pride or prejudice?

Mumbai Blasts and Armchair Patriotism on Facebook

It's the same old tale. Explosions in country's favourite city and ensuing knee-jerk 'reactions' on social media. Fits of armchair-keyboard patriotism. What suddenly gets fashionable is talking about Kasab/Afzal and blaming the goverment - the easiest one can do without the tiniest of research/understanding. The media is in a frenzy misinterpreting every single official press release: rabble-rousing at the time we need it the least. I'm still unable to come to terms with how are news/entertainment channels broadcasting half-hour programs unfairly blasting an uncharacteristically balanced statement by Mr. Rahul Gandhi. What follows is my understanding/response to whatever happened and is happening.    One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. A cliche beaten to death. Still relevant. Religious scriptures are misinterpreted and people are brainwashed. They think they have a cause. And they're passionate about it. So much so that the desired ends justify every possible means. It's incredibly easy to rationalize when you have a decent education and food in the belly. The root cause, as I understand, is the sheer volatility and inflammable sentiments of what we term 'terrorists'. To me, they're just a bunch of extremely passionate believers standing by their belief. Isn't that exactly we are taught and we appreciate?   You're no different. They're told that their 'brothers' (criterion: same religion) are being massacred. They react. You see that your brothers (criterion: same country) are being massacred. You react. On Facebook. It's just that they're ready to take a couple of steps more than us rational-in-our-AC-rooms intellectuals. But the root is the same. The volatility. The impatience. The urge to revenge. The tendency to club together individuals who happen to share nothing more than the same faith.   Killing Kasab/Afzal doesn't solve shit. If at all, it'll make matters worse. I'm not justifying the inordinate legal delay. The protracted (lack of) prosecution is indeed shameful for the entire nation. But let's move on and not crib about the same old thing. Can someone please explain what will killing them achieve? What message do we want to send across? And more importantly, TO WHOM? The to-be bombers? Let's get a hang of the ground reality. Our stereotypical Mr. Terrorist doesn't consume the media we do. For all we know, Mr. Kasab/Afzal might just be projected as ideals who made the ultimate sacrifice and who need to be idolized. What next, Mr. Facebook-status-updater?   War with Pakistan is not a solution. War is not a solution. To anything. Does anyone understand the consequences? Does anyone even know how is a war started? On what grounds? Like Uncle Sam does? Go - bomb - fuck civilians - destroy economy - destabilise region? I don't know either. All I know is that it is more difficult, destabilising and detrimental than beating up an eve-teaser.   Fuck you, media. Do I need to explain?   Stop envying Rahul Gandhi. The sooner you accept the fact that he was born with a silver spoon in one of his holes and you weren't, the better it gets for you. Stop blaming him and his motherfuckin' family for everything that goes wrong in this nation, however rotten they are.   Acquired wit, Inherent Stupidity I have special sympathies for people with status updates: 'Kasab's birthday, have a blast'. Trust me dude, you're not funny. Escpecially when 500 people have posted exactly the same! At least make the minimum effort of validating. Kasab's birthday was Sept 13 for the record. Plus, ramblings like India should have expected something like this is dumber than anything Digvijay Singh has ever farted. How I wish you had the ability to think!    For fuck's sake, understand the meaning of a 'secular state'. What amazes me is the tendency to update 'status' in a fraction of a second spewing venom about a word one doesn't even understand. Foremost, we are a secular republic only in theory. Officially we don't have a religion and that's everything we can boast about. Religion is involved on a daily basis on both macro and micro level. But I don't want to even get started in that direction. What beats me is allusion to secularism-fathered impotence. Now, what's being potent? Let's have the balls to uneuphemise our life. It directly refers to seeing every Muslim in bad light just because the perpetrators have often belonged to that religion. Can any premise be any more flawed? Can we be any more prejudiced?

LESSONS LEARNT

Sex And The City: The Movie came out in May last year.. but who cares... whenever Jeevs is off flying i`m hooked on to the uncountable re-runs all the time n time just flies by! Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda – you ladies are always being missed! Or may be watching it is just an excuse and a way of remembering the wonderful times spent wid my ANGELS!! (By the way, I love the photo below – head-to-toe black is always chic, but don’t the Sex and the City foursome look gorgeous in color?)

It’d be hard to pin down my favorite moments of this show about the four ladies of New York city… but I’ll try! And all those hours of watching Sex And The City in my bedroom, minus my girlfriends were not a complete waste of time, as I’ve garnered quite a few nuggets of wisdom on love, life, and money from this show.

Listed Here Are My favorite Sex And The City moments & lessons:

1. When Carrie realizes that she’s spent $40,000 on shoes but could not secure a loan on her own to buy out her share of the co-op after she breaks up with Aidan.

Personal finance lesson for the gals – don’t become the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe. Manolos can’t fund a retirement.

2.  When Carrie tells off Big at the top of her stairs right before she leaves for Paris to meet Aleksandr Petrovsky.

Love lesson for the guys – don’t take her for granted and don’t play stupid games! One day a famous Russian artist just might come and sweep her away to Europe.

3. When Charlotte tearfully tells Harry that she loves him at the Jewish get-together. She’s okay with not getting married (and for Charlotte – that’s really love when she’s willing to take marriage off the table, even temporarily) as long as they get back together. And Harry says no. And you see Charlotte’s face fall. And then he gets on one knee…

Love-life-lesson: Trust in God’s plan and have patience. And when it happens, it’ll be amazing no matter what.

4. When Samantha gave up her hair appointment to Miranda and offered to babysit Brady.

Friend lesson: such a Sweet Gesture that was...The best present isn’t about money. It’s about time and understanding.

5. When Trey shows up at the last minute to Charlotte’s Home and Garden photo-shoot, even though they were on the verge of separation.

Money-life lesson: Money can’t buy you love...

So here it is... yet another day goes by without Jeevs...

hero or hypocrite,,,

So a lotta people been talkin abt baba ramdev and anna hazare...i'm on leave and have nothin better to do...so here's my take on the hippy crowd that has suddenly been "galvanised" into action by this "baba"...it was a reply to a post by someone on friend list exhorting everybody to join the "freedom movement"!

I guess u were absent when they taught civics at school...the fundamental definition of our country is that it is a democratic republic governed by something called a CONSTITUTION! the constitution of india guarantees the right to form laws...but for that u shud be part of a law making body...the lok sabha..the rajya sabha...even a god damn panchayat....let me see some joker like baba ramdev stand for election..get voted and then table this bill and get it passed as law...is that too tough...u bet it is...cuz no one will trust an idiot who says "the cure for homosexuality is in breathing exercises"..would u trust THAT man to negotiate with pakistan or china abt siachen...or the US for a permanent seat at the UNSC?????? 

making a mockery of our constitution is easy...but if u are SO concerned abt this country and whr it's headed..y don't u DO somin abt it rather than complain...stand for election...or atleast god damn vote to not put those idiots there in the first place...What have U done???apart from complain and jump on to some ideology cuz it's cool to do so right now?!!!any idiot can say i will fast till i get what i want...that is equivalent to a 5 yr old wanting ice cream and not gettin it! there is a process..follow it....u don't like the process...fine change it..but do it the right way...before 2morow someone says he will fast unto death because gwalior is too hot and the govt shud make it centrally air conditioned!!!!

2) black money....do u even know wht it is or how it was created??? it is unaccounted money...created by corrupt politicans and bureacrats who take bribes and then cannot account for it....but it is ALSO created by businessmen...the same men who give u discount on anything from underwear to a tv if u pay cash and they don't give a bill....and while we're on the subject of bribes....sweetheart...it takes two hands to clap...why didn't i see baba ramdev standin up and sayin don't anyone pay bribes...???

3) u talk of jalianwallah bagh...he compares himself to shivaji...these men were heroes..not for wht they said..but because they stood by it...even at the cost to their life! wht did this "hero" do? run from the stage..dress up as a woman and vanish while HIS supporters took a beating...u really think that THAT is someone who shud preach us on integrity??? if he really believed in "satyagraha" he would have stood his ground...like shivaji...like gandhi!! Manmohan singh may not be a lot of things...but he stands his ground...against the media, against ramdev..and that gives me the confidence that he has wht it takes to stand up against the pakis, the taliban, china or even the US...ask urself..would baba ramdev do the same???

4) he talks of courruption....he is a yogi...he stays at 5 star hotels, has his own chartered aircraft, not mention a few hundred companies including construction firm that all shelter under a tax umbrella owing to his so called religious leanings...ask HIM where he got all that??...he'll say the easy answer..."donations"....ask a politician where he gets his money...he'll give u the same answer....so wht is the difference...how do u decide who is a crook and who isn't??

5) bottom line...as someone who is educated and who represents the future of a country, that me and couple of thousand guys in the fauj would gladly die for....please question...please think before u speak..please never degrade ur country or question the foundations on which it stands...cuz u can act as american as u want...but if u ain't proud of who u are and where u're from u can't expect anyone else to be proud of u!!! bein a patriot doesn't start and end with "liking" india pages on facebook on two days in a year!!!

everyone knows to crticise...but how many actually stand up and make a difference??? wht the govt did was not wrong...how they did it perhaps was...but then again...wht ramdev is doin isn't wrong...how he is doin it is...

u don't like the govt or how things are bein done...stop yappin on facebook..get out there...galvanise the masses..bring about changes in the system..but first get INTO the system...the way the constitution envisioned...not by succumbing to cheap publicity and tantrums thrown by grown men who amass CRORES through donations and then talk abt the poor people of india...u say wht a hero? i say wht a hypocrite!!!