Matilda

As the 23-year old girl struggles for life, I can only express my anguish and pray for her speedy recovery. The fateful night can't be forgotten. We can't imagine the trauma she is facing and the agony that she is undergoing. Swami Vivekananda had once said that a nation which doesn't respect their women can never progress. Well, I believe in India, respect is something girls have to struggle for endlessly. Because, deep down in the man's psyche, he still feels that woman is the weaker sex. Or wait a minute, do they think so or do they force themselves to think so? Women of today have carved a niche for themselves in every field they have endeavoured. This is a fact that even the male chauvinist pigs cannot deny. They have proved to the world that a woman is an embodiment of great courage, determination and spirit. This is why the rape survivor ,who was tortured , still has a strong will to survive. What gives her the strength? She is made that way! Lets get o...

NEWS: Indian Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde has refused to sign the joint statement with Pakistan at the end of the three day visit by Pakistan Interior Minister Mr. Rehman Malik. BACKGROUND: The rebuttal by India is a reaction to Pakistan's uncooperative behaviour to help India in the trial of the accused in 26/11 attacks.Mr. Malik had come to India to resolve some crucial issues with the Indian lawmakers but it seems he has left a highly suspicious imprint. He denied any infiltration by the Pakistani extremists. He even said that the catastrophe on 26/11 could not be avoided due to the negligence by the Indian intelligence agencies. He emphatically said that if the terrorists of Lashkar-e-Toiba planned this attack, then the Pak government had no role as LeT is banned in Pakistan. Further,he suggested that there has been no proof found against Hafiz Saeed (head of LeT) and thus the latter should not be put under the line of fire. The third person who hatched the conspi...

The fourth estate can make you reach the wonders of heaven or the gallows of hell. A year back, Team Blue won the World Cup after 28 long years. The media showered praises uplifting them to the status of gods in human form. They were welcomed like true patriotic sons of India who have made their motherland extremely proud. However, after a string of losses in England test series, they are berated for not doing their work with integrity. From HERO to ZERO in no time!! Amarnath, a previous selector has expressed his wish to sack Dhoni as the ODI captain. He has also revealed that last year, lot of members on the board agreed with his view except the BCCI chairman, N Srinivasan.  Amarnath believes that Dhoni's style of functioning was highly "individualistic" despite he helping India to win the World championship and IPL(as captain of Chennai Super Kings). He has defamed Dhoni at a time when he needs motivation and support. Understanding the severity of the situation, ...

Sold. Cancelled. Resold. Failed. These four words describe the journey of the 122 licences which have gone through different stages involving the political blame-game. NEWS: The Government of India(GOI) has decided to slash the 2G base price by 30% in four unsold circles.The price cut for airwaves by the ministerial panel has sent out shock waves in the telecom industry. BACKGROUND: Stage 1: Back in 2004-2007, the telecom sector was at its zenith. We saw fast expanding subscriber base and exponentially rising EBITDA(Earnings before Interest,Taxes,Depreciation and Amortisation). This was basically because of the monopoly as there were only 4-5 players in the sector. Stage 2: Now when Raja (The telecom master!) became the telecom minister, he tried to give a boost by giving away 122 new licences at throwaway prices. Result was that the sector saw the entry of many new companies. So, the tariffs plummeted (to the consumers' delight!) and the firms got lower profit margins....

The small peaceful valley "Swat " in Pakistan faced a mighty jolt after the outrageous attack on a 14 year old teenager named Malala Yousufzai who  they call the harbinger of change(The Pride of Swat). Since 2007, the people of Swat are used to the unpredictable attacks by the Taliban which have separated them from their nears and dears. But the change had to come some day! And so it has... Most of us know what happened on that deadly day but what I want to discuss is a very different issue. Reading her blog diaries under the nom de plume Gul Makai, I realised that people were living in pieces and not peace. MALALA's VIEW Since the young age of 11 years, Malala has been espousing girl education. She has tried her best to spread awareness but unfortunately the narrow-minded madarsa system is deeply rooted into the civilisation of Pakistan . These madarsas follow a constrained and highly restrictive system of education which doesn't aim at broadening the ...

Being a sophomore is altogether a different feeling…while you know a lot more that the “Fucchas” but you still remain “less experienced” than the third years. Thanks to the semester system which makes you feel as if you are still in school with regular tests and assignments; I have been unable to post my writings. The fact is that I m guilty of not having posted any piece and thus looking for corners to hide. So here I am back with my views on how the policymakers have been working behind my back(Haha!). Before the world organisations could slam another downgrade for the Indian economy, the GOI has acted and acted in a FIRM manner(for once!). UPA -2 having heard a lot of denigration from speculators and journalists from all over the world(our PM was tagged the UNDERACHIEVER by the TIME magazine), took some “drastic” steps for the common man. Manmohan Singh, the robust reformer of the 1990’s, is back with a bang. He released two major policies: First, a hike in diesel prices along wit...

NEWS: The CAG(Comptroller and Auditor General) recently released a report of the COALGATE scam. In this whole master blunder, the national exchequer faced an estimated loss of Rs. 1.86 lakh crore. The 155 coal blocks obtained by captive mining were distributed illegally to 100 private companies. BACKGROUND: During the period of 2004-2009, the coal ministry was to allocate coal blocks to the companies and as per the legal process, this had to be done through an auction. However, the top notches of the ministry which also includes the current Prime Minister , Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was the minister-in-charge from 2005-09 , had manipulated the legal processes. It is believed that even though the date for auction was decided but before that some firms were granted coal blocks through a screening committee. This delay in the introduction of competitive bidding is the reason why the CAG is pointing fingers. As the report elucidates, these choiced companies were given post-bid concessio...

St. Stephen's , as known to many, is a highly prestigious institution which has been under the limelight ever since it was founded. Initially thought of as the Britisher's hiding ground, the senior members of the college have not only shown the students the right path but also left their own trail behind. The college has always been under the leadership of stalwarts who have had the courage to fight for the sound cause.During the Indian Independence Struggle, St. Stephen's College has also left its imprint on the pages of history.  Charles Freer Andrews(a former principal), a famous and staunch follower of Mahatma Gandhi , has been an integral part of the Indian Independence Struggle. He was named "Deenbandhu"( i.e. the friend of the poor) and had strong belief in the power of "ahimsa".  He was one unique stephanian who had attended the national meeting of Congress. He wrote articles for The Tribune to express his nationalist fervour. While he w...

I recently read an article by Mahesh Dattani titled “Don’t worry, be crazy.” He emphasized the fact that “No matter how old you are, it is necessary to keep reviving the bubbly child in you.” I believe in this theory because I have tested it and tried it. When you laugh hysterically and literally roll on the floor laughing (ROFLing!!), you can experience the true zing in life!!Ever tried running after a moving bus, racing with a squirrel, shrieking while driving through a tunnel and dancing in the bathroom with loud music? I feel these can be the best times of one’s life. This crazy creativity does not mean getting high on alcohol or any other vice – rather it just means feeling uninhibited for a short while in your limits!! For some “supposedly sane” people, craziness is not “socially appropriate”. I vehemently oppose this school of thought. I realize that it is essential to follow social decorum but doesn’t mean that those restrictive norms should keep you locked in a c...

NEWS: Recently, around 200 women came for the Khap Panchayat to protest against female foeticide. BACKGROUND: Khap is the community of people from haryana, Western uttar Pradesh and some parts of Rajasthan. This group of people are orthodox and stringent in their own rules and regulations.Generally there are 10-15 people in khap panchayats who impose their will on their fellow villagers. They have their set of commandments as follows. a) All girls and boys of one gotra are siblings. No marriages can be arranged for people of same gotra else they would be banished from the village or killed in extreme circumstances. Love marriages are a taboo. b) No girl can roam about on the streets alone, can't talk on mobile phones and can't wear jeans. c) Honour killing is allowed if the ward misbehaves or acts against the khap traditions. MY OPINION: My mother used to tell me that all humans are children of God then why this disparity between the two sexes?Why are girls made to feel inferi...

NEWS: The government has finally agreed to telecast the movie “The Dirty Picture” after editing and omitting it umpteen number of times. The new version is made after 59 cuts. BACKGROUND: The national award winning film was banned for TV telecast. The raison d’être was the sensuous and sizzling scenes casted. MY OPINION: Our “sarkar” is so very concerned about what is shown on television. The point they miss out is that the majority of the population has watched the original movie in cinemas. So, what exactly is the purpose of using their scissors only for the television telecast? For a moment I'll assume that they don’t want the obscenity to reach the households. Why did they not then curb the bollywood directors and producers from making such films?Well, in my opinion, I don’t mind if they do so. It would help in discouraging such explicit display of sexuality. But the problem is that it won’t abstain exposure of the youth from the “frighteningly liberating or distr...

TOO BIG TO FAIL! These multinational banks had created an unnecessary hype about their name and fame. Little did we know that behind all this eminence, there was a black hidden face. Each of these business turks tried to establish their monopoly using unfair means. Recently, in an investigation carried out by the Financial Services Authority, the big bank Barclays has been caught in a scandal for manipulation of LIBOR. LIBOR ( London Inter- Bank Offered Interest Rate) is an indicator of the confidence level amongst the British banks. Apart from just the banks in UK, many variable rate investments are pegged to the LIBOR. During the low growth period in 2007-09, it was found that Barclays had faked the interest rate so as to show that their financial health was not shaky despite the dwindling economic affairs. The process goes on like this. The British Bankers Association gets a feedback from the bank about the estimates of inter- bank lending rates regularly. This organization t...

  NEWS:  A hostel warden named Uma Poddar in the Patha Bhavan, Shantiniketan had made a 10-year old girl , Punita, drink her own urine as a punishment for bedwetting. BACKGROUND: When this incident had happened, the police officials in the area ignored it claiming it to be " Natural Instinct." They never considered it unfair and acted leniently with the ruthless warden. They arrested the child's parents for the child's mistake. The Supreme Court responded vehemently about the careless treatment by the police.  MY OPINION: There are two ways of looking at this mishap. One, from Punita's side. She was living in a residential school miles away from her parents. For this girl, the warden was supposed to be a motherly figure and obey her orders with full sincerity. After bedwetting which is natural at such an early age, she was made to feel "GUILTY". Scared of her caretaker, she got oppressed and when her parents complained they were taken...

John Dewey had rightly said that " Every great advancement in science is issued from a new audacity of imagination." Yes, Peter Higgs dared to imagine what no one else did. He looked beyond the real, that was the SURREAL! But sadly, no one paid heed to his thoughts and imaginations. He suggested the presence of the Higgs boson which confers mass to all the constituents of the universe. But no, he never got recognition for his discovery. Even the journal, Physics Letters which was edited by CERN , rejected Mr. Peter's belief. However, Mr. Peter stood by his stand. The two teams i.e. ATLAS and CMS took the herculean task of investigating about the mysterious particle which Higgs talked about. The study was started by CERN in Large Hadron Collider. The world's largest particle accelerator is as heavy as the Eiffel Tower and half the size of Notre Dame.This gigantic machine multiplies the speed of a particle through a unique process. The particles are firstly injecte...

  Robert Frost penned the above line which I feel connects very well to the current Indian relations with her neighbours.India , has always lived upto its image of “Bharat Mata “. Her children have always lend a helping hand to all those in need but unfortunately has got less in return. Her philanthropic nature isn’t reaping the reciprocative results.We share our borders with nine major countries namely China, Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.There is no doubt about the fact that our progress and growth is indirectly or directly dependent on our neighbours but the mutual understanding is missing. First and foremost our “loggerheads friends”- Pakistan.In 1965, India generously gave away Haji Pir pass of the Pir Panjal range to Pakistan. Despite that, they attacked us with all their might. Then again India tried to extend an olive branch by releasing 93,000 prisoners and surrendering some territorial rights. But as we all are seei...

Humpty dumpty had a great fall…. We all have been hearing this rhyme since our childhood days. But I have now seen its real life existence. Mr. Rajat gupta, a corporate turk, had experienced only the “highs” in his career to finally have an “irreparable low”. The US judiciary has accused him of insider trading and has been given a sentence of 25 years in jail. While working in Goldman Sachs, he gave off secret information about many investment plans (most crucial being the Berkshire Hathaway investment) which were not to be revealed. He leaked the confidential details to his former business associate and a fallen hedge fund manager, Mr. Rajaratnam. The mighty mogul had no other option but to stand in shame as another indian, Mr. Preet bahara , US attorney, convicted him. Well, the jurors have given their decision but what is it that we learn from all this egregious fiasco? First and the foremost, GREED IS GOOD BUT NOT GODLY!! One always aspires to rise higher in...

Here is a Sanskrit Shloka which my grandpa often recites to me...It has a deep meaning and we can easily relate it to our lives. Oh God, always guide me so that I walk on the right path. Let not any kind of distractions leave me astray. Lead me from darkness to light so that I can brighten up the lives of my near and dear ones. Bless me so that I always keep spreading happiness in everyone's life and be a true healer. Lastly, oh God, transform all the lifeless things (having temporary existence like the body, my wealth and other material possessions) into "amrit" (which is omnipotent and omnipresent like the soul). Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!

  Oh!! It had literally been years having seen a movie with a meaning...certainly not after 3 Idiots.  Yesterday, a 9'o clock show was worth paying for ! Having nothing to do, we all planned  (though the plan was so sudden!) to go for a movie that my cousins had liked. But I certainly didn't expect myself to like it so much. This movie mainly raised two questions a)     Is “dreaming big” a crime? - Kayo,an innocent boy born to a middle class family, was excellent in cricket. He was considered as a champion in his cricket club. He always dreamt of playing for his nation. His father who was a RTO clerk did all his best to nurture his son’s ambitions.  He kept motivating his son to strive harder and never lose hope. But as we all know, Indian middle class though constitute a major part of the society , yet have to face numerous struggles. Even though Kayo got selected for a LORD’s camp in London, it was herculean task to finally g...

 THE 13TH PRESIDENT : Known as the first citizen of the nation or the head of the state . As Ms. Pratibha Patil finishes her presidential term in July 2012, the field work on the next president is in full swing. The nominations are as follows: 1) PRANAB MUKHERJEE  +VES: a) got backing from UPA alliance b) had been a loyal and hardworking member of the Congress party c) Been posted as Depuuty chairman of Planning Commission, finance minister and Defence Minister d) has signed crucial international treaties like the Section 123 agreement(a part of the United States Atomic Energy Act 1954) with US Secretary of state Ms. Condoleeza Rice. -VES: a) has been accused of excessess made during the Emergency during Indira Gandhi's term.Investigation to be done by the shah commission b) Also accused of allowing differential taxation for Bombay dyeing firm in textile industry CURRENT STATUS:  Having gained support from mostly all UPA parties(with the sole exception of...

Every year, the devotees from all over the world visit the 400 year Jagannath temple in Odisha. Here the pulling of the chariot heralds the beginning of the the renowned rath yatra. Lord Jagannath begins his journey with his elder brother,(Lord Balabhadra) and sister (Devi subhadra) from their abode, Shreemandir to Gundicha Temple. T he three deities, who sit on the bejeweled throne  known as the Ratnabedi, go on an annual vacation to their parental place. There is a ritual named the Pahindi Vidhi in which the idols of the gods are swayed rhythmically and hoisted majestically in the air by pandits.   Here as the idols are brought outside in a queue,the devotees get a chance to participate in the 1.4 km long yatra. The procession of Lord Balabhadra is pulled first as he is the eldest and hence leads the brigade. While Lord Jagannath(being the small brother)'s chariot is pulled the last. Between the two is Subhadra Devi's chariot. Metaphorically, the sister moves well prote...

NEWS: AITA(All India Tennis Association) had nominated Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi as a team for the London Olympics. Due to an unfortunate clash between the two titans, they have refused AITA’s proposal.  On one hand, Mahesh and Rohan Bopanna wish to pair up for the D-Day(refusing to budge from their stand), Leander Paes has no partner yet. The Sports minister Ajay Maken, has finally intervened and suggested the idea of sending two teams. BACKGROUND: The journey of the doubles pair- Bhupathi and Paes has been quite chequered. After a nine year long gap, they both patches up in 2010 to give their partnership a final shot. This pair won three consecutive titles but lost in the nine tournaments held after that. Paes had now started becoming doubtful about Bhupathi’s health and expressed his concern.Meanwhile, both the players played individually with Mr. Rohan Bopanna. In this year, bhupathi and Bopanna played several matches together and have decided to join hands ...

Dear readers, During these summer vacations, I got a unique chance to visit the two famous DEVNAGARIS of India - Haridwar( The abode of God) and Mathura(birthplace of Lord Krishna). Haridwar is a city on the banks of the holy river Ganga.From the saffron clothed sadhus to the small and big temples and not to forget the ghats festooned with diyas. As I walked down the narrow "gallis"(each having their own unique name like chotiwala galli, halwai ki galli and so on), I realised that all these devotees have sacrificed the pleasures of life in the service of God. They have never seen God in physical form nor have they ever asked for anything in return. Interacting with a sadhu passing by, he said that he was extremely thankful to the almighty for all he had got and wanted to express his gratitude through his prayers."HAR KI PAUDI" is the renowned ghat where people come from all over the world for darshan. While some people come to expiate their sins, the res...

NEWS: Around two weeks back,  Taiwanese people had gone on a protest march against their president, Mr. Ma Ying Jeou who is alleged of making anti-national moves. BACKDROP: Turning the pages of history, the strained relations between the taiwan and China dates back to 1949.The civil war created lot of instability in China. That is the time when most of the refugees crossed the Taiwan strait after being defeated by the chinese and made the small island their home .This small strait slowly  became a miles long divide. It is a prolonged struggle of independence for Taiwan as it is still considered as an extended unit of The Republic of China. The current prez of Taiwan, Mr. Ma Ying Jeou, has been criticised for introducing pacts that would make them more and more dependent on China. The Prez believes that he wants to extend the trading relations; without realising that it would lead to dilution of the island's unique identity.The native Taiwanese feel that China would use ...

NEWS: Recently, Baba Ramdev and Team Anna have again raised the topic of black money. They are accusing the UPA II ministers of keeping lot of illegal money in the swiss bank and of being corrupt. This time, they have taken the support of the CAG's report on coalgate scam to prove their view. BACKDROP: This issue had been raised once before and had created ruckus in the country. On one side, Anna hazare had gone on an endless fast while ramdev organised dharnas and community awareness. They tried to mobilise people against the ministers to garner support. The government finally decided to introduce a lokpal bill to provide a legal framework to probe corruption charges against the ministers.The detectives(i.e. Baba  Ramdev and Team Anna) gave the government a deadline which was met but they were not satisfied with the layout. MY OPINION: I emphatically believe that it is necessary to combat corruption but one can't just keep making new and new laws. It would be wiser i...

NEWS: Since the past nine years, this quarter has been a real slump for the Indian economy. The GDP has slipped down to just 6.5% . Simultaneously, the rupee has also hit a new low of Rs 56.52 thereby making imports all the more expensive. Due to this, the prices have skyrocketed leaving lesser hopes for the nation. BACKDROP: In the previous quarters, the fiscal status of the world has undergone a sea change. On one hand, the euro is losing its strength as many Eurozone countries like Greece are defaulting.On the other hand, even though dollar is doing well, their export items are becoming less and less competitive. This has led to the global slowdown and is now slowly infecting our nation. The Indian Rupee has become weak and there is a glut of commodities. MY OPINION: The reasons for this crisis are: declining investments and policy paralysis. As a result of the rupee depreciation, the global investors are losing faith in our country's investment havens. Also, the majo...

NEWS: Vishwanathan Anand,the Indian chess grandmaster has defeated Mr. Boris Gelfand in the world championship. This Moscow challenge was a tough one for the grandmaster as he had a tie after the 12 classical games he played against the israeli chess master. BACKDROP: Anand has won this title five times in a row. But recently he had lost a few games which were supposed to be his fort`e. The critics started to crib that age had taken a toll on his genial abilities. Some said he had lost his proficiency while some said that it wasn't his cup of tea. MY OPINION: The Grandmaster with his tremendous win has reaffirmed that if will is strong then age is a very small obstacle.Even at an age of 42 he has a remarkable concentration level and focus.He trashed the stereotype that such CEREBRAL GAMES are not only for Russians.One point I would like to emphasise is that stardom is temporary-those at top are at a higher risk; when Anand won the title he was praised from all sides....

NEWS: In the U.P joint session chaired by the Governor, B.L.Joshi,  BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) leaders wore blue caps and shouted out slogans. They disrupted the session to express their frustration over the ruling party,SP (Samajwadi Party). BACKDROP:  This is not the first time the largest state assembly of the country has been interrupted. Back in 2009, the SP leaders had created a similar pandemonium. They had broken all the microphones and used them to bring the house to a standstill.   MY OPINION: All these incidents bring home a point that it is the political imbroglio which is leading to low development in UP. The people of UP thought that SP would finally bring about a change in their lifestyle but the stars don't say so anymore. What is the reason behind such immature behavior shown by our political leaders?Well I think it is crystal clear- they respect the seat but not the needs of the needy. If India is not progressing at a good pace, it is b...

 Hello everyone… Is 'News' just limited to the full form“north-east-west-south” ? Certainly not! News tells us how our past is affecting our present and how exactly it can change our future. The collective actions and decisions of all the people in the world give birth to what we all call “news”. Through my blog, I want to analyse how small moves lead to big turns. From the political imbroglio in India to the communal violence in Egypt not leaving the falling euro or the rising dollar. How are all these happening? Does the civil war in Syria affect India in any way? A layman would probably say that we won’t be able to get our import of oil. Is that it…What about the refugees, where are they going? It is high time we realize that “The world is round…what goes around comes around.” If not change we can atleast be aware about the changes happening everyday! So here is a forum where everyone can read and reread while I present the topics for discussion. A renowned A...