'Bang'istan OR 'Ban'istan

The age of producing visionaries and revolutionaries is passé. It’s the age of “reactionaries”.

There is a sudden outburst of reaction and they defy Newton’s laws as well.

For there is never an equal and opposite reaction. Reactions are always far more superficial and exaggerated.

It is sad when decisions are taken or changed on the basis of such reactions.

I’m hinting at the recent endeavor to change our ‘Bang’istan into ‘Ban’istan.

On one hand, our nation is grappling with a ‘men’tality that encourages rape and objectifies women.

On the other hand, we collectively howl at porn being banned.

This is where the real issue is left behind and superficially being dealt with by our very own reactionaries.

I’m not saying that porn is the only cause or even one of the causes of rape. The point is objectification of women. Let’s try and find out one valid reason why pornography exists.

Let alone the decision of some authority “allowing” us to view it or show it.

Here, I refer to pornography for the heck of it and not artistic expressions of erotica.

The issue is NOT that of freedom of expression or freedom to watch what we want in our privacy.

The issue is WHY watch it at someone else’s cost? 

Porn  gaining an “industry” status should be a shame.

Today the supply of porn exists and is growing at astronomical pace on the behest of an alleged demand. So why not kill the demand? What's wrong with it? I don't support the concept of 'ban' in general. But for this issue, why NOT?

This demand has got into scary proportions of voyeurism that makes us think twice in changing rooms, wash rooms, in hotel rooms. In the pretext of catering to the sadist invisible demand, there are possibilities of hidden cameras and each one of us being a potential porn star on one of these sleazy websites.

The issue is not about hypocrisy. It’s not about a nation that gave ‘kama-sutra’ doing something dramatically ironic.

Yet again, I ask for one valid reason WHY "Porn" should even exist. Let alone the freedom around it.

Happy Friendship!

The basic fabric or the foundation stone of our societal structure is discrimination and hypocrisy.

Before evolution, the primary objective of all living beings was pure survival. Someone at some point in time decided that we must live in a society instead of killing each other in the name of survival.

However, living in a society demanded people to assume roles. Roles meant division of labour. Could have been based on ability, availability of resources etc. The next obvious step was to choose a leader to manage these resources. With each role and the first level of hierarchy came a set of privileges. Thereby planting the first seed of discrimination. Anything after that has been a case of one’s understanding, perception of role, point of view and/or convenience.

Anything one does or says has been based on their understanding.

Rules were made by some for the others to follow. Hypocrisy was thus born.

Communities based on common tasks or responsibilities probably gave birth to tribes. Next step was creating an identity. Maybe this has something to do with the current caste system.

Adapting to change without a fight is not an inherent quality of us homo-sapiens. Survival had taught us to be extremely barbaric. Taming for the sake of society was a daunting task and against the nature at that time.

The side-effects of inculcating a societal structure came with its share of resistance and revolution. The best proven method to tame anyone is by scaring. That of the unknown.

Seeds of religion were thus sown.

Yet again, the concepts of God, Satan, heaven and hell were off-springs of these seeds.

Every citizen who then comes in to the society is given a “house” with a “set of clothes” that he/she is expected to use without changing or questioning.

People have sacrificed lives or taken lives ever since in proving that their house or clothes is better than the others.

What it has manifested itself into today is another case of cross-pollination and interpretation as per convenience. I use the word ‘convenience’, not carelessly but because it has been as per each one’s understanding not taking the pain to realize the true objectives / goal of any action.

What really bakes my noodle is if those objectives are still relevant at all?

Comparison in the societal structure has pushed mankind from ‘hunt’ to ‘feed’ and from ‘need’ to ‘greed’ with unreasonable expected ‘speed’.

Relations and relationships have been strained in the endeavour to display a sense of belonging to the society without understanding the objectives. The root cause being expectations and disappointments thereafter.

The one thing that has remained unaffected or rather shone in all this churning or ‘manthan’ has been the concept of FRIENDSHIP. There are no limitations or boundaries to friendship. There are no rules or guidelines to being a friend. Friendship in itself is not driven by any need.

Friends can assume any role as the need of the hour is and yet remain Friends in its purest form.

Some people still abuse or misuse it is another story. But once they do so, it’s their individual friendship that falls prey but the concept remains unhurt by and large and is still widely accepted and practiced by humanity.

When the concept has stood the test of time through such a rough evolution, how can we dedicate just a “Day” to it?

Long live such a wonderful yet unaffected concept.

Happy Friendship - PERIOD!

WAR it is!

I’m not referring to battles that cause death and devastation or the ones that is synonymous to blood and gore. This WAR certainly causes pain but not of physical nature.

In the 80s and 90s. if there were a fight/argument on the street, people would gather around either to relish the free ‘tamasha’ or some might even add in a few punches of his own without knowing the cause of fight. Some good Samaritans would try and resolve the tension on hand too. However today, it’s just WAR.

Not that human kind is newly introduced to the concepts of rain and some flooding, but now it’s all about the right angle/view with an exaggerated perspective. With the equipment to shoot in almost every hand, it is WAR.

And God forbid if there is any murmur of a celebrity illness or death, the mad rush to spread the news is sickening. In most cases, false news. Sometimes I wonder if the statement I read is a question where the writer simply forgot to add the “?” at the end of the sentence.

But like I said, it’s blissful, almost orgasmic WAR.

WAR is a new virus that has affected most of us. There is no vaccination or antidote available off the shelf. Instead, this virus is available very easily off the shelf or should I say, at the ‘click’ of a finger (not button).

The areas this impacts directly on our body are “eyes, neck, fingers and brain cells”.

The brain sometimes is overheated with high activity (something like high RPM in an engine).

Information Overload and compulsive urge to opine on just about anything and everything regardless of our own knowledge on the said topic.

One of the biggest but unnoticed side-effect is disorientation of all kinds.

Most dangerous side-effect however is that of an identity crisis.

We forget we are normal human beings with other roles to play in Real-life.

We all turn into a “WhatsApp Reporter” practicing “WhatsApp Reporting” – That’s the WAR I’m referring to.

The only way we can get rid of this is by exercising self-control.

“Determination is The Termination of all problems”.

That’s the true ‘Selfie’, if any.

Now, let’s not get started on the existing ‘Selfie’ virus.

That’s for another article and day to mull over.

शायद इसी को जीना कहते हैं

हम अक्सर बीते हुए लम्हे दोबारा जीना चाहते हैं
ज़िन्दगी के कुछ हसीन पल दोहराना चाहते हैं

कभी तो आनेवाले कल के फ़िक्र में उलझे रहते हैं
तो कभी अपनों के सपने पूरे करने में झूजते रहते हैं

बचपन में जवानी का इंतज़ार करते हैं
और जवानी में कामयाबी के पीछे दौड़ते हैं

पुरानी तस्वीरों में बचपन को खोजते हैं
मन ही मन अपने आप को कोसते हैं

औरों के संग यादें पिरोते रहते हैं
लेकिन अपने आप से दूर चलते रहते हैं

हर डगर पर मंज़िल बदलते हैं
अरमानों के नये महफ़िल सजते हैं

हम जिसे “आज” को खोने के ग़म में आसुओं को पीना कहते हैं
कथाओं और कविताओं में शायद इसी को “जीना” कहते हैं

Chaos is Essential

Monotone in each “Black and White” key

Yet, either natural, flat or sharp

Confined within an octave, from A to G

In any keyboard, strings or harp

Orderly and perfect in its pitch

Producing its characteristic sound

In repetition it’s plain noise, albeit rich

Hardly any value to be found

Guided by a metronome, at the cue of a “Conductor”

Seemingly chaotic, notes jump out in magical harmony

Escaping fingers of the Master

Creating music for many

Without an instructor or a visionary

Precarious collision of noisy notes could be consequential

While Order is obligatory

Chaos is essential

Conscience

When shall you learn?

Oh master?

Why make me burn?

After every socio-political disaster.

I’ve yet come clear and clean

In all your thoughts and actions

Lest you forget, I’m but a glean

Of YOUR deeds, not reactions

Selfless help is referenced in mythology

But that’s rare in today’s human psychology

Each individual fights his own battle

Only when it’s personal, do their bones rattle

Stop playing the game of expectations

Of social justice and collective strength

They look good on prose and citations

Best kept at arm’s length

I’m YOUR conscience

As a team, let's stay clean

Don’t opine on every nonsense

And take away my sheen

Curiosity Bites History

Utsuk Kumar monitored his pace as he walked a bit, ran a bit and jumped a bit negotiating the crowded foot-over bridge. He would glance at his wrist watch at times, cross check it with the huge wall clock that the railways referred to and he would also make sure it matched with the display on his cell phone. There was only one thing he had in mind, to make it to the 7:58 local.

After all he was now the customer service team leader of a leading telecom company. Only, he called it “Kyonstomer” service and he would call his customers, “Kyonster Monster”. He would have to answer at least a 200 “Kyons” in a day. “Kyon” in Hindi refers to “Why”. Each one had a reason but the question would always begin with a “kyon?”

He however had to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to respond to each of those “Kyon” in a subtle and neutral tone, no matter how emotionally charged the “kyon” would be hurled at him.

Ironically, he was called “Utsuk” Kumar because as a child, he would ask the same question which kind of stuck to him till he got into this job. (“Utsuk” is curious in Hindi)

Ever since he got this job, he got allergic to “Kyon” and his personal curiosity had kind of become dormant.

That was about to change today.

As he got out of the halting yet moving train on platform No. 4 at his destination, he dashed towards the bridge to avoid the crowd. He was successful and had almost got to the top when he noticed a huge commotion back at the platform. He paused, trying to make a split second decision. His conscience commanded that he go back to see if there is anyone who needed help. His gut feeling was right. A young guy, who appeared to be an executive in a modern office, had fallen down as the crowd was alighting. As a result of his fall, others simply walked or manoeuvred over and around him when he was howling in pain. It took some time for the others to realize but by then sufficient damage was done and the poor lad appeared to have broken his knee and ankle. This could have been a mini-stampede considering the rush hour but let’s just say it was that lad’s lucky day.

Only at the hospital, after getting his shoes out, did they realize that the lad was wounded in the foot and there was sufficient blood loss. As the arrangement for blood from the bank could take time, the volunteers were asked for blood sampling. Utsuk’s blood group matched with that of the victim’s and the necessary preliminary treatment commenced as they all waited for his relatives to show up.

After narrating the entire story to Karim’s (victim’s name) parents and relatives, Utsuk and the others left. That evening, as he was slowly walking back, his mind was wandering all over the place as the million Thanks from Karim’s relatives kept playing like background score. “Allah taala aapko khoob barqat dein beta. Aap hamesha khush rahein”. Once the background score subdued out, he felt something strange inside. As if some part of him was resurrecting. Then all of a sudden, he was staring at a hundred questions or maybe the questions were staring at him.

In this entire episode, no one ever asked “Kyon” at any point. Be it in the hospital or the relatives or the administrative authorities. It was more of “Kya”, “Kaun”, “Kaise” “Kahan” and “Kab” etc. referring to the Whats, Whos, Hows, Wheres and Whens in Hindi.

With all this chaos going on in his mind, he abruptly stopped walking and stood still.

The expression on his face could be compared to that of Buddha’s moment of enlightenment.

While he had grown up learning a lot of things in school and in real life through events (be it wars, riots etc.), reported media and various debates and discussions, the one thing that stood out was the irrelevance of History. The curiosity around this got to him and hit him like a bolt of lightning.

As he walked again slowly, he was thinking, it was very clear (even in his line of work) that documentation of “facts” and knowledge transfer was absolutely necessary.

The question was, what relevance did “History” have?

Especially in the way it is perceived and taught today!

He wondered, while we all know who invented the telephone, what difference did that make? There are many people in the world today, who use a cell-phone without knowing who invented it.

How does knowing that change anything? Why is it important to know the dates of all the historical wars and heroes? What difference does it make in our day-to-day life? Do we know who thought of, tried and mastered the art of blood transfusion or any medical feat for that matter? Yet again the question that could not satiate his “utsukta” (curiosity) was the question – even if we knew, did it matter? What mattered was the content.

Unaware of the fact that he had reached home, his mind was racing to find answers and this was making him all the more restless. He tried in a different context. He remembered that Mahatma Gandhi was instrumental in getting us Independence and that he was conferred the title, “Father of the nation”. However, he also remembered all the other controversies that surrounded the name in today’s world. Not belittling that great man’s efforts, he thought, while there are people ready to kill each other on differences of opinion regarding some of his ideologies, what everyone seemed to have forgotten is his love for and message of “Non-Violence” and “Tolerance”.

Instead of creating communal tension each time there is a mention of either creating or dirtying a statue of the person who wrote our constitution, does everyone know what his thought process was or what he believed in? Do we as a country, strive enough to upkeep the constitution in the right spirit? What difference would it make if we did not know who wrote it and when did he/she write it?

Is the content NOT more important? Is the Documentation of facts or knowledge transfer alone not enough? Is it necessary to attach a date and a name to it?

It was clear that we attach too much importance to the “who” and “when” rather than the “what”, “why” and “how”. Depending on the “who”, answers to the other questions get distorted with time anyway.

He knew one thing for sure. “Utsukta” in Utsuk Kumar was back. He braced himself for a lot more sleepless nights as he tossed around in his bed with this one unanswered question.

Is HISTORY relevant at all?