The shame of oppression...

Rape is the most beastial act of oppression on women, and one which I cannot imagine any civilised society ever allowing nor supporting. Therefore in the recent news coverage over the last few days I was horrified to learn of two stories that shamed me to the core. The fourteen year old girl who was abducted by policeman whilst she was grazing her cattle, brutally raped and the killed makes you wonder about what law enforcement means in our country today! Sex is purchasable so let's not be coy about that. If desperately desiring sex is the preoccupation of the culprits then let them by all means frequent a space where consential sexual transaction are available. Why commit this horrifying atrocity to merely ejaculate, if I may put it rather crudely. At fourteen this young
child's life was already in the lane of bearing adult responsibilities. I wonder what gratifying sexual fantasy these crazed policemen must have had to even contemplate this horrifying deed; and to then silence her by killing her and discarding her body like a left over meal that no longer entices your appetite.

The lady who hanged herself after her two colleagues drugged her and then raped her is another chilling story of male testosterone gone amuck! How sick can office politics get when "methods" of getting even become such acts of debauchery? The image of her body hanging from the fan made my stomach cu curl with shame!

And of course Gaddafi who honours his country's nationals by using rape as a weapon of war.
Welcome to the 21st century!

With the Babaramdev's and their attention seeking dharma's the real issues of concern get side lined. I weep for the lack of will that we display to bring greater parameters of civil accountability through the vigilance of better political governance. A raped woman or child is just an uncomfortable statistic for Indians at large ... Nothing to write home about and much less get hot and bothered under the collar over...Instead it will be the news of some Bollywood tear jerker that will fill the news papers and mega big bare bodied bollywood stars who will claim our attention.

Serious after all is normally considered boring....hai na?!

Location:Canal Rd,Vadodara,India

The last of the true Indian Icons depart.....

                                      

There can never really be another M.F Husain, ever. A man who charted his journey from the humble by-lanes of an Indian city to the center stage of world art; he gave Indian art an international face long before any other Indian artist did. A maverick, he could  reinvent himself  as a painter and creator continuously, and till the very end has remained an artist whose art holds a relevance despite  other trends and fashions that come and go.

Husain had this amazing ability to make you feel that you were the most important person when he was spending time with you. His agelessness was because he was in fact a true free spirit who never conformed to the expected. He lived life on his own terms and when hounded in recent years by fundamentalist forces, he chose to hold his dignity and never retaliate to the provocation and humiliation of betrayal  that his country meted out to him. It is this very grace and elegance that set him apart from others of his fraternity, and allowed him to be free of cynicism or anger. He has lived each day of his life within the orbit of his creative energies and he leaves for us a legacy that holds the vigours of his beliefs:  that creation through the vision and soul of the mortal spirit is a space of freedom, unfettered by the dictates of religious bias and politics;  and is a universe of infinite being.

Dear friend, you gave to each of us a part of yourself to hold forever. Indian art history owes you a huge debt.

250 and still counting....

When I began to blog I never believed I would sustain it this long. I began it because it appeared such a democratic way of communicating with an audience, and it has proved to be that very space it promised to be where people can mingle with ones ideas and views, disagree or empathise; and not necessarily have to meet up to create this synergy of engagement.

I have over time acquired some faithful readers, and I am often truly surprised when I meet someone for the first time  who informs me that they follow my blog. It isn't that what one shares in this blog is anything very unique or specialized, but what I think becomes a basic criteria of bonding is a transparent honesty and a lack of some hidden agenda which allows others to feel comfortable with plugging in.

At a time where confusion prevails as to what really is right and wrong with the whole Ramdev Baba issue, open platforms of interaction become the only areas of debate that hopefully allow us to find better comprehension into this murky mess.

I cannot say that a police crack down is a correct political/legal procedure within a democracy. However after the demolition of the Babri Masjid on that fateful day of "protests" by kar sevaks I always become jittery over the saffron brigade posturing as the "voice of the people". Maybe Baba Ramdev in his feminine attire appeals to me more (!) but whatever I followed through the media reports of his hunger strike and his inarticulate rhetoric certainly did not inspire confidence in me.

I found the  civil movement that supported Anna Hazare a more truthful space of protest that clearly (even if naively) attempted to separate political hijacking from the issues of addressing the Lokpal bill. Of course there were blunders, of course there were many people who saw this as an opportunity of visibility.....but all in all it held up a space of accountability that each of us could understand and relate to and identify with.

The problem in India is corruption can be stamped upon everyone. In the last twenty-five years the "bakshish" bill has been well "drafted" into Indian society. Whether it is the linesmen of the telephone department, the municipal civic authorities, the postal service etc. etc. etc....., every one "quietly" holds the common person to ransom by "quietly" pinching them where it hurts the most! So cough it up or pay the price of being "quietly" harassed!

Today India is full of virtuous outrage over the mid-night drama of Baba Ramdev's arrest. With the shadows of the past that are yet to be laid to rest I think sometimes actions that quell possible mob hooliganism is unfortunately a wiser option in the long run when a country needs to address serious issues. With the bagpipes of Scotland calling, the snake charmers role is being rewritten by our bearded friend. Maybe Indian designers can merge the kilt and the saffron robe into a new attire for our new self proclaimed saviour of the hour. But for me, I am not amused that a civil movement that had profound dignity and a following of people across the entire spectrum of Indian society, and which was led by a person of  Anna Hazare's credibility has been hijacked and potentially derailed by a saffron adjutant who is clearly only a mouthpiece for someone else! Clear the deck please and let the movement proceed with its original leader to guide it.

An on going affair....

Sari's are the most beautiful garment in the world. As a child I always looked more grown-up than my peers, so when I turned thirteen and had a wardrobe that consisted of halter necks, bell bottoms, shorts, mini skirts and T.Shirts; I added this delightfully graceful garment to my shelves. My parents were very liberal and so my quirks of dressing were accommodated with no raised eye-brows and instead a great deal of support and many compliments that in retrospect must have been only possible from pure parental love alone!!!

I wore saris through out college....beautiful cottons that came from the magic of weavers and their looms. These garments and my nava bazar ghagaras, rainbow coloured kurta's and chatak salwars were the fashion statement of my university years. Perhaps my love affair with the sari is rooted from the memories of my mother from when I was young, who for many years of her life only wore saris. The swish of the fabric as she would kiss me good night is such a precious personal memory...almost like a special secret  that only I possess the knowledge of.

I loved the saris that the Calcutta fisher ladies wear. Even in the 8o's to pay only twelve and fifteen rupees for a sari as considered a song. Vibrant flat colours with contrasting borders made for the most beautiful aesthetics you could imagine.

Day before yesterday I went to a lovely little store owned by my old friend Tejal Panthaki that is called "Tejal" and bought four lovely cotton saris. On bringing them home my mother told me that this purchase was going to be her present to me! The delight of a mother buying you a sari is another little special secret joy that becomes difficult to describe; and which is so much about the personal rituals of love.

I don't wear my sari's as often as I used to. The climate change has perhaps been the biggest factor to this; and when I travel I tend to take just few mix and match "stuff" that keeps my bags super light.

Today it isn't that easy to procure saris that are simple. With middle class taste often veering towards the gaudy, one gets too many over embellished saris that would make even a peacock blush. But of course  beautiful saris are still being made by the weavers. It is just finding out who has the eye and discernment to source them and offer them to us in their outlets that we frequent as shoppers.  

Slow and steady?

Today is my first blog post from my iPad 2 and I am attempting to put aside my frustrations of the numerous "don't know" things that still remain irritating without a manual reference to guide one, and plunge into this new world of mobility connectivity with a determined desire to plug in! Samera and Malavika are my two guardian angles of the cyber world and both eves with a tree full of apples that they know exactly what to do with....so the half bitten one is no big deal to tackle!

I was in Bombay for a meeting (and am at the airport right now where hopefully the flight will not leave without me!) and had the wonderful opportunity of being taken around the current NGMA exhibition by Mortimer Chaterjee who brought alive this amazingly well curated show titled Homi Bhabha and Modern Indian Art:The collection of TATA institute of fundamental research. This is a MUST see for anyone who needs an education in the presentation of a well crafted show and who delights in the bracketing of a selected factor of interest, to examine.

As I sit in the bus and tap on the touch screen of this little magic slate I am willing to concede that my earlier irritation is slowly going to be replaced with an acceptance that the potential of this portable communicator holds the ability to seduce me

The IFad .....

I should have realised that the big hype of the IPad was something to be slightly cautious about before acquiring it. The great apple product comes with very little information and at every twist and turn one is obliged to go on line to apple forums to search for other bakra's who are in a similar tight spot! No user manual comes with it and if you are an owner of a Windows PC you are automatically in the second class citizen circuit regarding usability access.

Why the various iStore outlets cannot become mini centralised hubs that offer you the service of "equipping" you with the numerous downloads necessary to actually use the device, beats me. I am obliged to get a credit card (something I politically resisted so far) only because I will then be "allowed" to register at the hallowed iTunes Store!

My real reason to acquire this gadget was because I saw it as offering me a portable light weight "office"- for quick access to the Internet for referencing, for emailing and for blogging. Well please note that the hype of 3G also needs to be slightly tempered down. It is NOT available at all places and nobody informs you that it has the potential of being VERY expensive with its maximum offers not really exceeding 5GB download limit! So baby unless you are with deep pockets to run up high bills, I seriously suggest potential iPad buyers to engage in an in depth fact finding mission. The "boys" at my iStore are very sweet and I really endorse their efficiency of service.....but unfortunately they are not sufficiently clued up either.

So before I register for the great baptism at the iTunes Store I am choosing to "register" my utter dissatisfaction for this gadget. "Simple" should translate to user friendly and efficient. A simple manual rather than always having to go online to long demo lectures that waste time is a logical option that should have been considered. But then I forgot that the gadgets target audience is using it as an entertainment play toy. Silly me to take the iPad so seriously!!!!!

What's up doc?!

What a difference a day makes! The words of this old song certainly ring true. Didi is in, Amma is in and Auntyji is beginning to host tea parties hopefully not ala Sarah Palin istyle please!!! As for Kanimozhi, poor soul, it may well be the sparse jail diet for a while. Anyway with the memories that politician's have, she may yet be tomorrows calendar girl for the Congress, rosy lips and all!

I am not a great "didi" supporter yet I cannot help thinking that almost anything will be better than the old fuddy-duddy Babu culture of West Bengal. I had the experience of traveling to Bhutan in 2006 and flew out from the Calcutta International airport. Oh my Lord....what an experience. It was literally like being in a time warp. No computers were in sight. The reason given was that then people would be without jobs!!!! So all the international passengers were given hand written boarding passes!!!! Let us also hope that Ms. Banerjee with all the painting she is doing recently, becomes more "cultured" and stops screeching like an imported macaw from South America.

Karan Thappar must be fretting and wondering how to make up to Ammaji. Many moons ago when he harangued the fat lady because she wouldn't sing to his tune, and had instead brought her "script" to read out answers from ( like the good convent educated girl that she is); he in all his Doon school wisdom decided to give her a lesson in tongue lashings in the traditions of whipping/caning learnt in those elite corridors of public school boyhood years! She pouted and left, he grimaced and stayed on....

Anyway in the dark corridors of politics all types of exchanges can happen including kissing and making up with your sworn enemy, so maybe Colgate smile Ammaji will come with her cape in place and give wonder woman interview to suitable K boy; and simpering Simi will trill in the corner beseeching Ammaji to come and hold hands with her and twitter in soft focus together.

Rahul boy will end up proposing to Mayawati. This will bring peace to the nation. She will bring with her as her dowry the state of chaos and Utter Pradesh. Dressed in a Barbie doll pink gown designed by Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen Mayawati will promise in her marriage vows to "obey" the king in waiting of the Congress.

As 2 and 3G scams fade away , new epic dramas will pop up. Amar Singh and Digvijay Singh will audition for the lead villains whilst Shiela auntie will look the other way as the kids on her block play truant. The batting line up for parliamentarians will be headed by has been cricketers and Shatrugun Sinha will retire to Sikkim to help his buddy Danny boy with managing his brewery. Jaya B. will continue to "be" the suffering tragic heroine that she is and Jaya Prada will keep all bullock-carts off her Christmas shopping forever!

But as always another day is yet to dawn. And as we doze off momentarily, who knows what will slip out from under the coverlets the next morning as breaking news that make wake up caffeine quickies look like tepid water in comparison!