Bandh : The (un)Civil Disobedience

For those of you who don’t know the word Bandh, its derived from the Hindi word ‘closed’.What was probably conceived as an instrument of civil disobedience to keep govt atrocities at bay,has over the decades it has taken the ugly mask of mass unrest,peaceful protest has been replace by burning tyres & smashing windshields,atrocities being meated out at hands of hypocritic unions bringing the everyday humdum to a standstill.These agonizing trend ruptures the wheel of life & questions the very foundation of Civilization.Roads are blocked,tyres and effigies are burned at cross roads at the roar of slogans,shutters are pulled down & road transport unions call it a holiday by their self bestowed rights bringing the citylife to a standstill.The noisy streets are engulfed by an eerie of silence.The magnum of these ‘Bandhs’ extend from peaceful rallies to a complete shutdown of the commercial sector…. Including forceful pulling down of shop shutters,burning tyres,throwing stones at windshields of wheels that dare to dawn the roads…thus painting a canvas with barbaric strokes. South Asia witnesses strings of these Bandhs,in the name of political protests .The muttiparty political parties use this as a stage to realize their vested interests with an army of uneducated destitute who are duped by a illustrious speech and an occasional free-meal to extend their support to realize these Bandhs.Kolkata, where I spend the last score of days,is undergoing radical changes after a 19(approx. am not sure of the exact number..this is what my cousin who is busy over the phone cares to tell me) year old government was replaced,and where there is a change,protests are inevitable & one can witness quite a few ‘mild’ bandhs (though the dailys reported that the magnum being more prominent in the surrounding district towns),but the very idea that in times when most of us live our lives o the edge there are people who extend their support to these causes which are mere ploys of of voracious political leaders than being aimed at social welfare.Various NGOs,and youth awareness wings are coming forward to urge the en-masse to join hands to say NO to the bandhs.The globe is spinning faster in tune of global developments,these archaic and barbaric acts need to be contained,all of us are in a race to get a covetous position under the sun ,but as we run this race we need to make sure that the soil we are running one is firm enough.We live in a democratic republican with a provision for constitutional amendments, so it calls for an educated and holistic approach to realize one’s anguish with the government(if any) and not the dire resort of civil disobedience…

An Ode to Hyderabad…a reflection whilst departure…

(P.S.: Its just the random spur of thoughts as I leave the city & nothing like a tourism brouchure)
I look out of the window & see through the clouds a city dotted in the gleam of the early morning sun.The city I spent the last two months doing my summer internship. The city of Nawabs,the delectable Biriyani,Hi-tech cities….n roads awake with wrooming cars & paved by swanky malls.All this,indeed a refreshing change from the BITS,Pilani-Goa Campus that perches in isolation from urbanization. The city goes much beyond the medieval structures & the spicy platters.A city representing a true kaleidoscope from the colossal Golconda fort to the haven of IT-industry the Hi-tech city, from the authentic Biriyani straight out of the ‘Paradise’(pun intended) oven to the nightlife at Bottles & Chimneys…the city caters to all needs!!!
And today as I finally fly off…I thought I write an ode to this city(but as a honest confession had nothing better to do,with no novel at hand & the copy of Hindu lying on an empty seat at gate 30B,and if I stare at the Kingfisher Airhostess any longer am gonna be thrown off board). So to kill the next 1hour of my flight I decide to blog.The NRI kiddo on the seat behind me keeps nagging an indifferent mother for a‘toy box’ in an alien accent while the lady on theseat nextt is already deep in her slumber.Recollecting the last few days at Hyderabad can certainly ease out some of this annoyance.
They say a rolling stone gathers no moss,but if it certainly gathers memories(& if your dad has a transferable job u can agree no better).Hyderabad as scanned with apprehension & to some degree sectipism,when I heard am gonna end up spending my only long vacation of the year in this new city,a city with a new customs,language& hues ,not that am complaining, throttling and exploring a new place as a charm n thrill par excellence….n that made things meerier at ‘Hyd’.The city is not merely a Mecca for the lovers of Nawabi architecture,delicacies and customs….it as ample to offer to our generation as well….from sprawling malls(Hyderabad Central the regular place of rendezvous ,the pubs (TDS giving the feel of being back home) to the Discs…
Lazying an early evening by the Eat Street or puffing a green apple Hokka(for the records it non-tobacco based) at Café Latte’ with friends….discussing & debating on humdrums of life gets you back to the campus ambience….
The planes walked into a turbulent blanket,I better fasten my belts…continue later…
Finally I continue d writing…before I continue I need to hail the Kolkata traffic,the jam kept me shackled in the humongous sea of traffic for a suffocating 1.5 hrs(almost the same duration as my flight)…well that’s another story…continuing on where I left last time,a city is what the people make it and I was glad to have a number of Hyderabadi friends( :P sounds more like Hyderabadi Biriyani) who made sure I get to explore the city intricately & also agree to my persuasive(and at times unreasonable) demands of watching every flick that hits the screen…
But like they say Eden described on parchments is nothing compared to witnessing the masterpiece. And a mere moral like me can barely paint the true picture of a City…so be there to experience it….

Well am posting it days after scribing it , the due acknowledgement for this to the never ending strings of invitations by relations out here….

Silhouettes of poverty haunts the city streets……..

They say it’s the advent of the 21st century,the era of development,prosperity and propensity. But in this part of the world(read India) the portrait is painted in rather conflicting hues. Skyscrapers dot the skyline in the metros and poverty thrives in the shady nooks of the same cities.But why this sudden overwhelm of social concern,maybe a sheer reflection of a rather disturbing sight of young children tapping the windows of the car,when you are coming back after a sumptuous weekend brunch. These malnourished kids with faces weathered by the basking sun and withering colds .…those starved face gape through the closed windows.This scene is sure to dawn pity in the hearts of us mortals. You pull down the window offer a couple of coins and zoom off as the light goes green,but what stays behind is a thought that daunts you when in a pensive mood…’did I pay the beggar because I actually cared,or was it was an unconscious selfish act to pacify my own conscience and save myself from the agony of witnessing any more of that disturbing scene’. Barely does this thought deem ,that the frames from Danny Boyle’s “Slumdog Millionaire” floats into vision….wherein child beggars are connected( or rather are themselves the biggest victims) of organized crime rackets. India, a nation where beggars are seen more than honesty….every place from the steps of temples to the exits of valet parking are thronged by them.Over the past few years growing social awareness,rise of NGOs and a public pressure on local governing authorities has marginalized the proportions to quite an extend.What requires of ‘us’ now is not merely giving alms to the destitute but going a step ahead and joining arms with the NGOs,opening rehabilitation and vocational training centers and keeping an eye to contain rackets(read Beggar Mafias) if any….India has taken giant leaps over the past decades,its on us the regular citizens of the nation to contain social evils because its WE who make this society…Mere complaining of poverty and dirty drags across the cities is a futile exercise,this I know for sure but what exactly to do am still confused….hadn’t it been for those starved faces at the signal I don’t think I would be blogging about this issue.Maybe that is who we are….mere runners in the race of life(or rather name,fame,wealth) and consciously oblivious to less fortunate…

The message that goes beyond mere celluloid...

Now this a consecutive post centred around a flick.But it is most certainly not a movie review. Had friends all across,from Delhi to Mumbai buzzing the whole weekend about how awesome’New York’,the next YRF flick is…so on Mon I went expecting a lavish bollywood platter after months ,that seemed like eons( thanks to the months long Multiplex ban owing to the multiplex owners-bollywood producers tuff),and was more than happy with the movie. It was indeed a refreshing change from the colourful riot of song dance sequences. Kabir Khan takes on a new genre of direction which can greatly be alikened to Hollywood. Apart from the cast delivering justice to their share of characters,be it John as a traumatized detainee,Katrina’s transition from a red streaked carefree college babe to the agonized wife or Neil torn between conscience and the dire consequences of the hour. And as far as Irfaan Khan is concerned am too meager to make a comment simply hats-off.

What goes beyond all this regular celluloid buzz is the portrayal of the consequences and the barbaric treatment that was dealt in the name of’ Guantanamo Bay’. Its sends a cold down the spine to learn that about 1200 civilians were held detainees post 9/11 and such barbaric treatment was meated out to them for months in the mere name of ‘suspicion’,most of them being released later for lack of evidence. But in the bargain left them with a tarnished image and a traumatized soul to live with.The nightmares that they lived are sure to make even the butcher’s skin crawl.The new smart catch-phrase in post-Obama America is post-racial. This momentarily does show a ray of hope to those who witnessed slurs & ostracism in the name of race. The 9/11 was indeed an act of terrorism beyond any predecessor of its magnum,an event that not only changed the skyline of New York but lives were changed overnight….the world saw a sudden surge of polarization,a constant sense of fear and suspicion lurked in the hearts of billions across the globe. This most certainly called for an action to contain such acts of terrors & the governments of various nations joined hands and US in specific did give a serious fightback,all this required a through investigation,interrogation & millitart plannings…but circling up detainees and then subjecting them to such immense degree of torture on mere ground of suspicion can never be justified under this sun. On the same lines, U.S. President Obama’s talk of closing down of Guantanamo Bay is a great gesture,and opens the gates to a new arena of humanity and benevolence, but it will take years before the world forgets why that penitentiary was stuffed with suspected terrorists…

The raves & blues of the weekend gone by…

After a hectic week of commutation to summer internship the weekend did bring about the much required fervor of euphoria. It started with a trip to the opening day 2nd show of Terminator: Salvation right after a technical quiz at PS(internship station)….making the need for a break more desparate….

Lucky to get decent seats and gorging a Mc-D burger, made a dash for the audi .…the screen opens with a death row inmate Marcus Wright donating his body for medical sciences research. The next frame renders to 2018, after the Judgement Day has happened ,bringing humanity at a grave warfront against the ‘machines’ controlled by ‘Sky net’.Christen Bale as the grown up John Cornor is shown leading a resistance unit against the machines. Bale sticks to his penchant for the ‘Batman-husky’ baritone which seems a bit of overdose for the character, he seemed to just sleepwalk through his role with no charisma that gave life to Batman. Sam Wrothington as Marcus Wright does justice to his character and portrays the character of a man trapped in the frames of the machine to the niche. The audi does cheer to the cameo of Arnold Schwarzenegger towards the end.The cinematography and special effects are decent ,but alas lots of FX without a coherent story is like a body without a soul and that’s what is missing in Terminator Salvation. The whole ‘second chance’ thing gets a bit annoying with its mention time-n-again .However had Caramel popcorn, Coke and Nachos with cheese dip to compensate for whatever was left. Overall a nice flick maybe the expectations were too high from the second most hyped release of the year(Transformers, am yet to see)….hope the sequel lives up to the expectations……





As ‘vella’ as an intern is during the weekends(all BITSians would agree to that one…. & the nerds, already gearing up for next sem or doing a serious project…I don’t care to count you!!!) The evening was dedicated to ‘The Battle Of College Bands’ at Hyderabad Central….only to our despair did we realise that we had noted wrong timings!! Nonetheless it did bring together a bunch of college friends…and the catching up and dinner made up for the loss…..only to turn up early next evening and groove at The War Of The DJs, love the city(Hyd,India) and glad to have people around who are almost as crazy as I am……………
An amidst all this partying the world did lose a singing legend Michael Jackson….MJ a person who has been immortalized in hearts and memories of millions across the globe.His personal life may be married to shackles of never ending controversies ,but for once I want to put all that behind and remember the unsurpassed entertainer, the gifted and driven song-and-dance man who wielded rhythm, melody, texture and image to create and promote the very identity of ‘Pop music’ and gave a new facet to the genre of ‘breakdance’. An ICON of music & dance in its true sense…an adieu to you….