A lot of things…

In the span of time when I didn’t blog and finally broke out with a tag, I remember asking to myself, “Why suddenly this Blogger’s block? Is it because of dearth of topics? Hasn’t the world moved in that time span? Haven’t a lot of things happened? The things said, done and witnessed, haven’t they left a scar in my mind?”

Well lot of things to think about, the Mumbai blasts, the ever-happening Bangalore city, about a little boy captured in a bore well and lots more.


Mumbai has seen different phases of destruction, most lately the blasts. As we all huddled in front of the TV, witnessing the NDTV coverage, I could sense the helplessness I felt in my own mind. There were friends of mine, who were so depressed with the Government’s passiveness, who felt like I myself feel that it is high time India take the bold step against Pakistan funded terrorism. We have preached peace to the world, but aren’t we showing heights of submissiveness here?

The editorials of Hindu sing about a nuclear treaty signed with US, which contains clauses that expose the security and secrecy of our very own defense policy. Pakistan has funded cross border terrorism for such a long time, but is it that every time in spite of being ditched time and again, we are willing to take initiatives for talks? Why is it that India's very own land illegally subjugated by Pakistan, “the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir” is an area never covered in any of the discussions?

I remember the pride I felt when Thomas Friedman mentioned Bangalore in his much acclaimed book “The World is Flat”. I’m definitely the part of this bright tomorrow that Bangalore offers. But a couple of assaults about which I have heard just make me wonder what really “bangalored” means. Most recently, my fellow project team member told me about one of his friends, who came to Bangalore in an early morning bus and was kidnapped. The guy was badly beaten up, fingers cut, robbed off this ATM and credit cards as well as the pin numbers. And most shockingly, it was not just one victim. There were 2 girls, with Wipro tags, gagged and tied in the same vehicle. And the vehicle took off with them, after dumping the looted guy on the road. For a few pennies, can we do this to another human being? "Human nature" surprises me!

In the same Bangalore, I frequently travelled late nights in a tough phase of my project. I befriended cab drivers, simple and concerned men who would drop me outside the apartment and wait till I climb the stairs, enter inside my flat after an incessant flow of calling bell rings, and give him a call and tell I'm in and fine. There were old gentlemen among these cab drivers who asked us to be careful while venturing out with laptops. People who always were Guardian Angels in our late night trips. And that too in the same city. "Human nature" surprises me!!

On my last trip home, I took an auto to the railway station. I knew that the auto drivers would greet me asking for "shocking and outrageous" fares. But I was surprised when one person just hinted me in the auto after I had chorused "Bangalore City Railway Station" to at least 10 people. The old driver promptly started his meter and started the trek. A happy me, relieved myself with some cracker sneezes. I was having a bad cold, you see :). The honest man drops me at the railway station, takes the meter fare and also offers me a cold tablet in goodwill and imparts a few words "really effective, no side effects". "Human nature" surprises me!!!

A nation’s eyes focused onto a tiny bore well in Kurukshetra when little Prince got trapped in. A whole country closed its eyes in prayers. A whole country’s focus brought diligence to rescue operations, romped in politicians who took center stage and drove the rescue mission, and most importantly unified this country to one God, in a partial realization, from whom we sought courage and blessing thru our own cultural and religious channels. Aren’t there thousands of issues enveloping this country, from child labour to social stigma, from infanticide to unemployment? Why isn’t the media able to bring the hype it brought to Prince’s case in all these?

Calamities have united us to God for split seconds. But haven't we brought disgrace to His name with Babri Masjid and Gujarat riots? Haven't we failed to understand that even with differences in our cultural practices, we have all tried to attain one and the same God?

Just some thoughts that played several rounds in the arena of my mind...