Pics from a trip to Kasauli and places around

Around India Gate, sometime back!

Let's stop being crushed!

The biggest paradox in a democracy like India is that our politicians tend to rule the people who bring them to power.. and in more ways than one, resort to the acts of robbing people of their many democratic rights though the pressure of power. Wonder how once seated at the throne of certain authority, our politicians start to look like those old 'stone' grinders that were known to crush the hands of their operators - in politicians' case, it's their damn 'creators', we, who get crushed. Why? You know, then the fearful, handicapped 'people' won't go to make another 'grinder' of its kind!

Stone grinders don't think, but our politicians do because they have something called brain to make use of. And they do use their brain to fool us, to crush us!

But, alas, what the heck does a grinder do when there's no one to run it?! Yes, so you may say, there is no dearth of 'hands' in a big country like India - given such a extravagantly populous we are! There will always be some followers and profit mongers who would keep running the wheel for our politicians - the crushers - the the grinders of our faith in democracy! Can't we just once decide to stop letting them reach the seat of power? Can't we all once join our hands together to pull down all those unscrupulous individuals pretending to be our servants and fooling us on their continuous ascendency to higher powers? I don't mean to highlight any particular party or individual. For i know that we hardly have any better alternative to compare.

But then, these robbers in the hides of our political representatives are on the rise ...and we have wasted too much of time already! Let's put an end to it all. Let's stop being crushed!

Blueline and bleeding bodies

Crying faces, bleeding bodies, heart wrenching wails echoed Delhi sky once again on Sunday morning. This time the place of action was Mathura Road in Badarpur, near Aligaon crossing. The 'Blueline' killer again created havoc by ramming into 15 people waiting for bus. This time the rampaging 'killing machine' - in the name of a public carrier - was successful in killing 7 and left were seriously injured, bruised, and of course, panic stricken. It is alleged that the driver of the bus, carrying more than 50 passengers, was drunk. He lost control and hit people standing on the road. Easy, huh!

Hell, what’s going on? It is not the first time that such rash driving and irresponsibility robbed people of their lives. These series of accidents are occurring at an alarming regularity - far too many in too less time in Delhi.

The hovering fear of death, ready to gripe any one of us anytime, can take away one of our colleagues, friends, neighbours, near and dear ones...tomorrow, today, in no time! Who knows who will be the next victim? Whether one will get back home safely? No one knows! Today, when an otherwise simple practice of boarding and de-boarding Blueline buses comes coated with the fear of invisible death, helpless boarders are always in danger in becoming a victim of cruel destiny - much without any guilt of their own.

Buses are one of those amenities which are meant for people’s convenience but these accidents have brought forth the gruesome pictures of human error, negligence of moral duty and ignorance. Consequently, they are now posting most prominent threats to human lives, bigger than any of its kind in all probability.

Drivers and conductors often seem to be short-tempered, excited and indulge in speed competition with one another, apply sudden brakes and make passengers suffer due to their whimsical and careless driving.

Agreed, Delhi government has taken few steps to stop these accidents. But still, the killing spree of Blueline buses don't show any signs of getting over.

It is important that the driving hands must be experienced. The man on the driving seat must be balanced, careful and vigilant towards his duty as a driver. Driver and conductor must have friendly approach besides having professional ethics! Sufficient time must be given to passengers while boarding and de-boarding the bus. Are these points so hard to follow?

Anyways, moving forward, traffic rules broken during these accidents have implied clearly that rules are being violated by the Blueline buses. Some such violations do not lead to a mishap and go unsighted thus.

Add to this the regular practice of tempering the speed-governors by almost all the buses.

it does not wait to be said that the government must take strict action against these violations. Deployment of PCR vans can't be the only solution. Every intentional negligent driving must be awarded with more stringent punishment, at par to that of ones for causing mental trauma, unintentional killing and anti-social behaviour.

Of course, we people are also required to be conscious of our duties as passengers and pedestrians. After all lives are ours that're being taken away...

little future..

little future..

In the wake of stupendous economic growth, when a common man suddenly gets bamboozled by sudden rise of BSE-SENSEX indices to 15000 points, India yells for its recognition as a major force to reckon with. However, side-lining this present status quo, could we focus on a simple yet indomitable issue that relates to few (!) poor children of our nation?

I am planning for a short movie on this very subject. Let me present my thought as follows.....

The movie represents three characters of our society who are young but burdened with works…. in fact loads of works to which they are subjugated at a very tender age. Their works do not provide them enough chance to study and become an educated member of this society.

I want to present a glimpse of CHILD LABOUR, a gift, probably endowing each poor child our country.

The three characters in this movie belong to different corners of the country, have a different story to tell, but are subjected to work, with or without their willingness.

In the movie I would try to ask what the best policy our policy makers could put forward to make them go to their schools…. in spite of their grave poverty?

I believe that a prized answer can change the society and the country as a whole.

Cinema Cinema....

Really.., cinema today has reached to a stage from where it can provide a towering view of the society around. It is very true that cinema today is not just a source of mere entertainment, at times it works as the strongest medium of introspection of the self and the society in which one lives.

Just few days back, along side popular hits like The Da Vinci Code and Krisshh, I saw Samsara and Dombivili Fast.

If The Da Vinci Code carries along the expectation of the book of the same name and influences its enthusiastic viewers to gather a cinematic experience of the literature form, Krissh, which is a sequel of Koi…Mil Gaya, is enthrusted by its predecessor.

What amazed me was the gusto of two unknown directors to portray their believes and realizations in a very straight-forward and simple manner. I am talking about Samasara, and Dombivli Fast. Both these movies stood firm on presentation of stark reality in a rather simplistic yet artistic manner.

Samsara, which dealt with universal confusion in selection of path of spirituality to indulgence in worldly pleasure, was power-packed by splendid cinematography, commendable character portrayal, and richness in subject matter.

Moving ahead with the philosophy of Zen Buddhism, the movie subtly represents ‘forever role’ of women in this society as a ‘giver ‘and ‘sacrifier’. With the backdrop of Leh-laddahk, movie makes sojourn of the beauty of the place and guides viewer to the thoughts of a young monk questioning his existence in the world.

‘Dombivli Fast’ on the other hand, was a depiction of the muddle in the society. A middle-aged clerk, resembling any of the modern working middle class simple-yet-idealistic individual, was a smart replica of outbursts from different measures of oppression that all of us go through probably at each steps of our interaction with the society today. The protagonist chooses to answer blow by blow. However, ironically the society, for the betterment of which the character fights and diehard, relegates his measures to a frenzied act of an hyper individual. Even though the story during its course of progression, leads the optimistic viewer towards a probable positive (and happy) end, tragic death of the protagonist in the final sequence makes one to gulp the ending scene with a peeved heart.

The Da Vinci Code is a good movie. However, somewhere it leaves scope of betterment. Might that be because of its pace that leaves few interesting facts found in the book unuttered in the movie. Yah., of course a movie can never hold a complete novel in its limited time scale. But at times there were few facts and figures that found mention in the script either too hurriedly or in a way too short to understand. One should rather go through the novel first before going to watch the movie.

Krisshh… well, made me miss the uncanny mood of happiness and simplicity of its predecessor. Somewhere director was trying to make a blend of children movie with a topping of romance. As a result he stood true to neither of the two concept.