Mohe rang de Basanti.
Color me the color of sacrifice, color me saffron.
Sacrifices we still make but not for the freedom of our country.
Sacrifices we still make but not out of our own will.
Sacrifices we make, because they make us sacrifice.
Sacrifice our lives, sacrifice our peace of mind.
And live in fear.
Fear of death.
Fear of terrorism.
Fear of being blown to pieces.
When a virus infects more than thrice, the human body develops immunity.
When terrorism strikes everyday, humans develop invulnerability.
Believe the fear is a part of our lives.
Ignore it.
Or just learn to live with it.
Like we did.
Like we are doing.
Like we will continue to do.
Vande Mataram.
Bow to thee Mother.
Bow to Terrorism
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Humanism
Like all other grandparents, my grandparents too wanted to take me to a circus. Where else would they show their grand-daughter all the wonder wild animals in civilization? I remember the first time I had been to a circus. It seemed so magical, almost imaginary. All those shiny costumes, those death defying stunts, those exotic parrots and those awe inspiring elephants! I particularly remember this giant brown bear dancing on its hind paws, it was so cute. It was even cuter when I came to know that bears in zoos have their jaws smashed, their teeth wrenched out, stashed in 4X4 feet cages, suffer from acute loneliness and have to live on a liquid diet because they can’t chew anything else. I have never been to a circus again.
So, what happens when animal activists protest and close down circuses, where will parents take their kids to see exotic wild animals? Well, there is always the very enjoyable, entertaining and educational Zoo. You get to see the biggest of elephants in the smallest cages, the naughtiest monkeys sans the trees and the loveliest cheetahs with nowhere to run. It’s nice to know that the monkeys aren’t fed so that they get excited when they see visitors who get them food. Zoos don’t really earn much, so ultimately the animals pay by living in inhumane conditions. The lovely birds have their wings clipped; herd animals are kept alone, closely confined with absolutely no opportunity of physical exercise. And what really happens when these cute babies grow up and aren’t so cute anymore .Well they are either sold to circuses, ‘game’ farms where hunters love chasing them and shooting them down or may be simply shoot down. This must truly be the best way to educate your child about animals.
So some people care, some don’t, but what shocked me the most was the budget 2007. The Finance Minister’s decision to allow drug and clinical testing on animals is definitely regressive. Foreign countries will now outsource their testing to India, where there are no laws whatsoever and easily available animals. So what if animals have their arteries sewed shut, their hearts damaged and exposed to noxious substances like cigarette smoke to see the effects. So what if new-born kittens have their eyes sewed shut for a year, or have toxins injected in their brains to blind them just to prove that lack of vision affects brain development. So what if the studies require to burn pigs over 40 percent of their bodies and then induced sepsis by pumping E.coli into their internal organs in order to test how treating the infection helps burn victims to recover, even though burn victims are already routinely given antibiotics to fight infections. But it’s all ok. I am sure this is good for the progress of the human race which is growing by a 100-fold every year anyways.
But really it must be alright to go for dinner dressed up complete with leather bag and shoes and have lamb chop as starters. Why would you care about how the animal looked before it turned into a handbag or how old was the lamb which is now your dinner. Leather comes from cows, kangaroos, alligators even cats and dogs! So you cant be sure where the hand-bag came from, could have even been a ‘fifthly’ mongrel. The meat and leather industry go hand in hand. Be assured the rest of your hand-bag is some-one else’s dinner. These unsuspecting animals are sold at illegal auctions crammed into trucks, driven over rutted roads; all while goring and trampling over each other. Until they reach the ancient slaughter houses where their feet are tied together and they are privileged enough to watch death come to others and wait for their chance- and then after the wait, their throats are slit. Enjoy your dinner!
Well if you are really shaken up after reading the article, the least you can do is thank god you are human, you are definitely better off. If you want to do something more, join the gang. Like humans, animals have interests that shouldn't be sacrificed or traded away just because it might benefit others. It doesn't matter whether they're cute, or useful to humans, or an endangered species, or whether any human cares about them at all. (After all, if finding someone likable or attractive was a prerequisite for hurting them, some of us would be in a lot of trouble. J) In this day and age, with virtually unlimited choices of food, clothing, and entertainment, we don't have to choose between human rights and animal rights. We can take care of ourselves and treat animals compassionately; or is that asking too much? Animal rights doesnt have be your issue. You don't have to carry signs outside McDonald's or go naked to protest fur if you don't want to. But neither should you automatically assume protecting animals is something that can't fit in your ideological package. You don’t have to be a Maneka Gandhi or a Anoushka Shankar to do your bit. How tough is it to buy imitation leather instead or may be check for animal-free tested cosmetics? Not very, considering that if everyone does their bit ,may be we’ll have a less cruel world some-day.
So, what happens when animal activists protest and close down circuses, where will parents take their kids to see exotic wild animals? Well, there is always the very enjoyable, entertaining and educational Zoo. You get to see the biggest of elephants in the smallest cages, the naughtiest monkeys sans the trees and the loveliest cheetahs with nowhere to run. It’s nice to know that the monkeys aren’t fed so that they get excited when they see visitors who get them food. Zoos don’t really earn much, so ultimately the animals pay by living in inhumane conditions. The lovely birds have their wings clipped; herd animals are kept alone, closely confined with absolutely no opportunity of physical exercise. And what really happens when these cute babies grow up and aren’t so cute anymore .Well they are either sold to circuses, ‘game’ farms where hunters love chasing them and shooting them down or may be simply shoot down. This must truly be the best way to educate your child about animals.
So some people care, some don’t, but what shocked me the most was the budget 2007. The Finance Minister’s decision to allow drug and clinical testing on animals is definitely regressive. Foreign countries will now outsource their testing to India, where there are no laws whatsoever and easily available animals. So what if animals have their arteries sewed shut, their hearts damaged and exposed to noxious substances like cigarette smoke to see the effects. So what if new-born kittens have their eyes sewed shut for a year, or have toxins injected in their brains to blind them just to prove that lack of vision affects brain development. So what if the studies require to burn pigs over 40 percent of their bodies and then induced sepsis by pumping E.coli into their internal organs in order to test how treating the infection helps burn victims to recover, even though burn victims are already routinely given antibiotics to fight infections. But it’s all ok. I am sure this is good for the progress of the human race which is growing by a 100-fold every year anyways.
But really it must be alright to go for dinner dressed up complete with leather bag and shoes and have lamb chop as starters. Why would you care about how the animal looked before it turned into a handbag or how old was the lamb which is now your dinner. Leather comes from cows, kangaroos, alligators even cats and dogs! So you cant be sure where the hand-bag came from, could have even been a ‘fifthly’ mongrel. The meat and leather industry go hand in hand. Be assured the rest of your hand-bag is some-one else’s dinner. These unsuspecting animals are sold at illegal auctions crammed into trucks, driven over rutted roads; all while goring and trampling over each other. Until they reach the ancient slaughter houses where their feet are tied together and they are privileged enough to watch death come to others and wait for their chance- and then after the wait, their throats are slit. Enjoy your dinner!
Well if you are really shaken up after reading the article, the least you can do is thank god you are human, you are definitely better off. If you want to do something more, join the gang. Like humans, animals have interests that shouldn't be sacrificed or traded away just because it might benefit others. It doesn't matter whether they're cute, or useful to humans, or an endangered species, or whether any human cares about them at all. (After all, if finding someone likable or attractive was a prerequisite for hurting them, some of us would be in a lot of trouble. J) In this day and age, with virtually unlimited choices of food, clothing, and entertainment, we don't have to choose between human rights and animal rights. We can take care of ourselves and treat animals compassionately; or is that asking too much? Animal rights doesnt have be your issue. You don't have to carry signs outside McDonald's or go naked to protest fur if you don't want to. But neither should you automatically assume protecting animals is something that can't fit in your ideological package. You don’t have to be a Maneka Gandhi or a Anoushka Shankar to do your bit. How tough is it to buy imitation leather instead or may be check for animal-free tested cosmetics? Not very, considering that if everyone does their bit ,may be we’ll have a less cruel world some-day.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
one of them.
The norms of my civilization.
The norms I follow and conform.
The norms that define my every action.
My every decision.
My every verdict.
The norms that define me.
Yes, I am one of those.
One of those billions.
No different.
I do everything they do.
I don’t wish to be different.
I don’t even know definition of different.
Different is just a fad.
I am no different.
I play along.
I abide the rules.
Sometimes I hear a scream.
Tugging at my heart strings.
But their voices drown it out.
Those voices decide right and wrong.
That scream dies out.
Returning sometime, weaker every time.
Chocked…suppressed….Dead…
Everyday I get up and do what they expect of me. I look into the mirror and I see what they want to see. The clothes I wear, my haircut, the way I look. I worry; I have a few extra pounds. They won’t like that. They defined good and bad. I accepted it. Without a doubt.
They taught me the rules. It wasn’t their fault. Someone had taught them. They engraved them in me. Brainwashed me. It isn’t their fault. They were brainwashed too. They decided what I eat, how I eat, what toys I play with, what I study, they even decided how much I should fare. They decided everything. They decided my life, pre-planned it. They taught me how to behave, what my ambitions should be, they taught me what should make me smile and what should hurt.
He says I am different. He says I’ll break free. His spirit is amusing, alluring even.
His thoughts are delusional. They defined it as imprudent and naïve. I agree. I am meant to. He doesn’t know. Different has been defined. Defined by them. There is no escape.
We are them. They are us. I am who I am. One of them. You are who they are. Imagine an anthill with billions of ants. Indistinguishable. I am one of them. They are the rest. No different.
The norms I follow and conform.
The norms that define my every action.
My every decision.
My every verdict.
The norms that define me.
Yes, I am one of those.
One of those billions.
No different.
I do everything they do.
I don’t wish to be different.
I don’t even know definition of different.
Different is just a fad.
I am no different.
I play along.
I abide the rules.
Sometimes I hear a scream.
Tugging at my heart strings.
But their voices drown it out.
Those voices decide right and wrong.
That scream dies out.
Returning sometime, weaker every time.
Chocked…suppressed….Dead…
Everyday I get up and do what they expect of me. I look into the mirror and I see what they want to see. The clothes I wear, my haircut, the way I look. I worry; I have a few extra pounds. They won’t like that. They defined good and bad. I accepted it. Without a doubt.
They taught me the rules. It wasn’t their fault. Someone had taught them. They engraved them in me. Brainwashed me. It isn’t their fault. They were brainwashed too. They decided what I eat, how I eat, what toys I play with, what I study, they even decided how much I should fare. They decided everything. They decided my life, pre-planned it. They taught me how to behave, what my ambitions should be, they taught me what should make me smile and what should hurt.
He says I am different. He says I’ll break free. His spirit is amusing, alluring even.
His thoughts are delusional. They defined it as imprudent and naïve. I agree. I am meant to. He doesn’t know. Different has been defined. Defined by them. There is no escape.
We are them. They are us. I am who I am. One of them. You are who they are. Imagine an anthill with billions of ants. Indistinguishable. I am one of them. They are the rest. No different.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Goa :)
The wind pulls me back.
My feet don’t feel solid surface anymore.
I gasp, my stomach churns.
This is what it feels like to fly.
The wind sings a lovely song,
In some exotic language I have never heard before.
The sun rays dance on the waves.
Like children in glee up to no good.
The sea wears a robe of sapphires and diamonds.
More gorgeous than man’s imagination.
The clouds sway lazily,
Like there is no care in the world.
I look around, the shore is so far away.
The world is so far away.
The freedom entices me.
I don’t want to be curbed again.
Let me fly always.I don’t want to come down again
My feet don’t feel solid surface anymore.
I gasp, my stomach churns.
This is what it feels like to fly.
The wind sings a lovely song,
In some exotic language I have never heard before.
The sun rays dance on the waves.
Like children in glee up to no good.
The sea wears a robe of sapphires and diamonds.
More gorgeous than man’s imagination.
The clouds sway lazily,
Like there is no care in the world.
I look around, the shore is so far away.
The world is so far away.
The freedom entices me.
I don’t want to be curbed again.
Let me fly always.I don’t want to come down again
Fly
They clipped my wings and tied me down,
And now you ask me to fly.
They plagued me and diseased me,
And now you ask me to survive.
You soothe my pain and balm my wounds,
You want to make me reliant.
You pretend to love me,
But I see the sweet lies.
You can be someone else’s God,
I don’t need one.
You can be someone else’s redeemer,
I can survive on my own.
Let me go, let me try,
I know my end but let me try.
But let me die trying,
I don’t want to be like the rest.
I don’t want to live dying.
Pain
The needles jab
The pain cramps.
There is no way out.
Stop looking around.
It will twist your heart.
And shred your soul.
You can try shouting.
But your throat will go sore.
The twinge shoots up your veins.
Poisoning your every vessel.
Sound of nails scratching the walls.
Will destroy your existence.
Break away, break free.
Try your best to succeed.
If you escape today.
You wont tomorrow.
So give up.
Stand still.
Let it take over today.
Let it destroy you tonight.
The pain cramps.
There is no way out.
Stop looking around.
It will twist your heart.
And shred your soul.
You can try shouting.
But your throat will go sore.
The twinge shoots up your veins.
Poisoning your every vessel.
Sound of nails scratching the walls.
Will destroy your existence.
Break away, break free.
Try your best to succeed.
If you escape today.
You wont tomorrow.
So give up.
Stand still.
Let it take over today.
Let it destroy you tonight.
Silent Noise
Silent moon.
Silent night.
Silent words.
Silent eyes.
Mysteries unfold.
Life unwinds.
Nothing more beautiful.
Than sweet lies.
Promising voice.
Deceiving smile.
Dancing dreams.
Tears of Joy.
Make belief.
Capture the moment.
Silent night.
With silent light.
Silent night.
Silent words.
Silent eyes.
Mysteries unfold.
Life unwinds.
Nothing more beautiful.
Than sweet lies.
Promising voice.
Deceiving smile.
Dancing dreams.
Tears of Joy.
Make belief.
Capture the moment.
Silent night.
With silent light.
No Regrets
"Now do you believe me?” he asked.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“You forget soon”.
“Yes, out of choice”.
“Cmon, make a wild guess.” He said
“The higher power out to get me??”
“Yes, enjoy the darkness”? He asked.
“Yes, it’s beautiful”.
“Enjoy the loneliness?”
“Better still”.
Every now and then I see something in the darkness.
I try and spot something.
“Its just your mind deluding you”. He said.
“Mischievous isn’t it?” I smirked.
“Your pride intrigues me”.
“Really?”
“Do you regret?”
“Never”. I said.
“Then you deserve it”
“Yes, I know”.
“Suffer, u preferred to”.
“Let me in peace”.
He doesn’t speak anymore.
I know he never will.
Every now and then I look around.
But I know, my mind will give up soon.
Then I will accept my punishment.
Accept my destiny.
“Who is it?” I asked.
“You forget soon”.
“Yes, out of choice”.
“Cmon, make a wild guess.” He said
“The higher power out to get me??”
“Yes, enjoy the darkness”? He asked.
“Yes, it’s beautiful”.
“Enjoy the loneliness?”
“Better still”.
Every now and then I see something in the darkness.
I try and spot something.
“Its just your mind deluding you”. He said.
“Mischievous isn’t it?” I smirked.
“Your pride intrigues me”.
“Really?”
“Do you regret?”
“Never”. I said.
“Then you deserve it”
“Yes, I know”.
“Suffer, u preferred to”.
“Let me in peace”.
He doesn’t speak anymore.
I know he never will.
Every now and then I look around.
But I know, my mind will give up soon.
Then I will accept my punishment.
Accept my destiny.
The Choice
His voice boomed in my ears. “Turn down the volume man”.
“Wake up” he said.
Emptiness. Nothing for miles. Soft noise like music. Not exactly. No tune.
“You slept enough” he said.
“Alright”. I wasn’t arguing with something I couldn’t see.
“Look around he said”.
More emptiness.
“You’ve always been alone”
I laughed deliriously.
I looked again, they were dancing. In the distance. They were so beautiful. In white. To the tuneless music. Coming closer.
How many pegs was it last night, five? Six?
I saw them come closer. I have never been alone.
Closer and closer. Her lipstick was too bright. She asked me join.
“Come dance with us”.
“How much do I pay?”
She chuckled. Her make up cracked. She went back to them.
“You‘ll always be alone” they said.
The music slowed.
They danced faster.
Faster.
Even faster.
I waited for the climax.
I watched them.
Maybe I can remember their moves.
Faster.
The wait continued.
“Do you give up yet?”
“I was never trying” I gave him a Mona Lisa.
“Do you want to?”
“No”
Bright light, very bright like the one in ghost whisperer. Those serials get it right sometimes.
“Eternal salvation?” I asked.
“U can choose” he said.
“I am not used to liberty”.
“Choose now”.
I turned back.
I choose darkness.
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