So, next time when you feel your mobile is ringing, think twice. It maybe your OCD-affected senses.

OUR MUCH-AWAITED TRIP

‘Ente Keralam, ethra sundaram...’ so goes the Malayalam song.  Here, singer Usha Uthup praises Kerala’s beauty as she feels Kerala is her own.

Well, being born and brought up in Maharashtra, Kerala, for me, has been my destination during summer vacations. With most of my relatives staying out of Kerala, I’d visit my maternal uncle and aunty every year till my eighth grade.

As a child, my excitement would start at least a month before our trip. Normally, it would take 1.5 days from Nashik to Kerala by rail. The first day would be boring with only dry grass and mountains all around. However, the surprise awaits the next day. The morning greets you with greenery and serene beauty. You are able to view paddy fields and villages, which are seen only in television programmes. Happiness knows no bounds when we meet our relatives.

The ensuing weeks are filled with fun and lots of food. Consequently, I gain weight and oh! my clothes become tight for me. The sight-seeing, the fun at the beach and the list goes on.     

Fond memories have always accompanied me to my way back home.  And this year in June, we are visiting Kerala, God's own country, after six long years. I and my mom can’t wait for the day. Super-excited as we are, we keep planning for the trip. Our minds are full of KERALA!

My Guru - a poem by my dad!

Heavenward His eyes raised and rested eternally,
cared He not for the affairs of this world.
Man of few words, with stillness etched in His soul-
stillness in which God Himself reigned supreme -
He lived in solitude's sacred caverns
while the entire universe rested in His serene soul.

His compassionate eyes spoke
what no other tongue ever uttered -
simple, yet profound ...
He transformed everything that came on His way!

Cared He not for the affairs of this world, but
cared He for all those whose eyes drained of tears.
But we gave Him back
a cross too heavy for a heart that
broke seeing the burden of all!

Do we really care for Him?
Or, for us, is He only a part of the
'great ritual of Christianity'???

My Life

Today is 12^th April 2012 and it has been two months, 12 days since I shifted to Vaishali, Ghaziabad, a part of NCR (National Capital Region) along with my parents. I was born in Bombay, better known as Mumbai; we shifted to Aurangabad and then Nashik, where I finished my schooling. Living in Nashik for 14 years, I was familiar with every area of the grapes-laden place.  After my schooling, we decided it was time to move out of Maharashtra. On May 13^th, 2010, we arrived in Delhi and stayed in South Delhi for over a year, where my dad got a new job in a social organization. We had a lot of expectations. On arrival, my frantic search for admissions started. I applied for admission into Journalism (Hons.) as I always wanted to be a journalist since I was a child. By God’s grace, I topped the entrance exam of Kamala Nehru College where I am studying in the 2^nd year.

However, all was not well where we stayed. Chhattarpur (South Delhi) was where my father’s organization had its quarters. Used to staying in one of the poshest areas of Nashik, we stayed here with gossiping neighbours, back-biting friends and not even a good church. Depressed and not expecting all this, we were clueless.

We kept asking God for a solution to our problems which were increasing day by day. More than a year, God kept us waiting. He taught us to be patient and trust Him. On October 25, 2011, a pastor (similar to a priest in Roman Catholic denomination) from Kerala visited our church. Honestly, I expected him to be like any other pastor. But, we decided to give it a try. But, once the pastor started preaching, we realized the power of God. God talked to my mother and I once again, believed that God answers those who call upon to Him in truth. God promised us deliverance within three months.

Shortly after that, God helped my dad to get an offer from a prestigious organization. Still, there were problems. But on the last day of the three months promised, my dad got his appointment letter. Hurrah! God loves us. I know Jesus answered my parents’ tears. I know how much my mother suffered when our neighbour was an old grandma. But, she still held onto the Lord.

On February 1, 2012, we shifted to Vaishali, where we got a good house to stay, in a good locality. And now, when we look at the past, we realize everything was for a purpose. We learned that we can depend on God alone. Even now, there are problems. But, life is not a bed of roses and most important, God has filled us with His peace which surpasses all understandings.

The past life at Chhattarpur can never be forgotten and I know I’ll never miss that place. But, i am grateful to God that He has changed my life and my parents’ lives..

THE CARING LORD

When you are at life’s lowest point,

when you feel nothing is alright.

Remember your Heavenly Father is busy,

busy setting His plans for you.

He may let you fall,

but He’ll pick you up.

He may let you wander,

but He’ll bring you back.

He may let the enemy touch you,

but He’ll never let him touch your soul.

He may bring trials into your life,

but He’ll give you the strength to overcome them.

He knows what is good for you,

He has kept the best for you.

For He knows His plans for you,

plans for a hope and a future.

Arise! Run towards Him for shelter,

for He is the only One,

the only One who can help you,

in this business called life!

LIFE FOREVER WITH FALSE CLAIMS

When the bug of corruption bit the government,

the people of India were in a predicament.

They were clueless and helpless,

wondering what will be next.

Fed up with false claims,

they decided it was time.

A man rose up from among them,

a humble jawan – Annaji!

He stirred up the netas,

and the people thought they found their saviour.

“Annaji, you are our hope,” they said,

with hopes that would never fade.

But, in the hustle and bustle of campaigns and rallies,

the movement against corruption has lost its pace.

“Annaji!” the people ask,”has the bug of corruption bitten your team?”

“No!” he says, “never!”

With the team falling apart,

it’s time for u to decide,

to decide to live forever with false claims.

WONDEROUS CREATION

 Amidst the dark woods,

I wandered;

Along the quiet river,

I walked.

Birds and insects flew by,

squirrels scurried by.

Having a glimpse was not enough

of God’s creation.

I stared and stared

with admiration.

Gazing at the sky, I said, “Wow!”

O God! How mighty are Thou;

The water flowed quietly;

The breeze caressed me fondly

I heard the Lord speaking to me:

“I AM the Lord, your God,

no one is mightier than me.

This creation is my handiwork –

sign of my mightiness.:

My heart leapt with joy.

What more do I need,

my Lord’s words,

they are enough for me.