Happy New Year! Welcome 2016! GOODBYE 2015 :)

Happy New Year! 

Wish you all the very best in 2016! 

Now if you are ready for my annual spam, read ahead :) 

DISCLAIMER: Only PART of all that I wanted to include, but is still as long as usual. 

What a year you were 2015!
Your Tagline: See Silver in Tragedy.
Did we laugh or did we cry?
Oh! I can just see that smile wry.   

Be it the Charlie Hebdo attack or the ISIS bombing,
The world united and vowed terrorism's ending.
The Nepal earthquake, the Chennai flooding,
The Haj stampede, the racial killings,
Through all these we gained courage; we kept faith,
Because people helped each other with mercy and grace. 

Yes, the Syrian crisis showed us again
How very indifferent we can be to another's pain.
How insular, insecure, some of us are,
How ignorance still thrives in the educated's heart.
Yet, Greece still is part of the Euro,
And Germany and Canada taught us to keep open the door. 

Free: a killer lawyer, Salman Khan, a juvenile rapist,
Ban: beef, alcohol, meat, curses in films -whatever is wrong to the neo-fascist.
Reign: India as home to the largest number of the world's hungry
Reach: The PM's focus on global tours and free basics and only the industry.
Create: Furore for things best ignored such as Aamir's statements or the AIB Roast
Ignore: Lack of basic amenities, corruption, that the environment is toast.
Reap: Floods, starvation, home grown terrorists, suicides in millions
Weep: This is not India, the aspiration and positivity of more than a billion. 

Yet, there is much to rejoice,
Indeed, we are spoilt for choice.
Grand old Leander Paes now holds the record for tennis titles,
Young Wrestlers and Pankaj Advani and Mirza and Nehwal too won laurels.
Operation Maitri and Operation Rahat did us proud,
Kalam inspired us to work, to live, with passion, till wrapped in a shroud.
For COP21 we united, the BASIC worked for "common but differentiated responsibilities"
World over Indians and Indian Origins are shining with their many feats. 

We now have the world celebrate the Yoga Day,
And we have our very own Constitution Day.
Yes, the parliament is still not functioning,
Yes, the politicians are still pettily bickering,
Yes, there is much to change,
But Maggi is back, for now we celebrate. 

Take heart in the silver lining,
It keeps our spirits from flagging.
Take heart in generosity and courage,
That inflation and calamities we can face,
Take heart that the common folks continue to be
India and the world's triumph in the face of tragedy. 

Believe that this road is not the end of a journey,
Believe that the writing of the future is in our deeds.
Believe that age nor time nor circumstance can ever defeat,
Believe that we can accomplish any feat.
Believe that inclusion is better than judgemental exclusion
Believe that flowers can indeed win wars, not guns. 

2016 we approach wiser than before
2016 we will better by bringing our best to the fore.

Wish you all Health, Wealth and Success in your passions,
And above all Love, Happiness and Peace in abundance.

- 31 December 2015

- Generally I give references, but this time Google it, guys. I only referred to VERY famous incidents.

- And as a very perceptive reader (Thank you Aseet) pointed out, skipped Ghar Wapsi. 

- Actually I have skipped ODES more. 

Hope Life treats you WONDERFUL!

Yesterday, I met this girl again,
Well a woman now, some would exclaim,
An old friend, let's keep it at that,
A beautiful person across me sat.

She told me her story,
As usual with a smile merry,
But wait, on reflection, also a bit weary,
Testing waters, a bit wary.

How do I tell her I admire her so?
Her cheerful persona, her grit, and so very much more.
Assertive and helpful, giddy and insightful, stubborn and graceful,
All I can say is hope Life ever from now treats you Wonderful.

Blessed Be.
Love Always.

- 31 December 2015
- Met an old college friend after a long time. Just so admire her spirit. 

3 and half hours

There are deadlines and lectures
Rescheduling horrors.
There is the bone deep tiredness,
The utter lack of zest.
The need to lie down and just sleep:
All this will keep.

3 and a half hours of bliss
With friends felt like minutes.
A late lunch with so much to eat,
But the really fun part was the meet.
The talk, the pokes, the sometimes sad jokes,
A new member in the group, but we were the same folks.

The camaraderie, the thread of understanding,
Even as we stretched the line of reasoning.
The frustration, the anger, the pain: 

All erased. So much a gain.
So much of laughter and fun,
I can't wait for December 31.

Thank you guys. 

- 20 December 2015 

- Self-Explanatory.

Surprise

Surprise! The element of fun.

Surprise! It shows care for one. 

Surprise! Such a lot of planning. 

Surprise! Most pleasurable without a warning. 

Surprise! How does one respond? 

Surprise! Squealing is out, but grace nowhere to be found. 

Surprise! The thought more than the cake.

Surprise! The effort more than the banner made. 

Surprise! The gift of time. 

Surprise! This friend of mine. 

- 17 December 2015

- A friend (and a colleague) ambushed me with a surprise mini celebration at work with a banner and cake, et al. In the midst of multiple deadlines to meet, tempers fraying, and everyone low on energy and health, the thought and effort was heartwarming. And to think, I was trying to skip the whole exercise :) 

A contract to to kill a contractor

3 and half months gone, but work still undone,

Shoddy at best, torturously slow, what fun.

Pay the price for being nice

Is being understanding and patient always wise? 

Workers don't care, the supervisors are jokes,

But hold on, be quiet, don't shout, say the folks. 

When will we give up this stupid image?

That we are better people - this tag is our cage. 

Does it not behoove us to fight? 

Even when we are in the right? 

Damn it! I want to just kill

These damn worthless contractors who still dare present a bill. 

- 03 December 2015

- Self Explanatory

A Missed Opportunity?

Late. Always late. 

Never intentionally. It is just fate. 

A missed opportunity to lament afresh,

Again with success could not mesh. 

Lost again a golden chance

To progress in life - this cruel dance. 

Time is a venture, invest well,

Plan it, so that your coffers swell. 

Play, if it gains you, something on a CV,

Sing if it wins you good publicity, 

Dance, act, earn a degree

Only to get 'a better life' - is the decree. 

'Better'- do we even know what that is? 

Is it just another false myth? 

In times past better was being naked, 

Coating oneself with mud and being sated. 

In times now it is the tribal, the 'outlaw', the 'weirdo',

Unless, of course, we to an exotic spa go. 

Better. Time. Life. Progress. 

Perhaps being late is NOT a mess?

Does it make one question the validity

Of a choice denied. Its very desirability? 

Perhaps being late is a gift not curse

That turn not taken, that road was worse? 

Celebrate. Enjoy. This mad sanity. 

Life is chaos, why impose structurality? 

Dance. Sing. Shout. Revel. 

Let happiness in you dwell. 

The no opportunity is a lost one,

It just wasn't the road on which to turn. 

- 28 November 2015

- Dunno why. But it has been haunting me, this delay with my PhD, my projects, my dealines, life in general. The number of times I have had to say NO. The incapability I feel to handle anymore. Perhaps this is my answer to myself. 

A Response

Walk alone in the dead of the night, 

But soldier know you are not alone in this fight,

Fury let out, tears let spill, 

Know that love forgives any ill.

The Wasteland is vast you say,

All the more reason to celebrate,

Renew, Replenish, recreate at will,

There is joy to be found still.

- Written on 22 November 2015
- in response to a friend's poem

Empty Roads

The almost empty roads shimmer, 

As the sun rays turn the black to silver. 

The sound of the auto's motor, 

Breaks through the silence, the langour. 

You get off the auto bemoaning noise's sacrilege,

You walk to enjoy the silent, empty road - a rare privilege. 

The sun warms you, but more the solitude,

Warm, open spaces, building one's fortitude.

A silence that allows thoughts to be heard, 

To rethink if you are just following the herd. 

You actually just want to sit, to explore,

Appreciate your surroundings, your inner core. 

So rare this opportunity in this city,

I so appreciate the aftermath of Diwali. 

- Written on 12 November 2015. 

- Diwali was on 11 Nov this year. And I had morning lectures. A pity I had to rush so. 

Happy Diwali 2015!

Diwali - the festival of lights.
The reminder - Good prevails in all fights.
The message - eradicate ignorance.
The joy - sharing one's abundance.
The harmony - one hears in another's laughter.
The beauty - one sees free of creed, caste, religion or border.
The ability - to improve, to find, to make something better.
The celebration - unity with one's neighbour.
The reflection - of what was past, of the (hopefully) learnt lesson.
The hope - a better world we will make happen.
The new year - of bliss, of peace, of prosperity.
Deepavali - may its essence be realised for and by all humanity.

Happy Diwali 2015! 

- Written on 9 Nov 2015 by moi :) 

And this is what make my attempt at rhyme worthwhile - Thank YOU Ramesh Ramanath - Your poem is what is awesome. 

The Counterpoint - 

What's in a light, that never fades
What's in a fight, in which u never fail
What's in a world, if you know it all
What's in a joy, if its not ever one's call
What's harmony, if the note isn't bent
What's in beauty, if one not from other different
What's that able, which enchanted cain
What's celebration, where we unite only to gain
What's in a mirror, that reflects no you
What's in a hope, that's without a hue
What's is in a year, which never sees tear
What's Diwali, without dark dusk near
                        ,smog that doesn't clear
                       ,not greeting a dear
                       ,riding without fear ;-)
  ,saving some darkness yet for next year

  :-D 

- Written by Ramesh Ramnath - on 11 Nov 2015 (at least that is when it was sent to me) AWESOMENESS :) 

Net Unity (NET Harmony)

"I AM watching."

"NO. I was not dozing."

"NO. You did not hear me snoring."

"No. You cannot be channel switching." 

"Give me the remote." 

" The advertisements do not me bore." 

"The channel I switched on, is to remain on and LOUD."

"I can hear from the bathroom or kitchen when I have to move around."

"The TV is not working." 

"There must be a conspiracy against South Indians brewing."

"Why did you not to the cablewala go?"

"Tell him to get back my show."

The TV saga in my house. 

Perhaps, a version of this every family's grouse. 

In this 'wonderful scene of harmony and unity',

The only ones who adjust are kids accessing the net at speed. 

😜

- Written on 24 November 2015.

- Self- Explanatory. 

Kill. Still. Will.

Noise. Light. Burst. 

Ears. Eyes. Hurt. 

Burn. Smell. Smog. 

Crackers. Nose. Block.

Wind - Cease.

Land - Plead. 

Sky - Black

Water - Lack. 

100 cones - 1 rupee.

The TN Women's untold tragedy. 

Wet paper. Straighten. 

Apply paste. Roll. To 1000 hasten. 

Gun powder fill.

Children, dare not spill. 

Lungs, themselves, slowly kill. 

But, we want crackers still.

- 23 October 2014
- Stuck in traffic for almost 02 hours. Watching crackers light up the sky. A sky so dark, I can't see the stars, a haze so thick, my eyes weep, an air so dense, I can't breathe, a celebration I can only lament as I recall statistics of exploitation and pollution.

Shun Crackers. Will you India? Will you make me proud? 

Bliss

Nothing to do.

Nothing to prove.

Comforting silences, 

Interspersed with conversation slices:

A platter of topics ranging far and wide

From dreams to Syria to birds to weight and height. 

No company better I know to keep.

No one I can more share thoughts and feelings deep.

I have friends close and family too, 

He fulfills both roles and so ably too. 

Just spending a few hours brings solace. 

The world is forgotten no matter the place. 

I wish time would forget its pace, 

When we meet, it would not so race. 

Much mirth, self-deprecatory jokes, 

Comments galore, each the other pokes, 

With understanding and wit

Every word, action is lit. 

Maybe I don't contribute as much,

But I treasure each word, action, touch,

This camaderie, this bond, 

May it better in years beyond. 

A perfect day, another one, 

To give me strength when I am undone. 

A better gift nowhere to be found, 

Hope more such days always abound. 

- 6 October 2015

- Thank you Easwar. 

 

Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary

I have met you more through 

Family folklore, stories galore,

Most beautiful, most talented

Adored, gracious, cherished.

Even at age 10, could cook, make rangoli, 

Better, way better, than her, said your youngest Chithi.

Could sing, if you wished, professionally, 

Said Venkitachalam Athimber almost despairingly.

Would be obedient and affectionate and study so well,

Said all in the family with pride swell.

I brushed them aside as tall tales,

As creative as you were to be claimed. :)

And then came the twist in the tale,

And even earlier praise for you seemed to pale.

I came to admire you, yearn to interact, 

It all began with a letter, in fact.

I had heard hushed whispers and seen Appa cry,

But I did not know why. 

Then I saw your letter grand,

Coming home from school, I collected the letter blue, THE INLAND.

You had written of appreciating their love, of understanding their angst,

But your decision you would not even second glance. 

Your immediate family had mostly accepted, 

That was all you wanted and had expected. 

Time would tell that you had found a partner able,

That love would guide better than religion's cable

I heard then the story of your love marriage,

I admired you then as a heroine brave. 

I prayed that you prove the naysayers wrong and yourselves right,

And you did! Much to my delight. :)

I heard more folklore as years went by, 

Of your maturity, of in-laws understanding and of a partner, your superlative stand-by. 

What a transformation from the reviled to revelled, 

What determination, what passion, what greatness to forgive and forget.

You - yes, wonderful, so true. 

But Jijaji is equally to be commended too, 

Stood by you, grew with you,

Adapted, changed, as did you.

A relationship cannot be all give, no take,

A strong one requires both to reciprocate,

And you both have done so ably, so brilliantly,

An example of true love set so seemingly easily.

25 years strong a bond, 

May it last for many more years long,

May your happiness, your togetherness, grow leaps and bounds,

May each year bring you even more joy unfound.

-

Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary K and Jijaji!

Unwittingly perhaps, but you became a heroine in my eyes when I was in 6th Std, and Jijaji, by default, the hero :)

Your letter was a revelation of how to be graceful when standing firm, how to politely convey a refusal, how to be sensitive and sensible. I have not learned these lessons yet, but hope to some day.

You met your match and I am so glad this is a Happily Ever After story :)

May you both ever together stay happy.

I am so sorry to have missed the celebrations, but I hope there will be many more such occasions when I can participate in the jubilations.

- Written on 05 Oct 2015

- Self-Explanatory. 

So jaa, so jaa Munni rani..

Sleep," said Ammi. "No. Just 10 minutes more," pleaded Rashida. "NOW." Ammi was very strict. "Oh! Ok. Why did God make night time? Why must we sleep at night?" grumbled Rashida. Ammi smiled. "Do you really want to know?" "Yes, But tell it to me as a story please. A bed time story type," urged Rashida. "Well then," said Ammi, "lie down and I will tell you. Once upon a time there was a small girl. She worked very very hard. She studied a lot. She helped her mother. She played a lot. She helped her friends. She did so many things in a single day. After a while she started becoming sick. She would get fever every week. Her head would ache every day. Her eyes would water a lot. She could not see clearly. She could not do much then. Her parents were worried. Her firends were worried. You see, they all loved her a lot. So they took her to the doctor. The doctor was surprised. He asked her parents if she ate well. They said she ate very well. She would eat all the healthy food, not just snacks. Then he asked them, if she played enough. They said she played a lot. Her parents told the doctor how many things she did in a day. The doctor was confused. 'But when does she rest?' he asked. The parents said, "Well she sleeps for very few hours. She says she does not feel sleepy." "No. No. No. This will not do," said the doctor. "One must sleep for at least eight hours a day. Sleep makes our muscles strong as we rest. Sleep makes our memory better, so we are able to study more. Sleep helps our body stay healthy, our eyes see better, and our brain think faster. Even if you are not sleepy, you must lie down. Soon your body will learn to sleep. And one should sleep at night because just as the body feels hungry at lunch time, the body needs to sleep at night time." "Oh! We did not know that!" said the parents. "'Hmm, Ok, I will tell our government to teach parents to make their children sleep at night," said the doctor. "Really Ammi? Will I also become sick if I do not sleep?" asked Rashida. "'Yes. After some time. If you do not sleep. But you will sleep, right?" smiled Ammi. "'Yes. Yes. Every night," promised Rashida. (409 words)

- Written on 2 October 2015
- Well I wanted to write more, but restrained myself. Need to cut this short too, if it for children.

Immersion

Visarjan, let go says Ganesh, 

Limited not to an idol, says son of Mahesh. 

Unconditional love involves the mind and soul,

Obsession with matter is like a missed goal.

Yet we persist in building more idols, more temples,

In these we seek solace, as forget vedic principles,  

In your heart exists God, there is no need for symbol,

Taught Valmiki and Hanuman, but we build edifices still. 

We worship form not spirit, 

We aspire for wealth not merit, 

We grab if we don't receive, 

We pretend to give, but a bargain we conceive. 

Let go your cherished possessions, 

But we of even these display grand processions.

Let go, immerse, let go petty desires, 

But more show, more noise is all we aim for, we liars. 

- Written on 27 September 2015.

- Ananth Chaturdashi. More show, more glam, more noise, more pollution, and more plans for more grandeur, more waste for more years. I wonder where God is, how He figures in this mess. :(

Go go Dodo, go, no, though, go.

Purposeful purposelessness, 

Awaiting nothingness,

Mysterious, absurd, illuminating,

Mankind's existence without meaning. 

Waiting for Godot,

Go though, though go go,
Go. No. Though. Go. Though.

Dodo, go Dodo, no go go go

Dodo dodo. Godot. Go Dodo.

Godot. Godot. Go no go. Dodo.

Dodo go go. Godot. 

Gibberish? Indeed. 

But pay heed. 

In this is hidden essense of humanity, 

We await patiently for some unknown release.

Nirvana? Perhaps. Or an illusion maybe? 

We wait, we question aimlessly, we talk pointlessly, we exist unthinkingly. 

Useless? Weird? 

Ceaseless? Relentless? Absurd? 

Out of thin air we create conversations,

We argue, exuberantly, for fleeting passions. 

We know not our own contradictions,

This is Waiting for Godot's seemingly senseless sense.

- Written on 26 September 2015
- In response to a student's question on the meaning in Waiting for Godot. 

Hail Woman's Self Sufficiency

A son, a mother's aspiration,

Born of her perspiration. 

A protector, defender, 

Killed by a man: her partner. 

A wife's tears, her anguish,

Fuels a man's desperate wish,

To but find a way to amend,

His fatal blow to a child obedient. 

A search high and low

Yields again his wife's glow.

A wise elephant's head: well chosen

Life to Death, Death to Life: a cycle's completion. 

A loving father now to his wife's first born,

Giving way to a (supposed) new dawn,

A woman's creation: the first among equals,

Another matriarchal product crowns the 'Unparalleled'. 

Loved, cherished, his history dismissed,

Adored, revered, the woman's role diminished, 

Son of Shiva, indeed! Maha Ganapati!

But remember: born only to, for, by and of Parvati. 

- Written on 17 Sep 2015. 

- Ganesh Chathurthi today. Isn't it wonderful that we legitimise Ganesh, and also Yudhishtir, Bhim, Arjun, et al, but do not accept a contemporary woman's solo choices - be they children or careers or whatever?
- Isn't it even more paradoxical that we have to take bath to worship a God created entirely of a woman's sweat and grime? 

Happy Teacher's Day

Great teachers guide, they help us thrive,
Great ones make us for knowledge strive,
They ignite in us a curiosity,
That ever makes us improve our ability.

Life long lessons they impart,
That stay with us, comfort us, aid us long after we part.
No wonder more than Gods, even parents, them we revere,
Truly they are in service without a peer.

Thank you for being a great teacher and for enriching my  life.

Happy Teacher's Day to all the teachers out there. The great ones and the ones striving to be great :)

- Written on 05 September 2015.
- Self-explanatory.

Emulate Ganesha, Not Merely Decorate

Graceful, decorated, seeming lonely,
Worthless, since these are for now empty.
But soon they too will be cherished,
When Gods in them are seated and worshipped.

Ah! The madness of this society,
Revere a deity known for simplicity,
And waste in abundance, with a kind of greed,
Even as we pretend to follow His creed.

We, His 'bhakts' destroy nature,
As more and more idols we for 10 days treasure,
Then pollute precious water,
That our sins be washed away hereafter.

No idol He worshipped, 'quick-fix solution' mark His every deed,
Yet with elaborate rituals He is ferried,
Ganesh Chathurthi arrives soon,
I wonder how He allows this doom.

Do I believe in God? - sometimes I wonder.
If this mayhem Gods allow, then what their power?
Maybe we should just look within,
And to follow Ganesha's principles now begin.

Not an idol, but His theology,
Not frenzy, but His rationality,
Not grandeur, but His chasteness,
Not loud insistence, but His quiet persistence...

If we can but try to emulate,
His principles, rather than the ornate,
Perhaps it would be a true tribute,
To the One, we all salute.

- Written on 02 September 2015
- I am already tired of seeing the decorations and the set ups. Can Ganesh Chathurthi be over already, please?

Our Strengths

Dreams, surreal, technicolor. 

Fears that rob even pallor. 

Hope that better things await the next bend.

Desperation that this might well be the end. 

Each day we panic ourselves into anxiety.

Each day we learn anew our strengths - our friends - our reality.

- Written on 04 July 2015

- just

Comments on The Indian Education System

[00:18, 31/05/2015] Anusha Ramanathan: Ok these are mine: 

Indian Education System: 

Where students learn how NOT to be prepared for the real world. 

Where teachers are taught the new Cs by their students:  Carelessness, Cheating, and Corruption. 

Where technology is used to instil rote learning and innovation involves invoking old systems.

Where students and teachers collude to pretend learning occurs even as they collide with the real world. 

Where people carp about crap. 

Where Modern Indian History still stops with Gandhi's death and the succeeding 60+ years never occurred. 

Where Science still follows the Chatur pattern and the Ranchos have to set up alternative schools that may never be formally recognised.

[00:37, 31/05/2015] Anusha Ramanathan: Indian Education System: 

The new money making machine.

The wake we should be having, but do not perceive.  

Donations are used to buy seats.

Caste to reserve these. 

Influence to intimidate

But we do not ruminate. 

The ruin of education, 

Pointless aspiration, 

No sight of resolution, 

But all hail Indian education.

[00:48, 31/05/2015] Anusha Ramanathan: Indian Labour System - 

In India an average worker is expected to put in 40 hours of work a week. 

A child in the Indian Education system typically spends about 35 hours in school per week. Then has tuitions amounting to an equivalent number of hours. Then has to do some extra curricular activities and maybe train for those too. And complete the Homework assigned by each teacher of the above regimes (school, tuitions, extra curricular classes). 

The counting is left to you. But I think the ILO should be looking into this exploitation, don't you?

[00:57, 31/05/2015] Anusha Ramanathan: India's Population Control Programme: 

We have one of the highest, if not the highest, suicide rate in the world for suicides in the 15-19 age group. 

Common cause family problems. Dig deeper. Cause performance pressure. Dig even deeper and find a poor education system that ill-equips students with either skill or strategy or strength to cope with life. 

Well, anyway we have too many people on this piece of land anyway! 

- Written on 31 May 2015

- A niece asked me for some jokes on the Indian Education System and the rest followed :) Blame her, do. 

Family or Travesty?

Built on her sacrifice - a family?
Or merely a pathetic travesty?
One person the lynch pin?
And this is a reason for celebration?

If on just one pillar stands an edifice
Should we not fear this foolishness?
This phenomenon is actually a calamity
This is the societal equivalent of Mount Fuji.

No, a mother, just her, can't be the bearer
Of love, togetherness, family and culture.
It is not a lesson to teach humanity
That one can and should live off a mother's bounty.

NO more sacrifice. No more martyrdom.
No more false smiles. No more tears hidden.
No more diplomacy, when she wants to break free.
No more working through pain, when she wants to sleep.

No more someone I feel sorry for. No more pity.
NO more someone I admire, but want NOT to be.
No more the worn out, tired, LOVING entity.
No more the one without her sense of PERSONAL  identity.

No more the doer, deferring to a 'higher' authority.
No more a professional compromising for the family.
No more just a woman waiting to be a wife, a mother.
No more just a girl, growing up to please the other.

NO. NO. NO. NO.
NO. NO. NO. NO.
No more. No more.
No more. No more.

- Written on 7 April 2015 

- I just could NOT stop at the earlier one. :) I don't know if I am shivering with ragr or fever, but this sort of wrote itself out too. :) 

Mother

I wish a mother taught us right

To NOT sacrifice, but fight

To help others, yes,

But not be selfless.

To keep the peace

To NOT carve herself piece by piece

Guilt she inspires in women

False expectations in her family, her son

I wish she had not.

I wish she had fought.

I wish she had not people managed

When fathers stupidly ranted and raged,

Each time she ate what was left over,

Each time she pleased the other.

Is this the legacy that she wants us to emulate

This constant need to self-deprecate?

I want to scream, NO LONGER PLEASE.

You have a right to just be.

You have a headache, for God’s sake retire

You don’t want to cook, let others light the fire,

You are NOT the clean-up crew, others are there too,

Instead of jumping high, raise the bar for the family, do.

You DO NOT, SHOULD NOT come last,

I do NOT want to be in your this dye cast.

And those who blindly take and take,

Fathers, parents, children, Grow up for Pity’s sake!

-          - Written on 6 April 2015

-          - In response to the UMPTEENTH Stupid forward on the Greatness of the All-Sacrificing Mother. She is someone I NEVER WANT TO BE and actually do not even respect as much.

-          If the stupid father ranted, she should have brought him down instead of massaging his ego and keeping quiet, if the kid wanted extra classes, why did ONLY the mother have to sacrifice to get him/her the same, why was the food she ate AFTER everyone had eaten MORE than their fill, instead of ensuring that ALL sacrificed? Are these the lessons she should teach, one pays the price that ALL may prosper? I would so rather not have that selfish prosperity built on one person’s exploitation. And this systemic victimisation  is revered, not reviled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!! 

-      

       -   You know what, my mother DID NOT COOK when she did not feel like it. She did NOT cajole us, anyone of us, when we were being unreasonable, she did not let us win just because, she did not let us eat that extra dosa when there was a limited supply, she let us make mistakes AND PAY for them, and HER I respect. I would far rather have a friend, a human, a mother in my life than some Martyr!!!!!!!!!!!

-

Ill Again

Huddled under covers

Wrapped in layers

Wracked with high fevers

And with sneezes and coughs and tears.

Losing their crispness, these freshly washed sheets

As sweat and shivers destroy the washing machine's feats.

I would like to give up, but then see

My father, aged 73, plodding to office ceaselessly

My mother, a heart patient at 63, working tirelessly

And I resolve afresh to stop this self-pity.

So the bone-jarring coughs, the breathless sighs

Can do their worst, but I will continue the fights

Yes, it is hell, but I am getting well.

Of this travesty too, a merry tale I will tell.

-          - Written on 1 April 2015

-          - Self-Explanatory

For All You Saree Lovers

6 metres of cloth, amazingly versatile, 

As it adapts to so many a diverse style. 

The Bengali version with its dupatta style drape, 

The Gujarati, Marwari and such versions versions that the pallu the star make. 

The quintessential Indian fashion statement, 

That the bais, to the farmers, to the  AI hostesses to the top rung executives use as their primary adornment,

The Sari, the Saree, 

The showcasing of  beauty, 

The manifold styles flexibility, 

The through the ages durability, 

The all body types adaptability, 

The all weather conditions suitability, 

The symbol of power and vulnerability, 

Sexy, shy, revealing, veiling, the blessing, (my tragedy) - The SAREE. 

For all you Saree lovers. 👆

- Written on 18 March 2015

- A random whatsapp chat with my cousins led me to rant against the saree and many of them love it, so this was an apology of sorts. 

- I still HATE it for me. :) 

Some days, some nights

Some days, some nights

You pause, you reflect, you emit sighs,

In memory of conversations, the 1:00am kind,

The comfort that only with friends you will find. 

Some days, some nights, 

You wonder how time slipped by

When, and also why

The conversations reduced by and bye. 

Some days, some nights,

Reality lands you in a blindside,

Then love releases a triumphant cry,

No matter what, some bonds, however stretched, will see you through life.  

Some days, some nights, 

Make you relive anew those delights, 

And a promise elicit outright:

"I will always be there (in spirit at least) by your side".

- Written on 18 March 2015

- Somehow it is in the middle of random actions that you suddenly miss someone the most. For no reason. Not that they are away, or distant. Just that they are not there right that moment by your side for a hug. Or that it is too late, too early, too inconvenient to call to say a "Hullo".

- So you whatsapp them your angst, so they can wake up to it and curse you, I guess ;) 

- Then again, it is their fault for being your 1:00am friend.  

India's Daughter???

Well, all that the conversations and news feeds have been going on and on about is Leslee Udwin's India's Daughter.

Did I see it? Yes.

Did I like it? Yes.

Do I think it is relevant? Yes.

Do I oppose the ban? Yes.

Do I think it is flawless? No.

Some feminists want to ban the documentary thinking it would incite more rapes? Seriously? Then bring it on, I say, for then perhaps, FINALLY, humanity will revolt and put an end to this nonsense show of power.

Yes, Mukesh has been given space to present his views. So? Why should he not speak? If we cannot, do not, engage with these people then how will we know what they are thinking? Why they did what they did? It is all very well to say they are monsters, but they were born human weren't they? Furthermore, it perhaps might be easy to dismiss them as anomalies to be extinguished, if their actions were not merely the tip of a humongous iceberg of women's oppression.

In fact, it is not merely women's oppression. Imagine men who feel they have the responsibility to be the guardians of a society's mores and must enforce said morality through hook or crook. Imagine a boy belonging to a household so poor that they starve for days that he ran away to make his living in a place, any place. Imagine men who think that women have one role to play and men another. If a man, thus, is unable to protect (read control, if need be) his family, or defend its honour, then he kills and commits suicide. In fact, one of the rapists in this case allegedly did just that. We do not know why. Imagine the growth of society with a large population burdened with such belief systems. Why imagine? See. See India.

Then there is the other side of the coin - the understanding friend. The guy who makes Jyoti Singh sound even more saint like than her parents made her out to be. That is some achievement!

I mean, really!!!

Her friend wanted to watch an action film and she wanted to watch Life of Pi and that is presented as if it were the Holy Grail she had chosen. Right because if she had agreed to see a film such as Love, Sex, Dhoka (LSD) she would have been less deserving of the basic safety standards, is it?

She once got a juvenile pickpocket thief new jeans, and food and asked him to never steal again. I commend her efforts, her intentions, but please do not tell me that her stop gap solution was a solution at all. That was just as worthless as the Bar Council slapping a show cause notice on the defence lawyers NOW. Where was any such agitation invoked when one of the idiots, on television, mind you, stated he would take his womenfolk to his farmhouse and set them ablaze with petrol if they dared eschew "morality"!

She worked in a call center to fund her studies. Again commendable. Especially, when you contrast her efforts with those of her rapists who whiled away their time drinking and partying.

She wanted to open a hospital in her village. Super. I am not deriding her ambition, or her social activism, but the effort to make her seem to be the equivalent of Mother Teresa or some such august personality gets my goat.

The friend makes Jyoti Singh sound holier than thou and makes a case for "good women" vs "bad women" almost as much as the lawyers in the film. In fact, even more dangerously, insidiously.

In fact, the film, and I refuse to call it a documentary for the overly dramatic script writing done, makes such a strong argument of the sheer "goodness" of the girl that it seems to be catering to the rapists' ideology that says "good girls" do not fight, go out late in the night, party, etc. 

I do not care if she were studying to be fashion designer and wanted to make pots of money. She deserved to be safe and be allowed to follow her dreams. The way that the film made her out to be saint irritates me because it then seems to espouse the same ideology it supposedly fights against. 

The constant repetition that it was ONLY 8:00 pm. That is "not late" (read 'not bad'). WTF. I come home at 1:00 am sometimes. So? And it matters, does it, if I were coming home from a 'party' or my workplace? 

Sheer bloody nonsense. That kind of mentality gets me almost more riled than the rape. 

We need safety. PERIOD. 

I really like the film. I think it raises important issues. I think it has been well researched to a large extent. It has tried to explore multiple perspectives, which is more than can be said of those imposing the ban on this film.

I liked the sheer pathos that wife of one of the rapists invokes saying her plight is pitiable and that there are worse criminals and that she would die and perhaps need to kill her infant son without male support of her husband, whom she contends (a) did not rape and (b) there are multitudes out there with worse crimes than what her husband is accused of. Also true.

The psychiatrist who matter-of-factly states the chilling fact that there are men in jail convicted for a dozen or so rapes, when they themselves claim that the rapees number at least 200 that they can remember.

I like that Udwin focused on Mukesh's hands to show his discomfort. I also wonder at the people who want the rapists to show remorse. Why? Would you forgive them then? Would you ask for a repeal of the death sentence? By the way, how does one show remorse? In the eyes? What if he were conscious of the camera, of being spoken to, of having company, female company, after being put in prison? These are men who were asked to pose for a front, left and right profile reminding them of their criminal status. I for one am GLAD he did not show remorse. The way people are at it, it almost seems they would forgive him for having learnt his lesson! He should in 02 years learn that what he had observed, learnt for his entire life was wrong? Have we learnt our lesson to NOT expect change overnight? To NOT be self-congratulatory about how much better we are? To NOT discontinue the agitation for better, more sensitive, more nuanced understanding of the problem? To NOT shy away from even more troubling facts such as marital rape? 

Yes, the film is NOT unbiased. I do think Leslee Udwin has over dramatised an already dramatic narrative. The documentary maker is in love with the protagonist. Which is her right. And which is fine. But I want more narratives unfolding from this one. Many more narratives. 

The easy way out provided by most activists on the show is 'education'. Puhleez!! Let's look at our education system steeped in patriarchal mores. The 'educated' friend emphasising the "goodness" of Jyoti, the lawyers (they hold valid certifications to practice law, don't they) making statements about woman equating her to a 'flower' or a 'diamond' or thinking one has the right to set her ablaze, the social activists, some of them feminists, so many government officials, many of whom are educated (at least they have a degree) tell me that mere education is NOT enough. 

Let's engage in debates. Let's probe. Let's confront reality. Let's allow space for alternative views, however, uncomfortable they make us, however much they differ from ours, however radical they may seem. For if we do not, we are no better than those behind the attacks at Charlie Hebdo's offices. 

I think we are mistaking listening for accepting. It is NOT. It is a step towards reflecting, analysing, engaging, acting or not acting, changing or not changing, but always improving. 

Here's to an India when Transgenders, Women, Men, All are treated at par. 

May we find reasons galore to celebrate HUMANITY each day of each year. 

- Written on 8 March 2015

- Self-Explanatory

First written in comments section in https://kafila.online/2015/03/08/indian-feminists-indias-daughter-and-sexual-violence-the-issues-at-stake/

Happy Women's Day

"Women should stay at home and stay protected." 

Not that that would make a woman safe from abuse, be that of a father or mother or brother or sister or husband or father-in-law or mother-in-law or the various other relatives and friends, but she would stay safe from strangers, well maybe not the courier delivery person or the milkman, or the vegetable vendor, or the sundry salespersons, but she would be safe. Yes, indeed safe. 

"Women should not deck up and go out. It is an open invitation to rape, molestation, abuse and degradation."

Not that fully decked women, women in the 'ultimate Indian attire', the Sari, are never molested, but at least she would have society's sympathy and outrage and who knows maybe the abusers would be reminded of other women they like and spare these women, whom they probably abuse or have mutely witnessed being abused anyway, but "decently clad" women needing to venture out would be safe. 

Yes, indeed.

"Women should go out alone. Women should be accompanied by men who are relatives when going out."

Of course, because random strangers will immediately recognize that you are related and will not pull you up and ask you bizarre questions as to who you are and where you are going and why you are out at all. Women will be then safe. 

Yes, quite. I do see your point. 

"One cannot expect the police to keep you safe. They are so overburdened. Just do not tempt. Do not question. Do not flash. Do not advertise. Do not hide. Do not be quiet. Do not be loud. Do not laugh. Do not reject. Do not agree. It is your responsibility to keep yourself safe and your family 'honour' intact."

Yes. That is why when houses get new paint and get robbed, the owners deserve it. That is why when one buys jewellery, perhaps diamonds, and the house is broken into, one is told that one 'invited' the crime and the criminals, sorry the 'dogs'. That is why when flashy cars are stolen, the owner is chided for the thirst to show off and not  be satisfied with a 'safer' option. That is why someone late at night is knifed outside the ATM, the government should ban ATMs and such, the cause of all such crime. 

Yes, indeed. I agree wholeheartedly. 

Happy Women's Day all! 

I hope for a day when we can celebrate ALL genders equally and every day. 

- Written on 8 March 2015

- I am still reeling with India's Daughter, reactions to the same, counter reactions to the same and on and on it goes.

Remains

In between pages of a diary peeps a half capped pen, 

As if the writer had left in a hurry, it forgotten.

Thoughts it recorded of a mind senseless

Words it spewed as venom most poisonous. 

Harsh, condemning those left behind, 

For not doing more to help, to be kind.

24 years of love, of bonding, of joy, all erased

Because that 1 person was the one who strayed? 

Parents, family, friends all who you encouraged, 

All you heard were taunts, where none were, as you raged.

Love comes in all forms, and joy is around sorrow's roundabout,

You knew this, said this often, but under duress you forgot.

But when unhappy, one is wont to say

"It is my way or the highway".

But not this one way street, not this pain,

Not this end, not just this memory of you to remain.

27 Feb 2015

- Self-Explanatory.

No Chance for Redemption

Received news today 

A student has death embraced

From the 7th floor house, a supposed cucoon,

High on alcohol he fell down to ever doom 

His parents to question themselves, to wonder

"What could I have done to stop this blunder?" 

Do people who let go ever pause to think

How many more they drag with them to the brink? 

The mother lamenting she had done not more

The father staring, unable to bring his sorrow to the fore.

Listening to the mother bewildered, in pain,

Thinking of 24 years of love come to pass in vain. 

Sharing her grief, shuddering as she weeps, 

But filled with rage, for the loss for keeps.

A girlfriend ditched you, a promotion passed you by, 

I sympathised then, but NOW, I am antagonised.

Yes, bad things happen, so work through them, 

Or reach out. Friends, even strangers, would not abandon. 

Everyone makes mistakes, we may have too, 

But no chance of redemption, why bestow this gloom? 

You who said your parents were the best, 

Have ensured they only stay atop grief's crest. 

Sorry, I am too angry to cry. 

Why? Why? Did you commit suicide? 

- 27 Feb 2015

- Self-Explanatory.

ADOPTED

It has been a bad day today in some ways. 

I got into an argument yet again. 

But this one hurt me deeply, 

Someone said an adoptee has no family.

A student I know is one such

Who has been denied so much

His parents love him a lot, he says

But their families even now walk away. 

A loving touch, a gentle word, a joyous smile, 

Is it so hard to be be kind to a child? 

Genes are touted so much by people,

But really the difference is so miniscule. 

Did you know for instance that human DNA differs by 0.1% or less

From another human, origin regardless? 

That mtDNA inherited from the mother is the same composition

For all that belong to a wide continent region? 

Yet we distinguish, we need to know

The origin of child to place him high or low

In our rankings of love and respect

Based on prejudice, and some fear, I suspect. 

Do we not have in each of our familes,

Some killer, some thief, some secret we would like to keep? 

Yet what we protest is a member of another creed or community

And worse a person, an infant, with no known identity! 

Does it make sense when we know less of death and life hereafter

To embrace it so, but to shun a child because it knows not its gene provider?

I grew up on stories of the rearing of Krishna and Moghli, 

And I would rather be with a wolf than such specimens of 'humanity'. 

- Written on 23 Feb 2015

- Self-explanatory. Plus a similar argument with someone else on the possibility of TOTAL acceptance of adoptees by ALL. 

- The conversation took place after I showed a documentary in class 'The Human Spark: Episode 02'. The kid wanted to ahow this to his "family", more so his parents would not be reviled any more than for himself. I think he is more evolved than that extended FAMILY of his, but whatever. 

- Today has just been that kind of day. :( 

- I hope tomorrow brings a brighter thought being adopted. 

Happy Kiss Day

May each day be a kiss day :)

Kisses smacking of joys,

Kisses shared by the eyes,

Love filled kisses, 

Comforting kisses, 

Flying kisses, 

Gesture kisses, 

French kisses, 

Tickling kisses,

Air kisses, 

Blown kisses,

So many types, so many ways, 

So light a touch that was placed, 

So deep a connection that caress for years stays, 

So joyous a celebration

That it begs repetition,

So varied and so much emotion

In this universal form of expression.

A mother's cracked loving lips, 

A father's bearded scratchy lips

A child's drool filled lips, 

A friend's laughter spilling lips, 

A lover's romantic lips, 

And on and on goes the list. 

I wish you kisses galore

May love ever replenish its store. 

Happy Kiss Day! 💋💋💋💋

- Written on 13 Feb 2015

- Self-explanatory :) Happy Kiss Day everybody. 

Class in the Open

The electricity plays havoc, 

My students' presentations cut short, 

Too dark in the classroom with only AC,

We proceed to the open Amphi,

An hour and more of holding forth,

With no PPT, or chalk or board,

With just games and discussions, 

And role enactments, 

A fun 2 hour session, 

Going back to class seemed torture even, 

But another 3 hours of lectures done, 

I even learnt a lesson, 

What seemed initially a mess, 

Is now what makes my day seem a success.

- Written on 24 January 2015.

- 

Sometimes words

Sometimes the words come out

Wrong and what is intended 

Is not what is spout. 

Sometimes the words you spoke

Hurt those whom you

Love the most.

Sometimes you know the tears might stay

For some inner fears, doubts, 

They then betray. 

Sometimes these words cannot be back taken

Howmuchever you 

Wish them unheard, unspoken. 

Sometimes then all you can wish for

Is what you have always relied on

Through Life's furore.

Sometimes then the mercy of friends

Makes you feel relieved, 

Small yet big, and shaken.

Sometimes words hurt in the aftermath

The 'sayer' as much as the one

They consigned to a bloodbath. 

Sometimes words spoken 

Test bonds of love, hopefully strengthen, 

And teach a valuable lesson. 

Sometimes words make you dig deeply

For courage to apologise abjectly

For love to accept the 'I am sorry'.

Sometimes words show you

How unthinking you are in taking for granted

The love of those closest to you.

- Written on 23 January 2015. 

- I spoke without thinking what was to be a joke, the words though hurt my closest friend. 

- Made me anew realise, 

How often I speak before I analyse. 

Not an excuse that I meant not the joke,

Never a good reason to another's hurt poke. 

But I have good friends who forgive easily,

With such friends I am blessed indeed. 

Conflicting Missions, 1 Victim

[18:28, 10/01/2015] Anusha Ramanathan:

 Mommy Tip no. 192837465: 

-Call daughter rushing out with slight urgency. 

-Dishevel said daughter's hair (even more) 

-Say nothing as she looks aghast.

-Daughter remembers umpteen other times of being told to check hair before leaving.

-Daughter whips out comb on her way down stairs. 

-Mission Mommy 192837465 accomplished. 😂

[18:37, 10/01/2015] Anusha Ramanathan:

 Mission Auto 459:

-Have a really low side fringe for roof top cover so Daughter with newly combed hair has to duck really low to protect said hair. 

-Then have really low roof, double rexined with foam cushion on the top cover??, to further mash said combed hair. 

-Then whip through lanes as breeze blows to further restyle combed hair, with jerks and halts galore to give not just hair, but the spine a new fashion style. 

- Charge more than a parlour for new hairstyle that sort of represents the mommy mission 192837465 stage 2.

- Written on 10 January 2015.

- Whatsapp conversation pasted herein. 

2014 for me

The year is past, 

As usual, a mixed lot. 

Some achievements (like I got published) 

But so much more on my 'To Do' list.

I learnt anew to fear mortality. 

But also renewed ties with family. 

Every smile of mine had my determination's measure,

Each moment of laughter - a cherished treasure. 

My dreams I, again, deferred, 

But my compromises I have preferred. 

I feel so much more tired this year,

But I am still in my fighting gear. 

I feel I have lost all my spark,

But even then life's not all that hard. 

My blessings: Family, friends, and colleagues

Hey! Not bad, this reality. 

- Written on 31 December 2014

- Self-explanatory

Happy New Year! 2015!

2014, Good or Bad, scripted a new History.

The Saffron Regime was hailed from Kashmir to Kanyakumari!

The emphatic victory of the strategist Modi, 

The utter ruin of a political dynasty. 

Greetings across nations from an unusual coterie, 

A Hebrew leader learns Hindi!! 

Proposers become opposers, opposers proposers,

Look no further than the GST and like blunder-wonders. 

Education is myth, 

Just look to Sanskrit. 

Aviation is history, 

Just look to our Ancient Technology.

"The more things change, the more they remain the same",

Is this going to be India's shame? 

New regimes: the order of the day, 

Another daring captain gives way

With a similar abruptness that has marked his course

To new aggression, a new force.

Resilient, defiant, nothing extra-ordinary, 

PK: an argument against "Ghar Vaapsi".

More Internet spoofs than ever

Celebrities, politicians - all torn asunder. 

Respect will be earned, not commanded, 

The young and old have together banded.

Just as Malala and Kailash won the Nobel Peace Prize

The famous and the nameless have all tried to end strife.

Behold, our country got new equipment for our Army and Navy.

While terrorists and calamities struck, we proved our humanity.

Though Health weighed less than Wealth this year, 

Sports, Science and MOM did make us cheer.

We were many times behind, we were at times ahead,

Yet there is HOPE overriding the dread. 

In 2015, may this hope materialise,

May 'a better tomorrow' this year arise.

Strength in body, strength of mind, 

A kind spirit that will all people bind.

Prosperity shared, Wealth multiplied,

Health enjoyed, Ignorance destroyed. 

Dreams achieved, Success rejoiced,

Environment conserved, Peace realised.

2015, this is what I visualise,
I wish, I pray, may this actualise.

- Written on 31 December 2014

- Self-explanatory
- For future reference:
Modi tweeted in Hebrew Hanukkah greetings and got a reply from the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Hindi!
Smriti Irani of the HRD Ministry makes Sanskrit compulsory in CBSE schools as the 3rd language. And the 102nd Indian Science Congress had topics on Ancient Indian aviation (from  Mythology) as one of its key papers along with new technology. 660+ scientists on a signature campaign against such regressions in the name of cultural preservation.
We also got INS Vikramaditya, the biggest and heaviest ship of the Indian Navy. $13 Billion sanctioned for new equipment for the Defence that includes Israeli Spike MR missiles for the army and 6 new submarines.
MS Dhoni abruptly announced his retirement from Tests. And Pankaj Advani (Billiards), Mary Kom (Wrestling) and Sania Mirza (Tennis) did India proud as did ISRO's Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) - the least expensive Mars mission and the made India the FIRST nation, among 4 so far, to land on Mars on the first attempt.