Lost Love and Fair Skin

An advertisment of Pond's White Beauty face cream is being aired on TV nowadays which shows a guy dumps his gf and 3 years later she comes to know he is a celebrity now and engaged with another celebrity girl. The ex-gf sees an ad of the product which claims to give "a white glow" (read: become fair skinned) and starts thinking...rather decides to buy it. For part 1 of the story watch the video. Now in part 2 the fiancee is shown to be a short tempered girl who cares more about her fingernails than the gifted diamond ring. The ex-gf uses this cream and becomes all fair and glowing and the guy comes to her flower shop (by chance) and can't stop ogling at her. She is still in dilemma whether to tell him that she still loves him.
Now my point is do these Pond's guys intend to show that an ex-bf can be won back by becoming fairer??? If that is so then should a guy who apparently dumped you for your looks be wooed back??? Even if he didn't dump you on basis of looks , still should he be wooed back at all??? that too by becoming fairer n all??? What is with this prejudice against the dark skin in India when we are on the receiving end of racism?? I think the British rule made the Indians fascinated with white skin and we have not got over that yet. All dark or wheatish colored girls are made to think as if they are some misfits and have to apply all sorts of creams or soaps to become fair to get married or an audition or guy or whatever. Infact now guys are also being targetted and urged to become fair to woo girls!!! In arranged marriage being fair is a must criteria for the girl, no matter how the guy looks. Being very fair is a bonus. The qualifications and the nature of the girl are hidden or compromised upon after seeing her shining beauty. In fact I suspect even in an affair the girl may use such creams to keep her guy happy lest he leaves her for some more "greener pastures".
This prejudice and discrimination irks me no end. My elder sister is wheatish colored whereas I'm fair. Since childhood I've listened to many comments on the difference which has made me very annoyed with people who advocate fair color. Even when I was 7 yrs old or so, I gave a piece of my mind to some 70+ old men in my mother's village where we had gone for vacation. They had dared to say "how different Niru's (my mom's name) kids are in color" or words to that effect. I have seen my roommates desperately using these products. For what? for whom? Someone who will judge you and accept/reject you by your looks? So much effort for that? Does being fair give confidence? Helps you win laurels?? No I don't think so. I admit being fair does give an edge due to all the pre-existing prejudices and morons who judge by a person's looks but if you have it in you no one can stop you for getting what you want. Be it clearing a job interview or getting your guy or winning an Oscar. Check out Halle Berry's Oscar acceptance speech.
As for winning back ex-bfs I don't think a jerk like the one shown is that much of a trophy and if it was so easy as made out to be in the ad then there wouldn't be so many heartbreaks in the world. You know the ad says "sometimes life gives you a second chance"....and the second chance is cosmetic product????? what #@#$&%!
Part 3 of the ad is awaited. First time I'm waiting for a sequel in an advertisement and curious to know what will they show ultimately.

P.S. Remember that the most beautiful things in the world are the most useless: peacocks and lilies, for instance. ~ John Ruskin, The Stones of Venice

World War 3.0

So now I know how the world is going to end. It will be annihilated by the commencement of World War III. How did I reach to this conclusion? Read on.

There was a bomb blast in Thane, Mumbai on June 4 2008. Some more bombs were recovered live from other places. Two Hindu extremists have been arrested for the same. Supposedly they belong to some Hindu organizations called Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) and Sanatan Sansthan. Read the whole news here. Now after this happened, the Shiv Sena's mouthpiece Saamna ran an editorial in which Mr.BT (the editor) advocated "build-up of Hindu response to counter the 'growing Islamic terrorism' in the country while ridiculing members of a Hindu fundamentalist organisation held for low-intensity bomb blasts in Thane." Of course it doesn't matter that 7 people died (correction:injured) in the blast and my guess would be all of them were not Muslims. What is the problem if 7 die (correction:get injured) among 13 million population of Mumbai? Sacrifice must be made for the greater good, right? I guess this is the convoluted mentality of these people.

So Mr.BT has commended the creation of Hindu suicide squads as a tit for tat for Islamic outfits. I've already expressed my indignation over how irresponsibly leaders speak and behave. But this has crossed the limit. How can a leader in his sensible mind ask his people to form suicide groups for spreading violence? How can he ask them to sacrifice their lives and families to die for his absurd cause or rather I presume his personal vendetta? In today's world how can a leader champion the cause of terrorism and blood for blood? Our Nation's Bapu must be turning and tossing in his grave!! (yes, I know he was a Hindu) How can a leader encourage his people to take the law in their own hands?

I condemn such fundamentalist leaders of any country who show the path of violence and bloodshed to their people. Instead of waging wars why doesn't he encourage people to form cleaning squads to keep Mumbai clean and water logging free?
According to Mr.BT these Hindu squads should go to Islamic countries and carry out bomb blasts there. I guess if this happens those countries will retaliate and US & EU will jump in too in the foray. Taking the opportunity China may attack India from other side. And thus World War 3.0 will ensue. And the world will come to an end.

On second thought, that might be a good thing. Everything will start anew after humans have wiped out each other. Sigh! A 6 yr old kid is wiser than a 80+ adult.

Click to enlarge and read

P.S. Logos credited to northernsun.com

The Final Straw

I suspect that Ms.Ekta Kapoor has finally lost it...gone bonkers...has become raving mad, insane, deranged, unbalanced and sadist. She is planning and in fact has begun shooting of an episode of her popular soap opera Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii based on the sensational Aarushi muder case. The storyline is about a teenager in the serial who is killed by her parents because of her relationship with a boy and they are unwilling to surrender easily. Of course Balaji Telefilms say that they have only been inspired from the real life story. So finally Ekta and her writers (I doubt there is only one writer as the stories are all same with just a change of sequence of events as inferred from input given by my Mom) have run out of ideas to dish up to the viewers and they are resorting to cashing in on such a real life tragedy especially when it has been solved yet. I think all Ekta haters and Indians interested in saving the females of their families should launch a signed petition to close down Balaji Telefilms...."Save Our Moms" campaign. She is literally making hay while the sun shines!! What next? More real life murders and scandals will be incorporated in her various serials?

Much has been written about it so I wont rant much here. Just wanted to express my stand.For Aarushi murder case read hereFor news articles on Ekta's episode read here and hereTo know more about why Ekta is hated read hereP.S. Ok if not petitions then what about supari? It can be done online too!! I'm sorry if I've hurt the feelings of any Ekta Kapoor fan out there.Image credited to mangalorean.com

Pro-Men Indian Customs

Today is Jamai Shashthi i.e. Son-in-law day. Its a day in Bengali tradition; held every year in the Bengali month of Jaishtha; when the "Jamai" is treated with the best of the delicacies. The son-in-law is invited well in advance for the occasion. And when the daughter & son-in-law arrive, a few rituals are performed. The son-in-law also gets gifts from the mother-in-law. Basically a day to celebrate one's son-in-law.

This got me thinking that why don't we have a day to celebrate daughter-in-laws in India? A son-in-law who has taken away the daughter, sometimes even taking money to do that and maybe even mistreats one's daughter is invited and showered with gifts!! And one burns the daughter-in-law if she has brought insufficient dowry!! Why don't we celebrate the girl who has left her parents to be a daughter to the new family too and to look after one's son and bear his child, who by the way carries your family name not hers. She even gives up her identity by adopting her husband's surname and is not able to look after her own parents often. But she is not appreciated or celebrated with one special day just in her name. Most thankless relation I say! I demand a "Bahu" i.e. Daughter-in-law day! When I become one I too want to get gifts and eat my favorite dishes on that day. If he (my future hubby) gets it I want it too. So there!

Taking this further, why are there so many symbols an Indian girl has to wear to show she's married? To declare she is someone else's property or taken or back off to everyone?? There's red bindi

sindoor or vermilion to be worn on forehead,

mangalsutra (a necklace made of black beads and gold),

a bichiya or toe ring

and red churis or bangles!!!

I mean there should be no doubt left of an Indian women's marital status in Indian society!!!
But what about our men? No, they don't wear anything which may indicate their marital status except maybe their pot-bellies when in middle age!! Why this discrimination? This is one of the things I like about Christianity that they have wedding bands for both husband and wife.

Atleast one can accuse one's husband in case he has an affair and the girl thinks he is single that "why did u take off your wedding band?" In Indian society there is no option at all!! Totally unfair I say!! What if I make my husband wear a ring with my name engraved on it ? Nice idea, eh?

Last but not the least, the tradition of Karwa Chauth and Vat Savitri Vrat which are different types of fasts Indian women are supposed to keep for the long life of their husbands and marital harmony!!! I suppose keeping them will solve problems of those women who are physically abused by drunk husbands? And a fast will ensure long life? Then why isn't there such a fast for the husbands to keep? Do they want their wives to die early? The desire for life long companionship and efforts to achieve that, even if religious in nature, should be on both sides of the sacred bond of marriage.

Save the Environment

Stop thinking like that!! On World Environment Day i.e. today, I want to list few tips and ways to do our part in saving the environment. Though there are many sites which tell about 100 ways or 51 ways to do it, I thought of listing some of them here as well.

In Your Office

# Copy and print on both sides of paper.
# Reuse items like envelopes, folders and paper clips.
# Set up a bulletin board for memos instead of sending a copy to each employee.
# Use e-mail instead of paper correspondence.
# Use recycled paper.
# Use discarded paper for scrap paper.
# Use a ceramic coffee mug instead of a disposable cup.
# Shut off electrical equipment in the evening when you leave work.

In Your Home

# Clean or replace air filters on your air conditioning unit at least once a month.
# Turn off unneeded lights even when leaving a room for a short time.
# Set your refrigerator temperature at 36 to 38 and your freezer at 0 to 5 .
# Use a microwave whenever you can instead of a conventional oven or stove.
# Turn off lights, computers and other appliances when not in use.
# Use compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs to save money and energy.
# Use cold water instead of warm or hot water when possible.
# Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals.
# Use traps instead of rat and mouse poisons and insect killers.
# Check and fix any water leaks.
# Install water-saving devices on your faucets and toilets.
# Don't wash dishes or brush teeth with the water running continuously.
# Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
# Use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones.
# Use reusable containers to store food instead of aluminum foil and cling wrap.

In General

# Walk or ride your bike instead of driving, whenever possible.
# Avoid products with several layers of packaging when only one is sufficient.
# Buy products that you can reuse.
# Maintain and repair durable products instead of buying new ones.
# Reuse items like bags and containers when possible.
# Shop with a canvas bag instead of using paper and plastic bags.

So implement some of these atleast if not all before it comes to this:-

Last but not least, let us all strive to save the social environment too by promoting love and peace. As Michael Jackson puts it "Heal The World".

P.S. For lyrics to the lovely song read here. All images credited to Chris Madden.

Seed of Discord

Just now one of my colleagues called me to ask for a favour. Her relatives had gone to Ajmer Sharif and are now stranded there. She wanted to know from Internet about bus journey details from Ajmer to Ahmedabad. How distraught rest of the family must be feeling. For most of us its like "None of my near & dear ones are there. So it doesn't matter". Not only her relatives but around 50,000 people have been stranded as more than 50 trains have been canceled due to Gujjar women who have blocked the rail routes. Earlier, the men had damaged railway tracks. In fact it has been estimated that India's corporate sector has lost some $1.25 billion since May 23 and Indian railways suffered a loss of Rs.29.6 million ($696,659) on May 29 alone because of delays and cancellations of trains. Read this here and here. All this because the Gujjars want to be re-classified as a ‘Scheduled Tribe,’ to qualify for jobs and university places reserved for disadvantaged groups.

Do these people ever think of the sick persons, pregnant women, examination/interview candidates, small kids, the elderly or poor people who are stranded due to cancellation of trains? As if terrorists weren't a big enough problem for all; that now we have Indians causing problems for Indians. We have become so selfish in our demands and so greedy that we ignore everyone else's inconvenience. Like these Gujjar protests, political strikes in Kolkata etc etc. Satyagraha or rather Gandhigiri is just a celluloid dream. Now the attitude is "If I want something I'll snatch it by hook or crook"...rather only crook i.e. violence and riots.

My point is that Indian leaders who laid the foundation of a new country 60 years ago just sowed the biggest seed of discord by defining different castes and tribes and making provisions in the Constitution for them; by giving the word "reservation" a whole new meaning; by creating a divider bigger than the Partition. We are just reaping what they sowed. It was supposed to benefit the rural and backward classes who are poor to get education and job. But in reality? A friend of mine who is a Bachelor of Engineering, has own house, very good monthly income and is counted as upper middle class; gets job in public sector using "quota" allotted to his caste. And a kid in a village is still illiterate and a farmer or weaver. So Mr.Leader's soul, it hasn't quite turned out the way it should have been, right? Now what do we do?

As for these Gujjars, they want a re-classification!!! I want one too. From being "General" or "No Category"; I want to become "Categorized". I want to be given preferential treatment everywhere. I want my son/daughter to not do hardwork in studying and to get admission in finest colleges/schools just on basis of caste and to get a job just as easily.

As for these Gujjar women, have they stood up in protest against the rampant use of infanticide against the girl child in their caste? Have they ever raised their voice against abusive husbands or other malpractices against women? Have they protested against the falling sex ratio, unavailability of brides and the resulting polyandry in their caste? Then why now? Out of greed? Even if they are "re-classified" do they assure that they will send their daughters to school too and give them equal opportunity as their sons?

I just pray that may all the people stranded reach their destinations safe and sound. And...

रघुपित राघव राजाराम , पतित पावन सीताराम
सीताराम सीताराम, भज प्यारे तू सीताराम
ईश्वर अल्लाह तेरो नाम, सब को सन्मित दे भगवान

Translation:

Lord Rama, Chief of the house of Raghu,

Uplifters of those who have fallen,

(O divine couple) Sita and Rama,

Beloved, praise Sita and Rama,

God or Allah is your name,

Lord, bless everyone with wisdom.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are entirely mine and I have no intention of hurting anyone's feelings. Neither do I support nor I oppose anyone.
All images credited to NDTV.

Shame! Shame!

I'd decided the world would never come to know of a recent and one of the most embarrassing incidents that happened to me . But then by not sharing I lost the opportunity to rant about men. So first the incident then the ranting.

Few days back the college where I work was a center for candidates appearing in Pre-Medical Entrance Exam. The candidates ranged from general category to the reserved, urban to rural and intelligent enough to understand instructions to the dumbest. We, the lecturers, had been assigned as invigilators. Now, each floor has 4 bathrooms at its corner...for girls, ladies staff, gents staff and boys and has that written boldly in red at top. Before the exam started, I went to freshen myself in the ladies staff one and just as I went inside the already open door, a young boy (must be candidate) was answering nature's call!!! I rushed out shouting "its ladies bathroom" and went straight to the assigned exam room.. [Yeah laugh at my plight!!] Thank God he had his back towards me!!!

Later in retrospect, I thought why was I feeling embarrassed with no fault of mine and I was disgusted at the non existence of the feeling of shame in most Indian Males (or maybe all males of world). Even if the boy had entered the wrong bathroom and didn't even know that there are separate facilities in cities/colleges; still he should have locked the door not out of manners or etiquette but out of shame. As I analyzed further, I remembered the common sight of men(any age group) answering nature's call by roadside or on a wall and mostly not hidden from view. For pictorial depiction you can see here.

One may argue that maybe men have less bladder control than women but anatomically speaking women are supposed to have less bladder control. But do we see women sitting on road side? Maybe the poor and illiterate women are seen but males of any class & any age can be seen. They consider it their birthright. The trouble we girls have to face when we go on a picnic or trip!!! We have to take a friend (girl) along to stand guard against any Peeping Toms. Why us? Men don't have to worry about such problems.

So is this habit a result of the difference in upbringing of the male child and the female child in Indian society? Do we encourage our sons to become shameless by allowing them to bath openly or roam around without wearing vests? Is covering up essential only for the girls? Is lajja or shame meant exclusively for women? Is decency a feminine virtue?

Why is it wrong for girls to wear low waist jeans and not for men? I don't like seeing or knowing about the brand of brief they wear!!! Another example.. this attitude "We are men. We don't need to hide" is so expressed in the design of Men's bathroom (note: no personal experience..as seen in movies and asked guy friends) which is different from the Ladies' in matters of privacy.

Of course the Govt is to blame for not providing public utilities along the road on an infrastructural basis and for not maintaining those which are provided. One factor is the so called lack of funds for such a trivial thing when we have bigger problems to deal with like price rise and poverty. Another may be that are not most of the politicians male and have the same attitude towards "shame"? Thus they feel no need to provide such a basic amenity even in slum areas. There is an old joke about this Indian habit. You can read the joke and a good rant about this habit and another famous Indian habit of spitting here.

I admit its fine when one goes long distance driving like from one city to city. But in normal circumstances why can't you just stop at a restaurant/petrol station or hold it till you reach wherever you are going? And for God's sake look if its for men or women & for Shame's sake Lock The Door!!!

P.S. Some (like a very dear guy friend of mine) may think "what an absurd topic!" but its My Blog and I can rave and rant about whatever I feel like. So there!

"Anti-Indian" Indiana Jones

I don't think that every famous and admired story writer or director has only good/brilliant movies to their credit. I'm sure each one of them has one or more movies which they are ashamed of writing or directing. The ones who provoked me to write this post are still living in the illusion that its another wonderful and different creation of their remarkable skills. They advertise the "work of art" using sentences like "The movie which broke all the rules and changed the film industry"!!! Maybe they think that any art they dish up would be lapped up by the public without any criticism and from the hype about the movie I gather they have managed to pull it off. I'm talking about the crap called "Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom". (Maybe I'm not the first one to write such a strong criticism against the movie as I have not yet researched into the reviews that movie had received and also I believe some sane people are still out there in the industry).

I think Mr.George Lucas (yeah the guy behind Star Wars) the story writer and Mr.Steven Spielberg (yeah yeah the Jurassic Park guy) the director, should hide this movie in question in their biographies and their later real works of art are a compensation to the torture they inflicted on the audience with this Indiana Jones sequel. After hearing so many people rave about the famous movie I decided to download and watch all three. I liked the first one "Indiana Jones and Raiders of Lost Ark". Infact I think its the source of inspiration for most of the action sequences and damsel in distress scenes of Bollywood, Tollywood et al. It was an enjoyable movie with every imaginable twist in action sequence and drama. Then I started the 2nd sequel. It turned out the movie's story is set in India and had our own Amrish Puri and Roshan Seth starring in it. (How did Amrish Puri agree to act such a role? Just for Hollywood fame?) I wont describe the plot and lengthen my post. An Indian village was shown where people spoke god knows which language and of course few spoke English!!!!!! The most disgusting scene of the movie and which made me scream out of indignation"Is THIS a Spielberg creation? What was he thinking? Shame Mr.Spielberg" was a dinner scene at the Pankot palace of Bhanpur. In this scene, 1st dish to be served was "snake surprise". A huge boa was served and when its stomach was cut lots of little snakes crawled out and people aka Indians ate that. Then next on menu were beetles whose shells Indians cracked and slurped the insides with the heroine (Kate Capshaw) gaping at them and ready to puke. Are you too feeling gross? Wait, there's more. Then the heroin asked for soup seeing such food and she was served soup with eyeballs in it. The dessert was a monkey's head on a cup with head split and Indians eating its brain with spoon just like icecream. I'm ready to puke now!

Maybe if we really ate that stuff, George Bush wouldn't have blamed us for price rise. Then maybe SPCA and PETA would have targeted us!!

More absurd and demeaning scenes of a cult of "Thugees" (whatever that means!) who were Kali worshipers were shown. (I think its the practice of sacrifice to Ma Kali that fascinates Western people and inspires them to cook up gory stories). People were made to drink human blood and were thus hypnotized to follow the cult leader, Amrish Puri. He was shown to punish by digging his fingers right into the offender's bare chest and grab his heart out!!!! By the love of god, that was the height of preposterousness.

Well maybe I'm being too harsh. The mine chase sequence was definitely nicely wrote and shot. But that doesn't make up for the image portrayed of Indians and their diet. No wonder Western people have strange ideas about India, Indians and their cultural and religious practices, India's mysticism (e.g. snake charmer found in most cartoons where the snake stands up and is used as a rope to climb or an ascetic on bed of nails or flying carpet). A person like Lucas or Spielberg who are making sci-fi movies should have at least done little bit of research into India before showing such ridiculous and offensive stuff. Neither it can be enjoyed for the sake of fun nor can it be included under artistic license or cinematic license. Any true blue Indian will be enraged at such depiction. I was.

Marathis vs North Indians - Part 2

In the name of Lord Rama, what is going on in India? Wasn't the eternal feud between Hindu and Muslims enough, that now we are hell bent on fighting among ourselves on the basis of region? Our so called leaders or people's representatives have forgotten the Preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of India. I quote

"WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity;

and to promote among them all

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION."

Well, I guess its not their fault. After all power corrupts. And most of them are not educated enough to be political leaders. Literacy is different from Education. But still they are adults and supposed to behave maturely and understand the effects of the influence they wield on their followers. Just by saying provocative sentences they create disorder, lawlessness and riots leading to violence and cruel acts of fanaticism. When did this feeling that I'm only leader of Marathis exclusively and have no responsibility towards rest of Indians, creep into their hearts? Why should a particular region be resided only by their natives? Then we should all go back to where Aryans came from!!! In today's fast growing economy where India is dreaming to be a superpower, a leader can't see the money the immigrants are bringing. If north Indians are earning from jobs in Maharashtra, they are spending it there only. They pay their taxes to the Maharashtra government only. Just because the leader is not in power, he thinks Marathis should drive out North Indians. I want to find out whether his laundry man or driver or maidservant is Marathi or North Indian and whether he has fired them or not. I want to know if workers have stopped working in the industries owned by him?

In today's world where peace is the keyword, the leader is creating a mass exodus like in the time of partition. How does he justify an act as cruel as chopping off hands by his followers? Are Marathis only about violence and intolerance? Doesn't the leader know the fundamental rights of all Indians? How can anyone sleep in peace with the blood of many on his hands? May the souls rest in peace and may God give strength to the family left behind.

I would like to remind Mr. RT of the famous patriotic poem

sāre jahāñ se achchā hindostāñ hamārā

ham bulbuleñ haiñ us kī vuh gulsitāñ hamārā

parbat vuh sab se ūñchā, hamsāyah āsmāñ kā

vuh santarī hamārā, vuh pāsbāñ hamārā

godī meñ kheltī haiñ us kī hazāroñ nadiyāñ

gulshan hai jin ke dam se rashk-e janāñ hamārā

mażhab nahīñ sikhātā āpas meñ bair rakhnā

hindī haiñ ham, vat̤an hai hindostāñ hamārā

Translation

Better than the entire world, is our Hindustan,

We are its nightingales, and it (is) our garden abode

That tallest mountain, that shade-sharer of the sky,

(It) is our sentry, (it) is our watchman

In its lap frolic those thousands of rivers,

Whose vitality makes our garden the envy of Paradise.

Religion does not teach us to bear ill-will among ourselves

We are of Hind, our homeland is Hindustan.