Binayak Sen - Just the Key Points

An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so. - Mahatma Gandhi

By the time I write something in this blog about a current affair, it becomes ancient history. So I decided to simply outline the facts and the comparisons which I've made regarding the Dr. Binayak Sen case.

The Starfish Story - U can Make a Difference

The next time someone says that something doesn't make a difference, I'll know what story to tell :)
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Secularism Vs Religionism

"If horses had Gods, they would look like horses!" ~ Xenophanes, an ancient Greek philosopher. 

Recently France had banned the burqa in public places [and I have no idea whether it is for the freedom of women or for secularism], but if it is for secularism, it would be stupid, because secularism doesn’t mean ‘not supporting any religion’. It means ‘supporting all religions equally’. Now the former is down-right indifference to all religions, whereas the latter is more progressive for equality among the people of all religions. It's important to know the difference, because religions are not really nonsensical and useless, like most of today's educated, sophisticated people have come to believe.

Ashamed & Afraid ? Not For Long...

I have been ashamed … Not once, not twice, not for a week, not for a month, but for 2 whole years, I’ve been ashamed. Ashamed of what I was, what I did and what I believed in. There could be no other explanation as to why I’ve always been so quiet, why I’ve never wanted anyone to know about me, why I’ve longed to be someone else… Someone who could talk, walk and smile without having to feel like an idiot. I’ve been very conscious and sensitive to others’ perception of me, and all those times, my judgment will be biased. I’ll be partial to the person judging me and pronounce myself guilty of stupidity. That’s one reason why I’ve always been happy to let someone use me or why I’ve always believed other people’s judgment more than I ever did mine.

And as long as people like me are out there, they can never raise their voices for any cause... even their own.

The Truth about Meditation - It Needs No Technique

I have been researching a lot about meditation, browsing from website to website, reading everything that would help me know what kind of meditation really helps. It took me about two weeks of reckless searching to realize an important fact: meditation does not have any types... it's just one, and no one can actually teach you to do it. You might be wondering why I'm talking about meditation all of a sudden, but guess what? We have now decided to take up meditation as our primary goal.

The Iron Lady of Manipur - Thoughts

Irom Sharmila Chanu… A woman of Extraordinary will and courage… The Iron Lady of Manipur.

CLick Here for Another Blogger's Take

Since November 4, 2000, she’s been on a fast demanding the repeal of the AFSPA [Armed Forces Special Powers Act] from Manipur. She’s been fed forcefully through the nose for a whole decade and has been imprisoned on account of attempted suicide.
For more about AFSPA: Click Here

In that post, I simply copied and pasted info from the website mentioned there. But this post is about what I feel about the situation [which is totally different, if you think about it].

A Campaign - "Make a Wish" Foundation ... [A Crazy Idea... Trust Me]

I can hardly count the number of times when we did something crazy... So many come to my mind when I link the words 'Us' and 'crazy'. I thought the craziest of all was to start this blog. But hey, there's new competition for the Craziest No.1 Award

And the award goes to................................................... This

Honestly, I don't even know what we expect to get from it... But I guess doing something is better than doing nothing... even if that something is going to be ... er... a bit... [yep, you guessed it] crazy.

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Email Forwards

Sometimes email forwards become irritating... They fill up the inbox and we may miss out on the really important emails. But some of them are funny and thoughtful like this one for example :) :

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IMAGES OF THE WORLD AT NIGHT:

 

A Video We Made :)

We are expecting permission from our Principal to allow us to use this video for a seminar we decided to conduct for class VII.

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Think About the Children

This is just about AIDS awareness. There are many innocent victims of this deadly disease.

Do you all recall the time you've had chickenpox. Isn't it horrible, with the whole family isolating you. Imagine the children with AIDS who are isolated by the whole world and this feeling of disgust that we show on them kills them. Think about it! After all they're not to be blamed...

"The child's sob in the silence curses deeper than the strong man in his wrath" ~ Elizabeth Barret Browning.

On World AIDS Awareness Day

“The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.” ~ Nathaniel Branden

December 1st is World AIDS day and the State Government [of Tamil Nadu, I’m not sure if it’s all over India or not] had asked the schools to conduct competitions for classes 9 and 11, in order to spread awareness among the students. The contests include essay writing, drawing and oration. The topics seem a little too boring [for example, the topics for drawing competition are – ‘Role of discipline for a happy life’, ‘An AIDS-free world is in our hands (I’m literally translating from Tamil)’ and ‘The Government’s role in preventing AIDS’] for any normal student [and by normal, I mean the average kid], such topics will seem really unexciting. At least, they did to me [I spent 2 or so hours grudgingly to complete a drawing which as my mom puts it, “resembles a little child’s doodle”].

Anyway, returning to what I was about to say before I entered into my lament…

The Fallen Family

This is a poem which I wrote about a year ago... I ... er... think that I tried to make the first letters of each word form separate words together. But obviously, that worked only for the first stanza. :)

In the sky above the sun shines
No speck of cloud, night very far away
Deep in sleep however are my brothers
In their dreams, unaware of the fray.
Awake brothers, for the time has come

Our family needs to be saved
Saved from enemies and all those
Obstructing our path of glory paved
By our ancestors, our great heroes

Who fought when they were enslaved
And many a struggle did they brave,
In the hope that one day our family
Would rise up, to it's past glory.
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The Antonym of Indifference...

'I must do something' always solves more problems than 'Something must be done'

This is one of those remarkable videos which speak the truth about what we really need in India. It shows the importance of unity and the will to do something.

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India's Education System - Why it needs reforms

"We are students of words: we are shut up in schools, and colleges, and recitation-rooms, for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a bag of wind, a memory of words, and do not know a thing."  ~ R. W. Emerson

 

Education is one of the fundamental rights in India now. Though to how much extent that right is being delivered to people is a matter of extreme concern, we also need to think about the standards of education in our country first. Many say the Indian education system is one of the finest. I disagree. I think that statement has got it wrong because of two reasons: One, the education system for India isn’t the same throughout the country and two, the syllabus or portions may be really good – not the system as a whole.

First things first, there is no common board of syllabus for all the schools in India so basically, there’s nothing as the ‘Indian Education system’. Maybe we can call it the ‘Set of all education systems in India’ or something of that sort. However, I’m not sure if India needs a common education system or not. Think about it…

Ambitions & Dreams - What's Your Priority?

“Success is only another form of failure if we forget what our priorities should be.” ~ Harry Lloyd

It’s easy when you are 25. At that time, you’ll either be a winner or a loser in what you’ve done so far and the path ahead will be quite clear – either keep on trying or change the field. But when you’re 16 and have a major turning point ahead… a point which can decide what you’re going to do when you are 25, it’s a lot tougher. You are usually torn between the need to keep your dream glowing and the need to keep your heart where everyone else says it should be. You keep playing the game by the rules others had set, just like a helpless 6-year old kid. No matter how boring and uneventful the game gets, everyone urges you to stick on to it, because that’s what really matters, when it comes to your future.

Caste System – The Prevailing Curse

The title suggests that the caste system in India is a lethal curse, but there’s something fascinating about its history that we cannot deny the fact that at some point of time in the ancient past, it was more of a boon to the society of those days.

It’s a common belief that the caste system was established many centuries ago. Hinduism was more of a culture back then and people were set jobs according to their behavior, conduct, knowledge, mental states and capabilities [or so, I believe]. Even in the Bhagavad-Gita, it’s stated that God set the caste system on the basis of gunas and karma. So anyone who is rational can understand that the castes didn’t define the social standards of a person. They simply defined what sort of work a person can do, that will help him achieve his true potential. It’s a simple idea: Imagine what would happen if a person who has a calculative, money-making mind gets into nation-building [which is completely different from what he is most adept at].

Skit Based on Corruption - Class Presentation

This is the play which we enacted for our [XI 'A'] class presentation a few weeks back. The play was written by two of us [Karthiga and I] and well... I thought it was worth posting it here, as it's about the most frequently discussed topic everywhere - Corruption.

Narrator: It’s August 14th, the day before the Independence Day and the day looked beautiful and promising. One lady is seen amongst the crowd. Though she looked like any normal woman, her noble and dignified demeanor set her apart from everyone else in the place. Yet, people went by without even throwing a glance at the stately lady. For some reason, she is invisible to their eyes. She is the Bharat Mata. Yes, the Mother of India. As she crossed a building, she heard some voices and stopped to listen.

The Great Indian Dream by Malay & Arindam Chaudhuri - Review

I’ve already mentioned in one of the posts that I had read the book ‘The Great Indian Dream’. In my honest opinion, it was really a very illuminating and interesting read, so I thought of writing a review for the work. The book is from the author of a best-seller [Count Your Chickens before They Hatch]. Now I haven’t read that one, or I would give a review of that book too.

Dr. Malay Chaudhuri is the founder of the Indian Institute of Planning & Management, and Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri [his son] is a well-known Economist, also a dean at IIPM.This book, The Great Indian Dream [I’ll call it TGID from now on] is all about the problems, or rather challenges faced by India and how the nation can overcome them. The cover of the book describes it as a must-read for every Indian and also speaks about how it is all about restoring pride to a betrayed nation.

Scams Cram the Country

There have been lots of scams in the news lately… some of them capable of making even the least-concerned man downright indignant. Before anyone even attempts to figure out the reason for so many appalling scams rocking the country and how they can be stopped, one has to know a lot about them. In other words, one has to do homework and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing… No matter how unforgivably shameful these scams are, I can’t deny that it has been rather interesting to read about them… and even more fascinating to write about them… mainly because these scams [in my opinion] are not diseases in themselves. They are just symptoms of a greater ailment called CORRUPTION.

The most buzzing news is about the former telecom minister A. Raja’s resignation. Contrary to the popular misconception, the former union minister did not stash away all the lost cash [1.7 lakh crore] in some Swiss Bank account. He had actually allocated the 2G spectrum to companies for a very low cost, which resulted in a loss of about Rs. 1, 70, 000 crores [that’s about the total expenditure that had been planned in the Union Budget for the years 2008-2009] for the Government [technically the loss of tax-payers’ money].

About Email-ing Collectors and Convictions

We sent this mail regarding banning plastic bags to about 8 collectors via mail [Collrnmk@tn.nic.in, collrpdk@tn.nic.in, collrpmb@tn.nic.in, collrrmd@tn.nic.in, collrthn@tn.nic.in, collrslm@tn.nic.in, collrtnj@tn.nic.in and collrtlr@tn.nic.in]. Honestly speaking, I'm not expecting anyone to even notice these emails, but hey... there's no harm in trying. And who knows... something short of a miracle could happen. Anyways, guess we'll have to thank our English teacher for the initiative. She sure did encourage us.

It's fascinating how some people just hold on to convictions... no matter how hopeless their causes may seem. There was this man waiting for 30 years because he refused to yield to corruption and then there's our English teacher... It's not really an unfair comparison - she has been sending mails every day for the past few years and hasn't given up yet [though there have never been any replies/reactions from the receivers' end].
She even said once: "I don't believe in giving up on my convictions... That's why they are called convictions."

Producers Vs Traders

“To take something from a person and keep it for oneself: that is robbery. To take something from one person and then turn it over to another in exchange for as much money as you can get: that is business. Robbery is so much more stupid, since it is satisfied with a single, frequently dangerous profit; whereas in business it can be doubled without danger.” ~ Octave Mirbeau, Torture Garden

Consider a farmer ‘A’. He gets up early in the morning, goes to his farm and works like hell. He is bent over backwards with all the farm work he does [if he is poor]. And suppose he is rich, all the physical toil is turned into mental struggle – labor charges, cost of fertilizers, cost of seed/seedlings, balancing costs, etc. Whether he is rich or not, one thing is clear – life sure isn’t easy for him without some sort of serious work. Then the time for harvesting comes and sure enough, he is pleased with the results and he tries to sell them. Suppose he sells the harvested stuff to a trader ‘B’ for Rs. 20 per kilo [let’s not bother with what or how much he’s selling]. The trader ‘B’ takes the merchandise to the city and sells it in the market for a higher price – Rs. 35 per kilo. Then the buyer in the market will sell it to the consumer for Rs. 45 per kilo.

Attitude of Indifference

"Indifference is harder to fight than hostility, and there is nothing that kills an agitation like having everybody admit that it is fundamentally right." 

 People's attitude of indifference has caused serious problems in the society today. Now, I would like to share a small story here, that shows the apathy and ignorant attitude of people.

It was a small village, and the people living there were found to be cheerless and unenthusiastic.The reason for their misery was because the village had an inadequate supply of milk. They were not able to feed milk to their children and were affected due to the scarcity of milk. So, the villagers discussed together and finally came to a conclusion that every person should pour a glass of milk into a big container kept common for the people. So that, with that amount of milk, the people's need for milk can be fulfilled. 

Skit Based on Environment and How it Affects Peace

This is the play which we enacted on stage on August 6th, World Peace Day:

Vaishu and Mahi are spending their hols at their grandmother’s. One day, the girls accompany their grandma to a nearby market. On the way, they pass a group of women jostling each other near a water pump. Two women were fighting for the handle of the pump…

Woman 1: What do you think you’re doing? I was here first!

Woman 2: No, you weren’t! Stop pushing me!

Woman 1: You devil, I have been waiting here for over an hour…

Woman 2: Get lost, you banshee!!

She tries to grab the handle and keeps the pot under the nozzle of the pump, but the first woman harshly pushes her away. She falls down and then gets up enraged. They start fighting very violently.

What does Freedom Mean?

Everyone talks about how India had got freedom 63 years ago... but has it really? I don't think so. It's not free yet, bound by the shackles of corruption, illiteracy and a hundred other ills. But then, what does freedom mean? When can we say that India has got total freedom? This piece got published in Hindu Young World [August 18, 2009]:

"When skills are valued more than money, when education achieves its goal of creating a change in every child, when votes are cast keeping the welfare of all in mind, when farmers smile at the face of drought and laugh at heaven's follies, when politicians care more for their country than for their parties, when one can walk into government offices and get jobs done without having to pay any 'extra money', then India will have got its real freedom.

True Education - Where Schools Fall Short

Preview

Edward Everett once said, “Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.”

What’s it that makes so many people lose patience, become intolerant, lose hope and seek the easier path, no matter how unjust it may be? It’s the lack of education. Well, as far as many of us are concerned, the word ‘education’ brings only science and algebra to the mind. But there is something more to learning that just that. There is the entire society’s value system in the hands of our educational institutions. What people are now, what they have become and what they believe in… all have their roots in the type of education those same people had received… the kind of schools they went to. So it’s not really an exaggeration to state that education can become the first step towards a whole new revolution of change.

Where did any of us get the passions for the stuff we do? More often, it’s from the things that happen at school, because that’s where all kids spend about one-fourth of their lives [we’re not taking into account the truants and the shirkers, of course]. More than math or literature, what one really learns at school is the skill of living. The kid learns to get along, to respect, to be tolerant, to work hard, to face failures & triumphs, to understand life, to value friendship and much more… These are small things which we learn along with all the complicated intellectual lessons from the text book, that most of our teachers were so keen to see us imbibe. But even when we forget the formulas and equations, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll forget those tiny lessons we learnt as we grew up.

The Journey of Change :)

This is an excerpt [the first chapter] of the story that we are writing together. The story is about five girls who go around India in search of fun and adventure, but return to discover something new in themselves after the tour. This is a combined effort and we hope it will be finished anytime before 2011. We have decided to call the book 'The Journey of Change'. :)

Not one passenger could pass by without throwing a look at that compartment which was filled with excitement, joy and laughter, in the midst of the drab looking compartments of the train. They passed with a smile, as they faintly recollected their own memories of teenage as they saw these five very lively girls. Through every station they passed, it was fun and frolic all the way. It was hard for any one of them to contemplate at that time how they had felt just a fortnight ago…

Police - Defenders of the Law... or are they?

“It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one.” ~ Voltaire ~

In every Hollywood movie that involves someone getting arrested for some offense, one can see the cop handcuffing the offender, while saying, “You have the right to remain silent…” and so on. In every Bollywood and Kollywood movie I’ve seen, there is no time for the police men to talk. They catch hold of the criminal [I mean offender], push him into the police jeep [in Chennai it’s a car] and drive away to the police station. Later, in the station, they use their lathis to get any information the accused might be withholding. And then, when they had beaten the living daylights out of the poor guy, a lawyer appears and bails them out. Then they leave the station, with bruises and stuff. Now, one doesn’t have to be a genius to notice the difference between the former and latter scenarios.

Dreaming into the Future of India...{The Story of a Little Girl}

Imagine… It’s 2020 and things have changed in India. There’s a little girl coming out of her house. Let’s go along with her and see for ourselves how the India of the future is.

She steps outside, into the pleasant evening, her little hair flying as she skipped along the pavement. And as she skipped, a jingle of coins could be heard from inside her pocket. She goes to a shop, buys a lollipop. She tears the wrapper, puts it in a dustbin and licking her lolly, she continues to walk through the streets. As she went, she didn’t have to close her nose as vehicles crossed her. In fact, her nose wasn’t bothered at all… there were no open drains or piled up garbage or open-air fish markets or even those pesky junkyard dogs/cows. She went happily, concentrating only on her candy in hand.

Learning Lessons from Life...

Click for a bigger image

A little knowledge is dangerous. But then, ignorance kills. We know how ignorance has wrecked havoc across the Earth. Stories with painful morals are all over our history books. The trouble is, we don’t consider them as anything more than just stories. Let me put it in Haile Selassie’s words:

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.”

It’s almost like insulting your intelligence to state here that indifference and inaction both rise only from a foundation of ignorance and lack of understanding. To believe that being ignorant is one’s right, would be like inviting injustice and serfdom on oneself. There’s no way ignorance can be ignored… none at all, especially if there are problems around [and we’ve got them in abundance, of course].

Ignorance simply means the lack of knowledge, but I believe it can also mean the termination of learning. When learning is stopped, we don’t stagnate… we tend to go down. It is curious how after a certain time, some of us just forget to learn.

Smoky and Noisy Diwali

Okay, I know I spoke a lot about Diwali in the last post, but right now, I want to talk about how Diwali, the festival of lights is fast becoming the festival of pollution [or it has, already]. It is true that this blog talks very little about the wonderful things in India and I'm sorry to be taking such a somber tone on such an auspicious day. But it isn't easy to ignore the numerous bangs and booms erupting all around... let alone the scare of walking or even driving on roads, for the fear of 'Lakshmi bombs' and 'atom bombs'. At night, the sounds are less in their decibels, but the noise is replaced by smoke. Smokes and fumes from all firecrackers and fireworks.

Happy Diwali!! :)

It’s the festival of lights! A time when everyone feels excited and happy for various reasons.

Some really pious and religious persons from the South feel liberated because it’s the day when the evil demon, Narakasura was killed. Other religious and pious persons from the North feel exhilarated because it’s the day when Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after his epic 14-year struggle in the forest. Little boys and girls feel ecstatic because of the numerous exciting firecrackers waiting for them to burst. Bigger boys and girls [like me] love it for the new dresses and also the 4 days holidays that our schools grant. As for the older people who are too busy for both fun and religion, it’s about the sweets. So you can very well see how the reasons for celebrating Diwali differ not only from region to region, but also with age and even religion. Believe it or not, not only do the Hindus, Sikhs and Jains celebrate it, even people of other religions do [except for the pujas and other religious traditions]. It’s truly a time for pure fun!

So here’s wishing you the most bright and fun-filled Diwali ever!

P.S.
But do give a thought to the environment too... Those noisy crackers can really pollute the Earth like no other.

Dummy Post

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This is not a real post... More like a dummy one. It's just to claim this blog in Technorati, so that you can find us there too. :)

Fear of Being 'Goody-Goody'

The most interesting subject to study is the society. It’s just like an individual. It has a mind and mood of its own. But like all individuals, the society also suffers from various syndromes. You might have heard of the NIMBY syndrome. It’s an acronym for ‘Not In My Back Yard’. It’s used to commonly refer to the prevailing attitude of people in a community to ignore everything [even if it occurs right under their noses], unless it troubles them in some way. Now I’ve discovered another syndrome in many people [including myself] and I’ve decided to call it the ‘ING’ syndrome. It stands for – I’m Not Good. Well, it isn’t a very well-though out acronym, but I guess it brings out the meaning to some extent. What this syndrome refers to is how many people don’t do good stuff, not because they’re indifferent of the things happening around them, but because they’re afraid to be good. They’re afraid to be known as ‘goody two shoes’!

The Hidden Division

India is, of course, very diverse and that diversity itself is its greatest treasure. One can see mosques and temples standing majestically side-by-side, forcefully reminding us all about the splendid land of religious unity that is India. Leaders and achievers of all religions, castes and cultures, irrespective of minority or majority can be seen in every field. It’s always a proud feeling when we recollect how many incidences of unity and peace have taken place in a country of so many dissimilar people. But though we may bask in the sunshine of such beautiful and glorious moments, let’s not forget the shadows on the other side either. Apart from certain isolated, unfortunate events, there is still a hidden division, almost invisible in the eyes of many people, deeply rooted in the heart of the society. A division that is not often recognized and publicized by the media.

A Visit to an Orphanage - The Joy of Giving

It was rather an uncomfortable journey for us, as there was very little space left in the bus, with all the bags and boxes crammed, as if the extra passengers weren’t enough. But we didn’t really mind. Once the bus began to move through the streets, we could get some air and with all the prattling, laughing and singing [we were playing Atakshari], time just flew by, without any of us noticing it. We also spent some time secretly watching photos in Benita’s digital camera and teasing the passers-by and everyone else who were unlucky enough to appear in our minds at that time. Standing on the footboards and clutching onto the neighboring seats for support, the drive to the Birds Nest Girls’ Orphanage was quite fun… especially when the bus went over road bumps.

Why Change Anything at all?

Some of us feel this way - Life is so beautiful without any changes at all, and so is our country. In fact, some of us at times, feel like India is just perfect – diverse in all aspects. India is so full of diversities that we may also be proud of how our nation is almost like a treasure chest of different cultures, religions, people, how funny politics and illiteracy is, how patient and tolerant people are, etc. In fact, we laugh at ourselves, at every single thing that we think makes us ‘Indian’ – like watching movies in pirated CDs, throwing trash about, teasing politicians and more. Life goes on for all of us and it’s simply beautiful to live in India. Everything’s just as it should be, as long as you mind your own business and learn to adjust to the situations. So why should there be any change at all? Why should we start protesting for small stuff, restrain ourselves for trivial things and be so rigid? It’s perfectly okay to be carefree and easy-going, right? That way, we’ll find more happiness and joy in our lives. If we fight for justice, fight against poverty, fight against discrimination and a whole lot of such causes, where will we find the time to live?? Life will be too full of heart-breaks and disappointments and dangers, that we won’t be able to afford even a single moment of true serenity. Isn’t that just about right?

No. It’s not.

NeWsLeTTeRs

Our newsletters have been appreciated in such high terms by our school principal and believe it or not, our team seems to be going to great heights, very soon!

It was, of course a very silly decision at first… creating the newsletters for spreading awareness… newsletters which no one actually read. But the universe has once again proved that true hard work and passion never goes unrewarded. Through a twist of fate, what could have disastrously ended as a silly little girl’s team, is gaining more recognition and respect, among everyone from teachers to peers. This had given me a new strength, the strength of confidence. I don’t know if it is just me or something else, but it does awfully seem like we are very shy, timid and meek. What we need is self-confidence. We may have a great aim, a great team and great skills. But we lack the heart to believe that what we are doing is not silly or stupid. It’s mainly because we receive little respect or appreciation for what we do. But now, I think that what our team need is the ideal booster that has come along by naturally. And for that, we can only thank God [or luck, as it is for atheists ;)].

The two newsletters we made have received great attention and the entire CHANGE team is going to be introduced to our Principal. It was rather just shock at first, but now, thinking about it with a calmer mind, I think this is the perfect opportunity to boost the esteem and morale of the team. We are expecting the booklets to become the library’s possession after it has been passed into the school Chairman’s hands and received his approval.

Moreover,  as November 7th is Magazines Day, our first newsletter is going to be circulated among the English teachers of our school.

Meanwhile, it’s best if we plan our next edition, because now our reputation is growing, by all means, we should keep it up! :)
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Five Steps to Recycle Paper at Home

Paper is one of the most useful stuff on planet Earth. That’s chiefly why you can always see lots of paper, crumpled, filed, bound, etc. almost everywhere. But this also means that paper is one amongst the highest contributors to the domestic garbage bin. The trouble with this is not just waste disposal. Oh no, the matter is much more serious. Paper is made out of wood pulp and as a result, thousands of trees are cut every year for manufacturing paper. If you’re wondering why that’s a big problem, check this small excerpt from my 7th Std. Environmental Science textbook:

“Forests help in balancing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, regulate earth’s temperature regime and the water cycle. Forests increase the local precipitation and water holding capacity of the soil, thus preventing drought situation. Vegetation cover slows down the run off on soil surface checking soil erosion, silting and landslides, reducing the danger of flood. Fallen leaves maintain the fertility of soil by returning the nutrients. Forests also provide home to large number of wild animals protecting them against strong winds and solar radiation.”

So indiscriminately cutting down trees does a lot of harm to the environment. But it would be absolutely crazy to ask everyone to stop using paper and go back to the old method of writing on cloth or animal skins. So, what is sane is to reduce the wastage of paper and to recycle used ones. With this, I better get into the real subject of this article – How to Recycle Paper at Home [the easiest and cheapest method by far].

Throwing Away...

One of the 100s of things which we are truly against is throwing waste [papers/wrappers/garbage/etc.] on any ground. This purely arises from the conviction that no matter what you throw inside the house, stop polluting the places outside… mainly because that place is not yours and you have no right to make it ugly. But then, there’s also another way of thinking about it – It’s our country and we have to keep it clean [an approach which doesn’t seem to be producing much results]. Nevertheless, no matter how you look at it, throwing rubbish on roads can never be justified. These are a couple of excuses people usually give for doing it [some of them are downright stupid, but like we say… the stupider they are, the more interesting they become!]:

The Power Of One

"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do" ~ Helen Keller.




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On Idolization & Madness

Drive through the streets of Madurai during the time of some minister’s arrival and you will be greeted by monstrous banners, so huge and yet so sneaky that you will never know when you’re going to crash into one. They will be everywhere along the road, and sometimes even ON the road… lurking round the corner, waiting to flash the faces of politicians and their families and followers. Apart from the terrible inconvenience and dangerous hazard that they are to drivers and passersby who are already strained because of the uneven, bumpy roads, killer vehicles and the unwritten accord for not following traffic rules, they are also rather the image of how really silly politics is becoming in our country.

One particular politician in Madurai is very famous. He is M.K. Alagiri, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers, and is one of the two sons of Tamil Nadu’s Chief Minister, M. Karunanidhi. This is like no news at all for someone from the South. This is because we are often reminded of this particular family of politicians whenever something or someone of importance comes to visit.

Let's Build the Nation.

About 482 years ago, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, Babar, demolished a Hindu temple in a small plot of land in Ayodhya, which was believed to be ‘Ramjanmabhoomi’, or ‘the birthplace of Ram’. Then, nearly 464 years later, an angry mob led by some ambitious politicians destroyed the temple and this led to riots. But the matter didn’t rest there. A decade after the demolition, 58 people were killed in Godhra, Gujarat, in an attack on a train believed to be carrying Hindu volunteers from Ayodhya. Riots followed in the state and over 1267 people were reported to have died in these. And that’s just the official record of the number of deaths. The number of people who went missing, who were harassed, those whose properties were destroyed or those who had to flee was probably forgotten.

This whole state of chaos boosted the BJP and RSS to their positions in politics, with BJP becoming the primary opposition party in the Parliament.No wonder a guy in face book commented: “We have made enough of Mosques and Temples… Let’s build the nation now”

Politics & Democracy

"Dirty politics", "Some fat politician", "Politics? What's got into you?", "Don't waste time talking about useless stuff", "Politics sucks!"... These are the responses you would hear if you were to start talking about that dreaded subject - 'Politics'

Now, it's no news that India is a democracy. It has been a democracy for about 63 years or so. But how many of us can truly say that the power of India rests in each one of our hands? How many of us will honestly say that they believe they can make a difference by casting a vote? How many are there who think that they can always DO something for their country? How many know what's happening in the Parliament, that big circular building in New Delhi? My rough estimate is... not many.

I am SAD... Surprised, Amused and Decisive

Wonder what the title is about? Well, I have lately been feeling a lot dull as our blog hasn't been receiving as much response as I know it should. I even started doubting whether I wasn't the right person for the job. But today, I saw comment from one friendly Indian [I shudder to think that he should be a fellow country man] and that has made me SAD... Yes, Surprised, Amused and Decisive.

That friendly Indian had called me f*****g and a b*****d for using the name of India. I'm not sure if that's the exact number of *'s he used [I'm guessing it's a he], because I don't know nor do I want to know what those words meant. But I think I have a slight idea of what he was implying. He also said that there were many 'real' organizations working and us using India's name was a shame to India.

The Common Loot Game

Corruption, Terrorism, Cleanliness, Inadequacy - What else can possibly go wrong with the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi?

Media accessed reports in late July of the Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC) which points to corruption at every level in the organization of the games. The CVC report says that almost all organizations executing infrastructure works for Commonwealth Games have flouted rules in tenders and increased their prices. This means contractors have been paid more that what is the right price. But despite higher rates, work has allegedly been delayed and quality has been compromised in all venues. The report says there is no guarantee of quality of the work done because test records have been fabricated to show compliance.

Then there is the threat from terrorist groups and there was also a small scare when two Taiwanese people were seen in Delhi's Jamma Masjid mosque. Countries and their Sportsmen are more than a bit afraid about potential terrorist attacks.

The Abode of Snow - By Nivedhita. V

THE HIMALAYAS

I was 13 years old, and it was the beautiful month of September. I was on a visit to my aunt and uncle’s house in New Delhi for the vacation, and it was from there that we went to Kulu and Manali in a Qualis. It was one of those journeys which I would hardly forget in my lifetime. I usually detest spending an entire day in travel, but when I beheld the Abode of Snow, the Himalayas, for the first time in my life, the magnificence of that sight left me astounded for hours, to think about anything else.

When we started on our journey, the air was chilly and I could feel it gently brushing by my face and sweeping through my hair. Its freshness and purity seemed to cleanse my very soul. Going uphill, I could see numerous trees of the distant forests, all swaying with every fresh current of the wind. My spirits rose and my heart inflated as I took in every little component of the landscape that presented itself to me as a fleeting panoramic painting, and my spirits rose only higher. What a feast for my eyes!

To Thiruchendur on Independence Day...

Independence Day, a day which should be revered by every Indian citizen with utmost respect. Yet, people still scorn at the idea of celebrating the Independence Day and there are debates going on, still, as to whether or not India should have been freed from the British Empire. Some people are even more unbelievable, ‘cause they don’t like the idea of their friends being ‘too patriotic’. I never knew till now that any person can actually be ‘too’ patriotic. A weird phrase, if you ask me.

Today, as I crossed various towns to reach Thiruchendur, I saw schools with the national flag hoisted, some shops displaying the tricolor and some students having them pinned onto their uniforms. One lady was actually drawing the flag on the entrance of her house, with color powders. I also saw several peacocks and peahens on the way. All of these scenes made my heart glow with pride and the feeling of belonging to a nation full of people who respect the same things you do. But my spirits came down as fast as they had risen.

In the highways, there was a traffic jam. This was a surprise to me. I didn’t know that there could actually be traffic jams in highways. It wasn’t because of any freak accident.

15th August, 2010

A very Happy Independence Day to every Indian!!! :

This Independence Day is not just a reminder of the great people who freed our motherland, but also, a day which gives us new hope and also the day that reminds us that the road to true independence lies far ahead. India is merely out of British control now. We shouldn't be naive enough to call it a free country now. India will not be free as long as there are trial prisoners languishing in jails, children dying of poverty, disease or improper water and sanitation, people are paying bribes to get things done in government offices, farmers are begging for help during a rough year and numerous other outrageous injustices are happening in this nation of ours. This Independence Day, let's not just be proud of India, let's also think deeply to make sure we leave a better country than the one our ancestors left us. On this 15th of August, let's promise to fight for true freedom. Freedom from corruption, poverty, ignorance, indifference, irresponsibility, disease, illiteracy, violence and injustice.

Jai Hind!!!


Once again, a very
Happy Independence Day !!!

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